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The Kryptonian Cybernet Issue 44
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T H E K R Y P T O N I A N C Y B E R N E T
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http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/kc
Issue #44 - November 1997
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CONTENTS
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Section 1: Superscripts: Notes from the Editor
A Mini KC FAQ
Ratings At A Glance
Titles Shipped October 1997
News and Notes
The next Superman crossover, Lois Lane is a mother, quick
comics notes, Superman meets Savage Dragon, Superman Lives,
and Superman at the Super Bowl!
Section 2: Growing Pains
Growing up as a girl with Superman as a hero, by Enola Jones
1997 Superman Comics Index
Part I: Superman Titles, Limited Series, and Specials
Section 3: 1997 Superman Comics Index
Part II: Superman Family Titles, Limited Series, and Specials
1997 Kaycees Nominations
Section 4: New Comic Reviews
The Superman Titles
Superman: The Man of Steel #74, by Mike Smith
Superman #130, by Thomas Deja
Adventures of Superman #553, by Dan Radice
Section 5: New Comic Reviews
The Superman Titles (cont)
Action Comics #740, by Shane Travis
Super-Family Titles
Steel #45, by Jeff Sykes
Superboy #46, by Rene' Gobeyn
Superboy and the Ravers #16, by Jeff Sykes
Section 6: New Comic Reviews
Super-Family Titles (cont)
Supergirl #16, by Thomas Deja
Other Superman Titles
JLA #13, by Anatole Wilson
Superman Adventures #14, by Cory Strode
Specials
Batman/Superman Adventures: World's Finest, by Cory Strode
Section 7: After-Byrne
Manuscripts of Steel
Superman Annual #3, by Denes House
The Mailbag
Section 8: The Phantom Zone
The One, True, Original Superman
"Superman Alias Superman!", by Bob Hughes
Superman Meets... A Terminator?
DC Comics Presents #61, by Modemac
Section 9: Superman: The Animated Series
Episode Reviews
"Target", by Scott Devarney
"Double Dose", by Denes House
"The Hand of Fate", by Nathan Bredfeldt
Sneak Peeks: The Kryptonian Cybernet's Pre-Reviews
Steel #47, by Jeff Sykes
Superman Adventures #16, by Alan Kercinik
Superman #132, by Jim Butler
STAFF:
------
Jeffery D. Sykes, Editor-in-Chief
Shane Travis, Executive Editor: New Comic Reviews
Nancy Jones, Executive Editor: Lois and Clark section
Neil Ottenstein, Executive Editor: S:TAS section
Editors:
Chip Chandler Steve Hanes D.M. Simms
Joe Crowe Curtis Herink Shane Travis
Trevor Gates William O'Hara Steven Younis
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 information.
All original material published in The Kryptonian Cybernet, including but not
limited to reviews, articles, and editorials, are copyright 1997 by The
Kryptonian Cybernet and the respective authors. Reprinting in any format is
expressly forbidden without the permission of The Kryptonian Cybernet and the
contributing author.
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 can be distributed, in whole, 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 subscription
information on other on-line services which have internet mail availability.
THE KRYPTONIAN CYBERNET is available by e-mail -- to subscribe, send the
commands
subscribe kc
end
in the body of an e-mail message to "majordomo@novia.net" (without the
quotation marks). The program ignores the subject line of the message.
Back issues are available via ftp at oasis.novia.net. These archives can also
be reached via the Kryptonian Cybernet Homepage:
http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/kc
_____________________________________________
SUPERSCRIPTS: Notes from the Editor
------------------------------------
A MINI KC FAQ
There are a couple of questions I'm asked on a fairly regular basis, and I
decided it would probably be a good idea to share the answers with all our
readers at once.
Q: How do I unsubscribe from the KC mailing list?
A: When you subscribed, you should have received a welcome message that
includes exact instructions on how to unsubscribe. Hopefully, you still
have that welcome message available, but if not, here's the quick run
down. Simply send the following two lines as the body of an e-mail
message to the address majordomo@novia.net:
unsubscribe kc <address>
end
You should replace <address> with your e-mail address, as it is stored by
the mailing list software. If it does not match, including capitalization,
then the request will either fail or be forwarded to me for approval. If
you still have the welcome message, it tells you exactly how your e-mail
address appears to the software. Should you not be able to accomplish the
unsubscription in this manner, simply contact me at sykes@ms.uky.edu and
I'll take care of it for you. Be certain to include any pertinent
information about your address, such as any variations on the address or
if your mail is being forwarded from another address.
Q: How do I change my subscription address?
A: Simple. To handle it yourself, first follow the unsubscription process
above with the old address, and then resubscribe from the new address.
The process for subscribing is basically the same as unsubscribing. Send
the following two lines as the body of an e-mail message to the address
majordomo@novia.net:
subscribe kc <address>
end
You should replace <address> with your new e-mail address, or if you are
sending the message *from* the new address, you may just leave out
<address> all together. Again, if you have any problems with the process,
simply contact me at sykes@ms.uky.edu. Include both the old and new
addresses, and I can take care of the change for you.
Q: How many people read KC each month?
A: The answer is not easy, because I don't have access to the server
statistics for our web site. Our subscribers list includes over 1300
subscribers who receive each issue by e-mail. The KC web site receives
over 3000 visits each month, and I know that we have quite a few readers
who use only the web edition of the magazine. As a conservative guess,
I'd estimate that we have between 1500 and 1600 people receiving or
reading the magazine each month.
Q: In how many countries is KC received?
A: Like the above question, this one is not easy to answer completely, again
because I have no information on our web readers. Most of our readers are
from the English-speaking "big four" -- the US, Canada, Australia, and the
United Kingdom. Of the UK, I'm certain that there are readers from both
England and Scotland, but I have no personal knowledge of readers from
Northern Ireland. Anyway, a pass through a recent subscribers list
reveals that we have (or have had) readers from at least 43 different
countries, listed below. If you read KC, and your country isn't listed
below, please contact me so that I can update my records!
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China,
Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, England, France, Germany,
Greece, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Malta, Malaysia,
Mexico, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Peru, The Philippines,
Portugal, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, Taiwan, The United States, and Uruguay
Q: Do any comics professionals read KC?
A: Long-time readers know that Dan Jurgens, writer of the SUPERMAN comic,
gets in touch with us from time to time, responding to various comments
by our writers, so it's safe to assume that he reads KC at least
occasionally. Furthermore, I have been told that copies of KC are printed
out and made available to the Superman editors and creative staff at DC.
Others affiliated with Superman, such as Elliott S! Maggin, have stumbled
across the web edition of KC and contacted me as a result. Anyway, I
think it's safe to assume that the pros are at least aware of us.
I think that'll just about do it this month. If you have any clarifications
or additions to the above, particularly to the countries question, or if you
have any other questions about KC which might have slipped my mind, please
don't hesitate to ask. See you in December!
Jeff Sykes, Editor
_____________________________________________
RATINGS AT A GLANCE: Titles shipped October 1997
-----------------------------------------------------
Prepared by Shane Travis (travis@sedsystems.ca)
Key:
----
Issue -- Issue for which 'Current' Rating and Rank are calculated. The
'Previous' columns refer to the issue immediately prior to this.
Rating -- Average Rating, in Shields (maximum rating is 5.0). The number
in () indicates how many people submitted ratings.
Rank -- The relative ranking of the book among the regularly-published
Superman titles.
Average -- Average of the ratings for this title over the indicated number
of months, based on the book's cumulative average. Each month is
weighted equally, regardless of the number of people rating the
book that month. If this book is averaged over fewer months than
the rest, the number of months is displayed in ().
Current Previous Avg (6Mth)
Title Issue Rating Rank Rating Rank Rating Rank
----- ----- ------- ---- ------- ----- ------- -----
Steel 45 3.8(4) 1 3.8(2) 3 3.73 2
JLA 13 3.8(5) 2 3.4(5) 4 3.67 3
Superman 130 3.4(12) 3 3.8(7) 2 3.23 5
Adv. of Superman 553 3.3(11) 4 3.3(10) 5 3.10 7
WF Adventures 1 3.2(4) -- --- -- --- --
Man of Steel 74 3.1(11) 5 2.6(7) 9 2.83 9
Supergirl 16 3.1(5) 6 3.3(6) 6 3.38 4
Superboy 46 2.9(6) 7 3.0(7) 8 3.07 8
Superman Adv. 14 2.8(3) 8 3.9(4) 1 3.93 1
Action Comics 740 2.6(8) 9 3.0(9) 7 3.20 6
SB and the Ravers 16 1.6(4) 10 2.1(4) 10 2.80 10
Look Who's Not at the Top! SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #14 (2.8 Shields, 8th overall)
- For the first time in a very long time, this title isn't at -- or even
_near_ -- the top of the list. Scott McCloud is gone, Mark Evanier is
filling in, and not a lot of people liked this wishy-washy story with no
decisive moral.
Look Who _Is_ at the Top! STEEL #46 (3.8 Shields, 1st overall, 2nd Avg.)
- Not really a surprise, since this book has been trading top spot back
and forth with _Superman Adventures_, and holds the #2 overall average.
Priest continues to turn in excellent characterization for the most
hard-luck hero in the DC universe
Look Who's Not at the Bottom! MAN OF STEEL #74 (3.1 Shields, 5th overall)
- The amazing thing is that a book which had Rajiv Naga as the main villain
did as well as this one. Sam Lane, Clark, Lois and Superman all work together
well to give _Man of Steel_ its highest overall ranking in the last six
months, and even drag it out of last place in the six-month average.
Look Who _Is_ at the Bottom! SATR #16 (1.6 Shields, 10th overall, 10th Avg.)
- Well, it's official. Not only is the book being cancelled, but even the
remaining readers rank it at the bottom of the heap with abysmal marks. With
three issues left, the creative team is introducing superfluous side-plots
rather than wrapping up the very good material they've created to date.
Adding Josh Hood as penciller will certainly prevent any last-minute rallies
of fan support too.
Information for 'Ratings at a Glance' and the ratings accompanying the
monthly reviews of Superman comics are obtained from KC readers. Anyone
interested in contributing may contact Shane Travis <travis@sedsystems.ca>
and will be added to the monthly mailing-list to receive a Ratings Form.
_____________________________________________
NEWS AND NOTES
--------------
THE MILLENNIUM APPROACHES...
In recent issues of Superman comics, we were introduced to the
Millennium Guard, a trio of supremely powerful beings who emerged from
the newly unearthed Dragon's Teeth. After a brief tussle with the Man
of Energy, these giants disappeared as quickly as they had appeared,
withdrawing into the Dragon's Teeth "until [they] are needed again..."
As hinted in November's SUPERMAN SECRET FILES #1, these three beings
have a much larger role to play in the unfolding saga of the Men of
Energy, too large even to be limited to just the Superman titles. On
February 18, SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #78 kicks off a 9-part crossover
involving the four core Superman titles, AQUAMAN, CHALLENGERS OF THE
UNKNOWN, STEEL, SUPERGIRL, and TEEN TITANS.
MILLENNIUM GIANTS, as the crossover is titled, continues the story of
the Millennium Guard as they proceed to "cleanse" the planet of the last
thousand years of mankind's progress. (See SUPERMAN SECRET FILES #1 for
more information on the legend and power of the giants.) Of course,
Superman Red and Superman Blue aren't going to just sit by and watch
Earth be destroyed, but they'll need a little help from their friends
to pull this one off.
MILLENNIUM GIANTS lasts just four weeks, ending in ACTION COMICS #744
on March 11. The covers of the nine titles involved in the crossover
will connect in a large nine-panel grid, featuring artwork designed by
SUPERMAN penciller Ron Frenz, depicting the assembled heroes battling
the Millennium Guard.
In addition, SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #79 (March 18) and SUPERMAN #135
(March 25) will present a two-part epilogue to the crossover, IN THE
GIANTS' WAKE.
MOTHER LANE
Actors Teri Hatcher and Jon Tenney are the proud parents of a newborn
baby girl, born Monday, November 10 in Los Angeles. Both parents and
child, who has been named Emerson Rose, are reported to be doing well.
Hatcher portrayed Lois Lane for four years on ABC's LOIS AND CLARK: THE
NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN and appears this holiday season in the new
James Bond film, TOMORROW NEVER DIES. Tenney is a regular on CBS'
BROOKLYN SOUTH.
SECRETS NO MORE
While the MILLENNIUM GIANTS crossover is taking place in March, expect
to see another edition of DC's popular new series of SECRET FILES
specials. Superman had his turn this month, so March's edition turns
its attention to the rest of the Superman family of heroes, including
Steel, Superboy, and Supergirl.
Looking down the road a bit, John Byrne has revealed that he plans on
retelling the story of the first meeting between Superman and the New
Gods. JACK KIRBY'S FOURTH WORLD #20 (late summer) will incorporate
elements from FOREVER PEOPLE #1 and JIMMY OLSEN #149, as well as new
material to place the story in a modern context, falling somewhere
before Byrne's MAN OF STEEL #6.
Karl Kesel has dropped some more info and teasers about his and Tom
Grummett's impending return to the pages of SUPERBOY (beginning in
February). The first story arc's title, "The Last Boy on Earth," does
refer to Kamandi, and Kesel hints that the Kid may have a bit of a new
look by then. As he told Newsarama, "Rest assured you won't recognize
The Kid in #50."
IMPROVED CREDIT
A correction in the credits for the upcoming ELSEWORLDS' FINEST:
SUPERGIRL AND BATGIRL we mentioned last time. Barbara Kesel is scripting
the title, but the plot and story are by the book's artists, Matt Haley
and Tom Simmons.
SUPER-DRAGON?
Image Comics co-founder Erik Larson, creator of SAVAGE DRAGON, has
revealed that he and DC will be collaborating on a couple of Superman/
Savage Dragon crossovers, hopefully for appearance in late summer of 98.
the first of the two books, Larson will write and pencil a tale in
which the classic Superman visits Chicago. While final plots have not
been nailed down just yet, this first book will involve Lex Luthor and
hired goons (perhaps including one or two other Superman baddies)
trying to take over Chicago's Vicious Circle. Superman and Dragon,
still a Chicago cop in this story, will team to stop the bad guys. No
word yet on story or creative team for the second book.
Larson hopes to make this crossover something special: "I'm really going
to do my best to make this a definitive Dragon/Superman event, featuring
the best characters and the best foes. I think that these sorts of
team-ups have become less and less special over time, and I'd like to
bring this one in line with what they all should be. In my mind, the
first SUPERMAN/SPIDER-MAN and X-MEN/TEEN TITANS got it right. Great
choices for foes, great art... top flight entertainment for your
funnybook dollar."
SUPERMAN LIVES -- WHO KNOWS!?
More reports from the front lines of this beleaguered film. First, we
mentioned last month that Wesley Strick's script has been tossed and he
not picked up again. Well, rumor has it that Akiva Goldsman (BATMAN
AND ROBIN) was then brought in to revise Kevin Smith's original script,
only to have *that* rewrite thrown out. This led to the reported delay
in the production start date until late spring of 1998.
However, Warner Brothers executives are rumored to suddenly have a bee
in their bonnet. The delays in SUPERMAN LIVES has left them without a
major big budget release for 1998, which is *always* bad for business.
Furthermore, the year 1999 has begun to look crowded. As if the debut
of George Lucas' new STAR WARS prequels weren't enough, there are a rash
of big budget *hero* films in the works, including treatments of the
X-Men, the Incredible Hulk, and the Fantastic Four -- these projects
have been receiving mostly good word of mouth, and the money and talent
being poured into them are resulting in high expectations. Fortunately
for WB, Marvel's bankruptcy proceedings have temporarily stalled many of
its other-media projects. However, this problem could clear up at any
time, leaving Superman with a slew of other super-heroes to compete with.
Anyway, with this unease among the brass, Jon Peters (Executive Producer)
is rumored to be considering returning to Smith's script so that the
movie could be fast-tracked for release by late 1998! However, Smith
has recently stated that he had serious doubts about this happening,
and that he doubts he'd be asked back, regardless.
Peters and Tim Burton are reportedly eager to lock down some casting in
order to work around Nicolas Cage's already busy schedule -- so that
they can avoid any further delays. Of course, you realize that the
film would likely already be filming if they hadn't brought on Tim
Burton in the first place...
So now we might settle for a mediocre film which has been rushed
through production in order to beat the competition to the screen.
Bleagh. I'd rather wait. Let's just throw 'em all out and then give
the rights to someone who'll do the character justice.
SUPERMAN'S SUPER BOWL SUNDAY
Fans of NBC's SEINFELD know that the series' star, Jerry Seinfeld, is
a big fan of Superman. In fact, dialogue from several episodes has
centered around the Man of Steel. As well, many other TV viewers
probably know that Jerry Seinfeld also stars in commercials for American
Express. The marriage of the two was just a matter of time...
And they're doing it in a *big* way. During the 1998 Super Bowl
(probably the biggest night of the year for commercials), American
Express will premiere a new commercial featuring Seinfeld and the Man
of Steel! I won't go into the "plot" of the commercial, but Superman
is being animated in the Curt Swan style, and some advanced word
indicates that fans will probably be quite impressed with the end
result. Furthermore, there will be an extra special cameo, though
you'll really need to know your Superman stuff to spot this one!
For those of you who won't be watching the Super Bowl, don't worry.
I'm sure this will air for many months thereafter. Besides, there'll
be yet another Superman fix available on Super Bowl Sunday this year --
the good people at TNT have decided to air a LOIS AND CLARK marathon
opposite the Super Bowl! Between 4:30 PM and 12:30 AM (Eastern), TNT
will air eight back-to-back episodes of LOIS AND CLARK, two from each
season. The tentative selection of episodes includes "Pheromone, My
Lovely", "Honeymoon in Metropolis", "Tempus Fugitive", "And The Answer
Is...", "We Have A Lot To Talk About", "Ultra Woman", "Swear to God,
This Time We're Not Kidding", and "Sex, Lies and Videotape."
Superman and the Super Bowl arrive Sunday, January 25.
_____________________________________________
GROWING PAINS
---------------------------------------
by Enola F. Jones (sj1025@gte.net)
I grew up an only child in a very rural area. I learned how to read by reading
comic books. Superman and his family were my favorites then and now. The
Superman family had a big impact on me growing up, but I have often wondered
if that impact would have been any different had I been born a boy instead of
a girl.
Would it have impacted my choice of a role model? I think it most definitely
would have. Growing up in the seventies and eighties, there was no dearth of
female role models -- except in the comic books. Boys dominated the pages:
Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, three of the Fantastic Four, etc. Girls
seemed to be relegated to sidekick status: just as powerful as the boys, but
always needing somehow to be protected. Had I been a boy, I might have seen
the logic in this and embraced a male role model from the comics (most likely
Superman, since he was the major one I read). But, being a girl, I felt a
little insulted, like I was second-class just because I was female. So I
turned to the one strong female role model in all those books: Lois Lane. She
was always herself, and heaven help anybody who got in her way! I collected
SUPERMAN FAMILY simply because of the Lois solo stories. She was beautiful,
which most women in comics were, but she was also smart. The only other smart
female of the time was Sue Richards, and even she kowtowed to her husband.
Lois seemed to go along with Clark as Superman, but she would always do what
she wanted to.
Would it have impacted the characters I pretended to be? I had a virile
imagination and concocted different personas to become in my play. I guess if
I had been a boy, I might have tied on a cape and tried to jump off the roof.
But sanity (and a vigilant mother) prevailed, and I never tried that. Most
often, I was Lois Lane with a beat up old camera around my neck and a pencil
behind my ear. Or, since I was tall and thin (at the time) with dark curly
hair and thick glasses, I pretended to be Clara Kent. Or even Laura Kent,
their daughter. I was always getting into pretend scrapes, but always figured
out ways for Lois to get out without needing Superman's help.
Would it have impacted the person I grew to be? This is one of the most
difficult questions to answer. I was a shy, lonely child who hid her
loneliness with a veil of smarts. I grew into an outgoing, lonely woman who
hides it with a veil of work. I credit my drive and stubbornness to my number
one role model, Lois, who would do ANYTHING for a story. But the loneliness
remains. How would it have been different if I were male? I think, based on
watching my male friends grow up, the loneliness would be more acute. I have a
network of friends and family surrounding me in the tough times. Most males I
have seen do not, my husband being a notable exception. I have read enough to
be encouraged, however, in seeing my loneliness and that of millions of others
leap from the page in the form of the super-beings from Krypton. Even when
they are together, there is an acute loneliness that they share that comes
from being the sole survivors of an unchangeable catastrophe, and from being
the only people on this planet that can do the things they are capable of
doing. Somehow, knowing Superman was lonely too made mine bearable.
Would it have impacted the stories I read and wrote? I'm not sure that those
choices would have been different if I had been a boy. I have always been
attracted to those stories that MOVED, that were long on action and
characterizations (NOTE: I said ACTION, not VIOLENCE.). A story that just sits
there and spins its wheels has always put me to sleep. The stories I write and
clumsily attempt to illustrate are long on action and characterization. If a
scene gets too chatty or drawn out, I delete it and try to rewrite it. I've
always been able to trade comics with male friends without embarrassing them,
so I'm pretty sure my choices in story lines would have been the same.
So, would the Superman comic books have impacted me any differently had I been
born a boy? It would seem the jury is mixed in that regard. However, upon
examining my life from the other side of the mirror, so to speak, I have
discovered one irrefutable fact.
