Exclusive Preview: ACTION COMICS #24

In case you weren't aware, Villains Month is over. That means we're back to our regularly scheduled comics. Things aren't looking too good for Lois Lane and Superman finds himself dealing with Psycho Pirate who appears to know a certain bit of information about Superman.

Check out our exclusive preview for the next issue of ACTION COMICS.

ACTION COMICS #24

When Brainiac shrunk Metropolis, they were infected in the process. Now, Superman battles their effects on the city—and the secrets of “The Twenty” are revealed!

Written by: Mike Johnson

Art by: Tyler Kirkham, Jesus Merino

Cover by: Tyler Kirkham

Variant Cover by: Tyler Kirkham

Color/B&W: Color

Page Count: 32

U.S. Price: 3.99

On Sale Date: Oct 2 2013

Explain everything that's happened and happening in painstaking detail, guys!

Need! More! Exposition!

Psst... Lobdell didn't write it.

@fhiz: Ah, yeah. I should've looked more closely than just the solicit on DC's page.

@fhiz: Even the cover is wrong...

@g_man: never trust the covers!

someone is slipping badly.....

Johnson and Lobdell's style of story telling in a nutshell.

@citizenbane: Hector Hammond wants to control the world, The HIVE Queen wants to control the world but in the name of Brainiac, Superman wants to save the world. Psi-fighting between Hammond and HIVE Queen. Boom. Boom. Superman's like "wuh happin." The we find out Psycho Pirate is behind, like, everything, kind of. He's been narrating the story for the past like 4 months. And that's where we are at now. Psycho Pirate seems like he's getting a huge push as a major Super-Villain.

I can't wait for Greg Pak to take over this book

@lvenger: His supergirl wasn't like this though, you think he's tryin to match Lobdell's style for the action issues he's written?

I see so much potential in the H.I.V.E queen and the entire organization, just wish someone would exploit it!

trying to understand whats going on in the DC universe causes me great pain.

That said, we couldn't tell the difference :)

Lobdell wrote it but they probably slapped Johnson's name to attract people.

@ultimatesmfan: I haven't read Supergirl so I'll have to take your word for it on that one. But his Superman/Batman run was written like this issue.

this, i dropped at 21, ill star back at 25

This can't be correct. This story line was taking place in Superman. Thats not fair, ive been following this story. Psycho Pirate confronted Superman at the end of Superman #22. I hate this if they moved it to Action Comics!

Psy war is still going ?

Great art, bland writing.

Is this new52 Pscho Pirate ? What's wrong with the new desings . Nearly all of them sucks.

@fhiz & @g_man: I have no idea why Scott Lobdell got top billing. The only reason I can think of is he receiving credit for the story arch concept (building from Superman #18). I don't care much for his writing so sadly his name on the cover is both a lie and a deterrent. More than anything I feel DC has totally screwed Mike Johnson out of a cover spot, when he deserves TOP BILLING.

Now that the shock of the new Psycho Pirate look has worn off, I actually dig the design a lot.

But wow, DC really needs to get it together with crediting artists. They didn't learn anything from the villain's month fiasco? There is no reason why the cover credits shouldn't match the interior ones. With the amount of creators in high positions at DC Comics, I don't understand how they can consistently treat their talent with so little respect.

This Psycho Pirate looks awesome

I'm excited for dis!

I don't hate this new Pirate...

It's always cool in a comic or film where the villain is telepathic, and he/she acts like they have known the good guy for years as opposed to the ten minutes it usually is. When it is written well, it comes off as so neat!!

It has been S**t ever since the Morrison run (which was alright)

i like this new 52 psycho pirate

Is Lobdell really that bad on Superman? Because of the bad reviews and fan reaction I haven't read a single issue of his run yet, but I am starving for some Superman, especially since Morrison ended his run on Action! Is there an arc thats at least readable, or is it all just really really bad?

I mean H'el looks like a cool designed character...

@shallbecomeabattoo: you should at least try it, for shure it is not bad as people say though it isn't very good either. However his run is still 10 times better than the perez and the jurgens's ones, so if you have read those (terrible) issues, these ones may actually like to you.

I have to say that i have enjoyed his run...i mean i always followed the character but i wasn't interested in this title since "the reign of doomsdays " or most of the grounded arc (i don't remember wich one was in the superman's title)...this is a very long time. At least now i am finally curious to see what will happen and what it is happening.

His run on Superman is probably one of the worst runs ever

So excited for Psy-War! This is gonna be great I say...

@shallbecomeabattoo: Unchained should feed you.

This cover is more suitable according to the plot than the original.

the dialogue is so corny its sad

@shallbecomeabattoo: His Superman is OK from what I read of it. It isn't like "best thing in the world and everyone and their mothers must read it", but it also isn't "I'd rather kill myself instead of reading a page of that comic" kinda book. Also H'el is a cool character. Really enjoyed his Villains Month book.

The only thing I truly don't like from Lobdell is the Teen Titans though.

Wait! I thought the New 52's Action Comics series took place some time before the first arc of its Justice League series, which in turn took place five years before everything else. At what issue did Action jump to the present?

So the cover says Lobdell wrote this but he actually didn't? Where do people go for info that the publisher doesn't want us to have? On a related note, why does everybody hate Lobdell so much? Sure Red Hood and the Outlaws was pretty bad until Tynion took over, but the Superman run wasn't that bad. Granted I don't think I've read anything else written by the guy. However, it seems like he's writing over half of the New 52 lineup.

@toptom: Reign of the Doomsdays was the final arc in the original Action Comics series (1938-2011). Not familiar with Grounded though.

@kilowog52: 1-18, 0, annual 1, took place 6 years ago. 19-21, took place a year ago. 22-current is present day

Why the heck is Lobdell credited as writer? Very curious.

I mean, we get these previews and even then it's wrong. That's just silly.

So they went from this to that?

SAD!

Cant say i like Psycho Pirate's new look :(

part of the problem with New 52 to me is that DC doesn't get that "simpler is most often better". The Medusa Mask was BA to begin with why mess with the design for that? And don't get me started on Lobo