Year of the Villain: Lex Luthor #1
Critic Rating
User Rating
| Writer | Jason Latour |
| Artist | Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie |
| Cover Price | $4.99 |
Apex Lex has made his offer to the villains of the DC Universe...but has the super-powered evil genius gotten what he truly desires? The most deadly predator in the Multiverse has set out to answer that question by seeking out his counterparts on other Earths. But will this meeting of the Luthors be the greatest team-up in all of creation...or end in a bloodbath?
CRITIC REVIEWS Back to Top
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9.3
Black Nerd Problems - Mikkel Snyder
Sep 18, 2019But perhaps the biggest compliment I can give Lex Luthor is that I felt like I more deeply understood him and his pathology by the end of the issue. I got a new level of nuance that only a deep dive into the multiverse could properly give. I'm deeply impressed by how the creative team manages to make the person behind the Year of the Villain even more villainous. Read Full Review
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9.2
The Super Powered Fancast - Deron Generally
Sep 18, 2019Bryan Hitch delivers some fantastic art in this issue. Everything from the different interpretations of Lex to the unique worlds of the multiverse are drawn brilliantly. Read Full Review
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9.0
AIPT - David Brooke
Sep 18, 2019I'm a sucker for alternate reality stories concerning heroes and villains and this issue dives headfirst into Lex Luthor's possible selves in other planes of existence. Hitch's art gives this an event feel while the story is fun in ways only comics can achieve thanks to Latour's imaginative ideas. Read Full Review
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9.0
Geek Dad - Ray Goldfield
Sep 18, 2019Lex Luthor: Year of the Villain #1, written by Marvel and Image Comics mainstay Jason Latour, focusing on mastermind Lex Luthor, may be the best of the lot so far thanks to a twisty multiverse-spanning tale that takes Luthor down the many roads not taken. Read Full Review
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8.8
Multiversity Comics - Gregory Ellner
Sep 23, 2019Monstrosity and tragedy insidiously slither through this holistic one-shot to intertwine at the heart of what it means to be "only Luthor." Read Full Review
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8.4
Forces Of Geek - Lenny Schwartz
Sep 19, 2019This is another nice chapter in this storyline and it is a key issue. It's also a very involving, if a bit crazy comic book issue. Read Full Review
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8.0
Nerdly - Dean Fuller
Sep 27, 2019I really enjoyed this, partly because it had such a retro feel to it, a sort of Crisis on Infinite Earths vibe, and partly because multiple Lex's can never not be fun. Read Full Review
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7.8
Monkeys Fighting Robots - Ben Snyder
Sep 18, 2019Year Of The Villain: Lex Luthor #1 is an entertaining introspection into what makes this iconic villain so complex. Read Full Review
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7.3
Comic Watch - Jimmy Hayes
Sep 20, 2019Lex Luthor is the ultimate super-villain, and this book should've reflected that instead, we get example after example of Luthors that do nothing but fail epically. Yes, the ending is pretty great, but it can't save the rest of the issue from being mediocre. Read Full Review
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7.0
Weird Science - Jim Werner
Sep 18, 2019Jason Latour and Bryan Hitch show us what Lex is doing when he isn't busy offering everyone special powers for evil intent. It's not a must-read, but it looks great and should be a bonus for all the Lex Luthor fans in the house. Read Full Review
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7.0
Comic Book Legion - Josh Davenport
Sep 18, 2019This issue is a fun one that examines Lex Luthor as a character and it's one that shows us all the different possibilities for how someone like him could turn out. Read Full Review
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7.0
Fortress of Solitude - Neilan Adams
Sep 19, 2019An entertaining introspection into the world of Lex Luthor. Read Full Review
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6.0
But Why Tho? - Charles Hartford
Sep 18, 2019While there are some cool moments and interesting concepts played at, in the end Lex Luthor: Year of the Villain #1 provides a decent stepping stone to hopefully a larger payoff as the Year of the Villain story line continues forward. If Year of the Villain is an interest to you I think you will want to grab this one. Otherwise, there isn't a lot here. Read Full Review
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6.0
Lyles Movie Files - Jeffrey Lyles
Sep 18, 2019This isn't the strongest spin-off and isn't essential reading for only the most die-hard Luthor fan. Read Full Review
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5.0
Major Spoilers - Christopher Rondeau
Sep 19, 2019Unless you are trying to read the complete the Villain of the Year crossover event, I think this is a pass. Read Full Review
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4.0
ComicBook.com - Chase Magnett
Sep 18, 2019Despite an abundance of ideas, this comic flops when forced to stand on its own two feet. Read Full Review
USER REVIEWS Back to Top
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10
Wow. I got a lot of early Morrison vibes from this issue, and I absolutely loved it. Also reminded me of King's Darkseid War: GL on shot. This is what DC needs to focus on when they put out single issues like these: do something interesting! I wish that more one shots could tell stories that dive deep into the DC lore while working in tandem with threads utilized by other writers. Please read this book.
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9.5
A very solid comic, I must say! Lex is clearly over his own head, and that's just the way it's always been. He recruits a young Lex and some other Lex (?), then kills all the other ones, thinking of them as inferior. That works for me. Honestly, there isn't much to say about this issue. It's great, it's cool, Luthor is a mad alien, and I recommend reading it!
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9.5
"To see you like this. To show how weak you become in his shadow. There no other path. There only Luthor." - Apex Lex
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8.5
A good multiverse story is always nice and this did deliver. What Lex was trying to do was very unclear but the ending was fantastic.
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8.0
Prelude: We've been seeing a lot of Lex recently but with his new upgrade, how is he faring in the Year of the Villain he created? The Good: This was quite interesting for me. Really the enjoyment came from seeing how our Lex and the Multiverse's Lex's would react to each other with the last one being especially poignant. The Bad: Hitch's art did fluctuate throughout so I'll just put that here. Conclusion: There's not too much to say really. It was quite interesting to read but the points for and against are pretty limited.
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7.5
This was a pretty good one-shot. Definitely didn't expect anything close to this.
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7.5
Some of this was a bit confusing, I often felt like I was missing pages or something, but the ending makes up for it.
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7.5
This one had ups and downs, but I think I liked the ups more than I disliked the downs. Plus I'm super here for Lex Luthor Batman/Martian Superman.
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7.0
"There is only Luthor" Did all of this happen? Or was this just a Kid Lex's Black Mercy induced dream?
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3.0
Unconvincing.
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10
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9.5
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9.0
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8.5
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8.5
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8.5
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8.0
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7.5
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7.5
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7.0
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6.5
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6.5
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6.0
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4.0
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