Art by Pete Woods
Plot: General Zod, a few issues back, was shot during a festival. Currently, Zod remains hospitalized, and New Krypton continues with no military leadership. Zod, in a few brief moments declares Kal-El (Superman) the temporary general and leader of the military guild until Zod has fully recovered. Kal-El, feeling a bit overwhelmed, maintains his stance that New Krypton should not go to war with Earth while the rest the inhabitants are wrestling with that very issue. And while this is all going on, we find New Krypton still has many threats that could jeopardize the lives of everyone on New Krypton.
My Thoughts: In the last issue of Superman, we found Superman alone out in space with the rest Earth against him. The first page of this issue shows him carrying the body of Zod’s assassin through space, all alone. During the council meeting, Superman seems to be all alone in his stance not to declare war on Earth. And when Zod declares Superman the general and leader of the military guild, there is a moment of uncertainty in Superman’s face.
The most emotional point in this issue however is the conversation between Superman and Tyr-van. Tyr-van’s deception did not sit well with Superman, which in turn meant he could not trust Tyr. And the moment Tyr flew away was the point where Superman was completely and utterly alone.
I found this issue incredibly emotional. I don’t know if I can remember a time where Superman has literally had no support from anyone. Yes he has his band of military people, and Ursa, but their loyalties only lie with Superman out of orders from Zod, Ursa especially whose love for Zod is the only thing that dictates her obedience to Kal-El.
This is the part of the story where everything goes completely south and there seems to be nothing our hero can do. In every page of this issue, Superman never cracks a smile. He feels completely alone and I can only assume that he wishes to be back on Earth with his beloved Lois. Everyone hates to see the hero, in any story, so alone because of the terrible situations surrounding him or her, but it’s the part of the story that everyone’s attention becomes more focused. That describes this issue in every way, and I love it!
The art of course is superb. There are times when Superman’s face, mainly during the council meeting, resembles that of Woody the cowboy from Toy Story, but it was nothing so distracting that I lost focus on the story. But the moments where Superman feels the most distraught, Rucka get’s an A+. Rucka shines when he using the characters eyes to show emotion. The moment when he tells Tyr to leave was very emotional. You could see Superman’s pain, anger and disappointment all in one look.
Overall, a grade “A” issue; very powerful and angst driven throughout all of its pages. Not a lot happened as far as the overarching plot in this miniseries, but that wasn’t the point of this issue. Rucka wanted to Superman to feel completely alone, and he did a bang up job at it. We’ll see where this will take Superman in the remaining issues of this mini.
4.5 out of 5 stars
Next Month: Superman World of New Krypton #8 (of 12)
On a mission in space, Superman and his fellow Kryptonians encounter the might of the Thanagarian Army. Can Superman keep things peaceful between the two races – or will The Man of Steel discover that Hawkman's legendary temper is shared by all his people?
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