Review: Action Comics #21

Action Comics #21 came out this week and ended the brief Andy Diggle (1 issue) and Tony Daniel era (?) on the book. Andy Diggle, who walked off the book after his first issue continues to get credit as a co-plotter but I have to wonder just how much this story resembles what he had in mind. Daniel does the co-plotting, scripting, and art on the book. I have to say that I can only wonder just how great this book would have been if both of these creators stayed on board and had their vision of the book allowed to blossom.

I say that because there are a lot of very good moments in this book. In particular, there are some great panel progressions that really tell a story in a way that is unique to comics. And Superman sounds like Superman here. And Lois feels like Lois, which is a refreshing change from recent days. But, I also feel like this story was wrapped up quickly and tweaked to explain some things a bit too easily to make me feel that this is the exact finale that Diggle had in mind.

This isn't a perfect book. As I said, the ending is a little too easy and a somewhat off screen. This book takes place only a year ago but Jimmy seems a bit too young and naive to have become the Jimmy we saw shacking up in Clark's apartment just 12 months later.

But it is a very good Superman book, satisfying and entertaining. And that makes this somewhat a bittersweet review. Because I will again have to ponder 'what might have been'?

Last issue, Superman was battling a giant monster created by Hybrid-virus mutated humans. And in an odd sort of riff on Syndrome from The Incredibles, Luthor (who created the Hybrid virus) dons a super-suit to destroy the thing and be recognized as Earth's hero.

Now how a nanobot virus designed to re-write Superman's DNA could infect humans and make them monstrous and able to merge, I have no idea. So I wonder if this was what Diggle initially wanted. As I sometimes need to do, I will roll with it.

One thing I like is Lois' intrepid and investigative nature surging to the front. While emergency services are clearing the block while wearing their hazmat suits, Lois is walking through the rubble to get her story. Wonderful stuff.

Superman uses the little knowledge he has of the mutated creature need for oxygen to make it disassemble into its component humans. As he plans his next steps, he sees a mutated Lois crying out for help. Of course, it is explained away as a hallucination (like the Jimmy one from the first chapter).

That revelation was almost too quick for my taste. We had just seen Lois leap into the hot zone with little concern for her own well-being. For a second I thought the mirage might be real. Unfortunately, we get the reality of the situation the next panel.

I still wonder if the 'hallucination' was part of the first plot by Diggle or a simple solution to explain away the Jimmy 'death' before.

Dr. Veritas does show up as a hologram to provide a possible cure. The virus was weakened by red sun rays (I still don't know if I understand that either) in her lab so she teleports in a Red Sun light cannon. She isn't sure if the light will kill those infected or just eliminate the virus but it is an answer.

As I said above, it is a bit too easy of a solution, literally appearing on the stage.

One thing I did like was that despite knowing he will be severely weakened by the red sun rays (and already hobbled by the virus his body is fighting), Superman says he will stay until the job is done. That is what Superman would do.

Lex arrives. I love the this sort of old-school feel of Lex in a power suit. And he actually gets to kick Superman around a bit. Between the red sun and the virus, Superman isn't at top form. And this sounds like Lex. He talks about himself as a force of nature protecting the world from the alien threat of Superman. I love scenes like this where Lex talks about saving the planet while surrounded by the death and carnage he has wrought.

Amazingly, the red sunlight seems to cure the infected as they de-evolve back to their human form and are shuttled to safety by Lois who has finally arrived at the scene.

Now one thing I didn't realize about this story is that this is Luthor's coming out party as a super-villain. I thought that Lex would have been established as a villain more than a year ago. But it is here, in this battle, that Superman realizes just who his arch-enemy is.

This is one of those panel progressions that I love. The gleeful Luthor revealed by x-ray vision, the battered Superman whispering his name, and the shocked face of Lois realizing who is responsible for this horror show.

Fortunately, Lois has her phone ready and has recorded it all. Unfortunately, in all the craziness, she drops it into the Metropolis river.

This was another nice moment.

I love Lex's cavalier attitude about the sanctity of human life. Despite the victims being apparently cured, Lex implies he is going to kill them to control the spread of infection. He blames Superman for letting them go free and spread the Hybrid threat to the world. Ummm ... that's the virus you created Lex! It shows just how deluded Lex is.

And there is something classic about the glowing red eyes in the solid black panel to convey how angry Superman is.

If the 'red sun' cure seemed easy for the infected humans, Superman's cure seems just as easy. How many times have we seen the mega-dose of yellow sun rays expunge any difficult plot point that faces Superman?

