The Super Family continues to build their new lives in Metropolis while fighting hate and bigotry. Unfortunately, Metallo’s mysterious new tormentor complicates everything about Action Comics #1053.
Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Rafa Sandoval, Matt Herms, and Dave Sharpe put the House of El face to face with Metallo’s new family, with back-ups by Dan Jurgens, Lee Weeks, Elizabeth Breitweiser, Rob Leigh, Leah Williams, Marguerite Sauvage, and Becca Carey.
Steelworks is up and running, and the Irons family have positioned themselves as the future of Metropolis. That has unfortunately made them a target and Metallo is about to pull the trigger. But who is pulling John Corben’s strings, and why do they want the Superman family dead?
Johnson has written a tense story that balances its thriller elements with strong inter-character dynamics. The Metallo plotline is as strong as any horror story and the mystery of the person pulling his strings is engaging (even though solicits might have ruined that). Even better is the relationships between the different Supers. Conner and Kara are quickly becoming a favorite sibling-like pair, with a believable bond. The issue-closing interaction between Jon and the Twins is even better, deepening and humanizing all three.
Sandoval’s art is generally pretty strong. The anatomy is kind of loose in a handful of panels, but overall it looks really good. The action is well paced and he lays out the pages in a clearly readable manner. He’s making each of the younger members of the family distinct in design but also how they move on the page. Herm’s colors are a little too dark, and more than once he muddies up the pages. Generally it looks pretty great though.
Superman and his family have their hands full, and in the next few issues, I think we’re going to some exciting events. This is worth picking up.
Action Comics #1053 is available now from DC Comics.
The Super Family continues to build their new lives in Metropolis while fighting hate and bigotry. Unfortunately, Metallo’s mysterious newCOMICONRead More