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The Kryptonian Cybernet Issue 37
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T H E K R Y P T O N I A N C Y B E R N E T
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http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/kc
Issue #37 -- April 1997
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CONTENTS
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Section 1: Superscripts: Notes from the Editor
So Here's What I Thought, Part 2
News and Notes
Section 2: And Who Disguised As...
The Comic Book Heroes -- A Review
by J.D. Rummel
Atom Man vs Superman
Episodes 8-15, by Steven Younis
Skip The Facts: Infrequently-Asked Questions About Super-Dude
"Who Has Impersonated Superman Over the Years?"
by David T. Chappell
The Mailbag
Section 3: New Comic Reviews
The Superman Titles
Superman: The Man of Steel #67, by Thomas Deja
Superman #123, by Shane Furlong
Adventures of Superman #546, by Anatole Wilson
Action Comics #733, by Shane Travis
Section 4: New Comic Reviews
Super-Family Titles
JLA #5
Steel #38, by Dick Sidbury
Superboy and the Ravers #9, by Jeff Sykes
Supergirl #9, by Jeff Sykes
Superman Adventures #7, by Cory Strode
Section 5: Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Put It In Writing, by Zoomway
Superman: The Animated Series
"The Way of All Flesh"
Episode Review by Scott Devarney
STAFF:
------
Jeffery D. Sykes, Editor-in-Chief
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.
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SUPERSCRIPTS: Notes from the Editor
------------------------------------
SO HERE'S WHAT I THOUGHT, PART 2
Welcome back! Last month, I explained my votes for the Limited Series and
LOIS AND CLARK awards in the 1996 Kaycees, and this month, I continue with my
choices for the Ongoing Comic Series Awards. Without further ado...
Ongoing Comic Series:
--------------------
CS1: Best Writing -- Karl Kesel, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN
Let me begin this category by stating that I think the two newest
titles were off to very good starts at the end of 1996. Peter David
turned in some nice work on SUPERGIRL, and Karl Kesel and Steve
Mattsson brought us a wonderfully frantic tale of the coming together
of SUPERBOY AND THE RAVERS. However, only the first four issues of
these titles fell within the bounds of 1996 (by cover date), and I
didn't think of just those four issues as good enough to bump the
consistency of my two favorites from this past year. Also, Roger
Stern's issues of SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW were well-told, but
I'd prefer to reward the consistency of monthly issues if at all
possible.
This was a tough call this year. And had the year ended the month
before the honeymoon, I'd have probably voted differently. Before
that, Louise Simonson had flourished in the titles' decided shift back
to using the supporting cast -- playing directly into her strengths.
SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL had been the most consistent of the monthly
titles. But the absolutely horrid honeymoon issue (Commando Lois Lane)
shifted the advantage back to ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN.
Kesel has long been one of the Superman family's strongest assets. His
ability to throw in such perfectly-timed humor, as well as his uncanny
knack for fitting Silver Age references and tributes into his tales,
make his books an absolute joy to read. Month after month, Kesel
brings powerful drama, heroic action, and wonderful characterization
to his work, rarely missing a beat.
CS2: Worst Writing -- Ron Marz, SUPERBOY
Don't get me wrong. I still don't care much for David Michelinie's
writing on ACTION COMICS -- his tendency to become overly expository
during action scenes can get pretty obnoxious -- but he does have
flashes. Like Louise Simonson, he handles the more human side of
stories well. Ron Marz, on the other hand, brought nothing but sludge
to his issues of SUPERBOY in 1996. Part of the downfall of the title
must be contributed to Karl Kesel, but Marz did nothing short of
completing the disaster. What I've read from Marz so far seems to
have little to do with Superboy -- the tales could just as easily have
been about any teenage male hero in the DCU. On the optimistic side,
at least the title has nowhere to go but up...
CS3: Best Art -- Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan Jr, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN
Gary Frank and Cam Smith regularly adorned SUPERGIRL with art that was
very pleasing to the eye, but they have a tendency towards so-called
good girl art, a negative in my book. Ron Frenz and Josef Rubinstein
work very well together on SUPERMAN, providing spectacular splash pages
on a regular basis. But their smaller panels tend to suffer a bit, and
Superman often looks a bit squat. Almost everything Tom Grummett has
done in the past year has been very nice, and he remains one of my
favorite pencillers, but only when he teams with Doug Hazlewood does he
reach the top of my list, and that only happened a couple of times in
1996.
That brings us to my choice. Stuart Immonen's style sparks either hate
or adoration. There's not much middle ground. But it's a style
criticism and not an ability criticism (at least that's the way I read
it) which causes the difference of opinions. I'm firmly in the camp of
folks who love his style -- his wonderful use of shadows adds an
element of depth to the page which is sorely lacking in other books.
And inker Jose Marzan, Jr. is truly one of the best in the business.
I look forward to their work for years to come.
CS4: Worst Art: Ramon Bernado and Doug Hazlewood, SUPERBOY
Okay, I don't care for Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke's style on MAN OF
STEEL. But that team regularly produces some of the most interesting
covers in comics, and they are so good at portraying a dynamic
Superman. And most importantly, how can you call someone the worst
when his work often invokes the late, great Joe Shuster?
I'll also admit that I don't like Ramon Bernado's style -- but with him
it's more than that. Proportions are awful, the angular bodies are
hideous, and there's *no* reason he should *always* have Tana and Roxy
in such skimpy clothing. I won't even go into the broken appendages
thing (see worst cover, below).
CS5: Best Story: SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #56
You know which one I'm talking about. The one where Mxyzptlk wreaks
havoc in the lives of all the citizens of Metropolis for the sole
purpose of getting Lois and Clark back together? Louise Simonson, Jon
Bogdanove, and Dennis Janke fired on all cylinders on this one, easily
the best single Superman comic since 1995's reunion of Lois and Clark
in ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #525. Even Bog and Janke's art worked for
me in this one, so you *know* this had to be something special.
CS6: Worst Story: SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #63
Okay, all together now. COMMANDO LOIS LANE!? What on Earth were you
people thinking? Granted Lois was an army brat and does have many
special skills, but this just stretched the old suspension of disbelief
*way* past the breaking point. Easily the worst single Superman comic
in continuity in recent memory (the AT EARTH'S END Elseworlds from last
year is still the worst ever...). I know you were pressed into this,
but puh-leeze.
CS7: Best Cover: SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #56
There are certain villains for which Bog and Janke's style work
incredibly well: the grotesque figure of a pumped-up Parasite, Metallo
with his fantastically fun new powers, and the cartoonish imp from the
fifth dimension. Tack on the wonderful homage to Don Rosa's UNCLE
SCROOGE, and this Mxyzptlk cover wins hands down.
CS8: Worst Cover: SUPERBOY #33
This is as much for the content as the artwork. Here we have snow
falling as the Earth freezes from The Final Night, a volcano erupting
in the background, and panic in the streets below -- but all Superboy
can do is make out with Tana in the skies above. And then the art --
Bernado, ugh. It's no wonder Superboy's flying them both: his ankles
couldn't support his own weight as drawn, and Tana's ankles would have
to be broken for her legs to rest the way they are on this cover. Bah.
CS9: Best Ongoing Comic Series: ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN
If I liked Bog and Janke's art on a more regular basis, perhaps MAN
OF STEEL would have received my vote. Certainly the writing and
storytelling this past year were well above par. But when ADVENTURES
has what I consider to be the best writer *and* the best art team,
there really can't be any doubt about this one.
CS10: Worst Ongoing Comic Series: ACTION COMICS
Yes, Marz and Bernado made me really dislike SUPERBOY, but they only
had the reigns for three months in 1996. Kesel and company were
lackluster the rest of the year, but not *bad*. But ACTION spent the
entire year with David Michelinie at the helm, and issue after issue
we were *told* (through thought balloons and captions) what we were
already seeing on the page. Michelinie simply struck me as not very
confident in his art teams -- let *them* handle the action. And then
we spent the first ten months watching Denis Rodier's inks mangle first
Kieron Dwyer's and then Tom Morgan's pencils. True, he inexplicably
clicked with Tom Grummett, but two months doesn't make up for ten.
So, there you have it. Agree with me or disagree. No skin off my nose either
way -- I've finally come to realize that most of our differences of opinions
(especially in artwork) usually come to down to simple differences in tastes.
And that's a good thing as long as we respect each other's opinions.
Next month, the long wait is finally over! The results of the 1996 Kaycees
and the winner of the original artwork by Stuart Immonen!
See ya then!
Jeff Sykes, Editor
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NEWS AND NOTES
--------------
QUESTIONS ANYONE?
We tried to get this started quite some time ago, but my personal
failures and distractions kept it from getting underway. But I'm
happy to say that we're finally moving on our promised interview
with Tom Grummett! Mr. Grummett has long been a fan-favorite artist
on the Superman titles. His past work includes ADVENTURES OF
SUPERMAN, SUPERBOY, and SUPERBOY/ROBIN: WORLD'S FINEST 3. He is
currently the penciller on ACTION COMICS, but will soon be returning
to ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN. There has also been some discussion
about his illustrating the next DC/Marvel miniseries, which will be
written by Super-scribe Karl Kesel.
If you have any questions that you'd like included in this interview,
please send them as soon as possible to the magazine address,
KryptonCN@aol.com -- we can't promise that *all* questions will be
used, but we'll certainly end up with a better piece if we tell the
fans what they want to know!
DAYS OF OUR SUPERMAN LIVES
Who knows exatly what's going on in Warner Brother's heads. Amidst
all of the discussion of whether or not Nicolas Cage is right for
the part of Superman, the company has thrown us yet another curve
in the form of Tim Burton. For the past week or two, word has
leaked out that Burton (BATMAN, BATMAN RETURNS, BEETLEJUICE) is
in negotiations to direct SUPERMAN LIVES (or REBORN, hard to tell
these days). This would re-team Burton with Jon Peters, who produced
Burton's Batman films. As of late Friday, April 18, negotiations
were in their final stages.
And what does this mean for the project? Turmoil, apparently. Before
Burton was brought on board, screenwriter Kevin Smith had turned in
his final draft of the script, and he reported that DC and Warner
Brothers were excited about the script. Then Burton appeared and
decided that he didn't care for Smith's script. Smith has now
stated that they will be using his script, but that Burton would be
bringing on another writer to "work on" that "final" draft.
As for casting, Smith also has reported that Burton's not too thrilled
with the idea of Cage as Superman, so we'll have to keep an eye on
that situation. There have also been rumors that Burton wants Michael
Keaton to reprise his role for the previously reported Batman cameo
in the film. Sandra Bullock continues to be the rumored choice for
Lois Lane (and Kevin Smith has stated that she is the studio's choice),
and other rumors include Leonardo DiCaprio as Jimmy Olsen and John
Mahoney (Martin Crane on FRASIER) as Perry White.
