Due to these catastrophes, Flag and Waller ship the villains to Salvation, satirically giving the baddies their very own world to overcome. After all, villains being villains, they quickly type tribes and begin scheming towards each other, leading to all-out chaos. The baddies break into three camps—one led by Lex Luthor, one other by the Joker, and a 3rd by the immortal Vandal Savage—and finally Martian Manhunter and Darkseid’s henchman Desaad will get concerned. Additionally, in a single concern, Gorilla Grodd kills fellow clever primate Monsieur Mallah by beating him to demise together with his lover the Mind.
That may sound enjoyable however, sadly, it isn’t. Regardless of sturdy pencils by Sean Chen and the involvement of reliable writers Invoice Willingham and Lilah Sturges, Salvation Run feels very very similar to an editorial mandate seeking a narrative. Issues occur not as a result of they make sense for the character, however as a result of sure plot factors should be in place for future tales.
DC editorial clearly wished to make use of Salvation Run to arrange the subsequent firm occasion, Closing Disaster. However as a result of Closing Disaster comes from Grant Morrison, and since Morrison was extra serious about telling metatextual tales concerning the nature of superhero fiction, it didn’t match DC editorial’s goals of crossovers. So whereas Closing Disaster stays an unimaginable piece of labor, all the varied tie-ins—together with, and maybe particularly, Salvation Run, have been consigned to the dustbins and greenback bins of comedian ebook historical past.
Which implies it’s the right sequence for James Gunn to revive. Earlier than Gunn put him within the lineup of 2021’s The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker was a horrible character, one who by no means resonated with followers, regardless of a number of makes an attempt by DC. But, Gunn made Chris Smith into one of many richest and most nuanced figures in superhero fiction, turning his nonsensical motto—”I like peace a lot, I’m keen to kill for it”—into an exploration of poisonous masculinity and the potential of redemption.
Furthermore, Salvation Run is a good suggestion for a narrative, even when the execution of the comedian didn’t work. Gunn has labored to earn Flag’s distrust of metahumans. And although he’s blissful to make use of Lex’s know-how and associates Happersen and Otis, Flag would definitely have the appropriate to stay Luthor on Salvation after the near-destruction of Metropolis in Superman.
In brief, it’s simple to see how Salvation Run may very well be fertile floor for the upcoming Superman sequel, Man of Tomorrow. Flag sends each Superman and Luthor to Salvation, together with different metahumans. And although Lex hates the metas, Superman can encourage them and him, and the 2 enemies will work collectively for the nice of all. After all, that doesn’t clarify the place Brainiac is available in, the presumed final villain of Man of Tomorrow. Brainaic is among the few baddies who doesn’t seem in Salvation Run.
