Action Comics #1030 introduces readers to a new story arc that balances everything that makes Superman great under the ever-present danger of outside enemies. With its plotting always moving forward and Superman's optimism stoked to the max, Action Comics brings the ideal Superman story to life. Read Full Review

In the lead story, Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Daniel Sampere bring a grace and power to Clark that really exemplifies the best versions of him" all while fleshing out his long time enemy Mongul and his miserable planetsized kingdom, Warworld. Read Full Review

Philip Kennedy Johnson reintroduces the readers to Action Comics, and what the comic will focus on from here. So far it all seems very promising, and it is a great time to add Action Comics to your pull list. Read Full Review

Action Comics delivers high quality Superman action and while the back-up story fails to hold up its end, this is a comic well worth grabbing. Read Full Review

Phillip Kennedy Johnson is telling different stories in the two main Superman titles, although we now know that this will only last a few months before Jon Kent steps up as Superman in one of the two titles and Tom Taylor takes over. But Johnson is on this one for the long haul, and he seems to have a master plan here. Read Full Review

After a few interesting issues, we get into the meat of this run. The issue is tense, action packed, and understands its characters. The creative team are setting up some very cool things here. Read Full Review

Lots of good questions for me to ponder, especially the mystery of the hooded man. Love the Lois moment. And although we have seen a lot of this father/son dynamic in Johnson's book, at least this time we have some contrasts to mull over too. Very solid book. Read Full Review

So, a near flawless lead story, but a backup that just jarred with the tone of the book for me. Worth buying for Sampere's art alone though. Literally Super. Read Full Review

Daniel Sampere delivers some beautiful art throughout this issue. The action is beautifully done and even the quiet moments are filled with emotion and gorgeous details. Read Full Review

Action Comics #1030 is another mixed bag of sorts. However, the positives are outweighing the negatives in a more significant fashion. Despite the basic premise of the Superman story feeling generally uninteresting, the surprise at the end and the great character moments make it an enjoyable read. Additionally, the surprise at the end gives it the feeling of real potential. The second chapter of the Midnighter tale is the icing, as the concept and characterization are equally engaging. This gives every indication that it's going to be something special! Read Full Review

When it comes to the main story Action Comics #1030 drives home the current status quo of Superman and Superboy in a compelling way. The problems with Superman's powers comes across as a major turning point for the franchise. Bringing in Damian Wayne for Jonathan Kent's side of the story further strengthened the narrative that this issue is driving forward with. This is a comic book Superman fans should all be picking up. Read Full Review

Story-wise, Phillip Kennedy Johnson has a good grasp of Superman and also does a solid job of making Mongul a distinct character in a way that doesn't always happen with some of the major alien big bads. In fact all of the characters are well-written, with distinctive voices. That said, there are moments where it feels like the issue doesn't quite have the space it needs to flesh out what's going on. Read Full Review

There's a lot of cool ideas in this issue, I just wish that they were all thrown at us at the same time because it feels like it's kind of cluttering the story and not having enough time to really flesh things out beyond just saying something is happening and moving on before explaining why it's happening. There's some fun to be had here and some decent interactions between the characters involved, not to mention that the art looks great. I just wish I felt half as strongly about the backup because that story and art does nothing for me. Read Full Review

I was considering dropping this title just to save money but this issue has in for longer. Great issue.

There were a lot of moments to love in this issue. Jon and Damian, Clark and Lois, even the Batman, Ray and Superman interactions were all so good!

The two stories in the book are just amazing ! Finally Superman and Midnighter are back in action!

While I found both the previous issue of Action Comics (as well as the current Superman book) an ok read but somewhat underwhelming, this is where it gets interesting. The story was very interesting and, most importantly, fun, especially how Jon was written. Hopefully it manages to stay as good. The Midnighter backup was really good as well.

Possible spoiler:





I don't want that Superman disappeared or died :(

Best issue from the new creative team and hope the books stays to this level. After being burnt by suffering through the terrible bonus stories, I skipped this one to not end a good issue with a bad taste in my mouth.

It's really too early to determine if PKJ's Superman/Action Comics saga will be the saving grace for the Man of Tomorrow, but this is a step up from the horrendous Phil Hester two parter. I'm liking this story better than the Shadowbreed stuff from the last Superman issue, but we'll see how it progresses.

The Mongul stuff is great and PKJ nails both the Super Sons scene + Lois/Clark scene.

And I really don't care for the Midnighter stuff.

Feels like someone is setting up for big changes with Superman. Eager to find out what...

This is the 4th issue into Johnson's run, and so far it's the best (Though that's not saying much). The art is a major step up from last issue's poor crap. I guess this is the start of the "end" for Superman. That is until DC realizes no one will like what they have planned and bring him back. Superman comics are headed into very dangerous territory. And even when the damage DC is preparing to inflict is finally ended, it may take several years to undo it. I remember Spider-Man's clone saga well. Marvel's editors got too big for their britches and thought they knew best and what the readers wanted better than they did themselves, and just knew the readers would warm up to it and love what they were doing. Didn't happen. And that's just exactly what DC is doing today with Superman. History is repeating itself Whatever damage this awful idea of theirs does to him will be on their heads.
Sometimes I ask, will DC get over this "Bold new direction" craze it has before it's too late, or will they finally do more damage to themselves with their greed and egos than can be undone?
With the upcoming demise of the regular Superman title this Summer (Dead at 81), I'll be down to only this title in regards to Superman (And to think, when I started he had 4 different titles a month). I'll try to stay with it as long as I can bear it, but I fear by the start of 2022 I won't be reading anything Superman related anymore. more

Tte plot is nice, it can lead to a place Superman has yet to go. Daniel Sampere and Adriano Lucas make an amazing art team.

