Comic Book Review: Action Comics #871: New Krypton

The Revolution has certainly been intrigued with the beginning of the New Krypton story that is snaking through all the titles of the Superman family. I fully expect Johns to keep the ball rolling with Action Comics #871 and crank out another quality read. The New Krypton story has so much potential and I am interested to see what new twist Johns throws at the reader with this issue. Let’s go ahead and hit this review for Action Comics #871.

Creative Team
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Pete Woods

Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10

Synopsis: We begin with Commander Gor and Lieutenant Mur walking through New York City with a look of disdain for the humans around them. Gor states that Zod always promised to save Kandor and would have hunted down Brainiac if the Council had let him. Gor says that the humans have Brainiac’s ship in custody. That this is their chance to avenge Krypton. But, instead, Kal-El wants to play diplomat.

Gor says that Zod’s loyalty to Krypton could never be questioned. Gor does not believe Kal-El’s claims that Zod committed heresy and murder without justification after Kandor’s disappearance. Nor does Gor think that Zod should have been placed in the Phantom Zone like a common criminal.

Gor then states that Kal-El said that Zod attempted to take over this primitive planet in order to establish New Krypton. Gor muses that he must not be the only Kryptonian wondering why Kal-El would have stopped Zod.

The two Kryptonians then witness a terrible car crash in front of them. The bystanders plead with the Kryptonians to use their powers to rip open the jammed car doors so the people inside can be rescued and then to fly the injured people to the hospital. The two Kryptonians ignore the bystander’s pleas for help and simply fly off into the air. Gor mumbles that he thinks that he is beginning to understand why Kal-El stopped Zod.

We cut to General Lane placing chains on Lex’s wrists and leading Lex out of his cell. Lex is still amazed that Lane is alive. Lane states that there are now 100,000 Kryptonians on Earth. Lane asks Lex if he knows of Kandor. Lex says that he does. Lane then informs Lex that Kandor has been restored on Earth.

Lane and Lex then enter the lab where the military is holding Brainiac. Lane tells Lex that he needs Lex to unlock Brainiac’s brain. Evidently, Brainiac buff body is already beginning to atrophy since he has been disconnected with his ship. Lex asks to be unchained. Lane barks that Lex is a criminal and that he will remain in chains.

Lex states that he and General Lane are similar in many ways. That Lane was one of the first people, along with Lex, to realize what a threat Superman posed to Earth. And that Lane remained committed to protecting Earth from Superman even though it cost General Lane the person that he was really trying to protect: Lois Lane.

Lex continues that General Lane has been willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to recue humanity from the influences of Superman. Lex states that Superman makes humanity insignificant. That Superman has humanity rest on their laurels and cry for help when the littlest thing goes wrong. And Superman captures their daughters’ eyes when more suitable suitors are ignored.

Lex says that it must grate on General Lane that Lana spent her good years pining for Superman only to eventually settle on the bumbling and useless Clark Kent. General Lane responds by pulling out his gun and shooting Lex in his shoulder. Lane barks that Lex will never mention his daughter Lois again, that Lex will remain chained and that Lex will eat at his station. Lane asks Lex if he understands. Lex answers that he understands.

Lex adds that the Kryptonians from Kandor will attempt to make the humans their slaves. Lex then says that he will need more weapons to end this invasion than just breaking Brainiac’s mind. Lane growls that he is not putting all his chips on an egotistical sadist like Lex. That Lex is only one bullet in Lane’s gun. That Lane has a lot of others.

We cut to Doomsday arriving in Metropolis. The President is quickly evacuated. Superman and Supergirl attack Doomsday. Zor-El immediately recognizes Doomsday. Zor-El explains that Doomsday was genetically created on ancient Krypton, through the violent and vile process of forced-evolution. A child was sent into the wild, killed and then cloned from the remains. The process was repeated until that child evolved to withstand the harsh environment and bloodthirsty creatures of their primordial world. Zor-El continues that Doomsday blames his painful existence on all Kryptonians.

