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The Kryptonian Cybernet Issue 40
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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 #40 - July 1997
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CONTENTS
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Section 1: Superscripts: Notes from the Editor
My Sincerest Apologies
Out With the New, In With the Old?
Ratings At A Glance
Titles Shipped June 1997
News and Notes
The end of Blueperman, more 60th news, upcoming Superboy
changes, a Superman Lives update, video games, L&C on TNT,
and July sales numbers
Section 2: The Ethical Dimension in Superman
By Yosef Shoemaker
Just the FAQs
"What are Superman's Powers?", by David T. Chappell
An Interview With Mike Carlin
The DCU's Executive Editor speaks with Curtis Herink
Section 3: New Comic Reviews
The Superman Titles
Superman: The Man of Steel #70, by Thomas Deja
Superman #126, by David T. Chappell
Adventures of Superman #549, by Dan Radice
Action Comics #736, by Shane Travis
Section 4: New Comic Reviews
Super-Family Titles
Steel #41, by Dick Sidbury
Superboy #42, by Rene' Gobeyn
Superboy and the Ravers #11, by Jeff Sykes
Superboy and the Ravers #12, by Jeff Sykes
Supergirl #12, by Thomas Deja
Section 5: New Comic Reviews
Other Superman Titles
JLA #8, by Anatole Wilson
Superman Adventures #10, by Cory Strode
Specials and Guest Appearances
Superman: The Man of Steel Annual #6, by Thomas Deja
Superboy Annual #4, by Rene' Gobeyn
Section 6: New Comic Reviews
Specials and Guest Appearances (cont)
The Kents #1, by Rene' Gobeyn
The Superman/Madman Hullabaloo #1, by Dan Radice
The Phantom Zone
The One, True, Original Superman!
"The Very First Imaginary Story!", by Bob Hughes
Section 7: Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
I Only Have Eisner For You
More thoughts on the demise of L&C, by Zoomway
And Who Disguised As...
Ma! Look What The Adults Have Done to my Comics!
J.D. Rummel discusses comics gone Hollywood
A Superboy Continuity Guide
How do the Superboy titles fit together?
by David Young
Section 8: The Mailbag
STAFF:
------
Jeffery D. Sykes, Editor-in-Chief
Shane Travis, Executive Editor: New Comic Reviews
Nancy Jones, Executive Editor: Lois and Clark section
Neil Ottenstein, Executive Editor: S:TAS section
Editors:
Chip Chandler Steve Hanes D.M. Simms
Joe Crowe Curtis Herink Shane Travis
Trevor Gates William O'Hara Steven Younis
LEGAL DISCLAIMERS:
-----------------
Superman and all related characters, locations, and events are copyright and
trademark DC Comics. Use of the aforementioned is not intended to challenge
said ownership. We strongly suggest that each reader look to the media
sources mentioned within for further information.
All original material published in The Kryptonian Cybernet, including but not
limited to reviews, articles, and editorials, are copyright 1997 by The
Kryptonian Cybernet and the respective authors. Reprinting in any format is
expressly forbidden without the permission of The Kryptonian Cybernet and the
contributing author.
Opinions presented within this issue belong to the authors of the articles
which contain them. They should in no way be construed as those of any other
particular member of the editorial or contributing staff, unless otherwise
indicated.
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_______________________________________________________
SUPERSCRIPTS: Notes from the Editor
------------------------------------
MY SINCEREST APOLOGIES
In last month's Superscripts, I lamented the betrayal of LOIS AND CLARK by
comparing it to the story of Judas. It has since been brought to my attention
that some of you found these comments offensive, and I can only surmise that
others among you may have as well.
Please allow me to offer my humble apologies to anyone who may have been
offended by my comparison. Had I any idea that the statement would be
offensive, I simply would have removed it. I will certainly endeavor to
prevent any such comments from finding their way into my future editorials.
This month, Yosef Shoemaker has contributed an article called _The Ethical
Dimension in Superman_. In addition to the topic indicated by its title,
Yosef reviews an historic Superman comic in which Superman must deal with the
warring religious factions of an alien race. The article also touches on the
need for people of various faiths to work to find common ground for the
advancement of all. It is truly a fascinating article, and I encourage you
all to read it.
OUT WITH THE NEW, IN WITH THE OLD?
As I did two months ago, let me first assure you that I am not referring to
the new powers and costume. Besides, as recent information tells us, the end
of the storyline is now within sight. (See NEWS AND NOTES)
Before I make my proposal, let me say that I'm one of the biggest fans of the
rotating continuity found within the core Superman titles. I *love* that we
get a new Superman comic every week, and I *love* that I don't have to wait a
month to see the next part of the story I've just read.
That said, however, I have to wonder if perhaps it isn't time to move away
from this format. During the Byrne years, and the time preceding the triangle
numbers, there was an overall continuity to the Superman titles, but stories
usually didn't flow from one title to the next. They were primarily told by
one writer within one title, while the other titles told separate stories
taking place at separate times. There were events and history that tied all
the titles together, but -- and here's the kicker -- one could choose to read
only one or two of the Superman titles and not be forced to follow them all.
Perhaps it's time that we returned to this idea. It might be a bit more
difficult to keep track of the overall continuity. Sure, we might have a few
more readers asking, "So did the events in ACTION #764 take place before or
after those in SUPERMAN #153?" But wouldn't this be more of a problem for the
few readers who actually care that much about the continuity? Granted, I'd be
one of the few asking those questions, but I'm more than willing to piece that
information together myself -- I don't *need* everything handed to me...
To be honest, though, this is a secondary concern to me. The primary reason
I'm suggesting such a change is because I think that it would result in a
boost in sales. We all *know* that's eventually the bottom line in this
industry, anyway. Besides, don't you all agree that Superman titles *should*
be the best-selling titles in the comics biz?
First, let's look at the current readership. I would imagine that most of the
people reading Superman actually buy each and every one of the main continuity
books. However, I'm discovering that more and more people are beginning to
read only a few of the titles, and are willing to sacrifice the overall detail
in order to avoid a disliked artist or writer. Some of these people have
simply become bored with some of the creators which have been in place for
some length of time.
Were the titles to drop the current format, I'm sure that there would be a few
readers who would immediately join this group, choosing only to read *some* of
the titles. However, I also am discovering that there are many *more* people
out there who would begin to read Superman titles given such a change -- and
I'm talking about people who don't read *any* of them right now. Even on
Usenet, I've often seen people comment that they're interested in checking out
Superman, but that they are scared off by the need to buy every week. There
are quite a few people who pick up the Kesel-written title or the
Stern-written title, just because of the writers. There will soon be a
completely different crowd who might be interested in ACTION because of Stuart
Immonen's art. The same for ADVENTURES and Tom Grummett.
In the long run, it seems to me that while some titles would lose readers and
others would gain, the overall result would be that the *total* sales of the
four/five Superman titles would increase just from this phenomenon alone.
I also think there would be another benefit to such a reversion. Today's
market is filled with readers who follow a particular writer or artist. Be
honest, now. Do you think SUPERGIRL would have been such a phenomenal sales
success without the followings of Peter David and Gary Frank? Think about
this. Superman *should* be considered the pinnacle of one's career. And some
of the established creators seem to agree. Mark Waid wrote that four-issue
Brainiac story last year with Tom Peyer, followed it up with KINGDOM COME,
returns this month with a fill-in on ACTION, and will be helping out Louise
Simonson on MAN OF STEEL in a couple of months. At one time, rumor had it
that he and Alex Ross wanted to collaborate on another Superman project for
the 60th anniversary.
Waid obviously likes writing Superman, or we wouldn't be seeing this work.
Waid is one of the better bets for DC these days, in that a large number of
people consider him one of the best writers in the business. Why is it then
that he hasn't been given a Superman book? The format, the rotating
continuity, is unattractive. It requires a writer to become a cog in a wheel,
where the writing is part of a group effort -- and less of an individual
effort. Very rarely does one writer in the Superman group get to tell the
entire story.
Were this to change, were the stories to return to -- for the most part --
within a title, I would think it would make the Superman books more attractive
to these popular, established writers, who simply don't think they'd be
comfortable in the group setting. Imagine, if you will, that sometime in the
near future, several members of the team decide to step down from Superman,
leaving several creative holes. Which would result in better sales? Hiring
the likes of a Waid, Busiek, or Morrison? Or simply finding people willing to
become part of a writing team?
I have a *very* strong suspicion that breaking the recent tradition, returning
to the continuity format from the early post-Crisis years, would result in an
immediate boost in sales. Not only that, but I think that sales would
continue to climb as big name creators would become interested in the Superman
titles.
In the long run, stronger or even steadily rising sales would mean less need
for the so-called "stunt" events to provide sales spikes. True, this would
mean ending a practice which makes the Superman titles fairly unique to the
industry. Certainly, I would miss the revolving continuity. But in the long
run, I *have* to believe it would be the best thing for the bottom line.
Until next month...
Jeff Sykes, Editor
_______________________________________________________
RATINGS AT A GLANCE: Titles shipped June 1997
-----------------------------------------------
Prepared by Shane Travis (travis@sedsystems.ca)
A Special Welcome this month to Andrew Hudson and Charles Stevens, both
of whom have joined up as Ratings Panelists since last issue. If you are
interested in contributing your opinion, see below for information.
If you took the summer off from buying comics, you missed some good stuff
this month; four titles (three of them regulars) with an average rating of
4.0 or higher, and almost all the ratings higher than last issue! (With a
couple of notable exceptions.)
So now, without further ado...
Key:
----
Issue -- Issue for which 'Current' Rating and Rank are calculated. The
'Previous' columns refer to the issue immediately prior to this.
Rating -- Average Rating, in Shields (maximum rating is 5.0). The number
in () indicates how many people submitted ratings.
Rank -- The relative ranking of the book among the regularly-published
Superman titles.
Average -- Average of the ratings for this title over the indicated number
of months, based on the book's cumulative average. Each month is
weighted equally, regardless of the number of people rating the
book that month. If this book is averaged over fewer months than
the rest, the number of months is displayed in ().
Current Previous Avg (3Mth)
Title Issue Rating Rank Rating Rank Rating Rank
----- ----- ------------ ------------ ------------
The Kents 1 4.5(4) -- -- -- -- --
Superman Adv. 10 4.2(2) 1 4.0(2) 2 4.03 2
Action Comics 736 4.1(4) 2 2.8(4) 9 3.23 7
Steel 41 4.0(3) 3 3.9(3) 3 4.13 1
Superman 126 3.7(7) 4 3.1(4) 8 3.27 6
Supergirl 12 3.7(4) 5 3.4(4) 5 3.50 4
Superman/Madman 1 3.4(5) -- -- -- -- --
JLA 8 3.4(4) 6 3.5(5) 4 3.63 3
Superboy Annual 4 3.3(3) -- -- -- -- --
SB and the Ravers 11 3.3(2) -- 2.3(4) 10 3.23 --
SB and the Ravers 12 3.2(3) 7 3.3(-) -- 2.93 10(T)
Adv. of Superman 549 3.2(8) 8 3.2(5) 6 3.33 5
Man of Steel 70 3.0(6) 9 3.2(3) 7 2.93 10(T)
Superboy 42 2.7(4) 10 4.1(3) 1 2.93 10(T)
MoS Annual 6 1.7(4) -- -- -- -- --
Comics You Should Have Bought: THE KENTS #1 (4.5 Shields)
- Although Superman never shows up, this story of the Kent family is
historically accurate and beautifully drawn. Intriguing characters combined
with Ostrander's dedication to his craft and the genre (read the essay!)
make this book well worth your time and money.
...And Those You Wish You Hadn't: MAN OF STEEL ANNUAL #6 (1.7 Shields)
- The lowest score I've seen since Superman: At Earth's End. If you
haven't bought it already, don't waste your cash. (Go buy the Superboy
Annual instead.)
Going Up! ACTION COMICS #736 (+1.3 Shields)
- Michelinie delivers a strong final issue, examining the concept of heroism
as it related to Clark and his new powers. Many have called this the best
single issue of any Superman book since the power change.
Going Down... SUPERBOY #42 (-1.4 Shields)
- A lame villain turns people off after the hugely-acclaimed ending to
the Meltdown storyline. Oh well... at least the art has improved now that
Bernado's off the book.
Information for 'Ratings at a Glance' and the ratings accompanying the
monthly reviews of Superman comics are obtained from KC readers. Anyone
interested in contributing may contact Shane Travis <travis@sedsystems.ca>
and will be added to the monthly mailing-list to receive a Ratings Form.
_______________________________________________________
NEWS AND NOTES
--------------
POLISHING THE DIAMOND
More teasers about possible events to celebrate Superman's 60th,
beginning with *the* big one -- the news most comics fans have been
anticipating for the past few months. At recent conventions, Mike
Carlin confirmed that the current "Blue Superman" storyline will be
drawing to a close in 1998, though he failed to mention any details
about how or when this would occur. Recent rumors place the conclusion
around April or May.
Carlin has also mentioned that Dave Gibbons (SUPER SOLDIER, WATCHMEN) is
involved in a special project for 1998, and that Alex Ross has expressed
an interest as well. Ross recently told Mania (http://www.mania.com),
"I can't get away from the fact that the thing that I enjoy doing the
most is drawing Superman, which is something that I can't get out of my
head. And I really want to do something with him. I have a pitch in to
DC about doing something for the 60th anniversary; thereby, also, I'm
hoping to go on to do projects with the 60th anniversary of the
characters of Batman, Wonder Woman, and Captain Marvel." Looks like
Alex will be busy through the end of the millennium and beyond! :)
DOES THIS MEAN KRYPTO = BANDIT?
Last month we told you Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett were probably
returning to SUPERBOY, the title they originally spun out of "The Reign
of the Supermen." This has now been confirmed, and Karl has been
spilling some beans. Michael Doran's Newsarama
(http://www.mania.com/newsarama/newsarama.htx) reports that Karl and
Tom have some changes in plan for their second run on this title, which
begins with issue #50, tentatively scheduled for February 1998:
"The high concept is 'Jack Kirby does Jonny Quest'," said Kesel. "The
first four issues (#50-53) set this in place, and if Tom and I do our
job right, after people read issue #50 they'll say, 'What the hell is
going on?!' As far as we're concerned, nothing is sacred. Not the
supporting characters, not the setting, not the hair, not the costume.
That doesn't mean that any or all of those things will be going away or
changing, it just means that we are letting this new direction take the
lead... everything else has to grow out of that.."
Kesel has expressed an interest in inking Grummett's pencils, but this
has not yet been decided. Before he began writing, Kesel was a
successful inker. His inking has been limited in recent years, though
he did usually ink Grummett's SUPERBOY covers during their first run.
In other Superboy news, Josh Hood becomes the new regular inker of
SUPERBOY AND THE RAVERS as of issue #15. It still remains to be seen
whether or not that title will continue for much longer, as rumors have
it being canceled in the near future, to be replaced by a Superboy/
Robin/Impulse title. Mike Carlin recently confirmed that such a "Junior
Justice League" project was in discussion, but that nothing was yet on
the schedule.
SUPERMAN FOREVER?
Kevin Smith recently dropped some comments about what's he's heard is
happening with the SUPERMAN LIVES project. Apparently, most of Smith's
script has disappeared, and much of the dialogue has been replaced by
one-liners and jokes. He also mentioned that, late in the film, Luthor
and Brainiac merge into one being called Luthiac -- and no I'm not
making that up. And on a final note, Smith stated that the part of
Brainiac was now ready for Jim Carrey.
In perhaps the only good news in this update, conflicts over Cage's
availability has reportedly pushed back filming until January 1998,
with the film's tentative release date delayed until the holiday season
of that year. Perhaps this will give them more time to realize what
they're doing...
SUPERMAN VIDEOGAMES
A Superman video game, based on the animated series, is currently in
production for the Nintendo 64. The game is still in the early stages
(somewhere between 25% and 50% complete) but should be ready some time
next year. Sony reportedly wants a conversion of the game for their
Playstation game system, though nothing has been made official yet.
L&C & TNT
TNT has finalized its initial air schedule for reruns of LOIS AND CLARK.
Episodes will begin airing on September 1, 1997. All episodes will air
uncut and in their original air order, and the two-hour premiere will be
shown on consecutive nights (Sept. 1-2). LOIS AND CLARK will initially
be broadcast Monday through Saturday at 7:00 PM Eastern. The show might
be moved to 6:00 PM Eastern when BABYLON 5 begins airing in January,
though this has yet to be determined.
YOU WANT NUMBERS? WE GOT NUMBERS...
One of the primary concerns in the comics industry these days is sales.
Which titles are selling well, which aren't selling well, how sales are
down across the boards, etc. Here come the facts -- so that you'll know
what you're talking about next time someone asks how SUPERGIRL is
selling, I'm going to start providing the numbers for the various
Superman family titles.
All of the following information is based on pre-orders through Diamond
Distributors, and the data is collected and compiled each month by Matthew
High of Antarctic Press (http://www.texas.net/~antarc/salescharts.html).
In addition to the Superman books, I'll also provide the numbers for the
top selling title, for comparison purposes. The following information is
for titles released in July 1997.
The #SOLD is the estimated total number of copies pre-ordered through
Diamond Comic Distributors, in thousands. These numbers do not reflect
any reorders, nor do they include newsstand sales. The CHANGE is the
estimated percentage change from the previous issue. An asterisk (*)
indicates that the previous issue of the title was published two or more
months ago.
RANK TITLE #SOLD CHANGE
---- ----------------------------- ----- -------
1 Uncanny X-Men #347 165.6 - 2.4%
9 JLA #10 104.8 + 0.5%
10 JLA #9 104.3 + 2.5%
25 JLA/Wildcats 72.7
29 Superman #127 67.5 - 3.6%
30 Adventures of Superman #550 66.6 - 0.6%
31 Action Comics #737 66.1 - 0.9%
32 Superman Man of Steel #71 65.0 - 2.0%
37 JLA Secret Files #1 56.9
39 Superman Man of Tomorrow #9 56.0 +13.8% *
47 Adventures Superman Annual #9 48.3
52 Supergirl #13 46.2 - 4.0%
64 Superman/Madman Hullabaloo #2 39.6 -13.0%
69 The Kents #2 38.3 -15.8%
79 JLA Gallery 34.5
99 Superboy #43 28.1 + 0.4%
130 Superman Adventures #11 20.6 - 2.8%
140 Superboy and the Ravers #13 19.6 + 1.0%
155 Steel #42 16.1 + 4.5%
198 Steel Movie Adaptation 9.9
_______________________________________________________
THE ETHICAL DIMENSION IN SUPERMAN
---------------------------------
by Yosef Shoemaker
Last issue's article about the essence and appeal of Superman contained the
following sentence: "Part of the essence of Superman is his high moral
caliber, his compassion, his commitment to ethical deportment." Perhaps it
would be worthwhile to examine this aspect of the character in depth.
