Action Comics #1 (2011) Review
I've received a lot of feedback regarding my review of Justice League #1,in which I said that the book was fun, if not a balls-to-the-wall explosion of mind-bending proportions -- an expectation that is, in my opinion, unrealistic and perhaps misplaced. The same could be said of Action Comics #1,in which writer Grant Morrison takes his time to introduce (quite economically, I might add) all the main players of the series and establish their relationship to Superman. As far as issue #1 goes, everyone is where we'd expect them to be. Well, for the most part.
Lois and Jimmy are co-workers, Lex Luthor is plotting with General Lane to take down the strange visitor from another planet and Clark Kent is a do-gooder that is nice to his landlady and separates his colors from his whites when he does laundry. Of the entire cast, the only character that truly feels different is Superman himself. Costume aside, this is a Kal-El that is in the early days of career. It's established in Action #1 that Superman is still leaping (and only leaping) tall buildings and that his powers are still growing. Morrison presents him as a cocky, self-assured vigilante, a far cry from the messianistic icon that we know (or I guess, assume) he'll become.
I forsee some Superman purists taking issue with Morrison's take on the younger Kal-El, but as with any of his work, I urge those of you that feel this way to stick with it. As this is an early take on Superman (you can see the current day Supes in Swamp Thing #1 this week), Morrison is clearly setting up a period of growth for the character. More interesting than seeing how Kal-El grows as Superman is how his relations with other characters develop. In Action #1, Clark is working at the Daily Star, the Daily Planet's #1 rival. He's got journalistic integrity and comradery with Jimmy and Lois, but they're only six months into their friendship. Morrison has put the pieces in play for a very different spin on the trio' s relationship.
While the book is chock full of great action (fittingly), my one concern with it is the actual lack of Superman's perspective. Aside from one stellar scene with Clark Kent, the scenes with Superman are prodominately shown from an outsider's perspective, offering no real insight into the character other than his nature as an overwhelming alien force of extreme strength. We understand that he's there to help, but that comes more from our previous knowledge of the character than what we see in the book.
However, it's incredibly refreshing to have a Superman that is active and takes control of the situation he's in. Morrison's Superman is hands-on, but fallible. Action #1 establishes more than once that Superman isn't an all powerful god-like being. Other than being unable to truly fly, Morrison concocts a great scene in which Supes is stopping a speeding train. Upon impact, Superman mutters "ow" ever-so-softly. It's a great moment that, coupled with the glimpse of brilliance we catch from Lex Luthor in this issue, suggests an equal pairing between heroism and villainy for these soon-to-be arch rivals.
The art of Rags Morales captures the action well. The many high-octane action sequences scattered throughout the book shine with Morales' blocking and storytelling. While finer details aren't always the main attraction of his panels, the action sequences in this debut issue are effective because of Morales' ability to adequately pace the scenes. However, the other half of the book -- the talking head dialog scenes -- are less exhilirating. Morales' facial anatomy varies wildly between scenes, depending on angle and facial expression. It's not distracting, necessarily, but the slower nature of these scenes in comparison to the action sequences -- both in writing and art --gives Action #1 a jarring pace.
When all is said and done, this is the first chapter of a very long story (Morrison told us he's got 16 issues plotted out), and it reads as such. Much like Morrison's work previous,the whole will likely be greater than its parts. However, that doesn't mean Action Comics #1 is unenjoyable, not by any means. Morrison presents many interesting ideas in issue #1 that will most certainly blossom in ways we've never even considered.
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