Acclaim for Warworld Saga
Cover art by Maleha Binta Wahide
Words by Reuben Polatov
Welcome to Warworld: a hellish alien planet where the strong survive and the weak are used as fuel for the planet’s energy. Kindness is weakness and savagery is noble. The entire population is enslaved and forced to fight for their keep, wearing manacles that are gifted with longer chains for each victory. At the head of this civilization is He Who Holds All Chains: Mongul, the 1,792nd of his name in a long line of fathers and sons who ascend to the throne by murdering their predecessors. Among the slaves are the Phaelosians, descendants of a tribe exiled from Superman’s homeworld of Krypton, who were conquered by Warworld.
The superhero genre was invented with the debut of Superman in the first issue of Action Comics in 1938. Despite publishing more than one thousand issues since then, there have been relatively few iconic stories in Action, instead being treated as a book for more inconsequential stories, while the significant ones are handled elsewhere. Following Miles Morales creator Brian Michael Bendis’ criticized tenure on the series, author Phillip Kennedy Johnson was brought in to revitalize it while the main Superman comic series was suspended, launching a year-and-a-half-long epic that took the Man of Steel to the ends of his limits on an alien world and resulting in one of the most celebrated Superman stories in years.
Art work by Miguel Mendoça
The story picks up on Earth, where a mysterious ship crashes from space, leading Superman to find Phaelosian refugees inside. Upon learning of their plight, he soon leaves for Warworld to free the planet, only to find himself overpowered by Mongul and depowered from the world’s environment; he gains his superpowers from the sun, and Warworld has none. Relatively powerless and publicly humiliated in front of a population that knows only slavery and has no wish for liberation, he must find a way to regain his powers, free the planet, and return home to his family.
Johnson’s characterization of the Man of Steel in this story is what makes it so memorable. Stripped bare of what makes him physically special and made a slave on a world of cynicism and selfishness, Superman retains the one power that he and many of us always have: power over ourselves and our actions. He is always his own true master, yet the master of no one but himself.
Admitting defeat is a simple thing that his teammates do, and urge him to do as well, yet he never relents. At all costs to himself, he will protect the innocent, refrain from violence until all other options have been exhausted, and do whatever he can for the furtherment of truth and justice. When confronted by the victims that he failed to save, he apologizes to the dead, and promises to do what he can to prevent any more.
Art work by Riccardo Federici
The art on the series is simply spectacular. The first arc on Earth is illustrated by Daniel Sampere, who does a splendid job of depicting these fantastical elements in a believable way. Among all of the science fiction constructs, there was never a moment when something looked wrong or like it couldn’t exist. All of the characters have distinct silhouettes and faces that are consistent and easily distinguishable.
When the story moves to Warworld, the penciling moves to Riccardo Federici, who does just as well on that planet as Sampere did on Earth. His three-dimensional style gives the planet a sense of unreality, a feeling that everything is almost familiar and yet not quite right. It has the same atmosphere as classic science fiction stories like A Princess of Mars and Flash Gordon, which this saga’s story is evocative of. Superman may have no super-strength due to the lack of a sun, but he is still built like a gorilla, with immaculate attention to the anatomy of a muscular upper body. It would be easy for a design like this to feel larger than life, yet it plays well with Johnson’s dialogue to keep the character human, though an exceptional one.
The world-building that Johnson does for Warworld cannot be understated. The planet existed in the background of previous stories, but it was never given this much love and attention.
The origin of the first Mongul and how his selfishness permeates across history, the creation of the planet and where Mongul’s power comes from, and its place in intergalactic politics as a threat that no one wishes to cross are all fleshed out, which, in addition to the artists’ masterful visual depiction of it, gives the world real weight. Johnson uses this setting not just as an interesting science fiction concept, but utilizes it to examine how people treat each other in hostile environments. There are Warworlders who wish to become more ruthless, and thus more respected, only to be held back by devotion to their family. Mongul, on the other hand, rose to power by murdering his father, and smiles at the news that all of his sons have been murdered, and thus there is no one to usurp him like he did. Even one of Superman’s teammates ends up joining Mongul’s side for the sake of a loved one. Superman himself needs to constantly remind himself of his wife and son waiting for him on Earth. It’s in this setting where he shines as a paragon of hope that leads those around him to believe in truth, justice, and a better tomorrow.
The full story is available to read in graphic novel form wherever books are found as Superman: Action Comics, vol. 1: Warworld Rising; vol. 2: The Arena; and vol. 3: Warworld Revolution; or through a digital subscription to DC Universe Infinite.
