DCU Comic Book Reviews

SUPERMAN #664

Countermeasures

August 2007

Written by Kurt Busiek

Pencils by Carlos Pacheco

Inks by Jesús Merino

Cover by Carlos Pacheco and Jesús Merino

Synopsis

After Superman turns down Arion’s request to save mankind by no longer helping others, Arion then attempts to control Superman’s mind with magic.  As Superman fights the control, he is suddenly attacked by Squad K, a group of soldiers whose purpose is to stop Superman if he ever gets possessed or controlled.  However, Superman is able to break free of Arion’s control and tries to follow him, but is stopped when he gets hit by a giant pie.  Then he is stopped by members of the Justice League and Justice Society.  Superman convinces them he is free of Arion’s control, but by that time Arion is too far gone to be tracked.  So, Superman tracks down Prankster and has him arrested for the pie incident.  Then Superman vows he will find Arion.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

There is a leap of logic that occurs at the beginning of this issue and I am not sure if it is me that is missing it or if Busiek misses it in the writing.  It is the moment when Squad K first arrives on the scene.  Based on this issue, Squad K arrives when it is possible that Superman has gone rogue or has been controlled by someone else.  Given what happened in the Sacrifice storyline, this makes plausible sense.  But in this issue, what does Superman do that prompts the arrival of Squad K?  The only thing I can consider is if they overheard Arion talking about his plan, but I wasn’t aware that Arion was speaking loud enough for Squad K to hear it (unless they monitor Superman all the time).  Even if they had, it is weird they would immediately assume Superman was being controlled or that the spell worked. 

Sadly, what this underscores is that fact that everyone seems to fear and distrust what Superman is capable of doing rather than giving him the respect and adoration he should have as Earth’s (America’s) protector.  I am not sure if Busiek intends this fear as a continuation of the events in Sacrifice and Infinite Crisis or if Superman is being written that way because Busiek thinks it best fits the story he is trying to tell.  Either way, it is frustrating to see Superman being treated this way.  The JLA and JSA should help Superman, not act antagonistic towards him.  It is this attitude that undermines the story enough to make it an exasperating read.  

At this point, I’ve got to wonder where Busiek is heading with this storyline.  “Camelot Falls” has been interrupted once with fill-in issues and based on the previews at the back, it looks like it will be interrupted again.  Part of that may be due to Pacheco, who is not the fastest artist.  Mind you, I’m not complaining as I like his work on this series so far.  But, still. Is this story being delayed strictly for Pacheco or is this leading somewhere down the line for something more.  The inclusion of the younger Gods suggest a Countdown tie-in of some sort or perhaps even to the ending of that series when DC will reach the end of whatever they are counting down to?  Given the dire stakes Arion claims, this seems to make sense and would explain to some degree why Busiek seems to be dragging this storyline on and on and on. 

 

ïPREVIOUS	Main		Page	NEXTð

Home ●  Blog ● Who Are We? ● Site News
Alive and Well since April 16, 2006

 DC Universe Reviews.  All Rights Reserved
  Characters, trademarks, brands are property of DC Comics

For problems or questions regarding this website, please contact our kindly webmaster.
Last updated: 08/06/11.