DC COMICS
WRITER: Mark Waid
ARTIST: Jerry Ordway
COVER: George Pérez

Superman joins forces with his evil other-dimensional counterpart, Ultraman to battle the mysterious alchemist Megistus.

This is another fun issue for old DC Comics fans. The Challengers of the Unknown battle an entranced Metamorpho, a "good" version of Mr. Mxyzptlk is introduced and even good old Steve Lombard returns to the mainstream, post-Crisis DC universe. Despite the desperate stakes and growing threat posed by the villain, the creative team can still throw in some light touches that make this story so entertaining.

The characters of Superman and Ultraman are nicely revealed and contrasted in this issue with Superman proving that it is the man and not the powers that make the hero. Ultraman for his part, is portrayed completely as a villain with no attempt to make him sympathetic. But he remains an interesting character nonetheless, precisely because he is such a powerful creep.

The art is highly-detailed and very dramatic with some very powerful scenes but it does tend to look a bit static. Perhaps this is because it is so finely illustrated that it tends to lose the cartoonishness that makes many comics look so kinetic.

As interesting as this story is, I wonder if newer DC readers would enjoy it as much. Many of these characters (especially the Challengers) must look very unfamiliar to them. And despite the efforts to make Megistus a big deal, this whole plotline seems insignificant in the face of all the "Countdowns" and Crises that are happening almost daily in DC Comics. Still, it makes for nice disposable entertainment-- the way comics used to be.

Four stars out of five.