Cover Art for Action Comics #1099
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Skylar Patrirdge and Patricio Delpeche
Colors Ivan Plascensia and Patrico Delpeche
Letters by Steve Wands
Cover by Ryan Sook
It’s hard to believe that we are only one month away from another anniversary issue of Action Comics. It feels like just yesterday I was at the store grabbing every single cover I could for Action Comics #1000. In the 99 issues we’ve had since then we have had some amazing stories featuring the Man of Steel and the super-family and the ramp up to Action Comics #1100 has been extremely fun to read through. Mark Waid’s Superboy story has been nailing issue after issue and this one is no different and it asks the reader: What is a Superboy without his powers? Lets get into it. Spoiler Warning Now in Effect for Action Comics #1099.
Recap of the Issue
Clark Kent is Superboy no longer. After a crazy ending to the last issue, the heroes may have struck a big blow against Epoch but they were dealt an even heavier one. Due to Epoch flooding Clark’s cells with red solar radiation, his cells aren’t recharging from yellow sunlight. Clark’s powers are gone and he now has to experience his life on Earth just as any old human would. Over the course of the first part of this issue we get to see how Clark is adjusting to his new normal.
He tries to help the Kent’s cow Bessie but he gets kicked in the face and feels pain like that for the first time. He feels the sting of a cold shower. He can’t see as well at school and actually needs to ask someone to speak up for “the first time ever.” He can barely keep up running in gym class and he can’t smell rain clouds in the distance. Sitting by himself on his high school campus, Clark feels more dejected than ever. That is… until Lana Lang shows up.
Lana invites Clark to her place for a party and touches his arm. For the first time in his life, a simple touch doesn’t feel like “flesh on steel.” It begins to change his entire perspective on his new situation. Clark realizes he can just be… Clark. He doesn’t need to deal with the world’s problems. He can play video games and take a breather, he can play sports with his friends and not have to worry about killing them, he can see Lana and not have to run away to stop a crime… he begins to understand what it means to relax. Meanwhile in the background…Lana discovers something shocking in her father’s new book and Epoch breaks into S.T.A.R. labs to upgrade his suit.
Clark begins to enjoy his life without powers but Mary Marvel disappears and Booster Gold & Martian Manhunter have no recollection of who she is. Time is beginning to fall apart. The DC timeline won’t be corrected unless Superboy can get his powers back. Booster and Martian Manhunter know they need to help Clark and they go to visit scientist Bruce Gordon; the man who will eventually become the super-villain Eclipso.
While dis-trusting at first, Clark gives a speech befitting of the world’s greatest hero and Gordon is convinced; he will help the young hero try to get his powers back. As the process begins, Clark and his team are attacked by an upgraded Epoch as Martian Manhunter and Booster Gold disappear just like Mary Marvel did. It appears all is lost as Epoch turns his attention to kill him but Clark has other ideas. The group brought an insurance plan just in case his powers didn’t come back: a suit of red and blue armor complete with a sword and shield. Clark might not have his powers but he isn’t going down without a fight. The issue closes with a still depowered Clark turning to face Epoch.
Thoughts on the Issue
Superman has lost his powers before but to see him experience this loss when he's still in high school makes for a very interesting take. High school is a time where we begin to find ourselves and begin to make friends that last a lifetime. We experience intense love and hard break-ups. We take our first steps away from being a kid as we transition into adults. It’s an extremely influential time in anyone's life; whether that be good or bad. Clark isn’t a normal kid. He has the weight of the world on his shoulders at all times and that on top of having to do homework and pass tests and dealing with the butterflies he sees whenever he’s around Lana Lang.
While he originally feels the intense pain, both emotionally and physically, of losing his powers, Clark slowly warms up to the fact that he might just be normal and he realizes that he doesn’t hate it. He no longer has to live in a world made of cardboard. He can just be a kid and I liked seeing this side of Clark. He has an entire lifetime of saving the world ahead of him and of being the strongest defender of Earth so for him to get even just a few days of peace was nice to see.
Waid’s writing touches the heartstrings as we see Clark go through all the stages of grief with his powers. He hates being without them at first and hates all the things he sees as limitations now being imposed on him against his will. Things he once took for granted have completely changed. Since we were all little kids, we experienced scrapes and broken bones. For some of us, we knew early on we needed glasses if the board was blurry and if we didn't hear a teacher say something we needed to ask someone to let us know.
These are all normal everyday occurrences for someone that isn’t from Krypton. Imagine experiencing pain for the first time as a teenager? I can’t picture going a few days without some sort of bump or bruise or cut but 16-17 years? Wild to imagine and you can understand why Clark is initially so against what he's feeling. On a deeper level, Clark has experienced things we can never imagine as humans. From all of his super senses, to flight to heat vision and cold breath among many others, it must feel like losing a limb to no longer have access to these abilities. Waid does a great job in this issue of showing us, through Clark’s dialogue, how all of this feels to him and again, his characterization of the characters he writes is on another level than almost any other writer in the game. He makes it easy for us to empathize with Clark.
The next part of the issue I want to focus on is the mystery that has been working its way through Action Comics that has to do with the Lang family, specifically Lana’s father. We finally get another glimpse into this mystery as Lana finds a copy of her father’s book in their home. She picks it up and begins to read it and immediately drops it after reading something that really frightens her. Waid doesn’t reveal what that thing is but it's clear the massive reveal is coming soon and it might be something foundation shaking based on how much Waid has been referencing this mystery throughout his run.
As the issue's final arc kicks off and Mary Marvel disappears, Clark has a realization that he can’t afford to be selfish. He might be having fun as a normal kid but he knows he isn’t. He knows his destiny is something much greater and he realizes that he needs to do everything he can to get his powers back. Having Superman’s powers is something many wish they had; it's extremely appealing to think of all the things you can do with that kind of power. Clark is a bit reluctant to take it all back on. Any contact someone has with him will go back to feeling different. Sports will once again be the thing of the past. Say goodbye to hanging out and dates with girls. It must hurt for him.
It takes a strong person to be willing to take the weight of the world back on their shoulders; imagine being a teenager and being told you are essentially the most important being in the universe and if you don’t get our powers back time could unravel? That’s daunting for anyone let alone someone so young. But this isn’t just anyone. It's the boy who grows up to the greatest hero of them all and he knows what he needs to do. Superboy’s speech to Dr. Gordon when he needs to convince him to help him get his powers back is one of the best moments of the issue. Superboy tells Dr. Gordon about how great it feels for him to help others and that he believes his purpose on the planet is for him to help others. He’s just asking for a chance to do that again and Dr. Gordon finally relents. The entire speech and conversation is so quintessentially Superboy/Superman.
The art in this issue is once again from Skylar Patridge and Patricio Delpeche. Partridge handles art duties on the first half of the issue while Delpche handles duties on the second half. I’ve praised both these incredible artists in almost all of my Action Comics reviews and this one is no different. Patridge’s art in the first half of the book while Clark is experiencing a “normal” life is as great as ever; she just had her finger on the pulse of what a young Superman story should look like. Delpeche’s art in the back half of the book nails the feel as the story gets a little darker when Clark’s friends start disappearing and he has to stand up to Epoch on his own. These two have formed quite the team over the course of their run with Mark Waid and I hope to see them on more projects together in the future.
Action Comics #1099 has great moments of characterization in what is another powerhouse issue. Clark dealing with the loss of his powers, trying to get them back and understanding how crucial his role in the DC Universe is makes for a great story. Next up is Action Comics #1100; a huge milestone for Superman and DC. I can't wait to see what Waid and the art team have in store for us.
RATING: 8.5/10