Action Comics#999 Spoilers and Discussion

[Miles To Go]

Yeah, that went one way, then another...nice surprise too.

I kind of called before reading it that the issue would end with Sam and Lois getting past their issues in time for a family dinner, but the journey getting there was worth it, with Sam staying true to his beliefs and Lois standing by her man. Clark makes note of how much fire there is in both of them, and that often ignites a spark when they clash.

The biggest WTF of the issue was Clark releasing Hank from the Phantom Zone, but what he decided to do with him afterwards with the remembrance crystal was interesting...obviously I don't think this method will pacify Hank for long, but at least it puts him on the table for Bendis to use in the future.

Interestingly, Clark was wearing his rebirth outfit in the flashbacks to his first encounter with Hank and his crew.

[LordUltimus]

Uhhh... did Supes just basically Black Mercy one of his enemies?

[Bigwinnie101]

Its a more humane Black mercy and Also we all know the Phantom Zone is a hellscape. You can barely feel anything and you lose sense of yourself in it, its no wonder everyone and their mother in it try to build **** to get out because its the worst torture you can do to people but its also one of the few places Superman level threats can go and stay for any extended amount of time.

[Soubhagya]

I definitely want more of this stuff. Phantom Zone while being a ready means for both stopping unstoppable criminals and getting new villains for writers, is not entirely ethical or humane. I don't know if this has been tackled before in comics. But its definitely a worthy and important thing to tackle. I liked it that Superman is questioning these means and i hope they don't stop only at Hank.

Superman does not hate his enemies. When he is fighting you he really wants to help you. That kind of Superman is what i love and prefer. And this is definitely what i want to see. These kind of difficult topics shall be tackled along with the adventures.

I thought the issue was good. Superman using laser eyes with precision to use an asteroid for a purpose which ties in to his experience in the previous story. Clark finally stepping in between Sam and Lois and bringing them together. It was a bit convenient and neatly tied up in one issue. But its fine. Its not that they hated each other. Rather they are both stubborn and principled people. Father and daughter are quite similar in this way. They were missing each other for years. Clark should have stepped in a long time ago.

Another new thing. There's a metal which Superman will find hard to break. I thought apart from Kryptonite nothing exists in DCU which can stop Superman. And man finally its 999! The next issue is celebration time!

Uhhh... did Supes just basically Black Mercy one of his enemies?

I did not see it as Black Mercy. More an effort to rehabilitate him. The issue mentioned that he had lost his humanity after becoming Cyborg Superman. Our memories form a really big part of our identities. So, by remembering what he was before, he could theoretically take steps towards 'curing his evil nature'. Because he was a decent fellow when he was not Cyborg Superman.

Its definitely more humane then letting him be trapped in the Phantom Zone with no hope of being ever rehabilitated. And its not a permanent measure.

[Kuwagaton]

this issue was so good that I'm concerned about Jurgens not just ending on this note.

[Miles To Go]

this issue was so good that I'm concerned about Jurgens not just ending on this note.

He's still got a special issue out in April dealing with Lex Lutho, but yeah I see your point. I'm sort of thinking of dropping off after 1000 so this was the perfect end point

[Sacred Knight]

Cool way to tie a knot on Hank Henshaw. Of course, considering the comics will move ever forward, this shouldn't be the final say and I hope to see Hank escape and cause more trouble in the near future. But it was a good way for Jurgens to close out with him. Never got an explanation of that whole Infinity Stone and Hank being human again stuff...but I think that goes into the forgotten plot point bin, unfortunately.

[adrikito]

So... Cyborg Superman mind is trapped in one live where he is happy.. Until one villain change that or his mind wanted return to his real life..

I liked how in two images Clark Kent changed one bad ending.. Fortunatelly, the cover cheated me..

[Sacred Knight]

So...am I seeing things wrong, or is there some ominous foreshadowing with Hank in this very issue? When the crystal takes him back to his memory with his wife and friends at Christmas, on the corner wall on what looks like the fireplace, doesn't it look like its got a bunch of blood spatter on it?

[Soubhagya]

It does not look like that to me. There are some dark spots. Had blood been implied it should have been more dark red. Not black.

[Embryonic Superman]

Interestingly, Clark was wearing his rebirth outfit in the flashbacks to his first encounter with Hank and his crew.

And yet Cyborg Superman has his original look, with the tights, in the flashback. Superman not having trunks in flashbacks when he should have had them was an understandable art error early on, but I'm not sure how it keeps happening.

A terrific issue, but I was a bit let down that we didn't get an explanation for how Hank Henshaw became human again in the Superman Reborn timeline, something I doubt we'll ever get now that Jurgens is leaving. I guess I'll just have to concoct some explanation in my head, like "Mr. Oz held back the effects of the Pre-Flashpoint and New 52 Superverses merging on Henshaw in order to protect Clark".