Siegel and Shuster incorporated this "high moral caliber" into their creation
from the beginning. Even as early as ACTION COMICS #1, we read, "Early, Clark
decided he must turn his titanic strength into channels that would benefit
mankind. And so was created...SUPERMAN! Champion of the oppressed, the
physical marvel who had sworn to devote his existence to helping those in
need!" In SUPERMAN #1, we would find out that this decision came after the
deaths of his adoptive parents, the Kents: "[The passing of his foster
parents] strengthened a determination that had been growing in his mind."
That determination was to use his strength for the common good. In that same
issue, and in the re-telling in SECRET ORIGINS Vol. 2 No. 1, we see young
Clark being told by a parent, "When the time comes, you must use [your
strength] to assist humanity." Indeed, just before adopting his Superboy
identity, Clark is depicted as having said to his adoptive father, "Dad,
you've taught me that one day I should use my powers to help people..."
[ACTION COMICS #500] Clearly, the Kents' up-bringing of Clark was essential
in his development as an ethical being who would decide to use his unique
abilities to serve humanity. This theme is echoed after 1986, as well, and is
even a theme in the press for the current KENTS mini-series.
In SUPERMAN #1, it is Clark's devotion to assisting humanity that determines
his career choice: "If I get news dispatches, I'll be in a better position to
help people." This is echoed in the elaborate re-telling of his origin that
appeared decades later and which is re-printed in the SECRET ORIGINS OF THE DC
SUPER-HEROES book.
Decades after ACTION COMICS #1, his care and compassion for people would be
described as an essential part of his identity. During the famous "Mr.
Xavier" story-line [SUPERMAN #296-299], Superman finds that in his Clark Kent
clothes, he is powerless, and that only in his Superman costume is he
super-powered. He is prompted to try out being one or the other: either a
Superman with no civilian role in which to "unwind" or a self-assertive Clark
Kent with no super-powers to help people. Neither exercise proves completely
satisfying. Clark, without his costume, without his powers, witnesses a flood
in a subway, and is shaken by the experience of not being to do anything. A
passer-by looks at Clark and thinks to himself, "Poor guy--looks like he
nearly had heart failure." In a diary entry, Superman later writes, "I found
as Clark Kent that when I saw disaster and pain and could not soar into
Superman-action to end it [,] the guilt I suffered at my helplessness was too
much to bear!" He resolves to maintain both roles, realizing that "..to do
away with [either Clark Kent or Superman] would be to kill half of myself..."
ACTION COMICS #500 featured a biography of Superman. The story-line dealt
with Luthor's clandestine plot to replace Superman with a clone subservient to
him. During Superman's battle with the clone, Lois realizes who the real
Superman is, and in so doing, provides us with a clue as to the man's essence
and identity: "[Lois knows that it is not his power or his wisdom that make
him Superman.] No, it is something else...that special virtue that is his and
his alone: the ability to use all that G-d-given power and long-nurtured
wisdom in the name of kindness...ethics... morality--the things men call
'Good'..." This is reminiscent of the message Superman leaves for humanity in
SUPERMAN #156 when he thinks he is dying: "Do good unto others, and every man
can be a Superman."
APPENDIX: The Family of Man
ACTION COMICS #517 (March, 1981) featured a story entitled, "The War for
Peace." Superman spies a spaceship about to burn up from friction upon entry
into Earth's atmosphere. Superman wraps the ship in his indestructible,
stretchable cape and brings it to the Moon. Shortly after landing, another
ship appears, blasting Superman into unconsciousness. When he revives, he
meets the pilot of the ship he had rescued, Nemrul of the Margoi. Nemrul
tells him that the attacking ship is from the Aloi, and that they have stolen
a priceless religious object from Nemrul. The object is sacred to the Margoi.
Superman promises to help Nemrul recover this object.
When the two arrive on the Nemrul's planet, Nemrul reveals that he had
actually stolen the object from the Aloi! [The Aloi had stolen it from the
Margoi a millennium prior to that.] They attempt to keep Superman
"incommunicado," so that he will not interfere when they try to re-capture the
sacred object. Superman escapes and manages to prevent the Aloi and the
Margoi from destroying each other. He hopes that they learn to renounce the
use of violence and resolve their differences in an atmosphere of peace and
love.
The theme of inter-religious conflict is played out in a more "Earthly"
context at the very beginning of the story. The story actually begins with
Superman detecting a fist-fight between boys of different faith communities.
Superman breaks up the fight, denounces their use of violence, and directs
them to focus on what they have in common. Just as the two groups of boys are
making peace, Superman flies off abruptly to deal with the spaceship that he
had spied.
Undoubtedly, all of the world's religions have dealt with the questions, "What
do we share with those outside of our faith community? What is our
attitudinal posture towards them? What types of interactions are
appropriate?" In his time, the great sage Rabbi Dr. Joseph B. Soloveitchik,
of blessed memory, provided guidance for the non-insular Orthodox Jewish
community which revered him as its premiere figure; they still study and
venerate his work. He explained on more than one occasion that even as there
are unique elements in each faith, members of different faith communities do
share certain responsibilities. He advocated people of different faith
communities "stand[ing] shoulder to shoulder [,] pre-occupied with the
cognitive-technological gesture for the welfare of all, implementing the
mandate granted by the Creator..." He advocated communication between the
various faith communities, not in theological areas, but in those areas that
concern all members of what he and others call, "the family of man." He
wrote:
"[We are all of us] members of the universal community charged with the
responsibility of promoting progress in all fields, economic, social,
scientific, and ethical. In the areas of universal concern, an exchange
of ideas [is welcome]. Communication among the various communities will
greatly contribute towards mutual understanding and will enhance and
deepen our knowledge of those universal aspects of man which are
relevant to all of us. [In] the public world of humanitarian and
cultural endeavors, communication among the various faith communities
is desirable and even essential."
["A Treasury of 'Tradition,'" pp.78-79.]
His brother, the great sage Rabbi Ahron Soloveichik, may G-d grant him health
and a long life, writes in a similar vein about the need for "Association in
Friendship." He writes, "Association in friendship means living together,
helping one another, guiding, comforting, encouraging one another." Although,
to be sure, there are certain associations he frowns upon, they do not relate
to faith-communities joining together as members of the family of man to
up-build the world. ["Logic of the Heart, Logic of the Mind," pp.84-86]
[To be sure, the rabbis were focusing on Jews and Gentiles working together
for the common good, but there is no reason to assume that Taoists and
Jainists shouldn't work together according to their opinion!]
May we see peace and the ultimate redemption of the world in our own time.
Yosef Shoemaker
July 1997
_______________________________________________________
JUST THE FAQS
-------------
More Details about Frequently-Asked Questions about the Man of Steel
by David T Chappell
With the recent changes and continuing revisions in Superman's energy form and
new powers, I'll take a moment to look back at his "old" powers in modern
continuity. This month, we trace the history of Kal-El's super- powers as I
ask,
"What are Superman's Powers?"
Introduction
The question is actually a little more complicated than the above title
implies. The full set of questions I see is as follows. What are Superman's
powers? How did he get his powers? How have his powers changed over the
years?
Interestingly, John Byrne has pointed out that, "With one notable exception,
his heat-vision, all of Superman's amazing abilities can be viewed as
extensions or extrapolations of our own human abilities." ("Superman--The
'New' History--A Guide")
A Brief History
In the first stories from the 1930s, Superman relied primarily on his
superhuman strength. Over the years, he gained more powers and greater
strength. By the late 1970s, Superman could shift entire planets out of orbit
and was practically the most powerful being in the universe. After the
Universal Crisis and John Byrne's revamp, however, Superman's powers were
lessened to make him more mortal.
I Have the Power!
Superman's powers include unusual strength, flight, extra-dense skin,
invulnerability, super hearing, and super-speed. Superman's powerful strength
allows him to press 100 tons with no apparent strain, though he can left much
more than this if he exerts himself. As a result of his super strength, he
also has a powerful "super-breath." If he purses his lips and blows hard,
Superman can produce hurricane-force winds along a narrow path. The Kryptonian
cells of Superman's body are much more dense than human cells are, and this is
a large part of his invulnerability. Furthermore, an electro-chemical aura
surrounds Superman's body and protects him (and his costume) and seems to be
part of his flight ability. While sometimes taken for granted, Superman's
super-speed is a valuable asset. His cruising speed is above the speed of
sound and reaches to about 1,000 miles per second ("Superman--The 'New'
History--A Guide"), but he can not even begin to approach the speed of light.
Though he is not as fast as the Flash, Clark can use his super-speed to not
only travel quickly but also perform dexterous tasks with great speed.
Superman's hearing is much more accurate than a human's, and he can hear a pin
drop up to ten miles away or a hand grenade explode up to a hundred miles away
("Superman--The 'New' History--A Guide").
The Man of Tomorrow also has several forms of super-vision. His eyes are
sensitive to a much wider range of the electromagnetic spectrum than are human
eyes. With his X-Ray vision, Superman can see through solid objects with the
exception of dense materials such as lead by absorbing natural x rays.
Superman's heat vision has been explained as either telekinesis or the release
of excess solar energy through his eyes. This "heat vision" manifests itself
as invisible beams of energy radiating from Kal-El's eyes, and it can heat
most objects enough to melt them. His telescopic and microscopic vision allow
him to see farther and in greater detail than normal humans. When he
concentrates on using infrared vision, he can even see heat sources. Thus,
with infrared vision, Superman can effectively see in the dark when no visible
light is present.
Origin of The Powers
Superman's ability to fly has been explained as a result of Earth's gravity
being much less than that of his home world, but it seems to be at least
partially psychokinetic in nature. For example, when Kal-El is flying,
objects seem to weigh less and massive objects do not break apart. As
Superman himself described, "Evidently, I fly objects the same way I fly
myself--by sheer force of will, not by strength." (SUPERMAN #1, Jan 87)
Most of Clark's other powers are due to Earth's yellow sun (Krypton had a red
sun named Rao). His father, Jor-El of Krypton, acknowledged that "Exposed to
the radiation of that star, his Kryptonian cells will become living solar
batteries, making him grow more powerful." (MAN OF STEEL #1, 1986)
Super-Evolution
Superman was not born with his powers, but they developed as he grew. They
began to show themselves during puberty, but he did not fully realize his
powers until he became an adult. For example, Clark was eight when he
realized his near-invulnerability, and he was seventeen years old when he
learned that he could fly (MAN OF STEEL #1, 1986)
Just a couple years ago, Superman's powers greatly increased after his return
from death. His strength, speed, and vision powers were greater than before.
He could also survive in space without oxygen for extended periods of time.
Superman's powers increased because his exposure to Kryptonite passing through
the Eradicator changed his metabolism (SUPERMAN #82, Oct.93). His strength
grew to the point where it was nearly uncontrollable and he was a danger to
everyone around him. Eventually, an encounter with the Parasite removed
Superman's extra powers and reduced him to his normal levels (ADVENTURES #512,
May 94). After the entire sequence, Superman's powers returned to their
pre-Death levels with no net increase or decrease (ACTION #699, May 94).
The Man Beyond Tomorrow
After the sun's energy was temporarily blocked during the Final Night (1996),
Superman's powers faded. He eventually regained his super-powers, but his
"Power Struggle" seems tied to a more important change. In the current
"shocking" story line, Superman's powers have greatly changed to become more
energy based. The cause and details of this transformation are being slowly
revealed. In particular, see Steven Younis' new "Who is Superman Blue?"
column at the Superman Homepage (http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/7771/)
for the latest updates on these new powers.
Conclusion
Superman has generally been more than the sum of his parts. In some eras, and
still to some writers and readers, Superman is composed primarily of the
super-powers he possesses. However, one major emphasis in Byrne's Super-
revision of the late 1980s was to emphasize the MAN over the powers. Whether
Clark wears a blue-and-white suit or a red-and-blue one, whether his "heat
vision" stems from his eyes or his mind, he's still Clark, and it's the man
inside that matters in the end.
The "Just the FAQs" column is Copyright (C) 1997 David Thomas Chappell. All
rights reserved. Making copies in any format is expressly forbidden without
the written permission of the author.
_______________________________________________________
AN INTERVIEW WITH MIKE CARLIN
------------------------------------------------
by Curtis Herink (herink_cd@mercer.peachnet.edu)
This year's Dragon*Con was held in Atlanta June 26-29. Mike Carlin was one of
the guests. Although he made appearances on different panels throughout the
convention, he spent a lot of time at DC's display booth chatting with anyone
who came by. I was one of his many visitors, and during one of our
conversations he agreed to the following interview, conducted shortly after
the convention for the readers of the Kryptonian Cybernet.
KC: Please describe your role as Executive Editor of the DC Universe. How
does it compare to the job of editor of the SUPERMAN line?
MC: I'm a supervisor over twenty group editors and editors and associate
editors and assistant editors... and I try to inspire an organized
universe across the DC line -- a natural extension of what I did with
the writers and artists on the Superman books themselves when I edited
them for ten years!
I'm a walking opinion for the editors to check with... and I can steer
and shape directions of any of DC's Super-Hero titles (though I really
TRY to let the editors steer their own ships -- since I think the
books'll be stronger if there's a personal stake in it for the writers,
artists AND editors who work on them)!
My big job here is to just let the good stuff happen, and to try to make
weaker stuff good so it can happen better!
KC: Do you think too much information is given away in pre-publication
descriptions of the stories?
MC: Yup... but it is a necessary evil. It's frustrating that it's harder
for us to surprise readers. We managed to pull off some of our best
surprises in "The Reign of the Supermen" -- but it wasn't easy!
KC: Is it possible to strike a balance between those readers who want to let
the comic books themselves tell the story and those who want to know
everything that is going to happen months in advance? (Retailers need
some advance info to judge the sizes of their orders, but some fans want
to be surprised by what happens as they read the stories.)
MC: As I said before... it is an unavoidable mutation of our business. The
best (and only) thing someone can do if they're a reader who likes to
experience the comic the day it's published and not a moment sooner, is
to simply avoid reading ANY Preview type books. Let the retailers do
that for you... then just scour the racks closely when books are
published!
KC: Run down what you can of the plans for Superman's 60th anniversary.
MC: Sorry, too early to tell... (and this question after a question about
whether or not readers know stuff too early! Sheesh!) [KC: Touche!]
KC: And now some questions about the upcoming SUPERMAN movie.
MC: I'll tell ya right now, I'm not as in this loop as ya might think...
that said, let's see what I can help you with!
KC: As rumors spread about the movie, some fans have become more and more
concerned that a number of bad decisions have been made. Perhaps your
answers to the following questions can help to lay some of those
concerns to rest.
MC: Rumors are rumors until any movie comes out!
KC: Have you read the script by Kevin Smith, and was it as good as we've
been led to believe (i.e., that it was very good indeed)?
MC: I have read the Kevin Smith script... and his second draft was a very
solid Superman movie... there were still a few minor rough spots in my
opinion, but it was an imminently exciting Superman movie!
KC: How much of the Smith script will make it into the shooting version?
MC: Who knows... they haven't started shooting yet!
KC: How much input does DC have on the final version of the story?
MC: We read all drafts and make notes... that's our input.
KC: How satisfied are you with the personnel selections that have been made
for the film -- especially Tim Burton as director and Nicolas Cage as
Superman?
MC: Tim Burton has made some of my favorite movies (PEEWEE'S BIG ADVENTURE,
ED WOOD), and though I didn't care for MARS ATTACKS... Tim does "big"
well! Superman needs to be "BIG"!
As far as Nicolas Cage goes, I thought Michael Keaton was a BIG mistake
until I saw the movie and I totally bought it! So I will reserve my
comments otherwise here!
KC: Is there any truth to the rumors that Jim Carrey will play Brainiac?
MC: Still a rumor as far as I know!
KC: How important is it to have DC characters, Superman in particular,
appearing in other media?
MC: It's always important to expose what we do/like to people who might not
see it otherwise. It's also good when the comic biz is soft... like now!
KC: Do you want to see more of that, or less?
MC: Always wanna see more! Would even wanna see more good Marvel movies (saw
MIB over the weekend-- and while it's only a Marvel movie by the skin of
its teeth, it was a good movie).
BUT we can all live without more BAD comic book movies -- they help
no one!
KC: Is it possible for a character to get too much exposure?
MC: Sure... but some characters like Batman are extremely flexible...
KC: It is inevitable that elements of the treatment of a character in
other media will find their way into the comic books. (Kryptonite
first appeared on the SUPERMAN radio show, Inspector Henderson on the
television show. Camp made its way from the BATMAN television show
into the comics.)
MC: If something is viable and sensible it'll work its way in... if it's
arbitrary and superfluous it'll be forgotten!
KC: What do you think are the best and worst instances of this phenomenon?
MC: Your examples are good ones... worst was when we tried to help validate
the LOIS AND CLARK show by having Perry say "Great Shades of Elvis" in
our comics. I still maintain it's as dumb a saying as "Great Caesar's
Ghost" (which also came from the TV show in the fifties) -- but our
readers really resented it!
KC: Superman has appeared in many different media, including comic books,
comic strips, radio, cliffhangers, television, a Broadway play, movies,
animation, and novels. Which medium has the potential (in theory) to
give the best presentation of Superman, and which has actually (in
practice) made the most effective use of Superman?
MC: You left out trading cards! They ALL have the POTENTIAL to do Superman
justice... they don't all succeed (even comics) all the time! For my
money the greatest translation of Superman to another medium is the
current ANIMATED SUPERMAN on the WB! The animation in the Fleischer
cartoons may have been more lush... but the stories there were nil! The
stories AND the attention to detail in the stylish and fluid animation
on the WB series combine to make the best, richest, and truest Superman
ever for me!
