DC’s 2024 Superman Superstars initiative within their Superman line of comics will continue from July to September with the all-star pairing of Gail Simone and Eddy Barrows announced as the next creative team on Action Comics, telling a new Superman story taking place at the beginning of the Man of Steel’s action-packed career. Simone and Barrows’s story, Superman and the Challenge from the Stars, follows arcs from Jason Aaron and John Timms (“I, Bizarro”) and Joshua Williamson and Rafa Sandoval (“House of Brainiac”).
“I love the classic Superman cast, and this story is deliberately meant to echo my all-time favorite Superman time period,” said Simone. “We didn’t want to tell a quiet story of Superman in a diner; we wanted to have a massive threat, a war taking place all over the world, and only Superman could possibly protect his adopted planet. It is unapologetically huge in scope and fun as hell, with one of the best art teams I’ve ever worked with…Eddy Barrows, Danny Miki, and Rex Lokus on colors!”
The first of Simone and Barrows’s three issues kicks off when a massively powerful alien race makes Earth their arena. Superman, DC’s Man of Steel, must stand alone against impossible challenges that threaten locations all around the world and the lives of those he loves. Action Comics #1067 begins a not-to-be missed epic tale of Superman’s strength, wit, and resourcefulness in an early stage of his public career!
“For me talking about Action Comics is something that goes beyond the title itself,” shared Barrows. “I remember when I was 7 years old, I was playing on the sidewalk, and suddenly I was run over by a truck, right there. I spent 3 days fighting for my life, and during that whole year that followed I remained in bed, doing lots of physiotherapy, lots of meds and exams. Going to the doctors was a very regular thing. And it was during that time that Superman came to my life, reading Action Comics. Kal-El became a good friend of mine, making my days better. His adventures and his behavior were things that stuck with me! Reading his stories were the highlight of my days, for a 7-year-old recovering from an accident like I was. Back then I wouldn’t have imagined that one day I would be helping to build his legacy: illustrating his stories. The stories of my all-time favorite superhero… SUPERMAN!”
Action Comics #1067, #1068, and #1069 (July, August, and September) will be written by Gail Simone with art by Eddy Barrows, Danny Miki, Rex Lokus and Dave Sharpe.
