Action Comics #4 Review

by Lindsay Young, CMRO Contributing Writer

Action Comics

Issue #4

Written by Grant Morrison, Art by Rags Morales

Published: February 2012

Superman returns, this time with a good old-fashioned robot invasion story! The Action Comics title continues to deliver on fast-paced action and violence, this time with an interesting twist. The robots are here to kill us in order to preservesignificant historical artefacts. And to kill Superman – but hey, who isn’t?

I’ve reviewed some of the previous issues of the latest incarnation of the original superhero, and in many ways the strengths and weaknesses remain the same. Expressions and facial features on the characters remains very hit-or-miss, but the action and movement is great, and the quick pace at which the story roller-coasters along is pretty infectious. There are no people standing around talking for too long – at least, not without an explosion or two in the background. There’s something gratifying and just plain fun about that.

The story is slowly but surely ramping up, however, and that makes Action Comics a title that slowly but surely improves every week. This time, the madcap brawl is tied in with Clark Kent’s backstory as an alien from a dead planet. The alienvoice is genuinely creepy and threatening, and there’s a real sense of Superman being pummelled half to death, which is oddly appealing in that it makes him seem a little more vulnerable than usual.

There’s also another side story about Man of Steel, the man behind the tech suit gone rogue, fighting against his own creation. It’s short, but it’s actually a very effective character piece with good action and atmosphere – I hope John Henry Irons is more involved with future issues, and that Superman’s world continues to expand the way it seems to be doing.

Action Comics continues to be worth the read, and the story threads are really beginning to pick up.