The rest of the Kryptonians on the scene join Superman and Supergirl and they combine to pick up Doomsday and fly him out of Earth’s atmosphere and then slam Doomsday into the moon. There the Kryptonians team up and proceed to lay a serious beating on Doomsday. The Kryptonians manage to kill Doomsday.

We slide over to the Fortress of Solitude. We see Commander Gor and Lieutenant Mur arrive at the Fortress. Gor mentions how Zor-El and Aurora-El think they can lead Kandor to safety. However, Gor points out that they are only scientists and the last time Krypton was led by scientists it exploded.

The two Kryptonians enter the Fortress of Solitude. Gor surveys the collection of items that Superman has collected over the years. Gor states that he cannot help but to question Kal-El’s dedication to Krypton considering all of the trinkets that Kal-El has collected from his terrestrial experiences.

Gor states that after the unleashing of Doomsday today that there is little doubt in his mind. Gor exclaims that they need Zod. The two Kryptonians approach the Phantom Zone projector.

Suddenly, two voices come from off panel and claim that they have been waiting for one of Zod’s loyalists to try this. One of the characters shoots flames at the Kryptonians. The other character uses tactical-telekinesis to dismantle the Kryptonians’ weapons. The two characters then take down the two Kryptonians with just a couple of punches.

We pan back and see Nightwing and Flamebird. Nightwing states “If any of General Zod’s soldiers try to free that lunatic…Nightwing and Flamebird will be there to stop them.” Flamebird spits “Flamebird and Nightwing, kid.” Nightwing responds “Whatever.” End of issue.

Comments
The Good: Action Comics #871 was another good read. Johns presents a finely crafted issue that is properly paced. This is a fast read that moves with a purpose, but at no point does it feel rushed. Action Comics #871 has a pleasant flow as Johns is able to dial up a fine balance of action and drama.

Johns’ excellent long range vision and ability to juggle numerous plotlines make Action Comics #871 a well plotted issue. Johns adds yet another layer to the New Krypton story. Johns keeps the reader guessing by making sure that we got a couple of surprising plot twists in Action Comics #871.

Johns and Robinson have clearly done their homework in preparing the New Krypton story. These two writers have impressed me with their ability to fashion a tightly plotted complex story. New Krypton is an ever changing matrix that constantly shifts and readjusts as Johns and Robinson slide the various chess pieces around the board.

The New Krypton stories that we have gotten in the various titles have gelled well with each other. The New Krypton story is seamless as it shifts to a different title with each installment of this story. That is amazing considering that most large stories that are delivered by more than one writer tend to get a bit clunky and often have a poor flow to them.

Johns crafts plenty of excellent dialogue. Each character has a nicely developed voice. Johns also performs some solid character work as he begins to flesh out the personalities of some of these new Kryptonian characters. The best character work in this issue was performed on General Lane and Lex Luthor. The dialogue in that scene was exceptional and the emotion was palpable.

The themes of what is Superman’s true heritage and what role the Kandorians will have on Earth are well handled and reflected in all the scenes in Action Comics #871 as Johns presents the reader several different viewpoints of those two main themes. The opening scene was well done as Johns shows the reader the type of Kryptonians in Gor and Mur that are the very reason why Lex and General Lane distrust the Kryptonians so much.

Gor and Mur are both of the military sect and clearly side with Zod. Gor’s wondering of why Kal-El is insistent on playing the diplomat rather than letting the Kryptonians go and find Brainiac and his ship and extract some much deserved retribution for the destruction of Krypton emphasizes the differences between Kal-El and the Kryptonians from Kandor. Kal-El may love his Kryptonian heritage, but the fact remains that he has no connection to or memories of Krypton.

Superman’s detached relationship with the destruction of Krypton at the hands of Brainiac allows him to take a more diplomatic approach. Johns does a fine job using this scene to get the reader to understand and sympathize with Gor and Mur and their disdain for the diplomatic approach over exacting payback on Brainiac for the death of Krypton.

The terrible auto accident and the subsequent pleas for help from the human bystanders was an excellent way to answer Gor’s question of why Kal-El stopped Zod from turning Earth into New Krypton. Gor clearly believes that Kal-El is infatuated with being the only Kryptonian on Earth with such magnificent powers. That Kal-El is a god on Earth. That Kal-El is viewed and worshiped as a savior by the humans who consistently turn to him for help with virtually any problem that arrives. This can be quite intoxicating to the ego.

