Credits: Written by Roger Stern, art by Jackson Guice & Denis Rodier and edited by Mike Carlin
Cast: Clark ‘Superman’ Kent, Jim ‘Guardian’ Harper, Maxima, Lex Luthor II, Supergirl/Matrix, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen.
Plot: With Maxima down, Superman leaves her care to Guardian as he flies off after Doomsday. There is a massive trail of devastation as the monster plows through all and sundry, even throwing a car into the air, with it’s driver still inside. Superman catches the car and guides it safely back to the ground before following the debris to the next disaster.
Doomsday arrives at LexMart and sees a TV promo for professional wrestling that mentions the city of Metropolis, the creature for the first time speaks, repeating that word. Superman flies in and takes the fight outside and sees that news choppers have arrived, including one with Lois and Jimmy on. In Metropolis, Lex Luthor II is watching the devastation on TV along with his girlfriend Supergirl, whom he convinces to stay there as the city gets tense without it’s hero and wants her to help keep the peace. His thought balloons help remind the audience that this Australian ‘son’ of Superman’s most ardent foe is in actuality Lex Luthor I in a cloned body, posing as his own son. (Damn I loved the 90s) The fight isn’t going well, Doomsday’s only sound is laughter until he sees a “60 miles from Metropolis” sign and speaks the word ‘Metropolis’ again. Superman is more determined than ever to stop this monster as now a bigger city (his home) is at risk. He throws the monster into a mountain, the one over the Cadmus Project.
The fight goes through more and more of the area until it stops at Habitat, a city made of tree based sculptures, created by Cadmus. As the fight goes on more and more of Doomsday’s green apparel is torn showing him as a grey skinned monster with bony protrusions at it’s joints, knees, jaw, eyebrows and knuckles. Their fight pretty much destroys Habitat, burying Superman and an arriving Guardian (making sense, since he was created by Cadmus and acts as a security chief), but not Doomsday who is now 10 miles closer to Metropolis.
Notes: The panel count is down to three and as a result this pace of this story is increasing. The subplots/scene changes feel almost commercial break like as the fight gets bigger and bigger and the damage greater and greater. If this was a film, this is where the score changes and starts moving the story before it’s third act. The action is moving towards more visceral as Superman becomes more desperate to stop this seemingly unthinking monster. We also get to see the reaction of Lois and Supergirl who are viewing this whole thing with an increasing sense of dread. Doomsday is coming.
Verdict – Writing 3 out of 5: Again, we don’t get much characterisation, but that’s not really fair, because there’s no real place to put it. Superman is trying to stop a monster, the monster is trying to destroy stuff, for no reason. It all seems very Silver Age, but with more modern sensibilities. Here we see the reactions and the devastation. Superman is showing real struggle and has no idea how or even if he can save this particular day and we’re feeling that.
Art 3 out of 5: Not the biggest Jackson Guice fan, but his more weathered Superman fits perfectly well here and the whole art team gives the world a lived in look that makes it all more tangible. The action is well done and the pace has quickened tremendously.
Overall 6 out of 10: This is a bit filler, but it moves us to the next part where the monster becomes a more personal threat and everyone is working full speed to make this exciting story, one worth remembering.
Next Time: Back to Gamorra with Backlash
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