Superman: Action Comics, Vol. 3: Warworld Revolution by Phillip Kennedy Johnson

Superman: Action Comics, Vol. 3: Warworld Revolution Reviews

• 
  Subham

  This had an epic ending omg!
  
  So we see the revolution beginning and Superman and his allies encouraging people to fight back and well some of his allies get turned to the other side by Mongul and we see the birth of even Black Razor and that was quite fun and then seeing the origin of Mongul and the contrast to Clark and I freaking love it and PKJ in that issue itself made Mongul one of the de-facto enemies of Clark and then seeing the legend of Olgrun and the genesis fragments and all that history and the motives of it all and the epic ending with the battle between the two and the revolutionists and the unmade/warzoons, its a freaking epic ending and also some betrayal and some interesting trials for Superman!
  
  It makes for a great read for sure and I like how PKJ introduces new enemy for Clark and expands on the lore of DCU with "Fires of OLGRUN" and I feel like it will lead to something epic down the line and well its all fun but the ending is great especially with the new status quo of "New Phaelosia" and also the return of Clark!
  
  All in all its been a pretty fun arc and one of the most ambitious in Superman comics for sure and the art was great here and even the backups with the house of kent and the return of Conduit and all that!
  
  So yeah a definite recommend from me and it will make for a great read if you binge like all the three volume together! Next up: Kal-El returns crossover!
• 
  Khurram

  A good conclusion to the Warworld story arc. I liked the conclusion but I don't think the whole storyline worked as well for me. Superman due to the principles of his killing, pretty much got his butt kicked through this series.
  
  The book shows the different childhood lessons for Superman (Clark Kent) and the current Mongul. On Warworld Mongul makes his final push to get what he wants and destroy Superman both physically and his legend as well. Now Superman and what is left of the Authority must make an all-or-nothing play either they all succeed or they all die. On earth, the battle for the Genesis fragment continues.
  
  This is a satisfying conclusion. I like the format of the book as well. It starts with the past l, the now on Warworld, the now on earth and finally the final battle for Warwirld. Though I will be glad to see what happens next, could an even bigger threat have been unleashed? The book contains regular and variant covers all the way through.
• 
  Katie

  This is a story that pulls at the heart of who Superman is and what he stands for. Warworld continues to test Superman, his friends, while he remains true to his values with no powers. Definitely worth a re-read once this all comes out.
  But what really brings the story together is the art, especially the coloring. Elevating the story while adding emotional weight to every panel, together this makes this one of my favorite Superman stories to date.
• 
  Robert

  A rousing finale to this particular Super Saga that wears its pulpy inspirations proudly.
  
  
• 
  Kezia

  Just little things I loved in this:
  - O.M.A.C. & Lightray's storyline--their characters would have been completely throwaway under any other writer, but instead their addition added so much to the gravity™ of warworld barbarism
  - midnighter and apollo inclusions are always welcome; furthermore, the dissonance between superman & midnighter's values was neat
  - the tiny black racer cameo,, chef kiss
  - loved that aliens used different forms of language than just modern english
  - mongul-who-is was a memorable antagonist
  - multiple side characters that had arcs, who you cared about, but who also contributed to the story and its dimensions in a meaningful way
  - superman writing that's got stakes, heart and most importantly, stays true to the character
  
  The Action Comics Warworld saga is going to be remembered as one of the best Superman runs in the 2020s.
  Can't wait to see what this writer comes up with next!
  
  This individual volume, 4. But the sum of everything in total: 5 stars. Chef kiss. Memorable.
• 
  Adam Fisher

  The Warworld Saga is completed here in this Volume. Superman does what he does best, inspiring others, leading by example, and overcoming the greatest of odds. Mongul is defeated, mostly by Clark, but the final blow is struck by Kryl-Ux, a Phaelosian (offshoot of Kryptonian) who allied with Superman, but led his own faction of those not wanting peace for the most part. I'm certain he will be back as a villain at some point, but it brought me much joy to see Clark make it home... especially to enjoy the sunrise with Lois.
  This Volume was great, as was the whole Warworld Saga. Definitely worth check out.
• 
  Akshay

  Finally got my hands on the Superman: WarWorld Apocalypse one-shot book that concludes this saga.
  
