DCU Comic Book Reviews

SUPERMAN: WORLD OF NEW KRYPTON #3

Part Three

July 2009

Written by Greg Rucka and James Robinson

Pencils by Pete Woods

Inks by Pete Woods

Covers by Pete Woods and Howard Chaykin

Synopsis

Members of the Labor Guild have taken Alura and others hostage in order for their grievances to be heard.  Commander Gor has done the same with Labor Guild and threatens to kill them unless Alura is released.  General Zod agrees to the plan.  However, Kal-el asks for 30 minutes to find a peaceful solution.  Zod reluctantly agrees.  Unarmed, Kal-el enters the hostage situation and brokers a discussion with the Labor Guild and Alura, which eventually leads to the end of the situation.  Gor is not happy.  He attempts to assassinate the Labor Guild leader, but is stopped by Supergirl.  The next day, Gor confronts Kal-el and demands a fight.  Kal-el declines, until Zod orders him to fight.  Kal-el defeats Gor just as the Green Lanterns arrive on New Krypton.  It is time they talk.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

This was a wonderful issue.  As I have said before, I think out of all the Superman-related books right now, this is easily my favorite.  This issue is great all on its own, I think the hostage situation was handled beautifully, as well as being a great continuation of the overall story.  So far, this is a fantastic story and I can’t wait for me. 

As I said, the scene with hostage negotiations was handled well.  Not only does it show that Superman is more than just brawn, but is done in a way that seems natural for the character.  The same is true for the fight scene, as his refusal confirms how Kal-el wants to find a peaceful solution while his victory demonstrates his skill as a combatant.  Superman has always had a set of core moral values distilled into him as a young Clark Kent and I like how we can see these manifesting in this story.  This just goes to show that a good Superman story can be told without trying to create a physical threat to test his strength.  This time, the test is a threat to his character.  It is not a story that is explored often, but Rucka and Robinson are making the most of it. 

The key to this issue is the portrayal of the three main male characters, Kal-el, Zod, and Tam-Or.  On one side, we have Kal-el, who searches for the non-violent way to resolve a crisis that will make everyone satisfied they got what they wanted.  The skill in which Kal-el is able to handle the hostage situation, making everyone feel safe and secure, connecting with Alura to reassure her before connecting with the Labor Guild to reassure them he is there peacefully and he just wants to hear their grievances, shows the inherent good in him.  Then there is Commander Gor, the one whose solutions are to shoot to kill first, then maybe ask questions, if he is so inclined.  The ferocity in which Gor wanted to kill the innocent guild members and the certainty in which he decided to assassinate Tam-Or regardless of the outcome shows how much evil resides within him.  Stuck in the middle is Zod, who has shown both sides.  He is known as the evil dictator, then one who tries to rule Earth and was wiling to let Gor carry out his plans.  Yet, Zod allows Kal-el to execute his plan and when Gor fails in his assassination attempt, he reprimands the commander.  Zod is shadowy with a complex characterization that makes it difficult to understand.  He is neither good nor evil, stuck somewhere between Kal-el and Zod. 

The most interesting aspect to this issue is a throwaway line by one of the characters, who simply states how the yellow sun has changed everything and not in a good way.  I like the twist, the old notion that sometimes the greatest gifts can also be the worst presents.  Rucka and Robinson don’t expound too much on this idea.  I am hoping that it is something that will be picked upon later.  One can imagine New Krypton moving to a new, non-yellow sun system, allowing for Superman to visit his family and friends, but still making him unique in the DC universe. 

It may have been just me, but Pete Woods art in this issue reminded me a lot of Howard Chaykin’s art, who interestingly enough drew the alternate cover to the issue.  There is strong resemblance in the character definition, the jaw line, the hair, that made me think of Chaykin, even before I realized he drew the cover. 

I should also point out that the cover states it is issue 3 out of 12.  The last issue had 15, which I understand was a printer error rather than a change in the story as I had postulated earlier.  Hey, sometimes mistakes happen.  Not that this is important in any way, but I thought I would set the record straight.

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