18th June, 2008

KRIS BATHER

Action Comics #866

"If, like me, you’ve always been a fan of Big Blue, this is the place to jump in, especially considering next month’s part two has a Supergirl cameo and a look at the history of Braniac."

This is a glorious time for comics’ oldest superhero title. Writer Geoff Johns can do no wrong with these timeless characters, or should that be, franchises? Issue 866 is part one of a new story arc, aptly titled, Braniac, and that should tell you all you need to know.

Well, just in case, here’s a bit more info. Braniac is one of Superman’s oldest villains, and like the rest has gone many changes of powers, identities and costumes throughout the decades since his 1958 debut. He has appeared in the TV series, Smallville and also in various animated shows such as the recent Justice League Unlimited and Legion of Super-Heroes. Essentially, however, the current version is a green-skinned being from the planet Colu with powers including telepathy, extreme intellect and the ability to transplant his consciousness into other hosts.

The first few pages are a flashback to the days of Krypton prior to its destruction. Here, Braniac takes his long-limbed silver skeleton form, fondly remembered by fans of the 1980s cartoons and comics. His duplicates cause havoc to Superman’s home planet, and he then uses his skull shaped ship to remove the capital city of Kandor.

We then flash forward to the Daily Planet, with a nice introduction to the new regular supporting cast. Editor-in-chief Perry White and photographer Jimmy Olsen will be known by most, but we also get to know Cat Grant, Ron Troupe and Steve Lombard. It’s a treat to see those first two characters return to prominence as they both figured heavily in the Superman stories in the 1990s and they add much needed pizzaz to the newsroom scenes.

Here, the married couple Clark and Lois really resemble their most famous on-screen incarnations of Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder, especially at the halfway mark when Clark takes off his glasses and unbuttons his shirt to prepare for a heroic Superman appearance. It screams cool.

The last few pages are all action as Superman and Braniac re-unite - to fight, but Supes notices something different about his old foe, as do we in the last few haunting pages. I can’t wait to see where Johns is taking us in this arc, and with the detailed pencils of artist Gary Frank this will be a visual treat to boot. If, like me, you’ve always been a fan of Big Blue, this is the place to jump in, especially considering next month’s part two has a Supergirl cameo and a look at the history of Braniac.

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