Superman: Action Comics #1070 – Mark Waid, Mariko Tamaki, Writers; Clayton Henry, Skylar Partridge, Artists; Matt Herms, Marissa Louise, Colorists
Ray – 9/10
Ray: After a rotating assortment of creative teams told three-issue stories, we’re getting Waid and Tamaki doing twelve – but all in three months, as Action Comics goes weekly. This story, which takes place in the middle of the gap between Absolute Power and All In, actually picks up from a story in World’s Finest last year which revealed something was very wrong in the Phantom Zone. And it is – as an issue that began with Jimmy Olsen bantering with Superman and investigating corruption in Metropolis quickly turns into a horror story as a Phantom Zone prisoner escapes – or rather three do, horribly fused into one twisted being and driven mad with pain as they tear their way through Metropolis.
There are only a few things that really rattle Superman, and a deranged Kryptonian is one of them. As the abomination rips apart the city, Superman and Supergirl – the only pure Kryptonians who can stand up to it – do battle and Superman makes the risky move of bringing in an extremely dangerous tool that hasn’t appeared in decades – kudos to Waid for not only knowing his pre-crisis lore, but being willing to infuse some of that energy in the modern comics. And once the threat is done away with and the pitiful creature is somewhere safe, Superman decides it’s time to embark on a dangerous journey into the Phantom Zone and discover what’s twisting his father’s complex legacy. It’s an intriguing start that has a lot of potential.
Each issue of this run will also have a Supergirl backup by Mariko Tamaki and Skylar Patridge, and while this first installment was short, it’s very compelling – following Supergirl as she embarks on some sort of secret mission for Superman – located deep in space, and so classified that it requires her to wipe people’s minds after briefly getting their help. This story also seems like it’s going to delve into some of Kara’s lingering trauma and mental health issue, something Tamaki has always done great work with.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
