There is only one big event in comics today: the release of Action Comics #1000. The 80-page special features the work of nearly two dozen writers and artists — from modern creators like Scott Snyder to classic artists like José Louis García López and even director Richard Donner. It also marks the dawning of a new creative era for Superman, under writer Brian Michael Bendis.
It’s a big deal, for a lot of reasons — but it’s also a celebration of something worth celebrating.
But isn’t it just that it’s ... #1000?
Look, big round numbers are fun — and a comic book series surviving to hit four digits in an era when many don’t even hit three is a standout achievement. But 1,000 issues of Action Comics isn’t just 1,000 issues of any old series. There’s a direct line from today’s Action Comics #1000 to the very birth of the superhero as a concept. 1938’s Action Comics #1 contained the first appearance of Superman, and its #1000 issue comes just a few months shy of his 80th birthday.
It hasn’t been a completely straight line to get here, certainly. Action Comics’ numbering started over at #1 in 2011 for DC’s New 52 reboot and ran for 52 issues until the series resumed its classic numbering — plus those 52 issues, of course — with Action Comics #957 in 2016. And with #957, the series started shipping twice-monthly, accelerating to a much-anticipated #1000 anniversary in less than two years.
But even considering changes in publishing logistics, Action Comics remains the birthplace of the superhero, and one of the oldest still-running comic series in history. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s very first Superman story formed the mold from which every subsequent hero in the genre has been struck (or struck in opposition to): a strange costume, extraordinary powers, and protecting the weak and innocent from the strong and malicious. Any anniversary for Superman is also an anniversary for superheroes.
But Action Comics #1000 also marks a big new creative era for the character.
Because Brian Michael Bendis is writing Superman now, right?
Yup! Brian Michael Bendis, the writer behind Jessica Jones and Miles Morales as Spider-Man, as well as Avengers storylines like House of M and Secret Invasion. Bendis will be taking the reins on both Action Comics and Superman in July, starting with Action Comics #1001 and a brand new Superman #1.
Seems like he’s done a lot of cool stuff, but why is everybody so hype about him on Superman?
Well, Bendis is primarily known for his work on Marvel. Which is to say, aside from his creator-owned projects (like Torso or Powers), his prolific career has been nearly exclusively for Marvel projects rather than DC. His 12 pages of Superman story at the end of Action Comics #1000 are only the second piece he’s ever written for the company.
And at Marvel, Bendis was not a small player. He kicked off his career by writing an alternate-universe version of Spider-Man who often sold better than the main universe one. He left significant lasting marks on Daredevil, Luke Cage and the five original X-Men, and shepherded the Avengers through some of their most memorable events of recent memory.
So Bendis is not just a writer primarily known for his work at Marvel — you could argue that modern Marvel is a company primarily known for his work at Marvel. When DC Comics announced that Bendis had accepted an exclusive contract with the company, it was a bolt out of the blue for many fans. And he’s not just moving to DC to tackle any character, but the DC’s flagship superhero — history’s first superhero.
So should I read Action Comics #1000?
Action Comics #1000 is a collection of some of the greatest writers and artists of the past half-century (Dan Jurgens, Neal Adams, Louise Simonson, Paul Dini, Jim Lee, Geoff Johns and Tom King, to name just a few) all doing their own quick and definitive take on what makes Superman special.
Some are meditations on the concept of heroism, or on how a good heroic figure doesn’t just prevent and protect, but inspire. Others use the expansive history of Superman as a stand in for the history of the genre, for the value of escapist hero stories in general. Others drill down a little smaller, on how Clark Kent’s job as a journalist informs his actions as Superman, or how Superman himself finds his own inspiration in the people around him. Tom King and Clay Mann craft a short and sweet story about Superman memorializing the natural death of our sun in a way that brings a fantastic event to a human reality — and genuinely put a lump in my throat.
If I have any complaint about the special issue, it’s that instead of giving Brian Michael Bendis and Jim Lee a chance to do their own quick meditation, we’re simply given at 12-page preview of sorts for Bendis’ upcoming arc in the Superman titles. Exciting, funny, interesting — but a bit of tonal whiplash from the more emotionally charged content in the rest of Action Comics #1000.
If you’ve low-key detested every Superman story you’ve read or if you’ve given the character a good shake and still just don’t see his appeal, skip this one. But if, instead, you have an ounce of romance in your soul, pick it up.