Action Comics #900 Review

The world of comics has just released its biggest milestone yet with Action Comics #900. The title began back in 1938 with the introduction of the first superhero, Superman. 900 issues later, Superman still plays a prominent role in the series and is the main character is the primary story of the issue.

Soldier Zero #1

I remember hearing a few months back that Stan Lee was creating some all-new original characters, and at first I was kind of annoyed with since, since I feel as though Stan Lee has made a joke of himself in recent years. I could not have been more wrong. I opened this book, and by page three. I was sucked in.

The story revolves around a Afghanistan veteran who was paralyzed during his tour of duty, and how he is coping with it. While this story is being followed, it is paralleled by the story of an intergalactic fighter, Soldier Zero.

Knight and Squire #1

Going into this issue I didn’t know much about Knight and Squire, except that they are basically the British equivalent of Batman and Robin. Knowing this, I assumed that the issue would have an English tinge to it, but little did I know that I would be getting a British Revolution with this issue.

This issue is filled with an abundant amount of what seem to be British jokes, which really fit with the story since it takes place in an English pub with a number of British heroes and villains. I accredit this success to write Paul Cornell, being from England, he really had the life experience to do an issue like this, and I give DC props for choosing him as the writer for this mini-series.

The art in the issue is crisp and clean, but retains a sort of classic style to it that fits the time period the issue is going for, and accents the use of older characters perfectly, giving them the original feel.

One thing I really liked about the issue is that it was a self-contained story even though this is going to be a six issues mini-series. This is always a plus in my opinion when it comes to comics, it is great for new and old readers, and it is always a way to keep people on a book, because even though this story may not be to a readers liking, the next story could be different.

The one negative aspect about this issue, that really damages its integrity, is the fact that almost 70% of the issue is British inside jokes. Although it is really neat, it leaves a lot of readers and fans confused if they do not know the origin of the content. I mean, if the reader is British, then great they would understand a lot of the content, but since the majority of the people that are reading this aren’t, it really hurts the book in my opinion. If you are a fan of British humor, and are a fan of these characters, check out the book. If you aren’t, a fan of British humor and feel as though constant British jokes may confuse you, then steer clear. I would recommend this as an interesting book to check out and get a full story out of, but in the end it is up to you.

6.5 out of 10