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

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.

Andy Diggle On Newsarama

I have gushed and gushed about Grant Morrison's run on Action Comics that I worried if Andy Diggle was going to be doomed to failure in comparison. How do you follow-up greatness?
And then I read this interview on Newsarama where Diggle talks about his upcoming run. Here is the link:

http://www.newsarama.com/comics/andy-diggle-actions-comics-bright-optimistic.html

I say it all the time but head over and read this one in its entirety. Well worth it! Suddenly I find myself looking forward to Diggle's run, anticipating greatness ...

Here are some of the pieces that grabbed me. I'll save my thoughts for the end.

Newsarama: Andy, as you take over Action Comics, how would you describe the new direction you're hoping to bring to the book? And how does the new direction influence your portrayal of Clark Kent/Superman?

Andy Diggle:  I think we’ll see a calmer, more centered Superman once we bring him into the present day. He’s gotten his head around who he is.

That said, my opening three-issue arc is set one year before the present day, showing how Lex Luthor finally steps up to become one of the most lethal supervillains of the New 52. That’s a big responsibility.

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: So that preview image DC released to announce your run doesn't mean Superman is dark now? Readers will probably be relieved to hear you say he's "bright and optimistic," since, as you said, that's what you've often written in the past.

Diggle: After years of writing dark, tough-guy anti-heroes, it’s a breath of fresh air being able to write a hero who is 100 percent pure and good and doesn’t have a cynical bone in his body. He’s a paragon.

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.

Nrama: Let's talk about the process of writing Superman. What does this comic offer you as a writer — how does it challenge you and entice you as a creator?

Diggle: Superman is the ultimate superhero – the original. And there’s a big spotlight on him right now, what with the 75th anniversary and the new movie coming up this year. So it’s exciting to be a part of that. I just want to respect the history of the character and the amazing roster of talents who have brought his stories to life. I want to build on that pedigree and tell stories with both brains and brawn. “Heart and swagger,” as my writer friend Daragh Carville puts it.

Wow.

A writer who says Superman is inherently 'bright and optimistic', '100% pure and good', who always thinks 'he could have done more'.

Yep. That is my Superman. And frankly, that has been Superman for the bulk of his 75 years. You can write a good Superman story with those core principles of the character in place ... it has been done for almost a century. So to hear Diggle sound excited to write a Superman of that quality makes me feel 'bright and optimistic' too ... and those aren't feelings I commonly have with comics these days.

Between Scott Snyder's comments on Superman and Diggle's comments, I think we might see a sort of rebirth and revitalization of Superman in 2013!

Great news!

March 2013 Solicits

It is crazy to believe that the March solicits have already been released. I am still worrying about holiday shopping!

These solicits are interesting in that Marvel seems to be surging, Gail Simone was just announced to be off Batgirl, and both big DC families - Superman and Batman titles - are coming off major crossover events. After a time where DC seemed to be surging, it feels like (outside of the Batman titles) things are a bit unsteady at the company right now. No real big surprises this month outside of one potential new title.

Anyways, here is a link for all the DC solicits over on Newsarama:   http://www.newsarama.com/comics/dc-comics-march-2013-solicitations.html

And here are the pertinent solicits.

SUPERGIRL #18
Written by MIKE JOHNSON
Art and cover by MAHMUD ASRAR
• It’s a new dawn for the Girl of Steel after the nightmare of “H’EL ON EARTH”!
• Nothing will be the same for Supergirl as she embarks on a new mission that brings her face to face with one of DC’s deadliest villains!

I have commented on the cover before but I will say it again. Having an evil looking Supergirl crushing the Earth on the cover sends a wrong message. Unless you want an evil Supergirl in your book which means you don't understand Supergirl. I hope that Mike Johnson can keep the editorial barbarians at the gates.

As for the solicit itself, there is a new mission and a new villain. One of DC's deadliest villains. I hope it isn't the Silver Banshee again. I'd rather see a new villain battle this Supergirl. Any guesses?

ACTION COMICS #18
Written by ANDY DIGGLE
Art by TONY S. DANIEL and BATT
Cover by TONY S. DANIEL
1:25 B and W Variant cover by TONY S. DANIEL
“We Can Be Heroes” blank variant cover available

• Welcome the new creative team of writer Andy Diggle and artist Tony S. Daniel!
• Inside the nefarious mind of Lex Luthor, who bares his scars—but how did he get them?
• Luthor’s plan to eradicate Superman may make Kal an alien pariah!
• The Oracle awaits at the edge of the Solar System to pass judgment on Superman—and he is not alone.
• You won’t believe who comes calling on the final page!

