Superman stands up pretty much against everyone! On Mars he is taking hits from all sides; think the first acts of Batman/Superman Public Enemies and you may get a bit of the idea. Of course, the bar is raised with the inclusion of Doctor Manhattan and his time spanning awareness. As the two worlds, amongst many, get set to collide, the impact of Superman is finally laid bare, the theory stands proven. But what of the ramifications?
Writer Geoff Johns has utilised all of his fan serving talents to cast a series of immense magnitude. The thing is, after reading this issue, I think the aim has far exceeded the product. Pacing has been a problem with the book from the get go. For large parts of this run, plans upon plans have been laid. Now, after taking an issue out to recap the story, Johns is left with having to tie up all the pieces together in the final issue, rushing through some key parts, which isn’t helped by the way that Manhattan flits through the various timelines. Taking a step back, I am beginning to think that the confusion is actually intentional, as it hides the fact that the fight between the “gods” of their respective worlds don’t actually fight! The major tease of this series has been the re-introduction of both the Legion of Superheroes and the Justice Society of America. Problem with that is those ships have already sailed in the Justice League book and the recently relaunch of the Legion book. See what delaying this series has cost you DC? The opportunity for the big payoff! Johns, through the solving of the Superman Theory, which states that Action Comics #1 happens across the multi-verse creating a Superman in every one, does lend itself to some of the hints and small teases about the 5G event next year. Regarding the Theory, the astute among you may well be pondering that if various of iterations of Action Comics #1 happened across the multi-verse, in every version, why is there no Superman in the Watchmen universe?
The art by Gary Frank, is gorgeous for the majority of the book. Strong panels and expressive faces merge into well versed, almost well practised storytelling, that apes the original book in a number of places. Superman, even though he takes a lot of punishment, does seem less than we would normally see him. I am not sure if that is by artistic design or a symptom of the meta brawl. As good as Frank can be, crowd scenes are not his forte. Sure, there are well crafted characters; a welcome return of Power Girl for example, is somewhat minimised by indistinct crowd scenes. As crowds are a major part of the story, their impact distract somewhat, as you try and work out who is who. Finally, Frank manages to capture elements of the original books with a few poignant moments for Manhattan. I would love to give credit to the colorist, who I believe is Brad Anderson and letterer, who I believe is Rob Leigh, but I can’t with 100% certainty as DC have failed to credit either the colorist or letterer in the preview copy of the book or even on their own website! Shame DC, shame!
DC, and to some extent Geoff Johns, had grand hopes for this book, as they tried to encompass so many different aspects. Firstly, the series was about bringing the Watchmen to the DC Universe. Then it was about given Rebirth a reason; then there was bringing back the Legion and JSA! Looking back over the entire run, I can’t help feel that creativity has given way to a level of pretension that has failed to meet the all the overall goals. Given that the delays were never going to help the book, maybe a less is more or at least a less planning and more doing would have helped this Clock wind down.
Writing – 2.5 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars
Overall – 3 Stars
Written by; Geoff Johns
Art by; Gary Frank
Colors by; Brad Anderson?
Letters by; Rob Leigh?
Published by; DC Comics
Author Profile
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I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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