Action Comics #11 Review
Superman deals with life after “Clark Kent” while Earth’s first superman goes after Lois Lane’s family in Action Comics #11
Action Comics #11
Following the “death” of Clark Kent, Superman has created a new identity for himself, that of Johnny Clark, a Metropolis firefighter, a job that allows him to save lives and help people 24/7. However, Superman finds it harder than he thought to leave behind Clark’s life and especially his friends, taking the problem to Batman, who promises to think of something. Meanwhile, Adam Blake, a human born with evolutionary abilities hundreds of thousands of years ahead of normal humans, confronts Lois Lane and her niece Suzie, who he reveals is similarly gifted. When Superman tries to stop Blake from taking the young girl, Blake manages to drop the Man of Steel with a single thought.
This is one dense comic book. My favorite talent of Morrison’s is his ability to tell, in a single comic, stories that would take other writers half a dozen issues. This story leaps around just like Superman himself. First fighting an alien robot, then introducing us to Johnny Clark, then hanging out with Batman, then Lois and Suzie, then the Brainiac Fortress, then Superman vs Captain Comet! Jeez, I’m out of breath!
After Batman’s comments last issue about having to take down Supes one day, I’m glad to see Superman reaching out and asking for Batman’s advice. Of course, it could always be argued that Batman is only “keeping his enemies closer” by pretending to be Superman’s friend. But knowing Bruce, there’s no reason it can’t be both.
We finally get back to the Brainiac Fortress, a place I’ve wanted to return to since its creation. Now sporting a S-Shield logo, (which I caught on Morrison’s initial sketch in the back of issue 2), the Brainiac Fortress gives us the best of all worlds, a Fortress with a talking A.I. repository of “all-knowledge” like in the movies and Smallville, but also filled with hundreds of alien species in a 1950’s “intergalactic zoo.”
If there is one thing I love best about Morrison’s Superman, it’s this notion that the impossible is second nature for Supes, and is something he takes pride in. Just look at the smile on his face when Brainiac reveals that the mysterious Multitude didn’t destroy Krypton, as they were repelled by Jor-El in an act deemed impossible.
Suzie Tompkins, Lois’s niece who was introduced in the 1940’s as a “Dennis the Menace” style pest for Superman, reappears, now upgraded as a “nutant” or future human capable of saving the world. Given her future status as a member of the Anti-Superman Army, I don’t think that’s going to work out too well.
I have to say, as much as I like Rags Morales, I wouldn’t hate having a whole issue drawn by Brad Walker. Not only does he seem to have a better handle on Superman’s armored look, his whole style is just stunning. And while I’m going on about the art, I say bump Cafu up from the back-ups and let him draw a few issues. That poster of Superman in the shirt shop, with the whole “Masters of the Universe” pose is one I want for my house. So far, Cafu has drawn approximately two images of Superman in that last few issues, and each one was sickeningly iconic.
Oh yeah, and the back-up story by Sholly Fisch was good too. It was little more than a joke, and lost a little something since they’ve been talking about it for a while now behind the scenes.
Overall, this was such a fun comic. I love getting a lot for my money, and while some single issues of other books feel like you are only reading five pages worth of story spread out over 20, this issue felt a half dozen comics crammed into one.
A COMIC BOOK BLOG RATING
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| So much story in one book | None |
| Rating |
6 Comments
100%?! Would it kill you to be more objective? Fun? Sure. It was also frenetic and flawed. Action Comics #775 was a 100% story. This is nowhere near that quality. I don’t mean any slight, and I hope my comment doesn’t offend, but come on! Morrison is rehashing old ideas and can do better. These are Bronze Age storylines a la Captain Comet. If you’re basing your review strictly on whether you like the issue or not, sound. If it’s the latter, and I’m a big fan of Morrison (I even enjoyed Final Crisis), slate the book where it deserves to be slated.
What can i say, man? “Fun” is pretty much all I’m looking for in a comic book.
LOL! Fair enough.
Ha. Well, I still think I’m pretty objective when it comes to ACTION. I didn’t care for the Kraven Clone or the Batman interaction last issue. I thought the Prez Superman issue felt like an issue of some other comic. I didn’t like the interlude issues ruining the ending for the first main story. And I said all that when I reviewed those issues.
I just genuinely couldn’t find anything to complain about this month. All the problems you had with it, the frenetic pace, the update of Captain Comet, I enjoyed.
I liked it despite the problems, but 100%? I try to be more critical because one of the reasons Superman has been rebooted so often, is because of the storytelling. A creator gets the green light, writes the stories they want (For Tomorrow, WONK, Grounded) and then it’s back to square one. Morrison seems to be doing the same: writing his story without laying any foundation, so it can easily be done away with. Will any of his issues have the same weight as Action 775 10 years from now? I would like them to.
I have the same problem with Morrison. He writes these crazy, outlandish stories that only make half-sense, like he doesn’t care what’s going to happen later, because it’s his time on the book, and screw what anyone else thinks. It’s just….weird. I want Superman to be, well, Superman!