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The Kryptonian Cybernet Issue 22
___________________________________________________________
T H E K R Y P T O N I A N C Y B E R N E T
Issue #22 - February 1996
___________________________________________________________
In memory of Jerry Siegel
___________________________________________________________
CONTENTS
--------
Section 1: Superscripts: Notes from the Editor
Looking into the past, rushing to the future
News and Notes
Superman's Birthday
by David Chappell
Section 2: From A Dream To A Legend -- A Tribute to Jerry Siegel
From Cleveland to Krypton
A brief biography, by William Nixon
The Right Thing To Do
A farewell from J. Michael Straczynski
Jerry...You And Joe Are Together Again
Poetry by Carmen DiMaria
Our Own Goodbyes
Section 3: The 1995 Kaycees!
The Second Annual Kryptonian Cybernet Readers' Choice Awards
Contest
Only a few more days left in our pre-Crisis trivia contest!
Section 4: Just the FAQs
"Who is Supergirl?", Part 2: Power Girl
by David T. Chappell
And Who Disguised As...
Do The Right Thing, by J.D. Rummel
Super Merchandise
Section 5: Reviews
The "Triangle" Titles
Action Comics #719, by William J. Nixon
Superman: The Man of Steel #54, by Arthur LaMarche
Superman #110, by Ken McKee
Adventures of Superman #533, by Anatole Wilson
Section 6: Reviews
Other Super-Titles
Superboy #25, by Arthur LaMarche
Steel #25, by Dick Sidbury
Showcase '96 #3, by Rene' Gobeyn
Specials
Marvel Vs DC #2, by Rene' Gobeyn
League of Justice #2, by Rene' Gobeyn
Section 7: After-Byrne
Krisis of the Krimson Kryptonite
Part 4: Superman #50
by Mark Lamutt
Manuscripts of Steel
Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography
by Denes House
Action Comics #661
by Ben Marlin
Section 8: The Phantom Zone
The Girl Friend and the Pal:
Lois and Jimmy In Their Own Comics
by Jon B. Knutson
Super Friends
Batman and Lois Lane team up in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #175
by Joe Crowe
Section 9: The Phantom Zone (cont)
Into the Archives
Superman #1, by Neil Ottenstein
Coming Attractions
Section 10: TELEscopic VISION: Superman on the Small Screen
Here We Go
by Zoomway
Episode Review
#3-13: "The Dad Who Came In From The Cold"
by Marta Olson
Star System Catalogue
EDITORIAL STAFF:
---------------
Jeffery D. Sykes, Editor-in-Chief
Arthur E. LaMarche, Executive Editor of Reviews
LEGAL DISCLAIMERS:
-----------------
Superman and all related characters, locations, and events are
copyright and trademark DC Comics. Use of the aforementioned is not
intended to challenge said ownership. We strongly suggest that each
reader look to the media sources mentioned within for further infor-
mation.
Opinions presented within this issue belong to the authors of
the articles which contain them. They should in no way be construed
as those of any other particular member of the editorial or contributing
staff, unless otherwise indicated.
This magazine should be distributed freely via e-mail. Should
you desire to share this publication with other on-line services, please
contact me at sykes@ms.uky.edu for permission. Feel free to advertise
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___________________________________________________________
SUPERSCRIPTS: Notes from the Editor
------------------------------------
Looking into the past, rushing to the future
--------------------------------------------
It's been a while since I wrote to you, and I thought that now would be
a good time. This month I'd like to discuss my votes in the 1995 Kaycees
(the results are in this issue, so I won't spoil anything for you!) and
my thoughts on the past and coming years. Call this my 1995 year in review
article.
First, for some overall comments, I think it's fairly clear that the
quality of the Superman family of titles this year markedly exceeded
that of 1994's books. "The Death of Clark Kent" and "The Trial of Superman"
were certainly much better received than last year's "Dead Again",
"Battle for Metropolis", and "Fall of Metropolis". The grumbling I've
heard has been not quite as audible as before. Don't get me wrong. There's
still progress to be made, but I believe the teams are back on track and
headed in the right direction.
The main problem areas seem to be dissatisfaction with ACTION COMICS
and MAN OF STEEL, as well as the sheer volume of titles and the related
price of keeping up with the Man of Steel these days. Unfortunately,
with SHOWCASE keeping a Metropolis theme and with the additions later
this year of SUPERBOY AND THE RAVERS and SUPERGIRL (title speculative),
this problem doesn't seem to be curing itself. And that's not to mention
the probability of a S:TAS companion title.
For more specific thoughts on the past year, let's take a look at my votes
for the Kaycees.
CS1-2: Best/Worst Writing in an ongoing title
I went with Karl Kesel for ADVENTURES for best, just edging out Roger
Stern. These two are clearly the strongest writers in the fold. In
addition, I think Dan Jurgens has been more on than off this year, and
deserves credit for a good job as well. Louise Simonson's writing
was a mixed bag. When she was forced to write about Superman and his
Super-activities, her work wasn't very strong. However, when writing
stories focused on the supporting cast (including Clark), her work
compares to that of Kesel and Stern. David Michelinie received my
vote for worst writing for ACTION. While he put out the occasional
gem, I found his work to be, on the whole, erratic.
CS3-4: Best/Worst Art in an ongoing title
Had these awards been given two months earlier, I'd have voted for
Grummett/Breeding for MAN OF TOMORROW or Immonen/Marzan for ADVENTURES.
I realize that Immonen/Marzan have a distinctive style that splits the
fans, it appeals to me. However, the debut of Frenz/Rubinstein on
SUPERMAN at the end of the year has me enraptured! I simply love their
work and look forward to much more in the future -- they received my
vote for best art. While Bogdanove and Janke seem to receive the most
"dislike" remarks, I thought their art improved this year, while the
art on ACTION continued to degrade. Seeing little change in the art
when Dwyer joined, I blame Rodier for what I see. Since Guice/Rodier
look just a bit worse to me than Dwyer/Rodier, they get my vote for
worst art.
CS5-6: Best/Worst Cover
In a hard-fought battle, ADVENTURES #525 wins my vote over MOT #1
for the best cover (that's the Lois and Clark reunion issue), while
Bog and Janke's hideous "Who's Next" cover from MOS #46 easily takes
worst. Overall, the cover art improved tremendously this year, thanks
mostly to the wonderful technologies being used to help color and
separate artwork these days.
CS7-8: Best/Worst Story/Story-Arc
In my mind, the reunion of Lois and Clark in ADVENTURES #525 was one of
the best-written stories in all of comics this year. It wins easily.
(But a strong honorable mention to SUPERBOY's "Future Tense"!) The
conclusion of "Dead Again" just as easily takes the worst "honors".
CS9-10: Best/Worst Single Issue
Again, ADVENTURES #525 was about as good as it gets, with MOT #1
running a close second. My vote for worst was hard to pick. There
were several books that I found to be not good, but not really anything
that stood out as utter trash (not even the "Dead Again" issues). So
I decided to go with MOS ANNUAL #4, the rehash of Superman's first
meetings with the Justice League -- this was a pretty solid waste of
paper and effort. I'm sure something else could have been covered in
this issue.
CS11-12: Best/Worst Title
SUPERBOY was good, but not as good as last year. MOT was wonderful,
but only gave us three issues. SUPERMAN receives my vote for most
improved title, but ADVENTURES wins my vote for best title. Kesel,
Immonen, and Marzan were simply the most consistent and entertaining
group out there this year. MOS showed improvement this year, and I
even found STEEL to be enjoyable at times. So my only choice for
worst title of the year is, sadly, DC's flagship title, ACTION COMICS.
No book disappointed me regularly in 1995 more than ACTION. (Though
the recent break-up issue was well done and has me hopeful for the
coming months...)
LS1-6: Limited Series Awards
SUPERMAN VS ALIENS and SUPERMAN: KAL epitomize great Superman comics.
Dan Jurgens takes my vote for best writing on SVA, with Dave Gibbons
a close second for KAL. Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez turns in the most
beautiful Superman artwork this year in KAL, with Jurgens and Nowlan
a solid second. For overall enjoyment, SVA wins the best limited
series award, with KAL following up a strong second. As honorable
mentions, GUARDIANS OF METROPOLIS overcomes painful art with a very
good story, and the DOOMSDAY ANNUAL was surprisingly good.
On the other end of the spectrum (WAY on the other end) are Tom Veitch,
Frank Gomez, and their utterly contemptible SUPERMAN: AT EARTH'S END.
The character in this book doesn't in any way resemble Superman, and
the team and title takes all three of my worst votes. Also worth
noting, in my opinion is the poor writing on METROPOLIS SCU and the
bad art on GUARDIANS OF METROPOLIS. And SHOWCASE 95 was a bit of
a disappointment with its very inconsistent quality.
LC1-6: LOIS AND CLARK Awards
Three episodes stand out above the rest in LOIS AND CLARK's second
season: THE PHOENIX, TEMPUS FUGITIVE, and AND THE ANSWER IS..
THE PHOENIX wins my vote for best writing (they just love writing
for John Shea, I think :), while the complete fun of TEMPUS
FUGITIVE edges it ahead of AND THE ANSWER IS... for best episode.
The aspect putting TEMPUS over the top is my vote for best guest
star, Lane Davies as "Tempus". He was one of the few guest stars
who actually seemed to enjoy his role. His devilishly funny Tempus
sets the standard for L&C non-Luthor villains!
On the negative end, Grant Rosenberg should not be allowed to write
Prankster episodes anymore. I thought his scripts completely ruined
Bronson Pinchot's wonderful portrayal of the Prankster. Since I liked
RETURN OF THE PRANKSTER a bit more than the original, my vote for worst writing goes to Rosenberg for THE PRANKSTER. Worst guest appearance is also easy. Sherman Hemsley's overacting in SEASON'S GREEDINGS ruins
what was otherwise a good episode with a very nice script by Dean Cain.
And for worst episode, dare I mention the most inane and boring episode
of LOIS AND CLARK to date -- even worse than SMART KIDS, imo -- CHI OF
STEEL. Let's just forget they ever made that one, okay?
Well, there you have my thoughts on 1995. As for 1996, there's a long way
to go. But from all indications, things look very promising. For the most
part, the first few months of 1996 comics have shown marked improvement
(even given the story direction, which I despise). With Peter David
giving us the long-awaited Supergirl series, it seems we'll have another
quality book on hand later this year. And while RAVERS may be a trade-off
for Marz taking SUPERBOY, I look forward to seeing where the Kid's
adventures are going to take him.
LOIS AND CLARK has had its strongest season to date, and it continues
to get more and more riveting as the season progresses (again, though
I'm not thrilled with the direction of the plot recently). The acting
has been superb and the writing has been stronger than ever. I can't wait
to see what they're going to do next!
And of course, we've got a brand new animated series to look forward to
in the fall! New trading card sets are on the way, as are additions to
the Kenner/Hasbro toy line. And in the next couple of years, we should
be treated to a new feature film. All in all, it looks like a great time
to be a Superman fan, gang!
Jeff
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NEWS AND NOTES:
NOVIA!
The mailing list and archives are both fully operational nowadays, so
you can find all back issues through Novia's ftp site:
ftp://oasis.novia.net/pub/zines/kc
will take you to the proper directory.
WHAT IDES OF MARCH?
We're going to have a *very* quick turnaround in between February's
and March's issues of KC. This should place us back on our mid-month
schedule and realign us with DC's revised shipping schedule. And it'll
let me get things done before Spring Break hits full stride! :)
The March issue will be ready in around two weeks.
DAN JURGENS, ROUND TWO
Dan Jurgens has agreed to a second interview with KC! Those of you
who have been with us a while will remember that Mr. Jurgens graced
KC with its very first creator interview. It's been some time since
then (the hot topic of that day was the impending ZERO HOUR!), and I
just know that you'll have plenty of questions about that other little
project he's involved in... :)
Once again, we'll give him as much time as he needs to answer your
questions. After all, we would prefer he spend his valuable time working
on more great projects of the caliber of SUPERMAN VERSUS ALIENS, right!?
If you have a question (or questions) for Dan, send it (them) to Art
LaMarche (DrArt95@aol.com).
WELL THAT WAS QUICK
In a recent appearance on AOL, Mike Carlin (recently departed editor
of the Superman titles) announced that Joey Cavalieri, former editor
of Marvel's 2099 universe (and recently a victim of the Marvelcution),
will be taking over as editor of the Superman titles from KC Carlson.
Carlson took over sole possession of the Superman reigns following
"The Trial of Superman", just over two months ago. No word on when
Cavalieri begins. KC will still be editing DC's Legion titles.
SUPERGIRL AGAIN!
More news on the forthcoming Supergirl comic series. Not only will
fan favorite Peter David be writing the series, but it appears that
he will be teaming with his prior cohort on THE INCREDIBLE HULK, as
Gary Frank is reported to be Mae's new artist!
SATURDAY MORNING SHOWDOWN
It has been announced that the regular airtime for SUPERMAN: THE
ANIMATED SERIES (title speculative) on the WB network will be
10:00 AM Saturday mornings, up against a certain FOX animated
series featuring Marvel's celebrated webslinger... Let's get
ready to rumble!!! :)
I hope that I can soon find out some information about whether or
not S:TAS will be made available through syndication to markets
without a WB affiliate. But as of this moment, as best I know,
the WB is it.
SUPERBOY AND THE RAVING ART TEAMS
A bit of a correction from last month's issue is in order. Steve
Mattsson, who will be co-writing SUPERBOY AND THE RAVERS with Karl
Kesel, has informed me that Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis will comprise
the art team for RAVERS, not for SUPERBOY. No word on who will be
replacing Grummett and Hazlewood yet.
SUPERBOY #31 will feature a fill-in team, and then Ron Marz begins
his stint as writer with issue #32. RAVERS is set to appear very
close to Marz's inaugural issue (which should appear in late summer).
As always, enjoy the new issue! And we'll see you again a couple
of weeks!
Jeff Sykes
Editor, The Kryptonian Cybernet
___________________________________________________________
SUPERMAN'S BIRTHDAY
by David T. Chappell
Common American tradition makes birthdays into special events. Not only are
they important on a personal and family scale, but the birthdays of
historically important people often turn into holidays. This month, time has
come again to celebrate the birthday of one of the best known of all
Americans--Superman. While no countries make the Man of Steel's birthday a
national holiday, it is by its very nature a special day worldwide. Unlike
most of us who get to celebrate our birthdays annually, Superman must wait
years between birthdays, for he was born on February 29.
Back in the "good old" pre-Crisis days, tradition mandated that Superman's
birthday was February 29. The placement of his birthday on the Leap Day that
occurs only once every four years helped explain--in a twisted sort of
way--why Superman aged so slowly in comic books. After all, this is now only
the fifteenth Leap Year and thus fifteenth birthday since Superman first
appeared in the 1930s. Who'd have guessed that Superman was just a teenager?
In the modern, post-Crisis comics era, however, Clark Kent's date of birth has
not been specified exactly. Instead, we only know that he was born in the
middle of a winter storm when his rocket ship crash-landed near Smallville.
In other media, though, the birthday tradition continues. In the third-season
episode "Never on Sunday" of the LOIS & CLARK television show, Clark stated
that his birthday was February 28-- which is close enough to the old
traditional date that it certainly seems to be more than a coincidence.
In a bit of irony pointed out by Jeff Sykes, there will not be any Superman
titles shipping on the week of his birthday. In an era when a new Superman
comic book ships every week, Superman's birthday happens to fall during the
"Amalgam week" when the DC and Marvel universes temporarily merge into one.
Thus, we will get to read about the Super Soldier rather than the Superman, as
Clark lets yet another year go by without any celebration.
For more information on Leap Day, including its usefulness, history, and
birthday celebrants, check out the Leap Day WWW page at URL
http://www.amherst.edu/~atstarr/leapday.html.
___________________________________________________________
*********************************************************
End of Section 1
___________________________________________________________
FROM A DREAM TO A LEGEND -- A TRIBUTE TO JERRY SIEGEL
-----------------------------------------------------
From Cleveland to Krypton -
Jerry Siegel, Superman writer and co-creator
1914-1996
Jerome 'Jerry' Siegel was the writer behind the creation of the world's first
and best loved superhero: Superman. With artist Joe Shuster, his High School
buddy, he helped to usher in the age of Superheroes and saw the creation of a
phenomenal super-industry. An industry which since 1938 has "become a billion
dollar cultural and commercial juggernaut" [Tribune].
Siegel's vision of Superman came to him one sleepless night in 1934 and all
the essential elements which we take for granted were there: the doomed planet
Krypton, mild-mannered Clark Kent, and a man with superhuman abilities. It was
Joe Shuster who developed the skintight outfit and together they wrote and
drew a 32 page strip with the caption "A Genius in intellect! A Hercules in
Strength! A Nemesis to Wrongdoers! The Superman!" [Gifford] Getting Superman
published though was not the same overnight experience and this story was
rejected. Shuster tore it up and they went on to other projects such as
"Doctor Occult and the Ghost Men" and the "Federal Men of Tomorrow" [Gifford].
This Superman was not the first though. The young Siegel had written a story
entitled "The Reign of The Superman" in 1933, with art by Joe Shuster. That
Superman was a mad, bald scientist (shades of a Lex Luthor to come!?)
It was four years from that first vision in 1934 to Superman's first
appearance in ACTION COMICS #1 in June 1938. Siegel and Shuster were paid $130
for that first 13 page Super-strip, in a deal which included all rights to the
character.
Siegel and Shuster were dismissed from DC Comics in 1947, and I have read
separate versions of this (although they may well be separate events). In the
'40's DC presented 'Superboy', a comic book based on the early life of
Superman. This new book didn't credit Siegel and Shuster, and in 1947 they
took their publisher to court. They won their case and were awarded $100,000
but were dismissed from their posts [Gifford]. The alternative and more common
version (I have read) is that they sued for more money and the rights to their
character, lost, and then were dismissed. They would never write or draw
Superman again. Siegel created 'Funnyman' in 1948, a humorous version of
Superman but it would never be as famous.
In 1963 they tried to regain control of Superman and a 12 year case ensued
which they ultimately lost. As the Last Son of Krypton went from strength to
strength in radio, TV, and movies, his creators were driven to take low paid
jobs. Siegel went to work as a clerk in Los Angeles.
As the first Superman movie went into production in 1976, Siegel and Shuster
again tried to make their rights public. In an out of court settlement, they
were both awarded an annual stipend of $20,000 a year for life (later raised
to $30,000) and their credits as creators were returned to the strips.
Siegel has been reported as saying "I love Superman, and yet he has become an
alien thing to me" [Tribune] A hardly surprising reaction from a man who had
fought a succession of court battles over the rights to his co-creation. It is
sad to consider that it was not until some 30 years later that their credits
were returned to the books. Today they are again recognized as the fathers of
the Man of Steel and I am sure they will never be forgotten by either the
industry who made (and broke) them or by the fans who love them. Siegel and
Shuster created an enduring legend which Superman fans will always cherish,
and it may be some small recompense to know that the fans will never forget.
Finally, I would like to echo Jeff's sentiment last month that the heavens are
now one star brighter.
References
* Gifford, Denis "Jerry Siegel", The Independent, p12, 1 Feb 1996
* Lyttle, John "Oh, Superman", The Independent Section 2, p2-3, 2 Feb 1996
* Hughes, Scott "He came from Krypton and earned a million"
The Independent Section 2, p3, 2 Feb 1996
* "Jerry Siegel, a Superman creator who never cashed in", International
Herald Tribune, p3, 1 Feb 1996
* "Jerry Siegel", The Economist, p99, 17 Feb 1996
* "Jerry Siegel", The Scotsman, p13, 1 Feb 1996
William J Nixon
___________________________________________________________
The Right Thing To Do
by J. Michael Straczynski
I'm mentioning it here because it hasn't been mentioned elsewhere here
that I've seen, and because it's something pivotal to me, and my upbringing,
and the formation of my personality. And because you ought to know about it
if you don't already.
The other day, Jerry Siegel -- half of the team of Siegel and Shuster,
creators of the most widely known character ever to come out of comics, one of
the five most recognizable characters on the planet (this by a survey not
long ago) -- passed away, following his partner Joe a few years earlier.
