REVIEW: Action Comics #1074
Action Comics #1074 picks up straight where last weeks issue left off as Superman tries to work out not where he is on Krypton, but when.
But before that, let’s take a look at the covers. The standard cover is by Clayton Henry & Tomeu Morey and pretty much shows us the main premise of this issue. What I love is the almost romantic side of it, you can feel the love radiating from Superman and that is thanks to the colour palette.
The variant by Ibrahim Moustafa pretty much is the definition of ‘Man Of Tomorrow’, they were the words that popped into my head when I saw this cover. The detail is incredible, the stance is powerful and this is just an overall excellent cover showing a unique look at Superman.
The variant by Mark Spears is as photorealistic as they get, seeing Superman flying alongside Supergirl is nothing short of pure joy. The bright and bold colours really add to that too.
The variant by Sebastian Fiumara is excellent too and personally I think my personal favourite of the selection. Despite the fact that it doesn’t really showcase what happens in the issue, this is a cover to make you stop and look. The detail and art style is phenomenal.
Not knowing how, where and why he got to Krypton, Superman decides that covering up his Kryptonian crest is a good idea just in case it got the wrong attention, a good move considering the people that he meets during his time there. There is no room for error on Superman’s part here, despite running on low power in The Phantom Zone, Krypton’s red sun deems him entirely powerless. What I do love about this factor is the way that he still doesn’t hesitate when it comes to saving people, regardless of the consequences for him and Mark Waid writes that perfectly. Letters are done by Dave Sharpe.
Here we also see Superman sport some Kryptonian fashion and also a different Kryptonian name, which I loved! The look certainly is different and seems a mix between Superman, Peacemaker and The Eradicator, but I dig it! The artwork by Clayton Henry, Michael Shelfer and Matt Herms is excellent. They have a way of showcasing the emotion on each and every face and also add their own stamp to a very familiar but also very different world of Krypton.
With his power gone and him being stuck on Krypton and Aethyr still making progress on threat to Earth, Superman needs help… and there is only one person that he knows is around to help. This meeting is so sweet, but also quite somber and is cut short just as they are about to get to the good stuff, meaning that Klar-Ken’s chances of saving himself and the world are starting to dwindle further.
Meanwhile Mon-El finds himself outnumbered in the showdown against Aethyr and Conner Kent and Kong Keenan’s kidnapping escalates quite significantly as they find that they aren’t the only ones to have property stolen. In a bid to keep the peace and avoid any fatalities, the pair end up putting their foot into it, though I am still struggling to piece these two story-lines together as of yet.
(8/10) Action Comics #1074 is another fantastic issue which sees Superman fall further and further away from victory and whilst Superman is in a rush to leave Krypton, I am very much enjoying him being there.
