REVIEW: Action Comics #1089

Action Comics #1089 reveals a new hero for Smallville, but things aren’t as they seem as Clark finds him suspicious. Mark Waid continues the story of Clark Kent and how he came to be Superman, and in this issue we find him being surveyed.

But before we get into the issue itself, let’s take a look at the covers. The standard cover is by Ryan Sook and whilst it is brilliant, impactful and includes tonnes of great details, it doesn’t really have much to do with the issue itself.

Dike Ruan’s variant is seriously impactful. I love that the background colour bleeds into the colour of Superboy’s suit with only the deep red and bright yellow contrasting against it. The detail on the cape flow is excellent too and almost resembles an ‘S’.

Dustin Nguyen’s variant is perfect and really captures the youth of the character as he tests out his flying capabilities. The red, blue and yellow against the white background is just so impactful, it feels like he’s jumping right off the page.

The variant by interior artist Skylar Patridge is just gorgeous, we Superboy and Krypto on the front porch of the Kent Farm watching the sunset. This is peak Superboy and it really captures the relationship and atmosphere of these characters and the location.

Action Comics #1089 opens up right where we left off in the previous issue as Clark, Martha and Jonathan Kent are confronted at their own home by Clark’s teacher. He had turned up at their door asking to see Superboy and we learn that he isn’t just a teacher as Clark suspected and we then find out that Clark isn’t the only hero in Smallville. His teacher reveals himself to be Captain Comet, a hero that Martha and Jonathan had heard stories of during their youth.

One thing I loved about this issue is the fact that the narration is Superman as an adult, reflecting on his time as a teen. This really adds some interesting commentary to the situation at hand and it is carried out perfectly by Writer, Mark Waid. It also helps us understand that whilst Captain Comet seems friendly, Superman lists several red flags that readers should pay attention to, without this it would be very easy to miss. There are also some really fun moments in this issue and story arc as a whole which sees Clark goofing around and acting up with his parents, leading to a scolding… not even superheroes can defy their parents! Letters are done by Steve Wands.

We learn that Captain Comet doesn’t trust Superboy as he recalls numerous young heroes that have set out to do good, but severely messed up causing catastrophes. Taking into consideration what he has seen and experiences, those feelings are entirely valid, though unwarranted towards Clark. This dynamic also eats into his time at school as Captain Comet constantly singles him out and even follows him to set him a test for him to ‘prove himself’.

The interior art is by Skylar Patridge, with colours by Tamra Bonvillain and once again it is perfect! Whilst this issue is quite intense for Clark, the art style and particularly the colour palette really adds a wholesome feel to it that feels whimsical and as if the reader is truly in Smallville.

(9/10) Action Comics #1089 really showed the scale of the threat that Captain Comet poses for Clark and with him knowing Clark’ secret, Clark has his hands tied. After seeing who Captain Comet is sharing information with at the end of this issue, we just know that things are about to get rather interesting for Clark.