Jerry and Joe created Superman. I didn't have the honor or pleasure of
ever getting to meet them, but everything I have ever heard has shown them to
be decent, kind, generous people who got screwed out of their fair share in
the character who became a billion dollar industry. Bill Mumy, who is as much
a comics fan as I am, maybe more so, had Jerry over to dinner once, with Bob
Kane and Jack Kirby; it was the night of his life. Jack is also gone, but
this is about Jerry. And it's about Superman.
I collect only a few things. Watches. I like watches. I don't have a
lot, but more than 3 is a collection, I'm told. Comics, sure, I got about
10,000 comics, most in storage, a lot in my office at home. But I've always
considered myself a comics reader, not a comics collector.
I *collected* Superman stuff. And I have one of the best collections on
the Western Seaboard: bronze rings from the 1940s, pinbacks, patches, mugs,
pins, figurines, Supermen of America membership badges, a cape made from the
original bolt, to the original patterns, as that made for George Reeves...you
name it, I got it.
Because when I was a kid, Superman was It. Because of that singular
character -- invulnerable, unstoppable, whose single goal was to find the
right thing and do it -- I decided that I could do anything I set my mind to
doing. Truth, justice, and the American way. Yeah, it's corny as hell, and
maybe it doesn't parse too well in a "stick it to 'em" society, but as a kid,
it *meant* something to me. Okay, I grudgingly accepted that I couldn't
fly...but otherwise, if I decided I wanted to do it, then by god I *could* do
it. If that meant teaching myself to read at an early age, or dealing with
the great personal angst of a family life that was dysfunctional on the best
of days, for which invulnerability was a quality much to be desired...or
deciding that someday I was gonna be a Writer, then that was what was going to
happen.
And to this day, my only agenda is to try and find the right thing, as
best as I am able to perceive the right, and do it. Because when you're a kid
you're young and foolish enough to believe there IS a Right Thing; you just
have to dig long enough and think hard enough and survive the kryptonite long
enough to figure it out. And you don't lie, you don't sell out your friends,
you put yourself on the line, and anybody who wants to hurt your friends has
to go through you first.
These are the lessons learned by a kid; they are tempered with time, but
they still shape the adult.
When you start as a nearsighted kid, who doesn't fit in with the new
school (and there was always a new school every 6-12 months), who believes he
just might have a little nascent talent waiting to come out, tall and gawky,
with stars in your eyes and a home life that would make the Borgias seem like
a tea party...how much of a leap is it really to see Clark Kent in the mirror,
and anticipate Superman...?
Maybe it's maudlin, maybe it's indulgent. Maybe it's over-wrought, and
maybe it's silly. But the concept and the character of Superman meant
something to me as a kid. Still does. And now the man who created Superman
is gone, and somebody ought to say something, however silly or indulgent or
maudlin it might be seen by others.
Because it's the right thing to do.
Thanks, Jerry.
Bye. Give my regards to Joe. And Kandor. And Krypton. And Jor-El.
And Lara. What you created, endures. Rest easy.
[Editor's note: This tribute was originally posted on CompuServe by Mr.
Straczynski, who is -- among many other things -- the
creative force behind BABYLON 5. His words are reprinted
here with his permission.
___________________________________________________________
Jerry...You And Joe Are Together Again
by Carmen DiMaria
You are the one who started this whole "super" thing
You gave us a hero that inspirations would bring
You set the stage of a man who can fly
Without you here brings a tear to my eye
I love your creation as if it were my own
I love how the way me and Supes have grown
He has always been a part of this life that I've known
And he'll forever be here in my heart etched in stone
None have come after as great as he
You let this hero from your mind to be free
"Faster than a speeding bullet!" Jerry used to say
It's truth and justice the American Way
We are the children of this superhero craze
The term "super hero" would have never been phrased
I thank you sir for the legend you left
You gave me a role model, whom I can model myself
It'll never be the same now that you're gone
I'll never fear cause Superman will live on
You are in a place where happiness will begin
Now that you and Joe are together again...........
Thank you Jerry for all that you gave to the world........It was something
that the whole world needed.........Something we all needed......Something
to believe in...Something Immortal........
When a god can live amongst men........
Farewell....Rest in Peace....In Jesus' Name......................Amen
___________________________________________________________
Our Own Goodbyes
----------------
Jerry, you will be sorely missed. Not only by those who remember ACTION #1
and the subsequent mythos of Superman it has fueled, but by people who
realize that although Superman is but a mere creation of two imaginative
young men, he represents the best of humanity's ideals. He is far from
infallible, but he is a role model for truth, justice, decency, and respect.
Thank you, Jerry and Joe, for showing us what being human should be about.
Not about superiority, not about power, but about caring for others and
making others proud of who you are as a person. Neither of you have had
an easy life but I hope that you and Joe realize that what you've done for
us can never be repaid and that some of us will try to be worthy of your
imagination and dreams. Rest in peace.
Victor Chan
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Ever since I first started reading Superman comics, both old and
new, I have been fascinated with the fact that, out of all of the Superman
writers, Jerry Siegel's work STILL stands out as the best. His writing
created a character that was not only fascinating to read, but also fun to
read. In him Superman found life, DC found a great writer, and the world
found a great man. We will truly miss him.
Isaiah J. Campbell
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A dream.
A simple night of vivid imagination.
From the depths of an incredibly creative subconscious sprang forth the
image and character of a most remarkable man. A man of more than just
incredible strength and abilities, this was a man driven by basic values
and virtues. Responsibility, truth, justice, common courtesy, decency,
respect for the sanctity of life. Superior in every way, but no better
than the rest of us.
Through years of change, one thing has remained the same. Superman
continues to provide a model of humanity. Through all of our faults
and mistakes, still we struggle to make this world a better place than
when we joined it. Maybe we can't always succeed. Maybe we can't always
be what everyone else wants us to. Maybe we can't even meet our own
goals and standards. But we continue to try.
This is the essence of Superman. The neverending struggle to make the
world a better place. The battle to overcome setbacks with shining
victories. The decision to get out and make a difference.
In many ways, the Man of Steel is little more than a fantasy. An alien
from a distant planet, with god-like powers and abilities. But beneath
it all lies the humanity of a couple of kids from Cleveland.
Jerry, Joe, thank you so much for sharing with us your vision of
humanity. You accomplished through Superman what each of us continues
to work at. You made the world a better place. You gave us something
to believe in, something to pattern our lives after.
A symbol of hope for the future, an icon of virtue.
A legend.
___________________________________________________________
*********************************************************
End of Section 2
___________________________________________________________
THE 1995 KAYCEES
The Second Annual Kryptonian Cybernet Readers' Choice Awards
------------------------------------------------------------
The votes have been counted, your choices have been made, and your choices for
the best and worst in the world of Superman for 1995 are just ahead. Before
we begin, however, I want to announce the winner of the random drawing! As
promised, one name was drawn at random from those who voted in this year's
awards. This reader wins his or her choice of a set of LOIS AND CLARK trading
cards or a set of SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL Collector's Edition trading
cards! And this year's lucky winner was ...
Jim Smith (jasmith2@students.uiuc.edu)
The number of ballots jumped from 29 last year to 106 this year! The
unexpected jump is the primary cause for the delay in the results this year,
as tabulating the results was quite a bit of work!
Let's get started. The number of votes are given to the left, and a few brief
comments follow some categories. In the interest of brevity, only those
receiving more than two votes will be given at this time. However, in the
near future, I will make available on the KC home page a list of all votes
received.
CONTINUING COMIC SERIES
-----------------------
CS1: Best Writing in an ongoing comic series
22 Roger Stern, SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW
20 Dan Jurgens, SUPERMAN
18 Karl Kesel, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN
16 Karl Kesel, SUPERBOY
CS2: Worst Writing in an ongoing comic series
17 David Michelinie, ACTION COMICS
15 Louise Simonson, SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL
13 Marv Wolfman, THE NEW TITANS
12 David Michelinie, STEEL
5 Louise Simonson, STEEL
3 Karl Kesel, SUPERBOY
It is interesting to note that only David Michelinie, for STEEL,
received no votes for best writing, and only Roger Stern received
no votes for worst writing. As well, nobody else received more than
five votes in either category. It seems the fans are pretty clear
about whose writing they do and don't like!
CS3: Best Art in an ongoing comic series
18 Tom Grummett/Doug Hazlewood, SUPERBOY
16 Tom Grummett/Brett Breeding, SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW
13 Stuart Immonen/Jose Marzan Jr, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN
13 Dan Jurgens, SUPERMAN
9 Ron Frenz/Josef Rubinstein, SUPERMAN
7 Gil Kane/Josef Rubinstein, SUPERMAN
4 Jon Bogdanove/Dennis Janke, SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL
CS4: Worst Art in an ongoing comic series
32 Jon Bogdanove/Dennis Janke, SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL
9 Jackson Guice/Denis Rodier, ACTION COMICS
8 Stuart Immonen/Jose Marzan Jr, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN
4 Kieron Dwyer/Denis Rodier, ACTION COMICS
4 Ron Frenz/Josef Rubinstein, SUPERMAN
4 Gil Kane/Josef Rubinstein, SUPERMAN
4 William Rosado/Keith Champagne, THE NEW TITANS
3 Chris Batista/Rich Faber, STEEL
Again, opinions are fairly polar, but we see some equal disagreement
about Immonen/Marzan and Kane/Rubinstein. To me, this is a result
of their distinctive styles. But there can be little doubt that
Bog and Janke still hang onto that least favorite status for now.
CS5: Best Cover Art from an ongoing comic series
7 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW #1, Tom Grummett/Brett Breeding
4 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #525, Stuart Immonen/Jose Marzan Jr
4 SUPERMAN, Dan Jurgens (usually with Breeding or Rubinstein)
4 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW, Grummett/Breeding
CS6: Worst Cover Art from an ongoing comic series
8 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #46, Jon Bogdanove/Dennis Janke
6 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL, Bogdanove/Janke
4 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #50, Bogdanove/Janke
There was a bit of confusion on these two categories. In the
November issue, I made it clear that this award was for single
issues only, but I failed to make that distinction on the web
page.
Many issues received votes in these categories. Most notably,
half of the MAN OF STEEL covers received votes for worst cover.
The Bog/Janke disfavor continues...
CS7: Best Story/Story Arc in an on-going comic series
21 "The Death of Clark Kent"
15 "The Trial of Superman"
8 "Future Tense" (The Superboy/Legion crossover)
6 "Watery Grave" (From SUPERBOY)
CS8: Worst Story/Story Arc in an on-going comic series
25 "Dead Again"
12 "The Trial of Superman"
6 "The Death of Clark Kent"
The bad taste left in our mouths about "Dead Again" at the start
of 1995 obviously stayed with us long enough to make it a clear
winner for worst arc. But the other voting surprised me a bit.
First, few people voted on one- or two-issue stories. And the
receptions of the major Superman arcs were not what I'd expected.
I was under the impression that "Trial" was better received than
"Death of Clark Kent", but clearly the voters though opposite.
I suppose I should point out that "Trial" had not yet concluded
when the majority of votes were cast, and I believe the last few
issues were more liked than the middle issues...
CS9: Best Single Issue of an ongoing comic series
19 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #525 (Lois and Clark reunited)
10 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW #1 (Return of Lex Luthor)
6 SUPERMAN #100 (Beginning of "Death of Clark Kent")
CS10: Worst Single Issue of an ongoing comic series
6 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #42 (Conclusion of Babe/Locke tale)
4 SUPERMAN #99 (Agent Liberty, Arclight)
3 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #528 (Alien bounty hunter)
3 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #40 ("Dead Again", brain beasts chapter)
I wasn't too surprised with these choices, with the possible
exception of ADVENTURES #528.
CS11: Best Ongoing Comic Series
22 SUPERBOY
20 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN
16 SUPERMAN
11 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW
3 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL
CS12: Worst Ongoing Comic Series
20 THE NEW TITANS
20 STEEL
13 SUPERMAN: MAN OF STEEL
5 ACTION COMICS
4 SUPERBOY
No best votes for NEW TITANS, no worst for MAN OF TOMORROW. I did
find it interesting that MAN OF STEEL's writing, art, and covers
were all voted as worse than those of TITANS and STEEL, yet...
LIMITED COMIC SERIES
--------------------
LS1: Best Writing in a special or limited series
36 Dan Jurgens, SUPERMAN VS ALIENS
12 Dave Gibbons, SUPERMAN: KAL
5 Cindy Goff, METROPOLIS SCU
5 Roger Stern, DOOMSDAY ANNUAL #1
4 Dan Jurgens, DOOMSDAY ANNUAL #1
3 Karl Kesel, GUARDIANS OF METROPOLIS
3 Jerry Ordway, DOOMSDAY ANNUAL #1
LS2: Worst Writing in a special or limited series
22 Tom Veitch, SUPERMAN: AT EARTH'S END
9 Cindy Goff, METROPOLIS SCU
6 Jeff Loeb, LOOSE CANNON
3 Karl Kesel, GUARDIANS OF METROPOLIS
3 Jerry Ordway, DOOMSDAY ANNUAL #1
3 David Michelinie/Brett Breeding, SHADOWDRAGON ANNUAL #1
3 Roger Stern, SHOWCASE '95 (Thorn)
Pretty decisive, huh!? Watch the trend ...
LS3: Best Art in a special or limited series
21 Dan Jurgens/Kevin Nowlan, SUPERMAN VS ALIENS
18 Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, SUPERMAN: KAL
12 Dan Jurgens/Brett Breeding, DOOMSDAY ANNUAL #1
7 Frank Gomez, SUPERMAN: AT EARTH'S END
6 Gil Kane/Jerry Ordway, DOOMSDAY ANNUAL #1
3 Brett Breeding/Dick Giordano, SHADOWDRAGON ANNUAL #1
3 Stuart Immonen/Wade Von Grawbadger, SHOWCASE '95 (Supergirl)
LS4: Worst Art in a special or limited series
11 Adam Pollina, LOOSE CANNON
10 Kieron Dwyer/Mike Manley, GUARDIANS OF METROPOLIS
8 Frank Gomez, SUPERMAN: AT EARTH'S END
6 Dennis Janke, DOOMSDAY ANNUAL #1
3 Gil Kane/Jerry Ordway, DOOMSDAY ANNUAL #1
3 Pete Krause/Jose Marzan Jr, METROPOLIS SCU
3 Dan Jurgens/Kevin Nowlan, SUPERMAN VS ALIENS
Well, with the exception of that last line, there, have you
figured out which of the limited series we loved!? If not,
maybe this will help...
LS5: Best Special or Limited Series
33 SUPERMAN VS ALIENS
15 SUPERMAN: KAL
12 DOOMSDAY ANNUAL #1
5 GUARDIANS OF METROPOLIS
5 SHOWCASE '95
3 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL GALLERY
LS6: Worst Special or Limited Series
23 SUPERMAN: AT EARTH'S END
12 METROPOLIS SCU
10 LOOSE CANNON
5 DOOMSDAY ANNUAL #1
4 SHADOWDRAGON ANNUAL #1
3 GUARDIANS OF METROPOLIS
3 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL GALLERY
Dan Jurgens, hear me now. If this doesn't make it clear, I don't
know what will. WE WANT ANOTHER SUPERMAN VS ALIENS SERIES!!!!!
On a more calm and collective note, SUPERMAN: KAL was right up
there with SUPERMAN VS ALIENS in quality, and the high marks for
the DOOMSDAY ANNUAL surprised me. I though it was pretty good, but
I didn't figure it to get too many accolades from the fans.
LOIS AND CLARK SECOND SEASON
----------------------------
LC1: Best Writing in a second season episode
24 Jack Weinstein & Lee Hutson, TEMPUS FUGITIVE
19 Dean Cain, SEASON'S GREEDINGS
16 Tony Blake & Paul Jackson, AND THE ANSWER IS...
9 Tony Blake & Paul Jackson, THE PHOENIX
5 Kathy McCormick & John McNamara, WHINE, WHINE, WHINE
3 Grant Rosenberg, THE RETURN OF THE PRANKSTER
LC2: Worst Writing in a second season episode
14 Hilary Bader, CHI OF STEEL
8 John McNamara, WALL OF SOUND
7 Kathy McCormick, A BOLT FROM THE BLUE
7 Grant Rosenberg, RETURN OF THE PRANKSTER
5 Tony Blake & Paul Jackson, TARGET: JIMMY OLSEN!
4 Grant Rosenberg, THE PRANKSTER
4 Tony Blake, Paul Jackson, & James Crocker, METALLO
4 Kathy McCormick & John McNamara, WHINE, WHINE, WHINE
4 Kathy McCormick & Grant Rosenberg, THE EYES HAVE IT
3 Dean Cain, SEASON'S GREEDINGS
3 Chris Ruppenthal, LUCKY LEON
3 Gene Miller & Karen Kavner, THAT OLD GANG OF MINE
3 Tony Blake & Paul Jackson, MADAME EX
The first half of the season fared much more poorly in voting
than did the second half. It would appear that the fans would
generally rather not hear again from Bader, McNamara, McCormick,
or Rosenberg. Dean Cain's strong showing was a bit surprising to
me -- I realize the episode was well-received by FoLCs, but there
was also a lot of complaining about it as well.
LC3: Best Performance by a guest-star in a second season episode
20 Farrah Forke as "Mayson Drake"
14 John Shea as "Lex Luthor", THE PHOENIX
11 Lane Davies as "Tempus", TEMPUS FUGITIVE
9 Bronson Pinchot as "The Prankster"
4 Bruce Campbell as "Bill Church, Jr."
4 Leslie Jordan as "Resplendent Man", A BOLT FROM THE BLUE
4 Terry Kiser as "H.G. Wells", TEMPUS FUGITIVE
4 Tony Jay as "Nigel"
4 Barbara Bosson as Lois' therapist
3 Scott Valentine as "Metallo", METALLO
LC4: Worst Performance by a guest-star in a second season episode
8 Sherman Hemsley as "Mr. Schott", SEASON'S GREEDINGS
7 Lane Davies as "Tempus", TEMPUS FUGITIVE
7 Scott Valentine as "Metallo", METALLO
7 Jim Pirri as "Agent Scardino"
6 Michael Des Barres as "Lenny Stoke", WALL OF SOUND
6 Bronson Pinchot as "The Prankster"
5 William Devane as "Al Capone", THAT OLD GANG OF MINE
5 Cindy Williams as "Wandamae", A BOLT FROM THE BLUE
5 Michelle Phillips as "Claudette Wilder", TARGET: JIMMY OLSEN!
3 Denise Crosby as "Dr. Gretchen Kelly"
3 Emma Samms as "Arianna Carlin", MADAME EX
3 Racquel Welch as "Diana Stride", TOP COPY
Given the range of opinions here, it's kind of hard to call
any results predictable or surprising. This category may get
dumped for next year.
LC5: Best Season Two Episode
28 AND THE ANSWER IS...
27 TEMPUS FUGITIVE
8 THE PHOENIX
7 WHINE, WHINE, WHINE
6 LUCKY LEON
4 SEASON'S GREEDINGS
3 RESURRECTION
This was a dogfight from start to finish. The very last vote
I received decided the battle! Interesting to note that with the
lone exception of TOP COPY, every episode from THE PHOENIX on
received at least one vote for best episode.
LC6: Worst Season Two Episode
14 CHI OF STEEL
8 A BOLT FROM THE BLUE
7 WALL OF SOUND
6 THAT OLD GANG OF MINE
6 RETURN OF THE PRANKSTER
5 THE PRANKSTER
5 MADAME EX
5 METALLO
5 OPERATION BLACKOUT
3 THE SOURCE
3 TARGET: JIMMY OLSEN!
3 TOP COPY
3 THE EYES HAVE IT
Mostly first-half episodes. Hmmm...
This one was never in doubt. I guess Super-Chi, Super-rats,
and Super-sounds just don't work for FoLCs.
WRITE-IN AWARDS
---------------
And finally, we conclude this year's awards with a few of the better
write-in awards. To kick things off, let's remain with the L&C theme for
a moment...
