Superman #675(2008).
© DC
Comic Series: Superman
Issue: 675
Authors: Kurt Busiek, Renato Guedes, Jorge Correa, Jr., Jose Wilson Magalhaes
Publisher: DC
Price: $3.99
Comic Review: Superman #675
By: Kurt AmackerDate: Thursday, May 01, 2008
The 675th issue of Superman pits the Man of Steel against two adversaries—the brilliant, snarky power-copying villain Paragon, and the Priest Elders of the Protonic Flame from the planet Daxam. The latter have arrived on Earth to retrieve Mon-El—real name, Lar Gand—an escaped denizen of their planet who resides in the Phantom Zone. He lives there because Daxamites react badly to lead, and he will die if he leaves. Superman works to cure him of his poisoning, with little success. The Priest Elders have no interest in his explanations and want only to bring their fellow Daxamite to justice. It seems that the elders have done a bang-up job of convincing everyone on their planet that they have only limited technology, and especially not space travel. Mon-El found a ship and left. Only he knows the truth, and they have no intention of letting him live. This puts Superman in a precarious position of trying to juggle Paragon—a homicidal super-villain who can imitate his powers—and the Priest Elders, who have no interest in learning about why Mon-El can’t leave, and why their very presence on Earth puts them in great danger.
Kurt Busiek writes what amounts to an issue-long fight, in which Paragon’s role between ally and villain fluctuates based on the greater good. He certainly can’t rule the Earth if the Daxamite Priests destroy it. This forces him into an uneasy alliance with Superman, who doesn’t care to fight alongside him in the first place. Given that much of the issue centers on a prolonged stretch of fisticuffs, Busiek falls back on Superman and Paragon’s banter, arguing about whether they intend to help each other fight the Priest Elders, much less how. Paragon feels that the best way to stop something allergic to lead involves ammunition. Superman—though certainly uninterested in giving up Mon-El—doesn’t really enjoy hurting anyone quite that much. The issue dances around the more substantial question of how far a hero should go to save others. But, it mostly traffics in wit. Superman and Paragon’s verbal jabs replace the real ones their common foe prevents them from exchanging. And, as anyone who’s ever read a comic before should expect, Superman proves far more humane than the humans he protects.
Renato Guedes and Jorge Correa, Jr. draw different sections of this issue of Superman, but they integrate their work almost seamlessly. The contrast proves so minimal as to not affect the story in the least. Their combined effort resembles Tony Harris’s work on Ex Machina, walking a fine and pleasing line between the realistic and something that looks like a still from animation. The high-flying shenanigans between Superman, Paragon, and the Priest Elders gives the two artists ample space to show their skill. The striking cover by Alex Ross—iconic, if overly-familiar—only enhances the overall artistic presentation of this issue.
Superman #675 concludes a two-part arc begun last issue. Anyone interested in jumping on with the series should consider tracking down #674 and then reading this one. Rather than some intentionally Earth-shattering revelation that will ultimately amount to nothing, it takes a lovingly familiar approach to Superman in a scenario that’s been done a thousand times before this. Busiek punches it up with wit and a couple of moral quandaries worth chewing on. This won’t convince anyone that dislikes superheroes to feel otherwise, but the fans will enjoy it.
