Tony Black reviews Action Comics #964…
“WHO IS CLARK KENT?” part 2! Superman comes face to face with Clark Kent, and he wants answers! But first the Man of Steel must protect his former alter ego. Clark Kent tells all in this shocking issue! And don’t miss the return of a ghost from Smallville past…
SEE ALSO: Check out a preview of the issue here
The mystery of the two Clark Kents continues in Action Comics, and part two of ‘Superman, meet Clark Kent’, which for the most part serves as a two-hander from writer Dan Jurgens between these very identical but also very different men. All through the Doomsday arc, we were left to wonder exactly who the Clark without superpowers was running around Metropolis and, truthfully, the answer still remains a little unclear by the end of this issue, certainly from the perspective of Superman – whose perspective we follow throughout here, in reverse to Clark last week. At the same time, we get a bit more clarity.
Showing Clark his new underground ice base ‘Fortress of Solitude’ in all but name, Superman gives Clark a test which shows he experienced a very similar life to the alternate Clark, but one very much with a human basis – this Clark doesn’t hail from Krypton, was orphaned on Earth, and grew up with the Kent’s. How can this be? Even Superman isn’t sure, when he fully expected his Kryptonian technology to shine a light on the truth, but the key could well be in the mysterious Geneticon organisation who it appears were behind Doomsday’s attack, and who Superman & Clark here team up to further investigate. We also get along the way more hints of this Superman’s origin, as the mystery of that continues spiralling too.
Patch Zirchler’s artwork here is the best in a while for Action Comics, with an excellent final few pages written to reflect Clark’s Daily Planet article after his summit with Superman, which serves to get into the psychology of numerous characters before leading into a curious cliffhanger filled with portent. Though not the most explosive issue, it’s an important one for putting plot pieces in play.
Rating: 7/10
Tony Black
Originally published October 5, 2016. Updated December 16, 2019.