Rusty Priske (ut834@freenet.victoria.bc.ca)
The "You Make TV Worth Watching" Award to Teri Hatcher
The "Yeah, OK, You're Pretty Good Looking, Too" Award to Dean Cain
Michael McKay-Fleming (mmckayfl@uoguelph.ca)
Worst Continuity, LOIS AND CLARK, Leslie Jordan, "Hmmm, weren't you
the Invisible Man from Season 1?"
Mark L. Smith (mlsmith@nadc.nadc.navy.mil)
Best Short Cut -- Teri Hatcher's Hair Stylist
Claudia Henry (seahen@u.washington.edu)
Best Line in Lois and Clark: Clark - "Superman is what I can do,
Clark is who I am."
Sliding into some of the past year's comics...
Michael McKay-Fleming (mmckayfl@uoguelph.ca)
Best Anatomical Mistake, Trial of Superman, Leeya's Breasts, "If her
species offspring can only eat the flesh of the parent, then why do
the women have large breasts?"
Jarod Cates (fizban@expert.cc.purdue.edu)
Best "I've fallen and I can't get up" Superman Artists:
Bogdanove & Janke - S:TMOS #50
Willie Berkovitz (berkovw@alleg.edu)
"If it twitches, kill it." to Dead Again
Stuart Reid (Fantom@Progsoc.Uts.Edu.Au)
The Bad-Hair-Day Award, to Jon Bogdanove.
The Man of Steel team still haven't worked out how to draw
Supes with long hair
Javier Heredia (JHERED02@serss1.fiu.edu)
The award for the longest story-arc with a lame theme:
Runner-up -- O.J. Simpson!
The Winner -- Dead Again
Dawoud Al-Haddad (hal@seas.smu.edu)
Most depressingly underused character: Gangbuster
Dan Williams (djwilli@cv.hp.com)
Best use of Pre-Crisis Homages: Kesel and Grummett's Superboy.
Worst Concept of Superman. Superman at Earth's End, for the
Superman with Big Gun concept.
A few miscellaneous thoughts...
David Young (dayoung@luna.cas.usf.edu)
Best Superman news of the year -- A new Superman cartoon in the
works by "Adventures of Batman & Robin" creators, "Lois & Clark"
getting ratings in the Nielson Top 20, and a new Superman movie
in the works!
Ben Marlin (COSMICBEN@aol.com)
The "Why Can't They Write Every Super-book?" Award:
Karl Kesel and Roger Stern
Jim Lee (jlee2@buster.eng.ua.edu)
Coolest mom and pop in the known and unknown universe:
the Kents
Of course, I'm gonna run this one:
Matt Combes (NandoX@aol.com)
Best Internet newsletter dedicated to Superman:
The Kryptonian Cybernet!!! :)
And finally,
Jenny Stosser (jennys@melbpc.org.au)
How about an award for best writer for The Kryptonian
Cybernet. (Of course, now that I'm in that select group,
I couldn't vote, could I?) :)
Before signing off, I want to admit that Jenny (and several others)
raises a good point. In the interest of improving the magazine, we
need reader input. As a result, look for a reader survey in a few
months (after I've passed my qualifier!!!) -- we're going to ask *you*
what's good and bad about KC, what articles/columns do you read on a
regular basis, and what suggestions would you make.
Thanks to all of our fans who voted this year! Let's all look forward
to what promises to be one of the most exciting years ever for the Man
of Steel!
___________________________________________________________
CONTEST!
--------
Okay readers, dust off your pre-Crisis thinking caps! Jeff Epstein has provided
us with a list of trivia questions pertaining to pre-Crisis Krypton. See what
you can handle!
Send your answers to KCContest@aol.com, and be certain to include your name
and e-mail address in your entry. Why? Because it's prize time again! The
person answering the most questions correctly will win a complete set of DC VS
MARVEL trading cards, plus a 5"x7" oversized card of Superman vs The Hulk,
painted by Glen Orbik! These cards were only available to those who purchased
a complete box of the cards. In the case of a tie, the winner will be
selected at random from all of those involved in the tie.
As with the Kaycees, I will also set up a form on the KC Homepage, so that you
may send in your entries from there.
I've extended the contest deadline to 11:59 PM Eastern, Friday, March 8.
However, you needn't wait until you've found all of the answers. I will (in a
way) accept multiple entries. If you submit your entry and later discover
another answer, you may resubmit -- at the expense of your previous
submission! I will not provide you with access to your prior answers, so if
you plan to follow-up, make certain you keep your current answers handy!
Well, then, what are you waiting for? Dig out your collections and get to
work!
1. What was the oldest city on Krypton ?
2. What was the highest peak on Krypton ?
3. What was the most precious metal on Krypton ?
4. What was the strongest metal on Krypton ?
5. What was the most commonly spoken language on Krypton ?
6. What metal, common on Krypton, was erupted by a volcano of the same name ?
7. What Kryptonian jungle's name had a hue to it ?
8. How many moons did Krypton originally have ?
9. What was the capital city of Krypton before Kryptonopolis ?
10. What was the independent island of thieves on Krypton ?
11. What was the main defense center on Krypton ?
12. What was the "ghost city" of Krypton ?
13. What city was Supergirl (Kara Zor-El) born in ?
14. Name two Kryptonian oceans.
15. Name two seas on Krypton.
___________________________________________________________
*********************************************************
End of Section 3
___________________________________________________________
Just the FAQs
More Details about Frequently-Asked Questions about the Man of Steel
by David T. Chappell
Last month, I kicked off a three-part article with a description of Kara
Zor-El, the original Supergirl. Now, I continue with another Kara and an
alternate Supergirl as I continue to ask,
"Who is Supergirl?"
Part II: Power Girl
An Alternate Supergirl for an Alternate Earth
The "original" Supergirl appeared back in 1959 (see last issue of the
KRYPTONIAN CYBERNET for details). In the 1970s, DC Comics decided that it was
time to introduce a new version of Supergirl. While the then-current Kara
Zor-El appeared on the same Earth-1 that was home to other Silver Age heroes,
this new Supergirl was designed to be the Kara of Earth-2. Without launching
into a thesis-length description of the various Earths, it suffices to explain
that the two Earths existed in alternate dimensions, and Earth-2 was home to
the older heroes of the Golden Age. Thus, beginning in ALL-STAR COMICS #58,
this new female Kryptonian became part of Gerry Conway's new Super Squad
feature.
This alternate version of Kara was intended to be a "modern woman," meaning
that she was more independent and self-driven. Her attachment to the Earth-2
Superman was not as strong as the relationship between their Earth-1
counterparts. This new Kara wore a costume noticeably different from
Superman's, especially in the absence of an "S" shield. Moreover, the timing
of her arrival on Earth made her more of a successor than an assistant to the
Earth-2 Superman.
The Origin of Power Girl (Take 1)
The origin of this new superheroine had only surface similarities to that of
the Earth-1 Supergirl. There was no Argo City involved, but Kara was still
sent to Earth to avoid disaster, and she was still Kal's cousin.
Before Superman's home planet Krypton exploded, a scientist named Jor-L
realized that the destruction was imminent. He thus built a rocket to carry
his infant son Kal-L to another planet. Jor-L also told his brother Zor-L,
who also built a rocket. While Zor-L could not build a rocket large enough to
save himself nor his wife Allura, he was able to save his daughter Kara.
Jor-L's rocket turned out to be superior to his brother's. Thus, while both
rockets launched at the same time, Kara's rocket took sixty years to reach
Earth, during which time she aged twenty years and lived in a mentally-induced
dreamworld.
When Kara's rocket landed on Earth, Superman investigated to find a super-
powered adult woman from Krypton. Kal-L was then middle-aged and in semi-
retirement, but he helped his super-cousin become a member of the Justice
Society of America. The Huntress helped Kara take on a secret identity as
Karen Starr, and Kara adapted the title of Power Girl.
Super Teams for a Super Girl
Power Girl began her crime-fighting career as a member of the JSA, and she was
a charter member of the JSA's short-lived subgroup known as the Super Squad.
Kara had a brief feature stint in SHOWCASE, and she continued to appear
alongside the JSA in its annual team-ups with Earth-1's JLA.
In the mid-1980s, Power Girl finally left the JSA. When a number of other
young heirs to JSA members were rejected for membership, Kara decided to join
their new group (INFINITY, INC. #1, Mar 1984). Although Power Girl only
remained a member of Infinity, Inc. for its first major mission, her presence
was important for that first year. Kara then struck out on her own.
Mid-Life Crisis
Then the red skies came, and everything changed . . .
Power Girl joined the other major heroes of multiple Earths in fighting the
Anti-Monitor during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. When the dust settled and
only one Earth was left, Kara was orphaned as a heroine without a past. Since
Superman was being revived as the sole survivor of Krypton, she needed a new
excuse for her super-powers.
For a brief time, Kara was simply ignorant of her true heritage. When she
finally learned the truth, she realized that what she had believed before was
wrong. During this period, she still remembered all about Earth-2 and her
"original" past. Finally, DC realized that it was overly confusing for all
the heroes of the Crisis to remember the pre-Crisis days, and Kara gradually
accepted her new origin as being her only origin. Power Girl's new origin,
based on an idea by original creator Gerry Conway, was written by Paul
Kupperberg and appeared in SECRET ORIGINS #11 (Feb 1987).
The remainder of this article explains only the post-Crisis version of Power
Girl and speaks about revamps as though things have always been the way they
are now.
A New Origin for an Old Heroine
After the Universal Crisis, Kara wondered about her true origins. When she
returned to the symbio-ship in which she had awoken a few years before, a
magical illusion spoke to Kara and told her of her past.
Kara was actually born 45,000 years ago in ancient Atlantis. She was the
granddaughter of Arion, an Atlantean wizard-prince. Arion manipulated Kara's
genetic make-up to grant her powers "beyond those of mortal men." When Arion's
brother and arch-enemy Garn Daanuth threatened the child, Arion magically
transported his two-year-old granddaughter forward through time to the modern
era.
As the illusion faded and the Kara's history lesson ended, Arion granted Kara
the parting gift of his magical amulet, which Kara thereafter wore as a belt
buckle.
Modern History and More Super-Teams
In the post-Crisis universe, Kara suspected that she was Superman's cousin,
but she never voiced her ideas. Soon after her millennia-long sleep, Power
Girl became a member of the Justice Society, and she later joined Infinity,
Inc. When the JSA went into limbo for several years (LAST DAYS OF THE JUSTICE
SOCIETY), Dr. Fate insisted that Power Girl remain behind on Earth.
When Kara learned of her Atlantean origins, she set out to learn about her
roots. Thus, she traveled to the "hollow-earth" world of Skartaris (WARLORD
#116-124). In 1988, Kara starred in her own four-issue POWER GIRL mini-
series in which she fought several villains and eventually defeated a magical
Lord of Chaos.
Kara also joined the Doom Patrol for occasional adventures, and she guest-
starred in various other team-ups. It was only a few months later, though,
that she joined another super-team.
When the Justice League International opened a new European branch, Power Girl
joined as a charter member (JLE #1, Apr 89). In one of her first big missions
with the JLE ("The Teasdale Imperative"), Kara was nearly killed by the Gray
Man. Superman performed surgery to save her life, but Kara's powers were
considerably diminished as a result (JLE #9, Dec 89). In real life, this
injury and power loss were deemed necessary because Power Girl was too
powerful: she was essentially stronger than Superman since her pre- Crisis
Kryptonian origin was only slowly being replaced.
Power Girl (or PG as some members would call her) remained with the JLE
throughout the group's existence. She was the group's strongest hero, though
Kara had to constantly fend off Wally West's advances. Over the years, she
changed costumes several times, trading in her old blue, white, and red outfit
for other costumes with various color schemes. When the League reformed after
Zero Hour, PG chose to remain with Wonder Woman's JLA group.
The modern Power Girl still has the secret identity of KarenStarr, though she
rarely uses it in comic stories. Karen is the founder of StarrWare, a
software company located in New York City. Superhero duties, however, have
sometimes made Karen negligent of her business duties.
The Baby
While a member of the JLE, Kara became mysteriously pregnant. She claimed
that there was no father to the child, but doubts persisted in the minds of
others. In truth, Arion and the mages of Atlantis used Kara in a plan to
combine the powers of law and chaos, light and darkness to create a powerful
being. Thus, they secretly impregnated Kara's body with the genetic material
of the demon Scarabus.
Kara carried the pregnancy to full term, and her young babe was born into the
world in the midst of the turmoil of Zero Hour (ZERO HOUR #0, Sept 94). The
child turned out to be more than merely a bright spot at the end of a major
story, however. In the subsequent months, Kara remained protective of her
son, and he magically, rapidly grew to become a young man. The child's
"father," Scarabus, attacked his son. The demon was defeated only by the
combined efforts of Kara and her latent Atlantean magic; the rest of the
Justice League; and, most importantly, Kara's now-adult son, Equinox. (JLA
#107-108; 1996)
While this new child is not a part of the Superman family, nor does his mother
any longer bear any Kryptonian roots, it is interesting to consider that
neither Power Girl nor Equinox would exist were it not for a special creation
of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.
___________________________________________________________
And Who Disguised As...
------------------------------------------------------------------
A Column of Opinion By J.D. Rummel (jrummel@vulture.creighton.edu)
Do The Right Thing
(WARNING: This contains some SPOILERS, so don't proceed until you have read
Action 719 )
Usually I don't do general reviewing, I leave that to other stalwarts here at
the KC, but I really have to say some things about ACTION COMICS #719. Did
anybody else think this was one of the best stories in a long time? Wowza!
Written by David Michelinie, a guy whose work first impressed me back when he
gave some new life to Iron Man years ago, ACTION #719 is the kind of fine,
talented, thoughtful, writing that has been missing from the Superman titles
for too long. In it, Superman must choose between doing The Right Thing and
what he really wants, even loves. This is no easy task, even for the
supremely powerful Kryptonian. The Right Thing in this instance is letting a
homicidal madman go on living at the expense of the life of his fiancee.
Don't think this is some slap-dash job that is obvious. Although no reader
thinks that Lois is gonna die, Superman, under Michelinie's deft hand,
certainly appears to believe it. Supes must find a cure for Lois who has been
poisoned by the Joker (being handled better here than in many of his
over-exposed years). As it turns out, the lunatic has devised a scheme in
which the only cure that can be developed in time requires injecting him with
the lethal toxin and having the antidote worked-up from his corpse. Superman
must decide whether or not to end the life of one person, an evil, or insane
(or both, depending on your philosophy), individual, and the life of someone
whose life is more valuable to him than his own. In the real climax, Superman
comes face to face with his own superhuman standard of conduct. After all, he
is virtually an avatar of conduct, a manifestation of all we would like to be.
Another man, one of us, might make the selfish choice and kill the madman in
order to save the girl. After all, it's a win/win situation, right? A killer
will be put away for good, and a decent human will be given a renewed chance
at life. It's the death penalty argument taken to its impossible extreme:
Kill the killer and the victim really gets to come back.
Ironically, it is the tortured human, Batman, that understands the situation,
and he is handled extremely well in these pages. He is not the over-the-top
nut case that appears sporadically in his own, too-numerous titles, rather, he
is an even-tempered man that obviously deals in a world far more real and dark
than Superman's. Batman understands, as only a human can, that loved ones
die, and sometimes all we can do is watch. His is the reasoning, more than
any other, that shines through, explaining to Superman what exactly is at
stake.
Superman lets Lois die.
Of course, Lois can't really die, this is a legend and a merchandising
juggernaut, so she returns to life in what is really a nice touch. The toxin
did not really kill her, it only stopped the heart momentarily, before
allowing it to restart again. No, that's not clever; what *is* clever is the
rationale behind it: it was a prank -- the horribly twisted, Joker kind. The
gag was that the Joker wanted to ruin a champion, forcing him to kill on
selfish grounds, reducing him to something far less than a Superman.
The truest moment may be where Superman explains to the "risen" Lois that he
had to let her die, that she herself "would have wanted it that way" because
killing to save her would have diminished him and her own life. She says she
understands, but he does not see her face as they hug, and only we are privy
to her thought balloon that reads: "I think."
Imagine how she must feel; her rescue is just blind-ass luck, and the one who
has always rescued her before deliberately let her slip away because the price
for saving her was judged too high. Who among us wants to find out just how
much we are worth to our loved ones? The man she loves most has declared that
his mission, his ethic, is higher than their love. There are standards
greater than any human affection. If the writers don't pursue this, they are
missing a fine opportunity. After all, it must push some kind of wedge
between them. No woman (nor any man) wants to hear, "who I am comes before
your life," from her (or his) significant other, not even from Superman. We
all want to believe we are the most important thing in the lives of our
partners.
My hat is off to Mr. Michelinie. He done a real good thing here.
This is your last chance to send movie ideas/wishes/observations. I'm gonna
go through em and put together a column. Send to:
jrummel@vulture.creighton.edu
Away
___________________________________________________________
SUPER MERCHANDISE
-----------------
Information on Forthcoming Superman Merchandise
Assembled by Jeffery D. Sykes
The information which follows is reprinted without permission from Diamond's
PREVIEWS and is in no way meant to serve as a replacement for that magazine.
For further information on (and in many cases, pictures of) the below
merchandise, see recent issues of PREVIEWS!
ABBREVIATIONS:
-------------
FC: Full color
HC: Hardcover
PB: Paperback
PI: Inquire about price
SC: Softcover
Unless otherwise indicated, the product is from DC Comics.
Also keep in mind that dates listed are when Diamond will be able to
distribute the product in question. For some merchandise (books and toys
especially), you may be able to find the item at a retailer earlier
than this given date.
These monthly updates only list new merchandise solicited by PREVIEWS.
For a full listing of Superman-related merchandise, visit the Kryptonian
Cybernet Homepage!
___________________________________________________________
APRIL:
-----
KINGDOM COME Retail Poster
Painted art by Alex Ross
DC trumpets the impending debut of the eagerly awaited KINGDOM COME
mini-series with this incredible fully-painted poster by Alex (MARVELS,
KURT BUSIEK'S ASTRO CITY) Ross. One month later, the waiting is over
as Mark Waid and Ross' apocalyptic Elseworlds saga begins!
Poster prominently features Superman.
Scheduled to arrive April 3
22x34
$5.50
Superman Collector's Set
This 6-issue set is a great introduction to the Man of Steel for new
readers, featuring ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #526, ACTION COMICS #713,
SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #48, SUPERMAN #104, ADVENTURES OF
SUPERMAN #527, and ACTION COMICS #714. The set also includes a
free phonecard featuring 4-color art of Superman, Batman, and Wonder
Woman, good for 5 minutes of credit on phones in the US.
Scheduled to arrive April 24
PI
Superman in Action Comics Vol. I Tiny Folio
Abbeville Press
Featuring the complete covers -- 300 images in full color -- from the
first 25 years of ACTION COMICS! Introduction by fan favorite writer
Mark Waid.
SC, 4x4, 320pgs, FC
$11.95
Superman in Action Comics Vol.II Tiny Folio
Abbeville Press
Featuring the complete covers -- 300 images in full color -- from the
second 25 years of ACTION COMICS! Introduction by fan favorite writer
Mark Waid.
SC, 4x4, 320pgs, FC
$11.95
I Hate Superman
Little Brown
by Louise Simonson and Kevin Altieri
Being a kid is awfully tough sometimes, but having someone to look up
to can help. James is extra lucky because he has two heroes: his
brother and Superman! But what happens when your heroes do the
unthinkable? I HATE SUPERMAN is a storybook for all ages!
SC, 9x11, 32pgs, FC
$13.95
Superman Look & Find Book
Publications International
Who needs Waldo when you could be looking for the coolest hero in
comics! This beautiful, full-color book features the Man of Steel
in crowded scenes. Your mission? Track down the hero first and
you win. Great fun for all ages! (Also a Batman version.)
HC, 24pgs
$7.98
Deco T-Shirt
Offered Again by Graphitti Designs
Kevin Nowlan provides the simple yet elegant design for this beautiful
Superman t-shirt. Set against an art deco background, the Man of Steel
has never looked so regal! Screenprinted in color on a black 100%
cotton heavyweight t-shirt.
