Superman: Action Comics: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition, Book 2

Superman: Action Comics (DC Rebirth) #3-4

by Dan Jurgens

The third and fourth volumes of SUPERMAN - ACTION COMICS as a part of DC Rebirth are collected here in hardcover for the first time ever!

Superman must team up with his arch-enemy Lex Luthor in SUPERMAN - ACTION COMICS VOL. 3, as a part of DC Rebirth! Lex Luthor is under attack--and only Superman can save him! When the world's most ingenious scientific mind took on the mantle of Metropolis' new Man of Steel, the world took notice--and so did the mysterious Godslayer!

But are the Godslayer's actions justified? Will stopping Lex Luthor prevent catastrophe later? Writer Dan Jurgens (THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN) continues his return to the Man of Steel along with illustrators Tyler Kirkham (DEATHSTROKE) and Patrick Zircher (GREEN ARROW) for the next great Superman chapter in SUPERMAN: ACTION COMICS - THE REBIRTH COLLECTION DELUXE BOOK 2! Collects SUPERMAN - ACTION COMICS #967-984.

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Superman, Fiction

304 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication January 1, 2035

About the author

Dan Jurgens is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for his work on the DC comic book storyline "The Death of Superman" and for creating characters such as Doomsday, Hank Henshaw, and Booster Gold. Jurgens had a lengthy run on the Superman comic books including The Adventures of Superman, Superman vol. 2 and Action Comics. At Marvel, Jurgens worked on series such as Captain America, The Sensational Spider-Man and was the writer on Thor for six years. He also had a brief run as writer and artist on Solar for Valiant Comics in 1995.

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

★★★1/2

This second Action Comics deluxe starts off strong, with the "Men of Steel" story that focuses on Lex Luthor being targeted by alien assassins set on stopping him from fulfilling his prophesied destiny of becoming the new leader of Apokolips and causing mass destruction. This was fascinating because it showcased Superman's true sense of justice. He knows Luthor is bad, and there's a really good chance that if left unchecked, the man could really become the future warlord of the prophecy, but he can't bring himself to sit by and watch a man be executed for a crime he hasn't committed yet. It leads to some very cool moments between Superman and Lex, and is a solid tale.

The other stories are the ones that weaken the collection due to them feeling incomplete. DC made the mistake of including two issues that are part of the Superman Reborn crossover, a story that will be difficult to follow without reading the rest. These issues shouldn't have even been in this collection if they couldn't include the others. The last story also suffers from something similar to a lesser extent. The "Revenge" arc is sort of a weak, "half-crossover" with Suicide Squad. You really need to be familiar with what was going on with Suicide Squad at the time to get a full sense of what's happening here. DC didn't fully commit to making it a crossover so it falls somewhere in the awkward middle of neither/nor.

[David Dalton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am slowly catching up on some lost years with Superman. Easiest way was by reading The Rebirth Deluxe Editions: Books 1 and 2. Next up will be Book 3. All courtesy of the Hoopla app (digital library).

[Richard Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is more like it. These are the kinds of stories that I’ve been hoping for since I’ve started binging on the Rebirth Superman family stories. Dan Jurgens proves that the dream of the 90s is alive at DC in this mammoth volume. In the first arc (the 6-part “Men of Steel”), the unlikely combo of Lex Luthor and Superman work together to form a newfound respect, the first resolution to a story that began back in “Path of Doom.”

Yet it’s the next two stories that really soar: “Mild Mannered” and “Superman Reborn” (which is really one long arc) finally give us an answer to the identity of the bonus Clark Kent, initially reintroducing us to an old-school character in a way we’ve never seen him before. The consequences of that encounter play out in “Reborn,” although this might be the one misstep of this volume. “Reborn” is actually the first Action Comics crossover with Superman in the current era, yet the linking issues are not included here. It’s easy enough to work out what’s going on, but there are a few jarring transitions between issues. Would it have been so hard to include two more issues (Superman Vol. 4 #18 & 19) in here?

