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Superman by Kurt Busiek #2
Superman: Back in Action
Collecting ACTION COMICS 841-843! An alien race is collecting unique specimens from Earth— and the Man of Steel is first on the list! Plus,Kurt Busiek introduces stories from DC COMICS PRESENTS #4, #17 and #24! Guest-starring Nightwing, Aquaman, Firestorm, the Metal Men, Deadman and more!
Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
87 people want to read
About the author
Kurt Busiek
1,858 books626 followersKurt Busiek is an American comic book writer notable for his work on the Marvels limited series, his own title Astro City, and his four-year run on Avengers.
Busiek did not read comics as a youngster, as his parents disapproved of them. He began to read them regularly around the age of 14, when he picked up a copy of Daredevil #120. This was the first part of a continuity-heavy four-part story arc; Busiek was drawn to the copious history and cross-connections with other series. Throughout high school and college, he and future writer Scott McCloud practiced making comics. During this time, Busiek also had many letters published in comic book letter columns, and originated the theory that the Phoenix was a separate being who had impersonated Jean Grey, and that therefore Grey had not died—a premise which made its way from freelancer to freelancer, and which was eventually used in the comics.
During the last semester of his senior year, Busiek submitted some sample scripts to editor Dick Giordano at DC Comics. None of them sold, but they did get him invitations to pitch other material to DC editors, which led to his first professional work, a back-up story in Green Lantern #162 (Mar. 1983).
Busiek has worked on a number of different titles in his career, including Arrowsmith, The Avengers, Icon, Iron Man, The Liberty Project, Ninjak, The Power Company, Red Tornado, Shockrockets, Superman: Secret Identity, Thunderbolts, Untold Tales of Spider-Man, JLA, and the award-winning Marvels and the Homage Comics title Kurt Busiek's Astro City.
In 1997, Busiek began a stint as writer of Avengers alongside artist George Pérez. Pérez departed from the series in 2000, but Busiek continued as writer for two more years, collaborating with artists Alan Davis, Kieron Dwyer and others. Busiek's tenure culminated with the "Kang Dynasty" storyline. In 2003, Busiek re-teamed with Perez to create the JLA/Avengers limited series.
In 2003, Busiek began a new Conan series for Dark Horse Comics, which he wrote for four years.
In December 2005 Busiek signed a two-year exclusive contract with DC Comics. During DC's Infinite Crisis event, he teamed with Geoff Johns on a "One Year Later" eight-part story arc (called Up, Up and Away) that encompassed both Superman titles. In addition, he began writing the DC title Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis from issues 40-49. Busiek was the writer of Superman for two years, before followed by James Robinson starting from Superman #677. Busiek wrote a 52-issue weekly DC miniseries called Trinity, starring Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Each issue (except for issue #1) featured a 12-page main story by Busiek, with art by Mark Bagley, and a ten-page backup story co-written by Busiek and Fabian Nicieza, with art from various artists, including Tom Derenick, Mike Norton and Scott McDaniel.
Busiek's work has won him numerous awards in the comics industry, including the Harvey Award for Best Writer in 1998 and the Eisner Award for Best Writer in 1999. In 1994, with Marvels, he won Best Finite Series/Limited Series Eisner Award and the Best Continuing or Limited Series Harvey Award; as well as the Harvey Award for Best Single Issue or Story (for Marvels #4) in 1995. In 1996, with Astro City, Busiek won both the Eisner and Harvey awards for Best New Series. He won the Best Single Issue/Single Story Eisner three years in a row from 1996–1998, as well as in 2004. Busiek won the Best Continuing Series Eisner Award in 1997–1998, as well as the Best Serialized Story award in 1998. In addition, Astro City was awarded the 1996 Best Single Issue or Story Harvey Award, and the 1998 Harvey Award for Best Continuing or Limited Series.
Busiek was given the 1998 and 1999 Comics Buyer's Guide Awards for Favorite Writer, with additional nominations in 1997 and every year from 2000 to 2004. He has also received numerous Squiddy Awards, having been selected as favorite writer four years in a row from 1995 to 1998,
Busiek did not read comics as a youngster, as his parents disapproved of them. He began to read them regularly around the age of 14, when he picked up a copy of Daredevil #120. This was the first part of a continuity-heavy four-part story arc; Busiek was drawn to the copious history and cross-connections with other series. Throughout high school and college, he and future writer Scott McCloud practiced making comics. During this time, Busiek also had many letters published in comic book letter columns, and originated the theory that the Phoenix was a separate being who had impersonated Jean Grey, and that therefore Grey had not died—a premise which made its way from freelancer to freelancer, and which was eventually used in the comics.
