Superman: Action Comics #1028 – Brian Michael Bendis, Writer; John Romita Jr, Penciller; Klaus Janson, Inker; Brad Anderson, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: After the explosive final battle of last week’s Superman #28, Bendis takes a very different tack to his final issue on a Superman title here. With only a little action amid a lot of character development, he seems to want to tie up as many subplots as he possibly can. That starts with Jimmy Olsen’s takeover of the Daily Planet, which has resulted in a hilariously shell-shocked Perry White. Although this doesn’t seem to change all that much—Jimmy quickly delegates his role as boss back to Perry—it’s a light and funny way to begin the issue. We then segue into the strange story of Conner Kent, as Clark’s time-lost clone finally gets some answers about his nature—and some more questions, as it seems like his powers are in flux and may eventually go away. While Conner’s return to this timeline has been a bit confusing, this final issue tackles everything nicely, particularly his return to the Kent farm and his reunion with Krypto.
The dynamic between the three “Superkids” is a little weird, as I’m not exactly sure how old any of them are supposed to be anymore. Conner spent years in Gemworld and was briefly a stepdad—why is he calling Kara “ma’am” when she was in high school in the last run before Bendis came on? And how old is Jon now anyway? Superman and son take the focus for the last part of the issue, as they mop up what’s left of the Invisible Mafia and give Lois the mother’s day she deserves after Jon’s absence. There are some poignant lines about what Superman lost when his son was aged up, and a fun team-up with a pre-rogue Damian, but overall this issue feels a bit too packed. We’re rushing through subplots and what comes out is some nice moments that could use a lot more time to breathe. I enjoyed a lot of this run, but I’m not sure the pace and split between the titles served Bendis’ style as well as it should have.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