Morrison's run is over. Let the Diggle era begin.

Certainly, starting out a new run with Luthor arc is the right way to go. I feel like what the Superman titles need right now is a bit of a throwback story - a heroic Superman battling one of his arch-enemies. And the cover looks way more slick than I am used to from Tony Daniel.

Add to that the Oracle and some mystery guest star (I am leaning towards a New Gods character) and I am optimistic.

I have to say, I am intrigued by the new team. Friends of mine whose opinion I trust love Andy Diggle. I only hope he moves away from the isolated, aloof Superman we have seen recently.

SUPERMAN #18
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art and cover by KENNETH ROCAFORT
1:25 B and W Variant cover by KENNETH ROCAFORT

• The new H.I.V.E. makes its stunning first appearance in The New 52 by trying to take over Metropolis!
• More on Clark Kent’s life as a reporter away from The Daily Planet!

I sometimes think that an organization like H.I.V.E. might have a better success against Superman than a single big bruiser. So having someone come in to try to insidiously take control of Metropolis should lead to a good story.

Still, we'll wait for the execution of the arc.

SUPERBOY #18
Written by TOM DeFALCO
Art by R.B. SILVA and ROB LEAN
Cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND

• “H’EL ON EARTH” has ended, and Superboy’s about to land in a new city, with a new secret identity and a surprising new foe on his trail!
• Guest-starring Superman!

The re-re-reboot of Superboy begins. First he was a weapon of NOWHERE. Then he was pumped full of subliminals to destroy Superman by Harvest. Now he has a new secret identity (I guess bank robber didn't work) and a new city. Maybe we'll get a young hero not an addled living weapon thief.

And Superman guest stars ... maybe to be supportive?

So Superboy lives in a city, has a secret identity, gets visited by Superman.
Meanwhile Supergirl lives alone at the bottom of the ocean, no secret identity or interaction with people, no visits from family.

I have no idea what is happening on this cover.

WORLDS’ FINEST #10
Written by PAUL LEVITZ
Art and cover by KEVIN MAGUIRE

• After being attacked by a group connected to the missing Mr. Terrific, Power Girl and Huntress take the fight to Holt Industries, where they make a shocking discovery!
• Plus: Huntress is personally affected by a tragedy in The New 52!

Lots to digest here.

First off, Kevin Maguire on solo art again. Let me ask the Worlds' Finest crowd that comes here. Would you prefer the half/half approach per issue or would you rather Perez and Maguire alternate whole issues instead? I can't decide in my head.

Holt is stuck on Earth 2 so I wonder if the discovery is some connection to their old world.

And the 'Death in the Family' ending must be what affects Helena. So ... as a non-Batman reader ... could Damien be the one who dies in that mega-story? Of course, she probably had an Alfred on Earth 2, so he could also affect her as well.

SMALLVILLE SEASON 11 #11
Written by BRYAN Q. MILLER
Art by PERE PEREZ
Cover by SCOTT KOLINS

• In order to face Bart’s demons, Superman and Impulse confront a reluctant ally: the JSA’s Jay Garrick!
• Lois’s investigation into Lex takes a surprising turn.
• Chloe’s journey through her doppelganger’s memories turns dangerous.
  
According to Bryan Q. Miller's twitter feed, Jorge Jimenez is the artist on this arc.

Is there any word on how many print issues this is going to be?

I keep waiting to hear about the impending 'crisis' in the solicits.

I wonder if Bart's demons aren't true beings from Hell, but more personal demons. After all, Vegas seems to be in the reflection of Impulse's glasses.   

SUPERMAN FAMILY ADVENTURES #11
Written by ART BALTAZAR and FRANCO
Art and cover by ART BALTAZAR

• Ma Kent finally meets Lois Lane!
• What startling questions might they have for one another?
• Is trouble brewing in the big city?
• Time to take the Super-Pets for walkies in Metropolis!

Is there any character that is comedy gold than Ma Kent in an all ages book. The idea of an elderly farm woman disciplining super-beings is just waiting for shenanigans. We saw it in Super Best Friends Forever. We saw it here with Solomon Grundy. So why not a whole issue!

And I can't wait to see Lois with her. I think Lois knows who Clark is in Superman Family Adventures. 

