Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor #1

[superboyprime]

'I said, “I’m not interested, because it’ll never get approved.” “No no no, it’s Black Label. I’m sure it’ll be approved, it’ll be fine.” “Nope.” “You must have a Superman idea.” “Nope, don’t have a Superman idea because if I ever thought I’d be able to write Superman, I’d have an idea. Not gonna write it.” She wore me down. Molly Mayhew wore me down until I finally came home and I’m like, “Not gonna do it,” and wouldn’t you know, I came up with the best Superman idea I ever had. I did the pitch, it got approved at every level until the publisher said, “Not interested.” Bryan Hitch signed on. Still publisher not interested but we kept hope alive. So, the moment the regime change happened, that day, that project was greenlit.' - Mark Waid

Comments

[superfangirl1]

Even though Superman agree to help Lex. Lex still just can’t stop himself from being an egotistical ashole jerk afterwards.

It look like Clark is helping Lex out of guilt of whatever happened in the past, during their friendship as teenagers.

[thanekos]

" Mark, half of this is just the Smallville bits of Superman: Birthright again. "
" Yes, but - no disrespect to Leinil - Bryan's drawing it this time. "
" Fair enough. "
- hypothetical conversation between Mark Waid and editor Andrew Marino, concerning this issue

[buttz]

This was seriously some of Bryan Hitch's best artwork in -- ever? Some of the two-page spreads from this issue are going to command some SERIOUS dollars when they eventually go up for sale/auction.

[beyondthefringe]

Superman, casually having the Titanic as a conversation piece in his man cave, as one does.

[john_drake1964]

So, that raises a whole bunch of really, awkward questions, and doesn't look that good for Superman when you come down to it (yes, let me raise and restore a shipwreck that's also a grave-site, especially when there's been the contentious issue of diving down to the wreck and taking artifacts going on since after Ballards dive found it again.)

Honestly, if they're going to have the Titanic in there, I'd say it'd be better if it was from some universe where she never sank, had a respectable career, than was going to be taken to the scrapyards but Supes decided to save it from that fate.
It's still "a" Titanic, just not "The" Titanic.

Or maybe some sort of Titanic II nonsense...

[scorntx]

Silver Age Superman seems like the sort of person who absolutely would build an exact replica of the Titanic for a scheme and / or scam, then find himself stuck with it afterwards, and just bung it in the Fortress.

"Huh? That? Oh, just my Titanic replica. I made it to fool an international gang of thieves or whatever. I dunno. Now, over here's the photo gallery of times I've made Jimmy Olsen look stupid in front of Lucy Lane..."

[remial]

"you know, a tuesday"

[nyadnar17]

Its super weird looking at this version of Lex Luther in 2023.

Like back in the day I just saw this as Lex being Lex. Dude is a self-center asshole. But now this genuinely reads as mental illness. This type of Lex comes off as more in need of actual psychiatric care than some of Batman's Rogue gallery. It feels much less like he won't change and more that he can't.

[blues32]

Lex has always been mentally troubled. When he decides something, it's almost impossible to change his mind. Time and again, he has been shown proof that Clark Kent IS Superman. Time and again, he refused to believe it because in his mind, no one as powerful as Superman would choose to be some hick from the country. When a demon showed up and offered something in exchange for Lex's soul, Lex agreed because he didn't think souls were real...despite the demon then using MAGIC to heal his damaged body. Around the beginning of the New 52, Lex had a psychologist do a profile on him. The psychologist stated that Lex showed signs of psychopathy as well as malignant narcissism. Lex refused to believe this because he was just so darn smart that he couldn't possibly have mental defects. ...and then decided to hold the psychologist prisoner. Not a well man.

[huntleyhaverstock]

This is great. Smart and thoughtful in the way Waid's best work always is, without ever needing to be "edgy" or "mature." And it turns out the only way to make Bryan Hitch's work look better is to have Kevin Nowlan inking him. How are we only just now stumbling upon THAT amazing combination?

What about every other person on the planet with a terminal illness?

[karmakaze]

I am pretty sure that the DC universe hasn't cured cancer for any random Joe on the street, or heart disease or any of a number of terminal illnesses. Is Superman going to go through that trouble for all the people with a week to live who aren't supervillains with a self-inflicted terminal condition?

It would be one thing if Lex had a rare condition that could be cured by, say, some MacGuffin treatment that must be passed through solar plasma and Lex asked Superman to fly to the sun to complete the process. But otherwise, this is legitimately NOT a job for Superman. It's a job for the best medically trained experts Lex can hire and Superman has no reason to feel any more guilty about that than about all the people who die in car crashes worldwide that he doesn't stop because he can't be everywhere at once.

Re: What about every other person on the planet with a terminal illness?

[buttz]

Did you actually read the issue or are you just complaining based just on the above scans?

Your question is one of the plot points of this series.

Re: What about every other person on the planet with a terminal illness?

[huntleyhaverstock]

Lex knows that with the whole world watching, if he specifically asks Superman to please save his life, Superman can't say no. It'd make Supes look petty and vindictive. It's a great, nasty catch-22.

[superfangirl1]

John Byrne’s Lex Luther had a cancer storyline. Where he got it from wearing his kryptonite for too long. He had Project Cadmus clone him a younger body. Lex fake his death and pretend to be an Australian illegitimate son.

Clark and Lois were suspicious and investigate it. But for unfortunately for Lex. His clone body was deteriorating. He made died again. He got lucky with making a deal with Neron to give Lex a young health body afterwards. I think people were mindwipe of his death.

[blues32]

Close. He didn't die again. The clone body deteriorated into a locked-in state. Lex was aware, but unable to move. Hence how he was able to make a deal with Neron at all. Since Lex didn't believe in "souls", he thought there was no downside. How can someone so brilliant be so stupid?

[cainofdreaming]

I like how Lex is so annoying that he makes people angry enough to break the laws of physics.

[dan_ingram]

This looked interesting until I saw it was written by Mark Waid.

Don't get me wrong, he's done some damn impressive stuff.

But his villains are much the same, and usually without any redeeming qualities at all.

[remial]

I liked his Max Damage series, bad guy trying to be good. he was just shit at it.

[lbd_nytetrayn]

Ooh, has he written Iron Man before?

[remial]

I think it says something about both Iron Man AND Mark Waid that I can't tell if you are taking the piss or not, but I was talking about the series _Incorruptible_

[blues32]

Like Axis Carnage?

[huntleyhaverstock]

Honestly, I'm not sure why it's shocking to anyone that Superman would save his worst enemy. Even an infamous super criminal It's what he does!

If [think of the worst person in the world right now, and I know, it's a long list of contenders] were dangling over a running woodchipper by an ever-fraying rope, I wouldn't be mad at Superman if he swooped in to save them.

He has to be the best of us, because he's a living example of how that kind of awesome power should be used.

[endless_aegis]

Interesting premise. Although - maybe this is covered somehow by the pages that aren't scanned - the way it's set up irks me. It's presented as though Superman doesn't have a choice because his own sense of morality won't let anyone die, even his worse enemy. But to leave Luthor to figure it out himself isn't letting him die, any more than not saving anyone else is letting them die. And time spent helping Luthor is time not spent saving other people, people in worse condition with less ability to help themselves than Luthor.

So by agreeing to help, he is privileging Luthor's life over others. Which is not necessarily wrong - even Superman can't be everywhere at once, he has to decide when and how to help somehow, and starting with the person right in front of him is as valid as anything else. But it's treated like saving Lex is an inevitable consequence of his morality, and not a decision that he is actively making.

In short: "I don't really have a choice" is just plain incorrect.