KC: In 1980 you were an intern at DC.
MC: Nope it was 1974... I started at Marvel Comics in 1980... returning to
DC in 1986.
KC: Sorry for that factual error. (That's what I get for relying on
information from second-hand sources. Onward... ) In 1997 you are
Executive Editor. What job would you like to have 17 years from now?
MC: I'll alter this to 23 years from now... I hope to be watching some young
upstarts mess with Superman and keep him fresh and viable for the year
2020! I'd also simply like to be alive... maybe writing comics movies
and/or TV... I don't think I've got 20 more years as an Executive Editor
in me (no cheering, please!) so who really knows.
KC: Thank you very much for your time.
MC: No sweat!
_______________________________________________________
NEW COMIC REVIEWS
-----------------
Ratings Panelists:
AH: Andrew Hudson DR: Daniel Radice RG: Rene' Gobeyn
AW: Anatole Wilson DSd: Dick Sidbury ST: Shane Travis
ChS: Charles Stevens DSv: Dan Silverstein TD: Thomas Deja
CoS: Cory Strode JSm: Jim Smith VV: Vic Vitek
DC: David Chappell JSy: Jeff Sykes
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:
-------------------
30. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #70 Aug 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Deja News"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Pencils: Scott Eaton
Inks: Denis Janke
Lettering: Ken Lopez
Color: Glen Whitmore
Comp. Services: Digital Chameleon
Assoc. Editor: Mike McAvennie
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Jon Bogdanove, Dennis Janke, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.0/5.0 Shields
TD: 2.8 Shields - Yeah, it had it's moments, but haven't we seen this all
before in MOS #68 and 69?
AH: 3.0 Shields - The 'Jimmy puts his foot in it' story is getting boring,
and the writers are in danger of losing the original character of
Jimmy altogether. Simone is also getting annoying, always only
wanting the same things -- pictures, and Clark!
AW: 3.0 Shields - While I hate Jimmy's current stupidity and selfishness,
there was good action and a nice teaming between Ceritak and Superman.
JSy: 3.7 Shields - Strong characterizations; Saviour is a little smarter,
Scorn and Ashbury's situation is handled quite well, and Bibbo giving
Jimmy his comeuppance was simply beautiful. Eaton and Janke's art
improves quite a bit, though Superman's chin still isn't quite right.
ST: 3.3 Shields - This is how Saviour should have been portrayed in the
first place; a little slow and single-minded, but not the brain-dead
fool we saw in Action. Always enjoy seeing Bibbo; his simple soul is
a breath of fresh air -- especially compared to Jimmy's nowadays.
VV: 2.0 Shields - Seems to be belaboring the point that Jimmy is being
set-up for some come-uppence. Hey, maybe we'll see Jimmy versus Bibbo
in the ring (boxing, not Kryptonite)!
(Let's all take a moment to chuckle at the possibly unintended, Usenet-related
pun. :)
Maybe it's me, but THE MAN OF STEEL is turning out to be the lightest of the
Superman titles. I don't mean this as a slight; it's just that while the
other three books seem intent on grim adventures and hard times for The Man of
Sparks, Simonson seems perfectly happy doing broad gags featuring the
Letterman-esque Whitty Banter and crib notes(!). If only this issue didn't
tread on already trod-upon ground, this latest entry would've been a big pile
o'fun.
Saviour, having been freed by the mystery man who formed the Superman Revenge
Squad, licks his wounds from a whipping he got at the hands of the S-Team
Supreme--Supes and Scorn. While Supes tries to enlighten ol' Hornback about
where Ashbury Armstrong belongs, Saviour catches a rebroadcast of Jimmy
Olsen's interview with Professor Hamilton back in S:MOS #68. Saviour puts
together a set of crib notes on how to fight like Supes and bellows a
challenge to him outside the Whitty Banter studios. There's a big fight
involving Supes, Scorn, Saviour, Banter and Bibbo that ends with the villain
in chains, the alien about to be introduced to beer, and the hero feeling no
pain.
Now most of this is enjoyable, but there's one problem--we've seen almost all
of these gimcracks before in issues #67 and 68. With the exception of the
crib notes gag (and there's nothing quite so funny as a super villain who
stops in the middle of a fight to consult his transcript to figure out what to
do next!), this whole story is pretty much old material. In that sense,
reading this issue is like watching one of those 'cheater' episodes of a
sitcom, where old footage is stitched together to make up a new story. The
retreading in some cases doesn't ring true to character; you have to wonder,
after all the flack Jimmy got from the cast over the incident in issue #68,
why he would end up agreeing to a rebroadcast. This, more than anything else,
is what gets S:MOS a relatively low score.
Subplots are at a minimum, consisting mainly of a resolution of the Ashbury/
Dick Armstrong conflict, a brief discussion about the changing face of
journalism and a gratuitous appearance by Collin Thornton. I'm convinced the
later is just another attempt to slip us a red herring; assuming our mystery
figure is Satanus now that we know it's not Luthor falls under the realms of
too obvious (my vote is still for either an Edge or Ugly Mannheim). I also
have to wonder why Simone was brought back into the fold, as of late all she's
doing is glowering for a panel or two about not having pictures in the
newspaper and then disappearing.
Scot Eaton right now is my favorite Big Blue penciller, even though he has
that tendency to Vertigo-ize the proceedings; a scene in an abandoned pool
between Scorn and Ashbury was particularly atmospheric. Perhaps the reason
for my enjoyment is because his pencils are still crackling with excitement,
unlike Grummett and Frenz who are showing signs of rote-ness. Oddly enough,
Frenz's Saviour--perhaps the most Vertigo of the Superman Rogues' Gallery--is
drawn in a cool, almost Kirby-esque style, with a lot of posturing and bulging
muscles. I also greatly enjoyed the choreography of the climatic fight, with
Banter standing to one side making cracks while Supes, Bibbo and Saviour roll
around on the floor. I'd like to see Eaton take over one of the core books on
a regular basis.
"Deja News," despite its rehashed nature, is a good read. Here's hoping this
upward turn continues.
Thomas Deja
<manciniman@rocketmail.com>
===========================================
31. SUPERMAN #126 Aug 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Machinations!"
Story: Dan Jurgens
Art: Ron Frenz and Joe Rubinstein
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Assoc. Ed.: Mike McAvennie
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Ron Frenz, Joe Rubinstein, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.7/5.0 Shields
DC: 4.1 Shields
AH: 4.2 Shields - Great storyline; should Superman forsake his belief in
justice to see Luthor. Classic Frenz/Rubinstein artwork, especially on
pg 14. Re: the airplane sequence though; how were there no casualties?
Surely someone got caught on the melted roads, or was crushed?
AW: 3.0 Shields - I liked that Superman was principled enough to release
custody of the ring. I didn't like that he was dumb enough to let it
get out of his sight. Ron Frenz drew an appropriately moody Batman.
JSy: 3.8 Shields - Lovely artwork by Frenz and Rubinstein, and Jurgens writes
Batman dead on. Nice work contrasting the heroes' approaches to what
they do. One little problem that bugs me, though; why didn't Supes
ask Batman for the ring instead of just showing up to take it?
TD: 3.5 Shields - Even though it's got more holes than a Simpson alibi, this
is the best regular issue Jurgens has coughed up in recent memory.
Frenz does a cool (if confusing) job with a set piece involving a
crashing plane.
VV: 3.5 Shields - I don't think Lex has the ring; maybe Superman never had
it either. We get to see a good portrayal of Superman as he faces a
problem that his powers cannot help solve, and the added treat of
watching Batman's reaction to the same situation. Nice.
>From a catching cover to a flourishing finish, SUPERMAN #126 had its share of
ups and downs, but I found it to be of generally high quality. On the cover,
Superman's bright blue-and-white energy along with the glowing green
kryptonite ring contrast with the reddish-brown and black of Batman and his
cave. On the inside, Lex Luthor dominates this story with his "machinations"
in a way rarely seen since the Byrne and Wolfman days in the late 1980s.
Meanwhile, occasional lapses in art and storytelling style prevent this issue
from reaching its full potential.
The story provides a good balance between plots focusing on Luthor, Superman,
and the supporting cast at the DAILY PLANET and Bibbo's club. It is Luthor's
story which frames the issue, though, and it should certainly appeal to Luthor
fans. Luthor's smug, conceited nature shines through, making him the villain
we love to hate. His intelligence and scheming elevate him to be much more
than a simple thug or super-powered bully. The flashback about the kryptonite
ring is appropriate because many current readers of Superman books have joined
since those stories, and the green effect on those panels was a welcome touch.
The Contessa's support and Drysdale's mixed feelings add depth to the Luthor
plot.
Despite these strengths, I felt that the revelation of some facts to the
reader was a bit simplistic: Luthor, the Countess, and Drysdale relate
details about their schemes in sentences obviously intended for the comic
reader and which seem a bit inappropriate for actual conversation. Perhaps
Jurgens should have used a better technique to relate these facts to the
reader, but I nonetheless liked the thought put into the characters' plans.
>From start to finish, it was nice to once again see Luthor enacting a plan
against his Kryptonian enemy.
The scenes at the DAILY PLANET offices were especially welcome after their
disappearance when Clark was gone to Kandor. The art in these pages seemed
poorer than the others, however, as faces were too blocky and the art simply
not fluid enough. I couldn't recognize Lois by the art but had to use context
of speech and actions. Also, while it was nice to see Clark wearing his
classic fedora hat, his pants seemed uncharacteristically baggy.
The major disaster of the issue disappointed me in several ways. The artwork
had several giant, even page-sized, panels when such was NOT necessary to
convey the impact. Superman and the people on the street had an amazing
amount of time to converse while the plane descended to the ground. I
understand that the reader needs to understand how Superman's new powers can
save the plane, but it is overly unrealistic to have a five-minute
conversation during the crash. Finally, while I don't doubt that Superman
could save the plane, it seems too unlikely that he did save everyone, and I
adopted this position even before Drysdale stated his amazement over the fact.
The two pages set in the Ace of Clubs were a little cutesy, but it was nice to
see subplots advancing. Scorn's later mention of the costume and "Connection
to Superman gone" leave a few questions about just what that connection was.
The existence of the connection was implied even before Scorn donned the
costume, so now I'm tempted to go back and re-read some issues to uncover what
events in the bottle city established and destroyed that mental link.
Though the cover blurb emphasized how the issue contained the "Secret of the
Batcave!", it was appropriate that the climax of this subplot not take up more
than a few pages. Once again, the writer finds it necessary to explain to the
reader about why Batman has the ring and whether it affects Superman. Unlike
other cases in this issue, I think Jurgens does a skilled job of using thought
balloons, words, and actions to convey the facts. The scene was well done
with Batman lurking in the shadows while Superman stands in the light, but
Batman's line, "Let him roast," seems more like a one-liner from a B-movie
than a real utterance from the Darknight Detective.
While a few points disappointed me in both art and story, I found this issue
of SUPERMAN to be reaching higher than the quality of many of today's other
Superman issues. The subplots, the multiple scenes, the characterization, and
the lack of a fight all play second fiddle to the excitement of having Lex
Luthor displaying his malevolent mind at work. The final toast and reminder of
theCountess' pregnancy put just the right mood for a mixed ending as both
hero and villain are happy when they depart the scene.
David T. Chappell
<dtc@acpub.duke.edu>
===========================================
32. THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #549 Aug 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"The Gang's All Here!"
Writer: Karl Kesel
Penciller: Stuart Immonen
Inker: Jose Marzan Jr.
Letterer: Albert de Guzman
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Assoc. Ed.: Mike McAvennie
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Stuart Immonen, Jose Marzan Jr., and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.2/5.0 Shields
DR: 4.5 Shields (Story) Kesel is in top form this issue; he manages to
handle and advance four different storylines, while also introducing
and resolving one.
5.0 Shields (Art) What can anyone possibly find wrong with Stuart and
Jose's art? They will be sorely missed upon departure.
AH: 3.0 Shields - FINALLY, we see Clark mourning the loss of his old powers!
Good reminder that Intergang is back after some months gone. Jimmy
moves one step further away from his original character by phoning
the office instead of the FD. Idiot!
AW: 3.0 Shields - It's good that Jimmy is having a moral struggle about
his recent behavior; too bad the wrong side won. Loved the return of
Joe Simon's Green Team--hope to see them again sometime.
ChS: 3.1 Shields - Good issue, but too many coincidences at the end. Everyone
showing up at once in the apartment scene seemed unrealistic. Great
cover art. Clark seemed a little out of character when blabbing on
about himself when talking to Lori, but not a big deal.
JSy: 3.6 Shields - Normally I like it when Kesel gets nostalgic, but the whole
thing with the Dingbats and the Green Team just seemed silly. I like
that Superman is finally concerning himself with changing back. Now,
isn't it obvious that Jimmy thinks Thornton is Superman?
TD: 3.0 Shields (Story: 2.7, Art: 3.3) - Immonen's art is growing on me,
especially now that he's found a good way to interpret the Man o'
Sparks, but comon'--The Dingbats of Danger Street? The GREEN TEAM???
VV: 2.0 Shields - Did I mention before how tired I was of seeing Jimmy set
up? That one factor is so overbearing brought down this rating for me
by a full point or so. The story itself was good--especially the
outcome that Clark now has to realize that he is mortal as a "mortal".
The never-ending battle rages on as Superman fights...no one? Must be one of
those character pieces. Actually, this issue of Superman continues two ongoing
storylines, dealing mainly with the "Jimmy Olsen Sucks" thread (my name for
it) and mildly touching upon the "Return of Intergang" storyline. Also the
departing member of the Super-family is revealed to be Lori Lemaris. Hope I
didn't ruin anyone's day with that announcement...
The story begins with Superman out on patrol, when all of a sudden he notices
a kerfuffle waiting to happen within the walls of an abandoned building.
Inside the Goldberg theatre, a confrontation between the Dingbats of Danger
Street and the Newsboy Legion is taking place. Superman takes it upon himself
to arrange a solution to the predicament, and the two groups agree to a
24-hour truce.
Meanwhile, due to Lois Lane's article on Intergang, Boss Moxie decides to
"deliver a very special message" to her via fire-mail. Luckily, Lois happens
to live with Superman, and a timely rescue occurs. Jimmy "The Jerk" Olsen --
who just happens to be walking down the street -- observes the explosion, and
calls his camera crew first, then the fire department. Noticing Clark's
absence from the rescued group, Jimmy questions as to his whereabouts.
Superman comes up with an excuse, as always, and re-enters the building to
exit as Clark. Unfortunately the smoke in the building is worse than expected
and Clark collapses before he can get out of the towering inferno. Thanks to a
timely save by a fellow apartment resident, Clark makes it out, along with
Collin Thornton, publisher of Newstime magazine and secretly the demon
Satanus. Kesel delivers both a funny and ominous line with Thornton's: "[I'm]
quite fine, thank you. Smoke doesn't bother me."
The next day, after an overnight stay at the hospital for Clark, Superman
heads to Professor Hamilton's lab for word on his powers. Hamilton makes
allusions to the Godwave (soon to be seen in DC's big summer crossover,
GENESIS) as the reason for his power change. Unfortunately, Superman finds
that his powers cannot be reversed, and leaves Hamilton's lab rather
depressed.
Finishing up on his promise to help the Dingbat/Newsboy conflict, Superman has
enlisted the help of the "boy millionaires otherwise known as the Green Team,"
who throw money and the problem. They agree to purchase the theatre and
renovate it as a youth center. As they exit, Superman mutters, "If only every
problem were this easy to solve..."
Ending the issue on a rather ominous note, Jimmy Olsen is shown in the GBS
studio going over his fire footage. It seems that Jimmy thinks he knows who
Superman really is...
A fine story by Karl Kesel. The dialogue is neither superfluous nor sparse.
Kesel depends on Immonen to illustrate his ideas, but does not ignore the
thoughts of the characters in their situations. One such incident which stands
out is when Clark re-enters his smoky apartment building. Where some writers
might have had Clark say the old, "Can't breathe...passing out... going to
collapse", Kesel smartly depicts Clark having thoughts more akin to those a
real person might have.
Karl Kesel has a knack for writing stories that juggle numerous characters and
storylines, all while maintaining a sense of calm. Nothing in the story seems
forced, and it flows quite smoothly from start to finish. Kesel deftly goes
through the Newsboy/Dingbat problem, to Jimmy Olsen, to Intergang, to
Superman's powers, back to the Newsboys and ending with Jimmy's startling
revelation -- all without causing the reader to become dizzied at the changes
in story. What I've written here is more confusing than what's shown in AOS.
What more needs to be said about the beautiful art of Stuart Immonen? Yet
another marvelous effort by Immonen, as the artistic wonder which he is
continues to evolve and grow. Hats off again to Immonen, and especially to
Marzan Jr., who gives Stuart his unique finished style. Wade Von Grawbadger
(Starman) and Josef Rubinstein (Superman, DC/Marvel) have both inked Immonen
before, but neither come close to the perfection that he and Marzan Jr.
achieve. Sadly, this is the final full issue of Adventures of Superman for
this artistic team, but never fret, true believer; next month, after the
double-sized AOS #550, Stuart and Jose will be the regular team on Action
Comics, with Immonen also scripting. This will also lead to the wonderful
reunion of Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel on AOS. They haven't worked together
in this title since #506, almost four years ago -- when Superman had just
returned from the dead, had long hair, and Superboy still wanted to have "man"
in his name.
Yet another magnificent issue of AOS. The only complaint that can be found
with this issue is that the Green Team, shown in the last few pages, are too
1970's for me. That nit-picking aside, I can only sit back and revel in the
beautiful art and engaging story which constantly make AOS the best Superman
title on the market today.
Dan Radice
<dradice@caninet.com>
===========================================
33. ACTION COMICS #736 Aug 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Without and Within"
Writer: David Michelinie
Artists: Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Assoc. Editor: Mike McAvennie
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Tom Grummett, Denis Rodier, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 4.1/5.0 Shields
ST: 4.2 Shields
AH: 4.2 Shields - A mixture of emotions for Clark in this issue, but at
least we get to see him use his head in getting out of that cave. The
reformation of the Revenge Squad looks interesting, especially with
the addition of Doc Parasite and Rock.
