DCU Comic Book Reviews

TANGENT COMICS:  SUPERMAN'S REIGN #1

Chapter One

May 2008

Written by Dan Jurgens

Pencils by Matthew Clark

Inks by Jesse Delperdang

Cover by Carlos Pacheco and Jesus Merino

Synopsis

On Earth-9, Lori Lemaris (aka The Joker) is struggling to survive after being released from a 10-year prison sentence.  On Earth-1, Wally West (aka The Flash) is chasing a Mirror Master from a different universe when Lia Nelson (aka The Flash from Earth-9) appears to help.  She tells Wally that she is stranded and wants to get home with the use of Green Lantern.  Wally knows of the Lantern and takes her to the Hall of Justice to retrieve it for her.  On Earth-9, Green Lantern is slowly dying without the power of her lantern.  Suddenly, someone she recognizes approaches and she tells the person that if they continue with their madness, they will die.  Meanwhile, Wally and Lia find the lantern.  They ask John Stewart if he can help, but its properties are strange.  However, the Lantern on Earth-9 senses it power and calls to it, bringing Lia, Wally, and John to Earth-9.  Elsewhere, the Spectre and Manhunter assault a global security center, where the find the Atom in captivity.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

I always though the Tangent Universe was an interesting idea, although not interesting enough (I guess) to make an attempt to read about it.  So, in picking this up, I am completely and utterly new to the world and its characters.  About the only thing I know is that while the character names are familiar, the powers and characters are completely different.  It is to Jurgens credit that this issue works despite my unfamiliarity with some of the concepts (and the back-up story helps as well).  The key I think is that Jurgens doesn’t try to toss everything at us at once.  He introduces characters and concepts slowly, sometimes maddeningly obtuse like the scenes with the Green Lantern, but everything connects in some way or another.  Jurgens has 12 issues to introduce more Tangent concepts and I suspect as the series continues, we’ll see more and more of Tangent hero and villains.  For now, just giving readers a chance is the best bet and makes me certainly want to see more of this series. 

It is interesting to note that the world that DC calls its main home, what DC has often referred to as New Earth, is called Earth-1 in this book.  So, does this mean that Jurgens and the editors referred to it wrongly or is it a subtle clue that what we are seeing is not connected “New Earth” at all?

Comic Connection

The lantern, and the Earth-9 version of the Flash, made its first appearance in Ion and then a second appearance in Justice League of America, issue #16. 

HISTORY LESSON:  Chapter One

Written by Ron Marz

Pencils by Fernando Pasarin

Inks by Jesse Delperdang

Synopsis

A woman approaches a man in the park and asks to prove himself.  He then recounts the history of the world from the appearance of the first Atom until Superman becomes the one in charge.  When asks if he passed, she tells him to follow her. 

Review

I am not quite sure where the story with the unidentified man and woman will lead.  At the very least it provides an in-story reason for someone to repeat Earth-9’s history to us the reader.  It is short and sweet and hits only the major parts, but for someone like me, it is a great starting place (and explains who the Joker is mad at in the opening pages and explains why the Atom is so important at the end of the story) to learn the backbone of the of the Tangent universe.