Haunting Beauty
This cover just doesn't grab me. Most people know by now I have a furious hatred of banners, and overall Superman just looks too big. It's a little generic, and the soft colors in the background aren't very eye catching. Superman's also drawn kind of off, and I might have a dirty mind, but I can't NOT see that hand with the collar as some chick in latex getting ready for some Super-Bondage.
After the weird cliffhanger from #12, Grant Morrison is ramping up the suspense by giving us yet ANOTHER side story after the zero issue. This one, though, actually does tie up some loose ends, drive some of the Anti-Superman Army story, and come at a fitting time. It's a great story for October and being the thirteenth issue.
The time frame for this issue is a little confusing, and the entire thing is ridiculously surreal; but it's a very intense and emotional experience. Travel Foreman's crazy artwork is absolutely perfect for this story. It has such a grippingly haunting style that meshes brilliantly with the narrated story. The pacing moves along with such elegance that it doesn't seem obnoxiously confusing when things are convoluted trippy. The specific elements of the plot take a backseat to the soul of the story. You, the reader, are a ghost, drifting through this ephemeral experience.
There's a lot of powerful things in this issue. Xa-Du's hatred is so fervid, and the wrap up to the story, showing you that this story was almost just one big convoluted way to reunite Superman with Krypto. If you don't like Krypto, you will LOVE Krypto after this issue. Especially when you get to probably the best co-feature this series has had. It REALLY goes hand in hand with the main story and digs deep into the emotions set up for the heartwarming and tearjerking tale of a ghost dog.
In Conclusion: 5/5
Travel Foreman's artwork is really strange, but it's actually beautiful in this issue. This story is almost impossible, narrated in a detached perspective, yet intensely emotional on a personal level. It's incredibly unusual, and I don't think new readers will have a full appreciation for it; but it's definitely my favorite issue of Action Comics yet.