|
Lois may be recovering from her bullet wound, but Clark is
beset by the vengeful Ruin, who, intent upon destroying Superman
and those closest to him, unleashes twin teenage Parasites.
And when Mr Mxyzptlk returns from the fifth dimension, anything
can happen - even the baby that Lois and Clark always dreamed
of...
Collecting
the stories that were originally presented in Superman
Secret Files 2004 and issues 633-638 of Adventures
of Superman, this graphic novel is a follow-up to Unconventional
Warfare.
Just
like Unconventional Warfare, this isn't such a great
place for new readers to dip their toes. Though the book is
prefaced by a handy "story so far" digest, it helps if you
have already read other recent graphic novels. Many of the
plot elements, particularly to begin with, deal with the consequences
of previous stories. For example, the first chapter concerns
the imprisoned Amanda Waller, former head of the Suicide Squad
and Minister of Metahuman Affairs under Lex Luthor. The second
features further detainees: Xlim, Replikon's son, and the
kidnapped Allston twins, Alex and Alexandra.
But
once you're past that point, and assuming you've got your
head around all that continuity, the pace rarely lets up as
Superman moves from one intense confrontation after another,
all of them spectacularly illustrated by a variety of artists
including penciller Matthew Clark and inker Andy Lanning.
This
volume isn't without its lighter moments, though, thanks to
the return of the mischievous imp, Mr Mxyzptlk. His interaction
with members of the staff at DC Comics, presented in a couple
of photonovel-style segments, is a bit too silly for my liking,
but later sections boasting art in the styles of Sin City,
Calvin and Hobbes and the Superman Adventures (based
on the animated series) are extremely enjoyable. Kudos to
Clark and Lanning for aping those styles so well.
However,
even these comical asides are ultimately bittersweet affairs,
especially when they concern Lois and Clark's offspring. Mxyzptlk
carries a terrible secret about the family's future...
We've
had to wait seven long months for this continuation of the
Unconventional Warfare storyline, and we still don't
get closure here. Ruin remains active and has not yet been
unmasked, though we are offered a fairly big clue (or perhaps
a red herring) as to his identity. Once again, writer Greg
Rucka leaves us begging for more.
The
only real letdown about this graphic novel is that Titan's
barcode sticker obscures some of the back cover blurb.
Richard
McGinlay
Buy
this item online
We
compare prices online so you get the cheapest
deal! Click on the logo of the desired store
below to purchase this item.
|
|
|
£6.99
(Amazon.co.uk) |
| |
|
|
|
£9.79
(Thehut.com) |
All prices correct at time of going to press.
|
|
