They will always be together
The story:
Earth has fallen. The multiple Doomsdays have defeated Supergirl, Superboy, Steel, and the Eradicator. Now it all comes down to a weakened Superman versus the monster known as Doomslayer in this, the epic finale of "Reign of the Doomsdays"!
My Soap Box:
I have been reading Action Comics for years and really enjoyed Paul Cornell's "superman less" start on the book and couldn't wait to see what he could do with the Man of Steel in the book. Well with the closing of the DCU and the coming of the DCnU the return of Superman seemingly lost its steam shortly after issue 900. The return of Doomsday as a foe for Supes to fight was one I anticipated eagerly. I was, however, a bit disappointed with the subsequent issues 901-903. I don't blame anything more than the need for drawing out a story that would have been concluded quickly but needed to be pulled out over 5 issues.
The Review:
So how does this the final issue of the 1st volume of Action Comics rate? Well as you can see I give it a 4 star rating. This is due to the strength in writing by the before mentioned Mr. Cornell. The Doomsday/Doomslayer Reign of Doomsdays story is wrapped up succinctly. What really touched this long time Superman fan was the concluding chapter. It centered on Lois and Clark. This was quite fitting due to the clean slate the two will be put on in the DCnU. For those who have been living under a rock for the past couple of months, the super-marriage will no longer have happened. Their exchanges in the closing moments of the book pushed the score upward. Mr. Cornell really captured their relationship and its importance quite well. I was touched. It should also be noted that a bit of a poke was taken at all the fuss that was brought about after the citizenship issue in #900. I laughed at the moment.
The visual of the book seemingly mimic the style of Kenneth Rocafort for the Doomsday portion and a bit more classical and soft in the end. The affect was not distracting but was not awe inspiring either. I am a big fan of Rocafort's style and look forward to his work on the Redhood book coming in September.
What you should do:
Well it is the last issue of the run. I would still recommend the trade of the Reign of the Doomsdays when it comes out. The last issue really pulled it up in status.
