Superman: Action Comics, Vol. 2: The Arena by Phillip Kennedy Johnson

Superman: Action Comics, Vol. 2: The Arena Reviews

• 
  Khurram

  A good book. From the last book I don't think anyone thought that this was not a trap. Here the trap is sprung. I like the artwork and the story. I do like the depowered Superman, and I like that someone called him on being to reliant on his powers in a fight.
  
  A lot of people call Wonder Woman the heart of the DC Trinity, but I have always though this title should go to Superman. He is the most compassionate and empathetic. However both these emotions will be used against him or Warworld. How does even Superman save people who do not want to be saved? Who's hope has been bred out of them for generations.
  
  Good story and artwork, I would have like a few more battles but I understand the story is more about Superman as a symbol. Possibly as I am more of a Batman fan anyway Midnighter stole the book for me. Superman foes need a character around him who will make the hard decisions. I expecting all out war in the next book. The book also has a couple extra stories of Metropolis' heroes including a five part story of the Martian Manhunter. A couple of varient covers and a sketch book.
• 
  Subham

  This was so epic omg!
  
  So we see Clark and his team well teaming up with Batman to fight the Empire of shadows and whoever they are and I love the connection to Dark multiverse and how they think they stop this threat but clearly its a setup for another story to come down the line and I love it!
  
  Then the big story with how the Authority along with Clark go to Warworld and try to free the people but kinda get beatdown and we see Monguls champions "Warzoons" and I love their designs and well the names could have been better but its so epic omg just the look and feel of them all and their battle with the heroes and the fall of the heroes and then well being turned into Slaves of warworld and how the revolution begins there and the way PKJ explores the planet and all is just amazing and makes this an even more compelling read!
  
  Plus whatever Midnighter has been upto and how this all leads to a revolution of sorts is just amazing and I freaking love it, the execution of it all! Clearly one of the best stories atm and the way it will end will be interesting to see plus I love the way PKJ writes Superman here, even in the face of hell, he doesn't give up hope and continues to fight for the weak! PKJ is clearly one of the best Superman writers in the making!
• 
  RWQuilter

  3.5
  
  Usually the middle volume of an arc is a lot of talky nothing.
  This is a bit better though....there's a point to it and shows the progression to the concluding volume of this story.
  
  Nice to see the "new" Authority.
• 
  Will Robinson Jr.

  Solid. Phillip Kennedy Johnson and artist Riccarrdo Federici are killing it on Action Comics. This book has some of the best Superman storytelling I have read in some time. The high fantasy artwork and colors fit this unique take on Warworld like a glove. Johnson has given Warworld a unique feel that makes Mongul more brutal and menacing. There are incredible stakes in this book and you really care about what is going to happen to our Authority crew. Johnson just really gets what makes Superman a hero and why even when depowered the character is still important. The are so many mysteries to unlock about Warworld and its place in the DC comics cosmos. I admit I miss Superman fighting villains on Earth but I can't wait to see how this experience on Warworld changes the character. My only gripe about this collection was the short stories in the back of the book. They just were not that interesting. That was sad because I do really love the Guardian and Martian Manhunter. Those tales really brought the score for this book down for me, but if you look past those tales the main issues of Action Comics in this collection were really good. I can't wait to see how Supes revolution goes on Warworld. Definitely hop on and see why this is the most unique take on a popular character being published right now. Read
  Superman: Action Comics, Vol. 1: Warworld Rising and I definitely recommend readers reading the DC comics sword & sorcery fantasy
  The Last God also by Johnson. It has really great artwork by Federici as well.
• 
  Dakota Morgan

  An excellent continuation of the plates set spinning in
  Warworld Rising, The Arena finds Superman and The Authority arriving at Warworld, determined to take down Mongul. A task at which they of course fail because Mongul has a team of all-powerful lackeys, is worshiped by Warworld's inhabitants, and, oh yeah, Superman has been feeling a bit depowered of late.
  
  Thusly, The Arena becomes all about the individual heroes torn apart, fomenting rebellions in their own ways. It's an extremely satisfying read, at least partially because it takes place on a far distant planet with a new, engaging culture. I love a Superman book where he's not just punching dime-store villains on Earth. Take the man down a peg! Phillip Kennedy Johnson does so here and it's excellent.
  
