Sunday, June 5, 2011

Action Comics #901


Looks like I'm out as soon as I hopped back on to the Super-books. As a fan of the Triangle-era of Superman, I haven't loved anything from the Super comics for a few years now. I've kept up with everything through trades from my library, but it wasn't until Action Comics 900 last month that I decided I missed Superman enough to hop back on a monthly title. (I usually love Paul Cornell's work, but I wanted to protest the lack of Superman in Action Comics or Superman.)

Issue 901 is decent. The pacing is frantic, with the super-family shooting around a gigantic spaceship fighting off the Reign of the Doomsdays, where each Doomsday has taken on aspects of one of the super-characters. For some reason, the "normal" Doomsday is out of it and threatened by the other creatures.

This all sets up a sort of silly new super-Doomsday named Doomslayer. He's some sort of Brainiac/Doomsday hybrid, and in general he's pretty funny looking. I can deal with the simple plot because Cornell does such a nice job writing a heroic Superman and co.

Kenneth Rocafort's pencils aren't a good match for me. They are too soft and hazy. Sometimes he looks a bit like Cary Nord, but on a super-book, I like my comics looking a bit more "classic."

In any case, since this story won't count after the reboot anyway, I'm dropping this book. Perhaps I'll try out the Superman reboot, but I'm thinking that's unlikely.

Fair

4 comments:

David Charles Bitterbaum said...

I loved Cornell's run on Action Comics when it was about Lex Luthor. It was smart, funny, and just plain entertaining. Then he does Action Comics #901, the first Lex-free issue, and it is possibly the biggest drop in quality I have seen a comic take over a single issue ever. Yeah, I hated it. I guess I just expect more from Cornell, and by more I mean something that is actually good.

Timbotron said...

Is the Lex stuff still worth checking out if it "doesn't count?"

Devin said...

The funny thing about the Lex run is that it could have had a much more interesting ending under the circumstances. If they really acted like it was the last battle between this version of Lex and this Superman, it could have been epic.

David Charles Bitterbaum said...

The Lex stuff is incredibly fun and great regardless of whether or not it counts. Truly awesome stuff, even if it really does peter out in the end as Devin notes.