Last week RJ and I reviewed the comic that introduced the new DC Universe to readers old and new alike, Justice League #1. We were, in a word, underwhelmed. Immensely. To introduce the DCnU in a comic that was just banter and nothing else was nothing short of disastrous, in our humble comic book blogger opinion.

Action Comics #1 was how they should have introduced the new universe. Aside from the obvious parallels – the original Action Comics #1 in 1938 introduced readers to an exciting new character, Superman, who would be the world’s first super hero – the relaunch introduces a radically different Superman, one who takes a more proactive approach towards social justice as opposed to the “big blue boy scout” that we all know and love.

Weirdly, this has been DC’s third Superman relaunch since 2000, with Superman: Birthright and Superman: Secret Origin before it. Both comics were great, Birthright extending the version of Superman introduced in Man of Steel and the excellent Secret Origin bringing back Silver Age ideas and concepts and reintroducing them in a modern context. But they still dealt with a whitebread Superman who was mostly reactive and only battled physical, non-abstract threats like alien invasions and a certain bald billionare. And it was, frankly, getting boring.

Okay, Birthright showed a Clark Kent who went all the way to Africa because he wanted to use his powers for good, but once he became Superman, he’s back to his normal law-abiding citizen ways. As he should be, because a Superman who showed any sign at all of being radical is not Superman.

The first instance of Superdickery

Grant Morrison, however, takes on the idea of a proactive and radical Superman and makes it work. His best-known Superman story, as you all might know, is All-Star Superman, an alternate-universe love letter to the Silver Age and all its wackiness. This new Superman will never escape comparisons to Morrison’s previous work, because ASM was pretty much close to perfect. Instead of repeating himself with the same old ideas, Morrison uses traits taken from the character’s almost-forgotten Golden Age version. The original Action Comics introduced Superman as a “champion of the oppressed,” breaking non-trespassing laws everywhere to use his powers to wreak massive property damage and to scare gang leaders, wife beaters, and rich people into keep their hands off the weak.

The DCnU Superman is just the same – he breaks into a rich man’s house and throws him off a ledge just to intimidate him into confessing his crimes. Then – in a perfect callback to the Golden Age – he doesn’t fly, he jumps. Jumps everywhere. In a very literal interpretation of his “champion of the oppressed” slant, he ends up in an abandoned building inhabited by homeless families. Which the army proceeds to destroy. Superman puts himself in between the army’s tanks of doom and the people, and when he’s beaten to a pulp, the very people he’s been trying to protect save him. Then we get to Clark Kent, who’s also just as dedicated to the oppressed as his superhero persona. It’s beautiful. Also, it was just the first part of the book.

We then are introduced to the DCnU Lex Luthor, who seems to be a scientist and billionaire (as he should) who hatches a diabolical plan to capture Superman. Morrison also, in one panel, outlines Luthor’s motivations on why he hates Superman so:

And it’s simple: Superman is an alien. Aliens are bad. The same way that entire animal populations are decimated when new species are introduced into the biosphere, Superman represents an imminent threat to humanity’s survival. Simple, straight to the point, and it works so well.

So. Let me lay it out for you: the first issue of Action Comics introduces Superman, Lex Luthor, General Lane, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen, the basic difference between this Superman and the previous versions, and Luthor’s simple and cold motivations. In one issue. Filled with punches and explosions.

And I haven’t even gotten to my favorite part yet.

The excellent opening shows us that Superman is doing what he is doing because he no longer believes that the law works the same for the rich and poor alike. Let me repeat it for you: he is using his powers not because he has these gifts, but because he feels that the system no longer works and that the world needs a Superman. Who else works this way? Batman. By giving them the same modus operandi (at least at the beginning of their careers) we can see how Superman evolves from this rash crusader of justice he is now in Action Comics into a force of nature set to inspire humanity into becoming heroes, while Batman… remains Batman.

Anyway, this has been a long-ass review, and it’s too serious. I better end it now. Also, if you were asking, yes, I like the t-shirt, jeans, and baby blanket costume better than the armored look Jim Lee designed.

My rating for Action Comics #1? The SuperDickery meter is high, this deserves 4 out of 5 King Supermen:

What do you think of Action Comics #1? Tell us about it in the comments!

Ade Magnaye

Ade is the hero Comicgasm deserves, but not the one it needs right now.

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