As Rebirth begins, The Final Days of Superman come to an end.
Creative Staff:
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Art: Mikel Janin
Colors: Mikel Janin and Jeromy Cox
What They Say:
“The Final Days of Superman” epic concludes in one explosive fight as the new master villain uses Superman’s own solar super flare power against everyone. Can even two Supermen, Supergirl, Wonder Woman and Batman be enough to stop this onslaught? And how will the tragic outcome of this battle change the life of one of the Lois Lanes forever?
Content: (Please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Just in time for Rebirth, The Superman comic comes to an end in this final part of The Last Days of Superman. Superman’s been slowly dying of what seems to be poisoning, and now he and his allies (who seemingly have no idea) must finally defeat a deranged villain who believes himself to be the true Superman! This enemy, Denny Swan (who appears to be burning up), somehow ended up with some of Clark’s DNA and now believes that he is the real Superman. This is shown quite well in his not so subtle outbursts. Denny shows us just how unstable he is, and for me, that definitely came across in his dialogue. Superman tries to reason with him, but I have to say it’s pretty hard to reason with someone spouting lines like, “The truth is I’m Superman, but you won’t admit it!” and “You’re trying to confuse me- – Make me doubt myself- -“. It’s clear to me even by this early point that ther’s just no reasoning with Denny now, but Superman keeps trying anyway.
This is one of the things I love about Superman, and something I feel the comic highlights well. Superman is the epitome of good. He’ll always try to give you a chance first, try talking with you. It’s a great showing of the kind of man Clark is. Clark’s allies show up in the form of Supergirl (his cousin Kara), Batman, and Wonder Woman. When Denny attacks them for “not believing in him”, Superman decides enough is enough, and we get powerful monologue from him. He says, “Done with talking… Tried to reason with him… He’s unstable in more ways than one…Not much time…Only one option left.” Here we see a reluctant Superman do what he has to. It’s obvious that he doesn’t want to use this last option, but he knows he has to. I thought this was another great character scene. Clark won’t just lay around and watch his friends get pummeled on. As much as he wanted to end the conflict peaceably and with no more violence, he realizes that there’s no chance of that now, and he must do what’s needed.
Clark flies the “Superman” into space towards the sun, but he starts to falter, and after being helped out by what looks like the Justice Lords Superman, we learn that Clark has Kryptonite poisoning. He thanks this man for his help, but sends him back to Earth, claiming they’ll need him more than he does. This moment feels so like Superman, knowing that this new person wants to help, but not wanting to spend the man’s life needlessly when it doesn’t have to be. Superman causes a burnout of Denny, and absorbs the energy released. That done, he falls back to Earth, greeted by Lana, Steel (John Henry Irons), Batman, Wonder Woman, Lois Lane, and Lana Lang. Superman is dying, and uses his last moments to tell his closest friends what they meant to him.
This is yet another character showing and heartbreaking moment. Superman uses his last moments alive to make sure his friends know what a honor he thought it was to know them, and that he knows they’ll do great things. This is a really sad scene, but also really poignant. Superman uses his last moments alive to do what he does best: Inspire others. This issue really shows that whatever continuity we may be in, Superman certainly hasn’t lost his willingness to settle things non-violently or his deep care for is friends. It’s an incredibly sad scene, especially when lightning strikes and all that’s left of Superman is his cape.
The issue ends rather shortly after this with panels showing various reactions to the news of Superman’s death, including a very nice and also very sad (in my opinion at least) shot of Lois Lane writing an article titled “Superman: A Hero’s Life. The expression on Lois’s face here is just so heartbreaking. The art may make it seem to some like she’s got a sort of blank expression, like maybe she just can’t find a way to express what she’s feeling, but though it sounds odd, when I looked into her eyes, I could see the immense sadness within. It felt to me like, inside her mind, if she could be doing anything else at the time, Lois would probably be laying down and most likely sobbing.
The art does a great job of getting this across, and my heart broke seeing this part. This story, in the end, does what it should have. The end of The Final Days of Superman showcase the kind of person that he is, and how he positively affected those whose lives he touched. It’s a very fitting send off for Superman before Rebirth, and Tomasi and his team did an absolutely amazing job. Everything about this issue screamed “Superman” to me. It got the character, they way he affects people, and his own sense of justice down. If anything, this makes me both excited for the Rebirth, and also very sad that this Superman had to go. The art and storytelling lend themselves beautifully to the issue, and the whole thing comes out like a dream.
In Summary:
Pick this issue up! If you’ve cared about Superman before, you owe it to yourself to pick this one up. It’s both inspiring ad heartbreaking, and the way things turn out, I wouldn’t have wished it any other way. The dialogue, the characters, and the emotion were just so powerful. Superman shows here just why we love him, and he’s the best part of the issue hands down. Supergirl, Wonder Woman, and Lois were amazing, but nothing really compared to the Man of Steel. This was a powerful and sad issue, but one that is well worth your time and your money. Superman’s legacy lives on, and this issue shows that it’s not been forgotten. There’s just not enough good I can say about this issue, but i can urge you again: pick this issue up!
Grade: A+
Age Rating: Teen
Released By: DC Comics
Release Date: May 25, 2016
MSRP: $3.99
