Superman: Retorno a la grandeza

Superman (2011) #8 + Tie-Ins

by Gene Luen Yang (translator), Peter J. Tomasi

Con los superpoderes menguados y sin identidad secreta, Superman se esconde en una peculiar versión de la lucha libre donde hallará un nuevo hogar. Y aunque parezca que la fortuna empiece a sonreírle, su actual situación no es la más adecuada para afrontar la llegada de Vandal Savage, el implacable villano inmortal.
Tras los sucesos de Superman: Ante la verdad, continúa la recopilación de la etapa de Superman en el Nuevo Universo DC con Retorno a la grandeza, un volumen obra de Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese), Howard Porter (Batman/Flash: La chapa), Ardian Syaf (Superman: Tierra Uno) y otros autores que recopila Superman núms. del 45 al 50, Superman Annual núm. 3, Action Comics núms. del 48 al 50 y Superman/Wonder Woman núms. del 25 al 27.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superman, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Fantasy

384 pages, Hardcover

First published October 6, 2016

About the author

Gene Luen Yang writes, and sometimes draws, comic books and graphic novels. As the Library of Congress’ fifth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, he advocates for the importance of reading, especially reading diversely. American Born Chinese, his first graphic novel from First Second Books, was a National Book Award finalist, as well as the winner of the Printz Award and an Eisner Award. His two-volume graphic novel Boxers & Saints won the L.A. Times Book Prize and was a National Book Award Finalist. His other works include Secret Coders (with Mike Holmes), The Shadow Hero (with Sonny Liew), Superman from DC Comics (with various artists), and the Avatar: The Last Airbender series from Dark Horse Comics (with Gurihiru). In 2016, he was named a MacArthur Foundation Fellow. His most recent books are Dragon Hoops from First Second Books and Superman Smashes the Klan from DC Comics.

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 3 out of 5]

(B) 73% | More than Satisfactory
Notes: Culminates lore from this series and more, it's a real character recall chore: a final exam I should've studied more for.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall not a bad crossover, but it does have its faults. It turns out Vandal Savage is behind Superman's power issues of the last year or so. None of which are explained how. Seemingly, he can just hook anyone up to a machine and drain their powers. Savage is trying to bring the comet that gave him his power back to Earth so he can get even more powerful. It's all kind of crazy and more than a little bit stupid. I didn't care how they HAD to tie in Savage's comet into Krypton. Krypton is solar systems away. Nothing else in the DCU needs to be tied to it. Savage has thousands of descendants who get power and they all just instantly decide to help him take over the world. Basically it's several issues of punchy-punchy with little plot or character development.

[Sud666 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well there have been some changes in the Superman world (yet again). For some reason Superman has lost his power and is normal and everyone knows he is Clark Kent. Lex Luthor is on the Justice League, for some reason. To top it off turns out this whole thing was orchestrated by Vandal Savage who wants to bring the meteor that "created" him to be brought to Earth so that he can start life on Earth anew.

Savage even manages to capture the Justice League and is leeching their powers. So Superman decides to wear a suit made of kryptonite-the logic? The toxic substance will "burn" the bad cells away. *shrug* Ok then. Anyways Superman fights Savage and some of his descendants. Does this sound exciting? Well then you will like this story. I didn't hate it. It certainly gets a resounding "meh".

The story is all over the place (in terms of Superman), the changes (why is Metallo following Lois around?), the annoying dialogue (Superman and Col Trevor talking about dating), and the kryptonite-power thing wasn't really to my liking. The artwork is nice though-some better than others. The scenes with Vandal Savage are well drawn, some of the other art is just ok.

All in all-this is a slice of the "new" storylines that are out there and so far I yawn in excitement. I was expecting more, since I rarely run into Vandal Savage. Well, it was interesting and I can say my Vandal Savage desire has been quenched for now. Nothing here to recommend honestly.

