Action Comics #1044
Superman and his resistance set their sights on getting Enchantress back in Action Comics #1044, by writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson, artists Will Conrad and Riccardo Federici, colorist Lee Loughridge, and letterer Dave Sharpe. In the backup, by Johnson, artist David Lapham, colorist Trish Mulvihill, and Sharpe, Steel, Supergirl, and Lois try to help Thao-La as Amanda Waller asks an old Superman villain for help. Both stories keep up the excellence that this book has become known for.
On Warworld, Superman and company learn the origin of Orphan before he agrees to work with him. Elsewhere, Mongul cannot resurrect Lightray, causing OMAC to sass him, which he doesn't take kindly to. Superman and company set out to rescue Enchantress from Mother with Orphan's help. After a desperate battle, they run Mother off and get Enchantress. Incensed at losing one of her "children," she breaks through to Mongul's throne room and attacks him but is handily dispatched. Mongul decides to put her soul to use in his attempt to resurrect Lightray. In the backup, at Steelworks, Steel, Supergirl, and Lois try to stabilize Thao-La to no avail. As her energy goes off the charts, Supergirl and Steel break her free, and Supergirl flies her to the sun. Natasha gets in touch with her uncle and asks for help refining Genesis. Meanwhile, at Belle Reve Prison, Amanda Waller asks Kenny Braverman for help with a Superman-level problem, offering him his old costume.
From start to finish, this is another fabulous issue of Action Comics. Johnson has an epic planned, and every chapter adds to it. Connecting this iteration of Mongul and his power with Justice League: No Justice was a great idea, vis-a-vis Orphan's origin. It explains just how powerful he was and illustrates just how important of an event No Justice was beyond Metal/Death Metal. There's a nice little interplay between Superman and two Phaelosians that show the man under the super; that's always nice to see.
Johnson always remembers to throw in those kinds of things. The action scene between Superman and his army and Mother is well-scripted, and the ending adds a new wrinkle to the whole thing while not exactly a shock. Johnson understands how to keep readers coming back for more. The backup is just as good. Seeing a story that revolves around Steel is always nice, and it's great to see Supergirl in her new costume. The backup's ending is fantastic because it circles back around to Johnson's first two issues, plus any excuse to see Conduit again is always fun.
Conrad's art kicks off the book, illustrating the origin scenes of Orphan and Superman and company's reaction. There's some great art in this section, but Federici's section of the main story is slightly better. His Superman is one of the best ever, and his character acting is excellent. His design for Mother is good, but then it eventually just becomes the Alien Queen from Aliens in some ways; it still looks good, but he's designed better monsters in this book. The last few pages really sell how big the ending is. Loughridge's colors are amazing. He's able to adapt to the two very different penciling styles in the book with aplomb, changing up his palette and the way he uses color for each of them. In the backup, Lapham and Mulvihill's art has a classic, almost Silver Age, Superman feel but is still extremely modern. It looks great, and there are a lot of extraordinary little moments in the backup.
Action Comics #1044 is so great. Johnson and company are firing on all cylinders, giving readers great action and incredible plots. The main and backup stories are all good, and this one remains a must-read.