JSy: 4.1 Shields - Michelinie's final issue may have been his strongest. The
first three pages were quite powerful, as it appears the desire to
change back is now going to become more of a focus, and the scene in
the collapsed mine, with its MacGyver-ish feel, was well-written.
TD: 4.0 Shields - A great send-off to the much-maligned Michelinie run
that show Superman's awareness of his newfound weaknesses--and his
resolute refusal to buckle under to them.
Synopsis:
Lois is awakened in the middle of the night by a blue glow from the living
room. She finds Clark in an amorphous energy state, contemplating the nature
of the changes to him and his powers. Lois reminds him that her love and
support are based on who he is, not what he looks like.
While investigating corrupt coal-mine owner Simon Drexler, Clark, Vince
(photographer for the Daily Planet) and Stephen (Union Rep/informant) are
trapped in a cave-in caused by Drexler himself. Clark looks for a secluded
part of the rubble to change into Superman and Vince sits down for a smoke.
Both have their plans foiled when Stephen exclaims that a single spark could
cause the coal-dust to explode and kill them all.
Knowing that he gives off much more than a spark when he changes forms, Clark
is stymied. He figures that at least he can change to Superman and save
himself once the other two pass out -- but then realizes that he is as
vulnerable to asphyxiation now as they are, and he may pass out first. Clark
vows silently to do everything in his power to save them all.
The three men find some CO2 blasting cylinders used to pressure-split coal
seams. Clark volunteers for the dangerous job of manually setting off the
cylinders. Pressure builds and flying debris pelts the vulnerable Clark, but
the plan works... mostly. A hole is created and remains stable long enough
for Vince and Stephen to get out, but Clark looks like a goner -- until a
mighty SHRAKAKOWM! signals the arrival of Superman. He captures Drexler and
assures everyone that Clark is safe.
Returning home, Clark and Lois talk about how he felt during the ordeal. Clark
realizes that the decision to take the risks so that the other two men might
escape came from deep inside him. It is the essence of who he is. For better
or worse, no matter his outward appearance, he _is_ Clark Kent -- the man
raised and taught by Jonathan and Martha Kent. It is these values and beliefs
which define him, not his external appearance.
Interspersed throughout the issue are scenes of a familiar (but unknown)
shadowy figure. He first approaches Rock, and promises to help him 'get' Lex
Luthor. Barrage, imprisoned, finds that his gun-arm has been snuggled onto
the island. A boat is waiting for him as he breaches the prison walls. A
hefty bribe convinces a worker at S.T.A.R. Labs to release the Parasite from
confinement. These three have been recruited to form the core of an all-new
Superman Revenge Squad....
Thoughts:
Grummett hands in a solid outing, demonstrating yet another of his strengths
-- layout. He is not afraid to use the full height (pg 11) or width (pg 8) of
a page if it is needed for dramatic or visual effect. Tom wastes very little
space in his art, either within the panels (which almost always have a rich
and interesting background) or on the page. Grummett delivers an average of
five panels per page, with the count sometimes as high as seven or eight. In
an era of half-page and full-page shots, this is a rarity and a treat.
While other members of the artistic team play musical chairs (or musical
companies) I'm glad Whitmore is sticking around. His colours and style add
depth and vibrancy to all of the Superman titles. We will all be poorer when
he decides to move on.
Since the costume/power change, there have been noticeable improvements in the
writing of the Super-titles; a return to characterization, numerous
long-running subplots, and an exploration of the supporting cast. Little of
this improvement, however, had anything to do directly with the power change;
it would have taken very little to re-writing in most of these stories to
feature the old bullet-bouncing Supes.
Not so this issue. We finally see Clark questioning who -- or what -- he is,
and how these changes affect him. Where he used to be one guy wearing two
different sets of clothing, he is now two distinct physical entities; one who
has the powers of a god and one who is normal, and human, and vulnerable. For
a guy who used to be impervious, that _has_ to be unsettling.
It was good to see a situation finally arise in which the new powers were a
liability; I've felt more than once that the new powers should have caused
more grief than they have. As such, the setting of the collapsed coal-mine was
inspired -- once. I would hate to this situation, or similar ones (Clark
doused by gasoline, Clark trapped in a toxic chemicals plant, ad nauseum),
become commonplace in the time before the powers revert.
I do feel that there was some (healthy?) self-deception on Clark's part when
he examined his actions and motivations. Yes, he was willing to sacrifice
himself for the other men, but given his powers he had an orders-of-magnitude
greater chance of surviving the explosion than either of the other two. Also,
Clark has been invulnerable for almost 20 years, and 'human' for only a very
short time. For all his introspection, it is obvious from his actions that he
still thinks of himself as invincible and forgets that he can be hurt. Whether
his powers and mind-set make his actions more or less heroic will continue to
be a subject of debate.
One of the purposes of the change in powers, DC has maintained, is to show the
readers that heroism is defined by who you are and what you do, not what
powers you have. If this is so, I wish they'd have gotten around to it a
little sooner. This issue ends Mr. Michelinie's run on this title, and he
deserves full credit for this excellent (and overdue) examination of the man
behind the Superman. If you've gotta go, David, always leave 'em wanting more.
Final Note: There's always gotta be one thing to spoil it, doesn't there? In
this issue, it was Clark bolting instantly from the Daily Planet to the mine
site. Surely someone knew that Clark was supposed to be in Pennsylvania when
he was sitting in the copy-room. And what about Vince? He will surely recount
Clark's heroism in saving them at 10:43 a.m. -- but wasn't he in Metropolis at
10:05? People do talk, you know.... Unless the creative team plans to provide
some sort of long-term consequences to this incident, Cavalieri should have
slapped this one down hard as a continuity mistake.
Shane Travis
<travis@sedsystems.ca>
-- 30 --
_______________________________________________________
SUPER-FAMILY TITLES:
-------------------
STEEL #41 Aug 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Rage"
Writer: Priest
Layouts: Denys Cowan
Finishes: Tom Palmer
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Colorist: John Kalisz
Asst. Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Howard Porter
RATINGS
Average: 4.0/5.0 Shields
DSd: 3.0 Shields - Last Issue's story is wrapped up with a twist at the end.
JSm: 4.5 Shields - Cowan and Palmer's art still doesn't grab me, but
Priest's writing more than makes up for it. How did I not see
whodunit a month ago?
JSy: 4.4 Shields - The arrest was simply an excuse for a "Superman in prison"
scene, but discovering the back story behind last issue's final pages
was wonderful. All sorts of twists and turns, a hilarious "Kilo will
need new underwear" scene, and a completely out of the blue last page
revelation. I'll say it again -- Priest is clicking on this book.
Story:
As our story ended last issue, John Henry had just been arrested ... for
MURDER. We pick up this issue with John in a cell at the Mercer County Jail.
One of the thugs in the cell with him chides John by calling him Superman and
dares him to bend the bars in his bare hands. As the thug starts to attack,
John Henry counters his move and comes close to killing the inmate. He
realizes the rage that is pent up inside over Natasha's beating and possible
rape. Fortunately, Margot shows up to take John Henry from the holding cell
to be questioned by the detectives.
Margot informs John Henry that Kilo was murdered last night, and brings him
into a room with four men playing cards: Captain Rainier, District Attorney
Gerry Larson, chaplain Father Banyard, chaplain, and Carmine Garacci, the
apparent mobster from last issue. Two pages of questioning establish that
Kilo had threatened Natasha and that she had come home beaten and possibly
raped. Kilo had been found dead in an alley. During the night, John Henry
had been out and looking for Kilo. Unfortunately, Kilo had planned this and
had set a trap for Steel. Steel dispatched Kilos' henchmen quickly (in one
panel) using new hammer, but then found himself facing a rocket-launcher
wielding Kilo. Steel was shot but survived, although his armor was trashed and
on fire. Steel got up, beat the crap out of Kilo's henchmen and grabbed Kilo
by the throat -- but did not kill him.
Back at the police interrogation:
DA: "Look, Dr. Irons, We had to go through the numbers here.. but let's get
real... we're sure you didn't do it and we really don't care who did."
John Henry: "Well then we've got three problems: I was out of control.
Somebody killed Kilo. And nobody cares."
An interlude at John Henry's home between Natasha and Amanda gives us more of
the story. Natasha reveals that she was not raped and did not have sex with
Kilo or any of his cronies. In fact, she's apparently still a virgin. Amanda
receives a phone call from Skorpio; he had tailed Nat as she went to the
assignation with Kilo and is just checking up on her. He tells this story:
Just before everything was about to hit the fan, the girls from school showed
up to try to calm the situation. When Kilo slugged one of them, Nat pulled a
knife she had concealed. In the ensuing melee, she and the other girls got
away. Skorpio confronted Kilo and his gang but nothing happened.
Skorpio revealed that after John Henry left Kilo, John's brother, Crash,
showed up with what appeared to be a quintuple-barreled pistol and shot Kilo
in the leg. Crash explained that Kilo had best steer clear of the Irons
family if he wanted to continue living. Into this scene of tranquillity burst
Steel's old friend Double who also threatened Kilo. Skorpio blew his cover by
falling through the weakened ceiling, but none of the three "guardians" killed
Kilo. They left him alive and confirm that Kilo was alive when John left the
scene.
As Skorpio hangs up, John Henry returns home, having been released from police
custody. He has a private conversation with Nat... about sex and rage and
protecting the family. Nat is concerned that John is not seeing the real Nat
but only a teenage girl who could easily get into "trouble".
The final scene is a meeting between Skorpio and Dr. Villain. We find out it
was Villain who killed Kilo by throwing him off a roof. He did this to keep
him from messing up future plans.
Art:
Something was wrong. I couldn't figure out what it was until I read the
credits in preparation for this review. Stu Chaifetz was not the colorist in
this issue; John Kalisz was. I'm still not sure that's what did it but I
notice his coloring is not as three dimensional as Stu's. Most of the
solidity in the faces, for example, comes from Cowan's pencils rather than
Kalisz' colors. With Chaifetz, much of the solidity came from his work.
Cowan/Palmer continue using their strengths; good panel to panel transition,
very movie like cutting within a scene to produce certain kinds of feelings
within the reader. For example, in the scene between Natasha and John Henry
there is a vertical panel with him sitting on the bed and her back is to him.
The next panel is a close up on her face showing her black eye. Then his face
taken from above. A scene showing a full body shot of her taken from behind
his head is followed by an overhead view of the entire room with the two
characters in one corner. Several panels later when the scene ends there is
an overhead of John and Amanda; she's sitting at a table drinking coffee, and
the next panel shows her hand on the coffee cup and his hand reaching out to
her The final panel is from very far overhead showing both of them sitting at
the table drinking coffee. Very effective visual story telling.
On the other hand there's still the drawing in which lots of detail seems to
be replaces with random lines which leave what is actually happening to your
imagination.
The cover is one of the best that Steel has ever had. I'll mark it down as
one to consider for next year's Kaycee awards. The theme is gray and red.
Steel is scowling with his costume, face and gloves in gray with his cape in
red and blood all over his gloves. He's standing behind thick gray bars. Even
if you're not a reader of this book, at least check out the cover the next
time you're in your favorite comic shop.
Summary:
This month's issue has a new Editor, Mike McAvennie, a new Assistant Editor
Maureen McTigue, and a new colorist, John Kalisz. I'm not sure about the
impact of McAvennie and McTigue but so far I don't like Kalisz as much as
Chaifetz. The story is the second part of a two parter in which John and
Natasha look at themselves and see what would happen to them in times of
stress. Both of them come close to cracking but both pull back at the last
minute. I am very disappointed to see that Villain is behind the death of
Kilo. He is beginning to strike me as a very second rate villain. The
creative team are going to have to do something big with him soon or he'll
soon be relegated to the list of laughable villains. I'm hoping that this
slow buildup is because of a really good long arc, like the Intergang stories
in Superman. We should have a better clue next issue.
Dick Sidbury
<sidbury@cs.uofs.edu>
===========================================
SUPERBOY #42 Aug 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Ashes to Ashes"
Story: Eddie Berganza
Pencils: Sal Buscema
Inks: Ray Kryssing
Colors: Buzz Setzer
Letters: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Editor: Frank Pittarese
Cover: Ramon Bernado and Doug Hazlewood
RATINGS
Average: 2.7/5.0 Shields
RG: 3.0 Shields (Story) - Some good bits, but it read like a fill in book.
3.5 Shields (Art) - Good overall; needed detailing and backgrounds.
AW: 2.0 Shields - What's the point of making Superboy even less human?
Now it's harder to identify with him. I've never been a fan of
Sal Buscema's art.
JSy: 2.1 Shields - The art wasn't bad, and the JLA dream was interesting, but
the vampire-like villainess was fairly sad. Berganza doesn't have a
good track record on this title (see issue #31). I wonder if Roxy's
thoughts on page 6 mean that the creators are already having doubts
about the brother-sister connection.
ST: 3.3 Shields - A lame and forgettable villain who could have been greatly
improved just by having her look normal and wear normal clothes; if
she was supposed to be sympathetic, don't give her a look which
screams, "I'm EVIL!" Otherwise, good heroism ("Like I have a
choice?"), intriguing dream-sequence and ending, and nice touches of
horror on page 9 with the family. Artwise, Buscema >> Bernado.
For those of you who let go of Superboy a few months ago when they changed the
production team, you might want to give it another look now. I'm sure that
there will be rough spots or even a slow issue or two until DC comes up with
the final team, but from what I've seen so far this could be good point to
jump on again.
Superboy and his cast are flying (commercial airline) home to Hawaii from
Cadmus. Just before landing Superboy has a dream (one of the better parts of
the book actually); Superman, Sparx, Hero, and other heroes in his dream have
continued to get older, while Superboy has stayed the same age. The dream
raises several of the issues that Superboy will eventually have to face due to
his new every-youthful state. Needless to say, the dream doesn't sit well
with him. When they land they run into and defeat a new villain who has some
unusual ties to another old foe.
The story? Well, what can I say. For me the lead in dream sequence was
probably the most interesting part of the book; It certainly was the most
entertaining. In the remainder of the book, well Superboy met and defeated
another in a seemingly endless supply of life-energy draining vampires. The
ending, however, was very well done.
The art for the book was nicely handled; Sal Buscema has been a long time
favorite of mine. I do hope that DC settles on a steady team soon. My only
complaint is that the book could use a bit more detail, especially in the
backgrounds.
Rene Gobeyn
<bedlam@frontiernet.net>
===========================================
SUPERBOY AND THE RAVERS #11 July 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Kindred: Part I"
Writers: Steve Mattsson
Penciller: Aaron Lopresti
Inker: Jordi Ensign
Computer Colorist: Stu Chaifetz
Letterer: Kevin Cunningham
Editors: Frank Pittarese and Mike McAvennie
Cover: Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis
RATINGS
Average: 3.3/5.0 Shields
JSy: 3.4 Shields - Good storytelling by Mattsson, but little connection to
Superboy. Focusing on characters that don't share the DC spotlight
is fine and dandy with me, but I have to guess that calling this
a Superboy title has ruined its chances of being a high-selling book.
ST: 3.2 Shields - Nice to see Strata again, but none of the rest of that
team did anything for me. The Thanagarian shadow-projector was a
nice nod to the days of more uncomplicated Hawkmen, and was tied
in well to the Nightshade dimension. Notice I'm not saying much
about Superboy or The Rave though? They show up not at all and not
enough, respectively.
I've just about decided that this title is likely too tangential to succeed at
DC. Let me explain. Superboy really isn't the focus of the title. As if to
emphasize that fact, the Kid doesn't appear at all in this issue, and he's
only in a total of four pages from issue #12. When you eliminate him from the
picture, who does that leave as the known characters? Of the Ravers, only
Sparx and Rex have been seen elsewhere -- and Rex hasn't even been identified
here as "that" Rex.
It'll be sad if this book fails, because its approach is fairly unique to DC
-- its *goal* is to explore all the various and sundry worlds of the DC
Universe, not just to play around on Earth with the same old, same old.
Perhaps linking the book to Superboy was a bad idea in the first place. This,
along with the poorly-received title led a lot of people to simply ignore it
when it first appeared. Unfortunately, the people that were scared off by
these are likely to be *exactly* the people to whom this book would appeal.
Then again, perhaps DC would never have gone for the title in the first place
had it not been for this link...
Anyway, to the issue at hand.
It turns out that Jack Nebula's obsession with Marx and the Event Horizon, has
made him a less-than-stellar leader of his InterC.E.P.T. team, so he has been
booted from that position and the organization. His replacements consist of
Strata (from L.E.G.I.O.N.) and Twelfth Knight, whose involvement with Aura has
been alluded to in a previous issue. The group's new task -- to retrieve
Nebula's InterC.E.P.T. belt.
Meanwhile, the Ravers are mourning the loss of Superboy, whom they believe to
have perished during the "Meltdown" saga of the past few months. Their
ceremony is interrupted by the return of Marx -- comments from an informant
have led him to the conclusion that Aura is the traitor who has been keeping
Nebula informed of their positions. Their confrontation is delayed by the
abrupt signal of Nebula's imminent arrival, so Marx blips the Rave to a new
location.
It's a good thing Superboy has still not found his way back, because Marx
moves the Rave to an asteroid remnant of Krypton. The confrontation resumes,
and Hardrock reveals that he had been Nebula's informant. Marx revokes
Hardrock's hand-stamp, returning him to Metropolis, just as Nebula once again
finds them, this time accompanied by his new fighting force -- the Red Shift!
This issue finally returns to the mystery and intrigue which had been set up
all the way back in the first issue. While the new information concerning
Marx and Nebula is kept to a minimum -- for use in the following issue -- we
once again witness the motivations and shortcomings of the various characters
which make up this expansive cast. That Hardrock was the informant was
unexpected -- to me, at least -- but perfectly logical. His character has
been portrayed in just such a distrusting manner as this from his first
appearance. There are also some additional hints that Hero and Sparx are
headed for a disaster, but the developments are properly kept well in the
background as they are not the focus of the issue.
