Action Comics #1082 review

It’s a lovely day in Metropolis… until huge boulders begin shooting through the streets and the ground cracks open.

Police Chief Kekoa and colleague are saved by Superman, who then catches up with the metahuman behind the devastation – but not before finding a civilian has died under a building.

There’s no resistance as Superman takes in Major Disaster, aka Paul Booker, and delivers him to Stryker’s Island prison, whose guards, later, share concerns with Clark Kent.

Booker explains to Clark that he never wanted anyone to die, a bank job he was pulling went very wrong. ‘Superman bet on you,’ says Clark, sparking a memory in Booker.

Booker seems to be accepting that he tried to be a good guy, but failed, and he is deeply ashamed and remorseful. Clark, though, can’t let it go, discussing it with wife Lois that night.

Lois suggests Clark use his skills as an investigative reporter and find out why Booker went bad again, and soon he’s visiting old associates of Major Disaster, beginning with a former cellmate.

Next, another supervillain who’s trying to live a quieter life, Scorch.

And still Clark frets.

Too much information, Lois. We know you like Clark in his Warworld gladiator outfit, but let’s leave it at that.

I suppose this is writer John Ridley trying for a spot of levity in what’s a pretty sombre issue. My suggestion – don’t write such a miserable story.

After the 12-part Phantoms serial by Mark Waid and Clayton Henry, I was wondering what we’d get next and the cover tells me – a return to the ‘Superman Superstars’ branding and a new creative team every three months. I enjoyed Ridley’s Other History of the DC Universe mini-series but after this first chapter I’m very wary. He just doesn’t seem to get Superman – the Man of Steel has seen heroes go to the bad, villains go to the good and back again. Yes, it’s a disappointment – tragic for one man – that Booker has left the path of Good, but taking it so very personally speaks to an ego Superman doesn’t have.

‘Hope takes work. Enough work that sometimes… I feel like it’s not worth the effort.’ Does that sound like Superman to you?

And the idea that Superman would be so very upset that he’d want to burn Major Disaster with his Red Eyes of Death… just, no.

On the positive side, the dialogue between Mr and Mrs Superman was convincing, and the callback to Clark’s ‘Dark Days’ essay in Action Comics #783 was unexpected and it worked; I loved Lois teasing him about what a self-consciously tormented, basically unprintable, piece it was.

And the artwork by Inaki Miranda is excellent, whether we’re talking the elegant figurework, subtle expressions or detailed backgrounds. Miranda’s Superman is great but his Clark is even better, with clever bits of business such as continually pushing his specs back onto the bridge of his nose. While I hate the modern cliche that is the Red Eyes of Death, Miranda conveys the quiet menace of Ridley’s Superman very well.

Said red is supplied by colourist Eva de la Cruz, along with every other colour you could possibly want, from the bright blue of Superman’s costume to the greys of Stryker’s Island. Dave Sharpe is always a welcome addition as letterer, supplying character specific narrative boxes, nifty italics for phone chats, a sharp ‘Force Majeure’ title treatment and more.

Gleb Melnikov’s cover is very different to the norm, reading to me like a superhero update on Romance comics. I bet if you looked hard enough you’d see our hero shedding a tear.

As for the Supergirl back-up… oh hang on, it’s over. It’s finally over. If I did star ratings this comic would now go up by two!

Then I’d take it off again on noticing that despite being 10 pages shorter than it has been for the last several months, Action Comics remains a $4.99 comic. Anyone else feeling their eyes turning very, very red?