Action Comics # 36 Preview / Discussion

[Sonia]

Action Comics # 36

Source: A.V. Club

http://www.avclub.com/article/exclus...rorvill-211330

Summary: A new epic begins! The deck is stacked against Superman when Smallville is poisoned by the appearance of dark magic and ancient horrors! Can Superman figure out what’s going on and save his hometown before this evil epidemic spreads across the entire world?

7

[Prime]

Clark looks like Pak.

[The World]

It might be because I skipped Doom but it feels like this story is beginning to lose steam. I don't really see why Clark would just let them toil away at that building like that when he could just fix it in a couple of minutes. Seems pretty opposite what Morrison did in early Action.

:Art still on point though.

[Sacred Knight]

It doesn't seem that off when you take into account he's five years older and wiser. Superman doing everything so the people don't have to lift a finger isn't really the way to go all the time. I mean yeah, its one thing if its like a Fall of Metropolis disaster or something, but this clearly isn't that. Him offering his aid as Clark Kent in this case instead of Superman doesn't seem that off base given his reasons. Perhaps it'd be weirder if he wasn't there at all putting in some form of effort.

[Superlad93]

See I disagree that the idea is that he's a wiser Superman, but more in direct relation to the events of Doomed. So to The World,yes you would have needed to read Doomed to get at least some of this. But back to the matter of why he doesn't Superman help as he did 4 years ago in Action comics #12. I think it would go against the point of the page that Morrison present to say that Superman helping with rebuilding a demolished building is merely the antics of a young Superman. The idea behind the page I think was that we're all in this together (to quote All Star) and it doesn't matter if someone does something faster or better. We all still count so long as we help out.




What he's feeling in this post Doomed arc is that he wants to step back from Superman for a while to marvel at what humans can do as he observes as Clark. So it's more to this particular situation and what has transpired more than anything I think.

[Sacred Knight]

Oh I didn't mean to imply I thought his rebuilding in Morrison's run was some sort of antic. Just that after 5 years of helping so much he sees the people taking the initiative, doing this on their own and doesn't want to take it away from them, as he put it.

But yeah I like your overall explanation better.

[K. Jones]

As stoked as I am for Pak's Superman in general, especially his Lana & Steel dynamic, I wasn't that stoked on the idea of this horror in Smallville arc. Lemire just did Smallville horror not that long ago with Superboy and the excellent Pier Gallo on art.

But as soon as I found out Pak was doing Superman's FIRST super-villain, I was sold. Ultra-Humanite deserves a major New 52 revamp. He has the potential to be one of the big successes of an oft-neglected character in this new context. Moreover I always wanted the guy to be in Superman's Top 10 with Lex, Brainiac, Zod, Faora, Bizarro, Mxyzptlk, Doomsday, Metallo, and whoever else qualifies. (These days I'd be hard-pressed not to include the Phantom King and Vyndktvx to round it out, but I'd gladly ditch Vyn for Ultra-Humanite. Vyn, like Doctor Hurt, is sort of a "one-time-only" Morrison run omega villain.)

P.S. I hope they abandon the albino gorilla angle. We've already got Titano and Grodd.

[Myskin]

I am not really interested in discussing this point in deep, but Superman's lines about not helping the guys to rebuild their hometown are IMHO terrible.
I somehow understand the reasoning behind it (I mean, it's a reasoning full of weak points, but I get what they're trying to make him say). The point is, the way they make Supes express this idea is simply bad. Literally every time a writer lets Superman openly express his own thoughts in such a rethoric way (and there are millions of examples, last but not least Superman Unchained, which as for the rest I find rather enjoyable even if not a masterpiece), they make him appear sanctimonious and paternalistic. It is one of the most common traps Superman writers falls into, and one of the weakest points in the depiction of Superman. Just imagine Batman, or Spider-man expressing themselves like this.

[friendly-fire-press]

I'm actually really pumped for this story arc ... hopefully, Kuder will be able to finish all the art himself ... this could potentially become one of his and Pak's absolute masterpieces since they joined forces on the title

Pardon my enthusiasm, but I really like Superman and I really like zombies ... the idea of putting them against each other sounds like tonnes of fun

[AwesomeUsername]

I'm actually really pumped for this story arc ... hopefully, Kuder will be able to finish all the art himself ... this could potentially become one of his and Pak's absolute masterpieces since they joined forces on the title

Pardon my enthusiasm, but I really like Superman and I really like zombies ... the idea of putting them against each other sounds like tonnes of fun

Seriously. Kuder absolutely killed it in the issue. I missed seeing an entire issue filled with his art. Here's hoping that's how it's going to be from now on.

[Blacksun]

wow. such superman. much douche,

Superman even know how things work on tragedies? butt your butt to move, stop being the superior being having fun with normal people doing his work;

I wish I could care for lana, but...I don't like what she became. The romance with steel is laughable

[Rainzo]

Kuder's art is awesome.. Bearded Superman is king!

[Rakzo]

The best Superman book this week, from both writing and art perspective.

[SXVA]

I just can't... with what Pak/Kuder are doing with Lana..

Perhaps my vision and connection with Lana from the TV series Smallville is too strong, but i can't even read the comic because of this Lana and that she's been put into a role of romantic relationship to Steel after what seemed like a promising introduction as a Tomb Raider like adventurer... and not much more. I guess it's nice for Steel that she enjoys looking at his butt ... doesn't do much for me though from a connection and engaging point of view.

Also, not a big fan of Kuder's art in general beyond his drawing of Superman... he draws a decent Superman but not really into anything else from his output. And past the first few issues of Pak's Superman i have connected with it less and less as it progressed into Doomed.

Looks like i'm going to have to sit the Pak/Kuder wave out and wait for another creative team, or maybe try Johns/Romita's version as i don't have many positive things to say about this.

[Myskin]

I just can't... with what Pak/Kuder are doing with Lana..

Perhaps my vision and connection with Lana from the TV series Smallville is too strong, but i can't even read the comic because of this Lana and that she's been put into a role of romantic relationship to Steel after what seemed like a promising introduction as a Tomb Raider like adventurer... and not much more. I guess it's nice for Steel that she enjoys looking at his butt ... doesn't do much for me though from a connection and engaging point of view.

Thank God they established a credible romantic relationship for Lana instead of the old Smallville sweetheart routine.