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The Kryptonian Cybernet Issue 42
_____________________________________________________________________________
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 #42 -- September 1997
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CONTENTS
--------
Section 1: Superscripts: Notes from the Editor
Potpourri
Ratings At A Glance
Titles Shipped August 1997
News and Notes
The 60th anniversary begins, several quick notes, animation
news, and an October schedule for L&C
Section 2: Women in Superman Comics: An Opinionated Overview
by Enola Jones
Just the FAQs
"What Romances were in Lois's and Clark's Past?"
Part II: Lois's Beaux, by David T. Chappell
Section 3: And Who Disguised As...
J.D. Rummel revisits the theme-park idea from last issue
The Mailbag
Section 4: New Comic Reviews
The Superman Titles
Superman: The Man of Steel #72, by Thomas Deja
Superman #128, by David T. Chappell
Adventures of Superman #551, by Dan Radice
Action Comics #738, by Shane Travis
Section 5: New Comic Reviews
Super-Family Titles
Steel #43
Superboy #44, by Rene' Gobeyn
Superboy and the Ravers #14, by Jeff Sykes
Supergirl #14, by Thomas Deja
Other Superman Titles
JLA #11, by Anatole Wilson
Section 6: New Comic Reviews
Other Superman Titles (cont)
Superman Adventures #12, by Cory Strode
Annuals and Specials
Action Comics Annual #9, by Rene' Gobeyn
Supergirl Annual #2, by Thomas Deja
Superboy Plus #2, by Rene' Gobeyn
Limited Series
Elseworlds' Finest, by Douglas Wolk
Section 7: New Comic Reviews
Limited Series (cont)
The Kents #3, by Rene' Gobeyn
The Superman/Madman Hullabaloo #3, by Dan Radice
Genesis, by Rene' Gobeyn
Section 8: After-Byrne
Manuscripts of Steel
Action Comics Annual #2, by Denes House
The Phantom Zone
Super Friends
Superman and Superwoman in DC Comics Presents Annual #4,
by Joe Crowe
The Last Days of Superman!
Part I: "Superman's Death Sentence!",
by Martin A. Perez
Section 9: The Phantom Zone (cont)
The One, True, Original Superman!
The First Appearance of the Prankster,
by Bob Hughes
The Three Faces of Brainiac
by Yosef Shoemaker
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
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Back issues are available via ftp at oasis.novia.net. These archives can also
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______________________________________________
SUPERSCRIPTS: Notes from the Editor
------------------------------------
POTPOURRI
LOIS AND CLARK. For some time now, I've been saying that the final season of
LOIS AND CLARK was just as good as anything that came before. Well, having
seen most of the first season again in its recent TNT airings, I have to admit
that I was wrong. I'm not saying the final season was bad, and I'm certainly
not saying its quality was responsible for its ratings. But compared to the
first season, it just doesn't stack up.
The playful fighting between Lois and Clark meant so much more in the first
season, when the two were growing to know each other. It's well known that
Teri Hatcher and Dean Cain grew tired of the show as it rolled along, and that
they were more than ready to move on by the series' end -- this is readily
apparent in retrospect, as both actors obviously had much more fun with their
roles early on. The villains, while not really requiring of a Superman, were
much more believable and much more interesting. And, of course, having the
permanent smug villainy of John Shea's Lex Luthor added greater complexity to
the show.
I can only wonder what would have happened had DJL been allowed to continue
the show with her original concept, and with Lex Luthor as the primary
villain. In the end, it was her romantic angle that eventually won over the
fans...
GENESIS. What in the *world* were they thinking? I've long been a fan of the
Fourth World characters, and I've long been a fan of John Byrne. This has
almost sworn me off of both. In fact, I decided by the end of GENESIS that I
was no longer interested in JACK KIRBY'S FOURTH WORLD.
The miniseries itself was convoluted and unclear. Byrne and Wagner poorly
portrayed the details of the plot, leaving myriad unanswered questions.
Wagner and Rubinstein *did* combine for some pretty art, but there was little
sense of storytelling within that art. In short, the story was simply too
hard to follow -- nearly impossible to understand.
If the miniseries itself wasn't bad enough, the editorial control of the
tie-ins to the miniseries was about as bad as I've ever seen at DC. Events
happening in tie-in issues (including the Superman/Cyborg story, SUPERBOY AND
THE RAVERS, and various others) outright contradicted events occurring within
the miniseries itself. It's as if the group editors were given only the
merest hint of guidance about what would be happening within the story.
If this is what we can expect from DC in the way of "events," then let's
simply stop having them. Or, at the very least, let's have a major crossover
event because someone has come up with an incredible story which is too big
for the rest of the DCU to ignore -- not simply because it's "that time of the
year."
SUPERMAN LIVES. Tim Burton and Jon Peters need to hire Scott McCloud to write
their script. If you have the $3.50 to spend, run out and buy SUPERMAN
ADVENTURES #11 and #12. In this two-part story, McCloud manages to perfectly
capture the essence of Superman. Along the way, he tells a story with plenty
of action, drama, suspense, and comedy. For a fairly reasonable budget, this
story could easily be made into one of the best Superman films ever.
Keeping it short this month, so I'll call it quits for now. See ya next
month!
Jeff Sykes, Editor
______________________________________________
RATINGS AT A GLANCE: Titles shipped August 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 (5Mth)
Title Issue Rating Rank Rating Rank Rating Rank
----- ----- ------------ ------------ ------------
Superman Adv. 12 4.4(7) 1 4.3(5) 1 4.16 1
The Kents 3 4.2(5) -- 4.4(3) -- 4.37 --(3mo)
Superman/Madman 3 4.1(7) -- 3.8(6) -- 3.77 --(3mo)
JLA 11 4.1(10) 2 3.8(7) 2 3.72 3
Elseworld's Finest 1 4.0(7) -- -- -- -- --
Supergirl Annual 2 3.5(3) -- -- -- -- --
Supergirl 14 3.3(10) 3 3.3(6) 6 3.46 4
Action Comics 738 3.2(10) 4 3.5(9) 5 3.28 5
Steel 43 3.1(4) 5 3.8(4) 3 3.86 2
SB and the Ravers 14 2.9(3) 6 3.7(3) 4 3.10 7
Superboy 44 2.6(7) 7 3.1(5) 7 2.90 9
Adv. of Superman 551 2.6(12) 8 3.0(10) 9 3.12 6
Man of Steel 72 2.4(12) 9 2.7(7) 10 2.78 10
Superman 128 2.4(13) 10 3.0(8) 8 3.04 8
Action Annual 9 2.1(5) -- -- -- -- --
Genesis 1-4 1.2(11) -- -- -- -- --
What _is_ that smell? GENESIS #1-4 (1.2 Shields)
- Horrendous continuity gaffes and a twisted plot with a wave-of-the-magic-
wand ending caused a lot of people to walk away unsatisfied. Some didn't like
the Fourth World connection, some didn't like Byrne, and some didn't like
the way it interfered with their regular story-lines. Whatever it was, fans
rushed to open windows after the stink left by this summer's big crossover
event. The only saving grace seemed to be the art.
Coming up roses: THE KENTS mini-series (4.37 shields average, 3 months.)
- People continue to enjoy Ostrander's re-telling of the American Civil War
from the Kent clan's point of view. Historically accurate and beautifully
drawn by Timothy Truman, this book is a delight to read.
Dragged Down by GENESIS: SUPERBOY AND THE RAVERS #14 (-0.8 shields)
- The Ravers drew the short straw at The Wall, and they got the short end
of the stick in their treatment during this cross-over month. A well-written
title with interesting characters was dragged down by forced inclusion in
the Big Event of the Summer.
Not Part of GENESIS: JLA #11 (+0.3 Shields)
- The ONLY book to get a higher rating this month than last. Morrison revs
up in part two of the Rock of Ages storyline -- ensnaring Green Arrow,
blowing up J'onn and Supes, and pitting the CEO of Lexcorp against the head
honcho of Waynetech. Yeee-haw!
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
--------------
POLISHING THE DIAMOND
The big 60th anniversary is just around the corner, and things kick off
with a bang in December (cover dates will be 1998 by then). First up,
look for a new Elseworlds tale from Howard Chaykin, Gil Kane, Kevin
Nowlan, and Matt Hollingsworth. These legends of the biz have pooled
their talents to create SUPERMAN: DISTANT FIRES, a post-apocalyptic
tale of a Man of Steel who finds himself rendered powerless by a nuclear
war which has ravaged the Earth. DISTANT FIRES is 64 pages, in the
Prestige Format.
If the specials aren't your cup of tea, never fear -- the *big* stuff
is beginning in the continuity titles in December! I'll have more about
this soon in COMING ATTRACTIONS, but for now let me leave you with a
question. We all know how the world has reacted to Superman Blue. What
do you think will happen when they meet Superman *Red*!?
QUICK BYTES
Congratulations to Manuscripts of Steel columnist Denes House, who tied
the knot this summer! Best wishes to both you and your new wife!
According to a number of sources, the Pittsburgh Film Office recently
announced that Tim Burton and company have selected Pittsburgh as one
location for filming of the upcoming SUPERMAN LIVES!
As we've announced before, Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett return to SUPERBOY
as of February's issue #50. Their first tale is a four-part story called
"The Last Boy on Earth." As Kesel noted to Michael Doran's Newsarama
(at http://www.mania.com), if that title rings a bell, it should.
I've so far been unable to find the sales figures for September's
comics. Should they appear in the near future, I'll include them in
an upcoming issue.
Our recently debuted PRE-REVIEWS section takes a hiatus this month, as
we are assembling the previewing team. It returns next month with (at
least) a preview of the debut issue of LEGENDS OF THE DC UNIVERSE,
featuring the first part of a tale from the earliest days of the Man
of Steel's career in Metropolis!
ANIMATION NATION
The new season of SUPERMAN (and BATMAN, for that matter) kicked off in
grand fashion, helping the Kids' WB score some of its highest ratings
ever! The 8:30 AM airing of "Speed Demons" on September 13 drew higher
ratings than perennial champ FOX, and represented a 136% increase over
that time slot's programming a year ago. On the whole, the opening
weekend was up 11% from last year's, and up 25% over its average rating
from last season.
Kids' WB has announced that it will now air the 90-minute WORLD'S FINEST
animated movie, featuring the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight, on the
morning of Saturday, October 4, from 9:00 to 10:30 AM Eastern. The show
will be repeated in prime time on October 17. As with all Kids' WB
programming, you should check your local listings for the exact date and
time in your area.
The debut of Supergirl on the animated SUPERMAN series will likely not
occur until next year, as the bulk of the animation for her 2-part
"origin" series has been sent overseas for completion. Soon after it
airs, expect a Supergirl "Adventures" type of comic to complement the
episodes.
Speaking of the Maiden of Might, you can also expect a special, all-girl
crossover between the SUPERMAN and BATMAN series to follow Supergirl's
debut. Batgirl and Supergirl will team-up to battle Harley Quinn, Poison
Ivy, and Livewire in a one-hour special.
LOIS AND CLARK BEGINS TO HEAT UP
LOIS AND CLARK airs Monday through Saturday at 7:00 PM Eastern on the
TNT cable network. The last half of October's episodes deal with the
courtship of Lois and Clark, from first date to engagement (no frogs
until November!) -- here's the tentative schedule.
Ep# Date Episode Title
--- ----- -------------------------------------
204 10/1 The Prankster
205 10/2 Church of Metropolis
206 10/3 Operation Blackout
207 10/4 That Old Gang of Mine
208 10/6 A Bolt from the Blue
209 10/7 Season's Greedings
210 10/8 Metallo
211 10/9 Chi of Steel
212 10/10 The Eyes Have It
213 10/11 The Phoenix
214 10/13 Top Copy
215 10/14 The Return of the Prankster
216 10/15 Lucky Leon
10/16 NO EPISODE (football game)
217 10/17 Resurrection
218 10/18 Tempus Fugitive
219 10/20 Target: Jimmy Olsen!
220 10/21 Individual Responsibility
221 10/22 Whine, Whine, Whine
222 10/23 And The Answer is...
301 10/24 We Have A Lot to Talk About
302 10/25 Ordinary People
303 10/27 Contact
304 10/28 When Irish Eyes are Killing
305 10/29 Just Say Noah
306 10/30 Don't Tug on Superman's Cape
307 10/31 Ultra Woman
______________________________________________
WOMEN IN SUPERMAN COMICS: AN OPINIONATED OVERVIEW
-------------------------------------------------
by Enola Jones (sj1025@gte.net)
Though the comic title says "Superman," some of the most interesting and
visual characters have been the women. Some are friend, others foe, but never
have they been relegated to background "eye candy." This is a brief rendering
of some of the most visible women in the Superman Family, and my personal
opinions about them and about how I feel their portrayals reflect society.
Let's start at the beginning. Before there was even a Superman, there was a
woman. Her name was Lora at first. Later, it became the more familiar Lara.
She was the wife of a scientist on a faraway planet, and the mother of a baby
she never saw grow up: Kal-El/Clark/Superman.
Lara was an astronaut when she and Jor-El met. She soon married the young
scientist. Lara was opinionated, supportive, and protective of her husband.
She is not one to vanish in the background, and in every way an equal to
Jor-El.
In the late seventies, a mini-series called THE WORLD OF KRYPTON came out.
This was the source for all of us who wanted to know more about this beautiful
woman who, in order to lighten the load, refused to go on the rocket and gave
up her life to give her son a better chance of survival. I found her to be a
woman of great character and great love: qualities her son inherited.
The next woman in Superman's life was also his mother. Martha Clark Kent was
a farmer's wife in Smallville, Kansas. She was getting on in years and had
given up all hope of ever having a child until the fateful day a baby boy
quite literally dropped into her life. She and her husband Jonathan adopted
the boy and named him Clark, after her maiden name. Imagine the shock of
trying to raise a boy like Clark: teaching him how to use his powers and keep
them secret! The comic record showed that's what Jonathan did. The record
also shows it was Martha who gave Clark his strong moral code and deep
compassion. This was, and is, a very courageous and moral woman who deeply
impacted her powerful son.
In Superman's first appearance, ACTION COMICS #1 (June 1938), Superman faced
his first opponent -- and she turned out to be a woman! Superman was about to
reveal himself to the world, and he went after the person who murdered a man
named (prophetically?) Jack Kennedy. He was trying to clear the name of a
woman who had been jailed for the murder, but proclaimed her innocence. The
trail led him to a nightclub where a lounge singer named Bea Carroll worked.
Bea Carroll turned out to be the real murderess, declaring as her reason, "He
deserved it!" According to this comic, the story of Bea Carroll's arrest, and
the woman's subsequent pardon by the governor seconds before she was to have
been electrocuted, was Clark Kent's first byline at the Daily Star (later the
Planet).
The first truly villainous villain Kal-El fought was Lex Luthor, who needs
absolutely no introduction. But how many people know that about that same
time Superman fought a foe that rivaled Luthor in intellect? His name was the
Ultra-Humanite. He was a twisted genius who seemed to die in every encounter
with Superman. But he survived by transplanting his brain into another body.
His second body was a gorilla (!), but the one that lasted the longest was
that of a young actress whose name escapes me. He stayed in her body
throughout the forties. Then the Ultra-Humanite all but vanished from the
record. Whatever happened to him-her-it? [*]
Throughout the comic record, Superman has fought side-by-side with powerful
women. None, though, have impressed me so much as a young Kryptonian named
Kara. Introduced in the mid-fifties, she was sent to earth when a city that
had survived Krypton's demise was threatened with extinction. She was
Superman's cousin, Supergirl. There were also powerful women in a group of
super-heroic teenagers introduced in the sixties. These were the Legion of
Super-Heroes. These women, perhaps reflecting the feminist bent of the age,
were every bit as capable and powerful as the men: perfectly equal in all
ways. Of course, the series was set one millennium in the future, which made
it a bit more believable.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention Lana Lang. Clark's next door neighbor
with a nose for snooping and a definite talent for getting into trouble was a
constant source of fascination and irritation for the Man of Steel when he was
the Boy of Steel. In the seventies and eighties, she became Clark's partner
on the news broadcast they co-hosted together. Personally, I hated the
arrangement. It is, for me, more believable if Clark stuck to the newspaper.
How soon would his identity be discovered if he's seen on the news every
night? It was a relief for me when Clark was moved back to the Planet. The
Lana/Clark/Lois/Superman quadrangle often left my head spinning, though I do
wonder whatever became of her. In the retooling of Superman, she's the one
question mark I have. What did the writers do with Lana? [#]
These are the major female players in the Superman saga that I can think of.
All but one. The one that has been there since ACTION #1, and is still by his
side today. The one who most accurately reflected the social mores of the
time. Of course, I mean Lois Lane.
Lois had been at the Star/Planet long before Clark came along. At first, she
was presented as resenting the intrusion of Clark into her undisputed space as
Star Reporter (pun intended). But in a few years, and through the rest of the
thirties and forties, theirs became the same kind of relationship frequently
seen in the Screwball Comedies of the time: friendly, but highly competitive.
Clark had a hopeless crush on Lois, which she did not reciprocate. Lois, for
her part, had a hopeless crush on Superman, which she thought he did not
reciprocate.
In the fifties and even more so in the sixties, a fundamental shift in the
relationship happened. Clark and Lois were paired in the late forties into a
reporting team, and that dynamic grew stronger over the years. There was also
more of an emphasis on science fiction that crept into the comics. One of my
favorite stories from the period, 1966 I believe, (brilliantly drawn by Kurt
Schaffenberger. Nobody does Lois justice after seeing her drawn by him)
concerned Lois's accidental time trip to Ancient Greece. The accident
happened because of Lois's insatiable curiosity. Thinking she would be there
the rest of her life, Lois accepted a marriage proposal from a Greek hunk. He
thought her name was strange, but since the custom of his town was to change
the name on the wedding day, that was all right. He gave her a ring inscribed
with her new name. Lois's curiosity kept getting her into trouble (as it
often did in this period), even going so far as to open a chest full of bugs
that carried disease. Her future husband is furious, but insists the wedding
take place. Superman shows up in the nick of time and takes Lois back to the
present, where she discovers her new name.
Pandora.
"The most curious woman who ever lived," Superman laughs, "who opened the
chest and brought trouble to the world! I should have known she could only be
you!"
In the late sixties, seventies, and early eighties, when feminism was all the
rage, Lois was the quintessential liberated woman. In the mid-eighties, her
liberation went so far as to have her break up with Superman! We also got to
see her parents for the first time. (Though whose bright idea was it to name
them Sam and Ella? Say the names and the connective fast and you'll get the
point.)
Then came the overhaul. Once again, Lois and Clark met for the first time.
Once again, they were competitors. Once again, there is the crush and almost
screwball comedy-ness. But this time, things click fast. Within ten years,
Lois and Clark are husband and wife, she is fully aware of who he is, and she
is an equal partner with him in his personal life. Lois Lane, the ditzy
screwball lady of the thirties and forties, the too-curious-for her own good
broad of the fifties and early sixties, the liberated feminist of the late
sixties up till the overhaul, is now the ideal nineties woman: strong,
competent, loving, gentle, supportive, independent, fully her own woman and
fully everything her husband needs in a wife. Lois Lane Kent is now a good
role model for women.
