Action Comics #1083: Clark Conspiracy

Superman Superstars continues with the return of writer John Ridley, artist Inaki Miranda, and colorist Eva de la Cruz in Action Comics #1083. This new story arc is a detective journalism expose that follows Clark Kent as he investigates a bank robbery gone wrong by formerly reformed villain Major Disaster. After interviewing other villains who used Superman’s hope to change their ways, Clark is attacked. Now he must find out who attacked him, and why these villains are back to their old ways. Is Superman’s hope and faith in humanity enough to save the day? Find out in this issue filled with villains, journalism, and reflection.

This is the second of three issues in this arc and it falls a little flat. I think Ridley offers some interesting ideas for a mature Superman story but has led nowhere. I think this arc could’ve been an interesting exploration of prison reform and the ways in which Superman’s hope is not enough in a world run by the prison industrial complex. Instead, the heroism and fantasy aspects that are introduced make the message of the arc fall flat. This issue tried to keep the fun narrative flow of the first issue, following Clark in a detective journalism story but that also fell flat. The big mystery is solved in just a couple of pages and not by Clark or Superman. I think I was also taken out of the book by how glaringly obvious it is that Clark is Superman. These villains are evil, not stupid. Overall, the story offers interesting themes but they have fallen flat. There could’ve been a stronger message that tied in the importance of therapy and the need for prison reform on top of Superman’s message of hope, but it’s diluted by confusing and questionable plot choices.

The art in this issue is fairly standard for a comic book and feels neutral to the story. Artist Inaki Miranda and colorist Eva de la Cruz are not creating anything spectacular, but it’s also not so ugly it’s hard to read. I think where Miranda’s work really shines is in the panel layout. The panels in this issue are laid out in a really fun way that helps to progress the narrative flow. The one issue I did have was that Clark just doesn’t look like Clark. In the opening pages of this issue, I thought he was Bruce. While the art style isn’t my favorite, it’s still a nice comic to look at and is easy on the eyes. It’s always good to see Superman drawn in different styles.