God made me a girl, and I am proud to be one.
_____________________________________________
1997 SUPERMAN COMICS INDEX
------------------------------------------------------
Compiled by Jeffery D. Sykes (sykes@ms.uky.edu)
------------------------------------------------------
Part I: Superman Titles, Limited Series, and Specials
THE TRIANGLE TITLES
-------------------
1 - SUPERMAN #119, "Sunburned!"
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art and Cover by Ron Frenz and Joe Rubinstein
POWER STRUGGLE - The Legion assists Superman in attempting to regain
his powers
2 - ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #542, "Power Trip!"
Written by Karl Kesel
Art by Paul Ryan and Jose Marzan, Jr.
Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr.
POWER STRUGGLE - Superman turns to Cadmus, where he is attacked once
again by Misa
3 - ACTION COMICS #729, "Generator X!"
Written by David Michelinie
Art and Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
POWER STRUGGLE - Superman's quest to regain his powers takes him to
the Antarctic and his Fortress of Solitude
4 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #64, "Into the Fire!"
Written by Louise Simonson
Art by Ron Lim and Dennis Janke
Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke
POWER STRUGGLE - The New Gods help Superman regain his powers in order
to gain his assistance
5 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW #7, "Hero or Villain?"
Written by Roger Stern
Art and Cover by Paul Ryan and Brett Breeding
Maxima returns, once again seeking to make Superman her mate
6 - SUPERMAN #120, "To Be A Superman"
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art and Cover by Ron Frenz and Joe Rubinstein
What the supporting cast would do with Superman's powers
7 - ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #543, "The Honeymoon's Over"
Written by Karl Kesel
Art and Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr.
The Superman Revenge Squad forms
8 - ACTION COMICS #730, "The Precedent of the United Hates"
Written by David Michelinie
Art and Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
The Revenge Squad attacks the Man of Steel
9 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #65, "Losers"
Written by Louise Simonson
Art by Sal Buscema and Dennis Janke
Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke
Superman defeats the Revenge Squad
10 - SUPERMAN #121, "They Call It Suicide Slum"
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art and Cover by Dan Jurgens and Joe Rubinstein
Superman gets involved in gang warfare in Suicide Slum
11 - ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #544, "Dead Men Walking"
Written by Karl Kesel
Art and Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr.
Boss Moxie returns to take control of Intergang
12 - ACTION COMICS #731, "...Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble!"
Written by David Michelinie
Art and Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
Cauldron returns under the control of a Russian criminal
13 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW #8, "True Grit"
Written by Roger Stern
Art and Cover by Paul Ryan and Brett Breeding
Rock comes to Metropolis for revenge on Lex Luthor
14 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #66, "The Shield"
Written by Louise Simonson
Art and Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke
Rajiv blasts Metropolis using hijacked satellites
15 - SUPERMAN #122, "The Kandor Connection"
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art and Cover by Ron Frenz and Joe Rubinstein
Superman's powers begin to go haywire, Ceritak escapes Kandor
16 - ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #545, "Power Crisis!"
Written by Karl Kesel
Art by Scot Eaton and Jose Marzan, Jr.
Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr.
Superman's radiating electric energy, the Atomic Skull breaks free
17 - ACTION COMICS #732, "The Saving Skull"
Written by David Micheline
Art and Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
Superman adapts to his new powers, continues battling the Atomic Skull
18 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #67
Written by Louise Simonson
Art and Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke
Still learning about his new powers, Superman battles Ceritak
19 - SUPERMAN #123, "Superman... Reborn!"
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art and Collector's Edition Cover by Ron Frenz and Joe Rubinstein
Standard Edition Cover by Jurgens and Rubinstein
Superman receives a new costume to help him control his powers
20 - ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #546, "Blood & Thunder"
Written by Karl Kesel
Art and Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr.
Superman battles Metallo, Scorn rescues Ashbury Armstrong
21 - ACTION COMICS #733, "The Sins of Change"
Written by David Michelinie
Art and Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
Superman consults the Ray, continues his battle against Metallo
22 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #68, "Power!"
Written by Louise Simonson
Art and Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke
Finale to battle with now-nuclear-powered Metallo
23 - SUPERMAN #124, "A Hard Days Night!"
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art and Cover by Ron Frenz and Joe Rubinstein
Booster Gold seeks Superman's assistance in a new costume design
24 - ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #547, "Rude Awakening!"
Written by Karl Kesel
Art and Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr.
Superman investigates his powers, travels to Kandor with the Atom
25 - ACTION COMICS #734, "Bottle Battle"
Written by David Michelinie
Art and Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
Faern helps Superman and Atom evade the Peacekeepers, Rock vs. Scorn
26 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #69, "Prey"
Written by Karl Kesel and Louise Simonson
Art by Scot Eaton and Dennis Janke
Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke
Superman and company must repair Kandor's environmental controls
27 - SUPERMAN #125, "Retribution"
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art and Cover by Ron Frenz and Joe Rubinstein
Superman and Hamilton fight Tolos' possession of the Man of Steel
28 - ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #548, "Friends, Lovers, and Strangers"
Written by Karl Kesel
Art and Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr.
Superman confronts Luthor about the new powers and costume
29 - ACTION COMICS #735, "Deadly Deliverance!"
Written by David Michelinie
Art and Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
Saviour returns to confront Superman and Scorn
30 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #70, "Deja News"
Written by Louise Simonson
Art by Scot Eaton and Dennis Janke
Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke
Round 2 of Superman and Scorn vs. Saviour, on the Whitty Banter Show!
31 - SUPERMAN #126, "Machinations!"
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art and Cover by Ron Frenz and Joe Rubinstein
Superman recovers Luthor's Kryptonite ring from the Batcave
32 - ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #549, "The Gang's All Here!"
Written by Karl Kesel
Art and Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr.
Intergang attacks Lois and Clark's building, Jimmy smells a scoop
33 - ACTION COMICS #736, "Without and Within"
Written by David Michelinie
Art and Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
Superman is trapped in a mine cave-in, a new Revenge Squad takes shape
34 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #71, "Rematch!"
Written by Louise Simonson
Art by Scot Eaton and Dennis Janke
Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke
Superman meets the new Revenge Squad, Bibbo defends his title
35 - SUPERMAN #127, "Deception!"
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art and Cover by Ron Frenz and Joe Rubinstein
Superman defeats Revenge Squad, Morgan Edge lays the blame on Luthor
36 - ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #550, "The Secret"
Written by Karl Kesel
Art and Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr.
Jimmy thinks he knows Superman's identity, and plans to tell the world
Bonus story: "The Touch of Evil"
Written by Karl Kesel
Art by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
Intergang captures the Guardian
37 - ACTION COMICS #737, "Burden of Proof"
Written by Mark Waid
Art and Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
Intergang wants Jimmy's secret, and Luthor goes on trial
38 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW #9, "History Lesson"
Written by Roger Stern
Art and Cover by Paul Ryan and Brett Breeding
Ma and Pa Kent reminisce about Clark's history as Superman
39 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #72, "Altered States"
Written by Louise Simonson
Art by Scot Eaton and Jimmy Palmiotti
Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke
GENESIS TIE-IN - Superman is captured by Mainframe
40 - SUPERMAN #128, "Genesis Anew"
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art and Cover by Ron Frenz and Joe Rubinstein
GENESIS TIE-IN - Superman travels to repair the Source Wall
41 - ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #551, "Genesis for Humanity"
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art and Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
GENESIS TIE-IN - Superman battles the Cyborg at the Source Wall
42 - ACTION COMICS #738, "Straight On Till Morning"
Written by Stuart Immonen
Art and Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr.
Intergang catches up to Jimmy, Lois sent to Australia
43 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #73, "Gang War"
Written by Louise Simonson and Mark Waid
Art by Scot Eaton and Dennis Janke
Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke
Free-for-all as Parademons attack in the Wild Area and Metropolis
44 - SUPERMAN #129, "Within Human Reach"
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art by Paul Ryan and Joe Rubinstein
Cover by Dan Jurgens and Joe Rubinstein
Ashbury Armstrong's art teacher has a little secret...
45 - ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #552, "Control of Power"
Written by Karl Kesel
Art and Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
Luthor takes over Intergang, Superman almost kills the Parasite
46 - ACTION COMICS #739, "Party Trappings"
Written by Stuart Immonen
Art and Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr.
Lois is captured by Rajiv, Superman is trapped by Locksmith
47 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #74, "Subterranean Terror"
Written by Louise Simonson
Art by Scot Eaton and Dennis Janke
Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke
Clark and Sam Lane rescue Lois from Rajiv, Dragon's Teeth discovered
48 - SUPERMAN #130, "The Longest Halloween"
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art by Norm Breyfogle and Joe Rubinstein
Cover by Ron Frenz and Joe Rubinstein
Superman unwittingly releases something from a Dragon's Tooth
49 - ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #553, "Energy Crisis!"
Written by Karl Kesel
Art and Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
Superman, Jimmy, Ashbury, Scorn, and Misa versus the Millennium Guard
50 - ACTION COMICS #740, "A Rag, a Bone, & Hank of Hair"
Written by Stuart Immonen
Art and Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr.
Superman investigates the rash of disappearances, rescues Lucy
SUPERMAN ANNUALS
----------------
SUPERMAN ANNUAL #9, "Black Crucible"
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art by Sean Chen and Brett Breeding
Painted Cover by Glenn Orbik
Superman, Lois, Jimmy, Hamilton, and Bibbo pursue a mystery to Bhutran
SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL ANNUAL #6, "Pierced"
Written by Louise Simonson
Art by Tommy Lee Edwards, Dennis Janke, Robert Campanella,
and Shawn C. Martinbrough
Painted Cover by Glenn Orbik
Lois, Maggie, and the SCU take on a renegade CIA operative
ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN ANNUAL #9
Painted Cover by Laurel Blechman
"Terror of the Sierra Madre"
Written by John Rozum
Art by Alcatena
Alien which plagued ancient civilizations resurfaces
"The Return of Saganowahna"
Written by Mike W. Barr
Art by Dale Eaglesham and Scott Koblish
Superman stops developers from scaring away villagers
"The Journey of the Horseman"
Written by Paul Grist
Art by Enrique Villagran
Superman and and horse-like alien stop destruction of Earth
ACTION COMICS ANNUAL #9
Written by David Michelinie
Art by Vince Giarrano and Brett Breeding
Painted Cover by Doug Beekman
A woman with telekinetic powers is used by a cult
LIMITED SERIES AND SPECIALS
---------------------------
DC/MARVEL: ALL ACCESS (Four issues, Dec 96 - Feb 97)
Written by Ron Marz
Art and Covers by Jackson Guice and Josef Rubinstein
Superman and Spider-Man vs Venom in issue 1, JLA vs X-Men in issue 4
SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN: WHOM GODS DESTROY (Four issues, Dec 96 - Mar 97)
Written by Chris Claremont
Art and Covers by Dusty Abell and Drew Geraci
ELSEWORLDS - Superman didn't age, while everyone around him did
SILVER SURFER/SUPERMAN #1 (One issue, Jan, published by Marvel)
Written by George Perez
Art and Cover by Ron Lim and Terry Austin
Supes and the Surfer versus Mxyzptlk and the Impossible Man
SUPERMAN'S METROPOLIS (One issue, Jan)
Written by R.J.M. Lofficier and Roy Thomas
Art and Cover by Ted McKeever
Superman Elseworlds tale based on Fritz Lang's movie, METROPOLIS
SUPERMAN PLUS #1 (One issue, Feb)
Written by Tom Peyer
Art by Bernard Chang and Bob McLeod
Cover by Chris Sprouse and Mark Farmer
Superman lets the Legion use his Fortress to try and return home
SUPER SOLDIER: MAN OF WAR #1 (Jun)
Written by Dave Gibbons and Mark Waid
Art by Dave Gibbons and Jimmy Palmiotti
Cover by Dave Gibbons
AMALGAM '97: Super Soldier, Sgt. Rock, and the Howling Commandos in WW2
THE SUPERMAN/MADMAN HULLABALOO! (Three issues, Jun - Aug)
Written and Illustrated by Mike Allred
Co-Published by Dark Horse Comics and DC Comics
An accident causes Superman and Madman to switch universes
THE KENTS (Five issues, Aug - Dec; seven more issues in 1998)
Written by John Ostrander
Art by Timothy Truman and Michael Bair
Covers by Timothy Truman
The Wild West Saga of Superman's adopted ancestors
JLA SECRET FILES #1 (Sep)
Written by Grant Morrison and Mark Millar
Art by Howard Porter and John Dell, and Don Hillsman
Additional art by various artists
Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
Origin of the new JLA, backup stories, pin-ups, timeline, etc.
JLA/WILDC.A.T.S. (Sep)
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Val Semeiks, Kevin Conrad, and Ray Kryssing
Cover by Val Semeiks and Kevin Conrad
The JLA team with Image's WildC.A.T.S. to stop the Lord of Time
ELSEWORLDS' FINEST (Two issues, Oct - Nov)
Written by John Francis Moore
Art and Covers by Kieron Dwyer and Hilary Barta
Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne in a 1920's high-adventure Elseworlds tale
GENESIS (Four weekly issues, Oct)
Written by John Byrne
Art by Ron Wagner and Joe Rubinstein
Covers by Alan Davis and Mark Farmer
The Godwave collapses on the Source, causing powers to go haywire
GUEST APPEARANCES
-----------------
THE BATMAN CHRONICLES #7, "World's Finest: Equal Justice" (Jan)
Written by Jerry Ordway
Art by Lee Weeks and Jesse Delperdang
Cover by Lee Weeks and Jerry Ordway
Batman and Superman search for new evidence about a death row inmate
SOVEREIGN SEVEN #19-23, "The City" (Feb - Jun)
Written by Chris Claremont
Art by Dave Cockrum, Hack Shack Studios, and Chris Ivy
Five-part backup story in which Cascade meets Clark Kent
ADVENTURES IN THE DC UNIVERSE #1, "Now You See 'Em..." (Apr)
Written by Steve Vance
Art and Cover by John Delaney and Ron Boyd
The JLA confronts several villains
AZTEK: THE ULTIMATE MAN #9, "The Power and the Glory" (Apr)
Written by Mark Millar and Grant Morrison
Art by N Steven Harris and Keith Champagne
Cover by Steve Lightle
Aztek searches for Superman, but finds Doc Parasite
SOVEREIGN SEVEN #24, "Triage" (Jul)
Written by Chris Claremont
Art and Cover by Ron Lim and Chris Ivy
Superman and Lois help Cascade free the other Sovereigns
THE FLASH #128-129, "Hell to Pay: Parts 2 and 3" (Aug - Sep)
Written by Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn
Art by Paul Ryan and John Nyberg
Covers by Mike Wieringo and Jose Marzan, Jr.
The JLA helps Flash battle the soul-less Rogues
YOUNG HEROES IN LOVE #3, "Two Hearts Beat As One Giant Undead Guy!" (Aug)
Written by Dan Raspler
Art and Cover by Dev Madan and Keith Champagne
Superman helps the Young Heroes (continues very briefly into #4)
WONDER WOMAN #125, "Deathwatch" (Sep)
Written and Illustrated by John Byrne
Cover by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez
Superman and the League visit and try to save a dying Wonder Woman
_____________________________________________
1997 SUPERMAN COMICS INDEX
--------------------------------------------------------------
Compiled by Jeffery D. Sykes (sykes@ms.uky.edu)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Part II: Superman Family Titles, Limited Series, and Specials
STEEL
-----
34 - "Bang"
Written by Christopher Priest
Art by Denys Cowan and Tom Palmer
Cover by Dave Johnson
Steel moves to Jersey City and takes a new research job
35 - "The Thing"
Written by Christopher Priest
Art by Denys Cowan and Tom Palmer
Cover by Dave Johnson
Steel teleports for the last time, finds monster in the subbasement
36 - "Home"
Written by Christopher Priest
Art by Denys Cowan and Tom Palmer
Cover by Dave Johnson
Nat borrows Steel's suit when John has to take the day off
37 - "It's French"
Written by Christopher Priest
Art by Denys Cowan and Tom Palmer
Cover by Dave Johnson
Steel battles Skorpio, discovers he's *not* a metahuman
38 - "The Gambler"
Written by Christopher Priest
Art by Denys Cowan and Tom Palmer
Cover by Dave Johnson
Steel travels to Africa to "rescue" his boss, Dr. Villain
39 - "Crash"
Written by Christopher Priest
Art by Denys Cowan and Tom Palmer
Cover by Dave Johnson
Steel returns from Africa, meets his believed-to-be-dead brother
40 - "The Never Ending Story"
Written by Christopher Priest
Art by Vince Giarrano and Prentis Rollins
Cover by Denys Cowan and Tom Palmer
Steel tests his new hammer, Nat's first day at her new school
41 - "Rage"
Written by Christopher Priest
Art by Denys Cowan and Tom Palmer
Cover by Howard Porter
Steel is arrested for murdering a street thug
42 - "Trauma"
Written by Priest
Art and Cover by Denys Cowan and Tom Palmer
John is assaulted by police officers, then helps in hospital ER
43 - "Vertigo"
Written by Priest
Art and Cover by Denys Cowan and Tom Palmer
GENESIS TIE-IN - A manic Steel heads for Metropolis
44 - "Metropolis"
Written by Priest
Art and Cover by Denys Cowan and Tom Palmer
Steel patrols Metropolis in Superman's absence
45 - "Fire"
Written by Priest
Art and Cover by Denys Cowan and Tom Palmer
John and Amanda pursue their attackers, but find one is already dead
SUPERBOY
--------
35 - "Kidnapped!"
Written by Ron Marz
Art by Ramon Bernado, Doug Hazlewood, and Stan Woch
Cover by Bernado and Hazlewood
The Agenda kidnaps Superboy for his genetic material
36 - "Grudge Match"
Written by Ron Marz
Art and Cover by Ramon Bernado and Doug Hazlewood
Superboy battles Match, cloned from the Kid by The Agenda
37 - "Sledge-Hammered!"
Written by Ron Marz
Art by Sal Buscema and Ray Kryssing
Cover by Ramon Bernado and Doug Hazlewood
Superboy battles Sledge, finds out he shouldn't have
38 - "Meltdown, Part 1: Breakout"
Written by Ron Marz
Art and Cover by Ramon Bernado and Doug Hazlewood
Superboy battles Copperhead, but his powers begin to fade
39 - "Meltdown, Part 2: Freakshow"
Written by Ron Marz
Art and Cover by Ramon Bernado and Doug Hazlewood
Ailing Superboy rescues a sinking ship
40 - "Meltdown, Part 3: Life Support"
Written by Ron Marz
Art and Cover by Ramon Bernado and Doug Hazlewood
Superman, Steel, and Supergirl help search for a cure
41 - "Meltdown, Part 5: The Cure!"
Written by Ron Marz
Art by Paul Ryan and Jose Marzan, Jr.
Cover by Ramon Bernado and Doug Hazlewood
Roxy's donation saves Superboy's life, but Superboy will no longer age
42 - "Ashes to Ashes"
Written by Eddie Berganza
Art by Sal Buscema and Ray Kryssing
Cover by Ramon Bernado and Doug Hazlewood
Superboy battles a woman who drains the life from people
43 - "Caught!
Written by Barbara Kesel
Art by Sal Buscema and John Stanisci
Cover by Christian Alamy
Superboy is stalked by a zealous couple and a relentless truant officer
44 - "Going Nowhere"
Written by Barbara Kesel
Art and Cover by Sal Buscema and John Stanisci
Superboy discovers an island of "lost boys" who don't age
45 - "Invaders from the Future!"
Written by Ron Marz
Art by Georges Jeanty and Doug Hazlewood
Cover by Tom Grummett and Doug Hazlewood
The Legion comes to reclaim Superboy's honorary flight ring
46 - "Sword Play"
Written by Ron Marz
Art by Georges Jeanty and Doug Hazlewood
Cover by Tom Grummett and Doug Hazlewood
Superboy recovers the Spear of Lono, but may have lost Tana
ANNUAL #4, "Savage Boy: The Adventures of Superboy When He Was in the Jungle"
Written by Eddie Berganza
Chapter 1 Art by Tom Grindberg and Bill Anderson
Chapter 2 Art by Sergio Cariello and Barb Kaalberg
Chapter 3 Art by Brad Gorby and Jed Hotchkiss
Painted Cover by Gary Gianni
Superboy, Roxy, and Tana visit the prehistoric island from "Blackout"
SUPERBOY AND THE RAVERS
-----------------------
5 - "Dial 'X' for X-Mas"
Written by Karl Kesel and Steve Mattsson
Art and Cover by Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis
Scavenger comes looking for Hero's armor, Hero finds the 'H'-Dial
6 - "Truth or Dare"
Written by Karl Kesel and Steve Mattsson
Art and Cover by Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis
Half-Life considers the Corpse Corps, a new teen is tested at the Rave
7 - "Speed Kills"
Written by Karl Kesel and Steve Mattsson
Art and Cover by Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis
ROAD TRIP: The Ravers hit the road, drop in on Impulse.