I like to think of the role of women in Superman comics, and of Lois Lane Kent
in particular, as having reflected society's view of the ideal woman. As
such, it's an interesting barometer. Look with me, please:
In the thirties, women were seen in one of three roles: femme fatale, damsel
in distress, or demure housewife. Lois Lane filled the first two with aplomb,
and Clark never stopped dreaming of her as the third.
When women went to work in the Second World War, Lois, as well as most of the
women in the comics, were super patriotic (pun again intended). Most of the
other women in Superman comics, though, were enemy spies.
In the fifties, television became popular, and the ideal picture of women as
seen on the screen became what we saw in the comics. Lois was afflicted with
curiosity and impulsiveness to set up situations where Superman would have to
rescue her. I wonder, though, if this was modeled on the caricature Lois of
the Superman TV series of the time.
The sixties brought feminism, and a new rush of equality for women. The women
in the Legion of Super-heroes epitomized this, as did Lois. In this respect,
the seventies and eighties were merely the sixties perceptions evolving.
Now it's the late nineties. Women are more equal than ever. We fill more
roles than we ever did (and have the ulcers to prove it!). The women in
Superman, and again, especially Lois Lane Kent, reflect these impressions of
women and hold them back to us for examination. In Lois's case, I think it's
a wonderful reflection. In Martha Kent's case, it is also a reflection of a
woman who doesn't know the depth of her own strength. In the case of the
Legion women and Supergirl? I don't know enough about the new incarnations to
make that judgment. Lana I've not seen yet. Overall, though, I feel the
women in Superman reflect what is good about our society. All I have to add
is I hope they keep it up.
----------
NOTES:
[*] The Ultra-Humanite makes his post-Crisis debut in a three-part story
which kicks off LEGENDS OF THE DC UNIVERSE, beginning in December.
[#] Post-Crisis, Lana was a childhood sweetheart of Clark, and Clark revealed
his abilities to her shortly before leaving for Metropolis. Eventually,
Lana moved beyond her love of Clark and married Pete Ross.
--Jeff
______________________________________________
Just the FAQs
--------------------------------------------------------------------
More Details about Frequently-Asked Questions about the Man of Steel
by David T. Chappell (d.chappell@ieee.org)
With their wedding going strong, Lois and Clark's romance seems solid and
eternal. Things weren't always so smooth, however. Even when Lois Lane
wouldn't give Clark Kent the time of day, there was still romance in the
Superman comics. Thus, this article covers the topic of,
"What Romances were in Lois's and Clark's Past?"
Part II: Lois's Beaux
Introduction
In the days before the Universal Crisis of 1986, Clark longed for Lois but
she saw him as a weak-willed nerd. John Byrne changed that relationship.
In the revamped universe, for a long time Lois Lane would not put up with
Clark out of hatred, but she did have relationships with other men.
Previous Just the FAQs columns in the KRYPTONIAN CYBERNET have covered
similar topics on love. In Late October 1996, I answered, "What Events Led
to Lois and Clark's Romance?" Then in March 1997, I covered the question of
"What if Lois and Clark Hadn't Married?" Last month's column covered
"Clark's Belles," and the final part next issue will discuss Superman.
Lois and Superman
The relationship between Lois Lane and Superman has always been a special
one. Before Clark revealed his secret identity to his fiancee, much of this
special nature was due to the misperceived love triangle with Clark. Their
story, however, goes back to Superman's first appearance. When Lois first
saw the Man of Steel after he saved her in his first public appearance,
something passed between them. In subsequent weeks, she pursued Superman
all over Metropolis, even turning down Lex Luthor [see below] while she was
on the chase. When she eventually did get an interview with Superman, she
was nearly starstruck to be in his presence. While Lois's overt interest in
Superman was merely as an investigative reporter, she still seemed to have
more at heart than just the news. (MAN OF STEEL #1-#2, 1987)
Over the years, Superman and Lois gradually became friends. He rescued Lois
enough that a gossip columnist eventually gave her the nickname of
"Superman's Girlfriend," and the sobriquet spread around Metropolis (ACTION
#594, Nov 87; ACTION #600, May 88). Though Lois admittedly became
romantically attracted to Superman, he rarely showed much interest in her.
When Lois visited Smallville after the Manhunters/Millennium affair, Clark's
parents made the startling revelation that they had raised Superman as a
foster brother to Clark. Lois was stunned and felt betrayed by both men,
especially since Superman had recently talked down his friendship with Clark
by saying, "Kent and I have a ... working relationship." Though Ma and Pa
Kent fabricated that story to prevent Lois from uncovering Clark's secret,
the result was that Lois rejected Kal-El in both of his identities. When
Lois next met Superman in Metropolis, she was curt and business-like towards
him, and she rejected his offer of a flight home: "Quite frankly, Superman
... from now on I'd much rather walk!" (ACTION #597, Feb 88)
Lois was so heated up about the revelation from Smallville that she
considered writing an expose on Superman. Luckily, she backed off and soon
discovered more about her emotions towards the Man of Steel. When news from
Boston reported a relationship between Superman and Wonder Woman as the
"super-romance of the century," Lois was disappointed and reflective. She
seemed surprised by her own jealousy over Superman, but Lois finally
accepted that she should "write Superman out of my life for good, and start
the next chapter." (ACTION #600)
Lois and Jose (Gangbuster)
When the gang war was heating up in Metropolis, Lois met a Spanish-American
man named Jose Delgado. Jose's secret identity as Gangbuster was only part
of his involvement in the gang war, for he also talked with Lois Lane about
the news. Though Lois took offense when Clark suggested, "you two seem to
be an item," it was clear that her reaction implied deeper emotions
(ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #434, Nov 87).
Jose continued his war against crime even after the gang war ended, and he
soon fell prey to a trap that Luthor set for Superman. As Jose, he went out
on a date with Lois to a movie when a new super-villain calling himself the
Combattor burst in to abduct Miss Lane. As Gangbuster, he battled the
Combattor to a narrow victory despite his lack of super-powers. Afterwards,
Gangbuster made all the headlines in Metropolis, and Lois wrote a touching
article that emphasized his heroic qualities: "I didn't know he was a hero
when I said I'd go out with him. I only knew he was a good man." She spoke
well of his bravery in battle: "Last night I had a date with a man who
walked into the fires of Hell itself, without powers, without anything but
courage and resolution. Who did it for Metropolis." (ADVENTURES #437, Feb
88) Jose lost the use of his legs in that battle, but Lois faithfully
visited him in the hospital afterwards (ACTION #597)
The relationship between Lois and Jose continued in spurts for some time,
but Clark eventually won over Lois's heart instead. One of the most
emotional pages of comics comes at the end of ADVENTURES #466 (May 90). The
scene begins as Lois returns home to her apartment after covering a story.
She is happy that Clark has been waiting there for her so long, and he
announces that he wants to "push life--take chances," and he offers her
their first kiss in a long embrace. The moment of ecstasy fades rapidly as
the reader realizes that Jose was at that moment approaching Lois's
apartment, only to see her in Clark's arms. The long shadow cast by Mr.
Delgado only emphasizes the dejected look on his downtrodden face as he
silently walks away. . . .
Lois's Other Romances
Though a few romances have highlighted Lois's life in recent years, she has
had other admirers as well.
For years, Lex Luthor sought after Lois Lane. Despite his pursuit, Lois
continued to turn him down even as she dug deeply into his past as an
investigative reporter. When Kent questioned rumors of her relationship
with Mr. L., she insisted, "He's fascinated by me because I'm not interested
in becoming a part of his collection. And I've told him so." At the
subsequent party on Luthor's yacht, Lois challenged the wealthiest man in
Metropolis when he said, "You know full well how much I desire you." His
charms fell on deaf ears, however, and Lois's dislike for him grew stronger
as the evening progressed. (MAN OF STEEL #4, 1987) Years later, Luthor
still maintained his fruitless attentions on the female reporter (ACTION
#597)
Another of Lois's old flames was Jeb Friedman. He showed up several times
and threatened to take Clark's place in Lois's heart. In particular, he
showed up during the "Funeral for a Friend:" when Lois knew--but could not
share with the world--that Clark was dead, she needed someone to turn to,
and Jeb was there. He attempted to re-enter her life and was starting to
develop a new relationship, but Clark returned from death and Lois returned
to her fiancee. Still later, Jeb died working for his beloved unions.
Conclusion
Though Lois is now happily married to Clark Kent, she has had her share of
other romantic interests over the years. Her taste in men has proven to be
generally good, from rejecting Luthor to dating Delgado. After all she's
been through, it seems ironic that Lois should eventually love a man whom
she originally hated on account of petty journalistic jealousy.
The "Just the FAQs" column is Copyright (C) 1997 David Thomas Chappell. All
rights reserved. Making copies in any format is expressly forbidden without
the written permission of the author.
______________________________________________
AND WHO DISGUISED AS...
---------------------------------------------------------
A Column of Opinion by J.D. Rummel (rummel@creighton.edu)
Normally the e-mail response to my column isn't so overpowering that I can't
respond one-on-one. Usually I get a few notes and I reply with a thank you or
other appropriate message.
Well, I had no idea that an article about Superman not having a theme park
would fan such a flame among the KC readers. I started to answer the mail,
but it became clear that some things you were saying needed to be shared.
My girlfriend Amy is often amazed at my on-hand knowledge of comics and
fantasy (she is pretty enough to have never dated a geek before). She
sometimes states with relative surprise that I "know so much about that
stuff." Perhaps I've fooled her, but a lot of you weren't buffaloed. You
sent letters shining light into the darkness in which I lived. Of course,
being a dues paying member of the Great Guy Club, I have the stones to admit
that I was... well, I was gonna write "wrong" but my stones aren't that big.
Let's say that I failed as so many of us do, to have All Knowledge. To
correct this, right my karma, and of course, fight for truth, justice and the
American way, let me offer up some of the info that you took the time to send
to me.
It seems that the Six Flags Theme parks are owned by the Dubba Ya Bee, and
those playgrounds do have Superman stuff (and Batman stuff, and Bugs Bunny and
Tweety and...). My fear that the Warner merchandising department was run by
sleep-late-slackers was a real miss. Georgia and California both wrote to say
that the Six Flags in their necks have lots of Bat paraphernalia, as well as
ample representation from other corners of the Warner holdings. The only Six
Flags I've been to is in Texas, and I don't remember a strong Warner flavor at
that time (early 80's). Batman, who has done fairly well in the theaters
(until this last summer), has lots of presence in the parks according to many
of you.
As far as the star of this mag is concerned, there is a killer roller-coaster
at Six Flags in Valencia, California, called Superman--The Escape. Seems it
is one bad mamma jamma that even has its own web site:
http://www.sixflags.com/losangeles/superman.htm
Even more exciting is the revelation that in Queensland, Australia, exists a
Warner-backed park called "Movieland." There, visitors do Virtual Reality
with the Dark Knight, see the Daily Planet, and can even be photographed
flying in the suit!
Of course, it wouldn't be the Internet if some stuff wasn't unfounded or at
least hard to pin down. Supposedly there is a Fortress of Solitude at the Six
Flags Magic Mountain, and this next one really intrigues me. KC's own Anatole
Wilson relayed that in Metropolis, Illinois, during the mid-seventies there
was a Superman theme park much like the one detailed in the 40th anniversary
World of Superman "big comic" that I referenced last column. As Anatole
remembered this, the park closed after only a few years due to general
financial failure. Anybody out there know more?!
So, for handing out bad facts I am mucho sorry. My thanks to everyone who
took the time to write. I learned a lot about a subject that I thought I knew
really well. Now of course, how do I tell Amy that our trip to Cincinnati to
visit her sister is gonna be shelved in order to go to Australia? This looks
like a job for...
Some other guy.
Away!
And Who Disguised As... is copyright 1997 by J. D. Rummel. Its contents may
not be reproduced in any format without the written permission of the author.
______________________________________________
THE MAILBAG
-------------------------------------
(sykes@ms.uky.edu, KryptonCN@aol.com)
KC Responses are indented and begun with ****
========================================
From: David Joseph Young, Jr. (dayoung@luna.cas.usf.edu)
Is it just me, or did the Superman team seem to have a lot of trouble
coordinating their books with the GENESIS crossover? There were so many
inconsistencies! Considering that the Superman team already has to coordinate
at least four titles each and every month, I would think that they would have
enough experience to handle crossovers like this.
**** This was actually a much bigger problem than just the Superman titles.
As I mentioned in my editorial this month, this was perhaps the most
poorly coordinated crossover event I've seen.
In an interview in COMICS BUYERS GUIDE, John Byrne indicated that this
crossover went very smoothly because all the various editors were invited to
include their characters and books in it, but weren't required to by the
powers above. However, this approach does not excuse poor coordination. If
Byrne was in charge of it all, the various editors and writers should have
been in communication with him. I suspect the editor of GENESIS, Paul
Kupperberg, was really in this position. They could have discussed the story
with Jurgens and the rest of the Superman crew. If Jurgens insisted on using
this opportunity to reintroduce the Cyborg, Byrne should have added a scene
where Superman leaves and comes back.
**** No, I don't think so. The crossover was Byrne's, not Jurgens'. If
Jurgens wanted to have Superman visit the Wall, pick up the Cyborg, and
then return, it should have been his responsibility to make it fit better
within the events of GENESIS. The miniseries should not be changed to
fit the tie-ins.
I caught the end of the Wonder Woman chat hour on America Online this week. I
asked a question about the apparent foul-up. John Byrne was silent on the
matter. The other fans insisted that it was all Jurgens fault. "Jurgens
doesn't care about continuity." I disagreed, saying that Jurgens had
coordinated the ZERO HOUR crossover and four Superman books for years. He of
all people should understand continuity. At that point, the fans shifted
gears on me, reminding me of what Jurgens had done to the poor Justice Society
in ZERO HOUR.
**** Just want to point out that Jurgens is a writer/artist. He's never been
an editor on the Superman or Spider-Man titles, and so coordinating
continuity has not been his job. That's the job of an editor. As for
the Justice Society thing, that has nothing to do with coordination.
That was simply a plot development he chose to add to the story. If DC
felt it was beyond reason, they wouldn't have let him do it. Comic fans
have a tendency to overreact to story developments that they disagree
with. This is a good example -- as are those who hate Kyle Rayner just
because of what was done to Hal Jordan. Holding a grudge against Jurgens
just because they didn't care what he did with the Justice Society in
ZERO HOUR seems a bit ridiculous to me.
I don't think any of the screw-ups were exclusively Dan Jurgens fault, or John
Byrne's fault, or Paul Kupperberg's, or anyone's. I think the communication
was just very poor between books.
**** This was a lack of communication between editors. A large part of
the job of an editor is making certain these sort of continuity
contradictions don't occur. Ideally, the editor of GENESIS should have
looked at each of the tie-ins, helping to point out the problems before
they saw print.
Now as for the overly complicated plot itself, I'd have to lay that one at the
hand of John Byrne. But that's another letter entirely...
**** Sorry I cut out your detailed description of the continuity errors in
the Superman titles, but we're hurting for space in this issue. Plus,
you've got that whole *other* letter below. :)
========================================
From: David Thomas Chappell (dtc@acpub.duke.edu)
Jeff, your editorial from #40 concerned the continuity between the five
Superman books, and several letters supported your position. IMO, a good
solution is the sort of "semi-continuous" story flow from the Byrne days. I
refer specifically to when two books tied closely together, and a third
monthly stood on its own with its own flow. Some subplots crossed over, but
they, too, were mostly contained to certain titles. I don't want to go back
to independent titles like the Bat-books but could handle a looser continuity.
I personally prefer the idea of weekly flow from title to title, but I see two
advantages to the looser connection. 1) Some fans would like it better,
resulting in increased sales. I don't personally benefit from increased sales
to DC, but it would make some readers happier. 2) Some creators who don't
like the interwoven stories might be more likely to join the Super-team. If a
writer can write an entire story rather than just one little part, then I
suspect he'd enjoy it more.
**** I too prefer the weekly continuity, but I'm willing to give it up if it
means better stories and better sales. I think the format from the
early Byrne days would work very well -- there's still an overall
continuity, but individual titles get to spend the bulk of their time on
their own stories. Back then, ACTION COMICS was the "team-up" title,
featuring a different guest star each month -- this approach could be
quite popular again, I think.
To me, the best of all worlds would be to abandon the one team = one title
concept and connect creative teams to stories such as the Brainiac story by
the "filler" team (Waid, Peyer, Swan, etc.) last year.
**** I think this would be a great idea for guest teams every now and then,
but I have suspicions that it would be difficult to do on a regular
basis. As it is now, the creative teams are working almost
simultaneously on books set to come out at roughly the same time.
Under this type of set-up, the teams might be working at the same time
on stories set to appear months apart. I imagine this would make
things a bit more challenging for the editors.
========================================
From: Jim Lesher (JLESHER@npr.org)
With regards to your SATR review, I was just wondering: where did you hear
that that title was being canceled? I hadn't seen any notices about it
anywhere, so I'd be interested in learning what you know.
I, personally, like the idea of a team with Superboy, Robin, Impulse, etc. It
just goes to show that everything goes in cycles...
**** The rumors have been floating around the net for some time -- since the
summer conventions, I think. I believe it was Michael Doran's Newsarama
that obtained confirmation from Steve Mattsson. As I recall, Mattsson
indicated that they were going to be given until around issue #20, and
that it wasn't so much a problem with their sales (which I honestly find
difficult to believe) as it was the belief that the "Junior JLA" idea
would be a much larger sell.
With regards to the "Hero Dials," the story behind those goes ALL the way back
to the House of Mystery in the late 1950's. There was a character named Robby
Reed, who found a magical amulet that allowed him to turn into super-heroes.
Some were pre-existing heroes, and some were new. He vanished a few years
later.
In the early 1980's, the concept was revived. Vicki Grant and Chris King were
two "typical" teenagers who found magical dials with the letters H-E-R-O on
them. With them, they could turn into super-heroes for one hour at a time.
The trick, this time, was that the heroes they turned into were designed and
created by the comics readers! It was actually a good idea for a while, in
that comic fans could create "real" characters who would appear in the
stories. Some were good, some were bad. Some were interesting characters
with dumb names, some were characters who were obvious combinations of
pre-existing characters, and some were just plain bad.
The series lasted for several issues of Adventure Comics, and then moved to be
a back-up feature in Superboy comics. The shorter stories [in the back of
Superboy] were written by E. Nelson Bridwell, and were actually usually pretty
fun.
The "Dial H for Hero" characters faded away, but it's nice to know they are
still remembered.
**** Thanks for the info. SUPERBOY AND THE RAVERS #15 has a bit more about
Vicki Grant and Chris King, for those of you interested in following
the H-Dials.
