Really good issue. I liked both stories. The main story continues to be consistent with its previous parts - it's a pretty simple story, but well-executed with beautiful artwork. The Superman's characterization is totally on-point, the emotional beats were satisfying, and I enjoyed the human characters having roles, including Cat Grant's brief but bold appearance. Ultimately, this storyline was too basic to feel  great, but it's still very good.

I've generally found the backup even more interesting, and I still really enjoyed it this time, but I was disappointed that we didn't actually get a resolution to what's happening with Atomic Skull. I hope it gets addressed soon in AC or Superman, but honestly, it should've been addressed here. I far prefer comic arcs to feel like complete experiences. House of Brainiac still felt complete despite having aspects for future stories to complete, like Lex's amnesia and Brainiac Queen getting away.

That said, I still liked the second story quite a lot. I LOVE a good Lois & Clark conversation and I LOVED the Lois & Clark kiss page, despite generally not being wowed by the art of these backups. more

Putting this comedic character in a mortally serious take really fleshes out the character. You see how his relegation as a comic relief means when he's being serious, Plas is often ignored. And when faced with the realities of like, such as a wife and kid, Plas poorly handles shakes to his status quo. But with the promise of a nuclear bomb quest to save his son, we get to see the heart inside Eel O'Brien. Great first issue. Can't wait for more more

I love to see Superman angry. Great art too. But as is often the case with modern comics, it doesn't feel like enough happens. It's not a chapter of a story, it's a sliver. But it's a good sliver.

Fun, dramatic, and heartwarming with gorgeous art. That said, modern single-issue comic stories tend to be pretty simple and this is no exception.

First story: The artwork is beautiful (especially Superman himself) and the story is well-written and engaging. That said, the story isn't particularly original, the visuals confused me once or twice, and Superman's power level seems a bit low (though that could be justified by this story taking place in the past).

Second story: Actually more interesting to me than the first, though the artwork isn't nearly as good (but still good). I love things that focus on Clark's life as a reporter and this is a unique plot leveraging Lois' current status as Editor in Chief. It's good to see a conflict between Lois and Clark that feels fairly serious while still being in-character for both of them, and I'm very intrigued to see the conclusion, including what's going on with Atomic Skull. more

Actually, a pretty decent issue, especially for a crossover tie-in. I am not a fan of publisher wide events. They are usually written by committee, so even the characters are inconsistent from issue to issue despite the fact that they are supposed to be the same person in a single plot.

I also find the premise of these events to be eye rolling and the efforts to be shocking and edgy usually result in a story that does no justice to characters. Also, they often kill momentum in books where plots have to be put on hold for the crossover. Your mileage may vary.

The Marvel vampire story this summer is a classic example of this. Making Dr. Doom Sorcerer Supreme just doesn't work, at least not for me.

But this is Batman. The art was solid, and the Bat and Cat interplay actually worked well. The characters didn't act stupid, and the plot of this issue didn't go forward because the writer deemed it so. There weren't too many characters to follow. A common problem in the Bat books.

But this story is part of a larger whole. I have certain problems with the premise of the overall story. Apparently, Amamda Waller is so powerful, she can build secret bases and no one finds out. These bases would require billions of dollars and thousands of workers to construct them. And no one notices. Waller has been portrayed as a villain for so long, you'd think the heroes, the president, and congress would at least keep an eye on her.

Also, she depowered heroes and no one does anything. Again, the president, congress, her political enemies just sit and do nothing? The villains all just act according to her wishes. There aren't any supervillain spikes in crime?

A bridge too far for me. But it you like it, fair enough.

An odd issue. A strong tie-in in a larger story with a premise I can't buy into. Really hard to judge.

Or I could be wrong. more

I'm enjoying the mysteries, they're exciting and intriguing, but at the same time getting a bit tired of them. I hope some resolution and answers come soon.

I'm also getting a little tired of lying covers, though of course it's not a huge deal.

Am I just dumb, or is it a bit hard to follow the action with this artist? Other than that, it's great. Action, excitement, heart, humor, and good artwork in most ways. But sometimes I felt confused what was happening even though the story seems pretty much straightforward.

