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Action Comics #1041

Scheduled to arrive in stores: March 22, 2022
Cover date: May 2022

"Midnighter's Tale"

Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Artists: Dale Eaglesham and Will Conrad
Cover: Daniel Sampere and Alejandro Sanchez
Variant Cover: Julian Totino Tedesco

Reviewed by: James Lantz
Click to enlarge

Martian Manhunter investigates crimes in Metropolis while Midnighter leads rebels in hopes of freeing Apollo. Stories are told of Superman's past exploits to raise morale among the Warzoons' youth. More and more are rebelling against Mongul. Meanwhile, Nat Irons is defiant of the guards until she sees O.M.A.C. has switched sides. Yet all hope is not lost as the Man of Steel has caught up with Midnighter, and he has every intention of liberating Warworld of Mongul's tyranny.

4Story - 4: I wasn't sure what rating to give this at first. Phillip Kennedy Johnson's writing in general merits a five. Yet, the meandering of this and, to a smaller degree, the previous issue have allowed this title's story quality to go down to a three or a four. Midnighter's part in this saga is interesting, but instead of doing this interlude, the Martian Manhunter back-ups could have been replaced with either another Midnighter feature or a page or two in the main story in between scenes with Superman and the rest of The Authority. I'm going to assume editorial decisions led to the published version of this chapter. Those decisions, unfortunately, force a good story to be overshadowed by its sudden slow pacing which causes it to suffer somewhat.

4Art - 4: I've loved Eaglesham's art since he did JSA some years ago. My only problem with this issue is some "S" shields were drawn poorly. Otherwise, the visuals in this chapter are top notch.

5Cover Art - 5: The image doesn't say much, but what it does say speaks volumes.

5Variant Cover Art - 5: I officially have found my all-time favorite Julian Totino Tedesco cover. Then again, "The Reign of the Supermen" is one of my all-favorite Superman stories.

Mild Mannered Reviews

2022

Note: Except for digital first releases, the month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.
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