“Truth” continues as Superman defies the Metropolis police and faces a new threat from the shadows!

The deconstruction currently occurring in the various Superman comics is fascinating. Depowered, and focused on what Superman truly stands for, Action Comics has become more street, with flashes of Ferguson, but with a superhero twist.

Written by Aaron Kuder and Greg Pak, the series is interesting, and reading Action Comics #43, what’s being done has become much clearer to me. There’s an intrinsic goodness, an almost pure superhero, that’s embodied by Superman. With having the character fight aliens, and super monsters, there’s also become a bit of a disconnect of the superhero with the average people he’s supposed to inspire.

There’s something special about kids wrapping a towel around their neck and trying to be Superman, and it feels to me Kuder and Pak are attempting to bring that real world inspiration to the comics, in a way getting back to basics and distilling the character down to some of his most important characteristics. They’re able to do this while at the same time having a mysterious villain who is so alien, and also touching upon real world issues.

Aaron Kuder brings his talents to the art, which is pretty solid. There’s solid action that has an almost anime vibe about some of it. The art isn’t consistent throughout, but there’s some very cool scenes when it comes to the action. It’s the quieter moments that aren’t quite as dynamic, instead opting for far out views and a decrease of detail in the characters. Its’ not bad though.

This comic is both a throwback and very relevant to today. Pak and Kuder (and the rest of the Superman team) are trying to remind us that even though Superman is also Clark Kent, we the readers can be Superman too through our every day actions to improve our neighborhoods. You don’t need to fight aliens and save the world to be a superhero, you can also just do some good in your own town too. This comic is a reminder of that, and hopefully will inspire some more folks to tie towels around their necks and attempt to be the hero they enjoy reading about.

Story: Aaron Kuder, Greg Pak Art: Aaron Kuder
Story: 8 Art: 7 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review