Upping the Pressure

This second half of Superman reading continued much like the first half. Occasional disasters crop up, mid-level criminals and con artists appear, and Superman takes care of them with ease, one by one. Action Comics 13 seems to follow the trend at its start, following the trope of Clark, and subsequently Superman, discovering a criminal plot following a chance encounter. The comic marks itself as different, however, when Superman accidentally slams into a building with cab bully in tow. We see Superman’s fallibility (he, at the very least, can be driven off course by a surprise stabbing attempt), but more importantly, we see the most graphic depiction of death in the volume (185). Unlike those panels in which Superman tosses bad guys over the horizon, there’s nothing ambiguous or unspoken about Pete the criminal hitting the concrete sidewalk. This death, and its frank depiction, ups or perhaps clarifies the stakes in the Superman world.

These stakes are raised even higher when we encounter the Ultra-Humanite, affectionately referred to by his henchmen as “Ultra” (190, 192). Ultra is the first super villain we get, and his addition to this particular chapter feels somewhat forced, sitting strangely with the Cab Protective League stuff that happens earlier in the comic. Harmoniously situated or not, he’s a welcome break from all of the regular, dime-a-dozen crooks and criminal head honchos served up prior to this comic. In the context of this volume, It’s a nice turn away from the formula pinned to the drawing board, upping the stakes even more. Finally, someone who can, for a spell, subdue Superman.