A RIDE HERE, A SHOW THERE
Last month, we told you about the opening of Superman: The Escape, the
new roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Well, for those of you
more in the Texas region, Six Flags Fiesta Texas (San Antonio) has
introduced "DC Comics Super Heroes Live," a new stunt show featuring
many of your favorite DC heroes and villains. The Joker and Lex Luthor
have hatched a new plot to dispose of the heroes, but Superman, Batman,
Wonder Woman, Batgirl, and Green Lantern just might have something to
say about that...
High falls, vertical rappels, dynamic tumbling, and acrobatic routines.
Incredible special effects such as indoor, low-smoke pyrotechnics and
laser technology. And you *will* believe a Superman can fly!
AND IF YOU NEED A PLACE TO STAY...
The Man of Steel and the Dark Knight will be taking up residence in
Best Western Hotels this summer. From mid-May through August, Best
Western will be giving away reprint comics featuring Superman and
Batman, as well as a "goodies" pack including a B:TAS-decorated Fuji
disposable camera and more. Four reprint comics will be released
exclusively for use by Best Western.
MY HOW THEY'VE GROWN!
In addition to the second wave of Superman animated series figures
(which should be on the shelves soon, if not already), Kenner/Hasbro
has produced a 12-inch Superman doll available exclusively at K-Mart.
This 12-inch figure is patterned after the long-haired comic book
version of the hero, and is on sale now. (Lexington has it at a
retail price of $19.99.)
A SUPER MAN ON THE WALK OF FAME
Christopher Reeve recently received a star on the Hollywood Walk of
Fame, and he told fans that he hoped some day to walk again. The
internationally known star of the SUPERMAN films, paralyzed as a
result of a horse riding accident in 1995, commented to the crowd,
"If we keep giving our scientists the funding they need for research,
soon I will take my family by the hand and will stand here in front of
the star."
Reeve's star is located on Hollywood Boulevard outside the Galaxy
Theater. Reeve recalled walking down the boulevard in 1976 as an
out-of-work actor. In his words, "I'd look at these stars and think,
'That's a league I'll never be in.'"
Reeve makes his directing debut this month with the HBO movie IN THE
GLOAMING. Glenn Close and Jane Seymour, who star in the film,
accompanied Reeve and his family at the ceremony. Close described
Reeve as "the most human of humans, a man with great beauty ... and a
man who refuses to let go of his dreams."
UP AND COMING FOR THE REMAINING MAN OF STEEL
Writer Christopher Priest recently tipped fans to some events coming
in the next few months in STEEL, as well as an upcoming crossover
event:
Superman guest-stars in issue #43 (which is the GENESIS crossover, this
summer's DCU event by John Byrne), along with Guy Gardner. Warrior
will also appear semi-regularly from that point on. Steel becomes
defender of Metropolis in issue #44. Superboy makes a cameo in #45,
and then has a full guest-starring role in #46. The fiftieth issue
will probably not be double-sized, but shortly thereafter (and after
SUPERBOY #50), there are plans for a SUPERBOY/RAVERS/STEEL/SUPERGIRL
crossover, tentatively titled "The Eradicator Proxy."
AND THE WINNER IS...
Not known at this time. But SUPERMAN, the animated series on the WB
network, has been nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award. Joining SUPERMAN
in the "Special Class, Animated Program" category are FREAKZOID! and
THE NEW ADVENTURES OF MADELINE.
CORPORATE HOLLYWOOD STRIKES AGAIN
Panicked by the poor ratings from the debut of LOIS AND CLARK in its
Saturday time slot on April 12, ABC has begun negotiations with Warner
Brothers, seeking to find a way out of its earlier agreement. You'll
recall that ABC had agreed to a fifth season of LOIS AND CLARK in
exchange for the rights to air Rosie O'Donnell's talk show on its
owned-and-operated stations. Now ABC is trying to back out of this
deal by transferring the commitment to another WB program.
A letter-writing campaign has begun, as LOIS AND CLARK fans want to
let ABC know that they disapprove of their under-handed tactics, and
to convince WB to not back down from the agreement. If you wish to
support LOIS AND CLARK, visit the L&C SOS page at
http://members.aol.com/LnCSOS/main.htm
There you will find updates on the campaign, as well as addresses and
phone numbers through which you can voice your displeasure. As well,
here are some important addresses (snail mail is *much* more effective
than e-mail):
Ms. Jamie Tarses ABC, Inc.
President, ABC Entertainment Audience Relations
2040 Avenue of the Stars, 5th Floor 77 W. 66th St.
Century City, CA 90067 9th Floor
New York, NY 10023
Warner Bros. TV ABC E-Mail Addresses:
Attn: Lois & Clark ABCAUDR@abc.com or ABCAUD2@abc.com
4000 Warner Blvd ATTN: James Canning
Burbank, CA 91522 ABC Television
______________________________________________________
AND WHO DISGUISED AS...
---------------------------------------------------------
A Column of Opinion by J.D. Rummel (rummel@creighton.edu)
The Comic Book Heroes -- A Review.
For Christmas I got a gift certificate for the Borders bookstore (since my
birthday is next month, that gives you folks an idea on what to get me). Not
being in a big hurry, over the months I made several practice runs, checking
out what the store had before settling in on a Saturday afternoon to hang out
in the comic book section. I was frankly stunned by all the stuff on the
shelves. I've written before how, as a kid, I dreamt of bookstores giving
space to comics and there being all sorts of new and fantastic titles. Borders
(and lots of other bookstores) brought my dream into the waking world. And
like a dream, when the books are opened the sleeper wakes and reality washes
over him: Sturgeon's dictum holds true, most of the stuff is crap.
I kept waiting for some clerk to approach and ask me if I intended to buy,
despite having full awareness of the chain's encouragement of browsing nigh
unto loitering. For hours I slogged through the wares. There were the lame
collections of stories that made for long, uninteresting serials (Death of
Superman, Knightfall), entertaining collections that helped me get caught up
with the competition (I think Aunt May is finally dead!), and some that
appeared to be merely bold faced attempts at cashing in (_Superman versus
Aliens_ -- 'Course I own a copy of _Superman vs. Muhammed Ali_ , so I can't
hold my nose too high).
And I found a new edition of _The Comic Book Heroes_.
You know, I can remember a time (said Grandpa J.) when it didn't take a lot to
have a solid comic book library _about_ comic books. All you needed were
Feiffer's _The Great Comic Book Heroes_ , Lee's _Origin_ series, and _All in
Color for a Dime_ (Maybe Les Daniels' _Comix_ too) and you were one well-read
geek. Now, there's more out there, but I doubt how much of it is worth the
investment. _The Comic Book Heroes_ by Will Jacobs and Gerard Jones is one
that, I think, is.
The first time I encountered the book was in the late eighties on the bargain
table. The book covered comic history from the Silver Age to the then-present
and was insightful, with lots of insider's dish (Silver Age inker Vince
Colletta ran a "modeling" service! Wink, nudge, saynomore). That edition ended
on a pretty optimistic note, somewhere in late '84 or '85 as the independents
presaged new life and direction. The new book has lots of new info covering
the years since the last book, also covering the Silver Age up to the
now-present. It goes over the years with a keen eye, giving more of the
insider's perspective on the collapse of the independent market and the
evolution of the Image style of bursting, radiant pictures and negligible
stories.
The book is a great read on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Among its best gifts
to readers is the examination of Jack Kirby. If anyone doubts the debt all
comics have to the "King," one need only read this tome to get long,
insightful overview of a visionary. I am only now coming to an appreciation of
Kirby's use of language with his pictures.
Readers of the KC will want to pay particular attention to the chapter on
Superman. The extended examination of the world built by Mort Weisinger is
essential reading for the uninitiated, the long time fan, and every shade
in-between. Also, it covers the efforts of Mike Carlin, highlighting
indirectly how the current Man of Steel is far less original, surviving, even
thriving, via marketing gimmicks and pale imitations of the Marvel and Image
styles.
Oh, there is a lot wrong. I mean, a book on comic books with few illustrations
and all of those in black and white? To quote a certain jug-eared, probably
insane Texan: "that's just sad." And there are a few inaccuracies. For
instance, the authors credit Lee and Kirby with the creation of Adam Warlock
(it was Thomas and Kane). Probably the greatest failure of the book is the
staggering number of typos. It deals the book's credibility an incredible
blow, reminding one of some cheap, fan boy product.
Still, for all it's faults, _The Comic Book Heroes_ belongs on the shelf
beside Feiffer and the others. If you are serious about funny books, you need
to spend the money and the time.
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.
______________________________________________________
ATOM MAN VS SUPERMAN
------------------------------------
by Steven Younis (younis@dot.net.au)
Well this is definitely it! With this column, I conclude the ATOM MAN VS
SUPERMAN serial and my stint of writing for the KC.
Below you'll find the concluding summaries for chapters 8-15 of this exciting
serial that sees Superman battle Lex Luthor in the guise of the Atom Man.
8 - Into The Empty Doom!
Superman is dragged unconscious into the cave hideout, where the Atom Man has
him placed in the arc and sent into the empty doom of space. With Clark
missing, Perry tells a reluctant Lois to write a story saying Kent is
Superman. Lois and Jimmy trick Perry by having Jimmy phone in and mimic Clark.
Meanwhile, a ghostly Superman finds he cannot stop criminals. In the Daily
Planet, Lois sees her newfangled electric typewriter type a message. Superman
is concentrating to move the keys. His message tells where the cave hideout is
and to throw a main switch so that Superman can return. Instead of telling the
police, Lois and Jimmy go alone. They whack a guard and are looking for the
proper switch when Atom Man appears. He challenges Lois to pull a switch
saying one will save Superman, but another will seal his doom. Lois
frantically pulls both, causing sparks.
9 - Superman Crashes Through
The short circuit doesn't bring Superman back. Atom Man has Lois and Jimmy
dumped outside and flees. Two power repair people come, having traced a power
surge. At the Planet, Perry says nothing was found. Superman types a new plan:
a newsreel is televised, making it appear Superman is back. This causes Luthor
to send an aide into the channel of the empty doom to check if Superman is
still trapped. Superman flings the man aside and forces his way down the open
beam and back to the cave hideout. A crook shows the kryptonite, making
Superman temporarily collapse, but it turns out that this synthetic version
loses potency when exposed to air. Atom Man appears, but Superman finds it is
a robot copy. Back at the Planet, Clark plots with Perry to prove respectable
television executive Luthor is Atom Man. Perry complains to Lois about a
story, and she quits. She gets hired by Luthor, and Clark and Jimmy see her
interview people on the street. Crooks rob a store, and when they flee, Lois
pursues in a Daily Planet coupe. The crooks shoot the tires, so Superman stops
the car, keeping it from crashing. Jimmy chases the crooks to a railyard where
he gets his foot stuck in a rail as a train approaches.
