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Mild Mannered Reviews - Specials

Superman: Strength #3

Scheduled to arrive in stores: March 2, 2005

Cover date: May 2005

Writer: Scott McCloud
Penciller: Aluir Amancio
Inker: Terry Austin

"Part Three: Cloudsplitter"

Reviewed by: Neal Bailey

Click to enlarge

Superman flies above Metropolis and uses a pen to bat away stray pocket relics.

Luthor tries to contain Fido with his gloves, but Trudy shoots Luthor's glove and they make an escape.

Luthor fires all of his guards present in a fit of anger.

Lois and Pa arrive on scene as Fido's making a break for it. Lois is captured. Fido uses the hole gloves to put her in a flask. Pa protests, but they make a getaway.

Superman stops a jackknife from landing on Pa, and Pa tells Superman what's happening.

Superman chases the NASA car Fido has stolen, but they jump into a hole.

In Egypt, Fido gloats over his success.

Superman turns to Luthor for help. Luthor reveals that he's put tracers on both Superman and Fido's crew, and gives Superman a tracking device.

Superman drops Pa off and signs a few autographs. The tracer zeroes in, and he leaves.

Trudy talks about Fido with one of Fido's cronies, telling of his youth and how he was treated badly by his father and the kids at school until one day he snapped and bit one of the bullies, thus the name Fido.

Fido reaches into Metallo's cell and manages to snag a small piece of his kryptonite heart.

Superman arrives, and they flee, but Superman manages to make it through the portal. They leave one of their men behind on accident.

Fido steers into a helicopter to distract Superman, but Superman persists. Dex unloads with a huge cannon, but misses, and the recoil knocks him out. Superman goes to save him.

They land hard and steal a truck. Sulley, another associate, leaps off and runs, telling Fido that he's just following his "look out for yourself" advice.

Superman returns, and gives chase.

Trudy leaps out, and Superman catches her.

Fido blasts Superman with a beam that blinds him, but Superman follows the sound.

Fido leaps out and blasts Superman, then magnifies the size of the Kryptonite he has to the size of a boulder, pinning Superman. Fido stands over Superman and gloats about his father, but Superman tells him that his father didn't break his arm, or even land a punch.

Fido calls his father and screams at him. He takes a large blunt object and breaks Superman's arm. The landlady picks up the phone and tells him that his father died in an accident while drunk three weeks previous.

Lois, meanwhile, breaks out of her bottle. She drags the gloves to Superman while Fido grieves. Superman returns Lois to normal size and shrinks the Kryptonite. Fido levels a gun at them.

He shoots Superman with multiple gadgets, to no effect, finally hitting him with fists and collapses. Superman tells him that he can still use his brains for good in prison, and tells him that there's still hope. Fido collapses.

Later, Clark wonders about what would have happened had he landed with a different family. Lois tells him that no one gets to choose their parents, we're all just dropped from the stars into circumstance.

Story - 4: Still a very good story. I liked this series. I didn't like paying so much money for it, it didn't need the prestige take, but all in all, it's still a really great read.

It's very self-contained and unconcerned with continuity, which allowed it to be more fantastic and free, but it was also constrained by this mildly, thus the minus point. There is one point, where Superman is dropping Pa off and saying, "Thanks, CITIZEN!" and when Lois is stuffed in the bottle for being curious, I said, "Man, that's getting a little stereotypical.".

But despite that framework, this story manages to preserve character, and I was right in issue one when I figured that by the end things might be great with this story. I'm impressed.

Now, if only it had cost ten dollars instead of twenty... DC needs to learn that price IS a factor.

Art - 5: I liked this art from the beginning, and there were more sweeping vistas and fun with character poses in this one than the other two. Metallo, Luthor, the explosions and the spread chases... great stuff.

I look forward to seeing more of this artist's work. He does incredible ladies, which is something I don't like to notice because it makes me sound shallow, but that's what really sticks out. His women are distinctive and beautiful.

Cover Art - 4: Again minus one for a logo that obscures an otherwise fantastic piece of art. Incredible work, a great Superman pose with the classic flair reinterpreted, only with BIG, GARISH yellow obstructing it. Heck, this cover doesn't NEED a logo, put it on the inside. Show off that fine painter work.

These covers have been really cool. But hey, what can I say? It's Alex Ross.

Nuts. I read that he designed that logo. Still, how could the man cover his own art like that! It's tragic!

Mild Mannered Reviews

2005

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

January 2005

February 2005

March 2005

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May 2005

June 2005

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August 2005

September 2005

October 2005

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December 2005

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Mild Mannered Reviews - Specials

Superman: Strength #3

Mild Mannered Reviews

2005

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