Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Action Comics #1052 Review

   
Written by: Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Dan Jurgens, Leah Williams
Art by: Rafa Sandoval, Lee Weeks, Marguerite Sauvage
Colors by: Matt Herms, Elizabeth Breitweiser, Marguerite Sauvage
Letters by: Dave Sharpe, Rob Leigh, Becca Carey
Cover art by:Steve Beach (cover A)
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: February 28, 2023

Action Comics #1052 continues the anthology series with three ongoing chapters to set your kryptonite heart a'glowing. Superman gets his Metallo fix, young Jon Kent finds a mystery in the sticks, and Powergirl plays mind games for kicks.
Is It Good?

No, I did not spend much time coming up with those rhymes. If you don't learn to laugh at these comics, you'll break down in tears, so I'm passing the savings on to you.

Action Comics #1052 continues the title's new anthology format, with the second chapters of each story starting in the previous issue. Typical for most anthologies, some shorts stick the landing while others fall off the landing pad, but this issue is more hit than miss.


 


House of Metallo

The Super Family finish their battle against Metallo and his directed attack against the new Iron Tower. When Metallo finds even his newfound strength isn't enough to stop the Supers, he decides to get some metallic help of his own.

Big action and developments permeate this chapter as the fight against Metallo lays the foundation for a much bigger round two. Unfortunately, the pacing drags through the middle with many expos about Warworld, Metallo's origin, the nature of bigotry as exemplified by the Blue Earth movement, and more. In other words, the chapter starts strong but quickly drags to a crawl until the last few pages.


 


Home Again

Young Jon Kent quickly gets to know the alien who landed in the woods near the Kent Farm, only to find her search for Earth's Kryptonian is doomed to interruption by a bounty-hunting robot. Can Jon Kent help his new friend before they're both apprehended by a powerful, mechanized monstrosity?

Dan Jurgens does a superb job capturing the youthful charm of Jon Kent helping out a damsel in distress before realizing he's in way over his head. Lee Weeks' solid art and Elizabeth Breitweiser's coloring work are stellar. This is a stronger chapter than House of Metallo.





Head Like A Hole

Powergirl and Omen welcome their next client - Supergirl - to help resolve an issue preventing Supergirl from speaking in anything but gibberish. The solution uncovers old wounds for both versions of Kara and sets the stage for a possible villain working from the shadows.

The first two chapters in Powergirl's Lazarus-Rain-induced career upgrade were mediocre at best, but this chapter shows promise. The Karas work out a little family drama related to their unique relationship, and Williams hints that an actual villain is gunning for Powergirl. Not a great chapter but an improvement.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces:

Action Comics #1052 delivers three chapters in ongoing stories about the Superfamily and their adventures, past and present. Of the three chapters, House of Metallo has the strongest art, and Home Again has the strongest writing, but none of the chapters is an outright dud.

8/10

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