Grant Morrison's Action has been comicbook quality of the very highest caliber. The man's awe-inspiring narrative structure and storytelling style have as much or as little affect as he wants them to. All-Star Superman was set outside DC continuity so Morrison could play around with the Man of Steel more than ever before, while the first two acts of his expansive Batman saga were firmly planted in DC's main continuity. Morrison's work on Action is a gem because it's the combination of the two ends of the spectrum"it had to exist securely within the New 52, but since this was a new origin story, Morrison was allowed to take things to the extreme and redefine the Man of Steel for the 21st century. Superman has always be a symbol of truth, justice, and good triumphing over evil. Now, there's real meaning behind those ideals, which makes Superman a better character than he's ever been before. Read Full Review

But (thanks also to the excellent art by Rags Morales and Brad Walker) it's a heck of a wrap-up. Highly recommended! Read Full Review

In the end, I'm sad to see Morrison go, but I think he said what he came here to say. He added a ton of new characters and concepts to the mythology, leaving me begging for a return from Adam Blake's Wanderers and the Anti-Superman Army (even though a lot of them died"). He retold Superman's origin in a way it hadn't been done before, finding a way to reflect Superman's real life journey from "socialist strongman" to "transcendent alien messiah" and all stops in between. He had Superman face his own darker nature and showed us how to do likewise. Read Full Review

Sholly Fisch and Chris Sprouse also return for one final back-up story. As mentioned, it isn't closely tied to Morrison's story, but it does tackle the idea of Superman from a different angle as it explores how a boy in the far future is inspired to stand up to a bully thanks to the Superman Museum. It's a little formulaic, though Fisch spices up the tale by cutting out all dialogue and using sound effects from the Museum to convey information instead. And there's no reason to complain about Chris Sprouse drawing a Superman comic, even if Superman himself is present only in spirit. Read Full Review

The book is more than worth its $4.99 price tag because it is stories like this swan song that make you believe you are truly reading the exploits of Earth's greatest hero. Read Full Review

Now that I have read this month to month I would likely recommend anyone to read this issue in trade or by issue back to back which is something I hear people say about almost all of Grant's work. Not everyone is going to consider this Action Comics series one of the best of all time, but still it was a fun read that kept my interested from month to month and has provided a huge stepping for more Superman stories in the future. Read Full Review

Tony Daniel will be pulling double duty and finishing this arc as both artist and writer, but as for whether or not he will remain as such afterwards, or if DC will find a new writer altogether remains to be seen. Action Comics #19 is a beautiful and fun comic book"which might be why Diggle has left, since DC apparently has a strong aversion to putting books that are fun. Read Full Review

When all is said and done, Grant Morrison's run on this comic is sure to be held up as one of the best. That's not hard to do, considering the trials and tribulations Superman has endured since his death in 1992. This run, capped by "Action Comics" #18, celebrates the Man of Steel, his supporting cast, his heritage and his legacy all while serving as a love letter from Morrison to the concepts and characters that must have fueled his desire to create adventures for Superman. Read Full Review

The backup story, "Never Ending Battle" by Sholly Fisch and Chris Sprouse, is worth mentioning for a couple of reasons. First of all Fisch and Sprouse manage to sneak in two references to Superman: The Movie, as well as subtle nods to the Max Fleischer cartoons in the background of the Superman exhibit at this museum in the 23rd century. I can't help but wonder if the message of this story, which involves not only standing up to bullies, but standing up for equality and tolerance, played on Chris Sprouse's mind at all when he decided to walk away from his duties as artist on Orson Scott Card's currently shelved story for the upcoming Adventures of Superman title. Regardless of my own speculation, it's a charming little tale, reminiscent of the Superman stories of Elliot S. Maggin, and would have felt right at home as one of the short stories in 1984's Superman #400. Read Full Review

It's possible that, in Morrison's final Superman story for the foreseeable future, he reaches a little too high. A fifth-dimensional attack through time and space is so abstract and ill-defined, it's difficult to connect to on a personal level. However, Morrison remains true to the core of what makes Superman, and tells what may be the most important and definitive stories involving the character since his own "All Star Superman." Because of the conflicting nature of this issue and arc in general, it's extremely hard to assign a number value. While the issue is technically flawed in a number of ways, the raw care and creativity exhibited is rare in mainstream super hero comics, DC especially. In the current state of Superman books in the New 52, Grant Morrison's Action Comics will be sorely missed. Read Full Review

Powerful in many respects, but confusingly executed. This is Morrison's eager, ambitious work in its rawest form, which is unfortunate because some polish on both the textual and artistic sides would have easily elevated this story to something approaching a masterpiece. Read Full Review

Whether it's the greatest Superman story of all time shouldn't matter.Action Comics provides an entertaining experience for those who care.It's not the best comic on the stands, but it's a good example of howone can try anything in comics, pulling characters and scenes from thedarkest depths of their imagination and forming it into a narrative. Read Full Review

It may take a long, convoluted path to get there, but Grant Morrison's Action Comics swan-song finally gets to the core of Superman and serves as a poignant conclusion to his run. Read Full Review

The final issue of Morrison's Action Comics is much like the rest of his run: stimulating and provoking, but with only the briefest flashes of that little bit of something that's made his past work with the character so special and memorable. Read Full Review

It's the end of Grant Morrison's tenure on ACTION COMICS. We've had some good times and this issue serves to bring a conclusion to many of the threads he started throughout the run. Rags Morales gives us some great visuals in depicting the wacky fight between Superman and Vyndktvx. It gave a nice ending but didn't have the explosive finish I was hoping for. Perhaps expectations grew too high with all the stakes riding on this one. I will definitely re-read Morrison's entire run. Perhaps reading it all together or allowing a little time to pass will enhance the experience. I just wish we had a more grand ending. Read Full Review

Did Morrisons Action Comics run live up to All-Star Superman? No, probably not. It wasnt trying to. In very broad strokes, All-Star Superman was about the super, Action Comics was about the man. Theyre companion pieces that answer the question, Does Superman still matter? with a thunderous, joyful, YES! Read Full Review

Now that this particular story arc has come to its conclusion I think it would be best to wipe the slate clean and look to the future. Hopefully next issue is the beginning of a new era of Superman, something which is long overdue at this stage. Read Full Review

Those who have read this story arc and Morrison's run might appreciate the issue, but as a new reader, I can't recommend for those looking to try something new. Read Full Review

You have to give Morrison points for ambition, and even further kudos for trying to wrap his various threads together as ended his run. And while its admirable to build up Superman's supporting cast beyond the derivative sidekicks like Supergirl and Superboy, accommodating all of these characters means this comic doesn't feel much like a Superman story, let alone an enduring new piece of American mythology. This conclusion may be big and it may be expansive, but it's also so convoluted that even a Man of Steel can't quite hold it together. Read Full Review

To be honest, I'd like to see Sholly take the main writing responsibilities of Action Comics with Chris Sprouse on art. Rags Morales is great, but Sprouse is superb. However, I'm delighted to see Morrison off the flagship comic of DC. This title started off well, but in no way is it one I'd recommend to any new comers to comics in it's current form. It's inaccessible and almost impossible to read. Thank goodness for Fisch redeeming it at the very end. Read Full Review

I had the opportunity toaskMorrison where he was taking Action Comics this past summer at a convention, he gave me a strange response that was full of pauses and breaks in speech. He seemed not to be entirely confident in the direction of the series. After a breather from monthly superhero comics hopefully Grant Morrison comes back refreshed. Despite this issue and run thereshould beno doubt in the minds of the readers that Grant Morrison isand will always beone of the very best talents in our industry. Read Full Review