This is the first boring issue in the
New Krypton story. Comic book serials are just like television serials, where we go from week to week, waiting to see what will happen next. And just as in those TV serials, there seem to be those inevitable issues in which a bunch of stuff has to happen to move the plot along. There isn't enough space for a key plot development, or for a popular character to confront a major issue. No real advances occur in relationships. In short, the issue has no center. It's just a hodgepodge of events, and one must trust that the writers will have sufficient mastery over those events to explore their ramifications over time, drawing out all the significant threads and implicating the reader in the emotional outcomes.
However, this reminds me of why I don't watch television shows that tell stories over time. If I'm really interested in the story, why would I want to wait a week to see what happens next? Or worse, why would I want to wait several weeks? Popular shows like
Lost,
Prison Break, and
Battlestar Galactica go on lengthy hiatus, and they can do this without losing viewers. But I'll bet the DVD revenues are significant in part because of people like me who would rather see the stories at the pace we set, not the pace set by broadcast and production schedules.
Of course, I haven't actually seen those shows on TV or DVD, or even online. I just haven't seen those shows. They have so much suspense that I simply can't take it. If they were books, I'd read them. Then I wouldn't have to squirm on pins and needles as the plots unfold. I could read faster, skim descriptions, skip to the end. That's why I love books. With books, the pace of the story is almost completely up to me.
So I might find myself resisting
New Krypton's weekly pace. I really want to flip ahead, to see what the events in
Superman 682 mean. Without some kind of dramatic context, the thing just fell flat. A bunch of Kryptonians flew around. They did some things that are hard to understand. We don't know who was working for whom.
Superman and
Supergirl were upset about it. And all is not as it seems.
Okay! But now I have to wait two weeks for the next
New Krypton issue,
Action Comics 872. And I can't be certain that any of the questions raised by
Action Comics 871,
Supergirl 35, or
Superman 682 will be answered. What if they just switch scenes again, and start up yet another thread? Will I keep reading, or drift away to something more satisfying?
Action Comics #883
Nighwing and Flamebird make their public debut and start the hunt for Zod’s most dangerous sleeper.
Blood and Water
Vampire stories are all the rage these days. Most are silly teenage romances, but every once in a while a vampire tale comes along that doesn’t, um…suck.
Secret Six # 15
Deadshot tries to come to terms with his homicidal impulses.
Blackest Night #4 (of 8)
Barry Allen does his best to rally the heroes, but will they be able to stand against the arrival of Nekron?
Superman: World of New Krypton #9
Jemm storms New Krypton’s High Council Chamber demanding an audience, Kal-El and Zod meet, and the first murder on New Krypton is committed.
Madame Xanadu #16
The return of series artist Amy Reeder Hadley also marks the start of a new, creepy, and great Matt Wagner story.
Superman #693
General Lane makes Mon-El an offer he has to refuse, but an unlikely ally might just save Mon-El’s life.
The Brave and the Bold # 28
The Flash travels back in time to World War II where he joins forces with the fabled Blackhawks.
Northlanders #21
A settlement along The Volga River in Russia deals with the onslaught of a plague in the start of a new story arc.
Superman: Secret Origin #2 (of 6)
Young Clark Kent experiences a bit of a super identity crisis, but manages to get by with some help from his parents and some new friends…Long Live The Legion!
Superman/Batman #65
The Scarecrow takes Superman, The Batman, The Joker, and Lex Luthor on a fear gas induced Halloween nightmare ride.
Azrael #1
The new Azrael’s ongoing series debuts with the death of a major character…
Supergirl #46
The Metropolis Three finally capture Reactron, Thara and Kara make up, and some more light is shed on Lana’s mysterious condition…
