Action Comics #876

And we're back for another week! I was looking forward to this week because of my dear Action Comics issue and Superman/Batman issue were coming out.  As usual, Action is my first read and let me tell you, Geoff Johns set something in motion.  In his run on Action and his recent events pushed a snowball down the hill and now it's getting faster, and faster and swallowing up more and more things.  That metaphor is meant to be a positive one, of course.  If you don't know, Superman is of course off-world (see New Krypton).  The heroes taking his place in Action Comics are Nightwing and Flamebird, mythic heroes of Krypton.  We pick up their fight in a story entitled "Sleepers".

Action Comics#876

Written by Greg Rucka

Art by Eddy Barrows and Sidney Teles, and Ruy Jose and Julio Ferreira

So this issue is told from an interesting perspective, the perspective of Ursa.  She is General Zod's right-hand-man...err woman, and his wife.  She attacks Nightwing and Flamebird as they are recuperating in the Fortress of Solitude after a previous scuffle in #875.  We get an interesting first-hand characterization of Ursa from her thoughts as she's aiming to kill the two heroes.  She is motivated solely out of bloodlust, a desire to kill.  She is evil and I'm not focusing on that, but I see her as one of the chief foils for heroic women in comic books.  She's evil to the T and she was a fairly insane in this issue.  She talks about Zod and the differences between the two of them, what he takes pleasure in as opposed to her pleasures.

In her fight with Flamebird, she relishes every feeling of fear on Flamebird's face, who is Thara Ak-Var.  In a scene that I am serious, reminded me big time of the final battle between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi, she knows how to push every button in Thara's heart.  While there is some great writing in thought and voice in every character, Ursa totally steals the show, this issue is more about her than the two heroes.  The art was great considering the whole issue is just one big mano-y-mano fight between the two women. Lots of great spreads and interesting overlying panel construction.  This layout was especially great and effective when Ursa utilizes a knife with a Kryptonite blade.  She has already driven Flamebird to the point of wild-desperation and has the upper hand in every way.  With a huge spread in the center, a two-page image of out-lying panels show each cut of Ursa's weapon on Flamebird's body, Ursa moving so fast and effective even the artist can't keep up with her, he can only show what she has done.  Until of course, she delivers the devastating blow in the center of the page.

With Flamebird out of commission, on the verge of death, enter Nightwing.  He is Lor-Zod, the son of Ursa and General Zod.  This fight is just as good, although shorter and a great display of Christopher Kent all grown up, sort of.  Ursa points out as she pummels her son for a while that he isn't even truly Kryptonian (he was born in the Phantom Zone).  She is right, and he displays some odd powers that he learned in the Zone, to incapacitate her.  He picks up her knife, as Flamebird tells him to finish her off, he will not do it.  My favorite moment of the entire issue arises.  He refuses to kill her, not because she is his mother but because "Superman wouldn't."  When Flamebird tells him "Superman isn't here" he responds, "All the more reason."

The issue ends with Ursa buried beneath the ruins and rubble of the Fortress of Solitude and Nightwing carrying Flamebird's beaten and near-death body to Lois Lane's apartment, Lor-Zod's adoptive mother.  I've really enjoyed Action since Superman departed Earth.  With Kryptonians being officially banned from Earth, except for Superman, Nightwing and Flamebird have had to wear power suits to conceal the source of their super abilities to hide their Kryptonian heritage.  Although their larger mission isn't quite obvious yet, since they're aren't just fulfilling Superman's role as protector of Metropolis (that's Mon-El's job in "Superman") this issue did well to set them up as good heroes.  Flamebird seems to be the most ambivalent of the two, willing to do what it may take to get the job done, while Nightwing's attachment to Superman has made him adopt some of Superman's values and unwavering principles.  I look forward to see where Greg Rucka takes these two heroes in future months.

--Patrick