  Added to The Arena are a pair of "Metropolis Tales," one featuring a brand-new-to-me hero (boring!) and Martian Manhunter. The latter finds the Martian fighting against his past? It's a total drag on the volume. DC editorial really should have cut the wheat from the chaff here.
• 
  Alek Hill

  This is so good!
  
  Phillip Kennedy Johnson, thank you for redeeming Superman after Bendis betrayed him. This is the Superman story we were promised but instead got the Synmar, or however Bendis spells it. Here we have a mature and serious plot that is expertly dialog driven. It represents the best of Superman's character without making him preachy or irrationally emotional.
  
  War World has fantastic lore and is the perfect antagonist to what Superman represents. I hope Vol. 3 keeps it going.
• 
  Rory Wilding

  From the first volume of Philip Kennedy Johnson and Daniel Sampere’s Action Comics run, Superman had to make the tough decision of leaving his adopted home world, as well as his beloved wife and son, so that he can save the Phaelosians – an evolutionary offshoot of Kryptonians – from Warworld. Knowing fully well that his powers are slowly descending, Superman has put together another team for the Warworld mission as instead of the Justice League, he has the Authority.
  
  With this new status quo – paving the way for things like Tom Taylor and John Timms’ Superman: Son of Kal-El – you have the OG Superman recruiting a superhero team that originated from the Wildstorm imprint, going on a cosmic adventure. Tying in with Grant Morrison and Mikel Janin’s disappointing Superman & The Authority, I didn’t get enough of a dynamic from that miniseries and from the first few issues of this volume, I’m still not feeling that dynamic.
  
  In a similar way to when Batman got his own Suicide Squad from the early issues of Tom King’s run, I wasn’t quite sure if Superman needed to have a team, and even during their first battle at Warworld, a demise happens and I didn’t feel anything. Weirdly, it’s only when Superman really starts to lose his powers and the Authority is split off on their own adventure was when the characters really starting off to click. Characters like Midnighter – the Authority’s own Batman, who gets his own issue here – disregards Superman’s orders and kills anyone that stands between him and his husband Apollo, who becomes a power source for Warworld that if removed, could have huge repercussions for its inhabitants.
  
  However, this is a Superman comic first and foremost, as Johnson continues to show that warmth and compassion that defines the character, who believes he can save everyone, whether from death or the Phaelosians being brainwashed by Mongol’s rule, with two young siblings going through an arc. Considering the struggle writers have towards Superman, who can be an all-powerful figure, depowering him is always an advantage for telling a compelling story, which is what you get here. Stripping his powers, as well as his classic red-and-blue suit, Supes resembles more like a pulp character like John Carter of Mars, and with the intergalactic setting and characters, the story leans into those pulp sensibilities, which is also reflected in the art.
  
  Starting with Daniel Sampere, who was the main artist on this run, then came Miguel Mendonça as both artists provide stunning visuals from the worldbuilding of Warworld to the bombastic action sequences that establish a variety of new villains. There are numerous artists involved, resulting in the recurring problem of the jarring transition from one art style to the next, but then you have Riccardo Federici (who collaborated with Johnson on DC’s The Last God), who becomes the default setting and the closest to capturing that Frank Frazetta aesthetic.
  
  Concluding this volume are the backup features, starting with "Tales of Metropolis", which is a one-off story featuring Guardian going on a digital adventure. The subsequent features are an ongoing Martian Manhunter narrative, in which he investigates a series of child kidnappings orchestrated by a group that looks a lot like the Court of Owls, but isn’t them. There’s some enjoyment to be had with the backups, but they do feel a bit off-brand, compared to the cosmic storytelling that P.K.J. and the artists are achieving with Action Comics.
• 
  Alex

  I have been thoroughly enjoying this War world saga that PKJ has taken Superman on in the pages of Action comics. It's not your typical super heroics, but it's really well done even if a bit cliche sci Fi storytelling that I'm invested in. Clark and the Authority arrive to liberate Warworld, but obviously the plan goes awry.
  
  Credit to the several artists and colorists working on this as well, as even with the distinct art styles used I was immersed and enjoying what I saw. A great second act of our heroes failing so they can rise again. Might seek out the final third ahead of the trade.
  
