Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
The Kryptonian Cybernet Issue 51
_____________________________________________________________________________
T H E K R Y P T O N I A N C Y B E R N E T
_______________________________________________
http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/kc
Issue #51 - June 1998
_____________________________________________________________________________
CONTENTS
--------
Section 1: Superscripts: Notes from the Editor
Grouping the Man of Steel
Ratings At A Glance
Titles Shipped May 1998
And Who Disguised As...
Hero Worship
J.D. Rummel explores the question of how we define our
heroes
Section 2: News and Notes
The newest Superman fan, new info on upcoming comics and
creators, some Superman toy updates, and a touch of film
news
Superman: The Animated Series
"Little Girl Lost"
Jimmy Stewart and the STAS ratings panel takes a look at
the introduction of the animated Supergirl
Section 3: The Greatest Superman Story of All Time
Part 2: The Atom Man Attacks!
The Man of Steel meets his match in the form of the
Kryptonite-irradiated Atom Man, as Bob Hughes continues
his discussion of Superman on Radio
Section 4: New Comic Reviews
The Triangle Titles
Superman #136, by Thomas Deja
Adventures of Superman #559, by Dan Radice
Action Comics #746, by Derek Jackson
Section 5: New Comics Reviews
The Triangle Titles (cont)
Superman: The Man of Steel #81, by Mike Smith
Super-Family Titles
Steel #52, by Jeff Sykes
Superboy #53, by Rene' Gobeyn
Supergirl #23, by Thomas Deja
Section 6: New Comic Reviews
Other Superman Titles
JLA #20, by Anatole Wilson
Superman Adventures #21, by Cory Strode
Specials
Legends of the DC Universe #6, by Joey Ochoa
JLA 80-Page Giant #1, by Rene' Gobeyn
Section 7: After-Byrne
Manuscripts of Steel
Denes House trudges through yet another of 1992's
Eclipso stories, this one in Superman Annual #4
Superman Stories
Lex Luthor: Part 1
Sean Hogan begins a new series highlighting the best
and most important stories about the various characters
in the Superman mythos
Section 8: The Phantom Zone
Action Comics #367
Against the backdrop of yet another instance of the
secret identity in jeopardy, meet three folks who have
helped Superman. Review by Scott Devarney
The Mailbag
STAFF:
------
Jeffery D. Sykes, Publisher and Co-Editor-in-Chief
Shane Travis, Co-Editor-in-Chief and Executive Editor of Comic Reviews
Neil Ottenstein, Executive Editor of STAS Reviews
LEGAL DISCLAIMERS:
-----------------
Superman and all related characters, locations, and events are copyright and
trademark DC Comics. Use of the aforementioned is not intended to challenge
said ownership. We strongly suggest that each reader look to the media
sources mentioned within for further information.
All original material published in The Kryptonian Cybernet, including but not
limited to reviews, articles, and editorials, are copyright 1998 by The
Kryptonian Cybernet and the respective authors. Reprinting in any format is
expressly forbidden without the permission of The Kryptonian Cybernet and the
contributing author.
Opinions presented within this issue belong to the authors of the articles
which contain them. They should in no way be construed as those of any other
particular member of the editorial or contributing staff, unless otherwise
indicated.
This magazine can be distributed, in whole, freely via e-mail. Should you
desire to share this publication with other on-line services, please contact
me at sykes@ms.uky.edu for permission. Feel free to advertise subscription
information on other on-line services which have internet mail availability.
THE KRYPTONIAN CYBERNET is available by e-mail -- to subscribe, send the
commands
subscribe kc
end
in the body of an e-mail message to "majordomo@novia.net" (without the
quotation marks). The program ignores the subject line of the message.
Back issues are available via ftp at oasis.novia.net. These archives can also
be reached via the Kryptonian Cybernet Homepage:
http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/kc
_____________________________________________
SUPERSCRIPTS: Notes from the Editor
----------------------------------------
By Jeff Sykes (sykes@ms.uky.edu)
GROUPING THE MAN OF STEEL
Since it's been almost two months since the effort began, I'd like to take
my space this issue to update you on the proposal to create a new Superman
newsgroup. The primary difficulty has been in determining a proper name for
the group, and the discussion over this naming has often been heated. Maybe
you can help us figure out the best option.
Before we get into the names which have been discussed, let me remind you
of the group's intent. Unlike most other comic book characters, the Man of
Steel has drawn a large fan base through his appearances in other media,
including movies, TV shows, books, radio dramas, toys, and others.
Furthermore, many of these fans have little or no exposure to Superman
comics.
As it currently stands, there are a few places in which the non-comics
incarnations of Superman can be discussed. Many of these, such as
rec.arts.sf.tv, have very large volume and significantly diverse topics,
making Superman discussion difficult. There are two lower-volume newsgroups
where general Superman discussion is on-topic: alt.comics.superman and
rec.arts.comics.other-media. The former was created for the purpose of
discussing Superman comics, and though non-comics discussion is welcome, the
group is perceived by other-media fans as a comics newsgroup. The latter
was created to segregate discussion of other-media adaptations of comic book
properties from discussion of comic books themselves. As a result, the group
is primarily perceived as a group for comic book fans. Certainly the name is
unintuitive to users unfamiliar with the rec.arts.comics hierarchy.
The proposed newsgroup, then, began with the intention of creating a
newsgroup for discussion of Superman outside of the comics. Quite often,
discussion of other-media incarnations lead back to comparisons with the
comics. As such, it was decided that comics would not be made off-topic in
the group, to allow for such conversation drift. Furthermore, since
alt.comics.superman discussion often includes other-media topics, its entire
volume (spam excluded) would be welcome as well.
So what we end up with is a newsgroup dedicated to Superman in all media
incarnations. A few people questioned the need for such a group, as well as
whether or not it would generate sufficient volume, but we managed to allay
these concerns for most of them. This then led to the struggle for an
appropriate name.
Because the group would include discussions of all media, it was decided that
it should not be forced into any existing media-based hierarchies, such as
rec.arts.comics, rec.arts.tv, and rec.arts.movies. The only genre-based
hierarchy which comes close to describing Superman is rec.arts.sf, but many
fans don't consider Superman to be science fiction (more on this in a
moment). Therefore, it was decided to go with rec.arts.superman.
The regulars in news.groups balked at this. Loudly. I don't completely
understand the problem, but they insist that placing the group at third level
is a horrible idea. More importantly, it appears quite likely that they will
come out in mass to vote against the proposal if it proceeds with that name.
So we began to look for alternatives. Once we convinced them that the
existing hierarchies don't really work for this proposal, the discussion
turned to creating a new hierarchy which would accurately describe the group
and serve as useful for future groups of a similar nature.
MULTIPLE-MEDIA
The first thoughts were to use the media-wide nature of the proposal in
naming the new hierarchy, and the best of several suggestions was
rec.arts.multiple-media.superman. Supporters argued that the name would be
very descriptive of the group's purpose, and that it could be expanded with
groups dedicated to iconic characters such as James Bond, Robin Hood, and
Sherlock Holmes -- characters which have historically appeared in several
media. However, as time wore on, opponents began to see the name as little
more than a catch-all for groups which didn't fit anywhere else. I
personally became convinced that the name would be useless as a hierarchy, as
it would eventually have to be further divided into sub-hierarchies which
could have been created a level up from the start. For example, why end
up with rec.arts.multiple-media.adventure.* if you could have created
rec.arts.adventure.* in the first place? The fact that such a group doesn't
appear in a media-based hierarchy indicates that it doesn't focus on just one
medium.
Anyway, it became clear to me that opposition to multiple-media was becoming
nearly as strong as opposition to rec.arts.superman. Furthermore, I agreed
with the news.groups regulars that multiple-media was a bad name, even though
KalElFan (the first proponent) refused to buy our arguments. Believing it a
bad name with little or no chance of passing, I vetoed multiple-media, ending
the discussion. Because media-based hierarchies weren't working, we began
looking at genre-based hierarchies. This of course led to the central
question:
How would you classify Superman?
Here's the crux of the matter. We want to create rec.arts.(blah).superman,
where (blah) is replaced by a genre or category which accurately describes
the Man of Steel *and* which could describe similar characters or topics
which might one day warrant their own newsgroup. Here are a few of the
(blah) fill-ins which have been considered.
SUPER-HEROES
This has generally been ruled out because rec.arts.super-heroes.* is
perceived as a direct challenge to the existing rec.arts.comics.* hierarchy.
Challenging rac.* would almost certainly result in a landslide defeat of the
proposal.
HEROIC-FICTION
This was the first "genre" to gain support from news.groups. Certainly
characters such as James Bond, Tarzan, Zorro, Robin Hood, etc. would fit in
such a hierarchy, so it was perceived as a useful addition to Usenet. Since
Superman is both heroic and fiction, the name is very descriptive, which is
useful to the proposal. However, KalElFan and a few others viewed the name
as a made-up genre with literary connotations. Though our opposition seemed
the most enthusiastic about this compromise, KalElFan chose to veto the
name, and we moved along.
ADVENTURES-OF
Discussion eventually turned to this suggestion, which would make the group
rec.arts.adventures-of.superman. While it sounds cute, it was almost
universally agreed upon in news.groups that "adventures of" couldn't
reasonably be used as a hierarchy name. Since the intent, however, was to
use the adventure genre, with a focus on characters, some new ideas spun out.
ADVENTURE, ADVENTURE.CHARACTERS
Superman was originally called something akin to "The Greatest Adventure Hero
Ever," so adventure seems a reasonable genre for the Man of Steel. So we
considered rec.arts.adventure.superman. Since a focus on characters was also
desired, rec.arts.adventure.characters.superman was also considered.
However, KalElFan has an aversion to long names, so these groups have not
been given much consideration. To be completely honest, though, I don't
think there's been a single valid complaint about either of these, so we seem
to have reached an impasse.
SF
Most people perceive SF to mean science fiction, but in Usenet, SF means
speculative fiction. (Why don't either of those have a literary
connotation?) Since Superman can certainly be considered speculative
fiction, we've kept rec.arts.sf.superman in the back of our minds as a last
resort alternative. While none of is especially enthusiastic about that
name, it might be our best option if we can't agree on something else.
(Though I still want some questions answered before we give in.) For the
record, it seems almost certain that rec.arts.sf.superman would pass easily.
So those are the ideas that have been given the most consideration. To be
frank, I think the fact that even the supporters are disagreeing on how best
to name the group is a good indication that we simply haven't yet stumbled
upon the best name for a Superman group. So again I ask:
How would you classify Superman?
Some fresh perspectives would help us to step back and think some more about
the naming issue. We don't want to proceed without a good, descriptive name
for the group -- preferably one which will also serve the larger purpose of
helping to expand the Usenet hierarchies in a useful way. Any and all
suggestions are *much* more than welcome!
I'll keep you updated on the progress, though it looks now like we're going
to be waiting until the end of summer to vote. In the meantime, let me know
the results of your brainstorming, and I'll see you back here again next
month!
_____________________________________________
RATINGS AT A GLANCE: Titles shipped May 1998
---------------------------------------------------
Prepared by Shane Travis (travis@sedsystems.ca)
What a great month's worth of Superman comics! Every week brought new and
more pleasant surprises, and almost every title's composite rating went up
from last month's already-good results. For the first time since I started
this column, we had *four* of the regularly-published titles receiving marks
of 4.0 Shields or higher. Add to that the fact that only one title (including
the two specials) received a mark of lower than 3.0 Shields, and it all adds
up to four weeks of top-notch Superman.
Let's hope it's the beginning of a trend.
Key:
----
Issue -- Issue for which 'Current' Rating and Rank are calculated. The
'Previous' columns refer to the issue immediately prior to this.
Rating -- Average Rating, in Shields (maximum rating is 5.0). The number
in () indicates how many people submitted ratings.
Rank -- The relative ranking of the book among the regularly-published
Superman titles.
Average -- Average of the ratings for this title over the indicated number
of months, based on the book's cumulative average. Each month is
weighted equally, regardless of the number of people rating the
book that month. If this book is averaged over fewer months than
the rest, the number of months is displayed in ().
Current Previous Avg (6Mth)
Title Issue Rating Rank Rating Rank Rating Rank
----- ----- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
Superman Adv. 21 4.2(7) 1 2.6(6) 8 3.55 3
Man of Steel 81 4.2(10) 2 4.1(12) 1 2.97 6
Superboy 53 4.0(5) 3 3.7(8) 3 3.58 1(T)
Supergirl 23 4.0(8) 4 3.1(7) 6 3.58 1(T)
Legends of the DCU 6 3.9(11) -- --- -- -- --
Steel 52 3.4(5) 5 3.4(5) 5 3.47 4
Adv. of Superman 559 3.4(12) 6 3.4(14) 4 2.65 9
JLA 80-Page Giant 1** 3.4(11) -- --- -- -- --
Superman 136 3.3(10) 7 1.6(8) 9 2.77 7
JLA 20 3.1(10) 8 3.9(14) 2 3.42 5
Action Comics 746 2.8(10) 9 3.1(12) 7 2.72 8
** The rating for this book is for the first story alone, which is the only
one to prominently feature Superman.
"There's always one, isn't there?"
ACTION COMICS #746 (2.8 Shields, -0.3 Shields, last place)
- As the only book to finish under 3.0 Shields this month, this one deserves
a moment's look. Any period-charm which people felt for the first part was
lost this second time around, forcing the book to stand or fall on its own
merits. Unfortunately, it did more of the latter, as people were put off by
the tangled plot and the oddball antics of The Prankster. This Superman isn't
really anyone's archetype, and it shows in the ratings.
"Will the real Supergirl please stand up?"
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #21 (4.2 Shields, up 1.6 Shields, 1st place)
SUPERGIRL #23 (4.0 Shields, up 0.9 Shields, 4th place)
- You know it's a good month when a comic gets a rating of 4 Shields and
still only comes in fourth. Peter David pulls off one of his most thought-
provoking and interesting tales this month as Steel and Supergirl confront
racism on a university campus from very different perspectives. Meanwhile,
Kara In-ze follows up her successful debut in S:TAS's "Little Girl Lost"
two-part episode by appearing in _Superman Adventures_ as a very different
Supergirl with a totally different origin. This strong story brought good
feelings to the regular readers after last month's disappointing hodge-podge.
"With neither a bang, nor a whimper..."
STEEL #52 (3.4 Shields, no change, 5th place)
- This final issue of _Steel_ had people wishing that there was more to the
story. It was obvious that Priest had planned to stretch things out over a
longer period, but he managed to bring things to a satisfactory, if hasty,
conclusion. Executive interference from DC has messed up the artistically
(if not commercially) successful series over the last six months, but it
will still be missed by its fans and followers. Compare that to how _Superboy
and the Ravers_ finished out, and you realize that there are worse things
you can say...
"Travis 1, Nostradamus 0"
SUPERMAN #136 (3.3 Shields, up 1.7 Shields, 8th place)
- I predicted last month that this title would shoot up the ratings scale
after it hosted the heinous ending to Millennium Giants, and I was right.
Jurgens takes us back (forward?) to the world of Klar Ken 5477 -- a character
and locale first introduced in the 1960s -- and does so with a deft hand.
I think the fact that many people didn't realize the history behind this
setting didn't help matters, but those who did seem to have enjoyed it all
the more.
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.
_____________________________________________
AND WHO DISGUISED AS...
---------------------------------------------------------
A Column of Opinion by J.D. Rummel (rummel@creighton.edu)
Hero Worship
So, the other day I see this show about Bruce Lee, right? And the hostess
starts talking about heroes. Why we have them, what they mean to us, etc.
Now, in the foreground were some toys, including some kind of Superman figure
meant to represent heroes (it was _Biography for Kids_). Now, I don't
consciously think of Superman as my hero. If someone asked me to name
influences on my thinking and living, I would answer my mom, Harlan Ellison,
Richard Pryor, Bruce Springsteen, you know -- real folks. Real people are the
ones I admire, the ones we all admire, right? I mean, how do you admire a
fictional character, and in the case of Superman, one that has been written
by dozens (hundreds?) of writers with varying degrees of talent?
Last Saturday, I attended the 65th anniversary of King Kong. There, my friend
Kris got to meet one of her heroes, Ray Bradbury. A real guy, a legitimate
hero, and if Kris's experience is any indication, one utterly worthy of
considerable respect. Bradbury, Greg Bear, Ray Harryhausen, and Forrest J.
Ackerman were all there that night because they loved Kong, a forty-foot
gorilla (or a puppet, depending on your point of view), a figure every bit as
fictional as Superman.
Indeed, if long-time human beings like the guys above could admire or love a
rabbit fur-covered special effect, why can't I admire the equally fantastic
Superman? I mean why do I read his stories? Watch those re-runs? Tape those
movies? Have those posters on my walls? Wear those Underoos... er, well, you
get the idea. Still, Superman has appeared in a variety of shades throughout
the years. Thinking about it, I decided that if I had to name a version of
Superman as The One, I would have to say the silver age Curt Swan Superman.
The Byrne and post Byrne guy seems a bit of a dullard to me. No offense is
intended to those of you who admire him, it's just that the silver age Man of
Steel, for all the silliness that surrounded him was a remarkably competent
figure. He was rarely mistaken and you could trust him to be aware of and to
do the right thing (that alone makes him Superman). He was also very noble,
often making great sacrifices in the name of the greater good. (It seems to
me that the current incarnation even trades on the past Superman's heritage
of established goodness. The other figures who all defer to him today, seem
to be honoring a guy that is not much, if any, more morally sound than they
are.)
Without a doubt, fictional characters must count. They count because they can
move us. They can have every bit the impact on a mind and a life as flesh and
blood folks. In fact, they may have more impact, because fiction can be more
consistent than any human on a pedestal; it is rare that fictional heroes
have a bad day and say something that is taken the wrong way or ever have bad
breath. We like dependability in a hero.
What else do we need from our heroes? It varies from person to person to be
sure, but in every case I think we need them to be bigger or better at
something than we see ourselves. They need to have some capacity that we feel
we should have in our lives. That is why famous people are often heroes,
initially they are famous for something they do well, and that fame allows us
to see them and eventually compare ourselves with them. (And isn't it
disappointing when we discover someone who throws a ball so well isn't a
great person outside the playing field?) That is not to say fame is necessary
to be admired. It is perfectly possible to have one's unknown uncle Clyde as
a hero, it's only impossible to have a total stranger as one because we have
to at least think we know our heroes. Well, Superman certainly fits these
criteria. His fame allows us to know him and his character invites
admiration. He is a standard, a benchmark against which we can measure
ourselves.
