Action Comics #2 – Review

By: Grant Morrison (writer), Rags Morales & Brent Anderson (pencillers), Rick Bryant (inker), Brad Anderson (colorist)

The Story: We’re no Guantanamo, but we’ve got ways of making an alien in a T-shirt talk.

The Review: One thing Morrison does consistently well is place characters into unusual situations, and when it comes to iconic superheroes, that takes some doing.  These guys have been around the block in their long history, so nothing really takes them (or us) by surprise anymore.  So kudos to Morrison; certainly I never thought I’d see Superman getting relentlessly jolted in an electric chair.

That said, the whole interrogation sequence doesn’t really do much to advance the story, or even build Clark’s character.  Mostly he just takes the various tortures to the chin and stays readily, steadily silent, a pain-eating farmer to the core.  As a result, we don’t ever take his predicament that seriously; we know his escape will come, sooner rather than later.  He has less resilience now than we’re used to, but he’s still Superman, after all.

This issue has two moments which, taken separately, don’t seem all that important, but when you put them together, they bear a major revelation about this version of Superman.  One is when Luthor asks, “Does the word ‘Krypton’ mean anything to you?” and Clark merely replies, “…Noble gas…number…36…”  At first glance, you just figure he’s jerking Luthor’s chain.  Then you get a creeping suspicion when he seems completely baffled by the mention of a rocket.

It all comes together later in the issue, when Clark stumbles upon a rather slick-looking little rocket ship that speaks to him, then covers itself with impenetrable crystal when he tries to touch it.  You suddenly realize that, for whatever reason, he never had any contact with his alien heritage aside from his cape and consequently, he really hasn’t a clue what Krypton is beyond an element on the periodic table.