Superman – Action Comics, Volume 7: Under the Skin

Action Comics (2011)

by Greg Pak (Writer), Aaron Kuder (Illustrator), Lee Weeks (Illustrator)

The Man of Steel faces off against the unimaginable in this chilling story from acclaimed creative team Greg Pak (BATMAN/SUPERMAN) and Aaron Kuder (GREEN LANTERN: NEW GUARDIANS).

Superman may be from Krypton, but Smallville, Kansas will always be Clark Kent’s hometown. So when a mysterious fog rolls in, cutting the town off from the outside world, the Man of Steel is the first to leap into action.

But there’s a monster lurking in the mist—one that feeds off of the terror and darkness that hides inside even Superman’s mind. Clark will risk anything to save the people he loves; but even if he succeeds, will he be able to break free of his own nightmares?

Collects: Action Comics #36-40, Futures End #1.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superman, Superheroes, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book

168 pages, Paperback

First published December 23, 2015

About the author

Greg Pak is an award-winning Korean American comic book writer and filmmaker currently writing "Lawful" for BOOM and "Sam Wilson: Captain America" (with Evan Narcisse) for Marvel. Pak wrote the "Princess Who Saved Herself" children's book and the “Code Monkey Save World” graphic novel based on the songs of Jonathan Coulton and co-wrote (with Fred Van Lente) the acclaimed “Make Comics Like the Pros” how-to book. Pak's other work includes "Planet Hulk," "Darth Vader," "Mech Cadet Yu," "Ronin Island," "Action Comics," and "Magneto Testament."

Reviews

[Jayson · Rating 3 out of 5]

(B) 75% | More than Satisfactory
Notes: Surrealistic, it's a somewhat secondary Superman: ill-suited stylistically, and shoehorned into several strange stories.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

For what it was, I thought it was pretty good.
I don't think this is an everyday Superman story, but if you're in the mood for Big Blue taking on a few zombie/aliens...



Ok. It's not exactly a zombie story, but it's close enough.



The story may not have been top notch, but the art was kinda awesome (in my opinion).
It was enough to make me enjoy the plot more than I might have with lesser images, I think.



Then there's this weird (<--Ha!) issue with Superman in Bizarro World.
I didn't think it was good...at all.
It takes a special story for me to find this character interesting, and this one just didn't do it. The awful Opposite-speak shit wore on my nerves. Big time.
Anne no love Bizarro.



The Future's End issue was ok. Nothing incredible, but I thought it was better than most of the confusing FE stories I've read.



If you're a fan of Superman, give it a shot. Otherwise, you might wanna pass on this one.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aaron Kuder's is one of the best artists working at DC. I love his work on Superman. In fact he elevates what is just an OK story. Smallville is threatened yet again. I mean, at this point Superman should be feeling pretty awful at the amount of violence and death he's brought to town in the new 52. The Ultra-Humanite gets completely screwed up and turned into a boogeyman type villain that causes nightmares. Yawn... Then there's a pointless Bizarro stand alone story. I think Geoff Johns and Eric Powell are the only creative team to ever make Bizarro interesting. And just trying to figure out what Bizarro is actually trying to say makes my head hurt. Lastly, there is yet another throw away Future's End story. Has there been even one Future's End tie-in book that was any good?

[Lost Planet Airman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A long arc set in Smallville that the writer extended for ... well, too long. Then either one or two stand-alones, I cannot recall, but one was Bizarro World and was pretty awesome. Then, Future's End.

[Jesse A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Superbeard! Not quite up to the top notch work Pak was doing in this series before (though I didn't love Doomed) but still a decent Supes story.

[Pat the Book Goblin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scruffy Superman fights zombies n sh*t.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Returning to Smallville after the events of Doomed, Superman finds the town under siege by a strange psychic being that pulls the inhabitants' greatest fears out of their minds to attack them with.

Yeah, this was okay. Nothing overly special, which is a shame given how good the first volume of Pak's Action Comics was. The four part Horrorville story is decent enough, but it feels a bit too long in the tooth for a story that's fairly straight forward. The ultimate reveal falls a bit flat, since it's one of those New 52 reinterpretations of a character that bears absolutely no resemblance to the original; it could literally have been any other psychic monster.

There's also a one-off story about BizarroWorld which is...fine. I'm never a big fan of BizarroWorld since it tends to give me a headache, but it's an amusing reimagining of Doomed through the Bizarro lens.