Don't get me wrong, I 'm not talking about admiring Superman for his powers
or his fame. I don't for an instant think that any one of us will see a
Seven Eleven getting held-up, duck into some alley, strip to spandex and hurl
ourselves into harm's way, nor do I think we should. I don't think jumping
off the barn with a towel around our necks is that positive a habit to
develop, but maybe trying for goodness is. Maybe not ignoring someone in
need, maybe stepping outside of our own world and trying to help is something
we could all do more of. Superman is my hero because he tries to do the right
thing and that is something I strive to do.
What matters, is how we let ourselves be shaped by the things we admire.
Away!
And Who Disguised As... is copyright 1998 by J. D. Rummel. Its contents may
not be reproduced in any format without the written permission of the author.
_____________________________________________
NEWS AND NOTES
--------------
THE NEWEST SUPERMAN FAN
** Congratulations to our Co-Editor-In-Chief Shane Travis and his wife
Dorothy, who are the proud parents of a newborn baby boy, their first
child. Samuel Richard Doran Travis was born at 10:00 AM on Wednesday,
June 10, weighing in at 9 lbs, 3 oz. Mother and child are doing well,
and Shane is learning to live without sleep <g>.
MUST KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST COMICS NEWS
** Artist Gene Ha (_JLA Annual_ #1) will be providing the covers for all of
the Superman titles in September. These issues are part of the _DC One
Million_ crossover event that month.
** _Wizard_ reports that Ron Marz (_Green Lantern_, _Superboy_) is writing
a four-part story arc for the October Superman titles, beginning with
_Action Comics_ #749 and concluding in _Adventures of Superman_ #563.
Oh, joy.
** Newsarama (http://www.mania.com/newsarama/index.html) reports that Jerry
Ordway, currently co-writing _Adventures of Superman_ with Karl Kesel,
will be taking sole possession of the writing duties on the title early
next year. Ordway began scripting Kesel's plots in issue #558, the
first of the Silver Age tribute issues.
Kesel won't be leaving Superman all together, however. Not only will he
continue to write the _Superboy_ monthly, but he also tells Newsarama
that he has been chosen to write DC's half of the previously announced
Superman crossover with the Image Comics character Savage Dragon. No
artists have yet been selected for this book, and no publication date
has yet been scheduled for either of the two books.
** Newsarama has also reported the plans for yet another Superman Elseworlds
project, _Superman: War of the Worlds_. Written by Roy Thomas, this one-
shot celebrates the 60th anniversaries of both Superman and Orson Welles'
famous radio adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel by dropping Superman in
the middle of the most famous alien invasion in history.
** Last month's _Wizard_ #83 included a preview of what's to come for many
comics characters this summer. The Superman preview mentions the events
spinning out of August's _Superman: Save the Planet_, several of the
Elseworlds titles we've mentioned to you in the past, and a new 3-D
special. Most interesting, though, was the closing remark, "And finally,
there's rumblings that DC's planning a massive overhaul of all its
Superman books." Stay tuned, folks. Who knows *what* that might mean...
** More from Michael Doran and his amazing Newsarama: Graham Nolan and Chuck
Dixon (both of _Detective Comics_ fame) are co-writing a new prestige
format one-shot about Clark Kent's globe-spanning years. Illustrated by
Nolan, _Superman: The Odyssey_ follows Clark as he travels the world as a
young man. Says Nolan, "We'll see the Clark who doesn't yet realize he's
an alien trying to humanize himself and fit in with people. This is in
direct contrast, by the way, to Bruce Wayne (who makes a brief appearance
in the book), who traveled the world to disconnect himself from his
humanity and make himself an unstoppable crime-fighting machine."
** DC has confirmed with Newsarama that they are currently developing their
next "event" for December. Before you roll your eyes, please be aware
that this one will feature characters, concepts, and plans that have been
evolving since their premiere in the landmark 1996 miniseries, _Kingdom
Come_! I thought that might get your attention.
Few details are known at the moment, save that what is currently being
called the Kingdom Event will feature seven books in total, each
illustrated by a different artist, but all written by _Kingdom Come_
author Mark Waid. Five one-shot books will appear in one week that
month, with "bookend" issues appearing the week before and the week
after the one-shots. Plans call for the feature of certain _Kingdom
Come_ characters, such as Nightstar, Ibn Al X'uffasch, Kid Flash, and
others yet to be determined.
Waid adds, "All we can say at this time is that there is a concept
growing out of _Kingdom_ that will affect the entire DC Universe in the
most grand and glorious manner imaginable, a concept which strongly
reinforces the idea that the world of DC Comics is a world of wonder
and of endless possibility and imagination. More than that I cannot
reveal at this time -- though intrigued parties should watch the pages
of _DC One Million_ carefully for clues!"
AND WHAT KID WOULDN'T WANT SUPERMAN TOYS?
** Hopefully you've all seen by now that Diamond Comics Distributors
(http://www.diamondcomics.com), in an exclusive arrangement with Kenner,
is offering to North American fans action figures from the _Superman_
animated series collection which were previously only available in
Europe. For a list of these figures, see the Merchandise section of the
KC homepage (http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/kc/merch/merch.html). (If your
browser supports frames, you'll also find pictures of these toys!)
** The Raving Toy Maniac (http://www.toymania.com) reports that a World's
Finest two-pack has been announced as a Wal-Mart exclusive. Neither
exact descriptions nor pictures were available, but the figures will be
of the animated versions of Superman and Batman, and it is believed that
they will be re-packaging of previously released figures. The two-pack
will reportedly hit the shelves in late June.
** The Raving Toy Maniac also reports that there may be yet another
assortment of action figures from the Superman animated line to be made
available through Diamond. Unfortunately, they consist of more Superman
variants: Energy Blast Superman, Power Change Superman, and Spin Throw
Superman. These had once been scheduled for release for the end of this
year, but were later cancelled along with the rest of the line.
If sales of Diamond's initial offering of figures goes well, fans may
also be able to get their hands on other figures which were previously
offered only in Europe, including Fortress of Solitude Superman, Strong
Arm Superman, and Anti-Kryptonite Superman, as well as the limited
Superman/Darkseid two-pack.
WHO NEEDS SUPERMAN LIVES?
** Still no official word on whether the project has been killed -- Warner
Brothers continues to insist that production has simply been delayed to
work on the script. In the meanwhile, everyone get ready to watch
Christopher Reeve's take on the Man of Steel. USA Networks has recently
re-acquired the rights to _Superman_ as part of a package of WB sci-fi,
horror, and fantasy films. This means that fans can almost certainly
expect to see the classic film on USA or the Sci-Fi channel in the near
future.
** One rumor from Ain't It Cool News (http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com) has
it that WB has bitten the bullet and gone back to Kevin Smith for a new
_Superman Lives_ script. On Smith's View Askew site
(http://www.viewaskew.com), someone asked him about this and a Scooby-Doo
script rumor. From what I saw at the time, Smith denied the Scooby-Doo
rumor, but said nothing about the Superman rumor. Meanwhile, Corona's
Coming Attractions (http://www.corona.bc.ca/films) reports that Dan
Gilroy is currently working on the script with director Tim Burton.
I guess time will tell...
_____________________________________________
SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES
---------------------------------------
Episodes #37 & 38: "Little Girl Lost"
----------------------------------------------------
Synopsis by Jimmy Stewart (jstewart@econ.ag.gov)
May 2, 1998
Part 1: Written by Evan Dorkin, Sarah Dyer, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett
Directed by Curt Geda
Part 2: Story by Rich Fogel
Written by Evan Dorkin and Sarah Dyer
Directed by Curt Geda
Guest-starring Nicholle Tom as Kara/Supergirl
Carolyn Seymour as Kara In-Ze
Michael Ironside as Darkseid
Julia Kato as Amy
Scott Melville as Trouble
Edward Asner as Granny Goodness
Diane Michelle as Lashina
Diane Delano as Stompa
Andrea Martin as Mad Harriet
REVIEWS AND RATINGS:
Average: 4.3/5.0 Shields
Jimmy Stewart: 4.7 Shields
Interesting slant on the Girl of Steel, though her costume needs work.
I'd also like to know how Jimmy can *not* recognize Clark's cousin as
Supergirl, and what would that tell him about CK?
Nathan Bredfeldt: 4.5 Shields
A great episode! This episode marked the first appearance of an ex-
Suicide Squadder (Lashina) but also raised a lot of concerns in my mind
(how big a role will Kara play in the future? Is Apokolips/Darkseid in
danger of being overused?)
Scott Devarney: 3.85 Shields
Part I (3.5 Shields) - I enjoyed the origin of this Supergirl; it's much
simpler and keeping in the tradition of the original origin. I wish we
could have seen the Kents taking her in and the first discovery of her
powers. [Check out _Superman Adventures_ #21 for these and other scenes
that couldn't fit in the tv episode --Neil] Her flight over the Kent's
farm really conveyed the joy of flying and was reminiscent of Clark's
first flight in "Last Son of Krypton". Also, praise must be heaped on
the opening sequence of Superman's return to Krypton. This was flawless
and the artwork was stunning.
Part II (4.2 Shields) - Once again, we have Superman humbled in order
to show off the abilities of the guest hero. Just once, I'd like to see
Superman cut loose against Darkseid's forces instead of having his head
handed to him all of the time. As for Supergirl, her attitude is a lot
of fun and she plays off of Superman well, but I *hate* the costume;
let's lose the gloves and cover the abdomen, please.
Curtis Herink: 3.5 Shields
The brief origin didn't get in the way of the main story, but left a
good number of unanswered questions. I like the way the Granny Goodness
and comet threads converged. However, I would have preferred that
Superman did not become essentially a secondary character in the story.
Denes House: 4.8 Shields
A *lot* of fun! Ed Asner as Granny Goodness! A flying sequence at
least as good as the "young Clark learns to fly" sequence in "The Last
Son of Krypton" three-parter, a homage to the Fleischers' "The Magnetic
Telescope," and a *ton* of humor make this one of my favorites.
Neil Ottenstein: 4.5 Shields
Loads of fun with more destruction and more Intergang (a surprise to
me). Nice that Jimmy receives some of his due.
SYNOPSIS
Superman uses the spaceship which brought him to Earth to retrace his
original journey and finds the Krypton star system. A distress signal leads
Superman to the long-dead planet Argo, Krypton's sister world. There he
rescues a teenaged girl in suspended animation.
On Earth the girl, named Kara, has super powers like Clark and stays with the
Kents. While visiting, Clark admonishes Kara to be careful about using her
powers in the daytime. Kara is restless and feels confined at the Kents', but
Clark urges her to be patient and take time to adjust to life on Earth. At
breakfast, Pa and Clark discuss Intergang. Kara shows interest, but Clark
tells her not to worry about them and to keep her feet on the ground.
Back in Metropolis, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen are covering an Electronic
Technology Trade Show, when boy and girl thieves riding hover-disks and
packing heat- and freeze-rays raid the show. They freeze the security police
and attempt to escape with a large crate when Superman shows up. During the
ensuing battle, the girl, Amy, drops what looks like a coin, which Jimmy
picks up. They escape when Amy attaches an anti-gravity disk to Lois, who
"falls" up, nearly crashing into a highway overpass. The thieves return to
their hideout where we find they (the new Intergang) are supplied and
directed by Granny Goodness.
Meanwhile, Kara shows up at the Daily Planet, disguised with eyeglasses and a
brunette wig as Clark's "cousin." The two talk and Kara is disappointed that
Clark saw through her "secret identity." She heard another report about
Intergang and has come to help. Clark won't allow it, gives her his keys, and
orders her to go to his apartment and wait for him, again warning her about
flying.
Lois and Jimmy are arguing about Jimmy's helping with the Intergang
investigation...Lois feels it's too dangerous. Jimmy shows Lois the "coin" he
found while Superman fought the thieves and identifies it as an arcade token.
To be rid of him, Lois sends Jimmy off to find which Arcade in Metropolis the
token came from. Kara overhears and follows Jimmy, introducing herself as
"Karen," a new intern who started that day.
Jimmy and Kara find a match for the token after checking several arcades.
They also spot the two thieves and follow them to their warehouse hideout.
Unsure how to open the large storefront-sized door the thieves used, Kara
uses a little super-strength to get them in. They are caught immediately and
confronted by Granny and her gang of kids. Jimmy tries to bluff Granny by
saying they want to join Intergang but Granny is doubtful. Kara tells the
kids they are being used by Granny as a personal goon squad, and Granny
orders them to kill her. Jimmy watches helplessly as half a dozen boys attack
Kara. She throws them off easily, tearing her clothing in the process. She
them rips off her remaining outer clothing to reveal a sort of Supergirl
costume, nothing like the one worn by Supergirl in the comics.
After defeating Granny in a brief confrontation, Granny uses a Boom Tube
control box to call the Female Furies from Apokolips. Lashina wields a power
lash which zaps anyone who touches it. Mad Harriet looks like a hybrid of the
Joker and Marvel Comics Wolverine, complete with retractable claws. Stompa is
very big, very strong and is almost like a girl Hulk. While Supergirl fights
the Furies, we see Clark and Lois covering a lecture at the Fleischer
Institute. The Professor explains that Fleischer's Comet will pass within 2
million miles of Earth. What feels like an earthquake gets Clark's attention,
and he uses his super vision to see Kara battling Granny's girls. Jimmy, who
befriends the thief Amy, tries to help Supergirl but is stopped by Mad
Harriet. After a heated battle, it looks like Supergirl is going to have her
head handed to her by Stompa, when Superman shows up. After Stompa causes a
building to collapse on Superman and Supergirl, the Furies take out Superman
with surprising ease. Granny can't find her Boom Tube control, so Lashina
opens a Tube to Apokolips. Granny and the Furies disappear into the Tube with
the still unconscious Superman, as Supergirl breaks free of the rubble.
On Apokolips, Superman is bound hand and foot, and Granny puts a shock-type
collar on him and begins to torture him with it, preparing him "to meet the
Master," obviously Darkseid. Back on Earth, Supergirl, Jimmy, and Amy are in
the warehouse when Kara's super vision spots Granny's lost Boom Tube control.
Supergirl opens a Tube and flies in. On Apokolips, Supergirl evades the
Security forces, but runs into several squads of Para-demons. She flees from
the Para-demons, but in the process loses the Boom Tube control in a firepit.
Hopelessly out-numbered, Supergirl defeats the Para-demons by knocking down a
stone structure onto some of them, and hurls flame from a firepit, frying the
rest.
Clear of the Para-demons, Supergirl takes a minute to rest atop a tower and
sees Granny and the Furies taking the bound Superman (still being tortured by
the collar) to meet Darkseid. Supergirl follows.
Superman stands before Darkseid and asks what Granny and company were doing
on Earth, as Darkseid's business with Earth is settled. Darkseid tells
Superman that he never settles, but destroys what he cannot have. Superman
reminds Darkseid any action taken against Earth violates Darkseid's treaty
with New Genesis. Darkseid comments that he cannot be held accountable for
the destruction of Earth by a natural event, like colliding with a stray
comet. Superman replies that Fleischer's comet won't come near the Earth.
Granny tells Superman the comet will now, thanks to the Doomsday Magnet she
built and left on Earth.
Back on Earth, Jimmy and Amy check out a room Granny always kept locked and
discover, unknown to them, the Doomsday Magnet. As Jimmy notices a timer on
the Magnet it activates itself, firing a beam into space that strikes the
comet and pulls it toward Earth. Amy picks up a piece of debris and tries to
smash the Magnet, but gets zapped when she strikes it.
Superman, along with Darkseid and his goons, sees the comet divert toward
Earth on Darkseid's view screen. Darkseid tells Superman that, within the
hour, the comet will collide with Earth, causing a dust cloud which will wipe
out all life. Granny gleefully asks if Superman can "see" the devastation.
With a resounding NO! Supergirl swoops down and clobbers Granny. She stands
up to Darkseid, vowing she won't stand by and see another planet die.
Darkseid comments on Supergirl's noble sentiments and blasts her with his eye
beams.
Supergirl is helpless in the grip of the eye beams until Superman charges up
the stairs to Darkseid's throne, slams into him, knocking Darkseid over and
interrupting his eye beams. Supergirl then swings back into action and
defeats Mad Harriet and Stompa. Meanwhile, Granny has activated the
shock-collar, immobilizing Superman, while Lashina attempts to catch
Supergirl with her lash. Supergirl maneuvers Lashina so that her lash hits
Granny's scepter, zapping both of them.
As Darkseid fires up his eye beams, Superman, now free of the collar and
restraints, grabs a Boom Tube control dropped by Lashina and opens a Tube to
Earth. Superman and Supergirl escape into the Tube just in time to avoid
Darkseid's beams.
On Earth, Jimmy and Amy still haven't stopped the Doomsday Magnet, so
Supergirl smashes it before Superman can stop her. Explaining he might have
been able to stop the comet with the magnet, he leaps into the sky, telling
Supergirl to stay back. Superman approaches the comet from the side, then
sliding around to the front, he pushes with all his strength to deflect the
huge mass. Superman strains to the limit, but the comet splits, with half of
the space rock speeding past Superman toward Metropolis.
Supergirl pauses for a moment, thinking she wanted to save the world, now
she's getting her chance. Supergirl streaks into the sky and slams into the
comet, vaporizing it. Superman finishes diverting the rest of the comet and
zooms to catch the fallen Supergirl, just before she hits the harbor.
Darkseid witnesses the Super team's triumph on his view screen, and turns to
face Granny. She starts to make excuses when Darkseid orders the Furies to
teach Granny what failure means. Granny's pleas for mercy fall on deaf ears.
We switch to the Daily Planet, where Jimmy Olsen is staring at the front page
story about Supergirl, with *his* byline. Several other young men (cub
reporters or interns, we're not sure) ask Jimmy if Supergirl is as pretty as
her picture. He looks up beyond them and tells them to see for himself. The
young men rush to the window to see Supergirl flying past the window. After
some aerial acrobatics, she lands on a nearby building and strikes a heroic
pose next to the building's large TV aerial.
Clark approaches Jimmy and mentions that his "cousin" is in town, and Clark
thinks the two of them will get along fine.
_____________________________________________
THE GREATEST SUPERMAN STORY OF ALL TIME
-------------------------------------------
by Bob Hughes (rhughes3@ix.netcom.com)
Part 2
The Atom Man Attacks!
Boy! Part I was really scary! For three weeks Superman has been living in
mortal terror after learning that the one piece of Kryptonite on Earth is in
danger of being stolen by his enemies. Despite his best efforts, his worst
fears were realized when the Scarlet Widow used slivers of Kryptonite to
render him unconscious and dumped his body in the ocean. But in Episode 812
of the Mutual Radio Network series _The Adventures of Superman_ (Oct 9,
1945), the Man of Steel finally flies back to Metropolis, armed with new
knowledge about the mysterious Kryptonite.
