Supergirl
has a problem. Her powers have been amped up to the point where control is
slipping away. So Cousin Kal sends her to Super-Man, the Chinese Superman who
in turn refers her to I-Ching, the Chinese sensei of the DC Universe. He knows
a thing or two about inner strength. After all, he helped Wonder Woman all
those years ago when her powers were stripped away.
But
when a crisis in Mongolia requires Supergirl and Super-Man’s intervention, power
may not be the answer. It’s not so much a question of fighting fear with peace,
as it is using people’s own weaknesses against them. In the end, a sort of
peace is found for all concerned. I do love a single-issue story.
Artists
Jose Luis and Norm Rapmund are a great team, and I greatly enjoyed their art in
this issue. However, it seems to offer greater texture in close-ups. When
figures are at a distance, the illustrations seem to flatten out from a lack of
texture and dimension. Michael Atiyeh’s colors help in this regard, but not
always.
What
I enjoyed most was I-Ching’s interpretation of the S shield, as a path to be
walked. Since the advent of “it’s a symbol of hope,” the emblem has taken on a
much more abstract concept, and much more philosophical than the original “S
stands for Superman.”
Rating:
8/10