The final two arcs (“The New World” and “Revenge”) are the kinds of blockbuster stories that get the fan juices flowing. Starting with a potted history of Superman, combining elements of the New 52 with the pre-Flashpoint arc, the two worlds merge into one and lay the groundwork for a battle royale that is a true crossover for the Super Family. With the ultimate villain team-up leading to a story that sees Superman, Supergirl, Kong Kenan, Steel, Lex Luthor, and Superwoman sharing the fight. In the hands of Dan Jurgens, it’s as cool as it sounds.

There’s a number of artists on board here, with Patrick Zircher and Stephen Segovia’s art leading the pack. It is excellent, but Victor Bogdanovic’s lantern-jawed Superman (in “Revenge”) recalls Frank Quitely or Gary Frank in its optimistic realism. They are some of my favourite pages in the volume. Similarly, Doug Mankhe depicts Mr. Mxyzptlk in the most sinister way possible, a snarling villain crossed with a kid who has lost his favourite toys. As we see across dimensional time and space, Mankhe incorporates elements of the cartoons, board games, and comics history from Curt Swan to the present.

With a rousing conclusion that firmly establishes the return of a classic villain, Jurgens sets up another awesome-looking arc that makes it very hard not to go straight onto the next volume right now. However, the inclusion of Kong Kenan and Superwoman in particular has me going back to check out their respective titles to fill in some of the gaps. I don’t think I’ve been this immersed in Superman’s world since I first started reading Superman…in the early 1990s. It’s the circle of life.

[Relstuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've really been enjoying the Superman saga recently with Superman dealing with having a son. This one dipped a little bit and also had a check out Superman Reborn for what happens here section that was not really what I want to see in a DLX volume. That said, I realize with multiple titles for one character the publisher has to balance the stories going on in each series somehow.

Left me wanting to read more. :)

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow. So this was a LOT of Superman to take in, and as is only natural with a compilation of this length I liked some bits considerably more than others, so take the "3" rating with a grain of salt.

Let's break this mofo down.

In the first part, the New/Old Supes (confused yet? just go with it) is fussing and feuding with Lex Luthor (who is flying around in his battlesuit wearing Nu52 Superman's cape because reasons) and they wind up trading insults and baring their trust issues while fighting a prophetic anti-hero from offworld. Honestly, I didn't hate it, and I think it was a solid way to get those two to start working together more productively. Also, it was a good test of Clark's "no killing" rule as the premise was that one day Lex will become the new ruler of Apokolips and threaten the universe, yadda yadda, but he actually hasn't done anything bad YET. Points deducted for the character design of the two baddies, though- way too Rob Liefeld fever dream for my tastes.



The second part was arguably the weakest in my view as Mr. (ungh, thank God for Google so I can check spelling) Mxyzptlk shows up as the true identity of Doppelclark and things get very loopy as Jurgens bends all his storytelling might to reconcile 70 years of continuity inconsistency and retcons as seen by an entity that stands astride the 4th wall.

Suffice to say, I wasn't very impressed...though points for the Bat-mite cameo!



The last section is dedicated to a storyline about a "Superman Revenge Squad", which was a pretty cool concept. On the side of Super-Revenge are: The Eradicator, Blanque, Metallo, Mongul and (eventually) General Zod, under the putative aegis of (groan) the Cyborg Superman. The early '90s comics answer to Schwarzenegger's box office appeal rants and schemes and essentially makes himself into the laughingstock of the story from the moment his identity is "revealed", while Zod steals the show as a proper villain, with the Eradicator as a proper obedient hench-entity.



At first when it's Supes v. the Squad it makes for riveting one man against all odds reading, but this being comics in 2018 it doesn't take long until a motley crew of caped Super-Allies coalesces including Lex Luthor, Steel, Supergirl, Superwoman (huh?) and Chinese Superman Kenan Kong (
咦？).



FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

And the denouement involves some Phantom Zone stuff, some Deux Ex Portal stuff, some clash of the Kryptonians stuff foreshadowing...All in all, I'm obviously going to keep reading in the run up to issue #1000 but if I were choosing I'd probably just read the Luthor stuff and the Revenge Squad stuff and give poor old Mr. Mx%^l&*&$K a miss altogether.

