Review:Â Action Comics #1069
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writers:Â Gail Simone and Rainbow Rowell
Art:Â Eddy Barrows & Danny Miki and Cian Tormey
Colors:Â Rex Lokus and Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
Letters:Â Dave Sharpe
Reviewed by:Â Matthew B. Lloyd
Summary
Superman faces the Daxamite, Hux-Ur for the fate of the Earth, and Lois and Clark must talk out the issues of ethics and reporting.
Positives
Action Comics #1069 is a pretty amazing thing. There’s the expected “action,” but there’s also some great character moments in both tales. Eddy Barrows and Danny Miki give the reader the best looking issue yet of this three part tale which began in issue #1067. The art delivers on the combat elements as well as the storytelling and human moments. It’s not often we see a wounded Superman and when the story calls for it, Barrows also depicts a range of emotions in the Man of Steel including kindness, empathy, determination and a little snark and sarcasm as well.
While the nostalgia and Bronze Age feel of this story is maintained in this issue, Gail Simone does a single remarkable thing with this issue, and indeed this three part story. For a longtime comic reader like myself who’s experienced the shift of Superman from the Bronze Age to the Copper Age to the Modern Age in real time, this story is the first one to really suggest how all these different eras can be seen as the history of a single character. Previously, some story elements may have been referenced and updated to maintain them as part of a continuity, but not in the way Simone approaches this story.
Simone manages to make this story feel like a story from the early 1970’s. It doesn’t hurt that her acknowledged inspiration is a classic tale from that era itself. Most importantly it genuinely feels like a different time, and in doing so it also suggests how this earlier time in Superman’s career could feel different from a contemporary story, yet be the same character in continuity.  In this issue, Simone includes a character from the Copper Age, John Byrne’s time on the character post-Crisis on Infinite Earths. This period saw Superman revamped for a contemporary audience. He introduced new characters, including Cat Grant. Simone gives Cat a few panels in this issue, and it instantly in brings that pre-Crisis world that seemingly ended with “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” with the era Byrne inaugurated with his Man of Steel mini-series. And then, when you add in the final chapter of Rainbow Rowell’s “Lois & Clark: In Love. At Work,” it puts a bow on everything as this story takes place within the current status quo. It’s all quite subtle and remarkable.
Positives Cont’d
Simone and Barrows do a great job of making it feel like there are some stakes and real tension in Superman’s predicament. We know he’s going to win, but Simone makes the readers genuinely interested in the “how?” The solution has a satisfying outcome as it relies on some essential Superman elements.  It’s not simply about his power and strength, but also his relentlessness and strength of will. Clark’s brain is also part of his success. Many stories in the past have used this, and it’s fitting here that Superman brings more than just one or two aspects of his character to the fore to achieve victory. This gives a more complete view of Superman’s character and abilities.
Rainbow Rowell’s finale to her Lois and Clark at work tale is a well thought out “how couples talk through their problems.” This may sound a little underwhelming, but it’s how adults in relationships have to work things out in the real world. Furthermore, both of these characters have valid points on either side of the issue of ethics in journalism. The conclusions both Lois and Clark come to feel real and in character..
Negatives
There’s not much to complain about in Action Comics #1069. That said, Simone’s lead story feels like it needs another page of combat between Superman and Hux-Ur. I’m not necessarily lobbying for more action, but the story as is needs just a little bit longer period of conflict between the two. It’s a nitpick.
By the same taken, Rowell needed another chapter to show how Lois and Clark were trying to work through the conflict they were having. Again, on the nitpick side, but still valid, I think.
Verdict
With both three part stories concluding in Action Comics #1069, there’s a palpable energy to the issue. They go together in a unique way as they focus on different aspects of Superman’s life, both personal and public. It’s a great time to be reading Action Comics and I think any Superman fan would find this a great three issues. Stories don’t always land, but in the case of this issue, but that’s not the case here, as both of these adventures of the Man of Steel have something to say and say it well. Indeed, this is in fact the strongest of the three issues. It’s quite easy to image just reading this issue and feeling the impetus to go back and get the other two.