[Will Robinson Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Savage Dawn is crossover arc featuring the New 52 Superman for DC Comics. The New 52 version of the Man of Steel has not had a great run to say the least. I my opinion Grant Morrison handled the character very well but it just seemed like once he left the Action Comics series every writer just tried to run away from what he did for the character. I feel like the best stories I have read featuring this Supes were Superman Unchained, Superman, Volume 6: The Men of Tomorrow, and enjoy Superman: H'el on Earth. I want to point out the first two mention stories were written by Scott Snyder & Geoff Johns who seemed to know what Superman is all about. I have to admit I just wasn't a fan of this moody, punch first and at times unfriendly Superman. I just do not get why writers feel like they need to humanize Superman so much. He is a man between two worlds. Part of him is the Midwestern boy raised on the farm and the other is the alien who can do almost anything. It is the continuous drive of Clark to do good and set a positive example for humankind despite his sometimes isolation that makes him a hero. I want to be fair when judging this massive epic because their are several writers and artists involve in creating this story.

In "Savage Dawn" Superman must face Vandal Savage who is trying to gain more immortality and power from the comet that brought about his immortality. The premise is basic but there are some great action panels in the story and some really good character driven moments. One of my gripes with this event is the number of issues that crossover to tell this story. At times this hinders the story and many readers may get lost about where this story is going. My other gripe was the characterization of Wonder Woman who in this story several times she appears to be a cliche damsel in distress and a depowered Superman has to save her. I just felt that Diana would have put up more of a fight. I did enjoy how well fleshed out Vandal is in some of the issues. He is not a clear cut villain. This was best express in the issue titled "What could have been, What can still be, and What Is". In this issue Vandal offers Superman the world and sort of chides him for not seeing the big picture that he could rule the world and force humanity to live better. Of course I had a smile on my face when Supes finally gets his powers back and acts more like the Superman we all know and love. This is not the best Superman tale but it was not the worst. Definitely a good build up towards Superman Rebirth. I am looking forward to reading the last issues of the New 52 Superman in Superman: The Final Days of Superman.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won't say that I didn't enjoy this compilation in places, but overall it felt a bit too '90s crossover-y.

Artistically, it definitely had its moments:



But the showdown with Vandal Savage just got to be too much of a muchness- like a Michael Bay movie, it was hard to keep track of who was doing what, and whose ass was getting heat-visioned...

In terms of an emotional payoff, I thought the volume would end with the death of Big Blue but ultimately it was a bit of a bait-and-switch as, despite the Kryptonite poisoning they did so well to establish in the earlier issues, Supes comes bouncing back to his usual self...only to later reveal he's a goner in the most roundabout way by hiding it from Wonder Woman. Not cool,
Clark.

So, ultimately, kind of an exhausting endeavour that will leave you feeling like this:

[Jesse A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun story. Definitely reads better all put together. The art was also nice.

[Monsour · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the final Arc of the Depowered Superman until they bring back the actual superman that DC fanboys wanted

Well I like the story. But how they present the story is my problem on this. Their adding too much stuff in here and doesn't even explain one bit. Like "How the hell Vandal Savage convince his ***th Generation descendant's to team up with him and manage to hid their superpowers to the world even before Superman was born?" or "How the hell the kryptonite kills Clark bad cells even work?" or "Does Vandal try to atleast steal a alien spaceship(DC have alot of those right?) to travel to the meteor that giving him powers on the right time(he did it with Captain Nazi guy why not do it again) insteadofsuckingotherpeoplespowersandtryingtobringtherock downon earth"

Also some of the art are great but some of them is just ehh

[Iain · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with many of the crossover storyline, this collection suffers from different writers and artists and different styles mixing together. It also assumes a lot of knowledge from the DC Universe and previous storylines. The Vandal Savage plot makes little sense or isn't fully explained. That said, some of the art is terrific, and it's always good when Superman is tested.

