Superman: Action Comics Vol. 1: Boy of Steel

by Mark Waid

All-star writer Mark Waid has teamed up with rising star artist Skylar Patridge to tell a brand-new, definitive story of the Man of Steel’s youth! Action Comics tells the story of a teenage Clark Kent in his life on Kent Farm as he struggles to fit into his life both in high school and on Earth as a burgeoning Kryptonian superhero!

The Boy of Steel returns! Mark Waid and Skylar Patridge explore the early days of Superman as Clark Kent struggles to fit into his life both as an adoptive member of humanity and as a teenage boy in Kansas! Of course, neither of those things is easy, especially when you also happen to be harboring your secret identity as Superboy, the Boy of Steel!

This coming-of-age story links the Clark Kent of the past to the Clark Kent of the present and future, creating the perfect jumping-on point for new and lapsed readers alike to rediscover the Man of Steel and what makes him a quintessential comic book icon!

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Superman, Graphic Novels Comics

144 pages, Paperback

First published June 16, 2026

About the author

Mark Waid is an American comic book writer widely known for shaping modern superhero storytelling through influential runs on major characters at both DC Comics and Marvel Comics. Raised in Alabama, he developed an early fascination with comic books, particularly classic stories featuring the Legion of Super-Heroes, whose imaginative scope and sense of legacy would later inform his own writing. He first entered the comics industry during the mid 1980s as an editor and writer for the fan magazine Amazing Heroes, before publishing his first professional comic story in Action Comics. Soon afterward he joined DC Comics as an editor, contributing to numerous titles and helping shape projects across the company. After leaving editorial work to focus on writing, Waid gained widespread recognition with his long run on The Flash, where he expanded the mythology of the character and co-created the youthful speedster Impulse. His reputation grew further with the celebrated graphic novel Kingdom Come, created with artist Alex Ross, which imagined a future DC Universe shaped by generational conflict among superheroes. Over the years he has written many prominent series, including Captain America, Fantastic Four, Daredevil, and Superman: Birthright, bringing a balance of optimism, character depth, and respect for comic book history to each project. Waid has also collaborated with notable artists and writers on major ensemble titles such as Justice League and Avengers, while contributing ideas that helped clarify complex continuity within shared superhero universes. Beyond mainstream superhero work, he has supported creator owned projects and experimental publishing models, including the acclaimed series Irredeemable and Incorruptible, which explored moral ambiguity within the superhero genre. He later took on editorial leadership roles at Boom Studios, guiding creative direction while continuing to write extensively. In subsequent years he expanded his involvement in publishing and digital storytelling, helping launch online comics initiatives and advocating for new distribution methods for creators. His work has earned numerous industry awards, including Eisner and Harvey honors, reflecting both critical acclaim and enduring popularity among readers. Throughout his career Waid has remained a passionate student of comic book history, drawing on decades of storytelling tradition while continually encouraging innovation within the medium. His influence extends across generations of readers and creators, and his stories continue to shape the evolving language of superhero comics around the world today through enduring characters imaginative narratives and thoughtful reinventions of familiar myths within popular culture and modern graphic storytelling traditions.

Reviews

[Roman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Марк Вейд є чудовим автором, але як показав минулий його сюжет у тривалці Екшен Комікс навіть він здатен промахуватися. Тим не менш новини про те, що він продовжить писати серію і його історія відбуватиметься в період коли Кларк був Супербоєм викликала цікавість. Тож, давайте дізнаємося чи вдалося йому не налажати.

Сам сюжет показує перші кроки молодого Кларка у ролі супергероя й за цим було досить цікаво спостерігати. Мені взагалі подобається, що свого першого поганця він переміг за рахунок історій про ТСА від па Кента. Оскільки Кларк у нас підліток, то у нас тут присутні звичні елементи для підліткових історій про супергероїв, будь то те, що Кларку доводиться приховувати свої здібності й давати себе булити, прикидатися посереднім учнем, намагатися сходити на побачення з Ланою Ленґ лиш для того, щоб дізнатися, що вона закохана в Супербоя. Ще однією лінією тут є те, що у Кларка тут ненадовго з'являється наставник, і оскільки Вейд це Вейд, він вирішив використати Капітана Комету, який існує ще з часів Золотої Доби. Тут Вейд намагається змусити читачів думати, що у нього є якісь зловісні наміри, Комета навіть допомагає військовим слідкувати за Супербоєм, однак те як в результаті закінчується історія мені навіть дуже сподобалася.

