After a couple of months crossing over with Superman, the Superman Superstars experiment continues, with the latest featured creators being writer Gail Simone – back in Action after a wonderful, far too short run years ago – and artists Eddy Barrows and Danny Miki.
The story is set in no fixed part of continuity – Clark, Lois and Jimmy are working for WGBS, as in the early Seventies, with Jimmy using his shortlived Mr Action nickname, but Superman sports a black ‘S’ symbol reminiscent of the Forties Fleischer cartoons. Jimmy and Lois are in Mod gear, while Clark is totally Golden Age. And that’s fine by me, if you can’t tell a timeless tale outside of an ongoing run, when can you?
The story begins with the gang working on a story about a threatened community project, which sees them talking to a future DC hero, when extraterrestrials beam down and start panicking the populace.
Clark slips away and Superman returns, defending the admittedly game residents of Suicide Slum from some very scary-looking aliens.
Xalt says they’re a diplomat, and they’ve soon persuaded the Man of Steel to fight on their people’s behalf in a gladiatorial game. Happily, Superman won’t have to do it alone.
Oops. Oh well, at least Lois and Jimmy are guaranteed an exclusive… if they survive.
The first episode of Challenge from the Stars is a pretty straightforward Superman adventure, and a solidly entertaining one at that. Which isn’t to say things won’t get a lot more complicated, given Simone’s knack for complex plotting and love of a good twist. And here we have her trademark humour in the shape of a particularly scary combatant’s professional name, and perhaps a bit of political satire if you remember Donald Trump’s comments about NATO countries who don’t pay their ‘fair share’.
Maybe I’m seeing things in the writing. And maybe I’m seeing things in the art, which is just excellent, courtesy of Barrows and Miki. Because Lois here doesn’t so much remind me as Mary Jane Watson – as I’ve seen mentioned elsewhere – but this Seventies gal.
Meg Tempest, Jimmy’s rival reporter who hasn’t been seen since the Bronze Age!
Just me?
Anyway, one creative choice I’m certain is deliberate concerns this panel.
The S-curl peeping out from below the hat brim as Clark realises his alter ego is needed. Subtle, and clever.
The alien races are both new to the DC Universe, and they’re both impressive designs. I hope we see them after this storyline.
Barrows puts lots of personality into his human people too, his young Lois is a lot less guarded with her emotions than the usual version, fair beaming around danger. And I love his more businesslike Clark. Mind, Perry White pops up for a single panel and I’d not know it was him it if were weren’t right there in the picture.
My favourite composition in the book is a full-page panel based on curves, right down to the arrangement of word balloons. It looks wonderful and moves the narrative forward.
I don’t recall seeing the ever-excellent Barrows inked by Danny Miki but I do like the combo, there’s a real strength to the images – Miki should visit from Marvel more often.
The colours of Rex Lokus add an extra layer of goodness, the pages pulse with intensity, while the letters of Dave Sharpe are terrific – extra marks for the splendid alien font… I wonder if it works as a language, like the Legion of Super-Heroes’ Interlac.
Overall, this is a great read – it’s a treat to have a classic omniscient narrator – that looks superb.
And it’s not all we get this issue, with a fast moving, characterful back-up centring on Lois and Clark, complete with a New Adventures of Superman-style logo from ace letterer Sharpe. We’re in the present day here, with Lois acting as editor while Perry campaigns to be Mayor – an editor’s note says ‘Perry has left the news business for good’, which isn’t actually what we were told. Our heroes are talking about how much of a headache Lois is finding management when Clark is called away to face an old foe.
A very angry Atomic Skull, apparently having fallen back into bad ways after his emotional upturn in the Superwoman series. I’m not convinced he has gone evil again, hopefully we’ll have some reluctance confirmed as this short serial continues.
After the super-quick sortie, Superman returns to the office, switches back to Clark and expects to write up the villain encounter. Lois has other ideas.
Lois says her husband can’t cover the story because he’s been so involved in Albert Michaels’ rehabilitation. Perry wouldn’t block him, protests Clark. Well, he has only himself to blame, as earlier in the story…
I liked this tale by writer Rainbow Rowell and artist Cian Tormey a lot, with Lois’ position being an interesting bump in their relationship. She’s right in principle, of course, though she might have pointed out to Clark that Perry hasn’t traditionally known one of his best reporters is Superman. I like what little we get of intern Mariposa, it’s good to see Lois giving talent a chance.
