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Mild Mannered Reviews - Specials

Tangent: Superman's Reign #6

Tangent: Superman's Reign #6

Scheduled to arrive in stores: August 20, 2008

Cover date: October 2008

"Superman's Reign - Chapter Six"

Writer: Dan Jurgens
Penciller: Jamal Igle
Inker: Robin Riggs

Back-Up Story: "History Lesson: Chapter Six"
Write: Ron Marz
Penciller: Fernando Pasarin
Inker: Mark McKenna

Neal Bailey Reviewed by: Neal Bailey

Click to enlarge



Batman of New Earth fights his way into Superman's core station for information.

We learn this is in media res, and cut back to Spectre and Green Lantern of Tangent Earth trying to convince Batman to help them overthrow Superman. Batman, desiring information for his decision, leaves to get it at the core station.

Halo, a blind black woman with short hair, emerges from a shell and speaks to Batman of her Earth. They trade information, and then Halo calls the guards, with Batman having learned about Superman's omniscience and actions.

Hex and Joker arrive at the hideout with Spectre, Plastic Man, and company. Lori refuses to don the Joker outfit again.

Batman fights his way from Halo, and is surprised to be met by the Tangent Batman, who aids him in escaping and takes him to his largely magic-based hideout, where the crew from before meet him, calling themselves the Outsiders.

Back-Up Story: "History Lesson: Chapter Six"
Write: Ron Marz
Penciller: Fernando Pasarin
Inker: Mark McKenna

Continuing origin tales, we learn about the Tangent Green Lantern, whose origin has many differing accounts. Warring magic users. Lois Lane, brought back from the dead. We learn she has the power to bring the dead back for one final revenge.

The mysterious agent reveals they're part of an underground movement trying to overthrow Superman.

5Story - 5: Rad, odd occurrences. Batman with Batman was the first overt example of characters meeting their dopplegangers, and seeing this world through the eyes of the familiar makes it much more readily assimilated. Awesome device for writing there, and I'm awed by the structure of this thing. It's VERY hard to carry off the half-story half-origin narrative, I've seen it a lot lately, and this is knocking it out of the park.

Batman at the head of an odd group of Outsiders from another world... how cool is that?

Halo was awesomely creative, and neat to see. All in all, a great issue.

5Art - 5: Great, detailed, awesome stuff. Good fight with Batman, great transposing of one Batman with another, Halo is rad. Just generally, everything in this series pops. This is the first person crying I've seen in some time that can pass the porn test (which you either know about or you don't, I won't go into details on a family site), but instead looked honest-to-god aggrieved.

The payoff in the end is insanely cool.

5Back-up Story - 5: Neat little origin, particularly the Lois Lane as an adventurer part, which I had no idea about. Fun.

5Back-up Art - 5: Very beautiful renditions of the Green Lantern, the images of Lois under water, the old, sad Green Lantern. Strong work in a great context.

3Cover Art - 3: It's not horrible, but it's not great, either. There's a lot going on here that just blows the reader back. Green Lantern is gorgeous, as is Hal, but John and Superman just look odd over to the side, obscured by the logo. Beyond that, the colors in the background, ugh. Too much going on, unfortunately.


Mild Mannered Reviews

2008

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

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