Action Comics #889

A stunning conclusion to the Flamebird and Nightwing run on Action Comics. Ok, maybe not so "stunning" as it is "typical" for a comic book, but this issue seems to end the run of these two characters taking over Action Comics while Superman was on New Krypton doing his thing. Will these two protectors survive, or will they sacrifice themselves to save humanity? 
 

The Good

 The finale to this storyline has an "against all odds" feel to it: The heroes must defeat the ultimate power in order to survive. The issue reads a lot like a mixture of a Bronze Age book and a 90s crossover.  The writing is pretty strong, and it kept me glued to the pages, even though I didn't really know too much about our two main characters. In addition, there were quite a few cameos in this book, including the JSA. What better way to stop evil than team up with some other heroes? As you can also see, the cover art is gorgeous. Alex Garner did the cover, and I have to say, it's the cover of the week for me. There was a Captain Atom back up, in which, I felt like I was 10 minutes late to the last bus. It was also the conclusion, and I liked the writing a lot, but I won't be able to go back and read the earlier stuff because everything has now been spoiled for me.
 

The Bad

I was not a fan of the art on his one. During some action sequences, there would be a plethora of "speed-lines" and the panels came off like they were from a manga, especially, since a few times, there was also a character screaming in the panel. And although people's expressions when grimacing, yelling in anger, or crying in pain looked fine, anytime anyone was mildy to very happy in this book, their face looked contorted. It was awkward to look at. Speaking of awkward, it felt like, at least in this issue, some of the cameos were forced and they didn't really serve a purpose other than hanging out in the background. I hope that's not the case with the rest of the storyline.
 

Verdict

I jumped around a lot on this; I wasn't sure whether or not I liked it, after a second read-through, I think it's pretty solid, but I can't recommend it to people who aren't caught up on the storyline. I'd suggest maybe going back to issue 883 where this storyline seemingly starts at. If you've been reading the book, but you aren't sure to pick it up or not, borrow it from a friend.
 

3.5/5