Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor

Lex Luthor is dying.  After an experiment involving Kryptonite goes horribly wrong, he finds that his cellular structure is burning itself out and he only has days to live.  Which is why he goes to his greatest enemy and asks him to save his life.  Which is fortunate for Luthor as Superman has a lot of friends in the present day (and many days from now) who know a thing or two about medicine, science, and magic.  They’re even willing to help the Man of Steel out as they express their deep misgivings about what he’s trying to do.  Because this is just Luthor’s latest plan to finally destroy that wretched alien.  Isn’t it?

People reading this three-issue series in single issue form had to wait a while to read it in its entirety after DC published the first issue without checking with artist Bryan Hitch to see when he’d be able to get to the final two.  I’d like to think that they found the wait to be worth it as the artist and writer Mark Waid tell a very satisfying story about the lengths Superman will go to for humanity and life in general.  Even if the setup to this story is predictable, and some of its elements are set up and then dropped (like the public outcry over what Supes is doing), Waid still delivers with a story that goes to lots of interesting places that reinforce and refine what we know about the character.  There’s also that great final chapter which makes the most of its status as a non-canon Black Label title.

As for Hitch?  Was there really any doubt that he’d knock a project like this out of the park?  The man shows once again why he’s one of the best superhero artists ever with action scenes that are many, varied, and impressive in the sense of scale the artist is able to effortlessly deliver.  He also gets to draw just about every corner of the DC Universe, and deliver some spectacular double-page splashes that will dazzle and amaze you.  Yes, maybe this project is a little on the pricey side in its hardcover form, but this is a case where I felt it was worth it by the time I was done reading it.  Recommended for all “Superman” fans new and old.