I skipped the backup.

The lead story was interesting and the art was good. A lot depends on how this story ends up going.

The back-up story is absolute, unreadable garbage. The art is just awful. Please get rid of the garbage back=up stories and drop the price back down.

A solid read but I really just hate time travel so much.

Probably the strongest Phillip K. Johnson Superman issue so far. The direction of this series finally seems clear, and some context is given to the two-part Breach storyline that initially seemed like an odd way to open the run.

DC is doing is passing the post, the way Marvel did long ago by changing many heroes to quo statuses, a black captain america (flacon) Ironman (black woman) and Jane Foster being Thor, and they turned out badly . The same does DC tries to renew its heroes by passing the baton, but it is in such a desperate and bad way, a Random black Batman since he cannot pass it to Damian since he is also making the pairing with the Titans series, so he must get Damian out.

On the other hand Superman is iconic, the biggest DC superhero cannot be left in the hands of a Random character, therefore it must be Jon. But if it is true that Clark or Kal-el will be killed or disappear is a bad strategy and they are falling into lazy writing, they only take shortcuts to shock the readers and forget the main thing CREATE GOOD STORIES. I am not a fan of Superman, in fact I am not very interested in the character, but disappearing it would be a mistake, but when Jon is very young, a little more than a child, even if I should be about 14-15 years old, almost at par of Damian. I agree with the idea that a Superboy suits him, mature him and not put him fully to replace his father (he is a fresh character).

DC needs to attract more buyers if it does not want to disappear, all businesses are in crisis and comics are not essential products, for true readers a book is preferable to a comic if we talk about reading quality, which is now what is requested and not so much pretty drawings or sometimes not even that. Stop turning history either by copying from other sides or from old books, we are all tired of the Joker and Batman dance, as if it were the only villain in Gotham, I know that we cannot give all a bunch of happiness to the heroes because they would be boring, but giving them a little between tragedy and tragedy increases empathy and suspense. Writers can be wasted with biweekly deliveries, that without they do not suffer writer's block, monthly installments by characters and stop collecting so many bad backup stories would be the best thing they would do since they discourage people from buying an expensive comic through comic or sometimes a comic room.

The letters are done, maybe when this crisis passes DC take what worked and discard what is only bringing them losses and give us a better quality and enough with their anything goes and everything is canon, because then those who totally changed their origin would be impossible to reconcile.

Why not deliver good monthly stories of all the characters, why not open two lines with quality? one with its new characters and another with the classics instead of replacing, why accelerate the destruction of the classics to give them to others who only with copies or characters without a good structure, few like Jon or Damian are fond of them and Damian and throw away those comics like I'm not Starfire and other such bad things that they have done and are not sold. more

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Comics Code Authorities - May 10, 2021

DC turning PC.

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The main story has a lot of potential, but it's not quite there yet. I'm optimistic, however, since I do like the idea of Superman facing his mortality. The backup was fiiiine. I just didn't find it very interesting. I do like the tone of the Midnighter backups, however, and that remained consistent here.

I remember reading the first stories from PKJ on Superman in Future State and even though it was obvious to anyone with eyes and half a brain that the guy couldn't give a flying crap about the character and can't wait to get him off his hands, people were saying "oh let's just wait a bit, don't judge too early". Yeah, no, I can see when someone doesn't care about a character and PKJ is not in it for him, he's just obsessed to see Jonathan in that role as soon as possible. And the thing is, I like Jonathan, I actually maybe like teenage Jonathan even more than kid Jonathan, which is a very unpopular choice. But there's so much potential for him as Superboy that he doesn't need to be thrown in the Superman role yet, Clark Kent has that role covered. But no, since PKJ doesn't know what to do with the character, it's much easier to just push him aside so he can be the guy that made Jonathan Kent Superman. more

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TheKing - Apr 28, 2021

You do realize PKJ never wrote Jon in Future State titles.

Merlyn - Apr 28, 2021

He wrote Clark Kent as if he's just a mythological figure that serves as an inspiration from others, preparing the way for him being replaced by his son, 1 plus 1 equals 2.

Merlyn - Apr 28, 2021

*for others

SenpaifenixJäger - Apr 29, 2021

I think that killing and grabbing heroes without evolving or advancing is DC's big mistake, Batman doesn't have to stop being interesting if the Joker dies or marries Selina, Kal-el doesn't have to stop being Superman from a blow to leave a son and wife to go to reproduce on another planet to advance and Jon does not have to take the mantle of his father so quickly to be a good character.

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Meh, the main story isn't bad but the secondary story isn't needed at all. I'm not looking forward to the months we have to have Jon as Superman and Clark return. Can't we kill Jon instead and be done with it?