New arc, new SuperChat as our SuperBoys take on Action Comics #1030! Written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, drawn by Daniel Sampere, colored by Adriano Lucas, and lettered by Dave Sharpe, Action Comics #1030 finds the spectre (not that one) of “Future State” looming over the title. Warworld is on the move and Mongul has grand plans for the universe, backed by a new mysterious second. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Superman’s powers are diminishing! Can the scaled down might of the Last Son of Krypton stand against his future prison?! All that, plus Midnighter! This looks like a job for…SUPERCHAT.
Justin Partridge: Welcome back to SuperChat! Your one stop shop for Super Feelings and Analysis! I’m Cyborg-Justin Partridge. With me as always is Tony “The Eradicator” Thornley!
Tony Thornley: We must keep the integrity of Krypton intact!
JP: And we are here to delve into Action Comics’ brand new arc, “Warworld Rising”. And what an opening it is, Super-Readers. We have galactic intrigue. We have a tremendous Superman & Lois sequence. And the Return of the Super Sons! What more could you POSSIBLY ASK for?! Unless I have forgotten something, Tony…
TT: Well, there IS that last page twist, but I think we’ll save that for a little later.
Space is the Place (Again)
JP: So as we mentioned before, a lot of #1030’s narrative is focused on Warworld and Warworld’s impressively large ruler, Mongul. In a grim cold open, Mogul sits atop a planet of violence. His subjects are tortured into compliance and every day is a fight against his equally cruel and power-hungry sons to keep his throne.
TT: I dig this, because this is Johnson showing that he remembers DC Comics history. There have been a few versions of Mongul, and every one of them is the son of another horrific despot named Mongul. The specifics are all a little different, but Johnson melds them all together post-Death Metal into an uber-Mongul.
JP: But after a stranger delivers a gift befitting Mongul, namely, the heads of said cruel sons, he starts to move against Earth and her protectors. Specifically Superman!
I know people’s mileage will vary with this stuff as it is incredibly dorky and more than a little performatively violent, but I absolutely freaking LOVED it. Not only is this some wonderful follow up on the Future State series (which I ran cold and then hot on overall), but a tremendous push from the title out beyond Earth. And in a way that feels much more contained and focused than the lofty ambitions of “The Unity Saga.”
How did you feel about this opening sequence, Tony?
TT: So any villain but Mongul, I think you’re right, this would have felt over the top- Kanjar Ro, Starro, Brainiac? That would have been nonsense. But Mongul? The guy who ran a planet of barbarians? Whose most famous story is him barging into Superman’s home and cheating to defeat him?
This intro is Mongul in a nutshell. He is death and violence. It’s a mission statement for Johnson’s take on the character, all in just 6 pages.
What I’m most interested in though is who the hell the cloaked figure is. Sampere (who just kills this sequence with Lucas’s deep reds) does some smart things here. He never gets close enough to the figure to reveal any features except their left hand and foot. The cloak is flowing enough that we can’t discern their gender. So this figure could be anyone.
Who do you think it might be? Could it be someone we know, like Zod? That’s unlikely given where Zod last appeared. Not likely to be Luthor or Brainiac, as this is not their modus operandi. Could this be the Time Trapper?
SuperFriends & Super Sons
JP: While PKJ is setting up Warworld as the arc’s main antagonist, he isn’t skimping on his leading man either. Still reeling from the opening two-parter between Action and Superman, Kal-El is testing his new limits. With the help of a few friends; The Batman and The Atom. But across the globe, Jon and Damian are reconnecting! Bonding over their newfound shaky positions with their fathers and Jon’s increasing paranoia that the future’s promise of a “world without Superman” is starting to come to pass.
TT: This is such a good introduction to the story and conflict. I actually wish we didn’t get the Superman- Son of Kal-El announcement before this issue, because it kind of took the wind out of the sails a bit here. This sequence does so much to set up that upcoming status quo, but it’s glaringly obvious when you know what’s coming.
JP: Again, probably pretty shippy here and also could read a little “fan-servicey” by finally putting Jon and Damian back together in panel, but I REALLY loved this again! PKJ I think now has found a good voice for Clark and sparking some cool foils against him like Bruce Wayne and Ray Palmer gives the title a neat feeling of connectivity to the larger DCU (and Batman/Superman, which also has an issue out this week). This is something I can always love and appreciate from Action Comics.
