Action Comics #1042
On Earth, Thao-La reacts to something from beyond as Superman battles OMAC on Warworld with the revolution’s fate at stake in Action Comics #1042, by writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson, artist Riccardo Federici, colorist Lee Loughridge, and letterer Dave Sharpe. In the backup, by writer Shawn Aldridge, artist Adriana Melo, colorist HI-FI, and letterer Dave Sharpe, Martian Manhunter has a final showdown with Vulture. Action Comics continues to impress in both the main and backup story.
On Earth, Lois and Jon watch Thao-La as Kelex lets them know she’s going through Genesis energy withdrawal. Lois decides to go and talk to someone who might help. On Warworld, Superman and the rebels face off against Teacher and OMAC. The battle is a pitched one, as Superman tries to get through to OMAC and the rest of the rebels try to get to Teacher’s Orphan Box. Mongul shows up as things go south for his forces after Superman takes down OMA. Mongul attacks the Man of Steel, but he gets away and grabs the Orphan Box. On Earth, Lois goes to John Henry Irons to talk about his Genesis fragment and how to help Thao-La before they hear Superman’s voice and the fragment goes nuclear. In the backup, Martian Manhunter battles Vulture, a fight fought on more than one level, as he deals with the years of abandoning lives. He finally defeats Vulture and decides to try to find out who J’onn J’onnz is without the subterfuge.
Johnson just keeps dropping awesomeness on readers in this book. From the way the opening of the book ties into the conflict with Mongul on Warworld to the action-packed middle that does a lot of great character work to the ending that ties it all up, this is such an exciting read. Johnson does an amazing job with Superman as a character as well. He gives a speech about the way Mongul looks at the people of Warworld and how wrong it is that is pure Superman.
The Genesis fragments and their energy plays an integral role in this story, paying off a plotline from earlier in the run. Thao-La needs it; Warworld runs on it. This is another thing that Johnson has built up. OMAC’s plot ends rather quickly, but it plays out very well, showing just how much Superman cares about everyone, yet again. The backup’s finale is the one that digs the most into Martian Manhunter. Through the backup story, Aldridge has built up J’onn’s identity crisis and pays it off very well. Few stories get into J’onn as well as this one has, and it’s nice to see him move on from his old way of doing things, ready to embrace life again.
In the main story, Federici and Loughridge keep knocking it out of the park. The pencils and colors are beautiful, from the opening pages with Jon, Lois, and Thao-La to the action scenes in the middle to the end of the book. There’s really no other way to describe it, and trying to point out one page over any of the others is impossible; they are all amazing. Melo and HI-FI do a good job in the backup, especially with the opening page, but some of the pencils elsewhere in the story aren’t as strong as in other places. It looks good, but it’s not as great as it can be throughout.
Action Comics #1042 is such a masterpiece of art and storytelling. The main and backup teams do a fantastic job, although the art in the backup slips a little bit. Action Comics is one of the best superhero books on the market, and reading this issue reveals why.
