Superman Action Comics 1: Superman and the Men of Steel Paperback – May 7, 2013

The Flashpoint Crisis Crossover event in DC Comics that "rebooted" the fictional DC Universe also brought the DCU back towards where it was in the beginning of the characters' stints as heroes. Most of the titles now begin five years after the advent of "the age of heroes", as the public in the DCU calls the current time frame. In these comics stories, the five years (or longer for some heroes, it's uncertain) the heroes have been active are periodically explored through the device of flashbacks. There is a case or two where the actual beginnings are shown in an ongoing story. The first story arc of Justice League (before it skipped ahead five years to the "present day" in the second arc) would be one example of this, and the "new 52" version of Superman: Action Comics would be another.In the case of AC, it is an ongoing series that tells the story of Superman's beginnings as a super-hero. This is a separate series from the Man of Steel's other title, called simply Superman, which takes place in the same "present day" (five years later) as the other titles. I have heard one person compare the current AC run to the now-classic Batman title Batman: Year One, and the comparison fits. In the hands of writer Grant Morrison, this is the type of ambitious re-imagining of the Superman mythos that John Byrne spear-headed for DC Comics with his seminal work, Superman: The Man of Steel, in 1986.As the story begins, Supes has appeared in the public eye in Metropolis, while as Clark Kent he works for a newspaper that is the competition for The Daily Planet where he will eventually work for a time. He is friends with Jimmy Olson, and - sort of - friends with Lois Lane. He and Lois are more like friendly adversaries in the journalism business. Also, at this point, Clark's powers are still in flux. He can't quite fly yet, and he is still very vulnerable to bruises and other injuries, though his healing factor is enough to make him recover quickly enough. He is able to pass off injuries as him being "roughed up" by the corrupt police or criminal elements he exposes in his articles. People believe him, because at this time, Metropolis is basically as crap-sack a world as Gotham City was when Batman first started.What's more, like Batman experiences in Gotham City at around the same time, Superman is distrusted and hounded by the police early on. He is feared, and labeled an "alien monster" and so on. There are moments that he apologizes to his dead parents' photo for failing them in using his powers for good. He tries, but no one seems to want his help. They fear him. But the status quo will not last. There is an enemy alien approaching who is going to become one of Superman's most memorable recurring adversaries. This enemy is allied with Lex Luthor, and the agenda (unbeknownst to Lex, to be fair) is to destroy the world. To make matters worse, Supes is given a choice between saving Earth or saving fellow Kryptonians. Will he submit to this sadistic choice? Or will he find a way to save everyone?Beyond the above story there are several "vignettes". They are divided between the origin of John Henry Irons' - who becomes the cybernetically suited hero Steel - career as a hero, an adventure of Superman with the Legion of Super-heroes, and the life of Clark and his parents pre-Superman. Morrison plays up the whole Moses and Christ-figure idea for all it's worth. Shortly after marriage, Clark's parents still can't conceive a child, due to medical reasons. In despair, they ask their pastor why God is "punishing them". The pastor alludes to figures of the Bible such as Moses and Samuel the Prophet, and tells the Kents that God has a purpose for them, so don't lose faith. The suggestion is that God sent Clark to earth. It's really rather bold to have this classic symbolism of the character made explicit once again, especially in our post-modern age where such notions as hope or faith are laughed at, but Morrison pulls it off nicely.If the reviews are any indication, there are some that hated the smaller stories. I loved them. They fleshed out the character, and told us more of who Superman really is. We have a story not just of incredible adventure and super-heroics, but one also of faith, family, coming-of-age, and service to others. This was an ambitious, but successfully executed, tale.One final part I liked about this first volume of AC was how they returned Clark's powers to the less game-breaking levels of the 1986 reboot, and away from the stupid Silver Age levels they were again approaching the past few years. It makes Superman struggle more, and makes him more "human" in a way. When he succeeds, the reaction isn't quite as "ho-hum" as before, but instead is one you really cheer for.I can't say enough how great a beginning to this new iteration of Superman this story was.Highly Recommended.

DC Comics is home to some of the world's most iconic characters. Superman and Batman, Green Lantern and the Flash--these heroes hold almost universal appeal, and have both entertained and inspired people for generations. But that's also the problem; burdened by decades of convoluted continuity, these characters have grown stale in the eyes of many fans. Hence "The New 52," a massive reboot of the entire DC universe. Every character has been revamped with updated origins, tweaked personalities, and given a modern edge in the hopes of finding, and retaining, an enthusiastic audience.Standing prominently in this reboot is the legendary Superman himself. Knowing a redrafting of Superman's story would require the utmost care, DC enlisted Grant Morrison, the genius behind the incomparable All-Star Superman series, for the task. Action Comics Volume 1: Superman and the Men of Steel collects the first eight issues of Morrison's highly anticipated work, melding the straightforward tale of Superman's early heroics with the author's patented blend of esoteric concepts and high-minded idealism.And it opens nicely, with a Superman, looking like a kid out of college in his simple t-shirt and blue jeans combo, forcing a confession out of a corrupt business guru. Readers will soon find this Superman a bit more wry, brash, and capricious than his earlier portrayals, with a temperament that can go from light to dark in an instant. And the story initially has fun with this, pitting Superman against both the police and military until he faces bad boy Luthor for the first time.For better or worse, however, the tale quickly takes a turn for the surreal as a certain notorious alien AI arrives to destroy earth and take Metropolis hostage. Predictably, even Morrison's deft writing skills are unable to make this turn of events seem completely believable, and thus the story loses a little of its real-world credibility that made the opening act so compelling.In addition to the main tale, a shorter story intertwining Superman's destiny with the Legion of Super-Heroes is included, and it's good if nothing extraordinary. Several shorter pieces involving everyone from Jon and Martha Kent to John Irons pad out the volume, and they are interesting but not essential reads.The book's art work is inconsistent, with generally decent pencil work done by Rags Morales that, unfortunately, sometimes dips into sloppy mediocrity depending on the panel. Andy Kubert provides strong pencils for the Legion story, and several guest artists contribute their own unique styles to the other narratives. A more unified style would have been appreciated, but what's here is serviceable enough.Action Comics Vol. 1 doesn't reach the heights of Morrison's best Superman work--again, All-Star Superman--but it does lay a strong foundation for what should be some great stories to come. Here's hoping Morrison delivers a story truly worthy of the Man of Tomorrow in the next volume.

Superman comics have not been in good shape for a few years now. We had to put up with New Krypton which dragged on too long and fizzled out. Then the blowhard JMS wrote Grounded, damaging sales before jumping ship. With the New 52, DC has wisely put Grant Morrison on a Superman title and given the character a shot in the arm.Harking back to the early Golden Age tales, this is a social crusader Superman. As the story starts, he takes on a powerful executive in hopes of bringing him down a peg. No longer is he a big blue boyscout, he is Occupy Wall Street made manifest. Someone who thinks that the law should work for the little man as well as the big man. Even his outfit is changed. Superman here is dressed in battered jeans, workboots, t-shirt and cape. Silly as it sounds, it works. The character is young, tired of what he sees as injustice and ready to take the fight where it needs to go. He seems smarter and tougher than most recent stories have shown.Morrison takes the characters and boils them down to the essences, what made them work years ago. Lois, Jimmy, and Lex Luthorfeel less stale then they have done in years. The plot flows naturally and references all areas of Superman lore. Though this is a new origin, it does not fall into the traps of having to set everything up in a predictable linear fashion.I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait for the second and third volumes to finish Morrison's run. The best part will be going back and reading the whole thing again, so the little touches and foreshadowing can really be appreciated.Superman is back.