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buildhergender's review
3.0
Morrison morrison.
I really get confused when I read your stuff.
The last of the first three in the Action comics volume shows us why we have been seeing different versions of Superman, and why the time seems wonky and even why Superman was wearing a red shirt once.
Time traveling villans attacking Superman all across his lifetime.
But it left me all confused, and not sure what was happening.
But I think Superman now has his dog and it is now taking place in modern times rather than the 5 years ago, but again Morrison wrote it so please do not keep me to that.
I really get confused when I read your stuff.
The last of the first three in the Action comics volume shows us why we have been seeing different versions of Superman, and why the time seems wonky and even why Superman was wearing a red shirt once.
Time traveling villans attacking Superman all across his lifetime.
But it left me all confused, and not sure what was happening.
But I think Superman now has his dog and it is now taking place in modern times rather than the 5 years ago, but again Morrison wrote it so please do not keep me to that.
saif42's review
3.0
This is not a call back to All Star, this is not the best Superman has ever been. But it's nice.
Morrison writing during the New52 era turns out to be kind of a boring affair compared to his past work.
I expected a lot, was kinda disappointed but objectively I can't hate this comic. I'd just rather read All Star for the tenth time.
Morrison writing during the New52 era turns out to be kind of a boring affair compared to his past work.
I expected a lot, was kinda disappointed but objectively I can't hate this comic. I'd just rather read All Star for the tenth time.
trisa_slyne's review
4.0
They're certainly having fun making the 5th dimension stranger and stranger. The after stories were pretty cool, too, though it was a first for me to see mini stories which tied into the main ones in the collection.
jsjammersmith's review
4.0
Only Grant Morrison could create a trilogy that culminates in an assault on Superman from the fifth dimension. Such a move requires oddity that would leave far too many writers scrambling to make sense of such a struggle, and Morrison reminds his readers that such an attack wouldn't make any sense, at least not to three dimensional beings. This final book of the trilogy is a bizarre read, and I understand why the reader would struggle with many of the happenings of this book, but if they're patient, and take it slow, this book offers an incredible trip that's unlike anything you'll read in any superman book.
And on one personal note, this book has my favorite Krypto story ever in the back supplements.
And on one personal note, this book has my favorite Krypto story ever in the back supplements.
bmaackreadscomics's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
It (almost) all comes together. Grant Morrison’s Action Comics Volume 1 felt like a bit of a mess, but he sure did pull off a wild story in the end. So much happens in these 6 issues it’s hard to describe.
5th Dimensional beings who treat our universe like a magic trick, time traveling superheroes trying to save Superman and consequentially the whole future, phantom zones and ghost dogs. This volume felt like a time portal to the sorts of pulp stories that existed in the early 1900’s.
My two main complaints across Morrison's “trilogy” here remain the same: Inconsistent artwork/conveyance of action and emotion, and a real lack of believable and relatable characters. Superman has all of these ideals that he stands for, but as the issues climb in number, Clark Kent becomes less and less important. So much time is spent in the comics constructing these insane other dimensions and clever plots that hardly any time at all is given to flesh out the characters as people. A new character will pop in, say who they are, and we’re supposed to just roll with it and keep moving.
Despite my gripes, this volume simultaneously captures what comics are all about: unbridled creativity. While the art may not be consistent, it’s really good in certain spots; shoutouts to Travel Foreman and Chris Sprouse. And the way that all of the many loose ends were tied up really does feel like a clever magic trick. It’s not perfect, and some of the resolutions will probably confuse me to my grave, but it’s entertaining and satisfying to see the majority of the puzzle pieces come together.
5th Dimensional beings who treat our universe like a magic trick, time traveling superheroes trying to save Superman and consequentially the whole future, phantom zones and ghost dogs. This volume felt like a time portal to the sorts of pulp stories that existed in the early 1900’s.
My two main complaints across Morrison's “trilogy” here remain the same: Inconsistent artwork/conveyance of action and emotion, and a real lack of believable and relatable characters. Superman has all of these ideals that he stands for, but as the issues climb in number, Clark Kent becomes less and less important. So much time is spent in the comics constructing these insane other dimensions and clever plots that hardly any time at all is given to flesh out the characters as people. A new character will pop in, say who they are, and we’re supposed to just roll with it and keep moving.