  I reviewed the first two volumes and found that they were fantastic. The overall saga of Superman's fight to save his distant "family" from the despotic Mongul has been a blast from the start and now we get the grand finale where we learn the final fate of Superman and his Authority as well as the citizens of WarWorld itself.
  
  The journey has been a hard one as a weakened Superman answered the call for aid from a group of aliens called Phaelosians who it turns out, are descendants of Krypton who had once upon a time founded their own colony, only to be attacked and enslaved and now dying out under the rule of the despotic Monguls. Superman and his handpicked team of Midnighter, Apollo, Enchantress, Natasha Irons, Manchester Black and a new version of OMAC and Lightray have flown across the known universe to fight the good fight - only to find themselves weakened, enslaved and fighting day in and day out for their lives. Slowly over the story thus far, Big Blue showed why he is the iconic hero he is and inspires a revolution while his team-mates work to keep contact with Earth and each other to fight back.
  
  Now the story comes to a rampaging, explosive conclusion as Superman makes his way through the bowels of WarWorld to find an arcane, primordial power to keep it out of Monguls hand while his fellow prisoners, gladiators and many others fight to break the chains both real and metaphorical. Meanwhile The Authority builds to their showdown with Monguls Unmade warriors while back on Earth, Lois and Steel fight to get control of and harness the power of Genesis to save Earth as well as help our teams plans.
  
  It's been a hell of a powerful journey that was a return to form for Superman in my view, after many years and it while its not perfect, this is a solid finale to close of this story as well as lead us into the new era of Superman that has begun on his return to Earth. There is action and drama aplenty to be had in this third act:
  
  Midnighter is faced with a mind-controlled Apollo in the midst of the final battle; Omac is fighting for the bad-guys with a dark resurrection of his friend Lightray as the price, a price that his entire team may well pay. On top of that, Kal El faces new challenges and even betrayal as he has managed to find the great power at the heart of the planet that everyone us seeking, only to come into final conflict with Mongul; meanwhile The Authority has to fight back the worst that WarWorld has to offer so that they can buy time for Natasha Irons to put their plans into effect in the heart of WarWorld and lest we forget, her plan depends on team Superman-family back on Earth being able to hold up their end of the plan to save and use the Genesis energy.
  
  The tension is very well built by Kennedy's script and the characterisation is solid and consistent, with some nice character development for our crew. The few lighter moments come from Manchester Black and even the very unlikely source that is Midnighter, but somehow it works! The action is exciting, the emotional stakes can be felt throughout and despite the many stories intertwining, it all coheres extremely well and even the epilogue at the end struck just the right note for the moment for the most part. This story honestly made me want to read more of Superman after many years and really made me want more of this incarnation of The Authority, more so than anything since they were rebooted by the New52.
  
  There's not much to say about the artwork that I haven't already said in the preceding reviews but it bears repeating that the team does a stunning job! It's a very well balanced job, there's detail where needed and there's panels and pages both simple and explosive and it all seems very well suited to the moments being showcased. It's quite impressive.
  
  Overall it is a great storyline for Superman fans and a really good, solid finale in this volume. Heartily recommended!
• 
  Alex

  A decent enough conclusion to the warworld Saga, if a bit predictable in its execution. Good writing for what it's going for, and truth & justice do prevail.
• 
  Rory Wilding

  Before we get back into the main narrative of Superman, along with the Authority, trying to lead a revolution against Mongul of Warworld, the third volume of Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s Action Comics run begins with the 2022 annual that he co-wrote with Simon Spurrier. Featuring two parallel stories about Superman and Mongul's early years, demonstrating their relationships with their mothers and the lessons that they taught them.
  
  As the first half of the annual is drawn by Ian Churchill, it is always great seeing Clark’s upbringing in Smallville as Jonathan and Martha Kent are always important figures that help shape Superman as he is today. Martha, in particular, teaches him here by using his abilities responsibly whilst learning to help others who are going through their personal struggles. Instead of resorting the violence, the young Clark uses his words to save a bully, who redeems himself in the process. Contrast this heartwarming tale with the harshness that the son of Mongul goes through – drawn by Dale Eaglesham – as he learns to rid of any innocence, so that he can kill his father and become future ruler of Warworld.
  
