SUPERMAN #175
"Doomsday Rex"
Mildly Recommended (5/10)
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DC Comics
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Pencils: Ed McGuinness
Inks: Cam Smith & Walden Wong
Colors: Tanya & Richard Horie
Letters: Richard Starkings
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Price: $3.50 US/$5.75 CAN |
In November 1992, DC Comics managed to gran the attention of, well, everyone when they launched the "Death of Superman" storyline. The writers of the various Superman titles delivered some compelling stories despite the fact that everyone knew the Man of Steel -- a mainstay of pop culture since 1938 -- would return before long.
For the storyline, a new villain -- Doomsday -- was created to pose the ultimate threat to the Man of Tomorrow. He was more a mysterious force of nature than traditional villain, and the notion that only raw, mindless power could ever fell Superman seemed appropriate. Sadly, continued appearances of Doomsday over the past decade have diminshed the character's special nature, and this latest use of and tinkering with Doomsday really robs him of the special status he once enjoyed.
The Clown Prince of Crime unleashes a Joker-ized Doomsday from his government prison, and the now-intelligent behemoth heads directly for Washington, D.C. It turns out he wants revenge on President Luthor for using him during the Imperiex/Brainiac-13 war. Fortunately, Superman is around to save the day, but can he defeat the one enemy who has managed to kill him?
McGuinness captures the enormity and power and of Doomsday nicely, and there's a strong sense of flow in this rather hectic story. His style is well suited to the energy and dynamics of Superman's world. However, his depiction of the title character himself is far too cartoony here. It's hard to take the character seriously here when he seems more like a caricature of a hero as opposed to a human being, albeit a powerful one.
So Doomsday talks now. Though the connection of intelligence to a feeling of mortality makes a lot of sense, I just don't care for this new direction for the destructive character. Now he seems like nothing more than an ordinary villain, robbed of his primal nature that set him apart in late 1992. Mind you, Loeb still delivers an intelligent script. The execution is fine, but the central plot elements just don't work for me.
I was also disappointed to find such a quick resolution to the Pa-Kent-is-missing subplot. When Loeb first revealed that Jonathan Kent was just wandering the countryside, despondent, he grabbed my attention. Now he returns with little explanation. I hope Loeb follows up on this aberration in behavior, though I would have preferred to see more of Jonathan's life on the road.
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