PKJ Action Comics Discussion and Spoilers

[Thor-Ul]

And so... it ends...

[Mantis-Ray]

As the saying goes, Don't be sad that it ended, be happy that it happened.

[Thor-Ul]

Good things are brief in our lives and forever in our hearts.

[Frontier]

Action Comics 2023 Annual #1 Preview
Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Artist: Max Raynor

Hope PKJ concludes things well.

Now Superman showing the Al Ghuls how it's done .

[The Frog Bros]

I’m currently taking solace by re-reading Warworld. But this time in the awesome trade format. Fkn epic, man.

[exile001]

I’m currently taking solace by re-reading Warworld. But this time in the awesome trade format. Fkn epic, man.

I got the massive Warworld Saga book a few weeks ago and plan to read it over my Xmas holiday. Really excited to revisit it as one long piece rather than impatiently waiting for the next part.

[Will Evans]

I thought we would see the return of Thao-La before the end of this run, but I guess not.

[Vordan]

PKJ teases a follow up to the FS House of El characters

Yep, no update… no reason to think we’ll see these characters again…

[cough]

Guess the story’s over…

[awkward silence]

[Frontier]

PKJ teases a follow up to the FS House of El characters

I smell a Justice League arc .

[Vordan]

You can tell this arc was meant to be longer and PKJ had to compress it, but even then I thought it was a solid ending. The artists they got did a good job, and PKJ writes a good Etrigan. The final scene being with that guy Clark helped reform from the start of the arc, talking about how he doesn't miss his criminal days because back then he never felt like he belonged in Metropolis, was a nice touch. Clark’s whole reason for gathering the Sueprfamily was to inspire Metropolis to see themselves in their heroes and want to be better, with Glen he succeeded. Otho's struggle to move beyond her Warzoon indoctrination was a solid way of having the ending touch back on everything PKJ built up over his run. Still this was clearly not something PKJ got much warning would be his last arc, and I can only hope he's getting JL or something that will allow him to wrap up all the dangling plot threads not addressed here. His Action Comics run remains one of my all-time favorite Superman runs, and I'm bummed he didn't get to stay on as long as he wanted. Hopefully the "Superstars" era next year avoids feeling like filler and actually delivers.

[HsssH]

I like that Raynor did the entire annual and we didn't get 4 different artists like we did with Warworld's ending, but thats really where the positives end for me. It is not that I disliked the issue itself and it had some good moments like the one mentioned by Vordan with the former criminal and his son, but after I finished reading the annual I was baffled.

I wonder what happened with Al Ghul's Earth here. Did some higher up heard that PKJ wants to do a story with Superman taking out evil Batman and said no? Because I don't see any other reason why PKJ retconned his own story so hard as he did here and why Sister Shadow was only alive Al Ghul despite Authority special showing us her brothers, Bruce and Talia being alive and well.

I also wonder when he was told to drop evil Bruce plot, obviously assuming that he was told to do so. Because in early issues it really doesn't feel like Sister Shadow is supposed to be the main bad guy here. But maybe thats on me because I read Authority Special and wasn't expecting it to get retconned out of existence.

I don't think we got an explanation how she was stealing Clark's powers? Or if he is fully back in this issue or not? Couple of months back it looked like the direction of the story here was depowered (to some extent) Superfamily going against Al Ghuls led by evil Bruce. Instead of that Sister Shadow touches Etrigan and turns herself into a green magical demon because Superman isn't immune to magic. I don't know, just feels random and not what earlier issues were building towards.

[Last Son of Krypton]

Kind of a rushed wrap up.

[The Frog Bros]

PKJ teases a follow up to the FS House of El characters

Having just reread Warworld, kind of forgot how cool these characters were. Hope to see them again and it sounds like we might…

Also, was interesting to read the FS stuff after instead of before.

I smell a Justice League arc .

That would surely get me reading JL again…

[Vordan]

I like that Raynor did the entire annual and we didn't get 4 different artists like we did with Warworld's ending, but thats really where the positives end for me. It is not that I disliked the issue itself and it had some good moments like the one mentioned by Vordan with the former criminal and his son, but after I finished reading the annual I was baffled.

I wonder what happened with Al Ghul's Earth here. Did some higher up heard that PKJ wants to do a story with Superman taking out evil Batman and said no? Because I don't see any other reason why PKJ retconned his own story so hard as he did here and why Sister Shadow was only alive Al Ghul despite Authority special showing us her brothers, Bruce and Talia being alive and well.

I also wonder when he was told to drop evil Bruce plot, obviously assuming that he was told to do so. Because in early issues it really doesn't feel like Sister Shadow is supposed to be the main bad guy here. But maybe thats on me because I read Authority Special and wasn't expecting it to get retconned out of existence.

I don't think we got an explanation how she was stealing Clark's powers? Or if he is fully back in this issue or not? Couple of months back it looked like the direction of the story here was depowered (to some extent) Superfamily going against Al Ghuls led by evil Bruce. Instead of that Sister Shadow touches Etrigan and turns herself into a green magical demon because Superman isn't immune to magic. I don't know, just feels random and not what earlier issues were building towards.

My hunch is that PKJ wanted to do a big war between evil Batman and his Empire of Shadows vs. Superman and the Superfamily, but when he got word that he was off Action he pivoted to saving that for JL or whatever. It’s clear that this is him sticking together an ending as best he could to what was not meant to be, and he managed to sprinkle enough callbacks to what came before that I think he mostly succeeded, but it’s not as good as it could have been if he had gotten to do what he wanted (which I suppose is the one big caveat of his run post Warworld Saga).

[Thor-Ul]

Kind of a rushed wrap up.

I think PKJ himself acknowledges that:

AC_Annual 2023.jpg