I will say it is a very powerful image by Daniel here.

Rejuvenated and virus-free, Superman flies down and knocks Lex unconscious.

Again, nice panel progression here, even if it furthers the notion that a portion of humanity fears Superman. At least here, it seems plausible. Superman is floating over the defeated Lex, anger in his eyes. The bystanders know who Lex is and don't understand why Superman would clock him. 

This three panel sequence showing an angry Superman who then is ashamed of hearing people sounding afraid of him and then looking up and being more heroic, knowing that is the person he needs to be. This was just fantastic, showing a younger Superman.

While Lois and Jimmy (who she calls her assistant!) tell the police all they overheard, implicating Luthor in the disaster, it simply doesn't have the power as the recorded confession she had on her phone.

Well, when things settle down and while having lunch, Clark says he did some searching and found Lois' phone. He couldn't let her have all the fun. Plus, of course, it is important to he.

For those out there who feel that Lois and Clark should be together, panels like that second one are wonderful. We saw some flirting in the first issue of this arc. Here we see Lois still has feelings for Clark, even if Jon walks into the restaurant on the next panel. Even Clark admits he and Lois are just friends ... even when it is clear he wishes there was more.

So overall a story that had a lot of excellent elements and big art when it needed it. We have a perfect Lois. We have the 'origin' of Luthor as a criminal. There was an overall feeling that this was the right sort of Superman. And that was enough to let me overlook some of the odd quirks and holes in the plot. If this was a primer on what Andy Diggle was planning for the book then I fear we really lost out.

If only ...

Overall grade: B+

Review: Action Comics #20

Action Comics #20 came out this week, the second issue of the Andy Diggle and Tony Daniel brief story arc. Now I gushed last month about the first chapter of the arc as it read like a great more classic Superman story with some great Lois moments; a brilliant, dangerous, sociopath of a Lex Luthor; and a inspirational and strong Superman. But it also was something of a bittersweet book as I knew that Andy Diggle's time was truly shortlived and Tony Daniel had already said he was off the book after the arc.

This issue has Diggle in the credits, a book he said he 'wrote part of' when on Twitter. And Daniel takes over both writing and penciling on the book.

I have to say I was very happy with the book as, quality-wise, it picked up right where the last issue left off. Sure, there is some super-science hand waving as we get the explanation of exactly what is happening here. But there is, I believe, a nod to a classic and personally beloved Superman story from the 70s. And that alone might have made me happy. But there is solid action in Action. And there continued to be this exploration of who Luthor is these days.

The book starts off with a brief scene showing Luthor being taught jiujitsu. While his knowledge of the moves is superior, the teacher feels that Luthor is lacking an understanding of self. Physical skills cannot take the place of self-awareness. Luthor seems to shrug off the comment, taking advantage of the teacher's bow to throttle him.

Last month we saw him imprison his psychiatrist. Here he knocks out his martial arts instructor. All of this shows that Lex realizes that something is missing, some understanding of who he is. But no matter how he looks, he just never can face himself in the mirror. But I am intrigued that Lex is going through these steps. He just can't take a full step towards helping himself.

It also is telling that his default response is a show of power. Might always seems to make right with Lex.

Meanwhile, Superman awakens in The Block, Dr. Veritas' lab. Last month's cliffhanger showed Superman's hand mutated by Luthor nanites. Here he awakens with a normal hand, his body's super-immune system having fought off the 'infection'. The hand is cast off, a separate hunk of flesh.

I do find Veritas' and interesting character and wonder if she is some nascent form of Maxima. She clearly has some physical attraction to Superman, here coyly saying she undressed him and that's okay because she is a doctor. She also asks him to call her by her first name (something he doesn't do). I hope that her attraction to him doesn't become some obsession, having her descend into lunacy and villainy.

Like in Scott Lobdell's Superman book, I like that there are name-drops of prior major threats he has defeated. Here we learn he defeated The Stream of Eternal Maelstroms.

Now last month we were told that the Luthor used nanites to scan Superman's DNA and rewrite it from the inside. Now I like the idea that Superman's immune system would eventually recognize the devices as foreign material to be engulfed and destroyed.

This month, we are told that it is something more of a virus which has fused with Superman's DNA, becoming a hybrid lifeform, separate, alive, and different. Now I guess if this thing had some sense of survival, that ripping itself away from Superman's body makes sense. And it draws it's power from Superman ... hmmmm.

In some ways, I think of it more like John Carpenter's The Thing, a sort of mimicker, an absorber, a shape changer but with it's own sense of self and self-preservation. There can be no higher compliment that comparing something to Carpenter's The Thing.

