Superman: Action Comics #1073 – Mark Waid, Mariko Tamaki, Writers; Clayton Henry/Michael Shelfer, Skylar Partridge, Artists; Matt Herms, Marissa Louise, Colorists
Ray – 9/10
Ray: While this story isn’t taking place in World’s Finest, in many ways it feels like the tale Mark Waid has been building to since he returned to DC. An epic space adventure, as well as a complex ethical narrative about the Phantom Zone, it takes us inside the infamous Kryptonian prison and asks some hard questions about how Krypton was run. Superman has many enemies and one ally inside the Zone – Mon-El, the Daxamite who is the only innocent there, and has had to harden himself to survive. He’s become a leader, a captain, a warrior in that time – and it’s led to Superman barely recognizing the young man he once saw as a big brother. I can’t shake the feeling that there’s some other shoe about to drop with him.
But there’s no time to reflect, because Superman has to go up against Xa-Du and then the mad Aethyr with his powers fast-dwindling. Some of the visuals inside the zone are terrifying, and we’re left with a truly spectacular cliffhanger that explains how we’re only a third of the way through despite how much is going on. But my favorite part of this issue had to be the strange subplot involving Kon-El and Kong Kenan, as the two bickering young Supermen find themselves exhibits in an interstellar museum dedicated to the extinct culture of Krypton. With a hateable curator treating them like zoo animals and some hilariously pointed commentary, it’s a great example of how Waid’s writing evolves with the times.
The Supergirl backup continues to be very strong as well, although this is an odd installment. It’s told from the perspective of the mysterious prisoner she’s supposed to escort to trial, a masked figure who seems to have some unique perspective over past and future – including potentially Kara’s. Are we about to get some huge retcon about Kara’s history? This installment goes fast, but it has me greatly anticipating more already.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
