Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Superman #670
DC Comics
Busiek, Leonardi & Green
The Third Kryptonian arc wraps up with this issue. First off, I count 38 pages which is really great cause it was a fast read. However, did DC need to charge us the extra buck? I realize this story was supposed to be in the annual and due to the scheduling goof with the Camelot Falling Apart arc this story had to get moved from the annual to this issue. But still, why am I paying for their mishap? Or better yet, why isn’t this story just spread over two issues at regular price. In the end, why am I complaining about a buck? Because I feel like just once the reader shouldn’t be penalized for a scheduling blunder.
Now to the review, after I temporarily lost my mind. I liked this issue, I didn’t love it. It felt like something was missing in the end. However, some of the tricks used throughout the issue made it so much better than just your average Superman arc.
We start out with each of the Super clan being attacked by the goons of Amalak. Supergirl, Power Girl and even Super Dog are under attack. Superman and Karsta get the big prize himself, Amalak. Of course, Karsta runs, leaving Superman to deal with Amalak. Amalak is well training in the art of killing Kryptonians so Superman is in for a world of hurt.
This is the point we begin to see some of tricks this creative team uses to help illustrate the battle. First, Amalak uses a gun that fires Kryptonite flechettes. How cool. Superman runs and uses satellites to manipulate his heat vision to write on the wall in his apartment for Lois to get out and hide Chris. Also cool.
Then we see Karsta underwater retrieving her hidden escape ship. She's sneaky. Meanwhile, Superman heads to his Fortress of Solitude decoy in the Amazon jungle. He's attacked and fixed with a brain ripper so that Amalak can find out where the other Kryptonians are as well as the lost city of Kandor. Superman resists and manages to see into Amalak's past and find the source of his pain. It's an excellent trick to provide us with some origin.
Finally, the rest of the Super family shows up to bail out Superman. Amalak detects the real fortress and heads off to it. There he finds Batman waiting in Superman's battle suit. Another excellent trick from the creative team. Possibly the best.
Batman buys some time and then releases the Interplanetary Zoo and the Superman robots on Amalak. Finally, Superman and company enter the picture.
Amalak finds Kandor and smashes it. This is where the issue gets a little confusing. The city wasn’t actually in the bottle. It was a link to it in some other dimension or something. I really didn’t follow what was happening too well and it cheapened the whole idea of the city being in there and then the actual smashing of the bottle.
Two more guests enter to help. First, Chris enters and basically saves Super Dog from certain death and then Karsta comes back to help. In the end, Amalak is captured and Karsta brings him in to the authorities and to turn her self in for her past crimes. The ending felt so blah to me. I would have preferred a little more mystery. Maybe a disappearance or a revelation of some kind. I just felt it wrapped up so quick and neat. I guess Kandor is left hanging. Or at least smashed.
I liked the art. Although, Lois looked a lot like Courtney Cox to me. For the most part the battles were really well played and the Amalak character looked great page after page.
In all, I liked this issue a lot. The ending left something to be desired, but it was a great arc. I cant say a stranger could pick it up and read it and get it all, but on the other hand, they would be entertained by the action. This issue has smart gimmicks, good plot movements and excellent action.
4 out of 5 geek goggles.
Superman #670
DC Comics
SEP070182D
