Action Comics #1100 Is a Love Letter to Everything Superman (Review)

Superhero comic books have been around for a long time. Ever since Superman crashed onto the scene in 1938, new comics depicting countless heroic adventures have been hitting store shelves every week. Comics are a medium that is always marching forward, uncaring of the march of time. Superhero comics are famous for their longevity, continuously progressing forward and evolving even as they stay within a status quo that changes as slowly as mountains crumble. Of course, while comic books as a medium seem eternal, individual series aren’t. In the current market, a series is considered unbelievably long if it hits fifty issues. That’s exactly what makes the milestone of Action Comics hitting its landmark eleven hundredth issue so incredible.

Milestone issues are always exciting, and no DC comic has reached more than Action Comics, sans Detective Comics, its most published book. Action Comics #1100 is DC’s second title to reach that mark, and as such, it aims to be a celebration of the hero who brought it so far. This issue is all about celebrating Superman’s history and his current family of comics, beautifully blending the trip down memory lane with the plot that’s sure to shake up the present. It’s an incredible snapshot of this era of Superman, but it’s a little lacking in the plot department. Still, with so much awesome talent in it, it’s more than worth a read.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Pros	Cons
Four stories that all feel complete and set up the future	Plot is put on the backburner for character-driven stories
Incredible celebration of Superman’s history
A superstar team of artists

A Somewhat Messy Story That Packs Infinite Heart

This special issue is divided into four sections, each handled by a different creative team from an ongoing Superman title, also acting as an end to the “Reign of the Superboys” event and ushering in the “Kingdom of Zod.” There’s a lot to cover here, so let’s start with the highlights. Absolutely nobody can write a celebration of a character’s history like Mark Waid. He takes us on a wonderful gallop through Superman’s greatest hits and darkest hours, and manages to convey so much love and care for his entire career. Joshua Williamson’s tale of Superman meeting his younger self was similarly heartfelt. Watching Superboy save Superman, and their conversation, was truly a joy on every level.

Sophie Campbell told the tale of the Superboys and Supergirl having a game night at Lois’s house. Watching these fun personalities bounce off each other, and adding on the tension between Connor and Superboy-Prime, was a great snippet for every fan of the characters. The final section, by Dan Slott, directly set up “Kingdom of Zod” with a clever ploy that demonstrated exactly how dangerous the warlord is. Zod abusing the fact that he technically isn’t a Kryptonian right now to sneak into El Caldero is an awesome twist that ties the plot threads across the books together perfectly.

The problems come in with the plot’s details. The fight against Epoch was definitely over too easily, and the tone for the entire thing was all over the place. The Zod twist was smart, but it could have used at least a little more foreshadowing than what we got, as it felt slightly undercooked. The plot isn’t the strongest in this issue, but that’s because the strength lies in its heart. Every section oozes love for everything Superman, from his mythos to his extended family. The issue isn’t perfect, but if you love Superman, then you are bound to love this issue.

A Team of Super Artists

Just like the massive writing team, this issue featured a smorgasbord of Superman’s ongoing artists and beyond. The list of pencillers includes: Skylar Patridge and Ryan Sook with Waid, Daniel Sampere with Williamson, Dan Mora with Campbell, and Lucas Meyer with Slott. Everyone brought their A-game, creating a truly wonderful platter of some of the best artists working in comics right now. Mora’s take on Supergirl and Tomorrow Man’s new looks was incredible, as always. All of Meyer’s pages pop with dynamic poses and are packed to the brim in the good way. If I had to choose favorites, I’d say that Patridge and Sook’s page showing Clark’s death and Jon as Superman and Sampere’s meeting of the Clarks are my favorites in the book.

This issue offers a huge variety of art styles, and everyone is sure to approve of at least one. I absolutely have to shout out Alejandro Sánchez’s colors in Williamson’s story, making the void of time come alive with a beautiful mix of rainbows, hues, and white nothingness. Becca Carey’s letters in Campbell’s work stand out and blend in with all the right styles, giving everything from a video game death noise to Cadejos’s fireballs personality. There’s so much to love in this issue, and it doesn’t shy away from giving everyone their time to shine.

Overall, this landmark issue is a masterclass in character-driven writing, and a wonderful palette of artists of all types, all working together to celebrate the Man of Tomorrow and everything this foundational comic has done. It’s the perfect mix of celebration of the past and set up for the future, and it has me hyped for “Kingdom of Zod.” Superman is finally back in action, and it’ll take the entire family to wrap up the plot threads that have been tying around our heroes for years now.

Action Comics #1100 is on sale now!

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