Adventure Comics Special featuring The Guardian

. . . being a big fat insert that could have fit into the recent Jimmy Olsen Special (the big clue being an editor's note that states: 'This story takes place between pages 53 and 54 of Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen Special 1!). That's not to say it's bad, as the cloned Guardian of the Cadmus Project tells the red-headed reporter his recent history. There are a couple of nice surprises, but the biggest of them will only mean anything to old Legion fans.

The problem is that it doesn't feel urgent. It's one character telling another a story, and when the action comes, its flashback nature strips the sequences of any tension. As a chapter in the big story of New Krypton - this is listed as Triangle 3 in the current counting sequence - it's a decent enough read, but as a compelling comic book, it fails. Writer James Robinson and artist Pere Perez do a good job, but there are no standout moments. The comic feels self-indulgent, an optional extra.

And it committed a Crime Against Mart. One of my current bugbears is titles and credits dumped at the back of the book for no obvious reason. This comic goes one better, interrupting the story on page 12 to give us the gen. If anyone can tell me what this decision adds to the story, I'll be most grateful.

The best thing about this comic is the movie poster style cover, by Victor Ibánéz (there's also one by the excellent Wonder Woman artist Aaron Lopresti). And typically, I can't find a decent copy online!