Superman: Action Comics — Return of the Demon

Blue Earth is the latest in a long line of humanity-first groups that have wanted to see the ugly-looking and superpowered aliens out of Metropolis.  Their leader, Norah Stone, says she’s not about violence, but her followers are turning up the heat, regardless.  So when she says she wants an exclusive interview with the Daily Planet, Clark, Lois, and company are just a little bit suspicious.  They’re right to be.  Norah knows Clark’s biggest secret and she knows how to make it work for her in order to empower her followers.  It’s one thing to fight against hate, but when that hate is super-powered – and backed by an even bigger force than you can imagine – it’s going to take the entire Super-Family to see it put in its place.

This is the final volume of Philip Kennedy Johnson’s tenure on “Action Comics” and if you can only buy one of them, it should still be “The Warworld Saga.”  Everything that has followed, however, has still been pretty good.  This volume included, even though it’s every bit as predictable as you’d expect.  More so, actually, because while the inclusion of the “Batman/Superman:  The Authority Special #1” might seem like a fun but incredibly random comic to include here, it’s actually necessary reading here if you haven’t done so already.

Even if you know where this story is going, it’s still fun to see it get there.  That comes in seeing the Super-Family work together in matters both superheroic and domestic, watching the Man of Steel interact with some magic guest-stars, and adding some Kryptonian mythology to the lives of Warworld refugees Osul and Otho.  I won’t lie:  It’s also great seeing Superman stand up for them as a father and I hope that this is reflected in future “Superman” titles.  I mean, it probably won’t be, but Johnson’s run has made a meaningful addition to the mythos here and that’s definitely something.