Action Comics 1051 (2023)

 

I should have talked about this one before I talked about the new Superman No. 1 but I didn’t and we’ll just all have to learn to live with that.  But yeah, this comic book is the real beginning of the new “status quo” for Superman and, in effect, the DC Universe as a whole.  “Dawn of DC”. Queue “Also sprach Zarathustra”.  I was excited for this comic book.  Not because I like re-launches, (I ABSOLUTELY HATE THEM) but because I’m excited to see Superman and the gang spend some time doing super stuff on planet Earth after a year or so on War World.

The new status quo and cast is fine.  I like them and I like this comic"s tone. I have talked before about how much I hate this whole thing being so dependent on Lex Luthor.  I am sick to death of Lex Luthor but I will spare y’all a rant.  This time.

This comic has three stories by three different creative teams so we will score them individually.

“Speeding Bullets, Part I”

Writing: Phillip Kennedy Johnson.  I like PKJ just fine and I appreciate what he is trying to do here. I cannot help but hold the whole relaunch thing against him a little though.  Score: 3.5

Drawing: Rafa Sandoval.  Sandoval is very good. Especially at the big Bryan Hitch style splash pages.  Faces are not his strength though and this one has a lot of faces. Score: 4

Coloring: Matt Herms.  A bit muted for my tastes but the reds are red and the blues are blue so good enough. Score: 4

Lettering: Dave Sharpe. Minus two stars for using colored lettering.  Score: 3

“Home again Part One”

Writing: Dan Jurgens.  This one is a stroll down retconned memory lane with long time Superman creator Dan Jurgens.  I like his stuff.  Never the best. Always adequate. This one covers some of the Johnathan Kent youth that the series had previously decided to skip over.  The potential is there for this to be the most interesting story Superman comics have to tell but it is a backup feature so don’t get too excited. Score: 4

Drawing: Lee Weeks.  It’s Lee Weeks. Lee Weeks is great. Score: 4

Coloring: Elizabeth Breitweiser.  Again, a bit muted for my tastes.  Score: 3

Lettering: Rob Leigh.  It’s fine.  Score: 3

“Power Girl in Head Like a Whole”

Writing: Leah Williams.  So Power Girl is a psychic therapist now?  It is clever but there is very little meat on these power bones. Score: 3

Drawing: Marguerite Sauvage.  It is pretty but I’m not a huge fan of pretty.  This is supposed to be a Doctor Strange type story where anything you can imagine could happen but all the drawings are just faces and bodies against color backgrounds.  If you take the text away, and there is a ton of text, there is nothing much there. Score: 2

Coloring: Marguerite Sauvage. I hate when the rendering is colored.  Hate it.  Always have. Always gonna. Score: 0

Lettering: Becca Carey.  Green letters in black boxes.  White letters in red boxes.  I hate it. Score: 1

Total Score: 2.875 out of 5 Shanos.

Love always. Your best pal ever,

Shano