Mild Mannered Reviews - Action Comics
Action Comics #37
Scheduled to arrive in stores: December 3, 2014Cover date: February 2015
"SmallVillains"
Writer: Greg Pak
Penciller: Aaron Kuder
Inker: Aaron Kuder
Reviewed by: Michael Bailey
As Hiro tries to get into Smallville Superman fails to break out. After waking from a nightmare about a childhood incident he, Lana and John Henry explore Smallville and find everyone is fine when they really shouldn't be. Superman tells them to stay inside and most of them oblige though Lana is still uncomfortable with Superman handling the situation. They track the disturbance to where Superman and Doomsday fought and begin to poke around when the older men from town attack. With Lana and John's help the men are taken out and Superman reaches Hiro but somehow the beast behind it all is still free and its sphere of influence is increasing.
Story - 4: Pak continues to have a nice balance of flashbacks and current action in his non-crossover Superman stories. I like how he uses them to illustrate the point he is trying to make in the present. As I have written before we know very little about this Superman's early years and it is hard to trust Grant Morrison's run because he played so much with time. It is hard to know what was real and what was Mxy. So it's been nice to see these bits and pieces from his youth. There is the chance they could get a little tired but I am not there yet.
Not a whole lot happened in this issue. Sure there was some action and the bits with Hiro were fun but it was basically some flashbacks surrounding small increments of plot movement. That may sound like a complaint but it isn't. I like that Pak is taking his time here and letting the atmosphere and mood build. The mystery about what it ultimately behind everything is intriguing and as long as I am entertained and engaged I should have few problems.
One of those few problems continues to be Lana's attitude towards Clark. I don't want to go into it too deeply because I felt like I did enough of that last time but I will say that while I am not overly upset by Lana feeling like the world shouldn't depend on Superman I can't help having a problem with Superman agreeing with her. Again, Superman went through a lot during the DOOMED storyline and it is only natural that he might have a small crisis of confidence but it seems that is the main character beat for Superman in the New 52 and it would be nice to see the creators move away from that.
Other than that this was a great issue. ACTION continues to be a fun read and it hasn't been the roller coaster ride over the past year or so that it was at the beginning of the New 52. I don't feel the apprehension I used to when I would pick this book up from the comic shop that I used to.
And that's a good feeling to have.
Art - 4: Aaron Kuder keeps getting better and better on this title. I'm not talking just about how great bearded Superman looked throughout the issue. Kuder has really come into his own with the character and there were many out and out SUPERMAN shots that would have made me happy all on their own. The great thing is he does so much with everything else in the issue. Hiro's scenes looked great, the flashback scene looked great and the monsters were creepy and cool. Kuder is fast becoming my favorite New 52 Superman artist.
Cover Art - 4: This is an amazing cover. The shot of Superman flying right towards the camera with the various Supermen all around him makes for an exciting image. The coloring is great too. This is a definite step up from the last few covers on this title.
Dustin Nguyen Variant Cover Art - 5: This one surprised me because when I saw the thumb nail I thought I wasn't going to like it but once it blew up to full size I was really impressed. The image is dynamic and like the main cover the coloring really makes it pop. Nguyen is not someone I would normally associate with Superman but he does a fantastic job.
Darwyn Cooke Variant Cover Art - 5: I am a mark for Cooke's artwork, so it was a foregone conclusion that I would like this cover. It's a simple image; Superman saves a kid from a train but it is so grand and epic and fun. It makes me smile. A lot.