[Emmett Spain · Rating 3 out of 5]

A large scale Superman crossover featuring a pile of artists, the story consists of Superman and friends facing Vandal Savage and a cadre of crap villains, whilst Savage enacts his nefarious plan to make himself even more powerful so he can destroy the world. Doesn't exactly get the blood pumping.

The writing was a mixed bag, as was the art, but overall it was diverting enough. I'll be hard pressed to remember its ins and outs a week from now, but I am glad that the stupid character of Hordr_Root copped an axe to the head. Worst character in recent memory from any Superman comic, and believe me, there have been some contenders.

Fine, if forgettable, which could describe much of the New 52's Superman output for me.

[Koen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, I liked the story okay... It was a bit far-fetched and a little bit stretched out, but in the end it still delivered a decent read..
The artwork though: my god what was that!! How many (crappy) artists were working on that.. Definitely toward the end it felt like nobody was anxious to finish it and just do a couple of pages each... Terrible..

Let's give this a solid 2.5/5 but since we can't give half points I'll land on a 3*

[Eldon Farrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the worst Superman story I've ever read but that's hardly a glowing endorsement. For some reason New 52 Supes just never got off the ground for me (the Doomed storyline aside) and I can only hope the character returns to prominence in DC Rebirth.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sueprman: Savage Dawn
Author: Gene Luen Yang, Greg Pak, Peter J Tomasi, Aaron Kudder
Publisher: DC Comics
Date: 2016
Pgs: 200
Dewey: 741.5973 SUP
Disposition: Irving Public Library - South Campus - Irving, TX
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REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

Summary:
The comet that gave Vandal Savage immortality is finally within permanent reach. He will use his powers, the stolen powers of Superman and the Justice League, and the powers and abilities of the House of Savage to reach out and grab it and pull it permanently into Earth orbit. And the power, that he has promised to share with all his progeny, with all of mankind, when it is within reach, maybe...just maybe he will share it. He is Vandal Savage, afterall. But Superman, depowered, low powered, is still Superman..

_________________________________________________
Genre:
Comics
Graphic Novels
DC Comics
Superheroes


Why this book:
Superman vs Vandal Savage is why.
_________________________________________________

Favorite Scene / Quote:
The kryptonite chemotherapy to overcome what Vandal Savage did to his body is awesome. The nerve endings burning throughout his body as the kryptonite infuses him and attacks his “normal” cells sounds so much like addict talk. Very junkie like.

Pacing:
I’m glad I wasn’t reading this monthly and waiting for the next issue to come out and hoping for it to get better.

Plot Holes/Out of Character:
Vandal Savage is misused more than he’s done right, historically.

I could see Vandal grabbing for more like a junkie, but the whole losing himself in the process with his ego doesn’t wash. He’d totally throw over the rest of the House of Savage to reach his goals. Just not sure he’d surrender who he was like that. His goal was always to have it all for himself, re: look at what he did to his father.

Hmm Moments:
I liked the Children of Savage designs.

Meh / PFFT Moments:
Kingmaker is way too Mirror Master in his design and color scheme. His double row of buttons is the only significant difference. He’s a frigging immortal caveman who left scars on history throughout its run. You didn’t need to make him “look more badass,” failed, but tried.

The last issue with Wonder Woman going through the stages of grief with no payoff at the end is a big meh. Lotta pages for this to end like that.

Missed Opportunity:
Most of the Justice League are only there to provide Superman with Mary Sue cardboard to play off of.
_________________________________________________

Last Page Sound:
Sigh.

Author Assessment:
I will read more by these authors, because I know they can do better. Wish they had done better here.

Editorial Assessment:
Editorial should have probably been more involved.

Knee Jerk Reaction:
meh!
_________________________________________________

[Villain E · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.  Superman: Savage Dawn is a crossover between the three Superman monthly books, the eponymous Superman, Action Comics, and Superman/Wonder Woman.  This is a culmination of the stories happening in those books, so it doesn't stand on its own.  I've always preferred crossovers where the story happens in the monthly books (as opposed to a miniseries with tie-in issues) because they're always better coordinated, which is the case here.  The writing between the books is almost seamless, the artwork reasonably consistent.