  Note: I did skip all the backup stories in the later third of the book, didn't care for them when I was reading a Superman story, sorry Martian Manhunter
• 
  Chris Lemmerman

  
  
  I called the last volume of Action Comics the calm before the storm, and dear god, I was right. Phillip Kennedy Johnson kicks everything into high gear here as we learn more and more about how Warworld operates, and the threats that inhabit it (that aren't Mongul). PKJ builds a massive mythology for the place, which most writers have never bothered to do (it's usually just a big ol' super-weapon instead of an actual planet), and the more you learn, the more you'll want to know.
  
  PKJ also never forgets to keep Superman front and centre, even when he's not the focus of the issue. The rest of The Authority still have their parts to play, be it for good or ill, but this is still solidly a Superman story about hope in the face of adversity and how fighting takes many different forms, not just punching. A lesser writer would have fallen into the trap of going grandiose instead of personal, but that's definitely not the case here.
  
  The artwork pretty much sings off the page as well. There are issues from Daniel Sampere (who drew the last volume, and is currently destroying my eyeballs (in a good way) on Dark Crisis), Miguel Mendonca (fill-in artist extraordinaire), Dale Eaglesham (who needs no introduction), and Ricdardo Federici (who pencilled all of PKJ's phenomenal Last God mini-series). Federici especially sells the grandiosity of this story, really earning it the saga title rather than just letting it be another Superman story.
  
  I know there's already been a lot of praise heaped on this run, but it absolutely deserves it. A Superman story on an intergalactic stage, with massive stakes and a deconstruction of Kal-El as a character, all wrapped up in great artwork. What more could you need?
• 
  Chad

  Superman does epic sci-fi fantasy. Superman and this new version of the Authority head to Warworld where they get their asses kicked. The whole world is powered by red suns that deplete Superman's power. They are all kept as prisoners where they all behave differently. Superman, of course, stays true to himself, never giving up, but some of the others go astray. It's all buildup as we learn more about this crazy put together world that worships Monguls. The next volume sounds like it will be nonstop fighting as Superman pulls everyone together. I can't wait. Also included is a Guardian backstory and a 5 part Martian Manhunter story.
• 
  Rob Schamberger

  A lot of fun to read and gorgeous to look at!
• 
  Akshay

  THE WARWORLD SAGA BEGINS!! AND IT IS A WARWORLD THE LIKES OF WHICH YOU HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE!!
  
  The adventures of Kal-El, the original Superman, continue in this second volume of the Warworld Saga and it's quite impressive to say the least! For those of you that read my review of the previous volume, you know that we are following a weaked Superman as he tries to keep fighting the good fight and go to those who ask for his help despite the challenge and doing his best to pretend that he's at full power - this is all made even more troubling for our hero and his loved ones who know of his weakness, when he decides to answer the call for help to liberate the millions of souls living in the brutal oppression of Warworld and the refugees who sought his aid to save them as they were the last of their species in the known universe.
  For those who read the mini-series
  Superman & The Authority by Grant Morrison a while back, you would know about the crew Supes assembled - but for everyones benefit I'll explain: As Kal El found himself weakening, he assembled a covert-ish crew to work with him, they went places and did things he couldn't always manage and they acted as support for him in his compromised state. The unlikely team is a re-imagining of sorts of The Authority from Wildstorm and this new incarnation has the familiar faces of Midnighter and Apollo at the forefront and in place of Engineer, The Doctor we have Natasha Irons and The Enchantress who longtime DC readers would know + we have newcomers Lightray and OMAC who are drastic and frankly quite welcome re-imaginings of the characters who bore the names earlier; rounding out the team is Manchester Black who was very much an opponent for Superman as the leader of The Elite in a strikingly dark Superman storyline some years ago.
  This new crew accompanies Superman to Warworld for what they all fear might be a suicide mission, but they are committed to helping Superman for various reasons and are confident of their own collective abilities. They were wrong. Arriving on Warworld, the team of heroes and the reader are faced with a Warworld that no one had ever seen - this is not some giant robo-planet of death, it is a living, breathing world with a deep-rooted culture of power, dominance, brutality and bloody violence. Our heroes arrive on-planet and are roundly defeated and scattered all over the planet with at least one fatality right out the gate and most (including Superman!) enslaved and put into chains. Presiding over their defeat is the newest holder of the title Mongul who has prepared for this and is on this world "He who holds all chains". The story then follows our surviving heroes as they are imprisoned in the bowels of Warworld and see the catacombs and depths below the surface. Johnson does a wonderful job building a world that is a haphazard amalgamation of worlds that it has consumed while retaining its brutal beating cultural heart. We see the way people fight to survive - often literally as in the giant bloody arena where gladiatorial combat happens and people earn links in the chains they wear to show their power and prowess, an arena in which Superman is thrown time and again and he becomes known as the Unblooded Sword and works above and below to try and win hearts and minds, all the while trying simply to stay alive as he gets weaker and weaker. Meanwhile, Midnighter is the only one that evaded capture but now is alone in this mad, bloody world, all the while angry at Superman for getting them all caught like this and working his own machinations to free Apollo and get whoever is left of the team out of the hell in which they find themselves.
  It is a savage tale we read here and I did not get time to delve into the artwork without making this a hell of a long review - but suffice it to say that not only is the art as solid as it was in the last volume but in some spaces it is even better. Honestly, as much as the writing builds a deep and intriguing world for us, the artwork brings it all to life very effectively. All in all, I was enjoying this story just as a nice Superman story after a while, but this volume which amps things up to another level is what has me completely and totally hooked.
• 
  Michael

