Action Comics #1016: Hi Mom, I’m Batman

I had a blast reading Action Comics #1016. It has it all: a great Superman, a fresh new and interesting hero, and a hilarious Batman. I thought the last few issues had lost me, but I am definitely on board with #1016. Something that swayed my opinion was the fact that I am currently reading and reviewing Event Leviathan which is also written by Bendis. Event Leviathan has a much darker and serious tone than Action Comics. I am so used to focusing and adding importance to big “events” that I forgot how fun comics can be.

To start, I loved the narrative structure of the fight between Superman and Red Cloud. The use of witnesses being interviewed by a reporter is a brilliant way to ground the story, and that is exactly what Bendis did. I always stayed away from Superman comics because I felt that they would be boring due to Superman being invincible to practically everything. In recent years I have found that with the right writer, there can be incredible Superman stories. Bendis seems to be one of those writers. Readers are shown an incredible and destructive fight through the eyes of folks just like them (but comic versions). These panels had serious “it’s a bird, it’s a plane” vibes, which I loved.

Batman is what sold me on this issue. I am really happy to see Bendis having fun the Batman. I actually laughed out loud three times towards the end of this issue. Upon arriving to Naomi’s home, Superman says “Hi, Mom” to Naomi’s mother. This is funny but it felt like something Superman would do. Off to the side of the panel is Batman in his jet also saying “Hi, Mom.”

The next time I laughed was Naomi introducing Batman to her mother. I will always associate “I’m Batman” as very menacing or intimidating, but it felt so harmless and funny here. His introduction became even funnier when Naomi’s mother says “Damn right you are.”

The third time I laughed was when Batman listed the reasons why he can’t help with observing the dimensional rift. The line about practically being out of Robins made me laugh specifically.

I am still up in the air about this issue’s art. I am not sure if it is the art or the colors I don’t like or if it is just the combination of the two. I will say that the consistency of Superman’s faces in this issue are far better that #1015. Kudranski and Anderson are both extremely talented artists and that is 100% obvious in this issue. The two perfectly complement each other in action and darker panels. Beyond that, the colors often feel rushed and lacking detail. The story is so entertaining that little things about the art doesn’t matter.