Lois Lane is in dire straits, captured by Zod and liable to be fried if she gets too annoying… but every time we see her during a desperate battle between the forces of the Kryptonian villain and the Super Family, she’s smiling.
And I’m not surprised – this issue had me smiling too.
The people of El Caldero, the Kryptonite Kingdom, aren’t grinning. They’re suffering from a Zod-instigated Kryptonite plague. But they aren’t without hope.
Above the streets, not Superman but Superboy Kon-El and Superboy Prime CK. They’re feeling pretty confident, forgetting that they’re facing a military strategist.
Zod boots them across the city, impressing his mysterious ally, the Eradicatrix.
He’s not just registering one Kal-El, though, as Superman’s younger self has time tripped to 2026 with Booster Gold, Mary Marvel and Martian Manhunter J’onn J’onzz, the latter of whom has a warning.
Telling his younger self to flee is a good idea, because if Zod harms him, who know what the consequences would be for Superman and Jon. Mind, a better idea would surely be to have Booster use his Time Bubble to place Superboy back in Smallville at the exact moment he left.
When the Eradicatrix arrives and tried to commandeer the vessel, Mary Marvel calls down her magic lightning to cover Superman getting away. In her younger form, she helps a disguised J’onn J’onzz, a victim of Kryptonite poisoning, move through the streets.
As for Superman, he’s being guided through the city sewers by a local couple who bring him up to date with what he missed during his recent trip to the future. One detail catches his attention – Zod has captured Lois.
Young Clark, meanwhile, being a young Clark, isn’t inclined to flee a city where civilians are suffering. He sees a young blonde woman being piled on by Zod’s thugs, helps her get free, and finds himself face to face with his future.
The moment is spoilt as Clark finds himself succumbing to the green radiation everywhere around him.
I think I have some green Kryptonite dust in my eye…
What a fantastic issue this is – writer Dan Slott shows his knack for juggling multiple characters through a convoluted storyline, jumping around but always in control of the frenetic action and characters. Every member of the Super Family at the scene gets time in the spotlight, with Tomorrow Man Jon – star of this series’ most recent issues – getting his big moment towards the end. Slott even finds room for a fun scene with Kara’s oddball Super Force.
The two Superboys finally getting along is a joy, hurrah to see god-given wisdom finally used by a member of the Marvel Family, and Prime’s insult to Zod may be his greatest meta-comment yet. Slott also sorts out the insulting Jeph Loeb nonsense about Kara being sent to Earth as Kal-El’s nanny.
The only thing I could’ve done without is a reference to Superman’s latest super-power. Sssh Dan, no one wants it.
And keeping everything exciting and coherent visually is guest artist Rachael Stott. The last time I saw her Supergirl was the final issue of Kara’s Rebirth series, a comic so depressing it was released only digitally. It’s so nice Stott gets to show a happy Kara here, in my favourite Super Family scene this year – that hug between the cousins is just lovely. And the previous page, with the multiple continuity takes on Superboy and Supergirl, is almost as good – I just need Slott to explain it; I get that current DC history incorporates any part of a character’s past a writer wishes to bring up, but Kara distinctly mentions other realities. Also, why would she be surprised a Superboy is younger than her?
Back to Stott, though, and take a look at the pages featuring the Superboys vs Zod – the dynamic compositions sell the action and the characterisation of the general – his stillness a testament to his arrogance – is tiptop.
Giuliano Peratelli’s vibrant colours are a total treat while the letters of Dave Sharpe (I’m guessing, the credits spread is missing from my online comic, but he’s our regular man) add to the drama and fun, just look at his treatment of J’onn and Mary’s telepathy balloons.
Guillem March’s slice of his extended cover works well enough here, that’s a nice shot of Jon as Tomorrow Man, and Natasha Steel looks good, it’s a shame she only cameos inside.
Still, I know Nat will have her moment and meanwhile, this comic isn’t lacking for great characters. Who was your favourite?
