We open with a creepy, little man offering the anti-Superman army or the K-Men, as they call themselves, splinters of the various kryptonite isotope that was stolen from Superman's baby rocket. It is the power source of the rocket, by the way, and the same K-Men who are demanding the kryptonite now apparently were the ones who stole it in the first place. Yep, this is going to be a trippy issue where we time travel quite a bit. Creepy, little man wants these guys, who are salivating for vengeance against Superman, to do him a favor.
We see Superman who has gone back in time ( five years) with the Legion. They are hanging out in Superman's first Fortress of Solitude, Brainiac's ship. Seems the kryptonite isotope has been torn out of the rocket. Well, we know it is the K-Men who did it. Saturn Woman, Lightning Man and Cosmic Man try to save the rocket from dying. While doing this they realize they are not alone.
They are attacked by a huge octopus, who really is a man by the name of Erik Drekken, who has the power to evolve and devolve his genetic material, and who was part of the Anti-Superman army. There is a big fight and eventually Saturn Woman finds out where the power source to the rocket is.
Yeah, a microscopic, hollow, lead bullet with the kryptonite isotope and a tessaract space (this is 31st century technology :it is a small space that can hold large amounts of storage) with the creepy, little man and the anti-Superman army was shot inside Superman's brain. We cut to the past when Clark meets the Legion as a boy and a really lovely moment with him and Pa Kent. I am assuming these are Superman's memories bubbling up since the pellet is causing some pressure in his head. The Legion goes into Superman's brain to face the villains and try to get back the kryptonite via a time bubble and using a tessaract key they took off Drekken. They face off with creepy little man and the K-Men.
There is a battle in Superman's brain and the Legion are about to take the kryptonite isotope, when creepy, little man opens the lead lined box in an effort to kill Superman. Note that creepy, little man seems to have almost magical powers. Superman fights the radiation and Drekken on the outside. He remembers important words said to him by his father and this gives him the will to not give in. Inside Superman's brain creepy, little man causes the kryptonite to tear apart. He disappears and only the green crystal remains while the other fragments vanishes as well. The Legion manage to retrieve it while Superman overwhelmed by the radiation from inside him uses his own body to power the dying rocket, which in turn saves him from Drekken. The Legion come out of his brain bearing the green crystal and they are able replace the power source. Superman is taken back to the future or rather his present. He just needs rest and sunlight and time to heal. The Legion reaffirm their commitment to the earth and him. We then go to the back up story.
It is a lovely little story of Clark's last day in Smallville. His parents have passed and he has chosen to move on and go to Metropolis to be a reporter. He is seen off by Lana and Pete. We see flashbacks of him with his parents and his two best friends and what's great to see is that these people are so important in shaping the man he would become. One person alone can never do that or ground you. Life and people in your life do that.
It was refreshing to see Lana especially (and Pete) written so well and how great a childhood Clark did have despite the challenges of his powers. Clark comes across as well adjusted and motivated because he had people who loved and understood what he needed to do.
I do love this panel of him and Lana just sitting up on the barn with sunflowers surrounding them. I hope Clark, while he goes to the city and plays hero and reporter, never forgets his roots. That he does not need a Ma and Pa alive to value that.
If you are a new reader to Superman you will be entirely lost. The way it is written with the jumps in time and allusions to what happened in the past and future makes it jarring. Since we left jeans and cape wearing Clark, Action's pacing has been a bit chaotic. Morrison is jumping all over the place. Half of these people I do not know. Who is little creepy man with magical powers? Who are those people on the anti-Superman army? Are they past villains Morrison revamped? They keep dropping names and events that's to come when we have not even tied up the Brainiac arc. I am assuming what happens here will tie in somewhere down the line but really that does not help while reading this. I did enjoy seeing the tough, current day Superman and the part where he used his own body to save his rocket was poignant. This seems more consistent with how he has been in Action and Justice League than what I read in the lackluster Superman title.
Anyway again for pacing and the disjointed feel...though on reading a couple of times...things do seem a little clearer and some really good stuff to refine the mythos is explored here...I give this 3 stars out of 5.
Best Panel: I love this image of Clark taking the bull down while Pa supervises. I love that rawness and real earthiness we are seeing. A farmer's son with a galactic inheritance would be tough.