As I said earlier, the scene with Lex and General Lane was fantastic. Johns does a fine job handling both characters. I enjoyed how Johns points out the similarities between these two characters even thought there are also start contrasts present as well. General Lane clearly sees himself as a patriot and a hero while Lex is nothing more than an egotistical sadist. However, both men view the threat of Superman and the threat of a city full of Kryptonians the same.

Johns takes the theme of who Superman is and the role of the Kryptonians on Earth from the first scene and examines those themes through the eyes of two humans. Surprisingly, the Zod loyalists in Gor and Mur view Superman roughly the same as how Lane and Lex view Superman.

Lex views Superman as a self-appointed savior of mankind. That Superman makes the human spirit irrelevant. That humans have become totally dependant on Superman to save them from even the smallest troubles in their lives. Lex’s words have even more weight with the reader after having read the opening scene with the bystanders pleading for help after the car accident rather than trying to do anything on their own to help the car crash victims.

General Lane, on the other hand, is not as philosophical as Lex is in his hate for Superman. Lane simply views Superman and the Kryptonians as a potential threat to national security. Lane’s view is completely realistic and understandable for a military leader. It makes sense that any alien with powers like Superman would automatically be tagged as a potential threat to the government.

Johns also does a fine job fleshing out the tension that exists on a personal level between General Lane, Superman and Lois. General Lane has sacrificed everything including his relationship with his daughter in his quest to protect Earth from Superman. The reader is able to get a good sense of why Lane views Superman and the Kandorians as such a threat. And General Lane’s personal loss in terms of his fractured relationship with Lois serves to make Lane a bit more vulnerable and sympathetic to the reader.

Of course, Action Comics #871 was not all about fine dialogue and interesting character work. This issue was also about some serious bone-jarring action. Johns delivers a fantastic brawl between the Kryptonians and Doomsday. I enjoyed watching the Kryptonians squash Doomsday. This scene served notice on just how powerful a fighting force even a handful of Kryptonians can be.

What was also so impressive about this fight scene is how Johns seamlessly filled the reader in on Doomsday’s back-story without employing a boring flashback scene or breaking the flow of the story. This was a smart move to help bring newer readers up to speed on Doomsday so that they could fully enjoy this issue.

Action Comics #871 ends with a fantastic hook ending. Johns unveils the new Nightwing and Flamebird. I dig how they were assigned to guard the Phantom Zone Projector in order to prevent any Zod loyalists from freeing him from the Phantom Zone. This shows that Superman may be an idealist but he is not stupid.

I am certainly curious to learn more about Nightwing and Flamebird. These two codenames have been used many times in Superman’s continuity. Pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths, Nightwing and Flamebird were secret identities assumed by Clark and Jimmy Olsen while in the bottled City of Kandor and the Nightwing codename was used later by Superman’s cousin Van-Zee.  However, Post-Crisis on Infinite Earths, these names were ascribed to two historic Kryptonian super heroes.

Now, at first I figured that this current version of Nightwing and Flamebird are from Kandor as well. However, Kryptonians certainly do not have flame powers. At least not that we know of. What was particularly intriguing was that Johns makes a point of having Nightwing state that he has natural tactile-telekinesis. That is a power that Conner possessed when he first became Superboy.

Pete Woods supplies plenty of nice artwork. Woods delivers an excellent looking issue in Action Comics #871. Woods also does a fine job with the huge brawl scene by presenting in a clear fashion that makes it easy for the reader to follow.

The Bad: I have no complaints with this issue.

Overall: Action Comics #871 was another entertaining installment of the New Krypton story. Johns does a fine job keeping the ball rolling and helping to make the New Krypton story one of the more exciting events in the DCU. Action Comics #871 is a balanced issue that should appeal to action fans as well as readers who require good dialogue and well crafted plotlines. I definitely recommend giving this New Krypton story a try. You do not need to be a long-time Superman fan in order to enjoy this story.