During the last semester of his senior year, Busiek submitted some sample scripts to editor Dick Giordano at DC Comics. None of them sold, but they did get him invitations to pitch other material to DC editors, which led to his first professional work, a back-up story in Green Lantern #162 (Mar. 1983).
Busiek has worked on a number of different titles in his career, including Arrowsmith, The Avengers, Icon, Iron Man, The Liberty Project, Ninjak, The Power Company, Red Tornado, Shockrockets, Superman: Secret Identity, Thunderbolts, Untold Tales of Spider-Man, JLA, and the award-winning Marvels and the Homage Comics title Kurt Busiek's Astro City.
In 1997, Busiek began a stint as writer of Avengers alongside artist George Pérez. Pérez departed from the series in 2000, but Busiek continued as writer for two more years, collaborating with artists Alan Davis, Kieron Dwyer and others. Busiek's tenure culminated with the "Kang Dynasty" storyline. In 2003, Busiek re-teamed with Perez to create the JLA/Avengers limited series.
In 2003, Busiek began a new Conan series for Dark Horse Comics, which he wrote for four years.
In December 2005 Busiek signed a two-year exclusive contract with DC Comics. During DC's Infinite Crisis event, he teamed with Geoff Johns on a "One Year Later" eight-part story arc (called Up, Up and Away) that encompassed both Superman titles. In addition, he began writing the DC title Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis from issues 40-49. Busiek was the writer of Superman for two years, before followed by James Robinson starting from Superman #677. Busiek wrote a 52-issue weekly DC miniseries called Trinity, starring Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. Each issue (except for issue #1) featured a 12-page main story by Busiek, with art by Mark Bagley, and a ten-page backup story co-written by Busiek and Fabian Nicieza, with art from various artists, including Tom Derenick, Mike Norton and Scott McDaniel.
Busiek's work has won him numerous awards in the comics industry, including the Harvey Award for Best Writer in 1998 and the Eisner Award for Best Writer in 1999. In 1994, with Marvels, he won Best Finite Series/Limited Series Eisner Award and the Best Continuing or Limited Series Harvey Award; as well as the Harvey Award for Best Single Issue or Story (for Marvels #4) in 1995. In 1996, with Astro City, Busiek won both the Eisner and Harvey awards for Best New Series. He won the Best Single Issue/Single Story Eisner three years in a row from 1996–1998, as well as in 2004. Busiek won the Best Continuing Series Eisner Award in 1997–1998, as well as the Best Serialized Story award in 1998. In addition, Astro City was awarded the 1996 Best Single Issue or Story Harvey Award, and the 1998 Harvey Award for Best Continuing or Limited Series.
Busiek was given the 1998 and 1999 Comics Buyer's Guide Awards for Favorite Writer, with additional nominations in 1997 and every year from 2000 to 2004. He has also received numerous Squiddy Awards, having been selected as favorite writer four years in a row from 1995 to 1998,
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 2, 2012
Running concurrent with the "One Year Later" stories, this one showed the aspect of people's doubts on a hero who takes a year long vacation.
June 17, 2018
A very short Busiek graphic novel, along with three older Superman team-ups featuring Firestorm, Deadman, and the Metal Men. Busiek's story is overly concerned with the "Is it really him?" theme that dominated the title for too long, but other than that the "collector" story is okay if too familiar. The art is okay. I preferred the older stories, both words and art, particularly The Metal Men.
January 3, 2015
I’ve read and reviewed Busiek’s works before and it’s always been a pleasure. His style and substance is both wholly unique and rewarding. He’s a top notch story teller with a master’s touch in developing characters and theme. To quote The Bard “He doth polish yon turds.”
It’s more of the same with this sparse trade paperback. Sparse. Trade paperback. SPARSE. Busiek takes what should be a turd – Earth invaded by intergalactic Auctioneer who steals landmarks and superheroes with the standard impunity while spitting satirical jargon and interacting with slapstick cohorts – and turns it into a tropical smoothie. It’s not his standard gourmet meal but, hey, it’s pallatable, and it’s decent filler material which rises above the mediocrity it was destined for.
Busiek’s trademark inner monologues, realistic dialogues and sense of introspection add a touch of depth to what should have been a bland rock-em-sock-em frag fest. There wasn’t much space, not enough pages, to turn this into a proper Busiek masterpiece, but he salvages (pun!) what he can, and gets a high enough price for it.
As a standalone story, this arc would deserve a 3 out of 5 star rating as it borders just a notch above average and is ultimately enjoyable. However, the decision to make this into a deluxe TPB, and then pad out the length of the book with throwaway vintage Superman work (while gorgeous, it certainly not essential here, thematically or logically) was a poor move. The value for the dollar just isn’t here at all, and it’s existence is unjustified. Rent it from the library, borrow it from the internet, but don’t buy this book unless you’re an absolute completionist.
