Release Date: My 14th, 2014
Rating: 1/5 Stars
Publisher: DC Comics
Written By: Charles Soule, Greg Pak, Scott Lobdell
Art By: Ken Lashley
Price: 4.99
Review:
I feel underwhelmed. The big Doomsday event over in the New 52 kicked off with Superman: Doomed and it feels light weight considering the two heaviest hitters are the main focus of this crossover event. With the writing team on deck for this, I expected better.
Don’t get me wrong, the two slug fests between the two titans were awesome. Doomsday is back with a vengeance though and he has some new powers. On top of being Superman’s equal in pretty much every way, the monster now has some kind of death/heat aura thing going on that torches, melts, and burns everything in his path. Wonder Woman gets beat down but she manages to shove a sword thru Doomsday’s belly which quickly turns to charred nothing. Steel lasts all of ten seconds and nobody else even approaches him. No Justice League, no anybody. Superman gets goaded into believing Lex Luthor, again, when baldy tells him that Doomsday is simply absorbing power. So, moody, emotional, drama queen that New 52 Superman is, he agrees with Lex to leave the planet. Fortunately for us, he lures Doomsday after him and they get into their first big brawl in space, on Venus. This is the part people want in a Superman vs Doomsday book. Not drama about Smallville or The Daily Planet or giving his lover Batman the key to his place. Just fight already. Doomsday survives and starts Round 2. Then Superman finally lets loose. He literally rips Doomsday in two. This is the jump on point for the event as Superman gets infected by the Doomsday virus. Let’s hope Batman has some extra strength Kryptonite in his utility belt.
The art is the main part of this book that killed it for me. It looks like actual sketch lines at several points in the comic and the color even bleeds outside the ink in some panels. Doomsday is so bulky and full of crap piled on top of him that I couldn’t even really tell where parts of his body started and ended in so many drawings of him. There are WAY too many panels and actions scenes on one page and that one spread of the 11 really thin panels gave me a migraine. I mean, look at the drawing of that aircraft carrier when Superman flies off. It’s literally just a bunch of squiggly lines where airplanes should be. Or the side shot of Doomsday as he’s squaring off with Steel. His eye is so low on his face, he looks like Sloth from the Goonies. There’s another one where Doomie jumps at Superman with his fists clenched together, raised above his head, forearm bent impossibly out, and every sketchy detail melded into one weird looking club-hand bearing down on Supes. I also have a thing against really thin, small gutters. I like ‘em nice and wide…and white. It’s just, 90s-era, generic, action team comic book bad to me.
I couldn’t even find more than the first few pages as far as art or pics go. The first page Doomsday is on looks awesome. The rest is crap. So I just want to post this random image of Princess Monoke:
I hope this event gets better which I’m sure it will since it will be crossing over to other books. I was just hoping for more fighting, less story, and more fighting. This isn’t rocket science. It’s Superman vs Doomsday. That’s all we really need. That, and better art. Thankfully this is only a One-Shot.
Edit: One of the pages in question. Upper left panel.
My first and major complaint is….WHY DOESN’T STEEL WEAR A HELMET?!?!
Its fine when its in prototype form but he’s upgraded it and everything and leaves his face unprotected? Ugh it annoys me so much.
Man those pages are jammed packed!
The fight itself was quick I mean very QUICK
if I liked anything its Doomsday teleporting around the world burning everything that was kind of cool to me. Oh and Lois abusing her power I liked that too because if Lana convinced that soldier to let her in (like something that would’ve happened in Smallville) I would’ve been absolutely done
All in all
Meh
Not worth 5 bucks
Yeah, I dont know what in the holy hell Steel was doin running at an amped up Doomsday without a helmet. Just, why?
Surprisingly, this issue, and the two follow ups were actually some of the most readable SUPERMAN stuff since the New 52 started. And the art was no more problematic than any other book.
Hopefully the Lobdell issues hold up.
Also, Steel gets the Organic Steel upgrade which gives him the helmet, and more traditional (if Silver Surfery) look in the next chapter, in ACTION COMICS #31.
And there was so much greatness worked into the dialogue and interaction between the various characters that you missed in this review.
Superman acted and sounded like Superman. For what may be the third time in the New 52.
Wonder Woman was fierce and fearless, refusing to be protected like a damsel in distress, despite being unable to go toe-to-toe against Doomsday.
And, we even got a bonus explanation for why Doomsday looks like he does, explaining that he did, in fact, used to look like the pre-New 52 version.
All in all, this book FELT like a Superman story should feel.
I admit I did miss the character interactions and dialogue. After I re-read it, I see what you mean.There was some great heroic banter and characterizations. But for the level book these titles are, the art was very problematic for me and distracting. I dont expect Alex Ross caliber for a one-shot but when basic anatomy is ignored in the opening shot of a massive event at one of the big 2, it becomes a problem.
LOL, I don’t mean you missed it-missed it, I just meant you didn’t mention it in your review.
And, Alex Ross is an overrated hack.
And the anatomy is fine. The big Doomsday pic you posted, his arm is fine, the boney protrusions on the shoulder are giving you the illusion of an extra joint, but that’s not actually what he drew.
Lashley knows his anatomy.
That isnt the one I meant. That was the opening scene and it looks awesome. The panel I was talking about is in the fight after he gives Batman the key to the Fortress. I’ll see if I can get a screenshot
I was a little sad that the key to the fortress was so small. I miss the old school, giant key.
I can see where you’re coming from with your critique; however, I think you are deducting from it more than is warranted; overly punishing the errors. Like, if this was a football game and you were a referee, every penalty would be cited as a 15 yard personal foul; allowing you to punish to the maximum amount, even if it’s just a 5 yard offsides penalty. Yes, there were some weaknesses in this individual book that prevent it from reaching expectations, but just because it didn’t score the 90% you presumed, there is no reason to grade it a 50%. This is still a very solid, good, quality book on its own. Also, I did not infer Superman as the “…moody drama queen” you did. I think Scott Lobdell did a great job capturing the consternation Superman has when he was making his decision on the best course of action. Because of the unparalleled threat Doomsday presents, Superman cannot afford to get it wrong because the existence of humanity is literally at stake. In a prelude story to the DOOMED storyline–Superman/Wonder Woman #7–Superman takes WW to the Fortress of Solitude to identify Doomsday among the inmates within the Phantom Zone. WW notices Superman’s demeanor suddenly change when he views Doomsday in the Zone; a demeanor of fright & anxiety. She remarks how she has never seen him behave this way; of being so visibly shaken. In New 52 canon, it’s suggested that all Kryptonians have an innate fear of Doomsday. When you take this into consideration, Superman’s mentality while wrestling over the strategic decision of engaging Doomsday is in fact a natural reaction.
And just to throw it out there so that there isn’t any misunderstanding, the reason Superman was able to literally rip Doomsday apart this time is because the very being of Doomsday was altered; altered by a dangerous being he shared time with in the Phantom Zone.
If this was an Image #1 indie book created by people brand new to the industry then I would agree. No need to penalize so harshly. But this is a major event at the 2nd biggest comic book publisher on planet Earth. The art is bad to me period. It distracted heavily for ME from the story. All I can do is give my honest opinion. If Doomsday kills Superman and it makes it to the news again, I wouldnt want this issue’s interior plastered all over the television, representing all of comicdom. That’s my opinion.