Finally, there's the Action Comics: Futures' End one-shot, written by Sholly Fisch, who I believe has been absolutely nailing characters very quietly off to the side by doing Scooby Doo team-up books and such; his understanding of Superman really shines through here as he uses the 20 pages to examine how each of Superman's powers alone isn't what makes him great. It's not a massively important issue, nor is it even really Futures' End related bar the framing sequence, but it's probably the best issue of the bunch.

Aaron Kuder manages to draw most of the Action Comics issues, with a little help from Scott Kolins in issue 3. I don't know who thought Kuder and Kolins made a good match-up since their styles are totally different, but it's not as jarring as I'd have expected it to be. Kuder's weird, twisted anatomies on the Bizarro issue are especially effective. I wasn't as big a fan of the Futures End art, which is a very rushed mess from Pascal Alixe, although the framing sequence by Vincente Cifuentes is pretty neat.

Under The Skin's okay - it's nothing spectacular, which is a bit disappointing, but it's a perfectly serviceable Superman book.

[Emmett Spain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Greetings, Superman fans.

Joining us today are Smallvillian zombies, more tentacled creatures than you can poke a bowl of mucus at, swift resolutions to ridiculous situations, and a pair of back-up stories that will make you shake your head in bemusement. We also have a trip to Bizarro-world, and a Doomzarro destroyer who terrifies the world by creating giant fluffy bunnies. Plenty to be confused about.

But the main event, folks, is a trip to Smallville, where the tiny town is yet again under siege by the supernatural, making you wonder why all these salt-of-the-earth folks haven't either:

a) moved out; or
b) turned into religious zealots.

I'd forgive them for choosing option b), I really would. How can anyone retain normalcy when they're under siege from the underworld and the divine on a semi-regular basis? It's enough to turn anyone to the Man Upstairs in the hope of being saved. As it is, though, they have Superman, which I suppose is a pretty good saviour figure to have around, with his tight suit and proclivity for punching.

This was a decent if largely forgettable collection of strange stories, notable for its work in saying something about Superman's fears, having Superman win the day not by punching the daylights out of the baddie, and patching things up between Clark and Lana. The Clark/Lana relationship has been a highlight of Pak's run, and the element I think it will be best remembered for when he moves off the title.

[Will Robinson Jr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder tell really creepy paranormal story here featuring the Man of Steel. I don't have many gripes about the Superman story being told in this volume of the series. In fact this was a very easy to pick up and read Superman tale. There is not much back story needed and it was refreshing to have a Superman story without the need of other Justice league characters. I am still not quite a big fan of the New 52 Superman but Greg does a good job of trying to humanize such a powerful godlike character. Superman comes to realize his immortality and the fact that as powerful as he is he will not be able to save everyone. I really enjoy the moments Superman had with Lana Lang, his childhood crush. Lana is still grieving from the lost of her parents and Supes is in a way as well. He has to carry the burden that for everyone he saves that there will be those that he will not. This is Superman's dilemma and Pak does a great job reminding us of this. The artwork of Aaron Kuder is unique though at times reminds me of Frank Quietly's style. In fact the look of this book reminded me of All Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly. There was nothing to major that happens here but we will hit a major event soon for the series. A good and simple Superman book that fans should give at least a read.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it was better than I expected. That's saying something right?

Quick Rundown - Kent travels back to Smallville because something is going wrong. BOOM! Zombies. Holy Batman, what are we to do? Wait Magic is one of the only things Superman is weak against. Superman along with Lana Lang, and John, and some other Asian fellow must make it out of this cloud like structure around Smallville.

It's really a story about Superman finding himself and understanding he won't save anyone. It's not horrible, and some real good psychological moments with Kent. However, the fights are uninspiring and the overall tone is kind of all over the place. Sometimes scary, sometimes silly looking, but it's a decent enough Superman adventure.

[John Yelverton · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was just plain awful. The entire town of Smallville against Superman? Lana Lang blames Superman for her parents death? And who in their right mind thought ripping off Stephen King's "Under the Dome" was a good idea? It's lazy and painful writing at it's finest.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the individual issues, and I've got to say that it's pretty great. In fact it's just really good Superman comics. Big recommend. Creepy and definitely one of the most entertaining Supes stories I've read in a while. And to top it all off, amazing art and writing that'll pull yer heartstrings.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh.

