Broken Frontier

I’m not sure, but I think I just read the greatest superhero comic book ever.

The entire DC Universe is firmly entrenched in the Crisis. Last issue saw the villain reveal, and early on in this one, you learn the true nature of Alexander Luthor’s plan. The hows, whats, and the whys, very neatly placed together through his genius. And now that these plans are fully in place, he allows his lackey, Superboy Prime, to confront Conner Kent, the Superboy of our Earth. And the heroes of this Earth begin to prove themselves worthy in their response. What ensues is a fight of legendary status and an ending that will leave you speechless.

Geoff Johns was handed an incredibly daunting task and he has done nothing but come through brilliantly. The dialogue remains top notch and the character moments are plenty. First he gives you a Nightwing moment that makes you realize just why Dick’s so cool. Then he gives you the greatest Flash moment ever, one that literally speeds past every other Flash moment, and leaves you hungry for the next one. Then it’s a fight scene that puts you on the edge of your chair. The pacing is a tremendous show of skill, as Johns builds up a good momentum and delivers on all the high points. You don’t even need a complete understanding of DC history (although some knowledge doesn’t hurt) as Johns carefully includes all the necessary plot points along the way, but never bogging down his story. And technically speaking, Johns accomplishes something here that Brian Bendis could only promise.

With so much going on, it takes a very skilled group of artists to keep up. Luckily for Johns and DC, they have found those artists. Phil Jiminez, George Perez, and Ivan Reis combine to pack quite a visual wallop. They match Johns scene for scene, delivering with such emotion and feeling, that you can’t help but get wrapped up in it. The action scenes almost jump (and run) off the page. The characters are their perfect visual representation, dark and brooding, strong and powerful, united with a sense of honor, and every single one of them inspiring. If Johns pulls you to the edge of your seat, these guys complete the process and knock you on the floor.

I’ve been reading comics for a lot of years and not once before have I ever had the pleasure of enjoying such a truly emotional, completely mind blowing experience. So many times in this issue I found myself absolutely speechless. It was such a fulfilling read, I’m having trouble picking up any other of this week’s releases instead of just grabbing this one and rereading it all night, praying that when I wake up in the morning a month’s time will have passed so I can have the next one.