REVIEW: Action Comics #1093
Action Comics #1093, “Foreclosed” is the newest chapter in the ongoing DC Comics series written by Mark Waid with art by Skylar Patridge, colors by Ivan Plascencia and lettering by Steve Wands. This is the 7th story in the story arc Waid has masterfully crafted about a teenage Clark Kent operating as Superboy in Smallville long before becoming Superman. Seeing Clark learn the lessons that made him into the Superman we know and love today has been a great treat!
With the main event DC KO going on right now, it’s nice to see one of the Superman main titles taking a break and bringing us this story and give readers a periodic breather and a powerful and insightful look into Clark’s early superhero career and how his morals and beliefs were formed by his experiences, the world around him and his wonderful and wise parents. The emotions of those experiences were captured this month in the comic book covers.
Ryan Sook delivers a brilliantly tongue-in-cheek yet emotionally grounded cover as Superman literally struggles under the weight of a massive “NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE” sign. It’s classic Americana meets superhero satire, with Clark’s iconic empathy shining through even as the Kent Farm looms behind him. This cover immediately tells you that while the stakes are cosmic in Action Comics, the human battles hit just as hard.
Jorge Molina’s variant is pure heroic splendor — Superman soaring through a sky bursting with warm sunlight and white doves. Every brushstroke radiates peace, strength, and confidence, capturing the Man of Steel as a living symbol of hope. It’s the kind of inspirational Superman image you could hang in a museum and still feel uplifted every time you pass it.
Bengal taps directly into the heart of Superman’s mythos with this tender, nostalgic portrait of a young Clark Kent in Smallville. That quiet smile, the open fields, the soft evening sky — it all reminds us that before he was a legend, he was a boy discovering the hero within. It’s a perfect emotional counterbalance to the issue’s heavier themes, grounding the entire story in warmth and sincerity.
I tend to gush over Waid, his incredible storytelling and his masterful way of making the characters he writes relatable and real. It’s the reason why 1996’s Kingdom Come and Superman: Birthright are in my top 10 favorite comic books of all time, as well as Waid’s run on The Flash in the 1990s, especially 1994’s The Flash #0.
Waid’s relatability of characters continues in this issue, and as he shows not only Clark’s mental process and feelings, but also the thoughts and feelings of Clark’s parents Jonathan and Martha Kent on a very important and relatable issue that has played out before several times in reality when it comes to land, houses and foreclosures.
Waid’s words paired with Patridge’s astonishing artwork works so well together and everything just flows, whether Clark as Superboy is fighting a super-powered force or an everyday normal problem created by a non-superpowered threat. Plascencia’s colors and Wands’ lettering marries everything perfectly and what you get is a great, clean, beautiful, thought-provoking super issue.
It’s issues like this that remind me why the Smallville TV show worked so well. It’s always a delight to see how superheroes grew up, what shaped their morals and the reason they stepped into the light. I also love to see what outside forces (parents, friends, environment, etc.) helped make the hero the kind of person who would set aside their own struggles, problems and fears to save and help others.
(10/10) Action Comics #1093 is another great issue that richly adds to the mythos and history of Superman when he was a Superboy. It addresses why Superman does things the straight-forward and honest way and doesn’t deal in the sneaky, covert methods of Batman. This issue also addresses what a superhero should do even in situations that are unjust but are backed by law.
When you have a great creative team that works great together, you get a perfect issue. Even without any super battles or millions of dollars in damages or deaths from a natural disaster, a great story was shared, a deeper look into Clark’s upbringing, values and morals is explored and a person who will shape his feature is introduced. I can’t wait to read the next issue!
