Action Comics #1085 review

Superman helps climate crisis scientists defend their research from sabotage, cybernetically enhanced polar bears and retro robots – and behind the scenes, there’s a classic supervillain.

Doesn’t that sound fun? And it is, in parts.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention, Superman dresses for Greenland.

Later, after the bears have vanished – literally.

It’s nice, light-hearted stuff from writer G Willow Wilson and artist Gavin Guidry, a last hurrah for the Superman Superstars experiment.

What’s not so great about this is everything involving the other side of Superman, Clark Kent. The story, ‘Solitude’, begins well enough, with Perry pulling Lois off one story to handle another. Then we get this.

Who is this appalling hack Lois is recommending as a pinch hitter? Some newbie? Dumb jock Steve Lombard?

It’s Clark, and he’s not just acting the klutz, he is a klutz.

Also, not good with flying.

And a nobody.

By this point I was expecting to find we were in a parallel world, or Clark had forgotten he was Superman, or Mr Mxyzptlk was in play. But, as you’ve already seen, the Man of Steel does indeed show up.

At which point the two scientists – whose personalities are nicely sketched in by Wilson, and they look good under Guidry and colourist Trish Mulvihill – should be calling Clark ‘Superman’ and thanking him for his help.

But they don’t.

Now, I grew up with Superman constantly winking at the reader, and dropping hints about his secret ID… but those stories were aimed at the little kid I was. I’m not a kid any more and few little kids are buying these books. Also, the narrative has moved on and Clark has long since stopped acting meek and mild; why would he be Mr Clumsy in front of his wife?

And even during the ‘milksop’ years, Clark was always a great reporter. Perry White knew it, the whole world knew it.

And it’s not like this is a timeless tale we shouldn’t try to make fit into current continuity.

Occasionally, we get a gag that makes no sense.

They have camp beds in a range of sizes?

And five minutes after Superman flies off, the boffins find their communications are down.

Maybe yell out for the guy with super-hearing?

Of course, having a couple of scientists squirrelled away to tackle polar refreezing makes little sense in a world of genius metahumans, some of whom actually have cold-controlling abilities. I suppose we could say that about many things for which folk strive in comics, but the problem always seems more evident when it’s an obvious bid for Relevance.

The art is pretty lovely, from the opening shot of a Daily Planet (there is no the Daily Planet, the building is an off-duty Durlan, never looking the same two days in a row) to the big villain reveal. Guidry’s Clark and Superman are peak handsome, while Perry and Lois manage to look great while sweating through a Metropolis heatwave. The ‘acting’ is assured, too.

Mulvihill’s colours do their part in setting the scene, while Dave Sharpe’s letters are an ocean of calm.

Brad Walker’s cover illo, nicely coloured by Mulvihill, looks terrific, it’s just a shame the blurb obscures the crystalline Fortress of Solitude.

So, I had problems with this issue. Either Wilson doesn’t get Superman, or she’s not too fussed about detail and would rather just entertain, while, er, reminding us that climate change demands action. This book has three editors – Paul Kaminski, Brittany Holzherr and Jillian Grant – so why is the use of Clark so wonky? Do ‘superstars’ never see the blue pencil?

I will be back next time, though, because of the villain, who is 100% a favourite.

And who knows, maybe we’ll learn Mxy really is hiding behind a glacier?