Action Comics #856
DC Comics
Writers: Geoff Johns and Richard Donner
Artist: Eric Powell
Colors: Dave Stewart

A thoughtful story with Bizarro is an oxymoron. Bizarro is the ultimate comic relief, a non-villain villain whose evil is merely a misunderstanding. He acts out of ignorance, not malice. He’s the Socratic definition of evil with funny grammar. That’s why Richard Donner and Geoff Johns’ interpretation of Bizarro is unique.

In this second installment of "Escape from Bizarro World," Donner and Johns show the creation of Bizarro world. They also make the normally one-dimensional Bizarro into an interesting character with genuine regrets and thwarted desires. In this issue, Superman tries to save his father from Bizarro's clutches. Also, Bizarro Lex Luthor builds a Bizarro Doomsday to kill regular Bizarro. I typed "Bizarro" eight times in this paragraph and I'm not proud of it.

This is an interesting issue. It builds on a clever comparison of Superman and Bizarro’s twin alienations. It shows Richard Donner’s dedication to the Superman mythology. It’s even a little ambitious. Only problem is, it’s no fun. The successful mix of fun and serious content has been a hallmark of Johns’ and Donner’s scripts thus far. Action Comics #856 is perfect for Superman fans who want to see a goofy character in a serious light, but feels like homework if you’re a casual reader.

The fault, though, lies mainly with Powell. Anyone who’s read The Goon (or Conan #28-- it’s EXCELLENT) knows how talented Powell is-- so why does this issue look dull? The first problem is Powell’s depiction of Doomsday. I expected a scarier, more exciting interpretation of Superman’s killer, but Powell makes the character sadly generic. Secondly, the action in this issue is uncharacteristically flat. All the kinetic energy is frozen in a potential state. At least Powell’s Bizarro is still sympathetic, and those opening ten pages are still impressive.

Worth the money? Not for casual readers, but fans will love it.