========================================
From: Jay Erwin-Grotsky (jmeg@worldnet.att.net)
Since I was so vocal in my protest about the "change" to Superman, I thought
I'd let you know how I see things now. I have enjoyed the stories (although I
didn't really like the GENESIS tie-ins much. I think the writing has been
good, and Superman's character still comes through. That said, I still miss
the old suit and powers (the new ones are hard to track!) Thanks for the
interesting thoughts and excellent magazine.
**** Ah-ha! A convert! :)
But seriously, keep that in mind when the *next* wave of changes begins
in December...
========================================
From: David Joseph Young, Jr. (dayoung@luna.cas.usf.edu)
With two letters in support of the editorial a couple issues back denouncing
the linked-story approach of the four (or five) core Superman titles, I felt
someone should take the other stand. Ever since DC started this approach,
I've enjoyed finding a new Superman issue waiting for me each and every week.
It was like a weekly serial, or one weekly Superman title. I thought this was
a very innovative approach.
**** Now, now. I never *denounced* the current system. In fact, I said that
I *preferred* the current system. When it first began, it *was* an
innovative approach, and remains fairly unique to the industry. My
point, however, was that this continuity approach is likely not optimal
with regards to sales.
Now there are problems with both the linked and separate formats, many of
which have already been mentioned here. The linked format turns off people
who either don't want to or can't afford to buy four to five Superman books a
month. The separate format presents four to five separate Superman stories
which seem to take place at the same time. (As a continuity freak, this can
be a problem.)
If done well, either approach is valid. The reason the linked format did so
well at first was because the quality of the storylines merited it. They were
so good that you couldn't wait until next week. Lately, unless there is some
specific "crossover" story going on it just seems like weak filler material.
(Of course, that's also a subject for another letter. Is it just me, or has
the Superman crew gotten so used to big "event" storylines that whatever comes
between them is uneventful and "villain-of-the-week"-style filler material?)
Another obvious reason the linked format did well at first is that the cover
prices were less. Still, if the books were as good as they were then, I doubt
we'd have so many people complaining.
**** On the one hand, we have a group complaining about having so many
extended story lines, wanting more single-issue tales. On the other,
we have a group who tends to find such single-issue stories to be filler
material, desiring more "relevant" stories. Could it be that the weekly
continuity lessens the overall effectiveness of the single-issue tale?
If done well, the separate format is a good option also. However, to make it
work at it's best, there should be regular references within the story to let
us continuity hounds know when each story is happening. All it would take
would be a quick, "Man, I'm tired from that last fight with Brainiac" line to
let us know. (Cross-references in the captions is another option.)
In support of the separate format, all the other group titles do better with
it. The Batman and Spider-Man titles have been on the separate format for a
while now. I think the Spider-Man titles actually sell better now than when
they tried to ape the "Superman style" for a couple years. (Of course, the
Clone-Saga had something to do with the low sales as well.)
My recommendation/conclusion would be this. My first (personal) choice would
be to keep the linked stories format and get the quality back up to the level
it was before (such as during the latter part of "Reign of the Supermen"). My
second choice would be the separate format with the regular crossover stories
mixed in. Such as four months or so of separate stories, a month or two of
cross-title issues (big event story), and then back to several months of
separate stories. This seems the best balance of the two. Sure you'll have a
number of fans complaining about having to buy two issues of each title they
don't usually collect, but it's a lot better than every month, right? And it
cements for us continuity freaks that this IS a linked "universe" and the same
guy in all the titles.
**** I think this second choice is ideal. Even when the books weren't linked
in a weekly, rotating fashion, they *did* have the occasional crossover
story which tied them all together. There were far fewer complaints
about having to buy a few more issues every now and again than there are
today about having to buy all the issues all the time.
I also don't think a quality boost will result in optimal sales. The
Superman books are still not on the same level as they were in 1991 and
1992. But even if they were as good, the books now cost over 50% more
than they did in 1992. This larger-than-inflation hike in price means
that people can't afford to buy as many titles as they used to. So even
if the Superman titles were the best comic books on the market, I think
there would be a lot of potential readers unwilling to shell out the
money for every issue. The only way to bring these folks on board is to
make it possible for them to buy only a few of the titles.
On another note, one of the reviewers for the first JLA issue reviewed in this
issue wondered when Wonder Woman died and Flash was injured. It is to be
expected that with a group title composed of at least six characters who have
their own titles (seven including the newest recruit Green Arrow), comments
will be made to keep JLA in sync with the other titles. Unless the reader
keeps up with all of the individual titles, he or she will inevitably come
across references which make no sense to him or her. I read Wonder Woman, so
I knew what Morrison's line was referring to. (Matter-a-fact, Byrne recently
indicated somewhere that JLA will have to do without Wonder Woman for about
six months while he resolves the storyline in her own book.) I don't read
Flash, so I didn't have a clue. (Was this a mistake? I know Flash gets a
broken leg a few issues from now. Otherwise, I haven't found any injuries
which would keep him out of action, and he's in the next issue.)
**** Yes, the Flash and Wonder Woman references were GENESIS-related
continuity gaffes. Even though the events of JLA #10 take place prior
to GENESIS, Flash does not become crippled until after GENESIS has
already ended. Furthermore, as was recently shown in her own title,
though Diana was out of commission during GENESIS, she did not actually
die until after the crisis had ended. As to Flash's return in JLA #11,
events in his own title indicate that Wally's metabolism will result in
his injuries healing in about a week. So as long as a week's time has
passed between those two issues of JLA...
Anyway, anyone who chooses to read JLA just has to take it in stride. You
have two options in these instances. Either (1) you get so mystified by the
reference that you run out and snatch up all those issues you missed which is
what DC would prefer or (2) you think "huh, must have happened somewhere
else", and just keep reading. The point of a reference like this one is
simply to let you know why the two characters are not present. Now you know.
Read on.
However, in the future I do believe that some sort of cross-title reference
would be helpful, either through a caption leading readers to other books or
with remarks in the letter column which would prevent bogging down the story
with a lot of captions.
**** I also think that it's important to give JLA a little more leeway. JLA
is more like the tie-ins than the crossover. That is, DC has made clear
that events in their own titles take precedence -- Morrison and company
have the big guns on loan and must live with whatever the main titles
decide to do. This means that they're going to either have to work hard
to shoehorn the JLA stories in between the continuities of the other
titles, or else they're going to have to work hard to incorporate those
continuities. Either way, they're *much* more likely to have some
problems. I'd be just as happy to call JLA an Elseworlds title and let
Morrison do what he wants :)
-- Jeff Sykes
______________________________________________
NEW COMIC REVIEWS
-----------------
Ratings Panelists:
AH: Andrew Hudson DWd: Darrin Wood JSy: Jeff Sykes
AW: Anatole Wilson DWk: Douglas Wolk KM: Kuljit Mithra
CC: Chip Chandler ES: Emmanuel Soupidis RG: Rene' Gobeyn
CoS: Cory Strode EJ: Enola Jones ST: Shane Travis
DC: David Chappell GS: Gabe Smith TD: Thomas Deja
DR: Daniel Radice JG: Jack Grimes VV: Vic Vitek
DS: Dick Sidbury
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:
-------------------
39. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #72 Oct 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Altered States"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciller: Scot Eaton
Inker: Jimmy Palmiotti
Letter: Ken Lopez
Colorist: Glen Whitmore
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Asst. Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Jon Bogdanove, Denis Janke, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 2.4/5.0 Shields
TD: 4.0 Shields - We finally see a decent upturn in MOS' work, with
Simonson's weirdness working with Eaton's skill to create something
different but entertaining.
DS: 0.5 Shields - A leading candidate for worst Triangle story of the year.
This issue was terribly confusing and not very interesting.
EJ: 3.5 Shields (Story)
3.8 Shields (Art) -Intriguing premise: a cybernetic gang using Supes
to help them get the parts to cybernetically transform everyone
in Metropolis. Using his new ability -- the very thing they were
exploiting -- against them was brilliant!
ES: 1.3 Shields - Yawn. Another useless Genesis tie-in. Stories like this
one that show potential are resolved too easily, while the Olsen saga
is allowed to continue. Maybe the era of the 'triangle title' should
be put to rest. Bring back Bog!
KM: 2.7 Shields - Slightly better than last month, but the combination of
story and so-so art is not keeping me interested in this title.
After hitting rock bottom last issue, I'm relieved to see a S:MOS issue that's
entertaining. Sure, it starts to unravel toward the end, but there's enough
quirky, off-kilter stuff and intriguing threads to keep the average reader
turning the pages.
The story revolves around Clark's sudden ability to create dimensional
doorways. Every time he touches something, it triggers a doorway (at least, I
*think* that's the way it works). This new ability does not go unnoticed, as
Clark is captured by The Mainframe Gang. It seems the gang's leader,
Override, has been monitoring other dimensions, and needs certain elements
from these places to achieve his goal of a 'cyber-potential'ed Metropolis.
Supes finds a way to foil the gang, and escapes just in time to help the
transformed Scorn and Bibbo put away a couple of S.T.A.R. Lab escapees.
There's not much in the way of sub-plots this time around; over half of the
book is devoted to the Mainframe Gang and Override's plans. This allows for
Simonson to trot out some really engaging and freaky stuff, like a dimension
of movement without form (the Speed Force, perhaps?) and a strange hive-mind.
The lesser members of the group are still ciphers, but Override is proving to
be an interesting adversary. One gets the sense of him being a long-term
planner in the Luthor/Dr. Doom mode. Now that we have the sense that the
group is more than just another collection of brawn (even Scareware shows some
surprising signs of intelligence), I'm actually looking forward to their next
appearance.
Where things start to crumble is with the S.T.A.R. Labs plot. Seemingly
grafted on just to give the book a GENESIS angle, it's brief enough not to get
on our nerves. Simonson also introduces a rival of Bibbo's who bears a
peculiar resemblance to Popeye; the interaction between him and Bibbo is
pretty funny in a goofy sort of way. On the other hand, The Parasite is just
thrown in for no readily apparent reason.
As for the art--Jimmy Palmiotti takes over this issue for Denis Janke, and
what a difference that makes! Once again, we've got some powerful, detailed
art that's pretty damn appropriate considering the weird orientation of this
issue. Particularly effective are the glimpses of some of the dimensions; one
of them, depicting an ALIEN-inspired group of creatures with Superman in
classic crucifixion pose, is very, very creepy. Sometimes, Palmiotti does
make Eaton's pencils look a bit *too* Immonen-esque, but overall it's a keen
piece of work.
Next issue will see Mark Waid batting clean-up on Simonson's plot. Even with
Janke coming back to ink, it sounds like the slump is over; how could even his
inking ruin a free-for-all between Supes and the Hairies, with Aboriginal
shamanism thrown in? I'm there!
Thomas Deja
<manciniman@rocketmail.com>
================================================
40. SUPERMAN #128 Oct 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Genesis Anew"
Story: Dan Jurgens
Art: Ron Frenz and Joe Rubinstein
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Asst. Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Ron Frenz, Joe Rubinstein, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 2.4/5.0 Shields
DC: 3.1 Shields
EJ: 3.9 Shields - Not having read Genesis, I was a bit confused. Half of the
heroes I don't recognize. Story itself was enjoyable, but the cover
art ruined the shock ending for me. The tears on Jimmy's face were
perfect!
JG: 2.0 Shields - Jurgens' worst story this year. The continuity gaffes
literally slap you in the face, only to be followed by a Chinese
water-torture plot.
ST: 1.6 Shields - Poor art, poor backgrounds, poor continuity, poor excuse
for a crossover event, poor Jimmy (who can't remember if Collin
Thornton *is* or *is not* Superman) and poor me for having read it!
TD: 2.5 Shields - About as decent as you can expect a tie-in with a horrible
inter-company crossover to be--but some of that dialogue has GOT to
be brought into the 20th century.
SYNOPSIS
This issue picks up right where GENESIS #2 left off, and it is the first half
of a two-part story by Dan Jurgens (continued in ADVENTURES #551). Many of
Earth's greatest heroes are gathered in the presence of Highfather, leader of
the New Gods. Superman volunteers to explore the Wall, an infinite barrier
which shields the rest of the universe from the enormous power of the Source.
Superman finds that the Wall has been breached, and the raw power of the
Source is leaking through. Before Kal-El can try to patch the breach, he is
attacked by a disturbance which turns out to be Hank Henshaw. Meanwhile, in
subplots, Jimmy is still on the run outside Metropolis, and Perry asks Lois to
write an article about Jimmy's "non-revelation."
CRITIQUE
Although I personally enjoyed this issue, if I try to take a neutral stance I
suspect that readers will either like or hate it. This story is closely tied
to the GENESIS mini-series. Thus, readers of GENESIS will probably enjoy the
extra detail that this issue adds to the cross-over, while those ignoring
GENESIS will likely walk away confused and disappointed.
Much of the first 1/3 of the comic provides details on the background of the
Wall, the Source, and the current crisis. I did not mind the review of the
facts, and I think that the New Gods' part of the discussion was handled well.
I did not care, however, for the way that conversations between heroes were
presented. Dozens of heroes were present, but we get only smatterings of
random chit-chat from the crowd. Superman does stand up to take a major role
in the conversation, but the other dialogue left something to be desired. In
particular, the Teen Titans had too much of the spotlight. I do not fault
Jurgens for including them since he also writes that title, but they do not
warrant so much focus when in the presence of so many others. On the bright
side, Jurgens gives us a brief touching moment when Superman is about to leave
and says, "If I don't come back, Supergirl, you know who to talk to."
The two subplot scenes were brief, and I wish they had shown more than just
the aftermath of Olsen's expose on Superman. It was, however, nice to get a
glimpse of what the supporting cast was up to.
The second half of the book focuses on Superman's expedition to the Wall.
Kal-El's pause in awe of the Wall precedes his amazement at being attacked by
a giant in the wall. Jurgens has adequately informed the reader of the odd
nature of this attack. Superman's struggle against an unknown foe is a good
touch (though perhaps spoiled by the issue's cover), but the appearance of
Henshaw on only the last page disappointed me.
In the art department, I found this comic to be a mixed bag, and mostly a
disappointment. I think that the cover is beautiful and elegant, but its
appeal dropped a lot when I found out that it depicts a scene from the very
end of the comic. I had thought that end of the 1970s saw the end of covers
that showed climactic scenes from the last page of the book, but here we get a
dose of the worst kind. I was also disappointed by the art in the opening
scene with Highfather and the gathered heroes. Although the blank scenery is
appropriate since it matches the end of GENESIS #2 and beginning of GENESIS
#3, the heroes look too much like cardboard cut-outs. In too many panels, the
speakers have big heads facing straight forward while several other heroes are
visible in the background. The scenes back on Earth highlight my general
attitude about the artwork: acceptable, but not remarkably good -- especially
in the faces. The scenes at the Wall, especially the two-page spread, do a
good job of depicting the sheer size and awe of the great barrier. The
subsequent fight scenes show the battle well, but the big panels make it take
up more pages than it should have.
I have distinctly mixed feelings about the final scene. On one hand, I am
glad that we see scenes from Hank Henshaw's former life and are reminded of a
bit of his past. On the other hand, I see no logic in Henshaw maintaining the
form of the Cyborg now that he's working with other raw materials. He has
changed physical appearance several times before, and it really annoys me that
he now has kept his most recent form without any real reason.
Overall, I found the issue to lack much action but have a good foundation.
This is due in part to the big panels for the fight scene, but more of it
harks back to the expository aspects with the New Gods, the Wall, and the
Source. The overall lack of plot movement may contribute to why the issue did
not excite me much, but the artwork was not noticeably good, either. In the
context of GENESIS, I enjoyed the comic and am glad that it added a lot to the
story, but I acknowledge that many Superman readers will be disappointed that
the issue does not stand on its own.
David T. Chappell
<dtc@acpub.duke.edu>
================================================
41. THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #551 Oct 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Genesis For Humanity"
Guest Writer: Dan Jurgens
Penciller: Tom Grummett
Inker: Denis Rodier
Letterer: Albert de Guzman
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Asst. Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Tom Grummett, Denis Rodier, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 2.6/5.0 Shields
DR: 1.0 Shields (Story) - Poor effort. Unnecessary two-part story. Stilted
dialogue. Can't read...passing out...
2.5 Shields (Art) (Pencilling 4.0, inking 1.0) - Grummett's talents
are being wasted under such a poor inker. The styles don't mesh at
all. Bring Tom a capable inker, and fast!
EJ: 3.5 Shields (Story)
4.0 Shields (Art) - Excellent battle! Henshaw's evil seemed to just
ooze off the page!
JG: 2.5 Shields - I honestly groaned when I saw Jurgens' name on the cover.
I was expecting Kesel to save this thin plot, but I was let-down. Dan
touched on a few good thematic points regarding Clark and Henshaw's
views of humanity, but dropped the ball early on.
JSy: 1.8 Shields - Nice art by Grummett and Rodier, but it doesn't save this
pointless fight issue. A once-interesting villain, Cyborg is now
simply dull. This two-issue tale illustrates how *not* to stretch
a half-issue story into two issues.
VV: 3.5 Shields - Good battle, good conclusion. I wonder why Mother Box
didn't notice Hank Henshaw in Superman's containment suit, however.
I have this bizarre feeling that Dan Jurgens was the only writer who actually
thought Genesis was a good idea, and in fact, probably enjoyed it. While all
the DCU books were affected by Genesis somehow, and some writers decided to
make mention of it in passing, Dan Jurgens was the only one who actively
participated by writing not one, but TWO Genesis tie-in issues. Methinks
Jurgens is Byrne's illegitimate son...
*Ahem*
Continuing from last week's SUPERMAN #128, where Electri-Kal decided to repair
a breach in The Wall by himself (?!?!), we learn that the Cyborg has taken up
residence there. So, we get 22 pages of a Superman/Cyborg fight.
That's it. No real major advancements in the life of Clark, just a fight with
some minor flashbacks for the Cyborg. Oh wait. I'm sorry. Out of nowhere,
and quite UN-seamlessly added, was part of the "Jimmy Olsen is an idiot"
storyline. It did nothing to help the current story and was merely there as
filler.
This review is more critique than review mainly for the fact that there isn't
really ANYTHING to review in this issue. This has been the downside of the
Super-titles as of late. The writers are CONSTANTLY making multi-part
storylines out of ideas that should only merit one issue. While this idea
needed just a *bit* more than one issue to fully explain itself, it surely did
not need another 22 pages. I am severely disappointed at the Super-team for
allowing this plot to take over two issues.
Another problem I have is Dan Jurgens' writing. Jurgens is a WEAK scripter.
He reiterates facts and points PLAINLY for the reader who hasn't caught the
last issue, his characterization is choppy, he displays a total lack of
knowledge of how to pace a story, and his characters speak stilted dialogue.
