Review: Action Comics #1084 (edited)

And so 'Superman Superstars' ends, not with a bang but with a whimper. (Sorry ... there are more issues in the 'Superman Superstar' banner!)

Framing a very good story by Mark Waid and a solid story by Gail Simone were the beginners and enders of the 'Superman Superstars' trade dress, Jason Aaron and John Ridley. It isn't a bad idea. The old 'Legend of the Dark Knight' comic book were stand-alone Batman arcs from different creative teams, each telling a compelling Batman story. The problem with the idea is some arcs will sort of fall flat and then the question is, in this volatile comic market, can a title survive if people ditch it while a story they don't like runs.  Back in the day, I bought LOTDK based on creators. 

John Ridley finishes his story in Action Comics #1084 and I get the sense if this was a LOTDK story I would have skipped it. Ridley seems to have a lot to say in this story of recidivism, people living on the edge, people exploiting people living on the edge, and Superman trying to deal with a world filled with inherent justice. I am sure this all made sense as a concept, Ridley wanting to tell a story about the 1% taking advantage of the poor, forcing the poor into crime or despair, and how even heroes are powerless against it.

It just never gels. It feels like too many 'real world' topics to cover in a brief story. And so it feels like Ridley is scratching the surface of what he wants to say but can't get to the conclusion of any of his theses.

Inaki Miranda's art is fun and energetic. There some good fight scenes at the beginning. 

Let's wrap it up.

Last issue, Superman was teleported by Scorch to some other dimension to face off against Bruno Mannheim. In the course of that discussion, these fellows showed up. 

They call themselves The Foreverers, remaining immortal by absorbing the telomere energy Mannheim is draining from the villains. They each have standard comic names except the big one who is 'Larry'. I guess that is supposed to be a joke.

But here is where Ridley puts some class warfare into the narrative. These folks feel they deserve immortality because of how great they are, which really means they can afford it. So these are a-hole rich people, killing poor people by exploiting them. 

This story was more about depression and how poor people have few choices to try to advance. So why not show the other end.

The Foreverers have powers, including the abilities of the Atomic Skull and Major Disaster, the people whose telomeres they absorbed.

The Foreverers try to battle Superman and continue to show how they feel their wealth makes them better than others. After all, the rest of people were 'born lesser'. I guess they are old money.

It's all sort of over-the-top dialogue without much subtlety. 

But they can't hold a candle to Superman, who just trounces them.

Scorch ends up teleporting them all away in the end. Even in defeat, this Foreverer, called Ducorette, shows his superiority complex, saying he is above Superman even touch them. 

Scorch and Superman get back to Earth and confront Major Disaster's daughter, who apparently has similar powers and was in a Harley Quinn comic.

We get some backstory.

Turns out Major Disaster was a bad dad, basically absent.

She became so upset at his lack of attention that she told him to get out of her life.

And then, he seemed to turn it around, becoming an active part of her life.

Curious, she tracks him and sees him selling his telomeres to his crooked life coach Boykin, the guy who died in the disaster mishap.

So Disaster became depressed and despondent selling his telomeres in order to support and be there for his daughter. It's a little sad to see. Disaster had turned his life around, was a JLAer. It seems like he could have been part of her life without the cash from telomeres. Maybe just be present.

But the theme of this story is the depths in which people will go when they have nowhere left to turn. So Disaster has to succumb to this scheme.

Remember when it said it seemed a little off that the one person who died in Major Disaster's earthquake just happened to be his crooked life coach. Well, we get this turn of events.

Disaster's daughter was so mad at Boykin for doing what he did, that she accidentally lashed out with her powers, killing the guy. 

To cover up the murder, Disaster did his disaster, hoping to hide this kill under the hood of an earthquake. It explains why he gave up right away and why there was little reason for the attack anyways.

So that is a good story turn. 

But then the moral dilemma. 

Should Major Disaster rot in a cell for a murder he didn't commit? Should his daughter go to jail for this impulsive act? Should Superman intervene? 

Is there a right answer? Or is the world just dark?

Is going to jail the only way Disaster could make things right? 

That IS depressing.

And so we end with Superman basically flummoxed at the lack of clarity. 

A Superman who doesn't know right from wrong. Who is sad about the state of the world. And Lois tells him to keep hope but the first issue showed us that his hope was gone. 

And I am sure he isn't going after anyone at the root of the problem, Mannheim or Foreverers. I doubt he'll visit Disaster or his daughter. This story will be forgotten.

Given the muddled messages and utter lack of hope in any of this, I know I am going to try and forget it myself.

Overall grade: D+