Action Comics #1 Review
I’ve gone on record to say that I never really cared for what Grant Morrison did with his run on X-Men, and didn’t like his Batman stuff much more. Yet, his All Star Superman is among the best Superman stories ever told and with the DC relaunch he’s been tasked to work the same magic with Action Comics. One of the pillars of the entire DC lineup; the comic was (before the relaunch) one of the longest running consecutive books in the industry. So you can imagine there’s a lot of attention being put on exactly how the new Action Comics turns out. Thankfully, it’s fantastic.
Morrison really takes Superman back to his origins from the 30s as a superhero who stands up for the little guy. Superman came out of the first Depression, and would often be seen fighting evil bosses who had unsafe workplaces and the like. In a new Depression, Supes is again looking out for the every-man with in this first issue he goes after a rich and corrupt man who basically runs Metropolis and makes things hard for the people under him.
The story is set five years before last week’s Justice League #1. Superman is still an unknown, and feared, element in Metropolis with the authorities trying to figure out a way to take him down…with Lex Luthor’s help. At this point, Superman doesn’t fly; he runs fast and leaps tall buildings in a single bound, but there are lines talking about how he’s been getting stronger and thus his powers are changing. There’s also a little foreshadowing of the Darkseid story line that will be going on in the “present” day DCU with Justice League.
And you get a lot of story with this first issue. It’s a slightly larger issue, and it gives you exactly enough to walk away satisfied while ending on a note that will make you want to get issue #2. Superman, despite not having all his powers, definitely has a true “Superman” moment in the end. It may remind you a little of Spider-Man 2, but it’s definitely Superman on display.
Morrison really hit it out of the park with Action #1. It’s still early in the month of the New 52, but it may be safe to say that this will be the best book of all 52. Pick it up at your local shop as soon as possible, as it’s already sold out through the distributor!