AME-COMI GIRLS #1
Written by JUSTIN GRAY and JIMMY PALMIOTTI
Art and cover by EDUARDO FRANCISCO

• The new, monthly AME-COMI ongoing series begins here!
• The Ame-Comi Girls team up for the final showdown with Brainiac!
• Starring Wonder Woman, Power Girl, Supergirl, Batgirl, Robin, Steel and The Flash!

And then the surprise of the month ... and ongoing Ame-Comi Girls book.

I am buying the print version of the current single issue character books (although there is a running story through them) and enjoying them so far as a sort of fun trippy DC Universe. I have heard that Supergirl gets, once again, used and turned evil in the upcoming issues.

Anyways, on this cover, it looks like Supergirl is ready to throw punches at Power Girl. I shouldn't be surprised at this given Jimmy Palmotti is writing. I hope Supergirl gets a fair shake here. I guess I'll give it a try.

But the big thing is the post-H'El tenor of the Supergirl book. What will it be like. 

Bullet Review: Justice League #14

Justice League was supposed to be the tentpole book for the New 52, a return of the 'Big 7' (I call it the 'Big 6 plus 1' because Cyborg is not and never will be The Martian Manhunter) written by DC bigwigs Geoff Johns and drawn by comic legend Jim Lee. I had high hopes that it would be fantastic.

I have been disappointed. It has never grabbed me. Never. The interaction between the members has felt stiff and stilted. Some of the characterization has felt down right wrong. And despite having been a team for years, all the heroes .... gasp .... don't trust each other. I suppose I should be used to that in the DCnU.

Perhaps worst of all has been the awful representation of Superman in the book. Here he is always floating, always above the others physically, always 'observing like a reporter'. It is wrong. And it is shocking given how great Johns wrote Superman when he was writing Action Comics.

As a result, the book has been on a sort of pull list suicide watch for the last few issues. When will I drop it?

Last week, Justice League #14 came out and the first half was on par with the earlier issues. I was pretty disappointed at how easily the Cheetah could almost outmaneuver the entire League. I thought for a second 'this is it, I am dropping this book'.

And then the second half happened. For once, Superman wasn't a smug floating jerk. He sounded like Superman. He acted like Superman.

It turns out that Barbara 'The Cheetah' Minerva has always been an evil doer, a criminal. And this seems to stun Wonder Woman who thought Barbara was good, that she became evil when possessed by the Cheetah spirit.

With that reveal, Diana wonders who she is, how she can move forward when she can't trust anyone, including herself.

And then Superman shows up.

I like how he calls her his inspiration because she always looks for the good in people. It humanizes Superman. He thinks he can do better when he thinks of humanity.

And then he brings her to Smallville, for a sort of palate cleanser of the worst of humanity. They have a slice of pie at a diner. They visit the Kent farmhouse. And Superman talks about how it is this bucolic, idyllic, quiet slice of the world represents what he is fighting for. That most people are good and deserve to be defended.

And then Superman says the things I think Superman should say.

"Sometimes good is what it appears to be ... good." "Sometimes it's still that simple."

Hurrah. Superman believes there is good in the world. He wants to defend it. He thinks of his upbringing when he needs to be inspired.

It is a nice moment.

This being the 'power couple of the DCU' that nice moments leads to yet another perfectly choreographed super-kiss.

And this being the DCnU, it has to end on a down note. The chip on Superman's cape allows Batman to creepily watch the two smooch. Holy voyeur Batman!!

It's a shame that the Batman piece is there because it did dim the light of the nice speech Superman gave here.

Anyways, that speech saved the book from being dropped by me ... at least for now.

Overall grade: C (D - first half, B+ second half, dropped due to Peeping Batman)

NYCC 2012 Superman Panel

On Thursday evening, the New 52 Superman panel was held at the New York Comic Con. The panel members included editors Matt Idelson and Eddie Berganza; writers Grant Morrison, Sholly Fisch, Andy Diggle, Scott Snyder, and Mike Johnson; and artists Tony Daniel, Mahmud Asrar, and Jim Lee.

The panel didn't necessarily shed a lot of light on the long term stories for the characters, instead hinting at some of the issues in the near future. As the end of Grant Morrison's Action Run, the 'H'El on Earth' crossover, and the beginning of Diggle's and Snyder's runs on their respective books are all shrouded a bit in mystery, there weren't many specifics given. Instead we got something of an overview of the creators approach to the characters as well as some sprinkled in hints and reveals.