As for the art, it’s stellar. Tormey is one of the best artists around when it comes to drawing believable people having genuine emotions. And he manages refreshingly convincing clothing, which is rare in comics. The first time we see Clark, leaving the Daily Planet lift, he’s looking a little tousled, shirt tucked half into his trousers like a fashion victim. It could be he’s just having a messy day, but I’m guessing he’s already done some Supermanning that morning. It may be a detail in Rowell’s script, but it’s certainly well executed by Tormey. And there’s a lovely silent transformation sequence.
The shelf framing is an especially nice touch. Tormey always gives us a viable office environment.
Dave Sharpe’s letters are again spot on, while Romulo Fajardo Jr’s colours cleverly distinguish between fore and background planes.
With two well-crafted, solidly entertaining stories and a wonderful cover by Barrows, Miki and colourist Tomeu Morey, Action Comics #1067 is a great buy. Don’t miss it.
Too Dangerous For a Girl 2 
Wonderful issue. Great job spotting that S-curl! I loved seeing Jeff Pierce in this issue, and the fashions brought a smile to my face. I do wonder if Xalt is as innocent as he seems, but so far, there’s nothing but his Peter Lorre-like expressions that makes me think he might not be on the level. Certainly the Gorathians are bad news.
I bought this on the strength of the opening story, but the backup has me really excited, too. I’ll be very happy for Lois to minimize Clark’s conflicts of interest because she knows his secret, and it’ll be interesting to see Clark dealing with some un-Superman-like emotions, such as disappointment and jealousy. And I’m cheering for Mariposa!
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‘With Peter Lorre as Xalt.’ Brilliant!
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“She’s right in principle, of course, though she might have pointed out to Clark that Perry hasn’t traditionally known one of his best reporters is Superman.”
This bit shows very little understanding of journalism. Superman is an eyewitness to the events he writes about as Clark Kent. He’s not deceiving the public, and sources for stories have protection from being revealed. What exactly is the issue here? Superman isn’t promoting his adventures, and instead of getting a first hand account of what happened, Lois would reduce it to second hand to preserve journalistic integrity, which is already preserved? I wonder if the author, Rainbow Rowell understands how co-essential Clark Kent is to Superman, and how this reduces that aspect of the character? Otherwise, it was a very good issue, and, as always, a very fine review.
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I thought the first story was ok but got weighed down by the excessive narration. It’s not as bad as Tom King’s Wonder Woman in that regard, but there’s still way too much of it here. Narration should be used very sparingly if at all, while the visuals and dialogue should do the heavy lifting for narrative, characterization, atmosphere, and world building. Maybe Simone thought putting in this much narration was some kind of homage to the writing style of many comics from the Silver Age and Bronze Age. If that’s the case, it’s one thing from those comics that should have been left behind.
Beyond that, the first story just feels very generic. So far a summary of it would be: one day while Clark Kent is reporting on a local news story in Metropolis for WGBS with Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen, aliens invade Metropolis. As Superman, he fights them alongside some locals, before accepting a combat challenge from the aliens for the fate of Earth that inadvertently involves Lois and Jimmy. Superman beats the alien champion, then has to deal with repercussions from the battle that threaten Metropolis. I feel like I’ve read this kind of story where Superman has to save the city and the planet from non-human invaders by participating in some kind of contest many, many times. If there was some really unique world building or deep character exploration that could make up for the genericness of the plot, but there’s just not much here in terms of world building or character exploration that seems particularly original or insightful.
The fact that this is apparently a bottle story which probably won’t have any impact on the plot points, character development, and concepts explored in the contemporary ongoing plots from Action Comics and Superman also limits my interest in this story, since I don’t see what is here having any long term ramifications for Superman and his world. This gets at a problem I have with the “Superstars” concept for Action Comics, which is that it’s hobbled the title’s ability to build strong, ongoing narratives. Compared to what we got with PKJ or even Bendis during the better part of his run, all of this feels underwhelming and shallow, particularly since I really do want to follow up on the developments from the ongoing narrative that were furthered with the House of Brainiac Arc (which incidentally appealed to me way more than this in part because it did precisely that). If DC wanted to do this “Superstars” stuff, it really should have created a new title that featured rotating casts of artists and writers coming up with three issue arc bottle stories while letting Action Comics continue to tell an ongoing narrative that is at least somewhat tied to the ongoing narrative of Superman as well as developments in the wider DCU.
