PREVIEW: Action Comics #42

[kivatt]

Actually there's been a slew of black people either beaten or shot to death that got public attention. It could have been Garner, Brown, Freddie Grey, etc.

You bring up a great point on the "white savior" aspect, but that's why it was the people themselves (namely Dante) that really fought back, more so than Superman. Superman was the catalyst sure, but what I liked is that it's not just Superman this time.

That's why Dante was the highlight for me. He was the voice of that Malcolm X, Black Panther esque sticking up for yourself, and your community role.

[kivatt]

Hell, anything BEFORE Pak is nothing worth checking out in comparison.

I liked Lobdell's run because Rocafort. Only reason

And I liked H'el. Not because he was a good character, but when he originally appeared, he just came in and f**ked **** up. It reminded me of my lost love Superboy-Prime

[kivatt]

But can we all appreciate Truth?
I love how they are four different stories, each happening at a different time. But they are still connected in a sense, and you really do not have to pick up the other books if you wanta good read.

Maybe the Superman main title to see what really happened, but I love this approach.


and if Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder ever leave Action Comics, I don't know what I will do with myself

[Superlad93]

and if Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder ever leave Action Comics, I don't know what I will do with myself

I'll tell you straight up if anyone short of Jonathan Hickman, Jason Aaron, or Al Ewing comes on after with a breathtaking artist and a beautiful plan for a run then I'm out. No bullsh!t I'm out. And seeing as Hickman is taking a break for a while, Aaron is on contract with Marvel (I think) and Ewing has like 7 books going at one time at Marvel then I'm basically saying I'll be dropping Action Comics like a bad habit if they so much as think of leaving. That'll probably be it for me and DC.

[waffledanvers]

Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder run have been brilliant even with them being screw with crossovers every other arc and out the superman related titles this one is the best and he feels more like superman in this title over the rest

[fredrol]

It seems that his powers come back in bursts, as demonstrated when he broke free of the monster and felt like he was flying, then used super speed to get back to the people.

[Dr. Banner]

I'll tell you straight up if anyone short of Jonathan Hickman, Jason Aaron, or Al Ewing comes on after with a breathtaking artist and a beautiful plan for a run then I'm out. No bullsh!t I'm out. And seeing as Hickman is taking a break for a while, Aaron is on contract with Marvel (I think) and Ewing has like 7 books going at one time at Marvel then I'm basically saying I'll be dropping Action Comics like a bad habit if they so much as think of leaving. That'll probably be it for me and DC.

Agreed on everything!

[Superlad93]

It seems that his powers come back in bursts, as demonstrated when he broke free of the monster and felt like he was flying, then used super speed to get back to the people.

I think the "feels like flying" part was just the push from the explosion behind him. It's a call back to Action comics 25 (Pak and Kuder's first issue) where Clark says "feels like flying but better" when he jumps really high in the air only to come crashing down. Pak also did a riff on this in issue 41 where he has Superman say "it's not flying but it'll do" when he jumps to fight the monster.

The rest of the instances I think were adrenaline burst. Notice how the cop clearly sees Superman before he punches him in the face. If that were true speed then it would have happen before he could even crack a smile I think.

But in actuality Clark is a good bit stronger than we thought. He may be around Ultimate Cap level but that's still ridiculously strong for a human.

[ssupes]

Glad to see that superman is standing up for the people against police brutality, I have never subscribed to the idea that Superman is a boy scout who would follow the governments orders. Also maybe this crossover is touching on media bias and the fact that the newspapers tend to focus on celebrity lifestyles (I.e. Superman's identity) and how it avoids bigger problems (overbearing police force clamping down on kentville). Of coarse I maybe overthinking things.

[Ragdoll]

Did anyone else notice how this is basically the Lonely City arc from Transmetropolitan? That comic totally predicted out current police state.

[The World]

See these sorts of things are simply part of the identity of the character, and the difference shows. When they try to act like it isn't it just hurts the product as well as the company. He was created to deal with issues in lives of people not to ignore them.

[Cipher]

More than anything on an execution-level here (which is all tight and fun, though the issue feels brief) I'm giddy to see Superman stand-up to a topical issue (as if it ever wasn't, but it's finally coming to the fore of public consciousness) and tackle police brutality. The sit-in is handled beautifully, sadly realistically, still allows for some over-the-top comic-book panache, and even as it pits Superman squarely against plausible police abuse of power, doesn't rob the individuals involved on either side of characterization. (We do get one villain character among the police, because comics, but it doesn't feel nearly as ham-fisted as it might and doesn't, I think, diminish what the book is trying to display. It's just in keeping with the genre and pacing of a serialized comic.)

This was a great showing for modern Superman. This is a Superman comic I could hand to anyone and not feel not only unembarrassed, but proud of what it's doing. That's incredible.

EDIT -- The one aspect I took some issue with was its dodging of the racial politics inexorably tied into police abuse, but as Double 0 pointed out, the comic handles it deftly by placing most the focus at the protest on the residents of the community; Superman is taking their cue rather than saving or rallying them. And in general casting the police in the role they're given here is a great way to shine a light toward these issues. The comic doesn't dramatize it; it simply approaches it as a plausible interaction between police and a community protest, which, in many, many parts of the U.S., it is.

[Superlad93]

See these sorts of things are simply part of the identity of the character, and the difference shows. When they try to act like it isn't it just hurts the product as well as the company. He was created to deal with issues in lives of people not to ignore them.

Yes but it's being done in the guise of ripsnorting adventure with shadow monsters and issues that relate to the Superman world. It's the real world but filtered through Superman's world. If this sort of approach is what you've always wanted then I'm all for it. I'm even all for the idea of getting slightly more direct with the commentary so long as it keeps the same sense of adventure and imagination when the time is needed. Superman can be equal parts Thunder World issue #1 and The Authority.

[Ragdoll]

This was a great showing for modern Superman. This is a Superman comic I could hand to anyone and not feel not only unembarrassed, but proud of what it's doing.

I haven't seen a superhero comic get this heavy with real world themes since Mark Millar had Captain America declare Civil War. Bravo DC.
I get the impression DC-You is about making their comics more like Marvel's style of handling characters, and so far, I approve across the board. DC-You is a rousing success and their handling of Superman is its crowning achievement.

[Starchild]

This felt like a feel-good issue. Too bad this run will be overlooked by fans and critics, it's doing everything right.