He does, however, have pretty darn good plotting skills. I think he comes up
with some fun ideas -- but these good ideas are overshadowed by his rather
pathetic dialogue. Remember SUPERMAN/DOOMSDAY: HUNTER/PREY? Good idea, some
good plot structure, an ending that I *honestly* didn't see coming, but some
of the worst dialogue that I have ever read! Jurgens really should spend time
brushing up on his scripting skills.
Complaint #2: Denis Rodier's inks. I have heard other KC reviewers give this
artistic team a thumbs up. I, for one, am a proud member of the "Denis Rodier
ruins pencillers" Club. He butchered Jackson Guice, totaled Kieron Dwyer, and
is now ruining poor Tom Grummett. Fortunately, Grummett is a good enough
penciller that Rodier doesn't destroy his art isn't as badly as he did his
previous two partners -- or maybe Grummett's just lucky. Rodier's inks are
far too heavy and messy. They look more like wild scribbles on the page at
points, and other times cause Grummett's work to be less crisp than normal.
Bring back Doug Hazlewood. Reunite the old ADVENTURES team. Failing that,
let Karl Kesel (the normal ADVENTURES writer) ink him. Kesel will be inking
Tom on SUPERBOY (after #50) so I don't see why he can't ink him on both, aside
from time-constraints.
The saving grace of the issue is in fact, the pencilling. Though marred by
Rodier's inks, I try and imagine Tom's pencils un-touched by the inker's
brush. I pretend that Doug Hazlewood had inked him instead. Grummett depicts
the wall wonderfully, displaying the sheer awe of the Promethean Giants, and
showing the power that Superman has when he forcibly uses the Cyborg to do
some Wall repairs.
The issue ends with a continuation into GENESIS, with Superman leading the
troops off to battle. We are then left with a vision of the final fate of the
Cyborg. An obvious ending to a poor story. Jurgens has reached a low on this
one. If you're a fan of Tom Grummett's art, or a die-hard Superman fan, those
are the only reasons I can think of for you to pick up the book.
Dan Radice
<dradice@caninet.com>
================================================
42. ACTION COMICS #738 Oct 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Straight On Till Morning"
Writer/Penciller: Stuart Immonen
Artists: Jose Marzan, Jr.
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Asst. Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Lost Boy: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Immonen and Marzan, Jr.
RATINGS
Average: 3.2/5.0 Shields
ST: 3.3 Shields
DWd: 2.5 Shields - Nice to see Stuart Immonen can write as well as draw. This
was the most enjoyable of all the S titles this month. Everything
seemed to work fairly well together and it will be interesting to
see what the cyborg gets up to in the coming issues.
ES: 2.6 Shields - Great, now we get a new Lois storyline that can be dragged
out for months on end. Enough Jimmy already! At least Immonen shows
he can script, and what a cover!
GS: 3.4 Shields - Wow! Great start for Immonen! The story and pencils were
great, and it looks promising that he can handle this double-duty.
Did anyone else notice that Jimmy seems now to believe Thornton isn't
Superman, when last issue he did? That brought my rating down a bit.
TD: 3.9 Shields - I'm surprised at how well Immonen came off. I'm a sucker
for villains with a unique slanguage, and Inkling fills that niche
nicely. Immonen's Man of Sparks is still, in my opinion, the best.
Synopsis:
The trash-talk of a late-night radio host welcomes Our Man back to Metropolis.
In the wake of the Godwave, Superman ponders on all the new metahumans who may
have been triggered by its passing... and is immediately confronted with what
appears to be one of them. Identifying himself as Inkling, the pebble-faced
rhymer dematerializes through Superman's every attempt to catch him.
Unfortunately, during the chase, Cyborg (who had unbeknownst to Kal hitched a
ride inside his suit's circuitry) escapes into the city's power grid...
Superman runs across Inkling again -- sort of -- at a construction site. The
manic monster causes mayhem with his very appearance, and panicked workers
seem about to lose control of a pre-fab concrete box suspended 15 stories
high. Everything turns out all right with Superman's 'help', but Inkling once
again splits the scene.
On the home front, Lois babbles on to Clark about all the things that have
been happening while he's been away, including whining that she has to make
her own plane reservations. She also complains on how she is running out of
excuses to cover Clark's absences while he is out saving the world. Finally,
she bares her claws over Simone's attitude towards Clark.
Setting up next issue are several pages where Jimmy Olsen is caught by the
four genetically-enhanced Intergang thugs and manages to escape again, only to
be cornered as Bibbo's motorbike runs out of gas. Climbing a rock-face as a
desperate getaway attempt, Jimmy stumbles into the Wild Area... and Yango
doesn't look too happy about it!
Opinions:
With this issue ACTION COMICS becomes a Stuart Immonen production, as he takes
over both the writing and the pencilling duties. Known primarily for his art,
Immonen turns in a serviceable story -- certainly the best of the core titles
this month during the Genesis cross-over fiasco -- but he makes some rookie
mistakes.
First, the unequivocal praise. The radio diatribe which opened the book was
something we are not accustomed to hearing. While there are almost certainly
people in Metropolis who don't like Superman, Dirk Armstrong's short-lived
newspaper critiques were the only evidence of their existence. Next, the
reaction of Lois to Clark's return seemed spot-on; chattering about inanities
and nattering about the world seems just perfect for a couple reuniting after
a separation. Finally, the whole chase scene with Jimmy was well-paced and
nicely scripted -- although I do wonder how they managed to catch him again
after the crash, especially since they took the time to switch drivers.
I'm not quite sure what to think about Inkling. As of yet, there isn't much
depth to him; he rhymes, he phases, he's funny-looking, and he causes chaos. I
do hope we see more of his backstory soon -- but then again, I'd like to see
more of almost _anyone's_ backstory. Why must writers perennially create new
villains? I'd love to see some of the more interesting ones (a la Riot) looked
at in more depth.
Rookie Mistake #1: If Inkling can phase, why did he have to break the window
on the jewelry store?
For all that I praised Immonen's description of the L&C relationship, his
portrayal of Lois was out-and-out wrong.. Sniping at Clark because Simone has
the hots for him, although he's done nothing to encourage her? Bitching about
having to make her own flight-plans, or about taking a cab to the airport?
Lois Lane is a woman who is no stranger to discomfort; she has chased stories
all over the world, and been subjected to numerous unpleasantries and
indignities. Even just recently, Lois single-handedly rescued the kidnapped
Clark from Rajiv. I'm not saying I want to see a return to Commando-Lois, but
whoever it was who was married to Clark in this issue, it was not Lois Lane;
it was some whimpering, simpering yuppie who cares solely for her own comfort,
reputation and possessions.
Rookie(?) Mistake #2: There was what could have been a touching moment, when
Lois asks Clark, "Aren't you afraid that maybe this time you won't come back?"
Unfortunately, the artist draws Lois grinning like a fool while she says it,
totally destroying any pathos in the scene. Stuart, always tell your penciller
what the facial expressions should be....
There are some interesting implications to the scene with Inkling and the
crane. Hearing his buddies yelp at Inkling's appearance, the crane operator
fears a problem and swings the pre-fab construction away from the building.
Clark, sitting in a car at ground level, _without vision or hearing powers_
somehow deduces that the swinging concrete means trouble. The thing is, there
_was_ no trouble until Superman appeared and started 'helping'. His efforts to
hold back the swaying pre-fab are felt by the crane operator, who in turn
applies more power. This tug-of-war causes the cable to snap and precipitates
the _real_ crisis, requiring a last-minute save by Superman. I'm not sure if
Immonen deliberately scripted the scene this way or not, but he makes Supes
look like more of a danger than a saviour. Perhaps Clark was just so desperate
to get away from Lois that he grabbed at any excuse. :-)
Final Thoughts: Lissen up, Simonson, Jurgens, Kesel, and Immonen. Sit down
together in a room and decide, once and for all, what powers Big Blue does and
doesn't have. Does he fly at a rate slow enough that he can patrol, or zap
from place to place so fast he can't see anything? Can he or can he not touch
things when he's Blueperman? Are his powers magnetic-based (as Immonen
implies) or does he whip up Solid Energy Constructs to hold things? Stuart
seems as confused about the answers to these questions as do all the other
writers, and the inconsistencies are really beginning to grate. Go ahead and
change the hair, change the costume, change the powers, whatever! Just do us
all a favour, though, and at least work from the same script?
Shane Travis
<travis@sedsystems.ca>
-- 30 --
______________________________________________
SUPER-FAMILY TITLES:
-------------------
STEEL #43 Oct 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Vertigo"
Writer: Priest
Roughs: Denys Cowan
Finishes: Tom Palmer
Letters: Pat Brosseau
Colors: John Kalisz
Asst. Editor: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Cowan and Palmer
RATINGS
Average: 3.1/5.0 Shields
AH: 3.7 Shields - Good bold artwork. I got really worried when Steel started
freaking out!
ES: 1.8 Shields - Steel loses faith, and helps Supes with an occasional power
surge. So what? No real insight into Genesis aside from Steel's mood
swings.
JSy: 3.8 Shields - Portraying a normally emotionally stable character as
manic and worrisome is no small task, but Priest's dialogue and
Cowan and Palmer's illustrations made me not only *see* that mania,
but *feel* it. Excellent job.
TD: 3.0 Shields - There were some great Priest touches (like the idea that
Skorpio is a hitman to defray student loan costs), but it still read
like nobody was comfortable with the tie-in elements. Also, while
I love both Cowan and Palmer separately, together their styles clash.
(No review submitted this month)
================================================
SUPERBOY #44 Oct 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Going Nowhere"
Imagination: Barbara Kesel
Fabrication: Sal Buscema
Delineation: John Stanisci
Tintography: Tom McCraw
Calligraphy: Richard Starkings and Comicraft/AD
Laughing at the Boys: Maureen McTigue
Drooling with Superboy: Mike McAvennie
Cover by: Buscema and Stanisci
RATINGS
Average: 2.6/5.0 Shields
RG: 3.5 Shields (Story) - ...and the Peter Pan analogies continue.
3.0 Shields (Art) - Very nice, needed backgrounds and detailing.
DWd: 1.0 Shields - Not a very inspiring story. A bit insulting with the Peter
Pan similarities, if you ask me. I believe that S-boy should get over
this forever young thing he has -- it's getting a bit tiring seeing
how many different dreams he can have about this.
EJ: 4.2 Shields (Story)
3.0 Shields (Art) - My first issue of this title. A real-live boy who'll
never grow up? COOL! The homage to Peter Pan made for a touching
issue. Nowhere Atoll -- what a horrible pun (my favorite kind!)
ES: 2.0 Shields - This rip-off of Peter Pan makes for a poor story aside
from making Superboy feel not as alone in the 'eternal youth' dept.
Buscema's art style is not working on this book, but this could be
a result of Stanisci's inks.
ST: 2.2 Shields - No big surprise seeing the comparison to Peter Pan. I do
get a little tired of these 'now you see them, now you don't' story
hooks like this island and the Mo-o. Art was a little rough, but
I liked the swimsuit ideas. (So I'm a pig, so sue me! :-)
Superboy is flying over the ocean to clear his head after having a bad dream,
when he rescues a girl from a shark. She takes him to visit the island of the
lost boys (and girls!) where he gets involved in a fight with the grown ups.
Not all is quite as it seems on the surface. The ending shows some promise.
Am I the only one who is getting tired of the Superboy dream sequence
beginnings? Oh well, at least last month didn't use it as a lead in, and this
month's was amusing. Buscema does draw wonderful good-girl art.
Another fine story that combines humor, action, and characterization. I'm
really enjoying this title and now look forward to reading it each month.
While it isn't my favorite DCU title (yet) it is definitely heading in the
right direction. If you left the title months ago, this would be a good
jumping on point. There are some interesting things beginning to happen in
the background.
If James M. Barrie wrote for DC, this is the kind of story he might have
written (the story was dedicated to him). In the past few months Superboy has
been turned into a slightly older, super-powered Peter Pan. He is genetically
frozen at sixteen years old, and will never age. That this is having a major
impact on his life and sub-conscious isn't at all surprising. That the
writers decided to turn it into a real plot was great fun. I hope that the
"nowhere atoll" shows up again someday.
Who knows, there may be a few of DC's time lost heroes stranded on the island.
It would be too much to hope for to see Johnny Cloud, Enemy Ace, or Jeb
Stewart and the Haunted Tank show up again. <sigh>
Kesel did a fine job of building up the island and the society that developed
there, far beyond the Never-Never Land knock-off it could have been. I
especially liked it that the realities of the situation ran deep below the
surface in this story, and were not quite what I was expecting when I started
reading it. For me, this is the mark of an excellent story.
Rene Gobeyn
<bedlam@frontiernet.net>
================================================
SUPERBOY AND THE RAVERS #14 Oct 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Suicide Squad"
Writers: Steve McMattsson and Karl McKesel
Penciller: Paul McPelletier
Inker: Dan McDavis
Computer Colorist: Stu McChaifetz
Letterer: Kevin McCunningham
Asst. Editor: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis
RATINGS
Average: 2.9/5.0 Shields
JSy: 2.3 Shields
JG: 3.8 Shields
ST: 2.5 Shields - I loathe Genesis even more now for intruding on what would
otherwise have been a good issue. There are so few left -- must they
be co-opted by such dreck? Also, Kaliber had better not be as dead
as he looked, or I'm going to be mighty peeved. Nice to see some real
change and development in Aura's personality through the book's run.
GENESIS rears its ugly head in SUPERBOY AND THE RAVERS this month, much
to the book's detriment. Instead of the wonderful characterization we are
usually treated to in this title, we're subjected to an extended slugfest
with little apparent purpose.
Kaliber was blinded in his contact with the Godwave, though that happened in
the pages of GENESIS -- here we just pick up with the aftermath. When Aura's
actions "volunteer" the Ravers, the group is left behind to stall Darkseid's
elite forces, while the rest of the heroes go to confront Darkseid directly.
The Ravers fall one by one until, suddenly, the events of GENESIS #4 halt the
fight, Darkseid's forces swept away to an unknown location.
This butt-kicking constitutes the majority of the issue, but Kesel and
Mattsson do manage to throw in just a few scenes to follow-through on their
own stories. Through flashbacks, we learn that, shortly after being freed
from the Starlag, Marx used his handstamps to regroup the Ravers in Hawaii.
Superboy was at first hesitant to spring Marx, but the revelation that his
jailers were the Galactic Tribunal (the guys behind "The Trial of Superman")
swayed the Kid to Marx's side. Before they could proceed with any of Marx's
plans, however, the group was summoned by Highfather to participate in
GENESIS.
Picking up on a few more threads, recall that Half-Life had gone with Pyra
and the Corpse Corps in search of the aliens responsible for his family's
deaths. Oddly enough, their search is immediately fruitful, as they find the
aliens at their first stop. Predictably, though, Half-Life is transported to
Hawaii before he can do any more than identify them. Incidentally, one of
the creators chose to have a little fun with this scene, as the aliens turn
out to be none other than our popular little Roswell-type aliens -- you know,
the ones described by everyone ever claiming to be abducted?
In our soap opera story line, Sparx reacts quite negatively to Hero's little
announcement from the last issue. Hero apologizes for the interest he showed
in her while under the influence of the H-Dial, though he stops short of
using that as an excuse -- in fact, he goes so far as to say that the heroes
produced by the Dial are likely just different aspects of his psyche. I'm not
up on the latest psychology of homosexuality, but this seems to me like Kesel
and Mattsson are setting up a way out of this revelation, should the need
arise. One could easily take this to mean that Hero's got a little hetero-
sexual inside him, just waiting to get out.
Sparx's reaction, as I mentioned, is fairly negative, but who can blame her?
She's *just* discovered that the man with whom she has fallen in love won't
return her affection. To top things off, we know Sparx is a teenager, so most
forms of rejection would be taken negatively. *If* any of her response can be
taken to be truly reflective of her beliefs, then her primary objection to
Hero's sexual preference is the fact that he'll "never have a family, and
that isn't right! It isn't natural!" Sparx makes these statements as she
is flying off in tears, emotionally hurt by the rejection. Likely out of
earshot, she misses Hero's response, "Not for *you*, obviously."
It is obvious that Kesel and Mattsson have more to say about this issue, but
I hope that what we're about to see is debate. Too often, the comics industry
has pushed homosexuality upon its readership as a "natural" or acceptable
thing. A large percentage of the population disagrees with this notion, yet
that side of the argument is rarely visited. Here, Kesel and Mattsson have
at least set up an avenue for the presentation of both sides. Let's hope that
they can avoid trying to make up our minds for us.
On a lighter note, Hero's *got* to get rid of the H-Dial if he *ever* hopes
to develop a working friendship with Sparx. If it's not bad enough that he's
got heterosexual personalities popping up in his heroes, this issue changes
him into the super-heroine Isis -- the poor girl's never going to be able to
sort through her feelings for him if he continues to change sexual identities
as often as most of us change clothes!
On an artistic note, Pelletier and Davis ran the gamut this issue. There are
some beautiful scenes of the gathered heroes (methinks he'd make a great
fill-in artist for JLA now and again), and his work is wonderfully detailed
when he concentrates on larger images such as character close-ups. Most of
the remaining scenes, however, suffer from one of two flaws: either the
characters appear almost cartoonish (Pyra on the bottom of page 15, Marx and
SB at the top of page 10) or they are at best sketchy, almost rushed (SB and
Sparx on page 6, Isis on page 18). On the other hand, Pelletier does include
more background detail than most other artists tend to.
In general, a fairly average outing for the team, with points deducted for
the GENESIS connection.
Jeff Sykes
<sykes@ms.uky.edu>
================================================
SUPERGIRL #14 Oct 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Secrets and Lies"
Writer: Peter David
Pencils: Leonard Kirk
Inks: Cam Smith
Letters: Pat Prentice
Colors: Gene D'Angelo
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Asst. Editor: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Gary Frank, Cam Smith, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.5/5.0 Shields
TD: 3.0 Shields - David finally comes down on one side of the horror/humor
debate--and unfortunately, judging from the presence of Comet the
Super Horse, on the side of humor.
AH: 3.9 Shields - Good story. Good to see the Kents in her life. I thought
the 'coming-out' scene was a little melodramatic! She looked almost
like an angel, and she went about it in a way that would cause
maximum trauma, IMHO.
DWk: 2.7 Shields - I continue to love the art, I like the idea of Comet being
the horse (as per the old continuity). The revelation scene was just
swell, if a little histrionic, but this issue loses a FULL point for
the stupid-pun factor.
KM: 3.7 Shields - I was not expecting that ending at all.
VV: 4.0 Shields - What a great contrast to what happens in POWER OF SHAZAM.
There, Billy and Mary tell their (foster) parents, and they accept
it well. I do wonder how this is going to play out. As far as Comet
goes... <snicker>. Another tip to the Silver Age. I wonder if Comet
is really another demon?
Faint praise time.
After the refreshingly straightforward story of last month, I sort of dreaded
the return of Peter David. He still is sending out too many mixed signals to
be effective. Luckily, David doesn't divide his time between the horrific and
the goofy in this issue--it's sheer wackiness which, while not up to David at
his heyday, is at least amusing because it wants to be amusing.
