Action Comics #1006: Mistaking Empathy for Weakness

Part 6 of the Invisible Mafia arc continues the mysterious rise of Red Cloud as a villain in Metropolis and explores both Clark Kent and Superman’s attempts to put the pieces of evidence together, however, it doesn’t necessarily offer anything particularly new.

We start with a line of impromptu questioning between Clark and the Mayor about rumors of him shutting down questions into the string of fires in Metropolis. While this seems to be unimportant at first, Bendis uses this to expose a conspiracy that goes higher up than previously hinted at. This does help give some legitimacy to the new villain’s exploits throughout town, but it takes up a significant portion of the issue just to make this point.

As we shift into Superman’s attempt to save Fire Chief Melody Moore from the Red Cloud, there are some magnificent fight sequences that showcases the unique clash of their abilities. However, it is ultimately another nondecisive battle that isn’t too different from what we saw last issue. This time though, Superman had a reason for allowing the Red Cloud’s escape. These moments are where Bendis tends to do his best work, using Superman’s core humanity in the middle of a superhero antic-fueled sequence to explore the Man of Steel’s view of right and wrong.

The fight between Red Cloud and Superman is also once again the highlight of the issue visually. She is a villain that works exceptionally well against Superman, and the creative team is able to show this very well. Considering the nature of the issue and the amount of dialogue, Josh Reed also stands out with solid lettering that helps keep the pacing smooth overall.

The issue closes out with the introduction of another “higher up” individual in the criminal organization supporting Red Cloud, but now she has access to nearly the entirety of the Daily Planet, including Lois Lane’s former office! While there are certainly some interesting revelations in Action Comics #1006, hopefully the story is able to start bringing all of these narrative elements together before the story collapses under its own weight.