“Dad I got a question, is it hard being Superman?”

The Men of Steel arc begins here in the latest issue of Dan Jurgen’s Action Comics series. First off I want to say, Tyler Kirkman is back again drawing Action Comics! I just want to say this because I’m a fan of his work, so it’s cool to see him work on a Superman related title but regardless of this personal statement, that’s not what the issue is about.

The comic opens up with a glimpse of a near future where the earth is scorched with fire, on the brink of becoming a new Apokolips. All the heroes are dead and all seems lost until a red-caped, red-booted individual comes along. Meanwhile in the present Superman and his son Jon (aka Superboy), venture into the jungles of the Amazon only to discover the whereabouts of this missing Geneticron building. Meanwhile, Lois heads for an interview with Lex Luthor, and it appears that he has as much interest in the mysterious Clark Kent as the rest of the Superman family does. More mysteries unravel, who is Godslayer? What does he want with Lex Luthor? And what does that mean for the future of the planet?

Jurgens and team continue to amp up the pace within this title series, adding on more layers that surround the mysteries pertaining to the secret conspiracies of the Geneticron organization, the mysterious Clark Kent doppelganger, and currently in the mix, Godslayer and his agenda against anyone with a Superman crest on their chest. There are so many moving pieces at play in this chess game of a story that Jurgens has been writing and setting up since the beginning of his run.

It’s good to see Tyler Kirkham make a return to the series and fill the story with his stylized, yet fun designs and action pages.  I love the scene on page 5 where Superman’s son Jon tells him that he should wear his black suit or his classic costume with the red trunks. I thought that was an awesome way to implement that everything that happened in the pre 52 happened the way it did. I even like that Superman gives context behind each of the suits he wore and what they represented for a time. Kirkhams pencils are strong and serve its purpose accompanying Jurgen’s  narrative while simultaneously making the art stand on its own. Despite Kirkham’s art, what really makes the art pop out with glorious life is Arif Prianto’s coloring. Whether it’s the scorching fires of the future or the liveliness of modern day Metropolis, Prianto’s colors bring the Kirkham’s art to life. Rob Leigh’s lettering continues to do its job providing dialogue and action sound effects when necessary.

If you’ve been enjoying Jurgens run on Action thus far, then you’ll definitely enjoy the latest action packed chapter.

By Anthony Andujar Jr.

Anthony Andujar Jr. is an NYC cartoonist and lover of comics and music. So much so that it led him to writing comic book reviews in between it all.

One thought on “Comic Review: Action Comics #967 (DC Comics)”

Comments are closed.