Цей сюжет вийшов дуже приємним, читалося все доволі цікаво, а малюнок був цілком добротним. Я навіть певні вайби Алтімейт Павука відчув. Радує, що історія Супербоя в Екшен Комікс від Вейда продовжиться, однозначно постараюся слідкувати.

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

After dipping in for the weekly Phantoms story and then dipping out again for the conclusion of the Superman Superstars initiative, Mark Waid takes on Action Comics properly, flashing back to Superman's adventures as Superboy at age 15, growing up in Smallville.

Waid's always a sign of quality, and this book's no exception. Superboy's struggles feel real for the character and the time period (even if things are a little more up to date now since everyone has phones), and the character drama shines too. The opening five issues featuring Captain Comet are the strongest, but the following four issues (two, two issue arcs) are great too, digging into some moral quandaries for Clark himself as well as Pete and Lana.

Artwise we have Skylar Patridge for most of the issues, with Cian Tormey and Patricio Delpeche taking a few issues each as well. This is a fairly chunky trade at nine issues, and the overall visual style is pretty gorgeous.

Action Comics has been a little directionless since Phillip Kennedy Johnson left, but Waid's here to right the ship properly.

[Paul Mirek · Rating 4 out of 5]

The extended flashback framing – which thankfully fades into the background after a few issues – is really just a nice excuse to give us a young Clark that feels truly embodied for the first time in a while. Even the most recent cinematic outing kept us at arm's length as it laid the foundations for Gunn's new mega-meta-narrative (anyone heard how that's going lately?). But Waid is nothing if not a classicist, and here we get a succession of mostly effective sci-fi short stories about balancing the visceral thrills of being able to lift a car with one hand with having to hide being the Most Interesting Man in the World – at least as far as one conceives it in high school. It's not the most subtle set-up, I admit, but that's part of the charm. Patridge's art is also deceptively effective in a way that I'm sure is very tough to pull off; looking forward to more.

[Utkarsh Bansal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Waid trusts the system too much to be a good fit for Superman. But Patridge is great.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark Waid is no stranger to Superman and he has written some of the best stories to feature the Man of Steel, from Superman: Birthright, which is the definitive version of the character’s origin story to his ongoing run that is Batman/Superman: World’s Finest. Although he has written a Superman-like superhero who turns bad as seen in Irredeemable, when he specifically writes DC’s most iconic character, Waid never comes from a place of cynicism, and that is evident to this day with another series that he is currently writing.

Having done a few issues for Action Comics on-and-off over the years, Waid does an actual run on the title, but instead of focusing on where Superman is currently at – with Joshua Williamson taking the character along with the DC universe through seismic shifts – Waid steps back into the past. The opening pages of this volume show Superman in the present day celebrating the tech-based Expo of Tomorrow with Mayor Perry White, and he remembers his earliest memories of the expo, we flash back to the fifteen-year-old Clark who will introduce himself to the world as Superboy.

Throughout this volume, the adult Clark narrates, reminiscing of his teenage years, which were complicated like any other teenager went through, adding to the difficulties that he is an all-powerful alien who must maintain a secret identity. You can see a lot of parallels between this and Spider-Man, from a teenager who is wrestling with duties as both a high school student where he is bullied and a superhero whose reputation is constantly getting tested. However, much like Sophie Campbell’s Supergirl run, the soap opera that balances small-scale superhero spectacle and small-town politics is one of the best aspects of the book.

Despite the Spidey comparisons, this is a Superboy story with brief references to the wider DC universe. As well as not knowing the full extent of his powers, some of which haven’t developed, the teenage Clark is learning a lot throughout these issues, not least from his loving parents who gave him important lessons such as never using his abilities for personal gain. Even unlikely mentors like the Atomic Age superhero Captain Comet, who could’ve been an excuse for Waid to bring back an obscure DC character, and yet gives Clark a lesson about gaining everyone’s trust if he is going to be the most powerful being on Earth.

