Superman Superstars continues with the return of writer John Ridley, artist Inaki Miranda, and colorist Eva de la Cruz in Action Comics #1082. Kicking off a new story arc focused on the hope that Superman brings, Action Comics #1082 sees the return of Major Disaster, the villain that Superman rehabilitated. When a bank robbery goes wrong and Major Disaster kills an innocent citizen, Clark Kent sets out on a mission to figure out what went wrong. Using his journalistic skills, Clark interviews other villains who used Superman’s hope to change their ways. Can Clark’s search for the truth ease his worries? Or does his symbol of hope mean nothing in a world full of greed? Find out in this exciting new arc filled with villains, journalism, and reflection.
The Superman Superstar series has been an overall positive experience, with fantastic Superman writers telling new stories about the Man of Steel. While the last arc felt draining because it came out weekly, this new arc has some promise. It’s good to see John Ridley return to the character, but I am worried after his poor execution of Superman’s character in Superman Red & Blue. I don’t understand why writers love to push Superman to the “brink” and have him want to kill people. That’s not the Superman way. This issue had glimpses of that, and I don’t feel like Superman’s aggression was fully justified with “I’m upset that Major Disaster is a major disappointment”. That being said, his justification was interesting, and it is always nice to delve into Superman’s psyche through deep conversations with Lois. Seeing Superman grapple with his symbol of hope not being enough and therefore by extension him not being enough is a human response. However, several lines are so out of character for him, including the distinction between Clark and Superman’s feelings. All of these complaints aside, the issue follows a fun narrative flow as it focuses on Clark’s journalism. It feels almost like a Batman comic as it follows a detective’s story but still remains grounded in Superman’s ideals as Clark uses journalism to get to the truth. So far, this arc is off to an okay start with interesting themes and narrative flow, I just hope Ridley can stick to writing a Superman that feels like Superman.
The art in this issue is fairly standard for a comic book and feels neutral to the story. Artist Inaki Miranda and colorist Eva de la Cruz are not creating anything spectacular, but it’s also not so ugly it’s hard to read. I think where Miranda’s work really shines is in the panel layout. The panels in this issue are laid out in a really fun way that helps to progress the narrative flow. While the art style isn’t my favorite, it’s still a nice comic to look at and is easy on the eyes. It’s always good to see Superman drawn in different styles.
Kicking off a new story arc focused on the hope that #Superman brings, Action Comics 1082 sees the return of Major Disaster, a villain Superman once reformed. Can #ClarkKent learn the truth behind Major Disaster’s new villainous ways? #DCComics Read More