Issue #131: Comic Books For The Weeks Of Wednesday, August 31 & September 7, 2011:

Invincible  #82 (Skybound/Image)
Action Comics #1 (DC)

How I read my new comic book issues each week is to shuffle the ones I look forward to reading most to the bottom of the stack, so that I save the best for last. For at least a year, a Superman issue hasn't made it to the bottom of the stack, unfortunately, until this week. I've purposefully avoided reading the internet publicity of the Superman relaunch, beyond the cover art of the new uniforms. It feels good to look forward to new Superman stories again. That's a feeling that's been missing for a while.

Invincible #82 (Skybound/Image) *  *  *  *  *


Invincible continues to have a crisis of confidence after recent events, and is reexamining his role in the world. He does think of a unique way to handle a villain he captured recently. As usual for this title, it's something you don't see in the average superhero title. Atom Eve is going through her own issues, and the world is not as admiring of Invincible after the recent destruction of a major American city. I can't help but wonder if this is another ramification from the aftermath of the Viltrumite War. I wonder what the world will think of Invincible if and when they discover that he allowed the Viltrumites to live on Earth. Also, a character returns after a long absence, setting up another future plot thread. There's not a lot of superhero action in this issue, but Robert Kirkman's knack for character development makes this as interesting of an issue as you could hope.

Action Comics #1 (DC) *  *  *  *


 Grant Morrison has been hit and miss for me, I was pleasantly surprised by this issue. Morrison can be incomprehensible at times with his stories, but there's none of that here. It's more in the vein of All-Star Superman than Superman Beyond 3-D, thank goodness. First of all, despite the changes with this relaunch, the basic characteristics of Superman's personality are recognizable. Morrison does a good job of incorporating bits of the golden age Superman into this new version of the Man of Steel. If I wasn't familiar with the original Superman and his rough and tumble crime fighting style, I might have found this new Superman a little disturbing. But he does harken back to his golden age roots. Most of the traditional supporting cast is introduced, and there is even a tiny reference to his connection to the Legion of Super-Heroes. There's a lot of action and plot development in this first issue, plenty for the reader to sink his teeth into. I do like this "primitive" look for his uniform, which I would call with no disrespect the "." Superman look. This new Superman shows that Truth and Justice aren't always the same as Law and Order. It's still early, but, so far, I dig this new Superman. I look forward to reading George Pérez's version of the Man of Steel in Superman #1 later this month.

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