As Superman deals with the repercussions of his father’s visit, Action Comics continues to tie in to the story in DC Comics’ DOOMSDAY CLOCK maxiseries. And the mystery is unraveled in the final issue of the Clue miniseries from IDW.
Action Comics 992
Written by Dan Jurgens and Rob Williams
Pencils and Inks by Will Conrad
Colors by Hi-Fi
After Mr. Oz was finally revealed to be Jor-El, and the fight that ensued when Jor-El tried to get Superman and his family to leave Earth, the Man of Steel is having a crisis of faith, wondering if his father was right about people’s capacity for good. But Superman’s doubts about whether he’s actually helping the world as he tries to save it really are secondary in this issue.
As the last story arc, “THE OZ EFFECT,” fades away, this issue is a bridge to what comes next, as Superman goes to the Fortress of Solitude to find some more information. There, he discovers that everything in his home away from home has been programmed and affected by his father. But the real interesting part comes when Batman shows up at the Fortress to pass along some of his concerns.
From Batman to the Green Lantern planet Mogo, Superman starts piecing things together. That someone messed with time, and he decides to do something about it, going to the Justice League satellite and activating The Flash’s Cosmic Treadmill to go back in time to fix things. That sounds bad enough, but it will likely end up worse, as Booster Gold – a Dan Jurgens creation who hasn’t made many Rebirth appearances – shows up seconds after Superman goes back in time. Nothing involving Booster Gold goes as planned, so the next arc should be a lot of fun.
With issue 1,000 coming up sooner rather than later, and DOOMSDAY CLOCK now running alongside it, Action Comics is about to get really interesting.
Clue 6
Written by Paul Allor
Art by Nelson Daniel
I’m not sure what I was expecting with this miniseries, based on the board game, but I was excited about it when it was announced earlier this year. As someone who really loves the 1985 movie with Tim Curry, Christopher Lloyd and Leslie Ann Warren, any new adaptation is going to have a lot to live up to. But I made a point of going in to this series open-minded and not immediately looking to hate it.
Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised. Paul Allor did a great job creating a new situation, updated for our times, with the characters from the game. When you take out the characterization from the movie, they really are a blank slate, outside of the honorifics in front of the colors that serve as their last name.
The final issue of the IDW miniseries wraps everything up nicely, revealing the whodunits and the whys, along with a few references to the 1985 movie, like the Shake, Rattle and Roll comment above (the song that plays over the credits from the movie). And the detective’s final words to end the story.
It was enough to bring a smile to my face, for sure.
The book gets a little meta to end things, as Wadsworth the butler ties up all loose ends with the murder by going after the real-world creators who put the book together. It’s a bit quirky and over-the-top, but it doesn’t take away too much from the series itself.
Clue was a fun book and I wouldn’t mind new stories completely reimagining the game’s characters, especially if Allor puts it together.