Review: Action Comics Rebirth

 Action Comics Rebirth is one of the many hit story arcs on the market from DC Comics at the moment. Here, our own Yul Espinosa takes a look at the series so far and the success of its creative team.

Review: Action Comics Rebirth

Credit: DC Comics

Action Comics Rebirth: Synopsis and Analysis:

(Spoilers Ahead)

When Geoff Johns promises a DC Comics Rebirth, he delivers. In this case, the team of Dan Jurgens, Stephen Segovia and Art Thibert, for Action Comics, is a perfect fit for this book. The story so far is that Superman and family are trying to get reintegrated into life back in Metropolis. This Superman, unlike the New 52 Superman is older, wiser and willing to do whatever it takes to protect his family and his adopted world. He has a son, Jon, with Lois Lane, his wife. His son also shares his remarkable abilities.

In part two of Lois Lane: Back at the Planet, Lois has wanted to get back to work to make herself more useful. Lois had also been dreaming of her New 52 counterpart and received a mysterious note from her along with an eight digit password. She goes back to the Daily Planet as well as her counterpart's apartment where she is confronted by Superwoman, also known as Lana Lang. Superman in the meantime, understands his partner's growing pains and tries to explain to his son Jon why Lois won't be home as much. Lois, who is now afraid of the woman standing in front of her sends an emergency call to Jon and Superman. All is now revealed to Superman and Lois as to the fate of her counterpart.

Dan Jurgens, a veteran writer and artist, handles Superman superbly. He gives Superman a vulnerability that hasn't been seen in quite a while, which is more familial and emotional aspect that grounds him. Jon has been a great addition to the DC Rebirth adding to the mystery, hope and legacy that is Superman. Jurgens gives Lois Lane a bigger strength; that strength being the wisdom and power of motherhood, while remaining true to the character.

The upcoming Men of Steel storyline should be very interesting. Jurgens is not unraveling the mystery too quickly of why Superman and all of DC's other heroes are being manipulated by a mysterious outside force (if you haven't read DC Comics: Rebirth by Geoff Johns, shame on you. Pick up a copy today.) One of my big pet peeves, and this has been consistent in ALL books, is Luthor's role in all of this.

They have him taking the mantle of Superman and then what?

While they have everyone else is fleshed out in the Superman books, he remains, well, empty. He has a supersuit. This is such a nuanced character.

Is he the hero, the villain, or is it a pretence?

What makes him so driven to replace Superman?

What makes Luthor one of the best characters around is this pretense (there's that word again) that he's doing everything he can for mankind, when he has his own selfish motives to gain power and respect. That isn't seen much in any of the Superman books right now.

The artwork has been mostly consistent. Stephen Segovia has been a great fit for this team. His rendering becomes more powerful with every new issue. He has a very slick style, which is much more appealing than Patrick Zircher's work. Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining about Patrick's work but his style is very organic. If he were doing, say, Swamp Thing or Batman, he would be a great fit for those books. Segovia draws Jon beautifully and expressively showing Jon's innocence. His storytelling is fantastic but makes you wonder if he can keep up on a bi-weekly book. Tyler Kirkham has been a great fill-in artist but I'm kind of pining for Billy Tan and/or Clayton Henry who also have solid styles.

The colouring has been consistent throughout. The team of Arif Prianto and Ulises Arreola have made the book bright and colorful without going overboard on the effects (take notice, HI-FI, less is more). One of my biggest complaints, whether it be a DC or Marvel book has been style consistency. In some stories, we sometimes have things realistic in one book and then cartoony in the next. So far, DC Comics has followed through on that side, although there have been a few hiccups here and there. Their experimentation with familiar characters has brought the books to new heights.

The stories are much more fluid for Action Comics than they were in the New 52 universe. Next week, however, could be another story. Unlike the New 52, which changed the fabric of the DC Universe and had mixed reviews, this direction has proved it can take a more positive and hopeful direction.

What do you think of the current Action Comics Rebirth arc?

Are you feeling invested in the title?

Yup Espinosa is a Contributor to ComiConverse. Follow him on Twitter: @YulREspinosa

Source: DC Comics