8 - "The Romance of the Road"
Written by Karl Kesel and Steve Mattsson
Art by Paul Pelletier, Jim Aparo, and Dan Davis
Cover by Pelletier and Davis
ROAD TRIP: The Ravers visit Gotham City, then Warriors in NYC
9 - "The Road Not Taken"
Written by Karl Kesel and Steve Mattsson
Art and Cover by Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis
ROAD TRIP: The Ravers visit the transformed Superman in Metropolis
10 - "Meltdown, Part 4: Flatline"
Written by Steve Mattsson and Karl Kesel
Art by Ramon Bernado and Dan Davis
Cover by Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis
The Ravers join the search for a cure for Superboy
11 - "Kindred, Part 1: Funeral for a Friend"
Written by Steve Mattsson
Art by Aaron Lopestri and Jordi Ensign
Cover by Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis
The Ravers mourn Superboy, Marx searches out his leak
12 - Kindred, Part 2: Reunion"
Written by Steve Mattsson
Art by Aaron Lopestri and Jordi Ensign
Cover by Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis
The Marx/Nebula connection is revealed, Superboy returns to help
13 - "My Precious..."
Written by Steve Mattsson and Karl Kesel
Art and Cover by Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis
Someone comes looking for Hero, searching for his H-Dial
14 - "Genesis Suicide Squad"
Written by Steve Mattsson and Karl Kesel
Art and Cover by Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis
GENESIS TIE-IN - The Ravers battle Darkseid's forces
15 - "Edge of the Event Horizon"
Written by Steve Mattsson and Karl Kesel
Art by Josh Hood and Dan Davis
Cover by Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis
Marx forms a new Event Horizon, the Ravers reform and rejoin
16 - "Half-Life of the Party!"
Written by Steve Mattsson and Karl Kesel
Art by Josh Hood and Dan Davis
Cover by Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis
The Ravers enlist the help of Faust in curing Half-Life
SUPERGIRL
---------
5 - "Chemical Imbalance"
Written by Peter David
Art and Cover by Gary Frank and Cam Smith
Supergirl visits the Kents in Smallville, battles Chemo
6 - "Trust Fund"
Written by Peter David
Art and Cover by Gary Frank and Cam Smith
Supergirl and Superman help subdue Rampage
7 - "Art History"
Written by Gary Frank and Peter David
Art and Cover by Gary Frank and Cam Smith
Linda's memories teach Supergirl how she became corrupted by Buzz
8 - "My Dinner With Buzz"
Written by Peter David
Art and Cover by Gary Frank and Cam Smith
Buzz invades Linda's home under guise of a blind date
9 - "Tempus Fugit"
Written by Peter David
Art and Cover by Gary Frank and Cam Smith
Supergirl battles Tempus, Buzz's pawn in this endgame
10 - "Hidden Things"
Written by Peter David
Art by Leonard Kirk and Chuck Drost
Cover by Phil Jimenez
Life in Leesburg, Linda goes out with Dick Malverne
11 - "Sound and Fury"
Written by Peter David
Art by Greg Land and Prentis Rollins
Cover by Gary Frank and Cam Smith
Supergirl unwittingly frees the Silver Banshee, who's lost her memory
12 - "Cries in the Darkness"
Written by Peter Davis
Art by Greg Land and Prentis Rollins
Cover by Gary Frank and Cam Smith
Supergirl must free Mattie from the Silver Banshee's possession
13 - "Incubus"
Written by Darren Vincenzo
Art by Leonard Kirk and Cam Smith
Cover by Gary Frank and Cam Smith
Supergirl must stop a demon who is seducing young girls in their dreams
14 - "Secrets and Lies"
Written by Peter David
Art by Leonard Kirk and Cam Smith
Cover by Gary Frank and Cam Smith
GENESIS TIE-IN - Supergirl reveals her identity to the Danvers
15 - "Gods of the Twilight"
Written by Peter David
Art by Leonard Kirk and Cam Smith
Cover by Gary Frank and Cam Smith
The Extremists are revived by Twilight, Supergirl takes a road trip
16 - "Blonde Justice"
Written by Peter David
Art by Leonard Kirk and Cam Smith
Cover by Gary Frank and Cam Smith
Supergirl and Power Girl battle the Extremists
ANNUAL #2
Painted Cover by Joe Chiodo
"I Lied For Love!"
Written by Tom Peyer
Art by Anthony Castrillo and Jordi Ensign
Supergirl enlists the LSH's Brainiac 5 to help her
"Object of Desire"
Written by Chuck Dixon
Art by Greg Land and Prentis Rollins
A Supergirl fan misses the girl under his very nose
JLA
---
1 - "Them!"
Written by Grant Morrison
Art and Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
The Hyperclan arrives and turns public sentiment against the League
2 - "The Day The Earth Stood Still"
Written by Grant Morrison
Art and Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
One by one, the Hyperclan takes the League down
3 - "War of the Worlds"
Written by Grant Morrison
Art and Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
Batman must face the Hyperclan alone
4 - "Invaders From Mars"
Written by Grant Morrison
Art and Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
The JLA regroups and defeats the Hyperclan
5 - "Woman of Tomorrow"
Written by Grant Morrison
Art and Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
The JLA recruits new members, meet Tomorrow Woman
6 - "Fire in the Sky"
Written by Grant Morrison
Art and Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
Superman faces a problem on the moon, the League meets an angel
7 - "Heaven on Earth"
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Howard Porter, John Dell, and Ken Branch
Cover by Porter and Dell
Superman moves the moon, the League battles a horde of Angels
8 - "Imaginary Stories"
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Oscar Jimenez and Chip Wallace
Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
Captured by the Key, the League experiences induced alternate realities
9 - "Elseworlds"
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Oscar Jimenez and Chip Wallace
Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
Green Arrow must use his father's trick arrows to defeat the Key
10 - "Genesis and Revelations"
ROCK OF AGES: Part 1 of 6
Written by Grant Morrison
Art and Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
The Injustice Gang sends the JLA Revenge Squad against the JLA
11 - "Hostile Takeover"
ROCK OF AGES: Part 2 of 6
Written by Grant Morrison
Art and Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
The League is splintered by the Injustice Gang
12 - "Wonderworld"
ROCK OF AGES: Part 3 of 6
Written by Grant Morrison
Art and Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
GL, Flash, and Aquaman discover Wonderworld, learn of Earth's fate
13 - "Wasteland"
ROCK OF AGES: Part 4 of 6
Written by Grant Morrison
Art and Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
Earth's remaining heroes band to confront Darkseid and reclaim Earth
ANNUAL #1
Painted Cover by Gary Gianni
"Hardboiled Hangover"
Written by Brian Augustyn
Art by Ariel Olivetti
Martian Manhunter goes undercover to investigate an alien killing
"Lockdown!"
Written by Brian Augustyn
Art by Gene Ha
The non-powered members of the JLA must defeat the Brain Trust
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES
-------------------
3 - "Distant Thunder"
Written by Scott McCloud
Art and Cover by Rick Burchett and Terry Austin
Brainiac returns to recover the orb filled with Kryptonian knowledge
4 - "Eye to Eye"
Written by Scott McCloud
Art and Cover by Rick Burchett and Terry Austin
A gravity device increases Superman's weight
5 - "Balance of Power"
Written by Scott McCloud
Art by Bret Blevins and Terry Austin
Cover by Rick Burchett and Terry Austin
Livewire takes over the airwaves, blocking all shows involving men
6 - "seonimoD"
Written by Scott McCloud
Art and Cover by Rick Burchett and Terry Austin
sdrawkcab -- siloporteM fo noitcurtsed eht ssentiw kltpzyxM dna namrepuS
7 - "All Creatures Great and Small: Part 1"
Written by Scott McCloud
Art and Cover by Rick Burchett and Terry Austin
Superman and the Kryptonian villains are reduced to only inches tall
8 - "All Creatures Great and Small: Part 2"
Written by Scott McCloud
Art and Cover by Rick Burchett and Terry Austin
A tiny Superman must defeat a towering Jax-Ur
9 - "Return of the Hero"
Written by Scott McCloud
Art by Mike Manley and Terry Austin
Cover by Rick Burchett and Terry Austin
A young boy idolizes Lex Luthor
10 - "Don't Try This At Home!"
Written by Scott McCloud
Art and Cover by Rick Burchett and Terry Austin
A rash of crimes committed by action figures points to the Toyman
11 - "The War Within"
Written by Scott McCloud
Art by Rick Burchett and Terry Austin
Cover by Bret Blevins and Terry Austin
The world learns that Superman is dying from a Kryptonian virus
12 - "The War Within (Part Two)"
Written by Scott McCloud
Art by Rick Burchett and Terry Austin
Cover by Bret Blevins and Terry Austin
Lois risks her life to deliver the cure to Superman in time
13 - "Grand Slam"
Written by Scott McCloud
Art by Rick Burchett and Terry Austin
Cover by Bret Blevins and Terry Austin
Superman battles an alien champion in the Nebula Cup
14 - "Stop the Presses!"
Written by Mark Evanier
Art by Neil Vokes and Terry Austin
Cover by Rick Burchett and Terry Austin
Angela Chen unknowingly reveals the location of an Intergang informant
ANNUAL #1, "Dark Planes Drifter"
Written by Hilary J. Bader
Art by Joe Staton and Dan Davis
Cover by Joe Staton and Terry Austin
Superman battles demons with a little help from Dr. Fate
LIMITED SERIES AND SPECIALS
---------------------------
SUPERBOY/ROBIN: WORLD'S FINEST THREE (Two issues, Dec 96 - Jan 97)
Written by Karl Kesel and Chuck Dixon
Art and Covers by Tom Grummett and Scott Hanna
Superboy and Robin team up against Metallo and Poison Ivy
SUPERBOY PLUS #1 (One issue, Jan)
Written by Ron Marz
Art by Andy Smith
Cover by Gary Frank and Cam Smith
Superboy teams up with Captain Marvel Junior in Hawaii
SUPERGIRL PLUS #1 (One issue, Feb)
Written by Peter David
Art by Mike Manley, Bret Blevins, John Nyberg, Jennifer Graves, and
Chuck Drost
Cover by Gary Frank and Cam Smith
Supergirl and Mary Marvel investigate a policeman
SPIDER-BOY TEAM-UP #1 (Jun)
Written by Roger Stern and Karl Kesel
Art by Jo Ladronn and Juan Vlasco
Cover by Jo Ladronn, Juan Vlasco, and Karl Kesel
AMALGAM '97: Spider-Boy meets the Legions of Galactic Guardians
BATMAN & SUPERMAN ADVENTURES: WORLD'S FINEST (Dec)
Written by Paul Dini
Art by Joe Staton and Terry Beatty
Cover by Bruce Timm
Adaptation of the Kids' WB animated feature
GUEST APPEARANCES
-----------------
TEEN TITANS #4-5, "Coming Out" (Jan - Feb)
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art and Cover by Dan Jurgens and George Perez
Supergirl is captured by the Veil and rescued by the Teen Titans
ADVENTURES IN THE DC UNIVERSE ANNUAL #1 (Nov)
Written by Hilary J. Bader
Cover by John Delaney and Terry Austin
Rose and The Thorn art by Dick Giordano and Terry Austin
Superboy art by Michael Avon Oeming and Ron Boyd
Several stories involving Dr. Fate, Zatanna, and mysterious amulets
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #99 (Dec)
Written by Tom Peyer and Tom McCraw
Art by Lee Moder, Derec Aucoin, and Ray Kryssing
Cover by Alan Davis and Mark Farmer
Superboy, Robin, and Impulse help the Legion fight C.O.M.P.U.T.O.
_____________________________________________
1997 KAYCEES NOMINATIONS
----------------------------
The leaves have turned, snow has begun to fall, and comic book cover dates
have turned into 1998. The time is upon us, once again, for the annual
Kryptonian Cybernet Readers' Choice Awards!
There are ten monthly titles which the Cybernet considers to be Superman
titles, as well as numerous mini-series, specials, one-shots and annuals.
Overall, it comes to more than 150 books which are eligible for some of the
awards. When faced with this sheer volume of material, choosing best and
worst cover, best and worst single issue, and best and worst story proves a
monumental task. Neither is counting the votes an easy chore.
This year, in an attempt to streamline the process, we have decided to
initiate a two-step voting process for several of the awards. In the
categories listed below, we are asking you, the reader, to put forth worthy
nominees. Any candidate receiving two or more nominations will appear on the
1997 Kaycees ballot, to appear in December's issue of the Kryptonian Cybernet.
Nominations for any of the awards below (please, only one nomination per award
per reader) must be E-MAILED to me at sykes@ms.uky.edu no later than Sunday,
December 14. Only the final voting will be facilitated by a web-based ballot.
With these niceties out of the way, let's get to the awards for which we are
now accepting nominations. Accompanying the awards below are lists of books eligible for those awards. For further information about specific issues and their contents, see our 1997 Superman Comics Index. Nominations are now open for the following awards:
SUPERMAN TRIANGLE TITLES:
------------------------
TT1: Best Story/Story Arc in a Superman Triangle Title
TT2: Worst Story/Story Arc in a Superman Triangle Title
TT3: Best Cover from a Superman Triangle Title
TT4: Worst Cover from a Superman Triangle Title
TT5: Best Single Issue of a Superman Triangle Title
TT6: Worst Single Issue of a Superman Triangle Title
Eligible for these awards are the five core Superman titles. The specific
issues published in 1997 are:
Action Comics #729-740
Adventures of Superman #542-553
Superman #119-130
Superman: The Man of Steel #64-74
Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #7-9
SUPERMAN FAMILY TITLES:
----------------------
SF1: Best Story/Story Arc in a Superman Family Title
SF2: Worst Story/Story Arc in a Superman Family Title
SF3: Best Cover from a Superman Family Title
SF4: Worst Cover from a Superman Family Title
SF5: Best Single Issue of a Superman Family Title
SF6: Worst Single Issue of a Superman Family Title
Eligible for these awards are the six Superman Family titles. The specific
issues published in 1997 are:
Steel #34-45
Superboy #35-46
Superboy and the Ravers #5-16
Supergirl #5-16
JLA #1-13
Superman Adventures #3-14
Again, nominations for any of these categories should be e-mailed to
sykes@ms.uky.edu no later than Sunday, December 14.
Next month: the ballots!
_____________________________________________
NEW COMIC REVIEWS
-----------------
For purposes of completeness, note that there were two Superman related titles
not reviewed this month. First, we have decided to stop reviewing THE KENTS,
simply as a matter of conserving space and because the title doesn't directly
involve the Superman family. (Though we still *highly* recommend the series!)
Also of note is an appearance by Superboy in LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #99.
Ratings Panelists:
AW: Anatole Wilson DWd: Darrin Wood MS: Mike Smith
CoS: Cory Strode EJ: Enola Jones RG: Rene' Gobeyn
DC: David Chappell GN: G.M. Nelson ST: Shane Travis
DJ: Derek Jackson JO: Joey Ochoa TD: Thomas Deja
DR: Daniel Radice JSy: Jeff Sykes VV: Vic Vitek
KM: Kuljit Mithra
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 SUPERMAN TITLES:
-------------------
47. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #74 Dec 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Subterranean Terror"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciller: Scot Eaton
Inker: Dennis Janke
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Assistant Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joy Cavalieri
Cover: Jon Bogdanove, Dennis Janke, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.1/5.0 Shields
MS: 3.5 Shields
AH: 3.0 Shields - The idea of Clark Kent and Sam Lane coming to the
rescue is interesting. I like the fact that Rajiv is smart enough not
to forget that Clark 'confession' while under the truth serum.
DJ: 3.0 Shields - I liked how Clark kept having to protect his secret
identity from Sam.
GN: 2.8 Shields - Yet another story with Rajiv, a villain nowhere near
Superman's league. Only the contrived plot makes the situation
anything of a challenge for Superman.
JO: 3.5 Shields - Not much of a plot, but it's nice to see Clark deal with
being human and all that comes with it, like a cranky Father-in-law.
TD: 2.0 Shields - Outside of one or two marginally nice bits, an
unimaginative and paint-by-numbers outing utilizing Naga, the most
cliched and unwanted villain of the year. Boy, am I glad I jumped
ship when I did....
VV: 3.0 Shields - Better than it had a right to be. A little commando Lois
comes out, but not enough to ruin the story. I really do hope that
this is the end of this "dangerous foe" for once and for all. Unless,
of course, we find out that "Naga" means "Cat with 9 lives".
One word describes this issue: improvement. The last few issues of _Man of
Steel_ have been downright awful, ranging from the poorly inked #71, to the
confusing Genesis tie-in that was #72 to the over-plotted and under-Clarked
#73. It's been rough reading this book lately.
Finally we get to the good stuff. Beneath the beautiful rendition of Clark
Kent's face by Jon Bogdanove, we find a story that features (gasp!) Clark
Kent! Simonson tells the story of Clark rushing off to Australia to save Lois
from the evil Rajiv Naga. Ordinarily that would be standard fare from the
Superbooks, but this time there's a couple of catches:
1. Due to a truth-serum induced confession from Clark, Rajiv is convinced that
Clark is Superman. He has kidnapped Lois primarily to see who comes to her
rescue. If it's Superman, he'll have proof of his suspicions.
2. Clark is on this mission with his father-in-law, Sam Lane, which means that
he not only has to do this one in his human form, but he's got to do it
alongside someone who can't stand him. Clark has to 'prove himself' in Sam's
eyes _and_ hide his secret.
3. His new powers don't make any of this easy. If he becomes Superman the
light show would tip anyone off.
These complications transform what would be a mediocre story into some quality
material.
Throughout the story, Clark can't shake Sam because Sam believes he has to
watch out for _Clark_. When Rajiv fires missiles at our heroes' plane, Kent
must fake airsickness so he can get out of the ship and draw enemy fire. In
parachutes, Clark changes into Superman behind Sam so he can manipulate
thermal air currents for a better landing. So far this has been simple stuff,
reminiscent of the old days where Clark would pretend to trip and punch out
the bad guy, or melt doors while cleaning his glasses.
The best is yet to come when Sam and Clark have trouble climbing up the butte
to get into the fortress. Sam falls and Clark must pull him up. Clark then
realizes that if he's not strong enough, he'll have no choice but to reveal
that he's Superman. Fortunately he succeeds -- only to have Sam call him a
wimp anyway.
Since Sam was hurt from the fall, it's up to Clark to go it alone. He zaps
into Superman and infiltrates the base. I particularly loved the part where
Clark has to remind himself that saving Lois is more important than which
identity gets the credit. At this point I almost had the priorities confused
myself!
Superman finds Lois only to discover that Rajiv is counting on Big Blue to
show up. So he just turns himself invisible and helps Lois escape. From
there Sam Lane charges in to save Clark (in fact he has to shield Sam from
bullets with his EM fields). He finds Clark (as human) and helps him fight
Rajiv's goons, and Rajiv is so upset that he detonates his munitions shed,
destroying the fortress.
Superman flies his wife and unconscious in-law out of the danger. Sam wakes
up to find Lois explaining to Superman how Clark had already saved her and
that he was too late to help out. In a priceless scene Sam admits in front of
Superman that Clark isn't so bad, as long as nobody tells him he said so.
When Clark returns, Sam offers to take him bungee jumping, which I imagine is
the highest praise Sam will ever give Clark to his face.
What made this issue so enjoyable is that Simonson has successfully restored a
classic element to Superman: no respect for Clark Kent. If Sam's attitude
seems familiar, it should. Lois used to do the same thing before she found
out the truth about Superman. The whole "wimpy Clark" setup to this story
made it a lot of fun, not only for rejuvenating an underused plot, but for
improving upon it. Doesn't it make more sense to show Clark's father-in-law
disliking him than Lois? The best part is, Sam's _never_ going to find out,
and Clark can play these games with him indefinitely.
For a pretty lame villain, Rajiv worked out nicely in this story. The last
thing Simonson needed for this male bonding issue would have been a
well-characterized villain who'd have taken away from the Clark/Sam
interaction. Plus, his suspicion of Clark's secret emphasizes the theme of
the story. Essentially, this was MAN OF STEEL #63 with a much-needed twist.
Lois stands out as well. Despite being the damsel in distress, she manages to
make a couple of escape attempts and taunts Rajiv about his crumbling criminal
empire. Of course, when your base of operations is a hollowed out butte in
Northern Territory, Australia, you make yourself an easy target for jokes.
Luthor wouldn't be worried about this guy, that's for sure.
The only other plot in this book was the "S.T.A.R. Labs buys three weird
looking rocks" deal. As far as I'm concerned, this was overdone. It's a
setup to Jurgens' setup to ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #553, which means nothing
really came of it this week. One page of rock-purchasing and ominous comments
about the "dragon's teeth" would have been sufficient, if not zero. The
important thing is that this was the only subplot in the book, and it was
nicely separated from the main one.
Artwise, Scot Eaton and Dennis Janke finally make a good team. The sad part
is that it took Eaton's entire run for them to click. Saving the best for
last I suppose. The only gaffe I noticed was the scene where Superman says
he's invisible but he clearly (pun intended) isn't. I guess that's the
colorist's mistake.
To compensate, there was the great shot of Superman increasing his temperature
to attract the heat-seeking missiles. Great visual effect with Superman's
hair resembling a fire. Also, you gotta figure this is a foreshadow of the
upcoming Superman-Red.
Overall, a fun issue with some great characterization of Clark, Sam, and Lois,
amplified by the barren backdrop of the Australian desert and a two-bit
villain. Good application of Superman's new powers, and once again proof
that, no matter what the gimmick is, Clark is still the Man of Steel.
