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.