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Action Comics, Brandon Kent, DC Comics, Future State, House of El, Philip Kennedy Johnson, Superman, Superman Action Comics Annual 2021 #1, Superman Action Comics Annual 2021 #1 review, Superwoman, The Phantom Zone
Superman Action Comics Annual 2021 #1
Review by Paul Bowler.
Legacies of the past and the future entwine as one in DC Comics Superman Action Comics Annual 2021 #1, as writer Philip Kennedy Johnson revisits Future State’s House of El as Superman’s descendants of tomorrow face a threat established during the yesteryear of the present.
One of the most fascinating aspects of Future State for me was Philip Kennedy Johnson’s one-shot that explored the distant future of the House of El, where the legacy of the Man of Steel had merged with numerous other heroes and legacies of DC universe, and the despot villain Prythos (Kal El’s fallen son) wished to tear down everything that his family’s heroic dynasty stands for. This special Action Comics Annual ties-in broadly with Johnson’s current “Warworld Rising” arc in Action Comics, the issue opens in the near future where a mysterious old man is telling a group of children a tale of heroes from their own future. Events then flash forward to a time of great prosperity and hope for the House of El, where Superwoman, Lady Kara Zor El, is presiding over a wedding in the House of El, but before the nuptials can be completed Prythos gatecrashes the ceremony. It falls to Brandon Kent, the Superman of this era, to protect his family and save the next generation of the House of El from the menace of Prythos – killer of Darksied and the new Highfather of Apokolips!
Philip Kennedy Johnson delivers a welcome return to the empire of the House of El which he established in Future State, and this Annual sets up a wealth of possibilities for the both the future and the present of the DCU. Tales of the House of El takes the wedding backdrop and turns it into a thrilling all-out action adventure, one laced with heartfelt emotion, a perilous voyage through the Phantom Zone, the surprise return of an old Superman villain, and there’s even a hint of redemption in the air as the story races to get to the church on time for its joyous final act.
The artwork by Siya Oum and Scott Godlewski provides us with dynamic realisation of the richly textured narrative. From the gleaming opulence of the Sanctuary to the chilling vistas of the Phantom Zone, the characters are stylishly defined, and the action sequences impressively rendered throughout. Hi-Fi’s colours are, as always, of a high standard, and every scene is awash with vibrant hues that perfectly accentuates the fine detail of Oum and Godlewski’s work.
I throughly enjoyed this exciting sojourn back to the Future State era of the House of El portrayed in Superman Action Comics Annual 2021. Whether the open-ended nature of much of what transpires in this issue will actually impact or influence Philip Kennedy Johnson’s Action Comics run, of course, remains to be seen. I for one sincerely hope these plot threads and characters are revisited again at some point. Superman Action Comics Annual 2021 #1 is a beautifully crafted story, one where a child’s toy becomes a treasured relic and the future personification of the fundamental legacy of the House of El itself… hope.
Writer Philip Kennedy Johnson
Artist Siya Oum & Scott Godlewski
Colorist Hi-Fi / Letterer Dave Sharpe
Cover Scott Godlewski & Gabe Eltaeb
About The Author
Hi, I’m Paul Bowler, blogger and reviewer of films, TV shows, and comic books. I’m a Sci-Fi geek, a big fan of Doctor Who, Star Trek, movies, Sci-Fi, Horror, Comic Books, and all things PS4.You can follow me on Twitter @paul_bowler,or at my website, Sci-Fi Jubilee, and on YouTube and Facebook
Sci-Fi Jubilee 
I am really liking Johnson’s take on Superman. Hope he stays on the book for years to come.
I think Philip Kennedy Johnson has done some amazing work so far wiring Superman. I really enjoyed his work during Future State as well. I hope DC keep him on Action Comics for a long run, he’s a great writer and has really steered the character in a new and exciting direction.
I’ve got this on my iPad ready to read, hope it’s as good as you say Paul – annuals can be a bit hit and miss (although they’re have been some greats). Also, I haven’t read any Future State so I might be a bit befuddled.
Know what you. I don’t normally read Annuals either, but was intrigued by this one and I’m glad I did. You don’t need to have read Future State, it helps, but its not essential to fully enjoy this issue. Future State is a potential future, so its not set in stone. A bit like a What If story, but more of a What Might Be perhaps? Hope you enjoy the issue as much as I did.
I did sort of enjoy it but must admit I was quite lost having no knowledge of the Future State stuff. I do have to eventually check some of that out.
Yea, there was a lot covered in the Action Comics Annual, but I like how this potential future for the Superman characters was portrayed. Well worth doing, especially the Superman Future State stuff. Future State Swamp Thing was really good as well.
This sounds really cool but almost too ambitious. The plot about the House of El and how things are going in the future seems like it’d be something good for at least 2030 issues to explore everything. I like the idea quite a bit though, this is a nice way to add some more lore to the mythos
House of El was one of my favourite parts of Future State and I’m glad they’ve revisited it here with this Action Comics Annual. There’s certainly a wealth of great characters and storilines about the lives of Superman’s future descendants that DC could explore further.
Sounds like an interesting potential future there. All the different descendants of Superman went into completely different directions. Superman’s fallen son, Kara taking on some sort of leadership role (if Lady Kara is anything to go by), and some guy named Brandon taking on the role of Superman. not sure if I’d be interested in reading this as an ongoing series, but it sounds like a great one-off story at the least.
I gave the new X-Men 1 a chance a couple of days ago, and while it wasn’t bad, I wasn’t exactly impressed. It wasn’t good enough to convince me to get back into comics just yet. Instead, I recently started playing through Mass effect: Legendary Edition on the PC. I kind of forgot how much I missed that trilogy until I started playing it again.
Yeah, the Future State storylines about the future descendants of Superman has been extremely well written and thought out. I don’t think it would work as an ongoing either, but as a one off or Elseworlds style story it stands very well. This Action Comics Annual is well worth getting and checking out. Very nice artwork as well. I tried the new X-Men #1 book as well. I think its a good move to have a more focused team of X-Men, the new set up in NYC was also quite good, but there’s nothing to really make this books stand out – not yet an away. I think it depends on if you’ve been enjoying the new direction that Hickman has taken the X-Men really. X-Men #1 was more of a traditional team book in that sense. I’ll probably give it a couple of more issue and see how it goes. Still wish they’d just get back to doing a proper Uncanny X-Men book again tbh. Also been playing Mass Effects Trilogy, on PS5, and been really enjoying it. Never played any of the games before so I’ve been having a great time discovering all the story lines and characters. 🙂
How far are you in the trilogy so far?
I first played the first game around the same time that ME2 released. Ended up playing the first game for almost 12 hours straight the first day, and finished the whole game in 4 days. Went to the store and bought ME2 shortly before finishing the first, and jumped right into the second. They’re not short games, yet I still beat the first two in the same week.
Taking my time more this time round, and not just because I don’t have the time to finish a 30+ hour game in a single week.
I’m still playing the first game. Like you I’ve not had much free time to really play the game for long periods. I’m just taking my time and really enjoying the story. 🙂
I loved Johnson’s Warlords of Appalachia but haven’t read anything else of his. His background in the military gives him an interesting perspective.
I’ve enjoyed Philip Kennedy Johnson’s work a lot and he certainly brings a different perspective to a lot of the characters he’s written for. His work on Future State was excellent. I’m really enjoy his run on Action Comics as well.