And, much like the Thing, it isn't dead after separating from Superman, only in stasis.

It comes to life, growing in mass (probably by absorbing some power from Superman) and changes shapes from alien-looking monster to a more Superman-like form. And it even says 'we are one'.

Veritas sends Superman and the creature to a red sun room to weaken them both. And then, with those lights cut, Superman freezes it with superbreath and shatters it. Veritas then teleports it to a red sun galaxy where those rays and a lack of oxygen will kill it.

Now there is a lot to digest here.

For me, that 'we are one' muddy appearing Superman which drains Superman of power completely reminded me of the Sand Superman from the famous Kryptonite No More story from the 70s. I love that story. Unfortunately, later in the book this form (and Jimmy in the armor from last issue) are explained away as a feverish hallucination. Sounds like there might have been more there had Diggle had time to stick around ... but now it needs to be explained away. Too bad.

Second, why does Veritas have a red sun room so handy? If she does become a villain, she'll be well-armed.

Again, I might have to reread the last issue but this conversion from nanite attack to virus is again confirmed.

But the Luthor connection is lost. I do like that Superman's first thoughts are of the people of Earth. If he is infected by some virus, can he expose humanity? That sounds like Superman.

It looks like Superman's fears are appropriate. Somehow he infected people in Metropolis when he crashed in Metropolis with his alien hand. Again, hard to know how nanites inside Superman and designed to wreck his genome would then jump into humans and affect them.

It is a nice way to cash in on the current zombie craze.

And it is interesting that the zombies are attracted to Superman like a moth to a flame. When Superman lands to combat these things, they stop stalking more humans and follow him. And then they seem to fuse and attack.

So all that is good stuff. A fast thinking, protective Superman defeating one monster and protecting his city from another.

But remember, one of the things I like about this arc is the exploration of Luthor. Amazingly, he seems to simply shrug off the fact that Superman defeated his genetic re-writing scheme. He wanted his nanites to kill Superman from the inside out, not from the outside as a separate entity.

I like that the only close 'person' in Luthor's life is a robot bodyguard named Aria. That also seems to say a lot about him.

Aria seems to be more than simply a machine, expressing emotion and loyalty to Luthor. I do wonder if her name will be changed to Faith. Is she the 'Mercy' of the New 52?

And we get one last peek into Luthor's mindset. He dons a sort of modified classic Lex armor and promises to defeat the very hybrid he helped create, saving the world when Superman can't. He might be a narcissist. But I also think Luthor is very needy. He not only thinks he is great and wonderful, but he needs to constantly be told he is great and wonderful. And if Superman is beloved and considered the 'best', it must drive him crazy. Why else would he try to grab the spotlight like this?

And so we reach the end of the middle of the briefest run by Diggle and Daniel. From that point of view, this book did just what a middle chapter should do, deepen the story, identify the threat, and set things up for a satisfactory conclusion. Unfortunately, it also feels just a touch rushed. I bemoan the decompressed nature of comic story-telling these days. But here, the explanation and exploration of this hybrid threat seems a bit rushed. Was this originally a 3-parter? Or was the plan for this to be longer and more in-depth before Diggle's decision to leave the book? I wouldn't mind one more issue in this arc.

That said, these two issues have been dense in story and characterization. In particular, I like the contrast between Superman and Lex in these issues. The Lex moments have been very strong.

Daniel does a great job on art especially with the wildly morphing hybrid monster.

I wish I knew if they were channeling the Sand Superman story!!

Overall grade: B+

Review: Action Comics #19

Action Comics #19 came out this week and was such a fascinating book to read.

It was the first issue post Grant Morrison lyrical opus.

It was the first and last issue of the Andy Diggle 'era' on the book.

And it was the beginning of Tony Daniel's time on the book, as artist here and as writer/artist for the 2 issues after.

That's a lot of stuff going on with the book making it the most intriguing book in my pull list this week. And that was before I even read a word.

I did have high hopes for the book for a while, since reading Andy Diggle's interviews about Superman and the direction of the book. Not surprisingly, the book delivers on the expectation. This read like a true Superman story. Not the blustering, angry, sneering character in Scott Lobdell's Superman (which I have had issues with). And not like the nostalgic pastiche, 'what timeline is it', metatextual Morrison story (which I loved). This read like Superman ... with a strong Lois, with him defending the oppressed, with a diabolical Luthor, and with big action ... a fitting story for Action Comics.