L-XL
$16.95
Ultimate Superman Figure
Kenner/Hasbro
Standing over 13 inches tall, this replica of the Man of Steel detaches
from its display stand for the coolest dynamic poses! Decked out in
full Action Ace regalia, Supes has never looked bigger or better. This
towering vinyl Superman figure displays all that is good and noble in
the Man of Tomorrow!
PI
Superman Kryptonian Battle Tank
Kenner/Hasbro
Sometimes even a Superman needs some help, and this tank will do nicely!
The Kryptonian Battle Tank is a piece of military technology from
Superman's destroyed home planet of Krypton. This mighty war machine,
when under the control of Superman, is now an unstoppable force for
good on Earth!
PI
Supermen of America Rings
No company given
In celebration of 55 years since the release of the original, this is
the first limited edition ring based on the most sought-after premium
in history -- the Supermen of America ring! Based on the original
design, this ring is not an exact reproduction. Created in Silver and
Gold in adult sizes, it features classic designs on each side and is
much more detailed than the original adjustable child's ring. The
Sterling Silver ring is limited to 2,000 and comes packaged in an
illustrated tin with a full-color reproduction of the original
Supermen of America club kit from the 1940s. The Gold ring is limited
to only 200 and comes packaged with a miniature 3 3/4" reproduction
of the rare and sought-after "Syrocco" pressed wood figurine from the
1940s. The Gold Ring with Diamond chip is available in extremely
limited to 50. Available in men's sizes 9-12 only.
PI
___________________________________________________________
JUNE:
---
Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman #3: Deadly Games
Harper Collins
by M.J. Friedman
Book Three of this dazzling new series places the beloved characters
from the hit ABC TV series into an all new adventure! Included is an
8-page b&w photo insert.
PB, 192 pgs
$4.99
___________________________________________________________
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End of Section 4
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REVIEWS
-------
Ratings Panelists:
AL: Arthur LaMarche IC: Isaiah Campbell MC: Matt Combes
AW: Anatole Wilson JS: Jeff Sykes RG: Rene' Gobeyn
DS: Dick Sidbury KM: Ken McKee WN: William J Nixon
As always, the first rating given after the average is that of the reviewer.
The average rating given for each book may correspond to a larger sample
of ratings than what is printed following the average.
THE "TRIANGLE" TITLES:
---------------------
Uniform Credits:
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separator: Digital Chameleon
Assistant Editors: Mike McAvennie
Editors: KC Carlson
9. ACTION COMICS #719, "Hazard's Choice"
Writer: David Michelinie
Artists: Kieron Dwyer & Denis Rodier
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Cover: Dwyer, Rodier, & Color Works
$1.95/$2.75
RATINGS:
Average: 3.4/5.0 Shields
WN: 3.0 Shields - Life and death decisions as the World's Finest battle the
Joker's latest fiendish joke. A dark tale which brings
seeds of doubt.
IC: 4.0 Shields - An excellent story, reminiscent of the old World's Finest
team-ups. I loved the portrayal of Batman and his
psychoanalysis of Superman. It had me on the edge of my
seat. About time something *real* happened! (I also
loved the ONE ISSUE STORY! YAAAY!) :)
MC: 3.7 Shields - MUCH better than Joker's last appearance in ACTION. I love
the fact that there's more thinking done than any brawn-
battle. They over-exaggerated Clark's anger at the Joker
just a tad bit, though, because I sincerely believe that
Superman *would* have killed the Joker had it not been for
Batman's knocking some sense into him.
KM: 5.0 Shields - Outstanding issue; great artwork; Bats and Supes always
make a good team and this story had our hero agonizing over
his situation with the Joker. I really wanted to read the
last page to see how it would end. The suspense was
nerve-racking.
JS: 1.5 Shields - Sorry, but I didn't buy the characterizations of either
Batman or Superman in this issue. And Rodier once again
mangles Dwyer's work.
Pop quiz: your fiancee has minutes to live, you have it in your power to save
her, but to do so you will have to break a vow you made to yourself; you would
have to take a [villain's] life - what do you do? Answers on a postcard.
This dilemma is the heart of this month's ACTION COMICS. It's team-up month
in the Super-titles, and where better to start than with a fellow crusader-in-
arms, Batman.
Lois is dusting her apartment, without Lori's help, when she falls to the
floor, struck by toxic agents she has been absorbing through' the Joker doll
(from back in ACTION #714). Rushed to hospital, Superman learns that she has
only two hours to live.
Flying to Gotham, he reproaches himself for 'screwing up' and vows not to let
her die like this. Batman can't make an antidote, but suggests that finding
the Joker is the best solution given the tight time scale. He gives Superman
the address of where some of the Joker's gang will be breaking into an armory.
They head out to find them. While at the Planet, Ron Troupe is startled to
see the ghost of Martin Luther King walk through the office.
Superman takes on the gang breaking into the armory, only to discover that
they don't work for the Joker. Since his escape from Superman, the Joker has
been returned to Arkham and Batman goes to see him -- and is given a cryptic
clue. Supes catches up with Batman, who is on the trail of Phil Drumm,
philtrum, the cleft in the upper left (right under your nose). Drumm is dead
and there's a note from the Joker, saying that he has the antidote.
The heroes confront the Clown Prince in Arkham as he plays with a syringe
containing the antidote. He explains that while he can't kill the physical
Superman, placing him in a situation where he has to take a life will do as
much damage and it would be a fitting revenge. Batman intervenes between
Superman and the Joker to give a reality check, Clark says that he is trying
to save a life so that he would be justified (I'm paraphrasing) -- Batman
knows what's at stake, that Lois is more than a mere reporter to Superman.
There is some great interplay, the Joker is beatific as Superman advances on
him, but when Batman intervenes, Joker becomes angry and taunting. Batman
asks him what Lois would want, what price their souls? They return to the
hospital, leaving the Joker untouched, just in time to see Lois flatline. In
moments, though, with a strangled gasp she pulls through. Lois asks if he
would have let her die, and he answers that it was the hardest decision he
ever made, and there we see her doubt. Back in Arkham, the Joker is annoyed
but philosophical, he's got more jokes, and in his own twisted way has wrought
harm.
This was a thought-provoking and dark tale. The Joker was true to form, and
one has to admire the insane elegance of his joke. I would also like to
believe (and I know these are comics) that Batman knew it was a joke and
played a hunch that Lois would be okay if Superman didn't kill the Joker. [Me
too. The Joker is a lot of things, suicidal is not one of them, and Batman
knows that. --Art] Although he was sincere in his belief that the damage to
his friend's soul would haunt him for the rest of his days; one wonders though
at the cost to Supes soul for bartering his fiancee's life for the Joker's.
Clark's rationalizing on the final page leaves you wondering who he is trying
to convince, himself or Lois.
This issue's compressed timescale pushed the action along, although I have the
odd niggle about the time. The only reference we are given is midnight, but
when Superman arrives in Gotham, it's dusk, but hey, maybe it gets dark real
late in Gotham?!
It was good to see the World's Finest team back in action, although I have to
confess I was more struck by the look and feel of Batman and the Joker than
Superman this issue. The thoughtful Wayne in the cave and the close-up shots
between Batman and the Joker were great. This gaunt and pasty faced Joker is
the menacing personification of evil.
The cover shot of Superman was wonderful, and I liked the World's Finest
homage which it presented. The light and dark of their different costumes and
the subdued gargoyle's head were all atmospheric and appropriate.
A thought provoking single issue which kept me thinking.
William J Nixon (W.J.Nixon@lib.gla.ac.uk)
====================================================
10. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #54, "Ghosts"
Story: Louise Simonson
Penciller: Denys Cowan
Inker: Dennis Janke
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Cover: Jon Bogdanove, Janke, & Color Works
$1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
RATINGS:
Average: 2.1/5.0 Shields
AL: 2.0 Shields - Too much blending of styles and plot devices.
MC: 2.0 Shields - A very weak story that I don't think needed to come to print.
KM: 3.0 Shields - I hate crossovers. I don't read Spectre comics, so I don't
have a reference point. Cover was cool, but the rest of the
artwork was not as smooth as I would have liked.
JS: 1.5 Shields - Magnificent cover! The interior, however, was nowhere near
the exterior. The art wasn't as bad this issue (how come
Janke inks Bog so much heavier?), but the story was
absolutely unintelligible.
The stress resulting from ACTION #719 continues in the opening of this month's
SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL, but is interrupted when the Daily Planet becomes
haunted by much more than cameo appearances. As all of the electronic
equipment comes to life, the ever-thinking Superman rushes to the basement and
disrupts the power supply to the building, but that does not thwart the
machines as they attack the people in the building. Lucky for our hero it is
Team-up Month, and the Spectre arrives and exorcises the poltergeists with a
wave of his hand.
It seems that Alpha Centurion's ship hovering above the Planet's globe has
similarities to a Native American dream catcher. Somehow, the native spirit
of the land is drawing energy through this geometry and has awakened from a
long sleep. It attacks the building and the Spectre as Superman rescues other
occupants and reassures "Ms. Lane" that their conversation will continue.
Superman joins the battle, and the spirit tries to posses him as it laments
the cancerous advances of technology, which it believes is intent on
destroying the natural order. Superman retorts that technology is a tool,
neither good nor evil. The Spectre urges Superman to find his own Iconic
Reality which he can use to defeat the shaman and avoid being possessed.
Superman is able to overcome the influence of the shaman, but its powers are
still growing. The Spectre calls upon the people of Metropolis to shut off
all machines connected to the city's power grid in hopes of slowing the
increase of the spirit's power. In addition, Alpha Centurion shows up and
moves his space craft. These weaken the spirit, but he says the talisman that
awoke him is still present. Using X-ray visions, Superman finds a fragment of
the American Talisman. He unearths it from the Planet Building and hands it
to the Spectre as the spirit fades. The Spectre quickly does the same, but
not before he again reminds Superman of his role in the American Dream. Just
when Superman thinks his troubles are over, Lori usurps Lois' congratulations
with an embrace.
I think this issue had a lot more possibilities than were elaborated on in the
story. I believe the issue of Superman as an iconic entity could have been
handled very interestingly in an issue of the Spectre. No slight on Simonson,
but I think John Ostrander has a much better feel for those things. Of
course, he fails to do other things as well as Simonson does. I think it lost
a lot of its power in MAN OF STEEL. Too many things were tossed together and
just did not fit well. We have a Native American spirit awakened by an alien
space craft above a media icon containing a colonial talisman drawing power
from technologically advanced appliances. Huh? Just too much stuff here.
Also, I did not care for the guest pencils of Denys Cowan. The art seems to
combine the styles of Bog and Mandrake, and it just does not work for me.
But there is some good stuff. We get to see Bibbo in training for his fight.
Olson and Grant cover the story live, and we get an update on Lex and Contessa
as they watch. In addition, we see the fissures in the relationship of Lois
and Clark. Not that I am in favor of this. I do not even like the idea, but
I am glad to see that it is being handled well. We get a gradual build-up,
not some lightning strike from a previously blue sky.
Arthur LaMarche (DrArt95@aol.com)
====================================================
11. SUPERMAN #110, "The Treasure Hunt Caper"
Plot: Dan Jurgens
Script: Jerry Ordway
Art: Ron Frenz & Joe Rubinstein
Letters: John Costanza
Cover: Frenz, Rubinstein, & Color Works
$1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
RATINGS:
Average: 3.2/5.0 Shields
KM: 2.0 Shields - ...and that's streeeeeeeeetching it.
MC: 4.2 Shields - This is my first Plastic Man comic, so I was a bit
surprised at the personality of this character, but I
loved him! His seeing the world though cartoon eyes and
his partner, Wooz, made the whole issue both fun and funny.
I'm glad Jimmy got some recognition in this ish as well...
we haven't seen much of him, and I hope he gets more
spotlights in future issues.
JS: 3.5 Shields - Beautiful Frenz/Rubinstein art, but the story was a bit
on the stupid side. (Didn't they do this story on LOIS &
CLARK earlier this season?) It was, however, fairly
entertaining.
A funny little man in a trenchcoat (could it be...FLASHERMAN???), holding a red
staff in the shape of a familiar "S", is seen walking down the snow-covered
streets of Metropolis by Jimmy Olsen, who recognizes him as an old friend.
Suddenly the red "S" begins to reshape itself into a man with sunglasses and
crimson leotards. Enter Plastic Man and his pal Woozy Winks.
After the customary greetings have subsided, the trio head on over to WGBS,
where the two visitors begin to tell Jimmy their reason for the visit. Always
the dedicated reporter, Jimmy is hoping for another great story. We also
learn of Jimmy's brief experience as a Plastic Man when the Eradicator changed
his molecular structure in a previous comic.
The two "exceptionally unconventional collaborators" actually run a detective
agency in New York City. Imagine that! In the process of trying to figure
out how to pay the back rent to a really obnoxious landlord (actually I kinda
liked the bum), a beautiful blonde bombshell in a painted miniskirt darkens
their door, loaded to go with loose cash. She tells them a sob story about
how her brother has invented a sonic atomizer for the military and plans to
try it out on Superman. "If he can prove its effectiveness," Treasure Hunt
continues, "the military will order more, and their company will return to
profitability." She hands them a mysterious box, the sonic atomizer
nullifier, which will prevent the atomizer from hurting Superman. She wants
the two detectives to find Superman and warn him of the impending doom.
Desperately needing the money, they hastily decide to take the case.
Meanwhile, a lone stranger is having a mysterious rendezvous with Clark Kent
in a deserted parking garage. The stranger basically tells the same story,
except he puts the blame on his sister. He also hands a mysterious box to
Clark in the hopes that Superman can use it to nullify the effects of the
deadly weapon.
As soon as Tiger Hunt is gone, Clark does the Superman switch and decides to
fly over to Professor Hamilton to see if he can figure out what the box is.
Since the case is lined with lead, Superman cannot see the contents. Suddenly
he spies an unusual "S" signal gleaming over the clouded skies. As soon as he
lands he realizes that Plastic Man has reshaped himself and placed his body on
a big searchlight in the hopes of attracting the Man of Steel.
In the midst of trying to figure out what is going on, the two boxes begin to
take a life of their own. Two robots transform with the holographic images of
Tiger and Treasure Hunt. After a mild skirmish to pacify the situation, one
of the robots vacuums Superman's cape off his back and zooms off into the wild
blue yonder. The other robot, with the image of the brother, suddenly sucks
up Plastic Man. Superman gives him the old one-two, exploding the body in a
thousand pieces, freeing Plastic Man. All that is left is the holographic
image of Tiger in the football shaped helmet. He explains to the bewildered
crowd that he and his sister have a competitive hobby where they try and outdo
each other with strange and unusual collectibles from the different regions of
the universe. The bet this time was Superman's cape. No one is amused at the
sibling rivalry, especially Superman.
The closing scenes show Treasure Hunt being greeted by her robot. She
retrieves the cape and encases it in a glass shrine as an addition to her
collection. (And people think my POG collection is weird!). As soon as she
is gone, the cape begins to take on another shape. It transforms into Plastic
Man, who sneaks off before he is caught.
Filler material. That's all this was. I really didn't want to even read this
one because I knew it would be corny. I was right. Maybe it needed to be
told in first person from Woozy's point of view.
"It was colder than a brass door knob in a glass of ice water
when...SHE...walked in. Her baby blues could have warmed up the chill in my
heart as she drifted over to my beat up excuse of a desk. All I could do was
listen...and hope my tongue wasn't dangling out of my mouth. Old Plas was a
mess of drool and I tried to ignore his panting chants." Something like that,
anyway.
I thought the scene where Plastic Man turned into a chair so Treasure Hunt
could sit on his face was really tasteless. The artwork was okay, even though
it looked like something out of "Roger Rabbit" or maybe "Mad" magazine. Maybe
I just haven't read Superman comics long enough to appreciate characters like
Plastic Man. I do have some back issues where the Eradicator changes Jimmy's
molecular structure, but to be honest, I have had no interest in reading them.
Just a matter of taste, I suppose. But, I do want to know how Plastic Man
took the place of the real cape after Treasure's robot had already left the
scene. And THEN maybe, JUST MAYBE, this RIDICULOUS ISSUE WILL MAKE SENSE!!!!
Sorry, but I passed up a really exciting Rockets game to read this issue and
I'm just not very happy right now. Just kidding.
Ken McKee (stdkrm01@shsu.edu)
====================================================
12. ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #533, "Scavenger Hunt"
Writer: Karl Kesel
Penciller: Stuart Immonen
Inker: Jose Marzan Jr
Letterer: Albert De Guzman
Cover: Immonen, Marzan Jr, & Color Works
$1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
RATINGS:
Average: 4.1/5.0 Shields
AW: 4.5 Shields - A fun story that recalled the best of the '60s Superman
stories.
MC: 3.2 Shields - Well, I was a bit worried as to how they would integrate
the personalities of someone like Impulse with someone
like Clark in the same book, but it seemed to work out
fine. The story could've been pushed a little more than
it was, and (not to mention) Impulse's costume was the
wrong color throughout the entire issue, but otherwise it
was a good issue.
KM: 4.0 Shields - I like Impulse; however, I shouldn't have had two cups of
coffee while reading this comic. He REALLY made me
jittery. What is Lori up to?
JS: 4.5 Shields - While the art was slightly off this issue, Karl Kesel's
writing more than made up for it. Great characterization,
especially of Impulse, and for the first time, I can see
where Lois could be having doubts.
I have to admit that I often grab IMPULSE off the comic book store shelf more
eagerly than the latest Superman title. Impulse, like Superboy, is brash,
fun-loving, impetuous, always with a surprise or two under his belt. And true
to form, Impulse added a lot of energy and fun to this issue's team-up.
The basic premise of this story is that someone is planting bombs around the
world, and challenging Superman to find them. Realizing he needs someone with
*real* speed to help him, he calls...Wally West. But Wally isn't there. Jay
Garrick, maybe? Nope.
Reluctantly, Superman accepts Impulse's help. They chase around the world
following clues from bomb to bomb, until (of course) Superman figures out the
sinister plot and foils it...with the help of some friends.
With "Scavenger Hunt," Karl Kesel recaptured for me the spirit of the Superman
of the Sixties. Nothing earth-shaking, no great consequences (at least so
far), but a mystery that took a special combination of some brains, some super
powers, and some special help to decipher. The repartee between Superman and
Impulse was amusing, and the guest appearance by the Kents was a nice touch.
I'm even looking forward to finding out who the mysterious enemy is, this
"brother of the hood" Scavenger is girding himself to battle. I didn't even
care that Impulse's costume is red, not brown. I had a lot of fun reading
this story. In fact, if it weren't for the soap opera touches that brought me
back into the Nineties, I would have thoroughly enjoyed the issue.
Of course, I'm referring to the impending Lois/Clark break-up. I've thought
about it, and I can accept the way they're splitting apart. Clark and Lori
never did end their relationship, and Lori's sudden loss of her husband and
her return into Clark's life was bound to reunite old passions. And Lois has
discovered that she doesn't know everything about Clark; and she can't, being
an "ordinary" woman engaged to a superman.
So, as I said, I can accept it, But I don't have to like it. It just added a
touch of sadness to an otherwise wonderfully refreshing issue. Way to go,
guys.
Anatole Wilson (awilson@vnet.ibm.com)
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End of Section 5
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OTHER SUPER-TITLES:
------------------
SUPERBOY #25, "Whom The Gods Would Destroy!" (Losin' It: Part 1)
Writer: Karl Kesel
Pencillers: Tom Grummett, Jeff Moy, Dean Zachary, & J. Calafiore
Inkers: Doug Hazlewood, Keith Champagne, Dan Davis, & John Lowe
Colorist: Tom McCraw
Letters: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Assistant Editor: Chris Duffy
Editor: Frank Pittarese
Cover: Grummett & Kesel
$2.95 US/$4.25 CAN
RATINGS:
Average: 3.1/5.0 Shields
AL: 2.5 Shields - Big slug fest, but some very interesting developments.
MC: 3.9 Shields - I'm a bit confused as to why SUPERBOY #25 was extra while
STEEL #25 was the regular price, but I guess the story
inside made up for it. Knockout's always been a sort of
favorite character for me (though she could use quite a
haircut....), and when the kid and she team up, nothing
could come out of it but trouble and a good story. The
best part was all the pinups in the back, especially
Humberto Ramos's rendition of Superboy and Impulse!
