Comic Recap/Thoughts: Action Comics Volume 1: Path of Doom

The beginning of Rebirth is still very Superman heavy. I think it is because Superman is the reason for a lot of the changes. For today's post we are covering Action Comics Volume 1: Path of Doom, it includes issues #957-962. Fun fact: Action Comics ran until issue #904, but for New 52 they decided to start over at #1. Since Rebirth is all about going back to before New 52 they just included those issues as if the numbering change hadn't stopped, if it is easier you can just think of the New 52 run as double numbered. On to the recap!

Path of Doom Part One: We start the issue in Metropolis, Maggie Sawyer and Jimmy Olsen are watching a robbery in progress. Maggie is in charge of the Metropolis S.C.U. (Special Crimes Unit) The place being robbed is called Genericron and the robbers are giving me some Deathstroke vibes. 

Inside we have lots of hostages and robbers who don't know why/what they are robbing. We get a shot of a chest with the Superman S on it. The hero with the S melts all guns and the robbers are confused because they were under the impression Superman was dead. Outside Maggie is about to go in...because of all the yelling and screaming. There is no need, because Super Lex has taken down the bad guys. 

Upstate, Clark and family are moving into a nice looking farm house. (Remember their California house got wrecked so now they live upstate from Metropolis.) Lois points out how they have no food and nothing is unpacked, but somehow the TV is already set up. Jon shrugs then asks why his dad doesn't just super unpack. (Fair question.) The usual excuses of Superman's powers are just for emergencies, not to cheat at everyday life. Good thing the TV is set up because Jon points out Lex declaring that Superman is dead, so he is the new Superman including wearing his shield.

Clark storms up to the bathroom so he can use a piece of broken glass to shave off his beard. (You know, totally normal.) On their world Lex was an agent of chaos. Lois calms him down but he is convinced that he needs to come out of the shadows. He flies off, we can only assume to go confront Lex.

Back in Metropolis Maggie is being told that the robbers didn't even know why they were robbing Genericron (I love this company name.) These robbers were just a diversion, someone had been emptying a massive vault on the top floor. Meanwhile Lex is monologuing about how Superman was his friend and it will be an honor to replace him. He is interrupted by now beardless Superman. Lex thinks he is a fake.

Up in the sky the other group of robbers is on a flying platform with the thing they must have stolen from the safe. It looks like maybe a coffin and it shakes a little.

Lex and Superman are having a little bit of a standoff. Lex notices that this Superman seems older and more confident. Superman just lays into him, calling him evil. At home Jon is like...so dad is out of the Super closet? Lois says that it was bound to happen. Lex and Superman keep arguing. At the Daily Planet, Perry tells someone to get over to this crazy show. We see someone's legs run off saying they are on it.

Lex is actually being pretty chill, but Superman wants him to take off the symbol and the cape. Lex says hard pass. Superman reaches to grab the symbol and it shocks him, so Superman punches Lex. Looks like we are going to get a school yard brawl. Someone walks up on Jimmy and he is shocked. Fighting continues. At home Jon and Lois are unimpressed. Guys flying over the city are struggling to keep the platform stable, but the coffin thing keeps moving. 

Fighting continues, Lex calling Superman a fraud and Superman calling Lex a crook. Jimmy is very confused by a person that is still hidden to the reader. Fighting escalates! Pretty sure hidden guy is Clark, (Or a Clark look alike). Next page we confirm it is Clark. Jimmy reminds us that the whole world knew that Clark was Superman, but now we have Lex and Superman fighting and a glasses wearing Clark Kent here to report the news. 

Lex sees the fake Clark and calls him a dead man walking. Jon and Lois are also confused by the fake Clark. One of the robbers in the sky tells us the coffin is open and that whatever was in it is FREE! There is a loud explosion and a large monster falls from the sky. Superman is not having a good day because this monster is DOOMSDAY!

Path of Doom Part Two: A quick recap, current Superman is from another Earth that got destroyed. He was bearded and wore black, until this Earth's Superman died and Lex declared himself Superman. There is another Clark running around. Also, Doomsday showed up. Jimmy is having a great day, he gets a photo of Clark Kent, Superman, Doomsday, and Super Lex all in the same shot.

Superman was hoping this Doomsday was a robot or a hologram, but it feels and smells like Doomsday. (Weird that one of his first thoughts was smell). Now the fighting is between Superman and Doomsday.