Overall, in addition to how much a reader cares about having a bottle story instead of building on the contemporary narrative of the Superfamily, I think appreciation of the first story really comes down to how much a reader values nostalgia. For me, that’s not very much. If I wanted to read a simple, action oriented Silver Age or Bronze Age story about Superman fighting aliens, I would just go read an actual Silver Age or Bronze Age comic with such a story. Otherwise, I would like a more complex, modern story that’s ideally not a bottle issue (although I will add the caveat that at this specific point in time I would be wary of something like that if the editorial side of DC boxed in the narrative so it could tie in to Absolute Power).
Strikingly, I actually ended up liking the backup from Rowell more. Partly that’s because it lacked the aforementioned issue with narration, but also because it presented a really good character piece about Clark and Lois. The point that Lois’s sudden professional authority over Clark could become a bone of contention in their relationship is interesting, and the story also resolves a legitimate issue with Clark’s reporting on Superman ever since the secret identity was reinstated.
Clark arguably is biased on some level in his reporting about Superman and his foes, even if it is subconsciously. I’m sure he sincerely tries to be an objective journalist, but Lois is correct that he has a degree of personal investment in a particular take on the events of these stories that probably hinders his ability to write about them objectively. If Daily Planet readers knew he was also Superman that could be acceptable because they would know upfront that they’re getting a report which is likely influenced by the personal involvement of the writer as one of the major subjects of the story. Since they don’t know that, they are unaware of the potential biases Clark brings to the table when reporting on Superman. Taking him off the Superman beat allows for people like Mariposa who are genuine outside observers of Superman and his foes to write stories that can have fewer hidden biases than anything Clark can ever write.
Aside from that, I like Rowell’s writing style more than Simone’s, appreciate the serious exploration of Lois and Clark’s relationship dynamics, and the dive into how recent developments in their have affected their mentality when it comes to their professional and private lives. Action driven stories can certainly be very enjoyable to read but given the choice between an action centric story such as Simone’s vs. a character centric one such as Rowell’s, I’ll usually take the latter because the characters tend to be deeper and the story is often more intellectually engaging. The fact that Rowell’s story also furthers the contemporary Action Comics narrative while furthering its world building and characterization also makes it intrinsically more interesting than Simone’s. I would genuinely like to see if the tension that’s suddenly developed over Clark and Lois’s professional relationship as well as Lois’s stress from becoming editor in chief and missing out on beat reporting ends up having a spillover effect on their family life or Clark’s activities as Superman.
Tormey and Fajardo also deserve a lot of credit. In many ways their art is more impressive than in the Simone story. Given that most of Rowell’s story involves scenes of Lois and Clark talking in the Daily Planet’s office, this could have easily been a very visually flat piece. Instead, they found a way to use shifting angles, facial expressions, movement across panel progressions, and dynamic color schemes within panels to make the story’s visuals as engaging as the dialogue. In its own way, that’s somewhat more impressive than Barrows’s, Miki’s, and Lokus’s work on the huge action scenes and exotic aliens from Simone’s story (though their art is still quite good for that part).
In the end, this was a decent issue of Action Comics. Simone’s story was mostly fine from a literary and visual standpoint despite the issues related to its core narrative and limited impact on Superman and his world. Rowell’s story is legitimately engaging, and overall it is nice to see some Superman stories that aren’t being twisted by Absolute Power. After all the developments of the House of Brainiac arc this feels like a bit of a letdown, but still good enough for me to be interested in seeing where both stories are going over the next two months.
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I see what you’re saying, but certainly in British news journalism – 42 years and counting here – the subjects of news stories don’t get to write the reports. You’re never going to get an unbiased report in such circumstances, and yes, obviously Superman is the good guy, but we want a third person observing and, if necessary, interpreting. We’d let Superman write a first person op-ed, or maybe a theatre review.
