Review: Action Comics #1086

Action Comics #1086 came out last week, the finale of the quick G.Willow Wilson/Gavin Guidry story and the end of the 'Superman Superstars' brief imprint on the title. 

Perhaps with the excitement around the Supergirl book, this issue was bound to sort of fall flat. But after reading it, I was struck with the fact that I had no idea what the point of the story was. Was this a 'climate change' story? A 'AI is scary' story? A 'look .. killer whales with frickin' lasers' silly story? A 'Superman is weary' story? All of it? Not enough of any?

Part of the problem is the villain of the piece and the conflict that comes from it. What is Kilg%re hoping to get out of this? Is he just a robot? Did he really think a big robot was the right way to fight Superman? Did his machine thinking really fail him as badly as it does? Without the understanding of the goals of the villain, I felt a bit lost.

And the ending, of a rather defeated and emotionally exhausted Superman, also felt tacked on and out of the blue.

Gavin Guidry brings his cleans style to the art and has some fun with the sillier parts of the story, like robot killer whales. 

But in the end, this 'Superman Superstars' mini-imprint ends with a whimper. Outside of the Waid Phantom Zone story, I think they all were a bit lackluster.

On to the details.

Supergirl #1 References and Homages

I reviewed Supergirl #1 last week when it came out and I was very impressed with how writer/artist Sophie Campbell created a story of a young hero, finding her way in the world, fighting for what's right, while realizing the presence of Superman in her life as a daunting inspiration. Supergirl was warm and funny and eager to help. 

But the book was a deep dive into Supergirl's history as well. This Kara seems to have lived the lives of all the prior iterations of Supergirl. There was a lot of historical nods to Supergirl's history from her first appearance to her last title.

I thought it might be fun to showcase the ones that I saw. (I will admit that I won't focus too much on Lar-On who was a big part of the last series, including Supergirl becoming his friend. 

When Lar-On is considered 'too big' to showcase, you know what is included must be subtle or deep cuts!

For me, it somehow showed me that Sophie Campbell cares about the character, enough to sow these seeds of Kara's life.

I mentioned most of these in the review but there so many I thought they deserved a closer look. So let's dive in, looking at the nods as the appeared in order in the issue, and recognizing all the eras Campbell threw into the mix.

"Daring Adventures" - Daring New Adventures of Supergirl

Right from the opening text box, we hear about Argo City and being sent to care for Kal.

But we also hear about her 'daring adventures' have taken her into the galaxy.

'Daring adventures' has to be a riff on 'The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl', her second volume of a solo title. 

But wait, there's more.

Review: Supergirl #1 (v8)

Supergirl #1 came out this week, the first new Supergirl solo issue to be on the racks for almost 5 years. And the first Supergirl issue that felt like the Supergirl I love in a long time.

Since the title was announced, writer/artist Sophie Campbell has been saying all the right things. She liked the character. She had read and enjoyed Supergirl's history, especially the Bronze Age. She wanted to bring a warmth to the character, something missing in recent times. She was bringing back Streaky.

All of that shows in this first issue. But there's more than that. There's a respect for the character's history that is evident too.

Grant Morrison's take on Batman was that all the stories happened. It seems like Campbell is a believer of that philosophy here. There are more nods, mentions, and homages to Supergirl's history in this issue than I can count. Moreover, they come from solidly Silver Age, through the bonkers 70s, into the 80s, and right up to the Rebirth era. 

Somehow all of that of that history has to fit into a Supergirl that seems like she is around 17 here. This is a sort of soft reboot, like what Paul Kupperberg did in Daring New Adventures of Supergirl #1 back in the 80s. By making Supergirl younger, it brings back one of the most important historical themes of her character. She's a young hero. She's learning. She is trying to figure out who she is. That sometimes isn't easy when Superman is your cousin. Supergirl questions herself a couple of times here in a way that feels both classic and fresh. 

But she isn't timid or reluctant to act or lacking confidence. She is a complete hero in this book, leaping into action to save people without a second thought, standing up for people who need help. 

