Comic Review: Action Comics #1022

Action Comics #1022

DC Comics

Writer: Brian Micheal Bendis

Artists: John Romita Jr and Klaus Janson

Action Comics began with a bang, immediately eclipsing the main Superman book. Over time, the quality of Action began to deteriorate, while Superman only managed to improve. It was never a drastic shift, but at some point, the two met in the middle before branching off in their now opposite directions. Action tends to get stuck with the tie-ins while Superman is consistently allowed to realize it’s own generally self-contained vision. That, coupled with the fact that Action generally rotates artists in and out with each passing arc contributes to its deteriorating quality. The first issue of House of Kent, however, threatens to upset this pattern. Action Comics #1,022 is a delightful return to form.

The strength of this book lies in its many dangling plot threads that extend and morph throughout its long run. The Invisible Mafia and the Red Cloud is a plot point that has been ever-present since the very first issue, but Bendis never allows it to stagnate. Their role is sometimes merely in the background, occasionally making its way into the foreground, but it’s constantly shifting and changing. Their loyalties, goals, and methodologies evolve at a slow, but deliberate, pace. It evokes the feeling of Superman in the nineties, in which it juggled all sorts of stories for years at a time. Every week you’d get another small piece of a puzzle, all while constructing entirely new ones to keep readers on the hook. This book makes me nostalgic for a time in comics that’s long passed.

This issue features a huge milestone in the building of the Superman family. The return of Conner and Jon Kent, as well as the first meeting between them. This issue asks the question that fans have been asking since Conner’s return, “What’s the point of keeping both Conner and Jon around?” The emphasis being on the word “asks”. This being the first issue of a new arc, it’s only natural that we don’t have an answer to the question yet, but I’m hopeful we’ll have one by the end. Though, the banter between the family is so strong in this issue that if the answer ends up “because it’s fun”, then that might just be enough for me.

As enjoyable as the banter is, this family reunion does lead to the biggest problem I have with the DC universe right now. Conner’s return sparks as much joy in the Kent family as it does confusion. They know Conner, but they don’t know why. The memories are there, but they’re fuzzy and incomplete. This is an awkward ‘have your cake and eat it too’ solution to the return of so many fan-favorite characters who have found their way back into continuity. It’s an issue that I truly can’t believe hasn’t been solved yet. It’s been years since Rebirth began this modified continuity we now live in, and the fact that there’s no resolution after all this time is disheartening. Having Conner back is great and it leads to a lot of fun interactions, but the continuity is a hindrance in this case.

John Romita Jr. returns to draw this arc. While I’m generally a huge fan of his, his work on the previous arc left me somewhat cold. It came off as somewhat rushed and not up to his usual standard, but luckily he steps things back up in this one. It seems as if he took his time, or maybe put it a bit more care into it. However, it’s not all perfect. This issue, in typical Bendis fashion, leans heavily on dialogue, and if you’re a Romita fan, it’s no secret that his strength lies in dynamic action sequences the likes of which issue lacks. He does a solid job with it, better than I tend to expect from him, but it’s something of a waste of his talents. I can’t help but think the issue might have been better off switching artists as the title is so prone to do. Despite that, it’s still JrJr, and it’s pretty good JrJr.

Action Comics #1,022 is a strong issue that suffers from a few minor setbacks. The art is strong, but it doesn’t play to the artists’ strengths the way it could. The character banter is solid, but it sheds light on some annoyances with the continuity. These flaws don’t overshadow the well-written dialogue and plotting that this issue offers. Action Comics, much to my delight, appears to be on the rise once again.