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zombies why did it have to be zombies!

Includes a Bizarro story that does not feel like it fits in New 52/Post Forever Evil.

[Cale · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fresh off the Superman: Doomed storyline, Clark and Smallville are trapped in a strange mist with horrifying secrets and... well honestly, some pretty horrible storytelling too. It reads fairly well from page to page, but the story concept as a whole lost me from page one. And the tie-in to a classic villain makes almost no sense to me (granted, I'm not particularly familiar with the villain in question). I kind of get the sense of what it's going for, but it doesn't pull it off. At all. The relationship that had been built up between Lana and Clark (and John) isn't strong enough to support where this book wants to take it, and it goes gonzo weird. At least it commits to the strangeness, but that's not enough to really support the storyline. And the art... I understand the mist and haziness is intentional, but it makes most of the artwork look muddy an uninteresting. A poor design choice.
There are two standalone issues included here too; one a riff on Bizarro that is gleeful in its absurdity, and probably the high point of the collection) which is a noticeably low bar. There's also a Future's End story that again goes full-out weird and feels utterly disconnected from Superman as it goes heavy on morality. It just serves as another point of weirdness.

[James Elkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

First: Like 70% of my comic reads I read this as single issues, in either print or digital. In this case I read these in print.

So glad I'm committed to reading this series through to issue #1000.

Yes, I know they changed numbering around issue #900, and this collection covers issues #36-40 (and Action Comics: Futures Ed #1, which, while a very good addition to this collection, is one of the few Futures End stories one can say that about), but as of this writing D.C. Comics returned to the original numbering with issue #957.

My point is that I would have missed the excellent collaboration of Greg Pak and Aaron Kundera. Pak and Kuder truly put the action in Action Comics.

Last Note: Issue #37 - while almost every comic, these days, has multiple covers (this one had 3) I tend to stick with the standard/newsstand cover (also know as Cover A) and the Cover for this volume. I picked up the variant cover by the late great Darwyn Cooke. Which I include below.

[Scott Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weak. I'm done with this series. If it hasn't already quit. I kept going a long time, and Pak seemed to give it some new blood and new hope for a while, but this volume didn't have a single story that moved beyond a three. The Bizarro storyline was lighthearted but not funny, the Smallville story it opens with felt belabored and a bit underthought. It was an original way for Superman to win, but...he wins by giving in and being tough about it which negates any sense of threat the enemy ever really had. ugh.

[Batgirl_ALT_21 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad if you like the idea of Smallville horror mixed with intergalactic space demons.

Our plot begins with Lana & John Steel, who are both living in Smallville in Lana's now deceased parents' childhood home, to gather data & help the townspeople recover from Brainiac & Doomsday's recent attacks. Suddenly, a strange mistake covers all of Smallville & Superman gets a strange feeling to check in on his friends, but when he arrives, he arrives on the scene, Lana & John are in the graveyard where Lana's parents were recently buried, when they suddenly rise up and begin talking to her, terrifying Lana. The mist separates Superman, Lana, & John, but then the monster puppet controlling Lana's dead parents abruptly departs, leaving their lifeless bodies on the ground.

Superman tries to clear the mist and manages to bridge the gap between John, Lana, & himself bringing them all together. John tries to comfort Lana when Superman takes off to try to clear the mist, but ends up caught in a vicious loop, and gains the ability to call Hiro, aka Toyman, and tells him to send help to Smallville. Hiro arrives and begins toying with the strange phenomenon, but eventually becomes captured as the mist grows.

Superman gathers the Smallville citizens and asks them all to stay inside while he tries to obtain more answers to what is/has been happening. When suddenly the Kent family home is on fire, and Superman hears the distinct cries from Lana coming from inside the house, what follows is a gruesome scene of Clark's dead parents making coffee & breakfast while uttering complete lies about how they never wanted Clark & were always scared of him. Superman manages to break through the illusion only to see a parasitic space monster controlling Lana. Superman tries to separate her from the monster, but it vanishes, taking Lana with it and leaving Clark's dead Earth parents. Superman carries his parents out of the burning farm home and is reunited with the Smallville townspeople. Hiro & John arrive on the scene as well to help, but when the mist begins to pull in more animals & people, the children become scared, and parasites are revealed to be on their backs feeding off of their terrified energy. Two old-time friends of Superman tell him that the whole town was gifted telepathic powers and that they created the mist to form a portal to send this monster back to the phantom zone. Superman asks why they didn't tell anyone, and the people reveal that they were scared about what could have happened to them if they used Superman's powers as an example.

