Superman: Action Comics #1085 – G. Willow Wilson, Writer; Gavin Guidry, Artist; Trish Mulvihill, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: Superman: Superstars is wrapping up with this arc to make room for Waid and Partridge’s upcoming reinvention of Clark’s Superboy years, but first we get G. Willow Wilson and Gavin Guidry’s farewell two-part arc. More than any other issue in this run, this feels like a throwback to the era that got me into comics – the Triangle Era. There are a lot of little details here that show this takes place in the past – starting with a grouchy Perry White still holding court at the Daily Planet. Lois Lane is about to fly out for an Arctic research expedition she’s been prepping her, but Perry needs her in Metropolis to cover a local heat wave-related crisis. So she asks Clark to take over the case, which gives him an edge in the mystery – as Superman, he can see, hear, and do things to solve the mystery that no one else can. I’m not sure about how meek Clark comes off and how Perry seems to dislike him – that seems to be a big throwback.
After a bumpy ride to the Arctic, in which Clark pretends to be airsick, he’s greeted by scientists who’ve never heard of him – again, this feels a tiny bit off, because the modern day Clark Kent is a competent, respected journalist who has won a Pulitzer! But the scientists, who are busy working on a project to reverse the melting of the ice caps, are more concerned with what seems to be sabotage at the base. Someone is terrorizing them with damage and attacks – including a pair of cybernetically enhanced polar bears who tear their way through the base and then disappear when Superman gets his hands on them. It’s overall an intriguing mystery with an old-school bent and the surprising return of a villain from the 90s who I never expected to see again. But at only two issues, I’m wondering how long this was on the shelf before it was slotted into the Superstars initiative.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
