Action Comics #846
Writers: Geoff Johns and Richard Donner
Artist: Adam Kubert
Wow! As late as this book is, it's still fantastic. Donner and Johns have really crafted and interesting story and are ramping it up more than I ever could have imagined. A quick re-cap here. In 844 we had a ship crash to earth and reveal that there was a small boy inside. Superman learned that the boy was Kryptonian and brought him to his parents' house to ask about raising him. In 845 we saw Clark bring the boy, "Chris" to Metropolis, where Bizarro attacked and tried to capture the boy for Lex Luthor. Clark and Lois decided that they wanted to raise the boy as their own. At the end of that issue we learned that the boy was the child of General Zod and Ursa, as they somehow escaped the Phantom Zone in the arctic. This issue starts with the Zoners going to the Fortress of Solitude and speaking with Jor-El's hologram. We learn that many people were sentenced to the Phantom Zone, not just these three. In Metropolis, Clark and Lois are bringing the Chris to the Daily Planet for some unknown reason when the Zoner's just attack. Non pummels Clark, Ursa attacks Lois and tries to take her son back, while Zod pontificates how they will make Earth the new Krypton. The writing and characterization are spot on. I thought this arc would simply be a fight between the three Zoners and Superman, but it is shaping up to be so much more. After this issue's two cliffhangers, (TWO!!!) now I am really mad that I won't be seeing the rest of the story until May.
The art is fantastic. Adam Kubert, inking complaints and ugly Supermans aside, is doing some great work. The backgrounds are fantastically detailed. Each of the book's three double-page spreads contain a sense of awe and grandeur. Kubert's panel layouts and angles are really cinematic. It may not be the best work of his career, but it's up there. Damn the wait on the next issue of this book, go get it. B+