Mike Smith
<mpsmit0@pop.uky.edu>
===============================
48. SUPERMAN #130 Dec 1997 $1.97 US/$2.75 CAN
"The Longest Halloween"
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Guest Penciller: Norm Breyfogle
Inker: Joe Rubinstein
Letterer: John Costanza
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Assistant Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Doomsayer: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Ron Frenz, Joe Rubinstein, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.4/5.0 Shields
TD: 2.8 Shields (Story)
3.9 Shields (Art)
EJ: 3.6 Shields - Good story. I laughed out loud when I found out why
Clark was so worried about his costume! The not-so-subtle nod to
Burt Ward was priceless, as was Clark's crack that Batman has no
sense of humor.
GN: 4.2 Shields - Breyfogle's art was a nice change of pace. Character
bits with Lois and Clark were Jurgens' best since the wedding. Lois'
choice of costumes -- and Clark's reaction -- was inspired!
JO: 4.5 Shields - Great humor for all you fans of Clark AND Bruce. Good
story, solid art, and great cliffhanger! Everything I look for in
a weekly book.
JSy: 3.0 Shields - Mostly nice art, and Jurgens perfectly portrays Clark's
squirming about what Batman would do. However, pacing seemed a bit
off, and how many times are we going to have to see Scorn whisk away
Miss Armstrong?
ST: 2.7 Shields - Anyone notice that Clark broke the *law* with his B&E
into STAR Labs, just to satisfy his curiosity? The costume joke was
beaten into the ground. The Councilman was well-portrayed; hope we
see him again... and Lois can by my Robin _anyday_. Rrrrowr!
VV: 2.0 Shields - The costumes and Ashbury's continuing feud with her
father raised this up from a lower score from me. Did I miss the
original coming of the Millennium Guard, or is this another FOOM
(Foe of the Month) Club member for Superman?
Hey! Welcome to my new spot, reviewing the flagship title. Sorry for the mess;
still haven't unpacked everything from the move away from MAN OF STEEL, you
know.
As the title of this issue's story might reveal, this is our spook show for
the year. It all revolves around a recently unearthed artifact called 'The
Dragon's Tooth' that S.T.A.R. Labs has been poking around. Acting on a hot tip
from the *most* stereotypical blue collar janitor you'll ever see (further
proof Jurgens can't dialogue for snot), Clark does his Sparky the Wonder
Kryptonian thing to check it out. The Dragon's Tooth is very strange indeed;
the rock it's made of has a molecular structure similar to DNA, and ancient
texts tie in its discovery with a larger event. Clark and Lois jet out of
there to join a charity costume party thrown by the mayor, just as the
Dragon's Tooth explodes in a wash of weird energy, releasing an ancient
warrior, who wants to utilize Supes' energies to release his brethren, also
recently unearthed.
Meanwhile, Dirk Armstrong and Mayor Berkowitz are at loggerheads over a gun
control bill, prompting a falling out with Ashbury that leads to her and Scorn
leaving the party and throwing in with Jimmy Olsen and the Hairies. There's
also a running gag -- I suspect prompted by the presence of guest penciller
Norm Breyfogle -- which has Clark and Lois dressed up as Batman and Robin for
the charity ball. Lip service is paid to the Contessa's pregnancy and Perry's
cancer, which seems to be in remission.
What we've got here is Dan Jurgens trying too hard to cover too many bases.
This issue brims with enthusiasm -- it's obvious Dan just *loves* writing this
gumbo, and he doesn't care who knows it. Unfortunately, as with most people
suffering from a surfeit of enthusiasm, Jurgens goes overboard. The way, for
example, Clark reminds us not once, not twice, but three times about how
nervous he is about dressing up as Batman beats what was a cute gag into the
ground. Furthermore, by insisting he include everybody's sub-plot this time
around, the boy ends up giving short shrift to those people who could've used
more air time. (I would have been more than willing to forgo the whole
Armstrong bit to see more of Perry.) I suspect that if Jurgens had spent a
little more time fine-tuning this baby, it would've worked out a lot better.
As a long time Breyfogle fan, I was certainly amped to see his work on this
issue. It doesn't disappoint, although I have to admit that Rubinstein's inks
smothered some of the quirky angularity that makes Norm so good. The character
design of the Dragon Tooth warrior is classic Breyfogle, and I really like the
spidery lighting effects he came up with to represent Clark's zapping about.
That being said, the man's Lois is seriously damaged....
I think Jurgens is improving as a plotter; what he needs to concentrate on now
is pace and dialogue--especially dialogue. Of course, we're going to get the
re-villification of Luthor next month, so it could go either way. Regardless,
this was right there on the baseline. Pity it couldn't have moved towards the
high marks more quickly.
Thomas Deja
<manciniman@rocketmail.com>
===============================
49. THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #553 Dec 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Energy Crisis"
Words: Karl Kesel
Layouts: Tom Grummett
Finishes: Denis Rodier
Letters: Albert de Guzman
Colors: Glenn Whitmore
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Assistant Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Keeps Going...
and Going...: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Tom Grummett, Denis Rodier, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.3/5.0 Shields
DR: 2.2 Shields
DC: 2.8 Shields - Disappointing fight-filled climax for the Dragon's Tooth.
JO: 3.9 Shields - Nice to see Superman depend on his wits and his friends
to save his bacon. The M.G. has good villain potential.
JSy: 2.5 Shields - Introducing the Millennium Guard in a shroud of mystery,
and even not revealing their true purpose in this issue, is fine.
I like a good mystery. However, a mystery without clues is simply
frustrating, and we get nothing to even help warrant a guess.
MS: 3.5 Shields - What made this cool was Kesel's brilliant use of Clark's
vague powers for suspense. The whole time I was thinking "Oh, no!
They got him for real this time! Oh, wait, he can do such-and-such."
TD: 4.5 Shields - My fave of the core titles--a straightforward chase yarn
that just delivered the action and had tons of fun, a new light for
Misa, and juggled a whole load of elements without being obtrusive.
VV: 2.5 Shields - Umm, if the Millennium Guard were after Supes' energy,
why didn't he just turn into Clark for a bit to lose them and come
up with a new plan, or call the JLA?
Oh JOY! Another two part story! Whee! Am I being sarcastic enough? If not, I
can sure as heck try harder. Thankfully, Jurgens isn't around to finish off
this one, but it's sad that Karl Kesel's name is attached to the tail end. You
know, it's not that Superman is getting boring, but I find the writers just
don't know what to do with him anymore. Maybe I'm being impatient, maybe I'm
being nostalgic, or maybe I'm just being silly, but Superman is starting to
lose his splendour. On that rather foreboding note, on with the re-cap!
As any good second part would do, _Adventures_ #553 picks up where _Superman_
#131 left off, with Superman getting his Minty-blue-buttocks kicked by the
Millennium Guard. Last ish, Supes woke them up from their who-knows-how-long
slumber and the gang is mighty cranky. Like any of us would toss an alarm
clock out the window, the Millennium guard seeks to "neutralize" the
disturbance (read: Superman).
Meanwhile, the Super-family's group of runaways, Ashbury Armstrong, Jimmy
Olsen, and Ceritak/Scorn, sit around a campfire contemplating Ashbury's
departure from the Mayor's Halloween party. Whilst engaging in some witty
repartee, the trio is infiltrated by Misa of the Hairies. Then, from out of
the blue (forgive the bad pun), up pops Superman, who has the Millennium Guard
hot on his Electri-Kal tail! The plan? Try and lose the Guard in the Zoomway!
If that's not enough excitement for your buck-ninety-five, the mysterious
killer chooses another victim--Lucy Lane! Is she OK? What happened with
Superman and the Millennium guard? Is Jimmy Olsen still a putz? How much does
Scorn eat in a day? Some of these questions are answered this issue and others
are left for another issue. Which ones, I won't say, but I will say this: Do
you really think Superman will be killed again? Wait. Don't answer that...
This week, as part of the "Faces of the DCU" promotion, we're given a lovely
close-up of Scorn. In my humble opinion, Tom Grummett draws a fantastic Scorn;
unfortunately, Denis Rodier does not ink a good Scorn. To extend that hatred,
Rodier does not ink well at all. The cover looks more like a Magic Marker was
used instead of proper inking materials. (This will be the last month I'll go
into detail on "Why I Hate Denis Rodier's Inking". From now on, I will
restrict myself to a brief comment.)
The inside art is weak for Grummett. He's been taxing himself a little more as
of late, what with doing Superboy covers and four issues of Silver Surfer.
This is probably why he's credited as "layouts" as opposed to "penciller". It
saddens me to think that Tom's name is being ruined with Rodier on inks. Most
of the characters' faces contain that traditional Tom Grummett style about
them, but the overall look is far too messy. I would seriously prefer for Doug
Hazlewood to come back as Tom's inker.
There are some good page layouts that help the story to flow well, but not as
many as there should have been. The book looks rushed, with a general lack of
care to what is drawn in. I'm not very pleased with Tom on this issue--not
pleased at all. Oh, but how can I stay mad at a fellow Canadian?
Karl Kesel is an excellent writer. He deserves the freedom of a non-linked
system of books to fully express himself and his ideas. Sadly, he doesn't have
it in _AOS_. Karl has to carry on the stories and plots of others, and that is
not a fair position in which to put a writer. The books read less like actual
comics and more like collaborative fiction, where each person writes a
chapter. That sort of procedure leads to poor story flow and hampers a
writer's abilities.
The appearance of the Millennium Guard and their pursuit of Superman probably
relate to the reasons behind his recent change. They refer to him as an
"anomaly" and do not know him as Superman. At least, that's Kesel's story; in
Dan Jurgens' first part of the story, it seems that Amun (the first member of
the Millennium Guard) knew full well who Superman was. Just a minor gripe, I
know, but there are others.
The dialogue is horribly expositional and stilted. "Don't know what those
three want with me except it's clear it's not good." Thank you, Captain
Obvious. "Arms numb...useless..." We could tell that from the pictures! Please
Karl, don't turn into David Michelinie--trust the artist! Just after that
line, Superman thinks about calling in the Justice League, but is immediately
attacked by another Millennium Guardsman. You'd think Minty-Man would want to
call the JLA even more now, but no... he changes his plan to concentrate on
"just staying alive." Now that is pure stupidity.
I'd hack the writing even further, but I think I should mention some of the
good points. Kesel neatly ties up the story started by Jurgens and manages to
bring elements from three different plots together; the Millennium Guard,
Scorn and Ashbury, and Jimmy Olsen. I hope, though, that this is not a trend
for the future--the other writers muck up the stories all they want and good
ol' Karl comes in to clean things up. That would be a serious waste of his
talents.
I enjoy the "Triangle" system of the Super-titles, but at the same time, I
don't. I'm torn on this decision. Do I lean towards the cohesive family of
books that tell an ongoing story? Or would it make more sense to have all the
books separate from one another, with each focusing on a different element of
our Big Blue Boy Scout's life? I guess I would personally like a harkening
back to 1993, during the Reign of the Supermen storyline, where each book was
interconnected, but had their own unique story to tell. I don't know if that's
possible nowadays, but if it were implemented it could seriously help the
book's market standings.
To sum up: As a stand-alone book to showcase the talents of this particular
team, I am disappointed with this issue, but as cog in the machine that is the
Super-Juggernaut, it serves its purpose well. Unfortunately, that route
severely hampers the abilities of the writers and artists, and because of
that, this book suffers.
Dan Radice
<dradice@caninet.com>
_____________________________________________
THE SUPERMAN TITLES (cont):
--------------------------
50. ACTION COMICS #740 Dec 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"A Rag, a Bone, and a Hank of Hair"
Writing: Stuart Immonen
Pencilling: Stuart Immonen
Inking: Jose Marzan, Jr.
Lettering: Bill Oakley
Coloring: Glenn Whitmore
Separating: Digital Chameleon
Assisting: Maureen McTigue
Detective Work: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Stuart Immonen, Jose Marzan, Jr., and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 2.6/5.0 Shields
ST: 2.5 Shields
GN: 4.4 Shields - Good character bit with Ron Troupe, who is becoming an
appealing addition to the Superman mythos. Terrific sequence with
Superman in "stealth" mode in the sewers. Overall, nice job on story
by Immonen.
JO: 1.5 Shields - Bad art, boring story. The best thing about this book was
that they didn't kill Lucy.
MS: 2.0 Shields - It's not the killer at all! Or is it? Well, most of this
issue was too dark to see, so I sort of stopped caring. Great effect
of Superman walking in the sewer with his stealth powers, and lots
of horror flick-type suspense, but not much to show for it.
VV: 2.0 Shields - I really don't know what to make of this story. Do we
really need another "monster in the sewers"? Saving grace; Superman
thinking about his new powers and what they can do as ALREADY
demonstrated (ie, spectravision) as opposed to pulling another new
power out of the hat because it "sounds cool".
Scene: Specialty Comics store.
Time: October 1997
(A man enters, stage right, dressed in a heavy coat and boots. He unzips the
coat and removes a pair of gloves as he enters the store. He calls to the
storekeeper (offstage).)
"Hey Phil! How's by you? Good to see you too. I know, I know, it's been a
while since I was in, but I've been out of town."
(The man wanders through the store, browsing, and stops in front of a rack of
DC comics. (Prop note: all the comics have nothing on them but a face.) His
attention falls on the shelf of Superman titles. He admires the picture of
Clark on the _Man of Steel_ issue, then looks slightly puzzled as he picks up
a copy of _Action Comics_.)
"I see Superman's still blue, and Scorn's still around, but who's the guy with
the blue eyeballs and the teeth on the _Action_ cover?
"Whaddaya mean, you don't know either? You've got a 'Faces of the DC
Universe' sign in your window, and there's no face on this one.
"Yeah, yeah, okay. Technically, it's a face. Who's it supposed to be, though?
Mind if I flip through it?"
(He pulls the issue from its polybag and starts to leaf through it. About four
pages in, he stops.)
"Phil, back when Superman first got his new powers, didn't he do something
like sink Metallo into the dirt, and then yank him back out again with
magnetism? Yeah, that's what I thought too. Metallo must've weighed a couple
tons at least, wouldn't you guess? Look here -- there's this truck hanging
off a bridge, and Superman has to go through all sorts of fancy tricks with
Kerosene and some sort of Lightning Vision before he can get enough *ooomph*
to lift it.
"Oh is *that* what you meant! I heard you saying something about 'He could've
used a force field,' when I walked in -- didn't know who you were talking
about. That would probably work too. Why all the big effort and fireworks
then?
"Yeah, I saw that Immonen's doing the art now, but you didn't answer the
question. I was asking why the writer ignored that other story and made things
so hard for Supes.
"Whaddaya mean, you were talking about the writing? Immonen's writing too?
How's he doing so far?"
(he pauses, as though listening to a long explanation)
"That good, eh?"
(He continues to flip through the pages, then stops again.)
"Phil, who's this 'Ripper' guy that Clark's writing about? He's the guy on the
cover, right? And how come this 'Monster Hunter' guy is sounding like he
knows what's going on when the rest of the city is clueless?
"Yeah, okay. I'll keep reading."
(He flips a few more pages. Without looking up, he calls out again.)
"Nice to see that Ron and Lucy are still going out. I was afraid that DC might
back down on that one if they got any bad press about it. I guess all the
bigots and loudmouths already dropped it when Supes turned blue, or are too
busy writing about how they 'defaced the icon', eh?"
(He chuckles at his own joke, and goes on reading. Without looking up, he
comments:)
"Clark sure is a jerk to those Japanese people, eh? Who's he been taking
lessons from, Geraldo?"
(He flips the page, then stops and laughs out loud.)
"Lemme get this straight; Maggie Sawyer is telling Superman -- a guy who can
walk through walls, fly at the speed of light, create force fields, control
magnetism and gravity, zap things with his 'Lightning Vision', and who knows
*what* else -- that "Without X-Ray vision, you're not much help to us?"
Whatever! What's she smoking anyway? Then she lets him help after all,
because she suddenly learns that he can turn invisible... Riiiight..."
(More flipping, more reading. He flips back to the first page to check
something in the credits.)
"You suppose Whitmore got paid as much for 'colouring' the five pages in the
sewers as he did for every other page in the book? (chuckle) Speaking of
which, I had to check that it was him still doing the book. I remember him
being a lot better than this. Everything in the background is all the same
colour; those people in the Planet are all brown, or grey, or pink, and that
car by Ron is solid orange. Wonder if they're over-working him, or what's the
story?"
(He flips another page, then laughs again.)
"Yeah, Right! You know what the chances are of having an alien alphabet that
'just happens' to look like English -- and like an English word that conjures
up images of psycho-killers? Hah! I didn't believe it in the movies when they
tried to tell us that the 'S' symbol was part of Kal's Kryptonian heritage,
and I don't buy this either. You watch -- this'll turn out to be English after
all, or some variant. If not, then the writers should be shot.
"Well, okay, maybe not shot, but someone should make them sit through a
semester of Linguistics at least."
(Flip)
"Now *Turpin* is on Supes' case? What gives? Didn't Priest write something
about how Steel was welcomed with open arms by the people of Metropolis, and
now Immonen's trying to tell us that they've got this huge 'what have you done
for me lately' complex? Come *on*. People aren't that fickle. He's been
saving their asses for years, and they're going to turn on him because he
missed one? According to the Secret Files, he just saved them all from
Doomsday a year ago..."
"Oh, yeah. I was looking through that when I was out of town. I'm not going to
spend seven bucks on it though, so take mine outta my file, wouldja?
"Where was I? Doomsday -- right. He just saved them from Doomsday a year ago,
and people are going to forget a thing like that? I don't think so..."
(He flips the final page, snorts, closes the book, and puts it back into its
polybag.)
"Kirichitan. Right. Another Bad Guy of the Week that nobody'll remember in a
year. At least this Ripper guy seems to have some kinda story behind him,
even if we haven't seen what he looks like and don't know what it is yet.
"Sure -- If you've got a theory on this Ripper guy, I'm all ears."
(A pause while he listens, and a thoughtful look.)
"Well, I didn't pick up any of that Godwave stuff -- on your recommendation,
if I remember correctly -- but if you say that Immonen already wrote about one
Godwave victim, then figuring that this Ripper character is another makes
about as much sense as anything, I guess.
"Buy it? Hmmm... I don't think so. Nothing happens, and it doesn't go
anywhere. Immonen still draws nice, but I don't think much of him as a writer.
Certainly ain't worth my three bucks.
"Yeah, I know, it ain't a library. Tell you what, Phil -- throw a copy of _Man
of Steel_ #75 in my file when it comes out and I'll buy that. Seeing Mixzy...
Mixez... Mixspittle... You know, that magic guy in the purple...
"Yeah -- him. Seeing him is always good for a laugh."
(He returns the issue of _Action_ to the shelf, picks up another comic, and
starts to head offstage in the direction he has been speaking. The lights
begin to dim.)
"I got a couple minutes before my bus comes. What's going on in _JLA_ with
this Rock of Ages storyline anyway?"
(Exuent Omnes)
(Fade to black)
Shane Travis
<travis@sedsystems.ca>
_____________________________________________
SUPER-FAMILY TITLES:
-------------------
STEEL #45 Dec 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Fire"
Writer: Priest
Artists: Denys Cowan and Tom Palmer
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Colorist: John Kalisz
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Asst. Editor: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Cowan and Palmer
RATINGS
Average: 3.8/5.0 Shields
JSy: 4.5 Shields
JO: 3.5 Shields - Bad art, But lots of "man behind the armor" stuff in
the story makes it a worthwhile read. Steel's brother has great
character potential.
MS: 4.0 Shields - Once again, proof that a good comic doesn't always have
to have a fight in it. Steel is the most realistic superhero out
there, suffering one bad break after another this issue until he
finally takes it out on his kitchen. Who can't relate to that?
TD: 3.3 Shields (Story: 3.6, Art: 3.0) - Cowan and Palmer still clash a
bit too much for my tastes, but that last sequence of John getting
in touch with his rage was braveau.....
When John Irons cuts loose, it's really something to behold.
One of the hallmarks of this character has been the calm, cool way in which he
handles what's happening in his life and in his work. In their year on the
title, Priest, Cowan, and Palmer have managed to wonderfully portray this
aspect of John Irons through his words, expressions, actions, and reactions.
This portrait of the man has never been so clear, however, as in the rare
moments when Priest has chosen to show the holes in the armor.
The first realization came a few months ago, during the dawn of GENESIS. The
overwhelming mania exhibited by Steel as he searched for Superman simply felt
wrong. It was painfully clear that something just was not right with the
character, and noticing the abnormal forced the reader to realize what
constituted normal. This was nothing so shocking as what was soon to come.
In the past year, Steel's life has undergone a total upheaval. He's been
forced to adapt to a new city -- one which apparently has little respect for
super-heroes. He's become the sole guardian of his niece Natasha, a young girl
beginning to realize the power she wields in the lives of those around her --
and whom, by all appearances, has a budding relationship with a boy Steel
knows to be HIV positive. Perhaps most importantly, he's been struggling with
the confusion and uncertainty he feels when confronting his feelings about
Amanda. Then along come a couple of racists cops who beat up John and Amanda,
which brings us to "Fire."
John and Amanda finally return to the scene of the crime, deciding it's time
to seek justice. When they arrive at the police station, however, they find
themselves under suspicion -- the police officers were killed last issue by
Crash, Steel's brother, and the police immediately suspect John. Lack of
evidence, and some intimidation by Lieutenant Margot, result in their release,
though the department retains his spare flight boots to check for forensic
evidence.
