Lex Luthor - Man of Steel is a great look inside the mind of Superman's greatest foe and one of the DC Universe's most intriguing and interesting villains. In fact, Brian Azzarello writes this story of Lex Luthor with the goal of showing the complexity of what makes Lex Luthor tick. Azzarello posits the idea of Lex Luthor not being the sociopathic villain whose quest to destroy Superman has become almost Ahab-like in its intensity. No, Luthor in this book is made out to be less a villain but a champion of humanity against what he sees as the stagnating and tyrannical effect of Superman on the human race.



He sees Superman as a super-powerful being of alien origin whose seeming similarity to looking like a human is just a disguise to hide what he suspects as something whose very presence will lead to humanity's downfall. Even the way Superman is drawn by Lee Bermejo as seen by Luthor looks like some sort of demonic being whose glowing red eyes make him more villain than superhero. Azzarello's book doesn't make Luthor into a hero for he still makes decisions which seem to be that of a sociopath than a hero for the people. His hiring of the pedophilic Toyman is one example of the true nature of Luthor showing through just enough beneath the image the man himself has deluded his own self into believing.



One could make the point that Lex Luthor - Man of Steel is a story of one man's delusions of heroic grandeur and a messianic complex. He sees everyone around him as less than his equal thus putting the onus of saving the world from the likes of Superman on his own shoulders. He even sees Bruce Wayne as less the philantrophic businessman but more as a rogue who only does things for his own selfish needs. No, in this book Lex Luthor sees himself as the only person who has the will and the mind to do what is best for humanity even if they don't appreciate him for it.



Azzarello really hits every note in making Lex Luthor both heroic and villainous in this story. He has written a tale of a man's obsession with the downfall of a superhero get to the point that reality has almost become warped in this man's mind. Lee Bermejo's beautiful near photorealistic artwork works very well with Azzarello's story. I also like the small details of how Luthor truly sees Superman. From the glowing red eyes and the use of bleached out colors of Superman's costume. Gone is the red, white and blue colors of the costume and in its place are colors closer to black and red.



Lex Luthor - Man of Steel is a great and intriguing graphic novel by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo delving into the complex and, ultimately, fracturing mind of Lex Luthor. I didn't think it was possible, but these two artists have made Luthor both sympathetic and reviled in the same book in equal amounts. I highly recommend this book to fans of the DC Universe and its characters.