Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor concludes with book three and brings an epic ending for Superman and Lex Luthor! Superman flies over to Themyiscra and finds that the science of the Purple Healing Ray didn’t work. He decides to use magic and has Lex put on a deep sea suit in Superman style. He flies Lex now in his suit to the deepest part of the sea. Lex counters Superman saying that Aquaman tried to drop him in the Marinas Trench. Superman says he warned him. A stunning splash page has Superman take Luthor to Tritonis, the second city on the Atlantis continent. It was introduced in Superman #129 (1959).
We see dark shelves of rock looming in the dep blue and covered almost like decoration, multi-colored bubbles. Superman is greeted by the merpeople including one in partcilar who takes his hand. Then, eyes closed, they touch noses. Lori Lemaris is the mermaid who met Clark as Superboy, his memory of her was erased, and he discovered her again as Superman proposing marriage! Lori made her debut in Superman #129 (1959). Lex can’t believe that his rival has another love interest besides Lois. He is interrupted by a telepathic voice. This is King Ronal, he first appeared in Superman #135 (1960), who helped heal Lori and they married to Lori Lemaris.
Ronal explains that they are “dear friends” and he was explaining his request. Closeup of their faces, Lori looks melancholy and says Lex is “not worth saving.” Lori then explains that the cure could be the Magical Garden of B’eltre which contains the Fruit of Arion. High Mage Arion first appeared in Warlord #55 (1982). Lori descends, Ronal warns that is also called the Garden of Death, and Superman follows her. He reaches the garden, great black inks by Kevin Nowlan!, he reaches out for one of the red fruits. Then, tentacles wrap around him by a sea beast Kaiju with several orange, glowing eyes and fangs! It is about to crush Superman in its fangs, then Lex gets its attention!
I think this more than just Superman as the path to his cure, Lex’s greatest opponent is also the only person who can challenge him. As Darkness says in Legend (1985), “What is light without darkness?” Superman uses the distraction to blast the beast’s gullet with heat vision! It swims away as Superman and Lex return to Tritonis. Superman analyzes the fruit with his vision and thinks it may be a change eating it. Lori and Ronal watch and closeup as Lex chomps on the fruit. His only reaction is he hears a noise inside his head. A silent panel as we see the countless people, Clark with Lori in her wheelchair, Lois holding Clark, and tears pour from his eyes. Lex vomits out the magical fruit. Lori says that the fruit’s cure is psychiatric, it had stopped the Mad King.
Luthor is horrified that he had empathy with all of the Tritonians who see honor in Superman. Lori explains that she was the great love of Superman and every time he returns he feels the heartbreak. Lex only wants to be taken away. Next, we get a two page spread, the Guardians of the Universe, who oversee the Green Lanterns, the Spectre, Adam Strange, Maxima, Mister Mxyzptlk!, Superman is desperate!, Highfather of the New Gods opening his hand, Darkseid to the side, and Metron watching Lex spread out in pain, Hawkman at Thanagar, but it all ends in disappointment. I’m hoping that all of these glimpses could be detailed in a novel.
Night at the Fortress of Solitude, Superman mentions what “gifts to humanity” Lex could bring with his genius. Lex snarls that it must be some “secret guilt” that makes Superman snaps one of the crystals! Lex lashes out saying what he would have been without Superman. Superman agrees and says that he tried everything with Lex. Then, he reveals himself as Clark Kent! This is a reason to print this story under Black Label, it has the scope of the Kingdom Come (1996) mini-series also written by Waid. Lex looks worn with pink-rimmed eyes calling him by his childhood name, “MacDonald?” Clark responds giving his usual response, “E-I-E-I-O”, this has come full circle. Lex can’t believe it and Clark says he and Smallville are Lex’s blind spot, what he chooses to ignore. Great writing bringing Lex Luthor, Clark Kent, and Superman together.
Clark says it was his greatest mistake, not telling Lex he was an alien. Lex mocks Clark until he smashes his hand on the crystals on the floor. Looking at his palm, the crystals have cut him! Clark is stunned that he has lost his powers. He screams at Lex pinning his arms. A roundhouse knocks Lex Luthor across the Fortress, angry at the betrayal. Lex tries to talk reason to him, like he did with Wonder Woman, and says he doesn’t know what happened. An explosion, in the darkness is a villain whose silhouette has glowing, pink lights. This is Brainiac, the long time foe of Superman, from Action Comics #242 (1958). He gained a robotic form with a skull-like head in Action Comics #544 (1983). Finally, we have reached the climax, book three, with writing by Mark Waid, and the art team of penciller, Bryan Hitch, and inker, Kevin Nowlan!