10 - Atom Man's Heat Ray
Superman saves Jimmy, but the two crooks teleport away. Luthor plans to again
use Lois as a diversion, but this time he'll stop the crooks to boost his
respectability. At the Daily Planet, Clark and Lois reveal to Jimmy that Lois
quitting was planned so she could check on Luthor. A crook overhears them and
threatens to tell Luthor. After Clark is locked in Perry's office, Superman
appears to stop the crook. When Lois does another street interview, two hired
crooks rob a payroll truck. But hidden in the TV truck, Luthor's men use a
heat ray to trap the robbers. The robbers are delayed enough for Clark, Lois,
and Jimmy to see them arrested, but Lois has seen another run away. He is
working with Luthor, and he leads them into a building and teleports away.
Luthor triggers a release of gas in the room, making the reporters collapse.
11 - Luthor's Strategy
Clark recovers, and Superman inhales the gas, exhales it through a punched
hole, and then drags the others out. Lois decides the arrest of the two
robbers clears Luthor and returns to her new television job. Clark, however,
is still suspicious. At a press conference, Luthor shows threats he has
received from Atom Man. Clark and Lois separately go and cover a great flood
upstate, where Superman saves two people by providing a raft. The nearby dam
collapses and a wall of water rushes towards where Lois has insisted in
staying filming the flood.
12 - Atom Man Strikes!
Superman saves Lois by grabbing the TV truck she is in. Superman shows Lois a
secret compartment in the truck. Later, Lois becomes suspicious when she
discovers that three stores had been robbed where she had done TV interviews.
She phones the Planet, and Jimmy passes her message to Clark. Later Lois
steals a notepad from Luthor's office. Aides in a hidden elevator have spotted
her theft, and Luthor has her chased since the notepad has impressions of a
list of stores he plans to have robbed. Lois runs and eventually escapes by
getting into the Planet building. Luthor orders a thermal gun be used to
destroy the building. When Superman appears, the crooks turn the heat ray on
him.
13 - Atom Man's Flying Saucers
Superman survives the attack, and the recoil destroys the gun. Superman points
out the truck where the ray originated, and Lois and Jimmy go with the police
to pursue the truck. Luthor teleports from his office to his hideout and views
Superman arriving in his office too late. When the truck is found abandoned,
Superman warns Lois and Jimmy that Luthor has triggered a remote beam to
destroy the truck. The two crooks from the truck teleport away. Superman
traces the remains of the beam back to the area of Luthor's hideout. He tells
Perry to have the area scouted, so Clark and Lois fly over the area searching
for the hideout. Luthor has a flying saucer launched to destroy their plane.
14 - Rocket Of Vengeance
Luckily, Lois faints when seeing the saucer, so Superman can save her before
the plane is destroyed. As the police are circling the area, Luthor twice
broadcasts warnings to stop or he'll continue using a sonic beam to cause
earthquakes in Metropolis. When Superman can't stop the second beam from
threatening the Planet building, the police agree to withdraw. Superman goes
back to the hills area to search, followed by Lois and Jimmy. Luthor has two
crooks launch an atomic projectile to stop Superman, but Superman catches it
and flings it back. Luthor broadcasts that because the search for him hasn't
stopped, he'll launch a rocket to destroy Metropolis. Back at the Daily
Planet, Lois and Jimmy abandon Perry when they spot the incoming rocket.
Superman rides the rocket as it approaches the Planet building, while Luthor
prepares to escape in a spaceship.
15 - Superman Saves The Universe
Superman manages to deflect the atomic missile into the sea, and Luthor's
identity as Atom Man is publicly exposed. Luthor repeats his ploy of placing a
token in a gift to teleport Lois to his hideout. He shows her a directional
cyclotron which will allow him to make earthquakes that could destroy the
Earth. Two aides launch his spaceship, to which he plans to teleport and
escape. Luthor has the cyclotron aimed at part of Metropolis. Superman helps
save people in the earthquake, then flies to the hill the police believe has
Luthor's hideout. When his men refuse, Luthor triggers a quake outside the
hideout and teleports with Lois to the spaceship. Superman breaks into the
hideout where the men try to stop him with the now useless synthetic
kryptonite. Then Superman flies up to get in the spaceship. He rescues Lois
and captures Luthor, then flies off leaving the ship to explode. Superman
leaves Luthor at the Daily Planet to be arrested. Later, Lois exposes Clark to
the synthetic kryptonite thinking it will show whether or not he is Superman,
but of course it has no effect.
--
Well, that's it! All done! Thanks again to Jeff for allowing me to write my
column over the past months. I think you'll all agree he does a great job with
the KC.
Please don't hesitate to e-mail me at any time with your thoughts and
reactions to my column.
You'll find the SUPERMAN: THE SERIAL Theme Music and other Superman related
sounds (in both RealAudio and .wav formats) in the Images and Sounds section
of the Superman Homepage at
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/7771/
While there, you'll also find a wealth of Superman information, TV and Cartoon
Episode Guides, Comic Reviews, FAQs, Comic Book Index List, Who's Who, Icons,
and so much more!
I've also designed a puzzle called "Mr. Mxyzptlk's Mix-Up Puzzle" that's
updated weekly. You'll find it in the GAMES & PUZZLES section of my Web of
Wonders at
http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/5071/
Thanks again to you all!
Steven Younis
younis@dot.net.au
The ATOM MAN VS SUPERMAN summaries and column are Copyright (C) 1997, Steven
Younis. All rights reserved. Making copies in any format is expressly
forbidden without the written permission of the author.
______________________________________________________
Considering the current foolish month and, more importantly, my lack of time
for writing about Superman, I think it is time to
SKIP THE FACTS
Infrequently-Asked Questions about Super-Dude
by David T. Chappell
With the real Superman missing from current comics, I decided to compile a
list by asking,
"Who Has Impersonated Superman Over the Years?"
Here's a quick list I threw together of characters (post-Crisis, of course)
who have impersonated Superman or in some way worn the "S"-shield so as to
possibly be mistaken for the Man of Steel. Five gold stars go to anyone who
can identify all these appearances; hint: they're sort of arranged
chronologically by order of first appearance.
The chalk-skinned guy who talks funny (Bizarro)
Young Superman from a world that sort-of didn't exist (Superboy from PU)
The ghost of Superman that wasn't real (Martian Manhunter)
The lump of protomatter that possesses a dead Satanist (Matrix/Supergirl)
The alien who Superman defeated on Warworld (Draaga)
The artifact that thinks it's a Kryptonian (Krypton Man/Eradicator)
The green Superman clone made by Cadmus rejects (Kryptonite Man)
The lucky bum with a good heart (Bibbo)
The Starman who could shape-shift (Starman)
The sand-golem that appeared in a "Special" (Sandy?)
The Reed Richards clone who went mad (Hank Henshaw/Cyborg)
The engineer with a big hammer (Steel)
The kid who moved to Hawaii (Superboy)
The Superman body that wasn't real (Brainiac's fake Superman body)
The smart alien who took over Kal-El's body (Brainiac)
The horny blue alien who escaped the bottle (Ceritak)
The electric guy who wears a blue cape-less suit (The Man Beyond Tomorrow)
Then there are the real-world impersonators of note:
George Reeves
Christopher Reeve
Dean "I'm not a Reeve" Cain
Kids who wear Superman Halloween costumes
Young David Chappell substituting for Superboy
Copyright (C) 1997 David T. Chappell. All rights reserved.
______________________________________________________
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)
This message is not about a particular KC issue. It's not even directly
Superman-related. I was hoping the mag could post this so all the readers
could see it and if they have any information e-mail me directly.
**** Well, sure it's Superman related! There are several Superman stories
in your list below...
I've recently gotten a large number of DC's LIMITED COLLECTOR'S EDITION
tabloid/treasury specials. They have great reprints in them, but I'm
irritated that they don't cite which issues they come from. Some of them
I've been able to find, others I have not.
I know there have to be some fans out there who know the sources for these
stories. If you do, like I said, please e-mail me directly at
dayoung@luna.cas.usf.edu.
#C-23--All House of Mystery stories in edition
#C-25--Batman story "Hate of the Hooded Hangman" (1966)
Batman story "Hot Time in Gotham Town Tonight" (1970)
Batman story "Ghost of the Killer Skies" (Adams, 1970)
#C-27--All Shazam! stories in edition
#C-34--Batman story "Silent Night, Deadly Night" (1971)
Shazam story "Billy Batson's Xmas" (1946)
Teen Titans story "A Swingin' Christmas Caper" (1967)
#C-38--Superman story "Superman's Day of Doom!" (1962)
#C-43--Untitled Superman Christmas story (1940)
Batman "Silent Night of the Batman" (Adams, 1969)
House/Mystery "Night Prowler" (Wrightson, 1971)
#C-44--Batman story "Castle with Wall-to-Wall Danger! (1964)
Batman story "Paint a Picture of Peril" (Adams, 1970)
#C-47--"Superman Salutes Bicentennial"--Tomahawk reprints
#C-52--Batman story "Night of the Reaper" (1971)
House/Mystery "The Demon Within" (1972)
Flash story "Doorway Into the Unknown" (1964)
"Dirty Job" (Alex Toth, 1971)
"Firehair" (Joe Kubert, 1971)
Superman story "Last Days of Superman" (1962)
Thanks to KC (and Jeff) and KC readers.
**** I know some of you out there are walking encyclopedias about this kind
of thing, so howsabout lending David a hand? I'd love the magazine to
be as much an information source as it is an opinion source, so I have
absolutely no problem running these kind of requests -- as long as
there's some Superman info as part of the request.
-- Jeff Sykes
______________________________________________________
NEW COMIC REVIEWS
-----------------
Ratings Panelists:
AW: Anatole Wilson JG: Jack Grimes SF: Shane Furlong
CS: Cory Strode JS: Jeff Sykes ST: Shane Travis
DC: David Chappell MC: Matt Combes VV: Vic Vitek
DS: Dick Sidbury PS: Patrick Stout WN: William J Nixon
RG: Rene' Gobeyn
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:
-------------------
18. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #67
Story by Louise Simonson
Pencils by Jon Bogdanove
Inks by Dennis Janke
Letters by Ken Lopez
Colors by Glenn Whitmore
Separations by Digital Chameleon
Associate Editor Mike McAvennie
Editor Joey Cavalieri
Cover by Jon Bogdanove, Dennis Janke, and Patrick Martin
May 1997
$1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
RATINGS:
Average: 3.2/5.0 Shields
TD: 4.0 Shields
JG: 2.8 Shields - Too much exposition, too many slugfests.
JS: 3.5 Shields - While a lot of fighting filled this issue, Simonson uses
it to show an adapting Man of Steel. Superman is relearning what
he can and can't do. There are several spots in this issue where
Bog's work looks very similar to Joe Shuster's (eg, p.14, 15, 20).