"I now know that the Kryptonite itself can't kill me, but eventually I'd
starve to death," he thinks, as Clark shows up at work. But after being
missing for two weeks, he is berated by Perry and the others for his
mysterious behavior.
"Sorry you were so worried about me. I started to look for the Kryptonite.
The Scarlet Widow and Sniggers will try again to attack Superman with the
Kryptonite." Kent then sends Jimmy into the Widow's now-deserted apartment
to get the slivers of Kryptonite that were left in the flower pots. "Don't
touch it with your bare hands!" he admonishes. Superman gives the Kryptonite
to Dr. Millison of the Metropolis University and asks him to build a
"Kryptonite detector".
Meanwhile, Der Teuffel is bringing the piece of Kryptonite back to Germany,
where the great Professor Milch will be able to dissolve it into a liquid.
When the Kryptonite is dissolved, Teuffel intends to create an Atom Man, who
will be able to send rays of destruction from his fingertips! And then--
"I will succeed where Hitler failed!"
Fortunately for Clark, Teuffel leaves a trail of dead bodies on his way back
to Europe, which makes it easy for the police to trail him. Superman is soon
winging his way to Berlin.
But Der Teuffel has finally brought the Kryptonite to Prof. Milch and his
underground Nazi cohorts. Once this liquid Kryptonite is injected into
someone's blood, he will become an Atom Man. He will be able to shoot
Kryptonite rays from his fingers by use of a special converter. He will be
able to spread destruction such as the world has never seen. "One of us here
in this cave will be the Atom Man!" Dr. Milch recommends his son, a war
veteran who received the Iron Cross from Hitler himself! In one hour an Atom
Man will be born!
Episode 819-- Frustrated at his inability to find Teuffel, Kent decides to
return to Metropolis to find out how Dr. Millison is doing.
Meanwhile, the Nazi scientists are injecting the liquid Kryptonite into Henry
Milch's arm. Dr. Milch is worried that his son appears to be dying. Der
Teuffel tells of the converter and special gloves that will allow the Atom
Man to shoot rays of destruction. The converter fits over his throat and
converts the Kryptonite in his blood into atom rays. Why does he not
recover? "I do not understand," says Der Teuffel. Dr. Milch panics.
"Save my son! You murdered my son!" screams Milch.
Teuffel stubbornly refuses to admit his plan has failed. "Impossible! Der
Teuffel cannot be wrong!"
Milch runs screaming from the cave, threatening to turn them all over to the
allied soldiers in the forest. Teuffel furiously pursues him. American
soldiers are closing in. Teuffel returns after killing Milch, but the others
tell him that Henry is dead. There is no breath. The other Nazi leaders
decide to escape from the soldiers who are closing in on them.
"No wait!" cries Teuffel. "He's breathing! My Atom Man lives!"
It is now October 22, 1945. After almost a month of build-up, the villain of
the piece finally arrives on the scene!
"I feel so strong, as if I could carry you all on my shoulders," laughs
Heinrich Milch, the Kryptonite pulsing through his veins. Then Der Teuffel
gives Heinrich special platinum and thorium gloves and then a small converter
box which attaches to his throat. Outside the cave, the Atom Man tests his
special equipment. Once the converter is activated, the Kryptonite atoms
rush through his blood to his fingertips. The Kryptonite sound emerges from
his body and his voice turns eerie and echoey. "The voice of Atomic Power"
says Der Teuffel. The Atom Man raises his hands and there is a violent
explosion! A great canyon-like hole in the forest floor appears. Trees are
uprooted and twisted. The cave is no longer there.
Der Teuffel tells Milch to go to America and get a job at the Daily Planet in
order to find Superman and kill him. Milch adopts the new name "Henry
Miller". Teuffel tells Henry that American soldiers killed his father
(actually it was Teuffel himself). "After I kill Superman, I will take care
of all American soldiers and then the United States!" vows Henry.
"From now on, fellows and girls, it's a battle to the death!"
At Perry White's office, White is beside himself about Kent's frequent
disappearances. Olsen tries to explain Kent's behavior but to no avail.
"For years I've stood for his disappearing whenever he felt like it -- but
this is the last straw! He needs a lesson and I'm going to teach it to him!"
roars White.
The intercom buzzes and the secretary announces that Henry Miller is there to
see him, looking for a job as a reporter. "Send him in. It works out
perfectly! Come in Miller. You may be just the man I'm looking for." White
tells Olsen to clear out Kent's desk!
On the way to Clark's desk, Miller begins probing Jimmy for information about
Superman.
"You better ask Lois Lane!" Jimmy hedges, "She has her own office too!"
Jimmy introduces Miller to Lois. After acknowledging the new reporter, she
turns to Jimmy and notices the worried expression on his face.
"What's the matter, Jim?"
"Mr. Miller's taking Clark's place!"
"Who said so?"
"The Chief!"
"For a minute you had me worried!" Lois laughs. "Both Clark and I have been
fired 15 times in the last year," she explains to the new reporter.
Then Clark walks in and is introduced to Henry Miller. As he shakes Miller's
hand, the Kryptonite in Miller's blood begins to affect him. Dazed, he
begins to weaken, grows pale.
"Clark what's the matter with you?"
"I -- don't know?" he gasps. "I'm sorry Mr. Miller." Clark slumps into a
chair.
"Where have you been, anyway?" Lois asks.
"Germany."
"How could you have been in Germany? You've only been gone three days?" Lois
asks skeptically.
"Did I say that?" Clark asks, distractedly.
"You've been fired!" Lois scolds.
"What again?" Clark scoffs.
"That's why Mr. White hired that Miller guy," says Jimmy.
"What Miller guy?" puzzles Clark, who has already forgotten the fellow he was
just introduced to.
Worried, Lois tells Perry to hang onto Clark while she calls a Mr. Grady.
Within minutes, two burly orderlies show up and Clark is hauled off to be
committed to a sanitarium!
By nightfall, Clark is sufficiently recovered to change to Superman and fly
back to Metropolis. Soon, he's at the 20th story ledge of his own office.
There he finds Henry Miller ransacking Lois's office.
"Having a good time my friend?"
"Superman!"
Henry Miller's hands slip into the pocket of his jacket, reaching for his
gloves and converter. The beginning of their epic battle seems imminent. But
voices are heard in the hall. Jimmy and Lois enter.
"I caught this man rifling your desk," Superman says.
"This is my first day. I must have mistaken my office for Lois's."
"That's Clark Kent's office."
"No it's not, Mr. White fired him."
Learning that Clark Kent has been sent to a rest home, Superman berates Lois
and vows to have Kent released. Miller uses the opportunity to slip out.
Suddenly, Superman slumps into a chair. A strange weakness flows through his
body. Unable to figure out what's wrong, Superman decides Lois's ring must
contain Kryptonite. He gets Jimmy to take it to Dr. Millison to be examined.
Miller, however, is slightly more astute than Superman. He's noticed that
both Clark and Superman seemed to falter in his presence. Why was Clark Kent
affected by the Kryptonite? The moment he came near me he turned pale and
collapsed into a chair, exactly like Superman did this evening. Could it be
that Clark Kent is Superman?!?
"Anything can happen from here on in, and something does -- tomorrow!"
Figuring he can use Jimmy as bait to lead Clark into his trap, Henry drags
him off to a lonely beach house on the pretext of a story. Soon, Clark gets
a phone call. "Jim Olsen and I ran into bad trouble. Jim insisted I call
you. They'll be back any moment. They said they're gonna shoot us!"
"Don't worry! Superman will be right out!"
Miller quickly puts on his gloves and throat converter and turns to greet
Superman.
"Miller! What are you doing? What are those gloves you're wearing? What's
that strange noise? (When his throat converter is turned on, Miller makes a
clicking Geiger counter sound.)
"I am the Atom Man!" clicks Miller. "This is the end Superman! In a moment
you die! Now! Now!"
"A sharp explosion, a blinding white hot flash that seems to leap from the
Atom Man's fingers -- jagged green sparks that strike against Superman's
wilting body like miniature bolts of lightning!"
"Is this the end? Has the one and only survivor of the amazing civilization
that once flourished on the planet Krypton finally met his master? Superman
-- whose strength was beyond measure. Whose impenetrable skin turned back
the sharpest steel. Whose unfailing devotion to truth and justice struck
fear into the hearts of those who preyed on their fellow men. Has Superman
become a victim of that strange mysterious power, atomic energy? The power
that brought the Warlords of Nippon to their knees? Has it now brought
Superman to his knees never to rise again? Fellows and girls don't! --
Don't miss tomorrow's amazing episode. Nothing like this has ever happened
before! Be sure to tune in tomorrow, same time, same station for the most
exciting episode ever broadcast in the Adventures of Superman!"
Episode 829 (11/1/45) -- Superman staggers through the door onto the beach.
Atom Man blows a huge crater in the ground and they both tumble into it,
locked in mortal combat, Superman clutching at the converter on the Atom
Man's throat as beach sand pours in on them! Again, the Atom Man sends his
atomic power crackling into the air, hurling trees skyward, their roots
twisted like snakes. A giant oak crashes on Superman's body.
Jimmy, trapped in a shack on the beach, can only hear the explosions and
thundering. In the confusion, he escapes into the woods. Plunging onward,
the boy reporter comes to the beach -- gashed and cratered as if two great
armies had fought on it. Suddenly, Jimmy sees Teuffel and Miller -- sparks
flying out of his hands.
"There's someone on the ground! They're killing him. I gotta get help!"
While Jimmy searches for help, Atom Man and Der Teuffel argue. Teuffel tells
Miller his Kryptonite can be exhausted and must be saved to wipe out
Metropolis. Teuffel says that Superman must be dragged to the shack and kept
there until he dies of starvation. Atom Man disagrees.
"I don't need you any more Teuffel! You shot my father! You murdered him in
cold blood! I've been waiting for this chance and now you're going to die!
Too Late Teuffel! This is the end for you!"
By the time Jimmy arrives with Sheriff Simpson and a deputy, the destroyed
beach is empty. Only Teuffel's dead body remains. The Sheriff refuses to
believe Jimmy's stories about an Atom Man and thinks lightning killed
Teuffel. The mystery man in the red sweater or muffler (who Jimmy failed to
recognize was Superman) has disappeared.
The ability of radio to convey comic book action is probably unique. A fight
scene such as we have just witnessed would bankrupt most movie studios.
Certainly, Christopher Reeve's battles with the Phantom Zone villains are
tame compared to the ferocity of this encounter. Also, the comic convention
of combining incredible super-feats with running dialogue works well on
radio, where the verbal banter is necessary to convey the action. The very
action that slows down the narration in film and cartoon form, helps to carry
it forward on the radio, just like it does on the printed page.
Henry Miller arrives back in Metropolis. He rides 105 stories to the top of
the Metropolis Bank Building. Alone, he straps on his converter and metal
gloves. Peering down at the streets of Metropolis, he gloats "First
Metropolis, then the rest of the World! I will leave only this building
standing -- the rest I will turn to less than dust." The Atom Man raises his
hands and reaches for the converter. Nothing happens. The crackling rays of
Kryptonite have been silenced. He has drained all his power killing
Superman!
Miller knows his only chance to recover his atomic power is to find the Widow
and the other pieces of Kryptonite. But how? Desperately, he searches out a
mystery man Teuffel told him about. The Fat Man, known only as Sidney. He
tells him how he killed Superman and how he needs more Kryptonite. He asks
Sydney (a rather blatant swipe from the movie _The Maltese Falcon_) if he
knows where to find the Scarlet Widow. Sidney does, but his desires are
different from Teuffel's. He cares nothing for Nazism and Germany's revenge.
Sydney is solely concerned with money and thinks he can use the Atom Man to
blackmail the world's cities. With Miller in tow, Gutman (excuse me, Sidney)
waddles off to find the Scarlet Widow. There, his bumbling, befuddled manner
drops away and he threatens to turn his extensive information files on the
Widow's activities to the police unless she gives him her last piece of
Kryptonite.
Back at the Daily Planet, the missing Clark Kent finally shows up, dressed
only in dirty overalls and collapsing in Perry's chair. His friends are
dumfounded, especially since Kent can't see to remember anything that's
happened since he left to look for Jimmy (7 episodes ago). Lois decides that
Clark has had a nervous breakdown and, since Superman has warned her not to
send Clark back to the sanitarium, Perry takes Clark to Florida for a
complete rest. Two weeks, lying in the sun and fishing!
Revived in Florida, Kent puts on his spare Superman costume (who packed it
for him, I wonder?) and flies back to Metropolis to meet Dr. Millison.
Millison tells him he's finally invented a Kryptonite detector. But will it
work on an Atom Man, Superman asks? The detector will only register the Atom
Man when he's 30 yards away. It's mot much, but it will have to do. With
that much warning, Superman hopes to be able to sneak up on the Atom Man and
pull off his converter box.
Kent returns to the Daily Planet and bamboozles Jimmy awhile. Jimmy notices
the Kryptonite detector which Clark is now wearing.
"Where'd you get that fancy new belt?" (the Kryptonite detector).
"You like it?"
"It's snazzy! One of those fancy plastic jobs, eh!"
Sydney's and Miller's plans to blackmail Metropolis are sidetracked when they
find out that Superman is still alive. This time, Sidney says, Miller will
make sure Superman is dead. He will stay with him for weeks until he dies of
starvation!
Sydney, posing as a retired business man and collector, drops in on Clark
Kent at the Daily Planet office. He tells Clark that he's been collecting
facts about Superman for years and is now ready to reveal Superman's true
identity to the world. Clark scoffs. Why does Sydney even think Superman
has more than one identity he wonders. Sydney offers to let Clark check all
his research documentsbefore he releases them. Clark, unsure what to make
of the bumbling, diffident sophisticate, makes an appointment to meet Sydney
at his country place that evening. Kent, of course, has no idea that Sydney
and the Atom Man are working together, so he considers Sydney to be a
separate problem, but not yet a life threatening one.
At Sydney's country home, Sydney confronts Clark with his "evidence" -- "You,
Clark Kent, are Superman! It couldn't be anyone else. Each time you
disappear just before Superman appears. As soon as Superman disappears, you
reappear. You're the only member of the Daily Planet staff who has never
been seen with Superman. Come, check my files here in the closet."
Sydney opens the closet door and Clark's Kryptonite detector belt goes off.
Too late! Kent collapses as Miller steps out and reveals himself. He
touches his throat converter, raises his hand, and blasts Superman with a
barrage of Kryptonite radiation!
But, as all good villains do when victory is seemingly within their grasp,
Sydney and Atom Man fight over strategy. Sydney wants Henry to conserve his
power. All they have to do is wait for Superman to starve to death, saving
the remaining Kryptonite to blackmail the nation's cities with. This is a
plan which drives the Atom Man crazy, as he can't stand the waiting and not
being able to leave Superman's side... Plus Sydney's taste in music is
driving him crazy.
Meanwhile, Jimmy and private detective Candy Myers have been searching for
Clark Kent, who has been missing for three days. Myers' staff turns up
information that the Justice Department suspects Sydney's firm of dealing
with the Nazis. Myers and Olsen decide to check out Sydney's house. As
Sydney and Miller continue to argue, Sydney's valet announces the arrival of
Olsen and Myers. The suave Sydney manages to convince them that he has had
nothing to do with his former company for years and the two leave, not
realizing that Superman lies helpless just yards away in Sydney's garage!
Days later, Henry finally snaps. Since Sydney won't let him leave Superman's
side, the Atom Man raises his arm and blasts Sydney with the green lightning!
As Miller runs off into the night, Superman's feeble blows are heard lightly
tapping on the door.
"Have to warn Henderson! Must break through!"
The possibility has occurred to me that Bud Collyer may be the best actor to
ever play Superman. Using only his voice, he has to portray strength, power,
agony, despair, defiance and determination, and then turn around and do Clark
Kent also
The next night the Atom Man blows up Metropolis Stadium! The whole place is
atomized. Not a particle of the stadium is left. The Mayor, Inspector
Henderson, White, and Olsen gather to compare notes, when the Atom Man calls
with his demands. Olsen identifies the voice as Henry. Henry demands the
Nazi flag be flown over Metropolis or he'll drown the whole city!
Well! Radio Kryptonite is a lot more exciting than comic book Kryptonite
isn't it? It wasn't until _Superman_ #61 in November of 1949 that the green
stuff finally made it into the comics. By then, the bloom was off America's
love affair with atomic radiation, and the connection between Kryptonite and
Uranium, promoted so heavily on the radio, is largely ignored. No longer
does Kryptonite burn the hands of normal people, no longer is it considered a
source of power. All it does is hurt Superman.
That night, his demands unmet, the Atom Man begins his assault on the
Metropolis Dam. But rocketing down through the pale moonlight, the Man of
Steel launches himself at the Atom Man, hoping to rip off Henry's converter
before he is seen. Too late! The Atom Man turns his attention from the dam
and blasts Superman with bolt after bolt of Kryptonite lightning!
"You again! What does it take to kill you?!"
Superman dodges and weaves through the air to try to avoid the green
lightning bolts while trying to exhaust the Atom Man's power. He struggles
in mid air like a desperate swimmer! Hit by several bolts he falls into the
reservoir, disappearing beneath the surface of the lake. Triumphantly Miller
once again aims at the dam! But Superman comes shooting out of the water.
In one final, frenzied effort he hurls a tree at Atom Man and then, while
he's still dazed, Superman grabs the Atom Man in a final clinch!
(And lots more happens, but in Part 3 we'll turn our attention to another
member of our cast, a mysterious masked figure from Gotham City!)
_____________________________________________
NEW COMIC REVIEWS
------------------------------------------
Comics Arriving In Stores May 1998
As is our fashion here, we kick off this month's reviews by pointing out
comics involving members of the Superman family which we chose not to review.
Three books worth mention for the month of May:
THE KENTS #12
The final issue of _The Kents_, the excellent limited series about the
Man of Steel's adopted ancestors. I hope we'll be able to let you know
of a trade paperback collection of the series in the near future.
JLA: YEAR ONE #7
Superman shows up briefly in this issue of the Mark Waid-written series
chronicling the earliest exploits of the original Justice League. Not
much of significance, though, as Superman drops in only long enough to
make an assist and refuse membership.
TEEN TITANS #22
Finally, the Man of Steel makes one additional guest appearance in the
pages of Dan Jurgens' other Metropolis-based book. Superman's role here
is small, as he tries to prevent his old friend The Atom from becoming
his even older friend.