  Going back to the main narrative, which is one of the most ambitious Superman stories that DC has published, it is perhaps too ambitious with the many COGS 1hat PKJ is grinding into the machine. Whilst you have a depowered Superman looking a lot like John Carter, you also have the various members of the Authority either trapped or rebelling alongside the revolution, whilst intergalactic politics come into play. So much happens throughout these issues, it was sometimes hard to keep track of, but what redeems the story are the individual character beats that occur, from Superman’s sincerity, Midnighter reunited with Apollo, or players willing to lose their innocence for the sake of victory.
  
  There are also the backup features, which remind you that Superman is going through this whole ordeal to save a dying Kryptonian, who is left in the care of his extended Super-family, though the subplot involving the villainous Conduit was a weird detour. The story culminates in the giant-sized Superman: Warworld Apocalypse, the final battle between Superman and Mongul, and between the Authority and Mongul’s Unmade Champions, with a brief appearance from the Justice League. With a variety of artists involved – though none of them come close to the Frank Frazetta aesthetic of Riccardo Federici’s art – the action is huge and cosmic, and rather triumphant when Supes reclaims his powers.
  
  Overall, a solid finale to the Warworld Saga, which took the Man of Steel in a fresh direction, though from the final page, he seems to be returning to the classic status quo. However, this is not the end of Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s time in Action Comics and it’ll be interesting to see what he will be taking Superman next.
• 
  Will Brown

  A little rushed in the middle (looking at you Mother), but otherwise a great finale to one of the best new Superman stories. Looking forward to reading more from PKJ!
• 
  Ross

  This is the final battle on Warworld. It's been a slow build at times. Not all of it has been a super fun read. It's nice to see how PkJ has taken elements of fantasy stories like the 'Warlord' comics and incorporated bits of it into this 'Mad Max'-esque take on Warworld. Definitely gave us someplace somewhat familiar to stage the story. There's been just enough Kryptonian history and lore dropping to revitalize Superman comics and just enough action to keep the kids flipping the pages.
  
  Also, this volume has the revised history of Mongul. We've never seen a true origin, if I'm remembering correctly. This'll fit nicey into the DCU.
  -----------------
  I appreciate splitting Superman and his family up for a period of time. It gave both characters (Jonathan and Clark) a chance to get redesign and grounded in this new 'future forward' DCU. The future looks bright, yes?
  
  Bonus: The United Planets is just as shady now as it will be in the future..
  Bonus Bonus: Midnighter and Apollo...still awesome
• 
  Nolan Buro

  I wish there art was more consistent but the story is fantastic. The best Superman epic in YEARS
• 
  K

  I like the main artist on this, first and foremost, I think that's worth mentioning.
  
  But secondarily, I think it's interesting how they show the affect Superman has on various people by being on WarWorld, but this felt oddly rushed. Like okay he's there A Long Time and people miss him a lot, but it really doesn't feel like we see that or get that vibe. And it might be super boring to read about it for too long, so respect to them, I don't know a lot about pacing or how the industry works in that regard. No judgement.
  
  But I didn't feel like I saw him become a leader or take up a lot of time there, and I didn't feel like the betrayals and twists and other things had the punches and impacts they could have because almost no time was spent dwelling or writing into the emotion of the story.
  
  Clark making kryptonian children's toys for Osul and Otho was sweet, and telling them about his own son, and them wanting to bond with him, but him having 0 internal dialogue about his own thoughts or feelings on this was a very show nothing tell nothing because there's only 1 page of interaction on this. His Superman-ness is forced to speak for itself as to why we should care vs allowing new readers coming into the arc to build a relationship with the character and this left me with a really flat perspective of Clark as the new Superman I'm not used to, and I didn't feel connected to him, his motivations, or his story. But that's me.
  
  I think that's something I really prefer about a lot of Batman comics is that he has that rich inner monologue that provides a lot of insight into his emotions and gives you a deeper connection and I think that more Superman writers could realize he's not a 2D Cardboard standup and that he has these thoughts and feelings and him working out the puzzles and riddles and things could have used just even 3 dialogue bubbles of internal just: of course I knew what the most treasured gift was without it even being said why or how, just to tell us he's thinking and emoting and things matter to him. Or so I wish.
  
  Either way, I didn't dislike it, it's a stylistic writing choice to have very little thoughts and emotions and just have it driven forward by sparse (IMO) plot only dialogue really, and I preferred the storyteller inserts more than just about anything else in this volume.
• 
  Will Robinson Jr.

