One of the problems with the title character and this script for this opening issue is that Majestic is a Superman that focuses only on the super, paying no heed to the man. Majestic is far removed from the human experience; at his most grounded, he comes off as a major asshole. To the writers' credit, they seem to realize that inherent liability in the character, as the closing scene would seem to indicate that this series will be about the character's quest to connect with humanity. Still, it's a long journey to get to that point. Fortunately, the art here is amazing. Karl Kerschl's continued low profile in comics remains a mystery to me.
A freak accident at a Daemonite research installation in deep space transported the alien hero known as Majestic from one universe into another, and now he finds himself surrounded by a legion of heroes such as himself. Majestic gets to work, correcting injustices, but in such an extreme way that he's making people nervous, and his new colleague, Superman, warns him to tone things down a bit. That's fine, as Majestic's real focus is to construct a copy of the Daemonite machine that displaced him, so as to enable him to return home. A super-powered foe throws a wrench into the works, though.
I've been a fan of Karl Kerschl's work since I first sampled it in an Iceman limited series a while back; I even own a piece of the original art from that series. Kerschl's work elicits comparisons to the styles of such artists as Ed (Superman/Batman) McGuinness, Leinil Franics (Superman: Birthright) Yu, Carlos (Arrowsmith) Pacheco and Kevin (Tomorrow Stories) Nowlan. He captures the larger-than-life scope of the super-hero genre with seeming ease, and there's a rich level of detail in his work that makes it come to life. I can't imagine why someone hasn't snatched up Kerschl for a high-profile ongoing assignment; perhaps he's not comfortable with that kind of schedule, but it's a shame we don't see his work more often. I don't know who's responsible for it, but I love the Eradicator design here. It emphasizes his inhuman side, and it's just looks damn sharp.
Abnett and Lanning do a pretty good job of crafting as accessible a script as possible here. There's no outright mention of more recognizable elements from the Wildstorm Universe here, but it's clear that Majestic ain't from 'round these here parts. The writers convey his sense of isolation nicely, and I like that Majestic both relishes that seclusion yet yearns to return to familiar surroundings, to a world that perhaps doesn't place as strong an emphasis on the little people.
My biggest problem with the script lies in Superman's inaction. He describes Majestic's actions, and the Man of Steel could easily be speaking of the schemes of villains he's faced in the past. The writers don't explain why Superman leaves Majestic to his own devices, even though he's violating human rights and constructing an orbital machine of unknown purpose. Other heroes clearly see him as a threat, but this seemingly god-like being, who clearly places little value on human life and values, is left to roam free. It just doesn't make sense in this context.