Ratings Panelists:
-----------------
AW: Anatole Wilson DWk: Douglas Wolk MS: Mike Smith
CoS: Cory Strode ES: Emmanuel Soupidis RG: Rene' Gobeyn
DC: David Chappell GN: G.M. Nelson ST: Shane Travis
DJ: Derek Jackson JO: Joey Ochoa SDM: Simon DelMonte
DR: Daniel Radice JP: Julian Pinder TD: Thomas Deja
DWd: Darrin Wood JSy: Jeff Sykes VV: Vic Vitek
As always, the first rating given after the average is that of the reviewer.
The average rating given for each book may correspond to a larger sample
of ratings than what is printed following the average.
=================================================
THE TRIANGLE TITLES:
-------------------
25. SUPERMAN #136 Jul 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Superman 2999"
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Artists: Paul Ryan and Joe Rubinstein
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Assistant: Maureen McTigue
Nostalgic for
the Future: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Dan Jurgens, Joe Rubinstein, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.3/5.0 Shields
TD: 2.5 Shields
DJ: 4.8 Shields - Great story, reminiscent of early _Magnus: Robot Fighter_.
ES: 2.8 Shields - An interesting premise and an interesting situation for
the Man of Steel. I liked the look into the history of the future
Superman, and how time is treating the other characters.
GN: 4.0 Shields - Jurgens nicely captures the feel of the old "Superman of
the future" stories, but it still seems fresh. Nice art by Ryan, too;
makes me wish he was working on a monthly "S" book.
JP: 2.1 Shields - Uninteresting story coupled with uninteresting art,
and an uninteresting villain in a (you guessed it) uninteresting
generic future. Furthermore, the only funny line ("Nice 'S'") was
stolen from the animated series!
ST: 3.4 Shields - Nice art and a fond look back (forward?) at Klar Ken 5477
(first seen in the 1960s). "Does the future need a Superman?" was a
good question and excellent angle for the story, but Jurgens wrecked
a lot of it with the atrocious dialogue.
VV: 4.0 Shields - Muto! Klar Ken! Who would have thought we ever would see
them again? I'm wondering if this new Superman is vulnerable to sea
water like the original tomorrow's Man of Tomorrow. I really enjoyed
this flashback to the future.
It's a clear day in Metropolis, and people are going where they have to be.
Suddenly, a shuttle transport malfunctions and plummets to the earth. This
looks like a job for Superman, no?
Only it's (*Shudder*) 2999, and the Superman flying to the shuttle's aid is
the descendant of Clark Kent, the latest scion of a line that has cured
cancer and developed a workable artificial eye. It's the boy's first day, and
he rapidly learns that technology may have outstripped the Dynasty of Steel.
Luckily, something has arrived on Earth -- with the help of LexCorp CEO Lena
Luthor -- that is using that very technology against humanity. Can this Man
of Steel gain the faith of the people by defeating the diminutive Muto?
That's basically the plot of "Superman 2999" -- Dan Jurgens' contribution to
the 'Splintered Supermen' free-for-all. In the interest of encouraging
Jurgens to sharpen his burgeoning writing talents, what's shaping up to be
the theme of his branch of this Super-Event is a good one: Will there be a
time when heroes aren't needed? Can a society used to being defended by
outside sources evolve to a point where it doesn't need them? While he's
addressing this theme, Jurgens pulls down some nice work. One page in
particular stands out: Supes flying in to stop a raging volcano only to see
geoformers solving the problem just as he gets there. The dialogue of the
pilots of these ships, both appreciative and dismissive in their ways, is
spot on. Also effective was a brief debate between 'Klar Ken' and 'Lyra'
about whether Superman is needed.
Unfortunately, the theme is frequently forgotten in exchange for a goofy game
of 'Husker-Du.' The intentional parallels between this Superman's debut and
ours is effective, but other echoes come off as self-conscious and crude. It
also doesn't help that Jurgens throws in some dialogue to explain the joke so
that we get the joke we already got. (A sequence with an editing robot
nicknamed Perry is particularly embarrassing.) Then there's the silly name-
dropping -- the preference of Klar's little sister Kara for the band 'The
Venusian Pipes,' for example, or the domestic robot designated 'HZL'. These
little grace notes actually throw the reader out of the story, forcing them
to laugh at the writer's 'wit'.
The artwork is done by Paul Ryan, and it is a definite, refreshing change
from Ron Frenz' tired linework. Some of the sequences are flat out beautiful,
and the double page spread that serves as the title page is breathtaking in
both composition and detail. Joe Rubinstein's inks don't clash as badly with
Ryan as they did with Frenz, and even at his worst, Ryan's art is satisfying.
I do have to question the designing of this future, where all the men wear
tunics with exclamation marks 'round their neck, and the robots seem to have
walked out of _Magnus, Robot Fighter_. I also am dismayed to notice that Ryan
is also playing in-jokes--the 'Regent' who chews out Superman resembles Stan
Lee, and the rampaging robots controlled by Muto include a classic
grey-armored Iron Man.
With this issue, Jurgens is once again showing signs of growing into a decent
scripter. The book may be marred by some awful in-jokes and his patented
'Don't-Know-Much-About-How-People-Talk' dialogue, but the theme is
compelling, and the story flows well. Considering what just went before it,
I'm perfectly happy damning this book with faint praise.
Thomas Deja
<tdj723@webtv.net>
=================================================
26. ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #559 Jul 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"The Day of the Super-Comet"
Plot: Karl Kesel
Dialogue: Jerry Ordway
Layouts: Tom Grummett
Finishes: Denis Rodier
Letters: Albert De Guzman
Colors: Glenn Whitmore
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Assists: Maureen McTigue
Edits: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Tom Grummett, Denis Rodier, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.4/5.0 Shields
DR: 4.3 Shields
DJ: 4.3 Shields - Excellent story. Turpin's role was great and the way he
tricked the imp was devious.
GN: 3.5 Shields - Nice art by Grummett and Rodier, hinting at both Swan and
Schaffenberger, but the Metallo used was from the 70s take on the
character. Kesel and Ordway's story was clever, if not outstanding.
JP: 4.0 Shields - Another fun story, although it lacked the novelty value
of the previous issue.
JSy: 2.5 Shields - Many post-Crisis Superman readers envision the Silver Age
as mostly silly stories with little rhyme or reason. Whether or not
that perception is correct, little here persuades otherwise.
ST: 2.9 Shields - I'm at a loss as to why this was the Silver Age story;
could this tale not have been told almost unchanged, in modern-day?
Also, the pervasive anachronisms were more annoying than anything.
TD: 2.0 Shields - There are two ways to handle these stories: as tributes
or as name-drops; I'm afraid Kesel is just name dropping. Eminently
forgettable.
VV: 4.5 Shields - This story definitely has the Silver Age feel to it. What
was surprising was that very few people became super-criminals. On
second thought, it isn't; the Silver Age didn't work that way.
You know how it goes, so say it with me, people! Faster than a speeding
bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a
single bound! Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! No...it's...the
entire population of Metropolis? Confused? You and me both, schweethart. You
and me both. That's assuming, of course, that you're a female, and if you're
not, boy is MY face red! Of course, I could be just blushing because of the
bad Humphrey Bogart impression. Where was I? Oh yes. My review...
Our story begins with Superman, along with the Metropolis SCU, bursting into
Brainiac's lair, just as he is about to shrink Metropolis, a la Kandor!
Unfortunately for the would-be-debigulator, the shrinking ray is damaged.
Brainiac that he is, the villain of course had a contingency plan, this time
in the form of altering a comet's trajectory so that it heads directly
towards Earth! In the space of the next few pages, the SCU manages to take
down Brainiac, and Superman stops the gaseous comet by over-heating it,
causing it to explode. All is fine and the day is saved, right?
Wrong. Upon exploding, the comet's gases were spread about the city, and
apparently a lot of wishful thinking occurred at that moment. Seems
everybody, save Dan Turpin, began wishing they had Superman's powers. What a
co-inky-dink! And the next morning, all their wishes have come true! From
Super-Mom to Retired Man to Super-Boss, the entire city is powered-up and
wearing costumes. The entire day culminates at the Mayor's Press Conference,
where most of Metropolis (or "Superopolis", if Mayor Sackett's proposal is
approved) has turned out to find out why they're now all powered up.
Professor Klemperer of the Frankfurt Institute relates his theory to the
crowd when, all of a sudden, Metallo bursts through the podium floor and
weakens the crowd with kryptonite. Turns out they also have Superman's
weaknesses in addition to his powers! With everyone vulnerable to Metallo's
attack, who is there to save the day? Come back next month when...aw...I'll
tell ya, ok? Geez. Dan Turpin. The man that didn't "want no super-powers."
And who's behind it all? Why, Professor Klemperer, of course. Otherwise
known as Mr. Mxyzptlk! Superman tricks the imp into saying his name
backwards, revealing the culprit to the mystified crowd, and everything is
wrapped up in a neat little package. Except for the odd white-haired girl
that appears at 2:22. Hmm...how odd...
What Karl Kesel and Jerry Ordway have given us is a Silver Age in the 1990s.
All the styles and storylines of the 60s, but with the 90s cast and
technology. Constant references to the 90s are littered throughout, from
Turpin's VCR to Jimmy Olsen's digital camera. Yet we see obvious throwbacks
to the Silver Age comics with the silly robo-guards, huge and over-done
mechanical devices, and so on. Even the characters are all decked out in
their 60s garb. The only thing missing was some gigantic beast rising from
the deep waters to attack Superman in a throwaway scene never to be explained
or mentioned again. Nowadays we'd have 4 pages of exposition explaining the
creature's origin, his motives, his personality...but I digress.
The dialogue is, as always, spot-on. Dan Turpin is played much like a rocky
character from a fantastic foursome printed by DC's Marvelous competition,
but the characterization suits him. Lois is insulting of Clark, yet
appreciative of Superman and Jimmy is his usual "gosh-wow" self. Even with
Super-powers, the characters remain the same.
As for the art? I have some praise, yet I have some complaints. For starters,
I love Tom Grummett's style. Excellent, very fitting of Superman. He captured
the style of the Silver Age quite well, and I was rather impressed. The
return of the barrel-chested Superman was nice to see under Tom's hand. In
addition to the fine pencils, Rodier's inks managed to work better with them
this time around. I can only assume that's because he is taking a bit more
time to ink, and as such, more care. Either that or he's just not inking as
heavily as usual. Whichever the case, the art looks fine.
My complaint? It's a catch-22 situation, really. While I'm glad that Tom
Grummett is doing a Superman title, and insanely happy that he's back on
Superboy, he's just not a proficient enough penciller to do two titles a
month. His work suffers. Case-in-point: He's listed as "Layouts" instead of
"pencils" this issue, and for many issues past. I don't like that. I like
full Grummett pencils. But to get those, we'd probably have to give him up on
Superboy. Curses. Foiled at every attempt...
An incredibly minor gripe aside, this story is progressing along smoothly.
The four "seemingly unconnected" storylines are all beginning to converge,
yet still retain that unique feel that they're all going for. Aside from
_Superman: The Man of Steel_, _Adventures_ is the most successful in
emulating the style and era that it sets out to mimic. Every page is packed
with Silver Age references which has young and old fans alike smiling, as the
magic is captured once again. Heck, I'd buy this for the cover alone. How
Swan-esque!
Dan Radice
<dradice@caninet.com>
=================================================
27. ACTION COMICS #746 Jul 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Polyesteryear Part 2: Love, Supervillain Style"
Writer/Penciller: Stuart Immonen
Inker: Jose Marzan, Jr.
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Assistant: Maureen McTigue
Landlubber: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Stuart Immonen, Jose Marzan, Jr., and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 2.8/5.0 Shields
DJ: 4.2 Shields
ES: 2.0 Shields - Sure it captured the spirit of those pointless 70's
villain schemes, but just a little too well. I think I'll get my
fill of the 70's from _Boogie Nights_ instead.
GN: 3.0 Shields - Not much here evoked the stories from the era it was
supposed to represent; Jimmy seemed drawn from the 50s or 60s, and
Prankster (whose plot was pretty lame) was rarely seen in the 70s.
JO: 2.5 Shields - Why must we come back here every month? There are a lot
of other, better, decades to choose from. Honest!
JP: 3.8 Shields - Nice to catch a glimpse of the Lois-Clark relationship
in its early stages. The _Pulp Fiction_ reference was funny too.
JSy: 2.5 Shields - Immonen's art is nice, but I wish he would have attempted
something in a style more evocative of the pencillers of the era.
The second part lost much of the "cuteness" of the first installment.
SDM: 1.8 Shields - Forgettable from cover to cover. A pale imitation of the
1970s comics and of a comic book in general.
ST: 2.2 Shields -- Immonen's art doesn't work with this period, and the
twisted plot, inane character names, and un-subtle jokes about the
'future' all got in the way. The 1970s were *not* this hokey.
VV: 3.0 Shields - This story just fell flat; the plot was so convoluted I
never did figure out Prankster's motivations, and if Superman could
just suck the hypodermic needle away from Lana, why didn't he do it
sooner?
Derek Jackson here, filling in for Shane Travis, who is a little busy this
month becoming a father.
Wow! What a great ending to a great beginning. So many stories lately have
started out balls of fire and fizzled out on their ending. Not this one; it
kept the same spirit as the first part and made a fantastic story.
Synopsis:
The Prankster has hijacked the cruise ship Von Pratt, and has at the same
time captured Lana. Superman is unable to save her because the Prankster has
attached to her a flower designed to inject her with a lethal poison should
it detect Superman moving at super-speed. The Prankster torments Supes by
making him do fun things like swabbing the deck and polishing the anchor.
Slowly, Supes' patience is running out...
Lois and Jimmy are at a department store when it is robbed by a quartet of
Pulp Fiction wannabes. Lois hitches a ride in the trunk of their getaway car,
which they drive to a helicopter. Meanwhile, Superman is forced to perform
the marriage ceremony for Lana and the Prankster. The Prankster's plans are
interrupted by the thugs in the helicopter, who are early, thanks to Lois and
some help from Jimmy's voice-throwing microphone. As the Prankster raves
about his hoodlums being early, Superman quickly disposes of a missile fired
from the helicopter, and then apprehends the thugs -- with some help from a
pipe-wrench wielding Lois. He proceeds to use the helicopter blades to create
a suction that takes the dangerous corsage from Lana's blouse, then easily
captures the Prankster.
After returning to the harbor, Lana slaps Clark because he was not aboard as
he should've been. She states that she will get him fired from GBS news, and
is true to her word. As Lois consoles him, they both see a mysterious little
girl and then a tower clock rings at 2:22.
Opinion:
First off, let's comment about the art. It's great, plain and simple. The
coloring is well done, most of the pencilling is excellent, and the inks are
damn good as well. The only complaint I have is that some of the faces,
especially people seen from a distance, are occasionally distorted. Picky,
picky, picky.
The first time I read the story, I didn't think it was that great, then I
thought about it, picked it up again, and changed my opinion. Immonen has
really captured the whole feel of the Polyester Age. Hell, he's captured the
whole essence of the Seventies. The four thugs are hilarious, down to their
wild outfits (what were people thinking in the seventies?), their names, and
the _Pulp Fiction_ reference.
Immonen seems to be a great writer when he's allowed to write stories on his
own. I've seen people complain about him being an artist and not a writer,
but his individual stories seem to prove otherwise. It's when he has to write
in a continuity that he seems to struggle.
I also enjoy the references that are being made to the 'future' (our
present), such as The Prankster's comment last issue about the World Wide Web
and this issue's comment from Jimmy about Personal Computers. Immonen manages
to throw in these cracks without disrupting the flow of the story.
After reading this issue and the other 'Ages' issues, I almost wish they
would continue this on a regular basis. (Maybe I was little harsh with my
rating for the Golden Age story; it just hasn't wowed me like some of the
others.) All of the stories have been well written, especially the Polyester
Age. It's very strange to see such high quality stories coming from the same
group who gave us the Millennium Giants.
One last note: After Superman brings back the Von Pratt, we see Lois and Lana
waving to him as he flies off. We see Superman clearly waving back to them as
someone from stage right is yelling "Girls!" On the next panel we see Clark
yelling and waving to the girls, inferring that he was the one who yelled
from off-panel. Either somebody else (like that mysterious little girl) was
yelling to them, or Superman borrowed Jimmy's voice-throwing microphone, or
maybe Clark Kent isn't Superman after all.
[Editor's Note: Or maybe he used his funky Super-ventriloquism power which
showed up in a few 1970s stories; _Superman_ #267 comes to mind. --Shane]
Derek Jackson
<djackson@iconstructs.com>
_____________________________________________
THE TRIANGLE TITLES (cont):
--------------------------
28. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #81 Jul 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Superman"
Plot: Jon Bogdanove & Louise Simonson
Pencils/Script: Jon Bogdanove
Inks: Dennis Janke
Letters: Ken Lopez (with Willie Schubert)
Colors: Glenn Whitmore
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Asst. Editor: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Special Thanks: Teddy Howland & David Cullen
Extra Special
Thanks to: Patricia Herber
Cover: Jon Bogdanove, Dennis Janke, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 4.2/5.0
MS: 5.0 Shields
DJ: 2.2 Shields - On one hand I liked the story, but on the other hand I
think they almost overdid it. I realize it's supposed to be a GA
story but it seemed too much like a history lesson.
GN: 4.6 Shields - While tackling the real-life events of the period,
Simonson still manages to capture Siegel's writing style throughout
the book. Bogdanove's art is perfectly suited for this story.
JP: 4.0 Shields - The subject matter was a little too dark to be truly
enjoyable. It was, however, a powerful story with some wonderful art.
SDM: 2.6 Shields - Weezie and Bog's hearts and talents are in the right
place, but I can't help but wonder if any larger-than-life super-hero
should be in a comic that addresses the horrors of the Holocaust.
TD: 4.8 Shields - THIS is dead-spot perfect in both tone and look. Am I the
only one who would love an ongoing Golden Age Superman book done by
these two?
Another story simply entitled "Superman". If only for the sake of
distinguishing this one from the last issue, I'd nickname it "The Sucker
Punch," and here's why.
You read #80 and you get the feeling that this is just another loving tribute
to a bygone age. The Nazi presence shows that some hindsight went into the
work, but that's going on in the other three Superman titles too. Otherwise,
things are pretty much hunky-dory. So I started reading #81 this week and I
was convinced this would be more of the same: The Nazis would be back, but
the _important_ plotline would be Superman saving a little girl from a train
as per the cover. Not so.
I'll tell you what happened: Superman does indeed save a little girl from a
train, and it turns out to be the mysterious white-haired girl who's been
appearing in the four timelines of the Superman titles. She tries to explain
what's going on, but Superman bounds off, quickly forgetting the whole thing.
