Superman #41 is a continuation of our heroes venturing to the planet Galymayne which is on the verge of being destroyed. Step back for a minute and think of what this reminds you of. A certain tale of a Kryptonian child escaping from an exploding planet in order to carry out a semblance of his bloodline’s survival. One of the best things about this particular issue is that writer James Robinson is able to take that origin story and imply it into newfound lessons that Superman can instill in his son, Jon.
Ed Benes does a beautiful job with the artwork. As Superman regains his power, you really see that leap off the page. You also get a sense of the destruction of the Galymayne planet and feel the grandiose loss of life because of the size of the explosion.
Both characters meet Klain, who is a citizen of Galymayne. We learn that he lost his wife and even though as a practicing scientist, there’s a rigid expectation of the finality of life – he believes that he will see her again. Within the DC Universe, Superman is seen as the “God-like” figure. He’s the symbol of hope and everything good. Klain even states Superman’s altruistic nature as a pillar of hope for him. It’s interesting to see that Superman does not fully believe in an “higher power,” but he believes in something. Just not enough to dominate his overall belief system.
There’s a fluidity between belief systems for Klain. The rest of the Galymaynes believe in their religion that ultimately leads to their demise at the end. From there, Superman is able to teach Jon a lesson. A lesson in that where there is no balance in belief, you will ultimately perish. Obviously, Superman has learned about this with his home planet, Krypton. You can be a pillar of hope and maybe that will catch on with people to do the right thing. Sometimes, it doesn’t. This is apparent when Superman is trying to reason with the Galymaynes. This will be something that Jon has to learn as he grows up.
Throughout the Superman mythosis, there’s hope. Like Jor-El, Klain is setting remnants of his wife/DNA with the strand that something can come of it.
There’s a lot of death within Superman #41, but the silver lining (if you look at it that way), that through death, there can be something positive. This story is the ultimate clash of values. Superman is the personification of savior running up against a species that’s intent on dying. This is a good conclusion to the story that teaches Superman something new.
RATING: 8.5 out of 10.
