DCU Comic Book Reviews

SUPERMAN #667

Tide and Torrent

November 2007

Written by Kurt Busiek

Pencils by Carlos Pacheco

Inks by Jesús Merino

Cover by Carlos Pacheco and Jesús Merino

Synopsis

Now, Superman is racing to find Arion.  Two weeks earlier, Superman was battling a variety of disasters caused by Arion to show Superman that as long as he continues to save humanity, he will eventually destroy humanity.  While Superman averts the disasters, he searches for Arion, but is having no luck.  In Machu Picchu, Superman encounters Subjekt 17, the lone survivor from an alien planet who had spent many, many years being poked and prodded by human scientists.  Subjekt 17 knows where Arion is hidden.  Subjekt 17 wants Superman to stand by his side against the humans that tortured him or if he wants to save humanity he needs to beat the information out of him.  Superman doesn’t want to do either.  This upsets Subjekt 17, who attacks Superman.  The Man of Steel fights back, eventually beating Subjekt 17 to the point where he gets Arion’s location.  Now, Superman finds Arion hidden inside an air bubble at the bottom of the ocean.  Superman can’t through the bubble, so he creates whirlpool that creates enough pressure to cause it to fall.  And that is when it hits.... [Continued in Superman Annual #13]

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

It seems like forever since we had seen the last part of this storyline (Superman, issue #664) and despite the lengthy delay, the story delivers, to a degree.  I think this part of the story will read well once it has been collected into a trade paperback, but for the moment, given the wait to reach the conclusion, it feels like it is being drawn out even more than it already has.  The story opens with Superman racing to find Arion.  Then we flash back and the thread of thinking we are getting to the end, is lost.  Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the issue and I especially liked the return of Subjekt 17 to the story, but the story needs to end, and soon.  I hate feeling this way, especially for a story that has been very good so far.  I can only hope that the ending will deliver. 

It is interesting that we get Zatanna and the Phantom Stranger once more.  I wonder if their presence was added to this issue because of their guest shot in the 666 special last month or vice versa.  The only reason I mention it is because magical beings are an oddity in a Superman comic.  Reading Superman in the midst of magic makes the character seem out of place.  This, I think, is the reason Arion works so well as a foe; his powers work effectively against Superman, making the eventual battle a duel of opposite strengths.  Adding in Zatanna and Phantom Stranger just reinforces that there are magical beings in the DC Universe that would fare better than Superman in such a fight (and begs the question why they are not involved).