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Action Comics #892 Action Comics #892

Action Comics #892

Scheduled to arrive in stores: August 25, 2010

Cover date: October 2010

Lex Luthor in "The Black Ring" Part Three

Writer: Paul Cornell
Artists: Pete Woods with Pere Perez
Cover: David Finch, Joe Weems & Peter Stiegerwald
Variant Cover: Ivan Reis, Oclair Albert & Alex Sinclair

Reviewed by: Adam Dechanel

Click to enlarge


Lex, Loisbot, Deathstroke and several Lexcorp operatives have tracked the Black Lantern energy to Antarctica and though visibility is next to zero they are able to track and reveal an orb of deadly black energy. Deathstroke is unnerved, something about the orb makes him flinch. As Wilson edges nearer to the orb one of Luthor's employees, Spalding, reveals data that shows the orb is billions of years old, that the Black Lantern energy dispersed across space and time. That also means this is only a small part of the energy, a bubble of debris.

Deathstroke suddenly becomes mindlessly enraged intent on killing his employer. Lex is far from unprepared and using strange technology is able to sheath his body in his familiar battlesuit. Whilst Lex is fighting he orders Spalding to continue testing the orb.

Lois meanwhile mysteriously refuses to use her Brainiac weaponry to help Lex, and while hesitating the duo are suddenly attacked by their colleagues as they too succumb to the orb's deadly influence. It should be noted when Spalding is threatened Lois does act and urges him to follow Luthor's orders.

Lex fights with all his might, against both Deathstroke and the effects of the orb, but even he falls. Wilson is raising his blade ready to behead Lex when suddenly he wakes from his trance. Spalding had completed his analysis and somehow in doing so had converted it to (White Lantern?) energy which faded along with its harsh effects.

While Luthor continues his quest a shadowy figure stalks a cave full of tech in a mysterious location. As the electricals power up we see the figure is none other than Gorilla Grodd!

To Be Continued...

3Story - 3: A bit of a non-story when you look at it, a footnote in the whole Blackest Night/Brightest Day story. This was all essentially padding - good padding but nothing more.

4Art - 4: Pete Woods and Pere Perez continue to give us some very nice layouts but with the backdrops being predominantly blank that leaves only character models - thankfully they look great so it's a pretty good save.

3Cover Art - 3: For some reason this screams 90's X-Men to me... is that a bad thing? No, but we're not in the 90s anymore.

Nice to see Lex actually being physical though. I'm not sure he'd really stand up against Deathstroke in a fight - battlesuit or not.

4Cover Art (Variant Cover) - 4: A great rendition of a classic cover.

Superb to the point that you almost ask - why do it? Honestly I couldn't differentiate it from the others when I first saw it.

Again, a fantastic cover but in all honestly what has it got to do with the story inside - in fact if you were a new reader - I'd wager you'd feel cheated. So for that reason I'm knocking off a point. Still want it as a poster though...

Mild Mannered Reviews

2010

Note: Month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.

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