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Action Comics (2011)
Superman: Action Comics, Vol. 4: Hybrid
Determained to turn the people of Metropolis against the Man of Steel and finally vanquish him from the Earth, Lex Luthor unleashes a virus on Metropolis capable of rewriting the DNA of those infected, including Superman.
While Superman's immune system eventually fights off the infection, but not before a hybrid Superman is created through the virus' ability to rewrite DNA. This new hybrid Superman is the only being capable of defeating the true Superman and Lex will stop at nothing to see it accomplish it's mission.
Collects Action Comics #19-24, and stories from Young
Romance: The New 52 #1 and Superman Annual #2
While Superman's immune system eventually fights off the infection, but not before a hybrid Superman is created through the virus' ability to rewrite DNA. This new hybrid Superman is the only being capable of defeating the true Superman and Lex will stop at nothing to see it accomplish it's mission.
Collects Action Comics #19-24, and stories from Young
Romance: The New 52 #1 and Superman Annual #2
175 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 29, 2014
About the author
Andy Diggle
545 books176 followersAndy Diggle is a British comic book writer and former editor of 2000 AD. He is best known for his work on The Losers,Swamp Thing, Hellblazer, Adam Strange and Silent Dragon at DC Comics and for his run on Thunderbolts and Daredevil after his move to Marvel.
In 2013 Diggle left writing DC's Action Comics and began working with Dynamite Entertainment, writing a paranormal crime series Uncanny. He is also working on another crime series with his wife titled Control that is set to begin publishing in 2014.
In 2013 Diggle left writing DC's Action Comics and began working with Dynamite Entertainment, writing a paranormal crime series Uncanny. He is also working on another crime series with his wife titled Control that is set to begin publishing in 2014.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
August 19, 2022
(B-) 71% | Satisfactory
Notes: An alright to abysmal assorted anthology, it's an awkward array of anecdotes: aimless, awry, and ascendingly abject.
Notes: An alright to abysmal assorted anthology, it's an awkward array of anecdotes: aimless, awry, and ascendingly abject.
December 4, 2015
The first half of this one that Diggle wrote (including the Hybrid story) is pretty good.
Lex is out to get Superman by creating a virus to destroy him, as Lex does...
But of course there are unexpected things that happen, and Superman saves the day!
There was also a bit in the beginning showing how Clark almost had Lois on the hook, but due to (again) Lex & his schemes he lost his window of opportunity.
There's one more issue by Diggle, Truth or Dare, featuring Clark and Diana on a date.
It's basically a throwaway story, but the art for this one just takes it to a whole extra level of awful. Diana looks like a weird boob-monster, and Clark's face looks like half-melted silly putty.
Lobdell takes over writing duties, and...
Yeah, it went about as well as expected.
A random story with Hector Hammond in space transitions (badly) into a portion of Superman Psi War. If you haven't read Psi War, none of it will make even a bit of sense. And if you have read it, it's still jarring.
Why?! Why is that story even in this title?!
Last up, a whole 4 part series about The World of Krypton featuring a young Jor-el and Lara.
It wasn't the worst thing I've ever read, but I honestly care so little about characters who are already reallyreallyreally dead that I was pretty detached from their story.
It seems like everyone is trying to get me to care about the backstories of those two characters, but I simply cannot muster up any fucks for those two. Sorry.
The first bit is decent Superman stuff, but once you add in Lobdell's issues & the random inclusion of a tiny bit of Psi War? I'm feeling mighty generous giving the whole volume 3 stars.
Lex is out to get Superman by creating a virus to destroy him, as Lex does...
But of course there are unexpected things that happen, and Superman saves the day!
There was also a bit in the beginning showing how Clark almost had Lois on the hook, but due to (again) Lex & his schemes he lost his window of opportunity.
There's one more issue by Diggle, Truth or Dare, featuring Clark and Diana on a date.
It's basically a throwaway story, but the art for this one just takes it to a whole extra level of awful. Diana looks like a weird boob-monster, and Clark's face looks like half-melted silly putty.
Lobdell takes over writing duties, and...
Yeah, it went about as well as expected.
A random story with Hector Hammond in space transitions (badly) into a portion of Superman Psi War. If you haven't read Psi War, none of it will make even a bit of sense. And if you have read it, it's still jarring.
Why?! Why is that story even in this title?!
Last up, a whole 4 part series about The World of Krypton featuring a young Jor-el and Lara.
It wasn't the worst thing I've ever read, but I honestly care so little about characters who are already reallyreallyreally dead that I was pretty detached from their story.
It seems like everyone is trying to get me to care about the backstories of those two characters, but I simply cannot muster up any fucks for those two. Sorry.
The first bit is decent Superman stuff, but once you add in Lobdell's issues & the random inclusion of a tiny bit of Psi War? I'm feeling mighty generous giving the whole volume 3 stars.
December 10, 2017
The long and the short of this one is that Action Comics, Volume 4: Hybrid is yet another crummy Superman book to add to the teetering pile of bad Superman comics already out there!
“Hybrid” is an appropriate subtitle as this volume is made up of issues from numerous writers and artists. After Grant Morrison’s departure, Andy Diggle seemed like a promising replacement - except he jumps ship a mere two issues into his run (creators suddenly abandoning DC was an all too frequent problem in the New 52 days), leaving DC Editorial scrambling to figure out how to right the title’s course!
Not that his issues were that good anyway - Diggle is hit-or-miss as a writer and it looks like his Action run was gonna be a miss. Lex infects Supes with Kryptonite-infused nanobots or some such rubbish in an effort to control him and become Earth’s saviour - whatever. Tony Daniel’s art is awesome though - Superman looks spectacular, as does the action (remember ACTION comics!). Daniel isn’t nearly as gifted a writer though and the issue he wrote after Diggle’s departure is a noticeably clunkier and less subtle read, much like his (far too many) Batman efforts.
After a completely forgettable romance interlude where Superman and Wonder Woman go on a restaurant date and fight some Greek mythology baddies (snore), the book goes into a freefall that it never recovers from. Scott Lobdell (shudder) contributes a couple of dreary, derivative issues where Superman joins forces with a cheap Hulk knockoff to punch a giant Groot lookalike, which reads as stupid and pointless as it sounds. Again the art is the only positive as Tyler Kirkham tries to make the best of a bad situation with his visuals.
Then we’re into part 2 of a storyline called PSI War (part 1 isn’t included - good job, DC!) involving Psycho Pirate messing with Supes while Lois turns into a blue ghost. Who fucking knows/cares when it comes to Lobdell’s comics! This disaster of a volume closes out with some needless, absolutely boring story about a young Jor-El fighting someone who isn’t General Zod but who’s still trying to stage a military coup to overthrow Krypton’s government (a seemingly recurring problem on Krypton!).