Part of this, I suspect, is because this is the ubiquitous GENESIS crossover.
We see Supergirl rushing home, fearful of how Leesburg is going to be coping
with the return of the Godwave. When she gets there, however, she finds
everything normal. The worst thing she can find is the presence of another,
super-fast being whom Cutter deems 'The Comet.' Linda realizes the time has
come for her to reveal her identity both to the Kents and the Danverses. The
Kents react with their usual empathy and grace--the Danvers...well, let's just
say the Danverses don't take things as well.
"Secrets and Lies" is low on action, which means it allows David to
concentrate on characters. He conveys Linda's soul searching well, and his
take on her initial shock is well played. It's nice to see he's got a handle
on Jonathan and Martha as well; the final joke about not dating Satanists
seems dead spot on. I admit, however, that I would have preferred a gentler
hand in the final scene. While the two pages leading up to the revelation are
well paced for maximum laughs while also sounding real, the change in tone on
the last page is too abrupt. It also doesn't ring right with what we know of
the Danverses, coming off forced and ill-timed.
Another plot line that worries me is the 'Comet' angle. It looks like Peter
is dragging out the old Super-horse card, and I for one am dreading this.
Some things from before the Crisis deserve to stay dead, and Comet is one of
them. At least it looks like David is allowing *this* Comet to remain a horse
and not a centaur (*shudder*). It's indicative once again of David's
vaudeville sensibilities. Another scene seems to be built up just so that
David can make a jokish pun on that phrase from JERRY MAGUIRE (I won't sully
the pages of this e-zine by repeating it).
Of course, one of the joys of a quieter issue like this is that it lets Kirk
shine. I still think Kirk is uncomfortable with the superheroics--his
Supergirl still comes off as stiff and wooden, and the two brief scenes of
Comet manifesting consists basically of just speed lines--but his smaller
scenes are gold. I particularly like the initial scene of Jon and Martha on
pages 12 and 13 and a subtle, wordless, wonderfully choreographed scene that
introduces the potential Comet as he nudges Mattie. Kirk is growing, and I'm
hoping he'll get a handle on the action stuff so that I don't have to qualify
my praise.
I have a sneaking suspicion that this issue marks a move of the book away from
the spooky, dark stuff into a more conventional super hero book. I'm sorry to
see the supernatural stuff go, but maybe it's for the best. David just
doesn't give good scary, and it would serve the book better to allow Kirk to
play with the more down-to-earth stuff.
Thomas Deja
<manciniman@rocketmail.com>
______________________________________________
OTHER SUPERMAN TITLES:
---------------------
JLA #11 Oct 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
Rock of Ages: Part 2 of 6
"Hostile Takeover"
Writer: Grant Morrison
Penciller: Howard Porter
Inker: John Dell
Colorist: Pat Garrahy
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Separations: Heroic Age
Assoc. Ed.: Peter Tomasi
Editor: Dan Raspler
Cover: Howard Porter and John Dell
RATINGS
Average: 4.1/5.0 Shields
AW: 4.5 Shields - Whew! Morrison captures the essence of Luthor and Joker
and makes them more dangerous than ever--and still he doesn't forget
any member of the JLA. Porter and Dell do their usual top-notch job.
AH: 3.3 Shields - Not fussed on this one, and that is the first time I have
felt that way about JLA. There was no introduction to J'emm, I had
never heard of him before. All in all, a pretty disappointing read.
ES: 4.7 Shields - The plot THICKENS! Morrison weaves the web and I am stuck!
The Rock Of Ages has me worried for our heroes. Worth it just to read
Batman's line at the end of the book.
GS: 4.5 Shields - I am loving this title more and more as time goes on. Each
character gets his fair share of action. I love the portrayal of
Luthor much more than in the regular Superman books. A great job.
JG: 3.9 Shields - I don't usually mind continuity slips (like the WW/Flash
one from the previous issue), but Aquaman and Flash not knowing
Metron after having just worked with him irked me to no end. Is
the "Philosopher's Stone" Metron seeks the same used by Flash-foe
Dr. Alchemy?
Luthor is a baaaaaaaaaaaaad man!
Oh sure, they've been saying that for almost sixty years now, but after the
past couple of years, I was starting to doubt it. In this second part of the
Rock of Ages saga, however, Morrison has captured the very essence of the
AfterByrne Luthor and make him a villain to be respected and feared.
Luthor is, of course, the ringleader of the latest incarnation of the
Injustice Gang. He's doing it not for power or money, but as he says in a
brilliant first-page monologue, "...It's because Superman's leadership of the
team is a direct challenge, a throwing down of the gauntlet, a clear and
deliberate escalation of the hostilities between us." What fantastic
arrogance!
Morrison has recaptured the arrogance matched with intellectual power that
John Byrne started with, but got watered down until Luthor was portrayed
either as a sexual deviant, a Kingpin clone, or a raving madman who was bent
on destroying Superman and Metropolis because... well, just because. This is a
truly motivated and malevolent Luthor that I can believe might actually
engineer the destruction of the JLA.
Oh--I shouldn't forget the story, because there's a lot here. Luthor has
assembled for his team the Joker, Ocean Master, Doctor Light, Mirror Master,
and Circe.
Unlike most villainous teams who base their plans on their powers, each one
was selected because their powers fit Luthor's plan: Circe uses her own
special gifts to wreak dissension in the JLA as she subtly manipulates Green
Arrow against the team; Mirror Master and Doctor Light created the hard-light
holograms for the JLA dopplegangers last issue and the fake satellite this
issue; Ocean Master grabs some ocean and plops it down in the middle of San
Fernando to keep the JLAers trapped while Superman and J'onn J'onzz are lured
into a trap; and the Joker springs the trap by transforming the decoy
satellite into a maze, the duplicate of his own chaotic mind.
Morrison hasn't ignored the heroes (except Aztek) in all of this. Green Arrow
and Green Lantern rescue the San Fernando Valley in typical form, while the
Flash, Aquaman, and Aztek try to understand just what Metron's raving about:
the Philosopher's stone, which was once the property of Merlin, then under the
protection of Etrigan, the Demon, and now seems to be sought after by Darkseid
(although we know that Luthor actually has it). Meanwhile Batman is doing his
own specialized form of research (and I'd love to know what Plastic Man has to
do with any of this). The way Superman and the Martian Manhunter made it
through the maze was especially intriguing; J'onzz shuts off the rational side
of his brain to duplicate the Joker's madness. (This makes me want to ask why
*aren't* there any super-hero psychiatrists?)
A final complication is the mysterious red alien Luthor has under his power
(I'm betting it's J'emm, Son of Saturn), and uses to duplicate J'onn J'onzz'
mental telepathy, so the JLA is fooled into thinking all is fine when actually
Superman and J'onzz have actually been blown up with the phony satellite.
Are you as exhausted as I am? What's more amazing than the amount of action,
intrigue, and characterization Morrison crammed into this issue is how well he
paced it. I've pointed to some of the Superman titles and complained that so
many little things happened that nothing interesting happened. In this issue,
almost every scene was well-paced and contributed to the overall plot. The one
exception was the Batman/Plastic Man scene, which was awkward both because it
was very short and seemed stuffed in, and second because it made me spend too
much time wondering why Plastic Man would freak out at the mention of fire,
and why he would know anything about the Injustice Gang. [I think it was
Batman/Matches' voice that scared him, not the fire. -ST]
The Dell and Porter artwork is as highly appreciated as ever. I usually don't
have too much to say about the artwork, because any criticisms might seem more
like nit-picking than valid criticism. It's worth it to mention, however, that
a comic's success is usually more dependent on the artwork than the stories,
and JLA isn't one of DC's top-sellers for nothing.
The final scene in the Bat-Cave is as great a lead-in as I've seen in a while.
Luthor had better watch out indeed, because he's about to match corporate
maneuvers with another of the DC Universe's top financial brains: Batman/Bruce
Wayne.
And Bruce Wayne is a baaaaaaaaaaaad man!
Anatole Wilson
<awilson@oracle.us.com>
______________________________________________
OTHER SUPERMAN TITLES (cont):
----------------------------
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #12 Oct 1997 $1.75 US/$2.50 CAN
"The War Within (Part 2)"
Writer: Scott McCloud
Penciller: Rick Burchett
Inker: Terry Austin
Colorist: Marie Severin
Letterer: Lois Buhalis
Asst. Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Bret Blevins, Terry Austin, and Marie Severin
RATINGS
Average: 4.4/5.0 Shields
CoS: 5.0 Shields - This comic is one of the best I've read this year. A
wonderfully crafted story that I practically could not turn the pages
fast enough. This one is my vote for Best Comic story in the CBG
Awards.
AH: 4.1 Shields - I am heavily biased towards this comic. I really like it,
just 'cos it's the only real Superman about! The artwork has never
dipped since #1, the story was a good one, presented in a way that
all people could appreciate, even the little people!
DS: 4.5 Shields - At least one Superman story this month shows characters
as I like to see them -- a noble Superman, a resourceful and
courageous Lois and a doctor who still has principles that I
remember doctors having when I was a child.
DWk: 4.3 Shields - As others have noted, this issue has some of the most
_heroic_ stuff we've seen Superman doing in a while--a real
heartstring-tugger. Great ending, too--unexpected but inevitable.
ES: 4.6 Shields - A great finish to a fantastic story. Any readers out there
losing faith in the regular titles should DEFINITELY be buying this
book. Scott McCloud is doing award-winning stuff, and needs to be
recognized.
GS: 3.8 Shields - It is always tougher to wrap up a story than to start one,
but the SUPERMAN ADVENTURES team did a great job on this. Aside from
a few predictable plot elements (i.e. the magical cure to the virus),
this was a fun issue, with a thought provoking moral message.
JSy: 4.7 Shields - Would somebody *please* send Tim Burton, Nicolas Cage,
and Jon Peters this story? "The War Within" *perfectly* captures
the essence of Superman, and would make an absolutely *incredible*
movie.
In the last issue of SUPERMAN ADVENTURES, Superman was dying of a rare disease
and Lois Lane had gone on an expedition in an attempt to find the cure. The
cliffhanger had Superman passing out in the street after being attacked by a
group of bank robbers.
The issue opens with Superman on a hospital bed, recovering from being hit by
a rocket launcher. The doctor tells him that if he does not get some rest,
the Kryptonian virus will kill him twice as fast. "As long as people are in
danger, I just can't turn my back," he replies. "Saving lives is my job, it's
what gives my life meaning." As Superman flies away, it's revealed that the
doctor is being blackmailed to make sure that Superman dies, one way or
another.
As we see what Luthor and organized crime are up to behind the scenes, we go
to Lois Lane, who is in Protoslavia. The scientists have found the element
that is hoped will be able to synthesize a cure for the virus. Her journey
back is told through her journal entries as she struggles through obstacles to
get back to Metropolis in time to save Superman's life. She races against
time, and we see that the influence, the image, and the ideals of Superman
have transcended languages as people all along her journey do everything they
can to help her.
Lois makes it back just as it is announced that Superman may not live through
the night. Battered and broken, she gets the element to the hospital in time.
When the antidote is done, there is a very tense scene where the doctor is
being told through his hearing aid what he has to do to make sure that
Superman does not survive. Just before Superman passes out, he tells the
doctor that he may not be able to hear a pin drop in Brazil anymore, but he
can still hear a cheap earphone across a hospital room. Rather than turn him
in, however, Superman tells the doctor that he knows he will do the right
thing.
As the doctor gives Superman the antidote, Luthor's henchwoman informs him
that he has made the wrong choice and from now on, he is a marked man.
Superman rapidly recovers, and Lois and Superman thank him for his help and
tell him that they will do all that they can to help him. As Superman flies
off, Lois reminds him that she's not going to take it easy on him just because
he's better now.
I know this has been said hundreds of times, but this comic really has it all.
Burchett's layouts are inventive as always, heightening the drama of each
character's dilemma. When the doctor is being told that he is being ordered
to let Superman die, he is a small, shadowed figure, surrounded by Luthor's
henchwoman's words. When Lois is surrounded by a group who doesn't understand
her, we see the soldiers sweating and then Lois's hand drawing Superman's
symbol. There are also great sequences of Superman, barely on his feet,
stopping a mugging, Superman flying away at the end of the story, and many
more. Each page shows a lot of thought that adds to the story. The story is
written at both a rapid adventure clip, with Lois racing against time, but
also with Superman and the doctor dealing with their own internal conflicts.
This is a rave review, and I highly recommend this comic.
Cory Strode
<c.strode@genie.com>
______________________________________________
ANNUALS AND SPECIALS:
--------------------
ACTION COMICS ANNUAL #9 1997 $3.95 US/$5.50 CAN
"The Magnetic Medium"
Writer: David Michelinie
Artists: Vince Giarrano and Brett Breeding
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separations: Jamison
Assoc. Ed.: Mike McAvennie
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Doug Beekman
RATINGS
Average: 2.0/5.0 Shields
RG: 1.0 Shields (Story) - Read like a too long horror book from the fifties.
1.5 Shields (Art) - Lack of detail really hurt, a bad fifties imitation.
DWk: 2.5 Shields - Nice Lois-and-Clark interplay, and I've always liked
Giarrano's art, but what a dumb concept! What a cliched ending!
And I _do_ wish the various Super-writers could reach a consensus
what exactly Superman-Blue's powers and corporeality are.
JSy: 2.3 Shields - Definitely not worth four bucks. Reasonably clean art,
though lacking in background details. A boringly familiar story
with absolutely no surprises.
VV: 2.0 Shields - Didn't we just have this two years ago in Underworld
Unleashed? Okay, maybe not quite the same. I liked the ending,
though, which saved the story for me.
A young woman with strong magnetic powers is taken in by a cult leader with
dreams of world domination. Superman gets involved when the cult's followers
begin stealing portions of what look like a large gem. They have magical
powers that are tied in somehow to the Earth's magnetic forces -- doing bad
things to Superman's new energy based powers. When the leader's plans begin
to affect the woman and her friend, she turns on the leader and helps Superman
to defeat him, losing her life in the process.
I really hate to pan a book, but after reading and enjoying several of the
other Pulp Heroes annuals, this one didn't do a thing for me. It's not a bad
story, but it's not a particularly good one either. The pulps were a lot like
this too, so maybe it was closer to the mark than I thought. It just didn't
do much for me. It could be that it just went on way too long for the amount
of story presented. Most other Pulp Heroes annuals I've read have had several
shorter stories instead of one long one. The shorter format seems to work
better with the pulp style stories. This one seemed to drag. All the
elements of a good pulp style horror story were in place, but the pacing just
felt wrong.
The art in the book didn't help the story along either. While it suited the
period of the pulps (it looked very similar to late fifties Ditko work), it
didn't work well with the new Superman character at all. The sketchy stylized
figures combined with the near total lack of background detail made things
looked rushed or unfinished. At times I had trouble telling one character
from another. In fact if Lois hadn't been called by name I wouldn't have
recognized her at all.
IMHO, this one can be safely missed.
Rene Gobeyn
<bedlam@frontiernet.net>
================================================
SUPERGIRL ANNUAL #2 1997 $3.95 US/$5.95 CAN
Letterer: Albert De Guzman
Asst. Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Painted Cover: Joe Chiodo
RATINGS
Average: 3.5/5.0 Shields
TD: 2.5 Shields - A mixed bag which tries to hide the fact that this is
actually a LEGION story with SUPERGIRL in it.
JSy: 4.0 Shields - Strong stories, and the lead will likely be quite fun
for long-time Legion fans who have been unhappy with Supergirl's
retconning. Castrillo's art is nice, very reminiscent of Byrne's
early Superman work.
VV: 4.0 Shields - A romance that was never concluded in the Silver Age is
kindled anew -- I loved it. You know, if Supergirl wasn't entrenched
in Leesburg now, her joining the LSH and going back to the 30th
century would make sense.
As with THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN ANNUAL, this book is composed of multiple
stories exploring the pulp theme of Young Romance. My biggest complaint is
that the inspiration seems to be taken more from Romance Comics rather than
Pulp stories. Allow me to demonstrate:
"Secret Hearts"
Writer: Tom Peyer
Penciller: Anthony Castrillo
Inker: Jordi Ensign
Colorist: Gene D'Angelo
TD: 2.0 Shields
My least favorite of the two stories is built on an intriguing premise.
Disasters are occurring in Leesburg, and Supergirl enlists the aid of a
woefully smitten Brainiac 5 to help her out. At first he refuses, prompting
Supergirl to use her feminine wiles on the poor green sap, prompting
misunderstandings a-plenty. Eventually, Brainiac figures out that Supergirl
has become a sort of magic lodestone, and all the demonic energy she's
absorbed is triggering the disasters.
As I said, I find the idea behind the story fascinating. I also thought that
Peyer's structure for the story (Part One is told from Supergirl's P.O.V.,
Part Two from Brainiac's) was intriguing. I still felt that the story was
lacking. It seemed awfully stretched out over its 34 pages, and could've
easily lost a good five to ten of those without damaging the story in the
least. Peyer also seems to emphasize the burlesque aspect of the book over
the spooky aspect--even more than Peter David. Peyer pushes the supernatural
aspect into the background in favor of some silly gags about burning the
carpets and Brainy's jumpsuit.
The worst part of all this is that this isn't even a Supergirl story; it's a
Legion of Super-Heroes story trying to tell us otherwise. There are sections
in the Supergirl P.O.V. chapter featuring the Legion that Supergirl has no
knowledge of. If this was happening in a LEGION annual, I wouldn't mind, but
if I'm reading a SUPERGIRL annual, I want to read a Supergirl story.
The artwork is okay, although it's a bit too sketchy for my taste. I kept on
getting the impression that Castrillo studied everything Paul Smith ever did
without *understanding* the principles behind Smith's art.
I was a fan of Peyer's L.E.G.I.O.N. I know he could've done better.
"Object of Desire"
Writer: Chuck Dixon
Artist: Greg Land
Inker: Prentis Rollins
Colorist: Tom Ziuko
TD: 3.0 Shields
A *much* better story. "Object" takes the old Betty syndrome (i.e. perfectly
beautiful girl chases guy who's obsessed with another beautiful girl who has
something extra) and throws Supergirl into the mix. It's a very standard
set-up: Lance, a pizza delivery boy, is obsessed with Supergirl so much that
he doesn't notice his co-worker, Kristy. When he risks his life going to see
Supergirl stop a grain silo explosion from going out of control, Kristy saves
him. Only then does Lance realize who's the girl for him.
Usually I'd be tearing my hair out over this standard story. What makes it
(besides another treat of an art job by Greg Land and Prentis Rollins--these
guys need an on-going series, stat) is Chuck Dixon. Dixon knows how to write
teenagers, and proves it again here. Kristy pines away in *such* an overblown
fashion that you may end up being made uncomfortable from recognition. The
borderline melodrama takes "Object of Desire" out of the deadly earnest
category (read: Boring), and makes it into a sweet, kinda silly piece of work.
