Action Comics #1097 Review

 

Action Comics #1097 Review

Writer: Mark Waid

Artist: Skylar Patridge

Colorist: Ivan Pascencia

Letterer: Steve Wands

Cover Artists: Ryan Sook, Hayden Sherman, & Amy Reeder

Things To Come Variant Cover Artist: Skylar Patridge

Editors: Jillian Grant & Brittany Holzher

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Release Date: April 8, 2026

 

Clark Kent has worked hard to protect his secret identity. So, when Lana's father records his surreptitious observations in a notebook, Clark wonders what he's noticing that other people aren't. Still, that doesn't prevent Superboy from saving Professor Lewis Lang when a tree explodes before the lightning strikes it.

 

The phenomenon intensifies during a visit to Metropolis. As Clark strives to understand what's happening, time seems to flux and shift around him. Then, at the heart of the storm, superheroes appear. They know Clark, even if he's never met them. What has brought Booster Gold, Mary Marvel, and the Martian Manhunter to the Expo of Tomorrow? And while Superboy fights to protect Metropolis, how is Lana Lang's father threatening Clark's secret identity in Smallville? Let’s leap into Action Comics #1097 and see!

 

Story

Jonathan and Martha Kent taught their son the importance of helping and protecting others. So, when Epoch knocks Clark away, he worries about injuring someone in his path. After regaining control, Superboy returns to aid the superpowered strangers battling the villain who just gave him the hardest hit of his life. Yet when the strangers introduce themselves as friends from his future, Clark's most difficult struggle is to ignore all he could learn.

 

In Action Comics #1097, an older, wiser Clark Kent relates the struggles that shaped him. While Booster Gold, Mary Marvel, and the Martian Manhunter use their superpowers to protect others, each struggles with how much they should share with their friends. Clark already faces the daily struggle of preventing others from learning he is Superboy. Yet the Justice League teammates' journeys through time remind them of the need to dispense information sparingly.

 

As Booster Gold, Mary Marvel, and the Martian Manhunter accidentally meet Clark Kent at this earlier phase of his life, they realize that the wrong word could adversely impact Clark’s development. They also recognize that their intrusion at this time has alerted Epoch to Superboy’s vulnerability. 

 

In Mark Waid's story, Clark is still discovering who he is. Like any teen, each new day brings fresh insights. Yet Clark lacks abilities he will later develop, and he's weaker than he will eventually become. So, before Booster Gold, Mary Marvel, and the Martian Manhunter resume their hunt for Superman, they remain in the past in case Epoch decides to exploit Superboy’s vulnerabilities in Action Comics #1097.

 

Art

While the circles and arches of the Metropolis Expo’s Space Museum entryway evoke Absolute Wonder Woman's Hieron, the red line of Superboy’s uncontrolled flight is as straight as the Athena Blade. Epock’s armor is as sculpted as Booster Gold's. Yet the angular villain fires energy particles resembling dots and blobs. And the blast that hits Superboy recalls the Modoran sonic weapon that threatened to incapacitate him.

 

As Ivan Pascencia lavishes a loaded palette on Skylar Patridge’s art, the neon colors of Epoch’s attacks contrast with the gray interior of the Space Museum. Epoch's gold armor outshines Booster Gold. Yet, the gray, hanger-like building’s interior supports echo the red-and-white energy net that threatens to imprison him. While the red dots surrounding J’onn’s transformation mirror Epoch's particle beams, the crackling white energy of Mary Marvel's transformation recalls a painful chapter of Booster's life in Action Comics #1097.

 

Steve Wands places Clark Kent’s lowercase typed black narration in yellow boxes. Black uppercase letters inhabit white balloons and colored boxes. Words grow bold for intonation and swell for volume, while guttural sounds shrink, and lowered voices shrink and turn gray. Sound effects enhance attacks, violent impacts, transformations, and Epoch coming to grips with the situation. Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this story with us.

 

Final Thoughts

Our lives are a constant search for the truth. Yet we also hide from facts that we find displeasing or threatening. And no matter how hard we try, or how great our abilities, sometimes our aspirations exceed our capabilities. Superboy has the powers of a god. He wants to believe that he can achieve anything. Yet just like Professor Lewis Lang's secret observations, a seemingly innocuous question could destroy how Clark Kent approaches each day in Action Comics #1097.

