By Julzchan aka Julius Cantara
Greg Pak grabs at our hearts strings and makes readers feel
for Superman as he struggles to fight in order to protect the little guys.
The story is a perfect example that even the Man of Steel
can hurt inside as struggles to do the right thing and try to save people. The
situation gets intense thus making Clark make hard choices. However is balanced
out with all of the lighthearted, silly moments.
Lana and Clark
continue to show a dynamic relationship with their inner dialogue as they
continue to comment on one another. There are even more bonding moments between
Clark and his adorable, beasty friend Baka and it is clear how close their friendship
is. The emotional resonance cannot be ignored and is hard not to shed tears.
The fight with the Ghost Soldier was handled very well as it
showed Clark learning from his past encounter and being able to cleverly subdue
his opponent. As a result this getting on Tower control`s tail, which is good
considering that the villains for this story arch aren`t as fleshed out or well
known as the story`s lovable protagonists.
The only downside, while the aggressive moments with
Superman aren`t so much a surprise it is
still hard to swallow and doesn’t do well with the character since Pak is
trying to restore Superman`s pre-New 52 feel. However the emotional moments in
between skirmishes and the friendship Superman, Lana and Baka help offset the
darker tone.
Kuder does fantastic work with facial expressions and really
sell those emotions, even on Baka`s giant monster form. Kuder`s expressions
only adding onto the tear jerking, heartstrings tugging moments. And the action
scenes are dynamic and showcased as exciting when seeing Superman`s display of
power.
It isn`t easy to balance intense, life threatening along with
funny and whimsy but Pak makes it work almost flawlessly. Making an intense
story not only fun but make the reader feel the feels to almost Moffat level. Apparently
Greg Pak has found a loophole in the New 52`s desire to make darker toned
stories, by allowing the characters to be fresh and Superman to be recognizable
again with some awesome friendships he`s formed.
Hopefully next issue the story continues further as Superman
confronts Ghost Soldier`s bosses.
Action Comics Issue #29 receives 4.5 / 5.
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