To battle the enemy you know, yet you really don't know.

Thirty-five years ago the planet of Krypton was attacked by a horde of Brainiac robots, and at the end of the conflict before Krypton's destruction the city of Kandor was captured. In the present, Superman responds to a situation only to encounter Brainiac. However, according to Supergirl, he's never met the real Brainiac. Superman embarks on a solo mission to battle a menace he knows, yet he doesn't know at all. -summary

One thing I could always hand to Geoff Johns; he knows how to make superhero stories fun (loved his run on Green Lantern). While writers like Mike Millar, Grant Morrison, and Garth Ennis will take you on some really nice cerebral trips. Johns tends to keep things moderately simple and deliver a story akin to the summer blockbusters. And in the case of Superman, rarely would I find his works to be boring. Personally, I think he has Superman down to a science and stories such as Superman: Brainiac is the proof. Collecting Action Comics 866 - 870, and Superman: New Krypton Special One, Superman: Brainiac is a five issue series that pits the Man of Steel against the most powerful incarnation of Brainiac at this point. In the process, Johns also reaches deep into the past of pre-crisis, bringing back the bottled city of Kandor and the original form of Brainiac, which felt all types of awesome when I first read this.

First of all, if you're looking for something to put your brain in knots, then you're better off looking for something else. This is your above average comic, with Superman taking on a major threat. The main antagonist is developed very well, since the reader will witness Brainiac destroying an entire world almost as quick as it took him to invade it. Supergirl guest stars here, and Brainiac is also developed through her, due to her obvious fear of the villain. There's actually a dual character development going on here that doesn't feel like a time waster.

The plot is very quick paced and straight to the point. There are even moments of straight up action and no dialog at all, which is rarely a bad thing. Johns also does a rather good job with the suspense and even that surprise ending. The only gripes I can probably think of would be the use of Brainiac himself. Being the super intelligent entity that he is, I was expecting more of a battle of wits, instead, he was far more on the physical side. It felt awkward for him to claim that Superman couldn't out think him, when they were slugging it out the entire time.

I have to say the artwork is near flawless. Minus the lack of detail, Gary Frank drew Superman splendid as he appears to heavily resemble Christopher Reeves. The character designs are all around great, with some nice models for Cat Grant and Supergirl. Brainiac especially looks awesome, and very intimidating. John Sibal delivered with the inks, and the backgrounds look very good. The inside of Brainiac's ship provides the sci-fi feel with many inhabitants from different species caged up in what appears to be over-sized, pearl shaped bottles. The action panels are nothing at all to look down on, as Superman even uses his heat vision to burn a huge scar across Brainiac's face.

Superman: Brainiac delivers the goods for sure, and that ending may have been unexpected. This story also carries over and sets the stage for the New Krypton saga, so it actually serves a purpose. For me, this begins one of the more interesting Superman arcs to come around in awhile. Recommended if you feel burned out by the more thought provoking stories, or if you're a fan of Superman.

Pros:
-Fast paced basic superheroing story

Cons:
-Small issues with writing