ACTION COMICS #1
Superman Versus The City Of Tomorrow

November 2011

Written by Grant Morrison

Pencils by Rags Morales

Inks by Rick Bryant

Covers by Rags Morales and Jim Lee

Synopsis

Superman invades the home Mr. Glenmorgan, followed by the police trying to stop the Man of Steel.  Superman literally dangles Glenmorgan off the edge of his penthouse suite, then drops him to the ground below, catching him at the last minute.  Then, Glenmorgan confesses to illegal activities.  The police attempt to arrest Superman, but manages to escape.  Elsewhere, General Lane and Lex Luthor are tracking Superman’s activities as he saves people from a wrecking ball.  The military arrive and attack Superman, but he gets away.  Superman finds a secluded spot, where he changes his clothes and becomes Clark Kent.  He returns to his apartment, where is landlady demands the rent.  Clark pays.  He then calls his friend, Jimmy Olsen.  However, Olsen is busy with Lois Lane tracking down Gus Grundig, Glenmorgan’s former enforcer, on a train.  Clark warns Jimmy that he is in danger.  The train is not stopping.  Superman tracks it down and is forced to stop it with his own power.  He does so, but not before the train squishes him against the Daily Planet building, knocking him unconscious.  Elsewhere, Lex Luthor smugly tells General Lane that he has been given Superman.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

Overall, this was both a typical Morrison comic as well as a perfect opening to the early years of the life and times of Superman (I am surprised DC didn’t label it “Year One” or something like that).  It has that quirkiness and slightly off-the-wall dialogue and characterizations that is typical of a Morrison comic, yet at the same time Morrison still makes sure to introduce the supporting characters and what roles they will fill not only in this story, but also in the DC universe.  The key, however, is that Superman is not the same character we know, but rather younger and rawer.  We see a Superman willing to take on what he believes is right, even if it is against the authorities.  The way he acts, Morales’ drawings of Supes smiling, enjoying himself, shows a character with the arrogance and ignorance of youth.  I really liked the scene with the wrecking ball, the way he takes on the military and protects the people.  This is definitively a younger Superman and I like the take the Morrison has for the character. 

In contrast, all of the supporting characters are pretty much the same as they were pre-launch and pretty much what you would expect regardless of when this story was written.  Lex still thinks he is better than everyone, Lois is still after the big story, and Jimmy is still hanging around everyone else.  The biggest difference is that Clark does not write for the Daily Planet.  Instead, he works for the competitor.  Plus, his best friend is Jimmy Olsen, who does work for the Daily Planet.  It is a slight difference to their relationship

The scene with the train reminded me too much of the second movie of Spider-Man.  Combined that with the scene of the people protecting the hero of the city, and the sense of déjà vu was really, really strong.  Granted, Morrison uses a different location than the train for the people protecting the hero, but the similarities are there.  I don’t think Morrison intended to

I liked the monologue by Lex at the end about the toad ruining the ecology of Australia.  Obviously, Lex is using it as a simile (or is that metaphor) for the arrival of the alien to the human population.  But I think what the monologue shows is Lex’s reasons for wanting to destroy Superman, giving a solid foundation for his hatred.  Yes, it is still a little bit of his ego and he certainly feels threatened by someone who gets more press than he does, but there is (at the core) a scientific reason for his actions. 

What is the deal with Lex Luthor pointing out the object in space?  It is a brief moment that feels out of place to everything else going on.  Is that subtle foreshadowing, revealing the thing that Superman will stop to save Earth, thus giving him (as the kids say) cred with the authorities.

Someone else pointed this out, but I thought it worth repeating:  much of this comic as a 40s and 50s vibe to it, form the dialogue and the situations to even the background to the view of the skyscrapers, the types of transportation (the above-ground train), the fedora the killer is wearing at the end, and the tanks the feel like they came from World War II. 

It makes me wonder if the non-flying aspect of Superman’s early career is in some manner a way to get back at Siegel and Shuster and their version of the Man Of Steel is the only other Action Comics #1.  I say this because of the court ruling that Siegel and Shuster (or more accurately their descendants) own a piece of the Superman’s profits.  Of course, I am not sure what DC gains by doing this, but it does make me wonder. 

STRANGE SIGHTING

Page 26, bottom panel, on the right side amongst the rest of the passengers.

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