Batman/Superman 3.1
Special “Villains Month” Title: Doomsday 1
Greg Pak, Brett Booth
Forever Evil Crossover
Spoiler alert! You have been warned!
The Batman/Superman tie-in to Villains Month and Forever Evil features Doomsday, one of the very few characters in the DC Universe that I’ve never really had an opinion one or another on. So, that being said, writer Greg Pak and artist Brett Booth were in a particularly tricky position. They had a challenge on one hand: To make me care. But they were also in luck because, as far as I was concerned, they had a clean slate. They could win me over. And that they did.
The story, surprisingly told through the point-of-view of a young Kara Zor-El (the girl who would become Supergirl), who overhears her father, mother, and aunt and uncle (Superman’s parents) talking about the Doomsday that came to Krypton one day not so long ago and his inevitable return. She overhears about a young Dru-Zod, before he declared himself General and was exiled into the Phantom Zone, recklessly defeating the monster, but only after it had decimated the city and killed countless innocents. Then, her father realizes, she is listening in on the adults’ conversation, so he takes her to bed, giving her the “storybook” version of the connection Doomsday has had and will always have with the House of El. I particularly liked the strange yet familiar retelling of the Death of Superman story. But the true strength of this issue was the scene where Kara is alone and seen to be communicating with General Zod, who threatens to return and destroy the House of El once and for all. She tries, desperately, to reassure herself that it was just a dream. But we all know better, and so does she.
Buy the fancy cover, and buy the issue, because it’s a great story and has some of the best artwork on the stands today. Some added bonuses to this story were the portrayal of Superman’s mother as a badass, a relatively new concept, as well as the Kryptonian family tree further explored. In comics of the past, I always felt a little distant from Superman’s non-Earth family, but the New 52 has successfully ingrained in me a sense of understanding that yes, Superman and Supergirl are cousins, but there’s more to it than that. The family aspect has been steadily grown over the last few years and, with the help of the new movie, I actually finally care about the House of El and their trials, tribulations, and triumphs. So congrats, Pak and Booth. You did your job well. I care now. So bring on the Doomsday!
My Rating: 5/5