The art is more or less consistently high quality throughout but it doesn’t make up for an equally consistently low quality level of writing that produces a near-comatose reading experience - I definitely wouldn’t bother with this tedious volume. For a series called Action Comics it sure contains a disproportionately large number of dull books!
“Hybrid” is an appropriate subtitle as this volume is made up of issues from numerous writers and artists. After Grant Morrison’s departure, Andy Diggle seemed like a promising replacement - except he jumps ship a mere two issues into his run (creators suddenly abandoning DC was an all too frequent problem in the New 52 days), leaving DC Editorial scrambling to figure out how to right the title’s course!
Not that his issues were that good anyway - Diggle is hit-or-miss as a writer and it looks like his Action run was gonna be a miss. Lex infects Supes with Kryptonite-infused nanobots or some such rubbish in an effort to control him and become Earth’s saviour - whatever. Tony Daniel’s art is awesome though - Superman looks spectacular, as does the action (remember ACTION comics!). Daniel isn’t nearly as gifted a writer though and the issue he wrote after Diggle’s departure is a noticeably clunkier and less subtle read, much like his (far too many) Batman efforts.
After a completely forgettable romance interlude where Superman and Wonder Woman go on a restaurant date and fight some Greek mythology baddies (snore), the book goes into a freefall that it never recovers from. Scott Lobdell (shudder) contributes a couple of dreary, derivative issues where Superman joins forces with a cheap Hulk knockoff to punch a giant Groot lookalike, which reads as stupid and pointless as it sounds. Again the art is the only positive as Tyler Kirkham tries to make the best of a bad situation with his visuals.
Then we’re into part 2 of a storyline called PSI War (part 1 isn’t included - good job, DC!) involving Psycho Pirate messing with Supes while Lois turns into a blue ghost. Who fucking knows/cares when it comes to Lobdell’s comics! This disaster of a volume closes out with some needless, absolutely boring story about a young Jor-El fighting someone who isn’t General Zod but who’s still trying to stage a military coup to overthrow Krypton’s government (a seemingly recurring problem on Krypton!).
The art is more or less consistently high quality throughout but it doesn’t make up for an equally consistently low quality level of writing that produces a near-comatose reading experience - I definitely wouldn’t bother with this tedious volume. For a series called Action Comics it sure contains a disproportionately large number of dull books!
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August 6, 2023worst collection eveeeeeeeeeeeeer you will need to read superman collection to understand the whole story
August 20, 2024
Another enjoyable comic omnibus.
EDIT: I don't know what I was thinking back when I first reviewed these in 2016...but this series is not nearly as good as I thought it was back then.
EDIT: I don't know what I was thinking back when I first reviewed these in 2016...but this series is not nearly as good as I thought it was back then.
November 27, 2015
Read through #2
Ugh. This is why I hate grab bags...3-4 story lines, all crap. All start nowhere, make no sense, with the "1 year ago" tag. Lex in a suit, engineered a virus to wipe out Supes. Costs a bunch of human lives...probably why he's in jail later on.
Stupid alien stuff about Pax Galactica, Hector Hammond? Why is he here, we never saw him in GL, and they had a billion titles.
Then a Krypton storyline about Jor-El and Lara, and Zod as an ally..yawn.
Psi war? Psycho Pirate is coolish...then Lois is a psychic power? Who looks like a blue version of Johnny Storm???
What a bag of shit. I didn't see Scott Lobdell on this when I reserved it a second time...and Diggle only did some idea, not the actual writing....
Such a clusterfuck. Makes Grant Morrison and his Action Comics run look divine.
I have no idea why my library decided to order Action Comics at vol. 4....there's no others in the system. I have no idea what's going on, and a few pages of scanning and there's an evil,copy superman? Yawn, no thanks. Yet another poor library hold...bad streak I'm on right now.
Ugh. This is why I hate grab bags...3-4 story lines, all crap. All start nowhere, make no sense, with the "1 year ago" tag. Lex in a suit, engineered a virus to wipe out Supes. Costs a bunch of human lives...probably why he's in jail later on.
Stupid alien stuff about Pax Galactica, Hector Hammond? Why is he here, we never saw him in GL, and they had a billion titles.
Then a Krypton storyline about Jor-El and Lara, and Zod as an ally..yawn.
Psi war? Psycho Pirate is coolish...then Lois is a psychic power? Who looks like a blue version of Johnny Storm???
What a bag of shit. I didn't see Scott Lobdell on this when I reserved it a second time...and Diggle only did some idea, not the actual writing....
Such a clusterfuck. Makes Grant Morrison and his Action Comics run look divine.
I have no idea why my library decided to order Action Comics at vol. 4....there's no others in the system. I have no idea what's going on, and a few pages of scanning and there's an evil,copy superman? Yawn, no thanks. Yet another poor library hold...bad streak I'm on right now.
February 8, 2017
Giant head is back again.
June 26, 2015
The "Hybrid" story was pretty enjoyable, a straightforward, clearly told plot, decent artwork, Lex Luthor and Supes seemed more like their classic selves.
The story featuring the Atomic Knights was just okay; however, there was something about this story that, for me, hearkened back the traditional, adventurous tone of the pre-new 52 Action Comics. So it was still a good read, in my opinion.
The "Krypton Returns" story that was originally published as Action Comics Annual #2 really did nothing for me. I don't know why, but I truly couldn't care less about the Krypton mythology that the New-52 had been trying to build. The planet is dead and gone, let's just keep it that way!
All-in-all, I thought this collection was much more on-target with the classic Action Comics brand, and for me, was a welcome return after Grant Morrison's attempt at reinventing this series.
3.5/5
The story featuring the Atomic Knights was just okay; however, there was something about this story that, for me, hearkened back the traditional, adventurous tone of the pre-new 52 Action Comics. So it was still a good read, in my opinion.
The "Krypton Returns" story that was originally published as Action Comics Annual #2 really did nothing for me. I don't know why, but I truly couldn't care less about the Krypton mythology that the New-52 had been trying to build. The planet is dead and gone, let's just keep it that way!
All-in-all, I thought this collection was much more on-target with the classic Action Comics brand, and for me, was a welcome return after Grant Morrison's attempt at reinventing this series.
3.5/5
May 23, 2016
Well better than the last volume but this might be it for me on Action Comics. The Hybrid storyline was good enough but not "great" and that sucks. Superman faces some type of fungus like creature that grew from him. Interesting enough, and some good character moments with Lex and Lois, but then the last two issues are just boring and a fight in space without anything of interest happening. So it's not bad, better than last two, but overall it's just okay.