JS: 3.0 Shields - Double-size so we can have more fighting!? Sigh. In
between battles, there's some good characterization, and I
loved the help-out by Jeff Moy. But still, I'm going to
miss Grummett and Hazlewood when they go...
Lucky for Tana, her cameraman was late and not present when the Furies showed
up. He runs away from the Boom Boom Room and notifies Superboy. Superboy,
who is procrastinating at a study group, flies to the rescue. Shortly,
Knockout arrives to join the melee. In a pause in the action, Knockout
relates to Superboy her origins as a Fury trainee. She was a rebel even then,
but had much shorter hair. Soon, the Furies catch up with the two, along with
Turpin and the police. More carnage develops and we see Knockout charge past
an officer. Whether the officer's arching (broken?) back is collateral damage
caused by Knockout or one of the Furies remains to be seen. After a few more
pages of carnage, we see the bleeding and broken bodies of Superboy and
Knockout in the center of the Furies' gauntlet. As quickly as they came, the
Furies leave through a boom tube.
We quickly learn that the beaten heroes were a ruse created by Dubbilex.
Knockout is furious, because she believes it was their battle to win or lose.
Later, back at the compound, Dubbilex is called by the police department and
asked to come in the next day. Rex seems to be in a great mood and seems to
want to help the police department. Dubbilex is also surprised and hints at
ominous future events in the mind of Rex. Elsewhere, Superboy and Knockout go
off for another "training" session, and Knockout continues to drop additional
sexual innuendo.
I am confused by the title. This is supposed to be the start of a six part
story, but the Furies appear to be vanquished. So they can not be the main
story, and this was a great deal of the book. Most of the book was a slug
fest. We also got to see the origins of Knockout. I am not sure that a
supporting character would be the emphasis of a six part story arc, but we
have seen a lot of her. There has been a lot of innuendo being dropped --
maybe the title is more innuendo. But before all the combat started we saw an
entire page of the sea floor. If there is one thing I have learned about
quality story-telling, everything means something. The ocean floor must mean
something.
What also could be interesting is the officer who may have been pushed by
Knockout. Was it her or someone else? Is his back broken, or was this
another case of blue on blue, fratricide, friendly fire, or what ever
euphemism one wishes to come up with...
Arthur LaMarche (DrArt95@aol.com)
====================================================
STEEL #25, "Deadly Weapons" (Family Feud: Part 1)
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciller: Phil Gosier
Inker: Rich Faber
Colorist: Stu Chaifetz
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Asst. Editor: Chris Duffy
Editor: Frank Pittarese
Cover: Phil Gosier & Rich Faber
$1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
RATINGS:
Average: 2.3/5.0 Shields
DS: 2.5 Shields -
JS: 2.0 Shields - I don't understand the direction of this title. Just
when things were starting to look good, they reveal
Steel's identity, decide he's a meta, and pick up with
gobs of slugfest. Blech.
Family Feud Part 1
We open in the aftermath of Steel's startling revelation that he is in reality
John Henry Irons. Everyone (including this reviewer) seems to be wondering
why he decided to tell the world who he is. Shauna Beryl is surprised,
perhaps embarrassed, and probably sad that Steel is black. [Maybe she can
work through her surprise and a mixed race relationship can develop -- Art]
Hardwire's body is lying in ruins beside the Washington Monument and John
Henry Irons is being carried off by the FBI to investigate his involvement in
the monument's destruction. The secret government agency, meanwhile, is
covering its ... uh ... bases, making sure that the creation of Hardwire and
the aftermath are not blamed on them. Steel will be killed before he ever
comes to trial!
Meanwhile Hazard gloats over Steel's loss of his armor and the fact that his
family will always be in danger. To keep Steel from being killed and made to
look like a suicide, Hazard orders his henchman, Split, to teleport into
Steel's cell and bring him to the secret headquarters.
Hazard tells Steel his master plan: with John Henry's disappearance, the
government will spend its time looking for him and ignoring Hazard. Steel is
somewhat peeved to find that the destruction of his life is merely Hazard's
way of distracting the government. As Hazard telekenetically pummels Steel's
body, Steel calls on his armor to reappear, which it does. Steel is just
getting ready to clean Hazard's clock when Hazard tells Steel that he (Steel)
has a metagene and is therefore a meta-human. A multi-page slugfest erupts in
which Steel finds out that Hazard is planning on taking over America's Nuclear
Arsenal with his computers. (It's not clear what good this will do him unless
Superman, the Justice League and everybody else in the DC Universe-Earth
branch is taking a vacation, but maybe Hazard didn't consider that.) At the
culmination of the bash fest, as Steel and his armor are getting ripped apart,
John Henry decides to send his armor to wherever it goes when he sends it
away. But this time he goes with it.
Meanwhile, Tyke has confessed to his family that he is the individual who took
the money and told the government agents that Steel was John Henry Irons. The
family is divided about Tyke. Some are trying to forgive him while others are
less forgiving.
Steel is in limbo without the ability to breath, since apparently the place he
sends his armor is not really a place after all. He teleports back to Earth,
where military choppers are shooting to kill, and Hazard and his cronies are
teleporting in after Steel. Steel flees, all the while vowing to reveal
Hazard's plan to the world and get his revenge for Hazard's ruining his life.
Stay tuned for the next thrill packed episode of Steel.
I don't like the idea that Steel is a meta-human. The thing that attracted
him to me in the first place was that of all the pretenders to the name of
Superman, he was the only "ordinary" man but was also the one who was most
closely attuned to the soul of Kal-el. I will probably follow this story line
to its conclusion, but if things don't go in a direction that I want to
follow, I'm going to get off soon after that.
Phil Gosier is back, after a one month hiatus when Steel was pencilled by Lee
Sullivan. The layout is varied even by Gosier's standards -- the first page
has 11 panels while the next two pages form one splash. Gosier's style has
always appealed to me in this regard. Once again several color palates are
used to good effect -- John Henry's family has a predominantly green tint to
the picture, while Hazard's lair is rendered in a reddish purple in keeping
with Hazard's costume.
The cover is excellent. Steel's identity is revealed by the unwrapping of his
headgear, showing his face interspersed with the spiraling helmet/facemask.
Dick Sidbury (sidbury@cs.uofs.edu)
====================================================
SHOWCASE '96 #3, "Birds of a Feather"
Featuring Lois Lane, Black Canary, & Oracle
Script: Jordan B. Gorfinkle
Layouts: Jennifer Graves
Finishes: Stan Woch
Colors: Dave Grafe
Letters: Ken Bruzenak
Asst. Editor: Chris Duffy
Editor: Frank Pittarese
Cover: Gary Frank and John Nyberg,
with Gloria Vasquez & Android Images
$2.95 US/$4.25 CAN
RATINGS:
Average: 3.4/5.0 Shields
RG: Story: 3.5 Shields - Well balanced, complete.
Art: 3.0 Shields - OK, needed detail and backgrounds.
JS: 3.5 Shields - Pretty nice story, and solid art (though maybe a little
dark). Minor timing gaffe on DC's part though -- since
this issue takes place after ACTION #720 and spoils the
big news they've tried to be cryptic about...
Lois, fresh from her break-up with Clark, is trying to get her career back on
track. She is trying to break a story on the use of illegal immigrants as
virtual slaves in Metropolis. She ends up teaming up with Black Canary to
break it up when they gets caught. Oracle, via the micro transceivers she
uses to work with Black Canary, manages to figure out what is going on. Lois,
Black Canary, and one of the slaves lead a revolt against the meta- powered
foreman who is in charge of the operation.
A nice handling of the sweatshop/slavery story that everyone seems to be doing
of late. At least it wasn't too preachy. I had to give this one slightly
lower marks than I normally would, simply because the plot is so over-used.
The background was current and up-to-date with happenings in the DC Universe
(Lois and Clark's break-up, Green Arrow's death). All in all, not a bad
story. The art was, as usual, very plain and lacking in detail. The colors
were slightly muddy and could have benefited from greater detail in the
shading and backgrounds.
"Mercy Killing"
Starring Deadman
Writer: Jamie Delano
Artist: Wade Von Grawbadger
Colorist: Pat Garrahy
Letterer: Kevin Cunningham
Editor: Chuck Kim
No "super" content, not rated
Deadman tries to "hitch" a ride when a death-row inmate is executed. Story
was interesting, but Deadman isn't much of a character anymore.
"Acts of God"
Starring Lightray
Writer: Scott Ciencin
Penciller: Alex Morrissey
Inker: Brian Garvey
Letterer: Kevin Cunningham
Colorist: Roberta Tewes
Editor: Chris Eades
No "super" content, not rated
Lightray is attacked when he visits a soup kitchen that has been started in
his name.
Rene' Gobeyn (gobeyn@kodak.com)
___________________________________________________________
SPECIALS/OTHER APPEARANCES:
--------------------------
MARVEL VERSUS DC/DC VERSUS MARVEL #2 (of 4)
Written by: Peter David (with thanks to Ron Marz)
Pencilled by: Claudio Castellini & Dan Jurgens
Inked by: Paul Neary (thanks to Sean Hardy) & Josef Rubinstein
Lettered by: Bill Oakley
Colored by: Gregory Wright
Separated by: Digital Chameleon
Assistant Edited by: Joe Andreani & Chris Duffy
Edited by: Mark Gruenwald & Mike Carlin
Cover by: Castellini & Neary
$3.95 US/$5.55 CAN
RATINGS:
Average: 4.1/5.0 Shields
RG: Story: 3.0 Shields - Starting to turn to fight scenes.
Art: 5.0 Shields - Gorgeous detail, layouts, and color.
MC: 4.9 Shields - As with the first, this issue was excellent. I only take
one tenth of a point off because of the facts that 1) These
battles are WAY too short and not in-depth, and 2) They
seem to have mixed up two of the battles, IMO....there is
no way Aquaman could beat Namor, despite how they worked
it, and it would be a cold day in the netherworld before
Thor could come close to touching Captain Marvel. Both are
extremely unreal, but otherwise, I absolutely LOVED
everything! I am eagerly awaiting #3, which I believe
will have DC winning the majority of the five voted bouts.
JS: 3.5 Shields - The art was just as solid as the first issue, but this time
there's actually a bit of story-telling, rather than just
a bunch of pin-ups. Next up, Supes kicks [Hulk] butt!
The Universes are continuing to merge. Even the common folks are beginning to
lose track of where they are as things continue to deteriorate and Axel Asher
seems to be a part of the key to what is happening.
As the heroes and villains of both universes continue to team up in both
expected and unexpected ways, we start to see some of the promised battles
come off. It's fun to watch how Wolverine takes on Killer Croc, Captain
America takes on Bane, and Nightwing and Gambit don't hit it off very well.
However, while Batman checks on Nightwing, Gambit and Wolverine steal the
Batmobile. This, to me, was the high point of the book. From here, the story
starts to slow down and turn into a collection of fight scenes. Not my
favorite thing, but the drop-dead gorgeous art is some of the best super-hero
art I have ever seen.
We now learn how and why this is all happening. It seems like two god-like
(what else - I had hoped for something a bit more creative) "Brothers" were
created in the "big-bang". Each had their own universe. As long as they were
unaware that the other existed, all was well. Now that they are aware of each
other, both want to be unique. They decide to pit some of the heroes from
each universe against the corresponding(?) hero and let the outcome decide
which universe will survive. Everyone, hero and common man alike, are told
that only one universe will survive. If the heroes refuse to fight, the
brothers will go to war, and that could be the end of both universes.
We also get to learn the significance of the box, the homeless man, and Axel.
This could prove to be interesting.
Well, without belaboring the point, the three matches that are resolved in
this book are:
Quicksilver vs. The Flash (Flash wins)
Sub-Mariner vs. Aquaman (Aquaman wins)
Thor vs. Captain Marvel (Thor wins)
There are eight more to come, including the results of the match- ups that the
fans got to vote on. This includes the bouts between Superman and the Hulk
and between Superboy and Spider-man.
With the coming of the two Cosmic Entities, the quality of the story rapidly
deteriorates into mostly-brainless fights. The heroes of both universes whine
about how they don't want to do this, but if they don't, their universe will
end.
Each fight is usually handled well, with some really good scenes. The
Aquaman/Namor fight is great fun, while some of the fights are resolved in
ways that don't really prove anything. The Thor/Captain Marvel fight is a
good example. We were promised actual documented resolutions to these fights,
but some leave much to be desired.
Rene' Gobeyn (gobeyn@kodak.com)
====================================================
LEAGUE OF JUSTICE, Stave Two: Hero War
Writer/Penciller: Ed Hannigan
Inker: Dick Giordano
Color Artist: Tom McCraw
Letterer: John Costanza
Assistant Editor: Alisande Morales
Editor: Brian Augustyn
Cover: Hannigan & Giordano, with McCraw & Cynthia Morris
$5.95 US/$8.50 CAN
RATINGS:
Average: 3.3/5.0 Shields
RG: Story: 3.5 Shields - Predictable but fun anyway.
Art: 4.5 Shields - Lavishly detailed and colored.
JS: 2.5 Shields - The story broke down in its conclusion, but at least
Supes came through in the end. For the most part, the
art was as good as last time, but it did seem a bit
rushed toward the end.
While this is truly a wonderful story, I couldn't rate it higher because most
everything that happened was too predictable. The story telling was well
done, and while it was a stock fantasy quest type plot, the twists added by
having the super-powered beings available made it enjoyable. The art was
gorgeous, with rich colors and incredibly fine details to add depth and
texture. All-in-all a well done book that I can recommend, but if you don't
enjoy fantasy quests you might want to give it a pass.
I have really enjoyed this story. It's an obvious take off on the formation
of the early JLA, but Hannigan has managed to pull it all together, right down
to Snapper Carr. If you were ever a fan of the JLA, you will probably enjoy
this one.
Some time has passed since the end of the story last issue. The Batmancer
managed to rescue two of our heroes, Neil and Ken (who now is taking on the
aspect of the Martian) from Loblo in Goth City. He managed to get them out of
the city and back to his cave, where he prepares them for their journey. He
sends them on their way, but not before Phaeton manages to bestow his talisman
of power on Neil (one of the outworld kids).
The rest of our crew (Fred and Alcy) has joined up with the Green Knight and
his army to face Sovereign (this world's Superman) and his Father Luithorr.
The Green Knight's army gets trashed, and the Green Knight captured, but
before he gets taken away he sends his Gauntlet (this worlds Power Ring, that
uses Kryptonite for a stone - a nice touch) into Fred's keeping.
Meanwhile Ken, Neil, and the Batmancer have journeyed to the land of the
Hawkpeople to enlist their aid in the battle against Luithorr. It isn't easy,
but they eventually succeed.
The Green Knight is taken to Metropolis, and here we get our first look at
Luithorr and Sovereign's fortress city. It is a giant mobile tower, powered
by Kryptonite. It is so huge that it crushes all in its path, all the while
carving out mystic symbols necessary to Luithorr's plans to actually destroy
the universe so that he can create a new one of his own design.
Fred, Alcy, Green Arrow, and Atomus have been joined by Snappercaw and
Hunkk'll, two other survivors of the battle, as they prepare to find The
Amazon and the Atlantean.
Ken, Neil, Batmancer and the Hawks have arrived at Metropolis and attempt to
free the Green Knight. In doing so, Neil complete the process necessary to
gain Phaeton's speed powers and slow Luithorr down a bit, giving the others a
chance.
The whole gang together again, they journey to Amazonia to find the last two
heroes they need to complete the Lady of the Birds' prophecy to defeat
Luithorr and hopefully get them home at the same time.
Our crew finally enlist the aid of the Amazon and the Atlantean, only to have
Sovereign (off panel) manage to critically wound the Amazon, forcing her to
pass her powers on to Alcy, as the only female present.
With all the heroes called for by the prophecy, our crew finally takes the
battle to Luithorr and Metropolis, where they are forced to battle Sovereign
while The Lady and Luithorr fight it out. The balance of power is in question
until Luithorr betrays Sovereign, and a dying Sovereign finally comes to his
senses and manages to defeat Luithorr. The result of the explosion opens a
rift between the worlds allowing the last three human kids to get back to
Earth.
Rene' Gobeyn (gobeyn@kodak.com)
___________________________________________________________
*********************************************************
End of Section 6
___________________________________________________________
AFTER-BYRNE: Reviews of the post-Crisis Man of Steel
----------------------------------------------------
KRISIS OF THE KRIMSON KRYPTONITE
--------------------------------
by Mark Lamutt (markdl@netcom.com / mdlamut0@wcc.com)
Title: SUPERMAN #50
Written by: Jerry Ordway
Art by: Dan Jurgens, Brett Breeding, Kerry Gammill, Dennis Janke,
Curt Swan, John Byrne, and Jerry Ordway
Colors by: Glenn Whitmore
Cover by: Jerry Ordway
Cover Date: December 1990
Cover Price: $1.50 US/$1.85 CAN
"Krisis of the Krimson Kryptonite, Part Four"
The final part of our story begins with Clark Kent attempting to visit Lex
Luthor and getting dumped into the street by Lex's security. Walking towards
the subway station, Clark recalls what has happened to him thus far. While
flying a prisoner to Stryker's Island, red bands of light passed through his
body, stealing his powers away. After falling into the harbor and then
standing dripping wet in Lex's office, Lex beat the living daylights out him.
Later, while impersonating him, Starman managed to grab the red rock that Lex
said was the key to Superman's lost powers. Professor Hamilton studied the
rock, but concluded that it is nothing like Kryptonite, and is unsure what to
do next.
As Clark boards the subway, he reflects on his life, and how the only thing
that seems to be going his way is his relationship with Lois. The power goes
out, and the subway car is plunged into total darkness. Just as the power
comes back on, a giant rat-like creature leaps through the window and straight
at Clark. In the nick of time the Guardian's yellow shield appears in front
of Clark, saving him from the ravages of the beast. Heading back to his
apartment, Clark sees a mugging in progress, but Gangbuster is handling the
situation.
Arriving back at his apartment, Clark starts taking a shower, and the phone
rings. His parents are worried about him after seeing his performance on CNN
from Stryker's Island. Clark reassures them that everything is fine. Martha
then asks Clark if he found the surprise that she left in his suitcase from
his last visit. Of course, Clark hasn't even unpacked yet, but when he does
he finds a diamond ring that has been in the Kent family for years.
Heading for the Daily Planet, Clark cannot help overhearing everyone talking
about how Superman has lost his powers, and can't do anything to help them
anymore. At the Planet, things aren't that much better. Jimmy is depressed
about his mom being in the psychiatric ward, and Perry blows up at Lois
because he's having problems with his wife Alice. Lois is desperately worried
about her mom, who is dying in the hospital. Her mom isn't getting any worse,
but she isn't getting any better either.
Racing to catch Lois, Clark jumps into her elevator and asks her to lunch.
Sitting at their table, Clark pulls out the ring, shows it to Lois, and asks
her to be his wife. With everything happening in her life, she tells Clark
that she needs some time to sort everything out. At that moment, Lois gets a
phone call from Lex Luthor: Lex wants to talk to her about writing his
biography. Clark grabs the phone from her and tells Lex that he has the red
Kryptonite, and wants the true story behind it. Lex tells Clark to bring the
rock to his office, and he'll get his story.
Walking into Lex Luthor's office, Clark tells Lex that the price for the rock
is a story off the record -- the reason Lex fears Superman so much. Lex
exclaims that he fears no man, but that Superman's "act" is a sham. Clark
goads him on, claiming that if Lex and his operations were so squeaky clean
then he has no reason to fear the Man of Steel. As Luthor grows more angry,
he cries that the Kryptonite that should have killed Superman is instead
killing him. Clark continues questioning Lex, asking if he is taking Superman
with him with Lex's own creation, the red Kryptonite. Lex scoffs at Clark,
stating that he had nothing to do with creating the red Kryptonite. As he has
Clark thrown out of his office, Lex tells Clark that it would not break the
rules for him to know that the red Kryptonite had been given to Luthor by Mr.