And that makes this more bittersweet because Diggle felt compelled to leave because of editorial issues. I have sampled his Superman and savored it but won't get any more.

Tony Daniel really shines here. Whether it be a flirty romantic scene in a bar, outrageous splash page action of Superman fighting mecha, or Luthor wringing his hands in glee, it all just pops off the page.

Alas, it is all over.

Diggle starts his story one year in the past and I think it is a brilliant move. Morrison's arc was wonderful, nuanced, and layered. We learned about Clark's Daily Star beginnings, his jeans/t-shirt time, and his journalistic style. But we didn't get a lot of Superman/Clark interacting with his supporting cast. And the Vyndktvx story kind of stormed off on its own in an All-Star Superman sort of way.

So setting the clock back a year would have given Diggle time to set the stage for how Superman is in the DCnU. How we got from a beloved 'worker' style Superman to the distrusted guy who just fought H'El.

It would have given him time to solidify the best supporting cast in comics, a cast mostly ignored in the Super books since the New 52.

For me, the opening scene of Lois flirting with Clark was the best scene of the issue. I got to finally ... finally ... see the Lois I have been wanting to see. Here she is strong investigative journalist, willing to put herself in danger to get the story and use the news to right wrongs, all while embedded in a war zone. And, as someone who liked the Clark/Lois romance, it was great to see the two so openly flirt with each other. Just wonderful.

Despite some pretty obvious romantic banter, Clark is called away and has to literally fly into action.

Most telling is this panel. He clearly has feelings for Lois but feels he needs to walk away because 'it wouldn't work out' but even he doesn't seem to be buying it. And then there is the 'I fear my enemies would lash out at here' rationalization. This is a much more mature look at this relationship than Clark walking in on a shirtless Jon Carroll or peeking at Lois' texts.

I thought the art here works with the words so well. Clark in shadows works well to mirror a sort of sad moment in his life, in blackness.

Unfortunately, it is this moment when Jon Carroll swoops in on Lois at the bar. I guess I have to applaud Diggle for showing us Lois and Clark almost in love as a couple.

The next pages are Superman battling with Quraci warships, the same art pages seen in the Diggle preview pages a couple of weeks ago albeit with text and dialogue. Intermingled in the pages are the phrases we saw in those pages - "I don't like bullies". "I'll throw the last punch", etc.

What a great panel. Superman squares off against these huge mecha war machines. But he offers the pilots a chance to power down and talk. He says he on the Earth to protect, not provoke. And he says he defends the downtrodden. He looks determined.

This is Superman.

I often say that big action deserves big art and the fight against the war machines is big action. As a result, and appropriately, we get a lot of splash pages and near splash pages showing Superman fight these monstrosities.

This is the best shot of the battle. It reminded me of the best japanese animation battle scenes .. screaming missiles, crazy smoke trails, the fighting machine cloaked in the haze so you only have a vague sense of it, a small Superman dwarfed by this thing.

This just sizzles. Big action deserves big art! Daniel delivers.

Of course rail guns, missiles, and even 'infrasonics' can only do so much to Superman. After being battered around a bit, Superman is able to destroy the things, ending the threat.

But things take a chilling turn.

A pilot who ejected from one of the battle units suddenly looks like Jimmy Olsen (explaining the gatefold cover image) and then is killed from afar by a self-destruct mechanism he wasn't even aware he was carrying under his skin.

So why Jimmy? Unless whoever is behind this knows that will carry some psychological impact. And whoever it is, they can't be very nice if they are so cavalier with their hired help.

We learn pretty quickly that the guy behind this attack is Lex Luthor.

Now in Morrison's Action he was a paunchy highly intelligent self-serving coward. In Lobdell's Superman he is a mad scientist who seems to have gone toe to toe with Superman. So where did that change come from. So I am glad he is the main villain here so that we can get a handle on what happened to him.

Diggle does a great job showing us who this Lex is by pulling a bit of a switcheroo on the reader. We first see Luthor talking to a world famous psychiatrist and asking her to help him. It almost softens Luthor to think that he would seek out someone for aid, to seek mental health. Does Luthor have some self-awareness?

After telling her she can tell him anything, the psychiatrist unloads ... calling him a sociopath and the most dangerous man on the planet.

And then the switcheroo. Luthor ignores what she tells him, telling her she is wrong. As we pan back, we see that the psychiatrist is a prisoner of Lex's, forced to do these sessions under threats of death. And he hasn't liked what she has said yet.

So we go from wondering if Lex is seeking help, to hearing he is a sociopath, to being shown he is so deranged he has imprisoned his therapist. It turns the reader on their head as we go from sympathizing with Lex, maybe even admiring him for realizing he has a problem to fearing and loathing him.