VV: 2.5 Shields - Okay story, sort of like an unended "heroes meet, heroes
fight, heroes team up." I like Ceritak, and I hope he doesn't end
up "buying the farm" at the end of his story arc.
The opening scene of this issue pretty much sets the tone: Lois and Clark are
getting ready for work. The coffee's on, they're both in pajamas. Clark
reaches for his handy-dandy mirror, preparing to shave--
--and ZZZZZAKKKKK!! An energy beam goes flying all over the apartment,
magnetizing all the metal and leaving Clark befuddled, explaining it's all out
of habit....
And that's pretty much what we get in this, to date the goofiest of all the
'Man of Sparks' stories to date. While doing some serious work to advance the
plot, Simonson and Bogdanove kick back and have some fun with the concept,
creating one wild ride.
After the scene described above, we switch to Ceritak as he disembarks from
that helicopter (even a simple scene like this has a 'comedy' kicker with
Ceritak being bonked on the head by the helicopter rotors). Lois is alerted
to Goat Boy's presence while she's fighting with Simone and Dirk Armstrong
over whether the Planet should run a column accusing Supes of being a menace.
Lois contacts Clark, and he's off--to a bad start, as Ceritak tries to make a
gentler form of contact and gets shocked for his troubles. What follows is
the battle interspersed with subplots--Jimmy being chewed out for helping an
old woman during last issue, Whitty Banter interviewing Bibbo on his upcoming
fight--and the effects the battle has on Metropolis. You see, every time
Supes and Goat Boy trade blows, it sets off sparks that, among other things,
shorts out the electronics on every car on the Queensland Bridge, causes a
severe static cling problem at The Planet and, in a grand finale, blacks out
Metropolis. Is it any wonder that Franklin Stern ends up approving the
negative editorial in the last panel?
While not as good as ACTION COMICS #732's treatment of the new powers,
Simonson and Bogdanove do a good job working with them; in this case, showing
the down side of these new abilities. It seems like there's nothing Supes can
do right, and he's so caught up in his battle with Ceritak that he's unaware
of the havoc he's causing around him. In Simonson's hands Ceritak becomes
something of a sympathetic character--he's still an example of Youth Out of
Control, but his initial attempts at making nice with Supes are at odds with
the way the character has been portrayed prior to this.
Less effective is the handling of Dirk Armstrong, who actually showed promise
of growing into an intriguing character in the last couple of issues. Here,
he reverts back to his ol' "I'm a scary Republican Pig! OOOOoooh!"
Rush-Limbaugh persona that's really grating. And I don't know where the Team
Super is heading with making Jimmy into an insensitive, selfish clod, but I
hope it's worth it.
Now I like Bogdanove's artwork; it's blocky, sure, but in the kinetic,
exciting way Louise's husband Walt Simonson is. But his work here is on the
lazy side. There's some poor linework (his Lois on page 13 is damn near
unrecognizable) and characters that are practically stick figures, like on
pages 14 through 16. On the other hand, Bog has developed some cool effects
to depict the Man of Sparks, particularly a stunning sequence on page 11 that
makes it look like Supes is glowing from within.
But this is the most fun a Superman book's been in a while. From the first
scene to the sight of Jerry Seinfeld transformed into Kramer, it's obvious
Simonson and Bogdanove are going to enjoy themselves with this plot line. And
that's not so bad a'tall.
Thomas Deja (manciniman@rocketmail.com)
====================================
19. SUPERMAN #123, "Superman... Reborn!"
Story by Dan Jurgens
Art by Ron Frenz and Joe Rubinstein
Letters by John Costanza
Colors by Glenn Whitmore
Separations by Digital Chameleon
Associate Editor Mike McAvennie
Editor Joey Cavalieri
Collector's Cover by Ron Frenz, Joe Rubinstein, and Patrick Martin
Standard Cover by Dan Jurgens, Joe Rubinstein, and Patrick Martin
May 1997
$1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
RATINGS:
Average: 2.5/5.0 Shields
SF: 3.5 Shields - Really a pretty good story with some weird errors. I do
believe this changing powers story has potential and this issue did
a good job of maintaining the same Superman while changing the look.
JG: 2.8 Shields - Again with the painful exposition. And what the heck was
wrong with Clark and the Kents at the end?
JS: 2.7 Shields - Actually, that may be a bit harsh. This was a well-done
issue up until the new costume appears. And I'm not complaining
about the costume, but rather the characterization -- Superman
takes off without a thought about those who had saved his life,
and he and his parents are *way* too accepting of the change.
VV: 1.0 Shield - Okay, I don't like it. Okay, Supes behaves completely out
of character. Okay, his parents accept the fact that the son they
raised is now made of energy. Okay, I don't like the whole thing.
Summary:
This issue is both an ending and a beginning. First an ending to the changing
powers story, as Superman seems fully changed to a Man of Energy, as well as
an ending, for now, to the familiar costume, but also a beginning to a new
chapter in his life as evidenced by the title applied to it. Superman is
literally reborn after this issue with a new costume and new powers. As the
issue opens, Superman is continuing the battle with Ceritak, the bottle city
prince who Jimmy mistakenly dubs Scorn.
Lois is frantically trying to enlist Professor Hamilton in helping Superman
without giving away the reason for her extreme interest. Superman is having a
hard time maintaining a solid form, and after sending Ceritak to the harbor
with an energy blast, he makes it to STAR Labs. Professor Hamilton and his
assistant realize that without some sort of containment suit Superman will
lose all physical form. One of the Kryptonian robots from the Fortress offers
his micro-circuits but it takes a gift from Lex and the Contessa to supply a
high-tech fabric capable of holding Superman's energy form intact. The
Professor and Lois relent and accept the gift, despite misgivings about Lex's
motives, since there is no alternative for Superman to survive.
The suit does the trick. Superman zips from the lab to look for Ceritak, who
has left the harbor to take a man he frightened into a heart attack to the
Emergency Room. After not finding him, Superman heads West and shows Ma and Pa
Kent his new look and powers. They help him add an "S" to the suit and the
look is complete as Superman heads away in a beautifully drawn 2 page splash
page of the New Superman in flight. The story ends with Ceritak leaving the ER
after everyone treats him as a monster, and happening upon an edition of The
Daily Planet with a picture of a familiar columnist in it, his wheels start
turning.
Story: 3.0 shields
The story opens with a simplified synopsis for all of the thousands who'll
pick up this issue without having read any of the Superman titles previous to
this. It does a good job of summarizing without being either too detailed or
overly simplistic. Some nice little touches here and there abound. Jurgens
realizes he can't just have Lois there at STAR Labs without dealing with the
questions from Professor Hamilton over why she's concerned. This is the second
time recently that Hamilton has shown interest in the personal life of
Superman. I wonder if he's on to something.
The deal with Lex over the fabric is also handled well. Dealing with Lex
Luthor takes on almost a "bargain with the Devil" sort of feel here. Now that
Superman has taken the suit, where are the strings? Lex and the Contessa both
seem pleased that he has the suit, so there must be an angle for him.
The character of Ceritak is getting fleshed out as well. He is really being
judged by his appearance here. Everyone that sees him is calling him a
monster. I like that Jurgens has him not yet speaking English, which adds a
level of realism in an unreal world. He really is not a bad guy -- just
misunderstood.
The only scenes that I didn't enjoy were the ones visiting the Kents. It seems
that Ma and Pa are unconcerned that their son is now a living bolt of blue
lightning instead of flesh and blood. Another weird thing is that when
Superman reverts to Clark, he is shown falling naked through the air. Where is
the blue suit? Where does it go when he's flesh? Otherwise a good story, even
if nobody seems particularly concerned about how Superman got that way.
Art: 4.0 shields
Frenz and Rubinstein shine. Their art is the best of the current Super-Books
bar none. I love the splash page on 20-21 and their interpretation of Lois is
once again the best there is around. The Glow-In-The-Dark on the enhanced
edition was subdued but nice. I had read that the design of the new look came
from Frenz, and it shows here. Also deserving credit this issue are the colors
of Glenn Whitmore which are particularly nice in the electrically charged
Superman still in his regular suit.
Shane Furlong (Shane.Furlong@evolving.com)
====================================
20. ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #546, "Blood & Thunder"
Written by Karl Kesel
Pencils by Stuart Immonen
Inks by Jose Marzan, Jr.
Letters by Albert De Guzman
Colors by Glenn Whitmore
Separations by Digital Chameleon
Associate Editor Mike McAvennie
Editor Joey Cavalieri
Cover by Stuart Immonen, Jose Marzan Jr, and Patrick Martin
May 1997
$1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
RATINGS:
Average: 3.5/5.0 Shields
AW: 3.5 Shields - Some interesting (and unexpected) plot developments; I
liked. Artwork was particularly cartoonish; I didn't like. The new
costume? Eh. Does it matter?
JG: 3.9 Shields - Much better than the previous week, yet still not
captivating. I slept through the issue until the brilliant
"Metallo - Man with the Superman Heart".
JS: 4.5 Shields - Not much to not like in this issue. Kesel is dead on in
characterization and in developing Ceritak/Scorn, and Immonen and
Marzan have never looked better! Some nice misdirections on Kesel's
part, and major kudos to the brilliant person who suggested Metallo
for this first arc!
VV: 2.0 Shields - I think the first time I saw Metallo was in the "Death of
Clark Kent" storyline. This story seems to continue my opinion on
him: he can figure out an immediate action to help himself, but
doesn't seem to recognize any shortfalls with the plan. So this
story kinda works for me, but kinda does not. Just how much can
Superman do now? Control all energy and radiation?
Well, the Super costume has changed and the "Big Red S" is now the "Big Blue
S." Let's not get all over-excited at once--someone needs to remain calm.
Seriously, though, things could be worse. While I think the
power-transformation plotline has had little energy, twists and turns in what
have been otherwise dull sub-plots sparked my interest this month.
The action begins with Superman showing off his new containment suit to Lois.
She's handling his transformation well, worried more about what kind of sparks
will fly when she kisses him than the fact that he's blue and made of pure
energy.
Meanwhile in Kandor, with the perceived death of Ceritak, tensions are running
high. The only thing keeping them in check is the fear that the old wizard
Tolos will punish anyone who gets too far out of hand. (They don't know
Superman vanquished him sometime ago.) When Elder Mooren is killed by the
rioters, however, Tolos' hand of vengeance fails to appear. Unaware of Tolos'
defeat, the Kandorians are only now realizing that their oppressor--and only
enforcer of the law--is gone, and chaos breaks out. This is an unexpected--but
very logical-- turn of events.
Back at the Daily Planet, Perry White is furious that Dirk Armstrong wrote a
blistering front page article, branding Superman a menace. Superman takes the
surprising high road, thanking Armstrong and the Planet for keeping an eye on
him. That was a very Superman thing to do.