Superman has been losing power, to the point where he's a normal human.  (This is a trope that's always bothered me.  Superman is NOT human.  Superman losing power and becoming human is like reducing the horsepower in your car until it becomes a horse.  But, suspending my disbelief...)  The perpetrator of this power drain is Vandal Savage.  The comet which gave Vandal Savage his immortality is returning, and he wants to harness it to increase his own power in order to rule the world.  To do this, he's draining the power of the Justice League like he did to Superman and empowering his offspring and descendents to be his army.  Superman, in his weakened state, with the help of his supprting cast, is the only Leaguer left to stop Vandal Savage.

The story builds well, with Superman's condition changing, devolving and evolving.  The characters are written well.  There are some logic flaws and "that was too easy" moments, but overall it was a decent story.

[John Yelverton · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was definitely an attempt to bring some epic storytelling to Superman. What fell flat for me was the vindictiveness of Vandal Savage, which has never been there before toward Superman; and the ability to drain the superpowers from ever superhero in the DC Universe. It just could have been a lot better, and Superman, the character, was definitely taken for a ride.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably more of a 3.5, but we're rounding up because it was far better than the last giant Superman crossover I read, and that got a 3.

All of the plot points from the latest Action Comics, Superman, and Superman/Wonder Woman arcs come home to roost as Vandal Savage makes his move. But with Superman's powers on their last ebb and Savage four steps ahead at every turn, is this the end of the Man Of Steel?

I very much enjoyed the build-up here. Savage's plan rockets out the gate with big moves and sweeping action sequences, and there's a lot of hopeless energy on Superman's part that really helps to sell how dire the situation's looking. When he takes a step back to try and recover his powers, things get even worse/better because it really shows how desperate Clark is getting. Peter Tomasi, Gene Luen Yang, and Greg Pak pass the baton between issues really well, seamlessly continuing the plot from where the others left off so every issue feels like a progression rather than the plot spinning its wheels outside of certain series, which was a problem with this era's Green Lantern stories.

The main problem is the ending, which kind of just fizzles. There's a big, climactic battle between the Justice League and Vandal Savage, then everything explodes and it just seems to end. There's a strange detour through some What If? scenarios in the final issue of the main story, which really hurts the momentum, and then everything's wrapped up in like 2 pages before we get some unpublished epilogue stories (which aren't bad at all, but feel a bit tacked on).

The art's consistently good throughout the main story, but that's more because there's a lot of good artists involved and less because they all have similar styles. We get contributions from Aaron Kuder, Howard Porter, and Doug Mahnke in the main story, while the Superman/Wonder Woman epilogues fall apart a little with Giuseppe Cafaro's kind of unfinished visuals.

Savage Dawn's a nice wrap-up of some long-standing plots from all the books involved. It feels like a true collaboration between the writers involved, despite the flat ending, and the art's mostly easy on the eye as well. It's not going to go down in historic as a world shaking crossover, but it did the job well enough.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine.
The way they cut the comic so that they didn't really include the full arc was kind of annoying. But that's on me for not hunting it down true comic fan style.
I have no idea why people from the daily planet were locked up or why Diana felt a need to interrogate people or why Clark felt all that upset about it.

But I wish I knew how they were going to prevent him from dying.

[Benjamin Kimble · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plot points from all the Superman titles come to a head as Vandal Savage is revealed to be the one behind everything. Savage has been behind everything bad that’s happened to Superman recently and now he has to stop him before he can harness the meteor that made it immortal to become unstoppable. The highlight of this book really is the art. We get Doug Mahnke, Howard Porter, and Aaron Kuder, among others. They give us an edgier grittier Superman that fits with this being almost the end of the New 52 Superman. But the story is dumb, Superman gives himself kryptonite poisoning in an attempt the regain his powers, Vandal Savage gives super powers to some of his descendants, overall it’s just a big slugfest with little substance to it. Which feels fitting for wrapping up New 52 Superman.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superman: Savage Dawn

For some time now, Vandal Savage has been siphoning off Superman's energy in an attempt to capture the comet that made him immortal forty thousand years ago. Superman has a plan to temporarily restore his powers, but at a terrible cost.