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Action Comics #1097.

 

For what happened last time, see my review of Action Comics #1096. 

Wonder Woman #32 Preview

 

 

They grew up together. Even though they always fought, Lizzie and Lyssa loved each other. But Elizabeth had a mother. In Damian Wayne and Jonathan Kent, Lizzie had two treasured friends who had shaped her life as much as Diana had sculpted her upon the shore of Themyscira. 

Just as life takes us in different directions from our family and friends, it can turn us against each other. As Amazons, Lizzie and Lyssa prize competition above almost all else. But how many people will die as their childhood battles turn into the Wonder War? And is the Matriarch destined to dominate the Earth as effectively as Darkseid?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Wonder Woman #32 Preview

Writer: Tom King

Artist: Daniel Sampere

Cover Artists: Daniel Pampere, David Nakayama, Dike Ruan & Tom King

Things To Come Variant Cover Artist: Jorge Fornés

April Drools Variant Cover Artist: Gerald Parel

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Release Date: April 15, 2026

 

“The Wonder War” continues! All Hail the Matriarch!

 

After a disastrous attempt at stopping the Matriarch, she has risen more powerful than ever. Now it’s up to Trinity, who finds herself alone as her allies fall one by one, to stop her childhood companion. Can the daughter of Wonder Woman finally live up to the name and all the pressures that come with it?

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us. 

Toxic Crusaders #5 Preview

 

 

The Smogulans dreamed of making Earth their own. But Toxie also had a dream. Thanks to Blahb, or Blobby, Melvin Junko stormed the beaches of New Jersey with his Com-Rads to free his land from the Smogulans' control. But the battle for Tromaville won't wait until 2031. It's happening now. Can Toxie and his friends save the Earth for Humanity? Or will Earth become the latest victim in the Smogulans' long history of planetary takeovers?

Here's all the info from Ahoy Comics:

 

TOXIC CRUSADERS #5 (of 5)

Writer: Matt Bors 

Artist & Cover Artist: Tristan Wright

Publisher: Ahoy Comics 

Price: $4.99

Release Date: April 15, 2026

EPIC CONCLUSION, from Toxie master Matt Bors and new art sensation Tristan Wright! When the Smogulans launch their siege of Earth in Tromaville, the Toxic Crusaders will need all the snot NoZone can make, Fungirl can infect, and Major Disaster can throw! SPLAT!

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to Ahoy Comics and Superfan Promotions for sharing this preview with us.

 

For what happened last time, see my preview of Toxic Crusaders #4. 

 

For Toxie & the Com-Rads' assault on New Jersey in 2031, see my review of The Toxic Avenger Comics #5. 

 

 

Nightwing #137 Preview

 

He found her wandering the highway. The scars on her arm bespoke a difficult life. She seemed confused. Then, as he drove, the woman held a knife to his throat.

Dick Grayson has risked his life time and again for Blüdhaven. But as the Earth is restored in the wake of the Omega Tournament, a superhighway appears. It cuts through the heart of Dick Grayson's city. And for the woman, it resurrects ancient memories. Are her memories real or fever dreams? Or has a witch arisen from the dead to haunt the Bisogni Superhighway?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Nightwing #137 Preview

Writer: Dan Watters

Artist: Denys Cowan

Cover Artists: Jorge Fornés, David Nakayama & Martin Simmonds

Things To Come Variant Cover Artist: Denys Cowan

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Release Date: April 15, 2026

 

A Bridge Too Far for Nightwing and Batman?!

 

Haunted by a deadly highway collision, Nightwing restlessly hunts for clues in the ghost stories of Blüdhaven. When a deadly standoff besieges Blüdhaven Bridge, Dick Grayson might not be in the best state of mind to tackle it. Luckily, the World’s Greatest Detective has come calling…

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us. 

Yan Vol 2 Review

 

Yan Vol 2 Review

Writer & Artist: Chang Sheng

Translator: Vanessa Liu

Letterer: Tom Williams

Editor: Louis Yamani

Designer: David Colderley

Publisher: Titan Manga

Price: $24.99

Release Date: September 9, 2025

 

Yan Tieh Hua performed Peking Opera with her family. But when they died, the government labeled her a murderer. Despite the objections of the young Police Detective Lei Ming Zhi, government agents imprisoned the teenager in a privately-run military research facility. Yet thirty years later, and ten years after the unexplained explosion that leveled the facility, retired Senior Detective Lei Ming Zhi meets Yan Tieh Hua again. And she looks like she did when he arrested her after her family's massacre. How did the teenager escape the ravages of time and the destruction that killed all the military researchers? And why did a teen who beat the AI at Go seek her out? Let's leap into Yan Vol 2 and see!