The whole unfolding of that scene is simply brilliant.

And then we hear his plot. The missiles that were shot at Superman included a Kryptonite infused nanobot which not only can read Superman's DNA but rewrite it. And the nanobot is so small, Superman doesn't even know he has been effected. Nice malevolent work here by Daniel.

Now part of me wonders how a nanobot could read an alien genome. And wouldn't it have to rewrite DNA on a cellular level? Won't that take a long time? And wouldn't his super-immune system fight this thing?

All right, I am overthinking this.

The book ends with Superman already effected by the nanobot, his hand green and eventually deformed into a claw. Nice hook. I love that when Superman crash lands from the pain that people actually care and ask him if he is okay!

So ends the Andy Diggle experiment. And too bad we won't see more. We saw a great portrayal of Lois - strong, determined, sexy, righteous. We see a good Superman protecting the people and thrashing giant robots. We see a demonic Lex Luthor, a perfect threat for Superman. The scene with the psychiatrist is wonderfully constructed. Tony Daniel shines here, especially in the battle scene. And we got a decent hook for a story.

It was a true Superman story, something we haven't seen in a bit.

And it has already slipped through our fingers.

Thanks DC.

Overall grade: A

Andy Diggle Is Off Action Comics Before He Began

It started as a rumor over on Bleeding Cool here.

And yesterday on Twitter, Andy Diggle confirmed it, saying he has decided to walk away from Action Comics for 'professional reasons'.

As a fan of DC Comics, I don't know what to say anymore other than I feel embarrassed for the company. They blew up their continuity and established a new one which is muddier than the old one. They have had revolving doors on the creative teams of some books. They had a 'summit' where the editor in chief apologized for stomping on creativity. They have had innumerable instances where they have pandered to the lowest common denominator to sell books starting with Starfire being a sex-starved vapid alien and continuing to the present when they are currently publishing a book where Superman punches a pregnant Lois Lane to death. They have monthly columns on comic websites where they sound absolutely cheery, saying that all is well with their line. But I see the sales on their books eroding. I see creators jumping ship. And I see a lot of bad stories.

And now creators aren't trying to get to write a Superman book ... heck THE Superman book ... in a year when we are celebrating an anniversary and a movie for the character.

Nope ... creators are leaving the book. Before their first issue is even published.

We may never know the 'professional reasons'. But I can't help but feel that it was, again, editorial interference, the 'powers that be' not letting Andy Diggle tell the story he wanted to. So congratulations to him for walking away.

But it makes me sad as a fan.

That sadness shows in my purchases. 50% of my books are DC books, the lowest percentage of titles I purchase from them in a long time. Three of the DC titles I buy are close to being dropped by me. Three more are nearing cancellation numbers.

All this after we were given the most jumbled and inconherent of Superman crossovers I have read, a story where Supergirl is initially the enemy and then tries to stab the villain to death.

It just feels like DC is a burning Rome and Dan Didio is playing the fiddle. 

Who would want to work for them? First it sounds like editorial fiats change the directions of things on a whim and at last minute. But what must be more frustrating is editors accepting a creator's direction, publicizing it, and then making them change. Why accept it in the first place if they didn't think it was a good idea? How insane was it that we had 'new directions' of New 52 four issues into their inception!!

But most of all, I will wonder just what Diggle was going to do with the Superman character. Outside of Morrison, I haven't read a consistently good Superman in a long time. The powers that be have called him a loner in the New 52. He is presented as a guy who reads Lois Lane's text messages, floats over people all the time, and generally isn't very nice.

Diggle had a different and more classic take on the character. Here was one of his first interviews about his run: http://www.newsarama.com/comics/andy-diggle-actions-comics-bright-optimistic.html

And a couple of quotes:

Nrama: Yeah, a recent issue of Superman established that the two have quite a bit of history. Does that mean the story is a dark one?
Diggle: Tonally, I’m wary of taking Superman himself dark. He’s inherently a bright and optimistic character. I think if you mess with that too much, you’ll break the core concept. I’m known for writing rather dark and cynical stories, which works great when you’re writing a characters like John Constantine or The Losers – I’m just not going to put any of that into Superman himself. I’m pouring all my meanness and cynicism into Lex Luthor and the new villains I’m creating, and then letting Superman react to that.