Their meeting is broken up by the news that Dirk Armstrong's daughter,
Ashbury, has been kidnapped by, we discover, a disgruntled Superman fan.
Perry, meanwhile, receives an ominous call from his doctor--I guess we can
assume his health is taking a turn for the worse. (Minor note: With all the
treatments Perry's been going through, shouldn't he be as bald as Luthor by
now?)
Superman's search for Armstrong's daughter is interrupted by Metallo, who's
out to destroy Superman because...well...because he's a bad guy, I guess, and
that's what bad guys do.
Superman becomes too engaged in battle to realize that he's just spoken with
Ashbury's kidnapper. The save is left up to Ceritak, who is apparently
attracted to the Superman 'S' on the kidnapper's shirt. At first, I thought,
"Oh good, Ceritak's not going to be a bad guy after all." That would be an
unexpected turn I could appreciate. On second reading, however, there's a
suggestion that he might be making an association between "Superman" and "bad
man." I'm still hoping that maybe Ceritak will don the 'S' and try to be a
hero, maybe even saving Kandor from its current crisis.
Finally, Superman's battle with Metallo doesn't go so well. Metallo now has
the same powers as former foe Cyborg had, and proves pretty hard to bring
down. By the end of the issue, he absorbs a battleship and uses Superman as
his power source. Superman realizes the only way to stop Metallo is to cut his
power supply by turning back into powerless--and all-too vulnerable--Clark
Kent. Metallo's giant body collapses. He quickly makes another, smaller body
for himself, but poor Clark is left unconscious and bleeding in the rubble. Is
Clark really dead this time? I don't think so.
You may remember that last month I complained about the number of sub-plots.
The issue jumped around so much that nothing actually happened. This month, I
think the various plots were better balanced and more integrated. More
importantly, they *moved*; Kandor breaks out in riots, some good Superman
characterization squeezes into his scene with Dirk Armstrong, a kidnapping,
enough of a scene with Ceritak to see what might happen in the future without
stalling the rest of the story, and then a brief but fairly interesting battle
with Metallo. No wasted pages this time. And I have to say I didn't miss Boss
Moxie at all.
I have to admit that I can never quite figure out what's going on with the
art. Sometimes Kesel and Marzan's panels are models of craftsmanship. Other
times, they're overly cartoonish and lacking in detail. There's just no
consistency there anymore.
Now I might as well join the rest of Super-fandom and second-guess the choice
of the new costume, especially since they showed us the costumes the other
artists designed on the "Watch This Space" column on page 21. My personal
preference would have been Tom Grummett's or Paul Ryan's versions--at least
they look like containment suits. It's not that the new costume is ugly, it's
just that it lacks any sort of dynamic energy--it doesn't look "Super". Look
at the cover of this issue and you'll see what I mean. Well, it's easy to
second-guess, and we just have to live with the choice they made. For now.
Anatole Wilson (awilson@us.oracle.com)
====================================
21. ACTION COMICS #733, "The Sins of Change"
Written by David Michelinie
Art by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
Letters by Bill Oakley
Colors by Glenn Whitmore
Color Separations by Digital Chameleon
Associate Editor Mike McAvennie
Editor Joey Cavalieri
Cover by Tom Grummett, Denis Rodier, and Patrick Martin
May 1997
$1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
RATINGS:
Average: 3.2/5.0 Shields
ST: 3.7 Shields - (Story 3.5 Shields; Art 4.0 Shields)
JG: 3.0 Shields - Three pages?! That's the big cross-over with Ray?
JS: 4.0 Shields - The cover on this one is quite misleading, as The Ray
shows up basically to say, "Go with it." Other than that, Grummett
and Rodier continue to work very well together, and Michelinie
turns in a solid writing performance. Have I mentioned how cool
Metallo has become?
VV: 1.5 Shields - Ho-hum. "Hey Ray, can you give me some advice on my being
an energy construct now, like you?" "Yeah, Supes, go with it." Okay,
so it took a few more panels than that to get this point across.
AW: 4.0 Shields - The conversations between the Ray and Superman made this
story stand out. Nice twist--veteran learning from one of the "new
guys." However, it does point out a nagging problem--does the DC
Universe really need two heroes with almost exactly the same powers?
I don't think so.
Open on: An injured Clark who sustained serious damage after switching out of
electric form to escape Metallo. In a two-page spread, we see that changing
back to electrical form doesn't help matters much! Fortunately for him, Lois
comes across Electri-Kal and convinces him that his injuries are all in his
head.
Cut to: Metallo -- jubilant after killing Superman, he decides to go have fun
at Oceanside, Metropolis' version of Coney Island.
Cut to: The Ray -- Superman has called him in for a little help figuring out
his new powers. The Ray provides about as little help as you can imagine.
Cut to: Bottle City -- Chaos reigns as the inhabitants realize Tolos is dead.
Cut to: Ceritak/Scorn -- acting like a troglodyte again, smashing trees and
throwing a tantrum when Superman zaps away before Ceritak can get there.
Cut to: Metallo -- tearing up Oceanside.
Cut to: Ron Troupe -- Acting as Clark's personal Greek Chorus, he fills Kent
in on what has been happening while he's been AWOL for the past several days.
Clark throws himself out a window and zaps into Big Blue when he hears
about...
Cut to: Metallo -- still tearing up Oceanside. The SCU arrives just as
Metallo decides that maybe he'd rather play with the Nuclear Reactor.
Cut to: Perry White -- "Alice, I think you'd better sit down...."
Cut to: SCU -- trying to get its battlesuits on-line to fight Metallo. Metallo
is surprised to see Superman again, as he thought he had killed him, but takes
it in stride. After dispersing the Electric Blue Superman, Metallo absorbs the
battlesuits and once again heads towards the reactor. Too big for a tractor
beam now, Superman instead uses 'geomagnetic energy' to increase Metallo's
weight, causing him to sink into the earth and stopping his rampage.
Cut to: Jimmy Olson -- While covering the happenings at Oceanside, he spots
Emil Hamilton. Jimmy glad-hands the professor in an effort to get a scoop on
Superman's costume/power/identity change.
Cut to: Superman -- pulling Metallo back to the surface, but where's the
head?!
Cut to: Metallo's Head -- detached from the battlesuits, it now crawls away
from thescene. He vows to wreck Metropolis as an act of revenge....
I read somewhere once: Nobody is totally useless -- if nothing else they can
stand as a bad example. The same can apply to comics. Two years ago, we the
readers were subjected to the Dead Again story arc. It was a perfect example
of how _not_ to tell a story if ever there was one; take a two-issue idea and
stretch it out over 13 issues, all the while trying to hold the reader's
attention with a single, paper-thin plot. Well folks, it's two years later
and the pendulum has swung back in the other direction.
I cannot remember the last time that there were so many sub-plots going on in
the Superman titles. Superman trying to adjust to new powers as well as a
brand-new marriage, Ceritak trying to track down Superman, the Bottle City --
what will happen and how superman will deal with the results, Perry's cancer,
Jimmy's driving ambition and how it is changing him... and all of that's just
what's happening in this issue! Left on the back-burner are Simone DeNeige
and her influence at the Daily Planet, Dirk Armstrong and his views, the whole
Intergang/clone subplot, Luthor's arrest, marriage and upcoming child, the
mysterious history of the Contessa, plus more I'm sure I've forgotten. The
Superman writers are at this moment akin to jugglers trying to keep 15 balls
in the air at once. So far, they are managing... but barely. Once in a while,
one of the balls gets away.
Dropped ball #1: Superman Blue 'willing' his injuries. The writer's theory,
delivered through Lois' mouth, of, "That energy is still you! You control it!"
doesn't cut it for me: my red-cells are still me, but that doesn't stop them
from flowing all over when I gash myself open. I would have liked to see more
long-term effects of any injuries to Clark so that he had to be more careful
while human. As it stands, anything which does not kill him can be healed by
a quick switch to Electri-Kal for a patch-up and then back to Kent again.
Pfaugh.
Dropped ball #2: Metallo goes to take out a Nuclear Reactor which is situated
_right next to_ an amusement park? Surely that has to violate _some_ sort of
zoning bylaws... :-)
Dropped ball #3: _Another_ new power for Superman? Where will it all end?
Already he can effectively teleport, read information from computers, absorb
radiation, turn intangible, manifest force-shapes, and hold things in a
tractor beam... now he can affect _gravity_ too? Come on guys... Superman
isn't about the funky powers; it's about the man who wields the powers.
Not dropped, but wobbling: The whole scene with The Ray resolved nothing. The
kid seems to know less about his powers than Superman knows about his, and he
was not able to offer much in the way of insights. Superman sounded really
whiney during the whole dialog, and The Ray came off looking even more
clueless than usual. Certainly not worthy of the gorgeous cover.
Enough nit-picking though. This issue had me hanging on for dear life, ripped
from one scene to the next, bursting with subplots which were, for the main
part, character-driven -- and those are the best kind. I'm looking forward to
when things slow down and we can examine some things in a little more detail,
but for now I'm content to enjoy the ride. It sure beats being bored to
tears.
In closing, I have to say a word about the art. I can with some confidence
say that I have been a fan of Grummett's artwork longer than anyone else out
there, and after seeing this issue and WF3 I hereby declare him the Metallo
artist to end all Metallo-artists. Since his power-boost in Underworld
Unleashed, Metallo has been far more interesting (and dangerous) and was a
great choice as a villain for this arc. Grummett renders him beautifully:
Inside each form can be seen the components of the source materials making
every shape unique not only in looks, but in motion and articulation. Also,
Grummett doesn't fall into the 'Iron Man' or 'Steel' trap of giving Metallo an
expressive metal face -- yet he still manages to convey emotions.
Final note: It's nice to read a multi-issue story which doesn't have the
story-arc's name screaming at me from the top of every issue.
Shane Travis (travis@sedsystems.ca)
-- 30 --
______________________________________________________
SUPER-FAMILY TITLES:
-------------------
JLA #5, "Woman of Tomorrow"
Written by Grant Morrison
Pencils by Howard Porter
Inks by John Dell
Colors by Pat Garrahy
Color Separations by Heroic Age
Letters by Ken Lopez
Edited by Ruben Diaz
Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
May 1997
$1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
RATINGS:
Average: 4.0/5.0 Shields
JG: 3.8 Shields - Nice story, if a bit rushed. Excellent characterization,
as always.
JS: 3.8 Shields - Morrison provides a story with a real "Silver Age" kind
of feel to it, and I'm actually sorry to see that Tomorrow Woman
won't be around permanently. I'm not wild about Porter's art in
any case, but his Blue Superman just doesn't work for me.
AW: 4.5 Shields - This was extremely similar to an old JLA story from
the '70s, when T.O. Morrow created the Red Tornado. Still, the
storytelling is top-notch and artwork is definitely above average.