December 31, 2014
The advantage of having Diggle write Action Comics is that for the first time since the 52boot, it feels like it's part of the same continuity as the rest of the Superman comics. Even better, he uses his "1 year earlier" timeframe to setup current continuity in the way that Morrison should have but never did. Unfortunately, beyond that Hybrid is a pretty dull comic, full of fighting without enough characterization or subplot. In other words: Nu52 House Style, as usual [5/10]
Unfortunately, when Lobdell takes over after Diggle's very short run, we move from a skilled writer trying to work under horrific editorial constraints to a more mediocre writer doing the same, and it shows. Atomic Knights has some neat imagination of new fellows and foes, but it's otherwise a very dull story that borders on laughable super cliches. If you were going to write a totally generic Nu52 story, this would be it [3/10]. And then we get a little teaser for a grossly incomplete story called Psi War, which seems to mainly be an advertisement for "Superman v.4", because DC isn't really about telling stories any more. [1/10]
Finally, The World of Krypton is some of the better writing in this volume, but it's just not that interesting [5/10].
Unfortunately, this volume generally epitomizes the cliche of dying by inches. Modern-day Superman has been pretty horrible since the Nu52. He's largely shed his supporting cast and the modern-day authors have no idea about how to write the Man himself well. The result is some of the worst Superman since the '90s. Action Comics used to be the single shining light against that. Mind you, it was often horribly flawed, but at least it was unusual and innovative in its flaws. But here, that all changes. First Diggle steps back from Morrison's originality, then Lobdell abandons the past timeframe entirely, revealing a book that's just as bad as what's been going on in the main Superman title all along.
Unfortunately, when Lobdell takes over after Diggle's very short run, we move from a skilled writer trying to work under horrific editorial constraints to a more mediocre writer doing the same, and it shows. Atomic Knights has some neat imagination of new fellows and foes, but it's otherwise a very dull story that borders on laughable super cliches. If you were going to write a totally generic Nu52 story, this would be it [3/10]. And then we get a little teaser for a grossly incomplete story called Psi War, which seems to mainly be an advertisement for "Superman v.4", because DC isn't really about telling stories any more. [1/10]
Finally, The World of Krypton is some of the better writing in this volume, but it's just not that interesting [5/10].
Unfortunately, this volume generally epitomizes the cliche of dying by inches. Modern-day Superman has been pretty horrible since the Nu52. He's largely shed his supporting cast and the modern-day authors have no idea about how to write the Man himself well. The result is some of the worst Superman since the '90s. Action Comics used to be the single shining light against that. Mind you, it was often horribly flawed, but at least it was unusual and innovative in its flaws. But here, that all changes. First Diggle steps back from Morrison's originality, then Lobdell abandons the past timeframe entirely, revealing a book that's just as bad as what's been going on in the main Superman title all along.
May 15, 2018
What just happened? This book is a chaotic mess. Some stories were really good, others were very wtf, and when put together...I don't even know what to think.
September 26, 2014
Grant Morrison finally left!!! Now i myself did like his run but after vol 2 he started to confuse me! But This volume consists of 2 short arcs one by Andy Diggle which is what you see on the cover and the other is by Scott Lobbel! First off the first hybrid arc was short but excellent, its a Lex Luthor story which was really good; the story is basically superman has been infected with this parasite by Lex's doing, and he has to stop it. It's a nice good old fashioned superman vs Lex story, side for that the art is beautiful! The second story while not as good as the first was still fun and enjoyable! Overall this a must have and is a lot better than Grant Morrisons Run!
July 21, 2014
The saddest part about what I'm about to say, is that this is the best "Superman" story to come out since the "New 52". That being said, it still doesn't live up to the potential and awesomeness this character has.
September 8, 2015
The hybrid story was fun. The rest is just filler.
October 21, 2022
Volume 4 starts a new story arc, Hybrid, a 3-part comic. Lex is planning a new way to eliminate Superman, if that doesn't work, he has a backup that will, for sure, destroy Superman's public image. While battling war machines, Superman got infected by an unknown virus that is mutating inside him. He survives, but the virus escapes, merging with his DNA to form a new monstrosity that equals the Man of Steel in strength. Every attack he does at it, only further increases its strength before it overpowers him and starts infecting the population surrounding them. The one way he sees to defeat the abomination is to keep it under a red sun, weakening him in the process, which Luthor takes the opportunity to have his own showdown with Superman. It's a fight for his life as Superman faces a highly-suited Luthor while he is still recovering from his infection and his life is on the edge.
This was a cool mini-arc, showing us more characterization of Luthor as he plans out his schemes to kill Superman. And it was interesting to see Superman become more aggressive within the plot, showing that while he is in control of himself, he does let his strength go while given the opportunity. Also, it was cool to see Lois & Jimmy more in action in the fight panels too. Ultimately he survives the battle and regains his health, as the following collection were both one-off short stories and snippets of another ongoing comic, which I will be looking into soon, hopefully. These were interesting as it puts the Man of Steel against magical opponents & strong psychics. I don't really know if New 52 really toned down his super strength a lot, but these comic issues all really have Superman appear to strongly knocked around much more so than the previous arc. Of these, I think Atomic Knights is the best of the one-offs, mainly due to more cohesiveness, and shows Superman's wits in battle, even if the big finish felt very quick. The last collection of comics in here ends with a prequel story telling of Jor-El, Superman's father as his council is under mutiny by the military. While it felt a little off, it does provide a good glimpse into who the man we call Superman's father is like.
So while this volume is relegated to mainly short story arcs, it still provides a good amount of characterization between our lead superhero and the supporting cast with excellent action scenes to go with it. Superman is still the same hero as before, but this is where a slight shift in his personality is showing more, in my opinion. He's still snarky, empathetic to others, but also shows more moments of letting loose his power and appears to have become jaded at times. Not bad, though I wonder how this will play out in later volumes. The artwork is at its best yet, with this, as I think Tony Daniels & Tyler Kirkham are the best at illustrating the way they do. If anything, their style is how I define the New 52 art style. I'm still expanding my reading on Superman comics of the New 52 and I'll checking out more real soon!
