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Action Comics 778

Action Comics #778

Scheduled to arrive in stores: April 25, 2001

Cover date: June 2001

2001 Shield No. 25

Writer: Marv Wolfman
Penciller: Paco Medina
Inker: Walden Wong

Infestation [Part 4 of 4] - "The Cure" (Cover Title)

Reviewed by: Neal Bailey (baileyn@cc.wwu.edu)

Korsa Majalis lies a cybernetic heap on a table, just recently saved by the much-anguished Man of Steel. Superman, meanwhile, has bigger fish to fry, in the form of the newly assimilated massive weapon/virus known as Viroxx.

He is about to take the gigantic thing to task, in the process more than likely dying, when Vorx, the best weaponry based culture in the galaxy, hit Viroxx with a number of powerful beta ray technologies, sending it back a ways.

Viroxx drones unleash the Infernus, a distractionary tactical weapon, stunning and confusing Superman while Viroxx escapes. With no enemy to fight, Superman returns to the main camp to check on Korsa.

Korsa is angry that Superman did not let him sacrifice himself in order to destroy Viroxx, but reluctantly agrees to partner with Superman in the name of destroying Viroxx.

Superman gathers together with the Vorx and creates a suit designed to infiltrate and infect Viroxx. Korsa goes his own way, preparing to attack directly, stopping Superman if necessary, for Superman is weak for Lois Lane, he knows.

Korsa attacks straight on. Superman has to stop him from killing Lois, then from Korsa killing himself via a suicide attack, and the now weakened Korsa is taken back from the action and thrown into space by Superman, who promises to return for him later.

Superman launches himself into Viroxx, using the beta rays to weaken it. Inside, Superman encounters resistance, but is able to use his technology to subdue the virus.

Meanwhile, the Vorx watch the brood leaders severing themselves from Viroxx, and are able to convert Lois back to her former self.

Superman sees that Viroxx is almost pitifully weakened, and leaves it to be destroyed by the flotilla. He returns to the base of operations to find Lois back to normal, and not remembering anything.

On the last page, Korsa blazes after Viroxx, disregarding his child, consumed with hatred.

3Story - 3: I was disappointed. The rest of the series was very tense, very tight, but this issue did a lot of things that bothered me and made me resent that it didn't end as well as I thought it would.

  1. Lois came back without any real, good explanation of how they altered her genetic code on the molecular level. The Vorx were "weaponers" not geneticists. We needed Kryptonian scientists, not guys good at making greaves and lasers. Not zesty.

  2. There was a huge, played up tension that Lois was irreversibly changed, with Superman impacted heavily. It made him angry, depressed, even brash. Yet in the end of this issue, Lois comes back, and he's just like, "Oh. That's good. And usual." Very anti-climactic. Not zesty.

  3. He left Viroxx for dead, when just two issues back doing so ended up in a bunch of people being killed and Viroxx back stronger than ever. Not zesty.

  4. The final battle took place over Earth. Where in the heck was the JLA? Watching the Super-Friends on the television? Not zesty.

  5. Superman shows a bunch of aliens that he has a relationship with Lois. This isn't TOO risky, but Lobo could get word, or maybe what's left of the Tribunal, or Mongul, or Darkseid, or anyone even remotely affected by the savior who destroyed Viroxx. Not zesty.

  6. At the end of the last issue, a big deal was made about Viroxx's powers substantially increasing. Nothing ever came of this. Not zesty. However, this story did create two cool new villains, Korsa and Viroxx, who will undoubtedly show up again. ZESTY!

AND Superman and Lois did end up having another adventure together where Lois is not just some ditz in distress. ZESTY!

One more thing, then I'll shut it. Why is Superman wearing metal armor, and why doesn't it shred?

5Art - 5: I've been very happy with the art of these four stories. Very cartoonish, but not too much, and the coloring... man, the coloring. I love it. Superman seems a bit large in places where he shouldn't be, and short in other places, buff in one panel, normal human in another, but the artist took this piece and made it so full of eye candy, species and other such things that the reader pays no attention to idiosyncrasy. The issues were very well drawn.

2Cover Art - 2: Pretty dull and not very indicative of anything in the issue. The colors are right on with the tone and pace of the story, but why is Superman fighting a big blue guy when the issue is all about Viroxx? And why didn't Viroxx make any of the covers? It seems the villain took second stage in this saga. But that can be good, character-wise. Just not cover-wise.

Other recent reviews:

Mild Mannered Reviews

2001

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

January 2001

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