A little upset about Knight Terrors screwing with DC's lineup, but this wasn't bad. Reilly's art might be the main highlight of this issue. Reilly is an especially great artist when the setting of the book is in the past, as seen with his work on Al Ewing's Ant-Man miniseries, which is why I really liked his stuff in the beginning of the story. The story itself here was cool, but not quite up with the quality of Williamson's main Superman series right now. more

Why is Tom Reilly not doing more titles right now? Excellent art

Honestly I really liked the art. It really gave an old silver age drawing style. The panelling was also awesome with Superman crashing through the panels in one page. I am aware it is not to everyone style, but I love a nod to the old classic styles.

Story wise, it was pretty strong, which I expected with Williamson doing such a great job on Superman. It also moves the plot of the story forward a bit, which is appreciated. Unlike most other issues, this one clearly is a tie into to the main event.

It is a fun great read. Worth it in my opinion. more

I went into this event pretty down on it since it killed the Dawn of DC momentum, but by golly this was a great comic! The art was spectacular! I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for Tom Reilly from now on. For once I actually didn’t mind that this took the place of the main Superman title, which is surprising. This was a good Superman story, and I’m looking forward to next month’s!

I’ve been avoiding most of the Knight Terror books, but I liked this enough that I’m going to give the core storyline a try. We’ll see how that goes. more

No, just no. Batman is pure evil using mind control techniques to control Jason despite the fact that when JLA did that to Catwoman via Zatanna he quite rightly opposed it. The family can’t stop him and the subplot is now immortals gather to turn Gotham immortal or some such nonesense. Any plot that can’t be made into a Batman movie is bad. You want sci-fi or magic with Batman, see him in the Justice League.

Meanwhile Catwoman is surprised that Bruce opposes her kinder, gentler crime wave. This arc of stories is well drawn but clearly shows DC doesn’t know what to do with Batman and family. Just keep making nuts and have family in turmoil for good reason.

That’s been the problem with Batman. Writers write themselves into a corner, Jason is back but is a murerder edgy! BUt they have to ignore the consequences of their actions. Bruce loses fortune in way that makes no sense. How does it affect his life? It doesn’t. Alfred dead? So what? Lose a hand? Couldn’t tell by his stories. Fill the books with sidekicks, but have nothing for them to do.

It’s been almost 40 years since Frank Miller made Bats psycho, and it is sooo tired. Do better DC.

Or I could be wrong. I’m not.
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Halala... action, surprises, emotion, it's all there... but it doesn't fit. Because...by trying to deconstruct Batman (again), there's not much left of DC's great, ultra-capable hero. He's in pieces (again). You'd think it was a contest. Or it's in the brief. Who can best scuttle Batman's psyche (again)? Chip Zdarksy sure can, but why? There was a time when Batman was there to serve the story. Now, he's the story! all the time. At once the narrator, the villain, the victim, the reason, the cause, the consequence, the center of it all. There's no more hero serving his city in the shadows, no more genius. There's an ogre with shaky sanity (again and again) who is the alpha and omega of all storytelling. If you look closely, there's no story. Or so little, it's sad.

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I rate this “whatever.” Despite trying to show how he Joker got so badass, it just shows me the Joker is badass because the writers tell and not show. He can take unlimited punishment and despite the fact everyone in Gotham has a gun and wants to kill him, no one shoots him.

There is no, for lack of a better word, logic behind this Joker. Chris Nolan made him an agent of chaos. He had a goal, show everyone will break. Steve Englehart had the Joker say in medieval times even kings envied jesters for their ability to say what they wanted without fear. This Joker was the free man.

Now the Joker seems to exist to let writers show how depraved they can write. Forget Batman letting the Joker live, why has no Gotham cop given him a Bin Laden special. Who would care? Hey I am. A hippy lawyer, I protest the shooting of a mass murderer responsible for the deaths of thousands and has escaped every time he has been locked up. Who would listen.

It’s been years since anyone had done anything interesting with the Joker. Give him a rest until someone actually comes up with a good idea, a genuine good idea. I don’t see that happening.

Or I could be wrong. more