We had regular covers by Hitch of an almost god-like figure in the sky with sun beams, Superman flying above city streets while citizens watch him in awe, and now a closeup of Clark Kent lowering his glasses, with the Daily Planet in the background. Brainiac tells his origin about the planet Colu with the bald, green-skinned Coluans like the Legionnaire descendant, Brainiac-5. They invented an A.I. in the form of skull ships on a tilted angle panel. It reminds me of the harvester machines of The Matrix (1999). An “emissary” is formed, a thin, robotic body and a skull head like The Terminator (1984)? The difference is that he shrinks and collects worlds! He only fears the “ruthlessness” of one person. We see Lex Luthor’s disbelieving face. Then, Brainiac towering over Lex and Clark in new black metal armor and cables.
Lex is angry that Brainiac fooled him with the accident that used his “altered cells” to take Superman’s solar energy! Lex says he is impressed, but said the plan would work better if it was used on someone close, Lois or Jimmy. Clark is stunned to see the Phantom Zone projector shorting out. Lex doesn’t understand why Brainiac chose him. He is told that he always wanted to destroy Superman so this was his gift. Lex says to Clark about a backdoor to the Fortress. Clark tells him to distract Brainiac. Lex tells Brainiac that turning Superman human is not destroying him. A blast sends Clark back. Brainiac tells them that humanity is the “ultimate poison” and can only be useful modified by his drones. Then, hordes of large and tiny drones start to swarm them! Clark fights them off with his remaining strength and in a closeup we see the Legion flight ring has fallen! Clark snarls saying that his friends will protect the Earth.
Brainiac looms over the tubes of the Justice League; Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Metamorpho, Supergirl and many other tubes! Then, Brainiac notices they are gone! Clark has flown them out of the Fortress and sees that Lex has his universal translator, a gold tube-like device. Lex tells Clark that he is building an "Anti-Brainiac weapon." Closeup as Lex says he is mad and can use his weapon to track Brainiac's drones. The massive mecha-like drones move through Metropolis, next to the Daily Planet. The robot drones begin herding citizens into the skull drones. One of them suddenly sends out a blast at another drone. The citizens run and Superman as Lex wrecks havoc on the drones with his weapon. Superman thinks that he is fighting the infection with his power while Lex is taking his anger out on Brainiac. They fight, Superman using heat vision blasts and Lex his weapon, to move up the ramp of the drone ship.
Inside the ship, both men are repulsed by Brainiac's captive reduced to a brain with eyeballs!, this is something out of EC Comics! A large panel has several more such jars and the drones piercing humans with their sharp appendages! Brainiac boasts that they are reduced to "data storage units"! We see the robotic drones on the street with one's skull and crystal face moving close. He is harvesting the entire Earth. Luthor's device doesn't last with Brainiac's programming. They are surrounded, Superman thinks that Brainiac made his drones self-healing. Luthor looks desperate holding his golden weapon. A large two page panel has Superman fights off the waves of Brainiac drones, Superman is struck, and Luthor begins to hack into the drone's skull! Lex sends out a blast that drops the drones. Superman sees the victims and Lex convinces him to leave for his lab. We see the large drones occupying a city, also London at dusk with the London Eye and Big Ben.
This is an epic story, why Superman is a hero, also the question of Lex Luthor as a villain and his possible redemption. Almost every part of Superman's history compressed in a loving tribute to the ultimate hero. The only part is needed is for Waid to write a novel for what I sense are missing scenes and others that need to be expanded. I hope there would be more of Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Perry White. Especially the love between Lois Lane and Clark Kent. She shows him what is special about humanity and a beauty that he could search galaxies and only find with Lois. Also her strength and confidence. Maybe include the rest of the Daily Planet staff. I didn't miss him, but I would like to see Batman involved especially since they are the World's Finest duo. Waid currently writes Batman/Superman: World's Finest. I hope that a novel would maybe have cover and some illustrations by Hitch and Nowlan. One of my favorite comics novel is The Life and Death of Superman (1993) by Roger Stern. A novel of Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor would fit nice on that bookshelf! For now, the three issue graphic novels of Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor is one of the greatest stories about Superman with art that is worth the wait!
Five+ Kryptonite Cells out of Five!
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#MisterMxyzptlk, #Highfather, #Darkseid, #Metron, #Hawkman, #ClarkKent, #Brainiac, #WonderWoman, #Flash, #Aquaman, #Green Lantern, #Metamorpho, #Supergirl
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