Mattsson has turned out a solid read in his first solo run on this title.
Especially interesting was his choice in spotlighting the InterC.E.P.T. group
for almost a third of the issue -- once again emphasizing that this book is
about seeing what's out there in the DCU. The pages are not wasted, however,
as they showcase more of the group's abilities and stellar teamwork while
simultaneously letting us know more about Nebula's character.
The art by Aaron Lopresti and Jordi Ensign (that just *has* to be a pseudonym,
don't you think?) is nice, but lacks the lush background work and detail that
Pelletier puts into his illustrations. The dark tones in the colors are very
effective in the bar scene, but simply wrong for most of the remainder of the
issue.
In conclusion, what we have here is a fairly nice tale about a lot of
characters that have little or nothing to do with the Superman family. So
while it's a good read on its own, fans picking it up for Superboy will likely
be disappointed.
Jeff Sykes
<sykes@ms.uky.edu>
===========================================
SUPERBOY AND THE RAVERS #12 Aug 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Kindred: Part II"
Writers: Steve Mattsson
Penciller: Aaron Lopresti
Inker: Jordi Ensign
Computer Colorist: Stu Chaifetz
Letterer: Kevin Cunningham
Assoc. Editor: Ruben Diaz
Editors: Frank Pittarese
Cover: Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis
RATINGS
Average: 3.2/5.0 Shields
JSy: 3.0 Shields - Great story until Superboy appears. The end is extremely
rushed, wrapped up all too quickly.
AH: 3.5 Shields - Very colourful and well drawn issue which goes some way
towards explaining the origins of the Rave. Liked the full page shot
of Superboy and the quote from Half-Life; "So he came back from the
dead -- How tough is that?'
ST: 3.2 Shields - Marx captured, the Rave and DJ trashed, and the book soon
to be canceled -- what now? The revelation/origin was a little too
pat and predictable; somehow, I had expected something better.
Jack Nebula has found Marx and the Event Horizon, and this time he's brought
along a new set of allies -- the Khundian Red Shift, barred from the Rave
several issues ago. Of course, this means that we get quite a few pages of
super-powered melee, but in this case, it's not quite as bad as it sounds.
First, Hero dials up a new hero, this time in the form of the utterly
ridiculous Death's Head Moth. Sparx suggests he try again -- that "moth power
might not be enough!" This offends the Moth, so he dials himself away from
the disrespect, leaving behind The Ferronaut, an obvious cross between Steel
and a certain X-Man. Of course, the more imposing hero is immediately blasted
by one of the Khunds. Sparx panics, but Aura keeps her head and passes along
some stored energy from her own hand stamp (given by Marx when Aura was spying
for him) so that Sparx and Hero can teleport back to Earth for help.
Meanwhile, Nebula won't play nice, teleporting Marx's bouncer away from the
Rave. Shortly thereafter, he reveals his true identity -- Kindred Grim, the
twin brother of Kindred Marx. As we later discover, Grim and Marx are of a
planet where *everyone* has a twin, and where each pair of male twins has
exactly one pair of female twins with which they will be able to mate. On the
night before their wedding, their brides-to-be were attacked by a "mysterious
assailant," and Grim's was murdered. Of course Grim accused Marx, and he has
been trying to exact revenge ever since. His plan is to murder Marx's girl,
but she has disappeared using her own teleportation powers. The Event Horizon
was set up by Marx in hopes of attracting her attention.
After revealing his story, Marx reactivates the hand-stamps, allowing anyone
to leave who does not want to join his battle. While most leave, the Ravers
remain just long enough for Nebula and the Red Shift to reappear. Marx's
assistant, DJ, is blasted into oblivion, revealing that she was a robot. The
Shift nab Marx and hold him down as Grim prepares to deliver the fatal blow...
Superboy arrives, much to everyone's surprise! With a burst of motivation,
the Ravers quickly dispose of the Red Shift, but the Rave is completely
destroyed in the process. Grim teleports away as he discovers InterC.E.P.T.
has finally located them. InterC.E.P.T. arrives and takes Marx into custody,
and Twelfth Knight leaves behind a rose for Aura.
Again Superboy spends little time in the book, and his appearance signals the
change from a strong issue to a confused, weak ending. The first seventeen
pages are quite well-done, though I wish that the Marx/Grim revelation had
been a little less "standard." This seems to be so much the same old, tired
plot that has been running through all stories through all time.
In the first fight scene, we have humor, tragedy, and nobility all in one.
Characterizations are dead on, and little of the scene can be considered
extraneous to the issue. However, when the second fight scene rolls around,
it's almost as if a different writer has turned up along with the Kid of
Steel. The characters are stiff, the dialogue is forced, and by the final
page, Aura has become almost unrecognizable.
Lopresti and Ensign's performance also takes a downswing on the art duties
this month. While issue 11 was more than adequate, issue 12 was sub-par. The
art style swung from cartoonish and under-developed to heavily inked and
distorted. The backgrounds were a little more detailed in places, but the
focal art was less detailed -- *not* an appropriate trade-off. And in some
places, the "special effects" art looked like nothing more than extremely
rough pencils. On the other hand, Stu Chaifetz' colors were much more
effective in this issue than last, as he apparently toned down the colors,
switching to a somewhat brighter look. And all my negativity aside, the
splash page featuring Superboy's reappearance was gorgeous.
In summary, if you want to read this issue, I'd advise that you do so only up
until Superboy's arrival. Of course, if you're only reading the book because
of Superboy, then you're probably not going to like any of this issue. Not a
bad effort, but not what I've come to expect of this title, either.
Jeff Sykes
<sykes@ms.uky.edu>
===========================================
SUPERGIRL #12 Aug 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Cries in the Darkness"
Writer: Peter David
Artist: Greg Land
Inker: Prentice Rollins
Letterer: Bob Lappan
Colorist: Gene D'Angelo
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Editor: Frank Pittarese
Cover: Gary Frank and Cam Smith
RATINGS
Average: 3.7/5.0 Shields
TD: 2.8 Shields (Story: 2.2, Art: 3.5) - An empathetic script by David and
great art by Land still can't hide the fact that the horror/comedy
mix ain't quite jelling.
AH: 4.5 Shields - Great issue. We finally understand the motives behind the
Silver Banshee. She almost appears tragic in this portrayal. Too bad
that so many colours in this issue look washed out, almost like
watercolours. This is too good a book to be spoilt by poor colouring.
JSy: 3.5 Shields - Man, there are some weird things going on in here. Like
what's up with the bat-kid's little psycho outburst? What's with
the bet between Cutter and his ex? I'm also not sure exactly what
happened at the end of the story. Greg Land's pencils are very
nice. Can't wait to see his work on the annual.
VV: 4.0 Shields - The storyline is interesting even if somewhat unsettling.
Did Linda/Matrix merge yet again with the Banshee? Will she get Black
Canary's sonic powers?? (I'm joking... I hope) I was won over by
seeing how Linda/Supergirl has grown. Where once she might not have
consoled the poor Banshee (remember Chemo?), she has learned a lot
about being human and what that entails.
Last we left the Maid of Might, she was about to be pounded into crud by the
Silver-Banshee-possessed Mattie. This issue we see Supergirl's reluctance to
harm the Banshee while she's in Mattie's body lead her to be slaughtered by
the Banshee's wail. The thing is, Linda/Matrix doesn't die. Banshee's scream
will kill anyone that she names, but because Supergirl is two distinct
personalities in one body, Banshee's power is ineffective. As that creepy boy
with the sweater and bat looks on, Supergirl goes off in pursuit of Banshee,
and ends up in the Asylum where the killer of Mattie's brother's is
imprisoned. In a typical David twist, though, the conflict is resolved not
with a fight, but with an outpouring of compassion. Supergirl appeals to The
Silver Banshee and gets the creature to let Mattie go. As the creature -- now
without a host to anchor it -- dwindles away, Supergirl promises to be with
her always.
Since taking on this assignment for the KC, I've been puzzling over Peter
David's spotty performance. So far, he's shown signs of brilliance
(particularly the FINAL NIGHT crossover and issue #8's "My Dinner With Buzz"),
but more often than not he has produced something which is neither fish nor
fowl. With this issue, I think I've figured out the problem. David seems to
want to tell a story about innocence and corruption utilizing a central
character who is a fusion of both. The strongest moments in this story take
full advantage of this dichotomy--the explanation of how Supergirl escapes
death at the hands of The Banshee is inspired, as is the haunting last page
where Supergirl embraces an ever-shrinking Banshee with an uncertain dread on
her face. It's these moments that make David one of the most entertaining
'mainstream' comic writers around.
Unfortunately, Peter David can't resist indulging in his faux-vaudeville,
borderline-sophomoric sense of humor in even the most serious of stories. He's
still shoehorning swipes at MARS ATTACKS and the McDonald's coffee lawsuit
into his stories at inappropriate times. Unlike last issue, there _are_
moments in this issue when the humor emphasize the unrealness of Supergirl's
situation; when an inmate who's aiding Banshee almost convinces her to kill
another inmate for nothing more than a perceived petty swipe it just twists
the knife in deeper, but David's reliance on this crutch is beginning to
interfere with his ideas.
Two sub-plots pop up in this issue which emphasize David's interest in faith
and despair. First, Buzz is shown still to be influencing both Supergirl and
Malverne's lives. While the influence is positive in both cases, the
intimation is that the Sales Agent of the Apocalypse will be back. Second,
the little creepy kid shows that he's not to be trifled with in a braveau
two-page sequence that's raw, nasty and irrational. The kid is turning into
quite the wild card, and I have to wonder if his resemblance to a one-shot
HULK villain (also created by David) named Gestalt is intentional.
Artwise, Greg Land really improves. I don't know whether he's achieved a
better grasp of the characters or if Land and Rollins have finally fit
together, but this issue's linework is vital and strong. The most interesting
effect is the subtle change in the post-Banshee wail Supergirl; Land, through
posture, body language and expression, makes the later version of the Maid of
Might more empathetic and human. I'm not sorry to see Leonard Kirk return
next issue--I *love* his portrayal of the quieter moments--but I'm going to
miss Land. Judging from the progress he made in just two issues, he could be
a major threat artist in a short while.
A lot of people still complain that this run of SUPERGIRL violates the
integrity of the character. They clamor for a lighter approach to this
classic heroine. This storyline has shown that it's not that SUPERGIRL needs
to be less grim; it needs to be grimmer yet. Embrace your darkness, Mr.
David--we know you can do it!
Thomas Deja
<manciniman@rocketmail.com>
_______________________________________________________
OTHER SUPERMAN TITLES:
---------------------
JLA #8 Aug 1997 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Imaginary Stories"
Writer: Grant Morrison
Penciller: Oscar Jimenez
Inker: Chip Wallace
Colorist: Pat Garrahy
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Separations: Heroic Age
Editor: Ruben Diaz
Cover: Howard Porter and John Dell
RATINGS
Average: 3.4/5.0 Shields
AW: 4.0 Shields - An excellent melding of young heroes and old, real
and imaginary, Silver Age and Modern Age, though some of the
characterizations (the Key, Kal-El/Green Lantern) are somewhat
ambiguous at this point.
JSy: 3.8 Shields - I'm a sucker for warped-reality stories (hence my little
fascination with Elseworlds tales), but what really makes this
issue is the wonderful dialogue by Morrison. Nice that he addresses
the absurdity of some of Ollie's arrows. I prefer this art by
Jimenez and Wallace to the regular team of Porter and Dell.
ST: 3.8 Shields - I was really captivated by this one, but I've always
enjoyed stories of the, What if?/Elseworlds/Imaginary Stories style.
I remember The Key from when Snapper Carr was still around; while the
nod to the old fans is appreciated, couldn't Morrison have brought
back someone a little less... I dunno... lame? Still, enjoyable.
TD: 2.0 Shields - Although Morrison shows, through his portrayal of Green
Arrow, that his spot-on handling of the heroes isn't a fluke, the
dream sequences don't quite work (been there with Alan Moore, Grant).
The first issue of JLA that didn't do much for me.
Meet the JLA: Kal-El, Green Lantern of Krypton; Aquaman, protector of the last
survivors of a flooded Earth; an old and married Bruce Wayne, father to the
future Batman; and a powerless Diana Prince, adventurer. Confused yet?
In this issue, Grant Morrison continues a current trend in comics: looking at
the characters and conventions of the Silver Age through the perspective of
the '90s. True to form, he does it through a '90s version of the "imaginary
story"; the fantastic scenarios listed above are all in the minds of the
heroes who have been strapped into some sort of machine by a long-time JLA
foe, The Key.
It's interesting to note that the most characterization in this issue is
devoted to Superman in his Green lantern fantasy. In his dream, his mother
chides him for trying to hard to live up to his father's reputation and
expectations. This is a Superman--excuse me, Green Lantern--driven by a need
to prove himself, especially to his father. An interesting touch, considering
the thrust of the AfterByrne Superman is that he has little in common with
Kryptonians, least of all his biological father. Instead, the emphasis has
been on how much closer he is to his adopted family and planet. Is Morrison
doing this on purpose?
Jimenez and Wallace do a great job of visualizing a Kryptonian Green Lantern
and Wonder Woman in a dark tomb, and the Key has never looked flashier, though
I do kind of miss the old key-shaped headpiece.
I'm not sure how much I can tell you about the Key. I know he's one of the
Justice League's oldest foes, dating back to JLofA #41 (1964?), and that his
last appearance was sometime in the late 1970s. In that adventure, it was
revealed that some sort of tragedy had laid waste to his body, leaving him
dwarfish and nearly quadriplegic with a very large, key-shaped head. Now he's
back with a new attitude and a new body. He's captured the JLA and has put
them in a dream state where--in the scenarios described above--the heroes'
dreams are somehow supplying the Key with the power for his latest scheme.
The fly in the ointment is the new Green Arrow, who has beamed up to the base
to be inducted into the JLA. Instead, he's welcomed by the Key's robots. After
a skirmish with them and The Key himself, Green Arrow finds himself weaponless
-- his only resource the trick arrows once used by Oliver Queen, now
long-retired as trophies. "Dad," he sighs ironically in the climax to this
issue, "you're going to be the death of me." Meanwhile, the other heroes'
dreams become darker and more violent...
It does seem to be one of the current trends in comics these days to look back
into the Silver Age of comics, revamping the characters and retelling their
stories. The Fantastic Four and the Legion of Super-Heroes have completely
re-booted and gone back to the very origins of their teams. Starman deals
consistently with Golden Age heroes, villains, and their descendants. In
Superman, elements of the pre-Byrne past, like the Bottle City of Kandor and a
renewed importance of the Fortress of Solitude, have slowly been making their
way back into the legend. In the JLA, the Justice League of America's old foes
like issue #4's T.O. Morrow and Professor Ivo, and last issue's Rath, Ghast,
and Abnegazar (who appeared many years ago in a legendary JLofA/JSA/Legion
team-up) return to wreak havoc in new ways.
Morrison has now blended the past and present--looking back on the origin of
the Silver Age Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) and combining it with John Byrne's
Krypton, as well as going back to the ultra-mod Diana Prince of the 1970's
(one of my favorite renditions of the Amazon Princess) and adding Steve Trevor
as an Indiana Jones-like sidekick. Batman and Aquaman are trapped in
futuristic settings (the "son of Batman" being a favorite imaginary tale for
the old "World's Finest" series), and the whole thing comes full circle with
the new versions of The Key and Green Arrow--adding that special nostalgic
twist, the return of the trick arrows.
Of all the series that are looking "back to the future," I'd have to say JLA
is the most successful. The Fantastic Four is rushing to get back to the
"present". The Legion--while enjoyable--suffers from eccentric art. Starman
sometimes rambles, and--sadly--most of the re-introductions in the Superman
line tend to be just hollow replicas of their originals. So far, though, the
characters re-introduced in the JLA have had full characterizations, and
except for "Tomorrow Woman" (a poor replacement for the Red Tornado), they've
all brought something new to the table.
As an "old-timer," I appreciate what Morrison is doing. I do have to wonder
what's in it for the new (or at least younger) reader, though; it seems to me
that they're the ones being short-changed in all of this. I stopped reading
Green Arrow after issue #102. The comic, and the new Green Arrow, just seemed
bland. On the other hand, I was never a fan of Oliver Queen's turn from
cynical social activist to the "grim 'n' gritty" Green Arrow who eschewed the
gimmick arrows and got more satisfaction out of puncturing his foes. I'm
really looking forward to seeing the old trick arrows back in action. With a
little luck, maybe the new GA might even keep them for a while...
The jury is still out on the Key as well. What's his story, what's behind his
comeback? His new look? So far, he's just a trigger-happy maniac, pretty much
a comic book staple. I hope there's much more to his character than that.
We'll just have to wait till next issue to see.
Anatole Wilson
<awilson@oracle.us.com>
===========================================
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #10 Aug 1997 $1.75 US/$2.50 CAN
"Don't Try This At Home"
Writer: Scott McCloud
Artist: Rick Burchett
Inker: Terry Austin
Colorist: Marie Severin
Letterer: Lois Buhalis
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Burchett, Austin, and Severin
Special Thanks to Ivy Ratafia
RATINGS
Average: 4.2/5.0 Shields
CoS: 4.5 Shields - Burchett back on the art chores elevates a good story to
a rollicking face. A fun plot and perfect comedic timing makes up
for the fact that I have never much liked The Toyman in any of his
many incarnations.
JSy: 4.0 Shields - Great story, especially for younger readers, who get to
see one of their own beat the adults to the punch. Like any great
Toyman story, there's a healthy dose of humor involved. Poor Barry. :)
Action Figures. They are the current big collectable, with some figures
selling for Big Bucks. And, whenever you have a Toyman story, it seems, you're
going to have action figures. This story is no different in that regard, with
a splash page of row after row of Supermen. When we turn the page, we see
that we have been looking at a Superman action figure that an odd looking man
is selling on the street for $2.75. Children love Superman, and parents like
the low price, so they are selling like beanie babies. The first suspicious
incident is that the vendor only responds to questions by repeating his
phrases "$2.75" and "Action figures, get your action figures right here,
Superman action figures." When a policeman asks what's going on, the vendor
shoots a gas out of his eyes that makes the policeman decide to go back to the
station and forget all about the odd little sale.