It’s more of the same with this sparse trade paperback. Sparse. Trade paperback. SPARSE. Busiek takes what should be a turd – Earth invaded by intergalactic Auctioneer who steals landmarks and superheroes with the standard impunity while spitting satirical jargon and interacting with slapstick cohorts – and turns it into a tropical smoothie. It’s not his standard gourmet meal but, hey, it’s pallatable, and it’s decent filler material which rises above the mediocrity it was destined for.
Busiek’s trademark inner monologues, realistic dialogues and sense of introspection add a touch of depth to what should have been a bland rock-em-sock-em frag fest. There wasn’t much space, not enough pages, to turn this into a proper Busiek masterpiece, but he salvages (pun!) what he can, and gets a high enough price for it.
As a standalone story, this arc would deserve a 3 out of 5 star rating as it borders just a notch above average and is ultimately enjoyable. However, the decision to make this into a deluxe TPB, and then pad out the length of the book with throwaway vintage Superman work (while gorgeous, it certainly not essential here, thematically or logically) was a poor move. The value for the dollar just isn’t here at all, and it’s existence is unjustified. Rent it from the library, borrow it from the internet, but don’t buy this book unless you’re an absolute completionist.
July 31, 2011
Probably the most purely fun story from Kurt Busiek's underrated run on the Superman titles.
December 25, 2017
The Man of Steel returns in this DC collection of tales. Having been missing for a year, Superman has regained his powers and is determined to renew the people's trust in him. With memories of the four fraudulent Supermen still fresh, the process is slow going for the denizens of Earth. The arrival of an alien collector soon gives Kal-El the chance to shine once more, as he leads an unlikely crew - Nightwing, Firestorm, Livewire, Blue Jay, the new Aquaman, Veteran, and Skyrocket - on a mission to save the planet from being auctioned off to the highest bidder. The volume highlights a few issues from the early 1980s, as Superman teams up with some unlikely guest stars to battle various threats. The first sees the Metal Men make an appearance in order to stop the threat of Chemo and IQ. The original Firestorm finally meets Superman to take down the classic Killer Frost in another olden tale, while the ghostly Deadman aids the Man of Steel in saving the planet in the final installment. The opening arc from Action Comics is a fun romp that places Superman back at the forefront of the DC Universe after the entire 52 mess, featuring guest appearances galore during the light-hearted plot. The back-issue bin materials from DC Comics Presents are a nice addition to remind readers just how far comics have come in only a few decades, with inane plot devices and flat characterizations that are just hilarious to read now. Superman: Back in Action is a nice collection for the Man of steel, sending him back into the spotlight where he belongs.
March 23, 2025
This wasn't good. Superman from this era was rough. Here, talented veteran Kurt Busiek tells a generic tale about an overly powerful alien who starts collecting Earth things and people for...reasons. Its not good. Superman isn't trusted which makes little sense even given his recent actions. The whole story was lame and the alien dialect was annoying. Pete Woods does some really nice work on the art side but not its not enough. Overall, another clunker.
October 18, 2025
Quite brief, more of a connecting section between 'Up, Up and Away' and 'Camelot Falls' but very entertaining. Additionally, I love all the extra stuff at the back, handpicked older Superman stories Busiek is a fan of that inform his understanding of the character.
February 11, 2019
Story ends too soon and feels incomplete. However is enjoyable. Has 3 random stories at the end
March 2, 2021
Superman vs EBay. If it were just about the plot this’d be 2 stars but Busiek has a few good beats for Supertan[sic].
Read
April 20, 2021An okay story by Busiek padded out with three 70s-80s reprints. Neither here nor there.
May 8, 2024
I read this because of Kurt Busiek, but the book did not really have much narrative tension
July 19, 2024
If you can get past Busiek's heavy, overly-expository dialogue (in one leap, Ravager is able to say, "Not a problem, Titans! Not so long as you've got li'l old me and my energized bio-staff! Is she, Vic? Maybe so, maybe no! First, let me deal with these little beauties, before the time fuses my enhanced hearing picked up burn down and then, maybe I can hitch a ride with what my enhanced vision saw coming up fast--" -- thereby explaining her rather unspectacular powers that don't require any explanation.) and the silliness of a cosmic Ebay guy - honestly, this story was pretty fun.
It tackles the theme of why other heroes aspire to Superman and why the world sees him differently that other heroes, and it does a pretty good job of doing so. Good action, some nice twists. Don't over-think it and you should enjoy it. I did anyway.
