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Mild Mannered Reviews - Specials Comic Books

Superman: Lost #7

Scheduled to arrive in stores: October 10, 2023
Cover date: December 2023

"Oblivion"

Writer: Christopher Priest
Artists: Carlo Pagulayan and Lee Weeks
Cover: Carlo Pagulayan, Jason Paz with Elizabeth Breitweiser
Variant Cover: Lee Weeks with Elizabeth Breitweiser
1:25 Variant Cover: Montos with Matt Herms

Reviewed by: Marc Lax

Click to enlarge

Lois returns home to find Clark in a fairly good mood. He tells her he saw a doctor who may be able to help him. We flash back to earlier to Clark's visit with the doctor (he's not a doctor). After explaining about how alone he's felt being the last son of Krypton until he met his cousin, he then explains how the woman he loves has been helping him adjust with his situation and he feels like he's losing her.

Cut to year nineteen, Superman and old man Superman have a talk. He tells him years past until he finally made it home. He then tells him the story of what happened after he got back to Earth. He lost everything. Lois remarried. He and the other heroes fought the alien Griks who once troubled the planet Rann. In the end they failed. The Griks were easily taken down without help from the heroes. Superman now powerless narrates this story to Jimmy Olsen who wants nothing more than to help Superman get his powers back. They plot to steal an alien ship to help recharge Superman. Jimmy offers to help, donning a parachute and... after this whole elaborate set up we learn that old man Superman is making it all up. He's been stuck in this time loop and has told this story countless times to other Supermen over and over. In the end Superman decides to proceed with the original plan. He ends up floating unconsciously in space. Only to be rescued by Adam Strange!

Epilogue: Lois meets with Luthor with a plan that if he provokes Superman it may be the kick in the pants Superman needs to get over his slump. Luthor agrees, telling Lois that while they've been sitting and discussing the matter he's targeted her with gamma emissions. She now has cancer! Luthor feels that rescuing Lois is what Superman needs to snap him out of it. After Lois returns from the doctor finding out she does indeed have cancer, we find we're back where we started with Lois getting home and Clark telling her about seeing the doctor (he's not a doctor). It ends with a kiss.

Story - 3: Okay. Where do I start. This story keeps throwing curve after curve which could be a good thing but at this point it's just too much. I'm not saying this wasn't an entertaining issue but I'm still not sure what the point is. It's nice to see Clark seeing a therapist, which is something he should have done from the beginning. His whole interaction with old man Superman is just a wild goose chase to get Clark back to deciding to go through the wormhole. We get this whole nonsensical story about alien invasions, solving climate change, and Superman reduced to panhandling. Then the whole story falls apart because Clark can't believe Jimmy would put on a parachute? First give Jimmy a little more credit than that. Second we get an eight page story in the middle of this entire narrative that goes nowhere. Why waste are time? Just to get eight pages of Lee Weeks' art? The last two issues were such an improvement over the previous four but now we're back into a confusing narrative. Again there are moments I liked.

While I'm not thrilled Luthor gave Lois cancer I do think it was a great strategy by Lois to help Clark. It was nice to see Luthor in the story. Now how that is resolved I don't know but it has to be some trick of Lex's.

The "imaginary" story in the middle of the issue is enjoyable enough but again all for nothing. I'm glad old man Superman made it up because it's just so bleak. Lois and Clark have a nice moment in the end. And Adam Strange getting involved should prove interesting. But I'm just left with the same feeling. What is the point?

Art - 4: Carlo Pagulayan continues to be this book's highlight and getting Lee Weeks to pencil some pages was great, though it wasn't his best work. Still all around a great looking issue.

Cover Art - 3: Nothing special but it was nice to see Lex on the cover. I guess it works.

Variant Cover Art - 4: The colors really make this cover. And seeing an older Superman sitting in a wheelchair is certainly intriguing.

1:25 Variant Cover Art - 2: I'm not familiar with this artist and I'm interested to see more of his work but this cover does not work for me. A small Superman sitting on top of the planet with a much bigger Superman looming above does show the loneliness and frustration well but the art itself is weak.

Mild Mannered Reviews

2023

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Mild Mannered Reviews - Specials Comic Books

Superman: Lost #7

Mild Mannered Reviews

2023

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