Superman ‘78: The Metal Curtain #4 – Robert Venditti, Writer; Gavin Guidry, Artist; Jordie Bellaire, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: One of the most impressive things about Robert Venditti’s Superman ‘78 stories is how much they actually feel like movies in pacing and tone. We already had the opening match that Superman lost as he was rudely introduced to Kryptonite for the first time, and he’s been recovering since—until now, as Metallo arrives in Washington for round two. Unlike the first time, he’s not simply attacking Superman. He’s here to overthrow the government, no matter how many casualties it causes. As we’ve seen, he’s a true believer and fiercely loyal to the Soviet Union, but this issue makes clear how far he’s willing to take that. The ensuing fight is brutal, and reminds me in some places of the first Superman fight with Doomsday way back in the 1990s, as you get the growing feeling that Superman knows this isn’t a fight he’s going to win—but there are still people to protect.
However, while Metallo is the main villain of this installment, there’s another adversary lurking in the background—Lex Luthor, who played a key role in the first mini after being released from prison. There’s a big reveal about his role in Metallo’s powersuit here which makes a lot of sense—and it also gives Luthor the chance to make himself indispensable to Superman. This has shades of what Williamson is doing in Superman right now, but this version—inspired by Gene Hackman’s gloriously unhinged performance—has a bit more of a machiavellian edge to him. It’s not clear why he’s helping Superman yet—maybe he wants to kill him personally, or maybe he’s evoking Joker and he’s a patriotic supervillain. Either way, Metallo’s thread has escalated, a wild card has entered the fray, and this is heading for one hell of a conclusion over the next two issues.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
