Superman: Action Comics, Volume 1: Path of Doom by Dan JurgensMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
To start off, I'm a bit at a loss as to how to review this. I was pleasantly surprised when my Netgalley request for this book came through - I have rotten luck with popular comics on the site, but have successfully scored two Rebirth series so far (and that will be it, I'm sure).
The trouble with walking into a comic series with nary an idea of what went before has its perks and its downfalls. I can expect the unexpected, yet, spend an inordinate amount of time scratching my head in wonderment. Thankfully, with Path of Doom, I was not alone. Most others were flummoxed by the goings on and the unconventional characters who cropped up. No explanation is given - all explanations are required, however.
PoD is an extended Boss-fight. When it comes to Supes, it doesn't get bigger than Doomsday itself. Kent is on a brand new universe, one whose Superman is dead. We enter the story at the same time an unlikely antagonist appears to take on the fallen hero's mantle and be the new Superman for Metropolis.
This turn of events doesn't sit well with our Supes (keeping up?), and he unleashes an unprovoked attack on said 'foe' in front of a watching public - I would think this move was out of character for Superman, as I've always taken him to be the kind of person who looks before he leaps, but here he is willing to give no leeway to the idea that this universe's characters may indeed be different from the ones he has tackled all his life.
Their duel is interrupted by Doomsday, who is nigh invincible and virtually impossible to stop. Over 145 pages, Supes, the antagonist, Wonder Woman and sundry friends do everything in their power to stop Doomsday; all while an unnamed Doctor Doom-esque character watches proceedings with unknown intents in mind. This character also has cameras everywhere, even inside Clark's house, but somehow Clark knows nothing about it.
While I enjoy comics, I consume them occasionally - I haven't an appetite for prolonged comic book reading, and am not familiar with many of the names and creators of these series. This particular series is headlined by completely new people for me, and I felt that Superman, of all people, could, and should be, handled by folk with a tad bit more finesse. There are no nuances in this volume - the long fight is juxtaposed with a silly monologue by Supes. It felt very 70s throughout, as he spoke about when, what, why he was doing what he was doing. It made for a tedious read, a real let-down given the high brow nature of many other one-offs these days.
How this series fits into the bigger picture, only avid fans will know. But I haven't kept up with most of DC and can't get my head around all this Rebirth stuff. For mindless action, this book is somewhat fun, but to answer the many questions it throws out there, we will have to wait - for what, only time will tell.
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