Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Superman #675
DC Comics
Busiek, Guedes, Correa & Magalhaes

Superman battles, not one, not two, but five villains in this issue. He eventually teams with one to take out the others. This issue weaves together the interesting characteristics of Superman with some good, old fashioned throwdowns. However, the real element of this story worth noting is it is the end of the line for the writer, Kurt Busiek, on Superman.

During my reviews I try not to reference specific artists or writers for the simple reason that I believe a comic is a complete team effort. To tell a good story you need all the parts to pull their weight. A bad editorial decision can make a comic story sub par with the editorial decision transparent to the reader. Thus, you may end up wrongly blaming the story teller. On the other hand if I were to constantly gush on about one particular part of the team then I develop a perceived bias towards that writer or artist. Therefore, I try to treat them all the same. However, one can’t help but notice the names on the credits and Busiek’s name has been associated with some great Superman stories over the last two years. He brought great takes on the character add to the Man of Steel’s stable and he will be missed on this title.

This particular comic is a near double sized blowout issue. The fight involves three cult priests from the planet Daxam, the power stealing villain Paragon and Superman. The issue is at its best when, during the fight, Superman is trying to warn the priests of the danger to lead exposure they face on Earth. In the process, the priests become more enraged. Superman never loses his cool though. He fights with his brain instead of just his sheer muscle.

While the priests are not impressed with the warnings or power of Superman, Paragon is. Superman manages to turn Paragon into a quasi-good-guy. He helps out by finding a gun and shooting the priests full of lead.

It is at this point the issue turns a little sour. Mon-El, the Daxam that Superman put into the Phantom Zone to preserve him from the lead poisoning, was just barely exposed to lead and he nearly died instantly. The priests have lead shot through them and live on. It just isn’t consist with Mon-El and it seems too bizarre.

The priests retreat and unleash something called Golem. Not precious, but a giant thing that seems to have solar systems inside his body. The villain is introduced with some background but his overall fit into this story just seems forced and undefined.

Luckily, Paragon has a way of dealing with Golem. After dispatching Golem, Paragon leaves, still a villain. Superman takes a serum to the priests rather than trying to chase after Paragon. The flaw here is that Superman knows that the serum failed to cure Mon-El, who was less exposed but more advanced in the disease, but feels it will work on those that have lead shot through their body. It just doesn’t all add up very nicely.

Now there a couple of other items I wasn’t crazy about with this issue. First of all, the YELLING AND HUGE BUBBLES DETRACTED FROM THE ART, PAGE AFTER PAGE. At least I didn’t need my reading glasses to read the issue. Secondly, the priests don’t know where Mon-El is? They know Superman patrols and lives in Metropolis but they cant find the Fortress of Solitude? Lastly, the priests all act the exact same. They do some yelling and act all high-and-mighty. How about developing them like Paragon was developed in this issue?

Overall, I loved the characterization of Superman and how cool he stayed. He was always trying to help everyone in the issue and upholding the law. He even tried to arrest Paragon after Paragon helped him save the world, despite Superman’s overly weakened state. We also get some good dialogue from the Metropolis supporting cast, like Perry and Lois. Mon-El also has a very solid role in this comic. Mon-El could really become a unique addition to the normal characters that Superman confides in.

One other excellent element in this story is how Superman turns Daxam’s mistake into Earth’s gain. The Daxam priests pulled their world back into the dark ages, but Superman records Earth’s history in a format that can’t be erased and can survive ages and ages to ensure the Daxam priest mentality doesn’t occur on Earth.

Busiek’s run ends with a solid character driven story that just doesn’t hit on all fronts. It’s a got some great moments, but cover to cover it’s good and not great. Busiek’s run has been enjoyable all the way through and that shouldn’t be lost.

3 out of 5 geek goggles.


Superman #675
Superman #675 (Variant Cover Edition)