PKJ Action Comics Discussion and Spoilers

[Hypo]

Action Comics #1035 Interview + Preview (Unlettered)
Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Artist: Daniel Sampere
Backup Writer: Sean Lewis
Backup Artist: Sami Basri

[manwhohaseverything]

So is this smallville?if it is where ma and pa?if this is hamilton then it would make sense..

[Quinlan58]

So is this smallville?if it is where ma and pa?if this is hamilton then it would make sense..

I hope the actual farewell scene in the story happens in the Fortress. The previous issues have done a lot at framing it as Superman's home and it really does feel like one of the most lived in versions of it.

As for the preview itself, looks great, colors are breathtaking as usual for this run, Johnson's hype for the Warworld storyline is infectious and it leaves me wishing he'll touch other pieces of cosmic Superman lore besides it and the Phantom Zone. Maybe do something with Colu and Brainiac like he's doing with Warworld and Mongul.

[Superlad93]

If I'm reading this right, it makes a lot of sense how they remove Thao-La from play so that not only does she not go with Clark and his team, but also so Taylor can get Jon on his feet without addressing her.

She's recovering in the pod on the page where Clark and Jon are hugging (likely Jon finally explaining to his dad why he's been dreading all of this). Her conduction is likely because of the orphan box tech that was boosting her power.

The only question becomes what book does she wake up in? Superman: Son of Kal-El when Taylor has a moment to spare? Action Comics where we cross cut between Earth and Warworld? Maybe that's how Lois plays a big role since she's so close with Thao? Maybe she wakes up in a brand new Supergirl mini? Supergirl back-up in Son of Kal-El given Action has has taken Tales of Metropolis now that Midnighter is done? Maybe a Supergirl back up in a Kara Superwoman book after Woman of Tomorrow wraps?

[Quinlan58]

If I'm reading this right, it makes a lot of sense how they remove Thao-La from play so that not only does she not go with Clark and his team, but also so Taylor can get Jon on his feet without addressing her.

She's recovering in the pod on the page where Clark and Jon are hugging (likely Jon finally explaining to his dad why he's been dreading all of this).

The only question becomes what book does she wake up in? Superman: Son of Kal-El when Taylor has a moment to spare? Action Comics where we cross cut between Earth and Warworld? Maybe that's how Lois plays a big role since she's so close with Thao? Maybe she wakes up in a brand new Supergirl mini? Supergirl back-up in Son of Kal-El given Action has has taken Tales of Metropolis now that Midnighter is done? Maybe a Supergirl back up in a Kara Superwoman book after Woman of Tomorrow wraps?

My guess is this is in Action Comics after the Warworld Saga is over so Lois can participate in the following arc (which I believe is multiverse focused). If Thao-La is indeed in a coma, then it could tied to the "Orphan Box" which appears to be tapping into the same kind of energy as the Genesis fragment. Clark finds some of the same energy in Warworld (since its engines are powered by it), Thao-La wakes up close to Lois still tapping into that energy, and the sleeping god that's connected to it abducts them into the Phantom Zone or whatever.

[lionell]

Action Comics #1035 Interview + Preview (Unlettered)
Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Artist: Daniel Sampere
Backup Writer: Sean Lewis
Backup Artist: Sami Basri

The last page of the preview is great. You have that glorious shot of Clark and Lois kissing framed against the moon.

And then the next panel is them renewing their membership in Mile High club lol. I've not always been a fan of the way they handled the marriage but these days, there are more hits than misses when it comes to it.

[Ra-El]

I hope the actual farewell scene in the story happens in the Fortress. The previous issues have done a lot at framing it as Superman's home and it really does feel like one of the most lived in versions of it.

As for the preview itself, looks great, colors are breathtaking as usual for this run, Johnson's hype for the Warworld storyline is infectious and it leaves me wishing he'll touch other pieces of cosmic Superman lore besides it and the Phantom Zone. Maybe do something with Colu and Brainiac like he's doing with Warworld and Mongul.

I want to see him tackle Almerac next, then Colu and after that, an big intergalactic war involving those 3.

[Vordan]

I want to see him tackle Almerac next, then Colu and after that, an big intergalactic war involving those 3.

I too am rooting for him to do something with Brainiac, I also would love to see him do something with Zod. I’m writing a post about Zod on my blog and it’s struck me that Zod is in a great place for someone to do a story with him. He’s got a new planet from the United Planets, he’s on tense but not outright hostile terms with Kal, he’s got half of the Kandorians, etc. I would love to see PKJ take a stab at redoing New Krypton. Then we get that big war you propose between them all.

[Vordan]

Typing up my Zod post just made me think of something: a great way to get Zod and Kal into conflict with one another is if Zod wants the Phaolosians to be brought to New Krypton, and Kal resists the idea and wants them to be free to choose where to go themselves. Zod would want them basically for breeding purposes, to help rebuild the Kryptonian race, and he wouldn’t have much respect for their culture whereas I’m expecting Clark to learn about and gain respect for their culture during his time on Warworld.

