Video of the Superman: Doomed #1 Comic Book Review

 
Superman Doomed is a DC Comics Crossover event, with the story line seen across several titles:
 

• Superman: Doomed #1 (May 14, 2014)
• Action Comics #31 (May 14, 2014)
• Superman / Wonder Woman #8 (May 14, 2014)
• Superman #31 (May 28, 2014)

 
The book we are reviewing, Superman: Doomed #1 was preceded by several prequel issues, including Superman #30, which leads directly into this book.
This issue we are looking at today is only the third appearance of Doomsday in the New 52 continuity.  His other appearances were in the “Villains Month” Doomsday #1 one-shot (Batman/Superman #3.1) and the first issue of Superman / Wonder Woman.  

As this issue opens, we see the military responding to a disaster in the Bahamas.  Superman shows up and discovers that Doomsday is on the island and that people are dying just by being near the monster.  This implies a new Doomsday power, besides just being an ugly monster that is strong enough to kill Superman.  Oh, that brings up the little issue of New 52 continuity versus the old DC continuity.  If you may recall, way back in 1993, in Superman Vol. 2, #75, Doomsday killed Superman, setting off all sorts of changes in the DC Universe that rippled out for years.  Good story arc, by the way!

With the New 52 reboot though, Doomsday has not killed Superman (yet), so these encounters between them in this book and, I assume, the other books to come, Superman does not necessarily have that innate fear and knowledge that this monster can actually kill him.  But he does seem worried.

As Supes and his super-friends (Wonder Woman and the Justice League help out), battle Doomsday, and try to figure out what is going on with Doomsday's new powers, who shows up, but a very obnoxious green-and-purple clad Lex Luthor.  Oh, I just love to hate this guy! 

Luthor gives the League his opinions of what the monster is after (no, I will not say what that is, but the effect of his intervention is interesting, shall we say).

The final battle of this issue between Superman and Doomsday take them all the way out to Venus and back to Earth, Smallville to be exact, and Superman goes to town on the beast.  As brute-force battles go, this is a good one!

My impressions of this book are overall good.  The storyline is intriguing, and I really want to see where they take this.  The art could be better.  Ken Lashley's style is overall interesting, but it seemed that he put more time into the fight scenes (which are spectacular) as opposed to the non-combat panels.  Lashley is a busy guy and as a good artist, is in a lot of demand with other titles, but my feeling is that overall, the book's art could have been better.  

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