Action Comics #1058 cover, via DC Comics.
Superman: Action Comics #1058 — Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Writer; Gene Luen Yang, Greg Hahn, Writers; Rafa Sandoval, Viktor Bogdanovic, Travis Mercer, Artists; Matt Herms, Mike Spicer, Andrew Dalhouse, Colorists
Ray — 9.5/10
Ray: The final arc of Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s Action Comics is upon us, and with it a final showdown with Blue Earth. When we last left off, Clark Kent had just finished an interview with far-right activist Norah Stone — only to be attacked by Superman, or rather a doppelganger out to make Superman look like a monster. Trying to balance his fight with protecting civilians, Superman is able to outfox the villain and expose the truth, but not before Stone gets a whole lot of new propaganda and Superman is stripped of some of his power — leading him to seek help from John Henry. We get some interesting hints about just how dangerous Stone is and who she’s working with, but the best segment here is one involving Osul, Otho, and Kara as the young Super-Twins learn a little about their heritage from the only Kryptonian who was actually on the planet. Loving how Johnson writes Kara.
Mirror image. Via DC Comics.
We get more great extended Super-family stuff with Gene Luen Yang’s “Secret Identity,” which features the writer’s return to Kenan’s character. He created him years back, and now he’s telling the untold story of how he wound up becoming a core member of the Super-family. He’s in town to help the Supers fight a bizarre enemy known as the Worm Emperor, but Osul and Otho suspect him of being a spy. Conner tries to defuse this, but the truth is actually fairly complicated — and sends Kenan right into a trap. This story will only be a few issues, but it looks very promising.
Finally, “Panic at the Parade” by Hahn and Mercer is a lighthearted tale that finds Osul and Otho out for a day of fun with Bibbo — on what happens to be the big Metropolis parade day. The only problem is, the two young Phaelossians don’t know what a parade is, are completely confused, and decide that the best way to deal with that is to start investigating — including flying to the top of giant floats and fighting mascots. It’s a much more lighthearted version of the core issues we’ve been seeing this comic explore about the adjustment of new immigrants and refugees.
Overall, this is one of DC’s best books and it’s headed for one epic finale.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