====================================
STEEL #38, "The Gambler"
Written by Priest
Pencils by Denys Cowan
Inks by Tom Palmer
Letters by Pat Brosseau
Computer Colors by Stu Chaifetz
Associate Editor Ruben Diaz
Editor Frank Pittarese
Cover by Dave Johnson
May 1997
$1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
RATINGS:
Average: 2.8/5.0 Shields
DS: 3.0 Shields - I'm not sure how to rate this. The trouble with this
crossover is that even after reading it, I still have no clue about
the Question.
JS: 2.6 Shields - This one didn't do much for me, but I suspect it was
because I felt out of the loop -- the Question is unfamiliar to
me, and Priest doesn't bother to tell us much about him. On the
other hand, more twists about Dr. Villain. Why does Steel have
his hammer on the cover, when he's currently not using one?
Story:
Our story opens with John Henry Irons standing in a seedy bar in Casablanca,
definitely several steps below "Rick's Cafe Americain". He is showing a
photograph of Arthur Villain and seeking information on his whereabouts. He
gets a lead that Arthur has been taken by Alawi Sharif, apparently a local
strong man whom it is wise not to cross. John Henry is wearing his "casual"
Steel outfit -- black fabric tights and shirt, his "Steel" rocket boots, and
an S-Shield (his new version), possibly made of pewter, on his shirt at the
top of the neck opening. As we will later learn, the black fabric has all
kinds of high tech circuitry built in. He is also wearing a jacket and
carrying a bag over his shoulder similar to a camera or laptop bag. One of
the natives spots the S-shield and everyone starts calling him "Superman",
unaware that even though Superman is now a man of color, his color is blue and
not black. A white bearded horseman rides up discharging his shotgun into the
air to disperse the crowd. John Henry thanks him, just before being hit with
the gun butt and being knocked out.
John Henry regains consciousness and finds himself in a room resembling a cell
with another man, Vic Sage. Vic is a gambler who was trying to make enough
money to buy an airline ticket back to Hub City. Unfortunately he got into a
card game with Mawlay Ismail, the current leader of the Alawi Sharif dynasty,
a local enforcer and compulsive gambler. Mawlay is a man of great honor when
it comes to gambling debts, as well he should be since he uses marked cards to
ensure that he doesn't lose. Vic decides to help John Henry find Villain and
free him. Vic puts on a wide brimmed hat and a faceless mask and becomes The
Question, a DC Universe character whom I know absolutely nothing about.
The scene changes to Alawi Sharif's lair, and we see him trying to make a bet
with the bearded man who captured John Henry that Steel is really Superman.
Although the bearded man, who is referred to as Colonel Metcalfe, knows that
he isn't Superman, he refuses to take the bet, apparently realizing that
either the Alawi Sharif has an angle that will allow him to win or the colonel
will suffer the fate of all gamblers who have the misfortune to win a bet
against Mawlay.
Meanwhile Steel and the Question are moving along through the sewers headed
toward Mawlay's headquarters. Steel explains how Arthur was captured:
apparently he was summoned to operate on Ismail's daughter and was
subsequently kept by him after the operation was unsuccessful. Steel goes up
to create a diversion while the Question attempts to find and release Villain.
When he finds Villain, a fist fight ensues between the Question and half a
dozen or so mercenaries paid to guard Arthur.
Steel finds Mawlay and demands Arthur's release. Ismail has kept Arthur
because Arthur owed him a debt. Since Arthur failed to cure Ismail's
daughter, the debt remained unpaid and Arthur was held prisoner. When Steel
makes a further demand for Villain's release, Ismail relents but promises to
kill Vic, who has been subdued by nerve gas after incapacitating 20 of the
mercenaries. Steel agrees to a wager to free The Question. He will fight the
Colonel. If he wins, all go free. If not, Vic and Arthur go free and John
Henry remains behind as Ismail's servant while he constructs 1000 suits of
armor. So Steel and Metcalfe fight while Vic is in a tank filling with water
to drown him. First Steel removes his uniform for the fight much to the
consternation of Col. Metcalfe and Mawlay. After about three pages, Steel
defeats Metcalfe by use of ultrasonic sound from modifying his flight boots,
which also breaks the glass of the tank where the Question was drowning. It
turned out to be the case that Ismail had magnetic resonance scanners in the
room where the fight took place, and he had planned to use them to determine
the makeup of Steel's costume. With this plan thwarted, Mawlay Ismail was a
big loser. The final scene revealed that he was an even bigger loser. He
lost 2.7 million dollars to Villain, who had bet him that Steel would
successfully save him.
Art:
There is a lot of variety in Cowan and Palmer's art in this issue. Many of
the panels are very clean with virtually no background but nice color fades
from Chaifetz, while other panels contain large amounts of what I have
previously termed "Cowan's scribbling." For example, all of the panels on
page seven seem very busy while page ten is very clean. I have been looking
for the cinematic art style that I alluded to in last month's review and found
two examples: on page nine, Steel's journey via rocket boots was effectively
captured by quickly cutting from one view to another among several small
panels; on pages five and six, the introduction of Vic and his alter-ego the
Question was handled nicely by switching between close-ups and panorama
scenes, although the detail here was not clear enough for me to determine
precisely how Vic Sage transformed into the Question -- does he wear a mask,
or is the change caused by taking a potion? Dave Johnson's cover is
problematical. It is brown with a picture of Mawlay Ismail in the background.
He is sort of reminiscent of a maniacal George Washington with the pupils of
his eyes represented by skulls. The foreground shows Steel fighting with Col.
Metcalfe, although Steel is wearing his usual uniform and Metcalfe looks
nothing like he does in the story.
Summary:
This is a difficult issue to rate. I am unfamiliar with the Question, and he
remained pretty much a mystery to me throughout the book. The ending of the
story was somewhat surprising and also enigmatic. It wasn't clear whether
Villain's bet was planned and he was in no real danger (my opinion) or whether
he made the bet knowing that if he lost it he would not be around to pay it
off in the first place. Overall, John Henry is a more interesting character
under Priest's hands than he was during the end of Simonson's tenure. I'm
getting used to Priest's style because as I read the book, I notice his clever
dialogue and appreciate it and its context -- it no longer sticks out as a
deliberate attempt to be clever. But I still miss Natasha and Paul.
Dick Sidbury (sidbury@cs.uofs.edu)
====================================
SUPERBOY AND THE RAVERS #9, "The Road Not Taken"
ROAD TRIP: THIRD STOP
Written by Steve Mattsson and Karl Kesel
Pencils by Paul Pelletier
Inks by Dan Davis
Colors by John Kalisz
Letters by Kevin Cunningham
Associate Editor Ruben Diaz
Editor Frank Pittarese
Cover by Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis
May 1997
$1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
RATINGS:
Average: 4.1/5.0 Shields
JS: 4.0 Shields - The book continues to be great fun as Kesel and Mattsson
further develop the members of this team. Very nice moments with
Kaliber and the Man of St...Energy, and we peek into Aura's head
a bit, discovering she's not exactly what she might appear.
JG: 3.8 Shields - Glad to see Aura developing into a true character.
AW: 4.5 Shields - The scene between Superman and the Qwardian made it for me.
This final issue of the Ravers' road trip is told from Aura's perspective.
She's not too happy with the team's choice to stop in Suicide Slum upon their
arrival in Metropolis, but that is where Superman was last seen in all of his
new, blue glory. The crux of the tale is that Superboy feels it's now his
time to take over the original suit, and the remainder of the story goes to
show that while he's on his way to that destination, he's not quite ready yet.
Superman agrees he could use a backup for the moment, and so Superboy is
"officially promoted." Before things get underway, Superboy attempts to
introduce Kaliber to Superman, but Kaliber had shrunk in fear -- the Man of
Energy's new powers are reminiscent of a Qwa-archangel (what do they tell
their kids on Qward?)!
The gang overhears on the police band that the SCU needs help against a
criminal -- and it turns out that Loophole's young assistant, Ariel, has uses
of her own for the molecular disruption technology (see last issue). Hero
tries out a new spin on the H-Dial, resulting in the appearance of the
Feathered Serpent. Superboy tries to stop Ariel, but he gets a molecularly
disrupted kick to the groin, which I shouldn't need to explain is quite
painful.
The team splits up to find Ariel, and when Aura decides to duck out for a
while, she stumbles across the villain, who promptly pulls her halfway through
a wall. Superboy shows back up, only to be disrupted a couple more times,
putting him in a really bad way. Finally, though, Superman arrives, providing
the team with the element of intimidation. While Ariel is distracted,
Superboy shatters her technology and then Aura wraps her up in a steel
lamppost. Need I explain the two's powers again?
Finally, with the crisis over, Kaliber gets to meet Superman, and is duly
stunned that the Man of Energy knows who Kaliber is. An immediately classic
scene, once again rising directly from Kaliber's hero-worship.
We have just a little bit of advance on the Rave front, as Hardrock
continually reminds us that he thinks the Rave needs to be cleaned up. And
this story will apparently come to blows in the next few months. Superboy
also realizes that he's not quite ready for the prime time yet, and he and
Superman agree that Superboy should switch back to his old costume.
But perhaps the most interesting development in this book was the way Aura
seemed to have a personality swing. At the beginning of the issue, Aura is
still in her "I'm in hell" mode, complaining to herself about how she was
forced to accompany the rest of the team. When Superboy makes his first
appearance in the Superman costume, Aura's thoughts reveal an overwhelming
cynicism about the Kid: "I'm sure he had it stuffed in his shorts just waiting
for the real Superman to drop dead again."
But we immediately begin to find some motivation for her cynicism. She
complains that the hero-types are in the business for the "quick fix and
glory" but could care less for the "real work and responsibility." Later, as
they are traveling to help the SCU, she thinks that it's "too bad the law
always gets in the way of justice." At this point, I'm thinking there's
something traumatic in her background that has turned her off on heroes -- the
distaste is just a bit strong to be much of anything else.
At the end of the issue, she and the Suicide Slum community salvage the
battleship Metallo had run aground in his fight with Superman, turning it into
the "Metallo Arms Apartments and Homeless Shelter." And then Aura shows
absolutely no ill will for Superman receiving the credit -- it appears that
she wants to use her powers for true good, and not for any kind of reward or
notoriety.
And then the telling comments to Superboy, where she admits that she had been
impressed by the Kid: "You fought someone who you couldn't touch and caused
you nothing but pain... but you never gave up. I didn't do that when I could
have... when I should have." Again, a possible allusion to some incident in
her past which has colored her opinions.
This exploration into Aura was quite interesting, and we managed to learn
quite a bit more about her than we have in the first eight issues combined.
I'm looking forward to hearing the rest of her story.
To close, a quick word about the art. Pelletier and Davis are quite a bit
stronger than they were in the previous issue, producing some of their best
work to date. It's a shame we'll be plagued with the scourge of Super-art
when SUPERBOY's Ramon Bernado guest-pencils next month...
