Superman: The Warworld Saga

Wherein Superman, and his handpicked version of The Authority, go to Warworld to free it and its subjects from Mongul’s iron grasp.  That’s what this 700+ page collection boils down to and if you’ve read a story where the Man of Steel goes off to save a group of people or a civilization from totalitarian rule, you already know how this is going to play out.  Heck, if you’ve read any “Superman” story then you know that his triumph over the forces of evil here is more a matter of when rather than if.  What I’m saying is that while Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s epic story doesn’t break the mold, it does get a lot of the details right and shows you the kind of work that’s needed to make a familiar story like this feel satisfying in this day and age.

While “The Warworld Saga” was originally published across three separate volumes of “Action Comics,” this all-in-one collection feels like the right way to read it.  That’s because it’s graced with a first act that’s just about all setup.  A spaceship full of refugees crash-lands on Earth and sets nations squabbling over control of its mysterious power source.  However, Superman is more concerned with its survivors – one of whom spoke to him in a dead Kryptonian language.  It’s from her that he learns about the brutal slave regime Mongul is running on Warworld and the effect it has had on those living under it.

That lasts for six full issues and if I had read the volume by itself, I’d have probably said that it was good setup, but that the jury was still out on how it’d read as part of the whole story.  As it turns out, it reads pretty well.  We get a lot of background info to set up the Warworld threat and how its culture has warped the minds of all those connected to it.  There are also some good scenes between Clark and his family as he lets them know that he’s going to be gone for a while this time.  Oh, and he’s going to need some help here as well (that Grant Morrison may have had a hand in putting together).

After that we get two volumes and change showing the actual struggle on Warworld, and how badly it goes for almost everyone on initial contact.  Having that happen was a necessary step for the story, and highlights why it isn’t going to subvert your expectations regarding how it’s going to go.  Instead, you get a solid tale of Superman and his crew building their strength back up, inspiring the locals, and showing themselves to be more clever than their captors.  It’s what I like to see in a “Superman” story and you get to see that all in one go.  As opposed to waiting months between volumes, or during any kind of break between buying them.

You also get some side stories that help flesh out the backstory of Johnson’s version of Warworld and what some of the other heroes were up to back on Earth.  As well as the “Superman/Authority Special” which shows the Man of Steel working out the kinks of teamwork in his new team in the most superheroic way possible:  By having them take on the threat of invasion posed by a Dark Earth that’s ruled by the Al Ghul Family and their Empire of Shadows.  It’s a great warm-up for the main story, and features impressive art from Ben Templesmith and Trevor Hairsine.

In fact, the art for the whole story is strong all around.  The first act is illustrated by Daniel Sampere, and even if I didn’t care to check out his work on “Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths,” I can see why DC wanted him to illustrate that event series.  Sampere is an artist who marries a good level of detail to sharp compositions that emphasize the action in his superhero storytelling.  He’s followed by Riccardo Federici who has a softer look and one that almost feels European in his painterly approach to the material.  Federici is great with all of the alien settings he has to draw, along with giving the conflict a more epic feel in his staging.  The man isn’t able to illustrate all of this, but solid fill-in work is provided from Will Conrad, Dale Eaglesham, Fico Ossio, and more.

Were that everything, “The Warworld Saga” would still be a solid read.  However, DC also saw fit to throw in Johnson’s “Future State” work with the character as well.  While these issues don’t tell us a fully cohesive story, they do provide an interesting look at an Earth, and Superman family, after the man himself has had to leave them behind.  If nothing else, I have to respect Johnson’s imagination here when it comes to envisioning this world and the Superman Family.  I don’t think it’s going to have any resonance beyond being a rather large “Imaginary Story” or “Elseworlds” tale, but  what’s here is still enjoyable on its own terms.

Which is a good way to sum up this volume as well.  It’s a familiar and predictable kind of “Superman” story, but one that’s still satisfying to read in the end.  That’s because it has a great handle on the character, a scope that genuinely feels epic, a memorable supporting cast, and quality art throughout.  “The Warworld Saga” may come in a hefty and pricey ($60) volume, yet it’s one that fans of the character, or those just looking for a good story featuring him, are certain to enjoy.