Action Comics #1062: Book Burning in Metropolis

Action Comics #1062 brings challenges for the Man of Steel and the city of Metropolis. While the grand scale of the challenge is interesting, the pacing takes away from letting the story properly develop. The Bizarro arc brings up a common question when it comes to storytelling for a character as powerful as Superman: how do you properly create a challenge for the Man of Steel? 

While the test of Superman having to keep citizens of Metropolis (including his own wife) from letting their infected minds destroy their great city, the rushed conclusion makes the scale of this feat feel unearned. The arrival of Bizarro and the amount of damage happening may be epic, but the speed in which it happened takes readers from the experience. In the grand scheme of the story, the explanation may provide better insight, but readers may question why so much is happening in just two issues.

This is not to say the story is inherently bad by any means. Writer Jason Aaron’s tale of infected citizens enjoying burning books and breaking infrastructure is creepy and interesting. However, as some of the best zombie/infected media will express, it’s the slow build that sometimes makes the outbreak tense and daunting. Pacing aside, the characters that Aaron is incorporating in the comic make for an entertaining read and the surprise at the end will certainly have readers talking. 

The art does a lot of the heavy lifting in making the story believable. Artist John Timms and colorist Rex Lokus create a number of set pieces that Superman has to solve and similar to the last issue, there is a page that brings Superman up close to the reader that lets the creative team flex their artistic skills. Letterer Dave Sharpe also balances the number of characters talking, and the style shift helps make switching back and forth between characters seamless.