REVIEW: Action Comics #1091

Action Comics #1091 continues the story of Clark Kent’s growth from Superboy to Superman. Honestly, Mark Waid has really managed to craft stories within a timeline we thought we already knew and I am having a blast seeing how Clark’s time in Smallville shaped who he is today.

But before we get into that, let’s take a look at the covers. The main cover is by Ryan Sook and perfectly capture the feel and tone of the issue. It almost feels like a cover for a spy film, as we see Clark in the shadows of Captain Comet. This is a really bold and brilliant cover.

The variant by interior artist Skylar Patridge is just stunning, I love the detail and also the message behind it as Superboy soars into the sky. It almost has a religious feel to it, with Captain Comet almost nurturing and protecting Clark as he does so. Truly beautiful.

There are also variant covers available by Michael Cho and Joe Quinones.

Action Comics #1091 opens up where we left off as Superboy is swarmed by the US army, despite having stopped a terrorist group in the previous issue. Clark rushes back to the farm as fast as he can and sits down with his parents to explain everything to them. Firstly I love how he instantly goes to his parents for help, this is a true example of the perfect family relationship. As he explains there seems to be one person at the bottom of it all and Clark’s suspicions about Captain Comet increase. Another thing I also love, is that despite Clark being so young and new to all of this, he has such a level head and this is the incredible way that Mark Waid perfectly shows his growth from here, to becoming Superman.

When Clark confronts Captain Comet AKA Mr Blake, he weirdly manages to get some sort of reasonable explanation for doing what he did, but something still feels off to Clark. I also really love the way that Waid breaks down Clark’s thought process in the narration, it really adds so much and also allows the reader to go on the journey with Clark. Clark again uses his wits and instinct to find out more information about Captain Comet and it really isn’t what you’d expect and actually opens up a side to him and also Clark that we haven’t really seen yet in this series. This was such a sweet moment and just reinforces everything I love about this character.

The artwork by Skylar Patridge and Ivan Plascencia is nothing short of amazing, it really captures the tone of Waid’s writing and this era of Superman perfectly. It’s detailed where it needs to be and also has hints of classic comic book action, but the thing I love about their work the most, is the expressions. Looking at a panel featuring a character you can perfectly tell what they are feeling and for an issue as emotionally driven as this one, is so so important and they nailed it.

(9/10) Whilst Action Comics #1091 brings this part of Superboys’ story to an end, I am really looking forward to seeing what’s next in store for him.