[Superlad93]

Pretty solid issue, but that's not what I find interesting about it.

So Jurgens has stressed that Action Comics Issue #999 will be set up for 1000. Outside of the chance of Cyborg Superman getting out of this therapy session to find a new way to half robot punch Superman in the face (really, really, really, really hope that's not the plot of Jurgens and Tomasi's 1000 stories), this issue, at first glance, seems pretty neatly packed up. However, I think the devil is in the details, and there are at least two major details that I spotted.

The first, and largest, being the fact that Superman is finally addressing the idea that he's basically sending people to purgatory just because it's convenient and relatively effective. Cyborg Superman seems to represent the first step of what seems to be a new approach to Superman taking care of criminals, killers, and general threats on a "put them in the Phantom Zone" level. Superman on his social worker grind is a pretty classy and topical idea. The fact that it's topical kind of makes me think of Bendis and all of his comments on us needing a Superman now, and how Action Comics 1000 will be the introduction to a new status quo for Superman. Suppose that new status quo includes the idea that from here on Superman has a no Phantom Zone policy, and maybe this is only the tip of the ice when it comes to his new outlook?

The other plot point is Sam Lane and all his government guy-ness being woven more deeply into the Kent family. Sam's already shaky on Superman, so if the new shake up is dealing with a change in perspective on Superman's part that might have a lot of people more uneasy about him, then that's renewed friction right there. Jurgens was careful to make sure to also add in talk of reporting and public perception. We know that'll be a major faction in Bendis' run.

As a side note, it's also kind of interesting that Jurgens added in that little bit about immortality and a supremely powerful Superman the issue before the one where we'll see a 4 billion year old Superman who's so unbothered by red sun radiation that he was sure he could stop the Earth from being taken by a red sun. This makes me wonder if there will be some sort of framing device for the 5 page short stories in 1000?

[Soubhagya]

Pretty solid issue, but that's not what I find interesting about it.

So Jurgens has stressed that Action Comics Issue #999 will be set up for 1000. Outside of the chance of Cyborg Superman getting out of this therapy session to find a new way to half robot punch Superman in the face (really, really, really, really hope that's not the plot of Jurgens and Tomasi's 1000 stories), this issue, at first glance, seems pretty neatly packed up. However, I think the devil is in the details, and there are at least two major details that I spotted.

The first, and largest, being the fact that Superman is finally addressing the idea that he's basically sending people to purgatory just because it's convenient and relatively effective. Cyborg Superman seems to represent the first step of what seems to be a new approach to Superman taking care of criminals, killers, and general threats on a "put them in the Phantom Zone" level. Superman on his social worker grind is a pretty classy and topical idea. The fact that it's topical kind of makes me think of Bendis and all of his comments on us needing a Superman now, and how Action Comics 1000 will be the introduction to a new status quo for Superman. Suppose that new status quo includes the idea that from here on Superman has a no Phantom Zone policy, and maybe this is only the tip of the ice when it comes to his new outlook?

The other plot point is Sam Lane and all his government guy-ness being woven more deeply into the Kent family. Sam's already shaky on Superman, so if the new shake up is dealing with a change in perspective on Superman's part that might have a lot of people more uneasy about him, then that's renewed friction right there. Jurgens was careful to make sure to also add in talk of reporting and public perception. We know that'll be a major faction in Bendis' run.

As a side note, it's also kind of interesting that Jurgens added in that little bit about immortality and a supremely powerful Superman the issue before the one where we'll see a 4 billion year old Superman who's so unbothered by red sun radiation that he was sure he could stop the Earth from being taken by a red sun. This makes me wonder if there will be some sort of framing device for the 5 page short stories in 1000?

Nice points. I was thinking about this. Your post about changing Superman himself when changing the status quo looked okay to me. Though i hadn't mentioned that.

So, Superman is trying something different. Trying to actually help the criminals punished to the Phantom Zone, already looks something new. Truth, Justice, American Way. Easy to say that. But Phantom Zone is not compatible with this. And Sam's tension out of Superman's newer style. These things fit for now. You might end up being correct.

[micahbevans88]

Prisoners have a right to imprisonment free from cruel and unusual punishment under the 8th amendment. Superman making a move away from the phantom zone given the conditions listed in the issue certainly puts his actions more in line with the 'american way' part of his mantra. It's great character progression.

[Jackalope89]

The Black Mercy would imprison Hank in a fantasy world. What Superman did was bring forth Hank's best memories to help remind him of his humanity. To re-live the good times with his wife and friends. Hardly the same.