Action Comics #1003: A Whole Lotta Clark Kent

Man, although Action so far is gripping me more than Superman is, I can’t say I’m that impressed with either series. 3 issues 3 times Red Cloud has randomly appeared and choked a mob boss to death. Also continuing is the random other hero cameos, Bendis seems more concerned with proving how well he can write other heroes than crafting a worthwhile Superman story.

Goode’s strategy for uncovering Superman’s identity is arguably one of the lazier plots I’ve ever seen. Although strangely effective…

The line work by Yanick Panquette is amazing, particularly her Clark Kent, I love it when Clark slumps so he isn’t 2 feet taller than everyone else in the office. My one nitpick is the Red Cloud attack was kind of weird in how quick it was, at first I thought Candy was Red Cloud and that was our reveal haha. I loved Clark succumbing to Kryptonite poisoning. The panel layouts deteriorating as his condition worsens is an amazing effect.

One issue I have with both Superman titles and this is kind of personal but Action Comics seems to be Clark Kent focused and mostly Metropolis crime whereas Superman focuses on global problems and Superman in costume, to me that feels backward. A nitpick maybe, I know, but Superman only appears for less than half the page in two pages in this entire issue. When the most hyped thing about an upcoming issue of your series is the return of a c list character (The Question? Really?) you need more exciting things happening.