Welcome to another installment of Friday Recommendation! This week, I have the honor of spotlighting a book that delves into the darker side of the Superman mythos. That book, put together by the same creative team that brought you 2008’s “Joker,” Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo, is called Luthor, and the star is everyone’s favorite evil businessman Tony Stark Lex Luthor!
“They’re gangsters; bad men.”
“Sure, but they’re good guys.”
Even though these words were not said directly in reference to Lex Luthor in this book, it’s definitely the best way to describe him. First and foremost, the important thing you need to know is that in Lex is a bad man, but he’s not “evil.”
Sure, he’s done his fair share of bad things, and while his end game has always been the destruction of Superman, he does this because in his belief, Superman and his ilk are the bad guys; meant to weaken humanity until we all perish at their hands. While you may call his morality into question, his motives have always been from a good place, which is the most frightening thing about him. It’s also the reason why this book is leaps and bounds superior to their Bermejo and Azzarello’s last effort, “Joker.” While I’m a fan of The Joker (more so than Batman, anyway) the book was a little dark for the sake of being dark. This book, however, deals with the complexities of a really morally ambiguous character that does what he thinks is right, and ultimately opposes the best the universe has to offer. Azzarello balanced the dichotomy of what Lex’s role is in Metropolis just about perfectly, exposing his philanthropy and his thuggishness, along with his role in business and his role as Superman’s greatest enemy.
It also exposes some of Lex’s stranger behavior as a “mad scientist,” with the introduction of Hope, a super heroine created in a lab to discredit Superman to the point where humanity wouldn’t need him anymore. It’s portrayed about as creepily as you can, considering a few factors. He creates her as a replacement for Clark Kent and a rather attractive one at that (thank YOU Bermejo, but more on that later.) This is a tad creepy because he A) falls in love with her; B) after he created her C) with the powers of Superman. Sigmund Freud would have a field day with this guy! And while that’s about as epic as you can get for a hero, there’s international intrigue, which carried most of Lex’s humanitarianism, or at least a form of it; and a rather shady Union “negotiation,” which underscored his business practices, and how he could manipulate the system. As you can tell, the story woven is quite complex.
But even that story would not be worth telling if it weren’t for the beautiful work from Lee Bermejo. His work is somehow darker than his work in the Joker Hardcover, which was probably by design. Since Superman is typically a “brighter” subject matter than Batman, the juxtaposition of this being even darker than Batman’s world helps set the atmosphere in Luthor’s world, and even a few surprises.
“Surprises?” you ask? Yeah, the first surprise is how EVIL Superman looks in his few scenes in the book. Even as a longtime fan of the Last Son of Krypton, I was taken aback by how frightening he looks in the book. This was probably again by design, as we are seeing the world from Lex’s perspective; and in Lex’s mind, Supes is the enemy above all else. Even when Bruce shows up (and yes, so does Batman), the atmosphere is darker and moodier than it was in the original OGN, which I believe was even set during the day. Even the tiniest touches, Superman’s ever-present red glowing eyes to the look on Lex’s face when The Man of Steel tells him he can see his soul are perfect touches that add layers to a book that might have failed in lesser hands. Let it be known, Bermejo is a beast on art. Why he doesn’t have more high profile work is beyond me.
Continued belowYou should really pick up this book! It exposes the dark underbelly of a beacon like Metropolis, and has me wishing for more minis based on some iconic villains in other rogue’s galleries (a Sinestro mini, perhaps? But that could be a whole other article entirely! Pick up the book here on Amazon or at your local comic shop.
BONUS: Here’s an excerpt from Superman/Batman #75 which features a special Calvin & Hobbes-styled strip starring Joker and Lex. It’s absurdly brilliant!
