ACW #639 – Superman

Action Comics Weekly #639 (Superman)
“An Eye For an Eye”
Writer – Roger Stern
Pencils – Curt Swan
Inks – Murphy Anderson
Letters – Bill Oakley
Colors – Tom Ziuko
Editor – Mike Carlin
Special Thanks – Tom Peyer


So close to the end, and here we are starting a brand-new arc!


Will this one make us miss the Fellowship?!  Let’sa find out!


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We open at the Daily Planet, where it’s coming in over the wire that the Quracis are taking credit for a recent suicide bombing.  Lois and Clark are pretty somber in the telling, but there’s this fella named George beside them who uses this as an opportunity to make some ignorant blanket statements about “those miserable” so-and-so’s.


Lois is aghast at his comments, and she and Clark try to learn this fella something about not letting the actions of a few besmirch the reputation of an entire culture.  George goes all “eye for an eye” before storming out to grab some lunch, it’s really about as unsubtle as you might imagine.


We shift scenes to the Quraci Gardens Restaurant, where the proprietor laments the recent bombing news… as anytime the Quracis do anything, his business suffers.  These are some real concerns… and, I’m kind of shocked that they’re being addressed.  Anyhoo, a pair of street toughs storm into the joint and proceed to beat the owner up!


All the while, he’s trying to reason with them that he’s an American.  Unfortunately for him, these goons ain’t in the mood to listen.  We wrap up with the restaurateur kayoed… and his establishment set on fire!


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Well, I’ll tell you this much… this beats the hell out of the Fellowship garbage we’ve been following for the past 38 weeks!


This is actually a well-crafted chapter… we have a conflict established with the Quraci Bombing… the tone set with the air of distrust, anger, and fear toward the Quaraci people… and we see it play out right on panel!


So, you’re tellin’ me that Roger Stern was capable of giving us a substantial chapter in two pages all this time… and he waited til the very end to actually do so?!  C’mon, that’s just unfair!


Now, for the story… it’s good… it’s real.  I probably could have done without such an unsubtle character in intolerant George… but, I have to admit that it set the table for our ending… and, I mean, ultimately he’s going to wind up seeing the error of his ways, right?


I appreciate the restaurant owner lamenting the cause-and-effect of Quraci aggression… and how it really messes with his bottom line.  He considers himself an American… and part of his American dream is being a successful restaurateur.  This is a really good scene that drives home Clark’s earlier point regarding “holding an entire people responsible for the actions of a few”.


Overall… where has this kind of two-page storytelling been all this time?!  This is good!


Tomorrow: Costume Party!