Review: Action Comics #1001
Now that all the hoopla regarding a certain writers defection to DC has died down it seems that normal service is resuming. At the moment however, normal for Superman is a lot more regular than it is for Clark.
The mysterious fires that have recently plagued Metropolis have gone some way to casting the blame onto a certain Kryptonian. Whilst this is, ironically, something of a false alarm, it does leave the questions of who exactly is setting the fires and to what grand purpose. For Clark, there are other questions, ones to dodge faster than a speeding bullet if he is to quench the gossip that Lois left him for……himself?
Brian Michael Bendis seems to have acclimatised to his new universe well. Here, he is giving the big blue a series of problems that he can’t just “power” out of, at least not yet. The opening pages could easily be a metaphor for every danger someone faces when they try to write a Superman story. Yet Bendis has chosen to go a different route. Without Lois and Jon, Clark seems to be without a focus, as if doing things by routine. It’s an interesting take on the character, a one which I enjoy; I like the idea that even with all his vaunted powers, Clark still has to put up with mundane problems such as slander, gossip and to some extent doubt. That said, Bendis may be returning to type after all; is that Jessica Jones on the last page?
When I first saw that Patrick Gleason was on art duties, I hate to admit, I was a tad whelmed. After all, his work on Batman and Robin, which started well seemed to go south in a hurry. The actual truth is that, I was totally blown away by the line work in this book. Gleason seems to have found a home with the brawn and build of Clark and his big blue alter ego. Gleason’s works shows a level of humour that mirrors the script, so regardless if you prefer the writing or the visuals, the joke is never lost. A strong jaw and strong shoulders need strong pencils and Gleason delivers page after page; inking his own work clearly works for him. Colors are provided by Alejandro Sanchez, who gives Metropolis shafts of daylight contrasting the darkness that seems to by growing in the nicest of all DC cities.
Action Comics #1001 goes someway to show that Bendis is planning a long game that should please some of the doubters, following the MoS mini-series. Recent Tweets advising that Lois and Jon will be coming back, should also alleviate fears that Bendis is out to destroy some of the better additions to the Superman mythos. All in all, this is a great start to the next 1000 issues.
Writting – 5 Stars
Art – 5 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Written by; Brian Michael Bendis
Art by; Patrick Gleason
Colors by: Alejandro Sanchez
Letteres by – Josh Reed
Publshed by; DC Comics
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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