Friday, October 5, 2012

Action Comics #13

Wow, did I love this issue of Action Comics.

Which is slightly surprising, since it includes a character whose "new" incarnation I don't care for at all (see last week's reviews) - but it's a brief and meaningless cameo.

What I love about it is the backup story (more on that in a moment), and that the main story is a solid Halloween tale that brings one of my favorite bits of Superman lore to the modern day - the Phantom Zone - and returns one of my (sentimental) favorite characters to the title (here unnamed to avoid spoiling the surprise).

The story is a clever bit of business by Grant Morrison (though I seem to have missed the part where Superman builds his Fortress of Solitude), introducing some Kryptonians to Clark's world.

The art by Travel Foreman is quite good - moody and dark, as even a science fiction horror story requires.

But my favorite part, by far, is the touching love story at the heart of the issue. That is brought to the fore in the backup feature by writer Sholly Fisch and penciler Brad Walker.

I don't want to give anything away, but it's a surprisingly sweet and touching tale that brought genuine tears to my eyes. How often does a comic book do that?

A special issue, and highly recommended!

Grade: A+

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