Superman Action Comics Vol.2: Bulletproof
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| It must be so hard to be a white dude facing all that prejudice... yeah... |
Writer: Grant
Morrison
Artist: Rags
Morales
Collects: Superman – Action Comics #9-12, 0 and Action Comics Annual #1
Background
information:
Grant Morrison has a reputation. Whether that reputation is
good or bad remains to be seen. To some, he is the man responsible for great
stories like All-Star Superman and New X-Men. To others, he is the man
behind the pure weirdness of a long Batman
runs and Superman singing away evil in Final
Crisis. Most recently, he has been writing Superman Action Comics for the New 52, focussing on the early
career of the Man of Steel. It’s a Superman who hasn’t yet learned to fly, but
has already saved Metropolis and taken on Brainiac.
Review:
Second volumes in the New 52 haven’t gone wonderfully
really. Generally, they’ve all been just that little bit less good than the
first ones. Grant Morrison’s Superman
Action Comics has been part of this trend- not, in any way bad, but rather
pale in comparison to the first volume.
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| Superman has a thing with trains, doesn't he? |
Bulletproof
deals with a number of stories, really. Nimrod the Hunter, Captain Comet and
Kryptonite Man make their own New 52 debuts in this book, as well as another
universe featuring what I’m going to call “Superobama” (an African-American
presidential Superman who is really fun to read). What Bulletproof is really about, though, is the disappearance of
Kal-El’s identity as Clark Kent; who gets caught in an explosion. The question
of the necessity of Clark Kent is raised here; not only as a way for Superman
to live a normal life, but as a way for him to continue his mission.
See, Clark in this volume isn’t just a way to throw
suspicious people off the scent; Morrison actually writes him as part of the
Superman mission. After Clark’s “Death”, he’s remembered most for helping
others who are in trouble. In a way, Action
Comics has been presenting a more inspiring Clark Kent than it has a
Superman, and I’m surprisingly okay with that.
If you saw the villain list and rolled your eyes, don’t.
Nimrod, Captain Comet and Kryptonite Man are only used as much as they are
necessary to use and no more. When we stopped seeing Nimrod, I wasn’t too
bummed. I’d had my fill of the character and was more interested in what was
coming next. It was the same for every other villain in the trade and it’s a
credit to Morrison that he’s able to handle the fairly large cast without
making any of them feel pointless.
One of my only real problems with Bulletproof’s story is the rather dragged-out section in the middle
where a collection of side-stories are given front and centre. As well as
Morrison writes Superman’s supporting cast, I don’t really care to see things
that happen outside of Clark’s story. The side stories aren’t bad, but they’re
incredibly jarring and I’m pretty convinced they should have been left for the
end of the trade.
Also, if you’re new to Grant Morrison, I wouldn’t really
suggest this one just yet. I actually read Bulletproof
before the previous volume; Superman and
the Men of Steel. When I did, I found it jarring and difficult to follow.
That’s partially due to Morrison’s style; he likes to jump forward and back in
time and explore some of the weirder elements of a character’s mythos. If,
however, you’d like a steadier introduction into Morrison’s work, you’d best
check out the first volume before this one.
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| Important point: X-Rays do not allow people to see people naked. Superman isn't a pervert... at least not in this sense. |
Art is this collection, unfortunately, bears the same
problems as the first. It’s handled *moderately* better here, but not much. You
can still expect to see a different artist in every issue (sometimes after only
a few pages) and that becomes very off-putting. I like Morrison’s Superman
generally, but he needs to have ONE ARTIST PER ONGOING. Seriously, this is
getting annoying.
Bulletproof is
good, don’t worry about that, but like Batman’s plan to beat Supes, you’re
gonna need prep time. It gets a three and a half out of five Superobamas.
*** ½
+ Clark Kent is inspiring.
+ Villains are evenly spread out.
- Art is uneven.
- Some sections feel unnecessary.
Alternate Option: Superman Action Comics: Superman and the Men
of Steel
If you haven’t read it, do so before reading this one.
It’ll enhance the experience.
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