Superman & John now fully detected out as Steel travel into the portal, and once inside, they find the remains of a husked out individual. They both come to the conclusion that this is the final stage for the host before the monster discards them. The fear begins to become insurmountable, bringing down Steel when Superman tells him to fully commit to Steel, leaving behind his emotions. Steel worries that if he shuts off his heart that he will forget Lana. Superman reassures him that this won't happen, and he does so. Then Superman touches hands with Steel, who then coats him in a Steel suit & the two are shielded from their terror.

Lana tells Superman to leave her to save everyone & Superman wonders if those really are Lana's words. The parasite monster explains where he is from & that he has feasted on Superman's fear before when he begins taking down the monster & by unsheathing himself from the Steel protection to pull Lana from its grasp. Lana & Steel escape & the Smallville civilians try to close the portal. Lana cries out, asking them to stop because Superman is still in there when he breaks through, and the portal shuts tight, taking the parasite & telepathic powers away from the citizens.

The mist clears, and the next day, two funerals are held for Lana's parents & the Kents. Lana then tries to reconcile with Superman by apologizing for holding her parents' deaths over his head. Superman says that he understands & takes responsibility when Lana further expresses that she felt his fear through the parasite that he would be left alone as an immortal and lose all of his friends, city, & loved ones. Superman expresses that he has come to terms with that. Our story ends with Superman saving the endangered animals from the Phantom Zone that the parasite left behind, and taking them to the Fortress of Solitude.

The remaining two arcs are more light-hearted & uplifting. The second follows Superman as he encounters Bizzaro world and ultimately helps a Doomsday Bizzaro overcome the virus & save his world. In our third arc, we find Superman/Clark Kent lying low as he begins to plant seeds in the desert until his powers return post-Doomsday/kryptonite exposure, when some sand-like creature of good deeds gives three normal civilians power, then directs them to take agency in their lives to improve them for the better. The soil becomes fertile as the sand creature's last shred of goodwill, and Clark is left wondering if he will turn his second chance into a count as well.

Overall this was a pretty interesting & creepy arc filled with a lot of gruesome imagery. My only gripe is that the parasite monster is never truly explained, but beyond that, the plot is engaging &the climax was epic. The other two plots round out the whole adventure & end on a high note in this volume. 6.7/10 ⭐️. It is worth the read 👍. I hope Vol. 8 is just as good, if not better.

[Chad Bunch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Definitely not one of my favorite Superman or DC reads. There is a reason I stopped reading DC comics after a couple of years of "The New 52."

[Andrew Kubasek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it, but it wasn't great. Nice to see a "new" villain, but also managed to relate backing to longer story-arcs.

[Krzysztof Grabowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

W gruncie rzeczy to raczej 3.5/5, bo "Under the Skin" zaskakuje mnie na kilku płaszczyznach, choć nie obyło się bez sytuacji typu "meh". Ale... Historia o Supermanie w lekkich klimatach grozy? Bring it on.

Steel i Lana po wydarzeniach z Superman: Doomed są parą i spędzają sobie czas wolny w Smallville. Niestety nie dany jest im spokój, bowiem niczym jak w Mgle Kinga na niebie pojawia się tajemnicza chmura, która osłania miasto i okolice. Od razu zaczyna dziać się coś dziwnego, bowiem niedawno zmarli rodzice Lang wstają z grobu...

Tymczasem Superman zauważa brak komunikacji z jego rodzinnym miasteczkiem i postanawia to sprawdzić. Kłopot w tym, że dostanie się do środka zawieruchy okazuje się prawie niemożliwe, a to i tak łatwo, biorąc pod uwagę fakt, iż kto dostanie się do środka, ten już nie może miejsca zdarzenia opuścić... Mamy tu kilka naprawdę dziwnych scen, na czele z zombie rodzicami Clarka, co uważam za szalenie odważne posunięcie, bo przesuwa pewne tabu w tym świecie. Niemniej to co za tym stoi nie jest jakoś szczególnie oryginalne.

