It is really interesting that so far, while Michael has established Cyborg-Superman's connection to both Supergirl and Superman, on both a familial and genetic level, he has yet to actually name the villain as Cyborg-Superman. Kara has given him that moniker as a way to understand what he is. I'm certainly looking forward to what Michael does in Supergirl #24 and what role the villain plays in the Forever Evil event. Read Full Review

Artist Daniel Brown makes the Cyborg look awesome. The new robotic arm is all kinds of demonic, as is the half skeleton mouth and new body design. The rest of issue #23.1 isn't quite as effective. When Brown is penciling the Cyborg story, the art comes together beautifully, Nicely detailed, great backgrounds and shadowing. The Krypton work is a little too stagnant. Brown never gets the textures going there that he does in the Cyborg work. Overall, the work is solid, and the Cyborg Superman is kick ass. Read Full Review

Man do I love Cyborg Superman, and the New 52 version is not letting me down.  I was really worried when I saw that the new incarnation wasn't Hank Henshaw, but as of right now, well I'm still worried but this issue was a great Villain's Month installment.  We get some post Krypton back story of Zor-El, and the machinations of a newly formed Cyborg Superman.  The artwork is great, the story was interesting, all I can really say is, check it out. Read Full Review

Overall, it's not worth the extra dollar, but it's still a decent enough issue. Save yourself a buck and get the regular cover if you're a Supergirl reader of if you like Kryptonian flashback sequences. Or, if you're not a fan of the current take on the Man of Steel, give it a try. It's a far cry from Grant Morrison's Action Comics run (which, in this case, is sadly a good thing) and it moves at a much faster pace than even the industry's top talents (Jim Lee and Scott Snyder's Superman Unchained is beautiful, but man oh man is it moving at a glacial pace). The title is misleading, but the product will not disappoint. Read Full Review

Without compromising his robotic, absolute personality, Cyborg Superman is injected with heart as he is linked heavily to Krypton and Supergirl. This origin story tells the tale of how Zor-El lost his humanity before his life-changing transformation. Action Comics #23.1 is an effective origin story, that despite its plot gaps and conflicting art decisions, packs a powerful message. Read Full Review

Plot quibbles that extend beyond the pages of this particular issue certainly can't keep it from being an extremely entertaining and eye-opening read. Brainiac is definitely becoming one of the bigger behind-the-scenes power players in the New 52 and this issue certainly feeds into that narrative. Nelson does one helluva job making Cyborg Superman into a compelling, somewhat tragic figure, and I actually like that he doesn't lean into the "tortured villain" trope too heavily. Zor-El was a jerk BEFORE his transformation, he's now just a more driven, powerful jerk even if he DID have the best of intentions. I may have some objections to how Villain's Month is being handled, but that can easily be put aside as this issue stands fantastically on its own. Read Full Review

Despite the origin change, Action Comics #23.1 delivers incredibly. Not only is the story sinister and horrifying, but the contrast between light and dark carry this issue into a very high standard for the rest of the Action Comics villains titles this month. Read Full Review

Artist Mike Hawthorne makes the new Cyborg Superman look great. That big nasty robot arm looks like a world of hurt. Hawthorne does a nice job handling the flashback/flash forward nature of the story with intuitive paneling that flows seamlessly from scene to scene. Daniel Brown's color work is of note for giving the entire story an excellent visual tone and providing that extra bit of polish for each character design. Cyborg Superman's origin might be one step away from one of Jigsaw's grisly Saw games, but it sure does look pretty. Read Full Review

The issue is not brilliant, but it is a solid comic and, by a long margin, the best of the three Villain's Month issues I read this week. It could stand to back up its archetypes a little better, but there's something of a Claremontian quality in the issue that makes it a pleasure to read. While Villain's Month has failed, as of yet, to justify itself, Action Comics: Cyborg Superman is a great place to get a taste of Michael Alan Nelson's writing and a quick dose of old school comic book sci-fi. Read Full Review

Action Comics 23.1 is a nice experience that doesn't really tie-in to any Forever Evil events. Cyborg Superman's creation may not have been executed perfectly, but the journey he goes on in this book is worth a read, as it parallels a being of cold and methodical destruction with a man who wanted nothing but to save those around him from destruction. There is an effective feeing of tragedy that comes from this story, and hopefully that will continue when Cyborg Superman is utilized in the current Supergirl arc. Read Full Review

Aaron Kuder and Brown wrap the issue in a catchy cover that's actually enhanced by the lenticular effect on the more expensive 3-D edition of the issue. So while it looks good inside and out, it's nonetheless a disappointing issue that doesn't really try all that hard to improve on a character that didn't really need any tweaking in the first place. Read Full Review

Perhaps I am too tied into history. Perhaps the failed attempt at making Zor-El into villain from a few years ago is still fresh in my mind. Perhaps I am not understanding Brainiac's motivations to do all he did here. And maybe I am missing the key piece to how the flashbacks somehow feed into the events on Kampari, making it enrich the Cyborg's motivations. But this issue didn't work for me. In fact, it saddened me a little. Read Full Review

Cyborg Superman is Darth to Braniac's Emperor and it works quite well. He's a tragic character and I like the Nu52 version better than the old school (who had a great design but who's character was lacking in my opinion). Solid story and art, I'll probably pick up Supergirl as a result to see where the story goes from here.