[S.E. Martens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the first half, was less into the second.

The first part of this volume involves the "Godslayer," who believes that Lex Luthor is going to become the next Darkseid in the future and so should be executed for future crimes. Superman still doesn't trust this version of Lex but struggles with the fact that he doesn't believe in punishing someone for crimes they might commit. I really enjoyed this one and it was great seeing Superman finally willing to give this version of Lex a chance at the end.

Then we get into the resolution of the mysterious "human Clark Kent" story and while this one had some great moments - particularly the tension in the build up while you wonder what exactly is going on - I wasn't that thrilled with where it went. Part of the problem might be that issues from the story are missing, as the tale was split across the Action and Superman titles and this volume only reproduces the issues of Action which is . . . annoying. But regardless, I still think the potential of having a human Clark running around in the same universe as Superman could have led to some more dramatic and juicy storylines, so it feels like there was some wasted potential there.

Oh and I'm confused about the merging of the timelines/reality shifting thing that takes place following this. The New 52 and the Post-Crisis Superman timelines are mushed together - but where does that leave characters like Lex Luthor, whom Superman didn't trust because of things the post-Crisis Lex had done but was willing to give this Lex a fresh start because he was different and hadn't done those things. This is the big problem I have with DC's constant half-reboots of things - and I'm not even that big on continuity, okay, I just want a clear handle on the character backstories and motivations.

Anyway, then we get the "Superman revenge squad" thing which sees the Cyborg Superman, Metallo, the Eradicator, and others team up to free Zod from Amanda Waller's control to destroy Superman and the world (of course.) This didn't really work for me until the end when we had Supergirl, Superwoman, John Henry Irons and Super Lex join the fight. We get to see the Phantom Zone, and I liked how those parts were done.

But I'm still sort of mixed on this volume overall. There were definitely some high points that I really loved, though.

[Alek Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story starts off with "Men of Steel". A Minority Report type assassin is after Lex Luthor and Superman has pick the side of the argument where you can't condemn someone for a crime they have yet to commit. Story felt kind of tedious and melodramatic just to get Superman and Lex to see eye to eye.

Now the two issues of "Mild Mannered" were just build up to the "Superman Reborn" story. It did a good job off enticing me into the mystery of a human Clark Kent, because man he was creepy. But the Superman parts in these issues were dumb. His snapping his fingers and going "of course!" in both issues to the Superwoman problem was... just awful. And that party of the story never real gets addressed again due to the Reborn story arc.

This book only carries parts 2&4 of the Superman Reborn story, but they're kind of the only parts that matter. The villain is revealed in part 2 which was very interesting, and explains how Superman gets his secret identity back. Part 4 is the conclusion merging New 52 and Pre 52 Supes and Lois together giving them their lives and friends back.

The "New World" issues though are far more important. Essentially just a bunch of exposition where Superman reviews his entire history. But it was so cool! It shows you how Superman fits back into this world. Giving us all the moments that we need.

Finally the "Revenge" story. This story started out well. Hank Henshaw is the villain in the shadows and he's recruiting. At first all the characters make since, but then they recruit Zod. Most of Superman's rogues gallery is full of strong personalities; and alpha males. When you team them up and make them subordinate to one main villain though, it inevitably ends up with a character that normally acts like a strong willed tyrant sound like stooge. Zod takes over the Superman Revenge Squad and after that the villain's all sort of lose their menace. Characters like Blanque and Mongul are sniveling sycophants or knuckle dragging bullies.

Overall the stories writing was a bit dated and flawed, but the main theme is still enjoyable.

