Comic Review: Action Comics #979 (DC Comics)

Jurgens and co are kicking off a new arc!

Superman has earned a hefty slew of adversaries over the years ever since he donned the crimson cape and boots. Time and again he’s defeated each of these foes, single-handedly defeating each challenge that is thrusted upon him. After the events of the Black Dawn Arc (within Tomasi and Gleason’s Superman title) The Kent Family have decided to move into the city of Metropolis. Meanwhile,  Mongul, Eradicator, and Blanque have joined forces with one goal in mind; Unleashing  Revenge upon Superman.      

What is it that Mongul, Eradicator and Blanque discover that could cause devastation to the Man of Steel? What are each of the villain’s motivations beyond the surface? And will Superman discover the unraveling plot in time to stop it?! And how does Superman and Lois’s son Jon feel about moving into Metropolis!?

Dan Jurgens does a good job at setting the stage for this arc, establishing the characters and events that test the wits and strength of the Man of Steel. This is the first installment of the Revenge arc, and it’s looking to be sweet given that Jurgens utilizes characters that he was most associated with in writing and illustrating back in the 90s. Seeing Mongul, and Eradicator in the same book, along with a familiar face that Jurgens had a heavy hand in creating and writing is a joy to see.        

Each of the villains selected make for a perfect line-up of past and present foes, who had a prominent effect on the life and history of Superman, wish makes this Revenge arc exciting to read. Aside from the story and villains, it’s nice to see the smaller moments, where Clark and Lois discuss how difficult it will be when Jon discovers that the family will be relocating to the city, which is a nice and relatable situation that friends and family tend to experience. Jurgens makes effort to keep continuity intact and does a good job at acknowledging what has happened within the Action title and within Tomasi and Gleason’s Superman book. It shows that there is clear communication between the Superman stuff and it really helps to clarify the time frame of the event that have taken place with each Superman related titles as well as this very issue.

Patrick Zircher’s artwork is fantastic in this issue. Part of me wants to see a book where Zircher’s, Mike Janine and Mike Dedato all collaborate to make some awesome pages because Zircher’s knows how to create dynamic imagery. The splash pages are colorful thanks to the help of Hi Fi’s colors and the inks are balanced out, helping make good contrast with each figure that steps into the pages.

This is a good first chapter to a new arc and for anyone that is a Superman fan, especially 90s Superman, or a Jurgens fan, definitely, check it out. It’s worth taking a look to see where Jurgens may take the book next.