I’ve always preferred Batman to Superman. In my youthful naïveté, I didn’t understand the appeal in Kal-el’s uncomplicated goodness and optimism. Perhaps Superman’s appeal can only be understood with the benefit of time and wisdom and after spending 80 years with the character, we’ve certainly had that.
Action Comics #1000 is a celebration of that legacy, gathering some of the best writers and artists in the medium to pay tribute to the Man of Steel.
Not all of the stories work on the same level, but the landmark issue is worth reading for Superman devotees and casual fans alike.
If there’s one idea that unifies all the stories in #1000, it’s that Superman’s goodness is really always about the goodness within ourselves. He’s meant to inspire, to make people believe they can change the world and be better. It’s no mere coincidence that he wears the Kryptonian symbol for “hope” on his chest.
The two stories that best capture that idea come from long-time Action writer and “Death of Superman” co-architect Dan Jurgens’s “From the City that has Everything” and Marv Wolfman’s “An Enemy Within.” Jurgens opens the issue and sets the mood by giving us a tale where not only the citizens of Metropolis, but many of DC’s biggest heroes gather to celebrate and honor Superman, thereby letting the reader do so too. Superman may not be a real person, but what he means to people is real and Jurgens–and the issue at large–never forgets that.
Though Metal mastermind Scott Snyder manages to deliver a story that’s both small and personal but also features Superman’s greatest foe, Lex Luthor, the issue could stand name-checking less of Superman’s rogues. Rather, it’s the more discreet and simple acts of heroism that have the most impact. Perhaps the best and most thrilling is Brad Metzer’s “Faster than a Speeding Bullet.” In excruciating detail, it follows Superman as he races against the titular speeding bullet even though he knows he doesn’t have enough time to save the woman in its path or the good if troubled man who pulled the trigger.
However, good as those stories are, Tom King’s “Of Tomorrow” and Peter J. Tomasi’s “Never-Ending Battle” are probably the standouts.
Surprisingly, King is the only writer who pays homage to Kal-el’s earth parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, and his story is like a vision of how Superman will be written when Action Comics 2500 comes out.
And it doesn’t hurt that Clay Mann and Jordie Bellaire’s art is beautiful and this version of Superman is the most reminiscent of Christopher Reeve.
Meanwhile, Tomasi’s all-splash page story (rendered beautifully by Patrick Gleason and Alejandro Sanchez) best understands the character’s history while also acknowledging how his meaning has evolved during that history.
There is one downside to Tomasi’s story, though. As the second section of the issue, a lot of what comes after suffers in comparison. Paul Dini’s “Actionland!” is beautifully rendered and an amusing trifle, but Mr. Mxyzptlk is not someone we really needed to see. There’s also, unfortunately, the final story, written by DC newcomer and Marvel legend, Brian Michael Bendis.
In it, Bendis sets up the plot for his first venture into the DC world by introducing a new villain. Looks-wise he resembles a more humanoid Doomsday—and that’s not the only way he feels a little too familiar. Depending what Bendis does with the character, what he means to Superman’s origin could revolutionize the way we think about him, but there’s something disappointing in kicking off the Man of Steel’s next 80 years with just another megalomaniacal alien who can beat him up.
Still, for all its faults, Action Comics #1000 is a fitting tribute to the Last Son of Krypton. I hope when Detective Comics hits the big one-triple-0 in the next few years, it’s executed with as much love and care as this. I hope that James Tynion IV is still writing the book then. I hope Tom King is still writing the best Batman/Catwoman fan fiction in the main book. I hope they can get Scott Snyder to come back. I hope Bruce Timm writes a story so good that it sends me back to the early ‘90s when Batman the Animated Series was the highlight of my day. I hope.
Rating: 8.5/10