TT: Superman and Batman team-ups are a dime a dozen but adding Ray to this scene gives it a stronger feel. Of course Bruce is SMART but this scene makes it clear that Bruce wanted to have more eyes on what was going on with Clark. This is where Ray really excels in the DCU too. Now, should Ray take this role for all science stories? No. In fact, I think the fact that this is happening, while Mister Terrific fills a similar role in The Flash actually makes the universe seem more deep than less.
But Clark is sick. Not necessarily DYING but not in a good place. To the point that Bruce says Clark needs to at least be considering what it does mean for him, and for Jon.
JP: ALSO! The Jon and Damian scene is so good! It’s grounded and charming (Jon keeps calling now foods future food things which frustrates Damian), while also diving into some pretty complex interdynamics and keeping them in voice! I was really impressed by the whole affair, but how did this grab you, Tony?
TT: Damian is a hard character to get right. And guess what? Johnson nailed it. It wasn’t quite as good as Williamson’s Damian in this week’s Robin #1 (quick plug there), but he gets Jon so well already that this shouldn’t have surprised me. Sampere doesn’t quite capture Jon’s youthfulness as Scott Godlewski did two weeks ago in Superman, but he does at least make him feel like a kid. Paired with Damian, this scene just hit right for me.
FutureShocks
JP: But while Action Comics #1030 lays out some wonderful character moments and sets up Mongul well enough as the new arc’s major heel, PKJ also seems to be looking toward the future. Both in a literal and figurative sense!
With the issue’s main story road hoed, PKJ settles into a nicely grounded, almost romantic vibe as he focuses on Lois and Superman, fresh from his testing in the BatCave. Lois, it seems, is writing a book on Kryptonian culture, using the Bottle City of Kandor as an office space. It’s a quick scene, but one with a ton of heart that I am glad PKJ is really making use of.
TT: Good grief Johnson gets the relationship so well. This scene works just as well as Superman’s scene between the duo two weeks ago. It’s simple, a little subdued, but it’s like these years of marriage have mellowed Lois a bit while bringing out Clark’s bolder side. They feel like a real couple who have been married for over a decade. And Kelex! So good to see him!
JP: Johnson even sweetens the pot with the issue’s cliffhanger. A set of brand new Kryptonian characters (that look oddly similar to a pair of the House of El cast members) to the pages of Detective Comics Comics! The Dream of the Future is Alive in Portland! Erm, Metropolis, I mean. What say YOU, Tony?
TT: I mean the Jon/Damian scene set this whole scene up in a bit of a Chekov’s gun moment. I just did not expect it to pay off so soon! Before it gets to that reveal though, I loved what Clark does. He just puts his head down, blasts into the sky, and calls for Kara, Conner or Jon. “Whichever of you can hear my voice…”
That’s SUCH a cool moment. I wonder if Clark is wondering where Conner is, considering his current “hostage of Waller” status in Suicide Squad.
But that last page! I haven’t read House of El yet, but I get what you’re saying there. I wonder if these folks really are Kryptonians, or if there’s something more to it than that? I’m hooked. And now the upcoming status quo change makes MUCH more sense.
So four issues into this “new era” and I’m fully onboard. I’m even excited about the strange status quo change, sending Clark (and Lois?) to Warworld long term. Johnson gets these characters, and the art team did a stellar job throughout. This is just a great issue of Superman comics.
Daily Planet Headlines
- As you’ll have noticed by now, we missed last week’s Red & Blue issue which was entirely on Justin as he was accidentally projected into the Phantom Zone last week. Upon his return he deemed it “Fine”, which is a bit of a bummer after it’s stellar opening issue. You can’t win them all, Super-Readers, especially in the Phantom Zone.
- We get our first Apollo sighting here in the Midnighter backup, which is a win for gays everywhere in our book.
- The presence of the Midnighter back-up here makes much more sense now that we know about the upcoming Superman & The Authority miniseries.
- Interesting that Lois seems to remember “Death & Return of Superman” again in main continuity post-Rebirth and Death Metal. I wonder what else from Supes’ history is back in play again.
- Let’s hope for a return of Superman Red then.
Tony Thornley is a geek dad, blogger, Spider-Man and Superman aficionado, X-Men guru, autism daddy, amateur novelist, and all around awesome guy. He’s also very humble.
