Action Comics #1070 came out last week, the first issue of the Mark Waid and Clayton Henry weekly run on the book. I have already covered the Supergirl back-up so on to the main tale.
Mark Waid has been firing on all cylinders since he came back to DC. His Batman/Superman World's Finest book has been my favorite title since its inception. Now he gets a turn on Action Comics and Superman solo and I can't be happier. Waid's love of Superman is well known. His love of DC Comic history is also well known. And both shine in this story.
From Kandor to the Phantom Zone to the signal watch to the super-family, the book sings. Again, Waid straddles the line between classic DC sensibilities and modern story-telling. This opening chapter is a body horror comic linked to Krypton's past. I loved every panel of it. And I haven't even mentioned that, as always, Waid writes a great Supergirl. She shines in this issue.
Clayton Henry brings his thick-lined, organic art to the proceedings. This is an old-school Kryptonian slugfest and it all flows beautifully. But I really want to compliment the cover. Yes, this is an 'All In' cover showcase of Superman. But Mon-El and Professor Xa-Du in Donneresque Phantom Zone mirrors is just beautiful.
Let's dive right in!
But then, we head to tranquil Metropolis where Mr. Action is hanging upside down from a lamp post to grab an incriminating pic. It's a quick scene but meaty. It establishes so much.
This is Jimmy as Mr. Action, risking his life for a story. There is something very Spider-man-y about this, snapping pics while hanging upside down.
I like Superman sort of chitchatting with him, even in this newsworthy but silly situation. They are pals.
I like this sort of presentation of Jimmy.
But then the monstrous three-headed Kryptonian arrives and a super-powered brawl is on.
Superman knows there is only one way to end this fight. He grabs some Gold K. In the brawl it lands in Jimmy's hands.
And this thing being 3 Kryptonians in one makes it more than a match for Superman. Our hero is losing! That is, until he is saved by Supergirl.
I have talked about how Philip Kennedy Johnson and Joshua Williamson have made Supergirl the 'second in command' of the super-family, the field general. So here being a sort of 'emergency secret weapon', arriving to save Superman?
Fantastic.
Fantastic.
This surely is going to land on my top ten Supergirl moments of 2024.
But they are still outmatched and outnumbered 3 to 2.
And this thing is crazed, spinning like a three armed dervish.
Waid is so great at crafting this battle, telling us that it lasts for hours. That our heroes have to split their time between rescuing people from the throes of the battle as well as actually fighting.
It is a brawl. A brutal, bloody fight. And it is powerfully rendered by Henry.
I like that we really get a sense of how long this fight has gone on and the toll it has taken on our heroes. They are so exhausted they can barely hold up a falling bridge.
We rarely see this. It is a great way for Waid to tell us and show us the impact of this brawl.
Talk about Mr. Action. He uses the grating noise of his signal watch to enrage the Kryptonian and then unleashes the gold K, depowering it.
Now that is a great Jimmy! We have seen a great Jimmy in World's Finest. I hope we get more like this in this book too.
I did like that earlier Superman said he needed the gold K. Because Steel and others would be slaughtered in seconds. That line again shows the respect Waid has for Supergirl who has battled for hours.
Kara translates. 'Kill us.'
This being was in pain, suffering.
I like that it is Kara, the one with the Kryptonian history, who translates. Another nice touch.
The scientists mysteriously cannot peer into the Phantom Zone anymore. So they are just as lost.
I have lost track of Kandor to be honest? Weren't they dead? Or suspended animation? On New Krypton with Zod?
He is going alone. He needs Supergirl to be on Earth to defend it.
This is Waid giving us another nod to the respect Superman (and Waid) has for Kara. He isn't calling on Jon or Diana or even Bruce. He needs Supergirl.
We only get a glimpse of Lois in the book but it is a fine moment of her being worried about this trip into Hell. I do hope we get to see Waid write Lois more in the book.
But who did this to the Phantom Zone villains? How did they do it? And why?
So a very solid first issue.
It hasn't gone unnoticed by me that I complained about how the Supergirl story was built on a complete mystery and laud this one for being built on a complete mystery. But hopefully folks can see how the build-up, the unveiling of the mystery is handled so differently. This chapter immersed me in the story. The Supergirl one made me feel lost.
Great first issue.
Overall grade: A
2 comments:
Waid is in top form here on all counts. He delivers a wonderful portrayal of Supergirl as Superman's right hand, the one person he trusts more than any other to get things done if he can't do them alone or won't be around to do them himself. As someone whose favorite portrayal of Jimmy Olsen is the Mr. Action version of the 1970s, I love seeing Jimmy playing daredevil to get the goods on a corrupt city official. It's the kind of thing the great Leo Dorfman would have had him doing, albeit with more anxiety about the danger, in an early Superman Family issue with art by legendary penciller Kurt Schaffenberger at the pinnacle of his powers. The fact that Waid and Henry prove themselves worthy successors to that classic team and their magnificent but too long underrated run on Jimmy Olsen is all you need to know to understand how terrific this comic book is. I also noticed Superman's mention that he doesn't know exactly how Jor El discovered the Phantom Zone. Maybe Waid and Henry intend to reveal that to us as the story continues.
I should also mention that Superman being willing to go into hell to rescue people, even though they are dangerous criminals who hate him and want him dead, tells you everything you need to know about who he is-not just a hero but the greatest in comic books.
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