A few vignettes: Amanda returns to the hospital, where she confronts Skorpio,
believing him responsible for the murders. He convinces her otherwise. In a
local record store, a young man's touch spurs memories of Nat's traumatic
experience at school, resulting in a vicious attack in which she lays out the
"offender" and two security officers. Oddly enough, there are no serious
repercussions from this, as she and Boris are simply escorted out of the
store, along with last issue's Ice Cream Guy, who just happened to be in the
wrong place at the wrong time. Confrontation leads to Nat being called on whom
she's interested in (teenagers and their love triangles), but the sudden
appearance of Superboy allows her to skirt the issue.
Finally, back to Steel. A black policeman returns John's flight boots and
passes along his regrets for the incident. He defends the department (the 'one
bad apple doesn't spoil the bunch' argument), apologizes for the lab's
inability to reassemble the boots, and collects an autograph for his son.
After the officer has left, John pours his boots out of a duffel bag, pauses a
moment, and then unleashes perhaps the most unchecked, raw, emotional and
physical outburst I've ever seen in comics to date.
I don't know how Priest and Cowan work in tandem -- whether this three-page
outburst was completely scripted, or whether Priest simply told Cowan to have
John go bonkers -- but *man* do they handle this scene well! While Cowan and
Palmer's art has never grown on me, I have to admit that their style is
perfect for these acts of wanton destruction. The scratchy look we so often
find in this title really lends itself to the exploding shards of glass and
splintering wood flying around John's kitchen.
As powerful as these pages are, the final page is even more so. All the
pent-up frustration, anger, rage, and violence that John let loose are not
enough to change the core nature of the man. Where the movie of the week might
have the angry, violated man go out and seek vengeance, Priest highlights the
quiet calm that is Dr. Irons.
I've mentioned it before, and it's worth repeating. This is one of the best
super-hero titles being published today, and it's well worth every penny they
charge. For the past six months, Priest and company have poured their all
into these characters, cutting loose with some of the most entertaining and
thought-provoking material on the stands.
And when these guys cut loose, it's really something to behold.
Jeff Sykes
<sykes@ms.uky.edu>
===============================
SUPERBOY #46 Dec 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Sword Play"
Writer: Ron Marz
Pencils: Georges Jeanty
Inks: Doug Hazlewood
Colors: Buzz Setzer
Letters: Richard Starkings and Comicraft/ST
Assistant Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Doug Hazlewood and Tom Grummett
RATINGS
Average: 2.9/5.0 Shields
RG: 4.5 Shields (Story)
3.0 Shields (Art)
EJ: 2.5 Shields - A break-up and the return of an old enemy that just
will not go away. I agree with Tana, though; until the Kid matures
emotionally, I wouldn't go with him, either!
GN: 1.5 Shields - S-boy and Tana's on-off relationship is getting tiresome.
Marz is really mishandling S-boy, who respects Tana more than to take
her away from work like that and abandon her on a beach. Kesel can't
return soon enough.
JO: 3.5 Shields - The story was sad (Superboy) and Cute (Dubbilex) at the
same time. Stories about heroes and their relationships will always
get my attention. The art needs help.
ST: 2.9 Shields - Maybe this is how a one year-old clone _should_ act, but
we've seen SB be more considerate, so it doesn't ring true. Tana makes
a good differentiation between growing older and growing up, though,
and the kid uses his head to win a fight.
JSy: 3.0 Shields - To be honest, this particular problem in Superboy and
Tana's relationship *should* have come up a lot sooner. Does anyone
else have a problem with Dubbilex deluding the woman on the beach?
Despite my misgivings about the plot, though, the story was fairly
well told.
This one has been a long time coming, but all the clues have been there. In
what may be the final argument between Tana Moon and Superboy, she accuses him
(with more than some justification) of being immature, and not following
through on his responsibilities to his career as a hero. He goes off to the
Kilauea volcano to recover the mystic gem that powers the Spear of Lono
(stolen last issue by Silver Sword). He manages to recover it, but gets more
than he bargained for when he ends up battling The Silver Sword for both it
and the Spear. He manages to win the fight, but when he returns to the beach
where he left Tana, she is gone--this time, probably for good.
Yet another winner, this book is on a roll!
This story in this book was just about perfect. It was mostly character
driven, and even managed to have a lighter tone in places as Roxy manages to
drag Dubbilex off to the beach where she tries to play match-maker. The scenes
between Superboy and Tana were very well done, and managed to come off as
serious without being preachy or forced. It even had enough detail (during the
argument) to bring a new reader up to speed on recent events.
The fight between Superboy and Silver Sword was mercifully short, and almost a
throw-away. Superboy manages to outsmart the Sword in the end (something we
don't see very often) recovering both the gem and the Spear of Lono, making up
for his and the Legion of Super-Heroes' failure last issue. Too bad it didn't
have the results he wanted.
The only (minor) defect in this issue was the rather weak art. This isn't to
say it was bad, but it had a rushed feel in a few places. I do wish that the
art team would settle in. The general lack of background details and
establishing shots spoiled some of the more powerful scenes of the story.
All-in-all, this one's another keeper. This title is solidly in my list of
'top ten books' right now. If the positive trend continues, it may make my top
five.
Rene Gobeyn
<bedlam@frontiernet.net>
===============================
SUPERBOY AND THE RAVERS #16 Dec 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Half-Life of the Party!"
Writers: Steve Mattsson and Karl Kesel
Penciller: Josh Hood
Inker: Dan Davis
Computer Colorist: Stu Chaifetz
Letterer: Kevin Cunningham
Assistant Editor: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis
RATINGS
Average: 1.6/5.0 Shields
JSy: 1.0 Shields
DJ: 3.2 Shields - Wish they'd bring back the old artists. Lots of good
subplots; hope they tie them in together well.
DWd: 0.5 Shields - Thank God this title is getting canceled. I'm sorry, but
this whole storyline is just falling to bits.
ST: 1.7 Shields - Hood's art drags the whole thing down again, but this time
there isn't the plotting to fall back on. Given how far in advance the
books have to be completed, this issue might be the first after the
cancellation news became final; It sure had a 'gotta get packed
because my train leaves in ten minutes' feel to it.
There's an old adage, oft repeated by parents to their children, that goes
something like, "If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say
anything at all." Folks, if I go by that rule, this is gonna be a *really*
short review. Issue #16 was just about the worst issue of SUPERBOY AND THE
RAVERS that I can remember.
Ah, but where to begin? From the top, I guess...
Forget all the resolve the team had last issue to go off in search of the
answers to all of their problems. This issue begins with everyone attending a
Halloween party at the Rave, music provided by Scare Tactics. (That's all
I'll mention of the pointless cameo by that group.) Why he's even partying
when he can't control his own body is beyond me, but Half-Life's creepy
appearance wins him the award for best costume.
Meanwhile, Hero is arm wrestling Leander -- a green dude with long hair and
gills who showed up last issue -- and when Sparx sees Leander, she weirds out
and leaves the Rave. Anyone want to help me here? Do I know Leander from
somewhere else? He looks *really* familiar, and I certainly don't want to
believe that Kesel and Mattsson are introducing yet another plot development
with only three more issues to go!
Marx shows up, prompting Kaliber and Half-Life to harass him about his promise
to help them with their "medical" conditions. Superboy takes advantage of the
distraction to sneak into Marx's office, were he finds a picture of Kindred
Sol, Marx's betrothed. He finally realizes this is the woman he saw run off
with Rex, but he's then discovered by Marx.
Before catching Superboy, Marx blipped the Rave to another location, where
Pyra and her Corpse Corps soon arrive with help in the form of the sorcerer
Faust. Faust begins an incantation which goes wrong because of interference
by Klarion the Witch Boy, releasing the Predator--a Qwardian demon who has
long plagued Green Lantern Hal Jordan and Carol Ferris. Half-Life's not too
thrilled that the Predator has taken control of his plasm, so he fights back.
With the help of a Faust clone dialed up by Hero, the Predator is banished.
After all this, Half-Life is no better, but his long dead girlfriend shows up
as a spirit and then merges with him, causing him to regain control of his
body. Why did Kesel and Mattsson bother bringing in Faust, Klarion, and
Predator (three characters I doubt 10% of the book's readers know anything
about) for an inane story which wasted about half of the book? It did nothing
to help Half-Life, since "Peggy" fixed everything in two pages. At best it
showed us, yet again, that Hero has no idea what he's doing with the H-Dial
and that he probably shouldn't be using it...
In the most slowly-developing of all story lines, Aura confronts her father in
Hong Kong, using her magnetic powers to trash most of his office. Except for
the fact that we learn Aura's first name is Lindsay, nothing of any
significance happens in the whole two pages. I suspect that the all-too-quick
nature of this confrontation is a by-product of the looming cancellation, but
that doesn't make it any easier to swallow. After Kesel and Mattsson have been
dropping hints about Aura's past for almost a year, it now seems the whole
thing will be revealed and resolved in a few short pages....
Finally, in our cliffhanger for the next issue, Kindred Grim and the Red Shift
manage to catch up to Kindred Sol on Qward. Her teleportation powers are
suddenly malfunctioning, but she manages to teleport away Rex for help,
meaning the Ravers will soon appear on Qward for the merging of multiple
plots.
We still have several plots meandering through this title, and it appears that
one is resolved, only to be replaced by another (Half-Life's health for
Sparx's problem with Leander). With only three issues to go, I fail to see
how we could possibly resolve everything satisfactorily. Then again, I
imagine Grant Morrison could wrap everything up in a single issue...
Most aggravating is that we simply waste half an issue meeting Klarion, Faust,
and the Predator, when it simply wasn't necessary. Kesel and Mattsson could
have better used that space to further some of the other plots.
The art by Josh Hood is essentially the same as last issue's, but without any
of the redeeming scenes that helped him a little bit then. Characters are
misproportioned, resulting generally in elongated and/or emaciated looks.
Every time Hero appears, it's with a downright evil grin on his face, which is
simply wrong for the character -- even if he *is* falling under some strange
influence of the H-Dial.
Perhaps the only bright spot in the book is the magnificent coloring job by
Stu Chaifetz. His incredible work was similarly one of the few bright spots
in STEEL near the end of the Simonson run, primarily because of his use of
computerized special effects. Here he uses similar techniques in coloring
Half-Life's ectoplasm and the disappearing Ravers as they teleport, and the
bright, complex colors stand out in stark contrast from the dark colors
surrounding them.
It's hard enough to recommend a book that you know to be ending soon. It's
doubly difficult to do so when the book is a piece of garbage as this--
especially when you know that the writers are capable of so much more...
Jeff Sykes
<sykes@ms.uky.edu>
_____________________________________________
SUPER-FAMILY TITLES (cont):
--------------------------
SUPERGIRL #16 Dec 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Blonde Justice"
Writer: Peter David
Artist: Leonard Kirk
Inker: Cam Smith
Letter: Pat Prentice
Colorist: Gene D'Angelo
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Assistant Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Gary Frank, Cam Smith, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.1/5.0 Shields
TD: 3.3 Shields - Not as fun as the set-up, revealing Twilight to be a
pseudo-Mercy (from David's HULK run) and an art job that took two
steps back.
JO: 3.7 Shields - A good taste of things to come. Solid art and good
writing, but I could have lived without Power Girl and her attitude.
JSy: 2.4 Shields - We learned about Twilight's past too late to care, I just
don't know about this flame-vision thing, and most of the book is
fairly dull fighting. On the plus side, the Leesburg pages were
quite interesting and the art was nice.
ST: 2.5 Shields - What a mixed up hodgepodge of an issue. Nice to see Power
Girl again, but a) When did she develop this vulnerability, and
b) what is she doing spouting off about something which sounds a lot
like pre-Crisis, pre-Byrne stuff?
This was a bit of a disappointment after last issue's promising set-up. While
David is still keeping things relatively serious, he's beginning to borrow
from himself a tad, and some of the payoffs do not work as well.
After a mercifully brief firefight between Girls Power and Super, the two
heroines go off to wreck some Extremist butt. The fight is relatively brief,
allowing for David to indulge what seems to be the main thread of the story:
Twilight's origin. It seems the girl was a healer during the Black Plague who
did major good, but was unable to heal her sister. Grief stricken that she was
incapable of doing one final miracle to save the person she loved the most,
Twilight rebuffed God's grace and, we assume, has been wandering the Earth
causing havoc and destruction for unknown ends. After giving the Glamorous
Gladiators a glimpse of her pain, Supergirl speculates that Twilight is doing
this out of a need to feel something...anything.
You've also got a brief scene where Supergirl makes a slip that might lead to
Dick Malverne learning her secret; some more pieces to the puzzle of Wally;
Sylvia going down further, as she refuses to help Wally's grandmother, who is
dying of a heart attack; and Cutter showing the world how he unwinds--let's
just say it involves guns and junkyards, and is not pretty.
I have no complaints with David spending so much time with Twilight; she is
shaping up to be a fascinating character (even if she does bear echoes of
Mercy from THE INCREDIBLE HULK), and promises to be a great 'dark mirror' for
Linda. After last month's build-up, however, I expected something a bit more
epic with the Extremists, and not the two girls disassembling Tinkertoys.
Also, the potential for interaction between Power Girl and Linda was pretty
much wasted--we got Power Girl giving the Maid of Might the skinny about the
Extremists, her snarling at the villains that she knows they're robots and can
whale on them with impunity, and a little girl-chat where Power girl confesses
she felt jealous of Supergirl. That's about it.
The art team of Kirk and Smith sort of fell down on the job as well; although
Leonard's Tracer is seriously squishy, his Extremists are, as a whole...kinda
wimpy-looking. Kirk is still having mega-problems with his fight choreography,
and some sequences are seriously out of wack. The saddest thing is, after
giving us some nice differentiation in last issue between our two
protagonists, that all goes out the window. Quite frankly, in some of the
sequences (pages 19-21, for instance), they're indistinguishable save for
costumes. That being said, Kirk's portrait of Sylvia on page 17 is chilling as
all get out, and he does a fairly good job with Twilight's back story.
Thus, while on the whole "Blonde Justice" was a bit of a step back, this book
is still on a lot steadier feet than it was during the whole Silver Banshee
debacle. It seems David knows what he wants now; he's put away the baggy pants
and the seltzer bottle, and is now ready to tell us some stories. I, for one,
can't wait.
Thomas Deja
<manciniman@rocketmail.com>
_____________________________________________
OTHER SUPERMAN TITLES:
---------------------
JLA #13 Dec 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Wasteland"
Writer: Grant Morrison
Penciller: Howard Porter
Inker: John Dell
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Colorist: Pat Garrahy
Separations: Heroic Age
Associate Ed.: Peter Tomasi
Editor: Dan Raspler
Cover: Howard Porter and John Dell
RATINGS
Average: 3.8/5.0 Shields
AW: 4.0 Shields
DWd: 4.0 Shields - Grant Morrison is the master!!! I just keep enjoying this
title. I would have liked to see how Batman beat Desaad but I'm just
nit-picking.
GN: 3.2 Shields - Good story overall, though Morrison's handling of Superman
(the apparent suicide) is a rare slip for him. Even consumed with
guilt, Superman wouldn't take his own life and leave Earth under
Darkseid's control.
JSy: 4.0 Shields - An Elseworld that's not an Elseworld. Broken record
time: I still don't care for Porter and Dell's art, and this story
is *way* too condensed -- Morrison could have *easily* made "Rock
of Ages" a year-long saga instead of a six-month saga.
ST: 3.8 Shields - A good story with some marvelous moments and one-liners
("We're the Justice League. We don't *do* suicide missions.") that
only loses points because it is so crammed in and skips too many
things. In an age where nothing storylines are stretched to several
issues, why is an epic like this being rushed so much?
Those of you following the "Rock of Ages" saga from Injustice Gang battles
through last issue's tour of Wonderworld were probably relieved with the
relatively slow pace of this issue. Oh sure, it's yet another story that could
have been an entire storyline on its own, but somehow Morrison managed to keep
his focus on one time period and one set of heroes, and perhaps-- just
perhaps--is beginning to draw tight some of the loose strings of this complex
tale.
Of course, Morrison hasn't made things any easier for our heroes. As you may
remember, Aquaman, Green Lantern, and the Flash used a treadmill on
Wonderworld in an attempt to return to present-day Earth. Instead, their
"light-bodies" are drawn to inhabit their bodies fifteen years in the future.
A lot has happened in those fifteen years. Apparently, the Justice League
destroyed the Philosopher's Stone to keep it out of Luthor's hands. I'm not
sure what the connection is, but a couple of years later, Darkseid came and
conquered the Earth, killing or enslaving most of its heroes.
Aquaman finds himself battling Apokolipsian mutants in the ocean off
Metropolis. Green Lantern finds that his future self was enslaved as a
Swarmtrooper. Only through force of will is he able to overcome the embedded
mind control device. He is, however, without his power ring. The Flash is the
most unfortunate of all. His body is old, sick, and completely unable to
summon the Speed Force.
Aquaman meets Wonder Woman, one of the few surviving members of the
Resistance, who helps him round up Flash and GL, and they get together with
the other Resistance members: the Atom, another former member of the Teen
Titans with whom I'm not familiar [Argent -ST], a Green Arrow who looks
remarkably like Ollie Queen with a tan, a new female Aztek, and an apparently
reformed Amazo.
They plot an assault on Desaad's stronghold to gain access to the time travel
equipment they need so they can go back 15 years and prevent the destruction
of the Philosopher's Stone. They're surprised to find no resistance to their
assault, a mystery that's cleared up when they discover Batman in Desaad's
clothing. Yes, once again Batman is THE man--he's resisted four years of
intense psychological punishment and finally beaten Desaad. Now he's planning
to take on the ultimate evil, Darkseid, who is just now arriving on Earth to
finish its enslavement.
Dell and Porter depict Metropolis as anappropriately dark, dismal city,
constantly under the fire and destruction of Darkseid's Swarmtroopers. The
changes they make are subtle, yet definitely appreciated. The costumes of
Wonder Woman and the Atom are different, reflecting the changes in the times.
There's a memorial shrine in the JLA bunker which holds costume relics of
fallen heroes (I am wondering, though, how Fate's helmet has reconstituted
itself--it was melted down into the new Fate's sword a while ago). Then
there's the Anti-Life Omega on Darkseid's chin, symbolizing his final victory
over the forces of life that had opposed him. Somehow that symbol makes him
even more foreboding, more evil.
As has been the pattern, this is a good, well-written story. Morrison
maintains the balance between action and explication, and kept me guessing at
every turn. As I've never been able to decide between Batman and Superman as
my favorite hero, I always get a charge out of the new ways Morrison finds to
show just why these guys are the World's Finest. Once again, though, this
issue has added yet another level of complexity to "Rock of Ages." We know now
that the Injustice Gang's plot, the Philosopher's Stone, and Darkseid's final
victory are somehow linked together; what we don't know is how. Nor do we know
how Metron or Wonderworld tie into this, what's going to happen with Aztek or
Green Arrow, how they're going to stop the destruction of JLA headquarters,
what exactly WAS Batman's plan and how it involves Plastic Man, and what the
heck is with that red-skinned alien under Luthor's control. (Have I missed
anything?)
The question remains: will the epoch struggle between Darkseid, Lex Luthor's
Injustice Gang and the Justice League really be a momentous event, one for the
record books, or will the sixth chapter cram its wrap-up of too many plotlines
into too few pages, leaving us reeling like the Rock of Ages just hit us in
the back of the head?
Finally, I'd like to take a moment in memoriam for three former members of
Justice League Europe. As you may know, The Crimson Fox, Blue Devil, and
Amazing Man were ingloriously killed in the latest issue of STARMAN. James
Robinson ironically gave Amazing Man more substance than I had ever seen
before, and I know it's "realistic" that the bad guys win sometimes, but the
slaughter disturbed me and left me feeling a little empty inside. These
weren't major characters, and they probably won't be missed in the long run,
but even the "second stringers" deserve a respectful farewell.
Anatole Wilson
<awilson@oracle.us.com>
===============================
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #14 Dec 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Stop The Presses!"
Writer: Mark Evanier
Penciller: Neil Vokes
Inker: Terry Austin
Colorist: Marie Severin
Letterer: Lois Buhalis
Assistant Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Rick Burchett, Terry Austin, and Marie Severin
RATINGS
Average: 2.8/5.0 Shields
CoS: 3.5 Shields - Evanier writes a solid story that would make an excellent
animated episode, told well by Neil Vokes, who is able to blend his
personal style with the animated style. Above average overall, but a
few too many coincidences for my taste.
JSy: 2.5 Shields - Something about Vokes' pencils just doesn't capture the
feel of the animated series. More importantly, this really wasn't
a Superman story -- the plot has been done a hundred times in every
medium.
ST: 2.5 Shields - The pacing was off, the art seemed flat, and the moral
was just plain *wrong*. People don't exist in a vacuum: reporters
have to take responsibility for what they write, in the same way that
a scientist cannot just create a weapon with no thought as to how it
may be used.
Mark Evanier has worked in comics and TV for years, and listing his credits
would take more space that I've been allowed. The good news for fans who
thought this book would suffer with the loss of Scott McCloud is that he is
one of the writers on the Superman Animated series. Evanier has a quick way of
making a story accessible, and rarely misfires. His first run at Superman
Adventure in comic form shows his ability as a professional experienced writer
in this solid, if unremarkable story.