This was a cool mini-arc, showing us more characterization of Luthor as he plans out his schemes to kill Superman. And it was interesting to see Superman become more aggressive within the plot, showing that while he is in control of himself, he does let his strength go while given the opportunity. Also, it was cool to see Lois & Jimmy more in action in the fight panels too. Ultimately he survives the battle and regains his health, as the following collection were both one-off short stories and snippets of another ongoing comic, which I will be looking into soon, hopefully. These were interesting as it puts the Man of Steel against magical opponents & strong psychics. I don't really know if New 52 really toned down his super strength a lot, but these comic issues all really have Superman appear to strongly knocked around much more so than the previous arc. Of these, I think Atomic Knights is the best of the one-offs, mainly due to more cohesiveness, and shows Superman's wits in battle, even if the big finish felt very quick. The last collection of comics in here ends with a prequel story telling of Jor-El, Superman's father as his council is under mutiny by the military. While it felt a little off, it does provide a good glimpse into who the man we call Superman's father is like.
So while this volume is relegated to mainly short story arcs, it still provides a good amount of characterization between our lead superhero and the supporting cast with excellent action scenes to go with it. Superman is still the same hero as before, but this is where a slight shift in his personality is showing more, in my opinion. He's still snarky, empathetic to others, but also shows more moments of letting loose his power and appears to have become jaded at times. Not bad, though I wonder how this will play out in later volumes. The artwork is at its best yet, with this, as I think Tony Daniels & Tyler Kirkham are the best at illustrating the way they do. If anything, their style is how I define the New 52 art style. I'm still expanding my reading on Superman comics of the New 52 and I'll checking out more real soon!
July 28, 2024
Superman - Action Comics Vol. 4: Hybrid
Lex Luthor has engineered a virus to attack Superman, but when it grows to threaten Metropolis, Clark must rely on an uncertain friend to help him survive.
Diggle's fine script combines with the excellent artwork to create a graphic novel that excites and thrills while still driving an ongoing narrative forward.
Lex Luthor has engineered a virus to attack Superman, but when it grows to threaten Metropolis, Clark must rely on an uncertain friend to help him survive.
Diggle's fine script combines with the excellent artwork to create a graphic novel that excites and thrills while still driving an ongoing narrative forward.
March 19, 2025
Eh, 2/4 stories isn't bad. Not exactly the Superman adventure I was hoping for, but it's still enjoyable enough to read 😅📚. At least this arc made sense and tied into the Superman New 52 arc, so progress has definitely been made 🙂👍.
We begin with Clark Kent & Lois Lane stationed in Qaurc to follow the latest on the war/diplomatic efforts being made within that country. When Clark/Superman suddenly takes off to stop Qaurc's dictators from forcibly prohibiting an illegal weapon from coming into the country. However, the drones protecting said weapon have another plan in mind as a man interacts with Superman, which ultimately results in his own death when he attempts to explain who hired him and the dastardly plan behind it while Superman stops the other four drones in their track. Meanwhile, at the Bar, Lois is toasting her success with the barkeep until a man named John Caroll approaches her with enthusiasm about her work. Naturally, the two sit and drink, becoming closer by the minute.
We then switch perspective to Lex Luthor, who sits down with his weekly therapist, "the best and brightest psychiatrist money can buy". Their conversations are brief, but the psychiatrist diagnoses Lex Luthor with classic narcissism and accuses him of being a manic psychopath/Anti-personality disorder. Lex confronts the woman and demands that she uncover truths about his psychology that he doesn't already know, then leaves the woman in a cage, putting her on a suicide watch (Haha, like WTF 🤣?). We then pannel over to Robot Mercy 2.0 (No, that is not her name, but it doesn't matter because she is basically a redhead version of Mercy 😂), who explains that Superman destroyed the drones and that the employees are all dead. Lex explains that this was all a ploy to infect Superman with a small piece of kryptonite filled with a robot microchip that can be programmed to rewrite Superman's DNA.
Fast forward 2 weeks (because that's how long it took Lex to read the genetic code). Kal wakes up to Dr. Veritas who reveals to have healed his infected hand. The Dr. then shows Superman his infected hand that was removed from his body because of his superlative immune system. After a closer look at cellular vision, Superman learns that the hand is a hybrid of his Kryptonian DNA and its own genetically altered DNA. When the hand spontaneously attacks Superman and grows a whole new body. After a brief one-on-one attack, Dr. Veritas tries to lock onto the target to extricate it from them but fails, and both Superman and the hybrid are sent to the billable. What follows is a healthy dosage of red sunlight which seems to weaken the monster's DNA enough for Superman to use his freeze breath to stop it. Dr. Veritas then reveals her hypothesis to be correct that the hybrid needs oxygen to function and that the freeze breath stopped it in its tracks. Superman becomes concerned that this thing could have been dormant in him for years, and his worst fears are revealed when his hybrid DNA begins attacking normal citizens who are now wearing hazmat suits to prevent infection in Metropolis. Superman rushes in full speed ahead as the hybrid begins to take over normal citizens while Luthor preps for war in his Lex Suit.
What follows is an extensive fight in the sewers while Lois Lane and Jimmy try to capture all the action of Superman squaring off with LL. Lex dishes out some toxic words about Superman being an alien virus and failing to protect the citizens who are not infected by allowing the infected to live. Superman counters by sharing his belief that the people could be saved once quarantined. During the fight, Superman reveals that the man behind the mask is Lex Luthor before taking him down after drop-kicking him on the moon before returning him to Earth and slamming down along the streets of Metropolis (Haha, what a wonderful image 🤣👍). The police appear to be confused about what to do but ultimately arrest Luthor thanks to Lois stepping up as a witness. In the following scene, we see Clark at a dinner with Jimmy, who recounts all the major events when a bummer, Lois, walks in mad at herself for dropping her phone and losing her recorded footage. When Clark reveals that he "happened" to have found her phone off of the coast in perfectly working order (👏😏 OK, we see you, Clark. Very charming 😄). Thus concludes our first adventure.
In our second arc, we begin with Clark Kent and Diana Prince having dinner at an exclusive restaurant for a nice date. This whole thing ultimately goes very wrong when it's revealed that the two hired singers are actually Sirens who managed to convince Diana's cousin Eros. The lasso of Truth frees Eros of his mind control, and once he learns of what he's doing, he turns against the Sirens, who are revealed to be his employees. Diana then takes down Superman with the lasso and frees him as well.