The back-up stories - reprinted from old DC COMICS PRESENTS issues - are slightly mixed. The stories don't age terribly well, particularly the cornball Metal Men story (but are there really any Metal Men stories that aren't 100% cornball?) and the Firestorm story is exposition-heavy - but Garcia-Lopez's art is nice, and they have a few decent twists. Probably not worth getting for the filler stories though!
++++++++++++++++++
I recently acquired the SUPERMAN BY KURT BUSIEK vol. 1 hardcover collection, which collects (among many others) the three issues of ACTION COMICS that lead off this book, so I figured this book is redundant. I flipped through it quickly before tossing it in the library donation piles and, whoa! I totally forgot about those DC COMICS PRESENTS stories reprinted in the back, so I reread just the back-ups prior to moving this book to the donations pile.
Rereading them now, I got a little more enjoyment from them than I did all those years ago. Or maybe I enjoyed them just as much in 2007, but didn't know how to convey it in my review, because my star rating isn't changing from three stars, but I did generally enjoy the stories - even the Metal Men one!
It tackles the theme of why other heroes aspire to Superman and why the world sees him differently that other heroes, and it does a pretty good job of doing so. Good action, some nice twists. Don't over-think it and you should enjoy it. I did anyway.
The back-up stories - reprinted from old DC COMICS PRESENTS issues - are slightly mixed. The stories don't age terribly well, particularly the cornball Metal Men story (but are there really any Metal Men stories that aren't 100% cornball?) and the Firestorm story is exposition-heavy - but Garcia-Lopez's art is nice, and they have a few decent twists. Probably not worth getting for the filler stories though!
++++++++++++++++++
I recently acquired the SUPERMAN BY KURT BUSIEK vol. 1 hardcover collection, which collects (among many others) the three issues of ACTION COMICS that lead off this book, so I figured this book is redundant. I flipped through it quickly before tossing it in the library donation piles and, whoa! I totally forgot about those DC COMICS PRESENTS stories reprinted in the back, so I reread just the back-ups prior to moving this book to the donations pile.
Rereading them now, I got a little more enjoyment from them than I did all those years ago. Or maybe I enjoyed them just as much in 2007, but didn't know how to convey it in my review, because my star rating isn't changing from three stars, but I did generally enjoy the stories - even the Metal Men one!
February 25, 2012
I was interested in reading the story that followed
Superman: Up, Up, and Away!
, but, hoo boy, this is definitely a step down from that wonderful book. The interesting thread is the public's skepticism that Superman is really Superman (as one character points out, the last time Superman "came back," there were four of them, all fake), but that's incidental set dressing. Rather than explore this idea head-on, Kurt Busiek and Fabian Nicieza concoct an excuse for a wacky team-up book, forcing Superman to work together with an odd assortment of heroes (and one villain) to save the world from aliens who are stealing lots of stuff. It's cute and fun but there's not much substance or character work here, and the story mostly seems to exist to set up some future plotlines that I don't really care about. Also, the art is meh. Geez, Busiek, way to destroy my interest in Superman so soon!
Also, there are three old-school Superman wacky team-up stories thrown in to fill the book out, and they are silly and old-school, if you like that sort of thing.
Also, there are three old-school Superman wacky team-up stories thrown in to fill the book out, and they are silly and old-school, if you like that sort of thing.
March 4, 2016
After a year out of action, Superman returns, but has trouble convincing anyone it's really him (since the last time anything like this happened Supes had four fakes impersonating him). He proves it in a battle against the alien Auctioneer that Busiek makes much more entertaining than it ought to be. However as someone who was reading DC during this period, it's jarring to see some of the now-forgotten reboots (different Flash, different Firestorm, different Aquaman) that faded away soon after.
To fill out the volume this takes three stand-alone stories from DC Comics Presents, the 1970s/80s Superman team-up book.
To fill out the volume this takes three stand-alone stories from DC Comics Presents, the 1970s/80s Superman team-up book.
January 11, 2009
Busiek creates an interesting "villain" and as usual does some very solid writing, but it's nothing special.
The graphic novel had to be padded out with three "classic" Superman team-ups which are notable mainly for their art (Jose Garcia-Lopez) than for their stories.
The graphic novel had to be padded out with three "classic" Superman team-ups which are notable mainly for their art (Jose Garcia-Lopez) than for their stories.
November 9, 2021
I loved the classic Silver Age vibe and dynamic look of this volume. Keep it coming!
We recounted favorite Superman stories in this vintage episode of the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/ep...
We recounted favorite Superman stories in this vintage episode of the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/ep...
February 4, 2008
My favorite Superman story. Way better than the Superman Returns movie......like 20 times better.
July 10, 2013
A fair story by Busiek & Nicieza, annoyingly padded with reprints from the 1980s.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews