Action Comics #23.3: Lex Luthor Review

Lex Luthor has gone through a bit of a rough time since his debut in the New 52. He’s been in prison and had half his face horribly scarred, but no one writer has really nailed his character or given him a memorable storyline. In one issue, Charles Soule cleans his continuity up and makes him a lot more like the Lex we all love to hate. Soule has a knack for writing books about people who commit horrible acts -- just read his Whisky Tree story in Swamp Thing for proof -- and he uses that skill to demonstrate how Lex is a genius, an egomaniac, and a murderer all at the same time.

While this issue is certainly well-executed, a part of me truly wanted to see where those scars came from. But they are surgically removed, never to be mentioned again (perhaps for the better, if Heath Ledger’s Joker is any indicator) and we instead see the relationship between Lex and his female assistant Casey as he gets back to his daily routine after getting out of prison. Casey sees the good in Lex and provides a nice counterbalance to his evil plotting, even though, inevitably, she finds out the hard way that he is truly a villain. Lex is written to a tee, but I will say that he lacks that devilish endearment given to him in recent years by writers such as Paul Cornell and Geoff Johns.

Artist Raymund Bermudez has a no-frills art style that works well for the clean-cut lifestyle that Lex is accustomed to. Lex’s icy cool gaze is rendered excellently and Bermudez puts it to use when he plays it off the feeble expressions of timid prison guards and scientists. There’s one explosive double page splash in the middle of the book and it’s clear that it’s only there so the issue can claim to have had action, but it’s confusing layout instead makes it the singular blemish on an otherwise good-looking book.

Joshua writes for IGN. If Pokemon, Game of Thrones, or Green Lantern are frequently used words in your vocabulary, then you’ll want to follow him on Twitter and IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com