Action Comics #866

This is the first of a several-part series that promises an interesting look at a major character who has evolved several times since the 1960s: Braniac. We also have a somewhat rarer revision of comicdom’s favorite bottled city, Kandor. While not a great deal happens in this initial installment, Action #866 sets up the mysteries and tensions that could lead to a memorable run.

The issue contains several unexciting pages dealing with the soap operas at the Daily Planet; with Lois and Clark married, it is becoming a greater challenge than ever to make Clark’s life terribly intriguing. The re-introduction of a couple of minor Planet members helps, but not much. Steven Lombard is made more obnoxious, while Cat Grant is sexed up considerably. While the staff interactions are predictable, there is at least one memorable moment involving Cat and Clark that made me grin.

Braniac’s appearances are few and, perhaps for that reason, the most captivating. We are teased with scenes that make us wonder what the heck is going on w/ this cyborg/man/villain.

My only notable complaint with this issue is the artwork. Frank/Sibal certainly have the technical talent (it’s not easy to make it readily apparent how much they draw on Chistopher Reeve and Margot Kidder for their Clark & Lois). And the final glimpses of Braniac are outstanding largely due to their subtle, almost laid-back depiction of the character. But too often the drawings are overwrought or poorly framed. Cat, for instance, is well drawn in some scenes, yet almost whorish in others. Other scenes seem to be too clever by focusing on some silly jelly donut, as if it were a literary symbol of some sort. And as so often the case in modern comics, there is almost too much detail—too much clutter on the small panels of a small page. Considerable detail is of course fine from time to time, yet the content should determine how much detail is really worthwhile. The inconsistency of the artwork in this issue made it hard for me to focus on the storyline at times, yet I look forward to the continuation of what seems to be a major development in two longstanding elments of the Superman mythos, Braniac and Kandor.