Kneel Before Zod #3 – Joe Casey, Writer; Dan McDaid, Artist; David Baron, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: The concept of a series starring General Zod, of all characters, always seemed dubious to me, but three issues in, it’s clear that the creative team has a very clear vision for the series. This is a war comic, and it’s one where things happen very quickly. It was set up as a story of the Zod family, focusing on Dru-Zod, Ursa, and their son Lor-Zod—with a reveal that a second child of the house would be coming. But things change quickly, and a confrontation with his father led to Lor-Zod being exiled (into his own spin-off, natch). Zod and his wife also saw their relationship change dramatically, with her seeming to seize control of the power in New Kandor via a subtle palace coup. But the fallout there will have to wait, because the Khund Invasion has returned for a second and much more organized assault—and the indigenous army Zod has assembled doesn’t seem to be holding out.
This forces the royal couple to enter the fray once again, for a brutal battle segment that escalates when the Khund army deploys a unique weapon—one that can temporarily turn a yellow sun red, reducing the Kryptonians to their original strength. This is a rare opportunity to see Zod at his weakest, but also his most vicious, as he survives through guile and brutality and makes the Khunds regret their attack. But it’s not long before the series takes another massive change, potentially completely changing the course of this series and setting up Zod for a much bigger role in the Superman line of books going forward. I still think this series suffers a bit from its lack of any lead characters to connect with, but its incredibly brutal battle segments, detailed art, and thrilling tone make it unlike anything else on the stands. This almost feels more like a Black Label book at times.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