An amazing graphic novel which works independently but also benefits from the wider reading in 'The New 52'. The artwork is superb and the panelling and pagination have been thought about carefully to enhance the plot.

[47Time · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surely, this story could have been shorter. There isn't that much happening. All the preparation, the action scenes, the climactic final fight are fine, but the ending was done within a couple of pages. Then the status quo returns. Dang, that was fast! But the epilogue is the real stinker. It would have been best to just leave it out of this collected edition, since it adds absolutely nothing to the main story.

After using a full charge of power to defeat an enemy, Supes can't recharge. He feels useless and has become desperate. Steel may have a solution, but it's risky. The reason behind his lost powers soon reveals itself. Vandal Savage has spent his immortality trying to change the world, make it stronger. Obviously, with Vandal at the helm. To complete his plan he needs power and lots of it.

Vandal captures the Justice League, prompting Supes to risk using Steel's solution. He frees Di before losing consciousness. Di asks the gods to help heal him. The only agree after he passes each of their tests. He is healed, but also mortal. In order to regain his powers, he submits his body to the greatest amount of kryptonite he can find. He starts to burn away the infection that sapped his powers. It's a long and painful process, but he is also able to use some of his powers again.

Vandal's plan involves taking Superman's Fortress of Solitude in order to capture the comet that has eluded him for thousands of years. It's a source of incredible power for him. As the comet is drawn closer to Earth, Vandal and his many descendants become powerful enough to fight Supes and his friends toe to toe. But the children can't contain the power and melt or something. Oh, the tragedy! Oh, the deus ex machina!

With Supes weakened by the kryptonite, Vandal shoots him with a bullet containing deadly toxins. He falls into his Fortress of Solitude which finally recognizes his biosignatures and... heals him? Deus ex machina, anyone?

Vandal faces a fully-healed Supes alone. He goes through the perfectly skippable 'A Christmas Carol' shtick with Supes, showing him how the comet's power could have saved Krypton, then how a future with Supes as his trusted general could ensure the safety of Earth. Obviously, Supes refuses to join Vandal's side - wow, what a difficult choice that was! - and blows up the comet. The explosion propels Vandal away - out of sight, out of mind, huh? Supes returns to his old self. Yes, in the blink of an eye. That was some light-speed ending there!

With the Vandal stuff over and done with, let's return to the love affair between Supes and Di. Oh, but wait! Are they still together? Di straight up asks Supes about it. He can't talk about it 'right now' - he must be having a headache. What a dope. Di talks with Lois who doesn't know anything, then helps a bullied kid (one of Vandal's kids that they fought - perfectly skippable #1). Batman reveals that Supes is dying. What, again? This time, nobody can do anything about it. Why doesn't Di take him to the gods again? Or maybe he can go on a kryptonite diet. Poor Di is at her wits' end. Ok, let's save this oil tanker before we decide what to do (perfectly skippable #2). Fun fact: she lifts the tanker to safety and throws it into orbit. As if the thing wouldn't completely bend out of shape during the process. Come on, it's physics! Di refuses to leave things alone. She is aching to do something to help the man she loves. Oh, may I read more about this crap in its own collected edition, please? (puke)

