Superman ’78 #6: Hot Blooded

It’s the big finale to this mini-series and it is a banger! Author Robert Venditti sent his brain back to talk with Richard Donner in 1978 and has created the absolutely perfect Superman 1.5 if you will. This issue features a larger-than-life battle between Brainiac and Superman and if you’ve been looking for some classic Superman story and action, then this is the place that you’re gonna find it. Venditti combines great, exciting action with a really compelling story which puts the spotlight completely on just what makes Superman the hero that sets the standard for all other heroes to try and live up to. Unconditional goodness and outright selflessness, The action is intense and exciting and manages to incorporate some comic book staples while maintaining the movie feel, While Venditti has been our guide back to this era of comic book history, he’s managed to also create a brand new world that we’re going to want to revisit and revisit really soon. The possibilities for this concept are endless, and I have a feeling that Venditti has at least a few more stories on deck. Hopefully, we’ll get to read them before long.

Artist Wilfredo Torres is the one who started this whole thing off, so the majority of the praise has to go to him! It was his drawings that got the ball rolling on this project, and it’s easy to see why. This issue must’ve been a total blast to draw because it has every kind of scene in it that you could ask for. He finds the perfect way to combine larger-than-life action with a look that stays true to the 70s era that the book is set in. This book is truly a feast for the eyes.