Originally published on Patreon
The previous issue of Action Comics was perhaps one of my least favourites, and definitely the worst entry in the 'Kal-El Returns' story arc. Sadly, this issue has many similar problems, and has left me waiting anxiously for the end of this particular arc.
The main bulk of the story picks up where the last issue left off, with Superman fighting New Gods at Metropolis Zoo in order to protect the Phalosian kids from them. The New Gods want the Fire of Olgrun, and aren't above hurting a child to get it. Whilst Superman fights Kalibak and Orion, the kids help Bibbo to save some civilians, having been inspired to help regular folk by Superman. However, when Desaad tries to pull the power out of him Osul unleashes waves of power that shows he might be more powerful than the New Gods.
The alien gods eventually leave, though they make it clear that their desire to take the power hasn't ended and that they will return at some point. And I don't really understand what the point of this story was. Other than introducing the idea that the New Gods have an interest in Osul, it feels kind of pointless. Nothing much really happens, the action is very uninspiring, and the art looks really bad in several places. The character proportions shift and change from panel to panel, and there are points where they look like their bodies are twisted and broken, their faces wracked in pain or twisted into weird shapes. Is it possible that better art would have made the story better? Probably not, but there were times the art was so off-putting that it definitely made the entire experience less enjoyable.
The rest of the story focuses on Lex and his plans. He manages to bring Metallo onto his side this issue, by having had his sister framed for murder. Metallo is forced to do what Lex wants in order for his sister to not go to prison, which shows how despicable Lex is, and humanises Metallo a lot more and makes him joining the bad guys feel a lot more realistic.
The final pages also show that Lex has been manipulating Manchester Black, even as far back as his time on Warworld, and that Black is the reason why Lex was able to find the things he took from Warworld. Unfortunately for Black, Lex isn't willing to play nice, and knocks the hero out. It's not clear what Lex is up to, other than his usual thing of trying to kill Superman, and the specifics of his plan are still hidden away. The idea that he was working on this even during the Warworld saga feels a bit retcon-ish, but I'll reserve judgement until I see exactly what he tries to do.
The back-up feature also felt a but of a let down, as it rushes to conclude the story. The fight is incredibly quick, and the whole thing seems to have been done simply to maneuver Chaytly into a position where he can be recruited by another villain. At least the art on this part of the book isn't as terrible at least.
Overall, Action Comics has really started to slip into an un-enjoyable territory for me, and it's starting to feel like this story arc is slowing things down a lot. Hopefully the upcoming big revamp following issue 1050, and the new status-quo for the Superman family will lead to better stuff.
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