SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #120
"What Lies Beneath"
Recommended (7/10)
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DC Comics
Writer: Mark Schultz
Pencils: Yvel Guichet
Inks: Dexter Vines
Colors: Tanya & Richard Horie
Letters: Ken Lopez
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Price: $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN |
Schultz delivers one of the most intelligent scripts of his run on the title thus far. Though it doesn't flow as well as I might have hoped, he tackles a couple of fascinating ideas, one that's near and dear to my heart and another that's quite clever and explains a question that's been nagging at me for about a year now. On top of that, Guichet delivers some of the strongest art I've seen from him as well.
Clark Kent is approached by Calvin "Cave" Carson, who tells him that LexCorp, under the leadership of Talia Head, is up to no good once again. Clark struggles with a decision... should he investigate and expose LexCorp as an investigative journalist, or should Superman rush in and destroy a potential threat to mankind? Meanwhile, some light is shed on Talia's motives for accepting the CEO position at LexCorp when Luthor left for the White House.
Guichet has obviously adapted his style somewhat so there's a stronger sense of consistency with the work of regular penciller Doug Mahnke. Though the visuals are occasionally too busy for the more reflective tone of the script, he conveys the Man of Steel's rage and frustration in the action sequences wonderfully. The Hories bring a darker palette than usual to the equation, and it matches the grave and moody tone of the story nicely.
Perhaps Talia's motives for assuming control and responsibility for an immense corporation were made clear in a Superman comic book I missed, or maybe this is the first time it's been addressed. Either way, I love the answer that's presented here. It actually hadn't occurred to me that such a position would be in direct violation of principles the character holds dear. We've heard of activitists who try to change the system from the inside, but here, we get one that's trying to change it from the top. A novel concept.
As a journalist, I'm always pleased to see writers explore Clark Kent as a reporter. Here, instead of seeing him work on a story (a juicy one at that), we watch as Clark wrestles with the responsibility of his chosen profession. He worries that if he barges in on the LexCorp operation as Superman, he will prevent disaster, but he won't make any lasting change. That's something Clark can do as a journalist, but it's a more difficult road with no promise of success. Schultz poses some interesting questions here, and he arrives at the answers in a surprising way.
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