Superman: Chains of Love Special #1 – Leah Williams, Dan Slott, Writers; Ig Guara, Rosi Kampe, Artists; Fabi Marques, Trish Mulvihill, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: One of the oddest comics to come out of the main DC superhero line in a while, this issue spins out of the Superman line and pairs two of the DCU’s most eccentric villains and antiheroes. Livewire has been locked up for an extended time since her last supervillain streak, and she’s finally up for parole – only for another villain to nearly ruin everything for her with an escape attempt. She’s barely able to get paroled, albeit with a power dampener and monitor designed to neuter her, but she wastes no time getting back on the air with her controversial radio show. She’s been away so long that she doesn’t have many fans – but she does find one in the form of Metropolis’ most insane vigilante, The Creeper.
Creeper, of course, is the alter-ego of right-wing media goon Jack Ryder, and his gleeful insanity hits it off with Livewire in a hurry. But she has no idea of his alter ego – and all the problem he’s been causing for her and her fellow metas over the last few years. The two start their own radio show, interviewing other supervillains and both making a case for their redemption and calling out some of the ones who cross the line. Along the way, they start forming a closer bond – until Creeper’s lies start catching up with him. I wasn’t expecting this couple to work as well as it does, but the main story by Williams and Guara sold me – and I like the little nod to how different Jon is as a hero from his father.
The backup by Slott and Kampe is much shorter, but has a really funny hook. It focuses on a low-level loser of a Metropolis resident, who is verbally abused by his family, treated poorly at his job, and insulted by random people. The world seems to hate him – until one day, he wakes up on Bizarro World. Everything is inverted, and his life is suddenly wonderful. When Superman eventually shows up, Bill doesn’t want to go back – and the ending finds a hilarious twist on the dynamic we’ve already seen.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes
