And now we kick off yet another new chapter in the saga of this title! First off though, fans of Superman should be welcomed by the return, of sorts, to the world of writer Paul Levitz, most known for his work on the Legion of Super-Heroes, and artist Jerry Ordway, who had a long run as artist and even writer and plotter on many Superman titles after the 1986 reboot of the character. (FYI, for those interested Ordway’s work on Superman, check out the SupermanHomepage.com’s From Crisis To Crisis podcast, which also includes a two part interview with Ordway in episodes 32 and 33).
This storyline is entitled “Worship,” so that it will explain the liberal use of religious imagery and themes. We kick things off with Superman taking care of a hurdling asteroid and musing about the late Pa Kent, which would probably set this story somewhere in between Infinite Crisis and Final Crisis. Meanwhile in Metropolis Lois Lane gets kidnapped while en route from a funeral for a co-worker, just before she is knocked out she signals Batman for help.
Meanwhile, in space Superman unwittingly breaks up a Kryptonite laced meteor and plummets with the fragments onto a planet, Superman recovers and does the usual one-man-construction-crew thing quickly before dashing off for a date night with the wife. However, the populous that observed Superman doing his thing appear to believes Superman to be an evil God and it seems the beginnings of an anti-Superman cult is being formed. As this is going on, it is being observed by Lex Luthor, who feels that he should contact these people, and he also gets word that Batman is arriving in Metropolis and pretty much goes into Defcon 1 when he hears this news.
And Batman does in fact arrive in Metropolis and is able to get in hot pursuit of Lois’ kidnappers, but she is no longer with them when he gets a hold of them. Instead Lois is tied up and is about to become a sacrifice to a cult of Kal-El because she rejected the chance to have Superman’s child by marrying a human named Clark Kent!
And I hope that last sentence doesn’t mean this book just went back to being modern takes on Silver Age tropes! Not that I know off hand that a story like this could have happened, but it does seem like a story that would be common place in the Silver Age. “Oh my God, I’m being made a martyr because I didn’t marry a hero, but instead I married his human secret identity, oh the irony!”
Well, this was an enjoyable issue nonetheless, trepidation aside it is a good story and some great Ordway art and pretty sweet colors and shadings by Pete Pantazis to highlight the art. The cover by Fabrizo Fiorentino was also great.
Superman/Batman #72:
Reviewed by SteveJRogers