Nrama: How would you describe your vision for Superman as a character?
Diggle: I think the ultimate definition of heroism is self-sacrifice, and Superman is the exemplar of that. He’s driven by conscience. So no matter how much he does, how hard he strives, he can never rest on his laurels. There’ll always be that nagging doubt at the back of his mind that he could have done more... or should be doing more, right now. He’s pretty tough on himself.
 
That's right. Superman was bright and optimistic. It is the core of his character. He is the exemplar of self-sacrifice. But he is hard on himself and strives to do even better.

Apparently that doesn't fit in the mode of the New 52.

Best of luck Andy Diggle in all your future endeavors. I think I'll miss this one that might have been.

June 2013 Solicits

The June solicits for DC Comics were recently released and boy, it looks like it might be an expensive month for me as new titles are being introduced and some great trades are coming out.  And there is one spectacular surprise this month. Well, an expected surprise if there is such a thing.

Here is a link to CBR's listing of all the solicits: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=44222

SUPERGIRL #21
Written by MICHAEL ALAN NELSON
Art and cover by MAHMUD ASRAR

It’s Supergirl vs. the mysterious Mekka—but what is the secret of this new menace? And what is Lex Luthor’s envoy Alphina planning against Kara?

The cover for #19 has Supergirl crushing the world. The cover for #20 has her dying. Now the cover for #21 goes back to the 'angry Kara' genre again. Can't we at least get an action shot of something that happens in the book.

This is the second issue of Nelson's tenure on the book. The addition of a new menace and a Luthor derivative as a nemesis sounds like a good direction for this book to be going in. Not much more to comment until I actually read what Nelson is going to do. This cover doesn't convey Supergirl looking for joy.

ACTION COMICS #21
Written by ANDY DIGGLE
Backup story written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art by TONY S. DANIEL and BATT
Backup story art by PHILIP TAN
Cover by TONY S. DANIEL
1:25 BandW Variant cover by TONY S. DANIEL

Superman is betrayed by his own DNA! And in the backup story, learn The New 52 origin of The Parasite!
 

One thing that I have noticed is that DC is getting pretty sparse with their issue descriptions. I suppose his DNA could have been used to make the monster on the cover? Or maybe it has a weakness to be exploited?

My instincts tell me Diggle will be very good on the book so I remain hopeful.

SUPERMAN #21
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art by AARON KUDER
Cover by TYLER KIRKHAM
1:25 BandW Variant cover by TYLER KIRKHAM

Witness the horror of Hector Hammond as Metropolis burns! What happens when a city is taken over by a nightmare?

This looks like an homage cover to a Green Lantern/Hammond book seen recently. I think telepathy/mental attacks have always been an underutilized strategy against Superman and at least is different from magic and Kryptonite.

I like Aaron Kuder's art. It has a Frank Quitely feel to it which should look good here. But where has Kenneth Rocafort landed?

 SUPERMAN UNCHAINED #1
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Art and cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS
Backup story art by DUSTIN NGUYEN
1:300 BandW Variant cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS

When thirteen satellites fall from the sky in one day, the logical suspect is Lex Luthor—even though he’s still locked up in prison! But a stranger question remains: If Superman didn’t stop the last satellite from falling, who did? There’s a mystery hidden where even Superman can’t see it—Can The Man of Steel drag a decades-old secret into the light? Don’t miss the debut of this red-hot new series from two of comics’ brightest superstars: SCOTT SNYDER and JIM LEE!
This debut issue also includes a bonus two-sided, tipped-in poster measuring 11.6875” x 18.875” that is part of the reading experience and can be easily removed for display!
 

I suppose this is the biggest mega-star creative team on a Superman book since Morrison/Quitely on All-Star Superman. The thing that I like about this solicit is the plot sounds very retro to me. Superman catching falling satellites. Luthor pulling strings from behind bars. And yet, you just know Snyder is going to knock this out of the park.

Superman needs some buzz ... desperately. I don't know what could be bigger.

ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #2
Written by MICHAEL AVON OEMING, BRYAN J.L. GLASS, JOSHUA HALE FIALKOV and J.M. DeMATTEIS
Art by MICHAEL AVON OEMING, JOELLE JONES, GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI and SAL BUSCEMA
Cover by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI

Comics’ finest talents have assembled to bring you all-new, non-continuity short stories featuring the Man of Steel himself — SUPERMAN! This month’s issue features a super artist lineup featuring the work of Michael Avon Oeming (Powers), Joëlle Jones (FABLES), and Giuseppe Camuncoli (Superior Spider-Man) with Sal Buscema (The Incredible Hulk)!

