What are your thoughts on John Byrne's Action Comics run?

I recently just got done reading the 600th issue of *Action Comics* from the fourth Man of Steel hardcover, therefore basically completing John Byrne's 1986-1988 run on Action Comics. So I was wondering what your guys thoughts were on it.

I'd say it's definitely the weakest Superman titles Byrne has contributed to, mostly because of how hit-or-miss the stories tend to be (for me, anyway.)

I always just found it a weird era when they basically decided to make *Action Comics* the new team-up a la *World's Finest* and especially *DC Comics Presents* since that was where we mostly saw the issues where Superman teamed up with another DC character.

I really do feel like this era really was just moreso a way for DC to shine light on other DC characters by having them team up with Superman, but I don't really think it's that bad of an idea. I definitely enjoyed my time with some of these issues (particularly the ones with Phantom Stranger, the Demon, the Green Lantern Corps, Superboy, Booster Gold, and honestly, even the final issue of Byrne's run where we see him team up with Wonder Woman.)

But that's not to say there weren't dumb stuff, of course. The *Millennium* tie-in with The Spectre could have been pretty cool (considering both characters were made by Jerry Siegel), but it just leaned back into how kinda dumb with how they forced the Manhunters into Superman's origin; the Lois and Lana issues has some great dialogue work between the two female leads, but having Ma & Pa Kent lie to Lois by saying Superman lived with Clark Kent was genuinely ridiculous; and of course, the infamous Big Barda & Mister Miracle issues.

Other than the ones I mentioned as my favorites, some of the other team-ups just felt kinda disappointing to me. Like Silver Banshee made her debut in issue #595 and while I loved her appearance in that, the ending just felt like a cop-out. (Did I mention Martian Manhunter appears in it?) Even the Annual where Batman appeared felt really disappointing because I really dug the atmosphere (especially considering I read that issue during the Spooky Season.) Like Superman & Batman versus vampires & zombies? That sounds awesome! But we don't really see the two interact until the very end of the issue.

Like I said, this really was just an odd time for undoubtedly the title that introduced the world to Superman. Heck, following issue #600, they'd shift to a Weekly format for a while with Superman only getting two pages of stories a week. At the very least things would go back to normal following *Exile* starting with issue #643.

But that's just me. What do you guys think?

(As always, the issues pictures were some of my personal favorites... and Action Comics #592-593 because like the Silver Age, I like commiting superdickery.)*​*