Action Comics #812

February 7, 2004

Quick Rating: Fair
Title: Home (Godfall Part One) & My Heart

Another day in the life of Kal-El… on Krypton?

Writers: Joe Kelly & Michael Turner, Chuck Austen
Pencils: Talent Caldwell & Ivan Reis
Inker: Jason Gorder & Marc Campos
Colors: Grafiksismik & P.S. Colors, Guy Major
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Eddie Berganza
CoverArt: Michael Turner & Peter Steigerwald
Publisher: DC Comics

In Superman #200, the man of steel vanished into a time rift. Last month we saw how the city of Metropolis is coping with his absence. This week, we finally pick up on the man himself, living in a universe where Krypton never blew up, he never came to Earth and he is – irony of ironies, married to an alien.

This Kal-El has a good life, a beautiful wife, a wonderful home… but he senses something is amiss. He overreacts to the slightest problems, as though he’s constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. He knows his life is too good to be true.

And therein lies the major problem with this book – for a title intended to spearhead the relaunch of the Superman franchise, this book is treading over some seriously worn territory. I’ve lost count of how many stories we’ve seen dealing with a hypothetical life where Krypton survived or where that version of Kal-El felt something amiss. (Alan Moore did it best, in case anyone is keeping score.) There’s nothing wrong with this story, don’t misunderstand, but for the longtime Superman fan, there’s an overwhelming sense of “been there, done that.” For the casual fan, they’ll pick up this issue and just start scratching their heads thinking, “Wait, didn’t Krypton explode?”

The artwork, however, is another matter. Speaking as a professional, detached journalist and a longtime reviewer, there is only one phrase sufficient to describe the Caldwell/Gorder/Grafiksismik art team: Wowiewowwowwow! This is one beautiful comic book! The pencils just pop off the page, the characters look wonderful and the chase scene on laser-motorcycles is more exciting than anything George Lucas has pulled off in his last two movies. The character designs are fantastic too, with very good uniform for the Kryptonian Kal and a gorgeous, clearly Turner-inspired design for his wife, Lyla. If you’re the sort who buys comics more for the artwork than the story, boost the quick rating to “very good.”

There’s also a backup story, “My Heart,” by Chuck Austen, starring a version of Lana Lang that greatly disturbs me. Over the years Lana has evolved greatly, going from a girl that only existed to pine over Superman to a woman who made her own life separate from her childhood crush. In this story, we see her regress even more than she has in recent months, existing again to pine over a man married to someone else. She simply comes across as a bitter, petty woman, and that’s not the Lana fans have been reading about for years.

To be fair, Austen does have spot-on characterization for Jonathan and Martha Kent, and Reis does a very good job on the pencils. He’s got a confident style and makes just about any book look better. This isn’t a terrible book, but it’s not really very special, except for some great art. It’s not a book that will spark a resurgence in the Superman franchise.

At least, not yet.

Rating: 6/10