H’el recounts to Supergirl how he and Jor-El planned his mission into space, so that he could find a way to save Krypton’s population… a plan he still hopes to fulfill at the expense of the planet Earth.  Kara for some reason believes him, despite the cracks in his story.

Superman, Superboy, Wonder Woman, Batman and Cyborg are forced to battle the most lethal weapons from across the universe that Superman had contained within his Fortress of Solitude.  Cyborg, who controls the League’s teleportation Boom Tubes is being jammed to prevent them from bypassing these threats and going straight for H’el.  In fact, they may just be too late, as things look extremely bleak by the end of this issue.

Kenneth Rocaford’s artwork is just stunning, with really unique page and panel layouts.  The sequence of the heroes fighting their way through the Fortress of Solitude really stands out!  But it’s consistently great throughout!

The writing is strong but not amazing.  The stakes are high and that comes across really well, but the dialogue is just standard.  There’s a final scene that just feels tacked on and comes out of nowhere.  The characters also don’t have a lot of room to develop here.  And Supergirl is downright infuriating in her naivety.  I will say though that I am interested in the story and am curious how this will culminate.

The art is fantastic, but I wouldn’t say this is essential reading.

 

SUPERMAN #16
Written by Scott Lobdell
Art and Cover by Kenneth Rocafort