There are a couple of nice transcriptions/reviews of the panel over on Newsarama: http://www.newsarama.com/comics/dc-new-52-superman-nycc-2012.html

and at Comic Book Resources:
;http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=41541

As always, I recommend reading their entire coverage to get the full scope of the panel. That said, there were some parts of the panel which stuck out which I thought I would highlight here.

First, as the Morrison run on Action is ending, some blurbs from the master himself"

From Newsarama

Action Comics #15 will feature a "Super Doomsday," said Morrison, a combination of the two characters that makes Superman's life a bad place to be.

"I was originally going to just do 6 issues, but when I had started I realized I needed 17 issues to back my story up. I really enjoyed doing the one-offs, if I could change anything at all, I think I'd try to do every issue as a complete story, I think that's really fun especially for Superman"

 From CBR:

A fan then wanted to know if in the New 52 Universe Superman had died.
“Yes!” Morrison said as the audience laughed, adding that he felt that entire period still happened and he wrote with that in mind.

I think we all knew when we read Action Comics #9 that the 'Super Doomsday' abomination of Superman would eventually break free from between the wavelengths where that Earth's Superman placed him. I think Morrison wrote that faceless, mass marketed, broken Superman as an indictment against the current comic world. That issue, only the pure good of Superman could defeat him. I hope that in this issue, Morrison cements the current DCnU Superman as that same sort of pillar of hope.

The comment on rethinking his run as a possible series of one-off stories is interesting and smacks a bit of All-Star Superman which was separate stories with an overlying plot. This Action run has, at times, had the magical feeling of All-Star Superman despite being rooted in continuity.

And lastly, I like that Morrison says outright that this Superman has died (I assume by Doomsday). There is a lot of history in the years between this Action run and 'the present'. I wonder if Morrison feels about Superman the way he does with Batman ... that all the comic stories have 'happened.'

From CBR:

To a fan who wanted to know about the evolution of Superman/Clark Kent over the years, Fisch said that to him the most important part of Superman is, “He gives everyone someone to look up to,” Fisch said, adding, “He’s a good guy, and that, to me, is the core of it...when you come down to it, he’s a hero.”

There is also some stuff from current back-up feature writer and Action Annual #1 writer Sholly Fisch as well as some spiffy pages from the latter. Fisch and Morrison have gelled nicely, meshing the back-ups and main features. Here, Fisch echoes what I think about Superman. It probably is why I have enjoyed his stories so much!

 

On to the Supergirl news!

From Newsarama:

Berganza started talking about Superman and "H'EL ON EARTH." which will feature the Justice League coming to help out on something "really big." "We have Supergirl coming in to help... or not. They're not one big happy Super family, and you'll see a lot of changes there in this story."

  

Supergirl will meet up with The Flash in her tie-in issues, which Johnson says will be called "The Fastest Girl on Earth".  Asrar said he was really excited that the first guest star is The Flash, he's "really excited to draw the Flash and superspeed."

I have to take almost everything Berganza and Idelson say about Supergirl with a grain of salt and some antacid. They always seem to imply that she isn't a nice character or a hero. She's here to help ... or is she. These are the same folks who touted her alienation/isolation/lack of affection ... none of which has been a depressing dominant feature of the main book. Even the jab about the unhappy family seems off the mark. I hope that in this instance they are overstating things again. They haven't known the tone of the book up to now ... so I'm not worried.

And seeing Asrar draw the Flash will be a treat. Even on this cover, the elongated appearance of the lead leg on Barry implies speed. Great.

I do like that the JLA gets involved in H'El because something big enough to get the whole Super Family attention should get theirs too.

From CBR:

Speaking about “Supergirl’s” role in “H’el On Earth,” Johnson said that Kara, “Desperately wants to cling to the life she had...but we’re also going to evolve her relationship with Superman, which has been up to this point mainly punching.”

Hmmm ... doesn't this just sound better. An 'evolving' relationship. That is different than 'not helping'. It means moving towards a better place.

From Newsarama:

"I'm excited to flex some different creative muscles, with people flying through the air, bursting through buildings... coming out during the day, I haven't done a lot of that stuff in a long time," said Daniel referring to his long stint on Batman titles.

From CBR:

“[Superman] will do absolutely everything he can, and that’s absolutely inspirational. You don’t have to move planets to be inspirational, you just need to do what you can.”

