Action Comics #1060 came out this week, the penultimate issue in the Phillip Kennedy Johnson run, ending in the upcoming Action Comics Annual. It's hard to believe that it has been a nearly 3 year run on the Superman titles for Johnson. I had no idea who he was when he started on the book but I am going to follow him around comics, for sure.
I think one thing I have loved about Johnson's run has been his pacing. Arcs like Warworld weren't rushed but weren't slow either. They felt epic. Each issue pushed the story forward but left you wanting more.
The current Blue Earth storyline has a different feel. I almost wonder if Johnson had to compress the story he wanted to tell. These issues feel a little too rushed. A little too much happens off screen. Reveals and movement happen quick. This is still a very solid story. But the Earth Al Ghul reveal happened last month and we only have one more issue to wrap it up. That's fast.
I also wonder if Johnson isn't taking advantage of his last story to put in all the things he dreamed of. Superman wielding a sword? Done. Constantine and Superman? Bloodwynd? Why not play with the toys while you can.
I do like that the axle of this story is Osul and Otho. I do wonder if they are going to stick around after Johnson leaves. Surely the Kryptonian myth of their family is foreshadowing.
As has mostly been the case, the back-up stories in the anthology aren't as solid as the main feature. Steve Orlando, Nicole Maines, and Fico Ossio gives us a story of Dreamer being recruited by Amanda Waller. It is pretty impressive how that Dreamer, a character created for the Supergirl show, gets a back-up feature in Action before Supergirl herself. I am pretty sick of Waller. Joe Casey and Dan McDaid give us a prologue of the upcoming Kneel Before Zod mini-series. But I have more questions than answers about what that story will be about.
On to the book.