DCU Comic Book Reviews

SUPERMAN #666

The Beast From Krypton

October 2007

Written by Kurt Busiek

Pencils by Walter Simonson

Inks by Walter Simonson

Cover by Walter Simonson

Synopsis

At the Daily Planet, the Phantom Stranger pays a visit to Clark Kent.  That night, Superman has a memory of thousands of people worshipping him as their God.  When he awakens, he decides to patrol the skies.  Before he leaves, Lois requests pickles and ice cream.  When Superman reaches the grocery store, he sees a spectral vision of Zatanna, who is surprised Superman can see her.  He tells her he knows it is a dream.  In his dream, Superman can do whatever he wants, such as kill Lex Luthor, Brainiac, and other villains.  He also refuses to help Jimmy Olsen or Perry White.  Superman then sits on the moon, looking down at the Earth.  He destroys Smallville.  Then he travels down to hell where he encounters Rakkar, a demon that escaped from Krypton when it exploded.  Rakkar then tries to merge with Superman, but Superman is able to break free, thanks to help from the Phantom Stranger.  With Rakkar defeated, Superman leaves hell, not remembering what happened.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

As a single, special issue to commemorate the uniqueness of the number of the issue, Busiek and Simonson have created a wonderful, skewed take on hell and Superman.  Obviously with the numbering scheme, there would be a certain type of story (as done recently for Batman) to be expected; the only question is how far Busiek would go with the theme.  Well, he takes Superman to hell and back, literally, but he manages to pull it off without making it seem too dark or violent or scary.  The story is peppered with humor, even when Superman is dispatching his foes with brutal attacks, that offset what is happening on the page.  Busiek makes sure to not only remind us that Superman knows it is a dream, but to use off-beat imagery and nonsensical dialogue to enforce it (the way Superman takes care of Brainiac, including the method Superman uses, Brainiac’s incredulous reply, and Superman’s explanation, is inspired).  But even beyond the dream, Busiek keeps the tone light enough (love his choice of chair he uses on the moon) to counterbalance some of the events that are happening.  Contrast this issue to Batman’s similarly themed issue and you can see a vast difference.  In this case, it works. 

The ending is a little strange.  When Clark asks Lois if he ever killed anyone, the answer should’ve been yes, at least according to the post-crisis continuity.  Superman did kill, specifically three Phantom Zone criminals in a pocket universe (which indirectly led to the formation of the matrix Supergirl).  I am guessing that this is no longer in continuity since the ones he killed (Zod et al.) are alive in well in recent issues of Action Comics.  Still, it is a weird little moment. 

I like the fact that the poor soul who can’t buy any food because he does not bear the Superman mark looks like Lex Luthor.  It is a nice twist, especially when he is beset by the JLA bearing the Superman mark on their foreheads. 

Best part of the issue:  Zatanna failing miserably to get the Phantom Stranger to give her a high five.  Not that kind of guy. 

 

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.