SUPERMAN #668 by Kurt Busiek, Rick Leonardi and Dan Green
© DC Comics
Mania Grade: B
Issue: 668
Authors: Kurt Busiek, Rick Leonardi, Dan Green
Publisher: DC
Price: $2.99
Issue: 668
Authors: Kurt Busiek, Rick Leonardi, Dan Green
Publisher: DC
Price: $2.99
SUPERMAN #668
By: Kurt AmackerReview Date: Wednesday, October 17, 2007
After Crisis on Infinite Earths, John Byrne rebooted Superman’s origin so that he was the only Kryptonian. After years of Supergirl, Kandor the bottled city, and an entire zoo’s worth of super-pets, Superman: The Man of Steel established Superman as the last survivor of Krypton. Many of those elements have been reinstated over the years. In fact, writers Richard Donner and Geoff Johns introduced another Kryptonian in Christopher Kent – a boy that crashed on Earth in circumstances similar to Superman’s own, only to be adopted by the hero as his foster son. Now, with Kurt Busiek’s newest arc, The Third Kryptonian, we learn of yet another. It seems that before Christopher arrived – and not counting Power Girl – the alien Auctioneer detected another Kryptonian presence and alerted Superman. In the months following, Superman has asked Batman to monitor world events for any vaguely alien – and especially, Kryptonian – activity. Unfortunately, the Auctioneer not only alerted Superman, but a hostile alien race – one headed towards Earth, and only too happy to find more than one Kryptonian available for the taking.
Busiek walks the fine line between wide-eyed Silver Age thrills and a grittier, realistic approach when he writes Superman and Action Comics. It struck me how much like a cartoon the above summary sounds on paper. But, Busiek emphasizes the developing relationship between Clark Kent and his adopted son, Christopher, to add a much needed human touch. In suppressing his powers, Christopher feels awkward and at odds with his classmates. He finds a degree of solace in his newfound friendship with Tim Drake, as the two practice gymnastics in the Batcave. Busiek also emphasizes the simmering tension between Batman and Superman, as the Dark Knight continues to study the Man of Steel’s weaknesses in case the latter should grow too powerful. Though Superman condones his friend’s work, it creates a quiet tension between them. This issue almost feels like – no kidding – a study of platonic male relationships in superhero comics.
Rick Leonardi’s art sits somewhere between Bruce Timm and Marc Sylvestri, without the unique art deco look of the former and, thankfully, without the ridiculous excesses of the latter. Unfortunately, the level of detail drops significantly from the foreground to the background, creating an uncomfortable contrast. It’s not bad stuff by any means, but it just looks unfinished.
Busiek’s work on Superman has been pretty good. He has a talent for taking Silver Age premises and fleshing them out with a darker, more modern tone. This is the first issue of a new arc, so anyone thinking about getting this series should probably start here.
More From Mania
Superman Returns
Comicscape - June 8, 2004
(Wednesday, June 9, 2004)
Comicscape - June 2, 2004
(Wednesday, June 2, 2004)
SUPERMAN LIVES, Part 2: Writer Kevin Smith
(Friday, May 12, 2000)
SUPERMAN LIVES! - The Development Hell of an Unmade Film
(Friday, May 5, 2000)
SUPERMAN IV: THE QUEST FOR PEACE - Retrospective
(Friday, April 28, 2000)
SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE - The Making of the Motion Picture
(Friday, February 18, 2000)
See more related content