With the Orson Scott Card debacle behind them, Adventures of Superman can now be recognized for what it is ... wonderful mixture of great talent. To be honest, they had me with Michael Avon Oeming. The rest is gravy!

And the old school costume appears on another cover of this book. Fascinating!

BATMAN/SUPERMAN #1
Written by GREG PAK
Art and cover by JAE LEE
1:100 BandW variant cover by JAE LEE
1:25 BATMAN variant cover by KENNETH ROCAFORT
1:25 SUPERMAN variant cover by GUILLEM MARCH
“We Can Be Heroes” blank variant cover available

A new epic begins with the debut of this new, ongoing series! Don’t miss the first fateful meeting of Batman and Superman in The New 52!

To be honest, I am on the fence about getting this book on a monthly basis. I didn't get Superman/Batman regularly when that came out. I think the team of Pak and Lee is astounding and I would like to read more of the 't shirt' Superman so I will be in for the first arc.

I will try to get a blank variant cover in hopes of one day having Mike Maihack do a Batgirl/Supergirl commission on it.

SUPERBOY #21
Written by JUSTIN JORDAN
Art by R.B. SILVA and ROB LEAN
Cover by KEN LASHLEY

Krypto comes to the rescue as Superboy is on the trail of Dr. Psycho and the new, mysterious H.I.V.E that has infested Metropolis.

I am glad that Krypto has some role in the DCnU. I actually wouldn't mind it if he became Superboy's pet, reminiscent of Kon and Wolfy on Young Justice. I don't know if I like this new Dr. Psycho as a villain (having just read Superboy #18). So I hope he doesn't become the main baddie.

WORLDS’ FINEST #13
Written by PAUL LEVITZ
Art by ROBSON ROCHA and WAYNE FAUCHER
Cover by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO

As DeSaad’s Hellhound hunts Power Girl and Huntress, the duo must struggle with how far underground they’ll have to go before they can turn the tide and take the fight back to the man who’s been impersonating the missing Mr. Terrific.

I was hoping that Dr. Bedlam was impersonating Mr. Terrific. This implies it is Desaad.

This 'going underground' piece of this arc is interesting. It seems that the two have been trying to be low-key in their costumed lives. But how will Karen Starr run Starrware if she is on the run.

This book seems to be heating up after a somewhat slow start.

I don't know Robson Rocha at all. We know Kevin Maguire is leaving the book. Is Perez off as well?

SMALLVILLE SEASON 11 #14
Written by BRYAN Q. MILLER
Art by DANIEL HDR
Cover by PETE WOODS

Reunited with Supergirl, Clark must find a way to keep the peace between EarthGov, the Legion, and all of…New Krypton?! Plus, Booster Gold and Skeets struggle to find their place in a world that doesn’t want—or need—their help. Superman’s 31st-century adventure continues in “Argo” part 2 of 3.

Since the word 'Crisis' was mentioned in the first issue of this book, I have been waiting for Supergirl to appear. In the show she was shoved into the future so Clark could ascend. So what has Kara been doing with the Legion? This was the expected surprise but I have to admit I was giddy when I saw the cover. Bryan Q. Miller treated Supergirl well in his Batgirl book. I don't expect anything different here.

And I love this Supergirl costume, designed by cover artist Cat Staggs. There is some Kingdom Come Supergirl in there. There are the new boots from the current incarnation. It has a sort of military feel to it. It even has a whiff of Gates/Igle Alura. Just fantastic.

AME-COMI GIRLS #4
Written by JUSTIN GRAY and JIMMY PALMIOTTI
Art by EDUARDO FRANCISCO and DEREC DONOVAN
Cover by JONBOY MEYERS

In this epic issue, Power Girl and Green Lantern battle Star Sapphire while The Atom goes inside Supergirl’s brain to remove the last vestige of Brainiac! Plus: Prepare for the origin and coming of…Sinestra!

I have to say that Supergirl has been treated oddly in this book. But as I recently said, it is a fun book, crazy and loud. So I am still in. Plus, this issue will be the rare instance to literally get inside Supergirl's mind. Nice cover by Jonboy Meyers.

SUPERGIRL VOL. 2: GIRL IN THE WORLD TP
Written by MICHAEL GREEN and MIKE JOHNSON
Art by MAHMUD ASRAR, GEORGE PEREZ and others
Cover by MAHMUD ASRAR
On sale JULY 10 • 144 pg, FC, $14.99 US
The last daughter of Krypton has a friend: a young woman name Siobhan. Too bad she carries the curse of the Silver Banshee—and Siobhan’s father, the Black Banshee, isn’t far behind! Don’t miss these stories from SUPERGIRL #0 and 8-12!