[Betinayen]

The last page of the preview is great. You have that glorious shot of Clark and Lois kissing framed against the moon.

And then the next panel is them renewing their membership in Mile High club lol. I've not always been a fan of the way they handled the marriage but these days, there are more hits than misses when it comes to it.

" Mile High club lol" made me laugh a lot here Lol ..

[Last Son of Krypton]

Some responses from PKJ's twitter:

Will Superman’s seeming older age and status in the Authority mini be reconciled by the time the regular series gets them to Warworld?

PKJ: Yes! Action Comics #1036 will bring it all together.

https://twitter.com/PhillipKJohnson/...66521656881156

Question! Are the Kent parents still alive? I know the came back and were hidden away, curious to see if that's still the case.

PKJ: They are! They appear in @TomTaylorMade and @johntimmsart's Superman: Son of Kal-El series.

https://twitter.com/PhillipKJohnson/...67022637174787

I’m kind of weirded out by how disconnected Connor is from the rest of the Superman family….

PKJ: I think Conner’s a terrific character with a ton of potential for complexity. He didn’t really have a place in our Action Comics story because the Clark/Jon handoff is such a huge and important part of it, and also because there are already so many Els involved. It already felt like we weren’t giving the family members as much to do as I would have liked, and there was a LOT of important stuff happening… there are only so many pages per issue, and you don’t want to short-change characters. Conner deserves more attention than just a 2-page cameo. I get it. It’s tough having two young versions of Superman and giving them clearly-defined roles that don’t overlap. But I suspect we’ll see him getting used more soon. I legit love Conner and would love to use him. I very much to be on Action for a really long time, and if that’s the case I’ll 100% be using Conner. Even if I’m on other books, I’ll always be on the lookout for a Conner opening that serves the story.

https://twitter.com/PhillipKJohnson/...84129277956099

You mentioned a while back that @mikeljanin will be joining you for the big event. Still the case?

PKJ: There have been some art team adjustments behind the scenes, but I fully expect Mikel to jump back on Action Comics soon!

https://twitter.com/PhillipKJohnson/...57231794741255

[Vordan]

Hm so Janin is still coming. He still doing the art for the Warworld stuff, or has he been moved to something after that I wonder?

[garazza]

I’m kind of weirded out by how disconnected Connor is from the rest of the Superman family….

PKJ: I think Conner’s a terrific character with a ton of potential for complexity. He didn’t really have a place in our Action Comics story because the Clark/Jon handoff is such a huge and important part of it, and also because there are already so many Els involved. It already felt like we weren’t giving the family members as much to do as I would have liked, and there was a LOT of important stuff happening… there are only so many pages per issue, and you don’t want to short-change characters. Conner deserves more attention than just a 2-page cameo. I get it. It’s tough having two young versions of Superman and giving them clearly-defined roles that don’t overlap. But I suspect we’ll see him getting used more soon. I legit love Conner and would love to use him. I very much to be on Action for a really long time, and if that’s the case I’ll 100% be using Conner. Even if I’m on other books, I’ll always be on the lookout for a Conner opening that serves the story.

https://twitter.com/PhillipKJohnson/...84129277956099

And who's fault is that? Maybe if you de-age one of them, how about the one that was unnecessarily aged up, you literally wouldn't have this problem.

Sorry for the vitriol, but I hate the hypocrisy of PKJ.

[Quinlan58]

We have the umpteenth confirmation that yes, Superman & the Authority is in continuity, what may or may not be a tacit statement that the Kents won't appear in Action Comics, corporate talk on Kon not appearing followed by a promise that he will if PKJ stays for a while (we better hold him to that, if he course-corrected after all the criticism for his lack of plans for Lois, it might work again for Kon), and a confirmation of the art teams having been rearranged (remember when PKJ said he tailor-made his stories to fit the assigned artists?) and that Janin is still coming later on.

[Yoda]

We have the umpteenth confirmation that yes, Superman & the Authority is in continuity, what may or may not be a tacit statement that the Kents won't appear in Action Comics, corporate talk on Kon not appearing followed by a promise that he will if PKJ stays for a while (we better hold him to that, if he course-corrected after all the criticism for his lack of plans for Lois, it might work again for Kon), and a confirmation of the art teams having been rearranged (remember when PKJ said he tailor-made his stories to fit the assigned artists?) and that Janin is still coming later on.

I still don't think this confirms Superman and the Authority is "in continuity" at all here or at least not in the present timeline. He says Action will bring it all together, but there's the time loop thing from Midnighter to factor in. FS and S&tA are on a different "loop" I think and we'll see how this time through it gets resolved. Midnighter has said he's been trapped on WarWorld in a time loop and can't break out of it until the last pass through in this weeks Midnighter Annual.