Action Comics #1060 Review

    

     

Written by: Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Nicole Mines, Steve Orlando, Joe Casey
Art by: Eddy Barrows, Fico Ossio, Eber Ferreira, Joe Prado, Jonas Trindade, Dan McDaid
Colors by: Matt Herms, Chris Sotomayor, Luis Guerrero, John Kalisz
Letters by: Dave Sharpe, Rob Leigh, Troy Peteri
Cover art by: Steve Beach (cover A)
Cover price: $4.99
Release date: December 12, 2023

Action Comics #1060 brings the main story to a close and teases two new ones where Superman enlists magical help to find Otho, Dreamer gets an impromptu job interview, and General Zod's son, Lor, learns his father is up to something big.
Is Action Comics #1060 Good?

Action Comics #1060 is the epitome of a comic that doesn't satisfy. Phillip Kennedy Johnson's latest and last chapter of the New World arc almost ends before shuffling readers off to the 2023 annual for the conclusion. The Dreamer story sets up her forthcoming role in the Suicide Squad without really setting it up. And Lor's snooping teases that General Zod is up to something big without saying what.

In short, Action Comics #1060 is nothing but a collection of teases.

New Worlds, Part 4

Kidnapped by Norah Stone and spirited away to an alternate Earth, Otho learns her supposed fate will be to become Norah's avatar of destruction. Norah Stone reveals she's Sister Shadow, an alternate daughter of Talia and Bruce who brought scores of Earth under Al Ghul control. Now, kidnapping Otho and creating the Blue Earth group to remove Kryptonians from Earth is all part of a master plan to reassert Al Ghul control over the Multiverse and exact revenge on Superman for destroying her power base at the beginning of the Warworld arc. Meanwhile, Superman enlists Constantine to get Otho back.

This issue marks the end of Phillip Kennedy Johnson's run on the main title, and he's taking big swings to wrap up the Blue Earth/Norah Stone mystery. That said, the story ends on a cliffhanger to be resolved in the upcoming Annual, so this chapter feels more like a setup, and Constantine's involvement comes out of nowhere.

Squad Dreams

Amanda Waller visits Dreamer and blackmails the precog hero into a mission to stop a former agent of Waller who has gone rogue. When Dreamer stops the agent and saves the day, we learn the mission was just a test to see if Dreamer is Suicide Squad material.

The whole point of the Suicide Squad is to form a team of expendable criminals to do the dirty work heroes can't or won't do. It's unclear how DC thinks Dreamer fits into a new Suicide Squad (recently announced as Suicide Squad: Dream Team), but DC is pushing hard. The short has good art and plenty of action, but Waller's "test" is convoluted and not that interesting.

Past Is Prologue

General Zod holds sway over a new world where he and Ursa engage in genetic experimentation to upgrade the local species into super soldiers for Zod's new army. When their son, Lor, grows restless with rules and boundaries, his visit to a hidden part of the world opens his eyes to his father's master plan.

True to this story's title, this issue serves as a brief prologue to introduce the characters, explain where they are, and show what they're doing. Lor is as strong and determined as his father without the restraint that comes from maturity, and Zod's plan teases something interesting on the horizon. The downside of this short is the detail-deficient art.


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 #1060 ends the main story with a tease and teases two new stories that continue in other titles. Of the three shorts, Phillip Kennedy Johnson's penultimate chapter of New Worlds is the most complete, and Nicole Maines and Steve Orlando's setup for Dreamer on the Suicide Squad is the most contrived and messy.

6/10