Action Comics #23.2: Zod – Review

By: Greg Pak (story), Ken Lashley (art), Pete Pantazis (colors)

The Review: I’ve always been fond of Pak, ever since he co-wrote The Incredible Hercules, just about the funnest title that came out of Marvel in its Then days, and with Batman/Superman, he’s shown that he can handle modern superheroes as deftly as he revitalizes ancient ones.  He’s secured enough of my trust to get me curious about his impending takeover of Action Comics, and this issue seems like a good opportunity to get a taste of his work to come.

Moreover, I’m curious as to how he works with Zod, one of those iconic villains that nearly everyone has heard of but no one quite gets.  I mean, what exactly is his deal?  Is he specist, megalomaniacal, sadistic, or what?  For all of Man of Steel’s flaws, at least it gave us a complex and consistent portrait of Zod, one that’s escaped the comics for a long time.  Now that we have this shiny new DCU to work with, there’s an opportunity to start him off on the right foot.