As I began to thumb through the opening pages of this comic book, I was struck by the real-world plausibility and relevance of Joe Kelly's script. What would happen if regular people just started developing super-powers? What if it was the result of the actions of a terrorist nation? The socio-political potential in the premise was outstanding, so I was all the more disappointed when the story degenerated into a typical super-hero story that shifted away from intelligent, plausible plotting to contrived "twists" that failed to hold my attention.
Average people are suddenly developing super-powers, and it's resulting in deaths and chaos all across America. While Superman rushes to save lives, it is discovered that the phenomenon is an engineered one, part of a Bialyan terrorist plot. And to the Man of Steel's horror, he finds that he's indirectly involved. The answer to America's salvation comes from an unlikely and sinister source, one that's closer to Superman than he ever imagined.
There's no doubt that Tom Derenick was at the top of his game when he illustrated Nightside, a four-issue limited series from Marvel released not too long ago. It's a shame we don't find the same strength in his work here. There's a rough, even rushed quality to the artwork at times. Though his work here reminds me a bit of the styles of such artists as Kerry Gammill and the John Buscema, it lacks the detail needed to reinforce the more grounded plot elements found in the earlier part of the script.
Kelly strikes upon some fascinating ideas in the opening pages of this script. How would regular people react if they suddenly developed powers? And what if it was done as part of an attack? Fear, greed and ego would take over, and the sociological and catastrophic consequences struck me as plausible and intriguing.
Unfortunately, the plot turns away from those strong concepts and embraces more traditional -- even corny -- super-hero genre conventions. The solution to the problem strikes me as rather extreme, and in the established continuity of the DC Universe, not all that believable either. It seems like simpler answers should at least be ruled out first.
Kelly really lost me, though, when he revealed the true face of General Zod. This is the kind of revelation that might have worked fine in the super-comics of the 1960s and '70s, but now, it will likely just elicit groans. What's worse that Zod really hasn't been developed beyond a one-dimensional super-villain stereotype, so I find it difficult to really care about him or his role in Superman's life.
