Title: Action Comics #1000.
Writer(s): Brian Michael Bendis, Geoff Johns, Scott Snyder, Tom King and many more!
Illustrator(s): Patrick Gleason, Olivier Coipel, Jim Lee and many more!
Publisher: DC Comics.
Format: Hardcover – Deluxe Edition.
Release Date: October 2nd 2018.
Pages: 160.
Genre(s): Comics, Science-Fiction.
ISBN13: 9781401285975.
My Overall Rating: ★★★★☆.
To celebrate the 1000th issue in the iconic comic book series that unveiled Superman to the world, DC Comics went out of their way to make this moment special. Alongside the release of Action Comics: 80 Years of Superman, an all-star line-up of writers and artists were gathered together to give fans and Superman the ceremony they deserve in Action Comics #1000. Initially released as an oversized anniversary issue on April 18th 2018, the story is now out as a deluxe hardcover edition and features additional content such as the very first story from Action Comics #1, scripts for all the stories featured in this anthology, beautiful variant covers done by talented artists as well as design sketches by the famous comic book artist Jim Lee.
The creative teams that worked on each story are some of the best out there and they all rise up to the occasion in Action Comics #1000. With writers like Geoff Johns, Scott Snyder, Paul Dini, Tom King and many other, it’s safe to say that DC Comics did not come here to fool around. In fact, artists like Jim Lee, Clay Mann, José Luis García-López and Rafael Albuquerque make it their sole mission to bring to life the Man of Steel in their own designs and never fail to highlight the legendary heroes’ sense of justice, strength and kindness. Most of these stories also tend to remind us of all of the great achievements of the Big Blue Boy Scout and ultimately thanks him for his dedication to a race that sometimes didn’t deserve his virtue.
As in any anthology, some stories are always superior to others and leave a much bigger imprint on your feelings and thoughts by the end of them. Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason’s story “Never-Ending Battle” was such a beautiful tale forcing Superman to go through various different death-defying moments. The artwork is a collection of splash pages with little dialogues scattered around, and some of those moments were truly beautiful, and of course a throwback to some of Superman’s greatest moments in his career. I also loved Tom King’s and Clay Mann’s short piece of a Superman in a very, very far future where he finds himself in his dying moments, but takes the time to thank his parents (Ma and Pa Kent) for what they’ve given to him. The artwork alone was mesmerizing and so powerful, I just had to reread that particular story a couple of times.
The last story is also an important one in the sense that it is Brian Michael Bendis’ debut into the Superman universe. Having left Marvel to join DC Comics, this legendary comic book writer has taken on the mantle of writing the new Man of Steel series, starting with this teaser story called “The Truth”. Not only is Jim Lee the artist on this piece, but it also has Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair on it as well. It was nice to see what Brian Michael Bendis’ planned to throw at Superman now, especially when you take into consideration the great stories he has written in the past. The variant covers that come right after also merit some attention as they present some amazing artwork by countless artists.
Action Comics #1000 is a wonderful milestone that was brilliantly celebrated with countless talented writers and artists. After all, there’s nothing like the return of his red trunks to seal his grand moment! With Batman’s anniversary coming up next with his Detective Comics run at #989 at the moment, I’m definitely excited to see what DC Comics has in store for his milestone.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for sending me a copy for review!
Roars and Echoes 
I remember Action Comics 1000 being fairly good. I really haven’t been a fan of what Bendis is doing in the Superman series since.
I’m also looking forward to seeing the Detective Comics 1000 anniversary special. I wonder if it’ll be another anthology book, or if it will be something a lot more focused.
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I look forward to trying out his Superman series once it releases in a collected edition. I honestly haven’t heard too many great things in his later years at Marvel, but still have massive respect for what he’s done for the comic book industry earlier in his life.
I believe there’s an 80 Years anthology book for it planned, and I’m sure they’ll try and do a special #1000 like they did for Action Comics. Definitely excited to see what they have in store for us! 😀
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Even if one isn’t a fan of his writing (he can be hit and miss for me), he’s got a lot of very loyal fans, and he is good at helping popularize characters who deserve more spotlight. I will give him that.
And I did really like his X-Men run.
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Looks like a beautiful book. I thought they did some cool things with the “80 Years” and this one looks good too.
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Yes! I did really enjoy the end result of that 80 Years volume. I was however curious about all the fuss around this special issue since it was the most-sold issue of the month of its release! Nice stuff. 😀
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It’s interesting what makes the sales move: the cover, the hype, etc?
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Indeed. This one probably reached deep into the hearts of fans, especially collectors who saw it as a huge moment in comic book history. After all, having the 1000th issue and preserving it will surely bring back a lot in the long run with its value increasing over the years. 😀
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Wow, that’s big news to me: Brian Michael Bendis left Marvel? Truly surprised at that. I have numerous terrific comic books by him, including Alias and the New Avengers. Well, good fo DC I suppose, as they are getting a really terrific writer.
This is truly a very impressive collection alright The art looks phenomenal, and it’s terrific that they are celebrating such a monumental event in this way. As always your review was highly worth reading, and even though I am as you know not a huge Superman fan, this book sounds really interesting. Great post as always! 😊
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Yep, those are indeed the series I have in mind when I spoke of his greatness at Marvel hahah His departure at Marvel was a bit shocking for everyone and he kept his projects at DC Comics a secret until this particular issue of Action Comics where everyone found out about his intention to write Superman. 😀 If anything, the addition of Brian Michael Bendis just makes DC Comics an even tougher opponent to beat in the comic book industry!
Absolutely! Love how the anthology shows us all the various artwork that still all lead to the same principles that surround Superman. I definitely didn’t forget that you aren’t a huge fan of Superman, but I’m glad that you keep an open mind regarding his character and his stories. Thank you so much for reading, Michel. 😀
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You are right when you praise this team’s work! The illustrations are really good!
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They are, aren’t they? Truly wonderful eye candy they’ve given fans. 😀
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Looks like a very fitting commemoration… and a pretty cool hand over too!
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It is indeed! I’m glad that they took the time to do it like they did. 😀 Can’t wait to see what they do with Batman (Detective Comics). 😀
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Great stuff my friend! this may not surprise you, but my fave short was definitely the Tom King/Clay Mann story (boy would I love to see Tom King take on Supes one day, even if just for a mini-series) closely followed by the Bendis/Lee intro to Bendis’ run.
I did find the return of the red trunks a bit odd at first (we’ve had so long without them now) but its grown on me and I get it in visual terms, having that separation of colour…I really did hate that brief period at the beginning of Rebirth when he had blue boots!
Do you plan on checking out the Man of Steel series? Would love to hear your opinion on that.
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I have to admit that it was amazing to see what they were able to do with Superman’s character. There’s a level of depth that King brings to the character that simply fits perfectly with him. It would be nice to see what they could if given the chance to do a mini-series for Superman. And yes, I definitely plan to check out Man of Steel. I’m curious to see what Bendis plans on doing with the character and if it actually works.
The blue boots thing really did almost make it seem like it was a one piece pants/boots costume piece. I don’t really mind the New 52 design, although it make Superman look stereotypical instead of his iconic self. With the whole young and slimmer build, it clearly was trying to adapt to the era we were living in hahah I do wonder if anyone if noticed the return of the red trunks too! 😮
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What I did like is that at least there’s a narrative reason for the return of the trunks, which you’ll see when you read Man of Steel. Same with what Tom King has done in recent issues of Batman.
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Ohhh sweeet, there’s an actual explanation for such a decision 😂 Hope it isn’t too cheesy hahah
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Sounds like a good art book too.
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Exactly! Plenty to appreciate visually. ☺️
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