Mxyzptlk, the imp from the fifth dimension. [As you will recall, when Mr.
Mxyzptlk first gave the red-K to Lex, the only rule that could not be broken
was that Lex could never tell Superman where the red-K had come from.]
Down on the street, Clark Kent regains his powers and once more becomes
Superman. Flying through the skies of Metropolis, Superman sees Luthor
holding the rock, which has taken on the form of Mr. Mxyzptlk. The imp is
yelling at Lex about the rule of not telling Superman. Lex calls Mr. Mxyzptlk
a liar just as Superman enters the office via the window. Mxyzptlk offers to
leave for the customary ninety days, only if Superman will punch out Lex for
calling him a liar. Superman refuses, and tells the imp to leave.
The standard, customary fight ensues, with Mr. Mxyzptlk transforming into a
giant blob of fat cells (taken from a piece of Lex's skin that had caught on
the rock). Superman lures the blob out over the harbor, where Mr. Mxyzptlk
starts begging to be hit. Confused, Superman obliges. Since the blob body
had come from the skin of Lex Luthor, the pact is completed and Mr. Mxyzptlk
disappears back to the dimension from whence he came.
News quickly spreads that the Man of Steel is back, and better than ever. Lex
broods in his office, staring at a picture of his son, Jerry White, who died
several issues back. Perry and Alice White continue their argument over the
fact that Lex Luthor was Jerry's father. Jimmy Olsen's mother awakens from
her coma to find Jimmy watching over her. Lois' mother is doing better after
seeing Lois and Lucy at her side when she awoke. As Lois heads for the lobby
to meet Clark, her father, Sam Lane, tells her that Clark has "passed muster
with Sam Lane."
As Clark and Lois head for the parking garage, Clark takes her into his arms.
Lois tells him that her mother really likes him. She then turns to Clark and
says, "Shhh Clark. I've already decided. Yes. I want to share my life with
you." Slipping the ring onto her finger, they kiss.
Before I get into reviewing the writing and the artwork, there are a few
things that should be pointed out about this story arc which wereprovided to
this author by David T. Chappell, the keeper of the Superman FAQ. First,
revealed in an interview once, the Superman team had originally intended for
Lois to turn down Clark's proposal. As they were writing the story, however,
they couldn't come up with a good reason why she would, so she accepted.
Second, in the sequences with Mr. Mxyzptlk giving all kinds of trouble to
people in another dimension, it becomes apparent that Mr. Mxyzptlk is also the
Impossible Man from Marvel's The Fantastic Four books. This is very similar
to his appearing as the Yonder, (Beyonder from Marvel's Secret Wars I and II)
in his first Byrne story. And third, this issue marked the final appearance
by John Byrne doing artwork for the Superman books. [Well, until ACTION
COMICS ANNUAL #6, anyway... -- Jeff]
Jerry Ordway strikes again, with the conclusion to one of the all-time best
stories written since the beginning of 1987. Yes, I have raved about Ordway's
work since this column began, and once again, his words deserve my best. The
story is gripping, keeping the reader on the edge of the seat throughout the
entire 48 pages. All of the loose ends are brought to a satisfying close
throughout, and the reader is left with a feeling of "WOW" after finishing.
All in all, some of the best writing that has ever been done, at least in this
reviewer's opinion.
As for the artwork, when this group of artists gets together to do a book, you
know that it will be something special. This one is no exception. You might
think that having seven different artists working on this would make the
artwork choppy from section to section, but not with these artists. They have
been doing Superman for a long time now, and are able to integrate their work
seamlessly with each other. The panels are poignant throughout the book. The
art enhances the story, and in fact tells the story in this book more so than
any Superman book published in recent times. It makes you laugh, and if you
have a heart beating in your chest, it makes you cry. In my opinion, this is
one of the best looking books that has ever been done. If you don't have it
in your collection, you should.
Overall, this is one of the only books done since 1987 that I can honestly
give 5 shields out of 5. Pick it up. Stay tuned next month for a one-shot
deal reviewing Superman #51, introducing the Mysterious Mr. Z!
___________________________________________________________
MANUSCRIPTS OF STEEL
--------------------------------
Reviews of After-Byrne Superman special stories
by Denes House
(dhouse@itsmail1.hamilton.edu)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography
Written by James D. Hudnall
Art by Eduardo Barreto
Colored by Adam Kubert
Painted Cover by Eric Peterson
1989
Prestige Format, $3.95 US/$4.95 CAN
Rating:
5.0/5.0 Shields
---------------------------------------------------------
ACTION COMICS #600, which came out in 1988, gave us a much closer look at Lex
Luthor's schemes than any comic up to that point. In it, Lex loses his right
hand to the radiation poisoning that eventually killed him. We actually see
him try to manipulate Maggie Sawyer, and we know the kind of dirt he likes to
dig up.
Shortly thereafter came LEX LUTHOR: THE UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY.
This book is, bar none, the best exploration of the character of Lex Luthor in
existence. It is a look at a man who would be god, a man of incomparable ego,
insatiable lust for power, and ultimate, unquenchable evil.
James D. Hudnall (The "Red Glass" storyline in the Superman books,
STRIKEFORCE: MORITURI, ALPHA FLIGHT) crafts a well-paced story that unfolds on
several levels, building to a climactic encounter with Luthor himself. The
story opens with Clark Kent accused of the murder of a fellow reporter, Peter
Sands. Police interviews marked Kent as the last person to see Sands alive.
Police photographs present damning evidence. And as the police interrogate
Kent, Sands' story unfolds. Now a man used to looking at life from within a
bottle, Sands was once a solid reporter and biographer. Continually drunk and
unable to pay his bills, Sands is looking for work, any kind of work, but not
even the sleazy "Hot Babes" magazine will hire him. At his lowest point, he
is approached by a book publisher, familiar only with his earlier work,
looking for a juicy biography. Shuffling through the enormous mess on his
coffee table, Sands comes across a copy of the Daily Planet, headlining
Luthor's latest charitable donation. Sands tells the publisher he is working
on an unauthorized biography of Lex Luthor.
As the police interrogate Clark Kent further, they present him with the most
difficult evidence of all -- the dying Peter Sands had written Kent's name on
the floor with his own blood!
Meanwhile, Hudnall continues to reveal Sands' story. Investigating Luthor's
life brings back Sands' old reporter instincts and habits. It gives direction
to his life, focus and meaning. Sands quits drinking and starts reading
newspaper articles, Luthor's autobiography, school records -- anything he can
get his hands on. He interviews people who knew Luthor as a child, as a young
tycoon, and as a corporate mogul. All the while he is being followed.
Witnesses are killed, and threats are levied towards Sands, but this drives
him on further -- compelled by the horror of what he has learned to seek out
the truth about this thoroughly evil man.
Hudnall's story is rich with characterization, and presents a frightening
picture of a man driven only by his thirst for power. Hudnall's story is
lushly textured, giving us glimpse after savage glimpse of Luthor's brutal
past -- and the secrets he will kill to protect. At the same time, the
framing story of Clark Kent being investigated for murder is tense and
gripping, showing again some of the difficulties of living a double life.
Clark's only alibi during the time of the killings is that he was in Tokyo,
rescuing the survivors of a massive earthquake as Superman! Layer upon layer
of the plot builds until Clark Kent, Peter Sands, and even the police
themselves are drawn into Lex's labyrinthian machinations. The climax is a
confrontation between Sands and Luthor himself, as we hear finally from the
cunning power-broker himself. The effect is chilling, and the reader is
gripped far beyond the final page.
Eduardo Barreto shows his mastery of his medium here, pencilling and inking
the entire book. His gritty realism brings the reader onto the mean streets
of Suicide Slum, and we can almost smell the reeking waves of alcoholic stench
radiating from Peter Sands. At the same time, Luthor himself is a pillar of
evil power, from his youth through his middle age. Adam Kubert's blocky,
moody colors are the perfect complement for all of Barreto's atmospheres.
What stands out to me is that, in this age of flash over substance, Barreto
and Kubert speak volumes with their subtlety, telling the story rather than
overwhelming it.
With this amazing melding of story and art, Hudnall and Barreto even
accomplish the unthinkable - at times we can even sympathize with Luthor.
Perhaps this is the most chilling thing of all.
Capsule review:
Story: Richly textured and riveting from beginning to end.
5 Shields out of 5.
Art: Moody and gritty, a perfect mesh with Hudnall's story.
5 Shields out of 5.
Overall: One of the best Superman-related Graphic novels. If you have not yet
read this book, search it out and do so. Now. 5 Shields out of 5.
Denes House
February 1996
___________________________________________________________
ACTION COMICS #661
Resilient Writer: Roger Stern
Adaptable Artists: Bob McLeod and Brett Breeding
Elongated Letterer: Bill Oakley
Recoiling Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Amorphous Asst: Dan Thorsland
Elastic Editor: Mike Carlin
Cover: Kerry Gammill and Brett Breeding
January 1991
$1.00 US/$1.25 CAN/50p UK
In light of Plastic Man's recent guest appearance in SUPERMAN #110, I've
decided to review Plas's first appearance in the Post-Byrne Super-titles,
ACTION COMICS #661. The writer is Roger Stern, and that name alone should
tell you how good this issue is. The ever-competent art team is Bob McLeod
and Brett Breeding, who in my opinion, drew the definitive versions of all the
characters, especially Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen. On to the story.
Jimmy Olsen and Lucy Lane are walking through an airport. He is thoroughly
bored listening to her until a small peck on the cheek brightens his day and
reminds him that he "may have a love life yet." His thoughts are interrupted
by a cry of "ouch!" coming from a piece of luggage being thrown down on the
conveyor belt. It turns out to be Plastic Man's partner, Woozy Winks, who
explains to Jim that traveling as baggage was the only thing he and his
partner could afford. Jimmy finds out who the "partner" is when a crook
steals a red suitcase that turns out to be none other than Plastic Man
himself! Plas captures the crook, and he and Woozy are driven away from the
airport by Jimmy.
Plastic Man explains their current situation: a man riddled with bullet holes
came into their detective office and, before collapsing, told them that "T.B.
is coming" and the code "PO1....8811."
Over in another part of town, Superman comes upon an Intergang operation. He
captures about ten helpless soldiers and sets his sights on one of their
airships. He rips into it, and the two pilots immediately eject. Superman
reads from Intergang's private bulletin board and finds out that "T.B."
arrives today. At that moment the ship blows up with the "kick of a baby
nuke." Mannheim, the leader of Intergang, gloats about how he's killed
Superman. The poor, deluded fool. Superman, curious about T.B., dusts
himself off and flies away.
Meanwhile, Jimmy has taken a wrong turn and driven into Suicide Slum. He
spies Bibbo, and the three of them get out of the car to meet him. Bibbo
reveals that he has bought the Ace O' Clubs with some of the $14 million he
won in the lottery. Plastic Man asks Bibbo about T.B., and Jimmy calls Clark
Kent at the Planet. In the foreground, we see Bibbo, Woozy, and Plastic Man
(who has taken on Bibbo's face and is imitating him) downing a round of beers.
When Jimmy mentions TB to Clark, Clark gets excited and rushes off. He
remembers meeting Plastic Man once and sees him as "an adaptable sort," but
not "all that stable." When he gets to the bar, he finds that the two
detectives are gone and that Bibbo told them to go to the docks and look up
PO18811 as a harbor registration number. The detectives look in vain for the
number, but they do find... Time Bomb, who blasts Woozy over the ocean.
Fortunately, Superman saves him.
Time Bomb, with the ability to blow up and reform his body, fights Plastic Man
and Superman, until Plas devises a way to engulf Time Bomb in his body and
stop him. Jimmy writes up the story, and they all live happily ever after.
But what about PO18811?? Just then, at Pacific Orient Airlines, gate 1,
flight 8811, Leilani (Mannheim's 'executive assistant' and part leader of
Intergang) meets her sister, Tiny Bubbles. They leave, and our story ends
with Woozy saying "That's all, folks!"
I liked this issue for many reasons. One, it was a Stern issue. No need to
explain there. It was well-written and well-drawn. I also like team-ups.
It's fun to see how Superman fits in with other heroes -- that's what made
John Byrne's early ACTION COMICS issues so fascinating. Here, Superman
"tells" us his opinion of Plastic Man, and he actually recognizes Woozy Winks!
These are little hints about how all these heroes co-exist. One thing I would
have liked (and expected from Roger Stern) was a little origin story for
Plastic Man. For such an under-used (yet interesting and fun) character, we
should be given a little clue about his past here. But otherwise, this issue
was very fun to read. I give it 4.5 shields, and would recommend it for any
Super-fan. Thanks!
[FYI: Plastic Man's origin was retold in PLASTIC MAN #1, the first issue of a
mini-series which ran from November 1988 to February 1989. -- Jeff]
Ben Marlin
COSMICBEN@aol.com
___________________________________________________________
*********************************************************
End of Section 7
___________________________________________________________
THE PHANTOM ZONE: Reviews of the pre-Crisis Man of Steel
--------------------------------------------------------
THE GIRL FRIEND AND THE PAL: LOIS AND JIMMY IN THEIR OWN COMICS
----------------------------------------------------------------
By Jon B. Knutson (jonknut@eskimo.com)
This is the first of what will hopefully be a continuing series of reviews of
two titles in the Superman Family of comics which are often overlooked:
Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane, and Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen.
First, a bit of history: Lois Lane, lovely black-haired reporter for the
Daily Planet (originally the Daily Star), began her comics career at the same
time as Superman did, in ACTION COMICS #1. Clark asks her out on a date, and
she decides to give him a break. As they danced that evening after dinner, a
local gangster decides he wants to dance with Lois. Clark, playing the
milksop, allows the gangster to cut in, but Lois refuses to dance with him,
leaving Clark alone in the nightclub. Of course, Lois gets kidnapped by the
gangster, and Superman has to rescue her.
Jimmy Olsen, at least according to the Overstreet Price Guide, had to wait
until ACTION COMICS #6, in which he's referred to as simply 'office boy.'
Again, according to Overstreet, he's first called by name in SUPERMAN COMICS
#13, after the Daily Star mysteriously became the Daily Planet (a bit of
pre-Crisis history here: It was later decided that the Earth-2 Superman
always worked at the Daily Star as Clark Kent, with his editor being George
Taylor, despite the fact that in SUPERMAN #4, the newspaper's become the Daily
Planet, and Perry White's first appearance is apparently in SUPERMAN #7.
Other than that bit of confusion, however, it's pretty much taken for granted
that any Superman story prior to about 1956 or so was Earth-2, and afterwards,
Earth-1).
Lois Lane began a solo series of stories in SUPERMAN COMICS #28, which
continued until #40 or #42 (Overstreet isn't clear... perhaps #41 didn't have
a Lois solo story in it, and the final one appeared in #42). The series was
titled "Lois Lane, Girl Reporter." Some of these stories were later reprinted
in Lois' own title. Before getting her own comic book, Lois got two issues of
SHOWCASE, #9 and #10, as a trial run. At least one of those stories was
reprinted a few years ago in the SHOWCASE trade paperback. SUPERMAN'S GIRL
FRIEND, LOIS LANE, began with issue #1 in 1958, and continued through to #137
in 1974, with two annuals (#1 and #2, Summer 1962 and 1963 respectively).
Lois also had a two-part miniseries in 1986... but I'm getting ahead of
myself.
Jimmy was much luckier than Lois... he only had to wait until 1954 for his own
comic book, SUPERMAN'S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN. His series continued until issue
#163, in 1974. The numbering sequence continued in SUPERMAN FAMILY #164,
which combined Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, and Supergirl into one giant-size comic
book as part of DC's Dollar Comics experiment, and lasted until #222, in 1982.
Sharing the combined book with Lois, Jimmy, and Kara were Krypto, Nightwing
and Flamebird, Superboy (after his own book was canceled), Mr. and Mrs.
Superman (the Earth-2 Clark and Lois, who got married), and The Private Life
of Clark Kent (carried over from Superman). The series was canceled to make
room for new Supergirl and Superboy titles, and Lois and Jimmy had to settle
for being supporting cast in ACTION and SUPERMAN again (with the exception of
the Lois miniseries in 1986).
While the two had their own titles, the artwork was handled by a variety of
artists, the most memorable (in my opinion, at least) in Lois Lane being Curt
Swan and Kurt Schaffenberger, and in Jimmy Olsen by Curt Swan (him again!),
Kurt Schaffenberger (yep, him, too), Pete Costanza, and even Jack Kirby!
The Lois stories, at least through to the late 1960's, had a tendency to use
at least one of the following plot devices:
1. Lois tries to prove that Superman is Clark Kent.
2. Lois tries to trick Superman into marrying her.
3. Lois does something incredibly impulsive and stupid.
4. Lois has to deal with her rival, Lana Lang.
It must be admitted that a lot of these stories ended with Superman having a
big laugh over the predicament Lois got herself into. Nice guy, eh?
Jimmy's comic also had its plot devices, many of which were combined as well:
1. Jimmy tries to make Lucy Lane jealous of him.
2. Jimmy undergoes a strange, bizarre transformation.
3. Jimmy uses his incredible "Olsen Disguise Kit."
4. And of course, Jimmy calls Superman on his signal watch.
Both titles had many other regular plot devices as well, but these are the
most common. There were also common items in each title as well... such as
appearances by other Superman family cast members as Perry White, Mr.
Mxyzptlk, Supergirl, Lori Lemaris, Krypto, and many more.
The first issue of LOIS LANE that I'll review is #82, April 1968. This issue
is really a major landmark issue, because during the course of this story,
Superman proposes to Lois, she accepts and they get married. Nope, it's not a
dream, not a hoax, not an imaginary story, and it doesn't involve exact
doubles or alternative Earths. Let me explain.
The cover, nicely drawn by Neal Adams, shows Lois reacting in surprise as a
futuristically-clad man indicates a large marble 'bed' with statues of Lois
and Superman lying on it. The man is saying, "And this memorial symbolizes
the great love between Superman and Lois Lane. They were killed on their
honeymoon centuries ago, in 1968!" Lois reacts to this by thinking "That's
_my_ face!! I'm destined to marry Superman... but we're both doomed!" A box
on the lower part of the cover says, "Featuring 'The Tragic Fate of the
Superman Sweethearts!'"
Unusually enough, the story inside the comic has the same title... not the
norm for DC's Superman Family comics of that era. The interior artwork is by
the late Ross Andru, who drew several stories in many of the Superman Family
titles in the late 1960's, as well as WONDER WOMAN for a time. The splash
page shows Lois and the gentleman from the cover watching a viewscreen, which
shows a group of purple-clad men in matching gloves and skullcap masks. The
head man, speaking, gestures at a Superman statue, saying that after their
trap is sprung, that statue will be all that's left to remind them that there
ever was a Superman.
The story begins with Clark telling Lois that he's just learned she broke her
arm on a skiing trip. Lois invites him to sign her cast (displaying a bit of
fishnet-stocking-clad leg in the process). While Clark signs the cast, he
overhears a call for Superman: A UFO has landed in Metropolis Park. Clark
changes into Superman and flies to the scene, while Lois takes the Daily
Planet's helicopter (despite her broken arm and Perry's complaints) to cover
that story. Superman arrives at the park to see the UFO, which is empty, but
also spots a little old woman walking nearby. Since all civilians were
ordered to clear out, Superman x-rays the woman, discovering that she's really
a jewel thief who specializes in being a quick-change artist. Flying the
thief to the police, Superman doesn't notice Lois flying the copter to the
UFO. Lois approaches the UFO, and is strangely drawn inside it, where she
discovers it's not a spacecraft, but a time machine. Sitting down in a
cushioned seat, the time machine activates, and Lois is drawn to the future.
In the year 4068, an earth upheaval has shattered North America into a cluster
of huge islands. The UFO/time machine lands Lois on one of them, in the midst
of a vast city. However, the landing isn't so good, and it rams another
vehicle. Looking over the scene is Professor Kryon and his students. One of
the students sent the time machine to 1968 to get the jewel thief, but Lois
got caught in it instead, and the student's faulty space-time coordinates
caused the crash. Lois is alarmed when nobody wants to help the girl in the
other ship, but Kryon tells her that in this city, Katraz, they don't panic
over accidents. A Medi-Guard patrol ship arrives, and they use a Frigidron to
put the girl in suspended animation until she can be operated upon. The
accompanying doctor notices Lois' broken arm, and uses a Polycure Accelerator
to heal it, followed by treating her with a Micro-Radiation Scanner to kill
the germs she brought with her from the past.
