DC Comics reviews for 2/22/17 – Hal Jordan, The Flash, Suicide Squad

Action Comics #974

Action Comics serves as an unofficial prologue to Superman Reborn in another strong showing for the improved title.

Writer Dan Jurgens is juggling a lot of plots this issue, but none hit the ground. Action Comics hasn’t felt this fresh and wide open with possibilities since Rebirth started. Superman and Steel try to stabilize Superwoman while Hank Henshaw leads an expedition to explore Superman’s Fortress of Solitude. Meanwhile, Lois Lane is trying to crack the mystery behind the DoppleClark as he tries to take their friendship to the next level.

Jurgens started off rocky, but he’s found the characters’ voices again and Action is getting better each issue. Each of the subplots takes some unexpected turns, but it’s the Clark/Lois chapter that’s the most unpredictable. It’s nice not knowing where a writer is taking a story, but trusting the payoff will be worth the setup.

Art duties are once again shared with Stephen Segovia handling the Superman/Steel chapter while Patch Zircher takes the Lois/Clark subplot. The art had been a weak point for Action so I’m hopeful this formula will provide some stability. Segovia and Zircher’s styles are complimentary enough that the switches aren’t jarring. Ulises Arreola’s colors are slightly muted resulting in a washed out appearance on some pages.

It’s an exciting time to be a Superman fan with both titles delivering quality stories each week now. I’m really enjoying where Jurgens is taking the book. He couldn’t have picked a better time to step his game up as Superman Reborn will likely bring more readers through the crossover.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10