Review: Superman Vol. 3- Fury at World’s End
Quick Summary
Pros: The story here is pretty interesting. It also sets up for some interesting future stories. On top of that, the art is absolutely fantastic.
Cons: The timeline surrounding this story can be a little confusing.
Overall: This is different Superman story that address a pretty interesting concept. It differs from other Zero Issues in that it tells a completely separate story rather than telling an origin story, however this works very well for it. Overall it is a solid start to a concept which will hopefully be explored further.
Collection Notes
This collection encompasses issues which form a large part of the “Superman: H’el on Earth” storyline. This crossover spans across the Superman, Superboy, and Supergirl series. Since the story flows from one series to the next without stopping, they really only make sense when read together in one cohesive order. For this reason, we will be reviewing this story separately in a look at the Superman: H’el on Earth (Review) story. For more information on this crossover, including details on how to read it and where it is collected, view our “H’el on Earth” reading order here.
Thus, this review will only be covering the material not included in the Superman: H’el on Earth (Review) collection. For Superman Vol. 3: Fury at World’s End, this means it is only a review of Superman #0, since everything else is covered in our other review.
Story
Since this review covers only one issue readers should know that it will not be as long as some of our other reviews.
While most of DC Comic’s Zero Issues cover an expedited version of the main character’s origin, this one takes an entirely different route. It instead digs deeper into the past and looks at how our hero, Superman, even came to be. While doing this it also manages to set up an interesting future story arc that seems to have some potential. Overall, it is a well done and interesting story that sets up some cool stuff for the future as well.
(spoilers start here)
Everyone knows Superman’s origin by now, which is what makes not showing it here such a good idea. Instead something far more interesting is shown, Superman’s parents interacting and embarking on their journey to preserve their young son. This is something people don’t get to see very often and it ends up being very satisfying; specifically, it was satisfying to see Lara take on her multitude of attackers all at once. Hopefully this is not the last time we will be seeing these “Super-parents” and that their story is not relegated to the same fate as Helspont.
This story also teases readers with a brief look at Superman observing the still intact planet Krypton. What this means so far is yet to be determined but it does line up with similar events in the Superboy and Supergirl series. Seeing as the H’el on Earth storyline deals with time travel, this may be revealed then. Either way, this is a pretty interesting story and I am pretty excited to see it continue.
(spoilers end here)
Art
As discussed in our review of Red Hood and the Outlaws Vol. 1: REDemption (Review), Kenneth Rocafort is a spectacular artist. Characters and backgrounds are all presented in an absolutely beautiful way, making them look better than ever before. Not only that, but the level of detail present simply adds to all of this. Many readers have different opinions on Lobdell’s work with Superman, one thing everyone can agree on though is that Rocafort’s art is excellent.
Specifically, Kenneth Rocafort excels at drawing imaginary and exotic landscapes. With these, the full range of his creative potential is unleashed, allowing for some fantastic results. The high reaching buildings of Krypton, the molten depths of the planet’s core, and all of the technology are science fiction depicted in ways that have the potential to blow readers away. Rocafort’s creativity really shines through these pages and give the audience plenty to enjoy visually.
Continuity
Superman’s individual story in this volume flows directly out of the events of Superman Vol. 2- Secrets and Lies (Review). It will then continue in Superman Vol. 4: Psi War.
The story in this volume directly connects to Superboy Vol. 3: Lost and Supergirl Vol. 3: Sanctuary, as discussed in the “Collection Notes” at the beginning of this review. The entirety of the “Superman: H’el on Earth” storyline is collected in Superman: H’el on Earth (Review). For more on the continuity and reading order of this storyline see our “H’el on Earth” timeline here.