DCnU - Action Comics #1

Action Comics #1. A momentous title. Something pretty big happened the first time a comic was published with that name. Superman was introduced to an unsuspecting world. Perhaps the greatest of the modern myths. In his first appearance, there were no super-villains to be opposed. He took on a wife-beater, a gangster and a corrupt Senator.

In that comic, he extracted a confession from the Senator by leaping from building to building, terrifying the man into confessing.

Cue 2011's Action Comics #1.

This one starts off with Superman landing on the balcony of a corrupt business man named Glenmorgan and intimidating him into a confession by leaping off the building with the man in his arms. The parallel is clear, and great to see.

There are some differences, however. When Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1 back in June of 1938, he was also new to the world in which he existed. In this Action Comics #1, Superman is known to the world, having been around for 6 months. He is still working in jeans and a t-shirt, but he is known to the world.

Glenmorgan is doing business with a very short man who gets away when Superman arrives, taking a elevator down away from the action, with what I must say was a very devious-looking smile on his face. I cannot help but wonder if we have just seen the first DCnU appearance of Dr. Psycho, although I may be reading too much into this. He has, after all traditionally been a Wonder Woman villain.

Superman is perhaps a little edgier here than most recent interpretations, but clearly still motivated by doing the right thing. And like the first Action Comics #1, he faces no villains who bring super-powers to bear against him in this issue.

Instead, once he makes a public appearance, he is lured into an attempt to capture him by the military, it seems, with an adviser. Yes, it is only fitting that Lex Luthor makes his first appearance alongside Superman.

Grant Morrison does a great job here. All the characters have personalities that stand out. Lex Luthor's motivation is almost sympathetic, if his "ends justifies the means" way of achieving his goals is not. Lois Lane and Jimmy Olson are already established as being the kind of characters who are going to find their way into trouble every chance they get, and there are some great nods to old continuity as well. I love that Jimmy's cell phone makes a "ZEE ZEE ZEE" sound, just like his signal watch for Superman did in the old days. I love the prominence the line "Sombody save me" was given on the page, and again, I may be reading too much into this, but that very line is the beginning of the chorus to Remy Zero's "Save Me" which was the theme to Smallville.

And somehow, he makes the whole "Superman hunted by the law and the military" feel entirely natural. Which, given the departure from the typical view of Superman )and the one Morrison wrote so effectively in All-Star Superman) seemed to me like it might be hard to make me buy into it. Kudos to Morrison for doing so.

And Rags Morales' art suited the book perfectly. It had everything you could ask for. Beautifully dynamic action panels mixed with some great still poses. The story and action were easy to follow, and each character looked distinct.

Action Comics is definitely staying on my pull list.

Oh... and about the mysterious character in red mentioned in my review of Justice League #1, look on page 28 of the digital version - in the panel with the passengers on the train.