The story opens with Angela, a TV reporter, asking people on the street
whether they feel safer with Superman around or not. (Side note: I wish the
people who bring up the "Superheroes attract Supervillians" stories would
resolve them, since this has been done in The Flash, The Avengers, etc. and
has never been resolved in a way that answers the basic question. Now, back to
the review.) The first person she tries to interview freaks out and refuses to
be on camera. As the man runs away, an Intergang assassin named LaRoque sends
a robot to destroy a Metropolis insurance company, thinking that if the attack
doesn't "finish Swanson off, it will smoke him out." It doesn't take much to
figure out that Swanson is that man who ran from the interview, but why did he
run and why is Intergang after him?
Superman defeats the robot in record time, and Angela gets it all on camera.
Back in the news room as the story is being aired, Perry White remembers back
when he was a reporter he had to dig for a story. He later tells Angela that
there's more to being a reporter than looking for smoke and pointing a camera.
Angela storms out of the meeting, vowing to find a story and show Perry White
he's wrong. (Of course, if she does investigate and find a story, she's
proving him right. There's one of those pesky plot holes.) She looks into the
man who didn't want to be on camera figuring there must be a story in his
refusal. Meanwhile, Clark Kent searches for information on Intergang. He knows
they are involved, since it was one of their robots that attacked the
insurance company. He finds that Swanson was a former bigwig in Intergang who
testified against them and vanished after the trial--probably under the
Witness Protection Program.
While Clark and Angela look into their stories, the Intergang assassin,
LaRoque, continues his search for Swanson, torching a building when one of his
sources doesn't give him as much information as he needs. Angela learns that
Swanson worked at the insurance company that was attacked earlier that day.
She tracks him down to his house, where LaRoque (who had been following her)
dons a metallic flying suit and attacks.
Superman hears a report of an explosion and flies to Swanson's rescue,
defeating LaRoque solidly and quickly. Superman offers LaRoque a choice; turn
himself in after reporting to Intergang that Swanson was terminated, or walk
away--whereupon Superman would let Intergang know that he failed and leave him
to their tender mercies. The story concludes with Angela getting her scoop,
but confessing to Perry that she doesn't feel good about how she led the
assassin to Swanson. Perry reassures her that she did the right thing. He
illustrates this by starting to tell her about his early days as a reporter.
Evanier has a good story here, and I liked the growth of Angela as a
character. She starts her investigation by saying that innocent people have
nothing to hide, and ends the investigation feeling bad for the unintended
consequences of her actions. The problem is that we never get a clear
resolution on whether her actions were right or wrong. If a writer gives a
character a moral choice, I don't care what the character chooses, as long as
it drives both the story and the character forward. Here, it was ultimately
left unresolved because Superman shielded her from the consequences of her
actions.
Another flaw in the story was that Superman, LaRoque, Angela and Swanson were
all bumping into each other by coincidence too often. Every story is allowed
one "chance meeting", but by the end of the story, it felt like these were the
only four people in Metropolis.
On a side note, would it kill the people who work on this book to have
Superman/Clark Kent wink at the reader at the end of the story, like he did in
the 50's and 60's? The story was crying out for it in the last panel, as Perry
and Angela are walking away and Clark is looking at the reader. Just a little
thing, but since I just reread Alan Moore's Last Superman story, I'd forgotten
how much I missed that little bit.
Even with these flaws, the story rolled expertly, and had a number of
vignettes that made it worth reading. The depiction of Perry White's early
years as a reporter were particularly interesting, and I wouldn't mind if
there were a special issue in the future based on Perry's life. Neil Vokes has
always been a favorite of mine, and I've followed his work since the days when
he worked on black & white books in the mid 80's. His work on Superman
effectively used the animation style to highlight his own skills and gave the
reader a sense of urgency as the story progressed. All in all, a solid issue
and well worth the cover price.
Cory Strode
<c.strode@genie.com>
_____________________________________________
SPECIALS:
--------
BATMAN AND SUPERMAN ADVENTURES: WORLD'S FINEST 1997 $4.95 US/$6.95 CAN
Writer: Paul Dini
Penciller: Joe Staton
Inker: Terry Beatty
Colorist: Linda Medley
Letterer: Albert DeGuzman
Separations: Jamison Services
Editor: Scott Peterson
Painted Cover: Bruce Timm
Based on the story by Alan Burnett and Paul Dini, and the teleplay by Alan
Burnett, Paul Dini, Rich Fogel, Stan Berkowitz and Steve Gerber
RATINGS
Average: 3.2/5.0 Shields
CoS: 3.0 Shields - Strong story with workman-like art that should have been
in a cheaper format. If this had been the Annual for either book, it
would rate a 4-Shield review for the nice job of mixing the classic
characters from each series. At $6.95, how ever, I want more and can
only give it 3 Shield rating.
EJ: 3.0 Shields - Having not seen the TV movie, I came at this with a clean
slate, and I was not disappointed. The story of two powerful men
meeting, vying and eventually cooperating was thrilling. My favorite
scenes were with Bruce, Clark and Lois, especially Lois' slapping
a wounded Bruce right on his wound! That was so in character!
JSy: 4.7 Shields - Simply excellent. I can't wait for the movie to come out
on video so I can see the "live" version. The only true minus that
I could come up with is that the painted cover just didn't feel
right.
MS: 1.5 Shields - I didn't read this one, but I loved the episode when it
aired, and I was _going_ to buy this--until I saw the cover price.
Simply outrageous. Whatever was contained between the covers (no
doubt a swell story) was ruined by the idea of small children
being gouged for that much money.
Comic book adaptations of movies and TV shows are usually unnecessary. We no
longer really need a comic reproduction of movies, since we can buy the
videotape a few months after it is released, and TV shows are rerun almost
indefinitely. These adaptations seem to be a hold-over from a time when a
movie was a bit of an event, and it could be years until it ever made it to TV
or was re-shown in theatres, if either ever happened. Companies still publish
them, however, so there must be an audience for them.
Case in point: the new, prestige format adaptation of the crossover between
Batman and Superman animated shows. It was a big enough deal that it was shown
in prime time, even if only to lackluster ratings. If the episode is anything
like the comic adaptation, I don't know why it didn't get a higher viewership,
since it was a solid story with enough character interaction and plot twists
to keep the adults entertained, yet enough slam-bang super-hero action for the
primary audience of kids.
The story opens with The Joker and his henchwoman/groupie Harley Quinn
stealing a statue from an antiques store. Batman knows there has to be more
than meets the eye, since the Joker is involved, and after examining a chip
left behind, he discovers that the statue is made of Kryptonite. Soon after,
Lex Luthor is met by the Joker, who is ready to make a deal: for one billion
dollars, he will kill Superman. Lex, after seeing the statue, makes the deal.
With all the pieces in place, the story moves rapidly. Bruce Wayne comes to
Metropolis to work on a deal with LexCorp to build robots that will be used in
space travel. After securing his deal with Luthor (in a great sequence where
Bruce refuses to let the robots be equipped with guns), he goes out on the
town for a night with Lois Lane, who was attracted to him when she covered his
arrival in Metropolis. He does this partly to get information on Superman and
partly for other reasons.
A few days later, Superman and Batman cross paths, both looking for the Joker.
Superman disapproves of Batman's vigilante tactics, but Batman still has his
shard of Kryptonite, and lets Superman know that the Joker has twenty pounds
of it. In this sequence, Superman and Batman discover each other's secret
identities in a way that is both clever and completely in character. When they
next talk, both are out of costume, and they make an uneasy truce to find the
Joker. There is palpable jealously between Clark and Bruce over Lois.
Everything goes according to Joker's plan: he kidnaps Lois on one of her dates
with Bruce to use her as bait in his trap for Superman. Superman, after
hearing from the Joker where Lois is being held, arrives to free her. The
Joker springs his surprise, and Superman, Lois and Batman are stuck in a
typical (and not very clever) death-trap. Only by working together are they
able to escape. With Lex's help, the Joker is able to use the space-
exploration robots to go after Lois again.
When they defeat the death-trap, they have all the evidence they need to go
after Luthor. The story ends with Superman and Batman going after the Joker
and Lex Luthor. They fight a bunch of robots and cause a lot of explosions
that probably looked a lot better on the TV screen than they did in the comic.
It seems that for some reason, all big movies have to end with explosions;
this one is no exception.
Which is too bad. This story had a lot of potential, and a lot of nice
throw-away bits that should have been more of the core plot. The story itself
felt padded, with too many fight scenes where Batman or Superman are fighting
a robot while the Joker gets away. The underlying plot was very good, and I
don't know if the dialogue is directly from the episode, but it did a good job
of relaying information to the reader without seeming too much like
exposition, which is another flaw in adaptations.
The things I liked are almost too numerous to mention. I liked the romance
between Lois Lane and Bruce Wayne. It was true to each character, as Lois
showed her skill in uncovering information and Bruce demonstrated that he can
only have short, ultimately doomed, relationships. The jealousy angle between
him and Clark Kent was subtle yet strong, and their differing ways of dealing
with the law were well handled. The best part of the story, however, was the
reactions and catfights between Luthor's assistants Mercy and what could be my
favorite Batman character, Harley Quinn. Their rivalry was well done, humorous
without being campy, and made perfect sense.
The art, while serviceable in most places, did little more than move the story
along. I wondered about Staton's Joker while reading the story, as he seemed
just a bubble off plum most of the time, and was a little too loosely drawn in
comparison to the rest of the characters. It's too bad that they didn't have
the same art and coloring style as the cover had, since it used the animated
style quite well.
Once again, not having seen "World's Finest", I don't know how faithful an
adaptation this comic was, but it stood on its own. I would rather have seen
it in the format of an annual, rather than the squarebound format, but I give
it a qualified thumbs up.
Cory Strode
<c.strode@genie.com>
_____________________________________________
MANUSCRIPTS OF STEEL
------------------------------
Reviews of After-Byrne Superman Special Stories
by Denes House (househld@borg.com)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUPERMAN ANNUAL #3
"Execution 2001"
an Armageddon 2001 Annual
Written by Dan Jurgens
Pencils by Dusty Abell
Inks by Terry Austin, John Beatty, Dick Giordano, & Dennis Janke
Colored by Glenn Whitmore
Cover by Abell and Austin
1991
Regular Format, $2.00 US/$2.50 CAN
Rating:
3.3/5.0 Shields
----------------------------------------------------------
"Filthy, betraying SCUM! Your weapons for mass death and destruction are
FORBIDDEN! Those who violate the LAWS OF SUPERMAN -- must pay the price!" -
Superman
The year is 1991, and DC Comics is running one of its better summer Annuals
cross-over, Armageddon 2001. SUPERMAN ANNUAL #3 is the first of a generally
good lot of Annuals.
Here's the idea: In 2001, one of Earth's heroes will rise up and kill all of
the other super-heroes. He or she will then set themselves up as the absolute
Monarch of the world, imposing a totalitarian order on everyone. Monarch
always wears armor, so no one knows who he or she used to be. Some folks,
including scientist Matt Ryder, still remember the heroes, and wish for their
return. Ryder is investigating temporal phenomena for Monarch. In an accident,
Ryder becomes one with the timestream -- he becomes Waverider. He then embarks
on a quest to discover which of Earth's heroes will become Monarch, and to
stop him or her before he or she rises to power.
In each of the Annuals, Waverider merges with a hero's timestream, and rides
along their future. In this Annual, Waverider decides logically to start with
the King of Super-Heroes, Superman.
An opening scene establishes Superman's frustration with Intergang,
Metropolis' crime syndicate, which had been a thorn in his side for years. A
few pages work well to establish Waverider and his mission, and then Waverider
merges with Superman's timestream.
He sees the wedding of Lois and Clark, which at that time was a future
possibility, not yet a reality. He sees Intergang use a nuclear device to
blackmail Metropolis, and accidentally set it off. He sees Superman's life get
ripped away from him as Lois and all of Metropolis die a fiery death.
Superman blames himself for not acting sooner to dismantle Intergang once and
for all. In sorrow, he turns to his old friend Lana Lang, who comforts him.
The two are married. Superman vows that nuclear weapons will never be a threat
again.
Which brings us to the line that opened this review. Superman, now sporting a
more regal cape, gloves, and boots, is imposing his order on the world -- in
this instance, the United States Navy. He forces a nuclear submarine out of
the water, orders everyone off, then sinks it.
We grow to understand that in the years since the Metropolis disaster,
Superman has been systematically eliminating nuclear weapons from the world.
President Forrest and his cabinet discuss the Superman situation. One advisor
tells the president that there were seven sailors still aboard the sub when it
went down. Superman is a murderer. A few pages of hand-wringing establish that
there is nothing they can do to stop him. Superman shows up and issues an
ultimatum -- stop building nuclear arms -- or else. When he leaves, one
advisor suggests a possibility -- maybe Batman can stop him?
Forrest recruits Batman, telling him about the sub. Batman is skeptical, but
Forrest encourages him to check it out -- "I think a man of your skills will
find it easy to verify the facts!" Forrest suggests Batman find a permanent
solution to the Superman problem. Batman refuses, but Forrest threatens to use
the Justice League to stop Superman. Batman could handle things more quietly
than they would -- so that Superman would not be remembered as a madman.
Meanwhile, Superman arrives at the Kent farm, and changes into Clark Kent.
Martha is there, wheelchair-ridden and afflicted with Alzheimer's disease.
Clark also seems to be suffering from some dementia - he refers to Superman in
the third person. Suddenly, Bruce Wayne walks in, and confronts Kent. Did he
kill seven soldiers? "I NEVER killed a soul! Before I sank that boat, I made
absolutely sure it was EMPTY!" Bruce is relieved, but only for a moment, as
Kent changes into Superman, and starts calling Lana "Mrs. Kent." Batman
realizes Superman must be stopped.
In the pages to come, Superman confronts the Justice League, and finally comes
face to face with Batman in a showdown reminiscent of the climax to Frank
Miller's THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS. Who will walk away? Will Superman become
Monarch? Will Batman live through the battle? The ending is climactic,
vibrant, and sad.
Dan Jurgens weaves a compelling tale in "Execution 2001." Jurgens was the idea
man behind ARMAGEDDON 2001, and so handles the Waverider character, his own
creation, quite well. Within the compelling framework of ARMAGEDDON, the
"imaginary story" in this Annual fits quite well, and the outcome has import.
If Superman DOES become Monarch, he must be stopped. The only thing that
hinders that element is that this was the first Annual of the summer, and
Waverider had many other heroes to check, and was slated to visit Superman
himself a couple more times. Still, even in that framework, Jurgens manages to
grab the reader.
The dialogue is snappy, and it builds the suspense well. Jurgens' Batman is
right on the money, first supporting Superman's quest, then growing uneasy
because of it. Jurgens makes a few missteps here and there -- like his
captions on the second Kent marriage: "This love is different, though, based
on NEED rather than pure emotion. Before, such an action was unthinkable."
Don't take this the wrong way, Mr. Jurgens, but any marriage based only on
emotion is bound to stumble and fall when the feelings fade. Jurgens has some
fun with Booster Gold -- throwing in a toss-away line that goes to Booster's
origin: "You'd know all about BETTING, wouldn't you, Booster?"
This was my first encounter with the art of Dusty Abell, and I must say that I
wasn't too impressed. Six years ago, Abell's style seemed more of an aping of
John Byrne and Art Adams (He all but acknowledges this on the cover -- look
carefully at the subway train) than a style all his own. Abell handles
equipment, props, and technology masterfully (check out his submarine,
aircraft, and weapons -- they feel absolutely convincing) and has a great
grasp of perspective, but his figures are rubbery, and there are several poses
and faces that seem swiped from various John Byrne works. Abell has developed
a great deal since then, but this early work is mostly uninspired.
It doesn't help that he's inked by a hodgepodge of inkers -- all excellent (or
at least good) on their own right, but thrown together they make the book feel
a bit disjointed. Some of the best work is from Dick Giordano and Terry
Austin, though.
Good coloring and expert lettering from Glenn Whitmore and John Costanza round
out the artistic side of this book.
Capsule review:
Story: Suspenseful and meaningful, a compelling story hampered only by the
limits of the crossover. 4.0 Shields out of 5.
Art: Solid but derivative, with excellent props and perspective, but
inconsistent and occasionally swiped figures. 2.5 Shields out of 5.
Overall: Compelling and chilling look at a Superman who loses control while
trying to enforce control. 3.3 Shields out of 5.
Note: This Month, I turn 25 years old. I am proud to have been a Superman fan
for at least 20 of those years, and am grateful to be able to contribute, even
in this small part, to the mythos of the Man of Steel. Thank you to all you
staff and readers of the Kryptonian Cybernet, to Siegel and Shuster, and to
all the men and women who have worked to make Superman the greatest fictional
hero ever. What a great ride this is!
NEXT MONTH: Did I just say that Superman was the KING of super-heroes? Maybe I
should have said PRESIDENT...
Denes House
November 1997
_____________________________________________
THE MAILBAG
-------------------------------------
(sykes@ms.uky.edu, KryptonCN@aol.com)
KC Responses are indented and begun with ****
===============================
From: J. Kolic (jkolic@microage-tb.com)
I am really beginning to think that the Superman family of books would enjoy
much better sales if they weren't linked in the triangle format. Not only
would this allow new readers to jump on to one or two Superman titles and
enjoy a complete story, but it would also give the individual writers and
creators a chance to give their own interpretations of the characters and
create their own sub-plots without having to worry about how all of their
ideas would fit into the greater tapestry of Superman tales.
Let's face it: there are few people who are willing to make the commitment to
a single character that DC Comics is demanding readers take towards Superman.
The fact that anyone who wants to read the on-going adventures of the Man of
Steel will have to buy at least one additional comic per week is a bit
intimidating to the casual fan. Several of my comic-reading friends have
expressed interest in checking in on the adventures of the Man of Steel,
within regular continuity, and I have no idea what to tell them. If DC would
separate the Superman books, then I could tell them the individual titles that
I wanted them to check out, and not my favorite writer/artist tandem. If the
titles were separated, then there would be four distinct Superman books in
every respect, and many casual fans could climb on board and see what's
happening.
The Superman family of books can't be the most creator-friendly place to work
as the storylines and major subplots are determined as a group. That means
that individual creators very seldom have the chance to explore their own
storylines and subplots. They also deal with a small part of a larger story,
and not a fully fleshed out beginning, middle, and end. If this were changed,
creators could create entire storylines and subplots and create their own
distinctive tapestry within the Superman universe. This may attract big-name
creators such as Mark Waid, Kurt Busiek, or Alan Davis to doing the character
monthly.
It works for creators and it works for the common fan, so at least think of
doing away with the triangle format, DC. The success of four separate titles
for a single character can be seen in the Spider-Man titles as each month we
are treated to four distinct versions of the same character, with the odd
cross-over. The triangle-format worked in the booming period of the early
nineties, but will not work anymore.
**** The key question here is the meaning of "will not work anymore." If the
question is whether or not the format is better or worse for sales, I
tend to agree with you. As I've mentioned before, I suspect that sales
of the Superman titles, on the whole, would rise if the revolving
continuity was abandoned. As for creators, I think your point here is
equally valid -- many of the talented creators of the day have stated
(or stopped just short of it) that they don't want to work in that
setting, so the talent pool is certainly limited.
It would also mean fresh talent on the books when someone steps down,
rather than a bunch of shuffling. Think about it -- when David
Michelinie stepped down as writer, the crews were shuffled around, and
nobody new was brought on board. Instead, an inexperienced and unproven
writer was given the title (no offense intended, Stuart). Now, with
Roger Stern leaving and Louise Simonson cutting back, what happens?
Crews are again shuffled, and another artist with limited writing
experience takes over. This in itself seems rather telling.
Then again, we all need to realize that for the past six years,
Superman fans have enjoyed one of the most unique situations in the
history of comics -- we've essentially been given a *weekly* Superman
series. As far as I know, every other attempt at a weekly comic book
has failed miserably. Remember ACTION COMICS WEEKLY? There are a *lot*
of Superman fans who prefer not having to wait an entire month for the
next part of the story, myself included.
However, as a business, for DC it should all come down to sales. While
I wouldn't want to see all continuity between the titles sacrificed, I
think there has to be a better solution. Like I've mentioned before,
there was a good bit of continuity between the titles before the
triangle format began, and I don't see why we couldn't return to
something along those lines again. Those of us who want to know
everything happening will still buy all the titles, those who don't
want to buy all four will finally be able to read some, and DC can
still have two or three crossover events a year to tie the titles
together.
It just seems like good sense both in terms of business and creativity.
And with the 60th Anniversary upon us, what better time to make a fresh
start of things?
===============================
From: David Young (dayoung@luna.cas.usf.edu)
I recently bought some really cool Superman and comic book-related books at a
used book store while in Fort Lauderdale for a convention. (Plug time -- Any
of you in the Ft. Lauderdale area, check out All Books & Records, two
locations, particularly the one on N. Federal Avenue.)
The stuff I found included--
SUPERMAN: FROM THE THIRTIES TO THE SEVENTIES
SUPERMAN: FROM THE THIRTIES TO THE EIGHTIES
SECRET ORIGINS OF THE SUPER DC HEROES
WONDER WOMAN: A MS. BOOK
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SUPER-VILLAINS (Rovin)
SUPERMAN AT FIFTY: THE PERSISTENCE OF A LEGEND
THE GREAT COMIC BOOK HEROES (Feiffer)
BATMAN AND ROBIN IN THE CASE OF THE LAUGHING SPHINX (1982 children's book)
STAR TREK: THE PRISONER OF VEGA (1977 children's book)
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: MAYHEM IN MANHATTAN (1978 novel)
SUPERMAN: MIRACLE MONDAY (1981 novel)
The reason I'm letting you in on this is because I have another request of you
all. A while back I listed several stories I had in a handful of LIMITED
COLLECTOR'S EDITIONS, hoping one of you could help me figure out what they
were reprinted from. One person responded. (Hey, if no one knows, no sweat!)
