Kneel Before Zod #4
Scheduled to arrive in stores: April 2, 2024
Cover date: May 2024
“New Kandor Now” – Chapter Four: “Exodus”
Writer: Joe Casey
Artist: Dan McDaid
Cover: Jason Shawn Alexander
Variant Cover: Lucio Parrillo
1:25 Variant Cover: Mike Spears
Reviewed by: JP Rocha
With the war over, the pain of loss and the resulting revenge begins. The story starts with Zod performing the Kryptonian transcendence ritual, placing Ursa on a Kryptonian pyre and setting it ablaze. Zod’s next act is to attend to the bottled city of Kandor. Zod, promising that he will see them again, launches the city into space, just like Kal-El was launched from Krypton many years before. Zod’s next act is to attend to the Eradicator AI and initiate the omega protocols. Internally, Zod is still fighting with Jor-El, as Jor-El questions these acts of desperation. Regardless, the Eradicator AI continues its protocols as Zod flies to a safe distance from the planet to watch it implode.
Zod is not done. His next act is to re-engage with the retreating Kund fleet in space. He flies through the Kund transport, confronting its commander. Destroying the helm of the ship and much more, Zod demands to know why he targeted New Krypton and his knowledge of the weapon being built. The Kund commander smugly replies that they learned of the weapon and the planet’s weak defenses from a Kryptonian youngling, Lor-Zod. Further angered, Zod continues his destruction to the engine room targeting the white dwarf engines. This act destroys both the ship and heavily damages Zod himself, who is left drifting in the cold of space.
Story – 4: Wow, I did not expect the outcome of this issue. Zod’s anger destroys everything. Hoping for a different outcome from the last issue, this story starts with a dead Ursa as Zod is performing funeral rights. In case there was any doubt, Zod destroys the entire planet and with it the entire native population. From there, Zod brings his brand of justice, taking his revenge on the Kunds. Zod, blinded, did not foresee the danger of sending his son away, as Lor is now the reason for the loss of Ursa and his unborn brother.Art – 4: This issue showcases Dan McDaid’s storytelling. Panel to panel, this issue is the best yet. I would say Casey let McDaid take a major storytelling role in this issue. My complaint is one that we see a lot in modern books, more space to showcase art, sacrificed for less story. That complaint is not the fault of the artist though.
Cover Art – 3: Jason Shawn Alexander’s main cover depicts Zod beating up, and destroying, one of his drone soldiers. It is a cool image and in a way, fits with the story inside, since Zod ultimately destroys all the drones along with the whole planet. This is the best of the three covers.
The Lucio Parrillo variant cover showcases a hyperrealistic Lor-Zod. The Mike Spears variant is also hyperrealistic, but the perspective seems off. The variants for the Kneel Before Zod series continue to be lackluster.
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