When Joshua Williamson began his run on Superman, he started with a big status quo shift: Lex Luthor gave the Man of Steel an entire company! It was a surprise, especially to me, as I asked my fellow fans “What the hell is Superman going to do with a conglomerate of all things?” It turns out that big buisness and superheroism don’t mix, as Superman #24 reveals.
Superman is brought into Supercorp to view some of its applications, which could have genuine life-saving properties, but things get shaken up when the return of Lex’s memories (first hinted at in the Superman: Lex Luthor Special) leads to his arrest. Meanwhile, Superwoman joins the Justice League on a mission, but ends up uncovering a secret that puts her and Superman on a collision course with Mercy Graves.
You hear all the time that “everything’s been building up to this” in the land of comics, but in the case of Superman #24, it really is payoff of everything Williamson has been building up to. Superman was uneasy to take on Supercorp when Lex first offered it to him, and it turns out that he might have had a very good reason. Lois Lane getting superpowers has led to her fully taking on her husband’s role, and it pays off as she actually proves to be a great help to the League. The biggest payoff, however, might be the romantic tension that’s flared between Lex and Mercy; one of the opening pages even shows them locked in a embrace!
DC
This embrace is brought to life by Eddy Barrows and Eber Ferreria, who previously drew the Lex Luthor Special. While I do miss Dan Mora’s artwork a little, Barrows and Ferreria match him when it comes to drawing some epic fight scenes. The Justice League battles an army of Khunds in the rain, which is given the proper introduction once they start descending from the sky, punctuated by Lois plowing through them like a wrecking ball. I also love the facial expressions that the duo bring to the table – Clark and Lois’ reaction to Lex and Mercy’s kiss is priceless.
The artwork also stands out thanks to Alejandro Sanchez’s color work. From the jump, Sanchez underlines a parallel between Luthor’s green and purple and Clark’s red and blue – it’s not a surprise that Mercy and Lois utilize the same colors. Sanchez’s work also brings life to the environment, including the shimmering skyscrapers of Metropolis and the cold blue deluge of the League-Khund battle.
Superman #24 is the perfect example of how to do a payoff, as Joshua Williamson starts bringing two years worth of work to a close. And he, Barrows, Ferreria, and Sanchez are only getting started, because next issue looks like it’s ready to reignite one of comics’ biggest rivalries – with a twist.
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