Action Comics #8
By Grant Morrison, Rags Morales, Brad Walker, Rick Bryant and Bob McLeod
Metropolis has been shrunken into part of Brainiac’s collection. In a bar, Lex Luthor attempts to convince Lois Lane that he is not the villain here and that Superman is still a threat. Multimillionaire Glen Glenmorgan, CEO of Galaxy Communications, is a shattered mess as his mind drivels away, realizing that it was all the Devil’s doing. Meanwhile Superman discovers his Kryptonian legacy and begins the first real conflict in what promises to be a never-ending battle with the forces of evil.
If the above sounds quite massive, a bit scatter-shot and muddled while attempting to bridge the gap between Superman’s early years and his present status as the man of steel and guardian of the planet… that’s because it is. When I initially reviews Grant Morrison’s first issue on Action Comics, I gave it high accolades for its bold new direction and alternate stance on the character. Seven issues later (two of them being very awkward fill-ins with the Legion of Super Heroes of the future) and I change my plea to guilty.
The story so far…
The first eight issues form a very rickety arc with the hated and feared alien masquerading as a socialist reporter at one end and the shiny hero with a high profile job at the Daily Planet at the other. In between Lex Luthor and the military hunt Superman like the menace that he has shown himself to be. As a reporter, Clark Kent lives the life of a recluse in a shoddy apartment, writing stories that threaten the establishment and put him in danger. His friend Jimmy Olsen has a cushy job at the Daily Planet with star reporter Lois Lane, but they fail to really get along. Both are interested in the truth and common good, it’s just that Clark’s tactics are more dangerous.
Behind the scenes, Luthor is in touch with an alien entity that is later revealed to be Brainiac. Brainiac promises power to Luthor who is understandably out-classed by the rabble-rousing superhuman dynamo that refuses to be categorized and studied. A flabby genius and egomaniac, Luthor jumps at the first chance to assist the military in defending the planet from alien threats using alien tech, leading to the creation of Metal 0 (geddit?), which of course turns out to be a rampaging monster hell-bent on killing Superman and anyone who gets in his way.
There are some back-up stories with John Henry Irons (AKA Steel) that kinda fail to come together and mainly serve to beef up the page count and justify the $3.99 price point. When Metropolis is finally taken by Brainiac (having merged with Metal 0), Superman literally sheds his street clothes and bad boy persona for the regal attire of a Kryptonian, conveniently on display aboard Brainiac’s ship.
Thus, does Superman move from menace to savior and all of the toys are in their respective slots… how boring.
In addition to the comic being drawn by three separate art teams, it is narratively and logically all over the place. I mean, exactly why are all the major characters hanging out in the SAME BAR? Isn’t most of Metropolis in the bottle? Is that the ONLY bar in the bottle? Oh, and another character has actually found himself in a bottle and is trying to figuratively climb into one, the unlikely-named Glen Glenmorgan. That has to be the laziest of ironic twists I have ever seen.
Lois, Lex and Jimmy.... in a bar
Why has Glenmorgan suddenly lost his mind and why should we care? The ‘little man’ that he refers to is the stuff of internet forum discussion, but I wager that it could relate to the leader of the Superman Revenge Squad seen in the two filler issues. Unfortunately, the art styles are so different and that story takes place in the future making it nearly impossible to guess or understand why this could be an accurate guess. Also, how is anyone responsible for granting Glenmorgan anything? It’s obvious that all of this will be addressed in (much) later issues, but seeing as how the character has barely featured in the series it’s just annoyingly obtuse.
Glenmorgan ruminates on his rise and fall
Did he just say 'Join the collection pie?'
Superman is challenged by Brainiac to choose between his alien background and his connection to Earth, with Metropolis and the bottled city of Kandor hanging in the balance. Brainiac is a confusingly designed multiple-brained spider-thing with John Corben grafted into its middle, like some kids toy from the 80’s gone horribly wrong. Superman attempts to connect with what’s left of Corben with limited success, but it’s unclear how direct the connection is between Corben and Brainiac, so I was never sure how important this was.
In the end, Superman just shoots the miniaturized rocket that took him to Earth into Brainiac which over-rides its programming. This could be the only part of the story that I enjoyed and it ties into Morrison’s credo of making friends with your enemies, but it’s also so awkwardly crafted that I can’t bring myself to praise it.
The issue ends with Superman getting the key to the city, making a joke related to the Silver Age Fortress of Solitude and visiting his parents’ grave site. There he realizes his mission to use his powers to make a positive difference, and that his work has just begun.
The never-ending battle
I’ve been going through something of a Superman run the past year or so, re-reading some old Bronze Age material, the Geoff Johns stuff leading up to War of the Supermen, Secret Origin an Mark Waid’s series Birthright. I’ve really enjoyed all of the comics and even with the muddied mess that War of the Supermen became due to the multiple crossovers and loss of Johns as head writer, it tells a compelling story that challenges what makes the character work while refusing to twist his personality. I like that a lot.
The journey through pre-52-land has taught me a very important lesson, that there’s a lot of love for this character and hardly any editorial direction. It seems that DC Comics is just madly stabbing away at a dart board of ideas, desperate to sell a superhero that sells himself, and in the process stands to ruin him.
This kind of decision making leads to the introduction of a controversial socialist Superman in the first issue of the new action comics only to resolve him into the iconic hero at the end of the eighth. In effect (unless subsequent issues prove me wrong), DC has messed with one of their most renowned creations then reverted him back to type. The fact that the Superman series is set after the events of the first eight issues of Action Comics and is duller than dull makes me almost certain that the ‘new Superman’ is just the old Superman with a red belt and wearing his underwear inside of his pants.
I’m not so down on the New 52 Superman, but Action Comics has been, at best, a mixed affair and the Superman monthly book a largely disappointing dud which is already onto its second creative team (I really want that series and this one to work, is it too much to ask for at least one good Superman title?).
Joe Quesada said it best when he pointed out that if DC knew what they were doing, Marvel would not be in business (I’m paraphrasing) because they own the best characters. Superman and Batman are easily the most recognizable properties worldwide. Their images sell everything from video games to band aids.
The stories of Superman and Batman touch nearly every human being, as a story of hope and determination in the face of insurmountable odds. However, the comics themselves are nearly unapproachable except for a select few. Based on the sales figures, the remaining readers are hooked and enjoying what DC is doing, but the publisher could be reaching so many more readers if they simply allowed the characters to be what they are, and not attempt to modernize and alter them so much that they bear little resemblance to their iconic identities. It’s possible to have both, All-Star Superman showed that for one thing, but why not use a similar approach in a monthly series rather than a specialty book?
With a major motion picture for Superman (yet another reboot) on its way and the DC Universe ramping up a block of programming on the Cartoon Network, you’d think this would all be streamlined and well crafted, but if this issue is any indication (and as a major showcase character it should set the standard), then there’s a lot of work still to be done.
Rant concludes… back to your business…
The Daily P.O.P. 
