Remember in my review of Action Comics #890 when I said “I’ll put my in Paul Cornell for another month?” Well I can say that after reading issue #891, I‘m glad I did stick around. This was just a really fun issue in so many ways. Cornell continues to explore Luthor as a character and really gets him just right and makes him unbelievably entertaining to read. It’s evident right from the cover that the focus here is squarely one Luthor from the moment you see the “Lex Luthor’s Action Comics” title stamped on it.
This issue actually utilizes one of my least favorite comic book plots: the happy subconscious world construction. This plot device involves a character having something create a perfect world for them in their mind with the idea that they would never want to leave and never realize they’re even trapped in a dream. Most often in the DCU, this happens when the Black Mercy plants are involved (a la, For the Man Who Has Everything). Here, however, it happens through the machinations of the telepathic Mr. Mind. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed this issue despite this tired plot, largely due to how fun of a character Luthor is. It’s a lot of fun seeing Luthor almost instantly realize what’s happening and how he overcomes it; and trust me when I say he does it all with a very Luthor method. The scenarios that Luthor’s mind creates are a fun to see even if we don’t spend much time in each. Mr. Mind was a very entertaining villain for the issue and he is used to setup another villain that’s to be revealed another issue. Cornell has a delightfully silly take on Mr. Mind and, as promised, the interplay of Luthor against other DC villains is already proving to be great fun.
I have to say, I even enjoyed Pete Woods art here more than in last issue. Maybe it’s because he’s given much more variety to draw this here than last month, but it was just a much more visually interesting issue. I especially loved his interpretation of Mr. Mind; I never thought I’d say this but he is one adorable little evil multi-dimensional worm. With panels that contain things such as Mr. Mind in a cowboy hat holding a gun to 1800’s Lois Lane’s head, you can’t help but smile and that’s high praise. I do still wish that Woods would add some more detail at times and he could have made each dream a little more visually distinctive, but overall it was a huge improvement from last month.
I’m really beginning to enjoy this book a lot. Two issues in and I don’t miss Superman in the slightest and I’m officially enjoying this story more than the “Grounded” storyline in Superman, though that story is only one full issue in. If Cornell can keep this pace up and keep Luthor consistently interesting to read without getting repetitive, this book will remain near the top of my pull list at least long as the Luthor arc continues. If you were hesitant to pick up yet another Superman book without the Big Blue in it, then pick up Action Comics: it just might change your mind.
Overall: 8.4/10
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