“House of Brainiac” kicks off this week in Action Comics #1064 with a threat that must be faced by not only Superman, but the entire Superman family. That includes Lois Lane, Connor Kent, Kong Kenan, Lana Lang, Natasha Irons, Lex Luthor, John Henry Irons, Kara Zor-el, and more. The threat involves Brainiac and also an entire planet of angry Czarnians. It’s a level of super-villainy that Superman has never faced before.
Action Comics #1064 opens with Lois going for a jog on her only day off. This being her only day off is key and a bit of a mystery, as we learn there’s a reason for it. Before we can learn why, an attack on Metropolis threatens everyone.
This issue is very new-reader friendly, particularly because there’s a nice name caption and some context of who they are on numerous characters in the first few pages. There’s no excuse for anyone to be confused as to who these characters are. It’s also a clever way to set up the fact that a lot of Superman’s friends are in grave danger.
The epic nature of the attack is elevated by Rafa Sandoval’s art, which delivers epic angles of numerous enemies, as well as an awesome introduction of Superman. It’s a bold choice not to show Superman for a few pages, but it’s exciting and bold when he does appear. We see him soaring over the ocean, seemingly surf-flying on a wave, and then high-fiving a kid in a soccer stadium. It’s the epitome of what makes him epic and great. Brainiac looks fabulous, too, with a techno-sci-fi look that makes him formidable and futuristic.
Lois gets a day off, but it’s seriously going to be one of the worst days for her.
Credit: DC
Colors by Alejandro Sanchez add an eerie quality to Brainiac with purples and greens and fabulous glow effects throughout. This is big-two event-level coloring at its finest.
As far as the story this is an action book first and mostly set up. We get to see Lex do some epic fighting you won’t see coming and Superman pulls off a good feint, but it’s mostly a repetitive sequence of characters being taken off guard and then snatched up. Writer Joshua Williamson sets up things well, be it a key Czarnian who will likely be a Lobo threat, a final page that is ominous as heck, and a fight where Superman is very outmatched.
On the reverse side, there are a lot of things for Superman to contend with and for readers to keep track of. That includes an A.I., Czarnian strength, and Brainiac not playing around. The latter is key, as he’s clearly in this battle for keeps and not simply toying with Superman and leaving him an opening. I quite honestly have no clue how Superman will win this fight, and that’s exciting.
As far as classic superhero comics go, Action Comics delivers. There’s big action, huge stakes, and a setup for an event that has not one but a few compelling conflicts to resolve.
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