Grant Morrison who just released his first book, “Supergods: Our World in the Age of the Superhero”, also wrote Action Comics #1 for DC’s new 52. The issue is co-drawn by Rags Morales and Rick Bryant; Cover A is by Rags Morales with variants by Jim Lee and Scott Williams.
The issue opens phenomenally with Superman implementing some rough justice upon criminal kingpin, Mr. Glenmorgan, in the famous city of Metropolis. The art within the first several panels wonderfully depicts Superman’s raw power by giving the reader a police officer’s perspective as they proceed to raid the kingpin’s condominium after Superman’s onslaught. Henchman are carelessly thrown into walls and furniture and left for the local law enforcement to round up and prosecute.
Meanwhile a red-eyed Superman is outside, in cuffed jeans and a Superman t-shirt & cape, dangling the criminal overlord in an effort to coerce the corrupted police officials into doing their respective duties. Superman threatens Mr. Glenmorgan into a confession by leaping off the condominium to an eager crowd below. Proving that he is bulletproof Superman catches a bullet in his palm and taunts the police with his near indestructibility. Afterwards the police try to apprehend him due to his little stunt, but the quick lipped and footed superhero bolts off into the inner city.
With the aid of Lex Luther, the military are tracking Superman’s movements, while the police of Metropolis are pursuing Superman. Suddenly he finds himself in an apartment building that is coincidentally about to be demolished. With the sound of a wrecking ball and the shrieks of people who have not yet evacuated the building Superman saves the remaining families while simultaneously showcasing his power by demolishing several tanks with the very same wrecking ball that was used to destroy the building. The people of Metropolis herald him as a hero and cover his escape while the military tries to press forward.
Quickly returning to his apartment rooftop Superman returns to his altar ego Clark Kent. After conversing with his landlady Clark calls his new friend Jimmy Olson to give him a heads up about Superman’s latest exploits. Apparently, Clark works for the Daily Planet’s rival and is the hard hitting reporter that seems to get the inside scoop onto the adventures of Metropolis’ new superhero, Superman, much to Louis Lane’s chagrin. Before ending their conversation Clark warns Jimmy about boarding the local commuter train, but Louis’ stubbornness and pride gets the better of her and she ignores Clark’s warning and boards the train with Jimmy anyway.
Once the phone call concludes Clark transforms back into the series’ titular hero and heads off towards the speeding train. The train seems to just be gathering momentum with no inclination to stop and only one man can stop it, Superman. He breaks onto the tracks and throws himself into the speeding trains path. He tries to stop the train, but its weight and momentum are far too great for a young Superman. He saves the day, but the train derails and plows into the Daily Planet pinning Superman between the nose of the train and the building. The final panel of the comic shows Lex Luther cavalierly brushing off General Lane’s remarks about Lex using Louis as bait and pointing to his obvious success…a still shot from a video camera showing a lifeless Superman pinned to the wall of a crumbling Daily Planet.
Personal Thoughts: Grant Morrison is one of my favorite writers and he does a masterful job-revamping Superman for new audiences. Morrison carefully orchestrates Superman’s youth and raw power throughout his writings. Comparatively Superman is still more powerful than the rest of the DC Universe’s superheroes, but he is not invincible. He has weaknesses and they can be exploited. This makes the character more personable and I think will allow for some amazing story arcs. The art was wonderfully drawn and after seeing Rags Morales variant for Flashpoint #5 I was very intrigued by the artwork for Action Comics #1. Superman’s new look is interesting. I like the jeans and t-shirt look, but the cape seems out of place. Because Superman is so young and his powers have not fully developed Morrison and DC have omitted his ability to fly for the time being, which makes the cape rather pointless plus it does not mesh well with his updated attire. I also like the fact that Clark Kent does not work for the Daily planet, but rather for their rival. The only connection between Clark Kent and Louis Lane is Clark’s friendship with Jimmy Olson. I think this will create an interesting dynamic between the trio and I like the fact that Clark holds his own merit as a newspaperman. It has always seemed that Superman’s alter ego has always been a half-wit, some of which is necessary, but to be more personable I would definitely like to see his alter ego fleshed out more. Also, the city of Metropolis seems more tarnished and gritty…a Gotham City-lite if you will. This creates another interesting dynamic between Superman and the people Metropolis. With corrupt policeman and politicians, and Superman’s lack of fully developed powers it should make for good story arcs. This first story is a good foray into DC’s new 52 and it does a wonderful job of re-introducing readers to Superman and the new DC Universe. I wish that DC had released this along with Flashpoint #5 and Justice League #1.
All-in-all I give Action Comics #1 a four-out-of-five stars. Check back here for more coverage of DC’s new 52 throughout the week and the month as I review the newest and latest releases.