Our third adventure is more or less a tie-in to Superman's "Hive" which if you recall involves Hector Hammond, Supercharged Lois Post an intense Coma, and Brainaic's 12 missing people's case along with Psycho Pirate to name a few 😏 (Read the entire adventure in the New 52 Superman arc if interested 😉). We bring with Hector admiring his planet-shaped sphere hive base when it all begins shaking when it's revealed that an ork-like gladiator named Pax Galactica destroyed it by splitting the structure in half. Hector then sends out an alert worldwide to Superman, which ultimately leads to Clark Kent leaving an exclusive red carpal event that he had with Cat (back when they did the whole blog reporter thing). Superman shows up and confronts Pax Galactica, who immediately begins fighting with Superman in a brawl, but Kal manages to get the upper hand and subdues Pax before demanding he leave Earth. When the Queen of Galactica arrives, she reveals herself as Lourdes, followed by her Spector and fellow champion. After a long-winded opinion debate, Superman steps up, demanding everyone from the party to leave Earth immediately when a giant world-eating space demon arrives. Lourdes draws up her sword pushing Superman aside as she leads the charge of her warriors into battle when Superman rises up and takes the first hit. All are surprised by his survival when he falls out of the sky onto the moon. Lourdes comes to his aid until Superman gains consciousness and reveals that her kingdom was divided when her brother rose up against her father in the dark arts, which ultimately led to a fight where the father removed his son's callous heart, throwing it into space. But the heart didn't die out in space. Rather, it became consumed by the darkness of the universe. After listening to Lourdes's life story, he reassures her that she has become a fearless leader and has sacrificed much by rising as Queen. Superman then takes her enchanted sword and pierces the monster's heart, causing a massive explosion. All are in awe of Superman and Lourdes swears her life and the kingdom to Superman's command. Superman ultimately turns down being ruler and demands they all return back to their home planet...in a more friendly manner (Haha, alright, Superman, we get it. Royalty isn't for you🤣). The rest of this adventure basically follows Psycho Pirate, who attempts to take down Superman mentally by feeding on his memories until she destroys him from the inside out, and Lois, who becomes lighting Lois stepping in just moments before Superman can be fully destroyed.
Our final arc centers around Krypton with a young Jor EL exploring the sea of Krypton with a few collages and Laura, who is revealed to be a higher commander part of the Kryptonian military. The story takes a few twists and turns, but basically, the Military overthrows the Science Council, which ruled Krypton, and the leader has the desire to stop this homonyms machine, which has subconsciously been stopping Kryptonian citizens from thinking about War. It becomes a whole thing, but ultimately, Laura goes rogue and helps Jor 'EL escape the clutch of the Military before they run into a trap. When Jor EL is confronted by the leader and demands to stop the machine, he refuses on the principles that free will still exists, but the citizens are safer by not thinking negatively, incorruptly thoughts. Jor EL's friend takes down the leader, and all is well. Laura and Jor EL basically begin an enemies-to-lovers relationship when she learns that he fiance is a weak coward who bowed down to the leader. Finally, we get a grand reveal of Zod, who becomes "friends" with Jor.
Overall, this was actually a pleasant read filled with a mix of adventure, daring stakes, and even some witty banter. It isn't perfect by any means, as there were many slowly paced moments throughout the book, but it was still rather interesting and, dare I say, decent. My favorite plot lines were stories 1 & and 3, but 4 had a few moments of greatness, too. 6.5/10 🌟. I am looking forward to reading Vol 5 😉.
We begin with Clark Kent & Lois Lane stationed in Qaurc to follow the latest on the war/diplomatic efforts being made within that country. When Clark/Superman suddenly takes off to stop Qaurc's dictators from forcibly prohibiting an illegal weapon from coming into the country. However, the drones protecting said weapon have another plan in mind as a man interacts with Superman, which ultimately results in his own death when he attempts to explain who hired him and the dastardly plan behind it while Superman stops the other four drones in their track. Meanwhile, at the Bar, Lois is toasting her success with the barkeep until a man named John Caroll approaches her with enthusiasm about her work. Naturally, the two sit and drink, becoming closer by the minute.
We then switch perspective to Lex Luthor, who sits down with his weekly therapist, "the best and brightest psychiatrist money can buy". Their conversations are brief, but the psychiatrist diagnoses Lex Luthor with classic narcissism and accuses him of being a manic psychopath/Anti-personality disorder. Lex confronts the woman and demands that she uncover truths about his psychology that he doesn't already know, then leaves the woman in a cage, putting her on a suicide watch (Haha, like WTF 🤣?). We then pannel over to Robot Mercy 2.0 (No, that is not her name, but it doesn't matter because she is basically a redhead version of Mercy 😂), who explains that Superman destroyed the drones and that the employees are all dead. Lex explains that this was all a ploy to infect Superman with a small piece of kryptonite filled with a robot microchip that can be programmed to rewrite Superman's DNA.
Fast forward 2 weeks (because that's how long it took Lex to read the genetic code). Kal wakes up to Dr. Veritas who reveals to have healed his infected hand. The Dr. then shows Superman his infected hand that was removed from his body because of his superlative immune system. After a closer look at cellular vision, Superman learns that the hand is a hybrid of his Kryptonian DNA and its own genetically altered DNA. When the hand spontaneously attacks Superman and grows a whole new body. After a brief one-on-one attack, Dr. Veritas tries to lock onto the target to extricate it from them but fails, and both Superman and the hybrid are sent to the billable. What follows is a healthy dosage of red sunlight which seems to weaken the monster's DNA enough for Superman to use his freeze breath to stop it. Dr. Veritas then reveals her hypothesis to be correct that the hybrid needs oxygen to function and that the freeze breath stopped it in its tracks. Superman becomes concerned that this thing could have been dormant in him for years, and his worst fears are revealed when his hybrid DNA begins attacking normal citizens who are now wearing hazmat suits to prevent infection in Metropolis. Superman rushes in full speed ahead as the hybrid begins to take over normal citizens while Luthor preps for war in his Lex Suit.
What follows is an extensive fight in the sewers while Lois Lane and Jimmy try to capture all the action of Superman squaring off with LL. Lex dishes out some toxic words about Superman being an alien virus and failing to protect the citizens who are not infected by allowing the infected to live. Superman counters by sharing his belief that the people could be saved once quarantined. During the fight, Superman reveals that the man behind the mask is Lex Luthor before taking him down after drop-kicking him on the moon before returning him to Earth and slamming down along the streets of Metropolis (Haha, what a wonderful image 🤣👍). The police appear to be confused about what to do but ultimately arrest Luthor thanks to Lois stepping up as a witness. In the following scene, we see Clark at a dinner with Jimmy, who recounts all the major events when a bummer, Lois, walks in mad at herself for dropping her phone and losing her recorded footage. When Clark reveals that he "happened" to have found her phone off of the coast in perfectly working order (👏😏 OK, we see you, Clark. Very charming 😄). Thus concludes our first adventure.
In our second arc, we begin with Clark Kent and Diana Prince having dinner at an exclusive restaurant for a nice date. This whole thing ultimately goes very wrong when it's revealed that the two hired singers are actually Sirens who managed to convince Diana's cousin Eros. The lasso of Truth frees Eros of his mind control, and once he learns of what he's doing, he turns against the Sirens, who are revealed to be his employees. Diana then takes down Superman with the lasso and frees him as well.
