(no subject)

[odditycollector]

I should really feel sadder about the cancellation of Fallen Angel, but I can’t bring myself to mourn it. I do like the title, but it’s more of an academic like – it hits me in the head, not the heart, if you’ll excuse the clichè. I find that’s true of a lot of Peter David’s titles, even though I like his writing and his dialogue and his ideas. He’s talented in everything but getting me to actually care about the characters, but this is perhaps the most important trick of all.
 

Lex Luthor: Man of Steel – I was set to enjoy this more than I actually did… which isn’t saying much, actually. I was pretty psyched.

My main, and possibly only, problem with this was a stylistic thing – the running monologue rubbed me the wrong way. Although, from a character perspective, it works great – Lex is the kind of guy who thinks in monologues – and it’s a fair enough introduction to his side of the story. And I’m sure it's supposed to be a little over the top, but. Maybe too many silver age comics have given me a monologue squick. I don’t know.

Otherwise? This was pretty good. This is who Lex Luthor is supposed to be. He can be charming when he wants to be, but he’s also obsessive and ruthless. He honestly thinks Superman is dangerous, not in himself, perhaps, but certainly in what he represents. Superman is a god, and what room do gods leave in their worlds for great men?

The most interesting thing about the idea is that Lex is probably right. And there’s more thoughts to have, particularly on the clever bit of foreshadowing disguised as a conversation about remote *controls*, but there’s also the pretty.

I was impressed by the art. It reminds me of the filming in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, for some reason. It’s realistic in that way that doesn’t allow enough sense of movement for a regular superhero comic, but is perfect for a less action oriented book. When unusual powers or fight scenes do happen, it feels like they don’t belong in that world. And Superman manages to be beautiful and dangerous and *alien*, much as I think Lex would see him.

Also, any Lex/Clark shippers out there are going to get a kick out of some of the panels. For example:



There’s one other interesting thing I’m going to point out before I pass out for various reasons, most of them exhaustion. It may be just because I’ve got Legion on the brain, but this is the icon Lex put on his building.

Look familiar?

I imagine Lex would be quite put out.






ETA: WTF, spellcheck? How is dialogue not a word? You accept 'Pratchett' as a word, but not that one? Who the hell programmed you, anyway?