ACTION COMICS #1

Review by: kennyg

What did the
iFanboy
community think?

1808
Pulls
Avg Rating: 4.2
 
Users who pulled this comic:
Written by GRANT MORRISON
Art by RAGS MORALES and RICK BRYANT
Cover by RAGS MORALES
Variant cover by JIM LEE and SCOTT WILLIAMS

Size: 40 pages
Price: 3.99

This review contains spoilers, click here to read

Story: 3 - Good
Art: 4 - Very Good

Comments

  1. You understand he’s going to grow out of his arrogance and that that’s the story, right?

  2. Dammit, it didn’t preserve my paragraphs! Where’s the edit button? LOL

  3. Great review. I don’t think it’s realistic to have a character with the legacy of Superman to grow from complete dick to saint.

  4. I was originally put off a bit as he doesn’t seem very “small town farm boy” attitude we are accustomed to. That being said, I did like it, just felt more of that attitude of the Superboy(Clone) had when he wore the leather jacket. In this case Superman is up to no good in levis instead. I really did enjoy it because I love origin stories and Superman

  5. I feel your pain, kennyg. I was let down by this issue as well. I’m not opposed to change in the Superverse – and I still trust Mr. Morrison to make me like this arc as we get further into it – but I did find this Superman to be obnoxious and scenery-chewing in an irritating, ready-for-him-to-mature-ASAFP way. I can believe that a 12 year-old Clark Kent would act like this, but (as said) an early 20-something?? Maybe Mr. Morrison will reveal that the New 52 Kal-El came to Earth as an 18 year-old, and is still learning how humans interact? I don’t know. But if this is what the Golden Age Superman truly was like – then I thank goodness that I was born much later in the 20th century.

    • Thanks for commenting. True, we don’t know the whole story yet. However, the values instilled by the Kents are what made Clark the person he was… or is, it’s getting confusing. I just can’t see him, even as a 12-year-old, acting this way with their love and guidance influencing him. And I can’t see Morrison straying so far from the mythos that Kal-El didn’t come to Earth as a baby and didn’t get “humanized” from infancy. That certainly would not be going back to the Siegel and Shuster roots – they modeled that part of the story after Moses, after all, who was found as a baby.

      The other thing that has bothered me about all the people heaping praise on this is their “taking Superman back to his 1930’s roots” comments. First, as you pointed out, the original version may not be the best version. For example, early on Batman used a gun on a number of occasions, something which became anathema and still is today, and logically so. Would anyone defend the decision to have a gun-wielding Batman in the relaunch? I strongly doubt it. (Interesting that Morrison also threw that taboo out in Final Crisis). These characters have evolved into icons over the past 70-odd years from humble beginnings. What worked in the 1930’s doesn’t necessarily work today.

      Second, how many of those people have actually read the early stories? Or are they simply repeating what others have said or written? I’m sure some have, but I’d bet an equal number haven’t.

  6. Fantastic review, @kennyg. I totally agree with everything you wrote. (and thanks for the quote). And about the 1930’s Superman, I really didn’t like that version of him. I mean, I remember an early issue in which he “stopped a war” by kidnapping the two opposing armed forces leaders and forced them to come to peace or else he’d harm them. I can’t condone “the ends justifies the means” to that extent. Not when Superman has that power set. It’s just unfair. I hate Might Makes Right.

    I can’t help but feeling that if this were the real world and Superman behaved like that, I would want to join up with CADMUS and develop some anti-Superman in the very real case that he decides to take on government corruption and start wrecking havoc with the US military and the political system. Who is Superman, or anyone else, to forcefully impose his own morality (flawed in my eyes) on another person? One could argue that, “Oh! But Superman’s just enforcing the law and getting rid of those ‘untouchables!'” But again, it doesn’t appear that Superman holds much value for “due process” and the rights of a citizen.

    Ugh, I could go on more but at the risk of getting on an even larger soapbox I’ll stop. Morrison, what have you done?

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