When writer Brian Michael Bendis makes his DC debut in the landmark Action Comics #1000, he’ll be joined by DC Comics Co-Publisher Jim Lee, who will illustrate the Superman story. Friday evening, fans got their first look at two of Lee’s pages, featuring the Man of Steel taking a brutal blow from an unseen adversary.
The prolific artist tweeted, “Sneak peek time–ladies & gentlemen–at my 12 page story with @BRIANMBENDIS for ACTION issue 1000! Just typing that out gave me GOOSEBUMPS.” Regarding Bendis’ story, Lee clarified that it isn’t “a one-off but a story that sets up his upcoming run on Action & Superman!”
Sneak peek time–ladies & gentlemen–at my 12 page story with @BRIANMBENDIS for ACTION issue 1000! Just typing that out gave me GOOSEBUMPS 🦆Not a one-off but a story that sets up his upcoming run on Action & Superman! Had a veritable BLAST with this! 😀 👊🏼⚔️💥#action1000 pic.twitter.com/qlL73d8TGp
— Jim Lee (@JimLee) March 16, 2018
Lee’s penciled artwork shows Superman being driven through a Lexcorp building, before crashing down into a busy street in Metropolis. Though the Action Comics short story was previously billed as a ten-pager, Lee stated in his post it will be 12 pages, so perhaps the publisher decided to expand the tale.
The second page highlights the collateral damage caused by Superman’s descent as he lays unconscious inside a local restaurant, to the surprise of local patrons and employees.
Page 2 of my 12 page story in #ACTION1000 with writer @BRIANMBENDIS! Took 1.5 hours of actual drawing & 5 hours talking with with my twitch stream 😉 #noreally. Watch it being drawn in real time https://t.co/2IJYY10YON. Out Wednesday 4/18! #hype pic.twitter.com/2xPnJQngi5
— Jim Lee (@JimLee) March 17, 2018
RELATED: The Script for Action Comics #1001 Is Complete
“It’s not just some random backup story or flight of fancy,” Bendis said last month regarding Action Comics #1000. “It is a major chapter in what we’re doing, with some really big bombs we’re dropping in Superman’s life — and two of them happen right there in Action Comics#1000. So it’s a huge tease of what we’re doing and what’s coming up in Superman’s life.”
Action Comics #1000 arrives April 18 from DC Comics.