Well, I took my GREAT SUPERMAN BOOK encyclopedia and tried to track all the
Superman reprints in the FROM 30S TO 70S and FROM 30S TO 80S books. I found
most of them, but the GREAT SUPERMAN BOOK doesn't help with any stories
published after 1966 or outside of the main Superman books (SUPERMAN, ACTION
COMICS, WORLD'S FINEST COMICS), like those in SUPERBOY.
Here are the titles (and dates for the ones in FROM 30S TO 70S since the
copyright dates were included in that volume). If any of you knows the source
of these stories, please e-mail me personally (dayoung@luna.cas.usf.edu).
Also, if any of you would like a list of the reprints available in these
volumes, let me know. If enough of you are interested, I'll send a table of
contents of each to the mailbag. (Of course, these books could have been
reviewed in KC before and I just don't recall or wasn't getting it at the
time.) I could do the same for SECRET ORIGINS OF THE SUPER DC HEROES and
WONDER WOMAN: A MS. BOOK, both of which I have found the sources for.
Here goes--
"The Pied Piper of Steel!" (1971)
"Superman Breaks Loose" (1970)
"Superman, You're Dead...Dead...Dead!" (1971)
"The Dual of Doom!" (1971)
"How Luthor Met Superboy" (from SUPERBOY or ADVENTURE COMICS; first appearance
of the revised history where Superman met Luthor as Superboy, causing
Luthor's hair loss)
"How Clark Kent Met Lois Lane" (1948) (from SUPERBOY or ADVENTURE COMICS; the
first of three tellings of how Superman "first" met Lois Lane--I think
this is ADVENTURE COMICS #128, I just need confirmation)
Thanks. Oh, and if anyone knows where I can find BATMAN: FROM THE THIRTIES TO
THE SEVENTIES, SHAZAM!: FROM THE THIRTIES TO THE SEVENTIES, SHAZAM ARCHIVES
VOLUME ONE or any of the 1970s-1980s (and earlier?) DC and/or Marvel
super-hero paperback novels (I only need a handful of them I think), please
e-mail me personally. I'm also interested in the 1970s Marvel Indexes
(Olshevsky) and any DC indexes from the same period (not the 1980s comic-sized
ones by Marvel and Independent Comics Group except for the last couple of the
LEGION issues or so). Thanks again.
===============================
**** Yosef Shoemaker found some additional information relating to his
Phantom Zone article, "The Three Faces of Brainiac," which appeared in
the September issue of KC. The following addendum to that article
provides the additional information.
From: Yosef Shoemaker (Mail can be relayed through sykes@ms.uky.edu)
THE THREE FACES OF BRAINIAC: AN ADDENDUM
from Secrets of the Legion of Super-heroes #2 [1981]
Vril Dox used "advanced technological methods stolen from Brainiac" to develop
"an even higher intelligence than the Masters of Colu, and led his people in a
revolution against the computers..."
These technological methods "affected his genes, so that his 12th level
effector intellect was passed on to his descendants..."
His son was Pran, his grandson was Kajz, and his great-grandson was "Brainiac
5," Querl, who says he took that name [Brainiac 5] out of "defiance."
**** In addition, Yosef mentioned in his article that Brainiac was
re-programmed "for benevolence [alluded to in ACTION #528 (1982); it
took place some time after ACTION #491 (1979); by no later than ACTION
#544, the programming was no longer effective]." Jim Lesher offers
that "Brainiac's temporary reform occurred in ACTION #514."
===============================
From: Zohar Gilboa (rami_gil@netvision.net.il)
In [October's] issue of KC, the TNT schedule (News and Notes) mentioned the
wedding arc [of LOIS AND CLARK's third season].
"November gives us all a reminder of how not to marry two characters on a
popular TV show -- from frog-eating clones to Mike the Angel, you just gotta
wonder what the producers of LOIS AND CLARK were thinking..."
I agree that this might have been a bad decision as it was a very big
disappointment to us fans, but when you re-watch "Double Jeopardy" and
"Seconds," you might notice how wonderful these two episodes are. Not only is
the script great, but Teri Hatcher's acting was marvelous. John Shea is great
in almost any episode (the first season will always be the best) as well as
Dean Cain.
To me, these two episodes are amongst the best of the series.
**** That was me (Jeff Sykes, Publisher). FYI, News and Notes is one of the
parts of each issue that I compile and write myself. My intent was not
to degrade any specific episodes from within the arc, but rather the
whole concept. I agree with you in that "Double Jeopardy" and "Seconds"
were, standing on their own, very good episodes. In fact, I think that,
had the producers ended the wedding arc by having Lois and Clark marry
for real in the very next episode after "Seconds," the show might still
be on the air today.
The problem with the arc was that it just kept toying with the viewers,
not progressing the characters' relationship at all. These were
obstacles for the sake of obstacles, not obstacles for the sake of
character growth. By the time it was over, the fans understandably
wondered if the two would ever find happiness in marriage. Then, a few
weeks later, the producers would fall into almost the exact same trap
with the Zara and Ching episodes.
And by the way, next time you hear anyone blame LOIS AND CLARK's demise
on the marriage (the so-called "Moonlighting syndrome"), just point out
that the ratings fell when the show was keeping the couple from the
marriage. Every ratings woe which occurred *after* the wedding can be
directly attributed to ABC's lack of advertising and unannounced time
changes.
===============================
From: Stuart Reid (reids@sydney.net)
Just had to throw in my 5 cents (we don't have 2 cent pieces down here in Oz
anymore :) ) about the DC Annuals you were discussing in last month's mailbag.
I like the idea of having "reprint" annuals. I think this would greatly
enhance the current stories by going back to the "glory days" of Superman, et
al. I'd love to see some of the old Curt Swan stories reprinted. It's been
way too long since we did see them (among others). The reprint annuals have my
vote anyways :)
**** I've recently heard that the next round of annuals may be in the old
80-Page Giant format, so perhaps I've precognitated DC's plans? (Yeah,
I know, and I doubt it's really a word too...) I know I'd be more than
willing to buy reprints of classic stories that happened before my time.
Just on another idea that popped into my head, what do you guys think
about the idea of "re-printing" the early Siegel and Shuster issues (or
any others, for that matter) in some kind of CD-ROM format?
On another point, I was re-reading the "Time And Time Again" trade the other
day, and this is one great story. There are so many subplots going on, while
at the same time the main story does not get dragged down by these. This is
what made the Superman titles great, and I, for one, find this totally lacking
in the titles of late. Of course, I'm not too thrilled about "Electro-supes"
either, but I digress (with apologies to Peter David). The Superman titles
really need a shot in the arm. Maybe they need totally new creative teams, to
bring some fresh ideas to the books? It seems to me that the current ones are
getting a bit stale. Oh, and we also need Dan Jurgens and Jerry Ordway back
on regular pencils again.
**** Another one of those incredible 1991-1992 crossovers. The Superman
titles were among the books on the market back then. No offense to the
current creators, but the idea of bringing an entirely new group of
people is intriguing. But as we've been discussing in the last few
issues, I think it would be difficult to get four (five) completely new
teams without changing the books' format away from the triangles.
However, I'd be willing to bet that, especially in this anniversary
year, if the format were to change and *all* the positions to come
available, there would be some *major* talent interested in tackling
the Man of Steel.
-- Jeff Sykes
_____________________________________________
THE PHANTOM ZONE: Reviews of the pre-Crisis Man of Steel
------------------------------------------------------------------
THE ONE, TRUE, ORIGINAL SUPERMAN!
---------------------------------------
by Bob Hughes (rhughes3@ix.netcom.com)
Episode 3
Superman Alias Superman!
from SUPERMAN #30, Sept-Oct 1944
Before we get started on reviewing this classic, I would like to point out
something that's been bugging me for years. This comic, and all the SUPERMAN
comics up to issue #44 in 1947, was published by Superman, Inc. The
corresponding issues of ACTION were published by Detective Comics, Inc.
WORLD'S FINEST was published by World's Best Comics, Inc. There was no such
company as National Comics until 1947. The words "National Comics" did not
appear on the cover until 1949. National Periodical Publications did not
exist until 1961. Yet I consistently see people use these terms to refer to
the publishers of Superman and other comics long before they came into
existence. The correct term to use is the Brand Name on the cover; that is,
DC Comics. It was always DC Comics, yet fans trying to impress people with
their "knowledge" try to call it something else and invariably get it wrong.
I don't know why this is. Why not call it DC? After all, I've never seen
anybody refer to Marvel as "Perfect Film and Chemical Corp."
We now return to our regularly scheduled column. "Superman alias Superman" is
one of those rare Golden Age stories in which Jimmy Olsen actually has an
active part. The origins of Jimmy Olsen are surrounded in great mystery.
Around the time of ACTION COMICS #6 (Nov 1938) the offices of the Daily Star
began featuring an unnamed office boy, who was usually told by George Taylor
to "find Clark Kent!" Sometimes that office boy had red hair. In April of
1940, on the Superman radio show, an office boy named Jimmy Olsen was
introduced, probably to give Superman someone besides Lois to rescue. Is this
the same office boy that was introduced in ACTION #6? Jerry Siegel seemed to
think so, for he finally named the lad Jimmy in SUPERMAN #13 in a story called
"The Archer" that has been reprinted many more times than it ought to have
been. In that story Jimmy managed to get his first by-line with the story of
the Archer's capture. (The story is also significant because the Archer may
have been Superman's first costumed villain.) Jimmy got a last name a few
months later in SUPERMAN #15 and then basically sank from view. His
appearance in SUPERMAN #30 was his last significant comic book appearance
until after the TV show began. There, Jack Larsen's portrayal was so popular
that the kid was soon awarded his own comic-book (and condemned to 20 years of
being turned into giant turtles, porcupine boys, and being pursued by a female
version of Mxyztplk!) Currently, in the post-Byrne world, Jimmy only has to
worry about Intergang. Jimmy, at least, probably likes John Byrne's version
better! By the time of this appearance, Jimmy's appearance had already been
standardized to the one that would haunt him into the seventies. Orange hair,
freckles, bow tie (red) and green suit! (Yecch!) It was a standard rule at
the Superman factory that only Clark got to wear blue suits. Thus every other
male in the strip got stuck with one of the other primary colors. Jimmy got
green. Luthor usually got stuck with purple. Perry was lucky; he usually got
brown.
The editors of this issue (meaning primarily Jack Schiff) probably knew they
had a gem on their hands in this tale because they actually featured the story
on the cover. I believe this is the first issue of SUPERMAN to have a cover
which related to an inside story, a rarity in the Forties. Most covers were
devoted to poster-like shots. (The next cover devoted to an inside story was
issue 40, almost 2 years later). This Jack Burnley cover features Lois giving
Superman the brush-off while strolling off with a smiling Clark Kent! A
caption (also a Forties rarity) states "What's This ?!? Lois Lane gives
Superman the go-by for Clark Kent ?!? Read 'Superman alias Superman'."
Despite this rather spectacular cover, I think they might have been better
served by using the interior splash page in which Clark Kent (!) smashes
through a stone wall in order to rescue a bound and gagged Lois while
Superman is being pulverized by a trio of hoods. Yes, this is a "topsy-turvy
tale in which things are seldom what they seem as the Man of Tomorrow finds
himself in the unheard of position of practically having to reveal his
identity in order to keep it secret..." (It says here.)
The topsy-turvy tale begins with Lois being involved in a fender-bender.
Clark leaps in to defend her honor, but leaps back out again when the other
driver threatens violence. Lois chastises Clark, as she does frequently, for
being a coward. Clark responds, as he does frequently, that he'd have to act
like Superman to please her. The new wrinkle is that Jimmy, having sat
through this scene numerous times, resolves to meddle. Jimmy tells Clark he
has a great plan to impress Lois. All Clark has to do is get Superman to
disguise himself as Clark and do a few stunts: "She'll fall for you like a
busted chimney!" And for a punch line, Clark can disguise himself as Superman
and act like a weakling! What Superman was supposed to get out of this deal,
I can't imagine. Maybe Jimmy thought that because Superman was such an
all-around good sport, he'd go along with the gag on general principles.
Lois, of course, overhears this ludicrous plan. The kicker, though, is that
Clark notices Lois has overheard the plan. (So he knows, that she knows, that
he knows....etc.) This turns out to be a fortuitous circumstance, for shortly
thereafter, Lois actually catches Clark changing to Superman in the
traditional empty office. Luckily, Superman's X-Ray vision spots her peaking
in the keyhole and he realizes that she thinks he's following Jimmy's plan.
So when Superman arrives at a roof-top nightclub which is being hijacked by
gangsters, he immediately goes into his clown act, landing butt first on a
table full of food and getting pummeled by gangsters without fighting back.
Lois, watching this heart-wrenching sequence from a distance, thinks Clark is
getting the stuffing beaten out of him in order to attract her attention.
Finally, the gangsters toss "Clark" over the edge. Several stories below,
Superman lands and changes to Clark, using clothes he has hidden under his
cape! (This may be the first time this secret cape pouch is ever mentioned!).
In an apartment below he gathers up some rugs and fashions a Superman dummy.
Then Clark leaps into action, vaulting back up to the roof and bashing hoods
right and left! Lois, angered at being "tricked" decides to play along with
the gag while looking for a way to get even. The crooks get away when Clark
has to stop and rescue Lois. (She fell off the roof.) "Oh Clark, you're
wonderful! Can you ever forgive me?" she gushes. Then she spots the Superman
dummy hanging on the side of the building. "Thank goodness, Cl--I mean
Superman wasn't killed after all!"
"He must be getting old!" Clark sniffs. "It's a good thing I came along to
rescue him!" (It must be pointed out that at the time this story was written
it was not quite clear whether or not Superman could fly.)
Lois quickly discovers a clue to the Silver Foxx's whereabouts but keeps it a
secret. Then she plays along with Jimmy's gag by writing a headline story
about Clark saving Superman, much to Jimmy's glee. She arrives at the scene
of the next crime just as Foxx's gang smash their way into a bank using an
armored car as a battering ram. Spotting Clark, who has followed, her, Lois is
unsure of whether it's really Clark or Superman pretending to be Clark. Clark
himself can't figure out which he's supposed to be either, the end result of
which is that they're both captured by the bank robbers. The Silver Foxx
drags them to his hideout. While trying to defend Lois, Clark manages to get
himself shot. The crooks dump him into an empty room where he promptly
changes to Superman!
"Help Clark, before you bother with me, Superman!", begs Lois. "They shot
him!"
"Just as you say, Miss Lane!" the ever courteous Superman, finally sure of his
identity, replies.
Another swift change of costume and Clark returns. It was all a mistake. He
hadn't been shot. He'd just fainted.
The adventure over, Superman has vanished. Lois warns Clark that she's going
to take it out on him alone. As Lois berates Clark for trying to trick her,
he thinks "Wouldn't she feel silly if she knew I'd fooled her into thinking I
tried to fool her when I didn't?" I'm not sure she'd feel silly, but he
certainly should for thinking that.
Jimmy still feels the whole scheme was worth the effort and tells Clark that
he's sure the trick worked. Lois is sure to have more respect for Clark now
that she's seen how brave he is. When a package from Lois is delivered to
Clark's office, Jimmy is elated. Lois likes you, he tells Clark, and wants to
make up. But the package turns out to contain smelling salts!
This story was once again written by Don Cameron. I seem to be giving the
impression that Cameron wrote all the Superman stories in the Forties, but he
didn't. He had help from Bill Finger and Alvin Schwartz among others. I'll
try to feature some of their work in the near future. The art was by Ira
Yarbrough, Joe Shuster's #1 ghost after Johnny Sikela got drafted.
Yarbrough's most famous story is probably the first appearance of Mr.
Mxyztplk, reprinted in GREATEST STORIES SUPERMAN STORIES EVER TOLD, among
other places, where it's miscredited to Johnny Sikela. If you check out pages
8 and 9 of that story you can see one way to tell the two artists apart.
Yarbrough likes to draw Superman with both arms over his head while flying,
whereas Sikela usually drew him with the more traditional single leading fist.
Ira drew many of the Superman comic book stories in the Forties up until the
big shake-up of late 1947, when Siegel and Shuster and most of their
associates left amidst legal wrangling. After that he had his own newspaper
strip called Tallulah for a while. His style was a mixture of the Shuster
direct, dynamic approach and a more comedic, Al Capp style of art, perfect for
humorous characters like Mxyztplk. His facial portrayals of comic dismay are
priceless. Superman's world became a lot more Boring when he left...
Comedy was a major ingredient in the Superman strip from the very beginning.
Given a character who is almost omnipotent, writers only had two choices.
Have him battle other omnipotent opponents, or find situations in which
omnipotent powers are useless. This was done by having Superman battle
con-men, like the Prankster, J. Wilbur Wolfingham, or the promoter who sold
unlicensed Superman merchandise. Superman faced pixies from other dimensions
like Mxyztplk or Ixnayalpay, or was confronted with little girls whose
mischief he couldn't contain, like Lois' niece, Susie. The first "villain"
team-up Superman ever faced was Mxyztplk and Susie Thompkins (the story in
SUPERMAN #40 that I mentioned above that actually warranted having a cover
designed specifically for it.) Superman did occasionally fight a
super-powered enemy, like the Powerstone enhanced Luthor or the original
Metallo, but these stories were few and far between, the editors assuming
readers would find a steady diet of slug fests boring.
Why Olsen wasn't used in the comic book more often is a mystery to me. He was
featured on the radio frequently, and appeared occasionally in the newspaper
strip. Perhaps as the comic book page allowed much more room for dramatic
Superman action than either the radio or the newspaper, it was felt that Olsen
wasn't necessary. In this story Cameron didn't even spell his name right,
calling him "Olson" instead.
The comic book concentrated entirely on Superman and Lois. The other
supporting characters of the Forties, like Sgt. Casey and Steve Bard, were so
lightweight as to be almost non-existent. Even Perry White had to go till
1949 before he got a feature story.
Although there was ostensibly a "triangle" relationship going on between
Clark, Lois and Superman, this story came closer to showing Clark actually
pursuing Lois than most. (Although there is one story in which Clark actually
tells Lois he's Superman but she doesn't believe him, and no matter how he
tries, he can't prove it! Maybe I'll review that issue someday....) Usually
Clark just made a half hearted attempt to get a date with Lois, or contented
himself with a disparaging remark about Superman. One didn't get the
impression he actually wanted Lois, but that it was all part of the Superman
game.
A quick look at the rest of this issue....We have "The King's Substitute", a
Prisoner of Zenda type tale of an American who ends up a prince in a foreign
country and a story called "The Mysterious Mr. Mxyztplk", featuring some
obscure character that was never heard from again, as well as a four page Lois
short in which Superman does not appear. (This story was reprinted in LOIS
LANE #122). Filling the book out, Henry Boltinoff appears with Private Pete,
together with a Handy Andy one pager by Jack Farr. What more could you want
for a dime?
_____________________________________________
SUPERMAN MEETS... A TERMINATOR?
-----------------------------------
By Modemac (modemac@tiac.net)
DC COMICS PRESENTS #61, "The Once And Future War!"
September 1983
Writer: Len Wein
Artists: George Perez (pencils) and Pablo Marcos & Rich Hoberg (inks)
Colors: Gene D'Angelo
Letters: John Costanza
Editor: Julis Schwartz
In 1984, a low-budget action movie became a surprise hit and a cult classic.
It was the story of an unstoppable robot from the future, come to destroy the
ancestor of its greatest enemy. That movie was THE TERMINATOR.
In 1983, an issue of DC COMICS PRESENTS didn't become a surprise hit or a cult
classic. It was the story of an unstoppable robot from the future, come to
destroy the ancestor of its greatest enemy...
Hmm.
DC COMICS PRESENTS went out of its way to team Superman up with just about
every oddball character in the DC Universe, but occasionally an issue of the
series would strike gold. In issue #61, Superman teamed up with OMAC (the One
Man Army Corps), and the two heroes duked it out with a killer robot from the
future called Murdermek. It wasn't exactly the most original story in the
world, and it could be possible that someone copped the basic idea of the
"Terminator" plot to pay some bills with a single-issue story of what was
essentially a throwaway book for DC. But this particular issue was something
special (even the splash page notes it as "DC Comics Proudly Presents"),
because it brought together two of the brightest stars in DC's roster at that
time: Len Wein, who could always be counted on for a sturdy, entertaining
comic book; and George Perez, who was at the height of his artistic career at
the time.
The team-up character of the month, OMAC, was a Jack Kirby creation who had
disappeared during the "DC Implosion" of the mid-1970s. Created as a
futuristic law-enforcement agent, OMAC and his symbiotic companion "Brother
Eye" (an orbiting computer satellite) sought out terrorists, bad guys, and
other nasties in the World That's Coming. Like a great many of Kirby's
creations, he was bursting with potential (John Byrne brought him back for a
"revamped" mini-series in the early 1990s), but he had faded into obscurity at
this time. This issue was my first exposure to the character, and it inspired
me to go out and look for the original Kirby issues of OMAC (and they're worth
looking for -- check 'em out!).