Our third adventure is more or less a tie-in to Superman's "Hive" which if you recall involves Hector Hammond, Supercharged Lois Post an intense Coma, and Brainaic's 12 missing people's case along with Psycho Pirate to name a few 😏 (Read the entire adventure in the New 52 Superman arc if interested 😉). We bring with Hector admiring his planet-shaped sphere hive base when it all begins shaking when it's revealed that an ork-like gladiator named Pax Galactica destroyed it by splitting the structure in half. Hector then sends out an alert worldwide to Superman, which ultimately leads to Clark Kent leaving an exclusive red carpal event that he had with Cat (back when they did the whole blog reporter thing). Superman shows up and confronts Pax Galactica, who immediately begins fighting with Superman in a brawl, but Kal manages to get the upper hand and subdues Pax before demanding he leave Earth. When the Queen of Galactica arrives, she reveals herself as Lourdes, followed by her Spector and fellow champion. After a long-winded opinion debate, Superman steps up, demanding everyone from the party to leave Earth immediately when a giant world-eating space demon arrives. Lourdes draws up her sword pushing Superman aside as she leads the charge of her warriors into battle when Superman rises up and takes the first hit. All are surprised by his survival when he falls out of the sky onto the moon. Lourdes comes to his aid until Superman gains consciousness and reveals that her kingdom was divided when her brother rose up against her father in the dark arts, which ultimately led to a fight where the father removed his son's callous heart, throwing it into space. But the heart didn't die out in space. Rather, it became consumed by the darkness of the universe. After listening to Lourdes's life story, he reassures her that she has become a fearless leader and has sacrificed much by rising as Queen. Superman then takes her enchanted sword and pierces the monster's heart, causing a massive explosion. All are in awe of Superman and Lourdes swears her life and the kingdom to Superman's command. Superman ultimately turns down being ruler and demands they all return back to their home planet...in a more friendly manner (Haha, alright, Superman, we get it. Royalty isn't for you🤣). The rest of this adventure basically follows Psycho Pirate, who attempts to take down Superman mentally by feeding on his memories until she destroys him from the inside out, and Lois, who becomes lighting Lois stepping in just moments before Superman can be fully destroyed.
Our final arc centers around Krypton with a young Jor EL exploring the sea of Krypton with a few collages and Laura, who is revealed to be a higher commander part of the Kryptonian military. The story takes a few twists and turns, but basically, the Military overthrows the Science Council, which ruled Krypton, and the leader has the desire to stop this homonyms machine, which has subconsciously been stopping Kryptonian citizens from thinking about War. It becomes a whole thing, but ultimately, Laura goes rogue and helps Jor 'EL escape the clutch of the Military before they run into a trap. When Jor EL is confronted by the leader and demands to stop the machine, he refuses on the principles that free will still exists, but the citizens are safer by not thinking negatively, incorruptly thoughts. Jor EL's friend takes down the leader, and all is well. Laura and Jor EL basically begin an enemies-to-lovers relationship when she learns that he fiance is a weak coward who bowed down to the leader. Finally, we get a grand reveal of Zod, who becomes "friends" with Jor.
Overall, this was actually a pleasant read filled with a mix of adventure, daring stakes, and even some witty banter. It isn't perfect by any means, as there were many slowly paced moments throughout the book, but it was still rather interesting and, dare I say, decent. My favorite plot lines were stories 1 & and 3, but 4 had a few moments of greatness, too. 6.5/10 🌟. I am looking forward to reading Vol 5 😉.
August 18, 2014
This volume of Action Comics was surprising good. The artwork by Tony S. Daniel alone was a good selling point. Mister Daniel is definitely one of the best superhero artist around. I mean some of the wide layout artwork is amazing. I loved the design work for Krypton. But, Let's admit it this title is weak now that Grant Morrison is gone. I have heard that the future issues done by Greg Pak are better and I was excited to here that Geoff Johns is doing Superman again.
I didn't like that I have to read the Psi-Wars Superman volume to get the rest of the Psi War. I really hate crossover stories at times. I just do not enjoy having to jump from volume to volume of another series to get one story. I really do not like the Scott Lobdell Superman stories and I prefer reading Action Comics thanks to Grant Morrison. I also felt the Luther story was weak because Luther's motivations are a bit bland in this plot to out super Superman. There is so much potential they could bring to Luthor and Superman in general. I always enjoyed the Lex trying become president or when he puts Superman in a awkward position. I really enjoyed the Krypton story in this book the most and I hope they do more side stories about Kal-El's family background on Krypton. All in all the this was not a bad volume its just that they are losing the characters personalities bit.
I didn't like that I have to read the Psi-Wars Superman volume to get the rest of the Psi War. I really hate crossover stories at times. I just do not enjoy having to jump from volume to volume of another series to get one story. I really do not like the Scott Lobdell Superman stories and I prefer reading Action Comics thanks to Grant Morrison. I also felt the Luther story was weak because Luther's motivations are a bit bland in this plot to out super Superman. There is so much potential they could bring to Luthor and Superman in general. I always enjoyed the Lex trying become president or when he puts Superman in a awkward position. I really enjoyed the Krypton story in this book the most and I hope they do more side stories about Kal-El's family background on Krypton. All in all the this was not a bad volume its just that they are losing the characters personalities bit.
August 13, 2014
Like much of the New 52, save for Grant Morrison's trippy and occasionally brilliant time-bending run, this is pretty run-of-the-mill stuff. Superman goes wild with the internal monologue, deals with villains who are either impossibly arch or jokingly flip, and the whole thing is forgotten about mere minutes after putting it down. Only Diggle makes an impression with his short but interesting arc, complemented by Tony S. Daniel's superlative pencils.
Yet another example of wasted potential, and the curse of Lobdell striking again. (Don't be fooled - despite Andy Diggle getting top billing for his writing work, most of the issues are written by Scott Lobdell, whose work is notable for its blandness, lame dialogue, and weak humour).
Yet another example of wasted potential, and the curse of Lobdell striking again. (Don't be fooled - despite Andy Diggle getting top billing for his writing work, most of the issues are written by Scott Lobdell, whose work is notable for its blandness, lame dialogue, and weak humour).
August 24, 2014
Disappointing when the Kryptonian history story is more entertaining than the headliner.
April 6, 2019
More classic Superman stories with some great graphics!