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book came through the library and I couldn't resist checking it out. Starting off, it was obvious there were other stories that led up to this one. As such, I was playing catch-up and the plot seemed to move a little slowly. However, once I was immersed in the story, the plot really picked up. I shouldn't have been surprised. Peter J. Tomasi did an excellent job portraying Damian Wayne in the New 52 "Batman and Robin" series. He brought the same sort of vulnerability-meeting-perseverance that made his other characters I've encountered so downright endearing. Of course, the type of vulnerability and perseverance with Damian is vastly different from Clark Kent, but that general idea seems to be the guiding light that make Tomasi's characters, and therefore his stories, really strike a cord.
This story also featured Wonder Woman and Superman as a couple. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of them together (I'm strongly in Lois' camp), but the way this story was written actually made me like that romance a little more. Again, Tomasi shed light on both character's vulnerabilities (specifically feeling alone) and used that to make a believable connection. I particularly liked the final comic, written from Wonder Woman's perspective. And, of course, it had to leave off on a cliff hanger! Oh well, at least I know what to order next at the library. ;)
I also enjoyed a story focusing on Vandal Savage. I haven't read many stories with him, so I enjoyed getting to know his character a little better. I can't say he'll be cracking my Top 10 Favorite Villains list any time soon, but I will say that I enjoyed the rather unique motivation his immortality has given him. He and Superman create a great foil with each other, with one valuing nothing but strength and the other recognizing that strength doesn't necessarily have to do with muscle. That divergence is made all the more interesting with the latter (Superman) actually having super strength and with Savage scheming to attain it.
In short, this is definitely worth a read, especially if you're interested in seeing a more desperate Superman--and in seeing him respond to that desperation in a way that only Superman could.

[Spencer Greenwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was just not a great book. Even with this collection organized as well as it could be, this crossover event has very evident seams in it's storytelling. It is obvious the writers did not work closely together as each issue seems to have a different tone and key story moments are not well explained.

This isn't an awful book, and there are some cool moments, but there are just too much good content out there for me to waste my time on such a below average book. Honestly, it felt like the writers all went into a room and had a great outline of a story and some good moments, but then they all left the room to go do their part and never talked again. The few really cool "WOW" moments don't feel earned, and the payoff to the reader is dulled because you sometimes don't know why or how it happened. I'm not a reader who needs every detail explained to them, but the writers owe it to us to give a little explanation for why major events happen in this story. For instance: Superman regains his powers by falling into the fortress of solitude (as he is about to die of course), which instantly heals him, and he flies out to go punch the bad guy in the face, in some deus ex fortress This happens in a few pages with no explanation, in a story arc that is focused on exploring superman without his powers. It just feels cheap. The ending of this book also felt somewhat bizarre with the cliffhanger involving the Wonder Woman issues at the end. I think the writers expected a "WHAT!? I have to read more!" ::excited:: reaction, but what I felt was a "WHAT!?….I have to read more...." ::confused:: reaction.

If you own this book and have kept up with N52 Superman up to this point, I would suggest you give it a read, but if you do not own this book I can't recommend someone seeking this out.

[Samuel Osito · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5, A mixed bag, through and through.

At the conclusion of the Truth arc with a depowered Clark Kent, I can fully say I feel it wasn’t handled well. This volume contains the conclusion of that arc and sees Superman return to power, but because the journey to get to this payoff was so lackluster, it feels more like a foregone conclusion.

The art varies from good to great, with a few awesome double page spreads throughout. There’s some strong character moments as well, but Wonder Woman’s series of stories told through phases of grief were particularly well done.

Vandal Savage just wasn’t a compelling villain in this narrative, although I thought his whole lecture on power and the possibility of greater change provided an interesting twist on Superman’s character. If you can look past the convoluted plot and take the villain at face value, it isn’t that bad.

Overall, if you’re wanting a full arc of New 52 Superman, this is an essential read. It might not be the strongest material from this era of Superman, but it certainly never reaches the depths of mediocrity like Superman Doomed.

[Clay Bartel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book specifically to help me understand my 52 Superman Wonder Woman run and my Action Comics Rebirth run... this book along with the Final Days of Superman help me make sense of a bunch of books I already owned and for me I'm really excited about these stories. I Really feel its important to make notes as you read and research what aspects of the story you want answers for. Find out what books those answers appear in and then get those books. I'm still and forever will be piecing together the expansive universe and reading and re reading... that's another thing. I cant stress how important it is to reread the books. It's so amazing how the change with each reading as you get more background knowledge or forward knowledge of where things have been and where they are going.

