Action Comics #26 – Review

By: Greg Pak (story), Aaron Kuder (art), June Chung (colors)

The Story: Superman, this is no time to play fetch with the rampaging monster!

The Review: Last month I expressed bafflement over what I took to be a back-up feature in Pak’s debut issue on Action Comics.  Now that I see that little ditty was just the springboard for his first true arc, I don’t know whether I should be feeling chagrin, embarrassment, or validation over my earlier remarks.  While the folks who caught #25 will be glad to get right into the action, those who skipped it will have missed out on some important logistical groundwork.

Not that important, though, which makes you think the only reason Pak put his prologue in #25 was to get some additional breathing space here.  The trade-off pays off, as Pak delivers a tale of heartfelt action-adventure worthy of our star.  While the issue starts off in typically superhero fashion—Superman warding off a giant underground cave monster—it quickly takes on shades of light comedy, human drama, and sci-fi reminiscent of All-Star Superman.  Weirdly enough, it feels more like All-Star Superman than even Grant Morrison’s beginning run on this series.