That's just the start.
The real story begins when Clark Kent gets sent on assignment to Occupied
Poland. Arrangements have been made to sneak him into the country, but when
you're Superman you can just stowaway on top of a zeppelin. Later, he decides
it would be even faster to just swim to Poland.
Let's not forget about the zeppelin, though; Emil Norvell, Nazi sympathizer
and traitorous American industrialist, is aboard to make a visit to Germany.
Along for the ride is Lois Lane, who is determined to expose Norvell even at
the risk of illegally entering Axis territory. Lois manages to follow Norvell
all the way to Warsaw where he hands over to a Generalkommissar Zimmler all
of his intelligence on the U.S. involvement with World War II.
Meanwhile, Superman has also made his way to Warsaw, but on the way he puts
on civilian clothing and befriends a family of prisoners forced to bury their
dead in a mass grave. The prisoners are shipped back to a Warsaw ghetto where
Superman witnesses the inhuman living condition forced on the people by the
Nazi regime. By then Superman decides he has seen enough and begins his
crusade against the Third Reich, delivering much needed supplies for the
ghettos and disrupting the German war effort. As Clark Kent he reports on the
Nazi atrocities from a secret telegraph in a Warsaw clock tower. Despite all
his efforts, however, it never seems to be enough.
As for Lois, she sneaks into Zimmler's mansion with the help of his servant
girl and gathers not only Norvell's briefcase, but Zimmler's designs for a
concentration camp as well. Even worse, there's a copy of an emergency order
to liquidate the ghetto. She leaves it in the clock tower, but returns to the
mansion to warn the servant girl that her family is in great danger. Both of
them are captured and tortured; Lois finally 'reveals' their location (she
was lying, stalling for time), the servant girl is shot, and Lois is put on a
prisoner train to experience the camps firsthand. Superman soon discovers the
plans in the clock tower as well as the order to destroy the ghetto. Superman
boldly races into the street to confront the German troops. Instead he finds
the white haired girl once more and the clock tower chiming twice at 2:22.
So there you have it. You come for the Golden Age experience,but stay for the
finely-crafted tale of a Warsaw ghetto. We see a man who realizes that even
his great power isn't enough to save the day, and a woman determined to prove
herself and find the truth, no matter the cost. I call it The Sucker Punch.
Too often, comics fans can get reality and fantasy mixed up. It's easy to
think of the horrors of World War II as just a colorful backdrop for a
flashback in _Captain America_, or to think of the Nazis as a convenient
source of fodder for our hero to beat up. I feel I may have done so after
reading the last issue. These things were all real, though, and Simonson and
Bogdanove don't hold anything back in reminding us.
Bogdanove's scripting is every bit as good as Simonson's, and this issue may
go down as the finest issue he's ever written. For those of you who doubt his
pencilling ability, take a look at the stark backgrounds of the ghetto, the
emaciated faces of the prisoners, the detailed Eastern European architecture.
Of course, who can forget the dynamic Man of Steel himself as he bowls over a
German convoy with a tank. I admit that Bog has his weak points, but when he
picks up momentum, you forget all about them.
What makes this artwork all the more striking is the astonishing colors.
Whitmore and Digital Chameleon contrast the colorful uniform of Superman with
the dismal greys of the conquered Poland, not to mention the beautiful
sunrise on the Atlantic on page six.
My only real problem is the lettering. Just about everybody here is speaking
German, except for Lois and a few others. It would help if there was some
differentiation in lettering style, or markings like parentheses, to show
when characters are speaking German or English. Still, the work stands up
anyway, so I won't count off for it.
As for the Golden Age aspects, things do thin out this issue. Superman and
Lois are consistent to the original comics of 1938, but after that the story
and characters are purely Simonson and Bogdanove. The tribute may be losing a
small step, but this comic is too good for me to care. This is excellent
work, pure and simple. If this issue doesn't deserve a perfect score, I don't
know what does.
Mike Smith
<mpsmit0@pop.uky.edu>
_____________________________________________
SUPER-FAMILY TITLES:
-------------------
STEEL #52 Jul 1998 $2.50 US/$3.50 CAN
"Requiem"
Writer: Priest
Artists: Denys Cowan and Tom Palmer
Letterer: Clem Robins
Colorist: John Kalisz
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Asst. Editor: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Tom Palmer and Josh Myers
RATINGS
Average: 3.4/5.0 Shields
JSy: 3.7 Shields
DWk: 3.3 Shields - A very rushed ending, and it could have been a lot more
powerful with a few more pages, but a lot of plotlines--particularly
the Amanda/Skorpio thing--get resolved in surprising, satisfying
ways. Still, could Cowan possibly draw like he's any more bored?
ES: 3.0 Shields - If people had known this book was written by the man who
does _Quantum & Woody_, sales would have doubled.
JO: 3.0 Shields - The writers of this book turned Steel into a jerk a long
time ago, but at least they didn't make him a killer.
TD: 4.0 Shields - A bit rushed, but at least it gives us something of an
ending. Pity it had to *be* an ending. (*sniff*) Oh, I don't want
to talk about it...
Sitting here in front of my computer, I'm having great difficulty deciding
how to approach this review. Of all the titles DC has published in the past
year or so, none have so consistently entertained me the way that _Steel_
has. In the capable hands of Christopher Priest, Steel became much more than
just a member of Superman's entourage, more than just "the black Superman."
Apparently, however, that wasn't enough to sell the book.
So I could spend this entire review ranting about how so much crap continues
to be published while the good books keep falling by the wayside. But let's
not go there. _Steel_ deserves better.
Regular readers know the story of how the last few issues of this title
were rewritten, plots shuffled and hurried to resolve as much as possible.
Regardless of these circumstances, however, Priest managed to wrap up the
title in a very satisfying manner.
Our story continues from last issue with the critically wounded Natasha
having been transported to the GSMC. John is paged from the JLA watchtower,
and he immediately rushes to the hospital. He arrives just as Dr. Villain
has produced an experimental anti-toxin which he hopes will counteract
Skorpio's poison. Unfortunately, Ellis will have none of that, so he springs
into action. With one quick series of motions, Ellis knocks the vial from
Villain's hand, flings a barrage of projectiles at John, and escapes through
a panel in the ceiling.
Fortunately for Dr. Irons, he was wearing his body armor beneath his suit,
and so the poison-tipped projectiles did no physical damage. From here,
however, everything starts to come out into the open. Amanda admits that she
knew Ellis' secret identity. Crash intercepts Skorpio during his escape and
learns that a complete blood transfusion is Natasha's only chance. Steel
arrives just as Crash has begun to assault Skorpio, but Crash disappears as
the melee intensifies.
Later, after having dispatched Skorpio, John learns that Crash has given Nat
the blood transfusion she needed. Realizing Crash's true identity, John
confronts his brother, who turns himself in to the authorities. Villain and
Amanda are also arrested, as accomplices after the fact -- John tries to
protect Amanda, but she refuses to allow him, insisting that she needs to
clean up her own mess.
Finally, the story wouldn't be complete without one more glimpse at Dr.
Villain's machinations. It seems that he and the hospital board voted on
just such a contingency several months prior -- John will now take Villain's
place as GSMC Chief of Staff.
Amazingly enough, this settles most of the plot threads which had been
running through the book for some time. In fact, of the various angles that
had been introduced by Priest, the only ones I can think of which were left
open-ended were the changes in Natasha's family and Boris's HIV status. Then
again, these aren't exactly the kind of things that get wrapped up in an
issue by beating the bad guy. Perhaps it's best that these were left
unresolved.
Ironically, this issue was perhaps the most "mainstream" issue of Priest,
Cowan, and Palmer's time on the book. Super-powered (tech-based) villains,
tragic circumstances, big action-packed battle sequences, and even a minor
guest appearance in the form of Green Lantern -- just about everything that
editorial wanted of the title. Unfortunately, DC didn't give the book enough
time to see if the changes had any effect on readership before they decided
to can it. I've also gotta expect that Steel's membership in the JLA will
result in an increased exposure which would have boosted sales. Alas, that
wasn't given a chance either.
Ah, but I promised I wouldn't whine about the cancellation, didn't I? Sorry.
Speaking of Green Lantern, the scene in the JLA watchtower was one of the
best in the book. Kyle is introducing Steel to his new chair, but Steel
isn't happy that Superman's "S" insignia is on the back of the chair. Kyle
doesn't quite understand the problem, and when Steel asks how he'd feel if
they had put Hal Jordan's insignia on *his* chair, Kyle simply responds that
he'd be "kinda honored." Steel points out that though they may feel
derivative of the "real thing," each of them is his own man. This was one of
Priest's stated intentions for the title from the beginning, and I can't help
but think that maybe he's trying to point the fact out to the Superman
editors. Finally, in what could be taken as a bit of a dig at the
Kyle-haters, Steel departs the watchtower with the remark, "...you are Green
Lantern. It's time everybody got used to that."
I can't conclude this review without one last comment about the artwork of
Denys Cowan and Tom Palmer. This is one of their strongest outings, and
oddly enough, I think it may have been because they were rushed. Seriously.
There weren't many backgrounds, and the foregrounds were much less scratchy,
less line-riddled than usual. This allows the reader to see things more
clearly, and it also reveals some rather dynamic layouts by Mister Cowan.
Perhaps these have been there all along, just overshadowed by the
scratchiness in the past.
So what now? Steel will continue to appear as a member of the JLA -- I kind
of envision him as their Kilowog: the intellect, the inventor of the group.
I'm kind of dying to see Steel and Batman matching wits in a game of chess
during some Watchtower down time... Those of you who saw the recent second
issue of _JLA Secret Files_ were treated to Priest's take on Steel and his
role in the JLA, as well as to some wonderful use of Natasha and Boris.
Since Grant Morrison will reportedly leave JLA at the end of next year,
perhaps we should start pushing for Priest as his successor? I'll be happy
to lead the effort, gang!
In closing, I'd just like to pass along my personal thanks to Priest for his
work on both _Steel_ and _Quantum & Woody_. These two titles were
consistently some of the most enjoyable comics I've read in the past 18
months, and I hope to enjoy his work for years to come.
Jeff Sykes
<sykes@ms.uky.edu>
=================================================
SUPERBOY #53 Jul 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Pearl Harbor 2!"
Words & Inks: Karl "Blitzkrieg" Kesel
Pencils: Tom "Tailgunner" Grummett
Colors: "Buzz-Bomb" Setzer
Letters: "Cabbage Crates" Comicraft
Assistant: Frank "Front-Line" Berrios
Editor: Mike "Mail Call" McAvennie
Commander
in Chief: Jack Kirby
Cover: Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel
RATINGS
Average: 4.0/5.0 Shields
RG: 4.5 Shields (Story)
5.0 Shields (Art)
ES: 3.5 Shields - I was let down that we had to return to Hawaii for this
title, but it still has great potential for the future. The Wild
Men are decent enough, but I'm not sure if making them recurring
characters will help any.
JO: 4.5 Shields - A great ending to a great story. If the quality keeps up,
this book will be a monthly reminder of why I read comics
SDM: 3.1 Shields - A bit rushed and not the strongest issue, but cleverly
plotted, well drawn, and full of surprises. Karl and Tom set up
their run in fine fashion.
Nosferata and her minions, carrying Killa and the Gorilla warriors, arrive in
Hawaii and launch a surprise attack on the military base, an attack that
incidentally involves knocking The Guardian and Dubbilex out of the sky.
Superboy and the Wild Men rush to aid in the island's defense, while Prince
Tuftan faces Nosferata and makes his first tough decision as King. His
solution and the compromises he makes are both frustrating and logical in his
new role. While this is the actual conclusion of the "Last Boy on Earth"
series, the story itself will continue next issue.
I loved the story, but I couldn't help feeling more than a little cheated --
not by the story itself, but by the fact that it really mangled my (fond)
memories of the original Kirby "Kamandi" series. Kesel and Grummett managed
to take enough elements of the original series that their premise could
actually work (except that Kamandi left the Wild Lands several times, and it
wasn't present day). By blending it with the current Superboy mythos they
have managed to put some much-needed fun back into the book.
Kesel is doing some excellent work here. He is taking some of the more
intriguing plot-lines from his predecessors and weaving them around the
stories that he wants to tell. He has even managed to take the Kid's serious
problems and bring them into the story without resorting to the teen-angst
that many writers try to pass off as characterization. Not bad for only
having four issues to work with.
In addition to all this, he has introduced us to some very interesting (new?)
characters and started a few new sub-plots that have a lot of promise. By
adding the Wild Lands to the present day DCU, Kesel has given himself (and
others?) plots that will give us years of good stories. The connection
between the Wild Lands and Cadmus needs a lot of explaining and can be mined
for a number of stories, as can the political problems of the Wild Lands.
Since Superboy knows where the island is, he can (and hopefully will) fly
there often. Many of the problems that he faces in the 'real' world don't
exist there, and he can be himself without having to live up to others
expectations.
The now-exiled Wild-Men have a lot of potential. As a group, they have the
promise of being even more trouble to the locals than Superboy. And who
knows; maybe keeping them out of trouble may even force Superboy to grow up a
little.
Tom Grummett is at the top of his form here. It is a wonderful blend between
his style and Kirby's that works better than either would have on it's own.
The art is exceptionally clean and nicely detailed. Kesel's inks are the
final, crowning touch; it's been a long time since Superboy looked this good.
In three short months this book has gone from being one of my least favorite
of the DC titles to being back on my top five. If you stopped reading the
title it's time you picked it up again. If you've never read it, now is the
time to start.
Rene Gobeyn
<bedlam@frontiernet.net>
=================================================
SUPERGIRL #23 Jul 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Double-Edged Sword"
Writer: Peter David
Pencils: Leonard Kirk
Inks: Robin Riggs
Letters: Pat Prentice
Colors: Gene D'Angelo
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Assists: Frank Berrios
Edits: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Leonard Kirk, Robin Riggs, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 4.0/5.0 Shields
TD: 3.9 Shields
ES: 3.8 Shields - I'm glad this issue stayed away from feeling like an
afterschool special, but making Steel and Supergirl go at it because
of different positions on the touchy issue felt very staged. The
last page is perfect! Well done PAD and Leonard Kirk!
GN: 4.8 Shields - Unquestionably, Peter David's best work yet on this title.
The story was thought-provoking without being preachy, showing issues
are rarely as black and white as many would like to believe --
particularly well illustrated on the last page.
JO: 3.5 Shields - This book was good, but unfortunately it proves my theory
that they've wrecked Steel. For that, it gets put down a few points.
JP: 3.5 Shields - I have mixed feelings about this issue. In some places,
David treated the (serious) issues raised maturely, and in others
(such as the last page) in a very stereotypical and flippant way.
VV: 4.5 Shields - To give PAD credit, he leaves it up to the reader to
come to a decision as to what is right or wrong. The dialogue was
excellent and brought up all the right points, but Steel coming to
blows with Supergirl did seem a bit extreme.
Those of you who remember when I used to post reviews on the Usenet will
recall that one of my first reviews was of _Superman_ #121, which featured
the infamous story, "They Call It Suicide Slum." In that review, I told
readers how much I hate 'relevant' comic books, and why; in far too many
cases they inspire writers to heavy-handedness and lecturing.
One of the few writers who can do relevance *without* doing preachiness is
Peter David, and he proves it in this issue, which skirts being a lecture
without actually crossing the line.
A violently racist psychologist is going to speak at the Stanhope University
Student Union, and Mattie's friend Giselle is conducting a massive protest to
keep the man away from the college. Mattie has brought Cutter (who is a
little confused as to his standing with Mattie since they slept together); he
makes no friends by trying to be impartial and cover the issue from all
angles. Giselle has brought in Steel to speak at the rally and help with the
non-violent protest, but after some soul-searching, Supergirl decides to
support the psychologist's right to speak. Just when you think we're gonna
get into a superhero slug-fest, a bomb goes off in the Student Union
Building. Everyone stops what they are doing to help save lives -- including
the psychologist, who chooses to save a black cop. Everything returns sort of
to normal with one of the few David japes that makes perfect sense in the
context of the story....
One of the nicest things about this story is that David allows Cutter to be
something other than a buttbrained joke. Using the reporter as his
mouthpiece, Cutter *does* get hard to believe at times (his info dump on the
Skokie march could've used more subtlety), but at least he's behaving like
the sly, intelligent, clever character he was set up to be. David neither
solves the problem he poses -- there is no tearful redemption of the racist
-- or condescends to it. He has people state their cases, and what's more,
shows that all of them are *intelligent*; Steel in particular comes off as a
decent, caring man with great integrity. In a market where the emphasis seems
to be on skimpy costumes and lots of sound and fury signifying nothing,
"Double-Edged Sword" is a welcome treat.
David has a couple of subplots as well. There's a confrontation between Linda
and Sylvia that is heart-wrenching in its veracity, and is exceptionally well
blocked by Kirk. There's a bizarre interlude featuring a 'Wanda Lee' that I
hope won't stay untouched for long, and we even get a brief appearance by
Andy Jones. The only thing that was out of place was this last element.
Jones' character seems too one-note; with every panel she screams, "HEY, I'M
A LESBIAN!!" I really wish she had some other defining characteristics.
I wanna go back to Steel's appearance here. I really liked how David handled
him. He is well-spoken, intelligent, articulate and caring -- we expect that
from our heroes -- but what David catches that Priest developed is his
*normalcy*. There is a scene on page 18, where Steel sees Supergirl manifest
her flame-wings, and he's visibly shaken. That one moment shows that behind
the armor, John Henry Irons is literally a normal guy ... and I'm so glad it
was picked up on for this appearance.
Since almost all of this story is psychological, Leonard Kirk shines. There
are some great moments, but my favorite is a very simple one: Steel removing
his mask while explaining his views, putting on his glasses and presenting
himself to the world as John Henry Irons. *That* simply took my breath away.
Maybe if Kirk was the artist on _Steel_ (Not that I don't appreciate Cowan's
murky, hard-edged work), it might still be around.
"Double-Edged Sword" is a great 'relevant' story because it doesn't have an
agenda or try and tell to us what to think. It simply presents the facts and
lets us decide for ourselves.
One minor addition: with this issue's cover, Leonard Kirk picks up Gary
Frank's habit of doing covers that mirror each other. I like it. I like it a
lot.
Thomas Deja
<tdj723@webtv.net>
_____________________________________________
OTHER SUPERMAN TITLES:
---------------------
JLA #20 Jul 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Mystery in Space"
Guest Writer: Mark Waid
Guest Penciller: Arnie Jorgensen
Guest Inkers: David Meikis
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Colorist: Pat Garrahy
Separations: Heroic Age
Assistant Editor: L.A. Williams
Editor: Dan Raspler
Cover: Howard Porter and John Dell
RATINGS
Average: 3.1/5.0 Shields
AW: 3.9 Shields
ES: 3.8 Shields - Adam Strange has gone, well, strange! I'm hooked already!