Mr. Oz (hooded guy from the DC Universe Rebirth issue #1, who popped in for one second to tell Clark that his family was not who they thought they were) is watching all of the things unfold on many screens. Jon and Lois are also watching the fight. Jon can tell his mom is upset and asks who the monster is. She tells him it is Doomsday and that Superman fought him before. (I think she is lying when she tells him he won before. Pretty sure Doomsday killed Superman. He didn't stay dead, so I guess that is winning in a way). Jon is also really confused by the fake Clark running around. Lois is trying to hold it together. 

Superman is fighting with Doomsday while Clark and Jimmy duck for cover. Jimmy asks Clark what the heck is going on. Jimmy knew Clark was Superman even before Lois outed him. Clark says something weird about doing what he had to do to survive. Finally Lex decides to help Superman, insulting him while doing so. They figure getting the monster into the sewer away from all the people is the best play, but that doesn't work. Superman does the classic lifting straight up with maybe the intention of throwing Doomsday into the sun. Clark and Jimmy kind of make a joke comment about it. 

Doomsday knees Superman right in the face and it looks so bad that everyone comments on it. Lois even turns the TV off. She is thinking about how Clark was killed by Doomsday before and hopes that he will run. She knows that he won't though. 

Superman and Doomsday are having a falling fight. A helicopter is too close, because news people are crazy. Doomsday tosses Supe into the helicopter and Superman is surprised that Doomsday is using strategy. 

Back upstate Jon runs out of the house, he wants to go help his dad. Lois is trying to talk him down, but he starts to lift off the ground. In Metropolis Jimmy is telling Clark to go save the people in the helicopter, but Clark says that he can't fly. Lucky for the crazy news guys Super Lex is there to catch them. Meanwhile Doomsday jumps on and wrecks the monorail. (Is it a monorail? The elevated train, you get it.) Everything is a huge mess. Lex rushes to try and catch it, but Superman gets there first. He tries to hand it off to Lex so he can go fight Doomsday. Instead Lex tries to go fight, forcing Superman to set down the train and save the people.

Superman looks up in time to see Super Lex about to get Super killed by Doomsday. Dr. Oz wonders what Kal-El will do.

Path of Doom Part Three: Lois is narrating. She is remembering Superman's previous fight with Doomsday. It was a battle to the death with both losing. Lois is trying to talk to Jon, (who is in his room at least, not flying off) but the poor kid is stressing out. He is watching the battle on his phone now, he knows that his mom is afraid of his dad getting killed. (Kids can always read their parents.) Lois does her best to calm him down. (Basically parent lying.) 

Jimmy is yelling at Clark to stop fooling around and get in the fight. Clark points out that Jimmy just saw Superman and he is clearly not him. Meanwhile Super Lex is getting his butt kicked. Lucky for him Superman is back in the fight. Lex claims to have softened Doomsday up, leave it to Lex to be quippy even when he's down.

Elsewhere Dr. Oz is watching the fight. He knows that Superman can't fight his way out of this. Lex's suit is wrecked so he pulls out a Motherbox so he can prove that he should be Superman.  Doomsday is about to take out some kids, but Superman punches him into the sewer. (Original plan from before.) This gives Lex the chance to get the kids to safety. 

Superman and Doomsday are fighting in the sewer. For some reason Clark gets too close to the hole and falls right in the sewer too. Think he breaks his arm. (Definitely not a Super.) Jon is upset that he can't see the action anymore. Yep, Clark's arm is broken so he can't get back out of the sewer. Superman promises to save him. Clark says a lot of weird stuff about Superman not helping him before. Superman has no idea what Clark is talking about, but this conversation will have to happen later. (You know he is still fighting Doomsday.)

Lex shows up again and his suit is all fixed (Motherbox magic). They argue for a bit until finally Lex agrees to let Superman keep fighting and he will save Clark and clear out anyone in the area. Superman admits that maybe this Lex isn't so bad. Lex and Clark both wonder if Superman is the real deal. Lois lets Jon watch again and Jon seems cool with Super Lex. Clark blows his top on Lex saying he is not pretending, he is just Clark Kent. More fighting in the sewers and Superman worrying about what Lois and Jon must be thinking. Superman is hitting Doomsday heavy with the heat vision. This smarter than average Doomsday reaches up to break a gas line. (Amazing this didn't happen accidently.) 

There is a crazy huge explosion. Everyone is just staring at a huge hole to see if anyone comes out. Slowly Doomsday makes his way out and is going to kill Clark.

Path of Doom Part Four: Dr. Oz thinks that events are moving swiftly. He is watching as Lois and Jon are at home watching helplessly. He calls Clark Kent a wild card. Right before Clark gets smashed by Doomsday he is rescued by Wonder Woman. She gets him to safety and says she has questions for him, but that will have to wait. Superman flies out of the sewer hitting Doomsday.

