DC Comics & Action Comics #1038 Spoilers & Review: A Humiliated Superman At Odds With The Authority & His Captor Mongul?!

News, Spoilers

DC Comics and Action Comics #1038 Spoilers and Review follows.

A Humiliated Superman At Odds With The Authority and…

…His Captor Mongul?!

Here’s what to expect from the issue from its solicit.

ACTION COMICS #1038
Written by PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON and SHAWN ALDRIDGE
Art by DANIEL SAMPERE and ADRIANA MELO
Cover by DANIEL SAMPERE
Variant cover by JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO
$4.99 US | 40 pages | $5.99 US Variant (Card Stock)
ON SALE 12/28/21

“The Warworld Saga,” part three. Everything changes! After the heart-stopping events of Action Comics #1037, Superman and the surviving members of the Authority see a side of Warworld they never knew existed. In the lower catacombs, Superman finds another survivor of the lost Phaelosian race of Krypton, a scientist turned enslaved gladiator with much to teach Superman of his new home, including how to survive…and maybe, in time, how to escape. Meanwhile, Superman’s quest to turn the hordes of Warworld against their masters begins.

Also, for those keeping score, below are the members of Superman and the Authority.

The book opens with Superman humbled, the Authority imprisoned too and Lightray dead.

Despite an escape attempt by O.M.A.C. and Steel, they are quickly defeated by Mongul himself.

Superman is thrown in the dungeon with the Phelosians.

They have been mentally abused and manipulated by Mongul to despise Superman and his S symbol of hope; he’s too exhausted to deal their fears.


The Authority’s Midnighter comes to free Superman; he can somehow disable the artificial Red Suns fueling Warworld.

While the Red Suns make him powerless, Superman won’t have Midnighter destroy the Red Suns as it would destroy Warworld and of its slaves and other innocents.

Midnighter is enraged and leaves.

However, perhaps the S symbol can be one of hope to allow Superman to inspire the slaves to turn on their captor Mongul.

The book ends with an other odd and ill-fitting edition of a Martian Manhunter back-up.

The Pulse:

The main story is clearly attempting to humanize Superman and show what he can do without his powers. The art and story are compelling. The back-up should have somehow been tied to the main story, but it is not and instead features the Martian Manhunter. That back-up doesn’t work in this book at this time. Considering all of the book, it gets a 7 out of 10 on the strength of the main story.

John is a long-time pop culture fan, comics historian, and blogger. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief at Comics Nexus. Prior to being EIC he has produced several column series including DEMYTHIFY, NEAR MINT MEMORIES and the ONE FAN'S TRIALS at the Nexus plus a stint at Bleeding Cool producing the COMICS REALISM column. As BabosScribe, John is active on his twitter account, his facebook page, his instagram feed and welcomes any and all feedback. Bring it on!