Mankind's Micro-Crisis

[arbre_rieur]

Four pages from ACTION COMICS 7...

Metropolis, shortly after being bottled...



Later...







Meanwhile, Steel's dealing with the other million consequences of a city being shrunken and abducted off the face of the earth.

Comments

[benuben]

If this means, that Steel will be reoccurring character in DCNU Superman books, then it was all worth of it. If he gets his Sisko beard again of course :-)

Not really liking this version of Lex Luthor though. He just feels really outdated and unthreatning

[mrstatham]

Given Luthor's in, basically, the early stages of having to deal with Superman, I'm personally not surprised he's not threatening. He has no need to be at this point.

As for Steel, I'm actually really impressed that DC have opted to add him to the proceedings this early on. Out of all of the post-Death Supermen, though, he's always been the most interesting to me. But I like that they're inserting him into this take this early on.

[benuben]

I know, but in the context of the story and the way young Clark is written here, wouldn't it be far more fitting and interesting, having Lex as evil, manipulative businessman?

Also, this story feels more like begining of a run than stand-alone story arc. I mean, will we ever see that Glenmorgan guy, or Clarks landlady ever again? Given how writers love to ignore what people did before them, I wouldn't be suprised if no. Its almost like if Morrison was forced to make the story much shorter, than he wanted it to be. Which would explain the zero transition between few scenes.

[mrstatham]

Yeah, but to me, they tried the 'best of both worlds' approach with Lex before, by paying lip service to both the older stories where he grew up in Smallville or whatever and the Byrne stuff, in Birthright. I actually liked Waid's Lex a lot. At the same time, I don't know as we can really blame Morrison for this take. Obviously he's going to have a lot of say in what goes on, but Lee, Didio and Johns are the big dogs.

As for the nature of Morrison's run, it feels more like All-Star, to me. There's connecting characters and stuff like that, but each issue feels like it's own individual story, as well as contributing to the overall narrative. It's nothing new for Morrison, and personally, I find it refreshingly fast-paced compared to the normal six-parters.

[arbre_rieur]

It is the beginning of a run, isn't it? Morrison's talked about plans beyond the first arc, including going "fourth-dimensional" with his plotting, intersecting past and present, or something along those lines.

[benuben]

Maybe hes going to come back to book later? I hope so.

[darkknightjrk]

"wouldn't it be far more fitting and interesting, having Lex as evil, manipulative businessman?"

He kind-of is--remember, he's with the military because they hired him as an outside consultant to take down Superman. Plus, later on in Justice League we do see Lex Corp buildings being built.

[benuben]

By evil bussnessman, I mean his behavior and personality. I enjoy this version, but the whole "Greatest criminal mind of all time!" shouldn't be something, to which thousands of people are introduced as arch-nemesis for character, whos rogue gallery has already pretty weak reputation.

[darkknightjrk]

He's never introduced himself like that, though--he's called himself the "greatest scientific mind of all time," and I think whether he's the Byrne Kingpin-lite or the silver age mad scientist, he should consider himself the greatest something or other of all time.

[benuben]

I was referencing the movie. This Luthor is clearly inspired by that version.

[darkknightjrk]

I don't think he is--I mean, he contacted an alien force, but that's about the only big similarity, and he hasn't even asked for Australia. This take does strike me as a sort of entrepreneur scientist, a mix of the mad scientist in the Silver Age and has the potential to become the rich industrialist of the Byrne era.

[benuben]

The way you say (well, write) "he hasn't even asked for Australia" sounds (reads) almost like if he would ask for it, you would be just a little bit suspicous :-)