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Overanalyzing Anime
Blog Owner & Lead Writer
The fifth issue of Doomsday Clock takes the story into new territory as our story yet again splits into several subplots as the “Supermen Theory” continues to effect world relations and the search for Doctor Manhattan continues.
Let’s start by dissecting the so-called “Supermen Theory,” which claims that, due to the fact that so many meta-humans originate from the United States, they have been engineered for the purpose of creating an armed force of powered individuals. It’s not as though the idea isn’t without merit, as it is strange that so many meta-humans would originate from a single country. While we, as readers in the real world, know that this is simply because the comic book industry originated in America and, as such, primarily focused on creating America based heroes, it’s still nice to see Doomsday Clock address the idea by creating this theory. It’s very meta.
While it may seem at first glance that the idea of the “Supermen Theory” would fall flat - especially due to our pre-existing knowledge of how so many of the worlds meta-humans gained their powers - it seems that there may be some truth to the idea, as Lex Luthor makes it clear that someone within the Justice League did, in fact, create meta-humans for the government. Now, while we know Luthor is far from the most trustworthy individual, it seems strange that he would fabricate something like that.
Even still, whether or not the theory is true, it doesn’t change the fact that the rest of the world believes that it is. The “Supermen Theory” - true or not - has sparked a new arms race; this time not in terms of nuclear weapons but, instead, meta-humans. We hear of a number of different countries who are all assembling their own meta-human groups in order to defend themselves from the perceived threat of America’s ever growing number of supermen.
This idea of an arms race heavily mirrors the events of Watchmen - especially with Russia at the forefront of the conflict; it has me wondering whether the United States and Russia are in conflict with one another on every Earth. With Doomsday Clock mirroring Watchmen when it comes to this worldwide conflict, I do wonder if this story will have a similar conclusion. I suppose only time will tell. It’s definitely interesting to see the effect this theory has had on world relations, and I’m excited to see just how it all plays out.
Moving away from the “Supermen Theory,” we turn back to the hunt for Doctor Manhattan, as Ozymandias and Rorschach continue their search for the elusive man. While Ozymandias has had practically no luck so far - not managing to convince Lex Luthor to help or effectively fending off the Comedian’s onslaught - Rorschach has had a better run of things. Not only has he partnered up with the telepath, Saturn Girl, but he’s also come across Johnny Thunder and his “magic lamp” - now known to be the Green Starheart which once belonged to Alan Scott, the “original” Green Lantern.
While I’m not familiar with Saturn Girl all that much, I am well aware of the significance of the ring she holds, as it is a symbol of the Legion of Superheroes - a superhero organization from the 30th Century. What she’s doing in Arkham Asylum in the 20th Century is anyone’s guess, but if the ring alone wasn’t enough, her ability to peer inside the minds of others certainly leads to me believe she is who she claims to be.
While the notion of the Green Lantern’ Lantern threw me off at first, it made a great deal of sense when I considered the fact that Alan Scott was a different kind of Green Lantern, who didn’t get his powers from the same place as other Lanterns such as Hal Jordan or John Stewart - his power instead came from the Starheart, which took on the form of a lantern. It also explains why Johnny was able to find it - since, normally, only a Green Lantern can access another Green Lantern’s Power Battery from whatever pocket dimension they’re housing it in. I’m not entirely familiar with just how the Starheart works, but Johnny seems confident that he can use it to bring his friends “back,” so it’ll be interesting to see just how he’ll go about doing that.
The next issue is sure to be an exciting one, as I hope we’ll get more insight on what role the Justice Society and Legion of Superheroes will have on the story going forward. Not only that, but with Batman now in the clutches of Marionette, Mime, and the Joker - the next issue is sure to be a doozey!
My rating: 9/10
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