Comic Book Review: Superman World of New Krypton #9

Written by James Robinson and Greg Rucka

Art by Pete Woods and Ron Randall

Cover by Gary Frank

Variant cover by Mark Buckingham

Plot

We left last issue with Jemm, leader of the Saturians, bursting into the Thanagarian hanger ready to proclaim war against the Thanagarians and the Kryptonians.  However, after ten pages, Jemm and Superman come to terms and in which Jemm leaves the room only issuing a warning towards Krypton and their “elitist” ways.

Meanwhile, emotions run wild on New Krypton.  Struggles and arguments commence between the guilds of New Krypton.  Will there be an uprising of the lower class, and if so, will the higher and more prestigious upper classes of New Krypton be able to defend themselves against the oncoming uprising?

My Thoughts

This book was a real downer for me.  In fact, this series as a whole seems to be running off on tangents with no central focus.  We, the readers, find ourselves in the midst many conflicts such as the Green Lantern Corp’s suspicions of New Krypton, Jemm randomly accusing the Kryptonians of taking territory that doesn’t belong to them, and a constant struggle between upper and lower class Kryptonians.  WOW!  What a rush!

I have no idea why Jemm was brought into this story, seeing as how he really served no purpose other than to shock and alarm.  The more riveting storyline deals with the rising battles of the different guilds within New Krypton.  I really hope that for the remainder of the series, Robinson sticks with that theme.  Bringing in new and popular characters merely for the sake of having them in the story serves no purpose and does not help the story.

The battle of the classes, however, is a good read.  It has the same dark undertone that Battlestar Galactica has, where you couldn’t decide who was the good guy and who was the bad guy.  Of course, my bet is on Zod as the villain.  Zod has never been a good guy, and I honestly don’t see him changing.  It’s interesting to see Superman go along with everything Zod wishes to do, even though we all know he doesn’t trust his old enemy in the least.  You have to wonder if there’s something up Superman’s sleeve and how that backup plan could unfold.  And the same is true for Zod of course.

Overall

The issue is slightly below average.  How in the world Robinson and Rucka are going to make sense of this series in the end is beyond me.  I think a clash of ideas is becoming more evident as the series rolls forward, which is too random and oddball to be coherent.

2 out of 5 stars

Next Issue Coming 12/2/2009

New Krypton is a planet so fresh, it's experiencing countless things for the first time. Its first spring. Its first blooms. Its first birth of a child. And now its first homicide. When an important figure in Kandor is murdered, the suspect seems obvious to everyone but Superman. But can he make Zod or the Council believe this is more than an open-and-shut case? And can he uncover the real killer in time to save the life of the accused? It's a dark mystery, but R.E.B.E.L.S. star Adam Strange arrives in time to help find answers…even though the truth may blow apart the civilized trappings of Kandorian society in the process.

This action-packed arc leads all the way to the series' final issue, which itself sets the stage for huge happenings in the DC Universe next summer!