Superman punches him 3,272 times. Clark annoys Wonder Woman, so she flies off to help Superman who is still counting punches. (He gets to 4,035.) They team up and the fight becomes much more epic. She thinks that maybe Superman paid a guy to pretend to be Clark Kent. He says it wasn't him. Superman hits Doomsday with a bus. The city is being evacuated but that will take too long so WW and Supe decide they need to get the monster out of the city. 

Upstate, Jon is so happy his dad is okay he yells loud enough to shatter all the glass around him. It is also loud enough to attract Doomsday's attention. Superman is warning Wonder Woman that Doomsday is legit and to be careful. They look behind the bus and Doomsday is gone. They fly out only to bump into Lex who demands an explanation. 

The TV at the Kent's house is cracked but is still working. They see that Doomsday has fled, Jon is happy, but Lois is dubious. We see Doomsday bouncing his way away from Metropolis. Lois is really worried. 

Superman is giving us the history of Doomsday. Long story short, Doomsday is the result of controlled, rapid, forced evolution that made him the ultimate being able to survive anything. Lex is impressed. Lois is still worrying. Jimmy is excited. Clark is still a weirdo. 

Even if Doomsday is killed he just lives again becoming impervious to the means used to kill him. Superman tells us Doomsday hates all life, but most of all Kryptonians. In fact he hunts them because he can sense them. Superman realizes where Doomsday has gone. At the same time Lois seems to remember that Doomsday hunts Kryptonians too. She grabs Jon and tells him they got to get going and now. 

Wonder Woman tells Lex to stay and protect the city while she goes to catch up with Superman. She asks Supe what is up and he tells her that his son is in danger. She is surprised by this info (he son part mostly). Lois is driving like a crazy person, but Superman stops her glad that her and Jon are okay. Jon is pretty excited to meet Wonder Woman. Lois asks if WW is okay, guessing her and Clark together might be weird, but Diana is cool and that them together feels true. Lois tells her that on her Earth she was close friends with Diana. Diana says she is sure it will be the same now. For Jon too! 

Lois and Clark do a little more fibbing to Jon about how Superman totally won his last fight with Doomsday. Superman says he has to go look for Doomsday. They share a hug and some I love yous. Dr. Oz is still watching like a creeper. 

There is a loud bram (not a boom, a bram) Clark tells them to drive off, Jon wants to stay. Clark uses his Superman voice telling them to leave. This issue ends with Doomsday punching Wonder Woman right in the face. 

Path of Doom Part Five: Lex is in Metropolis feeling bummed about his city being wrecked. He is also trying to get people to safety. (People are really bad at getting to safety.) Clark is annoying him further. Parts of the building begin to fall on some people, but a flash of red and blue saves the day. Who was this unknown Superwoman?...Stay tuned for more about her later. Dr. Oz does tell us it was a super powered Lois Lane (Probably something to do with that time she got hit by lightning when other Superman died). Lex and Clark find the hovercraft and coffin that had been transporting Doomsday. It is made of some material that even Lex has never heard of.  

Upstate, Wonder Woman is holding her own pretty well against Doomsday, giving Superman the opportunity to give him a good punch in the face. Lois is also bad at getting to safety. Superman and Doomsday fight for a few more pages, Superman is losing. Dr. Oz is up to something. Wonder Woman is protecting Lois and Jon, then she fights Doomsday some more. Then they both fight him for a bit. Doomsday is trying to strangle Superman with Wonder Woman's lasso. Jon steps in and uses heat vision to at least distract Doomsday, giving Superman the chance to punch him away. 

Superman asks Wonder Woman to take Lois and Jon away and to protect them. Lois doesn't want to leave but after a kiss and reminder that she needs to take care of Jon too, she agrees. Jon also doesn't want to leave, he wants to help. Superman promises he will be fine, says I love you and flies to fight. Poor guy is crying. Wonder Woman says there is no place on Earth that is safe, but she has an idea of where to go. Dr. Oz and some other guy are about to begin something.

Superman finds Doomsday and is pissed. He hits him hard with heat vision and punches. The place Wonder Woman had in mind is the Justice League Watchtower in space. Jon is super excited, until Wonder Woman calls him 'the boy', he gets a little testy. Superman is struggling, this fight is taking all that he has and Doomsday is not slowing down. That is until he gets hit by a beam of unknown origin. More beams hit Doomsday, immobilizing him. A bunch of guys in black suits with O's on their chests show up, but are they there to help or is something more going on? (They look a lot like the robber guys from issue one, but I am not totally sure.)