Despite my gripes, this volume simultaneously captures what comics are all about: unbridled creativity. While the art may not be consistent, it’s really good in certain spots; shoutouts to Travel Foreman and Chris Sprouse. And the way that all of the many loose ends were tied up really does feel like a clever magic trick. It’s not perfect, and some of the resolutions will probably confuse me to my grave, but it’s entertaining and satisfying to see the majority of the puzzle pieces come together.
skolastic's review against another edition
4.0
First of all, let me get something out of the way: I hope DC has a gigantic underground vault somewhere where they've locked up a list of 250 Grant Morrison issue titles in the event of a nuclear disaster, because he's still on fire here:
- The Ghost in the Fortress of Solitude
- Superman's Mission to Mars
- Superman At the End of Days
- The Second Death of Superman
- Superman and the Fiend From Dimension 5
- Superman's Last Stand (okay, this one's kind of weak)
I'll take these over another goddamn storyline called "Endgame" or "Finale" any day, thanks.
Anyhow, this is a bit of a muddled ending. I really like the handling of Vyndktvx here - the idea of a fifth-dimensional imp like Mxyzptlk (I almost didn't have to Google that) who's out to destroy Superman instead of just mess with his day is genuinely scary, and the art team does a great job of selling his menace (Morrison a little less so), whether in the Little Man disguise he's assumed throughout the story or his final, nightmarish multi-faced spider-creature form. Weirdly, as someone who will go to bat for most of Morrison's work, I think his dedication to this crazy storytelling contrivance of his - Superman's timeline becoming fractured as Vyndktvx closes in - is what undoes this storyline. It's too hard to follow, and there's not nearly enough clues for someone reading it to be able to figure out what's going on. The introduction of the Legion of Super-Heroes time-traveling in from the future only exacerbates the problem.
I do have to tip my (burning bowler) hat to what Morrison accomplished here though - there's a lot of great detail here. I reread the first two volumes after I read this collection through for the first time and felt totally lost, and I was pleasantly surprised how much stuff connected together from the obvious (the homeless person talking about the "white dog" ending up being a reference to Krypto watching over things from the Phantom Zone) to the "wow, how did he plan that" (the three people looking for Clark in the first or second issue that we never see have to be the time-traveling Legion). Then again, there is some stuff that just doesn't make sense still (Are there two super-hunter guys that the Little Man tries to use against Superman? If not, why does he show up for the same super-hunter guy twice to cut a deal?)
Overall, this is a good end to a great storyline - just don't come into this cold expecting to understand it all (and even if you don't come into it cold, maybe don't expect to understand it all).
- The Ghost in the Fortress of Solitude
- Superman's Mission to Mars
- Superman At the End of Days
- The Second Death of Superman
- Superman and the Fiend From Dimension 5
- Superman's Last Stand (okay, this one's kind of weak)
I'll take these over another goddamn storyline called "Endgame" or "Finale" any day, thanks.
Anyhow, this is a bit of a muddled ending. I really like the handling of Vyndktvx here - the idea of a fifth-dimensional imp like Mxyzptlk (I almost didn't have to Google that) who's out to destroy Superman instead of just mess with his day is genuinely scary, and the art team does a great job of selling his menace (Morrison a little less so), whether in the Little Man disguise he's assumed throughout the story or his final, nightmarish multi-faced spider-creature form. Weirdly, as someone who will go to bat for most of Morrison's work, I think his dedication to this crazy storytelling contrivance of his - Superman's timeline becoming fractured as Vyndktvx closes in - is what undoes this storyline. It's too hard to follow, and there's not nearly enough clues for someone reading it to be able to figure out what's going on. The introduction of the Legion of Super-Heroes time-traveling in from the future only exacerbates the problem.
I do have to tip my (burning bowler) hat to what Morrison accomplished here though - there's a lot of great detail here. I reread the first two volumes after I read this collection through for the first time and felt totally lost, and I was pleasantly surprised how much stuff connected together from the obvious (the homeless person talking about the "white dog" ending up being a reference to Krypto watching over things from the Phantom Zone) to the "wow, how did he plan that" (the three people looking for Clark in the first or second issue that we never see have to be the time-traveling Legion). Then again, there is some stuff that just doesn't make sense still (Are there two super-hunter guys that the Little Man tries to use against Superman? If not, why does he show up for the same super-hunter guy twice to cut a deal?)
Overall, this is a good end to a great storyline - just don't come into this cold expecting to understand it all (and even if you don't come into it cold, maybe don't expect to understand it all).
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