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Action Comics #884

Action Comics #884

Scheduled to arrive in stores: December 9, 2009

Cover date: February 2010

"Divine Spark" - Part Two

Writer: Greg Rucka with Eric Trautmann
Penciller: Pere Perez
Inker: BIT
Cover: cafu with Santiago Arcas

Reviewed by: Adam Dechanel

Click to enlarge


CHRIS & THARA'S STORY:

Chris is dying from his aging 'condition,' Dr Pillings also known as Jax-Ur (in disguise) has offered to cure him under the watchful eye of S.T.A.R. Lab's leading scientist Dr. Light and a saddened Thara.

Pillings is quick to send Hoshi on an errand before he uses a powerful laser to extract genetic material from Chris. The horrific process crushes Thara and brings embers of Flamebird to life seeing her lover in pain...

Thara notices the glee in Pillings face and becomes the godling Flamebird. With rage she sets Pillings on fire but realizes they have fallen into a trap set by the very man they want to catch - Jax-Ur.

Jax-Ur makes a deal with Thara, he'll save the life of Chris if she allows him to take a DNA sample from her, blinded by love and disappointed in the duo's own stupidity, she succumbs.

A combination of Dr. Light's powers and Pilling's special machinery are able to reverse the aging process and with a special arm box, not unlike a dialysis machine in function, Chris' aging should be able to be prevented.

The lovers are reunited but now that they owe their lives to Jax-Ur, and he has the genetic material of the gods they host, their sleeper mission has become an utter failure and may have cost Superman & Earth a much higher price...

LOIS LANE'S STORY:

Lois hands her exposé to Perry and he instructs her it's already been leaked and that the government are after her for treason.

Men in Black on her tail Lois makes a mad dash for it with her laptop, Perry can't publish the exposé revealing the truth about the whole mess that is the New Krypton storyline but she has to get it out there somehow.

Lois races through the newsroom taking out two of the men and to her surprise the planeteers leap to her defense, Ron holds back one man while Steve rugby tackles another.

Leaping down the fire escape stairwell Lois almost makes it out of the building - until a taser stops her in her tracks...

When Lois awakens Sam Lane is there to greet her in an interview room in an unnamed facility. Although Lois is happy to see her father alive her love soon turns to anger when she realizes Lucy was fully aware of her actions and Kara was telling the truth. Sam tells Lois the only reason he's being this lenient with her is that she is his daughter. He threatens to make her disappear forever, never to see the light of day again, where not even Superman could save her, if she continues.

He destroys Lois' laptop with two quick gunshots and tells Lois, he does love her but the planet will always come first over his family.

A nervous but enraged Lois returns to the Daily Planet under cover of night and explains all to Perry. Lois points out that the whole paper is at risk and everyone connected to it if her exposé runs. Perry understands and though he must protect the paper he is first and foremost a good journalist and nudges Lois in the right direction... he can't and won't run the story but the story must get out to the people somehow...

Lois smiles with enlightenment and quits the Daily Planet, Perry watches with pride as Lois gets her edge back.

To Be Continued...

1Chris/Thara Story - 1: I've had to break the review in two, because it is essentially two stories.

The junkfest that is the Nightwing and Flamebird story continues to fall into angst and stupidity territory...

Thara tries to INCINERATE Dr. Pillings... ok... then she realizes (not because she has seen and studied Jax-Ur) that Pillings is evil, but because behind his Ray Bans he's an invulnerable sadist... she tried to KILL a human...

Sigh...

5Lois Story - 5: Lois' story however was brilliance.

Lois was a reporter.

She acted like a reporter.

We saw the Daily Planet at work and supportive of their own.

Lois showed that she's not a two dimensional character.

Lois showed intelligence.

Lois was proactive for the first time in two years!

If they'd avoided the whole Thara & Chris story and just had Lois & Jimmy investigating like THIS over time then I'd be sold.

Tearing Clark Kent and the Daily Planet away from the Superman Mythos as they have over the New Krypton arc - was a novel idea but it's getting to be a real drag and they really need to pull the story back together. Its not that the New Krypton story has legs - more that it's running (and lapping) the creative teams in charge of it. WONK has just two issues left for Clark to expose Zod, put Alura, Zod & Non on trial for murder, bring Jimmy back from the dead, have Clark return to work after bereavement leave (!) and finally get back to the Superman stories we know and love... somehow I don't think this will all be neatly wrapped up that soon...

4Art - 4: The artwork is solid with some very exciting composition and angling but though it looks great, the pencilling sometimes leans towards a dependency on heavy inking - which is distracting and on occasion conversely vague. Depending on your argument the coloring either enhances the art or carries it. Having said that the art has been steadily evolving and I hope it continues to do so, perhaps Pere Perez will consider staying on for a while.

5Cover Art - 5: A Daily Planet cover! Lois arrested, Cat being a smirky b&%#@, Perry horrified... Absolutely brilliant cover! Nothing but compliments from me! A little less text on the page might be nice but it's one of my favorite Superman comic covers this year!

Love it!

Mild Mannered Reviews

2010

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