But Supergirl is only starting to put it together. She is still, eventually, believing H'El. She is still behind him despite all the clues in front of her. It makes her seem stupid and gullible. And then to be kissing H'El, proclaiming her love, and then having her hair pulled ... it makes her seem like a school girl, infatuated and slapping. And that just feels so wrong ... so wrong it sort of taints the other stuff. Still, I have to say, this has been the best issue of the H'El arc. Hopefully Kara somehow is able to put two and two together and remain a hero. Read Full Review

I look forward to Superman every month like I did when I was a lad and comics were part and parcel of entertainment. When this issue came out, I put all else aside to read it. I'll be doing the same next month. It's good to see so many of the neglected aspects of Superman come back and come back in full force almost seamlessly. Here's to hoping that Lobdell and Rocafort can keep it up. Read Full Review

Artist Kenneth Rocafort again does a masterful job on this title. As with his work on Red Hood and the Outlaws, he's perfect for this sort of book, which requires otherworldly settings and beings. His rendering of Superman is still one of the best in recent years, particularly in The New 52. He and Lobdell make a formidable creative team on this book. While this issue wasn't as enjoyable as their previous installments, I still find Lobdell's Superman a refreshing change of pace and Rocafort's art is impossible to dislike. I only wish somebody knew how to write Supergirl as something other than a clueless idiot. Read Full Review

The problem with Superman #16 is, no matter what, it all still feels a little inconsequential. This is a pretty hefty villain, and even though his motives are finally fleshed out in this issue, I still don't quite "get" him. His hold over Kara is certainly creepy enough, but I'm not sure I'm buying that, either. It's tough for me to kinda ding an issue for the sins of earlier chapters, but I wonder if that's what I'm feeling here. "H'el on Earth" should have developed much more quickly. Now we're coming to the end, and as cool as it's looking, there's still something missing. Ah, well. At least they're back to telling big, cosmic Superman stories. Read Full Review

There's a lot of good stuff going on here, but very much somedisappointmentas well. H'El's finally becoming interesting, yet Kara continually annoys me more and more as the issues roll out. Next month marks the finale of this arc, and I couldn't be happier! Read Full Review

Unfortunately, Scott Lobdell makes some odd choices when constructing this issue. A panel shows Supergirl kissing a surprised looking H'el, yet they are actually carrying on five word balloons worth of conversation. The emotions conveyed in the image are not remotely expressed in the dialogue, making is a shoe-in for the 2013 Strangest Panel Ever Award. Read Full Review

The art is fantastic, but I wouldn't say this is essential reading. Read Full Review

This book still isn't great, but it is getting a little bit better. Read Full Review

Exposition can be done well, but here it takes the form of sagging narration, which burdens each page with too many words which simply describes Rocafort's artwork. The creative team worked very well together on Red Hood, but it looks like Lobdell is starting to lose track of the collaborative process and weight down every panel with pointless writing. A misstep for a halfway-decent event storyline. Read Full Review