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Action Comics #903 - Reign of the Doomsdays, Part 3

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Reign of the Doomsdays rolls on in Action Comics, with multiple versions of the monster running rampant over the Earth. Will Superman have to call in the big guns? Who's a bigger gun than Superman?

The DC Universe against multiple Doomsdays, including one that wants to destroy the planet. That seems like a good formula, if I ever heard one.

The Good

With a problem as big as Doomsday, I am happy to see that the heroes of the DC Universe have come out of the woodwork to protect the populace. Sometimes comics are guilty of marginalizing huge threats when they can't rekindle the sense of fear they first had: this is called "power creep", and is generally a bad move. If Doomsday gave Superman trouble a decade or two ago, why would he be able to beat multiple Doomsdays unimpeded? I applaud Paul Cornell for bringing in the JSA, JLA and others to deal with the threat; it definitely made it seem more imposing.

There's some great Lois/Clark interaction in this issue, with everyone being reminded of Superman's duty, and how justice never rests. It's a pity it'll be gone in a couple months, but in a couple panels, we're reminded why they're together in the first place.

The Bad

I wasn't really a fan of Axel Gimenez' art in this issue; it seemed very "busy", which I find doesn't benefit Superman very well.

Bringing the Eradicator back by saying "Yup! I switched bodies!" just seemed a bit cheap; in reality, it was probably the easiest way for them to justify bringing a Doomsday over to their side, and have a "heavy hitter" present to even the odds. It definitely wasn't the worst thing about this issue, but it was a little hokey.

The Verdict

When crossovers are done right, they're some of my favourite stories in comics. This issue of Action Comics was one of those moments, as having a bunch of heroes come together to fight a simple (but menacing) threat was done well. Crossovers lose their luster when the threat is over-the-top or the story drags on too long; fortunately, this arc seems to be wrapping up in the next issue, with a hopefully logical conclusion.

If you're looking for a the closest thing to a "normal" Superman story after years of New Krypton and Christopher Kent and doppelgängers and walking across America, this is where you'll find it.

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