REVIEW: Action Comics #993

Using The Flash’s cosmic treadmill to go back in time to moments prior to Krypton’s destruction, Superman is determined to find the truth about Mr. Oz, revealed previously to be Jor-El. Fearing that Superman could inadvertently do irreparable damage to the timeline, Booster Gold (making his return to the mainstream DCU) attempts to travel back to stop him. What happens if Superman saves Krypton or dies along with his ancestors?

While Dan Jurgens has been handling writing duties on Action Comics for some time, this issue sees him return to full-on pencil work (he had been handling breakdowns for other artists). Jurgens is in top form here and as many have said, it’s fitting he’s here for Booster’s return. As a longtime fan who obsessed over Superman during his run in the Post-Crisis era, it is a treat seeing Jurgens draw Superman and his creation of Booster Gold. His pencils are tight with a high level of detail and a wonderful sense of motion. When I think of these characters, due to my background, I think of Jurgens’ interpretation. Superman is muscular, but not obscenely, and Jurgens attention to proportions and anatomy is excellent. Seeing the art in this book just feels right to me. Jurgens even throws in creative touches such as shattered glass panels to highlight fragments of time.The ink work is well done with strong lines and a polished, finished look. I do feel slightly let down by the colors, they are solid overall, but the light bloom effects in some panels can be a bit distracting. I also feel the time vortex pages could have had more visual impact and are a missed opportunity to do something different.

The cover deserves praise in my eyes. It is a loving tribute to classic Silver-Age Superman covers. I’m a fan of text on covers and this cover really tugs at my sense of nostalgia.

Overall, the pace is quick and while the story doesn’t pack any initial surprises, it’s extremely fun (I’m also a sucker for time travel stories). It is the first issue of a multi-part story, so it doesn’t give too much away yet. While the focus is on Superman and Booster for the majority of the issue, Jurgens still finds time to continue Jon and Lois’ stories. The continuity continues to be strong in Action Comics and Lois, in particular, is given a new thread involving her father that should be interesting to see play out. Jon has a fun moment where he learns about Booster’s backstory and it helps to highlight the character difference between Booster and his father. Even with the strong continuity, this could be a good first comic book for someone vaguely familiar with Superman (or Booster Gold).

Much like the DC Rebirth era as a whole, this issue plays up classic elements of Superman and Booster Gold and ties it together with a fun, well-executed story. 4 out of 5 stars!

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Story and Pencil Art by Dan Jurgens
Finished Ink Art by Joe Pradd & Cam Smith
Published by DC Comics