Reviewer: Tim Byrne
Story Title : N/A
Written by: Brian Azzarello
Art by: Lee Bermejo
Colored by: Dave Stewart
Lettered by: Phil Balsman
Editor: Will Dennis
Publisher: DC Comics
When I first heard about this mini-series, I was immediately intrigued. A telling of a Superman story from the sympathetic perspective of Lex Luthor? Could it be done? The fact that Brian Azzarello was tapped for the writing, and working with Lee Bermejo on art duties, only further whetted my appetite.
The series is certainly fascinating, but suffers slightly from editorial oversights.
For example, when we last saw Lex Luthor, he was grinning crazily from underneath a pile of rubble in a Superman / Batman comic, muttering something about an upcoming ‘Crisis’. This, of course, is after his election and subsequent fall as President of the United States.
It is safe to therefore assume that this mini is set back during the period when Lex Luthor was simply your typical ‘rich and powerful businessman’.
Something that always bothered me about criminals in positions of power (in fiction) was the suspension of disbelief necessary to accept the rise of this type of person to the lofty position they filled. Azzarello makes it perfectly believable that Lex Luthor is the powerful head of a huge corporation. Not just by his people skills (used as necessary) but also by his cunning and ruthlessness, deployed as necessary throughout the story.
The contrast between Luthor, who has to strive for every inch of success, and Superman, who literally has superhuman abilities handed to him on a platter, is a powerful one, and has been used effectively throughout the first two issues.
To the specifics of this issue : as you may expect from an Azzarello comic, the plot, such that it is, is not completely clear at this point, with Luthor engaging in a number of business deals and ‘executive decisions’. The main constant is Lex’s internal monologue, keeping us informed of his viewpoint and motivations throughout the day.
The story takes a fascinating and certainly unexpected turn with the cliff-hanger. How this tantalising last page is followed up in the next issue may well provide a more detailed clue as to when in the DC Universe history this story is being set.
The art is simply breathtaking. Whether merely portraying a boardroom, or showing Lex’s image in a reflection in the outer shell of an water-tank, Bermejo portrays a scene with subtlety and vision.
Although we are in issue #2 of this series, I feel that we have only now finished laying the groundwork for the remaining issues. Get on board for this memorable portrayal.
Best line : ‘Does he see the greatest city on the planet? Or does he merely look down on it?’
