Action Comics #1038: The Forging, and Breaking, of Chains

While Superman has always been powerful, there’s a strong argument to be made that both in-universe and out, his most important role is that of a symbol… and his most important power is the ability to inspire. His allies have always known that and the worst of his enemies tend to know it as well – even Lex Luthor has been known to claim that Superman is dangerous because of what he represents even more than what he can do.

That Mongul knows this as well becomes evident on the first page of Action Comics #1038. There we find Superman in chains, his many victories touted as further evidence of the greatness of Mongul – the current Mongul – the one who has, at long last, brought the hero low.

The reader knows it’s only partially true – that Superman was already compromised before his arrival, his power fading, his life coming to a slow close, before his arrival. Mongul and his overenthusiastic minion know this as well. But again, Superman’s value to Mongul lies not in the physical conquest but the metaphorical and symbolic one. The facts only cloud the message being put promoted: that of Mongul’s absolute supremacy over not only Superman himself but all that he has conquered or created.

They say that wars are won in the minds of warriors and while that isn’t always true – you can just overwhelm an opponent force with sheer power if you’ve got the force to spare – in the case of an entire planet full of superpowered expert combatants like Warworld, it’s probably more true than it would be in most places.

The only issue is, when it comes to someone like Superman, defeating him on ideological terms is much more difficult than just beating him down – not that beating him down is easy either. Because there’s a reason Superman is such a beloved and larger-than-life figure. There’s a reason he’s so inspiring. And one very significant reason is that he absolutely will not cede the moral high ground regardless of what’s done to him, or what is threatened to be done to him.

Phillip K. Johnson absolutely understands this. And that is a good chunk of what makes his run on Action Comics so great.

The thing is, I’ve said this in under reviews and I’ll no doubt say it again – when it comes to writing existing characters, for me there is nothing more important than staying true to the essence of a character. A creative team’s ability or inability can make or break a run for me. Even if my idea for PineappleUpsideDownCakeMan is for him to live in Boston and solve bakery crimes, if a writer can show me that they understand PUDCM (didn’t think that name through, did I?) then, sure, I don’t mind going to the Wild West with him for a while, no problem.

That’s not a way to say I dislike Superman in fantastical gladiatorial settings – heck no, I love that. What I’m saying is that it would be all too easy to lose track of what makes Clark the man, the symbol, the force of hope that he is while placing him in these alien landscapes and against these exceptionally detailed alien cultures… but that never happens here. And that is how you know Mongul has effed himself over by giving Clark the ear of the people, however unwittingly.

I can’t say enough about the artwork in this issue, or really in this run in general. When Daniel Sampere announced his departure from the book I admit I was, let’s say, heartbroken. But, coming in on his heels, Miguel Mendoca has not disappointed. The details, the grit, and the weight of his work are perfect for the story in its current state – though the sights of Warworld can at times make me wince, that just makes it more effective. Between the grim design of the landscape and the grime in Adriano Lucas’s masterful colors – the dirty greens of the dungeons and the blackened red in the city above, Warworld is truly hellish.

Which is exactly as it should be.

Then comes… part two of our Martian Manhunter story, A Face in the Crowd! In the last chapter, J’onn struggled to find his place in the world – a search which led him to an encounter with, as it turns out, some mook pretending to be Martian Manhunter’s early career enemy, Human Flame. Meanwhile, Metropolis Detectives Certa and Ostrander found a break in the case of a missing girl – an online message board called Katharsis Aureus that she had in common with several other missing people.

These threads may seem unrelated, but by the end of the chapter you can begin to see where the two disparate paths can, and likely will, begin to interact.

I continue to maintain that Martian Manhunter and his chocolate sandwich cookie obsession deserve more love and more exposure. This is a great step in that direction – a solid story questioning J’onn’s role in the DCU while allowing him to take on an investigation as befits someone who, let’s not forget, has in the past been a professional detective.

As is always the case with backups I have a hard time judging them until they’ve been completed, so for now I’ll just say I enjoyed it a lot and am interested to see where it goes.