Written by: Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Gene Luen Yang, Dan Parent
Art by: Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Viktor Bogdanovic, Marguerite SauvageColors by: Matt Herms, Mike Spicer, Marguerite Sauvage
Letters by: Dave Sharpe
Cover art by: Steve Beach (cover A)
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: November 28, 2023
Action Comics #1059 escalates the Blue Earth group's plans when Norah Stone's true identity is revealed, brings Kenan Kong back in life in time to stop China's Batman from killing Conner Kent, and makes readers a third wheel on a Jon and Jay date.
Is Action Comics #1059 Good?
Action Comics #1059 represents the good, the bad, and the ugly of Superman comics with three stories that run the range from good to terrible. Moving to an anthology format for Action Comics was the right move, but DC has a lot of work to do in the "consistent quality" department.
New Worlds, Part 3
Blue Earth forms a fledgling superhero team using Superman's stolen powers. Blue Earth and the Super Family butt heads over a robbery arrest, and the resulting news coverage is doctored to make the Super Family look bad. Meanwhile, Osul is psychically contacted by Norah Stone as part of her evil recruitment plan, but the Superfamily doesn't realize until too late that Norah's real last name is not Stone.
Phillip Kennedy Johnson presents a banger of a chapter with action, drama, twists, and a reveal concerning Norah's true identity that makes the Blue Earth group's efforts seem like an appetizer for a massive main course.
Secret Identity, Part 2
Kenan Kong manages to return from near death with a little spiritual help after his psychic bomb goes off from learning Superman's identity. Back in the land of the living, China's Batman arrives to force the truth out of the Superfamily, but it takes a clever bit of misdirection from Robinpod to keep China's Batman from setting off his psychic bomb. In the end, Kenan chooses to remain with the Superfamily for everyone's safety, and he gets a cool new jacket in the deal, even if he doesn't seem to like it much.
A Heart In Metropolis
Jon Kent and Jay Nakamura wrestle with their busy schedules and family commitments while they try to find romantic time together. That's it.
Slice of Life is a tough sell in any comic that isn't WebToons. Doubly so in a superhero comic, and Dan Parent's attempt to over-romanticize Jon and Jay's relationship probably is not going to be a game changer. Parent liberally borrows from Superman: The Movie and other romance films to make Jon and Jay's relationship as iconic as Lois and Clark. Whether or not he succeeded will be up to you. Further, Marguerite's oddly saturated art isn't doing this story any favors.
[Author's Note: The original review mistakenly misspelled Kenan Kong's name. The spelling has been corrected.]
Kenan Kong manages to return from near death with a little spiritual help after his psychic bomb goes off from learning Superman's identity. Back in the land of the living, China's Batman arrives to force the truth out of the Superfamily, but it takes a clever bit of misdirection from Robinpod to keep China's Batman from setting off his psychic bomb. In the end, Kenan chooses to remain with the Superfamily for everyone's safety, and he gets a cool new jacket in the deal, even if he doesn't seem to like it much.
Gene Luen Yang's explanation story about how Kenan Kong came to be a regular resident of Metropolis started strong but ended with a wobbly landing. Kenan's psychic bomb survival is too convenient, the misdirect to keep China's Batman off the trail isn't as effective as the players make it sound, and Kenan's reaction to his new jacket is confusing. You get the impression this story would have benefited from a little more time in the oven.
A Heart In Metropolis
Jon Kent and Jay Nakamura wrestle with their busy schedules and family commitments while they try to find romantic time together. That's it.
Slice of Life is a tough sell in any comic that isn't WebToons. Doubly so in a superhero comic, and Dan Parent's attempt to over-romanticize Jon and Jay's relationship probably is not going to be a game changer. Parent liberally borrows from Superman: The Movie and other romance films to make Jon and Jay's relationship as iconic as Lois and Clark. Whether or not he succeeded will be up to you. Further, Marguerite's oddly saturated art isn't doing this story any favors.
[Author's Note: The original review mistakenly misspelled Kenan Kong's name. The spelling has been corrected.]
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 #1059 represents the good, the bad, and the ugly of comics. Phillip Kennedy Johnson's good story contains a big twist reveal, Kenan King's lackluster resurrection and fight with China's Batman is clunky enough to be bad, and Dan Parent's pointless Jon and Jay date is made ugly with Sauvage's washed-out art.
5.5/10
The least you can do when writing a review of a story is checking the spelling of a story, especially when a story specifically shouts out the pronunciation of a character's name IN the story. Kenan. Not Keenan. Kenan. And also, Bat-Man.
ReplyDeletethe least you could do when writing a reply about spelling and grammar is to use proper grammar yourself - it should be "The least you can do when writing a review of a story is CHECK the spelling of a story" not checking. There is a difference between helping someone out and acting like an asshole - you are an asshole!
DeleteAsshole. Not Helpful. Asshole. Or maybe Ass-Hole if you like!
DeleteThank you for catching the mistake with the spelling of Kenan's name. The spelling has been fixed. As for Bat-Man, I've intentionally left the description as "China's Batman" so casual and new readers will clearly understand the story is not referencing Gotham City's Batman.
Delete