Well, this one is certainly disappointing.
Morrison’s fresh take on Superman—a young Superman, so young he’s practically just Superboy without Krypto—is problematic. But it’s the first issue and one would usually give Morrison time to get things sorted.
But Action doesn’t remind of All-Star or anything good Morrison’s written. In fact, it doesn’t remind of Morrison at all.
It reads like a politically minded Geoff Johns comic book, down to Morrison regurgitating Johns’s Superman: Secret Origin with General Lane stepping in for Thunderbolt Ross. I think Lane’s in the new movie as a bad guy… one can feel the corporate synergy at work. Especially since Morrison rips off the ending of Batman Begins for this issue’s action finale.
And what’s up with Rags Morales? He’s lazy when it comes to detail. There’s the pretense of it, but not the substance.
Action’s off to a bad start.
Of the DC reboot, this one left me with the strongest case to come back for another issue. While retrofitting one of their icons, DC didn’t go too far in their reassessment of Supes. Morales art does the job, but he most likely won’t be here for a monthly, so my optimism may be poorly placed. Morrison’s narrative tics are totally subdued here, so it seems he’s not the only hand at the helm, either. Will these guys be back a couple of issues from now? That seems more of a dramatic event than the book itself.