Kryptonian Rivalries
This issue definitely has the best cover of the issues this arc. The previous two issues had pretty generic action pose covers, the kind that could easily jus be simple panels; but this one is definitely a solid cover. It's not the most unique or innovative design, but the execution is definitely great.
Once again, Tony Danial does a top-nothc job at making this series earn the 'Action' in Action Comics. The situation is stacked against him, but that just makes for a more drawn out battle between Superman and Lex Luthor. It's not as easy as it should be for an early battle between Superman and Luthor in armor. And so it's AWESOME. But overall it still feels a bit rushed, although this has more to do with Hybrid's threat being completely brushed aside than it does the fight with Luthor. The real problem with this as a Luthor story is that this issue is the first in the arc to paint this as the first battle between Superman and Luthor in the New 52 continuity, but the general tone of the story completely contradicts this. In too many ways this feels like just another battle somewhere along the lines of their history as archenemies. This conflicting continuity snarl is a huge mess to try and untangle, and it definitely dampens the quality of the story.
Where Tony Daniel really manages to impress me, is that the despite the plot kind of running out of steam, the scripting seems just as sharp and concise as when Diggle began this arc. There's some great scenes with Lois and Jimmy, classic Superman supporting scenes with the ace newspaper team right in the midst of the action. But the best bit is the final few pages, following up on the scene from the beginning of this arc, and developing more of the history between Clark Kent and Lois. Diaggle and Daniel do a great job at writing the loose romantic tension between the two, even in this new continuity where they're not even close to being together yet.
On the co-feature, Philip Tan's artwork is definitely an excellent companion to Tony Daniel's art on the main story. The two both have very sharp and action-suited styles that I love, and though I initially thought them both most suited for Batman, they're both doing great work here. However, the plot this time seems to be spinning out in a whole different direction than before, and I'm having a little bit of trouble following all the crazy Krypton-Politics while barely knowing any of the characters. But it's still pretty awesome and interesting, and it'll probably be better once we now more.
In Conclusion: 3/5
It's disappointing to see this arc slip at the end when it had so much going for it. It didn't turn into a complete train wreck, but it just wasn't nearly as epic as when it began. Add to that the extremely confusing place in the timeline and you've got an issue that's still pretty decent, but a bit of a letdown. Might as well get if you have the first two parts of the arc though, there's still plenty to like.