Jeff Sykes (sykes@ms.uky.edu)
====================================
SUPERGIRL #9, "Tempus Fugit"
Written by Peter David
Pencils by Gary Frank
Inks by Cam Smith
Letters by Pat Prentice
Colors by Gene D'Angelo
Color Separations by Digital Chameleon
Edited by Frank Pittarese
Cover by Gary Frank, Cam Kennedy, and Patrick Martin
May 1997
$1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
RATINGS:
Average: 2.4/5.0 Shields
JS: 2.8 Shields - Well. Simply a bit too far out there for my tastes,
and even Frank's art is a touch over the top, especially when
Supergirl's doing her "fallen angel" thing towards the end of
the story. What's with the kid with the bat?
VV: 2.5 Shields - Good story and ending, except for the total wimp-out of
the ending which, in effect, makes it all a dream sequence for
Supergirl. Now that Buzz is out of the picture, and the reason for
the Linda/Matrix amalgam (sorry) is gone, will the "real" Matrix
emerge as dominant? Will they separate?
AW: 2.0 Shields - Gruesome cover. I'm still waiting for this comic to get
a real direction.
Let's see. What really happens in this issue? Who knows? Maybe nothing.
Just keep following along, and you'll eventually understand. After Tempus
blasts into the Danvers' home, Linda knocks him away with a psi-blast. After
getting her dad's blessing for seeking help, she leaves through the front
door, only to have the house explode behind her, presumably killing her
parents.
We now discover that Buzz is actually working for someone else, and that he
has promised them a fallen angel. Apparently, Supergirl is the intended
angel. Wally, the weird kid with the bat (still no clue), goes to help Linda,
and we discover that he's got a few abilities of his own.
Linda morphs into Supergirl after searching the blazing house and takes off
for the hospital, where Tempus is now after Mattie. The two battle, and
Tempus actually manages to wound Supergirl. Through the entire ordeal,
Supergirl grows darker and darker, succumbing to what Buzz has laid forth in
her life. Even the pleas of Linda's soul can't extinguish her hatred and
thirst for vengeance. But just when it looks like things have gone exactly
Buzz's way, he steps in and somehow draws her back from the abyss.
It's unclear why Buzz saves Supergirl from the fate that he had arranged, but
his "partners" are none too happy and remove him from this plane for his
impending punishment. And as Buzz disappears in a thunderclap, all lose
consciousness, and the shadow of weird Wally hovers above...
And then Linda is awakened in her apartment by a phone call from her parents,
wondering why she hasn't yet shown up for dinner. And Dick Malverne, who had
been transformed into Tempus by Buzz, is now resting in Linda's bed.
All I really got out of this was a bunch of questions. Why did Buzz send
Tempus after Mattie? Who is Wally, and what is his role in Linda/Supergirl's
life? Why did Buzz change his mind? And why did everything essentially get
reset? I sincerely hope this will be our last stroll through the darkness Mr.
David has given us for the first nine months of this title.
Maybe we can now get down to some "normal life" for Linda/Supergirl and
discover exactly what makes her tick.
This issue also marks the final Gary Frank-pencilled issue. Next month's
guest-penciller, Leonard Kirk, becomes the regular penciller as of July's
issue #13. While I will miss Frank's dynamic illustrations and expressive
facial features, I certainly will not miss his tendency to stoop to the
so-called "good girl" art that he apparently loves so much. And I could go
another hundred issues before I see more of the flaming, bleeding, demonic
Supergirl which showed up in the last half of this book.
I respect Mr. David's choice to take this character in his own direction, but
so far his direction seems to include very little of the heroic nature of
Supergirl. What happened to the Supergirl who fought so hard to prove herself
and to avenge the loss of her friend in "Panic In The Sky"? What happened to
the woman who confronted Superboy over his wearing the "S" while mixed up with
Knockout?
This Supergirl has simply become an ambiguous "hero" with telekinetic powers
who rarely resembles the "ideal" of Supergirl. Byrne's Matrix/Supergirl may
not have been the Kara that fans wanted back so dearly, but I'd pay good money
in a heartbeat to have the optimism and joy in either of those incarnations
find its way into Linda/Supergirl.
Jeff Sykes (sykes@ms.uky.edu)
====================================
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #7, "All Creatures Great and Small: Part 1"
Big Words by Scott McCloud
Petite Pencils by Rick Burchett
Immense Inks by Terry Austin
Li'l Letters by Lois Buhalis
Colossal Colors by Marie Severin
Half-Pint: Mike McAvennie
Cover by Rick Burchett, Terry Austin, and Marie Severin
May 1997
$1.75 US/$2.50 CAN
RATINGS:
Average: 3.8/5.0 Shields
CS: 4.0 Shields - Once again, solid art and writing to give you more than
your money's worth, but forces the reader to be familiar with the
Animated Series to sort out the characters and suffers because of it.
JS: 3.6 Shields - Felt a bit padded, and I think Turpin's characterization
is a bit more extreme than in the continuity titles. The art is
solid, though, and there are some wonderful size gags -- the opening
page to splash page sequence, and especially the bug spray, for
examples.
Any comic book that starts with a cover of heroes fighting on oversize items
is a must-have for me. This one has Superman fighting General Jax-Ur and Mala
on what looks like an oversized computer. The background is blurred by a
computerized effect in a very trendy way; I usually find this effect
distracting but it works on this cover.
The story starts with General Jax-Ur (who isn't identified by name until later
in the story) ranting about how he will soon break free and exact his revenge.
Despite the use of moving perspective and nice coloring effects, the page did
nothing to draw me into the story. We don't notice anything strange about the
scene until the splash page, where we see that he's been miniaturized and
placed in a very small glass case with his assistant (? Cohort? Girlfriend?
Secretary?) Mala.
This brings me to the problem I have with this issue of this comic. THE
BATMAN ADVENTURES worked very well as a completely stand-alone comic,
introducing all the major characters as if this were the first time they had
been encountered. SUPERMAN ADVENTURES seems to rely on the reader watching
the SUPERMAN Animated series (which I am unable to as I do not get a WB
station). Not having seen the series, I would have to assume that these
characters were introduced there and have been left in this state. One of the
few things Jim Shooter ever said that I agree with is "You have to treat every
comic as if it's someone's first." Without having seen the episode to which
this comics seems to be a sequel, I felt as if I was missing information.
[Actually, you're in the same boat as everyone else with regard to this issue.
The Kryptonian villains have yet to appear on the series. --Jeff]
Professor Hamilton has perfected a miniaturization ray that will help in
keeping these Phantom Zone criminals in conditions that would be considered
humane. Superman makes a nice point that the "Phantom Zone" would be
considered cruel and unusual punishment. Never having thought about it, I
would have to agree, but it is safer, as we find out later in the story.
During an Intergang breakout a few weeks later, the glass prison is bathed in
sunlight, giving the Kryptonian criminals the power to escape. Before
Superman can react, however, he is miniaturized to their size. From here, the
story starts going at full steam and doesn't let up. Superman's first battle
with General Jax-Ur and Mala is fun, playing with the fact that they are so
much smaller than everyone else around them.
The criminals get away and look for Professor Hamilton's device to restore
them to their normal size. Superman enlists Lois' aid in restoring him to his
rightful size. This leads to a fight in Lois' apartment. While the battle
sequence is well done, the best part, in my opinion, are the scenes showing
Lois' reactions to what's going on around her. Twice she tells Superman to be
careful not to break something, and we see her reaction to the damage, instead
of the damage occurring.
The story ends with General Jax-Ur using Professor Hamilton's device. Of
course, he doesn't use it to restore himself to his original size, but rather
to become a giant and cause more property damage. How will a tiny Superman
battle a foe ten times the size of a normal human? We'll have to wait for
next issue.
As with every issue of Superman Adventures, the good points far outweighed the
bad. The story plays with the whole Land of the Giants/Ant-Man premise in a
creative way. The fight scenes don't intrude into the story, but keep things
moving toward the cliffhanger. As a longtime comic reader, cliffhangers don't
do much for me; I know the hero will get out of the trap, and many times it
just feels like an artificial story point. This cliffhanger, however, did what
they are all supposed to do -- it made me want to read the next issue RIGHT
NOW!! Burchett's art never fails to amaze, in that he is able to give Lois
more personality in one panel through body language than many other creators
have done in entire issues.
A minor complaint I have could have been cleared up by tighter editing. When
Lois hides Superman in her desk to wait for their meeting with Professor
Hamilton to restore Superman's size, the panel shows Lois yawning and the
caption reads, "Quitting time." On the next page, she tells a coworker that
she's leaving early to deal with a family emergency. Which is it? I also
don't like that Dan "Terrible" Turpin (a Kirby Kreation) is shown here as a
blustery cop. This doesn't really jibe with his characterization in the
current Superman comics or in Kirby's old "Fourth World" stories, so I can
only assume that he acts like this on the cartoon. This is too bad, since his
'Law and Order' persona is better than the one used here.
I still look forward to this book more than any of the other Superman comics,
and recommend it to anyone who says, "They don't make 'em like that anymore."
Cory Strode (c.strode@genie.com)
______________________________________________________
LOIS AND CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN
------------------------------------------------------
PUT IT IN WRITING
---------------------------------
by Zoomway (Zoomway@aol.com)
AT&T long distance service has had some of the most annoying ads I've ever
suffered through. Paramount among these was an extremely high strung man who
kept saying "put it in writing." I think he went on to play Fox Mulder on THE
X-FILES. I bring this up because I have had my first and last foray into the
not so wonderful world of advertising. I speak, of course, of the FoLC ad that
appeared in The USA Today on April 11.
This very expensive, and very small ad (4" x 7") started as a project spun
from a joke. On October 31 (yes, Halloween and the same date Orson Welles got
into trouble with his "War of the Worlds" broadcast), I posted on AOL that I
would like to see a billboard with Dean and Teri on it, and preferably a
steamy, traffic-stopping billboard. However, the next day, Judi Mair wondered
if perhaps a FoLC sponsored ad might not be possible in earnest, and so a
never-ending project began.
The ad idea immediately attracted supporters and naysayers. We were warned
that we needed lawyers, an ad agency, an accounting firm, and so on.
Regardless of the good advice, we plodded on optimistically, and maybe a bit
too idealistically. The ad's heart and soul came from Beth Guide, a Texas
resident with newspaper experience. She immediately started shaping the chaos
into a committee, and was on the phone constantly to publications retrieving
ad rate information. This became a daunting reality to the committee.
Publications with huge circulation and national coverage, such as TV Guide and
USA Today, had ad rates so high that even a half page ad cost more than a 3
bedroom house. Needless to say, the big circulation publications were out.