Sure, it has a bit of a Hal Jordan feel to it, but Waid keeps his
classic feel on this title alive. I don't even mind the second-string
JLAers. The substitute penciller I could do without, however.
JO: 4.0 Shields - The man is Super once more! Big Blue is back and makes
the rest of the JLA that much better.
JP: 2.2 Shields - I guess even Mark Waid has his off days... The story just
screamed 'filler' and the art did little to change that opinion.
This is the first issue of _JLA_ I didn't enjoy.
ST: 1.8 Shields (Story: 2.3 Shields, Art: 1.0 Shields) - This story did not
do justice to the long and interesting history of Adam Strange, and
overwrought art didn't help matters.
TD: 2.5 Shields - Kind of a slap in the face to a _Mystery in Space_ fan
like me, but I'm willing to see it through, since Waid knows what
he's doing. I love Jorgensen's artwork, though.
"Mystery In Space" features two welcome returns, as far as I'm concerned.
First is the old red, yellow, and blue costume for Superman. Second is Adam
Strange. The mystery to me is why they both took so long to come back.
Okay, every other review out there is going to mention the return of the old
Superman, so I'll just add my voice to the collective sigh of relief that I'm
sure has echoed around the world this past month. I still don't get how it
happened, but you don't look a gift Kryptonian in the cape, if you know what
I mean.
Waid, Jorgensen, and Meikis play the old/new costume to full effect in the
opening sequence, as Superman deflects a missile accidentally set off by
Orion, who is determined to be the world's most annoying houseguest. The art
team didn't use the best or most dramatic angle, but nonetheless it was an
emotionally satisfying sight. The majesty of the moment, however is
short-lived.
No sooner has the team acknowledged Superman's return than they are zapped to
the planet Rann via Zeta Beam and enslaved by a crazed Adam Strange and the
En'taran slavemasters who are seemingly at his command. Adam believes that
his wife Alanna, who reportedly died in childbirth, is returning to Rann.
Rann, in a story I missed (_Green Lantern_ #75, according to the footnotes),
is a world in ruins. Adam has decided to put the whole planet through some
Spring cleaning to welcome her back -- which of course requires him to
enslave the entire population of Rann and the JLA. (Apparently he read that
Superman comic where the JLA rebuilt Metropolis after _Action_ #700.)
The JLA engineers an escape, only to be betrayed at the last moment
by...J'onn J'onzz? Clearly there are more questions that need to be answered.
For those of you who are not familiar with Adam Strange, he first appeared in
_Showcase_ in 1958, then moved on to his own series in _Mystery In Space_,
for about seven years. His adventures were later reprinted in _Strange
Adventures_ back around 1970 (you can still pick these up fairly cheaply, if
you can find them). Adam didn't waste any time meeting the JLA -- their first
team-up was in 1962, and he joined them on several occasions, in _Mystery in
Space_, _Justice League of America_, and individual titles, such as _Green
Lantern_.
As _JLA_ #20 retells, Adam was an architect who accidentally discovered the
teleportational "Zeta Beam." The beam transported him to Rann, where he
became their champion and fell in love with Alanna, daughter of one of their
leading scientists. Typically, each adventure would begin with Adam Strange
rushing to the site of a Zeta Beam occurrence. He would arrive on Rann just
in time to avert a crisis, and would just have time for a parting kiss before
the Zeta radiation wore off and he was transported back to Earth. The
stories were typical science fiction of the 1960's: eternally optimistic,
with solutions based on scientific principles, not bigger and better weapons.
(I hope you can tell this was a favorite series of mine.)
Eventually, Alanna's father found a way to cancel out the radiation, and Adam
stayed on Rann and married Alanna. Since the comic industry can never allow a
completely happy ending, somewhere along the line Alanna was killed and
Rann's been devastated, leading us to our current story.
I'm summing up Adam's past to make a point: Mark Waid knows JLA history and
has approached his stories with a sense of "hip nostalgia," a mixing of the
Silver Age with the current. And, as this issue shows, Waid isn't afraid to
take a little of the emphasis off "the big guns" -- Superman, Batman, and
J'onn J'onzz -- and let some other heroes shine through. Oh, the beginning is
certainly all Superman, and when the JLA first feels the lash of the En'taran
slavemasters, Superman is the only one left standing. But later it's Steel
who steps in to save Wonder Woman from painful punishment and Wonder Woman
who calms a berzerker Orion, speaking as one seasoned warrior to another.
(While I'm not thrilled Orion is in the JLA, the relationship between the
former Queen Hippolyta and the New Gods is a natural one.)
I must say the artwork wasn't quite up to the standards of the writing. As I
pointed out earlier, Superman's entrance was lost dramatic opportunity, and I
found Jorgensen's technique of applying lighting semi-circles to each
character's eyes rather annoying. It's an effect you often see in Japanese
Manga and Anime that makes the eyes seem bigger and softer and just a bit
glazed over. Still, most of the layouts were imaginative, and the art overall
was quite capable.
Anatole Wilson
<awilson@us.oracle.com>
=================================================
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #21 Jul 1998 $3.95 US/$5.50 CAN
"Last Daughter of Argo"
Writers: Evan Dorkin and Sarah Dyer
Penciller: Bret Blevins
Inker: Terry Austin
Colors and Seps: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Kevin Cunningham
Asst. Editor: Frank Berrios
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Bruce Timm
RATINGS
Average: 4.2/5.0 Shields
CoS: 4.5 Shields
DWd: 4.5 Shields - Having not seen the cartoon (Get with it Australia!) this
has to be the best superstoryline since the Crisis! Excellent!!!
ES: 3.9 Shields - This was better than the actual S:TAS episodes involving
Supergirl! The 're-telling' of SG's origin was much richer, and her
re-match with Granny Goodness was more fun. Worth every penny.
GN: 4.0 Shields - A fast-moving story about the new Maid of Steel that
brings readers who don't get the Kids' WB series up-to-speed without
sacrificing the action.
JP: 4.7 Shields - A wonderful and touching story. This issue surpassed
all my expectations, and the art was great too! If only they had
addressed the question of how Kara learned English so fast!
ST: 3.4 Shields - This was a decent story, but it felt... forced -- pushed
just a little too hard. Since the 'Adventures' universe mirrors the
DCU, I'm quite leery of characters existing in the former who bear
little or no resemblance to their (current) counterpart in the
latter.
It's a little misleading to call this an issue of Superman Adventures, since
he only makes a token appearance. This was originally supposed to be a
special titled _Supergirl Adventures_, but for some reason, it was put into
the _Superman Adventures_ series. The cover isn't much of an enticement -- a
stock pose of Supergirl with three villains behind her -- but as they say,
don't judge a comic by its cover. This is a skillfully-done comic, and an
excellent introduction to the first version of Supergirl I have enjoyed.
The story starts with a recap of Supergirl's origin in the Adventures
continuity. Argo is a sister planet to Krypton orbiting the same star. When
Krypton is destroyed, Argo is shoved out of its orbit, left to drift away
from its sun and eventually freeze. Kara, who is a young girl when the
disaster happens, watches as her planet slowly dies over the next four years.
When the atmosphere starts to freeze, she and the rest of the survivors put
themselves into suspended animation, waiting for help. When she revives, she
has been brought to Earth by Superman, who informs her she is the last
survivor of Argo, just as he is the last survivor of Krypton.
Kara lives with the Kents, who take her in much as they took Clark in, but we
see that she still dreams about her planet freezing. Through reading Kara's
diary, we are given a quick run-down of the "Little Girl Lost" episode that
introduced Supergirl, and find out that she has made an enemy of Granny
Goodness and her Female Furies (still my favorite Jack Kirby DC antagonists).
She fills in for Superman on a weekend when he is out of town, and is drawn
into a conflict with Kanto, the Master Assassin from Apokolips, defeating him
handily. Granny Goodness is not pleased by this defeat, but is forbidden by
Darkseid to take on Supergirl directly. To enact her revenge, she frees an
Argonian criminal (who we later find out is General Zod) from the Phantom
Zone while looking for Jax-Ur and Mala, and sends him to Earth. Zod frees
Jax-Ur and Mala from their shrunken prison (see _Superman Adventures_ #7-8)
and Supergirl has to fight the three of them alone. She is able to keep from
being killed, but only just barely. Using her wits and old Kryptonian
technology, she is able to defeat the three of them, without Superman's help.
As I wrote up the plot synopsis, it struck me that plot-wise, thereisn't
very much here. Oddly, I didn't notice it while reading the story. The
story's extended origin sequence gives us insight into Kara's character,
setting up her strengths and her fear of ice and cold (which she must
overcome in order to defeat the villains). The story is told masterfully
through the art. Bret Blevins adapts his style to the animated characters
much better than he has in past issues, showing that he's gotten a handle on
the style that the book requires.
The biggest Kudos, however, go to Dorkin and Dyer, who show a maturity of
form that I did not expect of them. I love Dorkin's other comic work on _Milk
and Cheese_, _Dork_, and _Hectic Planet_; I even have his run of _Bill and
Ted's Excellent Adventure_. Dyer's work on _Action Girl Comics_ is also very
good, and they write for the funniest and most surreal show on TV, "Space
Ghost Coast To Coast." They are great at writing comedy, both absurd and
biting, but I did not expect this sort of story from them. It shows an
understanding of both Kirby's characters and the animated series, and their
story here shows both an excellent set-up and satisfying resolution without
the sense of ironic detachment that I'm used to in their other work. The
depiction of Kara's emotions and trauma were well done without being
overwrought, and they used the 'teenage girl's diary' story device to strong
effect. The sequence of Darkseid and Granny Goodness shows more insight into
those two characters than anyone has displayed since Mark Evanier's run on
_The New Gods_ in the late 80's.
Finally, I must admit I've never much liked Supergirl. Her Pre-Crisis
incarnation was hokey through the 60s and then disjointed to the point of
schizophrenia in the 70s and 80s. Her post-Crisis incarnation is currently
interesting to read thanks to Peter David, but she doesn't work for me as a
character because she is utterly impossible to describe succinctly. This
version has ties to Superman both in her origin and thematically, and her
experiences of watching her planet die gives the character an added dramatic
weight and poignancy (one of the things I liked about Superman's attachment
to Krypton Pre-Crisis) without making her a mopey whiner. She's still a
teenage girl both in her fashion sense and her personality. Maybe DC will
replace the current "Artificial life-form clone of Lana Lang from another
dimension merged with a devil worshipping troublemaker who might now be an
angel" version with the bright, spunky Kara In-ze.
Cory Strode
<Solitaire.Rose@worldnet.att.net>
_____________________________________________
SPECIALS:
--------
LEGENDS OF THE DC UNIVERSE #6 Jul 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Fear of God"
Story: Kelley Puckett
Layouts: Dave Taylor
Finishes: Kevin Nowlan
Letters: Willie Schubert
Colors: Kevin Nowlan
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Edits: Darren Vincenzo and Scott Peterson
Painted Cover: Christopher Moeller
RATINGS
Average: 3.9/5.0 Shields
JO: 4.0 Shields
DC: 3.3 Shields - Good, enjoyable story. The point of view was important.
GN: 4.0 Shields - A nice encounter between Robin and the early Man of Steel.
It would be nice to see a Superman-Nightwing team-up today that
reflected on the elements introduced here.
JP: 4.9 Shields - Absolutely wonderful. I guess I take Supes pretty much for
granted, but seeing him through Robin's eyes made me realize how
God-like, yet how totally alien, he must seem to the rest of the DCU.
SDM: 2.4 Shields - Cute, but no real story to speak of. Puckett has a feel
for the characters, but doesn't do much with them. At least the art
is great.
ST: 4.3 Shields - A superb example of how to write a story from inside the
head of a single character, what the reader already 'knows' about the
world and the situation. The art was a touch odd at first glance,
but quickly grew on me and aided in telling the story--as it should.
As a long time fan and reader of _Legends of the Dark Knight_, I was first in
line when I heard they were going to do one for the rest of the DC Universe.
Call me nostalgic, but I love books that go back and fill in the blanks of a
character's history. I also think it's cool that each story in these titles
gets a new creative team, but this can either be a blessing or a curse,
depending upon how well the creative team understands the characters.
In a perfect world, artists and writers should each tell half of the story.
We've all seen books where the writer uses a whole lot of words to say
nothing. Then there are those where the art brings so much attention to
itself, good or bad, that the words get lost. (Can you say _Steel_?) Neither
of those takes place in this issue. This time around, we were blessed with a
creative team that not only understood the characters, but also understood
what the idea of 'being a creative team' really means.
The story is a simple one; Superman tracks a high-tech weapons ring from
Metropolis to Gotham. They are small-time thugs with the big-time threat of
an Electromagnetic Pulse Cannon. With Batman out of town, Superman and Robin
join forces to take them down. The story is told from Robin's point of view
and is basically about how Robin tries to maintain his image as Batman's
partner while still being a boy who is impressed by the Man of Steel. It's a
well written book with a sense of humor, and proves that even heroes can have
heroes.
The book opens up with Robin taking down some low-end Gotham hoods. These few
pages were written so well I thought I was reading a _Nightwing_ comic.
Puckett captured Grayson's crime-fighting personality perfectly.
When Robin is introduced to Superman on the roof of police headquarters,
there is a dramatic change. Suddenly he goes from being Robin, The Boy
Wonder, to Dick Grayson the boy. Several times throughout the book, Puckett
does a wonderful job of bouncing back and forth between Robin and Dick
Grayson. When speaking out loud to Superman, Robin tries to maintain a tough
guy image, but in his own thoughts, Dick Grayson is amazed and impressed by
Superman.
Being a huge fan of Nightwing, I've always known Dick had two different
personalities. The "cocky crime-fighter" is definitely in evidence, but the
"little boy" angle is a nice change from the "I'll never be as good as Bruce
and I know it!" attitude I'm use to seeing in Nightwing. Puckett does a great
job of capturing the little boy in Robin.
Puckett has a good grip on who Superman is as well. He writes a Superman I
haven't seen in a while. I used to think the 'Indestructible Boy Scout' angle
was older than the hills and twice as dusty; how many times have I seen
Superman survive what no one else could and act like it's no big thing?
Puckett makes this old idea new again. When the Man of Steel survives a
barrage from an E.M.P. Cannon only to become a walking magnet I couldn't help
but be impressed. In this book, Superman's invincibility was an afterthought,
and that made him even more impressive to both Robin and me.
Story and characterization always come before art for me. I will put up with
art that is so-so (or even lousy) if the writing is good. At first glance,
the art looked only average, so I was ready to ignore it. After taking a
closer look I'm glad I didn't.
The art in this book reminds me of a Volkswagen Bug; it may not be too fancy,
but you sure do get a lot of miles out of it. Taylor and Nowlan give the book
that typical dark and dirty look I've come to expect from a book set in
Gotham, but their attention to detail makes the art special. A well-placed
smile on Robin's face or a twinkle in Robin's eye reminded me that he was
just a little boy trying to be a man in the presence of his hero. Seeing
Superman drawn in these dark, washed-out colors felt wrong at first, but then
I remembered that I was supposed to be in Gotham. It's definitely not the
Superman I'm used to seeing, but it fit the tone of the book very well.
One thing I'd like to point out: there aren't many words used in the story,
but each one that is there is used well. Combine that with art that made me
believe I was in Gotham City and this book is on the top of my list.
All in all this book will not change the world of comics as we know it. In
the end, it's just a nice little one-shot that most people will probably pass
over. If you do ignore it, though, you'll miss out on something that happens
only rarely in comics these days; this book provided me with textbook
examples of what Robin and Superman should look and act like in the situation
they were in. In a world where the Huntress is put in the JLA and Steel is
written and drawn into extinction, it's nice to know that there are some
creative teams out there that can still get it right.
Joey Ochoa
<jjo29017@email.csun.edu>
=================================================
JLA 80-PAGE GIANT #1 Jul 1998 $4.95 US/$6.95 CAN
Batman and Superman in "The Green Bullet"
Writer: John Ostrander
Penciller: Ken Lashley
Inker: Ron Boyd
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: John Kalisz
Editors: Dan Raspler with Tony Bedard
Cover: Kevin Maguire and Karl Story
RATINGS
Average: 3.4/5.0 Shields
RG: 4.5 Shields (Story)
4.0 Shields (Art)
DC: 2.8 Shields - Interesting story; nice to see the "old" Luthor in action.
ES: 4.2 Shields - This is the kind of tale I remember from these giant-sized
books for when I was a kid! Maybe the actual antagonist was nothing
much, but getting there was a great yarn! The highlight of the book!
JP: 2.5 Shields - Two words: too short. The Batman/Superman relationship is
one of the most interesting in all of comics, and in only a few
pages, all it got was superficial treatment. Also, while I know that
this story was set early in their relationship, I would have expected
Bats to have a little more faith in the Man of Steel.
SDM: 2.5 Shields - An entertaining non-sequitur that isn't a JLA story, isn't
a Superman story, and doesn't fit in any known continuity. Still,
even weak Ostrander is better than no Ostrander. The art, however,
was uniformly weak in this comic and this story sets the tone.
TD: 3.0 Shields - Brill piece of work (as is the whole annual), with an
inherent understanding of the Batman/Superman relationship that
shines through.
A body is found in Gotham City that has had its heart punched out and the
fingerprints burned off. The body is carrying a green bullet in a lead lined
case. Other evidence points to meta-human involvement. All the circumstantial
evidence points to Superman as the prime suspect. This is when the GCPD call
in Batman for his help. By the time Superman shows up in person, Batman has
already figured things out. He invites Superman along when he closes the
case, or does he? The last panel of the story seems to indicate that the JLA
may take a bit more interest in happenings in and around Metropolis in the
future.
Without a doubt, this is one of the best "World's Finest" stories published
in the past few years. While Superman doesn't play a large role in the story
itself, he is the pivot. For the first time since "Crisis" Batman has to do
some real detective work to support Superman. It used to happen a lot more
often pre-Crisis, and to be more than a little honest, I've missed it more
than I realized.
Ostrander has managed to produce a tightly plotted story that actually
managed to require a team-up between Superman and Batman to solve it. While
I've few doubts that Batman could have found some way to do it completely on
his own, Superman's involvement was much more than incidental. The story did
a fine job of pointing out some of the differences in the approach between
Superman and Batman, while at the same time not trying to favor one approach
over the other. While all this is going on, we are presented with the fact
that some people are still uncomfortable with Superman's alien origins. A
nice touch in such a short story.
