Action Comics # 849
DC COMICS
WRITER: Fabian Nicieza
ARTISTS: Allan Goldman
COVER: Brad Walker, Robin Riggs

Superman faces off against Redemption, a super-being who is taking revenge for Christian missionaries, murdered in an African nation. This confrontation forces the Man of Steel to look into Redemption's religious origins as well as into Clark Kent's religious beliefs (or lack of them.) The story, which was clearly inspired by a true incident in India some years back, tries to tackle some heavy issues and while it does not make its points too convincingly, at least it avoids blaming everything on religious fanaticism-- (the new scapegoat of modern times.) It also avoid having Superman save the day through violence, a nice twist but also a rather unsatisfying one as we were getting some great action scenes earlier, making the reader eager to see more. Perhaps this comic shows why religion may be too hot a topic to handle in the context of four-color adventure stories where action, not faith or reflection, make a difference. The art shows great potential, especially in the fight scenes. But the facial expressions, the poses of characters during moments of calm, end up looking a bit stiff and lifeless. Three out of five stars.