“I can see! Worlds beyond days…”
Gleason, Tomasi, and Mahnke bring the Black Dawn arc to a conclusion. Manchester Black has been orchestrating the events that have plagued the town of Hamilton. With Jon AKA Superboy under the possession of Black, how will Superman end this onslaught? Will it take the bond of father and son to break the chains that Manchester Black has placed on father, son, and town? Or will it all fade to the darkness that Manchester casts?
This issue is a very monumental and character defining issue for a variety of reasons. The fallout of the actions of Manchester and The Elite, the ramifications of Manchester’s effect on Superboy’s untapped abilities and more. Tomasi and Gleason have written a very cohesive arc that is more stronger than their work on the Superman: Reborn arc. There is a lot of character interaction with the characters that have appeared throughout the series such as Batman, Robin (Damian), Kathy, Frankenstein and his bride etc. Tomasi and Gleason have already shown throughout their run that they can balance a large cast of characters, and even though there is a large cast, they anchor the reader to the two main focal points: Superman and his son Jon. This is a really heartfelt issue as much as it is an action packed one. The pacing is fluid, the dialogue is strong, and the action and personalities are all well written throughout the issue. There are some interesting ramifications as to what happens to Superboy’s powers, and where the Super Family will go from the town of Hamilton.
The artwork by Gleason and Doug Mahnke are bombastic and heartfelt. Gleason delivers in the kinetic and sweet moments while Mahnke executes the action packed throwdowns with ease all across the panels. Mahnke’s art may be the strongest it’s been in this arc, really showing that he makes consistency in style as well as progress and refinement. In terms of ink, it’s a full squadron featuring the inks of Jaime Mendoza, Mick Grey, Joe Prado, Ray McCarthy, Scott Hannah, and Matt Santorelli. Everyone in the ink department provides all of the weight, contrast, and depth that accompany the pencils of Gleason and Mahnke with ease. The colors by Wil Quintana and John Kalisz are powerful and vibrant, making the pages come to animated in life (despite it being just still framed in various panels of course). This is a strong and nice conclusion to the Black Dawn arc, and I suggest readers collect this in trade since it’ll read even better. Overall, add this to your pull list, because with Gleason and Tomasi at the helm, this book soars.
Newsdesk