[Benjamin Kimble · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first two arcs in this volume challenge Superman in unique mental ways. The first arc sees Lex Luthor attacked by aliens who claim he will commit genocide in the future. Superman wants to believe the worst in Lex, but he can’t, and he can’t let an innocent man die. Superman is forced to face his own prejudice while fighting two incredibly powerful people bent on death and destruction. Then we get the fake human Clark Kent creeping around the real Clark’s family and shoving himself into their lives. Which is all setup for the crossover with Superman: Superman Reborn. I read the entire reborn crossover this time around and it’s very good. At its core it’s a story about the enduring values and love that Superman and his family have. While in the plot of it we see Pre and Post Flashpoint Superman merged together. Next we get a very fun two part story that lays out the new history of Superman after his Rebirth. I thought it was really good to see what happened and is canon and Dan Jurgens was the man do it because of his long history with Superman. Finally we see the return of Cyborg Superman as he leads a new revenge squad against Superman. This arc follows up on plot threads that Dan Jurgens set up through this whole run and even back in Lois and Clark. Seeing everything come together for a huge battle was insanely satisfying. There were a lot of artist on this volume so I’ll only highlight a few. Patrick Zircher drew the most issues and he draws a great Superman. His art has real power and definitely puts the “action” in Action Comics. I also liked Ian Churchill, who had two stories, for his ability to do a sliver age style but also look contemporary at different times even on the same page. Dan Jurgens continues to get Superman and deliver solid stories.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

The entire team behind these stories did a very nice job. The art is mostly good. It's always fun to see a hero in a tough spot of defending a bad person for something they've not actually done, as Superman and Lex team up against the Godslayer for Lex's possible future crimes. The Reborn arc was a bit aggravating, only because it's half in this book and half in SUPERMAN REBIRTH v. 2, (why DC didn't collect the entire arc in one book or the other - or even in its entirely in both - I'll never understand.) but it was fun, particularly Paul Dini's Mxy-centric chapter. Finally, the Revenge Squad - in its most powerful incarnation that I can recall - capped it with a real thriller that puts several villains (Zod and his crew, Mongul) back on the board in new ways. Jurgens' dialogue is sometimes a bit stitled, but he makes up for it excellent pacing and strong plots that push the characters hard, but always feel like they resolve in a fitting and logical way.

[Chris Flynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm enjoying the "Rebirth" Action Comics so far, but this collection has some imperfections that annoy me throughout. The biggest thing is the Superman Reborn story line in the center of this collection is only half the story (parts 2 and 4). Why you wouldn't include the entire thing in what's supposed to be a "deluxe" collection is beyond me. My other major nitpick is the art shifts from issue to issue. It's a little distracting and one of the characters in particular inexplicably changes facial hair 3-4 times depending on artist.

Other than that though, the story and arcs are fun and it's enough to make up for some of the shortcomings. It revels in the 90's stories and has obvious throwbacks littered throughout. It's an era of Superman I really enjoy, so the callbacks and references are really hit a chord for me. I'm hoping the last Rebirth Deluxe Action Comics continues the good trends and improves the bad ones.

[Will Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably 3 and 1/2 stars. The first arc is a nice look at whether someone should be tried for crimes they haven't committed yet and the idea of free will vs the future being set in stone. Then Superman Reborn, that's cool. But then the last arc fell into the problem of Superman should be whooped by a collection of his strongest villains, but they have in-fighting and are defeated. I really love gathering villains, but I want them defeated by heroes' teaming up or ingenuity, not because the bad guys became stupid.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m happy to say this volume was way more entertaining than the first. I liked both arcs, but the second in particular was a fun slugfest.

Headsup! There’s a kind of confusing bit in the middle where only 2 issues of a 4 issue crossover with Superman are included. The short arc is meant to conclude a plotline in the first volume and yeah… it’s just hard to follow. Luckily, all 4 issues are included in the Superman omnibus, so I opted to skip it here and read it there instead.

Overall, there’s some good stuff in here if you go in with the right expectations.

[Batusi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging and satisfying continuation of the Rebirth storyline that starts off strong, has a misstep in the middle due to some jarring crossover issues, but manages to recover and stick the landing.

The plot follows Superman as he grapples with his sense of justice, the complexities of his existence on this new world, and a revenge scheme hatched by some of his greatest enemies.

