Action Comics #1039

Melo's artwork is a great fit for Martian Manhunter. Along with Hi-Fi's coloring, this would be a firm creative team for a Manhunter ongoing series. Read Full Review

Action Comics #1039 is terrific. Johnson is creating a once-in-a-lifetime epic, and Federicis art is the perfect complement. The backup is heating up, and things are getting interesting there. Aldridge and Melo are doing an excellent job with Martian Manhunter. Action Comics has truly reached the next level. Read Full Review

Someone needs to make a film out of this Action Comics run sooner rather than later. Read Full Review

So nothing but praise for this issue. We start out with a tremendous action sequence. And then we get, in essence, a lot of exposition. But it is presented in a way that we are shown and told. The wonders of this saga just keep heaping up, like the layers on Warworld. I didn't know I needed this story. But I'm sure glad I am getting it. Read Full Review

With great art and great storytelling throughout the main story and the backup, Action Comics has become what feels like one of the biggest books that DC Comics is putting out. There's drama, heart, and impeccable pacing that makes sure that the new concepts for Mongul and Warworld feel important throughout, not to mention a deep dive into continuity with the backup that is trying to bring to light the villains of Martian Manhunter that we barely ever get. Read Full Review

If there was a Black Label Superman tale, it probably wouldn't look much different from this, but what's impressive is that Johnson manages to keep Superman's inherent character even amid the most brutal of situations. Read Full Review

Action Comics #1039 shows the new life of Superman on Warworld. The comic shows Superman fight to survive and endure the brutal environment he's in. Phillip Kennedy Johnson delivers some interesting world-building of Warworld, which goes hand in hand with the artwork from Riccardo Federico and Lee Loguhridge that characterizes the planet as a cruel and soul-crushing place waiting to grind Superman into fuel. Read Full Review

Superman continues to learn about this wildly different version of Warworld. The creative team combines their efforts to weave a tapestry, making this a captivating read and an engrossing Superman epic. Read Full Review

I am admittedly not a huge fan of "The Warworld Saga" arc, but even though it's not my cup of tea I can recognize just how solid Philip Kennedy Johnson's writing is this issue and just how well he understands Clark Kent. Read Full Review

Character is the strongest element of the Superman story in Action Comics #1039. Johnson nails this page after page, even if Superman's not quite fitting into a John Carter of Mars story as one might expect he would. The Martian Manhunter story continues to build up with an interesting reveal. The art across the issue is at a high level, Melo is great on J'onn J'onn, but Federici is exceptional on the Superman tale. All in all, this is a step up from last issue. Read Full Review

Danilo Silva

Jan 25, 2022

Great story and great art. In this issue, the story is getting deeper and we're seeing the consequences for Authority. Superman is adapting and the final made me very curious. Incredible issue!

DiegoLDUganda

Jan 25, 2022

BEST CURRENT DC BOOK!

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RKS - Jan 28, 2022

Sales suggest otherwise...

UxasIs - Jan 30, 2022

Yeah because sales always line up with quality

UxasIs - Jan 30, 2022

@RedKSuperman Yeah because sales always line up with quality

RKS - Feb 8, 2022

What other impartial metric would propose we use? If not sales?

UxasIs - Feb 9, 2022

@RedKSuperman reviews, what the general audience feel (Reddit?, forums?), a lot of series sell well due to the IP even if the writings bad, and a lot of phenomenal series have gone under the radar

UxasIs

Jan 30, 2022

Giving me gladiator vibes and I love it! Federici's art was a nice gift and johnson did such an amazing job expanding the mythology in this issue Cannot recommend this book enough

daspidaboy

Jan 25, 2022

Great art great pqcing amd a good story so far

REYNARD

Jan 25, 2022

"I promise, if there are any more of your kind out there among the stars, that I'll find them... and that I'll protect them as I failed to protect you." Best book of the week. Absolutely adored the Superman POV + a breather issue going deep into the lore and mysticism deep beneath the Warworld. Riccardo Federici did a spectacular job, bringing a new energy to the book that leaves me so hyped for the rest of this run.

KittyNone

Jan 26, 2022

Incredible art, PKJ's top-notch worldbuilding makes Warworld feel three-dimensional, and how these characters act on the society and how it acts on them is endlessly compelling. PKJ's run has had its ups and downs, but since the team left Earth he's really been in his element.

Psycamorean

Jan 30, 2022

This is becoming such a great comic. It feels like PKJ was just gearing up for this one since the run started, and everything that came before this was necessary, yet not quite so exciting reading. I appreciate it in hindsight. I would rate this even higher but the Martian Manhunter backup is really not engaging with me.

Skywolf

Jan 25, 2022

A good background story for the Warworld.

Merlyn

Jan 25, 2022

Truth, Justice and the American Way. Come on, PKJ, you're not a lefty who hates America but pretends he doesn't, I know that, say it after me: Truth, Justice and the American Way. Nothing to be ashamed of, believe me. Putting that aside, this is an ok issue, as is this run so far. Ok, but nothing especially great. I usually like Federici's art but here I feel like he didn't have the chance to really shine. Also, how does Superman know the writing similar to the one on the Genesis Fragment runs upward? He just... knows that but has no idea what it says or just anything about it, kind of a weird thing, if you ask me. Also, you can let some pages just with Federici's art instead of writing dialogue in mongulese or whatever that stupid "lang uage" is that doesn't actually translate into anything, that's just lazy writing there. The backup is slightly better but I'm still not impressed. more

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REYNARD - Jan 25, 2022

He saw the hieroglyphics during his vision of the Necropolis. Assuming that Superman has witnessed and studied a myriad of interstellar dialects (he even has his own xeno-sanctuary in the fortress) it doesn't seem as unrealistic for him to understand the orientation/format of the genesis fragment hieroglyphs without knowing the language yet. Also, is it really lazy writing to have alien species communicating in their own respective language?

Merlyn - Jan 25, 2022

I know that he saw them during his vision, I remember that. It does seem unrealistically when he says he has no idea what that he means but that he's SURE the writing runs upward. Like, I don't know arabic but I only know the writing goes from right to left only because it's a verified knowledge, otherwise I'd have no fucking clue. Same goes about Mandarin. I just find that bit very convenient.

Merlyn - Jan 25, 2022

It's lazy because we don't have any translation, we have no idea what they're talking about and that was my point, PKJ just fills some pages with "dialogue" that doesn't actually mean anything. Of couse alien species communicate in their own language and we always see that across comics but usually it comes with a translation. Here it just seems like PKJ needs to fill up the number of pages with something and he chooses that gibberish. I'd be much more content with letting Federici's art shine.

Reaper74

Aug 09, 2022

It’s ok that about sums it up for me. There is a certain penache that Superman has that he doesn’t have here. It’s not his powers, not his hope. The writer to me keeps missing. The whole Superman needing training for Warworld fighting just came out very un Superman. I mean he’s not Batman detective qualities of intelligence but Superman knows people period. He’s supremely wise. I don’t care about him being depowered but I do when it come to being unwise just to advance a plot. Again if this was a book report and I was a teacher C-

RKS

Feb 08, 2022

I don't know what this is, but it isn't a Superman book. It's long, boring, and I stopped caring about this story arc 3 issues ago. Just when you think they can't possibly get any worse and they have hit rock bottom, they find a way to dig. Action Comics is in a lull right now, I'll be surprised if any of this story arc resells for anything more than cover price. This entire run is a "Filler" run.