Mild Mannered Reviews
2015
Note: Except for digital first releases, the month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.January 2015
- Superman Unchained #9
- Action Comics #36
- Superman #36
- Batman/Superman #16
- Superman/Wonder Woman #13
- Supergirl #36
- Justice League #36
- Secret Origins #7
- Injustice: Year Three - Chapter #6
- Injustice: Year Three - Chapter #7
- Injustice: Year Three - Chapter #8
- Injustice: Year Three - Chapter #9
- Smallville: Continuity - Chapter #11
- Smallville: Continuity - Chapter #12
- Action Comics #37
- Batman/Superman #17
- Superman #37
- Superman/Wonder Woman #14
- Supergirl #37
- Justice League #37
- Injustice: Year Three - Chapter #10
- Injustice: Year Three - Chapter #11
- Injustice: Year Three - Chapter #12
- Injustice: Year Three - Chapter #13
- Injustice: Year Three - Chapter #14
- Action Comics #38
- Superman #38
- Superman/Wonder Woman #15
- Batman/Superman #18
- Supergirl #38
- Justice League #38
- Injustice: Year Three - Chapter #15
- Injustice: Year Three - Chapter #16
- Injustice: Year Three - Chapter #17
- Injustice: Year Three - Chapter #18
- Superman: Earth One - Vol. 3
- Action Comics #39
- Superman #39
- Superman/Wonder Woman #16
- Batman/Superman #19
- Supergirl #39
- Justice League #39
- Injustice: Year Three - Chapter #19
- Injustice: Year Three - Chapter #20
- Injustice: Year Three - Chapter #21
- Injustice: Year Three - Chapter #22
- Multiversity: Mastermen #1
- Action Comics #40
- Batman/Superman #20
- Superman/Wonder Woman #17
- Supergirl #40
- Injustice: Year Three - Chapter #23
- Injustice: Year Three - Chapter #24
- Batman/Superman Annual #2
- Superman #40
- Justice League #40
- Convergence #0
- Convergence #1
- Convergence: Superman #1
- Convergence: Justice League #1
- Convergence #2
- Convergence: Superman - The Man of Steel #1
- Convergence: Superboy #1
- Convergence: Supergirl: Matrix #1
- Convergence: Suicide Squad #1
- Convergence #3
- Convergence: Adventures of Superman #1
- Convergence: Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #1
- Convergence #4
- Convergence: Action Comics #1
- Convergence: Booster Gold #1
- Convergence: Detective Comics #1
- Convergence #5
- Convergence: Superman #2
- Convergence: Justice League #2
- Convergence #6
- Convergence: Superboy #2
- Convergence: Supergirl: Matrix #2
- Convergence: Superman - The Man of Steel #2
- Convergence: Suicide Squad #2
- Convergence: Adventures of Superman #2
- Convergence #7
- Convergence: Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes #2
- Convergence: Action Comics #2
- Convergence: Booster Gold #2
- Convergence: Detective Comics #2
- Convergence #8
- Divergence #1
- Injustice: Year Three - Annual #1
- Injustice: Year Four - Chapter #1
- Injustice: Year Four - Chapter #2
- Injustice: Year Four - Chapter #3
- Injustice: Year Four - Chapter #4
- Superman #41
- Action Comics #41
- Batman/Superman #21
- Superman/Wonder Woman #18
- Justice League #41
- Justice League of America #1
- Bizarro #1
- Earth 2: Society #1
- Doomed #1
- Teen Titans #9
- Injustice: Year Four - Chapter #5
- Injustice: Year Four - Chapter #6
- Injustice: Year Four - Chapter #7
- Injustice: Year Four - Chapter #8
- Superman #42
- Action Comics #42
- Batman/Superman #22
- Superman/Wonder Woman #19
- Justice League #42
- Justice League of America #2
- Bizarro #2
- Earth 2: Society #2
- Doomed #2
- Teen Titans #10
- Injustice: Year Four - Chapter #9
- Injustice: Year Four - Chapter #10
- Injustice: Year Four - Chapter #11
- Injustice: Year Four - Chapter #12
- Injustice: Year Four - Chapter #13
- Superman #43
- Action Comics #43
- Batman/Superman #23
- Superman/Wonder Woman #20
- Justice League #43
- Justice League of America #3
- Bizarro #3
- Earth 2: Society #3
- Doomed #3
- Teen Titans #11
- Deathstroke #9
- Injustice: Year Four - Chapter #14
- Injustice: Year Four - Chapter #15
- Injustice: Year Four - Chapter #16
- Injustice: Year Four - Chapter #17
- Superman #44
- Action Comics #44
- Batman/Superman #24
- Superman/Wonder Woman #21
- Justice League #44
- Bizarro #4
- Earth 2: Society #4
- Doomed #4
- Injustice: Year Four - Chapter #18
- Injustice: Year Four - Chapter #19
- Injustice: Year Four - Chapter #20
- Injustice: Year Four - Chapter #21
- Injustice: Year Four - Chapter #22
- Superman #45
- Action Comics #45
- Batman/Superman #25
- Superman/Wonder Woman #22
- Justice League #45
- Superman: Lois and Clark #1
- Justice League of America #4
- Bizarro #5
- Earth 2: Society #5
- Doomed #5
- Teen Titans #12
- Injustice: Year Four - Chapter #23
- Injustice: Year Four - Chapter #24
Back to the Mild Mannered Reviews contents page.
Check out the Comic Index Lists for the complete list of Superman-related comics published in 2015.