Superman #11 – Joshua Williamson, Writer; David Baldeon, Artist; Rex Lokus, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Joshua Williamson has sent Superman through time and back again—just in time for him to arrive in the middle of the Luthor Revenge Squad’s takeover of Supercorp. Drs. Pharm and Graft have made their move, storming the headquarters of the former Lexcorp armed with synthetic Kryptonite and putting the entire staff in danger—including Lena and Leticia Luthor, both of whom have very different perspectives on their currently imprisoned family member. Williamson seems to be setting up Lena as one of the main characters of his run, as while Superman is indisposed, the former Brainiac avatar turned genius teenager takes on the role of the book’s main heroic protagonist. It’s clear that she has a lot of unanswered questions about who and what she is, and it’s pretty impressive that Williamson is taking a character who last appeared 22 years ago and making her one of his anchors.
But then, he’s always been just as interested in the Luthors as he was in the title character, and with Superman falling prey to one of Pharm and Graft’s plans this issue, it’s Lex’s legacy that’s on trial. Superman’s rage against his former friend is unleashed in a surprisingly intense segment, and a shocking betrayal from within Supercorp reveals that Lex has made more enemies than even he knows. But the true scope of the villains’ plan isn’t revealed until the grand finale, and it pulls back the curtains on an area of Luthor’s early years that shows just how far he was willing to go as a villain—and once again raises the question of if he truly is beyond redemption. This is one of the fastest-paced issues of the series yet, with a mile-a-minute feel that sets the stakes sky-high for this latest arcs and gives Superman several new villains to face off against.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