Trade papers for the entertainment industry, like Daily Variety and The
Hollywood Reporter, had ad rates so much lower that a full page ad cost 3
times less than the 4x7 ad in USA Today. The circulation of these trade papers
is quite low, and with most trade publications, the readership outside of the
industry is lower still. In other words, the ad, even at a full page, would be
seen by few who could do LOIS AND CLARK much good in the ratings. However,
since the intent of the ad originally was merely to be a "thank you" to the
cast, writers, producers, and crew at LOIS AND CLARK, then it was hoped that
the ad would at least be seen by them. That gave the ad committee a goal of
$4500 to raise.
My function with the ad committee was to post about the ad to as many LOIS AND
CLARK forums as possible asking for fans who were interested to send in their
donations. This ran smoothly everywhere but on America Online. A LOIS AND
CLARK fan there felt it necessary to turn in the ad committee for violating
the "terms of service" prohibiting the solicitation of funds. Around the time
the ad committee was bailed out of AOL jail, ABC entered the picture. The
network representative asked the committee why it chose a paper with such low,
and esoteric readership for the ad when something like USA Today would mean so
much more publicity for the show. ABC was told that the ad rates were just too
high. ABC then made its offer.
The network representative said that ABC would match fan contribution dollar
for dollar if the committee would shoot for an ad in USA Today or TV Guide.
This would mean a smaller ad, and at the time *how* much smaller was unclear.
Even at this, it meant fans would have to come up with almost twice as much
money just to pay for half of the ad, but LOIS AND CLARK fans are pretty
amazing when they mobilize. While the money was being collected, the committee
worked on creating the physical ad itself. There were three LOIS AND CLARK
publicity photos requested from ABC for the ad, and they agreed to these photo
choices, though they would not allow them to appear at the ad website. So,
three blank picture frames were placed there instead. Early drafts of the ad
were much too "wordy", and so the ad went though many stages of development.
One aspect of the ad was to be that anyone who contributed, would get his, or
her name listed in the ad. This ABC did not like because of the technical
problems it created and so they asked that the names be removed. The ad
committee stood firm on keeping the names since it was the understanding of
those who contributed that their names would appear. Keeping the names became
a miniature battle in itself. ABC decided to do the names as a background
wallpaper in the ad, but even this could not be worked out logistically, and
so the names just ended up as a unit block in the ad. At last, the fans had
come through, and their half of the money had been raised, and then the
programming end of ABC caused a problem.
The ad committee was ready for the ad to appear in December, and told everyone
that is when it would appear, but the ABC representative told the committee to
wait, because LOIS AND CLARK would be moving to an earlier Sunday time slot in
January. So the committee had to post again and tell fans to be patient, and
that the ad would appear in January so that the new time could be mentioned.
Well, January came, but the committee once again had to tell fans that the ad
would not be appearing because LOIS AND CLARK would be put on hiatus for the
whole month of February, and so there was no sense in advertising something
that would be missing from the ABC lineup.
With March came the hope the ad would finally see print, and everyone at this
point was just happy it was nearly over, but then the programming department
stepped in again, and said that in April LOIS AND CLARK would be moving to
Saturday, and yet again the ad was put on hold. There was also a lot of
backstage maneuvering from ABC's end of the deal. They were not going to
"signoff" on the ad until it was something they were satisfied with, and so an
ad that ABC had promised would belong to the fans all the way, was rapidly
becoming anything but. Even a short line, "We know a secret." was refused by
ABC in that it seemed to infer that the network was responsible for LOIS AND
CLARK being underpublicized. They sent *their* version of the ad to the
committee, which looked something like a missing child update on a milk
carton, with a rather unflattering photo of Dean and Teri. Of the three photos
the committee had been told they could use in the ad, not one was used in
ABC's version. Finally a flattering photo of Dean and Teri was agree upon, but
aside from the names of contributors, and the small print at the bottom (even
"sponsored by Fans of Lois & Clark" was a line that had to be fought for in
order to keep) the ad is mainly ABC's.
Am I surprised by this? Not really. Am I angry? Surprisingly, no, I am not.
Initially sure, but without ABC the ad would not have had a prayer of
appearing in USA Today, nor would there have been any guarantee it would have
appeared around the country in each regional edition on the same day (USA
Today has over 20 regional editions). There is also the fact that while it may
need a valve job, ABC does have a hype engine that fans do not. Even before
the ad appeared in USA Today, an article mentioning the fan effort appeared
(also in USA Today) April 9th, and best of all, a great story about the FoLC
ad was featured on the syndicated entertainment news magazine show ACCESS
HOLLYWOOD. Beth Guide, the prime mover and shaker behind the ad, gave a great
accounting of fan desires for their favorite program.
When the ad finally appeared on April 11th, it was treated to something of a
cyberspace "Cheers" and "Jeers" reaction. Most were very happy, but there were
those who were disappointed by how small the ad was, and those who didn't
think the ad was very clever, and one of the most amusing "jeers" came from a
fan whose name appeared in the ad -- that fan never paid a dime in
contributions, and yet seemed crushed the ad was so small. Fortunately, the
cheers outnumbered the jeers, and in the end, the ad produced the type of
publicity that no amount of money can buy. It also proved that when fans of
LOIS AND CLARK set their mind to something, they are hard to discourage and
impossible to stop.
Will the ad bring up the ratings? Probably not. That is, Saturday has
traditionally been an ultra-weak night for ABC, and it has chronically lost
that night to the competition all year long. So, you might rightfully ask,
what good is the ad? The answer of course, is that the fans accomplished it in
the first place. This was no small feat, and so fans, united by their
affection for LOIS AND CLARK THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN told the world,
not so much about their favorite show, but a great deal about themselves, and
their determination to present an unstoppable force.
In closing, I want to thank all fans for their support, Judi Mair for getting
it started, Demi, for long writes and rewrites, Les Stratford for his artistic
patience, Moreen Romans working behind the scenes and tirelessly negotiating
with ABC, Jen Eagan for setting up the bank account and doing clever folc ad
progress reports, and mostly thanks to Beth Guide who made it real, or more
accurately, as the co-host of ACCESS HOLLYWOOD dubbed her, "The woman of
steel."
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SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES
---------------------------------------
Ratings Panelists:
CH: Curtis Herink NO: Neil Ottenstein
DS: Dick Sidbury SD: Scott Devarney
The first rating given after the average is that of the reviewer. The average
rating given for a particular episode may correspond to a larger sample of
ratings than what is printed following the average. Given airdates correspond
to the date of first US airing as regularly scheduled on the Warner Brothers
Television Network.
======================================================
Episode #6: "The Way of All Flesh"
----------------------------------------------------
Reviewed by Scott Devarney (devarney@ll.mit.edu)
October 19, 1996
Written by Stan Berkowitz
Directed by Kenji Hachizaki
Featuring: Clark Kent/Superman -- Tim Daly
Lois Lane -- Dana Delany
Lex Luthor -- Clancy Brown
John Corben/Metallo -- Malcolm McDowell
Angela Chen -- Lauren Tom
Dr. Vale -- John Rubinow
Young Doctor -- Jeff Glenn Bennett
Male Anchor -- Neil Ross
Young Woman -- Jennifer Richards
RATINGS:
Average: 3.8/5.0 Shields
SD: 3.0 Shields
CH: 3.8 Shields - An undercurrent of menace is sustained from the title to
the closing shot.
NO: 4.5 Shields - Good origin of Metallo. I liked the manipulation of
Luthor and use of Corben. Lois coming to the rescue was great.
His reactions on learning about his lack of senses were very good.
Final scene - great!
DS: 3.8 Shields - Nice continuity. I didn't remember that John Corben was
the guy in the pilot ep. I like the ending and can't wait to see
how Lex will handle him the next time.
This was one of those episodes that, as Dick Sidbury noted in his LOIS AND
CLARK review in KC #36, works on the initial viewing but, upon further
analysis, tends to fall apart. The initial scenes of Luthor maneuvering
Corben into becoming Metallo really showed off Lex's devious mind. These
scenes were the best part of the plot. Luthor buys Corben's loyalty by
apparently secretly providing Corben with enough cash to live in the lap of
luxury while in prison and then engineering a jailbreak. When Luthor offers a
far-fetched and drastic "cure" to Corben's disease, Corben's agreement to
become Metallo is believable; it is a hasty reaction to a desperate solution
offered by a man Corben has no reason to distrust. Luthor's reaction to
Corben's agreement is full of foreshadowing that Corben may have sold his soul
to the devil.
It is the following action scenes that cause the episode to fall apart.
Writer Stan Berkowitz shows an excessive amount of violence but doesn't really
follow up on it. A prime example is Metallo's derailment of a commuter train.
All of the cars are lifted from the track with the end car dangling off of
the elevated track. This is clearly a job for Superman yet we never see
Superman save the dangling car; he arrives and immediately tackles Metallo.
We never see an ambulance at the scene although presumably many people would
be injured in an accident of that magnitude. Another similar situation occurs
when Metallo invades Luthor's yacht and throws Lex's date into the drink; we
see her get tossed overboard but we never see her surface. We should have
seen people being rescued. Younger viewers in particular need to be reassured
that the victims are being cared for and that help is being rendered.
Another problem with this episode is that Superman acts stupidly. During the
final showdown on Luthor's yacht, Superman ignites the yacht's gasoline with
his heat vision, causing it to explode. Now, Superman and Metallo were in no
danger, but Luthor could have been killed. Seeing as Superman was trying to
stop Metallo from killing Luthor, this gives new meaning to "out of the frying
pan and into the fire". Granted, this is early in Superman's career and he
has yet to develop his code against killing (at least we've yet to see it
mentioned), but it is still unnerving to see Superman display such disregard
for people's safety. What probably happened was that the end of the show was
near and Berkowitz needed to quickly wrap up the battle. Still, the way
chosen displays a dangerous recklessness on Superman's part.
There were several things to recommend this episode. Metallo is a great foe,
and the one-on-one battles between him and Superman were a lot of fun.
Malcolm McDowell's portrayal of Metallo's anguish was quite convincing. In
fact, this idea of Corben's inability to feel is a great concept that has been
previously unexplored; it adds a nice humanizing touch that the character
lacked. Another great bit was Lois Lane's rescue of Superman during the first
Metallo duel. This scene showed her courage and feelings for Superman. This
Lois is much closer to the comics' version than Teri Hatcher's portrayal on
LOIS AND CLARK. The artwork was wonderful with nice consistent shading,
particularly on the characters and the background scenery, and the ending shot
of Metallo walking on the ocean bottom was appropriately eerie.
In summary, not a bad episode, although the violence was a little over the
top, and Superman wasn't the brightest bulb on the tree. Luthor and Metallo
helped overcome many of those flaws. An animated rematch should be a lot of
fun. (For another battle between Superman and Metallo, check out SUPERMAN
ADVENTURES #2.)
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End of Section 5/Issue #37
