Action Comics #1101: K-Plague

After an issue as massive as Action Comics #1100, there was always going to be a difficult question hanging over #1101: What do you do when Superman finally comes home? The answer, apparently, is to give him approximately five seconds to catch his breath before throwing him directly into a war with General Zod. Action Comics #1101, written by Mark Waid with art by Montos, officially launches Superman’s side of the “Kingdom of Zod” crossover, and it wastes absolutely no time getting down to business. Superman has returned to the present after the events of the landmark #1100, but instead of getting a triumphant homecoming, he finds himself caught in the rapidly escalating conflict surrounding El Caldero, the Kryptonite Kingdom now under Zod’s control.

The most important thing about this issue is also the simplest: Superman is back. Waid understands that Clark’s return shouldn’t just be treated as another plot point. There is a sense throughout the issue that something has changed now that the Man of Steel has returned to the present. Of course, there isn’t exactly time for a parade. Instead, Clark immediately finds himself facing the consequences of everything that’s been happening while he was gone. The conflict with Zod has already begun, and Superman is essentially dropped into the middle of a situation that has been escalating across the other Superman Family titles. It’s a great way to bring Clark back. Rather than making his return feel like the conclusion of one story and the beginning of another, Waid makes it feel like the two are colliding. Superman’s personal journey from Action Comics #1100 immediately becomes part of the larger crisis. Perhaps the strongest element of Action Comics #1101 is how naturally Waid writes Clark. There is an earnestness to Superman that can sometimes get lost when the character is surrounded by increasingly complicated continuity and crossover mechanics. Waid doesn’t lose it. Clark still feels fundamentally hopeful. He still wants to help. He still sees saving people as the priority, and that’s important because “Kingdom of Zod” has the potential to become a very big, very loud superhero event. There are armies, Kryptonite, multiple Superman Family members, alternate versions of characters, and a villain attempting to establish his own kingdom. But at the center of all of that is Superman. Waid keeps that perspective intact.

Montos’ artwork is another major reason the issue works. There is a real sense of scale to the action, which is essential for a story involving Superman and Zod, but the pages don’t lose sight of the characters. Superman needs to look powerful without becoming expressionless. Zod needs to feel physically imposing without simply becoming a generic muscle-bound villain. And young Clark needs to look recognizably like the person Superman used to be. Montos handles those contrasts well. The artwork also gives the issue a distinctly modern Superman aesthetic while still feeling connected to the larger visual language of Action Comics. The result is a book that looks appropriately enormous without becoming visually exhausting. And when Superman finally gets to do what Superman does best, the action has the kind of kinetic energy you’d expect from an Action Comics issue. The title has existed for nearly nine decades for a reason. Sometimes you just want to watch Superman punch something.