Over time the eagle will soar while the mountain wears down, but which is which?
This is a through examination of Superman and Lex Luthor's relationship. The thing about Astro City though is that while the characters are definitely inspired by others they do have enough to be good on their own merits. In this case Infidel the Luthor stand in, is a ancient man hungry for power who was able to achieve it, and then lost it all due to The Samaritan's heroics.
As with all of Astro City you don't have to read anything beforehand to get what's going on but it may help to have read the first volume of Astro City so you know The Samaritan's origin. Busiek is working with about 40 pages here and what he accomplishes really is noteworthy. We get to see Infidel's origin, see the relationship between the two and really get a good sense of everything that's going on and can easily spot the comparison. The Superman/Luthor dynamic is a special one but it hasn't ever been as well put and executed as this.
The art isn't amazing, but it isn't bad either. It probably won't dazzle anyone like Ross' covers do but it shows everything needed well and has its own sense of style while looking like what I think a comic would look like. I realize that sounds weird but when you read it you may seem underwhelmed but is really does feel like what I would want in a comic.
Verdict!
Just another quick review with the hopes that I may be able to get someone to look and find this spectacular piece of literature.
