Action Comics #879

I'm still confused. Am I supposed to care about Flamebird or Nightwing at this point? They are pretty much ciphers to me , since I know so little about them. Factor in the villains, either the thrill-killing Kryptionian couple or the weird jet-packing telepath, and I still have nothing. I don't think Mr. Jetpack even gets named in this. There is another powerful gal hanging around General Lane, but I don't recognize her either. I used to love the Superman books back in the Triangle-numbering days, they were so approachable and new-reader friendly, I never felt behind. Now there is some greater plot running through the books that I'm missing. I didnt' read any of the New Krypton arcs, so I've been lost for months now.

Diego Olmos likes his shadows, giving his art an almost Chris Samnee type look (only not quite as nuanced and detailed). He makes some interesting choices this issue, but my favorite is Lois Lane visiting her father's gravesite dressed like a flasher. Lois is wearing a big trenchcoat with nothing underneath. Not exactly what I would have predicted.

Let's see. Last I saw Captain Atom, he was the crazy Monarch trying to enslave reality in the terrible Countdown series. And I think he died. In this backup he's fighting mages, orcs, and sorcerers in a Lord of the Rings style world. I'm confused. I had been really excited to have Captain Atom back, and the backup is actually the main reason I wanted to check out this issue. But man, this isn't what I had in mind.

Average