For all of us Superman
fans, the release of Action Comics # 1000
is landmark event. From his first appearance in Action Comics # 1 in June, 1938, Superman has become the iconic
representation of Truth, Justice and the America Way. I began collecting
Superman comic books in the 1960s and my collection includes most everything
from about 1959 to the late 1990s, with sporadic issues afterward. Readers of
this blog are aware I have been vocal in my dislike for the Zack Snyder films,
and I have been critical of the poor editorial choices that have plagued the
series for many years.
Critics and fans alike have
been united in their disdain for the way the Superman Family of characters have
been handled, and re-boots, re-launches, or whatever you want to call it, are
always beneficial to cash flow problems. You don’t need a slide-rule and a
pocket protector to figure that out. Therein lies the heart of the problem. A
continuing story arc involving crossover titles is a ploy to increase sales,
but that’s not storytelling, that’s marketing. This is compounded by a focus on
continuity and revisionist character biographies, which have been continuous
for the last forty plus years at DC, if not longer. I don’t mind change, but
what I’m really interested in are good stories. Gone are the days when a
three-part story was a special event. Stand-alone stories of 23 or 24 pages are
extinct. The focus has changed to a continuing soap-opera style story-arc that
can be republished as a trade paperback and labeled “graphic novel.”
That doesn’t mean it’s
all bad. In fact, I have enjoyed the DC “Rebirth” titles, and Superman has been
handled with respect by writers Patrick Gleason and Peter J. Tomasi. I enjoy
their stories much more than those of other current writers. Geoff Johns, the
current president and Chief Creative Officer at DC, has also turned in some
fantastic stories in recent years. His Braniac sequence in Action Comics a few years ago is a modern classic.
Action
Comics is the flagship title for Superman, and to
celebrate the inclusion of this landmark issue in my collection I thumbed
through some boxes to re-acquaint myself with past glories. Obviously, the
1960s offered a wealth of nostalgia, including Action Comics # 350 and 361, the first two appearances of The
Parasite. The stories got better in the late 60s, and Curt Swan’s 1960s cover
art is all classic material. Neal Adams and Nick Cardy also turned in some
memorable covers. My favorite Nick Cardy cover is Action Comics # 425; an image that evokes both the nostalgia and
endurance of the world’s most popular adventure character.
The release of Action Comics # 1000 was orchestrated to
coincide with Superman’s 80th anniversary. On April 11th,
Comic Shops received their orders of the deluxe hardback compilation
celebrating 80 years of The Man of Steel. This release to Comic Shops preceded
the April 17th release on Amazon and other retail booksellers.
That’s a remarkably unique exclusion involving Amazon, and a coup for Comic
Shops who then benefited first from selling Action
Comics: 80 Years of Superman to the public. The book is beautiful. With
dust-jacket cover art by Jim Lee, and a hardback embossed cover reproducing
about 36 covers, the volume includes a never before published mid-1940s
Superman story by creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and their studio staff.
Also included are some ashcan covers, and a new short story by Paul Levitz and
Neal Adams. This is Neal Adams’ only contribution to the 80th
celebration. Numerous covers and key stories are reprinted, including the first
appearance of Braniac and Supergirl. It’s not the best anthology of Superman
tales, but it makes for a fantastic celebration of Superman’s long career.
Action
Comics # 1000 was released on April 17th
with nine official variant covers. The basic newstand cover is by Jim Lee, with
subsequent covers evoking the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and the 2000s
by artists Steve Rude, Michael Cho, Dave Gibbons, Michael Allred, Jim Steranko,
Joshua Middleton, Dan Jurgens, and Lee Bermejo. There is also a blank variant
cover which is a longstanding and rather cheesy marketing ploy to produce an
issue that fans can take to conventions and pay to have an artist draw
something on it. The variant covers are all beautiful, fantastic pieces of art.
However, noticeably absent is a cover by Neal Adams who was instrumental in
depicting Superman in the 60s and 70s. This exclusion is baffling.
Action
Comics # 1000 is an 80-Page Giant with much ballyhoo
surrounding the debut of writer Brian Michael Bendis who takes the reins as
Superman’s scribe. DC Comics is betting that Bendis’ popularity and talent,
recruited after a productive career at Marvel, will increase sales on the
Superman family titles.
Action
Comics # 1000 is a beautiful book. At every level, the
design, high-quality glossy paper, and distinctive artistic styles all pay
tribute to the Man of Steel and his creators. There are ten stories included
here. The first by Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund reminds us why Superman is so
popular; Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason follow up with a tribute to his
richly textured history; and then Marv Wolman and Curt Swan offer an
unpublished and slightly revamped tale. Geoff Johns, Richard Donner and Oliver
Coipel tell a vital story about a car the Man of steel once lifted above his
head; Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque offer some insight into Lex Luthor;
Tom King and Clay Mann deliver an enigmatic homage; Louise Simonson and Jerry
Ordway shine with a tale the reminds us how important Clark’s Daily Planet job really is; and Paul
Dini and Jose Luis Garcia Lopez get whimsical. The Brad Meltzer and John Cassady
brew reminds us that Superman may not be perfect, but he’s still Superman.
There are also several stand-alone pin-up pages scattered throughout Action Comics # 1000.
These are all short
tales, precisely what I mentioned have been missing for many years. They work
pretty well, and while it’s true that such short-shorts suffer from a sometimes
abrupt conclusion, they still work. This brings us to the
eagerly awaited debut of author Brian Michael Bendis whose story is brought to
life by artist Jim Lee. The artwork is fantastic, as expected, and appropriately
enough, Bendis jumps right into an action-packed tale. The story is 12 pages,
and mostly involves the Big Blue battling a new villain named Rogol Zaar. I am
promoting a cautionary approach here, because we are a long way off from
delivering a final verdict on Brian Michael Bendis. The problem is this - Rogol
Zaar comes across as a roadshow re-imagining of Doomsday, and Doomsday is a
character we’ve all seen too much of. DC Comics really flogged the Doomsday
horse time and time again. I was hoping for a character that didn’t seem like a
pastiche. We didn’t get one, at least not in these initial 12 pages.
Bendis also plays the
revisionist history card, which was announced in one of DCs press releases. We
don’t know exactly what changes Bendis has planned for the continuity, but I’m on
record as stating how unnecessary those changes are. The last page of the
Bendis story (which will be continued in the forthcoming The Man of Steel # 1...
yeah, they’re doing that again), struck
me as cheap dramatics.
Still, I’m willing to
keep an open mind. Bendis is a truly fine writer, and there is potential here. As
a fan and collector, I’m only interested in seeing him maintaining Superman’s
integrity as a seminal figure in pop culture, and reading some fresh and
exciting stories. Time will tell if Brian Michael Bendis is yet another media
event, shining brightly at the onset, but fading quickly like John Byrne before
him.
Overall, Action Comics # 1000 is a great tribute,
and seeing artwork again by Curt Swan, Jerry Ordway and Jose Luis Garcia Lopez
was a treat. I am particularly pleased that Jerry Ordway was involved in this
project. But now that’s it’s over, I still can’t help but to wonder – where was
Neal Adams?