ACTION COMICS #787
"Tikei Ketsuki: Mercy, Love, and Blood, Part One"
Neutral (4/10)
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DC Comics
Writer: Joe Kelly
Pencils: Pascual Ferry
Inks: Walden Wong
Colors: Moose Baumann
Letters: Comicraft
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Price: $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN |
This comic book has a lot going for it. Ferry brings some inventive character designs and kinetic visuals to the equation, and Kelly offers up some strong characterization. But the nature of the plot stretches my suspension of disbelief to the limit, and the omission of some key information makes me feel as though I've been left out of the loop.
Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen travel to Tokyo for an assignment, investigating the rise in metahuman activity in the city and its effect on the police department. A gang war has erupted in Tokyo, with an incindiery villain doing some dirty work on behalf of a crime boss. Adding to the problems are the vigilante killings of two ghostly new heroes, Gunshin and Byakko. Even the Man of Steel may be in over his head.
Ferry captures a sense of the Orient in the settings and character designs quite well, and those designs, though unconventional, are thoroughly striking. He also communicates the immense power of the players adeptly as well. However, at times, the action is quite hard to follow, and a lot of the panels are kind of crowded. The art boasts a hectic look from start to finish, and there are times when the script would be better served with a less-is-more approach.
My favorite aspect of this issue is Kelly's exploration of a rift that's formed between Lois and Clark, unbeknownst to the latter character. Constant marital bliss loses its appeal after a while, and it's interesting to see some turbulence enter the relationship once again. I also found the two new Japanese heroes to boast strong and entertaining personalities.
Clark and Jimmy get an assignment in Tokyo, when Clark is supposedly covering his wife's city beat back in Metropolis? Why does he even need an excuse to visit Tokyo for some Superman-related duties? Those initial plot elements distract from the story. The villain is apparently not a new figure, based on Superman's reactions, but Kelly doesn't provide the necessary exposition to fill the reader in.
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