And of course as I go through my collections and remove certain books that fall flat. For me this wasnt one of them. It was fun and I look forward to reading it for the second time.

[Hugo Emanuel · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very mediocre Superman crossover that's often repetitve, contrived and lazily written.

It starts off promisingly by giving us a slight background on the main villain of the piece, Vandal Savage, but late ron turns him into a very generic character, with even more generic allies.

So much is wrong with this storyline - how easily the Justice League is beaten; how Vandal's unknown offspring decide to side with him for no good reason; the logic behind Kryptonite suddenly is used as a kind of aggressive chemotherapy for Superman; the lazy reasoning for the villains achievements (I lost count of how many times they have said "we found a way to..." - such lazy writing, that).

Is it an unbearable reading? No. But it is a bit dull and inconsistent, which is unfortunate, considering it is kind of a necessary read, a it concludes the whole "Truth" storyline, and contains events that directly influence the follwing arc "The Last Days of Superman".

a 5/10.

[Ross Cudmore · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a fun crossover, even it dragged a bit towards the end.

I enjoyed the depiction of Superman across the many issues of this story. He has been greatly weakened at the beginning of the story and has to go through great lengths to recover his strength. But despite the many hurdles he faces he keeps fighting for the people in classic Superman fashion.

Vandal Savage is using his descendants as tools to fight for him in his plan to conquer the world. His manipulation and cruelty towards his descendants is apparent but I wish it was developed a bit more. Especially as one of his descendants is just a child who was temporarily given powers to fight Superman.

Overall I had fun with this story and it culminated a few different plot threads that had been in development, while leading the way to "The Final Days of Superman".

[Edmund Bloxam · Rating 2 out of 5]

The art decisions were just awful. Superman and Wonder Woman frequently looked like children.

The bad guy had an interesting story, which was superceded by the less interesting antics of self-poisoning Superman (I feel like that's been done before). The conclusion to the scheme is unfortunately not a whole lot, considering it's a plan that allegedly took thousands of years to come to fruition.

The only thing that remained interesting throughout was the romance between WW and Superman. That was apparently and unfortuanately dropped soon after this issue, in the series reboot.

If the artwork is this consistently embarassing, I won't be visiting the New 52 again.

[Dave · Rating 2 out of 5]

After a long build up and the depowering of Supes (which I think I was in the minority who enjoyed that move) the culmination felt underwhelming. It was such an unmemorable title I finished about 3 hours ago and I've already forgot how Vandal was defeated. Superman was repowered which was inevitable and terribly droll and I felt it took away

Just a huge big feeling of "meh" after a title I was really looking forward to.

[Dante Petrella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Superman because powers or not he just wants to do what he can to do some good and fight the good fight. the trials and obstacles Clark overcomes within this story is nothing short of breathtaking and amazing. Blockbuster size fights and action sequences and a heartfelt conclusion that left me wanting more. the art was also amazing. Kryptonite Superman was crazy and he pushed through even tho that the kryptonite that was powering him was killing him at the same time

[Desmond Killian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vandal Savage plays Star Wars while a depowered Superman fuels up on Kryptonite! I feel like Greg Pak has a great handle on Superman, and I'm disappointed by how many times his run on Action Comics is interrupted by a crossover. Savage Dawn is especially unfortunate, as it leads directly into The Final Days of Superman, which is, of course, the crossover where Superman dies-- and never comes back!?

[Will Cooper · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fluctuated too much over whether I thought the ways Supes got his powers back was interesting or too stupid. I do like Vandal Savage as a villain and this seemed to be a cool thing for him to strive for, but maybe there were other, easier options for him to try to win since he's been alive for all time?

But I am glad Clark has his powers back, it has been too long to not have an actual Superman.