Jak wiecie (albo nie, zależy czy przeczytaliście poprzednie przygody pana z S na klatce) Smallville ucierpiało na wskutek przejścia w tym obszarze Doomsday'a, który wydostał się ze strefy fantomowej. Jest to o tyle ważne, że przejście to warunkuje w zasadzie całość historii, bowiem nie zostało do końca zamknięte i coś się tą drogą przedostało. Osobiście zalatywało mi tutaj bardzo w pewnym momencie inną klasyką kina grozy pt. "Invasion of the Body Snatchers".

I dobrze. Motyw przewodni może i jest wtórny, ale jego wykorzystanie przy postaci jaką jest Superman dało mi niespodziewaną radość. A dalej jest tylko lepiej. Supek w świecie, gdzie herosem jest Bizzaro oraz cała ta zabawa z przeinaczonymi znaczeniami słów, mimo iż prosta jak drut, była świetna (Bardzo nie lubię tego tomu. No bardzo). Właściwie jedyny zarzut jaki bym miał to miałka i nudna historyjka o tym Supermanie z piasku. Rozumiem tego znaczenie, ale mnie to nie chwyciło, a trochę szkoda.

W warstwie wizualnej kreska Kudera nadal się sprawdza i może nie jest niczym wybitnym, ale jakże pasuje do całości, która jednak ma jakiś klimat i w sumie chciałbym, aby Pak zabawił się takimi motywami nieco bardziej, bo w sumie był tutaj potencjał na coś jeszcze bardziej odjechanego.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Under the Skin has Superman return to Smallville shortly after the events of SuperDoom, helping with what he can as the town repairs itself. Lana Lang is still grieving her recently dead parents, until their dead bodies unearth themselves! A mysterious fog is also surrounding Smallville and Superman becomes trapped within the fog. A mysterious creature is behind the corpses, and its power comes from fear, and a lot of people were definitely showing it, adding to Superman's difficulty in stopping this fiendish being. There's also an adventure where Superman enters the world of Bizarro, where everything is truly the opposite of everything normal. And an additional Future's End that is a sequel to the one attached on Batman/Superman's Siege.

Not hard to get into, but I found Under the Skin arc to be cool, it's not every day you read about Superman facing a zombie-like crisis. It almost borderlines on a horror-genre, with emphasis on thrills and suspension. One thing I wished got a little closure on was the powers that some of the Smallville residents received since the events of Doomsday, though perhaps this will be covered in the later volumes. It was nice to see some more development in the relationship Lana has with Clark, ending a more optimistic outlook on their friendship than with the last volume. The Bizarro episode was a little out of the norm, given its more wacky and reverse premise. While I wasn't too much of a fan of it, the much more lighthearted tone & colorful panels in it are definitely appreciated, given how the volumes post-Doom are taking the series into much more serious plots. The Future's End tie-in is a follow up to the one from the Batman/Superman team-up and is actually quite inspirational in the message Superman always conveys to people, quite uplifting and serves a small closure to the one from Batman's viewpoint.

Under the Skin is a little short for Action Comics, but provides a decent gear change in the usual Superman plot. There's much more personal crisis going on between the main cast and yet it ends on a sweet note that the Man of Steel is very much optimistic about the future. Bringing a little something different to the table, this volume is still on par with the rest of the main Superman titles from New 52.

[AviChaim Snyder · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this volume to a degree, but it never really felt like a substantial Superman story; it came across as flat and somewhat underdeveloped. Kuder’s art remains consistent with his previous work: his depictions of monsters and extraterrestrial landscapes are excellent, but his human characters lack emotional resonance and often feel off.
It was interesting to see Superman go up against a more supernatural threat, and the return to Smallville had the potential to ground the story in something more personal. Unfortunately, the citizens, especially the so-called “old-timers”, were more irritating than charming. They played a significant role early on but then vanished without any meaningful resolution, which only added to the story’s disjointedness.
As the series progresses, it feels increasingly rushed. There’s very little meaningful character development for Superman himself, and supporting characters like Lana and John Henry Irons are treated more like afterthoughts than vital parts of the narrative.
The real highlight here was Bizarro. His story brought a dose of dumb, chaotic fun, the kind of joyful absurdity that a Bizarro tale should deliver. That goofiness gave the book a spark it otherwise lacked. That said, I do have one personal gripe: why get rid of the Superbeard? Bring it back!
All in all, this volume was okay at best. It had its moments, but there’s nothing here I’d strongly recommend.
Grade: C