As previously stated, this is not one of grand superhero action, and while there are some solid set-pieces with our shaggy-haired teenage hero battling various forces, the main artist Skylar Patridge is more interested in the soap opera, in which Clark gets jealous of his childhood crush Lana Lang being in love with his alter-ego. Considering this is a flashback story, I appreciate the lack of treating the whole thing like a period as Waid and Partridge bring a modernity to these characters, especially when it comes to the high school setting. Cian Tormey and Patricio Delpeche step in as guest artists, the latter of which has arguably the best two issues from this volume, one being Superboy getting his first exposure of the horrors of war, and the other being a Pete Ross-centric narrative about wrestling with keeping one’s secret.

A jam-packed volume to start Mark Waid’s time on Action Comics, which is a nice change of pace compared to the crazier adventures that the Man of Steel is currently going through.

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mark waid cooked with this comic and this volume was so incredible showing Clarks time as superboy and bringing that continuity back and he does so well to fill in that time period. I love how it starts off at the expo and he makes his debut there when the villain RAZE attacks and it makes for a fun battle and then what happens there after!

Love how Captain comet is introduced in the run early on as an antagonist figure only to find out he is testing clark and maybe training him and love the drama there. Meanwhile Clark is going through all the phermones with crush on Lana and how she has changed after the summer and all that and then bumping into her and going out with her and finding out she has a crush on Superboy lol and love his friendship with Pete Ross here and hoping they expand more on that later!

The recurring joke of him burning down the dresses lol love that.. kinda reminds me of that recurring joke with the suits from Robert venditti's man of tomorrow series.. love that one..

And how the story ends with Captain comet its so filled with heart and like truly gets at who Clark is and love that part and it makes me miss Cptain comet and like he was a great mentor to clark in those early days and would love to see his early adventures.. or comic written by waid.. its so truly wholesome and awesome..

Plus General Lane and the tension there.. like love how Waid tackled it very early on as its a legitimate question why will they not use Superman and Waid tackles it really well and sets future plots..

I love this volume and its easily one of my favorite reads of the year like you will have a smile reading this as its quintessentially Superman and his early adventures as superboy and waid fills the gap so well with moments familiar and new and the phases we go through when Clark was that age.. we will relate with him more.. love it! And the art was phenomenal! I had such a good time reading it and HIGHLY RECOMMEND it!!

[Ángel Javier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy entretenida recreación de los primeros años del Chico de Acero, con tramas inteligentemente construidas y una fluida narración que nos permite disfrutar y comprender mejor los años formativos del futuro mayor héroe de ficción de todos los tiempos.

Como Waid es como es, podemos ver en acción hasta al Capitán Cometa, ese humano del futuro que salía en títulos añejísimos de DC, junto a Adam Strange o el Taxista Espacial y toda esa peña. Justo hace unos meses publicó la editorial un Finest en el que salían algunas aventuras un tanto anodinas —justo es decirlo— de este señor con poderes rarunos que en estos tebeos se hace pasar por mentor del joven Clark, sirviendo en realidad a intereses más turbios. Por lo demás, pues eso, historietas desenfadadas, divertidas y bien hechas, que suponen la puesta al día de numerosos conceptos de la Silver Age. ¿Qué más se puede pedir a un cómic de Superboy?

[Shannon Appelcline · Rating 4 out of 5]

The new adventures of Superman as a boy. This is definitely a comic that's well-suited to Waid, and he does a great job with it.

A lot of the joy in this is that Waid returns to the trope of ... well at least the Bronze Age, as that's when I was reading Superboy (in the wonderful post-LoSH comic backed-up by Dial H for Hero). The Pete Ross issue is the best example of that as Waid gives us back a secret-keeping Superboy-empowering Ross that has been long lost.

But Waid also gives it all a very modern feel. And the best example of that is the Superboy-at-war issue with General Lane. This is an explicitly post-Crisis Sam Lane, but he manages to integrate well with the Superboy story.

The weakest part of the volume was probably the Comet-as-teacher arc that kicks things off because its heel-turns confuse a brand-new comic. But even in those issues, the rest is great.

[Mike Jozic · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Read as single issues.

[Belfry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.7 stars

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Waid knows his Superman. It’s approachable for all ages but still has some big DC deep cuts for the older fans.