Thursday, May 16, 2024

Action Comics #1065 Review





  • Written by: Joshua Williamson

  • Art by: Rafa Sandoval, Miguel Mendonca

  • Colors by: Alejandro Sanchez

  • Letters by: Dave Sharpe

  • Cover art by: Rafa Sandoval, Alejandro Sanchez

  • Cover price: $ 4.99

  • Release date: May 14, 2024


Action Comics #1065 takes to the stars on multiple fronts. Kara and Conner escape their bottled prison cells (but not their shrunken size) to uncover tidbits about Brianiac's plan. Meanwhile, Superman and Lobo outfight and outrace Brainiac's band of Czarnians, leading to a surprising offer.

Is Action Comics #1065 Good?

Surprisingly, the House of Brainiac storyline is holding up. Admittedly, Joshua Williamson has a lot of places spinning in this arc, but Action Comics #1065 gives you new developments, clues surrounding Brainiac's secretive plot, and a cliffhanger ending ripe with potential. 

When last we left the Superfamily, Superman and Lobo managed to sneak past (or did they?) the United Planets blockade in their race to catch up to the Brainiac ship. Before they could get too close, Brainiac sent his Czarnian capture squad to intercept. Meanwhile, Kara and Conner escaped their bottle prison inside Brainiac's ship.

In Action Comics #1065, Superman and Lobo manage to temporarily defeat the Czarnians. They head to a space station that acts as an intergalactic waypoint to gather information about Brainiac's recent movement, beginning with a personal chat with Space Cabbie.

Meanwhile, Kar and Conner sneak around Brainiac's ship but realize their miniaturized bodies will get caught or killed very quickly, so they free regular-sized Livewire and Parasite to lend a hand. The new group heads to Brainiac's weapon storage, where they find the guns used to miniaturize them and undo the damage. They gear up and launch a guerilla attack against the ship's command center, but Brainiac's forces prove to be too much. Brainiac then decides to show Kara part of what he's working on.

Elsewhere, Superman and Lobo learn from Space Cabbie that Brainiac is collecting supers from across the galaxy. Suddenly, the Czarnians arrive, but instead of re-commencing a fight, Colonel Chacal offers Lobo an intriguing proposition.

Backup Story

Brainiac's Czarnian soldiers are sent on a mission to find and capture Vril Dox, aka Brainiac 2. Brought before his father, Vril is unrepentant about being a disappointment to Brainiac's lofty goals, but Vril's tune changes when he's shown that his home city of Colu has been restored, and his mother is still alive.

What's great about Action Comics #1065? Williamson is doing his darndest to make sure this arc is as action-packed and intriguing as possible by packing in one or more wow moments in every issue. The return of Colu feels like it could be a big deal. Col. Chacal's offer could be a big deal. And Brainiac's plan that presumably will lead to the creation of a Brainiac Queen feels like a big deal.

What's not so great about Action Comics #1065? The creation of a Brainiac Queen has been announced and known for some time, so it's unclear why Williamson continues to play coy with Brainiac's intentions. It would be one thing if we didn't know what Brainiac was up to, but we do, so the not-so-subtle clues and telling side comments only serve as a point of frustration rather than curiosity.

How's the Art? Sandoval and Mendonca are doing a fantastic job of giving readers exciting space battles, moments of humor (especially with Space Cabbie), and dramatic visuals.



About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

Follow @ComicalOpinions on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Bits and Pieces

Action Comics #1065 maintains the high bar for one of Joshua Williamson's better arcs in the series. The action and excitement are high, the developments are big, and the art looks great. That said, Brainiac's plan is not much of a surprise to anyone, so dragging out the mystery is becoming a sore spot.

7.2/10

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