  It's a thematically interesting story - how do you inspire people in the worst situation to rise up, to aspire to better? Or will you (or at least your teammates) fail that ideal? The art's iffy - the figure drawing it excellent, but there are frequent questionable storytelling choices and the coloring tends to wash out everything with a dullness. The script is ambitious, although I feel it should be concluding here, rather than just getting to the halfway point.
• 
  Adam Fisher

  Off to Warworld goes a team from the United Planets:
  Superman, Enchantress, O.M.A.C., Lightray, Manchester Black, Steel, Apollo, and Midnighter.
  
  Their mission: Justice for the Phaelosians.
  
  What it becomes?
  Mongul, having prepared for their attack, takes down the party, putting them into various forms of slavery or death. Superman becomes a gladiator, and with the core of Warworld being Red Sun generators, he has no powers. He continues to win, in his own way, and the people begin to call him "Un Bahle'na Gahl", or The Unbloodied Sword... Revolution has begun.
  
  This story is very good. Seeing Clark hold his own without powers is fantastic. I can't wait to see how this saga will end in Volume 3.
  
  Strong recommend.
• 
  K

  Meh.
  There wasn't any really powerful statement here.
  There could have been. Honestly Midnighter was doing more interesting things and they didn't really bring him in much or give his story a lot of cohesion, but I missed about 4 issues between the end of this vol and then the "End of the warworld saga issue 1" thing that they did or whatever. Either way, I was glad that Clark was making a difference, and that we learn something about warworld, but overall... like, okay he's trying to teach compassion and start a movement and teach them that the chains don't matter from the inside out, but like, where is that happening in a meaningful way? The last 4 issues I didn't read? I'm guessing all the buildup I missed.
  Also the JLA just abandoning him because he stopped a war is kind of ridiculous even if he was heavy handed about it. Hard to believe they'd just let that go on.
  I really don't have anything like "oh this was awful don't read it waste of time" so much as just "I wish someone who had a more emotional impact in writing had done this so it felt like it meant more" or "This could have been powerful without treading into politics if they'd wanted it to" and it wasn't. It was flat.
• 
  Clay Bartel

  By all accounts, this should be an easy 4 star book. Incredible art throughout, solid writing. Clean plotting with setups that follow through and deliver, clever Warworld concept, a depowered Superman, and the most menacing Mogul we've seen ever...
  
  So why 3 stars? I just have yet to connect with the story concept or Johnson, and I can't really say why.
  
  While I was never explicitly a Bendis fan, after 3 Johnson volumes between Action Comics and Superman, I've come do realize I was more a Bendis fan than not...
  
  I really hope now that Superman is returning to earth that I'll connect with Johnson story ideas, and I can finally he excited about Superman again.
  
