Superman Changes The World: ‘Action Comics’ #1047 Reviewed

The Man of Steel has been off Earth for what seems like ages. With Action Comics #1047, Clark Kent returns to Earth, and that’s causing problems for everyone.

Kal-El’s return begins here, and causes ripples through the Superman line. It comes from Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Riccardo Federici, Lee Loughridge, David Lapham, Trish Mulvhill, and Dave Sharpe.

Superman has returned to Earth, but not everyone is happy about it. After all, he’s brought Warworld with him, and the planet is questioning the judgment of the world’s greatest hero. At the forefront of that is Lex Luthor, who might use Warzoon technology to create the deadliest version of one of Kal-El’s greatest foes yet!

Johnson could have played this one of two ways. I’m glad this is the one he chose. By exploring the consequences of what Clark did on Warworld, the set-up for the future of the series is that much more interesting. The Warzoons, Phaelosians, and Warworld tech are all in play now, which enhances the tapestry of the DCU. I want to know what’s next.

However, when I look at it a little longer, exactly how Clark does what he does doesn’t sit right. The issue firmly establishes Warworld is now in Earth’s orbit. Immediately, a large planetary body of that scale would disrupt Earth’s ecosystem, disrupting tides and gravitational forces on the surface of the planet. Yes, there’s interesting drama in having the people there, but the celestial body is almost a leap in logic too far.

The art through the issue is uniformly great. Federici chronicles Clark Kent’s return, and shows the motions he’s going through to keep things under control. He is able to balance action and character drama, and keeps things relatable without toning it down too much. There are a few awkward panels, with body language and character movement on-panel that doesn’t feel like anyone really would move like that.

Lapham’s portion of the story looks great. Having him draw the Earthly side of what’s happening in the story was a great idea. HIs characters are expressive and dynamic without being over the top. Loughridge and Mulvhill both match what their penciller is doing with their work, and enhances the line art.

While imperfect, this is definitely a fascinating new take on Superman’s status quo and the creative team shows that there’s a lot of potential in Warworld, even with Mongul defeated.

Action Comics #1047 is available now from DC Comics.