Amazo’s existential crisis is now one that’s on multiple Earths! As Superman trades places with a Nazi version of himself, the Justice League tries to figure out just what’s going on. Answers lie far across their universe, however – and as Amazo’s mind unravels, the very fabric of reality threatens to do the same! Justice League Infinity #2 written by J.M. DeMatteis and James Tucker, drawn by Ethen Beavers, colored by Nick Filardi, and lettered by Tom Napolitano.
There seems to be no end to pop culture’s fascination with Evil Superman.
When it’s not Homelander, it’s Omni Man, or Hyperion over at Marvel. DC’s no stranger to this itself (trust me, I just finished writing a review about Ultraman over on Crime Syndicate), and as Justice League Infinity gives us yet another evil Supes, I can’t help but wonder what all the fuss is about. We don’t get nearly as many evil Batmen, or Wonder Women. A whole Spider-Verse gives us slim pickings when it comes to villainy, heck, even a show about Lokis across the multiverse can barely give us a fully evil one (though an argument can be made for that one who’s trying to run for President).
So why does Superman keep getting the evil end of the multidimensional stick?
What Works, and What Doesn’t
Maybe it’s just because we have people more interested in the power of Superman, and less the morality that comes with the ol’ ‘S’ symbol. Maybe just that it’s fun to see that kind of power unleashed, especially when you’re looking for blockbuster levels of action. Or maybe it’s that cynical part of people uncomfortable with the idea of pure, unmovable goodness. Of a man as impervious to corruption as he is to bullets. A perfect Superman is not one that sits well with everyone.
But one thing I’ve always appreciated about the Superman of DC’s animated universe is his vulnerability – to energy beams, sure, but also to his own passions, his own mistakes – even to his own hopes. Thrust in a world that worships everything he stands against, Superman’s first reaction isn’t stoic nobility. He howls back against the facist crowd before he gets himself under control.
I wasn’t quite expecting a comic based on a cartoon to be this reflective of reality, as Superman looks out amongst literal Nazis and pro-facist crowds, and comments that this sort of thing has become all too common back on the Earth he knows. After his knee-jerk yelling at them, though, he does the dorkiest and most lovably Superman thing possible – he attempts to talk to them and get them to see things his way, speaking with compassion, understanding, and hope.
It shouldn’t work. For the most part, it doesn’t work. But after the requisite punching, Superman flies away to figure out a little bit more about this world he’s stuck in, and from a few scattered cheers he finds, “I’d gotten through to a few of them, at least.”
Brave New Retelling
Where last issue was focused on the Martian Manhunter with some fun Justice League shenanigans on the side, this issue puts Superman squarely in the spotlight – two Supes for the price of one, even! It’s not necessarily the most balanced fit – Superman takes the narrative captions entirely. While this kind of verbose narration is perfect for our favorite melancholy Martian, it feels a bit much for Superman himself – especially when he goes so far as to narrate what’s clearly other people’s voiceovers, verbatim.
That being said, it’s a great Superman spotlight, especially in the story of Superman’s dark mirror, the Nazi Overman. The SS symbol on his chest puts Lois in mind of the Superman she met in “Brave New Metropolis“; an episode of the animated series where Lois was stuck in a world where Superman turned tyrannical after failing to save her from a car explosion. Overman has also loved and lost a Lois Lane in his lifetime – only he was brainwashed to forget about it.
It’s a strange decision for the book to specifically take the Superman from “Brave New Metropolis,” double down on his Nazi symbolism, and then try to make him sympathetic…but I won’t say his tale of woe didn’t get to me a little. Overman is by no means a redeemable villain, but the tragedy of his origins does ring clear.
It looks like things are about to get even more omniversally unstable in future issues, though. If the first issue was a friendly “Welcome back!”, then this issue feels like the first steps in what may be a truly wild tale – but one that doesn’t forget its heart. I have no idea what I’m in for, but this is good comics, here…and a damn sight better than the main Justice League book we’re getting now.