That's my Supergirl. Warm, heroic, learning.

I really love Campbell's art, particularly in Jem and The Holograms in the past, and she shines here. She brings a sense of fun and whimsy and pizzazz to the action. The plot and art mesh completely.

Add a mystery and a cliffhanger and you have a winner.

Yes, this might feel like a small step backwards from the 20-something field general we saw by Joshua Williamson and Phillip Kennedy Johnson. But this is a step that historically works. 

It is definitely a huge step away from recent missteps like the catatonic hero of Mariko Tamaki or the depressed, drunk killer in Woman of Tomorrow. 

On to details.

Some Odds And Ends

Just a few quick topics to cover, none big enough to warrant its own post.

We'll start out with the apparent return of corner boxes to DC Superman related comic book covers. (Maybe it'll be for all books?) Of course, they are more well known with Marvel's books in the Bronze Age. But this is a pretty cool.

It looks like Dan Mora is doing all of them, visible here on his Instagram. 

That is one great image of Supergirl! 

I love the return of cover corner boxes!

But wait ... there's more!

Review: Absolute Superman #7

Absolute Superman #7 came out last week and was another interesting look at the Absolute Universe, showing how different this universe's Brainiac is from the one we know from the main DCU. It also once again shows the different take writer Jason Aaron is taking on this Absolute title from books like Batman.

Aaron is doing this complete slow burn on this book, world-building and showing us this world slowly. Last issue was an almost complete flashback issue looking at Smallville and Superman's arrival. This issue is entirely focused on Brainiac. Superman is barely even name-checked. No Superman in a Superman book? 

That isn't to say this book isn't interesting. It is. And it's horrifying. Much of this issue looks like a David Cronenberg movie. Brainiac is a sadist. He is murderous. He is unhinged in a way the robot from Colu has never been. It's terrifying. It also raises as many questions about Brainiac as it answers. There is more to mine here. It even sets up the next big arc and I assume the next Absolute take on a classic villain.

Artist Carmine DiGiandomenico is unleashed in this issue. This is a crazy violent and over-the-top grotesque issue and DiGiandomenico leans in. Don't eat a big lunch before you read this. There is enough vivisection and tissue mutilation in this book to last a year.

I have praised this book for it's slower tempo and building up this world. But even I am starting to wonder if this book is lacking enough Superman to keep my interest 100% focused. I read this book to learn about this Kal. Where is he?

On to the book.

Review: FCBD All-In 2025

Last weekend was Free Comic Book Day and I was lucky to grab the DC All In FCBD 2025 All Special Edition #1 issue which gave a sneak peek of the upcoming Superman Unlimited book by Dan Slott and Rafael Alburquerque as well as a sort of look into the future of the Absolute Universe with a very very interesting ending. 

Sometimes these FCBD books aren't such a gripping issue. But this one just worked! I was going to get Superman Unlimited regardless but Slott sprinkles in a new character and the main plot point of his first arc. But most importantly, you get a sense of his overall take on Superman which seems to be on target.

But really, the big winner is the Absolute side of things, written by Jeff Lemire with art by Giuseppe Camuncoli.  While it is a quick tour of the three main books in the Universe, it is the ending with a conspiracy board hinting at future events and our first crossover with the main universe that made this sing. 

Great free issue whetting my appetite for more! On to the book!

FCBD 2025

 I'm a big fan of Free Comic Book Day. What could be better than free books from a bunch of companies, promoting their next big thing! When my kids were younger we would all go and they'd grab the books they loved. It's just wonderful promotion for the medium.

I know that the stores don't get the books for free, so I always try to support any store I go to by buying something. 

This year was a little different for me. I knew I was heading to my LCS. They allow 2 free books. Then off to pick up my girl friend to head to a store I had never been to before, The Outer Limits, to check them out (and hit the coffee shop next door). And then from there, off to a newer store, Friar Tuck's. They allowed customers to take 3 free comics.

Quite the day. 

I grabbed a bunch of free books.

Many of these will end up in my work desk to hand to patients needing a comic!

But there's more.