Andy Diggle and Tony Daniels talked a bit about their work on Action Comics once Morrison moves on. Both seem excited about working on the book (as seen in prior interviews). The inspiration quite also reassures me that Diggle isn't going to take this to a dark place.

Of course the biggest news was the 'surprise announcement' that Scott Snyder and Jim Lee are headlining another Superman book, as yet unnamed. Snyder is the big gun at DC right now, making Batman the best selling title. And Lee is ... well ... Lee. So this book should be huge.

From Newsarama

Lee said, "2013 is the 75th anniversary of Superman, so we were talking about adding an additional book to the family. We were waiting for the right creative team to come along - I didn't hire myself I promise."

 

Snyder said "We're going to try to deliver to you the biggest and most kick-ass Superman story we can. I'm writing the features and the back-ups. It'll be big and gamechanging but have a lot of intimacy, a lot of American History. This is the Superman story I'd tell if I could only tell one before they kicked me right off."

 
I am sure more interviews are around the corner but it was interesting to see these early 'rah rah' comments.

As for me, having missed the boat on Batman, I can't wait to read what Snyder brings to the Superman family.

I didn't want to crib from these sites too much. There is a lot of info on the Action Annual, Superboy, and Superman Earth One Vol 2 in these reviews of the panel so folks should go there for news on those topics.

Any way you slice it, it should be a big big year for the Supers.

New Action Comics Creative Team Announced

Reviews for this week look like they'll have to wait as news from NYCC begins to be released. The first news item that grabbed me ... the new Action Comics creative team. Starting with Action Comics #18, Andy Diggle will be writing and Tony Daniel will be penciling.

Now, amazingly, in reviewing my comic database, I don't have much from either creator. So I am going into this series with no preconceived notions. I simply don't know what to expect.

Of course, with announcements like these, the publicity mill starts to spin. Here is an interview over on CBR with Diggle talking about his approach to the character: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=41487

Diggle also says that Action will now take place in the present and will synch up with Superman more than it has now. Does that mean we will get back to triangle numbers on the cover again?

This cover for Action Comics #18 seems a bit grim but given what we saw in Superman #0, this must be Kal on Krypton.

Anyways, here are a couple of questions that grabbed me.


Can you give us a tease on the direction you plan to take the series, starting with your first arc?
I don't know how much I can talk about how it will relate to other titles, but like I said, I very much want to balance the extremely epic, massive-scale action heroics with the human side of Kal-El and Clark Kent too. I would like to see him explored a little bit more. And I would like to see his relationship with Lois Lane explored a little bit more in the New 52.

Great stories can be found in the exploration of the dichotomy of Superman as a human from middle America and also nearly omnipotent super-human. I, for one, enjoy those stories. In my mind, Clark thinks he is Clark first and Superman second. He is a simple country boy who wants to help others and, luckily, has abilities that let him do that. So trying to balance that with big threats and high action will be tough ... but it has been done before with great results.

And any mention of upping the Lois content is welcomed!

You touched on this, but we've seen countless interpretations of the Superman/Clark Kent/Lois Lane relationship over the years. Now, DC has thrown the ultimate monkey wrench into the mix in the form of Wonder Woman. Did you know that was happening when you agreed to take on "Action Comics," and if so, was that part of the appeal?
And it kind of makes sense from Superman's point of view in the New 52. When we've jumped into the present, Superman is still finding his feet, to a degree. He's still trying to figure out his place on the planet and how he fits in, and even though deep down inside he's this very human character, he still feels different and alone in certain ways. I think that he feels a bit like a fish out of water, and I think Diana feels the same way, so to a degree, they feel like kindred spirits, which is not quite the same as his relationship with Lois. I think there are different aspects of the character that you can explore through those relationships. 

So more Lois is good! And investigating the Lois/Clark dynamic has made good stories for 75 years. And calling Superman a 'very human character' makes me think Diggle understands who Superman is.

And yet we have this 'different and alone' phrase which has cropped up over and over and just seems incongruous with Superman. He isn't a loner. He embraces his humanity. So hopefully this alienation piece doesn't overwhelm the characterization on the book.

I would welcome ... truly welcome ... hearing from anyone who has read Diggle before and can predict/anticipate how you think Diggle will be with Superman.

It will be hard to follow Morrison. Just ask Rachel Pollock (Doom Patrol), Tom Veitch (Animal Man), Chuck Austen (New Xmen), etc.