Garcia-Lopez has a timeless quality to his art, much like how Neal Adams does, but that sort of romanticized notion feels almost out of place in a book like this, a book that’s ushering in a new era of DC stories. It’s not ugly or anything remotely close: this is quality work from a legendary DC artist. However, it just doesn’t feel quite right here, especially in regards to Bendis’ fast-paced, dialogue-riddled super-story.

It felt too wordy, and it didn’t feel like it went anywhere. It introduced a potentially new threat to the Daily Planet (or more), and it showed that Superman hasn’t been himself (nothing that a good pair of trunks won’t solve!). Compared to the Joker story and the Justice League story that follows it, this seemed like a bland story that I didn’t really enjoy.

Lastly, there’s a No Justice: Prelude story that sets the table for this epic upcoming Justice League arc. It’s written by our buddy Scott Snyder, with James Tynion IV and Joshua Williamson, but the real star of this piece is absolutely artists Jorge Jimenez & Alejandro Sanchez.

Why Jimenez isn’t recognized as one of the best, if not THE best artist at DC is something I can’t comprehend: his work is dynamic, from the character design to the frenetic action to simply how physics work in a panel. This guy is one of the most talented pencillers in the game, and he flexes some quality muscle here. There’s a sense of urgency he nails with these characters as they race to their objectives, and even though the action is palpable he also still manages to convey emotion with clarity in nearly every character face.