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Who do you turn to when you're trapped in a world gone mad? For Superman the answer is obvious - and terrifying. Meet the world's sanest man: the Joker.
Action Comics #1063 marks the conclusion of Jason Aaron and John Timm's three-issue 'I, Bizarro' storyline, the first part of the Superman Superstars initiative from DC. In last month's issue, Superman was corrupted by the spell that has transformed the entire human race into Bizarros. However, the Man of Steel was able to fight off his magical influence and regain control of himself. Still, even for Superman, taking on all of humanity is a tall order. Now he must find a way to stop Bizarro for good...
Spoilers for Action Comics #1063
In #1063, Superman is navigating a mental model of Metropolis. Yes, while Sherlock has his "Mind Palace", Superman has a working replica of the entire planet in his brain. He's here to confront his own deepest fears while being guided in the real world by the Joker who, thanks to Bizarro, is now the reverse of his usual maniacal self. Still smart, he's kind and helpful and able to use his fierce intellect for good, rather than evil.
The result is a comic that feels like a deeply unlikely superhero buddy movie. Still, it remains an uneasy alliance. At one point the clown says, "Don't you worry Superman. You may be on the verge of complete mental ruin, in a world where every living person violently despises you… But at least you've got the Joker looking out for you!" That's probably not quite as reassuring as he'd hoped...
It's in this imaginary world that Superman is able to confront the shard of Bizarro embedded in his mind. Even with the Joker's help, it's not enough to beat Bizarro who first punches Superman through the entire planet and then succeeds in killing him. He resurrects, and is immediately killed again - a loop that happens over and over again, with Superman dying and resurrecting over 100 times before Bizarro finally succeeds in conquering his mind.
Now faced with a murderous Superman who has been entirely compromised by Bizarro, the Joker gives a speech described as "the finest display of sympathy, sensitivity and high-minded sanity in the entire history of the human spoken word." Of course, we don't get to actually read it, but the thought of the Joker delivering such a stirring homily is delightful. It bores Bizarro stiff, but is enough to reawaken Superman who comes back stronger and more powerful, enabling him to revers Bizarro's spell.
This, of course, has one terrible side-effect. While humanity is saved, the Joker will inevitably revert to his evil self. He takes that philosophically, noting that he's always known that this would happen and that it's been an honor to be Superman's pal, just this once. Superman for his part seems devastated - although he only knew this version of the Joker for a few hours, he feels like he has lost a friend.
This is a great final issue of what's been a truly excellent arc. Jason Aaron is able to precisely capture the humor and absurdity of Superman's world while injecting it with a real sense of empathy and pathos. Who knew that "the Joker is a good guy now" would be both funny and genuinely quite moving?
John Timm, meanwhile, has a real command of scale and detail in his art, providing action-packed pages that are full of life and movement, while also feeling satisfyingly bruising. Arcs like this are why we love Superman comics, and it would be wonderful to see this team tackle an ongoing Man of Steel book. That's it for now, however, with Action Comics handing over to writer Joshua Williamson and artist Rafa Sandoval for the next arc, 'House of Braniac'.
Action Comics #1063 is out now from DC.
Writer Jason Aaron opens up about his lifelong love of Superman in our exclusive interview.
