Superman #22 – Joshua Williamson, Writer; Dan Mora, Artist; Alejandro Sanchez, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: This run has been full of major developments like Perry White becoming Mayor and Lois Lane becoming Superwoman – oh, and the return of the deadliest villain Superman has ever faced. Doomsday has returned from hell, and the first battle with him pushed the super-couple to their limit. The ancient creature with a blood-grudge against anything Kryptonian and life in general is now neutralized, being kept pacified by Black Mercy – but that’s not enough for a new arrival. The Aftermath, a society of survivors whose worlds were destroyed by Doomsday, has arrived on Earth and demanded that Doomsday be turned over to them. Their threats of destroying Earth to get him are the first sign that something is off, and Lois’ interview with the leader makes clear that he has ulterior motives. It doesn’t take long for negotiations to completely break down and the attack on Earth to begin.
The reveal of who’s under the cloak is a surprise, and one that calls back decades to Doomsday’s second appearance (also written by his creator, Dan Jurgens). From there, it’s all hands on deck to stop the Aftermath from getting their hands on Doomsday, with the containment tube at SuperCorp being at the core of it all. While Mercy and Lena organize things, Lex struggles to remember a key piece of information that could help, as the setup to his return to his old self starts to loom in the background. There seems to be a potential relationship being set up with Lex and Mercy as well, something that Lena is less than amused by. The ending of the issue will have some people skeptical, as it calls back to a scene from one of the most infamous Superman comics of all time, but if there’s anyone who can take this concept and save it, it’s Williamson, given how good this run has been so far.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