Path of Doom Conclusion: In the Watchtower Lois is narrating, they are watching the fight on a screen. Jon is more excited about being in space than he is worried about his dad. Lois on the other hand is not feeling great about the guys who joined the fight. Wonder Woman agrees, they are not wise to assume they can control Doomsday. 

The guys on the ground are trying to get Doomsday into some kind of teleportation gate. It is not going well. Doomsday smashes the gate and kills many, if not all of the guys. Dr. Oz is unimpressed with his team and annoyed with Lois and WW for calling him out of his mind. He is apparently just trying to see what this Superman is made of. 

The short break was enough time for Superman to regather himself to fight Doomsday some more. They grapple for a bit and Superman flies away. Jon asks if his dad is running, but Wonder Woman says he is luring. Lois is grateful that Wonder Woman is looking out for them, but hopes that leaving him alone was not a mistake. Wherever they are going it is taking too long, so Superman grabs Doomsday and tosses him. (Not going to lie, I loved this. It is silly but fun.) Jon is impressed with the throw. 

Superman tosses him toward his fortress. (I think this one is in the Himalayas? I feel like maybe he moved it or had more than one.) He goes in and tells the system to activate Defense-Protocol: Doomsday. Dr. Oz is finally impressed. The fortress begins to attack Doomsday, but it is mostly just to keep it busy. The fight is stressing Lois out too much. She tells Wonder Woman to go and help him! She hesitates until Jon says please.

Clark knows he needs more time, but it isn't looking good until Wonder Woman shows up. She distracts Doomsday while Superman gets the Phantom Zone projector ready. He is not 100% sure it will work, but of course it does. Jon is very excited and Lois is relieved. Jon thinks that Doomsday has been disintegrated. Lois explains that his dad sent him to the Phantom Zone, which is a prison for the worst of the worst. Superman and Wonder Woman share a nice moment of thanks. I think for Superman it means a lot to feel like more people have his back. I give Wonder Woman credit for not letting it be awkward.

In Metropolis Lex is working really hard on clean up. Clark is milling around when a woman comes up yelling about how her daughter had been in a building that had fallen. Clark tries to comfort her but doesn't do a great job as she becomes hysterical. Lucky for Clark and for the woman, Lex comes out holding a small child. He tells the woman the little girl will be fine. The little girl calls Lex Superman and we see his heart grow three sizes. (Not really, but it is cute.) Actual Superman shows up and asks Lex if they can talk.

They have a little chat up on the top of the Daily Planet. Superman notes that Lex owns the paper now, but Lex just wants to get to business. He asks Superman if he has any proof of Lex being a criminal? Superman doesn't have any, but asks why Lex wears the symbol and cape. Lex wants to inspire and show that 'human beings' can rise up and be powerful. Lex hopes that they can be allies, Superman says not yet and flies away. Lex is annoyed because he has many questions himself.

Up in Space, Jon is having a great day. He really wants to ride in a spaceship. Clark arrives asking if they missed him. They did. Clark asks about Wonder Woman and Lois admits to sending her in to help. Jon asks if they can go check out the Phantom Zone sometime because it sounds pretty cool. Clark is pretty quick to say never.

We end with Dr. Oz calling the Phantom Zone a most inhospitable place and he is impressed with Superman's strategy, but that it was futile as he walks into an unknown place.

Whoa, that Doomsday is one tough cookie. So time for me to admit I have never read The Death of Superman comic storyline. I know that Doomsday kills Superman, heck they even cover that in Batman vs Superman the movie. So I was ready for a lot of fighting and figured that Superman would get his butt kicked but I was confident they were not going to kill this Superman since they went to so much trouble to bring him back. I imagine a lot of this is just more world building and bringing back the lore of the pre New 52 Superman that everyone loves.

I have a few thoughts and feelings. I do not like Lex, am I supposed to like Lex? I get that he is trying but even when he is trying to be a good guy he cannot help but be a jerk. Next comes this mysterious Clark Kent. Who is this guy? Why is he so weird? Next comes Lois and Jon. At this point they are kind of a single entity. I hope that we will get more Lois and more Jon doing their own things. I am confident that will happen, but it is a slow start for me. Dr. Oz told us way back in the DC Universe Rebirth #1 that he might be a friend and he might be a foe. Right now I am getting some major foe vibes. Guess we will see.

As a little Halloween Bonus enjoy my Superman Pumpkin.

 My favorite line of this volume again goes to Jon, what can I say I like the kid.

Next Week: Batman: Three Jokers 

Last Week: The Flash Vol 1: Lightning Strikes Twice

Note: All images belong to DC™