Scott's Take: Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor by Mark Waid and Bryan Hitch (Illustrator)

 

Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor by Mark Waid and Bryan Hitch (Illustrator), collects the 3 issue Black Label series which was delayed multiple times enough so that only the first issue is available on DC Infinite app so I read the collected trade through Hoopla via the Dallas Public Library System. This book sees Superman attempt to save Lex Luthor as his latest attempt to create something to kill Superman has backfired. So, Superman reluctantly agrees to try to save his life.

 

Written with numerous flashbacks to their time as teens in Smallville, those are interspersed with the present day attempts to save Lex’s life. There is a major twist in the middle that changes the book. The read is part moral quandary and part journey through the DC Universe.

 

This was a fun, if not very original read, since a lot of this has been done before. I think this read would be better for newer readers of Superman than long term fans. It is nice when writers remember to show the science side of Superman, but the opening scene I have seen done at least two other times. Batman not playing any role in this was a surprise. Lois also has a minimal presence.

 

The art by Bryan Hitch was his typically great splash pages with average regular pages. Some of his faces he has used before. In numerous cases, he used the same expression on the same character in the last series I read by him for things here. It has been a few years and he has not made any improvement as an artist. You would think that with this book taking several years between issues there would be improvement as an artist, but there is not any.

 

 

The ending was cliched, but did set up an intriguing sequel. However, mostly likely there will be no follow up since one has not been announced. I don’t think they embraced the aspect of being a black label book except for some body horror and city devastation later in the book.

 

Overall, this is a fun Superman story even if one has read a lot of Superman and seen most of these elements done before.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4nGOmcx  

 

As noted, I read this material through the Hoopla App by way of the Dallas Public Library System. 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2025

Scott's Take: Aquaman: Andromeda by Ram V

 Aquaman: Andromeda by Ram V,  Illustrator Christian Ward, is part of the Black Label line of the DC Universe. This read is designed for adult readers and is supposed to be a stand-alone book in its own universe. In this tale, Aquaman is more of a periphery character, despite the fact that he is prominently billed. While he is the hero in the book, his role is very limited and he is by no means the central character. 

 

The book is about the crew of an ocean dwelling vessel that is sent to investigate a sunken alien like structure under water. Things go wrong and Black Manta is also involved. Aquaman does hero things and tries to save everyone from themselves.

 

This is a horror book, but not very scary in my opinion. The horror is rather tame despite the Black Label designation. The art is really good and depicts several amazing aquatic scenes. The characters are interesting if not fully developed because of the short length of the book. I wish Black Manta and Aquaman played bigger roles in this. They are depicted as basically being larger than life characters so their screen time is limited. The screen time they are used in is good, but the focus is on ordinary people of the crew and not the big-time hero/villain.

 

While this is a fun book, it is not really an Aquaman book. While it is supposed to be a horror book, I found the horror elements rather tame. If one has experience with any Lovecraftian horror, then the elements here are not very innovative or unique. It’s easy not to be afraid when you have seen this type of thing before.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3TNzqfM

 

My hardback reading copy came from the Lakewood Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2024