October 26, 2019
Total five star. So much better than the first two volumes and a little better than the third
September 7, 2022
Album zawiera materiały z: Action Comics 19-24 (2011), Superman Annual 2, oraz materiał z Young Romance 1.
Muszę przyznać, że jak czytałem tą pozycją lata temu to wydawała mi się materiałem na czwóreczkę. Teraz po kolejnej lekturze stwierdza, że albo dojrzałem jako czytelnik, albo chciałem tak wysoką oceną usprawiedliwiać zakup tej pozycji...
Początek należy do Diggle'a, który radzi sobie całkiem fajnie. Jego Supermana można polubić. Bohater ma przeciwko sobie infekcję, która przybiera formę potwora i wkrótce trzeba będzie chronić i ludzi. Gorzej, że na miejsce bitki wpada nie kto inny, jak Lex Luthor, który ma własne plany. Dobrze, że Supek ma wsparcie w postaci panny z fioletową czupryną. Potem mamy jeszcze zeszyt poświęcony rozwoju romantycznej relacji pomiędzy Clarkiem a Dianą. Tak, z Wonder Woman.
Potem niestety następuje koniec sielanki i do akcji wkracza Lobdell. Jego historia o Hectorze Hammondzie jest mdła i mało interesująca. Tak jak reszta tego wydarzenia o nazwie Psi War. Nie ma tu nic czego możecie szukać w komiksach o Supermanie, bo to też nie jest "nasz" Supek". Jedyny dobry pomysł to fakt "rozerwania" jaźni po ugryzieniu tych całych węży stanowiących część złoczyńcy.
Na koniec mamy historię pt. "The World of Krypton", gdzie możemy obserwować młodych rodziców Kal-ela, jak jeszcze nie są małżeństwem. Przeciętna lektura, żeby nie rzec, że nudna. Dziwi mnie to. Jak można tak zniweczyć fajny początek, mdłymi częściami nic nie wartego wydarzonka w świecie DC. Takie pół na pół.
Muszę przyznać, że jak czytałem tą pozycją lata temu to wydawała mi się materiałem na czwóreczkę. Teraz po kolejnej lekturze stwierdza, że albo dojrzałem jako czytelnik, albo chciałem tak wysoką oceną usprawiedliwiać zakup tej pozycji...
Początek należy do Diggle'a, który radzi sobie całkiem fajnie. Jego Supermana można polubić. Bohater ma przeciwko sobie infekcję, która przybiera formę potwora i wkrótce trzeba będzie chronić i ludzi. Gorzej, że na miejsce bitki wpada nie kto inny, jak Lex Luthor, który ma własne plany. Dobrze, że Supek ma wsparcie w postaci panny z fioletową czupryną. Potem mamy jeszcze zeszyt poświęcony rozwoju romantycznej relacji pomiędzy Clarkiem a Dianą. Tak, z Wonder Woman.
Potem niestety następuje koniec sielanki i do akcji wkracza Lobdell. Jego historia o Hectorze Hammondzie jest mdła i mało interesująca. Tak jak reszta tego wydarzenia o nazwie Psi War. Nie ma tu nic czego możecie szukać w komiksach o Supermanie, bo to też nie jest "nasz" Supek". Jedyny dobry pomysł to fakt "rozerwania" jaźni po ugryzieniu tych całych węży stanowiących część złoczyńcy.
Na koniec mamy historię pt. "The World of Krypton", gdzie możemy obserwować młodych rodziców Kal-ela, jak jeszcze nie są małżeństwem. Przeciętna lektura, żeby nie rzec, że nudna. Dziwi mnie to. Jak można tak zniweczyć fajny początek, mdłymi częściami nic nie wartego wydarzonka w świecie DC. Takie pół na pół.
August 17, 2023
“Spells often trump the difference between the red and yellow suns that are the source of his powers.
So in this instance, the key is using magic and science in tandem!”
(Collecting Action Comics #19-24 + Material from Young Romance #1 & Superman Annual #2)
It’s like…how the flip do you follow one of of the most propulsive and exciting Superman runs in years? I guess with the most transitorily middle of the road comics. It’s crazy. Even crazier too, I remember! I remember DC making such a huge deal about Andy Diggle (who I generally like for the most part) taking over the book and there are house ads and everything!
And then it just…kinda comes and goes with barely ANY word about it and I’m standing in my shop going “Do I hate Action Comics now?” And then I swing back around hard with Pak for the duration but just…freaking weird time in monthly comics all around.
And it’s weirder too, because there is some solid stuff here! The Luthor stuff, directly following where Grant left him in #18. The TIT-U-LAR ROLE of the Hybrid, which is a neat idea. Mike Johnson (who I REALLY like) handling some Psycho Pirate stuff (but in the SECOND part of a crossover you don’t remember happening between Scotty L’s Superman which is just…the roughest possible sledding). Tony Daniel, Philip Tan. Like it’s not COMPLETELY a waste of time.
But at the same time, I’m not giving this to anybody as a great example of Action at its best, ya know. This is only really for the completists.
And even they won’t like it probably.
So in this instance, the key is using magic and science in tandem!”
(Collecting Action Comics #19-24 + Material from Young Romance #1 & Superman Annual #2)
It’s like…how the flip do you follow one of of the most propulsive and exciting Superman runs in years? I guess with the most transitorily middle of the road comics. It’s crazy. Even crazier too, I remember! I remember DC making such a huge deal about Andy Diggle (who I generally like for the most part) taking over the book and there are house ads and everything!
And then it just…kinda comes and goes with barely ANY word about it and I’m standing in my shop going “Do I hate Action Comics now?” And then I swing back around hard with Pak for the duration but just…freaking weird time in monthly comics all around.
And it’s weirder too, because there is some solid stuff here! The Luthor stuff, directly following where Grant left him in #18. The TIT-U-LAR ROLE of the Hybrid, which is a neat idea. Mike Johnson (who I REALLY like) handling some Psycho Pirate stuff (but in the SECOND part of a crossover you don’t remember happening between Scotty L’s Superman which is just…the roughest possible sledding). Tony Daniel, Philip Tan. Like it’s not COMPLETELY a waste of time.
But at the same time, I’m not giving this to anybody as a great example of Action at its best, ya know. This is only really for the completists.
And even they won’t like it probably.
August 9, 2020
First part of this book was eh at best, Lex was written really well but I couldn't connect to Superman, Lois or anyone else at all (I will say Shay Veritas interests me though) there was a point in which Veritas says to Superman "you're not used to working with others" or something like that....he is a founding member of the JL and 1/3 of the Trinity.....
there is a random inclusion of a Superman/Wonder Woman issue - the pairing is already known to be absolutely disastrous and New 52 was a dark era for Diana but my god it was so ooc for both Diana and Clark.
