Superman: Action Comics #1082 – John Ridley, Writer; Inaki Miranda, Artist; Eva De La Cruz, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: One of my favorite things about DC right now is the way the company is embracing decades of continuity and drawing on some incredibly obscure storylines. John Ridley is coming on after Mark Waid’s 12-part Phantom Zone epic to tell a very different story, one about redemption and criminal justice in the DCU, centering around the obscure villain Major Disaster. Obscure except for one distinction – he’s one of a very small group of villains to actually switch sides and try to be a hero. That makes it all the more shocking when he seemingly robs a bank, causing a seismic disaster and killing a man with his powers before abruptly surrendering to an enraged Superman. This crime and betrayal gets under Superman’s skin in a way villains rarely do, and lead him to seek answers – but he doesn’t get them from Major Disaster, who basically seems resigned to going back to prison and believes he never had a chance as a good guy.
After talking to Lois about his anger, Superman decides to seek answers as Clark Kent. He interviews Disaster in prison, but doesn’t get any closer to figuring out what sent him off the deep end. Chief Kekoa, who helped to apprehend the villain, isn’t particularly open to questions from reporters about whether society let him down. And then there’s former villains Mighty Bruce (of Justice League Antarctica fame) and multiversal refugee Scorch, both of whom have reformed and had it stuck – but aren’t surprised to see Disaster not be able to make the same jump. The tone of this issue might surprise people, as it’s rather slow-paced and melancholy, asking big questions and not giving easy answers right away. But then, the ending packs a big surprise that indicates this might be a much bigger conspiracy brewing. It’s a strong start to a very different kind of Superman story.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
