“You have a higher calling. I truly believe that.”
Can an issue of Superman be well received even if the titular hero doesn’t even throw a punch the entire time? It absolutely can, and in Action Comics #1093, titled Foreclosed, we get to look at a time in Superman’s life when he was still learning that not every single problem needed to be solved by brute force. Mark Waid continues his fantastic run that’s been taking a look back at a formative time in the Man of Steel’s life when his thoughts and actions were still bouncing between preparing for his ultimate destiny and getting through everyday life in Smallville. Foreclosed shows us that while Superman might be able to crack a planet in half or fly faster than light, he doesn’t need to solve every problem with force. Sometimes, the best solution involves that selfless Kryptonian brain of his and that big heart that beats in his chest.
Waid has a great understanding of Superman, his family, and his world, and it’s made for some great storytelling over the course of this run where his time as Superboy has taken center stage. Within the current continuity of DC, Superman previously spent time as Superboy in his Smallville days, which hasn’t always been the case, and this look back at this time in Superman’s life has been a joy to read since the summertime. Foreclosed works as a jumping-on point, but I would highly recommend, at the very least, checking out my review for last month's Action Comics #1092 if you want a little bit of a primer before jumping into this current run. Just as a warning to those reading: a spoiler warning is now in effect for this review!
Superboy Vs… The Bank?
Foreclosed opens with Jonathan Kent receiving a letter that his home and farm has been foreclosed on, and the bank is going to repossess it within the coming days. No homeowner ever wants to receive a call like that, most of all people like the Kents, whose entire livelihood relies on their home and farm being able to be run without any difficulties. We quickly learn that the villain of this book isn’t going to be someone like The Toyman or an intergalactic threat like Mongul, but rather a banker who might have something shady going on…
Clark and his friends quickly find out what’s going on as a mob begins to form at Smallville’s banking branch with farmers and homeowners shouting at the new bank executive that what’s going on is wrong, illegal, and they deserve a chance to prove that they've all made their payments on time. This book taps into that fear that we could all just be one paycheck or banking error away from having our entire world change, and you feel for the farmers and Smallville community members who just want to make sure they can get through their farming season intact.
Members of the Smallville community express their concerns; even though Jonathan Kent and others make their case that their farms could collapse while the bank errors are corrected, the new manager, Will Parmenter, couldn’t care less. Things take a turn for the worse when a member of Smallville High’s community, Coach Jerry Dale, bursts into the bank with a rifle in tow, fully prepared to blow Mr. Parmenter’s head off. This scene brings to life that even the most respected and beloved members of our communities all have a breaking point, and we all have times in our lives where it might seem like violence is the only way to get things done. Clark begins working through many different ways that he can diffuse the situation, but it’s his best friend and Smallville staple Pete Ross who helps talk down Coach Dale from doing something he will instantly regret.
Lessons Learned
This is a problem that Clark can’t rely on his more basic powers to solve. It’s one that requires smarts and cunning to outwit this corrupt banker who’s preying on the lives of a vulnerable group of people in Smallville’s farming community. In a time where big business and the big banking industry is seen in a bad light by many Americans, this book is very timely in that regard. The affordability crisis is hurting so many of us right now, and there are situations like this hitting folks all over the country. There are so many worries in the world today about big business and the banking industry over-reaching their bounds and getting too powerful, and through the lens of this issue of Action Comics we get a look at what can drive everyday Americans to their breaking point.
A headstrong Superboy tries to solve the Kents' foreclosure crisis by flying into an abandoned gold mine and grabbing some chunks of gold for his family to sell in order to get the bank off their backs. Jonathan and Martha both refuse to use the gold Clark has acquired for them because of their own principles. I’ll let the comic do the talking here; check out the scene below:
This two-and-a-half-page scene is a perfect microcosm for why the Kents were in the perfect place at the perfect time when Kal’El’s rocket fell from space. Almost any other people would’ve gladly accepted that gold and saved their farm, no questions asked, but the Kents know they have to hold their boy to a higher standard than simply taking the quickest and easiest way out. Sure, the gold could save their farm for the next little while, but what about all the other farms? What about the banker? Wouldn’t he still have a job? The gold is a Band-Aid, and Superboy needs to figure out a different way to solve this problem.
