The Comic Book Club: “Wonder Woman” and “Action Comics”

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DOUGLAS: Action Comics #891: This, on the other hand, works better than it has any real right to, and it even begins with a scene about the relationship between jealous villains and the gods. Which is to say: Lex Luthor casts himself in the role of Prometheus by way of Final Crisis-style Anthro–stealing fire from Superman-as-god–or, as he puts it, from “those who didn’t deserve it.” And then, a few pages later, he’s Dr. Frankenstein, a.k.a. “the modern Prometheus.” Fantastic. (Incidentally, was I the only one who turned the page in the middle of the Frankenstein scene to the Brightest Day house ad and thought for a moment that that was where the story was going?)

Paul Cornell seems to have been presented with a ridiculously difficult challenge–marking time in Action Comics for a year without actually having Superman show up–and I’m enjoying what he’s doing so far enormously. Of course, a lot of almost-Superman figures turn up in this one… and it’s also kind of hilarious that Mister Mind, of all the characters, gets to break the fourth wall. (“He’s about to change the dream and… ambush you”: he’s an ambush bug!) And I absolutely love the idea that Lex believes this story is a voyage of self-discovery (he even starts the first chapter by meditating), because “self-discovery” and “quest for ultimate power” are exactly the same thing to him.

(More on Techland: Interview: Paul Cornell on “Knight and Squire” and “Action Comics”)

EVAN: I quite enjoyed this issue of Lex Luthor’s Inception Comics! I just saw Inception over the weekend, so the dream-within-a-dream section felt really familiar. But I also see it as a sly nod to what we know is coming. While Luthor’s in the realm of Dream of the Endless, I’m pretty sure we see his siblings Destruction, Delight and Destiny on page 2. But they could be stand-ins for Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman in god-form. Anyway, it’s a throwaway beat, but one that shows off the fun Cornell’s having in world-building.

The Western sequence was great insofar it illustrates how Lex sees himself and Superman. This isn’t new ground, thematically speaking, but I found the Lex-as-sheriff beat really funny.

MIKE: It’s kind of nice that Lex is being so overt about his quest for power this time around. Of his many, many attempts to grab the power of the gods, something about this one feels almost justified. He even admits that he’s being irrational about it. I guess the orange ring changed him? Or did it just make him see how much he really covets power? Maybe even more than he realized.

GRAEME: There’s a line in the last issue where Lex explicitly blames the orange ring for changing him.

MIKE: Well that explains that, then. Never mind. Also, the “Blow her mind” line was great, just great.

GRAEME: I am loving Cornell and Woods on this book already; there’s such a tone of… irreverence, maybe? Something other than the sincerity that DC’s superhero books (other than the Morrison Batman and Robin) are specializing in, these days – successfully, I should add – that completely works, both as a refreshment to the reader and for the character of Lex Luthor. While there’s nothing this month to match the Lois reveal of last issue, the sense of humor being displayed in the various fantasies Lex is slotted into – and his own reaction/dissatisfaction with them – worked really well, and makes him one of the more charismatic leads in superhero comics these days. It’s obviously not a long-term deal, but I’m not missing Superman here at all yet.

Also: Pete Woods continues to be DC’s best-kept secret.

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