Action Comics #1103: Mama’s Boy

We got to see a young Superman; now it’s time to see a young Lex Luthor. Action Comics #1103 starts an all-new chapter in Mark Waid’s incredible run on this title. The majority of the year, Waid brought readers to the past to revisit Superman’s teenage years. We followed this younger version of Superman as he began his heroic journey, learned how to balance being a kid and a hero, and even went to Krypton (don’t worry about it). Now we get to follow a younger version of Lex Luthor. Before Lex Luthor was a billionaire, before he was the President of the United States, before he was Superman’s greatest enemy, he was a kid in Kansas. Take a step back in time and learn the origin of Superman’s most legendary villain in this issue full of childhood trauma, parenting tips, and forgotten memories. 

We all know Mark Waid knows how to write Superman, so now he is proving he knows how to write Lex Luthor too. It’s exciting getting to explore Lex’s history, and Waid juxtaposes Lex’s childhood with Clark’s childhood in these stories. I think Waid hits the irony of Lex’s hate well, as he shows that Lex is just as much an alien as Clark is. Both of them grew up so different and special compared to their family, but the way they view what that means makes the two so different. Waid is also playing with some psychology in this issue, as we see a nature vs. nurture allegory that arises from the different parenting Clark and Lex received. Overall, this story arc seems interesting, and Waid is taking an exciting and nuanced direction.  

While this storyline seems interesting, I am tired of being in the past. Action Comics has been in the present timeline less than half of this year. That being said, Waid does deserve compliments as he cleverly ties up storylines that have been dominating the narrative for years. This story seems like the end of Lex’s amnesia storyline, and I am happy to see the return of evil Lex. 

This issue brings back Patricio Delpeche, and a Waid/Delpeche collaboration is always fantastic. Delpeche’s art style work’s perfect for an origin story. His quick ink strokes and speckled colors work well and make the pages feel like memories. He contrasts Lex and Clark’s childhoods so well with his colors while still keeping things bright. The result is a book that looks appropriately enormous without becoming visually exhausting. This duo is creating exciting new stories in Action Comics, even after a decade of stories.