The Death of Superman

Customer reviews:

Great Action, 2008-09-07
There are comics that make have revolutionary writing and make you think (this is not it) and then there are really exciting, thrilling, non-stop action comics (this is it!) so if you enjoy the latter you will enjoy this book. There are some people who complain about the politics that concern the making of this book and to that, who cares, it's just a fictious story. True, it is controversial to kill of the Man of Steel but the actual fight between Superman and Doomsday literally spans several issues so Superman's death did not result from a small battle. Contrary to what people say, I think the writers are wise not to give Doomsday any history or have him talk. Doing any of these two things will result in your opponent getting the upperhand. It is very exciting and emotional at the end and the artwork is pretty decent especially in the last or two issues.

Essential, but room for improvement, 2008-09-07
Superman fans are basically required to pick this up, as this story arc set the DC universe on its head. To cut it short, a mysterious creature named Doomsday appears, creates a path of destruction across the country (taking out several Justice League members along the way) before fighting Superman in a climactic battle at the steps of the Daily Planet, where both kill each other.

The art is pretty good overall, but that's an average - the final installment is masterfully done, but some of the middle chapters look rushed, as if they were scrambling to meet the deadline.

The plot is a point of contention for many comic fans - there's one camp that likes that a totally new, mysterious character was the one that did Superman in, and another camp that believes an established character, such as Brainiac or Lex Luthor, should have been the one to fell the Man of Steel. While I am okay with the concept of a new character getting the honor, the almost total absence of all the other villains throughout Death of Superman, World Without a Superman and Return of Superman left me wondering. Lex Luthor II makes a few token appearances, mostly in Return of Superman, but even then he doesn't do much other than argue a TV contract. Shouldn't he have been, I don't know, moving forward with his plan of world domination now that his only roadblock (Superman) is dead?

In short, this essential pickup is a good read, but it could have been better. It's entertaining for the first few reads, but it leaves us wanting more substance amidst the mindless destruction of Doomsday.