As a whole, SUPERGIRL ANNUAL #2 is just an average piece of work. It would
have benefited from a shortened first story and maybe the inclusion of a third
(maybe featuring Cutter?). As it is, it just delivers what it promises, but
nothing more.
Hey, at least it's not this year's MAN OF STEEL ANNUAL.
Thomas Deja
<manciniman@rocketmail.com>
================================================
SUPERBOY PLUS #2 with Slither Oct 1997 $2.95 US/$4.25 CAN
"The Serpent and the Rainbow"
Words: Len Kaminski
Pencils: Anthony Williams
Inks: Andy Lanning
Letters: Pat Prentice
Colors: Noelle Giddings
Attitude Control: Kali & Torslund
Painted Cover by: Dan Brereton
RATINGS
RG: 3.5 Shields (Story) - Good job on both Superboy and Scare Tactics.
2.5 Shields (Art) - Needed major work on the backgrounds.
Slither, on the run, has come to Metropolis seeking the Cadmus Project at the
urging of his friend Arthur. It seems they owe him a favor, and he hopes they
can do something to cure Slither. Meanwhile Slither seems to be becoming more
lizard-like all the time. Superboy is assigned to keep an eye on him while the
Cadmus scientists are testing him. It isn't a match made in heaven, but it all
works out, more-or-less. The only thing missing is an explanation as to why
Superboy is in Metropolis, instead of Hawaii.
If you don't (didn't ?) read the SCARE TACTICS title, much of what happens in
this book isn't going to make a lot of sense. The Scare Tactics crew are a
bunch of kids who escaped from the R-Complex, yet another underground genetics
lab. The kids had been experimented on giving them the outward shapes and some
of the powers of monsters. Scream Queen is mostly a vampire, Grossoutlooks
like a swamp monster, Fang looks to be a real Werewolf, and Slither looks
mostly like a lizard boy. They were freed by Arnold Burnsteel, a DCU version
of the X-files style investigator. They were hiding in plain sight as an
underground rock band called Scare Tactics when they were found by the
R-Complex who want them back. The team split up several months ago and have
been working their way across the country to a rendezvous. While at it, each
of them meets up with other DCU characters, hence the 'plus' titles.
As a cross-over concept it isn't bad; we've all seen much worse. The stories
all stand alone -- so far. Each story ties in well with the main characters'
background and have been interesting, even if they are not classics in the
making. The Scare Tactics characters are hardly heart-warming, and a bit of a
strain to understand, but they have a more complex and interesting background
than many comic characters. They are a good read, and I hope the title does
well when it is re-launched after the summer 'plus' titles are finished.
Mixing them up with some of the DCU stars will at least get them a wider
audience. When the title returns, give it a read; it should be worth it, and
it reads more like an independent than many independents do.
The art in this book is pretty good, but had a rushed feeling to it. All the
characters are well done, but the backgrounds were sketchy if not completely
missing.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this one. While the story didn't really bring us a
lot more detail on Superboy, at least it didn't turn into one long fight
scene. It's been fun for me to see how the Scare Tactics crew work into the
greater DCU. It's been entertaining, and what more can we really ask for in a
comic?
Rene Gobeyn
<bedlam@frontiernet.net>
______________________________________________
LIMITED SERIES:
--------------
ELSEWORLDS' FINEST #1 (of 2) $4.95 USA/$6.95 CAN
Writer: John Francis Moore
Penciller: Kieron Dwyer
Inker: Hilary Barta
Colorist: Gloria Vazquez
Separator: Heroic Age
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Cover: Dwyer and Barta
RATINGS
Average: 4.0/5.0 Shields
DWk: 2.3 Shields
DS: 4.5 Shields - I can't wait to see how the story turns out. This is
really a fun take on the characters.
JG: 3.8 Shields - Nice atmosphere and plot, but Bruce's personality is too
divergent of "our" universe...
ST: 4.6 Shields - A well-told story with some nice twists. Refreshing
Elseworlds portrayals of Jimmy, Bruce, and Luthor, and nice to see
all the cameos. Visually appealing, and thoroughly enjoyable.
TD: 3.8 Shields - Look, I'm a sucker for pulp adventures, and this one
really filled the bill--I especially liked the Bruce Wayne: Sleaze
portrayal and the 20's style Ra's.
ELSEWORLD'S FINEST, as the title suggests, is an Elseworlds story featuring
the old WORLD'S FINEST team of Superman and Batman--in this case, putting them
in a RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK-type situation set in 1928.
The plot is a little convoluted, but here are the basics: young newsboy Jimmy
Olsen sees archaeology professor Thaddeus Lang being kidnapped, and tells
(unusually strong, fast) reporter Clark Kent about it. Lang's daughter Lana,
Clark's old flame from Kansas, shows up and says her father was kidnapped over
the Argos Codex--the key to finding a lost city of the gods. Clark is attacked
by an assassin who spontaneously combusts; he, Lana, and (stowaway) Jimmy fly
to Paris to investigate. They meet up with rumpled, rakish adventurer Bruce
Wayne, who's been mixing it up with cat-burglar Selina Kyle, evidently in more
ways than one. Bruce, Lana, Clark, and Jimmy fly to Egypt, where they find
Prof. Lang pressed into service translating ancient scrolls for master
assassin Ra's Al Ghul. Ra's, as it turns out, intends to find something called
the Godstone in Argos, so that he can destroy civilization (in order to save
it); he also intends to marry Clark to his daughter Talia. Our heroes escape,
except for Bruce, who's stabbed with a poisoned knife, staggers into a cave
full of bats, and discovers the pointy-eared costume of the sorcerer Kha.
Meanwhile, Clark and the Langs' ship is attacked by pirate Alexi Luthor.
Visually, ELSEWORLD'S FINEST is flawed but often kind of neat. Dwyer's layouts
and figures are flat and un-compelling, though the linework sometimes suggests
illustration work of the '20s--a nice touch, as is Gloria Vasquez's
RAIDERS-inspired color scheme. But Dwyer's faces are so sketchy and variable
that the features often seem to change from panel to panel. The first page of
the story is actually the most fun to look at: a "Captain Marvel" newspaper
strip in a hybrid of Alex Raymond's style and C.C. Beck's, and a fragment of
another strip showing DC's old kiddie-comic characters Sugar & Spike as the
Katzenjammer Kids.
The big problem with ELSEWORLD'S FINEST is that it's trying to be both an
adventure story and a riff on familiar characters, which crams it so full that
it doesn't quite succeed as either. It's full of in-jokes for longtime comics
fans--the Newsboy Legion, Green Lantern, Hawkman, and Bibbo all show up in one
form or another. There are allusions to Superman's resurrection, Zatara, and
Dr. Sivana (the _other_ comics scientist named Thaddeus B.) -- but they all
seem to be shoehorned in, and getting the equivalent of an elbow to the ribs
every couple of pages just interferes with following the crowded plot. It
doesn't help that nearly every page is full of narration from Lana that tells
us things we're already seeing on-panel.
Moore can't decide whether he's investigating how the characters are changed
by their setting, or vice versa. Clark is, well, Clark--strong, decent,
heroic--but this Bruce Wayne isn't Batman in a different context; he's a
murderous jerk with a pal named Alfred, a utility belt, and the luck to be on
the right team. Luthor seems to be another creature entirely with the same
name, and Ra's Al Ghul is not a whit different from his familiar incarnation.
Besides, two criminal masterminds seem to be a little much for a 96-page
story--it's already uncertain if the remaining part will have enough room to
wrap up the many threads introduced here satisfactorily.
Douglas Wolk
<dbcloud@panix.com>
______________________________________________
LIMITED SERIES (cont):
---------------------
THE KENTS #3 (of 12) Oct 1997 $2.50 US/$3.50 CAN
"Bleeding Kansas, Part 3"
Writer: John Ostrander
Penciller: Tim Truman
Inks: Michael Bair
Letters: Bill Oakley
Colors: Carla Feeny
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Editor and
Trail Boss: Peter Tomasi
Cover: Timothy Truman
RATINGS
Average: 4.2/5.0 Shields
RG: 4.5 Shields (Story) - Well-researched civil war history, tightly plotted
with good use of historical characters.
4.5 Shields (Art) - Well detailed, excellent perspectives, rich
backgrounds.
DS: 4.0 Shields - I don't like westerns, but I picked up this series based
on Ostrander (and Jeff's good word last month). I'm very glad I did.
JG: 4.0 Shields - Jeb's betrayal was a complete shocker, but fit with the
character.
JSy: 4.5 Shields - Once again, Mr. Ostrander delivers some powerful drama.
This time, the framing sequences don't intrude on the story, which
makes for a more fluid read. Shaping up to be a truly great epic.
TD: 4.2 Shields - Still going strong; can't wait to see the big wrap up
of this third.
While Nate Kent is back east trying to drum up support for the Kansas free
staters, the violence of the Missouri slave holders comes across the river to
Lawrence, Kansas. After the people of Lawrence surrendered, the Missouri men
rioted, sacking and burning the town. Jeb takes this opportunity to burn the
family business out of plain cussedness. After watching his girl-friend's
family killed by John Brown and his sons, Jeb begins to hang around with
William Clark Quantril (of Quantril's raiders during the Civil War).
This may well be the best limited series on the American Civil War ever
produced. If you have any interest in this period of history, go buy this
series now.
Rene Gobeyn
<bedlam@frontiernet.net>
================================================
THE SUPERMAN/MADMAN HULLABALOO! #3 (of 3) Aug 1997 $2.95 US/$4.15 CAN
Dark Horse Comics/DC Comics
"Super Madness" or "They call me Mr. Mxyzptlk!"
Story & Art: Mike Allred
Color & Separations: Laura Allred
Lettering: Sean Konot
Cover: Mike Allred
RATINGS
Average: 4.1/5.0 Shields
DR: 4.7 Shields (Story) - An unexpected ending which had me laughing. Kudos
to Allred for not using a conventional ending to such a threat.
4.4 Shields (Art) - Allred is a fine artist with excellent facial
expressions and movements. He has a clean, fluid, animation-type
style which works for Superman
EJ: 4.0 Shields (Story)
2.5 Shields (Art) - Despite the almost amateurish art, this was a laugh
riot! Stories with Mr. Mxyzptlk are typically either stupid or
hilarious. This was hilarious! Whoever dreamed up using Twister as
a major plot device deserves a medal!
ES: 4.3 Shields - Dripping with the spirit of comics. Allred knows what
these characters' strong points are, and uses it to their advantages.
And of course, any plot that involves a life-or-death game of Twister
makes it a winner in my eyes.
ST: 4.6 Shields - This whole tale read like a well-done Silver Age story:
larger-than-life characters in an odd situation, and a problem that
can't be solved just by throwing punches. Hats off to Allred for
reminding us how much fun comics used to be -- and can still be.
TD: 3.5 Shields - The best of the three, with some wonderful Mxy lunacy.
And now, in case some of you ONLY bought this part of the mini series...
Superman and Madman, whilst in outer space, find themselves "smooshed" and
dimension-swapped. It's revealed that Superman's powers are dispersed among
eight people, he and Madman included. Madman, with the aid of Professor
Hamilton and Lois Lane, and Superman, with the help of Dr. Flem and his band
of friends, are returned to their normal states, and begin finding the lost
portions of Superman's powers. The trail leads to Snap City, home of Madman,
and temporary residence of a certain magical imp . . . .
After crossing the dimensional barrier to Snap City, with Lois Lane and
Professor Hamilton in tow, Superman and Madman make their way down to Dr.
Flem's lab to continue their search for Supes' powers. Eventually collecting a
portion of the powers from a zombie, the duo come face to face with the
villain behind it all--Mr. Mxyzptlk!
Having such a penchant for games, Mxy challenges Madman to a contest -- any
sport, any game, where he promise to use only his mind, and a newly created
muscle-bound body. The game of choice? TWISTER! What follows is one of the
funniest climaxes I have ever read in any comic book and to spoil it here
would not do it justice. Suffice to say, Madman wins and Mxy goes home, and
everything is returned to normal, much to the heroes' satisfaction.
A wonderful ending to a great little mini-series. Mike Allred really has a
knack for fun story telling. The plot is wrapped up quite neatly within this
issue, though once again, Allred does have some pacing problems. He spends too
much time on some scenes and not enough on others. Alas, this book could have
been even better had Allred made the story flow a little more smoothly.
One of Allred's strong points is dialogue, most notably, comedic dialogue.
Some of the funniest lines that I have ever read are found in this
mini-series. In this issue, when asked why he brought his dead brother back to
life as a zombie, the Voodoo dude responds, "It's what I do, it's what I
know." I couldn't help but laugh out loud, which scared the people on the bus
where I was reading it.
Allred has no problems with characterization, and pulls off the basic
characters perfectly, delving a tiny bit into their personalities. Another
writer who does this magnificently is James Robinson on Starman. You learn fun
stuff like Batman's favourite Woody Allen film (Crimes and Misdemeanours) ...
but I digress. Allred has brief shining moments that remind me of Robinson's
ability to give the character a fullness usually not found in most comics. If
he were given more time I'm sure he would deliver some wonderful insights on
the Man Of Steel.
The art and colouring are once again great. The style suits the series very
well and the colouring complements the mood in certain scenes. Nice shadows
and textures make the backgrounds stand out well, as opposed to the usual
batch of orange backgrounds we're used to in the Super-titles.
Now, a couple of nit-picks. The double page splash in the center of every
issue of this mini series irked me--not because I don't like them, but just
because of the way they looked. Normally, comic book art is done large and
shrunk down to fit the predetermined comic book size. Art usually looks
crisper when it is minimized as such. Unfortunately, the splash pages don't
look as though they were shrunk down at all, and thus they don't look as clean
as the art in the rest of the book.
Another problem: In the first book we're told that 8 people have a portion of
Superman's powers. I only count 7: the robber, the little girl, Hermes, the
zombie, Mr. Mxyzptlk, Madman, and Superman. It can be explained by saying that
Mxy kept two parts of the power for himself, but I figure that Allred ran out
of room to show the last person. Like I said: Pacing problems.
If a mini-series can get by with only two mistakes (pretty minor ones, in my
opinion), then you have to realize that it's quite good. It wasn't perfect,
but it was an enjoyable read. Allred has a good handle on both Superman and
his own family of characters, and it was a pleasure to see him work his magic
on our favourite residents of Metropolis.
Dan Radice
<dradice@caninet.com>
================================================
GENESIS
Writer: John Byrne
Penciller: Ron Wagner
Inker: Josef Rubinstein
Colorist: Patricia Mulvihill and Noelle Giddings
Letterer: Clem Robins
Asst. Ed.: Jason Hernandez-Rosenblatt
Editor: Paul Kupperberg
Covers: Alan Davis and Mark Farmer
RATINGS
Average: 1.2/5.0 Shields
RG: 2.5 Shields - Average, and that good only because of the spectacular
art. If I were able to rate the entire cross-over instead of just
the limited series the rating would have been higher, just because
of the quality of some of the tie-in stories.
AH: 0.5 Shields - Absolute garbage. JB tried to take on too much and ended
up making a fool out of himself. So many continuity errors it's
unreal, Darkseid looks comical. Wished I'd never bought it...
DS: 1.0 Shields - I'd have rated it lower if I weren't hiding by stupidity
for buying the last three issues after the first one was such a
disappointment. And I usually like Byrne. This was the worst "summer
epic to rock the DC Universe to it's very core" (tm) that I've
ever read.
DWd: 2.0 Shields - This looked like an excuse for Mr. Byrne to say to the DC
reader, "BUY MY Fourth World Comics!" The New Gods have never worked
for me in all the years I have been reading comics.
DWk: 0.6 Shields - Easily the worst of the tie-in miniseries to date. An
incoherent mess with barely a believable moment, a premise that was
both pretentious and boring, some very ugly art, and some very clumsy
continuity-stitching.
ES: 0.4 Shields - Perhaps the WORST cross-over since MILLENNIUM. Nothing
important takes place in four issues that wasn't told in PREVIEWS:
'Godwave whips through DCU, changes in powers pending'. John Byrne,
why have you failed me? I want my $10 back!
JG: 2.5 Shields - Mired in continuity and character mistakes.
JSy: 0.5 Shields - I'm a fan both of John Byrne and of the Fourth World
characters, but this miniseries was so poorly written, and the event
so poorly edited and coordinated, that I simply can't believe that
DC actually let it get out. Here's hoping the next event happens
because it's a great story, not because it's the end of summer.
KM: 2.0 Shields - Byrne's story was unfocused and Wagner's art was much
better when he was on Daredevil. A disappointing series.
ST: 0.5 Shields
TD: 1.0 Shields - Dumb, stupid, incomplete and sketchy, this never delivered
on its promises and just took up shelf space.
Week #1
Genesis #1: "Resonance"
Tie-in issues:
Green Lantern #91: "Torture"
Power of Shazam #31: "The Gods must be Crazy"
Starman #35: "Mr. Pip, and Mr. Black"
Steel #43: "Vertigo"
Superman: The Man of Steel #72: "Altered States"
Synopsis:
Apokolips has been abandoned and heroes are falling from the sky. Others
are having their powers affected in strange ways. There seems to be no rhyme
or reason to who is being affected or how. Even the non-powered people are
experiencing changes. If that isn't bad enough, how about an alien armada
surrounding Earth?
Week #2
Genesis #2: "Edge of Destruction"
Tie-in issues:
Azrael #34: "Azrael Genesis: Run Angle Run"
Batman #547: "Dark Genesis"
Impulse #30: "Everything Sucks"
Jack Kirby's Fourth World #8: "Godhood's End"
Sovereign Seven #27: "Mother's Day"
Supergirl #14: "Secrets and Lies"
Superman #128: "Genesis Anew"
Synopsis:
The New Gods get a big surprise when one of the Old Ones (the First of the
Elder Gods) appears. While this is going on, the Heroes of Earth are trying
to deal with their now erratic powers and the strange loss of faith that
seems to have effected all of mankind. As if that weren't enough, an alien
armada has surrounded Earth. The heroes take the battle to space only to
find that the armada is there only because the space-faring races have also
been effected and have traced the cause to Earth. Just to keep things
interesting, Darkseid's Troops attack Earth, and some of the aliens join in.
Week #3
Genesis #3: "Event Horizon"
Tin-in issues:
Adventures of Superman #551: "Genesis For Humanity"
Aquaman #37: "One Demon Life"
Lobo #44:
Resurrection Man #6: "Double Take"
Young Heroes in Love #5: "Out of the Frying Pan..."
Synopsis:
The Heroes have split into teams and journeyed to the Promethean Wall (which
surrounds the Source), where they find a gigantic platform built by Darkseid.
Darkseid finally tells the whole story of what is happening and then leaves
the heroes to battle his forces while he makes a bid for ultimate power.
Meanwhile, Metron has guided another group of heroes, and they have penetrated
the wall in an effort to reach the center of the Source to do what they can
to avert the coming cataclysm.
