Superman #15 – Joshua Williamson, Writer; Rafa Sandoval, Artist; Alejandro Sanchez, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: It’s the conclusion of House of Brainiac, as the fates of Superman, Luthor, and the villain of the hour all hang in the balance. Last issue, Brainiac unleashed the Brainiac Queen on the world, but the villain was foiled by the combined efforts of the Super-Family and the long-lost family of Brainiac—who were definitely not on board for his goals. Now, Brainiac is determined to take everyone down with him, and the only one who might be able to stop him is Luthor—if his mind can handle access to Brainiac’s 12th-level intelligence and absorb the entire contents of it without going mad. The storyarc Williamson has sent Luthor on over the course of this run has been fascinating, with him starting as this machiavellian mastermind trying to manipulate Superman to be a better hero, but slowly rediscovering his humanity through contact with his long-lost daughter Lena—who I’m hoping has a continued big role coming up.
But surprisingly, it’s not just Luthor who gets some development here. Even amid his empire collapsing around him, Brainiac finds some humanity. This is a much less uplifting take on it than Luthor, as he’s more flailing around in desperation as his intelligence deserts him and all that’s left is his personal failings. And so, in the last act, he makes a decision that shows where he is—but may unwittingly spell the doom of so many. It’s an ironic twist once you read this week’s Absolute Power: Ground Zero, but it works very well in the moment. There are some great new status quo changes by the end of this issue, including a potential new role for Lobo, a new planet to explore… and a major status quo change for someone Superman has come to rely on. And then the ending hints at an even bigger threat coming down the pipe—one that cost Superman everything in the past. This continues to be a golden age for Superman’s books.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
