REVIEW: Superman #11

Superman #11, “Lex Luthor Revenge Squad” is the penultimate chapter to the year long machinations of Dr. Pharm and Mr. Graft. Not only does this chapter bring us up to speed to what happened at SuperCorp during Superman and Marilyn Moonlight’s time travel adventure last issue, but also continues the cliffhanger ending it left us with.  

Jamal Campbell’s standard cover perfectly sums up the focus of the interior story as Lex’s enemies are allied against him. One of the main themes of this arc has been the complex relationship Superman and Lex share. Campbell’s art highlights this by having the two arch enemies depicted in full color while the new villains of the story are shaded in hues of red.

Lee Bermejo adds an appearance of Krypto to his variant. Although the Superdog isn’t in this issue, it’s hard to resist the wholesome image of Superman and Krypto enjoying a relaxing flight at the end of the day. The realistic nature of Bermejo’s art is simply extraordinary making this cover worthy of displaying on a wall.

The variant by Chuma Hill is a gorgeous watercolor that accentuates Superman’s classic look. Appearing to have just taken out some heavy weaponry, Clark hovers calmly in the scene as the smoke and dust settles. Hill’s clean lines within their work adds a Golden Age sensibility to the cover that’s absolutely stunning.

Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for other great variants by Warren Louw, Pablo Villalobos, and Ariel Diaz. There’s also a game still variant from the new Suicide Squad game that features Superman.

Artist David Baldeón and colorist Rex Lokus really bring this action packed issue to life. There’s never a dull moment within these pages and the art truly sells the epic feeling of adventure. From the beginning this volume of Superman has felt like an homage to the animated series, and this issue is no exception.  It’s real easy to picture how each panel should move or how all the characters should sound and it just makes for a very fun read.

Joshua Williamson, lettered by Ariana Maher, packs a lot into Superman #11. Picking up where issue #10 left off, we rewind the clock a few hours and get a brilliantly executed recap of Lena Luthor’s origins since her disappearance from comic pages over twenty years ago. We’re also treated to answers as to how Graft and Pharm acquired their kryptonite weapons and some great scenes of Superman unhinged.  Lena shows some real integrity and resolve that qualifies her as the true hero of this part of the story and I hope she becomes more of a mainstay character once the upcoming Brainiac arc concludes. 

Although the bad guys are poised to come out on top, their plan goes slightly askew as a red kryptonite enraged Superman turns against them as well. Things then go from bad to worse as the cliffhanger to the issue is a threat to the entire city of Metropolis. The thrills seem to have no end in sight as Joshua Williamson begins to enter his second year on ‘Superman’.