With Zircher handling the art on most of these issues and the action and character development perfectly balanced, it’s easy to forgive the slight hiccup in the middle of the volume.

[Hugo Emanuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dan Jurgens writes aaction-packed and character-forwarding stories, that live up to the title's moniker of "Action Comics". The events in this volume have a great deal of bearing in forwarding the lives of Superman and its characters, more so than the concurrent Superman title by Tomasi and Gleason, but the non-stop action and big events leave little room for pause, which somewhat robs the situations depicted of their emotional ressonance and importance. Its good fun, and not badly written, but lacks some of the depth that have been present in previous stories by Jurgens and Tomasi/Gleason concurrent title. I almost gave it four stars, since the first arc titled "Men of Steel" and the last one "Revenge" were actually pretty enjoyable, but the middle section of the book really bogs it down - specifically "Mild-Mannered", the tie-in "Superman Reborn" and the somewhat recap arc "A New World, which were pretty dull.

[Samuel Osito · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid entry. I’m seriously enjoying the Action Comics side of the Rebirth era more than the Superman side. The Lex Luthor conflict/redemption dynamic was interesting and wrapped up nicely, and the build up to the “Superman Revenge Squad” was epic (although in dire need of a better name). Art was consistently good throughout, but the moment to moment writing never wowed me, but nor did it detract from the reading. It was serviceable.

Overall, a 3.5/5 for me on this one.

[Néstor Vargas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant surprise with Godslayer as the antagonist. It’s a good story about justice with the eternal dilemma of making a decision based on actions rather than possible outcomes. The Reborn arc was a nice mystery being solved; the conclusion was okay. Revenge was huge. I’m not that familiar with Superman’s rogue gallery, and it was nice to get to know the biggest foes he has. That team-up was very menacing.

[Chris W · Rating 4 out of 5]

A love letter to 90s Superman fans. References to 90s story arcs, the return of 3 of the "Supermen" (Eradicator, cyborg Superman and steel) as well as Mongol coming back into the fold. This definitely for 90s fans and lives up to the name "Action Comics" with tons of punching, things getting broken and action.

[Dean · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first couple stories were entertaining. The Mxyzptlk story retcons and amalgamates the two Supermen/mans into one which is nice to have clean storytelling here on, however it's comics so they can be complicated. It's okay.

Once Henshaw returns it was downhill. Not interesting or entertaining.

The Mann, Janin and Frank covers were beautiful. Bogdanovic did an issue and their art is stellar.

[Mohamed Ahmed · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had so much hope for this after the First Book, but unfortunately this didn't live up to it.
The art Was good through out the book but the 3 story arcs was Ok at best.

[Ming · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was alright.

[Joakim Ax · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I´ve read this before I think I liked the mystery of the clark kent double better this time, knowing the outcome of it. I´ll have to sit on this book for a while cause at first I thought this would only be a read and then sell situation. But I don´t know. The humanity of this version of superman is more dear than the previous New 52 version.

[starksreactor · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars .

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very different Lex Luthor. A real rogues gallery of Superman villains. This book was exciting and fun.

[Swapnil Dubey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superman Action Comics Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book II
Rating 4/5

IT'S A PAGE-TURNER! 440 pages high octane action and gripping struggle of Superman family shoulders the weight of Jurgens stories. As I say, if you see any title belongs to Superman Rebirth just go for it.
The only draw back here is that this Deluxe Edition only includes Action comics' titles and Superman #18-19 are missing which means you don't get the complete story. Thats the only reason to give it 4 outta 5 else it's a BLAST. Refer Superman Reborn to get the whole story.

[Matt Kaiser · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

A little better than the first part. Still feels a little disjointed in parts. I love Lex’s character overall in this run and his interactions with Superman in this book is great. There’s also a really fun part with Mr Myx. Kind of a weird story, but pretty cool overall.

[Jack Phoenix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jurgens proves once again why he's one of the finest writers in whose hands Superman can be trusted, telling stories that are fun, bizarre, and take full advantage of Superman's fantastic world.