 

Story

Brain surgery changed how Miku Higa perceives the world. Instead of navigating life like everyone else, she views the world in five-minute blocks. While she sees what will happen to herself and others in the immediate future, six visions haunt her. They prompted her to intercept Yan Tieh Hua when she stormed the Councillor's office. Another foretells a coming apocalypse. But despite glimpsing the future, the teenager cannot change it.

 

In Yan Vol 2, Miku Higa seeks help from others. Her abilities help them survive as they battle overwhelming forces. But after spending time with Yan Tieh Hua, one particular prophecy worries her. And despite her inability to prevent it from occurring, she's determined to break that pattern of failure.

 

As Lei Ming Zhi aids Yan Tieh Hua and Miku Higa, he feels like he’s on a rollercoaster. He’s desperate to get off. Like Miku Higa, he’s traumatized by his inability to prevent tragedies from occurring or turn bad situations around. But whether retired or rehired by the police, the Senior Detective keeps putting the clues together. Deducing the twisted mystery behind Yan Tieh Hua’s rebirth as a teenager starts to make sense when he digs into another mysterious event in the past. Plus, trying to solve the mystery helps keep his cravings for alcohol at bay.

 

While Chang Sheng propels Yan Tieh Hua, Miku Higa, and Lei Ming Zhi on their intertwined searches for the truth, another character makes an unexpected return. He first appeared when the Police Detective visited the ruins of the research facility. After asking what year it was, the masked traveler disappeared. While searching for someone he lost, the traveler reveals a shared past with Yan Tieh Hua and a unique ability to aid them in Yan Vol 2.

 

Art

As a giant robot tears through Taipei’s Xinyi District, Yan Tieh Hua leaps into action. Compared with the soldiers carrying rifles, shields, and wearing masks and helmets, the resurrected teenager looks sleek and athletic in her combat suit. A shell broach holds a scrap of cloth bearing blossoms that recall her final outdoor Peking Opera performance with her mother. Yet instead of singing and dancing, she charges toward the giant robot, withstanding attacks as the concrete breaks and crumbles around her.

 

When the robot hurls Yan Tieh Hua into a nearby high-rise, Miku Higa and Detective Lei Ming Zhi crouch in the rubble. The girl wearing a monkey mask and the man who evokes a haggard John Wick watch a laser beam incinerate that level of the tower. Then Yan Tieh Hua reappears. She leaps hundreds of feet from the devastated tower to land atop the immense weapon of destruction.

 

Chang Sheng’s detailed penciling imbues cityscapes, building interiors, vehicles, and characters with realism. While the action rarely lessens, the characters battle their fears, their pain, each other, and their enemies in Yan Vol 2. A ticking clock spices up the action as Miku Higa races to find an object from her visions, while an otherworldly traveler summons portals to traverse shortcuts through the fighting. And while a woman with short blonde hair awakens from a recurring dream to behold a black monolith covered with a myriad of eyes, an origami frog hosting an ancestor's spirit awaits Yan Tieh Hua's return.

 

Physical Copy and Lettering

The glossy cover's French flap (or gatefold cover) evokes the dust jacket of a hardcover. The 7" x 10" size of the prestige edition enlarges the font to a generous size. Direction lines never obscure the high-speed action and fraught battles. Characters speak into dialogue balloons that grow spiky amid the intense emotions and fighting. Narrative boxes relate off-camera dialogue. Translated sound effects amplify gunfire, laser beams, explosions, and a brutal fight that could return Yan Tieh Hua to her grave. Thanks to Titan Manga for providing a physical review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

When a girl loses her parents in mysterious circumstances, she clings to a belief in what she remembers, even when everyone else claims it must be a trauma-induced illusion. As the woman gears her future toward proving that she was right, she gradually discards her Humanity, laying the groundwork for one of Miku Higa's visions in Yan Vol 2.

 

Rating 10/10

 

To look inside see my preview of Yan Vol 2.

