Superman #224 dated February 2006

Ahhh, a set-up issue. This issue sets up bigger and better things to come.

It works with Luthor and Superman both struggling at the same time through different dilemmas to show that they are different. Luthor grasps strength through his hatred for Superman and Superman gets his strength from his love of doing what is right.

This is an Infinite Crisis crossover issue. Luthor is fighting OMACs, apparently derived from his technology.

This issue leaves off with some kind of collision coming between Luthor and Superman. These issues are necessary and I am glad they still do them. A whole issue that sets up what a cataclysmic fight is coming up. This builds character, suspense.

The only thing I dislike about this issue and is prevalent in quite a few I read nowadays, but there is no explanations. Superman starts fighting this crazed woman named Blackrock (that looks almost too much like she�s from the pages of Witchblade). I have seen her once because I have seen her in another comic. There is nothing explaining her powers. There is nothing telling me why she hates Superman or where exactly her powers come from, or for that matter, nothing telling me exactly what her powers actually are.

Do they not want to pay letterers? I remember growing up with text boxes, explaining what the heck was going on. Nowadays these text boxes are just being used to tell the inner dialogue of the characters, a thing started, I believe, by Frank Miller in Batman: Year One. Bring the text boxes back!