Another Super Era Ends: ‘Action Comics Annual 2023’ Reviewed

For the last two years, Phillip Kennedy Johnson has chronicled the adventures of the Man of Steel. With Action Comics Annual 2023, his time on Superman comes to a close, and for the highs and lows, we’re sorry to see him go.

Johnson is joined on his final issue by Max Raynor, Matt Herms, and Dave Sharpe.

The Blue Earth stands revealed. The Al Ghuls that Superman and the Authority overthrew on an alternate Earth months ago have planned their revenge. Now Superman and his family have to stop them from invading their home, while saving Otho-Ra from the evil of their leader…

I really liked this concluding issue, but it’s not without its faults. The first and most obvious is the origins of Blue Earth. Earth-al Ghul comes from a one-shot Johnson wrote nearly eighteen months ago. It was a plot point that I had completely forgotten about, and it became the crux of this final arc. Additionally, for a story about magic enemies, Clark’s weakness to magic was barely more than a mention in dialogue. The issue also felt quite rushed, which might indicate it was cut off early, not anything to do with the creative team.

For the highs though, this is a great issue. I’ve really come to believe in Superman’s bond with the Warworld twins. The way Clark treats Otho and Osul as his own in this issue continues that, and shows how well Johnson understands Superman as a character. That extends to the entire Superman family. Each member is perfectly in character, but they all also personify the spirit of their family, both in how they’re written and how Raynor draws them.

Raynor does a great job of keeping the action clear, and making the characters distinct on the page. Each character moves differently, has different builds, and uses his figure drawing and layouts to make the action pop. Best of all, the kids look like kids. That often gets neglected by artists, but considering how central Osul and Otho are, it really sets the issue apart.

Herms’ color art is also incredibly strong. He uses two different palettes for Earth-al Ghul and Earth-Prime, and when the al Ghul army invades Earth-Prime, the former’s colors invade with it. He also never makes any member of the Superman dull or murky- their colors are always bright and draws the eye in, matching their role as the paragon and inspiration to others. Sharpe does a fantastic job with his letters too, with work that tells the story while enhancing the reading.

In the end, I’m sad to see Johnson and his various artistic collaborators go. The Superman titles had sort of languished since the New 52 started, with a few bright spots. Johnson brought the line together and pushed forward how central the Superman family should be to the DCU. I hope everything that he’s added to the Superman mythos — from the united Team Superman to the Twins to the effects of Warworld — stick around for some time.

Action Comics Annual 2023 is available now from DC Comics.