Is this as job for Superman? Hard to say, because the scene quickly shifts to
Superman flying straight at the reader, the city of Metropolis receding behind
him, carrying a bomb. The narration from Lois Lane fills us in; Superman has
taken the bomb from Barry the Bomber ("The Mad Bomber What Bombs at Midnight"
from 'The Tick', anyone?) and is flying to the stratosphere to try and get rid
of the bomb before it explodes. Down below, they see the explosion, and
there's no sign of Superman for a few moments. He returns to Earth knocked
out by the blast, and crashes into the ground.
When Superman wakes up, he drops the captured Barry off at prison. A guard
shows Superman one of the action figures and asks him to autograph it. He
does, but wonders where the toys could have come from. When the policeman
brings it home, it sits on a shelf, like a good toy -- until night falls and
everyone's asleep, when it flies away.
The next morning, at the offices of the Daily Planet, Lois is looking into
reports of over 2,000 robberies. All of the robberies are of small amounts of
money and jewelry with no sign of break ins. Clark speaks to a young girl
who's touring the office; she has a theory that the toys did it, because she
remembers putting the toy in one place when she went to sleep and it was
somewhere else when she woke up. Clark looks at the toy and sees that it is
full of complicated circuitry.
The next night, the toys take off, taking money from wallets, jewelry from
cases and other small things that they can carry. Superman sees all of the
little toys flying through the air with their booty and follows them to an
abandoned toy factory. By this point, if you haven't guessed that Toyman is
behind the robberies, go back and read more comics. Bad guys like Toyman
always hide in old toy factories, just like the Joker always hides in old
amusement parks or novelty factories. You know, with all the abandoned
factories that master criminals use for hideouts, you would thing that the
good guys would check them out from time to time, just in case. There can't
be that many of them. But, as Peter David says, I digress.
Toyman is behind the thefts -- not for gain, but to tarnish Superman's good
name. He has the toys wrap his new invention around Superman; rubber bands
that absorb the force of Superman's blows and tighten as he struggles to free
himself. Toyman then shows Superman his newest invention, a perfect robot
duplicate of the Man Of Steel which will do more to destroy Superman's good
name. The robot double of Superman heads for the Metropolis prison and frees
the prisoners, including Barry the Mad Bomber what bombs at midnight....
Superman eventually breaks free, fights a bunch of big toys and watches as
Toyman reveals himself to be a robot duplicate which explodes. Superman, with
the help of the police, gathers up all of the toys, and locks them safely away
in a police paddy wagon.
Meanwhile, the robot Superman is still freeing prisoners when Barry the yadda,
yadda, yadda (you didn't think I'd repeat that phase every time he showed up,
did you?) hurls a bomb at the robot Superman, destroying it. The real Superman
shows up right after Barry does his victory dance, capturing him and giving
him over to the police. Barry, who has shown himself to maniacally hate
Superman and have a tenuous grip on reality, is put in the paddy wagon with
all of the toy Superman figures. The story ends with Tasha getting a
handshake from Perry White and Lois wondering how the little girl could have
figured it out.
The difference in the art between the previous issue and this one is readily
apparent, and shows how subtle work can make a story work so much better. The
previous issue was a weighty look at heroes, while this one is just a romp.
This one, however, had more impact. The first time we see the real Superman,
he's a streak of power, almost bursting from the page. The Superman action
figures are recognizable as a simplified version of Superman, even though the
Superman in the animated series is a simpler version of the classic Superman.
Kind of an Icon of an Icon, and the design works well. The best way to show
how masterful Burchett is at this form, however, is the sequence at the bottom
of page 21, where Barry realizes that Superman didn't get blown up, and
Superman's almost whimsical reaction to Barry's reaction. Manley had a similar
sequence in the previous issue and didn't alter the facial expression in the
triptych reaction shots.
McCloud does a good job of drawing us into the story, even though I feel that
the narration about Toyman's motivation was poorly done. We were told only
half the story; Toyman is mad because Superman ruined his father's name, but
we don't find out how. I liked the devices of mixing the bomber with the
Toyman, neither of which were enough of a threat to Superman to give any
dramatic tension in the traditional "How can Superman defeat them" way. A key
element of Farce is making sure the reactions are perfectly timed, and the
wrong doors open at the right time. This story fit that definition, and was,
once again, my favorite Superman story this month.
Cory Strode
<c.strode@genie.com>
_______________________________________________________
SPECIALS AND GUEST APPEARANCES:
------------------------------
SUPERMAN: MAN OF STEEL ANNUAL #6 1997 $3.95 US/$5.50 CAN
"Pierced"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Artist: Tommy Lee Edwards
Inkers: Denis Janke, Robert Campanella, Shawn C. Martinbrough
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Colors/Seps: Melissa Edwards
Assoc. Ed.: Mike McAvennie
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Glenn Orbik
RATINGS
Average: 1.7/5.0 Shields
TD: 1.8 Shields (Story: 2.5, Art: 1.0) - Inappropriate art job featuring
a hideous Supes (Frankenstein in tights) drags a painfully average
story down.
JSm: 3.0 Shields - Simonson's story is average, but the muddy art obscures it
beyond comprehension. Am I the only one who can't detect the "Pulp"
theme in these annuals, beyond the text introducing each "chapter"?
JSy: 0.9 Shields - Avoid. Please, save yourself the money. The story gets
off to a *very* slow start, and by the time it picks up (though not
by much), you're just no longer interested. Not to mention the
fact that the art is terribly distracting. Just an all around bad
effort. How come MOS seems to get stuck with the worst annuals?
ST: 1.1 Shields - <shudder> One of the worst renderings of Superman I have
seen in a long, long time. I could have lived with it if the story
held my attention, but it was just mud too. Give this one a miss.
Let me get this outta the way: Tommy Lee Edwards draws the *ugliest* Superman
I've ever seen. Honest.
In fact, it's the artwork that really pulls down this issue. Blocky, scratchy
and overly dark, it's simply unpleasant to look at (which is odd, considering
how much I liked Edwards' work on THE CHALLENGERS OF THE UNKNOWN and the
Milestone books). The only element of his work that I liked here was a non-
traditional interpretation of Lois Lane that brought the character's slyness
to the surface. His art style doesn't work because, even though this is a
darker-toned story, Superman needs a lighter touch to seem plausible -- not
the heavy, heavy blacks Edwards and his inkers lay down.
Of course, I might have liked the art better if the story was something to
write home about. Basically, Lois, Clark and The Metropolis S.C.U. go up
against Pierce, a powerful telekinetic assassin who takes pins, medals and
other jewelry from the people he kills and wears them on his face. He kills a
Hondurican prosecutor that a CIA Black Ops squad wants out of the way and
evades the snipers the Agency sent to kill him. When Maggie meets resistance
in tracking this character down, she and Lois team up to track him to a
nuclear power plant. Pierce has chosen this place for a standoff in hopes of
getting revenge on the CIA agent who ordered his death; that the nuclear
explosion Pierce plans will wipe out Metropolis never occurs to him. Oh, and
Superman shows up and helps save the day. Ho-Hum.
So what we have here is a simple case of Louise Simonson having an off day.
There's nothing real innovative about this story; it's asimple case of heroes
meet baddie, heroes track down baddies, heroes find baddie's being set up by
Bad Government People, heroes triumph. Pierce is not an interesting character
in the least, even though he's made out to be a major threat; the only thing
about him that's interesting is his look, which is very Milestone. The saddest
thing is that Superman is a guest star in his own annual. That might be
fortunate, considering he looks like an electric Frankenstein monster, but he
should have played a bigger role.
I have nothing against using the annuals to highlight the secondary
characters--Hell, Simonson rises to the occasion with Lois. But make an
effort to give us something for our four bucks, not a sort of lame-ass action
movie rip-off with an art job that looks like a storyboard for the next David
Fincher flick, 'kay? Hopefully, the rest of the Super family annuals will
take their cues from SUPERMAN ANNUAL #9, which was a popcorn treat of the
first order, and not this one.
Thomas Deja
<manciniman@rocketmail.com>
===========================================
SUPERBOY ANNUAL #4 1997 $3.95 US/$5.95 CAN
"Savageboy: The Adventures of Superboy When He Was Lost in the Jungle"
Writer: Eddie Berganza
Illustrators: Tom Grindberg and Brian Anderson,
Sergio Cariello and Barb Kaalberg,
Brad Gorby and Jed Hotchkiss
Letters: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Colors: Tom Zuiko
Asst. Editor: Dana Kurtin
Editor: Kevin Dooley
Cover: Gary Gianni
RATINGS
Average: 3.3/5.0 Shields
RG: 4.0 Shields (Story) - nicely done; everyone stayed in character.
3.0 to 4.0 Shields (Art) - varied a bit as the teams changed, all good.
JSy: 3.1 Shields - Hey, it wasn't Shakespeare (or STEEL, or THE KENTS), but
I had a lot of fun with this issue. Granted, the art was completely
gratuitous, but the story was a silly, fun romp. And how can you
go wrong returning to Mr. Z and the "Blackout" island?
ST: 3.0 Shields - Not the best of the Super-Annuals so far, but certainly
not the worst. A fun sort of romp in a fairly classic Superboy manner.
I wonder if this signals a return of Beppo the Supermonkey? <grin>
Continuing in the tradition of the past few years, this year DC has again
decided to have a theme for all of the regular annuals. This year they chose
"Pulp Heroes" as the theme. For the most part the annuals have dealt with the
current hero, the (mostly) current cast, and usually in the current settings
of the regular series. What they have done is to change the style of the story
telling to fit the mold of the pulp genre. I didn't expect to like them much,
but so far I've enjoyed every one that I've read.
I've always been a fan of the pulps. What can I say -- I'm old enough that I
read many of them as they came out on the stands. I've found over the years
that many of today's fans and writers look at the pulps as something to be
ashamed of. I wasn't looking forward to DC trashing my memories by doing a
poor job of adapting them to meet their needs. To be honest, I expected the
Batman books (which grew out of the pulp genre) to be pretty good and the rest
of them to suffer. I'm glad I was wrong.
Superboy, Tana, and Roxy are off to rescue Rex Leech, who has been taken
captive while treasure hunting. They are attacked by dinosaurs and savages
getting into (and out of) the usual type of trouble that we have come to
expect. One of the nicest surprises that I got from the story was that the
island where all this happens was the same one where Superman stayed during
the Blackout story-arc. The natives manage to get Superboy stoned and try to
sacrifice him to some local monster. Meanwhile Tana gets taken captive by a
different tribe to be sacrificed to a different monster. Roxy is the only one
who manages to keep her head, and formulates a rescue of all concerned.
A serious book? Nah, but great fun and highly recommended. The writing was
very well done, somehow managing to blend the slightly over-the-top flavor of
the pulps with the lighter more irreverent mood of today. They even managed to
do it all in such a way as to keep the cast in character within the pulp
context.
The art in the book varied slightly from chapter to chapter but that was to be
expected with a completely different art team on each one. All were well above
average but the amount of detail and shading differences made each chapter
stand apart, rather than flowing together.
You could do worse than buying this one.
Rene Gobeyn
<bedlam@frontiernet.net>
_______________________________________________________
SPECIALS AND GUEST APPEARANCES (cont):
-------------------------------------
THE KENTS: Part 1 of 12 Aug 1997 $2.50 US/$3.50 CAN
"Bleeding Kansas"
Writer: John Ostrander
Penciller: Timothy Truman
Inks: Michael Bair
Letters: Bill Oakley
Colors: Carla Feeny
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Editor: Peter J. Tomasi
Cover: Timothy Truman
RATINGS
Average: 4.5/5.0 Shields
RG: 4.5 Shields (Story) - Well researched, tightly plotted.
5.0 Shields (Art) - It doesn't get any better than this.
JSy: 4.9 Shields - Gorgeous art, involving story rife with historical
research and real characters. Heck, even Ostrander's letter column
essay on the history of the series was engrossing. You can't go
wrong with this one.
TD: 4.5 Shields - Ostrander and Truman kick out the jams in this historical
western featuring real figures with a backdrop of abolitionism, state
rights and stuff. I'm a sucker for historical literature featuring
real life personages, and Ostrander rises to the occasion. Truman's
art is just brill.
ST: 4.0 Shields - This isn't my history (I'm Canadian) but that doesn't stop
it from being interesting. The historical inserts, however, while
necessary to create the mood and setting, are somewhat intrusive and a
mite wordy in places. Still, an excellent piece of historical fiction.
If you are expecting Superman to make an appearance in this one, forget it!
While doing some work on the old farm house, Jonathan Kent uncovers a chest
buried in the old foundation. When he opens it, he comes across diaries and
artifacts of the first Kent families to live in Kansas. The family history as
it comes to life is written by Jonathan and sent to Clark so that he (and we)
can see and better understand the Kent's family values. The closest we get to
Superman here is seeing Lois and Clark's reactions to the family history.
This is one of those titles that comes along all too rarely. A well
researched, superbly characterized tale of the settling of the Kansas
territory in the days preceding the American Civil War. If you have any
interest in or love of American history, this may be the book for you.
For those of you who are not too sure of the timing, the story itself takes
place in 1854. John Ostrander seems to have done his research for this one,
trying to make it as historically accurate as possible. Many of the people who
make their appearance are (so far as I can tell) accurately portrayed. There
is a diversity in the historical characters who appear, ranging from Harriet
Tubman (an early black abolitionist who helped many slaves escape to Canada
via the underground railroad), to John Brown, to Dr. Charles Robinson--a
leader of the squatters revolt in California (1849) who was also active in the
Kansas/Missouri settlement.
Throw in the fictional characters of Silas Kent, his two sons Nathaniel and
Jebadiah (Jonathan Kent's ancestors), and John Henry Lane (a real person, but
in this story a distant ancestor to Lois Lane!), and you have an anchor to tie
this story to Superman.
While the story is fabulous, the art is just short of awe inspiring. If there
is one person in comics who seems to have been born to draw westerns it is Tim
Truman. I had praised his past work (Jonah Hex) as being excellent (which it
was), but his work here far surpasses much of his earlier efforts. Tim has
managed to couple superb and interesting layouts with fine details and
excellent perspectives and backgrounds. This is some of the finest work I had
the pleasure of seeing in some time.
If you have had some reservations about buying this book because it doesn't
deal with Superman and/or his supporting cast, forget them. If you miss this
story, I truly think you'll regret it.
Rene Gobeyn
<bedlam@frontiernet.net>
===========================================
THE SUPERMAN/MADMAN HULLABALOO! #1 June 1997 $2.95 US/$4.15 CAN
Dark Horse Comics/DC Comics
"Man and Super-Madman!"
Story/Art: Mike Allred
Color Separations: Laura Allred
Lettering: Sean Konot
Cover: Mike Allred
RATINGS
Average: 3.4/5.0 shields
DR: 4.0 Shields (Story) - A fun story which looks to get even better. As a
crossover, it looks to be worthy of three issues and three bucks.
4.5 Shields (Art) - Clean, animation style art which works wonders for
the Metropolis Marvel.
AW: 4.0 Shields - Wonderfully quirky. They kept the issue interesting
without a major villain or even much of a plot!
JSy: 2..8 Shields - This one just didn't sit right with me. Perhaps it's my
unfamiliarity with Madman and his comrades. Perhaps it was just a
reaction to the hybrid costumes. I don't know for certain, but it
just didn't hold my interest.
ST: 3.5 Shields - More enjoyable the second and third time through. A
fascinating mix of two seemingly-unmixable heroes. I'm guessing that
Allred took his inspiration for Superman from something other than
the Byrne incarnation, though; the whole thing seemed very 1950's.
TD: 2.5 Shields - Eeeeh--mostly just playing set-up. Not being familiar
with MADMAN, I had some problems adjusting to the craziness.
The latest company crossover extravaganza from DC and Dark Horse does the
seemingly impossible task of not only pairing two obviously different heroes,
but also making it interesting. I believe this is the first crossover that
I've read, from any two comic companies, where the title heroes did NOT fight
each other.
The story is fairly simple: Two heroes of different realities are sent to
observe upon a space phenomena. Through the usual inexplicable cosmic
happening, Madman and Superman are rocketed into each other's universes, and
actually pass through each other in the process. The mixture of Madman and
Superman create two Super-madmen, each with approximately 1/8th of Superman's
powers. The remainder of the story is spent examining the two characters'
plight in their new surroundings.
Neither Superman or Madman is aware of the other's situation, having only been
in contact for a fraction of a second during their collision. Each of the two
seems to think that the other has the lion's share of the powers, not
realizing, as hinted at near the end of the book, that Superman's powers were
dispersed among eight people.
The story idea is, to my knowledge, quite new, and the way it's been handled
so far is very refreshing. The only major bit of action takes place in the
last few pages of the book, where a two-bit crook, seemingly with a portion of
Superman's powers (and also a Steve Buscemi look-alike) engages in a gun fight
over some stolen goods. The characterizations are quite distinct, as Mike
Allred has captured an essence of Superman not long seen, reminiscent of the
Silver-Age, scientific one. Superman is in a dire situation though -- melded
with another being and in a different universe -- and he is in a serious mood.
This is probably why he is exhibiting qualities of his Pre- Crisis
counterpart. Of course, this hypothesis will not be tested until Allred shows
us more of his style of writing Superman when he's NOT in the midst of a
crisis.
The first five pages of the book are dedicated to explanations of character
origin with four of them going to Madman. Greedy, you say? Far from it. We
open the book is a splash page showing Superman, summing up the character and
his city in 3 sentences. Allred wisely understands that everybody and his
brother knows about Superman and his mythos, so why waste precious space on a
well-established character when you can enrich the public on the life of a
lesser-known one?
The next four pages are a veritable "Everything you wanted to know about
Madman but were afraid to ask", as his origin, city, friends, life, and even
his deepest, darkest secrets are explored. Whether you know much about Madman
or not, these four pages sum him up perfectly.
Allred's art is very clean and fluid. The character consistency is strong and
all details are drawn in full, not messily added in. His style works very well
on the Man of Steel, something I originally though would be the worst part of
the book. Allred's characters are nicely drawn, and he has no trouble making
people look real, and weirdos look weird. One minor gripe: Superman's face
appears a bit too wrinkly. Not like a prune, just not like the youthful way he
is displayed in the current comics. I can forgive him for this, just because
the art shines throughout the entire book.
