Art by: Mike Perkins, Clayton Henry, Nick Dragotta
Colors by: Frank Martin
Letters by: Dave Sharpe
Cover art by: Steve Beach
Cover price: $5.99
Release date: December 27, 2022
Is It Good?
Action Comics #1050 brings Superman back to center as the world's greatest hero with a reset of sorts, an upgrade(?), and some wonky art inconsistencies. On the whole, this is a solid palette cleanser to establish Superman's new status quo on Earth, albeit an imperfect one.
When Superman was last on Earth, he turned the hero duties over to his son, and the whole world was aware of Kal-El's second identity as Clark Kent. Now, Lex Luthor takes the secret identity problem away, courtesy of a worldwide hypnotic spell, and Jon Kent has moved on to find his place in the world.
Lex's plan is fairly solid because it creates, in effect, a planetary hostage situation. If anyone learns of Kal-El's identity, they risk death, so the plan immediately puts Superman in the middle of a dramatic conflict he can't solve with his fists; a conflict that establishes a layer of unending tension. That's a positive.
Given the multiple writers, it's hard to know who to credit for what, but the writing execution is generally good. The pacing moves well for an oversized issue, the dialog is excellent, and the plot is standard but enjoyable.
Check out our Action Comics #1050 Video Review
The major down point is the wild art inconsistencies. As you can see from the credits, multiple artists contributed to the book. Instead of breaking up the style transitions with logical story breaks like a dream sequence or a flashback, the art shifts between sequential scenes, and the shifts are incredibly jarring. All of the artists are alright, but their styles are radically different enough to not complement each other. For an oversized, overpriced comic marking Superman's return to his role on Earth, the art makes this issue feel hastily cobbled together.
In short, the story is solid, but the art spoils the fun.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
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Bits and Pieces:
Action Comics #1050 is a return to form for the Man of Steel with a dastardly action by Lex Luthor that resolves the secret identity problem, adds worldwide stakes, and teases big things to come. That said, the wildly inconsistent art makes this issue feel disjointed and jarring from one page to the next.
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