The Man of Steel breaks bones, shatters steel and fights for freedom in a gladiatorial getup in the latest issue of Action Comics, set for release in late February.
Preview pages for Action Comics #1040 shared to Reddit by series writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson show Superman battling beasts in Mongul's Warworld arena, wielding sword, shield and looking like the barbarian of a pulp fantasy novel. As onlookers cheer, Superman eventually goes hand-to-hand with Mongul himself.
ACTION COMICS #1040
- Written by PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON and SHAWN ALDRIDGE
- Art by RICCARDO FEDERICI and ADRIANA MELO
- Cover by DANIEL SAMPERE
- Variant cover by JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO
- Black history month variant by ALEXIS FRANKLIN
- $4.99 US | 40 pages | $5.99 US Variant (Card stock)
- ON SALE 2/22/22
- Superman has become a force to be reckoned with inside Warworld's arena, and Mongul questions his decision to keep his enemies alive. As Superman's new Phaelosian ally Kryl-Ux teaches him new ways to fight without powers, he starts to win Warzoons over to his cause…but someone within his inner circle finds their allegiances tested. Meanwhile, the elusive Midnighter uses his talents to find the missing members of the Authority.
Superman's battle against the galactic tyrant is part of Johnson's ongoing "Warworld Rising" story arc, which features the Man of Steel leaving Earth in the care of his son, Jon Kent, and teaming up with the Authority to free the enslaved peoples of Mongul's realm. Thus far, Superman's fight for liberation has been a gritty one, with Clark suffering from weakened powers and losing in a scuffle against Mongul that saw him stabbed by a Kryptonite spear. Superman has also learned of the gruesome genocide that Warworld's elite warriors, the Warzoons, participated in for generations as they repeatedly stripped planets of resources and tossed dominated peoples into their fighting arena.
The grizzled gladiatorial outfit that Superman wears in Action Comics #1040 also featured in a variant cover by Riccardo Federici for the series' previous issue, and was present in Future State Superman: Worlds of War. A one-shot that was released in 2020, Future State Superman: Worlds of War showcased a possible alternate future for Superman, revealing that he had been battling in Mongul's arena for years. Despite this bleakness, Superman had become an icon of hope to the thousands of enslaved fighters, inspiring them in a fashion similar to how he had inspired both other superheroes and regular citizens on Earth.
Johnson has hinted that despite the story's dark themes, the true ending of "Warworld Rising" will remain optimistic, assuring speculating fans on Twitter last November that the saga was far from "some shady, backdoor corporate plan to 'replace' Clark as Superman." "To those fans: I don’t know how to easy [sic] your worries without spoiling what's coming, and I can't do that," Johnson wrote at the time. "But I love Clark Kent as much as you do. Keep reading, and I promise we won't betray you. Superman is forever."
Action Comics #1040 is written by Johnson and Shawn Aldridge. The issue features artwork by Riccardo Federici and Adriana Melo and covers by Daniel Sampere, Julian Totino Tedesco and Alexis Franklin. It releases on Feb. 22 from DC.
Source: Reddit