Kryon then takes Lois on a tour of Katraz. Lois is surprised to find that
there are no Superman descendants around, especially after the rescue of a
high-tech ocean-going vessel. Kryon takes Lois to a 20th century museum,
where she's shown the memorial we saw on the cover. Lois is told that
Superman and Lois died on their honeymoon. Kryon shows Lois the events using
a time-scope.
The scope shows that in 1968 a gang called the Executioners (the purple-clad
men from the splash page) took over the underworld, and plotted the death of
Superman. Meanwhile, Superman and Lois got married, and the happy couple
slipped away on their honeymoon in a futuristic aircraft. The Executioners,
however, have planted their trap... a skywriting plane used colored smoke to
create a wedding wreath (wrongly called a wedding march in the word balloon),
which the ship flew through, losing power and crashing. Lois learns that the
smoke contained Gold Kryptonite, which erased Superman's powers, and the two
died in the explosion of the ship.
Having seen enough at this point, Lois rushes out of the museum, re-entering
the time probe and traveling back to 1968, where she emerges in the midst of
an army missile test... the target of the missiles being Superman. Superman
berates Lois for her impulsiveness, and Lois tells Superman of her future trip
-- omitting the story of their deaths. Superman tells Lois she's more trouble
than Pandora, and it's a miracle she's still alive. And then we get the
pay-off quote of the issue... the one that really says what the DC creative
people thought about women then -- Superman says, "I can see that you're a
wild filly who can't be broken to harness till I get you on the bridal path!
Marry me, sweetheart! Come and live in my Fortress, where I can keep you out
of mischief!"
Talk about an offer you can't refuse, eh? Spend the rest of your life hanging
out in the Fortress of Solitude, where your closest neighbors are polar bears
and penguins? Lois tries to refuse, but when Superman gives Lois a
super-kiss, she concedes victory, and decides that somehow, she'll outwit the
fate in store for them.
In Part II, "Death is the Wedding Guest," Lois and Superman visit the Lane
farm, where they tell Lois' parents, Sam and Ella, they want a secret wedding,
and a nice-quiet honeymoon with nobody spoiling it -- like the Executioners.
However, on faraway worlds, aliens who have nothing better to do than spy on
Superman's private life with their scanners learn about this, and they send
wedding presents to the two. One of the presents is the aircraft, the message
identifying it as being from the planet Krann, and that it is auto-piloted to
take them to the South Seas for their honeymoon. Lois convinces Superman to
honeymoon on a secret mountain hideaway.
The wedding proceeds without a hitch, the only witnesses being the minister
and the Lanes (apparently, Lucy was too busy in Jimmy Olsen's comic to
participate). The newlyweds pack their things in the aircraft, which
Superman's reprogrammed, and as they fly off, we learn the Executioners sent
the aircraft to them. Using a remote control ray, they restore the original
flight program, and lay their trap. Right on cue, the smoky wedding wreath
appears, and Superman flies the plane right through it. Lois finally decides
to warn Superman about the Gold K, but it seems to be too late. Superman says
that he's an ordinary mortal now, and Lois faints. The Executioners gleefully
watch the plane crash.
However, Lois is alive, as is Superman. Superman, with his powers intact,
lays into the Executioners, flying them off to civilization to charge them
with attempted double murder. Returning, Superman reveals to Lois he knew
something was up all along, since the "alien" ship was built of Earth alloys.
Eavesdropping on the Executioners, he learned that a brainwash ray, powered by
Green Kryptonite, caused him to propose to Lois. He also learned the rest of
their plans. Developing a temporary antidote to the Gold K (which was
apparently never mentioned again), Superman was able to overcome the effects
of the Gold K and shielded Lois from the crash. Lois, puzzled over why the
future records them as dying, takes the time-probe back to the future to
discover what went wrong (with Superman promising to join her later).
Returning to the future, she arrives on Superman Day... celebrating the
anniversary of his death. Kryon takes Lois to a football game, in which
robots of superheroes like Superman, Batman, Flash, Green Arrow, Wonder Woman,
and others, fight robots of the Penguin, Brainiac, and the Executioners. The
superhero robots are destroyed, and the crowds cheer their defeat. Lois is
surprised to learn that the people of Katraz despise Superman's memory, and
celebrate his death by destroying his robot double.
Suddenly, from within the Superman robot, the real Man of Steel breaks loose,
destroying the supervillainous robots. The crowd refuses to accept Superman's
alive. Superman tells Lois that Katraz is derived from Alcatraz, and that
Katraz is a quarantined island prison for lawbreakers. The memorial is
explained by the fact that the Executioners couldn't face the fact that their
plot in 1968 had failed.
Returning to the 20th Century, Lois tells Superman their marriage is a fraud,
because he proposed while brainwashed. Superman insists he wasn't brainwashed
when he said "I do," but Lois says she'd always remember he didn't ask of his
own free will. They agree to annul the marriage, and Superman promises the
next marriage will be for keeps.
Overall, the story was pretty entertaining, despite the less-than-enlightened
views presented (especially Superman's attitude towards Lois). And isn't it
convenient that the entire time they were married, Superman didn't get around
to telling Lois that he's really Clark Kent? The artwork was good throughout
the book, but what else could one expect from Ross Andru? I'd give it 3.5
stars out of 5.
Next time, "When Olsen Sold Out Superman!"
___________________________________________________________
SUPER FRIENDS
-------------
by Joe Crowe (j.crowe4@genie.com)
I was going to try two months in a row without an appearance by Superman in his
own team-up column, but I'm going to be nice. Last month, Lois Lane appeared
with Batman. This month, Superman returns the favor and teams up with a
rather prominent Batman cast member.
DC COMICS PRESENTS #41
Superman and the Joker: "The Terrible Tinseltown Treasure-Trap Treachery"
Writer: Martin Pasko
Penciller: Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez
Inker: Frank McLaughlin
Cover Price: $.60
January 1982
Rating: 2.9 shields
A gift box drops into the middle of the work yard at Metropolis State Prison.
Laughing gas pours out of it, giving everybody the giggles. The Prankster
makes his escape in a purple balloon with a familiar white face painted on it.
Clark Kent cuts out of the WGBS office and heads for the Prankster's hideout.
An unfortunate flunky tells Supes that Prankster went with the Joker to Los
Angeles to settle an old score. Coincidentally, there's a big journalists
convention in California.
Clark makes a personal call. Alfred Pennyworth answers, remarking that Batman
has been injured. They decide not to tell him that the Joker is loose, and
Superman resolves to capture the clown himself.
Lois, Clark, and Perry White head for the coast. Clark discovers that a
famous comedian named Jerry Travis died recently, and his estate, full of
novelties, is up for auction. But why would Joker and Prankster come so far
just for that? There must be more to it, Clark thinks.
Indeed there is. Joker and Prankster are hooked up because Travis made his
money criminally and scammed both villains at one time or another. During the
auction of Travis' estate, the bad guys strike. Clark and Perry are there.
While Clark sneaks off to change outfits, the Prankster nabs Perry. The
Jokercopter flies over and snatches Prankster and Perry.
Prankster double crosses Joker and kicks him out of the plane. In pursuit,
Superman makes the save. Joker wants to cut a deal; Superman will need
Joker's help to catch Prankster and rescue Perry. Reluctantly, Superman
agrees.
The novelties that Prankster stole will lead the villains to a missing bank
account passbook. Since Prankster has the novelties, Superman deduces the
clues using the auction catalog. It appears that the passbook is under Jerry
Travis' star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Superman and Joker stake out the
star, and Prankster shows up and gets the passbook. While Superman is
distracted, Joker shakes Prankster's hand with a joy-buzzer. Naturally, it
shoots a fast-acting poison directly into his system.
Partnership terminated. Joker agitates the gravel while Superman flies
Prankster to the Fortress of Solitude to save his life. He hooks up a signal
to the Prankster which will alert him when he regains consciousness. Superman
goes back to California and looks for the Joker, who attempts to make a
withdrawal with the passbook. Again not surprisingly, he ends up having to
take the money by force.
Superman arrives in the nick of time, but the Joker hits an ejector seat in
his Jokermobile at the last second and flies up into a palm tree. Superman
goes to grab him, but it's a dummy -- filled with kryptonite dust! The ever-
resourceful Man of Steel chops down the tree with heat vision and bounces
himself off the ejector seat into a nearby reservoir, washing off the dust. He
hears the Prankster signal and flies back to question him about Perry's
whereabouts.
Meanwhile, the resourceful Perry has untied himself and heads out the door of
his place of captivity -- over which has been placed a huge tank of water, for
drowning purposes. Superman catches the bucket and nabs the Jokercopter as
the clown prince of crime makes his getaway.
This was a wacky little story. Superman flits through, practically with a
grin. For some reason, Perry White was the victim this time. That's a
rarity, but Lois had her role, too. In a somewhat amusing subplot, Lois
alternately fumes and rages that she can't find Clark or Perry anywhere, and
their hotel is in Burbank, not Hollywood as Lois hoped.
The "mystery" isn't really along the lines of one of those old "Follow along
with our heroes! Can you solve it before they do?" If you could solve it as
you read this story, then you're a better man than me. But of course -- this
ain't BRAVE AND THE BOLD. DETECTIVE COMICS, either. DC PRESENTS was a whole
different animal. Perhaps oddly, the Superman team-up book is making its
first appearance in this column.
Superman and the Joker play off each other well. When Superman rescues him,
Joker predicts what the news story will read: "Beefcake saves fruitcake! Film
at eleven!" I wonder why Superman and Joker have met pretty often, but Batman
and Luthor never have.
It was nice to see the subplot with Batman. Alfred is very protective here,
and even Robin is there to plead with Batman not to get off his sick bed. And
they're successful! Why couldn't they do it again during "Knightfall" ?
A pretty fun story. Makes me wonder what happened to Batman and the Joker so
that they can't participate in goofy farces like this anymore. Never mind --
I know the answer to that one.
Do you have a Superman team-up that you'd like to see reviewed? You can grab
hold of me at j.crowe4@genie.geis.com. Thanks for reading me.
___________________________________________________________
*********************************************************
End of Section 8
___________________________________________________________
THE PHANTOM ZONE: (cont)
------------------------
INTO THE ARCHIVES
-----------------
by Neil A. Ottenstein (otten@gluon.umd.edu)
SUPERMAN #1, Summer 1939
Before I discuss the subject at hand, I thought I would first provide a brief
introduction as to what you can expect from this series of articles. Before
this month I had been doing a series of articles concerning the Fleischer
Superman cartoons. I was approaching the end of that series and started
thinking of what I would do next. After some thought I decided that I would
do similar summaries and discussions about some of the Superman stories that
can be found in the Superman Archives that DC started publishing in 1989.
Each of these volumes contains four issues of the golden age Superman comic
book. Each of these issues contains several Superman stories. Up until now I
have not taken the time to read these stories, and I thought this would be a
good opportunity to take that time. I am going to give a quick description of
all the stories from each comic, but only look at one in detail.
It was not until about 1978 that I began reading Superman comics consistently.
I have not read many Superman stories that were written before this time.
The Superman that I am used to reading about is quite different from the one
that appears in these archives. It is with this background that I am going to
look into the Superman Archives.
SUPERMAN #1
1) The first story is 31 pages. It includes several stories inside itself:
Superman's origin; an innocent needs to be saved from execution; a
wife-beater; Clark, Lois, and Superman encounter hoodlums; a munitions story.
This was originally presented in ACTION COMICS #1 and #2.
2) The second story is 13 pages and concerns conditions of coal miners. I'll
be summarizing this story in more detail below. This was originally presented
in ACTION COMICS #3.
3) The third story is 13 pages and has a short 'hazards of drink' piece which
segues into the main story concerning corruption in college football. This
was originally presented in ACTION COMICS #4.
In addition to these stories there is an invitation to become a charter member
of the Supermen of America for only 10 cents to cover mailing costs. There is
also a scientific explanation of Superman's strength, a 'meet the creators'
page profiling Siegel and Shuster, and a two page text story in which Superman
and Clark have a run-in with the law and catch a murderer.
The second story's lead panel features a crash in Blakely Coal which traps a
miner, Stanislaw Kober. Clark hears of the event from the telegraph reader in
the office and requests to cover the assignment. Superman streaks over to the
mine, but arrives disguised as a miner. Hearing that there is no news from
the rescue crew, he pretends to slip into the mine-shaft.
Arriving at the bottom of the shaft he discovers the rescue crew unconscious
due to poison gas, which of course doesn't affect him. Superman places them on
a lift to be sent to safety, then he searches for Kober. He encounters a wall
of coal where the mine caved in and upon removing that, he discovers Kober,
who needs serious medical attention. Unfortunately, the lift signal cord is
not working, so he has to climb up the elevator cable with him.
Clark calls in the story telling of an unidentified miner who saved Kober.
Unfortunately, Kober will be crippled for the remainder of his life. Kent
interviews Kober and finds out that the owner of the mine disregarded safety
in the mine telling the miners that they could quit if they didn't like it.
Clark then interviews the owner, Thorton Blakely. When asked about repairing
the bad safety conditions, he responds, "There are no safety hazards in my
mine, but if there were -- what of it? I'm a businessman not a humanitarian."
He thus concludes the interview.
That night Superman arrives in his miner's disguise at the Blakely estate
where a party is going on. He is captured by guards and brought to Blakely.
He explains that he wanted to see the rich party with his own eyes, having
only read of such things before. Blakely, who was originally going to have
him beaten, decides to keep him around for entertainment.
Blakely contrasts the "miner" who "attempted to see how the other half lives"
with his guests who he calls "a mob of pampered nincompoops." He suggests to
finish the party in the mine as a compromise between the two types of people.
His guests think it a great idea and Superman leads them to the mine.
As they continue further into the mine, Superman drops back and weakens a
tunnel support. After he rejoins them, the support collapses and panic ensues
as they realize they are trapped. Blakely soon remembers the safety devices
in the mine, but he discovers that the electric signal lever doesn't work. It
has rusted beyond use.
One of the partiers attacks Blakely, shouting, "If you'd have had the mine
equipped with proper safety-precautions, we might have gotten out alive!" He
stops and Blakely asks the "miner" to dig them out with a pick. Superman
refuses, saying he is content to die, but if Blakely wants to live he should
dig.
The partiers start digging. After a while, Blakely is tired and repentant,
crying "If I only had this all to do over again! -- I never knew -- really
knew -- what the men down here have to face!" Seeing that the lesson has been
learnt and the partiers have collapsed, Superman tears down the barrier and a
rescue crew soon arrives to take them out.
Several days later, Clark visits Blakely, who now has a new policy to keep the
mine safe and treat his workers well.
This was an interesting morality play with Superman only in costume for one
panel. He did employ a disguise as a miner. This perhaps could help bolster
the Superman/Clark Kent situation. If Superman can so easily fool people as a
miner, then it is not hard to believe that they can think Clark Kent and
Superman are two different people. The Superman in this story is not above
putting people through a hard time in order to teach them a lesson. Before he
arrives at the Blakely party, he is described "like some occult, avenging
demon." Much of the story is carried through dialogue and not action, but
Superman's strength, speed, different physical structure (not affected by the
gas), and leaping ability are put to use in places in the story. Thus no
ordinary man could have done what he did.
___________________________________________________________
COMING ATTRACTIONS
------------------
A List of Upcoming Comics Featuring The Superman Family of Characters
Assembled by Jeffery D. Sykes
This monthly section is dedicated to giving you official information
concerning which comics you should watch for in the near future in order
to keep up with Superman, Superboy, Supergirl, and all the rest of the
Superman family of characters.
The information which follows is reprinted without permission from Diamond
Previews and is in no way meant to serve as a replacement for that magazine.
I strongly recommend that each reader find his or her own copy for additional
detailed information on the entire DC Universe! Note that Diamond is now
the exclusive distributor of DC Comics!
NOTES
---------------
A few guest appearances by supporting cast this month -- things which I
doubt warrant listing below or reviewing. For example, in anticipation
of May's KINGDOM COME, DC releases a promotional poster featuring
painted art by Alex Ross and prominently featuring the Man of Steel, as
well as many other DC characters. The poster has a cost of $5.50 and is
expected April 3. Also on April 3 is the ROGUES GALLERY #1. In the
tradition of the SUPERMAN GALLERY, this book features all painted art of
DC's many villains, such as Darkseid, the Joker, etc. 32 pages, no ads,
the book will sell for $3.50.
The new Green Arrow drops by Metropolis in GREEN ARROW #109, meeting
briefly with Lois Lane before teaming with Thorn. The book should be in
stores April 10. If you are interested in trade paperbacks and other
collections, I suggest you pick up a copy of PREVIEWS, as this month's
issue includes a full listing of such books available through Diamond's
Star System. A partial list will be included in this month's Merchandise
section.
April makes it five consecutive months without a massive multi-part epic
in the Superbooks! This month "features" a return to Smallville for
Clark, but his homecoming turns out to be more tasking than he had
imagined. STEEL and SUPERBOY continue their stories, and SHOWCASE
features Green Arrow and Thorn (popular combination, huh?). And DC
kicks off the 1996 annuals, sporting another Elseworlds-type theme: far
in the future, Earth is dead -- its survivors spread among the stars.
But in that scattering, Earth's greatest legends live on... Starting
things off is a new entry: the SUPERGIRL ANNUAL #1, featuring the work
of Chuck Dixon, Ron Wagner, Karl & Barbara Kesel, Dick Giordano, George
Perez, and others!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LIST OF TITLES BY EXPECTED ARRIVAL DATE
---------------------------------------------
Arrival Date: Comic title and information:
------------ ---------------------------
February 7: Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #4
(W) Stern, (P) Grummett, (I) Breeding
$1.95
February 14: Action Comics #720
Written by David Michelinie
Art and Cover by Kieron Dwyer and Denis Rodier
$1.95
February 21: Marvel Versus DC #3 (of 4)
Written by Ron Marz
Art by Claudio Castellini and Paul Neary
and by Dan Jurgens and Josef Rubinstein
48 pgs, $3.95
Superboy #26
Written by Karl Kesel
Art by Staz Johnson and Doug Hazlewood
Cover by Grummett and Kesel
LOSIN' IT: Part 2 (of 6)
$1.95
Superman: The Man of Steel #55
Written by Louise Simonson
Art and Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke
$1.95
February 28: Spider-Boy #1 (AMALGAM)
Written by Karl Kesel
Art and Cover by Mike Wieringo and Karl Kesel
$1.95
Super Soldier #1 (AMALGAM)
Written by Mark Waid
Art and Cover by Dave Gibbons
$1.95
March 6: DC Versus Marvel #4 (of 4)
Written by Peter David
Art by Dan Jurgens, Claudio Castellini, Josef Rubinstein,
and Paul Neary
Cover by Jurgens and Rubinstein
48 pgs, $3.95
Showcase '96 #4
Firebrand and Guardian
Written by Brian Augustyn
Art by Scot Eaton
Cover by Lee Weeks
48 pgs, $2.95
Superman #111
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art and Cover by Ron Frenz and Josef Rubinstein
$1.95
March 13: Adventures of Superman #534
Written by Stuart Immonen and Karl Kesel
Art and Cover by Immonen and Jose Marzan Jr
$1.95
Steel #26
Written by Louise Simonson
Art and Cover by Phil Gosier and Rich Faber
$1.95
March 20: Action Comics #721
Written by David Michelinie
Art and Cover by Kieron Dwyer and Denis Rodier
$1.95
March 27: Superboy #27
Written by Karl Kesel
Art by Staz Johnson and Doug Hazlewood
Cover by Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel
LOSIN' IT: Part 3 (of 6)
$1.95
Superman: The Man of Steel #56
Written by Louise Simonson
Art and Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke
$1.95
April 3: Showcase '96 #5
Green Arrow and Thorn
Written by Darren Vincenzo
Art by Steve Erwin and Gerry Fernandez
Cover by Ty Templeton
48 pgs, $2.95
Steel #27
Written by Louise Simonson
Art and Cover by Phil Gosier and Rich Faber
$1.95
Superman #112
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art and Cover by Ron Frenz and Josef Rubinstein
$1.95
April 10: Adventures of Superman #535
Written by Karl Kesel
Art and Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan Jr
$1.95
Supergirl Annual #1
Written by Chuck Dixon/various
Art by Ron Wagner/various and Bill Reinhold/various
Cover by Ron Wagner and Bill Reinhold
48 pgs, $2.95
April 17: Action Comics #722
Written by David Michelinie
Pencils by Darick Robertson
Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
$1.95
Superboy #28
Written by Karl Kesel
Art by Staz Johnson and Doug Hazlewood
Cover by Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel
LOSIN' IT: Part 4 (of 6)
$1.95
April 24: Superman: The Man of Steel #57
Written by Roger Stern
Art and Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke
$1.95
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPOILERS
------------------
April 3:
-------
Showcase '95 #5
Green Arrow and Thorn cross paths when a sniper takes aim in a Metropolis
airport. But these heroes have different points of view about who needs
saving, and their uneasy alliance may save or jeopardize innocent lives.
