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Action Comics #1 Review

By Dan Horn
September 7, 2011 - 16:01

Mary Louise Pratt describes contact zones as points at which marginalized and dominant cultures clash, characterized by "highly asymmetrical relations of power." Recently, Grant Morrison talked with Deepak Chopra at the San Diego Comic Con about using comic books to level the playing field. See a problem with the world? Drop it into a graphic format and see what happens when super-powered beings confront that social obstacle. That's exactly what Action Comics #1 is: an equalizer.

In Action Comics #1, Superman is a near omnipotent champion of the oppressed, zipping around in a god-like fashion, tearing corrupt Metropolis officials out of the comfort of their decadence if just to make them squeal like little girls. Like Tony Daniel in Detective Comics #1, renowned comic scribe Grant Morrison doesn't bother with bogging down his story with an origin rehash. He gets right to the meat of his run: social justice.

Investigative journalist Clark Kent by day, taking down crime families with the power of the printed word, and indestructible Olympian for the working class by night, Superman takes on all forms of injustice with every means available to him within his adopted city of Metropolis. But his grandstanding crusade has brought a lot of unwanted attention, namely from General Lane, Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane's father, and evil genius Lex Luthor. Luthor devises a method for dealing with Superman by turning the entire city of Metropolis into a labyrinthine death trap of baited situations.

This is a cockier, younger Superman than we're used to, though his Clark Kent persona is a bit more like a Peter Parker than "Smallville." Morrison's narrative scope is grand, but moves at a dangerous pace. In other words, this is signature Grant Morrison. Keeping up with his trains of thought can sometimes be aggravating, but the payoff is usually worth it. In this issue, there are several pages that deal with nothing but one-sided telephone banter, and it gets pretty muddled, but once you're past that it's smooth sailing. Rags Morales' artwork is fairly formulaic, but it capably captures the grassroots spirit of this book.

Something else I noticed about this book is its lack of Geoff Johns and Tony Daniel's machismo on their respective books. There are actually female characters here that aren't being objectified! Imagine that! Even Clark's landlord, Mrs. Nyxly, gets a fair share of on-page time. Grant Morrison's always been one to prove that comics books don't have to be misogynistic, and that definitely shows through in Action #1 when compared to the phallocentric Justice League #1 or Detective Comics #1.

This was a solid debut, and I expect it will only get better as it goes along. With an excellent cliffhanger and some really ingenious ideas already on the table, Action Comics is a must-read. But what does it all mean in regards to its social commentary for us non-god-like entities? I think Morrison is simply telling the working class to stand up for itself. He toes a precarious line here, somewhat promoting non-lethal violence (perhaps as a last resort) as a means to reestablish civil equity, but I think the overall message is a commendable "power to the people."

Rating: 8.5 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12