Superman #19 – Joshua Williamson, Writer; Dan Mora, Artist; Alejandro Sanchez, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: Josh Williamson’s Superman has been one of DC’s best titles since it launched, combining a wild-and-crazy 90s-influenced plot with sensational character work for Clark, Lois, and especially Lex Luthor. So for this new era, he takes all that – and dials it up to eleven. There’s been one big status quo change – Lois now has the same powers as Superman, thanks to the strange scrambling of Absolute Power’s ending – and she is loving it, teaming up with her husband to fight the Atomic Skull (who now has atomic animals with him). But there are so many unanswered questions about her powers, including who they came from – because it seems that’s how the switcheroo went. Could it be Zod? Even possibly Jon, who has been kept off-page after his trauma during the event? And in the middle, there’s a really nice segment that continues to show a now-amnesiac Luthor’s character growth and bond with his daughter.
But Williamson’s slower moments make the big, explosive ones work all the better. This issue opens with a showdown between Superman and the Time Trapper, the mysterious cloaked being from the future who has a different identity every time. Their battle seems to be continuing to the end of time, when Superman has outlived everyone he loved. Or is that coming sooner than later? Because as previously hyped, Doomsday is back, and the ancient Kryptonian abomination has now literally escaped hell and comes back stronger every time. This is one of the few beings Superman fears, and that comes off every page with the character – who is probably at his most terrifying since 1992. And then there’s the ending reveal, which…kudos to Williamson for going for it, because this is one of the ballsiest swings I’ve seen in a while. Can’t wait to see more of this fantastic-looking arc as it unfolds.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
