Action Comics #892 [2010]

ACTION COMICS #892

This comic was heavily promoted by DC attaching sample pages behind their other monthly series. The story begins with Lex Luthor tracking down the vestiges of power he tasted during Blackest Night. We started this journey with the confrontation with the telepathic alien caterpillar Mr. Mind, the villain from the weekly DC maxi-series 52.

Mr. Mind probes Luthor by distracting him with fantasies however he is much clever to be deceived within a dream sequence. Luthor punches Mr. Mind in the dream and asks him who is behind this since Mr. Mind has no reason for the mental attack. After defeating him, Luthor decides its best to work with a team and calls in the assassin Deathstroke.

Traveling with his team to Antarctica to locate the residual of the black ring energy, Luthor finds a dark sphere that regulates strong emotions within his team. This results with Deathstroke attacking Luthor. Meanwhile his team is busy getting the measurements needed from the dark energy source however it has been altered and disappears. Luthor discovers there are other dark spheres existing in separate places and one exists in the fortress of Gorilla Grodd.

UK writer Paul Cornell brings out the intellect of Lex Luthor however this issue seems to slow down to set-up future issues. Not as smart or surprising as the first two issues however the story does want you to explore the series further as the mystery of the Black Ring reveals itself. This series would definitely be a great trade paperback edition however this particular issue falls short.

NEEDS IMPROVEMENT – 3 OUT OF 5