Ricky Church reviews Doomsday Clock #8…
In the build-up to the start of Doomsday Clock, DC and Geoff Johns had billed the series as a philosophical battle between Superman and Dr. Manhattan, but while Manhattan was key to the mission of Watchmen‘s characters, Superman has hardly been in the story. That thankfully changes in Doomsday Clock #8 as Superman plays a central role and looks to get really involved in the series going forward. Johns and Gary Frank deliver what is the best chapter in the series thus far thanks to Superman’s role and the convergence of quite a few plot points Johns has been playing with for the past several issues.
The issue told a very focused story as it shone a spotlight on Superman’s activity both in his superhero role and at the Daily Planet as Clark Kent. It was great to see Clark and Lois sharing some banter and thoughts on the Supermen Theory as Johns’ chemistry between them really came through. After so many issues following the Watchmen characters or Batman around, it was very refreshing to follow the Man of Steel on his visit to Kahndaq and he investigated Black Adam’s haven for metahumans and his search for Firestorm. His scenes throughout the story were a great reminder of the symbol Superman is across the globe.
Johns’ examination of Superman’s symbolic status was one of the best aspects to the issue. Johns tapped into how much of an inspirational figure he can be through his scene with Firestorm as he attempted to reverse a terrible accident.Course, it all came crashing down as Superman spoke to a group of Russian citizens (in front of Vladamir Putin no less) and things with Firestorm spun out of control, causing not just a misunderstanding but yet another fatal accident. Given last issue’s revelation that Superman has apparently lost all hope soon into the future, this event certainly paints an interesting picture into how Superman gets there and marks a turning point for Doomsday Clock as a whole.
The only complaint is that since we’re eight issues into the series, it seems a little late to make Superman a main player in the story. Doomsday Clock‘s slow build has generally been pretty good in setting the stakes and focusing on the characters and mystery more than the spectacle. However, waiting until halfway through the series to really utilize Superman and begin the conflict between him and Manhattan is a risky and bold choice that could end up backfiring as there seems to be very little time now to let the endgame grow, especially after everything Manhattan has done to Superman behind the scenes in stories like Superman Reborn and The Oz Effect. The one thing that has to be kept in mind, though, is that Watchmen had a slow build as well and Johns has been working very hard to mimic the feel and progression of Alan Moore’s classic. Much like Watchmen, it may be a case of waiting until the very end of the series to fully judge this decision of keeping Superman and Manhattan on the sidelines for so long.
While some readers may be annoyed with with bi-monthly schedule of the series, it is absolutely worth it for Gary Frank’s art. He was already firing on all cylinders before, but now that he gets to do a full issue with Superman proper the artwork is cranked up tenfold. From the look of despair on Firestorm’s face to Superman’s tense meeting with Black Adam and his kind and stern expressions, Frank’s work is very rich in detail. The action at the end is well choreographed with fluid movements between the panels that are easy to follow. Brad Anderson’s colours once again perfectly match Frank’s pencils and makes it even more vivid during the sequences where Firestorm uses his powers and Superman confronts the Russian military.
Doomsday Clock #8 is a great issue that connects some of the major plot points together and finally brings Superman onto the table in a big way. Johns’ Man of Steel is very well written as he’s shown both as an inspirational figure to fellow heroes and regular citizens and someone who doesn’t mess around when lives are on the line. Frank and Anderson’s artwork continue to excel and make the series standout through their character designs, expressions and colours. Dooksday Clock continues to be one of the best books DC is putting out, but let’s hope they didn’t wait too long to bring their biggest players in.
Rating: 9/10
Ricky Church
