Action Comics #1098 review

It’s all smiles on the delightful Ryan Sook cover of the latest issue of Action Comics, but inside people are a lot more stressed.

Heroes from the future Mary Marvel, J’onn J’onzz and Booster Gold have followed Epoch, the Lord of Time, to the Smallville of their past… and lost him. Now they’re staying with Jonathan, Martha and young Clark Kent, waiting for the villain to make his next move. And they’ve just worked out what Epoch wanted.

Trying to work out what Epoch might do with rocket parts, the Leaguers ask Jonathan and Martha to share everything they remember about the spacecraft, and what happened after it landed with a baby on board.

When Clark and Mary pop upstairs to retrieve a crystal that came with the spaceship, the World’s Mightiest Girl sees an opportunity for teasing.

Booster Gold uses the brains he usually hides from folk to tinker with the crystal so it connects to the whereabouts of the rocket – and Epoch. The crook, whose MO is to steal tech from across time, has used the rocket to up his personal power levels.

Will he succeed in killing Superboy? Obviously not, he’s going to get well and truly beaten by the Teen of Steel, likely with a hand from the Super Buddies. But that doesn’t make this issue any less compelling. Writer Mark Waid brings the action that gives this book its name towards the end of this chapter, but before that there’s the fun scene with Mary that leads to an engaging encounter with Lana.

The heart of the issue, though, is the Kents telling what the baby they named Clark meant to their lives. It’s touching, it feels real, and there’s a particularly lovely line from Jonathan when Martha, kneeling by the rocket, holds her child for the first time.

All this, and a guest appearance from Beaker of The Muppets.

OK, I’m kidding, but the few pages drawn by Patricio Delpeche do get progressively more wonky, with faces that look quickly sketched by a fat marker pen. I can only guess Delpeche was helping out in a deadline crunch because his art in such issues as Action #1095 is much more consistent.

And even here there is some nice stuff, such as that emotional panel with Jon, Martha and baby Clark. And the rocket looks super-cute, its nose cone evoking a wee mouse. Hopefully we’ll see a full issue by Delpeche again soon, as he’s a real talent.

As is regular series artist Skylar Patridge, who illustrates most of the issues, starting with a very nice shot/reverse shot of the heroes around that hole in the floor and ending with the intense tussle with Epoch. My favourite sequence, though, is the chat between Mary and Lana at the school lockers – it’s always school lockers in this comic – which is comedy gold.

Delpeche colours his own work and the choices of tone work beautifully. Patridge’s pages, meanwhile, are handled by colourist Ivan Plascencia and have a lovely autumnal vibe. As for the letters, there’s an appealing friendliness to Steve Wands’ work – very Kansas.

If you’ve been following Action Comics lately you won’t need my recommendation to pick this issue up, but if you haven’t, believe me, you’re missing a treat. And the occasional nutty panel is just part of the charm.