Jonathan and Martha don’t want Clark to get used to using his powers for personal gain, but that can be a slippery slope. When would it stop? When would it be enough? He needs to learn to be as selfless as can be. Martha says she believes he has a higher calling, and someone with his powers and his potential needs to be a shining example; he needs to be the best of us. The right way to do something isn’t always the easiest; it isn’t always the quickest. The right thing can be tough, but we must find a way to solve things in the best way possible. This is a core foundational belief of the character of Superman, and we are seeing this play out in real-time over the course of this issue. I love that Waid chose to go in this direction with this issue because we get to see a time when a young Clark still needed to hear the hard truths from his parents, and it’s those hard truths that turn him into the Superman that we all know and love.
Brains Over Brawn
Clark, despite not being happy with his folks’ decision, spends the rest of his day helping those affected by the shady practices of the bank move stuff out of their homes and off their properties. He’s angry, but he’s doing whatever he can to help the nice people of Smallville. One such resident refuses to leave his property, and when the police get involved, events unfold that have Clark stepping in front of a shotgun blast. Clark gets caught in between wanting to help the resident and siding with the law and the police to take him and his wife off the property. It’s yet another moment where Clark learns a valuable lesson: if he saves this one person, not only will he have to contend with the police, but sooner rather than later, the military will now have another excuse to get involved in his life. Not only would that create problems for him, but it could cause problems for his family and Smallville, and he doesn’t want that. This banking issue is causing all sorts of problems, and it’s time for Superboy to figure out how to solve them.
Superboy flies to Metropolis and pleads with the head of the bank to give the residents more time, but he is denied. He finally decides to head back to Parmenter’s office for a face-to-face, but he realizes there's a power he hasn’t tapped into yet to solve this problem: X-Ray Vision. He discovers that Parmenter had contracts drawn up months ago to sell all the foreclosed land in Smallville to Stagg Industries, and he was trying to screw the residents out of their land. We reach yet another crucial moment in this issue's story and in Superboy’s life: should he steal the documents and threaten the banker? No, the Kents wouldn’t want him to do that; he isn't a bully, as he says in the book. There has to be a way to solve this issue without physicality, and Superboy figures out a way to do just that.
When Parmenter arrives at the bank, Superboy makes an announcement outside the bank about the shady contracts and when Parmenter goes inside to hide the files and run he’s confronted by the head of the bank who Clark visited in Metropolis and his entire scheme comes crashing down. The issue ends with Superboy explaining to his parents that he flew in the head of the bank from Metropolis after convincing her of his plan and when she saw the falsified documents she withdrew all the foreclosures. Superboy solved a huge crisis in Smallville’s history with his brain and not his brawn and that lesson sticks with Clark his entire life as he keeps evolving into Superman: not every problem needs to be solved with a fist. There’s an interesting cliffhanger at the end of the book as well and I’m sure Waid is going to build out some very interesting stories from it in the coming issues.
Art Review and Concluding Thoughts
Skyler Patridge’s art and Ivan Plascencia’s color were once again a great choice to accompany Waid’s writing prowess. Patridge’s art has been incredible during this run, and I hope she continues to work with Waid for his duration on Action Comics. She nails those big character moments in this book, helping the reader perfectly see the emotion on the characters' faces. There are also some specific panels I want to draw your attention to that I feel Patridge really nailed and further enhance this book.
Those panels include: when Jonathan Kent first sees the word foreclosure in the bank's letter to the Kents; the look of horror on Coach Jerry Dale’s face when someone recognizes him under the mask at the bank; Superboy breaking into the abandoned gold mine; Superboy’s face as he tells the Kents their logic is “dumb;” and Superboy revealing to Smallville that the corrupt banker is trying to sell their land. Those are just a few specific examples of some of the fantastic art in this book, and it all pops thanks to the outstanding color work of Ivan Plascencia. These two are a dynamic duo on this book.
To close out here, Waid, Patridge, and Plascencia have proven to be a force during their run on Action Comics, and I can’t wait to see more of their stories and where Superboy’s early journeys are going to take him. Waid can write action-packed, super-powered-filled romps, but he can also nail the emotional beats, with all of it gloriously depicted by Patridge and Plascencia.
Score: 9/10