[Benjamin Kimble · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book examines Superman in the immediate aftermath of the Doomed storyline. Superman has a beard and that’s cool, I love bearded Superman. Aaron Kuder makes him look very good. A lot of this book is horror based and Kuder does a good job of making things look weird and creepy. Greg Pak gets into Superman’s past and his life in Smallville. He always gives a flashback to Clark’s youth and I think that’s good. The story is that some horror creatures hav escaped the Phantom Zone and are terrorizing Smallville. It’s decent enough and Pak tries to get at the heart of what makes Superman. Especially through Clark’s relationship with his parents and Lana Lang. There was also a story here that took place on Bizzaroworld which was just ridiculous and fun. The colors were bright and the art was wacky. The Bizzaros had to take on Doomsday and it was all a good laugh. The last story in this book takes place five years in the future and shows a Superman that has abandoned the world and a being going around and giving people one of Superman’s powers at a pivotal moment in their life. It’s an interesting enough tale about what we could do if we were Superman but it doesn’t live up to its full potential.

[Ross Cudmore · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first story-arc features a nightmare creature attacking the citizens of Smallville. In the background Lana Lang's parents recently died during an invasion by Braniac, and she feels a small sense of resentment against Superman. I enjoyed this story for featuring a villian that Superman couldn't just "punch away". Instead the stroy focuses on Superman's fears and losses (in this continuity hid parents died when he was 17.) I enjoyed some of the resolution between Lana and Clark, as they come together in their grief.

The second story was a single issue adventure in Bizarro World. Pretty standard for what you would expect of a Bizarro story, didn't do anything new other than feature the Bizarro version of Superdoom.

The Future's End story was a little confusing for someone not caught up on that event, but it was a satisfactory little short story about random people getting one of Superman's powers for a brief period of time and it's affect on them.

[MasterSal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not bad but not great either. The first story was good - I enjoyed Superman vs Zombies but the other 2 stories were not too great. The last one especially made me think that I missed another event or something 😊

I shouldn’t be surprised with how the new 52 works that I probably missed some cross over or some side story which puts Superman-farming-in-the-desert in some context but I honestly can’t be bothered.

Ps. Superman in a beard looked good. Is it really shallow that I honestly didn’t dock a star for that reason ?

PPs. In reading google, it turns out the last story is linked to Future’s End. One more trudge to put continuity together. Joy!

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superman - Action Comics Vol. 7: Under the Skin

A mysterious for descends on Smallville, trapping Lana and John Henry Irons. Things take a turn for the terrifying when the dead start to rise from their graves. Can Superman resolve the crisis without hurting his friends?

Pak digs into the overwhelming responsibility Clark has taken on his shoulders by becoming Superman. The artwork creates a convincing nightmarish landscape where Clark's demons are exposed and the new design of Bizarroworld is great, building on what has gone before but creating something visually quite new.

[Daniel Sepúlveda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Este volumen me recordó a los cómics de la edad dorada, en donde las historias eran muy random y buscaban simplemente entretener al lector. En este volumen vemos algo parecido a una historia de zombies en la que Superman debe aliarse con otros personajes para salvar a Smallville de las criaturas que llegan por medio de la zona fantasma.
Le doy un puntaje de 2.5 estrellas, sin aproximación a 3 estrellas, porque no me pareció ni buena ni mala, no me aburrió pero tampoco me emocionó ni me hizo reir, no hubo nada. En cuanto a los dibujos, considero que este es el punto más fuerte del volumen.

[Samuel Osito · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a 3.5

The core threat of this volume has an interesting premise and attempts to bring Superman into a psychological monster horror direction that could’ve been great. As it stands, though, it’s merely ok. I felt that Pak didn’t commit fully to the idea. The other stories on offer in this collection are pretty good though, and none of them are painfully boring.

The art is good, and I’m always happy to see Jae Lee’s unique style.

Overall, not an essential read, but worth giving a go.

[Paweł · Rating 3 out of 5]

Z akcją ten komiks nie ma dużo wspólnego, bo rozgrywa się głównie wokół głęboko skrywanych lęków Supermana. Tym razem przeciwnik potrafi żywić się strachem i rośnie w siłę z jego pomocą. A czego boi się człowiek ze stali? Kto ucierpi najbardziej przez jego uczucia? Kiedy Clark zgoli tę czarną brodę?