The End to the War
SPOILERS WILL FOLLOW. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.
Let me quickly just say that I love Superman, and I love the Superman family. The ENTIRE Superman family, once you've read this issue, you'll understand why I highlighted ENTIRE, because not all of the family makes it through in a satisfying way.
This is the weakest issue of the series, as is often the case with multi-part epics, see: Siege. When all is done and dusted, Earth has won the day (like you didn't know that was going to happen), most of the villains have been given their dues, and Superman stands as the symbol of hope he always has. Only the latter of these outcomes was did I feel was handled correctly.
I am a big fan of DC's no-killing policy, I think it speaks volumes about the strength of will of the characters, but this is freaking war. Not superhuman war, not even a World War, this was an intergalactic War against vastly more powerful enemies. It's here that the no-kill rule becomes a little hard to swallow, particularly in the case of Supergirl. I love Kara, and I would have continued to love her had she torn General Lane's head off, justification does not begin to cover how ok with it I would have been. But at least Lane gets what's coming to him.
The removal of Mon-El and Chris Kent to a new era of the Phantom Zone ought to bring about some interesting stories, but that didn't stop it from annoying the hell out of me. I liked these new characters, why couldn't they have stayed on Earth? Both have weaknesses that would have made it possible. Mon-El can't be near Lead, and Chris is weaker than a regular Kryptonian. As far as I'm concerned, writing these two out was just tactless and lazy.
Oh, but Superboy kicks a lot of Arsenio Hall this issue, and I enjoyed that immensely.
As for the art; the pencils themselves were fine, once again, a few panels were a little confusing to read, but other than that, no real qualms. However, unlike last issue, which moved along at a gentle, yet still hectic pace, this issue is just plain rabid. There is crap happening all over the place, and sometimes it can become downright vexing.
All in all, I've really enjoyed New Krypton/War of the Supermen, but I'm a little disappointed with how some characters were written out, and this issue was certainly the weakest of the bunch. Nevertheless, it's worth picking up, just to finish off your collection.
With Superman #700 coming, it's a good time to be a fan of the Man of Steel, I just wish his son, Thara and Mon-El were around to enjoy it too.
