Action Comics #1038 – What It Truly Means To Be Superman

Currently, Action Comics is three issues into the Warworld Saga. The epic storyline we’ve been building to for over a year. Previously, we’d seen Superman debate whether or not to save lost Kryptonians and travel to Warworld, even if it meant leaving his wife and son behind and doing it without the help of the Justice League.

However, even with the Authority on his side, and a strong understanding of what waited for him on Warworld, we now find Superman broken and beaten. Held in place by chains as Mongul and the crowds taunt him. This is one of the lowest points we have seen Superman hit in a very long time. But in this loss, we see that the soul of Superman, the kindness and lessons at the heart of the character can never be broken.

When Superman is finally thrown into a cell, his kindness is still intact. He’s insulted, he’s feared, but the sense of hope still exists, as perpetuated by the final panel. Superman is given the option to leave, to escape and save himself, but he stays to further that presence of hope. To create a better tomorrow for those who can not just run. Towards the end of the issue, Midnighter asks Clark if the lives of those stuck on Warworld are truly worth more than their own. In Clark’s answer we see that even after all he’s endured his heart is still the strongest element of him.

‘No. Not More. But Not Less.’

While the Warworld arc seems to only just be starting, we have already seen Superman beaten physically. The question is, will his heart and that sense of hope survive?