This story is by Darren Vincenzo, with art by Steve Erwin and Gerry
Fernandez. One backup story features the New Gods, while the other
completes the Golden Age Shade tale begun last issue.
Steel #27
Using an antimatter weapon of his own design, Steel solves the Hazard
problem once and for all. The price: the loss of an Irons family member.
Superman #112
In the aftermath of the "bad luck plague," Lois and Clark begin to sort
out their fractured relationship. Will wedding bells chime for L&C?
The answer is not the one you think!
April 10:
--------
Adventures of Superman #535
While Clark Kent is in Smallville, Lois Lane has a heart-to-heart talk
with Superman's old flame, Lori Lemaris. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor sets
plans in motion to discredit the Contessa's security force -- and their
leader, Alpha Centurion.
Supergirl Annual #1
The "Legends of the Dead Earth" Annuals begin here with three chilling
stories set in a distant future: Inspired by childhood tales of the
legendary Supergirl, a young woman forced into slavery on a mining planet
turns against her captors, using the powerful liquid metal body into
which they've forced her mind. "The Surrogate" is written by Chuck
Dixon, with art by Ron Wagner and Bill Reinhold. On a frozen wasteland
planet, where a stranded population of humans and aliens struggle to
survive, one woman keeps the law. When she's called out by a murderous
alien, her only hope for survival lies in the mysterious properties of a
badge with an ancient "S" insignia. "Shootout at Ice Flats" is by Joe R.
Lansdale and Neal Barrett, Jr., with art by Robert Teranashi and Stan
Woch. And in "Thick as Thieves," the members of an all-female gang of
criminals suspect that one of their number is the legendary Supergirl
come back to life -- using her shapeshifting powers to turn them against
each other! Karl and Barbara Kesel are the writers, with art by Dick
Giordano and George Perez.
April 17:
--------
Action Comics #722
Tornado season hits Smallville with a vengeance as the Kent house finds
itself right in the path of one giant twister! Meanwhile, investigative
reporter Lois Lane uncovers evidence of a secret wedding.
Superboy #28
LOSIN' IT: Part 4 (of 6) - Enraged by the belief that Superboy has
dishonored the name and emblem of Superman, Supergirl travels to Hawaii
to set the Kid straight -- but not before she has to fight her way
past Knockout!
April 24:
--------
Superman: The Man of Steel #57
As if one tornado wasn't bad enough, now an entire swarm of twisters
threatens to level Smallville! Plus, Lex Luthor and the Contessa
continue to try to "one up" each other, and Lois Lane overhears some
very bad news.
___________________________________________________________
*********************************************************
End of Section 9
___________________________________________________________
TELEscopic VISION:
------------------
Superman on the Small Screen
Only one episode review this month, and it's all my fault. I simply
failed to distribute the reviewing assignments for January's episodes.
(You see, this is why I *need* a coordinator for this section!!! :)
Anyway, won't happen next month, since I've already got the entire
"Clone" Trilogy lined up! Speaking of which...
Here are the writing and directing credits for the three February episodes:
15. "I Now Pronounce You..." (2/11)
Written by: Chris Ruppenthal
Directed by: Jim Pohl
16. "Double Jeopardy" (2/18)
Written by: Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming
Directed by: Chris Long
17. "Seconds" (2/25)
Teleplay by: John McNamara
Story by: Corey Miller & Philip W Chung
Directed by: Alan J. Levi
As you well know, the story from February still ain't over. Though the
plotline seems to have the fans all up in arms, I've got to admit, gang,
that I can't remember being this caught up in L&C in a long time! The
writing and acting have been superb through these three episodes, and
for the first time, I really have no idea what's going to happen next!
I love it!!!
Anyway... :)
There's been a little bit of shuffling of episodes (because of the results
of the "Clone Trilogy"), and so I believe Ms. Hatcher's episode has been
bumped to April (if this season, at all). Here's what I've got on tentative
scheduling:
March 10: "Forget Me [K]not"
March 24: "Oedipus Wrecks"
April 14: "It's A Small World After All"
May 5: New Episode
May 12: New Episode - Season Finale
A lot of the gaps in the schedule are pre-emptions, rather than reruns.
See ya next month with reviews of "the arc"!
Jeff Sykes
___________________________________________________________
HERE WE GO
----------
By Zoomway (Zoomway@aol.com)
There was a comedian who mentioned that he used to work at a carnival. His job
was seating people on the ride, and lowering the safety bar. He said the most
often repeated phrase was "Here we go!" I bring this up because as of this
writing, Lois and Clark's wedding arc has just begun, and to me, I feel the
safety bar has lowered across my lap, and with all roller coaster rides, there
are some that are scarier than others.
"I Now Pronounce You..." started the ride. Even though there is a plot
involving clones who have a taste for exotic frogs, the majority of this
episode actually deals with Lois and Clark gearing up for their impending
wedding; Lois's anxiety, the Murphy Law dealing with "if anything can go
wrong, will go wrong", Lois getting a better understanding of her mother
Ellen, and Ellen getting a better understanding of Lois. The best aspects of
the episode deal with the one-on-one interaction of the characters: A humorous
and sweet moment when Clark calls Lois 'honey' for the first time; Lois and
Clark toasting each other during a very private and intimate rehearsal dinner
for two; Lois admitting that she used to be just like her mother, and that her
controlling attitude almost made her overlook Clark and thus her happiness.
The episode actually manages to be suspenseful because we know someone is
singling Lois out with 'creepy' gifts, and due to a typhoon in India, Lois
will be without her protector Superman. Lois, being Lois, still decides to
take the dangerous road and investigates. We slowly become aware that Lex
Luthor is the one pulling the strings and has everything 'wired' to his
advantage. We then become ominously aware that Lois may be the next in line as
one of the frog-eating clones. So, every time Lois is alone, there is this pit
in the stomach feeling of "will she get grabbed now?" Fortunately for Lois,
and the audience's anxiety level, Lois actually makes it to the church, but
then what?
Well, long after I've written this, the audience will know the truth. Did
Clark marry Lois Lane, or a clone? Since this will already be history, that
particular question isn't the important one. The important question will be
"Did the audience enjoy the ride?" For the general viewing audience, that
question will most likely be answered in the ratings, but for the Lois and
Clark fanatic, the answer will come after each installment, and not after the
ride has come to a complete stop. If the first episode in the installment is
any indication, this bridal story arc will generate more comments than any
previous episode or storyline yet explored, and why not? This is about the
wedding of a legendary superhero and an unrequited love affair that has gone
on for over sixty years.
Whether fans wanted the wedding to go off like clockwork, or whether they
wanted no wedding at all, the wedding is upon us. How the creative staff
handles things will ultimately be judged by the fans and the general audience
as to whether they took the right path, or overestimated the willingness of
viewers to wait through a multi-part story arc. Since the show began
connecting the episodes to each other beginning with "The Phoenix" from second
season, everything done within a given episode will automatically become part
of that connection. Unlike the first season and a half of Lois and Clark,
where episodes were done in a more conventional manner with the plot being
resolved within that hour, the show has taken on more characteristic of a
novel now, and the episodes function more like chapters.
Story arcs have become very popular, and work well with many shows. If they
become too insulated, however, as happened with Babylon 5, it is hard to
attract new viewers because they feel as if they've been dropped off in the
middle of a movie and can't easily pick up the thread. There's little danger
of this happening on Lois and Clark with its main arc, because unlike Babylon
5, the main story arc in this case only helps cement the episodes together.
The only danger is if one of the 'sub' story arcs is carried out too long; if
that happens it doesn't matter if it is an involving story or a boring one. A
boring one will, of course, lose viewers immediately, but an involving story
arc played out over say five episodes may cause a loss of viewer interest
afterward, so two and three part story arcs are likely the best gamble.
Well, the ride has begun, and only time, ratings, and fan reaction will tell
whether they say "That was fun" or "I think I'm gonna barf" when the ride is
over. Next month I hope I can assess the wedding arc, assuming it is over, if
not, I may just print some fan reaction to the wedding arc as it has
progressed.
====================================================
EPISODE REVIEW:
---------------
Episode #3-13: "The Dad Who Came In From The Cold"
--------------------------------------------------
by Marta Olson <molson@raisinets.den.mmc.com>
US Airdate: January 14, 1996
Guest Starring: Ben Slack, Una Damon, and James Read as "Jack Olsen"
Written by: David Simkins
Directed by: Alan J. Levi
Even a nice evening at home is never simple for Lois and Clark. Tonight,
they've had dinner at Lois' apartment and are doing the dishes. Lois is
washing and Clark, using his heat vision, is drying. Lois comments with a
smile, "don't wear yourself out" as he proceeds with the drying. Lois
mentions that she received a brochure from the "Winky Tink" pre-school. They
are promoting their 5-year waiting list and will hold a position open for your
child, whether you have one yet or not, for only $200.00. This prompts a
discussion regarding what type of parents Lois and Clark will be.
Of course, since this is Lois and Clark, the conversation is interrupted by
screeching tires and an explosion. Superman appears on the street in time to
put out the car fire, while Lois comes running down the stairs. The man
pulled from the burning car is Bud Collins, an acquaintance of theirs. He
hands Lois a laptop computer, telling her it contains all the information she
needs encoded on the hard drive and that 'it' will happen at noon on Saturday.
With his dying breath, Bud turns to Superman and says, "Anybody ever tell you
that you look like Clark Kent, except without the glasses?"
More screeching tires announce the arrival of a woman. Before she approaches
Superman and Lois, Superman takes the computer and tosses it in the air. She
pulls a gun on them, demanding whatever Collins told or gave them. "New in
town?" Superman asks. She is Sweet Tart, of the National Intelligence Agency
(NIA). When asked what happened, Lois replies, "He blew up, he flew down, he
was dead." When the police arrive, Sweet Tart leaves, the computer falls, and
Superman catches it. So begins another adventure for Lois and Clark.
When we first meet Jimmy's dad Jack, we don't know who he is. He is
attempting to blow up a train when he is interrupted by a man trying to stop
him. Jack, of course, wins the fight and blows up the train. He then meets
with a man named Trevanian, who tells him his next assignment is to get the
computer back from Lois and Clark. He is also told that Lois and Clark have
been selling NIA secrets to other countries. A red sports car pulls up with a
blond woman driving. Jack unzips the jumpsuit he is wearing to reveal a
tuxedo. He climbs intothe car and drives off with the blond. Typical James
Bond type stuff.
Trevanian, second in command of the NIA, is the villain of this show. He is
interested in becoming the head of the organization. Since he is tired of
waiting for his time, he has decided to help it along. Assisting him in this
task is Sweet Tart and, not knowing the full circumstances, Jack Olsen.
This episode introduced the subject of parenting between Lois and Clark. While
watching Jack interact with Jimmy and then thinking about Perry's situation,
Clark worries that he won't be a good parent to their kids. He is afraid that
being Clark and Superman will keep him away and his kids won't know him. Lois'
comment at the end of the show is perfect. She says that he should have
learned by now that not all men are cut out to be fathers. It's the man, not
the job, and Clark, being the man he is, will be a wonderful father.
The interaction between Jimmy and his dad was very good. It was almost
painful to watch the conflicting emotions. James Read, who played Jack, was
convincing in his role, and I hope that maybe he'll drop in again. Justin
Whalin, as Jimmy, did a fantastic job. Their relationship went from distant
strangers at the beginning to a new understanding of each other at the end.
Jack has to come to terms with the fact that his son has grown up. Having
dismissed him as an important part of the case, he is surprised to find out
that Jimmy is the computer expert who he's been looking for. Jack tries to get
Jimmy to stay away from Lois and Clark, but Jimmy defies his father and
defends his friends. Yet later, when Clark tries to tell Jimmy his suspicions
regarding his dad working for the NIA, Jimmy is torn and defends his dad.
There is one scene where Jimmy is working late at the Daily Planet and Jack
breaks in to look for the computer. They fight although Jimmy doesn't know
it's his dad. The next day, Jimmy can't deny the bruises on his dad's face
were from the fight.
With the help of the computers at Star Labs, Jimmy has decoded the
information. When his father confronts him outside the building, his feelings
are obvious. I really liked this scene. Jack says something like "I hope you
never look into your son's eye and see fear like I see in yours." Jimmy asks,
"Are you a good guy or a bad guy?" Jack responds, "That depends on who's
asking." Jimmy says "Your son," and Jack replies "I'm the best guy you've
got." Jimmy begins to trust his dad again.
There is so much more to this episode than there is room to go into here. I
hope if you haven't seen it you will take the time to watch it. I really like
the parallelism that has been used this season, whether it's been Jimmy and
Jack's relationship making Clark wonder about being a father, or Perry and
Alice's situation making Lois and Clark feel more confident in their
relationship. My favorite part of this episode had to be when Superman
confronts Jack and accuses him of putting Jimmy in the middle of a dangerous
situation and of using him. His reply is that it was his job, but Superman
says that it was the wrong job. Jack replies, "I believed in what I was
doing. I believed in it so much I had to live a double life. But what would
you know about that?" More than you think.
___________________________________________________________
STAR SYSTEM CATALOGUE
---------------------
Diamond Comic Distributors' monthly magazine, PREVIEWS, also incorporates what
is known as the Star System. The Star System is a backlist service stocking
hundreds of trade paperbacks, graphic novels, trading cards, and more. Items
available through the Star System can be found at your local comics shop. And
if the store doesn't have the desired item in stock, Diamond can ship it to them
upon demand. Ask your local comic shop owner/employee for details!
The following only list Superman and Superman-related items available through
the Star System, as provided in the February 1996 issue of PREVIEWS. For
information on other Star System products, or for a more up to date listing,
again ask your local comic shop.
Books whose titles are followed with a (?) indicate titles which probably
contain Superman stories. I have no verification however, and I request
that anyone with that information please contact me. As well, I list the
Justice League of America and Legion of Super-Heroes archives because of
their intimate links with the pre-Crisis Superman family.
Superman Trade Paperbacks/Graphic Novels
----------------------------------------
THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN
Trade Paperback
Written by various, Art by various
$4.95 US/$6.50 CAN
THE GREATEST SUPERMAN STORIES EVER TOLD
Trade Paperback
Written by various, Art by various
$15.95 US/$19.95 CAN
LEGENDS OF THE WORLD'S FINEST
Trade Paperback
Written by Walt Simonson, Art by Dan Brereton
$14.95 US/$20.95 CAN
LOIS AND CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN
Trade Paperback
Written by various, Art by various
$9.95 US/$13.50 CAN
THE MAN OF STEEL
Trade Paperback
Written by John Byrne, Art by John Byrne and Dick Giordano
$7.50 US/$9.95 CAN
THE RETURN OF SUPERMAN
Trade Paperback
Written by various, Art by various
$14.95 US/$19.95 CAN
SUPERMAN: AT EARTH'S END
Prestige Format
Written by Tom Veitch, Art by Frank Gomez
$4.95 US/$6.95 CAN
SUPERMAN: THE EARTH STEALERS
Prestige Format
Written by John Byrne, Art by Curt Swan and Jerry Ordway
$3.95 US/$4.95 CAN
SUPERMAN/DOOMSDAY: HUNTER/PREY
Trade Paperback
Written by Dan Jurgens, Art by Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding
$14.95 US/$20.95 CAN
SUPERMAN: ERADICATION! THE ORIGIN OF THE ERADICATOR
Trade Paperback
Written by various, Art by various
$12.95 US/$17.95 CAN
SUPERMAN: KAL
Prestige Format
Written by Dave Gibbons, Art by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez
$5.95 US/$8.25 CAN
SUPERMAN: PANIC IN THE SKY
Trade Paperback
Written by various, Art by various
$9.95 US/$12.95 CAN
SUPERMAN: SPEEDING BULLETS
Prestige Format
Written by J.M. DeMatteis, Art by Eduardo Barreto
$4.95 US/$6.50 CAN
SUPERMAN: TIME AND TIME AGAIN
Trade Paperback
Written by various, Art by various
$7.50 US/$10.50 CAN
SUPERMAN: UNDER A YELLOW SUN
Prestige Format
Written by J.F. Moore
Art by Kerry Gammill, Dennis Janke, and Eduardo Barreto
$5.95 US/$8.00 CAN
WORLD WITHOUT A SUPERMAN
Trade Paperback
Written by various, Art by various
$7.50 US/$9.95 CAN
WORLD'S FINEST
Trade Paperback
Written by Dave Gibbons, Art by Steve Rude and Karl Kesel
$19.95 US/$24.95 CAN
Superman-Related Trade Paperbacks/Graphic Novels
------------------------------------------------
THE GREATEST 1950s STORIES EVER TOLD (?)
Trade Paperback
Written by various, Art by various
$14.95 US/$17.50 CAN
THE GREATEST TEAM-UP STORIES EVER TOLD (?)
Trade Paperback
Written by various, Art by various
$14.95 US/$19.95 CAN
LEGENDS: THE COLLECTED EDITION
Trade Paperback
Written by John Ostrander and Len Wein, Art by John Byrne and Karl Kesel
$9.95 US/$12.95 CAN
ZERO HOUR: CRISIS IN TIME
Trade Paperback
Written by Dan Jurgens, Art by Dan Jurgens and Jerry Ordway
$9.95 US/$13.95 CAN
DC Archives
-----------
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA ARCHIVES VOL 1
Hardcover Book
Written by various, Art by various
$39.95 US/$47.95 CAN
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA ARCHIVES VOL 2
Hardcover Book
Written by various, Art by various
$39.95 US/$47.95 CAN
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA ARCHIVES VOL 3
Hardcover Book
Written by various, Art by various
$49.95 US/$69.95 CAN
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES ARCHIVES VOL 1
Hardcover Book
Written by various, Art by various
$49.95 US/$67.95 CAN
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES ARCHIVES VOL 2
Hardcover Book
Written by various, Art by various
$39.95 US/$47.95 CAN
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES ARCHIVES VOL 3
Hardcover Book
Written by E. Hamilton and various, Art by Curt Swan and various
$39.95 US/$47.95 CAN
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES ARCHIVES VOL 4
Hardcover Book
Written by Jerry Siegel and various, Art by various
$39.95 US/$51.95 CAN
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES ARCHIVES VOL 5
Hardcover Book
Written by Jim Shooter and various, Art by Curt Swan and various
$49.95 US/$69.95 CAN
SUPERMAN ARCHIVES VOL 1
Hardcover Book
Written by Jerry Siegel, Art by Joe Shuster
$49.95 US/$63.95 CAN
SUPERMAN ARCHIVES VOL 2
Hardcover Book
Written by Jerry Siegel, Art by Joe Shuster
$39.95 US/$47.95 CAN
SUPERMAN ARCHIVES VOL 3
Hardcover Book
Written by and Art by Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, and various
$39.95 US/$47.95 CAN
SUPERMAN ARCHIVES VOL 4
Hardcover Book
Written by and Art by Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, and various
$49.95 US/$67.95 CAN
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End of Section 10/Issue #22
