REVIEW: Adventures Of Superman: Book Of El #3
Adventures of Superman: Book of El #3, “Book of Brainiac” answers several questions from the previous issues and sets up Superman’s motivations going forward. There’s plenty of action, intrigue, and story aspects yet to be revealed in this third installment of PKJ’s return to Superman.
The standard cover is by Scott Godlewski and Alex Guimarāes. The Brainiac of the future goes up against Superman with the title suggesting the fall of The Fortress. This battle picks up from the final pages of issue #2, and this cover teases the severity of the conflict.
Riccardo Federici’s variant is another take on this epic showdown. Brainiac looking more like an insect than humanoid tries to overpower Superman to what appears to be a standstill. Federici’s art is always stellar and this variant is no exception.
There’s a discrepancy in the credits for the next two variants as two other artists are mentioned instead of the one’s used. First up is the variant by Björn Barends. It’s a great depiction of Superman against an otherworldly background that captures the majestic nature of the character. There’s a calming aspect to the color palette that gives the art a peaceful and hopeful mood which is perfect for Superman.
The Halloween incentive variant is by Natacha Bustos. Dressed as Swamp Thing, Clark is enjoying some quality time with Osul and Otho at a carnival. The children appear to be having a great time dressed as Batman and Wonder Woman. This story has these three as a central focal point which makes the cover very fitting to only showcase this particular trio.
Scott Godlewski with Colorists Alex Guimarāes and Matt Herms make up the interior art team. The opening fight sequence also acts as a tour of The Fortress of the future and is littered with hard to miss references. Calling it an opening fight sequence is a bit misguiding as it lasts the majority of the book and spans several locations. We’re again treated with seeing their concept of a future Earth civilization and how high tech even the most remote locations have become. It really is great comic art and is perfectly suiting for this type of storytelling.
Phillip Kennedy Johnson, lettered by Dave Sharpe, makes up for last issue’s more exposition heavy aspects by delivering a satisfying fight with Brainiac and the Summer Men. This isn’t a throw away confrontation and because it’s Brainiac he can’t help but continually chatter through the whole thing. This allows more explanations as to how Earth globally operates and casts more questions on how Superman ended up in the future. We’re also given insight as to how Jimmy Olsen has survived this long and honestly it’s genius. For what few answers we’re given, there’s still plenty of adventure ahead as more questions get asked and Superman’s true quest is revealed.
(9/10) Adventures of Superman: Book of El #3 was an absolute blast. There’s a lot going on this issue and I found myself rereading it more than once just to make sure I didn’t miss any hidden details. Each time was just as exciting as the first and I can’t wait to see where the story goes from here.
