A comic about a world ruled by an evil, fascist Superman? Sounds like my kind of party.

Tangent: Superman’s Reign Vol. 1
Writers: Dan Jurgens, Ron Marz, and Dwayne McDuffie
Artists: Jamal Igle, Fernando Pasarin, Matthew Clark, Joe Benitez, Robin Riggs, Jesse Delperdang, and Victor Llamas
Covers: Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund

Summary: The Tangent Earth and our DC Universe collide in this collection of TANGENT: SUPERMAN’S REIGN #1-6 and JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #16.

Review: When dealing with a bunch of characters at once, tripping and landing face first into that well-known rut of cardboard writing and general pandemonium becomes all too easy. On occasion, though, the damage manages to remain at a minimum; the first volume of TANGENT: SUPERMAN’S REIGN passes the test with an medley of competent writers and artists who keep their heads in the face of potential recklessness.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #16 turns out to be the weakest part of the trade, but thankfully it only serves as a sort of prologue for the central story. The main problem of “A Brief Tangent” lies with its quickly achieved resolution, which proves too tidy and convenient to successfully hit the mark of believability. But I guess here function takes precedence over form, for the issue provides the reason for the Sliders-esque reality hopping of SUPERMAN’S REIGN and introduces the Earth tangent’s superhero the Atom as well as its female Flash, the ridiculously ditzy and two-dimensional Lia Nelson. Sadly for Miss Nelson, but she should be fraternizing with the other awkwardly written comic book characters on the Island of Misfit Superheroes, because for all the others’ flaws she doesn’t at all fit in with the rest of the universe-saving gang. Lia either stands there sporting a dumb expression—as though the artists are trying to excuse her stupidity via physicality—or she obnoxiously declares even more embarrassing lines (”I might not know a lot about what’s happening here but it’s easy to see it has to be stopped!”).

Besides faltering with the random cheesy moment now and then (a talking lab tube version of Plastic Man, for instance), the writers actually do a decent job of constructing an intriguing, fairly solid story. “History Lesson” equips you with all the backstory you need to understand and dive into the alternative reality of Earth-9—a world run by the Superman Harvey Dent (yeah, I know, I giggled at first, too) who cleaned up humanity to the point where people have everything they need except for freedom. Now, the outcasted superheroes of Earth-9 are planning a mutiny against their tyrant leader in order to free the captured Atom and reclaim their world; if New Earth’s heroes ever hope to return home, they’ll have to help the rebels take out Superman.

TANGENT: SUPERMAN’S REIGN Volume 1 offers an enjoyable ride with substance. Surprisingly, the entire cast of characters feel essential to the plot because of how the writers handle the story—which actually succeeds at supporting its own self-proclaimed importance. The trade might not be without a few flaws, but overall, the comic works.

Rating: 4/5

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