PKJ Action Comics Discussion and Spoilers

[Quinlan58]

Superman continues to be good Tomasi era filler with teen Jon (but more somber than those tended to be). It's pretty much exactly what you'd expect from the previous two issues, except Jon's unconventional heat vision actually looks unconventional now (even if not really enough to sell it as an exciting new thing). The part where Superman notes Qarath o Bakkis was following his father's footsteps in being exiled was actually a good parallel to Jon taking over as Superman.

The Tales of Metropolis back-up had a decent enough end for an underwhelming story, but I can't really get over it all being a "Bibbo is very sad" story. Steel showed up to do nothing, which was disappointing. Bibbo crushing a light bulb with his bare hand to break himself out of the illusion was a good moment.

Overall a decent end to the last two Superman volumes (Tomasi/Gleason's and Bendis'), I guess. Still fairly unexciting compared to Action.

[Vordan]

Man Sampere is going to go down as one of the greatest Superman artists if he can keep this up:

Superman continues to be good Tomasi era filler with teen Jon (but more somber than those tended to be). It's pretty much exactly what you'd expect from the previous two issues, except Jon's unconventional heat vision actually looks unconventional now (even if not really enough to sell it as an exciting new thing). The part where Superman notes Qarath o Bakkis was following his father's footsteps in being exiled was actually a good parallel to Jon taking over as Superman.

The Tales of Metropolis back-up had a decent enough end for an underwhelming story, but I can't really get over it all being a "Bibbo is very sad" story. Steel showed up to do nothing, which was disappointing. Bibbo crushing a light bulb with his bare hand to break himself out of the illusion was a good moment.

Overall a decent end to the last two Superman volumes (Tomasi/Gleason's and Bendis'), I guess. Still fairly unexciting compared to Action.

I seriously hope that Steel being in those backups wasn’t why they put him in the big kickoff ad for the IF era of Superman. That would be incredibly disappointing given how little he got to do in them.

[Sacred Knight]

Wow, that indeed is very pretty. Maybe in the future ditch the crystal motif for the Fortress with floating obelisks? I could dig it.

[Vordan]

Anyone savvy enough in Kryptonese to translate the pages in Action where it was used?

[rpmaluki]

Anyone savvy enough in Kryptonese to translate the pages in Action where it was used?

Screenshot?

[Vordan]

Screenshot?

[hairys]

Johnson’s Superman wraps up today and it was ok. There’s hints that there are more Shadowbreed out there so perhaps they’ll have a role to play in Action, but otherwise beyond setting up Jon having better control over his powers, this story ended up being filler. Leaves me puzzled as to why they didn’t just have Taylor write a three issue filler arc to set up Jon.

I think they want Taylor (and Son of Kal-El) to start off with a bang, so PKJ took one for the team here to give Taylor time to ramp up.

[Quinlan58]

Kara: "Run tertiary encoder diagnostic sequence twelve."
AI: "Running diagnostic sequence. Unit unresponsive."
Kara: "Bypass frontal cortex and repeat sequence."
AI: "Running diagnostic sequence."

[Vordan]

This was a cool arctic breath moment.

Kara: "Run tertiary encoder diagnostic sequence twelve."
AI: "Running diagnostic dequence. Unit unresponsive."
Kara: "Bypass frontal cortex and repeat sequence."
AI: "Running diagnostic sequence."

Thanks! Figured it wasn’t plot relevant but was still curious to know.

[oneveryfineday]

Superman #32 didn’t have anything that I wasn’t already expecting since the beginning of the arc, so it was fine. I liked that it ended on the “Love, Your Dad” note, made more poignant by the fact that this is the close of Clark’s book before it becomes Jon’s, and also the fact that PKJ writes this for his own son too. I’m going to miss these kinds of Super family moments when Clark leaves Earth.

With rumors of a Superman video game, it would be really cool to have Jon as a playable character with unique skill trees you can unlock.

You can clearly see that PKJ has been saving all his big ideas for Action, because wow. Clark diving into the mouth of the kaiju and having a vision of some mysterious glowing ruins is some epic fantasy **** that I’m here for. What do the runes mean? What are the secrets of the Genesis fragment? Who is the sleeping god that dreams? I can’t wait to see what PKJ has in store once Clark goes cosmic.

I’m curious about Thao-La and how she grew up knowing about Superman (where did she get the toy?), so hopefully we learn more about her and the Kryptonian colony next issue. The Batman scene was cool too, but I have a weird paranoia that the Bat office is going to eventually steal away Sampere like they did Jimenez Sampere’s brilliant work simply cannot be understated here and I hope he stays on Action for a long time.

