[7.9/10] This is kind of a weird episode. Frankly, it feels more something out of B:TAS and its Ra’s al Ghul craziness than the more cosmic material that Supes usually deals with. But I like it! Karkull the eldritch horror feels like a worthy (and challenging) threat for Superman to face, the design work is great, and the plot obstacles are convincing.
The strangest element in this one is Dr. Fate. The episode treats things as though he’s an old friend of Superman’s. I’m jumping around a bit in the order, but I don’t remember him, and that tone of familiarity makes the meeting and setup feel odd, as though we’ve missed some crucial past adventure. Still, while Dr. Fate’s existence and assumed familiarity plays weird, I like him as an ingredient in this episode.
Canonically, Superman’s always had challenges going up against magical foes, so that makes Karkull a noteworthy villain and Dr. Fate a noteworthy ally. I’ll admit, Dr. Fate’s “no, I won’t help you” shtick feels a little cheesy, since you just know he’s going to show up at the last minute to save the day, but I actually really like the philosophical underpinnings of the shift.
Fate wants to give up crime-fighting because, thanks to his cosmic quests, he’s seen the way that evil returns no matter how many times you fight it and think you have it subdued. There’s a cosmic worldliness to that perspective, one that leaves him, like a lot of us, feeling like he can’t fight the larger forces at work. The exploration isn’t very deep, but I like him turning back from that when he sees Superman jumping into the fray despite long odds, to where Dr. Fate knows that evil may never be vanquished for good, but that good can be just as indefatigable.
What I love most about this one though is the design. Karkull himself looks delightfully gross, as the grim reaper mixed with a squid, dripping with strange green ooze. His minions have similarly cool design principles behind them, creating otherworldly grotesques to challenge our heroes. The fact that his minions possess familiar characters seems kind of unnecessary, but I guess it makes things harder for Supes and Dr. Fate because they can’t just blast those little baby cthulus to smithereens.
I also enjoyed the contours of the fight. The notion that Superman lacked “the tools” to defeat Karkull, necessitating the team-up with Dr. Fate, is a good one. That means that Dr. Fate can summon the talisman necessary to defeat Karkull, while Superman can be forced to go catch it in a frightening pit. The episode finds good reason for the pair to work together and good use for their shared skills.
Other small details here are good too. I like the humor of the “psychic” bystander trying to offer the police advice. I like the sequence of the two-bit crook accidentally getting possessed by the ancient demon and trying to hide his face in public. The only bit that felt off was the strange romantic tension between Superman and Dr. Fate’s wife, but maybe that’s an homage to something in the comics I’m not familiar with.
Overall, this is an exciting episode with some solid (if short) philosophical material mixed with cool eldritch abomination-based design work and action.
Shout by SoNickBlockedParent2022-02-11T04:13:23Z
I am almost never a fan when superhero media tries to incorporate magic into a framework where it didn't really exist prior, and this episode is no exception.