Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Review: Action Comics #962


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By Philip Schweier
August 24, 2016 - 09:27

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There is a scene in Batman Returns (1992) in which Bruce Wayne and Alfred torpedo the Penguin’s mayoral prospects by remote control from the Batcave. Well, why not? If you don’t have to put on several pounds of kevlar and neoprene, why would you?


With that in mind, picture this: Superman is sitting on the ledge of a building. Below him he can a see a gaggle of police cars in pursuit of a carload of bank robbers. Does he swoop down and put an end to the chase in some dramatic fashion, pose for a photo, and the fly away? No. He uses his heat vision to destroy the bad guys tires, allowing the cops to apprehend them. Job done. And he’s still sitting on the ledge of a building.


It seems like a no-brainer. If you don’t have to put forth a lot of effort, why would you? But those don’t make for good stories. We never see headlines that say, “Robbery Averted; Man Decides NOT to Rob Liquor Store.” I’m sure it happens; it’s just not worth putting into print.


***SPOILER ALERT***















So in the latest issue of Action Comics, after several issues of battle with Doomsday, Superman FINALLY gets a clue. He can’t physically subdue Doomsday, so the obvious (to me) solution is direct it where it can’t harm anyone. The wilderness? The desert? But it’s only a matter of time before Doomsday would once more comes in contact with gen-pop. And it can smell a Kryptonian across the planet.

Hmmm. Where on Earth could you contain such a creature? The answer is: You can’t. Not on Earth. And there’s no viable means of getting it into a spacecraft of some sort. If only there were some sort of gateway or transporter that would zap Doomsday away from mankind, to another dimension where it can’t harm anyone.

WAITAMINIT! The Phantom Zone! Why didn’t we think of it before? No more beatdowns at the hands of an unstoppable killing machine. No more worry over the risk to innocent lives. Superman just needs to aim and shoot, like taking a photograph.

Why didn’t we think of it before? Oh, wait! We did! In the Justice League Unlimited episode "The Doomsday Sanction,” the Justice League defeats Doomsday by sending it into the Phantom Zone. At the time, I couldn’t help but wonder, “Why didn’t Superman do this the first time he battled Doomsday?”

The Phantom Zone has been around since 1961, and has been the answer for all of Superman’s unanswered dilemmas. Evil Kryptonians as powerful as he is? Phantom Zone. A friend with an incurable affliction? Phantom Zone.

Which brings me back to my original premise: if you don’t have to put forth a lot of effort, why would you? If I were Superman, I’d wear that Phantom Zone projector on my hip like a six-gun, and any time I was faced with a threat I couldn’t defeat easily, I’d zap them away, as a problem to be solved later.

However, that raises the question of due process, which was brought up in the aforementioned JLU episode. Would it be considered unlawful restraint? In the case of Doomsday, I think not. It is an all-powerful engine of destruction, as mindless as any lower animal on earth. It can not be reasoned with, so to worry about its legal rights is kind of like suggesting a rabid animal has rights.

But using the Phantom Zone projector in that fashion doesn’t make for good stories. Let us take it on faith that Superman does use it on occasion, but we’re not interested in hearing, “SO I used the Phantom Zone projector, and that was the end of that.” We want the big DC epic, with guns, and firetrucks, and omega beams.

I plan on sitting down and re-reading the recent issues of Action Comics, in the hope there is a kernel of emotional reality. Hopefully, the big fight that takes center stage throughout the five issues is a diversion from the true meat of the story.

As for the artwork, it appears rushed. Not a great surprise considering DC's efforts to get books out on time, and to maintain a cohesive creative staff. Five issues in two months is a lot of pages, and no doubt corners were cut in order to meet the deadlines. But overall, the art is entirely serviceable.


Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12

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