Not quite a Monster
You know when you read the writing style of ONE author you definitely begin to see a specific pattern. This issue didn't need a name tag for me to realize that Greg Pak was writing, because the style and tone is increasingly familiar to me. I've seen this before, and I love it. It's the same raw emotion and action he showed off when he was writing Hercules or Hulk back at Marvel.
The story doesn't really have much to it considering that it simply serves as a filler to provide a couple of plot-points for the issues to come. Still, having said that, it's a pretty entertaining issue in all honesty. The main strengths of the issue is of course in it's characterization of course. Pak understands that despite the fact that he has to consistently stick to the superman we all know and love, he can make a few new references that add new concepts to Clarks character without deviating from the source material. There is a huge focus on monsters here( yay me), as the name of the issue would imply, but as you may have guessed, below the surface, this issue is more than just superman fighting a huge beast. Appearance and power can be deceiving, which is why superman tries to see beyond these qualities, because that's what he does. You'll see Clark Kent act like the compassionate, understanding hero we've come to know him as. Greg Pak nailed it.
Moreover, I'm not entirely familiar with Lana so as a new comer I enjoyed her appearance here, she seems like an energetic and fun character who has a huge connection with Clark, I'd go so far as to say that pairing Clark up with Lana would be much better than wonder woman(ugh). There are a couple of interesting characters introduced as well, most notably a villain or some kind of antagonist. I won't mention his name, but what I will say is that this new character is an interesting opponent for superman, he's not a brute, but he has specific powers that allow him to hang with someone like Clark. I want to see more of him, which I'm sure I will.
Kudors art is really amazing I have to say, there are some weird faces along the line but overall the action is stellar and the visuals really compliment the writing. Pak and Kudor collaborate really well.
Overall, this was a great issue. It may not have moved the story forward much but it established a lot of interesting elements that I'm sure will be developed later on. The characterization was spot on and the art was great. This is a great jumping point for a new adventure.(Greg Paks issue 25 I mean, don't read this without reading that first)