Too Dangerous For a Girl 2 
Small parts of this were good but in a disjointed way for me. It was nice seeing Conner and CK get along but they went from mortal enemies to this between issues. The Kara-Young Clark sequence was amazing and I’d like to see Old Clark’s memories of this event restored right after his younger self has them blocked. The biggest problem with this storyline is that reminds me of Marvel’s Kang Dynasty. There too massive world changing/threatening things go on and the rest of the line ignores it. Even a page like Simonson did once where you get panels of other heroes dealing with a supernatural ice age would have helped. Unlike Kang Dynasty though it feels like they decided to have a Superman family of book story first and there wasn’t much thought or time put into the details. Slott’s best moment is with a character he’s never really written and Super-Man of China and Power Girl are ignored. The latter is even immune to this reality’s kryptonite!
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I liked the Casket of Ancient Winters Thor business popping into other books, it made me the series feel more epic. Back then I think a substantial number of readers, like me, were buying pretty much all Marvel’s superhero books monthly. Today there are so many comics I’m not sure it’s worth sending out a memo to invite creators to drop a reference in to a Green K plague that’s not really clear even in its home books; and now everything is collected, it risks confusing a lot of readers in the future.
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Can someone explain where the idea that Supergirl was older than Superman came about? My memory of Supergirl is that she was born on the floating Argo City (which would have happened after krypton exploded and Kal-el was sent to earth). So… by that logic, she should be younger. She’s sent to earth and meets Superman and she’s younger. As she should be.
When did they introduce the idea that she was actually born on Krypton and was some kind of babysitter to Kal-el (and therefore older)? I realize that there have been so many reboots since then, but I don’t see how adding this element simplifies things. So Kara is sent to Earth after Kal-el’s rocket but… there’s some kind of time warp? stasis? phantom zone shenanigans? What have I missed?
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t’s simpler than your guesses. When the classic was revived it was with the twist that she was indeed older than baby Kal but her ship took longer to get to Earth. To me at least, it’s been the only addition to the original set up that’s actually an improvement. There have been far worse *cough* New 52* cough* and one of the worst followed this one a short time later.
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Thanks for the background. Somehow I’ve missed or ignored all the revisions to Kara’s origin since the original. I’m not sure that making Supergirl older adds anything to the mythos, but I can roll with it.
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Glad you got the answer!
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I’m not sure where this event is going: what exactly is Zod’s endgame? Revenge on the El’s gets old (especially when he isn’t the only one in that game. I think there is even a whole Squad dedicated to Revenge on Superman), and I felt like they had moved his character beyond that. I want more from him this time than revenge, destruction, and supremacy. As Superman says in the final panel” So Dru, you’re saying THIS time you’ll win?” It’s a remake of a classic.
As to Kara: I took her reference to other realities as not so much as memories but as echoes. She is someone who has traveled the Multiverse, so she would have have an idea what else is out there, plus there is the Hypertime of it all. I’m thinking it’s almost an intuition for her.
Isn’t Prime immune to Kryptonite from any universe but his own? That was why he killed Threeboot Element Lad in Legion of Three Worlds: Jan’s kryptonite was the only one that would stop him since they were from the same universe. Little inconsistent things like this are what drive me bonkers. I can accept reboots, retcons, revisions, reimaginings, and reveals. But they all need to either follow the previously established rules or tell us why those rules have changed.
I am glad that the various secondary characters aren’t being forgotten in the mix – even if they are getting just a few lines here and there. I feel like the Super Force in the prison, the Leaguers who were back in time with Superboy, and the Irons Family will all play bigger roles than normal for events. Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking.
Finally, I’m assuming Eradicatrix is a portmanteau for the Eradicator program and the regeneration Matrix that helped revive Superman after Doomsday. Given the female form, I’m assuming it’s Ursa inside being revived, protected, and deadly all at the same time. I imagine a throwdown between her and (a temporarily repowered) Lois is coming at some point.
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Well, you were right the Ursa business, Jeff. You’re likely right about Kara and the afterimages/visions too.
The Superman Revenge Squad was one of my favourite Silver/Bronze Age concepts, and I think we have a post-Crisis version too. It’s definitely time for an update.
That business with Prime being immune to green K rings a bell, but maybe his status has changed – or perhaps it’ll become a plot point.
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