Week #4
Genesis #4: "Last God Standing"
Tie-in issues:
Legion of Super-Heroes #97: "Dwarfing the Infinite"
Robin #46: "Dark at Dawn"
Spectre #58: "The Source of all Things"
Superboy & the Ravers #14: "Genesis Suicide Squad"
Teen Titans #13: "Titans: Then and Now Part 2 of 4"
Wonder Woman #126: "Where have all the Heroes Gone"
Xero #6: "The Villain"
Synopsis:
Darkseid is beaten to the center of the Source by Ares (see JACK KIRBY'S
FOURTH WORLD #8) where he tries to assume the full power of the Godwave.
The Promethean Wall is shattered and the source is dying. The First Ones
make it all better. <what a rip!>
Rene's Ratings:
#1: 1.5 Shields (Story) - Didn't go anywhere, more confusing than necessary.
#2: 2.0 Shields (Story) - Starting to come together; more story in this one.
#3: 2.0 Shields (Story) - A more original story. Good split between earth
and the Source, but it doesn't seem to be going anywhere
#4: 1.0 Shields (Story) - The big finale, but it left me cold.
All: 4.5 Shields (Art) - Nicely detailed, excellent perspectives. The art
made the series.
Series Review:
Oh well -- they can't all be winners. Maybe KINGDOM COME has spoiled me, but
the ending to GENESIS had all the satisfaction of 'and then the little boy
fell out of bed and woke up'. That's not to say that there weren't some
<very> good scenes and stories built around the Genesis cross-over; there
were. Unfortunately they were the tie-in books, and not in the limited series
that was supposed to link everything together.
At long last we have a story that encompasses what may be the true origins
of the DC Universe. In short, the origin of the DC universe goes back to the
days of the Old Ones -- the precursors of the gods of New Genesis and
Apokolips. At the end of the age of the Third World, there was a cataclysm
that created the Fourth World; the time of New Genesis and Apokolips.
The energy that was released during this cataclysm traveled as a wave through
the universe seeding the planets as it passed with the energy that created
the pantheons and gods of the universe. When it reached the outer edge of the
universe it was reflected back. Traveling through the universe again, this
time it left a smaller portion of it's energy on the planets it encountered,
giving rise to the demi-gods -- or as we call them, Super-heroes. Still
contracting, this wave is collapsing in upon itself at the point of its
creation; the center of the Source. When that happens, the Source is expected
to die, (or explode -- no one seems quite sure). The released energy will do
several things:
1: destroy the known universe
2: create a new universe, or Fifth World
3: possibly empower a single individual to unimagined power levels.
What does all this mean to the DC universe? Well, it seems that as this wave
collapses the energy that is associated with it is changing too. This has
varying effects on our heroes (and coincidentally the villains). In some
cases, their powers are becoming unpredictable and cutting out at the most
inopportune times. In others, these powers are mutating into other powers
entirely, and then not consistently.
As bad as this is, there is something worse; a general malaise and loss of
faith is affecting every entity in the DC universe. People are losing their
faith in God, belief in their heroes, and belief in themselves. In many
cases this effect is worse than any of the others.
While there were several good to excellent stories written for the cross-
over, the Genesis limited series left me more than a bit cold. This was the
most disappointing summer cross-over that DC has done since War of the Gods.
I looked at the premise, and saw the potential. I look at the story and find,
well, not very much. Perhaps I just expected too much from John Byrne. This
is the first time he has ever disappointed me. I guess it had to happen some
time.
On the other hand, the art in the four books was awesome -- some of the best
I've seen since KINGDOM COME -- with finely detailed backgrounds, excellent
perspectives and marvelous layouts. The only small down check for the art
was that some of the figures were slightly mis-proportioned. The art was
the only really redeeming feature of the series.
While the mini-series itself was disappointing at best, many of the tie-in
books were excellent. Not just for what they added to the cross-over, but for
how the effects of the event were used. All of the Batman titles involved in
Genesis had excellent stories written around how all the unpowered heroes
rely on their uncompromising faith in themselves and what they are trying to
accomplish. Even in failure the stories were able to show how the lack of
faith will affect the heroes and those around them.
If you want to see an excellent use of the premise of the cross-over being
used constructively as a part of the story (even when the character hasn't a
clue as to what is happening), look at RESURRECTION MAN #6. His loss of power
literally saved him from a fate worse than death. At least two other
memorable stories are part of Genesis and will have lasting repercussions.
Both stories have roughly the same plot, but are handled in completely
different ways. In SUPERGIRL #14, Linda finally tells her family that she is
Supergirl. It doesn't go well. In POWER OF SHAZAM #31, both Billy and Mary
tell the Bromfields the truth (mostly because they can't change back). While
it isn't an easy thing to admit, or accept, the seeds for a positive change
in the kids' daily lives is in the making. An interesting dichotomy.
Other stories that made some good use of the premise were SOVEREIGN SEVEN
#27 (we get a surprising view of Maitresse, Cascade's mother), AQUAMAN #37
(the redemption of a para-demon), AZRAEL #34 (Az battles a para-demon while
helping a boy find his father), BATMAN #547 (a mixed story about finding
something to believe in, and people doing their jobs), ROBIN #46 (not even
the bad guys deserve to die alone) and WONDER WOMAN #126 (Princess Diana is
dying while her friends try to keep things together. Life may be getting
interesting for Donna again, we'll have to wait and see.) IMPULSE #30 (a
quirky view of school as a less dramatic view of the loss of faith) was
great (as usual) for just the right note of levity to put things into
perspective.
While I was disappointed in the series itself the cross-over inspired some
good to great stories. It could have been much worse; part of the premise
(yet to be expanded on) could have inspired DC to generate another batch of
second rate heroes and villains, a-la the alien spinal fluid suckers of a
few years ago.
Rene Gobeyn
<bedlam@frontiernet.net>
______________________________________________
MANUSCRIPTS OF STEEL
------------------------------
Reviews of After-Byrne Superman Special Stories
by Denes House (househld@borg.com)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ACTION COMICS ANNUAL #2
"Memories of Krypton's Past"
Written by Jerry Ordway, George Perez and Roger Stern
Art by Ordway/John Statema, Mike Mignola/Perez, and Curt Swan/Brett Breeding
Colored by Glenn Whitmore
Cover by Perez/Ordway
1989
Standard Format, $1.75 US/$2.25 CAN
Rating:
3.75/5.0 Shields
---------------------------------------------------------
Great Lines: "My name, tyrant, is SUPERMAN -- and I DON'T KILL!"
Vitality. That's what this book has, a quality of life, a zest for the
character of Superman that so few comics I read these days can match.
Superman, you may remember, had executed three Kryptonian criminals whom he
had encountered in a "pocket universe" created by the Time Trapper. Their
crime had been heinous -- genocidal elimination of all life on planet Earth --
but taking that decision into his hands crippled Superman emotionally. He
flipped out, assuming a third identity -- that of Gangbuster, in which he
seriously injured many criminals with reckless behavior. Brought to awareness
of his dementia, Superman judged himself unsafe to live among human beings,
and left Earth to wander through space, equipped only with one of Emil
Hamilton's force-field belts and an oxygen mask.
This Annual takes place at the end of Superman's "Exile in Space." His
energies and oxygen had about run out. Picked up, drifting in space, by a
passing freighter, Superman is brought to Warworld, where his continued feist
brought him to the attention of Mongul, yellow-skinned behemoth ruler of the
weapon-encrusted planet. Mongul chooses Superman to be a gladiator in "the
games."
As the wardens of Mongul's cells examine Superman, they discover he is the
last of his race -- a Kryptonian. This disturbs one cellkeeper, who dashes off
in a shuttle craft to inform an ancient cleric of his discovery. The cleric,
shocked by the revelation, angrily and guiltily retorts that no Kryptonians
could possibly be alive.
Meanwhile, Superman, equipped by a ministering servant, battles creature after
creature in battles to the death. Even though he wins each bout, Superman
refuses to kill his foes, much to the anger of Mongul, and the bewilderment of
the spectators. In between bouts, Superman relates parts of his history to his
serving-girl, and all the while the cleric unfolds his tragic tale.
This is a truly epic tale, whose scope reaches back millennia into Krypton's
past and throughout Superman's history. By the time Superman faces off against
Mongul's champion, Draaga, and the cleric joins Superman's thoughts to
convince himself that this stranger could not possibly be a Kryptonian, the
excitement reaches a fever pitch that makes this story an enjoyable read.
A quality that this Annual has in abundance is VITALITY. This book shows
Superman at his principled, straight-arrow best, coping with the ramifications
of the moral choice that he made, but still not shirking from making difficult
moral decisions. This Superman refuses to compromise his integrity, and the
writers have a good handle on his character. All that, plus the beginning of
more story threads than you can imagine brings a zest and an excitement that
is palpable. In the limited significance of comic books, this story feels like
it MATTERS.
Perhaps the biggest deficiency, story-wise, is one of its strengths. This
Annual is the continuation of a story in ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #454, and its
major conflict is continued in SUPERMAN #32 and ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #455,
and feeds into the story arcs that follow. This makes the story feel like one
segment in a serial, rather than a self-contained story. In fact, without the
titles I mentioned (except perhaps ADVENTURES #454) it does NOT make a full
story. That's annoying, though it does make the Annual more important from a
story perspective than the one-shot wonders of today's "event" annuals.
The art is splendid, with some of the best artists ever to handle Superman all
working on this one book. Jerry Ordway's pencils are a moody delight, and Curt
Swan looks good inked by Brett Breeding. My favorite team, though, is Mike
Mignola inked by George Perez -- some incredible work is found in this one
book.
The six artists work hard to keep character and prop design consistent between
them, and Superman looks GOOD. Glenn Whitmore's colors are solid, though I
realized I've been spoiled by the nicer paper in today's Superman comics -- I
am convinced his colors would be ten times better on it. The cover is
striking, with Space Gladiator Superman (sounds like a great name for an
action figure!) swinging a battle-staff menacingly.
Capsule review:
All in all, it's a solid, exciting book with great action, and artwork that
pops. The only drawback is that you're only getting part of the story.
Story: Fast-paced and packed with far-ranging developments, but it doesn't
tell the whole tale. 3.5 Shields out of 5.
Art: Solid work from all concerned, with segments from Ordway and Mignola that
really shine. 4.0 Shields out of 5.
Overall: Entertaining and visually exciting, a readable and vital story. 3.75
Shields out of 5.
POSTSCRIPT: Thank you for your patience, as I have not turned in an article
for about two months. I've been busy getting married! You can scope out my
wedding pics at http://www.GeoCities.com/Area51/Vault/WeddingWorld.html ! I'll
be around consistently for a while now. Thanks, and keep on reading KC!
______________________________________________
THE PHANTOM ZONE: Reviews of the pre-Crisis Man of Steel
------------------------------------------------------------------
SUPER FRIENDS
---------------------------------
by Joe Crowe (j.crowe4@genie.com)
DC COMICS PRESENTS ANNUAL No. 4
Superman and Superwoman
"Welcome to LuthorCon 3!"
Cover Date: 1985
Story: Elliot S! Maggin
Pencils: Eduardo Barreto
Inks: Jerry Ordway
3.0 Shields
Who?
Lois Lane and Supergirl, among others, have appeared in various forms of
Superwoman over the years. I'm sure somebody out there in Kryptonian fandom
can supply specific instances. However, this Superwoman is neither Lois nor
Kara. She is an original character, with only three total appearances in the
DC Universe to her name. Yet, as Superwoman flies into action on page 2 of
this Annual, she is called "the greatest heroine of Earth's history." I think
Wonder Woman would have something to say about that.
Superwoman here is a creation of one of my favorite Super-authors, Elliot S!
Maggin. I love the exclamation point on the middle initial. Maggin wrote the
novelization of SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE, and a second supernovel MIRACLE MONDAY, a
great book featuring Superman vs. Satan.
Maggin's Superwoman is 29th century historian Kristin Wells. She went back in
time in the 1983 DC PRESENTS annual to determine the identity of Superwoman, a
20th century hero shrouded in mystery. She ended up becoming Superwoman
herself. Then she returned to the future, where she teaches history classes
detailing Superwoman's exploits, none of which she has done yet, at least, at
the beginning of this story.
She returns to the 20th century, but accidentally without her memory.
Apparently Metropolis echoes real life's cultural obsession with bad guys.
Every year they stage a LuthorCon, celebrating everything Lex. Superwoman
ends up there, unaware of her identity. Superman had an occasional supporting
character, actor Greg Reed, who puts in an appearance here. He is an actor
who looks uncannily like Superman, shades of Superman actor Christopher Reeve.
If Greg Reed reappeared today, would he look like Nicolas Cage?
Anyhow, the real Superman fills in for the injured actor at the con. (When
Reed is injured in a car wreck, he screams "Eeeee!" What a nancy boy.)
Superman takes part in a staged fight with a Luthor actor. I think we all see
this one coming down Main Street faster than a speeding bullet, don't we? The
real Luthor is plotting. The kryptonite in the sketch is real. Superman is
about to do some slab sleeping. Superwoman regains her memory and saves the
proverbial day.
I have to mention Eduardo Barreto. This wasn't his best work (see NEW TEEN
TITANS), but the sight of Superman lifting a whale (!) out of Metropolis
Harbor is pretty nifty. Ed's Superwoman is rather attractive, with red hair
and freckles. Jimmy Olsen's descendant, maybe? Very noticeable here are inks
from the early career of Jerry Ordway, who has done quite a bit for Superman
and other mighty mortals since then.
I just noticed that I'm not much of a comic art critic. I liked this quite a
bit, though.
This story was entertaining enough. Super-apocrypha here brought back a lot
of memories for me. Luthor had been "upgraded" into a green battlesuit (just
in time for the Super Powers action figures), and all the Kryptonite on Earth
had turned to iron. Luthor's planet Lexor, where everybody thought he was a
hero, was blown up. Conveniently enough, it all changed to Kryptonite.
Maggin embraced the old continuity. Of course, he had a large part in
creating it.
Superwoman's status as "the greatest heroine in Earth's history" is her hook,
but it's not shoved down our throats. (Anybody remember Valor?) Maggin had
no intention, I assume, of introducing her into monthly DC Comics at that
point, and having her run around saving everybody. He just created a
believable character for a couple of nice stories. Superwoman's hook, which
seemed off-putting at first, is debunked in the first act. Kristin herself
tells her boyfriend, "History picks it own heroes."
Superwoman earned her spot in the canon, in my opinion. Alan Moore thought
the same thing, since Superwoman's third, and last, appearance was in his
incredible "Last Superman Story" in the last pre-Byrne issues of SUPERMAN and
ACTION COMICS. There she is alongside other heroes, in the crowd scene at the
Fortress of Solitude, trying to get inside the impenetrable force field which
kept them out of Superman's last stand vs. his worst enemies. I want to go
re-read that story right now.
If you have a request or just want to give me a holler about Superman
team-ups, you can find me at j.crowe4@genie.geis.com.
______________________________________________
THE LAST DAYS OF SUPERMAN!
----------------------------------------------
by Martin A. Perez (magnus@bbs.network.com.uy)
"Well, I'd like to welcome all readers, as I hope they will welcome me, to my
monthly review of our hero's Pre-Crisis exploits, called...well, it's got no
name until now, so please send me some ideas. Before you read my first
review, I'd like to say hello to all people who read the KC in South America
and Spain, greetings from Uruguay!
THE LAST DAYS OF SUPERMAN!
Part I: "Superman's Death Sentence!"
Story by... It doesn't say who wrote it...HELP!!!
Art by Curt Swan and George Klein
Cover by Neal Adams
Our story opens with a dramatic cover, featuring some Kandorians (y'know,
those tiny Kryptonians from the pre-Crisis bottle city) carrying Superman to
the Fortress of Solitude, mourning over their inability to cure Kal, not even
with their "great Kryptonian science," of the Virus X, and that the universe
will mourn his loss (thus emphasizing Superman's universal hero status,
constantly reminded to the reader in those times)!
The first scene is in space, showing an American space-capsule in a collision
course with a green, glowing object, with some strange inscriptions on it. On
Earth, Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen listen to a report that says that the
space-capsule is going to crash with a "probably meteoric object," so Clark
takes advantage of the fact that Jimmy is using his signal watch to call
Superman, and goes to change clothes.
Cut to Superman in space, realizing the object is green kryptonite, and then
hurling a dead rocket booster, to knock the thing down to an uninhabited area
near Metropolis. When he lands, Jimmy is there to examine the strange object.
Superman tells him to get away, that it is made of kryptonite, and Jimmy
replies that kryptonite does nothing to him. He notices the inscriptions on
the object, that appears to be a box. Superman reads it for him, telling him
that is Kryptonese writing. The box carries a virus lethal to Kryptonians,
called Virus X. He remembers a scientist talking to his father, when he was a
baby on Krypton (this is one of those inconsistencies of the time, when the
writers couldn't get straight if Kal was sent to Earth as a baby, or as a
little kid), telling him that they couldn't find a cure for the virus, which
couldn't be killed with either fire, cold, or vacuum (ever heard about
chemicals?). Then he realizes that the wind is carrying lethal germs (let's
get things straight, what is it, germs, or a virus?), so he buries the rock
under a huge boulder.
When he's ready to leave, he suddenly feels sick, so Jimmy gets him into the
helicopter in which he came, telling Superman that he will take him to a
doctor in Metropolis (since when was Jimmy a pilot?). In the hospital, with
Superman in another room, the doctor is talking to Jimmy, Perry, Lois, and
Lana. He tells them that the virus is beyond his capabilities, and Superman
has only thirty days left to live. Superman, even in his weakened condition
hears this, and decides he must go away from his loved ones, and do some big
things before he dies (like he's never done any!). A very touching moment in
this scene is when Lois and Lana say that although they have been rivals all
these years, they must comfort each other.
Superman arrives at the Fortress and looks at his trophies, reminding him of
all the good deeds he has performed in the past. He writes a list of some
things he must do before dying, like digging a channel in the Sahara desert to
keep the crops irrigated, and eliminating the threat of a faraway planet that
wants to conquer Earth. He thinks that it's better that Supergirl doesn't
learn of his illness, or she would want to help him, thus contracting the
virus too. Kal flies to Metropolis, where he tells Perry not to publish the
news. This done, he goes to the desert, and with a giant shovel (!?!) starts
carving an aqueduct, but as Jimmy comes to his aid, he falls to the ground in
his weakness. He then calls two of his robots to help him. He orders them to
erect an isolation chamber for him (complete with a microphone), and then goes
inside it, with Jimmy keeping him company. Superman orders the robots to
continue the aqueduct, but they say they cannot stay outside the Fortress any
longer, for there are some strange solar flare activities that would damage
their mechanisms.
Supergirl arrives at the desert, and Superman tells her that she mustn't go in
the chamber, or she would get sick. Kal shows her the list of things to do,
and Supergirl say that she will go get help, because they're titanic feats.
She sends Krypto to Atlantis to contact Lori Lemaris, while she goes to the
future, to seek the aid of the Legion Of Super-Heroes, who of course are glad
to help her (say, why are the Legionnaires so surprised when they learn of
Superman's illness?). The first part concludes here, leaving the reader with
hunger for more on "The Last Days Of Superman!"
