Arc Reactor! Action Comics #19-21: 'Hybrid'

DC's pull-out cover to Action Comics #19

Well, this post is over a month late. Sorry about that! MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!

I enjoyed Grant Morrison's run on the New 52 Action Comics, but it's safe to say that for most comic book fans, Morrison is a 'marmite' writer - you either love him or hate him. So, when Andy Diggle and Tony S. Daniel were announced as the new creative team, I was really excited. Diggle is a great storyteller, and his style is definitely more accessible than Morrison's. I'm aware of some criticism of Tony Daniel, but I really like his art, so even though Superman Unchained was just around the corner, I honestly thought Action Comics would still be my 'go-to' monthly Superman book.

But you know what sucks? The constant hassle that writers seem to have with DC editorial. I'm not sure of the details, but Diggle left this title before issue #19 was even on the stands. He co-writes #20, and by issue #21 he is credited as co-plotter, with Daniel writing the script.

Its a real shame, because although the actual 'Hybrid' creature that Lex Luthor creates in this arc is a little boring, Andy Diggle's take on Superman is perfect. He's a character that can suffer badly under the wrong writer, but Diggle had it nailed in less than two issues. Even better than that is his take on Lex Luthor. The early scenes with Lex give the character a real gravitas, and later in the story when he goes up against Supes without batting an eyelid really shows how much of a threat he could be. I wouldn't be surprised if Andy Diggle wanted to write Luthor more than he wanted to write anyone else in this title. I was genuinely looking forward to seeing where he could take these characters, but I suppose we may never know.

Tony Daniel's work is as solid as ever on 'Hybrid', and to his credit, the writing doesn't really suffer too much when he takes over scripting on issue #21, but the title is now immediately suffering in Andy Diggle's absence (see my comments on #22). He's currently writing Thief Of Thieves, Doctor Who, and Uncanny, but I hope we haven't seen the last of him on DC titles, because there are more than a few titles that could use a dose of his medicine. The Dark Knight, anyone?