DC Comics and Action Comics #1039 Spoilers and Review follows.
Gladiator Superman! Plus The Court Of Owls Vultures?!
On top of the main cover above the issue features two variant covers below.
The promise of the book can be gleaned from its solicitation.
ACTION COMICS #1039
Written by PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON
and SHAWN ALDRIDGE
Art by MIGUEL MENDONÇA
Cover by DANIEL SAMPERE
Variant cover by JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO
Variant cover by RICCARDO FERDERICI
$4.99 US | 40 pages | $5.99 US Variant (Card stock)
ON SALE 1/25/22“The Warworld Saga, Part IV.” Everything has changed. 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.
Superman and some of the Authority have been thrown into…
…a gladiator pit.
Superman is triumphant…
…which displeases his captors.
Superman also learns that Mongul’s Warworld “priests” are frauds.
He also gets a gift from his Authority allies in a Superman shield; a literal shield to wear on his chest as revealed on one of this issue’s variant covers.
The book ends with Midnighter attempting to free his husband or boyfriend Apollo who has Superman-level like powers; this cliffhanger while welcome was not a huge surprise as clearly editorial wanted Apollo on the shelf for a while.
I enjoyed playing with the cliffhanger for this piece’s banner.
Although I was toying with this one too.
Anyhow, The book ends with the dubious Martian Manhunter back-up and the debut of the Court of Vultures or something.
The Pulse:
I’ll start on second first and note that the Martian Manhunter back-up is an ill-fit for this series, well at least the current Warworld arc, and another Court’s debut makes the Owls less relevant. The art and story are ok, but it doesn’t make sense being in this issue.
Now onto main story that was rather compelling. It had action, drama, and intrigue in equal measure with gorgeous art. The cliffhanger ending was nice and the path to get the Authority whole again is interesting and welcome.
Overall, I give the book an 8 out of 10 on the strength of the main story.