One last thing of note is the title of the comic, and the way it was
published. Whichever company publishes the crossover usually gives their
character, and their company, top billing. One close look at the cover shows
that both Superman and DC are more prominently displayed. Also, in the
Previews solicitations, an ad for the book appears in the DC section, even
though it's only available through the Dark Horse section. I find this to be
extremely smart on the part of Dark Horse, playing off the popularity of two
industry icons: The DC bullet, and Superman himself. If memory serves
correctly, this "ploy" was also used for the Superman/Aliens crossover, also
published by Dark Horse. Sneaky...
Final analysis: A great book which pairs two seemingly unpairable characters.
Both are handled in a respectable way, and neither dominates the book over the
other. The one thing that could be said against it is that the next issue
won't be out for another 30 days.. Curse you calendar! Curse you!
Dan Radice
<dradice@caninet.com>
_______________________________________________________
THE PHANTOM ZONE: Reviews of the pre-Crisis Man of Steel
------------------------------------------------------------------
THE ONE, TRUE, ORIGINAL SUPERMAN!
---------------------------------------
by Bob Hughes (rhughes3@ix.netcom.com)
The Very First Imaginary Story!
"The Perils of Poor Lois"
SUPERMAN #24, September-October 1943
The year 1943 was one of those major cross roads in Superman's career. Having
taken the country by storm in the five years following his ACTION debut,
Superman was facing his first real crisis. Writer/creator Jerry Siegel had
been drafted. Not only that, but most of Detective Comics Inc.'s editorial
staff had also been drafted! Mort Weisinger and Murray Boltinoff had turned
the reins over to newcomer Jack Schiff, whose job it was to find new artists
and writers (and new ideas) to keep the books going for the duration.
Newspaper reporter and crime novelist Don Cameron had lugged his typewriter
through the doors of DC about a year earlier and was already established as
Bill Finger's back-up writer on Batman (and had made comics history by writing
the first appearance of Alfred the Butler). Now he was being asked to take
over Superman. His task -- to find something new that would keep readers
interested in the exploits of a man who could do anything. In short order, he
would set the tone of the strip for the next five years.
As the story begins, Clark and Lois attend a revival of the 1890's play "Betty
the Beautiful Milkmaid". As they leave, discussing the quaint writing and
acting styles of generations past, clumsy Clark knocks the theatrical posters
over, and he and Lois end up with their heads superimposed over the actors'.
Clark is immediately impressed with the idea of actually being in an 1890's
melodrama, while Lois is mortified at the spectacle he's making.
At this point, the narrative voice breaks in (in a great big panel-sized text
box) and says, "And there, gentle reader, is our inspiration for what may be
safely called the most amazing melodrama of all time! Have you ever wondered
what Superman would do, faced with the hair-raising terrors that once
confronted the handsome hero of the footlights? So have we -- and since we
have the world as our stage and all the time-honored props of yesterday's
playwrights at our disposal, why not find out right now?..."
Lois is immediately transformed into the daughter of the publisher of the
Creekville Crier. Clark Kent becomes the paper's star reporter and printer's
devil. Squire Squeazel is introduced as the tight-fisted village banker, a
"villain bent on villainy". Angry at uncomplimentary stories in the Crier,
Squeazel has bought the mortgage from a big city bank and is threatening to
foreclose in seven days, unless Editor Lane gives Squeazel his daughter's hand
in marriage.
"The heroines of melodrama are sometimes short of common sense," it says here,
"but never of flaming courage!" -- a perfect description of Lois Lane in any
era. In a short time (4 panels) she manages to get herself kidnapped by the
Squire, while her father and Clark speculate that she's eloped with the vile
villain to save the paper. "Long after dusk, a young man wrestles with the
green-eyed monster of jealousy -- until finally..."
"This is a job for Superman!"
Leaving a trail of destruction behind, Superman ransacks the town and the
banker's office, searching for a clue to Lois' whereabouts. Meanwhile, Squire
Squeazel, angered at Lois' continual refusals, has decided to set her afire,
along with Sam Wheat's farm. "More than a mile away, Superman's sensitive
hearing picks up the plaintive plea..." "Clark! Oh Clark -- save me!"
"Swifter than the night wind -- and straighter than a well-aimed arrow -- the
Man of Steel rockets to the rescue."
Not only does Superman rescue Lois, he puts out the fire in the barn and saves
the farmer's corn crop. However, while he's doing that, Squire Squeazel once
again squirrels away with Lois. The frustrated financier now determines to
tie her to the sawmill. Superman's super ears quickly pick up the sound of a
saw mill running long past closing time and he swoops in to investigate.
Superman then ties the Squire to the railroad tracks and threatens to leave
him there unless he signs a confession and promises to return every penny he
gained through cheating his honest neighbors.
"Thanks to you Squeazel," his compatriot complains, "we'll spend the rest of
our lives behind bars."
"But think of the people who are stupid enough to be honest!" The Squire
retorts. "They'll have to pay for our food and lodging!"
Editor Lane is so impressed with Clark Kent's write-up of the tale that he
raises his salary to $3.50 a week. Now able to support a wife, Clark
proposes to Lois, who turns him down because she's now in love with Superman.
Meanwhile, back in the real world, Superman has to spring into action to
rescue an actress from a falling curtain. Scrambling out of the pile of
posters, Lois notices that someone in the theater is talking about Superman.
Clark (who's so fast no one notices he left and came back) says, "Let them
talk! Forget him! I'm rescuing you, so why don't we pretend I'm the hero of
the evening?"
"That's rich!" retorts Lois. "Imagine you trying to be like Superman!"
"No harm in pretending, I guess," says Clark.
It's hard to do justice to the clever twists and one-liners that Cameron was
able to stick into a story without quoting all the dialogue. Suffice it to
say, Stan Lee could have learned a lot from him. It's even harder to do
justice to the work of Ed Dobrotka, one of the cleverest and most unique
artists ever to touch pencil and brush to Superman. Dobrotka's work is marked
by inventive use of panel borders, round panels that focus in on important
points, and some of the most comical looking supporting characters ever
assembled. A master of both facial expressions and action scenes, he set a
standard which Shuster's other ghosts could not hope to match. He left the
strip in 1945 and I'm not really sure what happened to him after that. With
his gift for character and exaggeration he could easily have found a job doing
the humor strips which were sweeping the super-heroes away at this point, or
perhaps he left the industry all together.
Cameron's scripting here set the standard for all imaginary stories to follow.
A central fact of the Superman mythos is changed and the reader is invited to
see what effect that change would have on the characters. The other standards
and conventions of the strip remain intact. Superman continues to have a
secret identity. Lois continues to get into trouble. Clark continually ends
up with the short end of the stick.
While the term "imaginary story" wasn't introduced until 1959, all the
earmarks of those tales exist in this early prototype. The adventure is not
part of actual Superman continuity. It is not a dream. It is not a tall-tale
related by some other character in the story (although Cameron would use both
those devices effectively later on in his career), rather it is a direct
communication from the writer/narrator to the reader. It's a letting-in of
the reader on the mechanics of story writing. Let's see what effect changing
one element will have on the formula. The writer acknowledges there is a
reader (In this case, a "Gentle Reader", one of Cameron's signature phrases).
The reader acknowledges there is a writer. And both acknowledge that the
characters exist in a very artificial world in which life is composed
according to a very strict formula, often referred to as "Fate", but actually
the editor's story bible. The true imaginary story is a puzzle in which the
reader, armed with past knowledge of the formula, tries to guess the turns the
writer's twist of the premise will impose. The usual answer is, not many.
This story, despite the change in venue, turns out exactly the way many
contemporary Superman stories did. In later imaginary stories, a variant is
introduced of violating the formula and having the characters end up in a
frightful pickle that the writer does not resolve. Because the story is
imaginary, no conclusion is necessary. The reader is left to his own devices
to think of a way out. Thus the game of reader and writer trying to outwit
one another is continued. It is this interactive camaraderie between the
writer and the reader which most sets off comic book writing from other types
of fiction, and Don Cameron was one of the major creators behind it.
Cameron went on to write both Superman and Batman up into the late forties,
while continuing to work as a newspaper reporter. His Superman stories often
focused tightly on the love triangle of Superman, Lois, and Clark. He made
much of Clark's supposed jealousy of Superman and relished throwing slapstick
touches into his depiction of "clumsy Clark." Lois was warm as a summer's day
to Superman but cold and often nasty to Clark. For some reason he endured it
and continued to pursue her anyway. Cameron's Lois was daring, fearless, and
foolish. And just plain lucky. Cameron wrote several of those 4 page Lois
stories in which Superman did not appear. Lois got herself into scrapes that
were just as bad as those in the longer stories, but somehow got out without
Superman's help. Usually due to blind, dumb luck.
Cameron created many important and memorable characters, including the Toyman
and J Wilbur Wolfingham, and Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee for Batman. He died
in 1954.
Editor Jack Schiff went on to preside over many developments of Superman's
career, including the development of Mr. Mxyztplk, but that's a story for
another time.
_______________________________________________________
LOIS AND CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN
------------------------------------------------------
I ONLY HAVE EISNER FOR YOU
--------------------------
by Zoomway@aol.com
For those who were curious how the deal struck between ABC and Warner Bros. to
renew LOIS AND CLARK for a 5th season was completely undone, we have to go
back two years to when ABC proudly trumpeted itself as "watched by more people
than any other network..." By late 1994, ABC looked unstoppable. It was
topping the charts across the boards in all ratings categories. In such
cases, a network is less prone to panicky decisions, rash judgments and is
much more likely to give a show a longer stay in its time slot regardless of
its rating status. That is where LOIS AND CLARK enters the picture.
LOIS AND CLARK finished 65th out of 132 prime time shows its first season
(93/94). Normally that is a number that would relegate a freshman show to the
cancellation file. However, three factors led to the series being given a
sophomore year. 1) ABC had a history of doing poorly on Sunday night in that
time slot, and even rating that low, LOIS AND CLARK did better than anything
else ABC had aired there in years. 2) The show received better adult
demographics more often than its chief rival SEAQUEST DSV. 3) Fox was a
non-contender in the 93/94 season; Fox was not available in all major market
areas, THE X-FILES, a top rater now, was doing more poorly in the ratings its
first season than LOIS AND CLARK, and at that time THE SIMPSONS had not been
moved to Sunday night.
When the 2nd season of LOIS AND CLARK debuted September 18, 1994 with "Madame
Ex" (in East, Central, and Rocky Mountain time zones, a portion was pre-empted
by a non-news event consisting of former President Jimmy Carter waving
good-bye from the steps of an airplane) it ranked 40th with A.C. Nielsen. The
show then began a steady decline that did not reverse itself until February
12th, 1995 with "The Phoenix". Prior to that, LOIS AND CLARK seemed to be
slugging it out for last place with SEAQUEST.
It was around this time that things were happening with Disney. The "Mouse
House" as the trade papers have dubbed the company, decided to purchase
ABC/Capital Cities. Disney wanted to get into the commercial television race
as other studios had done (Fox, WB and UPN). However, Disney did not want to
start from scratch, as did the others, since it took a decade for Fox to
finally be taken seriously as a contender with the "big 3" networks. The easy
solution was to buy an established network and "Disney-ize" that network.
ABC, being red-hot at the time, was the logical choice. Also, two new shows
from Disney debuted the same year as LOIS AND CLARK, ELLEN and BOY MEETS
WORLD. HOME IMPROVEMENT, also from Disney, had debuted in 1991.
Michael Eisner, who stepped into the less than satisfactory shoes of Michael
Ovitz, departing Disney CEO, made a public statement that he would like to see
THE WONDERFUL OF DISNEY return to Sunday night. There was a problems in
achieving that goal, AMERICA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS and LOIS AND CLARK
occupied the time slots Eisner desired. With LOIS AND CLARK falling in the
ratings at the time Eisner had made that statement, half the goal at least
seemed attainable, but from February to May, LOIS AND CLARK outperformed the
competition in every category, and so the show's renewal for a 3rd season was
a done deal. VIDEOS still was performing well in its time slot too, and so
any relaunch of Disney on Sunday, at least on ABC, would have to wait.
LOIS AND CLARK did even better in its 3rd season. However, that same year
Jamie Tarses stepped in as new head of programming at ABC, replacing Ted
Harbert, who was moved up to Chairman of ABC. Tarses had gained notoriety as
a program developer at NBC, and was credited with having an eye for winning
programming concepts, and even "tweaking" programs for better appeal. One of
the shows she is credited with "shepherding" is MAD ABOUT YOU. For most fans
who were familiar with the competition on Sunday faced by LOIS AND CLARK
during its 3rd season, the toughest competitor was MAD ABOUT YOU. No
allegations are being made that there was a conflict of interest, or some type
of revenge motive, though I can finally clear up a mystery mentioned in this
column last month. I had mentioned that the powers that be with LOIS AND
CLARK wanted a wedding, but the powers that be at ABC did not. I said at that
time that it would probably never be known if the show planned a wedding they
knew they could not finish, or if they began a wedding in good faith, and the
plug was pulled at the last moment. Well, Dean Cain stated recently in the
L.A. Times that the wedding was taken away from them at the "last possible
second". So, speculation can now end on that aspect. Who, however, gave the
word from ABC that the wedding must be stopped, is still unknown.
We now come to 4th season, and LOIS AND CLARK facing its toughest competition.
As mentioned in last month's column, Tarses went public twice last year
stating that LOIS AND CLARK was already renewed for a 22 episode 5th season.
She stated this first in November, and then again in January. However, less
than a month after her statement, LOIS AND CLARK was yanked off the schedule
for February sweeps. This action was so swift and unexpected that those
connected to the show had to read about the hiatus in the trade papers. What
could have possibly changed from January to February? The loss of Ted
Harbert.
Though Harbert was no longer head of programming, his influence as chairman
was still keenly felt at ABC. When he left for a position at DreamWorks in
February, Tarses was flying solo for the first time, and all programming
decisions were hers, and hers alone. There are some who believe that Tarses
decided in February to dump Lois and Clark, and to make the show look as bad
in the ratings as possible to justify reneging on the renewal. This may sound
like a minor league conspiracy theory, but an argument can be made in favor of
this supposition.
Pulling LOIS AND CLARK, or any show for that matter, for a month, and not once
reminding viewers it will be returning, is a death blow to a television
series. Viewers are creatures of habit, and when a favorite show is removed
from the schedule without reminders that it will be returning, they make the
logical assumption that it will never be returning. It lives up to the
cliche, "out of sight, out of mind". ABC/Disney is in something of a
lose/lose situation here. If their lack of support for the show, and in this
case "support" meaning the simple act of advertising and promoting LOIS AND
CLARK like any other show, was not of a conspiratorial nature, then at the
very least, it was an extremely bad move from a business standpoint.
Especially for a company whose business is dedicated to attracting viewers for
their programming.
When LOIS AND CLARK was moved to Saturday, again unheralded, and this time
with no print ad appearing anywhere, then there was truly no doubt ABC had in
mind to kill the show once and for all. It left the realm of theory at this
point. The show moved in April, and that is when The Hollywood Reporter
confirmed rumors that ABC was in fact desperately trying to undo the renewal
deal. Pulling the show in May had less to do with ratings than having to do
with ABC waging a battle with Warner Bros. to free itself from the commitment
of carrying the show another year. The show couldn't air in May, or the "to
be continued" titled over the final scene of "Family Hour" would have remained
in tact, so they had to have the show canceled first, allowing them to sponge
away the words that would have promised viewers a resolve to the cliffhanger
ending next season. According to several sources at December 3rd Productions,
Warner Bros. was holding firm, and so they were caught by surprised when WB
caved in, and ABC won. Why did Warner Bros. cave in?
Some pointed the finger of blame directly at Dean and Teri. When neither
actor stepped forward to fight for the show, they seemed conspicuous by their
non-support. Not even supporting fan-based efforts requesting Warner Bros.
keep ABC to the promised renewal. This, of course, is true. Neither star
made an effort publicly to rescue LOIS AND CLARK. Most fans, however knew
that Dean and Teri, not unlike Duchovny and Anderson of THE X-FILES, wanted to
move on, and apparently contractual obligations became the only glue holding
them to their respective shows. This doesn't mean that Dean and Teri are not
proud of what they did on LOIS AND CLARK, and what they accomplished
throughout the run of the series. Both stars have spoken recently about how
proud they were of what the show accomplished, and of their part in that
accomplishment. Perhaps in a couple of years they may want to take part in a
movie or two (similar to the occasional ALIEN NATION movies), but for now, the
wounds are still apparently too fresh.
In the end, the fog over this issue has cleared only slightly, and there is
still no evidence or hard facts about what ultimately made ABC/Disney want to
dump LOIS AND CLARK after promising renewal, and what ultimately made Warner
Bros. acquiesce. What is known is that even after ABC wriggled out of its
deal, it made sure that the finale for LOIS AND CLARK aired on June 14th, just
one day before contracts holding the actors and writers ran out. This was
done to make any last minute rally or outcry to bring the show back a moot
point. Without the contracts, there could be no show. So, for the first time
after four years, there will be no return of LOIS AND CLARK on ABC, but
Michael Eisner will be hosting THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF DISNEY next year in that
familiar time slot. Does any of this point to Disney being in partnership
with Tarses to dump LOIS AND CLARK? Does this mean there's a bit of abuse of
power going on at ABC? Perhaps most importantly, with LOIS AND CLARK gone for
good, does any of it matter anymore?
_______________________________________________________
AND WHO DISGUISED AS...
---------------------------------------------------------
A Column of Opinion by J.D. Rummel (rummel@creighton.edu)
Ma! Look What The Adults Have Done to my Comics!
Well, certainly a lot has happened since last my words appeared in these
pages. _Lois And Clark_ is no more, Nicolas Cage and Tim Burton are working
on _Superman Lives_, Kevin Smith's script is being rewritten by the guy who
wrote _The Saint_, Batman is back in theaters, the _Men in Black_ are out
there too, and _Spawn_ is advertising loudly. Oh, and David Hasselhoff as
_Nick Fury, Agent of Shield_ (no, really) is headed to the small screen.
