Rating:  -
Someone beat Batman to near death.
Who did it?
Why is the Justice League keeping Superman at arm's length?
This story takes a character study of several members of the Justice League. The story is deeper than what most comic book fans appreciate. If you are not a deep thinker, then leave this book alone. If you only like non-stop action with little dialogue, this book isn't for you. However, if you like moral questions, character conflict, and a walk with the gods of the DC Universe, snag this book and give it a read. This is an indespensable chapter leading to the Infinite Crisis ahead!
Rating:  -
Taking a page out of the OMAC Project (in fact, the concluding issue here is in the OMAC Project TPB), Superman: Sacrifice finds the Man of Steel under the control and manipulation of Maxwell Lord. This TPB begins with Superman waking up, with Batman's blood on his hands. Soon enough, he starts having delusions of battles with Brainiac and Darkseid, but the truth of the matter is Lord is using him against his fellow JLA-ers and super heroes, culminating in a showdown between Supes and Wonder Woman, which has an ending that, unless you've been living under a rock for the past year and a half, you won't see coming. Because of the different writers and artists featured in Sacrifice, the book has an uneven feel, but it's clearly OMAC Project maestro Greg Rucka's writing that stands above the rest. The fight with Wonder Woman is great, and you'll never make fun of her tiara ever again. That being said, Sacrifice isn't bad, but it's not that great either, and rahter serves as a jumping off point on the road to Infinite Crisis.
Rating: -
I thought this book filled in a lot of spaces as I read the Infinite Crisis stories. If you like Superman, definitely pick this book up!
Rating:  -
Like the previous volumes in the Ruin trilogy, this story has problems all over the place. For one thing, it's inaccessible to people who aren't long-time Superman readers. I've been reading comics for years, but no effort is made to explain Ruin's identity when he is unmasked - you're just supposed to know. Then there's the way the story jumps all around the place, in part because of Infinite Crisis and in part because like the previous volumes, DC keeps shifting writing duties around. So Superman will be worried about Ruin one moment, and the next - bam! - he decides to chase down Toyman.
On top of all this, the writing is melodramatic enough to make Jeph Loeb wince. It opens, for instance, on a six to eight page flashback of Ruin's previous attacks (played on tape), with a monologue from Lois explaining the rationale behind Ruin's strategy. But, I mean, it's pretty straightforward - it doesn't need an entire issue explaing how Superman is nigh-invincible, and the best way to get at him would be to attack Clark Kent's friends. Hasn't Luthor had this idea before? Say, every time he kidnaps Lois Lane? Throw it an idiotic plot twist like former President Pete Ross being mistaken for Ruin when Pete Ross being president is an idiotic idea in itself, and the whole thing is completely unbelievable.
I know it wasn't all written by Greg Rucka and Geoff Johns, but they're both capable of much, much better things than this.
Rating: -
Why people are reviewing this item as Superman: The Journey and Superman: Sacrifice, I have no idea, but Superman: Ruin Revealed is a good read, and worth reviewing in its own right as well.
As the final part of Greg Rucka's Ruin trilogy (which started with Unconventional Warfare and continued in That Healing Touch), Ruin Revealed brings the story full circle as Lois sets out to determine the identity of her shooter and Superman weeds through his closest friends trying to determine who Ruin is once and for all.
Superman being a generally optimistic character, at times naive for his undying faith in people, is at a terrible point in his life here. Ruin is systematically attacking Clark Kent's friends and family, proving to Superman that whoever Ruin is, he's someone who knows *everything*. And for the eternal optimist, coming to terms with the fact that one of his friends has turned against him is a much deeper and hard-fought battle than any he's faced before.
Unfortunately, as Revealed is the final part of a trilogy, it spends a great deal of time tying up loose ends and completing the story from the other two books. In addition, as it is a tie-in to other stories like The OMAC Project, Day of Vengeance and Superman: Sacrifice, which in themselves are tie-ins to the larger Infinite Crisis, there are many plot points and disruptions in story that do not allow Ruin Revealed to stand on its own. Which is disappointing since Unconventional Warfare and That Healing touch do.
The build-up to the identity of Lois' shooter is much more interesting than the actual reveal, but in the end, the identity of Ruin will shock you... and that's really what this book is all about.
A decent mystery story, Ruin Revealed is solid, but recommendable as the completion to the trilogy, and not as a stand-alone graphic novel.
|