The art in the story held up its end. I don't recognize the artists but I'll
keep watch for their work in the future. Panels were nicely laid out with
good use of perspectives and shading. Backgrounds were (for the most part)
well detailed to establish scenes, and the inking wasn't overdone. I wasn't
expecting this quality of art in a non-series title.
This 80-Page Giant *did* contain six other tales of the various incarnations
of the JLA. Here they are in a nutshell, followed by some general opinions
of the book as a whole.
The Silver Age JLA in "For Sale -- The Justice League?"
By Tom Peyer, Mark Pajarillo, and Walden Wong
Excellent story, good art - Green Arrow proves himself to be a bigger pain in
the tail than usual. It's even worse when he's proven right.
Justice League International in "Mousebusters"
By Keith Giffen, Kevin Maguire, and Karl Story
Wonderful Giffen story - I haven't laughed this hard over a JLA story in
years.
Red Tornado in "Tin Man's Lament"
By Todd Dezago, Ben Herrera, and Michael Christian
Good story, but the weakest of the book. Still better than some others I read
this month.
JLA in "The Secret Society of Super-Villains"
By Mark Millar, Chris Jones, and Mark Stegbauer
I've always thought that the villains had an underground -- some of the
backgrounds in the beginning of the story are hilarious.
Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter in "Warrior's Heritage"
By Elliot S! Maggin, Clint Hilinski, and Ray Kryssing
J'onn teaches Kyle a very handy lesson. Some of the best art in the book is
in this story.
Aquaman and Wonder Woman in "Revelations"
By Christopher Priest, Eric Battle, and Prentis Rollins
Aquaman and Wonder Woman must work together to free a trapped submarine. We
learn some 'interesting' things about how they look at each other, and how
Aquaman views the other team members.
Overall, the quality and the production values were very high. Far better
than I had expected. I had expected this to be a 'throw-away' title; instead,
I can recommend it.
All of the stories were well done and covered a wide range of the JLA (post-
Crisis) history. Every major team is represented. If you have ever been
a fan of the JLA you should find something that will appeal to you. I
especially liked some of the pairings. Many of them were not what I would
have expected, and the book was better for it. The art in the book was far
better than what I had expected.
Rene Gobeyn
<bedlam@frontiernet.net>
_____________________________________________
AFTER-BYRNE: Reviews of the post-Crisis Man of Steel
------------------------------------------------------------
MANUSCRIPTS OF STEEL
------------------------------
Reviews of After-Byrne Superman Special Stories
by Denes House (househld@borg.com)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUPERMAN ANNUAL #4
"Enduring the Night"
Written by Dan Vado
Art by Scott Benefiel and Trevor Scott
Colored by Matt Hollingsworth
Cover by Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti
1992
Squarebound Format, $2.50 US/$2.95 CAN
Rating:
1.0/5.0 Shields
---------------------------------------------------------
After the comic book I reviewed last month, _Man of Steel Annual_ #1, any
comic would be better.
Even this one.
This annual is part of a storyline with an interesting premise, but a dark
and confusing execution -- _Eclipso: The Darkness Within_. The gist of
things is this: Eclipso, a second-rate villain who had once been thought of
as the Mr. Hyde to the Dr. Jekyll of Bruce Gordon, the world's pre-eminent
solar energy expert, has been playing the world for fools. Rather than being
Gordon's dark side, as had been thought, he is really the God of Vengeance,
plotting from his base on the moon to take control of all the world's
superheroes and plunge Earth into a dark new age. He has launched on his
quest utilizing black diamonds, exquisitely valuable talismans that channel
Eclipso's power. If a person gets angry after sunset while holding a black
diamond, they manifest an Eclipso -- a dark spectre of vengeance that must
accomplish whatever vengeance called it forth, after which it would remain
under the control of Eclipso. The only thing these Eclipsos are vulnerable
to is sunlight, which causes them to de-manifest, releasing their hold on the
possessed individual.
This set-up *could* have been used to explore the hidden darkness, the evil
that each person keeps hidden within their soul; to search out the roots of
that evil; and to show how Earth's heroes triumph over their own evil
natures. *That* would have been an interesting series of Annuals. Instead,
we get countless tales that amount to little more than slugfests punctuated
by the thought "I hope that the sun comes up soon!"
Dan Vado takes us through the motions in this entirely unoriginal story.
That I am able to call it a story while maintaining a straight face is
testament to its superiority over _MOS Annual_ #1, but that truly is not
saying much at all. Superman fights a manifested Eclipso -- manifested
because his rude show of superiority to an incompetent cop causes the cop to
get angry at him. Hmm. I wonder if that'll be important later, seeing as a
lot of attention is being paid to it, *and* it's against everything we know
about Superman's character? Bruce Gordon, directed by his black diamond
detector, shows up and defeats the Eclipso with his handy-dandy solar
collector. The man at the scene from whom the cop got the black diamond
reveals that he is from Crater Bay, and that "the evil" has taken over his
town.
Cut to Lois Lane, on route to -- three guesses? -- Crater Bay! She is hot on
the trail of a polluting developer. Along the way she dictates her story
into a cassette recorder. This isn't important to the story, but I have a
question here that's always bugged me. Why is it that newspaper stories in
comic books are never written like newspaper stories, but rather in the style
of a short story or opinion piece? I think of Ron Troupe's story about the
Cyborg Superman way back in _Superman_ #79, and other stories. I understand
that comic book writers are not journalists, but neither am I, and even I
know that newspaper stories lead with the facts -- boom. First paragraph,
right up front, then support the facts with details in the following
paragraphs. Not so in the Daily Planet! In the Daily Planet, you have to
wait until the middle or end of the story to get the facts of the piece. The
beginning of the story is taken up with dramatic sentences explaining why the
story got written. Read your own newspaper -- can you find investigative or
reportive stories that follow that format? No! In a *real* newspaper,
writers are more interested in communicating information than in talking
about themselves. Lois Lane should be writing for a Newsmagazine or a
television show like _60 Minutes_ or _Dateline NBC_.
Anyhow, Lois arrives in Crater Bay to find that sinister things are afoot.
Jerry Cross, the developer she is out to investigate, meets her on arrival,
as does a cranky and superstitious innkeeper who tries to warn her away. The
innkeeper gives her a black diamond pendant as "protection" from the "demons"
who are infesting the town. It turns out that the innkeeper is really an
Eclipso-possessed Starman, who threatens Cross -- if he can't make Lois angry
that night, Mrs. Cross will die.
Cut to Eclipso in his lunar fortress. He reveals that he has been using
Crater Bay as a way to distribute his black diamonds across the Eastern U.S.
for years (never mind that this contradicts much of what we've learned so far
about Eclipso's plans...). He also vows to add the Man of Steel to his
collection of Eclipsed superheroes, as a linchpin of his strategy to TRY to
TAKE OVER the WORLD! (apologies to the Brain)
Meanwhile, Bruce Gordon and his beautiful girlfriend Mona head for Crater
Bay, making typical small talk about his driving. Hee hee. Suddenly, an
Eclipso attacks their car! Superman arrives just in time (Where has he been?
Who cares?!) and fights the beast. In the battle, Gordon's Solar Collector
and Black Diamond Detector are damaged. The former can be repaired, the
latter cannot. In the meantime, we learn that Superman is over-protective of
women, a sexist trait! This upsets Mona. Hmm. I wonder if that'll be
important later, seeing as a lot of attention is being paid to it, *and* it's
against everything we know about Superman's character? Superman flies Gordon
and Mona to town.
In town, Cross does *not* manage to make Lois angry, despite jerking her
around all night, spilling hot coffee on her twice, and groping her inner
thigh! Superman arrives, and SAYS SOMETHING SEXIST, RUDE, and
OVER-PROTECTIVE to Lois, and she flips out! Eclipso time!
In the ensuing battle -- Superman against a *town* full of Eclipsos, Mona
gets possessed, and Gordon's Collector is burnt out. Will the sun come up in
time to free Lois from Eclipso's spell? I'd say "read it and find out," but
that'd mean you'd have to read it. Just take a guess.
You're right!
The problems with this story are many and varied. It is hackneyed, dull, and
dark. You have to believe that Superman is sexist and rude to the police and
to his fiancee in order for it to make any sense. Bruce Gordon comes across
as a nuisance and a ninny, rather than as the world's foremost expert on
solar energy. This is a story in which Gordon searching his pockets for his
car keys is used as a plot device! Eclipso's powers and restrictions are
inconsistent from one story to the next in this series (Does the manifested
Eclipso have to fight out the battle for which it was manifested, or doesn't
it? How much power does a manifested Eclipso have? If Superman can beat an
Eclipsoed Rampage, but *not* an Eclipsoed Lois Lane, what does that say? Why
does Eclipso need Superman's body if any body possessed by Eclipso becomes as
powerful as the Man of Steel?) and on and on and on.
Scott Benefiel and Trevor Scott tell the story, but not much more.
Benefiel's layouts are unimpressive, his figures weak, and his faces weird.
Scott's inks have never really impressed me, seeming to be "sound and fury,
signifying nothing" most of the time. Superman and most of the other
characters in the book go through the story pouting, like they are depressed
to be in a comic this bad. Not that I blame them...
A strong cover by Quesada and Palmiotti (though not as strong as their cover
for _Man of Steel Annual_ #1) is still not enough to get me to recommend this
book.
Capsule review:
Story: Bland, boring, and out of character. Vado punched in and picked up
his paycheck, but no more than that. 1.0 Shields out of 5.
Art: Strange and pouty, it tells the story, but in a dull way. 1.0 Shields
out of 5.
Overall: 1.0 Shields out of 5.
Next Month: Chris Wozniak draws an Eclipsoed Superman! Be still, my thumping
heart.
_____________________________________________
SUPERMAN STORIES
------------------------------------------
By Sean Hogan (shogan@intergate.bc.ca)
Lex Luthor: Part 1
The purpose of these articles is to give readers pointers for hunting through
the back-bins in search of good stories. I'll try to keep spoilers to a
minimum, so you can enjoy the issues when you find them. The focus of the
first series is going to be on Superman's roster of rogues. In the starting
line up are Luthor, Brainiac and Mxyzptlk. Dealing mostly with post-Crisis
stories, the articles will summarize issues in which the villains have
appeared. In this article, we follow the early Luthor until his death. But
first, some general comments.
I returned to comics and DC in the 90s after the debut and re-birth of the
long haired Superman. The local comic shop fella was very helpful in
answering questions and telling me what back issues to look for.
Roger Stern's great novel, _The Death And Life Of Superman_, was also a good
introduction to post-Crisis Superman. Later, when I got online, I found the
treasure trove for my back bin searching -- David Chappell's excellent list
of stories (there is a link off the KC homepage, but it doesn't seem to
connect for some reason). [We'll have to fix that then, won't we? --Jeff]
Later articles will review other characters in the Superman universe
(including some notable pre-Crisis issues that can still be found in the
bins). If you have any suggestions for villains, pals, heroes or other
characters, or just some notable issues, drop me a line at
shogan@intergate.bc.ca
When John Byrne re-booted Superman in 1986, he created Lex Luthor as a
businessman, rather than the mad scientist we knew and loved (well, you know
what I mean). Three early issues showcase the new Luthor.
Luthor first shows up in issue 4 of the _Man of Steel_ miniseries. Luthor is
older than Superman, and his bright red hair is rapidly receding. He is
large and overweight but looks physically powerful and intimidating. He has
made his wealth and describes himself as "the most powerful man in
Metropolis". He has returned to Metropolis after a year's absence and meets
both Clark Kent and Superman for the first time. His attempt to test
Superman's abilities, and then to buy his services, lands him in jail.
Luthor's parting words at the end of the issue are "Remember, Superman.
You're a dead man. It's just a question of how soon".
Luthor operates largely behind the scenes -- manipulating others to his ends.
He creates or encourages many of Superman's foes -- starting with Bizarro in
_Man of Steel_ #5. Luthor's connection with the various villains is shown in
the recent _Superman Villains: Secret Files and Origins_.
A good example of how Luthor works is in _Adventures of Superman_ #424 (the
first issue of the series, continuing the numbering of the old Superman
comic), when he provides Lois with a serum to save her mother's life.
The catch is that the serum must be used monthly, is very expensive, and is
only available through Luthor. Yet Luthor asks for no payment -- he just
wants Lois to know that he cares for her, and gets her to agree to dinner
with him. After Lois leaves, Luthor muses "Month in and month out, Lois Lane
will be forced to gratefully accept my helping hand. And that is why I've
already won." He also reveals the origin of Ellie Lane's illness. Now
that's a villain!
Luthor's ruthlessness is well showcased in _Superman_ #2. He rips out
Metallo's kryptonite heart (using it to make a ring), has Lana Lang kidnapped
and tortured, and does some very nasty things to his employees. All to
manipulate Superman.
In these early stories, Luthor comes across as a chess master -- sacrificing
some pawns and losing some moves, but confident of his overall strategy. An
untouchable spider in a large and growing web. The tide finally begins to
turn in _Action Comics_ #600. Luthor, while trying to intimidate Captain
Maggie Sawyer, slams his fist on his desk and collapses in pain. Dr. Kelley
tells Luthor that he has kryptonite poisoning -- and it's likely to cost him
his hand. After this issue, Lex has a mechanical right hand.
Luthor's early history is highlighted in the first two issues of _The World
Of Metropolis_ miniseries. The first issue begins with Perry White returning
from 18 months overseas as a foreign journalist for the Daily Planet, owned
by Luthor. We learn that Luthor and Perry were childhood friends, and used
to be best friends. While Perry was away, Luthor seduced and bedded Perry's
girl, Alice Spencer. Perry saves the paper and resolves matters with Alice.
They marry, and have a son, Jerry. Alice doesn't reveal to Perry or Luthor
that Jerry is Luthor's child.
The next issue of the miniseries focuses on Lois. To get a job at the Daily
Planet, the 15 year old Lois breaks into LexCorp to get a scoop. Luthor
catches her, but Lois gets away with a piece of paper. Her work impresses
Perry and earns her a job. The focus of the issue is on Lois -- Luthor is
mostly there to react and be villainous.
Luthor gets a much more in-depth story in the graphic novel, _Lex Luthor: The
Unauthorized Biography_. Written by James Hudnall, it has gorgeous art by
Eduardo Barreto and Adam Kubert. Down and out reporter Peter Sands is
murdered while working on an unauthorized biography of Luthor. The story
opens with Clark Kent under police interrogation, accused of the murder.
We follow Sands as he investigates Luthor's past. We learn Luthor has
written an autobiography, modestly titled "Simply Brilliant: Lex Luthor".
The library microfiche provides details of Luthor's corporate takeovers and
philanthropy. Sands' starts with Mrs. Anderson, Luthor's grade 7 teacher.
She is also his last recorded teacher. She refers to Luthor as a genius, but
a cruel boy -- especially to girls. Perry White is Luthor's only friend.
Luthor is picked on by two boys until one day, when they come to school
looking as if they had been in a serious accident. The rumour was that
Luthor paid grown men to beat them up.
They never bothered Luthor again.
Through an interview with an insurance agent, we meet Luthor's father and get
a glimpse of their home. The home is clearly poor and squalid. Luthor
senior is an ugly and mean man, clutching his beer can. Shortly afterwards,
Luthor's parents are killed in a car accident. Luthor inherits the large
insurance monies. The circumstances of how the policy was obtained and of
the accident are suspicious -- but were apparently never investigated.
Sands discovers that Luthor was involved in a heroin smuggling business -- to
raise money for a high tech company that he dreamed of starting.
An old girlfriend describes her relationship with Luthor, and how he used the
Daily Planet to attack competitors for government contracts.
Sands' final interview is with Luthor himself. The final pages of the
graphic novel allow Luthor to explain and expound on his past. It shows both
how evil and manipulative Luthor is. This is Luthor as chess master. It is
a terrific and terrifying conclusion. Highly recommended.
The threads of this story also resurface nicely in the recent _Superman_ #131
(the murder of Mayor Berkowitz).
Another interesting graphic novel with Luthor in it is the "Clark Kent"
novel, _Superman: Under A Yellow Sun_ (by John Francis Moore of _Elseworlds'
Finest_ and _Chronos_ fame, with art by Barreto, Gammill, and Janke). The
graphic novel has two concurrent plots -- Clark trying to get some dirt on
Luthor, while writing a novel whose main characters include a familiar
protagonist and antagonist. While not advancing the character greatly, it is
an interesting look at Luthor from Clark's view.
Back in the regular books, Luthor next gets a spotlight while Superman is off
in space. The "Hostile Takeover" storyline runs in the back of _Superman_
#30, _Adventures of Superman_ #453, _Superman_ #31, and _Adventures of
Superman_ #454. Roger Stern writes a tale of Luthor the businessman, as he
plots a takeover of STAR Laboratories. With Luthor, all is not as it seems
and we learn at the end of his real motivation and of the extent of his
abilities to manipulate others.
The first issue, _Superman_ #30, contains the set-up and begins with Luthor
reminiscing on his confrontations with the absent Superman. Stern provides a
good review of the Luthor/Superman conflict. Luthor muses, "With Superman
gone, I am denied the satisfaction of humbling him. In a way, I will
actually miss him. Great men need great challenges and he was my greatest."
In typical fashion, Luthor's next thought is to move on to having to find new
"challenges".
The theme of Luthor defining himself as Superman's ultimate enemy is one that
will continue to develop in later stories -- especially seen in his anger
when Doomsday kills Superman, apparently cheating Luthor of the chance. At
the end of the "Hostile Takeover", a victorious Luthor is asked whether he is
happy as to how everything went. He answers, "Happy? Yes, I suppose. This
has been an invigorating exercise -- but it was almost too easy. For years,
I've set myself against ... much more powerful opponents. I wonder if I
shall ever again face any real challenges?"
In addition to the "Hostile Takeover" backstory, _Superman_ #31 has Luthor
meeting Mr. Mxyzptlk. Mxy (don't expect me to keep typing the full name) is
in town and, with Superman absent, decides to look up Luthor.
Mxy plays on Luthor's fear of Superman and then plays on Luthor's backside
(horse riding -- with spurs!). Luthor decides to exploit Mxy's weakness --
he doesn't know what a lie is. Luthor ups the ante by making a deal with Mxy
and then trying to eliminate him. Mxy confronts Luthor about the deal and
Luthor admits "...obviously, I lied." Fortunately, Mxy gets so angry, he
leaves.
This issue shows the lengths to which Luthor will go when he feels
threatened. Nothing is unthinkable when the chips are down. Luthor says,
"There was no other position to take ... he had me backed into a corner."
