REVIEW: Adventures of Superman: Book Of El #10
Adventures of Superman: Book Of El #10 continues Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s epic saga starring Superman and his descendants. Honestly I hope some of these characters aren’t forgotten about after this series because each and every one is so different and so intriguing!
But before we take a look at the issue, let’s take a look at the covers. The main cover is by Scott Godlewski & Alex Guimarães and it perfectly captures the contents of this issue, which is a little thing that I love! Kryl Ux looks intimidating as hell as he steps out of a fiery atmosphere. The detail here is excellent and the use of dark lines gives a sense of foreboding.
The variant by Lucio Parrillo is my personal favourite as we see an incredibly detailed Superman upon his throne of ice. The detail is seriously impressive, it almost looks photorealistic and the reddened eyes of Superman gives those who enter a slight warning.
Serg Acuña’s variant damn near perfect! I love how he captures all members of the House of El within the construct of the iconic ‘S’ emblem. In a way it binds them together but seeing them as one group really shows the differences between them.
Adventures of Superman: Book Of El #10 continues the fight between Superman, his descendants and Mongul, in this moment we see some great narration which explains how Superman has guided them despite not being there or not even confirmed to exist. With the help of Brainiac 4 those that find themselves cut off from the rest of the group are able to get some updates, Brainiac 4 is compatible with the Modified Brainiac Network which allows him to tap in for more information. Here he is able to keep those separated in touch with the events surrounding others and it’s now a race against time as the House of El are in danger.
This issue is packed full of action and it’s essentially an all our war! Seeing all of the different story aspects laid out by Phillip Kennedy Johnson really come together is so fulfilling as a fan and as a rader. Kryl Ux later joins the fight as The Promethean King and sports a brand new but intimidating look, he is seeking the Passion of Olgrun and the House of El are putting their life on the line to defend it. As they struggle to do so Theand’r gives into his pleas and unfortunately it was at the worst possible time as help was just about to arrive. His plea’s were pretty persuasive and actually understandable, and surprisingly instead of going back on his word, he goes to settle agreement with the Sun Eater, but the danger is far from over for the House of El.
The interior art is by Scott Godlewski & Vicente Cifuentes, with colours by Lee Loughridge & Matt Herms and letters by Dave Sharpe. This creative teams art and designs are perfect for an issue like this. It has so much depth, perfect action sequences and excellent facial expressions.
(8/10) Adventures of Superman: Book Of El #10 was a real epic and feels very typical of Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s writing style. This feels like a story for the ages and I’m really looking forward to seeing where it goes from here and what’s in store for the House of El.
