Where is My Supersuit?
Written by: Greg Pak
Art by: Aaron Kuder, Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona, Tomeu Morey and Steve Wands
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 6, 2016
It's been kind of hard recognizing Superman these days. I'm not talking about the Truth t-shirt or the waning (or is it fluctuating?) powers, either. I'm talking about the man under the tights and what I see is a man that is far from super. I'd love to say that Kal-El has become something else, but the way the Truth story has gone, this self-centered prick that we are getting seems to have been underneath the curl and the smile all along, he just didn't show it when he was on top of the world. Now that his friends won't let him play and people aren't cheering his name, he has become more concerned with getting back his powers than saving anyone and has even become suicidal at points. While Dan Didio has promised this will all change in April, I'm afraid the damage is done and one of the greatest superheroes of all-time has been tarnished more than anyone can imagine. Maybe, just maybe, it's not too late. Maybe this issue of Action Comics can begin the healing by giving us a Superman we can get behind and begin to love again. Maybe it won't and I'll be the only Superman fan left on Earth. Well, which is it? Let's find out...The issue starts out on a promising note as it continues from last week's Superman Annual and Superman doing his best to save the day. Vandal Savage's starship has teleported into the Watchtower and all hell is breaking loose. Wonder Woman gives Clark a status report and it's not good...the Supremacists have taken the Justice League down using the same energy weapons that drained Supes of his powers. They then take Wonder Woman and Vandal Savage can just laugh and gloat at a powerless Superman.
I liked this opener. Vandal Savage has been a bad ass throughout this story, but he outdoes himself here. Greg Pak writes him with a cool, confident (cocky?!?) demeanour that fits an immortal villain whose slow burn plan is coming to fruition. However, I have no idea why Frankenstein is still involved here. Sure, he fought Superman while under the influence of Wrath and her black mass, but Vandal put that back in it's little box. I guess he let it out again because it's here and all over Frank. I am a fan of the character and it feels odd to see him like this.
Vandal continues by giving Clark a reason for what he's doing in the form of a lesson. In his mind, Superman should stop saving the world and teach it to save itself. He might have a crazy way of doing it, but he still has a point.
While Vandal puts his plan into full effect, Superman does his best to save everyone, but it's a matter of caring globally while saving locally right now...until help arrives in the form of the Justice League United. Again, if I sat and really thought about it, I might be bothered by them showing up here,l but I was having too much fun and actually had a big smile on my face. That's something that hasn't happened a whole lot since June. It got even bigger when I saw who was working with Steel and what they were working on. It's the Atom and Superman's super suit!
Yep, Ray Palmer is in the house and he's giving Superman the version 5.0 of the Metallo suit to try on for size. I know it could kill him (it is powered by Kryptonite!), but again, I had a huge smile on my face that only got bigger when we finally get to see Superman flying again.
As him and the JLU begin their assault on Vandal Savage's starship, Superman is torn between loving what the suit can do and knowing it's killing him. I mentioned Superman's suicidal tendencies earlier, but this is different. Sure, Clark likes what the suit can do, but he's risking his life to save the Justice League. Now that's our Superman!
He gets to Wonder Woman first and while Vandal has begun draining her, it looks like she is still in fighting shape. However, they get an unlikely ally before they can throw a punch, but in the end, Vandal Savage may still have gotten what he wanted. We will have to wait until Superman/Wonder Woman #26 to find out more.
This issue was a lot of fun. The JLU, Ray Palmer, the Metallo Suit...I'm still smiling. The suit may be giving Superman back his powers at a cost, but it was his actions that made him look more like a superhero than we've seen in months. I really hope this continues throughout the rest of the books.
Aaron Kuder, Rafa Sandoval did a really good job on art in this issue. There are plenty of guest stars, but they don't trip them up and in fact, they all look great. In fact, the whole issue looked great and you'll get no complaints from me.
Bits and Pieces:
Action Comics has been the best book in this whole truth debacle and this issue may be the best one. Superman has his powers back and while it may kill him, he's doing it for the greater good. Vandal Savage is proving to be a great villain and I finally can say that I'm looking forward to the next issue of this crossover. If the other creative teams can keep the ball rolling we won't have to wait until April to fall in love with Superman again. This issue was a step in the right direction.
8.4/10
Great to hear something positive about a Superman book. If this happens in the other titles aswell as them keeping it up, maybe I'll pick a title with Supes in it again.
ReplyDeleteYa this is good to hear. I dropped the Superman Truth related titles until this mess sorted itself out. Hopefully this is the first step to getting back on track.
ReplyDeleteI might jump back in at 49 to get a little back drop before the 50 issues when I said Id be back in.
I really enjoyed this issue too, I loved when the JLU showed up! I know it's really up to any future writers, but it makes me feel like they're still operating out there in the world. I agree that this was the first time Clark has seemed heroic since this debacle began, though that's not fair of me to say because over time I've dropped every Superman book except this one.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the uh dudes walking out of the fires?!
ReplyDeleteShows you how many true superman fans there are. Just because he started acting differently, little boys and girls started bitching and complaining. The man went from being the most powerful being on the planet and kicking darkseid and monguls ass and people like that on a daily basis to losing his powers. Of course it would have a psychological effect on him as it would with anyone else. When any of you can write any good comics then feel free to complain, until then just shut up.
ReplyDeleteIt's not that we're not superman fans, it's that it's uncharacteristic of superman to not learn from his circumstance. And it only makes it worse that he's acting like an egotistical prick in every title. The real superman would let this handicap him, wouldn't give up on being a good person, and wouldn't sacrifice the one person whose got his back no matter what, for ego & Vanity.
DeleteIt's not that we aren't fans of Superman, it's that we are fans of superman. So much so that were hoping are voices are heard that writers and editors at DC tell a better story. One where Clark gets knocked down and eventually learns that that even without his powers he can still be Superman. So until that day when I ACTUALLY see superman in are Superman titles, I'm going to speak out at anyone who would do a deservice to one of my favorite character in all fiction.
Why would you come to a review site when you don't want people to express their opinions on comics? You may think that your "When any of you can write any good comics then feel free to complain, until then just shut up" comment is new or clever, but it's just old and tired.
DeleteNot once in your comment did you tell us why YOU like this Superman, instead you make fun of others with actual opinions...all after a review with the best score on comic book roundup at the moment (http://comicbookroundup.com/comic-books/reviews/dc-comics/action-comics-(2011)/48).
So...why do you like this "Truth" Superman? What is your favorite book of the crossover?
Did we piss off Greg Pak??!!
DeleteMy complaint isnt that he isnt necessarily acting like Superman, its that I spent about $80 on shitty comics that told bearly a coherent story for a much hyped over promised crossover.
Hey everybody check out this "Unknown" dude who likes to light his money on fire then piss it out reading crappy books.
He probably rides around town in his rickshaw...and yes, I want to be him!
DeleteLong live Rastus Jones.
DeleteRed Nose Chappy
Is that you, Wilma Peterson???
DeleteLosing your powers shouldn't have meant that Superman started acting like an asshole, there was no good reason reason for that, that's just shitty characterization writing. The whole thing was simply done just to not only create an "Oh May God" moment but to break up Superman and Wonder Woman.
ReplyDeleteThose who go throw life changing events and are able to stand tall, be tough and ride through it... those are real MEN and WOMEN. They have girt, a backbone, balls, it would have been so great to see that this wasn't going to effect Superman, that he would still be the "man" that everyone knows, you can't bring him down... but instead... we got this prick...
agreed and actually, if he would have done all that he would have been even more "super" than ever! it is a shame they went the lame route on this whole story.
Delete