On the surface, this is little more than a typical Superman story (and at times, it even seems like less). The Man of Steel fights generic villains here, and the term "generic" is being more than generous. But there's another, more important level to the story here that has nothing to do with invulnerability, super-speed or corny codenames. A character deconstructs Clark Kent's relationship with his wife, and though it's far from an unbiased discussion, it does offer some insight and opens the door to the possibility of some interesting and grounded conflict in the protagonist's private life.
Superman finds himself under attack by an unlikely duo of super-villains: Sodom and Gomorrah, a couple that can turn anyone to salt by joining hands and directing a pulse of energy toward them. Of course, doing the same thing to Superman proves to be easier said than done. But given his weakened state lately, they do give him a run for his money. Later, Lana Lang watches over a battered and bruised Man of Steel, and she plans on offering more than just some tender loving care. She also share her thoughts on his marriage to a certain newspaper reporter, who's overseas covering a war.
You have to give Berganza credit... the editor sought out an artist to do some fill in work here, one whose style matched that of regular penciller Ivan Reis, and he found him. Joe Prado's work here is indistinguishable from Reis's linework. There's a rougher quality at play here that has worked well with the chaotic nature of previous issues, but it just doesn't suit the overall polish of the main character. The Sodom and Gomorrah designs are as uninspired as the characters' names and powers.
Sodom and Gomorrah... Man, that is just far from the best villain concept I've seen in some time. The sadistic characters incorporate Biblical elements into their names and powers, but there's no matching motivation or apparent origin. Instead of fearsome, they come off as rather silly. At best, they're a knockoff of Marvel's Fenris concept, and at worst, they're a self-spooding dark counterpart to the Wonder Twins.
Fortunately, the main focus in this issue is on characterization, and more specifically, Clark and Lois's relationship and Lana's quest for what she wants. I love that Lana isn't the naive, fragile figure from the early days of the John Byrne run on this series. There was nothing wrong with that take on the character, mind you, but I like that she's evolved. There's a ruthlessness, confidence and self-awareness to the character here that's intriguing. We aren't meant to like Lana here, but she also brings up some interesting points. Austen has done a decent job of building up the recent events in the Man of Steel's life as the most critical he's experienced since the Doomsday battle that "killed" him. So where is Lois? I also enjoyed Austen's divided storytelling structure here, flipping back and forth between the action and the conversation.
