First a word about the return of the best DC Comics logo.
Designed by Milton Glaser, the logo that came to be known as the DC Bullet began adorning DC's comic books and merchandising in 1977. The logo was distinct and unique so naturally it had to go around 2005.
Since then, DC has gone through maybe a half dozen logos before finally returning to their best one.
Enough about logos. What about comics?
It’s time for another edition of Dave-El’s Spinner Rack. This week I’m taking a look at recent issues of Action Comics.
Thanks to the super salesmanship powers of he who is Lord Retail of Acme Comics, I put Action on my pull list in order to collect the recent storyline written by Gail Simone.
The storyline is sort of outside current continuity early in the life of Superman AKA Clark Kent along with Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. The story is set in the late 1960’s/early 1970’s as per Lois’s micro mini dress and white go-go boots. Superman’s uniform is a modified version of his classic look with the yellow parts of the big red S on his chest now done in black.
A moment about the art by Eddy Barrows who is channeling Neal Adams and Bernie Wrightson with bold kinetic layouts, intricate backgrounds and detailed pencils.
“Challenge From the Stars” involves an alien who runs a star roaming arena and challenges Superman to face off against his champions with the fate of Earth in the balance. What we get is 3 issues of some major super power slugfests and for all his powers, the Man of Steel is getting is butt seriously kicked. But he keeps winning, he keeps advancing in the challenges not because of his powers but his overwhelming drive to protect the Earth at all costs.
Every time it looks like Superman has taken one damn punch too many and is near total defeat, he pulls himself up from the rubble, stands up to keep up the fight. Earth is under his protection and he will not fail this world.
Powerful and dramatic stuff.
The back up to Gail’s story is a storyline set in what I presume is Superman’s current mainline continuity. Perry White is running for mayor of Metropolis and Lois Lane is now the managing editor of the Daily Planet. Her knowledge that her husband Clark is also Superman puts her in an ethical conundrum about assigning Clark to Superman stories. The 3 part back up has some super action set pieces (Atomic Skull is back and causing trouble) but mostly it’s about the fractures that appear in the Clark/Lois relationship and how they in a very human way are not exactly dealing well with it until they finally just talk it out.
I only wanted Action for the Gail Simone storyline but a new multipart storyline from writer Mark Waid is now in my box at Acme Comics.
Superman has gone to the Phantom Zone after an mutated monster escaped from the zone and attacked the Earth. While the zone serves as a prison for Kryton's worst criminals who would killed Superman without a second's thought, Superman himself is concerned about the well being of those in the zone, even wondering if his father Jor-El fully understood the ethical dilemma of zapping criminals into ghosts to live out a formless existence in a limbo hell.
There's a Supergirl back up that I am not understanding at all and when did Kara lose her cape?
Next week, another installment of the Spinner Rack with... Batman!
Hey one more thing: some bonus Superman stuff!
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