  A pretty good arc for Superman comes to a climatic end. There are some rough edges to the storytelling but Mr. Johnson delivers a unique take on the Superman Mythos. I have to say I'm glad I waited for the trade for this series. It must have been quite a daunting task for collectors to get to the end of this enormous story just reading the floppies monthly. But this story is so epic and there just so much for fantasy readers to chew on. I admit when I first heard rumblings about what this Warworld story was going to be I got the planet hulk vibe from what's it was trying to emulate but Johnson ended up telling a compelling tale that highlights why Superman is special amongst the pantheon of countless heroes for which the comic book character has inspired. In this finally Supes comes face to face with incredible odds that if he fails to overcome could mean the death of many of his comrades and the annihilation of a whole civilization. The stakes are high and Superman rises to the challenge to showcase why he is a hero. Supes never stoops to the enemy's level. He never relents on his hope of his comrades to come through and aid him in defeating mongul. This was a great story that took me on a journey away from a world we know. The artwork was great except on the world with out Clark issues. That was my only gripe. The art was inconsistent and the latter half felt a bit rushed. But this was a great comic book tale that I hope fans of Superman will give a look at in the near future.
• 
  Chris Lemmerman

  Superman's tired of being downtrodden, and now he's leading the slaves of Warworld in the uprising they've been preparing for. But Mongul and his minions, including corrupted versions of The Authority, have other ideas, and no one's going down without a fight!
  
  Phillip Kennedy Johnson's Warworld saga was very ambitious, and it would have been easy to fumble the ending and rush it through to get Superman back to Earth in time for the next big Superman event, but instead he manages to sitck the landing very well, firmly remembering what it is that makes Superman Superman, and giving us some cathartic moments for all of the other characters involved too, even ones you might not expect.
  
  And what's even better is that this just feels like one part of a much larger story. It envokes some of what PKJ was doing over in The Last God, telling a complete story that's actually one part of a larger whole, and I cannot wait to see where it all goes next.
  
  The Warworld Saga reaches a crescendo, but the symphony's only just begun. With some beautiful artwork from Riccardo Federici, PKJ brings Mongul and Superman together for one final fight that will change the fate of Warworld forever.
• 
  Michael

  This Warworld saga was way too long and way too scattered. Pity, because the first book was a blast.
  
  I did enjoy the Annual which kicked off this collection, comparing Clark's upbringing to Mongul's, but the main story unfolds turgidly and lacks any read emotional heft - this old god stuff felt tacked on and never really mattered emotionally. I can't help comparing this arc to the original 1990 Warworld saga, which introduced the Cleric and the Eradicator, giving everything weight and connection to Superman. The emotional beats here belong to Midnighter and OMAC, whoever this OMAC is. Some questionable storytelling choices in the art didn't help the readability of the action sequences, and the monochrome color palette didn't work for me either.
• 
  Chad

  Superman without his powers inspires the slaves of Warworld to revolt. Lots of interesting revolution moments. Lots of iconic Superman heroic moments. I do think the Authority characters didn't get as much room to shine in this volume. Reading this all straight through instead of each trade would probably have gotten it a full 5 stars. On its own I had a few little quibbles with some of the pacing. Although all of the art is good, there are way too many artists on this.
• 
  Shannon Appelcline

  A good ending to a great arc. Oh, it's a bit more color-by-numbers than its predecessors, because it has to end the Warworld story, but there's still some nice touches such as the Mongul backstories and a few surprises at the end. I suspect it'd read better as part of the whole rather than a standalone ending.
• 
  Marco

  After two great acts here we have several pacing problems and waaaaay too many different artists with completely different syles.
  It's a shame because with a little bit of coordination this could have been an instant classic.
• 
  Jason Tanner

  The Warworld Saga has blown me away from the start. I absolutely love all 3 volumes and will pick up the next PKJ Superman trade the second it comes available. This Superman is very much the Superman I want to read about. That is, this is a Clark Kent that I know and love. (This is not meant as a dig against Jon. Jon is great. But I'm talking about Clark and various versions of him I've read over the years.) It's a story about hope, about inspiration, about how power isn't what makes Superman special, but his ability to draw out the best in everyone around him. The whole of the Warworld Saga, in my opinion, is a Superman epic that can stand shoulder to shoulder with All-Star Superman, Secret Identity, and Superman The Movie as one of the best representations of what makes Superman great. I highly recommend this saga in its entirety.