Grant Morrison is out and Andy Diggle is… out as well. Sort of. We have Tony S. Daniel instead drawing and finishing up whatever remaining writing there is with Diggle’s scripts. Ignoring all of the questions that could be raised from this mysterious change, let’s focus on the most important question. Is it Good?
Action Comics #19 (DC Comics)
The story takes place a year ago (what year and for what event is not clear) with Superman somewhere in the Middle East, checking things out for a news story with Lois Lane. He gets a tip about a shipment of weapons being smuggled into the area, which ends up being guarded by some extremely weird mechs. From there, we get a long, stretched out action scene and a revelation about who exactly is bringing in the shipment and the true sinister purpose for it.
No, it does not involve making more spaceships for the Martians from War of the Worlds.
Having read a couple of the recent comics where the writer was replaced before he even began working on it (Constantine and Birds of Prey), this was actually pretty darn enjoyable. Of course, Tony Daniel was working off Diggle’s scripts so that could be the reason why it turned out so good. The story flowed well and the last few pages promised very exciting events to come. Also, I really liked the characterization on this and some of the dialogue exchanges between the characters.
Well considering how many things have stopped you before in the past…
There are some flubs with the story, though. You see that gatecover where it shows Superman going up against Jimmy Olsen? Yeah, well that’s not what happened in this comic. In fact, the scene is rather pointless and comes off as rather out of place. Maybe it’ll make sense later though. The villain’s plan seems rather familiar or at least gives me vibes from All Star Superman. Also, the dialogue occasionally has some silly or goofy lines in it.
So man, the Empire in Star Wars must have been major bullies in that case!
7.5
- The writing here is very enjoyable and new reader friendly.
- The art, especially during the action scene, looks great.
- The new direction, while interesting, will not last long.
- The villain’s plan has a familiar feel to it.
- Some of the inner and outer dialogue is rather silly.
Lastly, we have Tony Daniel’s art for this issue. His stuff is rather good looking with the way he draws the settings and action scenes. His people are drawn fine, but some of the musculature on Superman seems off in a couple of scenes. The coloring is also pretty solid, especially done well in the action scenes.
Is It Good?
Ignoring all of the controversy surrounding the writer leaving, this was a very enjoyable and promising start for this arc. This approach and direction presented in this comic would be a nice welcome change of pace after the weird antics Morrison had during his run. Sadly, it won’t be around for long, but it’s definitely worth checking out while it is here.
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