REVIEW: Superman: Lex Luthor Special #1

Superman: Lex Luthor Special #1, “The Sound of Super” is a one-shot that shines a spotlight on the consequences of Lex’s amnesia from his encounter with Brainiac. We also get a glimpse at some early years of Lex’s childhood and the interactions he had with his parents. Much like the Superwoman Special, this ties directly into Joshua Williamson’s “Superman” run and is not one to be missed.

The standard cover is by Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, and Adriano Lucas. They’re also the interior art team making this a true teaser to the artwork inside. A typical montage of various important characters and locations get framed within the outline of Lex giving us a great visual of his sense of self. A smug look and his rhetorical question of, “Miss Me?”, may suggest how this issue ends, but covers are known for exaggerating the story within.

Gleb Melnikov’s variant captures the very essence of Lex as he straightens his tie in a superior fashion. Coupled with homages to various other classic takes on the character outlined in the background makes for a very elegant looking cover.

As previously mentioned, Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, and Colorist Adriano Lucas make up the interior art team. Managing to weave back and forth through present day and memories of Luthor’s past by simply altering from full color to black & white not only keeps the story from getting bogged down by exposition but also looks fantastic. There’s some great scenes in this issue that really have you feeling for Lex as he struggles with who he was and who he is now. Naturally there’s not any action, as this is an existential story of what actually makes us who we are, but the layout work keeps the reader’s attention throughout the issue.

Joshua Williamson, lettered by Dave Sharpe, delivers a thought provoking story of what shapes us as individuals. Since the conclusion of ‘The House of Brainiac’, Luthor has experienced a clean slate through amnesia. No longer fueled by ambitions or ego, a gentler Lex had emerged and developed a distain towards his former self. Now his scientific prowess is needed once again but to tap into that genius means remembering and possibly reawakening the former Lex Luthor. Superman, in a well meaning attempt to help Lex regain his memories, stumbles into a debate with his former rival that makes him realize his help was misplaced. However, something about their discussion strikes a cord with Lex and we’re left with the reveal of Lex starting to remember…or was his amnesia a ruse all along?

(8/10) I would have liked to see this development play out a little longer throughout the Superman series, but the focus of this book worked well and, at least for me, gets you thinking about the intricacies of life experiences. The art was, as expected by this stellar team, a treat and really helped drive the heavier points of the story.