Review: Superman: Action Comics- The Oz Effect

Quick Summary

Pros: The opening story is a great look at the dynamic between Superman and Lex Luthor. The “Oz Effect” storyline is meaningful and touches on some great subject matter. It also provides satisfying answers to burning questions while leaving more to be answered in the future. The volume’s artwork looks great in most places.

Cons: Some of Oz’s character motivations are odd.

Overall: This is a satisfying continuation to the Superman Rebirth storyline. The volume manages to tell emotional and meaningful stories backed up by some beautiful looking artwork. It also begins to answer some of the lingering questions that have been present since Rebirth began, while still reserving a few for future stories. Superman fans, especially those looking to uncover some of the secrets of the Rebirth era, should not miss this volume.

Story

Superman- Action Comics: The Oz Effect, by Dan Jurgens and Rob Williams, has a lot going for it. It manages to tell emotional stories that would stand well on their own. These stories explore Superman, Superboy, Lex Luthor, Mr. Oz, and even the general thread of humanity present in the world. While doing this, the volume also answers plenty of questions regarding mysteries developed through this series. It then concludes with plenty still up in the air, which builds more excitement for future volumes to take advantage of.

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The opening story in The Oz Effect, written by Rob Williams, is a team-up between two longtime enemies, Superman and Lex Luthor. This two-chapter arc provides a unique look at the antagonism between these two and the ways in which they unexpectedly respect one another. It is a great read from both a Superman and a Lex Luthor standpoint.

The rest of the volume, written by Dan Jurgens, then goes on to address the ongoing mystery behind Mr. Oz’s presence in Superman’s life. It is revealed that Oz is Superman’s father, Jor-El, who was saved from Krypton’s destruction and then shown all of humanity’s brutality. Now, he is on a mission to make Superman see the world the way he sees it, which he believes will convince Superman to leave Earth and join him in creating a utopia.

This creates a powerful narrative with plenty of meaning behind it. Superman’s world is effectively torn asunder by the revelation that his father may not be the person he believed he was. It raises questions regarding the impact a family legacy can have on one’s life and the dangers of cynicism. Meanwhile, the very nature of humanity is called into question and Superman is left wondering why people have a seemingly unending desire for hatred and violence and if this desire will ever go away.

It also dramatically advances the narrative that has been following Superman since the Rebirth era began. The mystery behind Mr. Oz is given a satisfying reveal. However, the reveal does not give too much away and gives readers plenty of reason to come back for more.

My only complaint with this main storyline is that it feels like Oz is given an odd mix of motivations. His mission to convince Superman that humanity is corrupt seems less important than convincing Superman that the threat they are facing is simply too powerful. It also seems odd that the narrative tries to push a brainwashing angle right as it closes, which retroactively undoes some of the justifiable points Oz was making about humanity’s cruelty.

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Art

The Oz Effect collects some great artwork from a few different creators. The opening story arc features some high-quality visuals from Guillem March. These two chapters are presented well and, in a few places, the art style really helps emphasize the stress the characters are going through. There are, admittedly, a few places where this same art style makes character like Superman look a little strange but these negatives are relatively few in number.

The majority of the rest of the collection features breakdowns from Dan Jurgens and pencils from Viktor Bogdanovic. This proves to be a highly effective pairing that significantly enhances the quality of the storytelling. The pages are expertly laid out, with panels that highlight contrasts between ideas or that shift in size in order to emphasize the emotion of a specific moment. Bogdanovic’s pencils are also presented well, with a wonderfully crisp and clean approach that makes every page look beautiful. In general, the artwork in this collection is great and helps make this a better book.

Continuity

Superman- Action Comics: The Oz Effect continues the story from Superman Vol. 4: The New World (Review).

The story here continues in Action Comics Vol. 5: Booster Shot. 

This volume also references other comic books, detailed below:

• Superman recently fought the Machinist in Superman: The Men of Tomorrow (Review).
• The past appearances of Mr. Oz are mentioned throughout this volume. These are mostly detailed across earlier volumes of this Action Comics series, DC Universe: Rebirth (Review), and Superman: The Men of Tomorrow (Review).
• Batman mentions recently meeting his father. This happened in Batman/The Flash: The Button (Review) (Reading Order).