Action Comics #814

April 12, 2004

Quick Rating: Fair
Title: Another Day at the Office

When things are funny at the Daily Planet and Clark can’t get any answers, Superman takes some time away from the office to unwind.

Writer: Chuck Austen
Pencils: Ivan Reis
Inks: Marc Campos
Colors: Guy Major
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Cover Art: Arthur Adams
Publisher: DC Comics

The new Action team takes over this issue with a simple, done-in-one story about a day in the life of the Metropolis Marvel. Superman spends an average day taking down some train hijackers, catching falling cars and fighting Darkseid. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Hiring Chuck Austen to take over the longest-running superhero comic in the world was, to put it lightly, a controversial choice, and in this issue it’s plain to see why. There is some good in this issue – Austen’s Superman is someone who is sure of himself, confident and clearly loves his powers and being who he is, and that’s something this character should have and, frankly, doesn’t always display under other writers. The problem is that Austen frequently goes too far in the other direction, saddling the character with stilted dialogue and going from confident to arrogant, a characteristic that doesn’t befit Superman in any incarnation.

On the artistic side, though, there is no complaint at all. Ivan Reis and Marc Campos were born to do this title, and their bold, powerful Superman is one of the best takes on this character since Stuart Immonen was handling him on a regular basis. Readers who have complained about “manga-style” artwork will have nothing to bemoan here. The fight scenes are great, the facial features are dynamic and expressive, and every page of the comic looks great.

Let’s not forget the cover, either – Arthur Adams, creature artist extraordinaire, gives us a wonderful pin-up of Superman versus Kalibak (a scene that actually appears in the issue, take that, Marvel editors), and to top it off, the title returns to the original logo with this issue. I know I may be the only one who cares about that, but it’s something I really like.

Rating: 6/10