It is a good, consistent story, if we judge it by pre-Crisis standards. Of
course, nowadays it looks silly that he would wait to battle that planet that
plans on conquering Earth, or that it occurred to him only when he was dying
to irrigate the desert, but we must consider that we're reading a story
published in the 60's, when silliness wasn't an impediment for a good story.
I just wish I knew who the writer was. There is nothing relevant to say about
the art, being Curt Swan, it's great. The inker, George Klein gives life to
Swan's pencils, rendering the expressions in the characters' faces credible
(at least, by the 60s standards).
______________________________________________
THE ONE, TRUE, ORIGINAL SUPERMAN!
---------------------------------------
by Bob Hughes (rhughes3@ix.netcom.com)
The First Appearance of The Prankster!
"The Case of the Crimeless Clues"
ACTION COMICS #51, August 1942
By August 1942, the Superman phenomenon had been sweeping the country for over
4 years. Superman was everywhere, having debuted in the newspaper in January
1939, on radio in February 1940, and in the theaters in September 1941. Super
merchandise, including the Krypto ray gun which projected film strips on your
wall, had been introduced and even hawked in the stories themselves. Between
the newspaper strip and the various comics Superman now appeared in, Joe
Shuster was faced with producing 60 pages a month of Superman artwork, plus
Slam Bradley and Robotman! Never the world's fastest artist, Joe employed
many assistants, the most important of which were Wayne Boring, Leo Novak, and
John Sikela. After a few early stories in SUPERMAN #5-8, Boring concentrated
on the newspaper strip and the covers. Novak and Sikela concentrated on the
comic book stories, often in an assembly line fashion in which Shuster would
rough out the artwork, one of the two would pencil it in, another artist would
add backgrounds, a fourth would add "slicking", and then still another would
ink everything except Superman's and Lois' heads. Shuster did all those
himself.
Jerry Siegel, meanwhile, would bat out scripts on his portable manual
typewriter, not only for the above features, but also for the Star-Spangled
Kid and the Spectre! Busy men were they. Nevertheless, Siegel managed to
write every single Superman story up to the time he was drafted (early in
1943), and a significant number thereafter.
The emphasis in these early tales was on action, action, action as Siegel and
Shuster continually came up with new feats for Superman to perform. His
powers grew dramatically in the early years, as he added X-ray vision and
super-hearing, grew ever stronger and more invulnerable and learned to do such
amazing things as stop his heart from beating. Interestingly, he still
couldn't officially fly, though it was often hard to tell the difference.
Most of Superman's enemies up to this point had been gangsters and
unscrupulous businessmen, with an occasional mad scientist or crooked
politician thrown in. Recurring characters were almost non-existent. There
was Clark and there was Lois. Very occasionally there was Jimmy. Recurring
villains? Hah! When Superman caught them they stayed caught. So far the
only characters who had given the Man of Tomorrow any substantial trouble were
the Ultra Humanite and Luthor. In August of 1942 Jerry Siegel decided to add
another spanner into the works.
Wayne Boring's cover drawing shows mighty Superman bursting through a brick
wall only to be confronted by a short fat man with an impossibly skinny neck
and an incredibly dopey looking face shooting a water pistol at him! The
cover blurb says "Can Superman be fooled? In this issue we present the
strange story of The Prankster and the Foolproof Plot. Can Superman be
fooled?" Notice it repeats itself. A new era is dawning here. While Ultra
and Luthor spent their time trying to kill Superman, the Prankster is only a
clown, out to make him a laughing stock. As powerful as the Man of Steel is,
can even he stand up to the force of public ridicule?
As we open the issue to the splash page (primarily by John Sikela) we find the
real title of the story is "The Case of the Crimeless Clues". The strange
tableau shows a bank lobby. The Prankster, dressed in an amazingly ugly green
check suit with a bow tie and an orange hat, is bowing after apparently
performing on the clarinet. As the audience of appreciative bank customers
burst into applause, the Prankster's henchmen open fire on them with machine
guns!
The story itself (which begins on an inset panel in the lower right of the
splash) starts with Clark and Lois witnessing a robbery in a bowling alley.
Clark attempts to stop the robbery with a "clumsily" thrown bowling ball, for
which the hoods throw him through a window. (Even in the 1940s, were there
ever bowling alleys located on upper floors? Who would rent the space below
them?)
After a quick change, Superman barrels down on the hoods' getaway car, but
finds to his astonishment that the car is empty! (Or as Siegel puts it:
"Well!! They've disappeared into thin air! But how--???" Multiple
punctuation is a Siegel trademark.)
Meanwhile Lois finds Clark lying in the alley (where he fell out the window).
"You're safe! Thank heavens you suffered no broken bones!"
"It's a miracle-- I escaped without a scratch!"
Lois accepts this lame excuse and then berates Clark for letting the crooks
push him out the window, calls him a coward, and wishes he were Superman.
Clark of course replies that nobody human should be compared to Superman.
Meanwhile at the Prankster's headquarters, he gets into an argument with one
of his henchmen and proposes to settle it through a duel. He offers a box
containing matched dueling pistols to the underling, but when the hood reaches
into it a clamp locks onto his hand. The Prankster then grabs the other
pistol and shoots the defenseless hoodlum, point-blank! Then he turns to his
other gang members and tells them it's time for the big job.
The Prankster and his hoods, dressed as musicians, march into the Central City
bank, whip out machine guns and line the patrons against a wall. They drag
out the bank president and begin to play practical jokes on him. Frustrated
and humiliated, the President begs the Prankster to "rob us and get this
horseplay over with!"
The Prankster demures and tells him that he's not there to rob the bank but to
bring a gift. He leaves a mysterious black bag with the President, then turns
to his henchmen and says "Shoot him down like a dog!" The henchmen then
bombard the bank president with corks, water pistols, and fireworks as they
drive away.
Detective Sgt. Casey (a regular in the comic at that time) shows up and
determines there's a bomb in the black bag. He calls the bomb squad, but
Clark and Lois arrive first. Lois is impatient to find out what's in the bag
and rushes to open it despite the police trying to stop her. Clark uses his
X-Ray vision to check the bag out and thinks "("-Why interfere?-")" (That's
the way comic characters thought in those days. ("- -")) .
As Lois opens the bag, there's a deafening explosion and a shower of money is
blown all over the bank! Thus begins a "crime spree" in which the Prankster
and his men leave money at banks and play practical jokes on the bank owners
at the same time. The police can't even arrest him because he hasn't stolen
anything! The bank presidents won't press nuisance charges because the
Prankster lets them personally keep the money.
By page 10, the Prankster has become a minor Metropolis celebrity, welcomed
into banks with open arms by greedy bank presidents willing to endure some
public humiliation in order to get a bag of the Prankster's cash.
Finally, at the Metropolis National Bank, the Prankster gives the bank
president $60,000 in cash and promises more if he'll just open the bank vault.
You guessed it; once in the vault the Prankster whips out a real machine gun
and proceeds to loot the entire vault of millions in jewels, currency and
bonds. Lois arrives just in time to become a hostage. In order not to lose
sight of the Prankster, Superman uses his super face-changing power (?) to
disguise himself as one of the Prankster's henchmen!
Back at the Prankster's hide out, he attempts to get rid of Lois AND his
entire gang with poison gas just so he won't have to share the loot. Superman
quickly comes to the rescue (of course), but trying to capture the slippery
Prankster is not that easy. First, he has to race through a wall of fire,
then a giant fan of whirling blades. The Prankster's last trap seems to
backfire, however, as he buries himself in an avalanche of his own making.
Believing the Prankster dead, Superman and Lois leave the scene. But the wily
Prankster is holed up in a secret underground hideaway, where he finally opens
his bag of loot only to find that Superman had used his super speed to
substitute scraps of paper for the stolen money. The Prankster laughs at his
own comeuppance and vows next time to do better!
The Prankster would return 6 issues later, beginning a recurring pattern of
playing on the credulity and greed of average people and playing off the fact
that Superman is hamstrung by the rules and foibles of a society he chooses to
be a member of and the Prankster does not. Siegel's Depression Era
liberalism, a trait which is evident in many of his early stories, allows him
to make the greedy bank officials equally culpable in the Prankster's crime
wave. Even Perry White laughs off the Prankster's dangerous stunts as long as
he's giving away money. The Prankster appears to be a buffoon, unworthy of
Superman's notice, yet he murders people without hesitation, even those on his
own side.
This story also serves as a good illustration of the Superman/Lois/Clark
triangle as envisioned by creator Jerry Siegel. Lois is a daring, if
hare-brained, reporter. Cunning, resourceful, a trifle unscrupulous, she
captures Clark's admiration. Superman finds her exasperating because she's
always in trouble, but he enjoys rescuing her. Lois likes Clark, but treats
him like dirt because he's not Superman. She alternately cries in terror when
he's in trouble and then berates him because he's not invulnerable. She'll go
out on a date with him, but then spend the whole time talking about Superman.
Clark spends a lot of his time running Superman down as a show off and an
ego-maniac. The reader often wonders if he means it.
I've long wondered where this relationship would have gone if Siegel's careful
plot developments had not been interrupted by his war service. Rumor has it
that a script still exists that Siegel wrote before the war in which he
married Clark and Lois off. But we all know that will never happen.
The Prankster had a long career, outlasting several artists and writers. His
final appearance was in SUPERMAN #88 in March of 1954 (a team-up with Luthor
and the Toyman) just months before the introduction of the Comics Code
Authority. Stripped of his ability to murder people, the Prankster just
didn't seem to fit in to the safe suburban Superman mythos of the fifties. He
wasn't a scientist, so he couldn't whip up science fiction contraptions to
menace Metropolis with. He wasn't a particularly deep thinker, so he couldn't
hoodwink Superman with some incredible plot to make him do his bidding (the
most prevalent 50's plots), so the editors just dropped him in the trash,
along with the rest of the Golden Age supporting cast, such as the Toyman,
Wilbur Wolfingham, Hocus and Pocus, and Susie Thompkins. But those are other
stories for another time. In his time though, the Prankster was a major
menace. He may not have threatened to blow up the world as often as Luthor
did, but he probably managed to actually kill more people than all of
Superman's Silver Age enemies combined. And he certainly embarrassed more
bank presidents.
______________________________________________
THE THREE FACES OF BRAINIAC
---------------------------
by Yosef Shoemaker
[Notes: All years refer to cover dates. A significant amount of information
about the pre-1983 Brainiac was gleaned from Michael L. Fleisher's SUPERMAN
ENCYCLOPEDIA, with a generous helping of quotes and insights. All information
about the post-1983 version comes from ACTION #544-546 (1983) unless otherwise
noted.]
INTRODUCTION
One of the pre-Byrne Superman's most implacable foes was Brainiac, a computer
in human form who inflicted suffering on countless numbers of people across
the universe and attempted repeatedly to destroy Superman with his advanced
scientific weaponry.
VERSION #1
Brainiac first appeared in ACTION #242 [1956]. Brainiac comes to Earth in a
starship and proceeds to shrink the world's most important cities and store
them in bottles. Superman finds that he is unable to penetrate the starship's
protective "ultra-force barrier," so he allows himself to be shrunk along with
Metropolis and brought aboard the ship. He flies out of the bottle, and in
fleeing from Koko, Brainiac's pet, he flies into another bottle. This bottle
contains the city of Kandor, the capitol city of Krypton itself, shrunken
before the explosion that destroyed Krypton.
Superman meets Professor Kimda, an old acquaintance of his father Jor-El.
After Brainiac puts himself and his pet into suspended animation for the trip
back to their home planet, Superman enlarges the cities using information
given to him by Professor Kimda. The cities are enlarged using
"hyper-forces." After all of the Earth cities are enlarged and replaced,
Superman [who still hasn't been enlarged, because he was busy enlarging
everything else] detects that only enough "hyper-forces" remain to enlarge one
more entity: either himself or Kandor. Superman is prepared to remain
shrunken so that Kandor can be restored to normal, but Professor Kimda flies a
tiny Kandorian ship into the enlarger button and enlarges Superman so that the
Earth is not deprived of its great hero. Superman takes the bottle-city to
his Fortress of Solitude for safe-keeping. [Kandor would not be enlarged
until the 40th anniversary issue of SUPERMAN, #338 (1979).]
In his first appearance, there is no mention of Brainiac being a computer in
human form. [He also lacks the "bolts" that he would later sport on his
head.] Brainiac himself provides information about his identity and purpose:
"I will take a dozen cities-in-the-bottle back to repopulate my home world,
where a plague wiped out my people. Then I will restore all the cities to
their original size and have a new empire to rule, as before!" Clearly,
Brainiac was an emperor on his planet, and seeks to return to that role.
Indeed, Superman states at the end of this story, "Let Brainiac's ship fly on!
When he awakens, he will have no stolen cities! Let him live on his desolate
world...alone...a cruel king without a kingdom!"
There are two more battles with Superman--in ACTION #275 [1961] and ACTION
#280 [1961]--before Brainiac's back-story is re-vamped, and with a surprising
revelation. [Its worth noting that he had already begun sporting the bolts on
his head.]
VERSION #2
In SUPERMAN #167 [1964], Lex Luthor discovers that a distant planet of
green-skinned people had been taken over years ago by its own advanced
computers. These computers decided that they must "extend [their] wise rule
to all worlds governed by foolish humans," so they built "a computer spy to
reconnoiter those worlds," prior to invasion and take-over. Realizing that
their spy "would be destroyed unless he [was inconspicuous by] looking human,"
they made their computer-spy in human form. They named him "Brainiac." His
mission was to shrink cities from other worlds and return them to his home
world, each one serving as a "sample of the world in question." Brainiac's
makers also gave him a young native of the planet to serve as a "son," in
order to "enhance [his] human disguise." This native was named Brainiac 2.
[Brainiac 2 was Vril Dox, who led the successful overthrow of the computer
tyrants mentioned in this issue. The planet was named Colu (or Yod).]
This was the first time that Brainiac was portrayed as being a computer in
human form. [In ACTION #500 (1979), Superman describes Brainiac as a computer
in humanoid form that is so sophisticated, it is capable of independent
thought. He is referred to as an android more than once (see ACTION #489
[1978] and THE SUPERMAN SPECTACULAR [1977]).] It was also the first time that
the Legion of Super-Heroes' Brainiac 5 was portrayed as not being a
biological descendant of Brainiac.
In this issue, Luthor transforms Brainiac into a more powerful ally by raising
Brainiac's "mind" from being a 10th level effector to a 12th. Humans. we are
told, are 6th level effectors. [What's an effector?] We are also provided
here with an explanation of the bolts on his head: they are electric terminals
of his sensory nerves, connected to each other after his manufacture in order
to look like red-colored ornaments.
Why was the character so radically altered?
The letters page in that issue states, "The fictional character, 'Brainiac,'
was created for us by Otto Binder...Shortly after the first 'Brainiac' story
appeared [in 1956], we learned that a REAL 'Brainiac' existed...in the form of
an ingenious 'Brainiac Computer Kit' invented in 1955...In deference to his
'Brainiac,' which pre-dates ours, with this issue of SUPERMAN we are changing
the characterization of our'Brainiac' so that the master-villain will
henceforth possess a 'computer personality.'" Information about how to
purchase the computer followed.
Was this a copyright settlement? An elaborate paid advertisement? Or
something else?
Brainiac being a computer in human form paved the way for him to have certain
abilities and weaknesses that a flesh-and-blood human would not have, e.g.,
not getting dizzy [ACTION #339 (1966)], being ten times as strong as a human
[THE SUPERMAN SPECTACULAR], and being re-programmable 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].
Version #2 of Brainiac seldom killed [ACTION #546]. There are differing
accounts as to whether or not this version of Brainiac had emotions. [See
SUPERMAN #167 and ACTION # 545.]
VERSION #3
In ACTION #544, the 45th Anniversary of ACTION #1, Brainiac was completely
revamped. Early in the story, entitled "Rebirth!", Brainiac is shown buried
and trapped at the core of a computerized artificial planet that he himself
had created. [This planet had first appeared in ACTION #528.] In an attempt
to escape, Brainiac inadvertently turns himself from matter into energy. He
is expelled into space by the planet and ends up on a planet of
electronic-based life. He is brought to an ancient living computer, learning
all he can from it and then separating himself into different parts. His
components travel across the universe to gather all of the knowledge contained
in the universe. He subsequently re-integrates, and during a trip into a
black-hole and through time, he has a vision of a Master Programmer who seeks
to destroy him, and the Master Programmer's Angel of Death: Superman.
[Brainiac describes the Master Programmer as "He Who Created Us All," and
refers to Superman as "his agent who has been sent to battle me."] Brainiac
returns to the present, to the computerized planet, and evolves for months
into a new form, resembling a sinister, silver C-3PO. He states, "I have been
reborn and re-formed and given a destiny anew. My foes are but two--the Angel
of Death who calls himself Superman, and his Master, my Master, who seeks my
second ending. But I shall outwit them both...I am no longer machine, no
longer a cold and lifeless computer. I am more. I have been imbued with life,
organic and yet more. I have become greater than life, greater than machine.
I am Brainiac. And that is more than enough for any."
This new Brainiac claims to have no emotions, yet Superman inspires an
experience of fear and dread in him, and he experiences relief when he thinks
that Superman has been killed. Superman describes him as cold and merciless,
without morality and compassion, a living computer made of living metal, more
willing to murder than he was before his transformation. Brainiac further
describes himself as something never seen before, something not machine...yet
not alive. [Does not alive mean more than organic and greater than life?]
This new Brainiac travels in a starship that resembles a tentacled version of
his head. [His previous starship was a red saucer.] The ship has warp
capabilities and can access hyper-space to travel anywhere in the universe
instantly. Brainiac tells the captured Superman, "It is not a separate thing
I operate. Indeed, my ship and I become one. I interface with its command
console and my thoughts control its every movement." [He also says that
before his metamorphosis, he had a mere 12th level mind, and tells Superman,
"I was a child compared to what I am now."] The pre-Crisis Mongul views
Version #3 of Brainiac [SUPERMAN ANNUAL #11 (1985)] as one of the great powers
of the cosmos.
MOTIVATIONS
Brainiac explains that he's sought to exercise supreme rule and domination
over different races by shrinking their cities [THE SUPERMAN SPECTACULAR], and
that he's engaged in enslavement and other forms of cruelty [ACTION #528].
When he is re-vamped in 1983, he states that he seeks to rule this universe
and all others. Superman remarks, "He only wants to control." He seeks to
destroy Superman because he believes Superman has been sent by the Master
Programmer to destroy him. He sees Superman's death as a pre-requisite in his
victory against the Master Programmer and his dominion over the multi-verse.
CONCLUSION
Brainiac's malevolence was matched only by his intelligence, and for this
reason was he one of pre-Byrne Superman's greatest foes.
______________________________________________
*************************************************************
End of Section 9/Issue #42
