Unexpectedly, regular wrier Scott Lobdell rides the bench on this issue of “Superman.” This leaves recent “Supergirl” scribe Mike Johnson with the honor(?) of kicking off ‘Psi-War,’ the latest Superman family crossover.
Written by Mike Johnson
Illustrated by Jesus MerinoThe “Psi-War” epic begins! Psi-War erupts as Hector Hammond tries to take control of H.I.V.E. from its queen, but there are other forces in play as well, as a new Psycho Pirate emerges, and Superman is caught in the middle, unable to protect those closest to him.
Say what you will about Lobdell’s “Superman” run, but one this is for sure; the man is not afraid to try weird things in a story. In an effort to bring the ever unbeatable Man of Steel outside of his wheel house, the writer has prepared a veritable gauntlet of psionic villains one would never expect to see in a “Superman” comic. Thankfully, Mike Johnson carries the baton pass gracefully, delivering a flawed but fun issue.
For all of you out there who complain about Superman being overpowered and unbeatable, and therefore boring, here’s your comeuppance. Faced with villains like the H.I.V.E. Queen and the disturbing Hector Hammond, Superman is the guy bringing a knife to a gun fight. So insignificant is Superman in this struggle that he essentially disappears for a portion of the issue, as the adults “talk things over.” To hear that Superman plays such a small role in his own book may seem disheartening, but the result is actually a lot of fun.
This “talking” consists of a battle of the minds waged with the people of Metropolis as the army. While heroes vs. heroes is all the rage these days, it’s nice to see the bad guys have a chance to duke it out, with all the collateral you would expect. Jesus Merino, working from thumbnails by Eddy Barrows, makes intriguing use of the “mind-war” scenario. He begins by taking a page from World War Z, with the Queen’s hive-mind servants ravenously piling on top of each other to get to Hammond. When Hammond takes control of a portion of the Queen’s army, their heads proceed to engorge to the size of their new master. The sheer absurdity of the situation calls the reality of it all into question; “Is this really happening?.” The ambiguity of it all makes it just as likely that it’ all taking place in the villains’ heads, just as the story plays out through the reader’s. This scenes are only hindered by a disappointing lack of background, causing some pages to feel barren.
This isn’t the only case of topsy-turvy, “meta” story-telling, as Johnson frames the issue with a mysterious, omniscient narrator. While the identity is revealed by issue’s end (and, while heavily telegraphed, it’s a doozy), it’s hard not to read it as Johnson himself. At several points the narrator talks directly to the reader, joking, reminiscing, and adding input on key story beats. At times there’s a little too much “telling” rather than “showing,” but there’s also unique, casual intimacy that draws the reader in.
While “Superman” #23 brings a lot of interesting things to the table, there are a fair number of ways it falls short. While Hammond is portrayed well, the H.I.V.E. Queen feels painfully one-dimensional. Alternating between diatribe and juvenile one liners (“Man of Steel, brain of mush”) and lacking a tangible motivation, there’s no compelling reason worth investing in the character. Even more, the nature of previously mentioned narrator, and the revelation that comes at issue’s end, renders the issue’s twist and turns largely moot. As the first part of crossover, “Superman” #23 does little to drive the reader toward picking up the next issue, especially since it’s over a month away.
Indeed, beginning a crossover the week before the much lauded “Villain’s month” seems largely counter-intuitive. As none of the issues are set to feature the psionic-based villains, it’ll be a full 5 weeks until the story is followed up in “Action Comics” #24. Still, the story marks an interesting change of pace from what Lobdell’s run has been up to this point, and offers a genuine trial for Superman to face.
Final Verdict: 6.3 – Browse. Strong art, at least one interesting villain, and a unique set up make this one worth at least a cursory glance.