[Quinlan58]

Notes while reading Action Comics:

• Lois solved the mystery. "Thalkis wasn't a God. She was a Kryptonian scientist who was executed for her devotion to what she thought was the truth." Well, that meshes well with the given backstory for the Phaelosians as a lost science colony shunned by Krypton. It makes me wonder exactly which scientific idea were considered heretic, and how that has influenced these Kryptonian descendants. Granted, Kara comparing her to Socrates and Galileo means the modern Kryptonians considered her ideas as correct (or, well, less false than the prevailing ideas of her time).
• Krypto's unconcerned about the girl. I'll assume that counts as his approval.
• Lois reacts more or less the same way as Clark does, but being less emotionally involved with this (it's not her symbol branded on these people, after all), she can be more empathetic.
• The girl is called Thao-La. Happy to see these Kryptonian descendants not abbiding by the "the women's name includes the name of their father" tradition of Krypton (yes, Kara Zor-El sounds catchier than Kara-El, but you see the problem).
• She used to play with Superman action figures when she was already a Warworld slave (either that or they were slaves even before Mongul came along). Where did she get that from? How did Superman become a symbol to them? If there are more Kryptonian descendants, would Superman also be a symbol to them?
• Incidentally, love how she wants to trust Kal ("Thao-La is my...") but can't bring herself to do so ("Wh-where were you?").
• Pretty sure Thao-La's brother is going to show up eventually as either a Mongul fanatic or an experiment gone wrong.
• Love the moment with Clark just hating the chain. This whole thing with how terrified Warworld slaves are from losing them makes the end of FS Superman Worlds of War even stronger.
• Speaking of which, between taking Thao-La's heat vision without much problem, recovering immediately from the Kaiju's attack, and just taking the Warzoon's punches and headbutt from last issue, Superman's invulnerability is really being built up, even when it's been stated he's getting weaker. Very far cry from his situation in Worlds of War. Sounds like PKJ's planning for some major contrast once he gets vulnerable later on.
• "Genesis" (as opposed to New Genesis?), related to the Source Wall, having the mind of an old God (or is that an Old God?). That shard is getting interesting. "He dreams of us now. We are but whispers within his dreams" reminds me of the myths of reality just being God's dream, over once God wakes up.
• Superman knowingly walking into a trap because the alternative is letting people continue to suffer is peak Clark.
• Of course Batman immediately needs to assert himself when Superman shows up. Of course he also knows not too press on the idea that these Kryptonian-adjacent refugees may also be in on the trap. We get some speculation from him that may add more context to Worlds of War. It seems Superman leaving the League may be due to them not wanting to go to Warworld.
• Genesis refers to the sleeping God as "He", so the consciousness inside Genesis is not the God.
• Necropolis? Yet more signs of an upcoming symbolic death for Superman.
• Clark's familiar with the markings. There's a main grouping of 8 symbols (which I don't recognize) and the KC Superman symbol is in another grouping with two others (which I also don't recognize, but one reminds me of the Lanterns).
• Cool to see him perfectly aware of his actual surroundings rather than getting lost in the vision. Cool to see him freeze the monster inside out.
• Speculation time: Superman either steals or destroys the fragment to prevent all-out war, and that's what "disgraces" him in the eyes of the public.

Overall, another very good, very promising issue of Action Comics from PKJ.

[Ra-El]

Another great issue. Sampere work is so good, I fear DC will soon put him on something else, maybe an event or some new Batman book.

Yeah, it seems Superman will be getting in conflict with the League soo, possibly a combination of he taking the fragment and the JL refusing the Warworld mission. Anyway, Superman deciding that his "mission" go beyond Earth, and leaving the JL for it, it's basically what I've been wanting for years.

Question, where do I find a good kryptonese manual/dictionary? It may help in my next tattoo.

[Vordan]

Another great issue. Sampere work is so good, I fear DC will soon put him on something else, maybe an event or some new Batman book.

Yeah, it seems Superman will be getting in conflict with the League soo, possibly a combination of he taking the fragment and the JL refusing the Warworld mission. Anyway, Superman deciding that his "mission" go beyond Earth, and leaving the JL for it, it's basically what I've been wanting for years.

Question, where do I find a good kryptonese manual/dictionary? It may help in my next tattoo.

Think I found a good site: https://lingojam.com/KryptonianAlphabet

[Ra-El]

Think I found a good site: https://lingojam.com/KryptonianAlphabet

Thank you. Don't know what I will do yet, but will probably be some quote in Latim or Kryptonese.

[manwhohaseverything]

did bibbo just have a "for the man who has everything" of his own?yep! he did. i loved how the guy just decked someone for badmouthing superman.That was easily the most fun superman comic in a while..Jon's supervision needs work..It's getting better.But,i assume it will get better.Action comics was dope as efff.Superman finally fights a kaiju.After all this time..I wish it lasted a more...The artic giant baby...also,no clue about sleeping god.Those symbols aren't part of the crystal key of warworld either.