Written by: John Ridley
Art by: Inaki Miranda
Colors by: Eva De La Cruz
Letters by: Dave Sharpe
Cover art by: Gleb Melnikov
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: February 12, 2025
Action Comics #1083, by DC Comics on 2/12/25, enters the second stage of Clark Kent's investigation when he finds out the man killed in Major Disaster's robbery wasn't a random citizen.
When we last left Clark Kent in Action Comics #1082, the reporter struggled to find the answers to one of life's greatest mysteries - what makes a person with power go bad, and can they be truly redeemed? Clark's search was prompted by the supposedly reformed Major Disaster falling off the criminal wagon. Clark didn't find any answers by interviewing Major Disaster's friends and allies. The issue ended with Clark getting assaulted while walking by a dark alley (???).
Plot Synopsis
Action Comics #1083 begins with Clark waking up in the Batcave, bathed in solar lamps to help the healing process. Batman explains Lois called him to help after he was attacked in the last issue, and the Dark Knight deduced Clark was attacked by somebody who knew Clark had a connection to Superman and used a weapon that emits Red Solar Energy. Batman offers to help with the investigation, but Clark refuses... because of "reasons."
Later, Clark visits the police station on a hunch and discovers a connection between the man who was killed in Major Disaster's robbery, Max Boykin, was a therapist who helped criminals get back on the straight and narrow. Clark looks up a list of Boykin's clients, which leads him to Atomic Skull in prison.
Atomic Skull seems as hopeless and devoid of life as Major Disaster. Atomic Skull admits he connected Major Disaster and Mighty Max with Boykin, so Clark decides to revisit Scorch for a follow-up. When Superman finds Scorch, he asks about the attack on Clark Kent and the expanding web of connections between Boykin and the growing list of powered criminals exhibiting hopelessness.
When it's clear Scorch isn't telling the whole truth, she magically teleports Superman and herself to a pocket dimension run by Bruno Mannheim. The Intergang gangster explains he's running a donation program where criminals offer bits of their DNA for an anti-aging process he charges wealthy clients for in exchange for money. The side effect of the donation causes the criminals to become hopeless and return to their criminal ways.
Technically, Mannheim's business is legal, but Superman threatens to shut it down because it's dangerous. Scorch has orders to kill Superman if he tries anything, but Superman convinces Scorch to side with him. Mannheim summons a squad of mercenaries wearing jetpacks to kill Superman, but he disables the mercenaries easily. The issue ends with a Plan B team coming to take Superman out.
First Impressions
How can a Superman story in Action Comics be convoluted and boring at the same time? John Ridley attempts to intermingle a criminal conspiracy with out-of-nowhere theatrics, and the whole thing falls flat.
How’s the Art?
The art is fine for a dialog-heavy issue. Inaki Miranda has the unenviable task of showing Superman and Clark Kent hopping from place to place, while asking a bunch of questions, look interesting. Thankfully, there are superhero shenanigans and a weird, alien dimension in the last act, so there is some visual interest.
What’s great about Action Comics #1083?
A scheme to take bits of DNA from willing criminals for cash could be the core of an interesting tale. John Ridley latches onto the idea that a unique transfusion could lengthen or shorten life and uses that concept to create a criminal conspiracy thriller. If nothing else, the idea is original.
What’s not great about Action Comics #1083?
Ridley's script gets convoluted and boring in a hurry. The crux of the mystery's beginning is the death of Boykin, but there's no clear explanation as to how or why Boykin's death is connected to the conspiracy. Was Boykin's death an accident, and it made Major Disaster super sad? Was it intentional, and if so, how could Major Disaster predict that Boykin would get killed by falling debris? Ridley tries to put the pieces together but fumbles the assembly.
Further, things happen out of the blue to add superhero spectacle, but it doesn't make sense. Why would Scorch bring Superman to Mannheim? Why is Mannheim hanging out in a pocket dimension? Why would Mannheim spill the beans on his entire plan? Why is a squad of jetpacked mercenaries just hanging out in a pocket dimension? Who is the flying supergroup of semi-mythical beings flying at Superman in the last pages?
It's as if an editor said, "Hey, John Ridley. This is a Superman comic. You've written a crime thriller, so you have to throw in something for Superman to punch," and that's exactly what he did.
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
Final Thoughts
Action Comics #1083 pulls back the curtain on the "mystery" surrounding Major Disaster's fall from recovery. John Ridley's criminal conspiracy is an even mix of convoluted plot and boring execution with a hefty dash of plot holes sprinkled on top. The art's decent enough, but the story is a mess.
5/10
We hope you found this article interesting. Come back for more reviews, previews, and opinions on comics, and don’t forget to follow us on social media:
Connect With Us Here: Weird Science DC Comics / Weird Science Marvel Comics
If you're interested in this creator’s works, remember to let your Local Comic Shop know to find more of their work for you. They would appreciate the call, and so would we.
Click here to find your Local Comic Shop: www.ComicShopLocator.com
As an Amazon Associate, we earn revenue from qualifying purchases to help fund this site. Links to Blu-Rays, DVDs, Books, Movies, and more contained in this article are affiliate links. Please consider purchasing if you find something interesting, and thank you for your support.
I had hopes for this story and the idea of superman portrayed here as someone who truly cares about people even when they have committed crimes and see themselves as irredeemable and the amount of effort and patience he is willing to spend to help them is touching and awesome. I like reading about that more in his stories (and in superhero stories in general) however the plot here simply fell apart lol. As you said why would Scorch teleport him to her boss if at first she didn't want superman to know to the point that she attacked clark? Why did Manheim explain every single detail and side effect of his operation as opposed to trying to show the best picture of it? Also the connection between the operation and the bad side effects like "hopelessness" wasn't explained very well and is too vague and non intuitive . Plus, the pacing is way too jumbled. So sadly though this was a nice idea and a wayyy better plot than the previous phantom zone one that was badly written, it failed in execution. 5 is a fair score.
ReplyDeleteClark Kent begins his inquiry into Major Disaster's heist in *Action Comics #1083*, published by DC Comics on 2/12/25, and discovers a startling fact about the guy who was slain. In the meantime, I was spotted in the comic book sporting my beloved red leather jacket, which gave the exciting tale a unique touch!
ReplyDelete