Written by: Joshua Williamson
Art by: Jamal Campbell
Colors by: Jamal Campbell
Letters by: Ariana Maher
Cover art by: Jamal Campbell
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: September 18, 2024
Superman #18, by DC Comics on 9/18/24, sends Zatanna and Superman along the Dark Roads to reach the House of Heroes, where the secret to Amanda Waller's control of the multiverse awaits.
Is Superman #18 Good?
I want to like Superman #18, but I don't. When Joshua Williamson architects or participates in events, he has a tendency to get distracted and throw in all kinds of developments out of nowhere. Superman #18 gives you a mini demonstration of that lack of focus, and it comes across as messy.
When last we left the Man of Steel in Superman #17, Superman traveled with Zatanna through the Dark Roads of the Earth as a way to get from point A to point B outside of Amanda Waller's view. After a few unpleasant run-ins, their journey ended at the Oblivion Bar, where Neron was waiting to make a deal.
In Superman #18, Superman agrees to make a deal with Neron to acquire the map that will take our heroes along the Dark Roads. What's the deal? Superman has to tell a lie. Superman quickly agrees, but the deal may or may not be a nothing burger because Superman privately tells Zatanna that he lied to Neron about telling a lie, so he told a lie about agreeing to tell a lie. Ehh...
Why? Why bring in a heavy-hitter like Neron just to do away with his potential for a silly bit? Technically, Superman's solution is clever, but it's a waste of page space.
Elsewhere, Lois in her Lex power suit (without a helmet), Mercy, Jimmy, Siobhan, and amnesiac Lex head to the Fortress of Solitude to reunite with the heroes. Unfortunately, they arrive after the battle in Absolute Power #2 and find the place an abandoned wreck. After a brief strategy session, Lois and Mercy remain behind in case somebody returns while the rest head back to Metropolis to counteract Waller's disinformation campaign.
Lois's reaction to the trashed Fortress is in line with her character, but it's not clear why she and Mercy chose to stay behind if the place is abandoned. What did they hope to accomplish there? Why wouldn't they leave to keep searching? We'll see later that their presence works out for Superman, but Williamson doesn't set it up well.
Elsewhere, Zatanna feels the effects of the map since it feeds on magical power, but since she has none, the map feeds on her life energy. Superman supports Zatanna through her struggles until they land at the House of Heroes (last seen in the abysmal Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths event). The only hero remaining is Dr. Light, who is a little worse for wear, and the one being who is helping Amanda Waller block access to the multiverse - Konfusion.
"What's Konfusion?" you might ask. Well, he's the evil version of the Superman/Batman fusion created by Green Lantern's ring in World's Finest #4 from Earth-3. Now you see where this issue starts to get increasingly rough. Williamson pulls in Easter Eggs and references from events and other titles that took place years ago. It should be cool, but it hits so fast that it comes across as sloppy and desperate.
The issue ends with a fallen House, heroes emerging from the shadows, and a newfound appreciation for magic.
What's great about Superman #18? If nothing else, Superman's adventure has given him a chance to at least make peace with magic, which could be a storytelling opportunity for the character in the future.
What's not great about Superman #18? First, Superman and Zatanna's challenge in the House of Heroes comes off as a chaotic mess. It looks cool. It should be cool. But it comes off as messy and a cheap attempt at nostalgia bait.
Second, if you think about everything Superman went through with Zatanna to get the map, reach the House of Heroes, and enlist help from across the multiverse, they technically accomplished nothing. Once they had the map from Neron, everything afterward turned into a waste of time.
How's the Art? Jamal Campbell's art looks great. Campbell has a particularly strong grasp on light sources to create depth and contour to give each scene a more "solid" presentation. Plus, the bigger scenes that require a sense of scale look just as detailed and complex (in a good way) as the close-up panels.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Final Thoughts
Superman #18 concludes Superman's magical adventure with Zatanna and continues the fight for Absolute Power. Joshua Williamson does his darndest to pull out every trick and shiny spoon to make the issue look cool, but the story essentially ended after page five, so everything afterward is a chaotic waste of page space.
5.5/10
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I think the character moments are fine enough in this and I am usually critical and negative in regards to Williamson written issues and runs. I still think Zatanna should not have remembered anything to do with this stuff per what was explained in absolute power or shouldn't have been able to use the map at least cause what does it mean exactly that it is taking from her life force?? Is she giving up her years? Is that going to have a significant consequence for her? Given how they brush it off, I doubt it. However despite this and the rushed and confusing fight scene in the Bleed, I would give this a 6 or 6.5( a bit higher than you) cause at least it made an attempt to explain how in the world Waller managed to close off multiverse (unless that was also in several extra tie ins that I somehow missed. It for sure wasn't in the main event) and the character moment with Zatanna and Clark was well written. He could have just wrote a surface level issue with this teamup and made no attempt to accomplish something with the team but given his limited space he at least tried unlike many other writers ( Clark's characterization was on point here and as someone who dislikes Magic in DC I related a lot with his struggle). And I wouldn't say they didn't accomplish anything, I get the feeling the whole map to facilitate Multiversal travel is going to come into play in the absolute power issue 4 fight with the evil mulitversal counterparts working for Waller and they are setting up this for that.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to Jeremy Adams's titles, the good thing is that even if you have a problem with one or two of them, he is able to bring it back on track in the following issue. This is in contrast to some writers who continue to follow the same path for a long time until you can no longer stand the title.
ReplyDeleteA bot⬆️ they just copy pasted someone else's comment (maybe mine on some other review for Green Lantern?) I think. Weird
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