This attitude arises again in the battle for and fall of Metropolis stories.
It also shows that Luthor is capable of serious mistakes, or at least willing
to risk them. The story ends with Luthor's nervous aide asking what if the
experience has taught Mxy to lie. "What then, Mr. Luthor? What then?!?"
Superman returns to Earth in _Action Comics_ #643. Luthor admits (to
himself), "Strange. I must admit, I'm almost glad. Despite the strife ...
regardless of the inconveniences ... A world without Superman can be pretty
mundane, indeed."
A super-villain team up simmering on the back-burner for many issues is the
Luthor/Brainiac team. Luthor has possession of the comatose Brainiac (I'll
deal with how this comes about in the Brainiac article). In "The Brainiac
Trilogy" (_Action Comics_ #647-649), Brainiac takes mental control over
Luthor's employees. Brainiac tries to kill Luthor, and then captures and
toys with him. Luthor only gains his freedom when Brainiac uses his
star-ship to escape Earth and Superman.
The next issues focusing on Luthor are in the "Krisis Of The Krimson
Kryptonite" (_Superman_ #49, _Adventures of Superman_ #472, _Starman_ #28,
_Action Comics_ #659 and _Superman_ #50 -- also collected in trade
paperback). We start with a brief look at the human side of Luthor -- at the
gravesite of his biological son, Jerry White. Lex is contemplating his
cancer (from the kryptonite poisoning) and lack of "an heir to my fortunes
when the cancer inside me finally takes its toll".
Fortunately, his maudlin thoughts are interrupted by Mxyzptlk in the form of
red kryptonite. Mxy grants Luthor a wish, that removes Superman's powers.
Luthor finally gets his chance to go one on one with the half-drowned hero
and, after a few well placed punches, has his security eject Superman.
During the fight, Luthor tells Superman that he is doing this because he
despises Superman and all that he stands for. He says "I've built this
empire by being a good judge of my enemies' motivations -- greed, jealousy,
lust for power ... I refuse to accept that those emotions do not exist in
you". Interestingly, Luthor does not say that he uses positive motivations
-- using people's altruism or trust. He seeks to find and use the evil or
weakness in people.
Luthor's tossing Superman on the street, rather than killing him, is another
example of how his mind works. He seeks to win by humiliating and breaking
Superman. Luthor wants Superman to know that he is in control. He leaves
the dirty work to others, who will come gunning for Superman once word is out
that he is powerless.
The alien Starman (Stern's penned series) impersonates Superman and confronts
Luthor. The setback is only temporary, though, as Mxy reveals the impostor.
However, Luthor's arrogance is his undoing as he reveals Mxy's involvement to
Clark Kent (by Mxy's rules, Superman gets his powers back if Luthor reveals
the imp's involvement).
Luthor's arrogance continues to blind him to the connection between Clark and
Superman (as in _Superman_ #2) despite knowing the rules that Superman's
powers would return only if he told Superman. He tells only Clark, yet the
powers return. Despite Luthor using the masquerade of a philanthropic
businessman, he refuses to believe that someone as powerful as Superman would
bother to disguise himself as a mere mortal.
Superman returns to find Dr. Kelley caring for an unconscious Luthor.
Superman knows that Luthor is dying. The WGBS newscast has set up phone
lines for viewers to say whether they believe the rumours of Luthor's health
(call 1-900-LEX-LIVE or 1-900-LEX-DEAD). Luthor is back to maudlin at the
end of _Superman_ #50, musing over "vultures circling the dying man" with "no
heir to an empire".
The Death Of Luthor comes in _Action Comics_ #660. A great cover has Luthor
on the floor, cowering from a grim reaper who has a skull face, scythe,
flowing robes and Superman's shield. It begins with a dream sequence showing
Luthor's fear of death and of Superman. He expresses anger to Dr. Kelley
over the radiation from the kryptonite that he could have used to kill
Superman. Instead, the radiation is claiming his life. "Superman has haunted
me for the better part of a decade Kelley. And now ... he is going to be the
death of me."
Luthor continues to worry about his death and lack of an heir. Dr. Kelley
tells him that he has about a year at the most to live. We also learn that
Luthor invented the Lex-Wing, a jet plane that launched the LexCorp empire
and "captured the world's imagination and made me a household word."
Thoughts of the Lex-Wing inspire Luthor. He announces to the press that he
will be going on the new X-27 model to attempt a record for flying around the
world from pole to pole. His parting words to Kelley are "while I am still
able, I aim to give this world something to remember!"
Over the ocean, Luthor ejects his pilot and takes the controls himself.
Later, the plane suddenly falls and crashes in Peru. Superman hears the news
and rushes to the site. Amid the wreckage, spread across half the
mountainside, Superman finds Luthor's artificial hand. That night, Superman,
in disbelief, thinks "He made himself my most persistent enemy. I still
can't believe it's over ... I never thought it would end this way."
But of course, it didn't. Next issue, Lex Luthor II.
_____________________________________________
THE PHANTOM ZONE: Reviews of the pre-Crisis Man of Steel
------------------------------------------------------------------
ACTION COMICS #367
----------------------------------------------------
Reviewed by Scott Devarney (devarney@ll.mit.edu)
"Mysteries of the Superman Awards"
No Story Credits
September 1968
Rating: 3.1/5.0 Shields
Each year,at their annual banquet, the Metropolis police department hands out
a Superman award to the person who has helped Superman the most. This year
the award goes to Clark Kent! Unfortunately, Clark is not in attendance, as
he's working late at the Daily Planet. (Actually, he is there as Superman.)
While Lois goes to get Clark, Superman reviews his options for saving his
secret identity: he's presenting the award, so he can't slip away; painters
are working late at his apartment so he can't summon a robot from his secret
closet; and Bruce Wayne is attending as Lois' date, so Wayne can't pose as
Clark without raising Lois' suspicions.
As the crowd waits for Clark, the police commissioner retells the stories of
the three previous winners.
The first winner was Ron, a toddler with a penchant for mischief. On its
first test, a disaster predictor forecast that three fantastic disasters
would befall Metropolis that day. With Superman on his world patrol, the
machine's creators planned to radio SOS all over the globe in hopes of
getting Superman's attention. Ron, however, had slipped into their lab and
plugged the transmitter into a high voltage outlet which blew out the
transmitter and rendered the scientists unconscious. Meanwhile, Superman had
his hands full dealing with a flock of flaming meteors threatening
Antarctica. Later the scientists revived and summoned the Man of Steel, but
discovered Ron playing with their machine. Again the machine predicted
another disaster, but this one was clearly impossible and the time it
predicted was nonsense. After reviewing the machine's blueprints, the
scientists discovered design flaws that caused it to invent disasters; Ron's
earlier antics had prevented the scientists from summoning Superman when he
was needed in Antarctica.
The second winner was a man who'd never heard of Superman. After
encountering a red kryptonite meteor while on patrol, Superman decided to
wait for the effects to wear off on an uncharted island. He fell into a trap
set by the island's only inhabitant, a man who'd been marooned there for
several years. Superman escaped from the trap as members of the Superman
Revenge Squad landed, intent on capturing the now-vulnerable Superman. The
aliens, though, fell into another of the old man's traps and the castaway
kept them cornered until Superman regained his powers.
The third award went to a human heart. Superman was trying to stop a
volcanic eruption when a boulder-sized piece of green kryptonite slipped out
of a small landslide and pinned the hero. An alert ranger saw Superman's
plight and came to the rescue, but in the process he was overcome by smoke.
At a hospital, the dying ranger offered to donate his heart to another man
who desperately needed a transplant.
Back to the present, Superman slips out for a "short patrol". After scanning
the police missing persons files, he finds an amnesiac in the park with the
right build. Lois returns to the dinner without Clark and with her
suspicions aroused when Superman arrives with "Clark" and presents the award.
Later, Superman removes the Clark Kent disguise and uses super-hypnotism to
restore the man's memory while forgetting his Clark Kent impersonation. At
the Planet the next day, Clark privately basks in the pleasure of how he
saved his secret.
For all of its flaws, this is a very fun story. It contains many hallmarks
of a good Silver Age story: super-feats, a secret identity crisis, red
kryptonite, and Lois in a hat. Even the super-villains weren't much of a
threat. After all, they were going after Superman but got stopped by a guy
with a musket, so how formidable could they be?
Regarding the past award winners, and considering that the story was
published in the late 60s, you have to wonder what kind of drugs were the
award selection committee using? Their prior selections were certainly
quirky. In fact, Clark was the first "normal" award winner. The toddler won
more for an act of omission, preventing the scientists from drawing Superman
away from an immediate crisis, than an act of commission, actively doing
something to help Superman. The old man was a logical choice; holding off a
division of the Superman Revenge Squad is an extraordinary feat and qualifies
as exceptional help. The human heart winner did not make sense, in that they
gave the award to the heart transplant recipient. Why not grant the award
posthumously and give it to the deceased ranger's family? Otherwise, the
stories were cute and allowed Superman to show off his super powers in neat
ways.
As mentioned, there were two plot flaws. The announcement of Clark's winning
catches Superman completely by surprise. Wouldn't the dinner's organizers
want to ensure that their big award winner would be in attendance? This
would seem to be true considering that two of the past winners came from
outside Metropolis. Superman is even seen inviting the heart recipient to
the banquet. Even assuming that Clark's notification got lost in the mail,
surely someone would have informed Superman prior to the announcement, since
he has to deliver a few words to the winner.
The other flaw is some sloppy logic on both Lois' and Superman's parts, i.e.
if Clark is not at the Planet or at the banquet, he must be Superman. In a
city the size of Metropolis, there are dozens of places Clark could be: on
the bus or subway home, at the market picking up groceries, or at the movies,
to name a few. Clark could have claimed, the next day, that since he'd
missed most of the dinner, he decided not to attend.
However, once the plot is set up, it is handled intelligently. The
traditional ways for Superman to save his secret are quickly and logically
discounted. The way he gets out of the jam is unique, yet in character.
Restoring an amnesiac's memory would seem to be just another of the small
good deeds he's done over the years.
The art appears to have been done by Curt Swan and, perhaps, George Klein.
It is clean and nicely interweaves between the mundane banquet scenes and the
action scenes. Superman looked majestic as he saved the Antarctic ice cap;
most of the red kryptonite transformations looked believable; and there was a
great panel of Superman's (much missed) stretchable cape covering the
volcano.
Overall, this was a pleasant, lightweight read. Although not an outstanding
or important contribution to the Superman mythos, it is a fun way to spend
some time, which isn't such a bad goal for a story.
_____________________________________________
THE MAILBAG
-------------------------------------
(sykes@ms.uky.edu, KryptonCN@aol.com)
KC Responses are indented and begun with ****
=========================================
From: Cole Odell (coleo@biggs-gilmore.com)
Jeff, thanks for printing my letter on _Superman_ #121. My recollection was,
as I had feared, a little fuzzy; I remembered Superman labelling the
criminals in Suicide Slum as "animals" when he in fact said, as you pointed
out, "I've never been able to understand human predators who would willfully
kill their fellow man." The sentence as written contains problems of its
own. First, a Superman who can't understand why people kill is no Superman,
in my book. After ten years of dealing with killers every day, he hasn't
learned anything about their motivations? Here's a good basis for all of
those out-of-continuity Superman-as-alien-totalitarian stories, if you ask
me.
**** I'm not certain that this was meant to address a question so broad as
"Why do people kill?" Note that the phrasing indicates that it is the
killers he doesn't understand, not their motivations. In this
incarnation, Superman has himself killed, and he certainly understands
why he did it. I'm sure Superman would also have little difficulty
understanding why someone might kill in self-defense. Even so far as
these criminals go, I'm sure he understands their basic motivation --
they simply wanted to make certain they couldn't be punished for their
criminal acts.
The other important word in the sentence is "willfully." There's a
difference between being forced to kill in self-defense and actively
seeking to kill someone. What is it that makes some people unwilling
to kill in any circumstance while still others have killed for little
more than inconvenience?
Second, notice that in the sentence, "human" acts as a modifier on
"predator," which to me sounds a awful lot like Clark is calling them animals
without using the word. "Predator" may technically only mean "hunter," but
its broad connotations are of carnivorous animals who stalk innocent prey
according to their physical natures, as a matter of instinct. I'm pretty
suspicious of this kind of language, and what it is supposed to signify to
the reader. It misses the point that the gang members were children of the
same streets as the girl they shot. It presupposes that those who engage in
criminal activity belong to some other species entirely, that criminal
behavior is necessarily an individual moral failing. What Superman needed to
realize, and did not, is that the same desperate and dangerous conditions
that led to the girl being shot also led to the boys who shot her, that they
too were once wide-eyed nine year olds with mommys, that they too were
surrounded with careless murders and were defined by those with power and
money as meaningless, or worse, defective, subhuman parasites.
**** I have to disagree to some extent. Criminal behavior *is* about moral
failure. When a person knows the difference between right and wrong
and still chooses to engage in criminal activity, that is individual
moral failure. And when it comes to the crime of murder, especially
of the nature in this story, I believe that only the mentally ill
truly don't know the difference between right and wrong.
If we move to criminal behavior in general, the lines become more
blurred. There are aspects of right and wrong on which society clearly
disagrees. Different children are raised with different standards, and
some children are even raised to ignore society's moral standards. In
such cases, the moral failure belongs to at least the individuals who
raised the child, if not the entire society.
However, let's keep in mind that these are murderers being referred to
as predators, and I have no problem with this at all. Predation is a
fundamentally different concept for humanity than it is for the animal
kingdom, based on the simple fact that we *have* a distinction between
right and wrong. There is no right or wrong when an animal predator
kills to survive. Human predators, who kill for personal gain, are
consciously choosing to do wrong.
To clarify my broader point: I don't think Dan was being intentionally racist
or classist with this story, but his good intentions were obviously
overwhelmed by evident lightness of thought about both the characters and the
social problems addressed, which led to some inevitably unfortunate
conclusions. The result is less the kind of overt police dog/firehose racism
people easily recognize, and which translates better into action-oriented
super-hero comics, but more the "northern," urbanized, subtle racism/classism
(sometimes so subtle those engaging it may not even realize it) practiced by
people of even the best intentions. Suggesting to the thousands of young
white boys who read the comic that the only way to solve the inner cities'
problems is to abandon them with the (fantasy) help of rich whites in the
private sector, that there are unredeemable "predators" out there even
Superman can't understand (that is, empathize with,) and that violating due
process and constitutional safeguards is acceptable for law enforcement when
dealing with said "predators," can have just as profound an effect as a
viciously hurled epithet or rock thrown in racist anger. Whatever his
intentions, Dan Jurgens did the character of Superman and the complex,
contemporary social problems of the urban poor a disservice with this comic
book.
**** I can see the story's resolution as implying that *this* family's only
solution was through a benefactor -- they would have had a tough time
paying the hospital bills, for example. As for the race of the bene-
factor, try turning it around. Suppose Jurgens had chosen Franklin
Stern for that role. Would people then not complain that this tells
whites that they need not concern themselves with the problems of
inner cities? If you leave out the benefactor all together, then do
some people not complain that this shows that the rich have no respon-
sibility to the poor? I simply think it is a bad idea to assume that
one story's solution is the only solution. That could only be implied
if a pattern emerged over the course of a series of similarly-themed
stories.
Perhaps the problem is partially that the solution presented here is
nothing new? Even if only a fantasy solution, we *must* admit that
rich white benefactors would be able to help attack the problems of
inner cities with their financial resources. This is just a fact of
money. However, since everyone is already aware of this approach to
the problem, perhaps the writer would be best served by suggesting
other solutions.
Regardless, I think the real difficulty is simply that the problems
of the urban poor are just too complex to deal with in a 24-page comic
book. For that matter, most of the problems of modern society just
can't be addressed in significant detail in such a short story. The
alternative, however, would be not to address the "real world" problems
at all, and I don't think any of us really wants to see our Superman
comics have no social conscience whatsoever. Even at their worst,
these kinds of stories at least foster discussion among readers -- and
that certainly *can't* be a bad thing at all.
=========================================
From: Derek Jackson (djackson@iconstructs.com)
In response to all the hoopla over my statement about DC Comics not printing
enough comics: After reading the two letters from David T. Chappell and
David Young, I realized that I was definitely complaining about the wrong
person (or company, in this case DC). I went down to my local comic store
and asked the owner, and he said that it was his fault there weren't enough
ordered. At the same time, it is my fault. I should have told him in
advance I wanted a copy. From now on I will make sure to let him know in
advance that there is a certain comic I want.
Since I go to the same store every week and regularly buy the triangle titles
and JLA without deviation, I don't think the owner will think I will turn
back the order. Comic store owners generally build a relationship with
regular customers and quickly learn which customers will stick to their
special orders and which customers won't.
Since my original statement was a little ignorant, I wanted to apologize to
DC. I have only started collecting comics recently and still have a lot to
learn about how the whole system works. (I just recently started paying
attention to who actually pencilled the books; before I didn't care. Josh
Hood's art will do that to you.) At least everyone who reads the mailbag
will hopefully get the message about ordering in advance.
**** Honestly, everyone has to shoulder some of the blame, even DC. If they
wouldn't throw us so many darn crossovers, we wouldn't have to worry
about this kind of thing so much :)
Seriously, I think it can only help the relationship between retailer
and consumer to know what goes on in the ordering process. I'm always
asking my shop owner about ordering and sales -- if nothing else, it
gives me an idea of what's up with the market and how well he thinks
things are going to perform. And it can't hurt to state it one more
time. Even though it might be a little risk to you, the *only* way
you can guarantee yourself a copy is to make certain that the store
orders you one.
=========================================
From: Michael A. Burstein (mab@world.std.com)
Has it really been five years?
Jeff, I've been reading KC from the beginning, and I have to admit that I'm
one of your silent readers. I never vote in the KayCees, and I never write
in to talk about Superman. (I'm too busy writing stuff of my own.)
But I felt compelled to offer you and the entire staff of KC a big thank you
for a job well done. I've been a Superman fan ever since I was a kid, and it
is wonderful to see that I'm not the only one out here. May you celebrate
your tenth anniversary when Superman celebrates his sixty-fifth.
**** Ninth, actually. (We're just four years old now.)
Thank you for the kind words. These days, when everyone (even us)
seems to be dumping on the Man of Steel, it's always good to know that
there are people out there who share our love of the character. I
know I'll still be a fan of Superman, so as long as the internet still
exists in five years, you can count on my being here. I'll be the one
using the editorial to gripe about *something* :)
-- Jeff Sykes
_____________________________________________
**************************************************
End of Section 8/Issue #51