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This was the first issue of Action that I’ve enjoyed since Bendis left. It’s posivitively brimming with joy and character. I’m not normally a fan of Eddie Barrows, but manoman does he knock it out of the park with this issue! The fashions, the expressions, the layouts… LOVE!
I wouldn’t be disappointed if this creative team got a much longer run on the book. Loved that this is going to be a short little story and that the first chapter could stand as a done in one (save for the cliffhanger, of course). Much more of that, please!
I’ve liked everything I’ve read from Rainbow Rowel from Runaways to She-Hulk and a couple of other things that have probably slipped my mind. Great character focussed work! Cian Tormey’s art is wonderful, too! Glad to see his style again, after the Alan Scott mini finished. I’m curious to know where he’ll end up next.
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I’d love to see all the creators hang around, but Eddy Barrows doesn’t tend to do runs. Cian Tormey, though, he’s more of a monthly assignment fella. As for Rainbow Rowell, a back-up length story may be the right thing for her… I’ve been following She-Hulk and while I like a lot of the character moments it just rambles on and on with a huge amount of undramatic – wasted – pages. Mind, the often scratchy, ugly artwork doesn’t help.
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Oh we’re on different pages regarding the She-Hulk series. I *love* everything about it. The art is sweet! The story is sweet! What you find undramatic, I find totally compelling as Jen and Jack figure out a way to make it work while also dealing with fight clubs, bad guys and ex-lovers. It’s a shame it’s coming to an end, but I’m gonna enjoy it for what it was – a smart little romance comic that hung around longer than I thought it would.
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Luca Maresca’s art is fine, but then there’s the fill-in person on the adjectiveless She-Hulk, who have us super scratchy art and a weirdly large headed wotserface, the Hulk wannabe. I get that she’s meant to be distorted, but blimey. And I used to like Jack, but he’s so wet in this book I can’t see what Jen sees in him.
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I’m with you, Murray, regarding She-Hulk. I’ve got a number of issues left to read on Marvel Unlimited, but it’s one of my favorite Marvel books right now. And you nailed why: It’s a ROMANCE comic. The other stuff–the superhero meat-and-potatoes that makes up most of the Marvel Universe–is fun, but it’s the romance that’s at the heart of this.
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I’m not going to get invited to Fancy Dresses Wednesday, am I?
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Oh, Mart, I completely agree with you about the scratchy second artist of Rowell’s first She-Hulk run. It was the one dud that I’ve seen so far.
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I’ll save you a crepe for afterwards!
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Crepe and cowl comments!
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One thing I noticed about the Simone story’s art is that Lois looks really off putting when she’s smiling. Something about the extreme width of the smile and the way her eyes pop out makes her look almost demented, or at least like she’s on laughing gas. Her face in these scenes also looks weirdly stiff, as if it’s more like a doll face than a human face. She looks fine otherwise, so I’m baffled why smiling Lois is so creepy here.
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I said ‘less guarded with her emotions’, you say ‘almost demented’. I think we’re on the same page!
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Anj here!
I’ll be honest. I have never even heard of Meg Tempest! This felt like a nod to Gwen Stacy but I might be off.
I did wonder about your thoughts on Lois take on journalism. Clark will be telling the story from his perspective so things like property damage might get glossed over. I think it makes a little sense. This is a little different than Peter Parker selling pictures of Spider-Man.
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Meg Tempest was a proper wee minx, she appeared just a handful of times but she totally rocket the Alice band and hotpants look back when Jimmy was Mr Action (mind, knowing Jimmy and his Disguise Kit, he would rock that look too).
And thank you, Anj, for pointing out that the print copy of this issue has a credits dedication to Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams for their legendary Superman and Muhammad Ali tabloid story… wonder why it, along with the ‘They have waited an eternity’ chapter title, was left off the digital file.
If anyone hasn’t seen Anj’s post on this issue at Supergirl Comic Box Commentary – a ridiculous notion! – pop across for some excellent insight and images: http://comicboxcommentary.blogspot.com/2024/07/review-action-comics-1067.html
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I think I’ve just read my least favorite Simone story ever. Uninspired villains, indeterminate characterization all around and bleh artwork. Only Rowell saves the issue with a very well characterized Clark and Lois with issues that are going somewhere. The art is much nicer too.
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Oh, that’s a shame. Maybe the story will prove more to your taste as it goes on.
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