Hard to imagine that these issues might be considered 'the good old days' for the DCnU Supergirl. This trade includes some good stories. Supergirl makes a friend in Siobhan and rushes to help her. She fights the Nanite suit sent by Tycho and is recognized as a hero by the bystanders. And the zero issue is filled with some great moments, including Alura on her knees crying as Kara is rocketed away.

Fare thee well Mike Johnson.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: DC COMICS PRESENTS SUPERMAN TEAM-UPS VOL. 2 TP
Written by MARV WOLFMAN, LEN WEIN, GERRY CONWAY and others
Art by RICH BUCKLER, JIM STARLIN, JOSE LUIS GARCIA-LOPEZ and others
Cover by JIM STARLIN

Superman battles for justice alongside heroes including Supergirl, Black Canary, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Starman and more in these stories from DC COMICS PRESENTS #27-50 and DC COMICS PRESENTS ANNUAL #1!

As a younger reader, I loved the team-up books like The Brave and the Bold and DC Comics Presents. In many ways, those books were what exposed me to the DC Universe. There is no other place I would have learned about Kamandi, Ragman, The Unknown Soldier, The Creeper, etc. I used to love the one-and-done style of these adventures. This Showcase volume of DCCP includes the great three-part story introducing Mongul and the Warworld to the DCU. I covered the second two parts of that story here for those that want a sneak peek. First DCCP #28 with Supergirl: http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2011/11/review-dc-comics-presents-28.html And then in conjunction with Diabolu Frank we cover the finale with the Spectre (over on the DC Bloodlines blog): http://dcbloodlines.blogspot.com/2011/11/review-dc-comics-presents-29.html

I know Frank covered the opening chapter with the Martian Manhunter in DCCP #27 over on his Martian Manhunter blog somewhere but I can't find that link! Sorry!

Anyways, this will be a fun book and cheap. So I will probably need to grab it.

SUPERMAN: PHANTOM ZONE TP
Written by STEVE GERBER
Art by GENE COLAN and TONY DEZUNIGA
Cover by GENE COLAN and DICK GIORDANO

Explore the history of Krypton and the origins of The Phantom Zone, Krypton’s otherdimensional prison, in this new title that collects PHANTOM ZONE #1-4 and DC COMICS PRESENTS #97.  

And then this goodie showed up. Finally Stever Gerber and Gene Colan's fantastic Phantom Zone mini-series is being collected. This was a wild hallucinogenic trip through the Zone with bizarre images and fevered dream sequences. It also includes the Phantom Zone villains running roughshod over the Earth. And yes, there are some great Supergirl moments. I briefly ... briefly ... cover it here: http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2011/06/rip-gene-colan.html

And it also includes the even more bizarre DCCP #97, which is a pre-Crisis story told in a post-Crisis world. It includes the wild scene of Mr. Mxyzptlk throwing Argo City onto Metropolis like a K-missile, scattering the Kryptonian dead. Unreal. I reviewed that issue here:
http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2012/03/argo-city-silver-age-part-2.html 

I guess I have been doing this blog for a while when I can post links like that. Anyways, I am definitely going to get this one!

So lots of stuff to buy in June!  

Preview Of Action Comics #19

With Grant Morrison's Action finale around the corner, DC has released a brief 5 page preview of the new creative team - writer Andy Diggle and artist Tony Daniel.

Diggle has said a lot of good things about his thoughts on Superman as a character and these pages seem to confirm that. These are brief statements but they hold a lot of power.

'I don't like bullies.' Some old school Smallville wisdom there.

In Superman and even in Justice League, this Superman has been a bit of a bully, floating over everyone, reading people's texts, etc.

Superman isn't a bully. He doesn't like them.

'I'm here to protect, not to provoke.' One of the simplest statements about the character is that he is here to help. In the current DCU, everyone seems to be worried that he wants to take over. People should know he is here to protect.

This also is a good message. He won't start trouble but he'll end it. Again, he is here to help not be a vanguard for an invasion, not as a despot in waiting. He shouldn't be feared.

The art is pretty slick. Big moments need big art. Splash pages of Superman declaring some personal truths and demolishing giant robots is pretty big. Taking over the book after Morrison is an even bigger moment. Diggle and Daniels need to show people they are ready to fill in those big shoes. Something (literally) splashy like this works.

I recently heard that Diggle might not be too keen on Lois and I think that is a shame. We need Lois in this universe! But at least he seems to have a handle on Superman here.

I can't wait to see what is ahead.