Comics have grown into our lives. They used to be just funny books,
treasured, or reviled. Now, as they seep into our consciousness, they appear
more and more in the mass media. I think they still have a lot of growing to
do, but they are certainly getting exposure. Sometimes they succeed, more
often, they, and we, take a beating.
First, about _Lois and Clark_. It took a beating. Now, I was not a fan.
When I watched it I sighed too often and rolled my eyes a lot. Still, lots of
folks liked it, hell, loved it from what I can tell. It was treated badly by
ABC and I do regret that. Seems to me that it had a solid audience and
consequently, those people were treated badly as well. Doesn't say much for a
network to abandon a show and its audience, but as you are all aware, nobody
there called to ask me. Their loss.
Like most of you, I'm guessing, I saw _Batman and Robin_ the other night. It
very much reminded me of the television show (if the show had had countless
millions to spend on sets and effects). To me, that's not a slam. As a
child, I liked the series, as an adult it amuses me, but the series was Batman
the same way David Niven was James Bond--just an amusing diversion from the
Way Things Should Be. The Batman movies have greatly deteriorated since Tim
Burton's '89 debut effort. Gone is any thoughtful writing. The attempt at
making a statement in _Batman and Robin_ is a quaint one about family. You
wouldn't miss it if had not made the final edit. Clooney is a very good
Batman. If he had something to do it would be nice. The movies are very
crowded, and Batman the character is a shade. He served no useful function
that I could see.
_Men in Black_ is a success both at the box office and artistically. I have
never read the comic book, so I have no idea how things have been changed, but
the movie is a fun ride, and worth the price of admission. However, if Chris
O'Donnell had been cast as "J" as originally planned, the movie would have
gone to the dollar theaters at somewhere around warp six.
_Spawn_ is already on HBO in a oddly washed-out looking, very adult cartoon.
I don't know why folks would produce a grey cartoon from an artist, who
regardless of your opinions of him, produces some really high-impact visuals.
And let us not forget the live action version which is running trailers in the
theaters. It looks very colorful and adult. I'll go see it.
Also, if I get a chance I may watch Dave Hasselhoff as Nick Fury. I saw a
clip of him on the set doing an interview, and was a little numb. I have
nothing against Michael Knight, Mitch Lifeguard, or even inexplicable Euro pop
star. I don't have axes to grind with the guy, but it did kinda give me
pause.
Wondering what's gonna happen to the Man of Steel on celluloid? Except for
the discussion of Patrick Stewart as Brainiac, it ain't lookin' real good so
far. I'm not thrilled by the choice of director, or the idea of rewriting
Kevin Smith. And even with my respect for Nick Cage, I saw _Con Air_ and
wondered if his Superman would drawl ("Whelll now, mister lew-thor, I'm a
ginna hafta ask you to step outside"). For what it's worth, last issue
someone suggested that the Mountie from _Due South_ get a screen test in the
cape. Thinking about it, I have to concur. I'll hotline that over to my
contacts, the same ones who saved _Lois and Clark_.
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.
_______________________________________________________
A SUPERBOY CONTINUITY GUIDE
-----------------------------------------------------
by David Joseph Young, Jr. (dayoung@luna.cas.usf.edu)
Hey folks at KC!
To preface this letter, I'd better tell you that I've always been very
observant of continuity in comics. This is not to say that I can't overlook
minor continuity errors to enjoy a good story, but I always like to know how
all of these inter-related stories fit together. I used to love the Marvel
and DC Indexes for their character cross-references.
Well, when Superboy got his second ongoing title (SUPERBOY & THE RAVERS), I
knew I was going to have to figure out when everything took place. So as each
new issue came out (actually each complete new story), I took note of where I
thought they took place. This was based a little on publishing date, but more
on story arcs and references in the stories themselves. A few issues were
decided quite arbitrarily, and arguments could be made that they belong in a
slightly different order.
Why am I telling you this? Because I decided to share it with you and all the
KC readers, of course! As follows is my handy-dandy Superboy index. I start
more or less with the "Losin' It!" story (which was just before SUPERBOY AND
THE RAVERS came out). The list is based on appearances of Superboy only
("Superboy appears next"), not other Superboy related characters. I didn't
include every single appearance by Superboy (such as Superboy's cameo
appearance in AZTEK THE ULTIMATE MAN at the JLA membership drive), but I think
I've got all the major ones, and a couple of non-continuity ones (which really
can be whenever, since it's not the "real" Superboy).
Note: I don't like to split issues up ("story x takes place between pages 5
and 6 of story y") unless it specifically mentions it in the story. I've
avoided this on my own judgments. Abbreviations: S&R = SUPERBOY & THE RAVERS
TITLE/ISSUE(S)/STORY ARC COVER DATE COMMENTS
------------------------ ------------ -------------------------------
SUPERBOY #31
"...Wipeout!" Sep 1996 Seems to take place before
Superboy was expelled from
public school, some time before
"Losin' It!"
SUPERBOY #25-30
"Losin' It!" Mar-Aug 1996 One continuous story
SUPERBOY #32
"So, Tell Me About Oct 1996 Must come before S&R #1-2
Superboy" because those issues are before
"Final Night"
SB & THE RAVERS #1-2
"House Rules" Sep-Oct 1996 Only reference in #1 is to
"Losin' It!" story; Superboy
leaves midway through #2
SUPERBOY #33
"Running Hot and Cold!" Nov 1996 (Superboy may appear in THE
(Final Night crossover) FINAL NIGHT after this issue?)
SB & THE RAVERS #3-4
"House Rules" Nov-Dec 1996 Superboy appears on page 17 with
reference "See THE FINAL NIGHT
mini-series and SUPERBOY #33"
SB & THE RAVERS #5
"Dial 'X' for X-Mas" Jan 1997 Arbitrary, except Superboy
speaks of fighting King Shark,
Lava, the Sun-Eater, and the
Plant Monsters of Rann on first
page
SUPERBOY #34-36
(Match story) Dec 1996- One continuous story; Superboy
Feb 1997 first gets "pimple"
SUPERBOY PLUS #1
"Junior Partners" Jan 1997 Superboy speaks of Dubbilex
recently getting his powers
back; "pimple" must be there,
but too small to see
SB & THE RAVERS #6
"Truth or Dare" Feb 1997 One issue story; completely
arbitrary placing; "pimple" must
be there but too small to see
SUPERBOY #37
"Sledge-Hammered!" Mar 1997 Arbitrary placing, except
definitely before S&R #7 (see
note). "Pimple" is clearly
visible, but not in my next
appearance
SHOWCASE '96 #8
"The Hard Way" Sep 1996 Arbitrary, except for reference
Superboy/Superman story S&R #7; "pimple" not visible
(see above note)
SB & THE RAVERS #7-9
"Road Trip" Mar-May 1997 Superboy refers to both battle
with Sledge (SUPERBOY #37) and
meeting Hardrock (SHOWCASE '96
#8) as recent in #7
SUPERBOY #38-40
"Meltdown" Apr-Jun 1997 "Meltdown" parts 1-3
SB & THE RAVERS #10
"Meltdown" Jun 1997 "Meltdown" part 4
SUPERBOY #41
"Meltdown" Jul 1997 "Meltdown" part 5
NON-CONTINUITY APPEARANCES:
--------------------------
SUPERBOY ANNUAL #3 1996 (August) "Legends of Dead Earth" story
SHOWCASE '96 #6 Jul 1996 "Superboy: The Animated Series"
story with Demon
Input is welcomed. E-mail me with comments (dayoung@luna.cas.usf.edu). I'd
particularly like to hear from any of the Superboy creators who might read KC
to see how close they think I am. Maybe DC could include an index similar to
it in one of the Superboy issues?
_______________________________________________________
THE MAILBAG
-------------------------------------
(sykes@ms.uky.edu, KryptonCN@aol.com)
KC Responses are indented and begun with ****
===================================
From: Jim Lesher (jlesher@npr.org)
This issue has probably been beaten to death, but I just want to make one more
comment about the status of the Atom. While I agree that the classic Ray
Palmer character deserves better treatment than what he received, I think at
the same time he (and the fans) got lucky in the larger scheme of things.
Specifically, most of his contemporaries from the Justice League (i.e. Hal
Jordan, Barry Allen, Oliver Queen, and Katar Hol) are all dead and gone. He
should consider himself lucky to be alive, and I'm glad he is.
In addition, I remember reading in a few issues of SUICIDE SQUAD that the
pre-Zero Hour Ray Palmer was fed up with being a super-hero, and he wanted
nothing to do with any other heroes.
Now, he has a passionate need to be an effective super-hero, combined with a
more positive outlook than he has had in a long, long time.
Compared to what has happened to other heroes, I'd say the Atom has done
pretty well...
[Also,] your comment about the potential return of Doomsday made me remember
something that I had wanted to mention a while ago: Superman's current powers
are *very* similar to the super-hero who first fought Doomsday thousands of
years ago (according to Dan Jurgens' SUPERMAN/ DOOMSDAY: HUNTER/PREY). It was
an electricity-based character called the Radiant, I think, and he was killed
by Doomsday after he escaped from Apokolips. So, Superman may not be able to
fight him that way.
**** The Radiant was energy-based, and he specifically used a massive energy
blast to defeat Doomsday. The question now -- and I *believe* this is
unanswered, at least to the readers -- is whether Doomsday is now
impervious to energy blasts in general, or just to The Radiant's blast.
However, since Doomsday was genetically bred on Krypton, maybe Luthor's
kryptonite ring might hurt him, since its radiation was poisonous to Krypton's
inhabitants...
Comments or opinions are welcome.
**** As I recall, HUNTER/PREY specifically stated that Doomsday was not
created of Kryptonian genetic material. My guess is that this would
mean he would not be vulnerable to Kryptonite, but I suppose it would
depend upon what his genetic makeup actually is.
Your mention of The Radiant brings an entirely different question to
my mind, however. Superman encountered a second, dying Radiant after
Doomsday had split the new creation in two. Is it possible that this
contact could have something to do with the current power status of
Superman?
===================================
From: James Garrison (macandrew@geocities.com)
Ladies and gentlemen of the Superman Readership,
I'm ashamed. I thought that the people who read and loved Superman understood
what made these five titles great. Instead, I read in the letters pages, I
see whining about the costume. I see bleating about how a sixty year old icon
will be destroyed.
Please.
John Byrne destroyed that tired old icon eleven years ago. It was called THE
MAN OF STEEL, a six-issue miniseries which revamped and restructured the
entire idea about Superman.
Byrne changed the rules. The story wasn't about a 1940's style mystery man
who wore a disguise of a reporter and saved lives. The story wasn't about a
godlike being who saved the universe every seven pages in 1960's ACTION
COMICS. This time there wasn't any colored kryptonite, no dogs and cats or
family of super powered people. This time there weren't any goofy imaginary
stories or conflicting stories. This time it was about one thing. It was
about a man, a super man, but still a man.
It was about Clark.
Byrne did the unthinkable. He turned a god into a man. This time, Clark is
the reality. Superman is the name that a lady reporter used to describe a big
blur. Superman is the name of the suit. That isn't what we're watching.
We're watching the man inside the suit. We're watching Clark. Clark is still
the main character. Clark is still the person behind the power.
One of the recent issues of SUPERMAN (#120) explored the idea of someone other
than Clark having the shield and powers of Superman. Each of the secondary
characters proved the point that it takes a special man to be Superman. It
takes a desire to see things put right. It takes a drive to do what has to be
done even if loved ones will be left behind.
The entire Doomsday incident of '93 proved that Clark had the drive and spirit
to overcome any odds. It also proved that without the upbringing Clark
received as a boy, he would have been a very different person. Clark actually
believes in justice, truth, and the democratic government of America. Clark
was brought up as a patriot. Clark was brought up as a baby boomer. Clark's
the product of our parents' generation (I can't believe I said that). Clark
is the product of "Leave it to Beaver", "Father Knows Best", and "To Kill a
Mockingbird".
John Byrne did this in 1986. Clark's the star here, not the suit. Clark said
it best, "Superman isn't real. He's just a fancy pair of longjohns that lets
me operate in public without losing my private life (MAN OF STEEL #6, 1986)."
The suit has changed. The powers have changed. The shield has changed,
slightly. The man is still operating in public. He's married, has friends
and enemies. He may be thinking about kids as much as the television series
portrays. He still has to be Superman because of a deeply rooted sense that
someone must do something to help, and since he has powers, then it best be
him. Clark's DNA may have gone all wonky on us, but his morals, his heart
(big as it is), and his head are all still the same.
Or let me put it another way. Before Byrne, Superman disguised himself as
Clark Kent, mild mannered reporter. After Byrne, Clark Kent disguised himself
as Superman. So Clark's disguise has changed. Big deal. At least he can
keep his hair cut. Super Man, people. Super _man_.
**** You know, given how this story has been received, I'm sure I'm just
gonna *love* rifling through the responses to *this* one. :)
Seriously, though, I agree with most of your points. I'm still waiting
for one of the naysayers to come up with a reasonable explanation of how
this "destroys" the icon that is Superman. That doesn't mean that I'm
not getting a little bit tired of the costume, but I still see Superman
underneath it. There's a great quote about the new Superman in
JLA/WILDC.A.T.S. -- a young Wally West, still in Kid Flash persona,
meets the current JLA through a time travel story: "I couldn't see
Superman anywhere... not until I looked real hard."
While the traditional costume may make it much easier, Superman can
always be identified by his actions, what he believes in, and what he
stands for.
===================================
From: Kal-El from Krypton (sjp143@psu.edu)
A note about Superman's appeal:
It is my opinion that Superman symbolizes the ideal person, not because he can
fly or lift cars, but because he is kind, charitable, noble, and has only
pure intentions. In a world of greed and suffering, it helps us all to
believe in someone who embodies all that is good in humanity. Superman helps
out because he can, because it is the right thing to do. He is driven by no
other motivations than bettering his community and saving lives (not in an
entirely physical sense, I might add -- read "Crisis at Hand" in SUPERMAN and
SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL a few months before his death).
"Crisis" changed a great many things about Superman, yet it did not erase what
he truly is. He is a symbol of hope, an embodiment of all that is good.
Several nuances have been taken out of the fold after Crisis. Both the
pre-Crisis and post-Crisis Supermen are enjoyable, yet both are different
takes.
One thing I never liked before Crisis was that Superman was sent to Earth as a
toddler; not even an infant. Kal-El being born on earth gives subliminal text
that "every person could be like this." Kal-El did not know of his heritage
or develop his powers until his late teens, and the most vital parts of
Superman were already in place by that time -- his Morals and his nature to
help and be kind to others. Superman always embodied the ideal of goodness,
and to say that only somebody from another world could meet this standard is
at the least insulting. Clark Kent was born in Kansas, and was raised by two
loving parents who taught him right. Clark had the same start as hopefully
all of us had, loving parents.
===================================
From: Jack Grimes (LBMGMD@aol.com)
[Concerning SUPERBOY #41, Jeff Sykes wrote:]
"If Marz can write *this* well, then why doesn't he do it all the time!? I
hope that the stunning plot twist is not soon forgotten, and that the new
relationship between Roxy and SB is explored."
[And Shane Travis wrote:]
"This one had it all! Drama, Excitement, suspense, plot, characterization...
wow! Easily the best single issue of this comic since the definitive Zero-hour
crossover of #8."
I have to disagree with all of this. For starters, where did Marz learn his
science? I *might* be able to accept that SB can get "donated" DNA from Roxy
(a female no less!)... but since when does the process of retrieving DNA
samples entail stripping down Nekkid and being put into a pod capsule with bad
locks? It all seemed like just an excuse to have, well, nekkid people (a
common theme in Marz's books). And then that "CPR" scene... why on Earth
would Roxy play dead like that? Again, the entire scene was blatantly
tailor-made for the 12-year-olds Marz *thinks* read this book.
**** I've never been one to over-concern myself with scientific accuracy in
comics -- I'm reading about people with super-powers, after all.
However, I don't think you read the whole pod capsule sequence the same
way I did. The pod capsules were not simply for retrieving DNA samples,
but were for completely breaking down their genetic structure and then
building it back up. I'd imagine there has to be *some* sort of
containment vessel for this process.
I'll agree with you about Roxy, though. *If* she was merely pretending
to be dead through the entire scene, then it was a pretty tasteless
joke, and out of character for the Roxy that has been developed in this
title.
The resolution to the Roxy-SB-Tana triangle seemed hokey as well. The notion
that Roxy could *only* stop loving the kid if she became his "sister" was
insulting to her, IMHO.
**** I'm not completely convinced that this is resolved -- see the airplane
scene in the follow-up issue. However, I like the concept of giving
Superboy some family, in a sense.
And, finally, there was the "trapped at 16" curse. What purpose does this
serve? No one ages in comics anyway. And, yes, Superboy *should* be a
metaphor for Peter Pan, but metaphors are only supposed to be *symbolic* not
*literal*. Marz slipped up with that one.
**** Again, I see it as story potential. There are some interesting issues
which would come about with never growing older. Having Superboy deal
with this new situation allows for a new direction in his growth as a
character.
Of course, this could all become moot if Tom and Karl decide to dump
these developments in favor of the new direction.
===================================
From: James Pharaon (stdsjp@shsu.edu)
I just wanted to let you know that I think that [issue #39 was] the best issue
of the Kryptonian Cybernet ever. Thank you for the summary of Clark's new
powers and for the real story (finally) behind the demise of LOIS AND CLARK.
Thanks again.
**** Not really into tooting my own horn, but I have to agree with you that
last issue was one of our best. We had more of a variety of articles
and topics than we have had in the recent past, which is more along the
lines of what I want for the magazine. New comic reviews are perfectly
dandy, but its a variety of other topics which makes the magazine
interesting to the broadest range of Superman fans.
Finally, to keep up with the latest on Clark's powers, check out the
Superman homepage (http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/7771/), and
for even more information on the demise of LOIS AND CLARK, see Zoomway's
new article this month!
-- Jeff Sykes
_______________________________________________________
**********************************************************
End of Section 8/Issue #40