  If you've enjoyed past Johnson books, you'll enjoy this. Otherwise, maybe steer clear.
  
  4 stars is what it deserves, but it is getting 3 stars from me. I had a hard time getting through this.
• 
  Trike

  Fully half this book has nothing to do with the plotline of Superman battling to free the slaves on Warworld. And what *is* there is tediously repetitive. Plus Superman gets killed at least twice at the end of issues but then is just fine at the start of the next. And I mean absolutely no-question on-the-page killed. Like stabbed-through-the-heart killed.
  
  But no, he’s fine. Not even a scar. No explanation. Serious WTF stuff. It’s impossible to believe this was written by the same guy as the last volume. This is trying so hard to be Hulk fighting on Sakaar that it’s embarrassing. It’s down with the Scott Snyder Court of Owls inanity, which is quite a feat of tossing your story into the fire.
  
  I swear, every time I think there’s a glimmer of hope for DC, they pull some amateur hour nonsense like this.
• 
  Shannon Appelcline

  Johnson's Warworld epic continues to be very strong. He even makes great use of Morrison's mediocre Authority, treating them like real characters with their own problems and needs, in a way that Morrison never did (What's up with that!?).
  
  Beyond that, this is an excellent Swords & Planet story (shades of Planet Hulk!), with Clark far from his home base and even his powers, and thus acting like an actual person.
  
  Though this is a lengthy story (that's still not done), Johnson carries it well through this second volume.
  
  (There are also Tales of Metropolis and Martian Manhunter stories at the end, but after reading the first few issues, I decided I totally didn't care: a waste of space.)
• 
  Fraser Simons

  I think this run does a great job capturing the spirit of Superman, and there are some nicely plotted twists, as Superman goes to Warworld with friendos and invariably encounters a lot more of a problem than he thought, and they have to survive as slaves while attempting to foster a revolution. The artwork is fan-freaking-tastic. There’s a lot going for it. But it’s also overlong already and the last bit of it abruptly goes into tales from Earth that I am not the least bit interested in and was pretty sizeable. It irked me that it wasn’t just another two issues of the actual series. Baffling. What’s more, the arc is now quite predictable, now that the initial shock value of the conflict have worn out. So I hope there quite a lot of payoff at the end, because it’s dragging.
  
• 
  Kezia

  Warworld Saga continues to be an incredibly strong Superman arc. Dare I say it, Phillip Kennedy Johnson is quickly becoming one of my favourite Superman writers. Issue #1038 was some creme de la creme Superman content.
  
  We're the ones who risked everything to come up here with you, Blue. Not the Wazoons. Us.
  You gave us your big line about hope, and we followed you.
  Hope.
  You lied to us. There's no hope here. These people don't want to be freed. Not by us. Are their lives really worth more to you than ours?
  
  No.
  Not more.
  But not less.
• 
  Adam Wilson

  What Bendis killed Johnson resurrected!
  
  I loved Rebirth Superman all the way to Bendis and then he killed it for me.
  
  Thankfully Johnson has done an amazing job with the Warworld storyline and brought me back to Action comics and Superman.
• 
  Phishy

  Johnson understands Superman as well as Morrison. Incredible!
• 
  Aj Waran

  I couldn’t finish this.
  
  It just felt very generic and slow-paced despite being fairly action-packed for new DC comics. I wish I liked it more.
• 
  Jason Tanner

  Johnson gets Superman, and that's on full display here. I haven't been this excited for a Superman story in a long time. And that's all I'm going to say about it. Looking forward to the next chapter.
  
  The backup stories were also fun, if not nearly as weighty. The Guardian story was fine, if forgettable. It was essentially a reminder that he's still around. The Martian Manhunter tale was a short form love letter to previous runs of the character, at the same time attempting to start a new direction for him. As a big fan of the Ostrander run, I enjoyed this.
• 
  Michael

  damn good Superman story
• 
  Daniel Butcher

  Solid Superman SciFi while staying true to self.
• 
  Dominic H

  This second volume proves harder work. It's almost exclusively set on Warworld and proves unrelentingly grim for the first three-quarters. I'm also not a huge fan of the slightly clichéd and unoriginal modes of speech and the George RR Martin influenced slogans.