SUPERMAN, THE MAN OF STEEL ANNUAL #3 
DC Comics-Elseworlds 
www.dccomics.com 

I don't remember why I picked this comic up, way back in 1994.  Maybe it was the cover, a beautiful image my Mike (Hellboy) Mignola which tantilizes the reader with just enough information about the story to get them to buy the issue.  Hey, it worked for me.  Anyway, even if I can't remember exactly why I bought this comic, I can certainly remember why I like it.  Priest.  

Instead of dying on Krypton, Jor-El and Co. lead a virtual army of Kryptonians across the galaxy to Earth, where they establish order, at the expense of human freedom.  In opposition to this Kryptonian rule are Batman and the increasingly uncomfortable (with Kryptonian rule) Kal-El.  

Even long before Priest became a fan-favorite writer (with XERO, QUANTUM and WOODY, STEEL, and BLACK PANTHER [upcoming]), he was a good writer.  An exceptionally good one, in fact.  Priest writes fantastic verisons of not only Superman, but also Lex Luthor, Lois Lane, and Batman.  His Kal-El is an intriguing character, a rebel with the powers of a god, a god with a conscience.  Through Kal, Priest is able to raise a number of ethical questions.  First and foremost among them is, is it "right" to rule a planet even if, by doing so, you eliminate war, hunger, illness and a heal a damaged environment ?  

Besides Kal-El, there are a number of wonderful characters.  Lois is a tough freedom fighter, but she's still vulnerable, falling prey to Kal-El's charms in this Universe (much like in the regular DCU).  And Lex is as desprcable as ever, but he's also far more interesting than most Superman writers portray him.  He's still a genius, and he's still out for his own gain, but he has a much more interesting personality (as the leader of Team Luthor, the Kryptonians' security force) and motives than the "regular" Luthor.  

Finally ... Batman.  In many ways, the Priest version of Batman is very similar to the classic Frank Miller version in DARK KNIGHT RETURNS.  However, rather than being derivative, it seems to be more of an homage.  Besides, Priest pulled it off with much more style than most writers do.  Priest's Bruce Wayne also isn't quite as grim or violent as Miller's.  He seems happier and he obviously takes great joy in giving Luthor and the Kryptonians headaches.  Speaking of Luthor again, the antagonistic relationship between Batman and Luthor is a fantastic idea, one that ought to be used more.  

Beyond the great characters in this story, Priest has a wonderful plot and some amazing narration here.  The narration is, in my estimation, as good as the spectacular narration in XERO and QUANTUM & WOODY.   I can't adequately describe how good it is; buy this comic and see for yourself.  Plot-wise, the story isn't anything terribly original.  The theme of the rebel against a tyrannical government isn't something new, by any means.  But Priest's version has a great deal of style to it, some very nice substance, and enough little differences that one can overlook any thematic similarities.  

Artistically, Priest's long-time contributor MD Bright turns in an exceptionally solid job.  Interestingly, I found that his pencils and Shoultz's inks looked strongly reminiscent of some of John Byrne's art.  This, of course, is a good thing.  Byrne's present art may be fit only for dogs about to be put to sleept but his older stuff (from ALPHA FLIGHT, UNCANNY X- MEN and FANTASTIC FOUR) is quite nice.  And Priest and Bright manage to evoke that extremely well.  Superman and Batman both look fabulous and I especially liked the Kryptonian technology Bright and Shoulz drew.  Very nice, in my opinion.  

The sole problem I had with this story was the ending, particularly the (re-?) appearances of Batman and Robin.  It certainly seemed to me that Batman died at the hands of Luthor and that Robin had retired.  However, upon second thought, I wonder if maybe both events weren't hoaxes to get Kal-El into the rebellion sooner ... Hmm ... In that context, Priest's story is made even better...  

This story is definitely one of the finer Elseworlds that I've ever had the pleasure of reading, and one that you can probably still find at your store, reasonably priced.
  

Score:  A  
  

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