OMAC's success had apparently inspired the bad guys of his time to create
Murdermek, the killer robot sent back in time to the 20th century to destroy
OMAC's ancestor: a fellow named Norman Blank. OMAC followed Murdermek back to
20th century Metropolis... where he runs into none other than our own
Superman. The Man of Tomorrow meets the Man From Tomorrow... and the story
takes off from there.
Actually, this is pretty standard superhero stuff, as a great part of this
issue is packed with fight scenes. But this particular issue is anything but
ordinary, and the reason why can be summed up in two words: George Perez.
Perez was hot off of his now-legendary TEEN TITANS run with Marv Wolfman at
this time, and he was getting ready to do CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS. This
issue came in between those landmarks, and Perez was allowed to really strut
his stuff here. The very first page features OMAC smashing his way into the
bad guys' lair, and it fairly explodes with Perez' trademarks: incredibly
detailed artwork, artwork with a feeling of movement, and real power. As
Murdermek meets Superman and hits the Man of Steel with missiles, subway
trains, plastic tentacles, and everything but the kitchen sink, Perez follows
through and gives us explosions knocking Supes across panels, through
buildings, and into many levels of an underground subway station. Rubble,
shrapnel, and good guys and bad are strewn left and right, as Perez (backed up
by the inks of Pablo Marcos and Rich Hoberg) lay waste to city blocks and the
aforementioned subway station. Especially impressive is page 20, which has a
half-page spread of Murdermek holding up a subway car as he prepares to bring
it crashing down onto the Man of Steel: the mechanical details of the bottom
of the car are outstanding.
In short, this issue is a huge slugfest packed into 23 pages. Perez's layouts
are remarkable, but Len Wein's writing brings it all together. Not only does
he summarize OMAC's origin and give him his own unique personality, he also
gives Murdermek an amusing personality of his own. This bad guy may be a
"coldly logical" robot, but he's still got a sense of humor, as when he
repeatedly refers to Superman as "superior-humanoid" and declares:
"OBSERVATION: The-superior-humanoid-is-becoming-a-major-annoyance!
CONCLUSION: The-superior-humanoid-must-be-DESTROYED!" Len Wein's Superman is
majestic and proud of his role as the heroic ideal, though he does have his
eternal flaw of thinking with his fists when he first enters a battle.
Superman and OMAC quickly realize they're on the same side, and the way they
resolve their differences is humorous and, perhaps, a bit too convenient. But
Wein gives us twists and turns, right down to a surprise ending on the very
last page that makes use of background details in a way that would make Alan
Moore proud.
Issues of DC COMICS PRESENTS were often average, throwaway stories, but I
think Wein and Perez had a lot of fun with this issue. They got to blow up a
lot of stuff without having to worry about long-running subplots and
continuity, and they both got a chance to do what they enjoyed doing the most.
There may not have been any deep insights into the character of Superman
(other than his statement "You're not just fighting a man here, Murdermek --
you're fighting an ideal!"), but so what? There's nothing like a
well-written, well-drawn, action-packed fight for a comic book fan to enjoy
once and a while. Track down this issue and have fun!
_____________________________________________
SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES
---------------------------------------
Ratings Panelists:
CH: Curtis Herink MS: Mike Shields NO: Neil Ottenstein
DH: Denes House NB: Nathan Bredfeldt SD: Scott Devarney
The first rating given after the average is that of the reviewer. Given
airdates correspond to the date of first US airing as regularly scheduled
on the Kids' WB.
================================
Episode #19: "Target"
----------------------------------------------------
Reviewed by Scott Devarney (devarney@ll.mit.edu)
September 19, 1997
Written by HilaryJ. Bader
Directed by Curt Geda
Guest-starring Robert Hays as Edward Lytener
Jonathan Harris as Julian Frey
Eddie Barth as Detective Bowman
RATINGS:
Average: 3.4/5.0 Shields
SD: 3.0 Shields
DH: 3.9 Shields - Some tension, and a little suspense, but not enough of
either. And why are so many of Metropolis' roadways so high off
the ground?
NO: 4.0 Shields - Nice to see a mystery that Lois solves.
CH: 4.2 Shields - A mystery with a varied cast of likely suspects, Lois
in a nightgown, and a knockdown fight with the villain. Who could
ask for more?
NB: 2.1 Shields - Predictable. Lame villain; I cannot believe they
brought this guy back for a sequel!
On the evening that Lois wins an Excalibur award for her expose of a LexCorp
scandal, she is subjected to two assassination attempts. The first time, a
small automated laser cuts the support to a large facsimile of the sword
Excalibur, causing it to come crashing down as Lois is accepting her award;
the second attempt involves a remote control device used to send her car
careening off of the expressway. Superman saves her both times. The next
day, Lois and Clark take the car device to Edward Lytener, Lois' source on the
LexCorp scandal story. The circuit patterns and stylized "LC" on the circuit
board implicate LexCorp. Lois confronts Lex at LexCorp, but he denies
involvement. Lois, to Clark's amazement, believes him because it's not his
style.
A third attempt is made on Lois' life in the Daily Planet elevator. The
elevator rockets out of the Planet building, taking out a passing helicopter.
Superman saves the pilots and rescues Lois before a bomb on the runaway
elevator explodes. Lois holes up in her apartment. A phone conversation with
Clark gives her a clue as to who the killer is. She confronts Lytener, who
confesses. He is angry because he became Lois' source and knowingly
sacrificed everything, in the hopes that Lois would notice him, but she
didn't. Lytener traps Lois in a cage of rapidly converging lasers. Superman
arrives after Lex tips Clark; the materials for the car gadget were stolen
from LexCorp around the same time that Lytener was fired. Lytener, using a
suit powered by red sun energy, gives Superman a good fight before being taken
out.
As Lytener is taken away, Lois asks Superman if he's keeping an eye on her.
Superman replies that some people need more watching than others. Lois
wistfully mentions that it'd be nice to see him when she wasn't about to be
killed. Superman responds, "Some day", and flies away.
Hilary J. Bader must be commended for trying something different for this
series, a mystery. Instead of introducing the villain before the first
commercial break, the unveiling isn't done until the final act.
Unfortunately, the handling of the plot was clumsy and didn't generate enough
suspense. The big flaw is that the identity of the would-be killer is
telegraphed early. We are introduced to three possible suspects: Julian
Frey, a jealous, rival reporter; Detective Bowman, who lost a promotion due to
an expose of police corruption Lois wrote two years prior; and Eddie Lytener,
an electronics expert. Since all of the murder attempts involved
sophisticated electronic gadgetry, it became obvious who the killer was,
especially once Lex was ruled out. Lois' deduction of the killer's identity
was fairly flimsy, but no worse than that seen on DIAGNOSIS MURDER or MURDER,
SHE WROTE.
While the main storyline was flawed, there were a lot of little things that
felt very right. These things included Lois' dismissal of Lex as a suspect
because the attempts weren't his style; the palpable hostility during the
phone conversation between Clark and Lex; and Lytener's motivations for
originally betraying LexCorp even though he knew his career would be ruined.
Another nice touch was Clark's cover of wearing his arm in a sling after he'd
fallen out of Lois' car to switch to Superman.
Finally, the beginnings of the relationship between Lois and Superman are
shown; the romance is furthered in "Brave New Metropolis", but it clearly
starts here. Dana Delany gave a wonderfully wistful quality when Lois hinted
that she'd like to see Superman socially. Unfortunately, the animators didn't
give Lois good facial expressions to match. They did give Superman great
expressions, especially during the several long looks Superman gave Lois
throughout the episode; he also had a great, almost embarrassed look on his
face as he flew away at the end. The dialogue during this scene sounded very
natural, with Superman trying to joke his way around it at first, and then
Lois dropping clues as to her feelings and Superman doing likewise.
================================
Episode #23: "Double Dose"
-----------------------------------------------
Reviewed by Denes House (househld@borg.com)
September 22, 1997
Written by Hilary J. Bader
Directed by Yuichiro Yano
Guest-starring Lori Petty as Livewire
Brion James as The Parasite
RATINGS:
Average: 3.3/5.0 Shields
DH: 4.0 Shields
CH: 3.9 Shields - The team-up between Livewire and Parasite was doomed to
failure from the beginning. The underwater scene portrays Superman
as dumb, but the final showdown by the broom closet shows him as
clever. (Maybe he's beginning to get some experience.)
NB: 3.0 Shields - Take a lame villain (Livewire), add a ho-hum villain
(Parasite), and you get a great big "eh".
NO: 3.5 Shields
SD: 2.0 Shields - Livewire is the worst villain of the series with the most
inane dialogue, which Lori Petty flatly delivers. It was nice to
see the Parasite back to his old attitude, but no explanation was
given for his change. The fight scenes were okay but my lack of
enthusiasm for the villains didn't make me care about this story.
"Double Dose" throws two potent Superman foes at him, and shows the true
mettle of the Man of Steel!
The episode opens with a janitor sweeping up in a high-security lock-up.
Forbidden to carry even the smallest electronic devices into one section, he
nevertheless hides a Walkman and brings it in. Imprisoned in this cell is
Livewire, the crackly-voiced mistress of electricity. I missed Livewire's
debut episode, but I had no problems getting a grasp of her powers. She
thrives on electricity, can hurl electric bolts, and turn herself into
electricity to travel anywhere it can. (Hmmm, I wonder how she'd stack up
against "Superman Blue"?) Munching power from the Janitor's Walkman, Livewire
escapes from the lockup, overhead lights bursting as she travels along -- nice
touch.
At a press conference that night, Dan Turpin vows she will be caught.
Suddenly, Livewire zaps out of the microphone he is using and smooches him --
zapping him into unconsciousness. Superman arrives quickly, thanks to Clark
Kent's presence at the press conference, and he and Livewire battle. From an
animation standpoint, this is an incredible battle. Dramatically directed,
with stunning camera angles and sharp editing, it is a joy to watch. The
battle moves from the conference room to the streets, where the intensity is
punched up quite a bit. Superman counters Livewire's moves by uncapping a
fire hydrant, and spraying the water at her. Here we see an Achilles' heel
for Livewire -- water shorts her out! Escaping, Livewire threatens to get
back at Superman.
The scene switches to Stryker's Island prison the next day (I suppose -- it is
bright outside by now, but David Letterman is on TV...). We look in on the
Parasite, watching his big-screen television. Livewire cajoles Rudy --
teasing him for settling for a TV when he could have Superman. She taunts him
with her sexuality, and invites him to come along and "have some REAL
laughs..." "When we're done, maybe I'll give ya a little taste... of my
power, that is!"
This is a clever episode, one in which I was constantly trying to guess what
Superman and the villains were up to. Live Wire has some great lines, like "I
keep going and going and going... hahaha!", "I don't do BOATS!", and calling
Parasite "my Purple People-Eater!" Eventually, the Parasite reveals that he
is not just a sex-crazed dolt lusting after Livewire, he wants her powers.
When a de-powered Superman faces off against a Parasite juiced up with both
Superman's and Livewire's powers, the situation is VERY tense! Superman uses
his head, and is able to defeat even this hyper-powered Parasite.
There's a great underwater scene, with atmospheric lighting and colors, and
excellent animation throughout.
I enjoyed this episode in general, but for a few points -- I am not a big fan
of sexually teasing villainesses, and I really disliked Livewire's voice. The
music is crackly and electronic, which fits an episode about an electric
villain, and the dialogue crackles with energy, as well. This is indeed a
"Double Dose" of action, and a fun ride, as well!
================================
Episode #29: "The Hand of Fate"
---------------------------------------------------
Reviewed by Nathan Bredfeldt (hal@seas.smu.edu)
October 11, 1997
Written by Hilary J. Bader and Stan Berkowitz
Directed by Dan Riba
Guest-starring George Del Hoya as Dr. Fate
Ted Levine as Karkull
Jennifer Lien as Inza
RATINGS:
Average: 3.5/5.0 Shields
NB: 3.2 Shields
NO: 3.5 Shields - More insight behind Dr. Fate would have helped
SD: 3.4 Shields - The animation was awesome and Doctor Fate was suitably
impressive. However, the echoing voice effects made it hard to
understand a lot of the dialogue.
CH: 4.1 Shields - Lots of mystical mumbo-jumbo, but just what's needed when
the guest-star is Dr. Fate. I hope we'll find out how Superman
first met Fate.
In the course of robbing a museum, a petty thief runs across an ancient
tablet. Reading it aloud, he is possessed by and transformed into Karkull, an
evil Lord of Chaos (to fit in with the "monster" theme of MIB weekend, no
doubt). Karkull clashes with Superman before taking over the Daily Planet and
transforming everyone present into monstrosities of some sort. Superman meets
with Doctor Fate for assistance, only to find the man retired from what he
considers a pointless occupation. Superman goes against Karkull alone, thus
inspiring Fate back into the hero game.
I was really looking forward to this episode, because of Doctor Fate's
appearance. Appropriately, the only major gripe I had is that the good doctor
doesn't get nearly enough airtime. I know the show is called "Superman", not
"Doctor Fate and some guy in a cape", but even Flash got more air time than
this! On the other hand, his costume looked great, as did his entrance at the
climax of the final battle. One annoying point, though; too often, Fate's
spells looked like energy blasts, not ankhs (I suppose energy blasts are
easier to draw).
I liked seeing the Metropolis SCU, doing their best against impossible odds
(as usual). Also, "Tink" and the White Wiccans were too familiar for me not
to laugh at.
The writers left a few sticky points, though. Superman was downright crass a
few times: he didn't thank Inza for the healing or the tailoring, and after he
entered the converted Daily Planet, he didn't even tell Maggie and the SCU to
wait. Also, I wish they had been more clear about Superman's vulnerability to
magic and why the magic critters couldn't possess him. Then there was the
cheesy, tacked on moral: "Do what you can, and be satisfied that you did what
you could"; I would have rather seen Superman and Fate meeting for the first
time.
This episode wasn't great, but wasn't terrible; it sat comfortably between the
two. It was good to see the real Doctor Fate again. If I had been in charge,
I would have had the two heroes meet for the first time, and I would have
intensified the threat by making sure to point out Superman's vulnerability to
magic. Still, it is worth seeing just for Fate. Now, if only they would do
an episode with Hal Jordan...
_____________________________________________
SNEAK PEEKS: THE KRYPTONIAN CYBERNET'S PRE-REVIEWS
--------------------------------------------------
Up this month: December's issues of STEEL and SUPERMAN ADVENTURES, as well as
the first Superman comic to follow the big SUPERMAN RED/SUPERMAN BLUE. Each
of these titles ships in December, so keep your eyes out!
Jeff Sykes
===============================
STEEL #47
Written by Priest
Art and Cover by Denys Cowan and Tom Palmer
In stores December 3, 1997
$2.50
PREVIEWS SYNOPSIS:
John Irons has been using his responsibilities as Steel to help hide his
feelings for Amanda Quick, but he's about to realize that all the armor in the
world can't protect him from his true feelings. Meanwhile, John's niece
Natasha goes home for the holidays, but is discouraged to learn that home
isn't as she remembers.
PRE-REVIEW:
One of my purposes in beginning these pre-reviews was to help readers decide
whether or not they should try a title that they may not normally read. Given
the most recent sales figures I have seen for STEEL, this applies to many of
you out there. I continue to maintain that STEEL is one of the best books on
the market, and that many more people should be enjoying the wonderful work of
Christopher Priest. However, to remain true to my original reasoning, I must
recommend that readers unfamiliar with this title not choose December's issue
as a jumping-on point.
Readers who joined STEEL only during the Priest era will most enjoy this
issue, because John Irons finally begins to recognize what the readers have
known for some time. Namely, the primary focus of this issue is the
relationship, or lack thereof, between John and Dr. Amanda Quick. In an
absolutely riveting scene at the hospital, Amanda finally makes some decisions
about her feelings for John and Dr. Skorpio. And in the book's final pages...
nah, I'll let you see for yourself.
Readers who have been with STEEL since before Priest came aboard, and who
remember the extended Irons family, may not care for the other half of this
issue. Natasha gets a chance to visit her family for the holidays, where she
finds things are just not what they used to be. Readers will probably not
recognize the characters either, as these people bear little resemblance to
the characters developed before Priest's arrival. And I'm not talking about
the art...
Finally, readers who have never read an issue of STEEL, or who have limited
experience with the characters, will simply find this issue difficult to
follow. The characters and their relationships are not well-explained, as it
appears that the reader is expected to know these in advance. As a result,
the unfamiliar will simply have a hard time caring about the
Steel/Amanda/Skorpio love triangle, about why Dr. Villain seems like such a
jerk, or about why Nat's family seems so out there.
That's not to say this is a bad issue -- far from it. It's just new reader
unfriendly. If you've been thinking about giving STEEL a shot, and you just
can't afford to buy all of the Priest issues (#34 through #46, so far :), I'd
simply suggest waiting another month or two.
Jeff Sykes
<sykes@ms.uky.edu>
===============================
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #16
Written by Mark Millar
Art by Aluir Amancio and Terry Austin
Cover by Rick Burchett and Terry Austin
In stores December 3, 1997
$1.95
PREVIEWS SYNOPSIS:
Clark Kent is Superman... isn't he? Even Clark's not too sure anymore when he
actually meets the Man of Steel on several occasions! Has Clark lost his
mind, or is this all part of a bigger mystery?
PRE-REVIEW:
This animated-inspired adventure opens with a scenario we've all seen many
times before: a plane has been hit by lightning and is going down in
Metropolis. The perfect job for Superman, wouldn'tcha think? Clark thinks
so, too. So when he hears of it at his desk at the Planet, he bursts into a
store room, rips open his shirts and hurls himself out the window. And he
finds two things. One: He has no costume. Two: He can't fly.
Fortunately, Superman rescues him on the way to saving the plane.
So begins one of the more enjoyable Superman tales I've read in a while. What
struck me most about this issue is the appreciation of the Superman mythos
that writer Mark Millar demonstrates. The plane rescue opening is very
reminiscent of a similar scene from the first (and best) Superman movie.
There are other little touches like this peppered throughout. What is
interesting and fresh is that Clark has to stand on the sidelines and watch as
"Superman" goes through the paces of plugging a volcano, visiting orphans, and
stopping a tornado in Smallville. Even the title of this issue, "Clark Kent,
You're a Nobody!" evokes some nostalgia. I think I still have the Elliott
Maggin/Cary Bates penned story that first appeared in ACTION COMICS in the
70s, another take on the powerless Superman story. (They even get a little
nod in the form of street names in this ish.)
The characterization of Clark was also enjoyable and much closer to my notion
of what Kal's non-Superman persona would be like. Clark chose a career in
reporting and his unwavering drive to discover the truth has always been a
core appeal of the character for me. He's no different here, continually
trying to uncover what has happened to him and not stopping until things have
been set right. It reminds me of one of my biggest complaints about the
current Superman storyline -- the half-hearted attempt Clark has made to find
out what made him into what he now is. His acceptance and decision to
continue are right on the money, but I would think his natural curiosity would
keep him on the road towards finding his new powers' origins.
The art is another high point. I like the art deco style of both the new
Superman cartoon and this book. The book looks fantastic in black-and-white
and truly emphasizes how clean Aluir Amancio's pencils are; it helps that
Terry Austin turns in another great inking job.
All in all, a great read this month. Intriguing story, wonderful art, and a
surprise ending and villain all combine to make this a sure bet.
Alan Kercinik
<alan_kercinik@frankel.com>
===============================
SUPERMAN #132
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art and Cover by Ron Frenz and Josef Rubinstein
In stores December 17, 1997
$1.95
PREVIEWS SYNOPSIS:
The JLA gets involved as the saga of the two Supermen continues! With two
Supermen running (okay, flying) around, the JLA decides to try to figure out
which one's for real: Superman Red, or Superman Blue. But what happens if
even they disagree?
PRE-REVIEW:
When I first read in the Kryptonian Cybernet about the upcoming "Superman
Red/Superman Blue" story line, I thought it really sounded dumb. I thought
the Blue Superman was bad enough; we didn't need a Red Superman running around
too.
Well, if this issue of SUPERMAN is any indication of what we can be expecting
in this story arc, I will cheerfully admit that I was wrong. In fact, I think
we might be heading for the most fun since "The Reign of the Supermen!"
Imagine two identical Supermen (or should that be "Supermans"?) each with the
same memories and abilities. Each in reality Clark Kent. Each one married to
Lois Lane! The comic and adventure possibilities are endless.
We begin to see some of those possibilities in this issue as we follow the two
Supermen after the split. Neither one knows anything about the other. Each
one thinks he's the only Superman. They cause confusion for themselves and
for everyone else around them as they keep crossing paths with the same
people. And this brings us an interesting point: they may both be Superman,
but the personalities are not the same. This should really be fun to watch as
time goes by.
This is probably one of the best stories by Dan Jurgens in quite a while.
While Ron Frenz and Joe Rubinstein do a good job with the art, I don't care
much for the way they draw Clark -- in particular his hair looks like it's
glued down on some pages. But, other than that minor quibble, I found this
story to be a fun read.
We already know that Supes will be back to his old self later in 1998. If the
rest of the arc is as good as this story, then we will have fun getting there
too.
Jim Butler
<butlersix@worldnet.att.net>
_____________________________________________
*************************************************************
End of Section 9/Issue #44