Then it randomly jumps to Clark being with Cat Grant at a movie premiere he then goes to space and attacks someone even though they destroyed a weapon that could destroy planets and while he did get hit first Clark just flew back and attacked instantly? Another ooc moment tbh. The rest of the Pax Galactica join and Superman then attacks them after they tell him there is a big threat coming and then threatens to kill their queen with a mace. Honestly at this point I was just reading to complete the book.
Then there is a random issue from Psi-War not even the first issue but the 2nd issue of it. Completely random and out of place.
The final part was a random story about Krypton and Jor El/Lara and Zod that didn't fit in but was probably the best of the lot but at that point I just wanted to be done with it.
Honestly just read other Superman stories there are so many good ones and this isn't one of them.
there is a random inclusion of a Superman/Wonder Woman issue - the pairing is already known to be absolutely disastrous and New 52 was a dark era for Diana but my god it was so ooc for both Diana and Clark.
Then it randomly jumps to Clark being with Cat Grant at a movie premiere he then goes to space and attacks someone even though they destroyed a weapon that could destroy planets and while he did get hit first Clark just flew back and attacked instantly? Another ooc moment tbh. The rest of the Pax Galactica join and Superman then attacks them after they tell him there is a big threat coming and then threatens to kill their queen with a mace. Honestly at this point I was just reading to complete the book.
Then there is a random issue from Psi-War not even the first issue but the 2nd issue of it. Completely random and out of place.
The final part was a random story about Krypton and Jor El/Lara and Zod that didn't fit in but was probably the best of the lot but at that point I just wanted to be done with it.
Honestly just read other Superman stories there are so many good ones and this isn't one of them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2018
This may need even less then 3 stars because you get a pretty great superman and lex story and then 2 filler issues. One that is the ending to a story in superman vol 4... it's some cross over and after reading ac vol 4 and getting only the ending to that story. Which I stopped reading as soon as the Villain showed up. Hey the villain was so interesting to me that I went out and got superman vol 4 psi war just so i could read this story... and it was good so I collected the other 3 superman volumes that came before it... so that's probably why dc does these cross overs. To get you into there other books.
Doesnt change that essentially I don't get a full hybrid volume. Oh yah there's a story about krypton which was forgettable for me since I don't really care about looks back into the past. But the villain in that story is really well known and so maybe this story will have some greater purpose beyond reintroducing a really famous villain.
Over all as far as new 52 superman or action comics volumes go this is the one to skip if any of what I've read so far...
It just feels like to much filler.
Doesnt change that essentially I don't get a full hybrid volume. Oh yah there's a story about krypton which was forgettable for me since I don't really care about looks back into the past. But the villain in that story is really well known and so maybe this story will have some greater purpose beyond reintroducing a really famous villain.
Over all as far as new 52 superman or action comics volumes go this is the one to skip if any of what I've read so far...
It just feels like to much filler.
July 14, 2025
This volume had its moments, but overall, it was a letdown. There was simply too much packed into these issues, making it hard to fully connect with any of the storylines. While I understand the intention to return to a "one issue, one story" format, the execution felt rushed and disjointed, especially in comparison to the more cohesive arcs previously written by Grant Morrison.
If the pacing had been spread out a bit more. Perhaps allowing each story an extra issue or two, it might have had more time to develop naturally. The storyline involving Psycho Pirate, in particular, ending on a cliffhanger, felt like an odd and unsatisfying choice. For some reason, reading through this volume felt more like a chore than an engaging experience.
The artwork was solid but didn't quite draw me in, and overall, this entry felt like a noticeable step down from earlier volumes. I wouldn’t recommend it...not because it was terrible, but because it failed to leave a lasting impression.
Grade: D
If the pacing had been spread out a bit more. Perhaps allowing each story an extra issue or two, it might have had more time to develop naturally. The storyline involving Psycho Pirate, in particular, ending on a cliffhanger, felt like an odd and unsatisfying choice. For some reason, reading through this volume felt more like a chore than an engaging experience.
The artwork was solid but didn't quite draw me in, and overall, this entry felt like a noticeable step down from earlier volumes. I wouldn’t recommend it...not because it was terrible, but because it failed to leave a lasting impression.
Grade: D
July 4, 2023
Lex Luthor unleashes a mutagenic virus against Superman, the Sirens interrupt a date between Superman and Wonder Woman, Superman has to fight an intergalactic terror on the moon and the Pyscho Pirate attempts to consume Superman's mind.
This is a pretty much random collection of Superman stories, which wouldn't be so bad if they felt complete and self-contained, but they don't. Instead it feels like we're just getting the beginning, middle or end of stories which start or continue elsewhere. As a result this book not only lacks cohesion, but also lacks a sense of narrative satisfaction.
Also, and I acknowledge that it's not the fault of any of the creators here, I really hate the villain name 'Psycho Pirate'.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
This is a pretty much random collection of Superman stories, which wouldn't be so bad if they felt complete and self-contained, but they don't. Instead it feels like we're just getting the beginning, middle or end of stories which start or continue elsewhere. As a result this book not only lacks cohesion, but also lacks a sense of narrative satisfaction.
Also, and I acknowledge that it's not the fault of any of the creators here, I really hate the villain name 'Psycho Pirate'.
* More reviews here: https://fsfh-book-review2.webnode.page *
January 19, 2018
This series thus far has been okay. There have been some great storylines (The 5th Dimension, Krypto, basically anything with Lex Luthor), but I'm not a fan of the bouncing between time periods. With the exception of the 5th Dimension storyline :)
I was very close to giving this 4 stars though, and ironically enough it was because of the flashback to the time of Krypton, before the birth of Ka El, when Jor El was an ambitious scientist. I wish I could get more Krypton stories cause I really like Jor El. And that ending? Yep I'm definitely gonna continue this trek through the New 52's Action Comics.
I was very close to giving this 4 stars though, and ironically enough it was because of the flashback to the time of Krypton, before the birth of Ka El, when Jor El was an ambitious scientist. I wish I could get more Krypton stories cause I really like Jor El. And that ending? Yep I'm definitely gonna continue this trek through the New 52's Action Comics.
July 4, 2017
A step up on the last volume (though that certainly wasn't difficult) but I still found this quite a bitty volume with a lot of random issues and as such I found it struggled to flow. I thought the Bat titles suffered for flow issues but jeez they are linguistic masterpieces compared to the messy nature of the majority of Supes titles and that is really beginning to take away my enjoyment. At this rate I will more than likely end up just as a Bat family reader once again. (And of course Spidey, never forget Spidey!)
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