Lex Luthor has been stabbed in prison and lies between life and death. An angry Superman is not in the mood for messing about when robbers strike.
Lois Lane feels like she’s in prison as filling in for absent Daily Planet Editor Perry White keeps her away from her first love, investigative journalism.
Superman learns that years ago Luthor imprisoned someone in a prototype jail cell below Lexcorp. Curiosity and compassion means he can’t help but open the cell…
Joshua Williamson’s Superman continues to be one of the best superhero comics around – mind, at $4.99 for a scant 22 pages of story this comic had better be good. This issue showcases a hero sick and tired of being at the centre of a spider’s web of sinister plots. He was manipulated by old Luthor rivals Dr Pharm and Mr Graft into not being around when they had Luthor struck down. He’s not entirely convinced by Luthor’s supposed magnanimous gesture of turning Lexcorp over to him and renaming it Supercorp. And he certainly doubts Luthor’s former right-hand woman Mercy Graves can be trusted.
So it’s not surprising he wants to take control of the narrative, finding out who Luthor imprisoned years ago and setting them free… because if the ‘old’ Luthor wanted someone locked up but didn’t kill them, there’s every chance they’re a pure soul.
Oops.
I don’t know what to expect of The Chained. A terrible threat being buried underground reminds me of Doomsday (and I’m surprised it didn’t Superman), while chains bring to mind the iconic ‘Superman break green kryptonite chains’ bit. Visually he has a Dr Octopus vibe, but that’s a whole other ball game.
There’s some fun business with prison podcaster Livewire and a very keen Supercorp scientist, plus a reference to one of my favourite Superman villains not seen for many a year – I do hope Williamson has them showing up soon. There’s a bit of humour attached to Lois’s new responsibilities but it’s pretty contrived – I find it so hard to believe comic book writers really have no idea who does what at a newspaper.
Gleb Melnikov’s art looks scratchier than usual but it’s pretty effective, with highlights including a new look at Superman’s classic ‘melt the speeding bullets’ move and our first sight of The Chained, a moment with the vibe of John Romita Jr at his best.
Alejandro Sánchez goes for pleasant everyday colours in the Metropolis scenes but cools things down considerably when we reach The Chained’s prison cell, ensuring maximum super-person pop. And Ariana Maher’s letters effortlessly emphasise intensity.
Throw in a film poster-style cover by regular artist Jamal Campbell and you have a terrific start to the latest story in the bigger tapestry being laid out.
Too Dangerous For a Girl 2 
My only dislike is Superman opening the cell. He can’t be that stupid!
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He shouldn’t be, certainly.
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I’m enjoying the Superbooks, but yeah, the lack of understanding of how a newspaper works is pretty annoying to me (having also worked in newsrooms). Was it ast issue when we saw EIC Lane meeting with her apparent staff of five reporters pitching one story per section, directly to her, to fill up that day’s edition? The Planet should be comparable to the New York Times (2000 reporters, photogs, editors) or at least a mid-level city paper like, say, the Arizona Republic (just looked it up: 400 staff in 2000, 130 now).
At least Williamson is trying, though, to bring some color and flavor to the Planet setting, which I very much like. And it’s not like the issue in the ’90s where Clark Kent actually breaks-and-enters to steal files for a story. Talk about not knowing how journalism works …
But to the issue at large: I’m willing to accept that Clark opened the cell. Someone inside may be suffering a huge injustice. If there’s no other way to understand but to go in and meet the guy, then sure, I guess. But then … “The Chained” just brain-throws a bunch of loose and broken chains at Superman, doesn’t need Lex’s special helmet, and that renders Superman powerless? That’s a pretty user-friendly Impossible Trap, right there. Lex should go into software design …
I wonder how much time we’re going to spend with The Chained before we get back to the Pharm & Graft plot. I’m not sure I’m loving that plot. The setup for this book seems forced (though putting Superman and Luthor into a different kind of pressure situation is probably worth it), and I gotta say, Williamson is not great at coming up with badguy names.
Just struck me that chains were a huge motif in Johnson’s extended Warworld arc in Action, too. Quite the motif du jour.
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Ugh. I leave a long meandering comment and don’t even try to do the most basic job of signing it. Sorry …
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You’re right, the staff is apparently a tad small but it is fun to have a few members around. If I were editing I’d ask for at least three pages with the, every issue, developing them and storylines.
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