"Action Comics" preview: Superman's boyhood flashback sets stage for Beast Lord battle Prolific scribe Greg Pak continues his collaboration with artist Aaron Kuder on the new issue of "Action Comics," which sees Superman reflecting on his younger days before he sets out to battle a new threat, the brutal Beast Lord. Hero Complex readers can take an exclusive look at the first five pages of issue No. 27, out Wednesday, in the gallery above or in larger versions by clicking on the links below. The issue opens with Superman flashing back to his childhood - young Clark Kent is determined that this will be the day he will fly. But the boy with the unusual abilities is stopped short when, among the distant sounds of a neighbor snoring and an insect's shell popping, he overhears his adoptive parents whispering to each other about his otherworldly heritage. It's a truth the boy had long suspected, but the news comes as a shock nonetheless. The story then moves forward to Superman's present, when he faces the conundrum of what to do with a special ward. It's unclear whether the cute little shape-shifter in the Fortress of Solitude bears some relationship to Ukur the Beast Lord, who debuts in this issue, but there certainly could be a connection between them. Since coming to DC after years with Marvel, where his work included runs on "X-Treme X-Men" and a number of Hulk titles, Pak has gotten very involved with Superman books. In addition to taking over writing duties on "Action Comics," paired with artist Kuder, he's launched "Batman/Superman" and penned the Villains Month spotlights for Darkseid, Doomsday and Zod and Doomsday one-shots. In a 2012 essay for Hero Complex, Pak wrote about his affection for young Clark, saying, "In my mind, Superman is Clark, first and foremost. And I think that experience of being an everyday kid who discovers he has these tremendous powers is what makes the character sing. Greg Pak visits Darkseid on Apokolips for Villains Month "Forever Evil": Geoff Johns, David Finch conspire on Crime Syndicate Greg Pak: 4 reasons why I love the Man of Steel Ben Affleck will play Batman opposite Henry Cavill's Superman Ben Affleck as Batman: Past roles that might inform his performance Avengers at 50: How Stan Lee, Jack Kirby took on the Justice League X-Men at 50: 50 images from the Marvel mutants" evolution Greg Pak on Amadeus Cho and writing beyond stereotypes