 

For what happened last time, see my review of Yan Vol 1. 

New Titans #34 Preview

 

 

Dick Grayson has lived many lives. He has worked in a circus, fought alongside Batman, fallen in love, saved the world, and protected his adoptive home of Blüdhaven. As a member of the Titans, Dick has lived a glorious dream with his friends. But lately, he's been feeling trapped by the unending routine of life as a Titan. Can Dick Grayson and his friends recapture the vitality and excitement of their early days? And is anyone brave enough to sample Starfire's alternatives to coffee? 

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

New Titans #34 Preview

Writer: Tate Brombal

Artist: Sami Basri

Cover Artists: Taurin Clarke, Ethan Young & Stephen Byrne

Things To Come Variant Cover Artist: Fico Ossio

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $3.99/$4.99 Card Stock

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Release Date: April 15, 2026

 

Trapped in an illusion!

 

Everything is not as it seems! As Titans Tower begins to fall apart at the seams, Nightwing’s team is visited by heroes claiming to be the New Titans! What’s real? What’s an illusion? Will the Titans ever escape the loop? And what’s behind all the pandemonium?

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For what happened last time, see my review of New Titans #33. 

Superman Unlimited #12 Preview

 

Looking back on the past can hurt us. Or we can learn from our mistakes to help us embrace the future. Jon Kent lost years of his childhood with his parents. So when a 4th Dimensional Demon decides to give those lost years back, it overturns everything in his life. Two versions of Jonathan Kent now share the same spacetime. How will Jon get along with his younger self? And how will Jon forge a new identity as Tomorrow Man?

Here's all the info from DC Connect:

 

Superman Unlimited #12 Preview

Writer: Dan Slott

Artist: Lucas Meyer

Cover Artists: Taurin Clarke, Guillem March, Karen Darboe & Salvador Larroca

Things To Come Variant Cover Artist: Lucas Meyer

Publisher: DC Comics

Price: $4.99/$5.99 Card Stock

Issue Length: 32 Pages

Release Date: April 15, 2026

 

Reign of the Superboys heats up!

 

Little (super) boy lost! Tomorrow Man has a shocking surprise for Lois Lane. His name is Jon Kent, and he’s just a little boy. The Reign of the Superboys continues! (And, possibly..the reign of a super…monkey?)

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to DC Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

For what happened last time, see my preview of Superman Unlimited #11. 

Blade Runner Tokyo Nexus: To Lose is to Win #1 Preview

 

COVER A: JUNGGEUN YOON

After Mead and Stix fought side by side on Kalanthia, the ex-Marine and combat Replicant set up as private investigators in Japan. But while the soldiers remade their lives, Replicants fled Blade Runners to establish an underground community in Tokyo. An investigation into rumors of a super Replicant assassin, and a missing woman, led Mead and Stix to the Yakuza. Will more drama rock Mead and Stix's partnership? And can Replicants rise from the underground to live peacefully among their Human neighbors? 

Here's all the info from Titan Comics: 

BLADE RUNNER: TOKYO NEXUS: TO LOSE IS TO WIN #1 (OF 4)

Format: Comic book

(W) Nancy A. Collins

(A) Mariano Taibo

Publisher: Titan Comics

FC • 32pp • $4.99

On Sale May 6, 2026

 

BLADE RUNNER IS BACK!

 

Discovering that Mead and Stix are still alive, their old commanding officer, Uldren sets out to kill them before they can reveal his treachery. The data he stole from Tyrell has enabled the Cheshire Corporation to create bootleg Replicants with the same kill signature as Stix. Meanwhile, still dealing with the fallout from the Yakuza civil war Stix and Mead find themselves fighting for survival against Rumika, A Blade Runner sent by Tyrell to destroy Cheshire and all those connected with it.

 

 

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 

 

Here are more cover options:

COVER B: DANI & BRAD SIMPSON

COVER C: PIOTR KOWALSKI

COVER D: MARIANO TAIBO

COVER F: DANI & BRAD SIMPSON VIRGIN VARIANT

Also Available:      

COVER E: JUNGGEUN YOON FOIL VARIANT

 

 

Thanks to Titan Comics for sharing this preview with us.

 

 

 

 

 

For how Mead and Stix's journey began, see my review of Blade Runner: Tokyo Nexus #1.