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The Kryptonian Cybernet Issue 45
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T H E K R Y P T O N I A N C Y B E R N E T
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http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/kc
Issue #45 - December 1997
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CONTENTS
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Section 1: Superscripts: Notes from the Editor
Selling Superman
Ratings At A Glance
Titles Shipped November 1997
News and Notes
Several quick bits on upcoming comics; about the upcoming
DC mugs; Superman Multipath Adventures; Superman Lives news;
and an update on STAS toys and the debut of Supergirl!
Section 2: And Who Disguised As...
The Basement Columns, Part I
J.D. Rummel pours through dusty comics memories
How It All Began
Yosef Shoemaker explores the early difficulties of
getting Superman off the ground
Rising Above Limitations
Enola Jones discusses situations in which the Man of Steel
or his friends became disabled
Section 3: New Comic Reviews
The Superman Titles
Superman: The Man of Steel #75, by Mike Smith
Superman #131, by Thomas Deja
Adventures of Superman #554, by Dan Radice
Section 4: New Comic Reviews
The Superman Titles (cont)
Action Comics #741, by Shane Travis
Super-Family Titles
Steel #46, by Jeff Sykes
Superboy #47, by Rene' Gobeyn
Section 5: New Comic Reviews
Super-Family Titles (cont)
Superboy and the Ravers #17, by Jeff Sykes
Supergirl #17, by Thomas Deja
Other Superman Titles
JLA #14, by Anatole Wilson
Section 6: New Comic Reviews
Other Superman Titles (cont)
Superman Adventures #15, by Cory Strode
Specials and Guest Appearances
Superman: Secret Files and Origins #1, by Rene' Gobeyn
Green Lantern #94, by Rene' Gobeyn
Section 7: After-Byrne
Manuscripts of Steel
Action Comics Annual #3, by Denes House
The Phantom Zone
Tales of Earth-One
Together Again For the First Time, by Bob Hughes
Section 8: Superman: The Animated Series
Episode Reviews
"Solar Power", by Denes House
"The Prometheon", by Curtis Herink
"Father's Day", by Nathan Bredfeldt
"Warrior Queen", by Scott Devarney
Section 9: The Mailbag
STAFF:
------
Jeffery D. Sykes, Editor-in-Chief
Shane Travis, Executive Editor: New Comic Reviews
Neil Ottenstein, Executive Editor: S:TAS section
Editors:
Chip Chandler Steve Hanes D.M. Simms
Joe Crowe Curtis Herink Shane Travis
Trevor Gates William O'Hara Steven Younis
LEGAL DISCLAIMERS:
-----------------
Superman and all related characters, locations, and events are copyright and
trademark DC Comics. Use of the aforementioned is not intended to challenge
said ownership. We strongly suggest that each reader look to the media
sources mentioned within for further information.
All original material published in The Kryptonian Cybernet, including but not
limited to reviews, articles, and editorials, are copyright 1997 by The
Kryptonian Cybernet and the respective authors. Reprinting in any format is
expressly forbidden without the permission of The Kryptonian Cybernet and the
contributing author.
Opinions presented within this issue belong to the authors of the articles
which contain them. They should in no way be construed as those of any other
particular member of the editorial or contributing staff, unless otherwise
indicated.
This magazine can be distributed, in whole, freely via e-mail. Should you
desire to share this publication with other on-line services, please contact
me at sykes@ms.uky.edu for permission. Feel free to advertise subscription
information on other on-line services which have internet mail availability.
THE KRYPTONIAN CYBERNET is available by e-mail -- to subscribe, send the
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subscribe kc
end
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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
------------------------------------
SELLING SUPERMAN
The Superman titles are each currently selling between 50 and 60 thousand
copies per month in the direct market, though still just above what they were
selling before the new costume debuted. A recent "Watch This Space" in DC's
books mentioned that newsstand sales are up 115% since the debut of the new
costume. Without more information, though, I have no idea what that means in
number of issues sold.
Even though these numbers have probably spiked a bit as a result of SUPERMAN
RED/SUPERMAN BLUE, it's still clear to me that Superman just is not selling
today the way that he could, or should, be. When ranked by volume sold,
Superman titles have been mired in the low-twenties to upper-thirties. Among
DC's other titles, only JLA consistently outsells the Superman books, but
there are a slew of Marvel and Image books consistently beating Superman.
This isn't right.
Why doesn't Superman sell better? What can be done to improve his standing?
Let's start with the easier approach -- what can we do to better sell Superman
comics to the current comic-buying public? I actually think it would be quite
easy to increase sales to X-Men/Spawn levels, but it would require several
changes, and perhaps a bit of profit-margin sacrifice on DC's part. So what
would I do if I were in charge?
1. LOSE THE TRIANGLES. Remember that I'm talking sales here, and not
personal preference. We've discussed this issue before, and I still
believe that the current format hinders the growth of the Superman
readership and prevents the acquisition of major talent on the titles.
The recent reshufflings indicate the seriousness of this problem, I think.
David Michelinie decided to stop writing ACTION COMICS, and an unproven
writer was given the task. I like Stuart Immonen as much as anyone, but
the fact is that he simply didn't have much experience under his belt in
the writing department.
Next, Roger Stern decides to step down from MAN OF TOMORROW, and Louise
Simonson decides to lighten her load. So who steps into new writing
duties? Jon Bogdanove, another artist. In fact, once this change takes
place, the Superman writing staff will consist of Louise Simonson and four
artists -- Jurgens, Immonen, Bogdanove, and Kesel. (Kesel entered the
business as an inker.) This isn't meant to disparage their abilities --
Jurgens has been quite good of late, and Kesel's one of the better writers
in the business. However, isn't it suspicious that in looking for writers,
we keep turning not just to artists, but to artists already a part of the
Super-team? Why aren't established writers being brought into the fold?
2. LOSE THE CURRENT CREATORS. Some of the current crop are currently doing
some really nice things (Jurgens as writer, Immonen and Grummett as
artists, for example). Karl Kesel seems to be in a touch of a slump on
ADVENTURES, but his track record warrants having faith. However, many
fans are simply tired of parts of the current creative team, and it would
probably be best to start fresh than to pick and choose.
3. GO AFTER SOME BIG GUNS. With a fervor. Try to rope in some big name
writers -- Morrison, Waid, Busiek, etc. More importantly, go after some
big name artists. Today's market seems to be more art-driven than
writer-driven. That is, the younger comic book reader (who supposedly
still has the biggest pull -- we've gotta remember that the net tends to
not be representative of the general audience) tends to pick up the best
art. We don't have to go for all the scratchy, overblown art that seems
to be so popular at Image, but there are some very talented artists who
could sell Superman. Sean Chen, who drew the SUPERMAN ANNUAL this year,
and who's now drawing the new IRON MAN. I'd love to see a Superman title
drawn by Jim Lee or Alan Davis. Chris Sprouse's work is popular on
SUPREME. And then there's a slew of "classic" artists who could also
fit the bill.
To get this talent would require some effort, though, and ending the
triangle continuity would just be a start. First, you'd probably have to
throw some money at 'em, resulting in the shrinking profit margins I
mentioned above. Second, give them their space and let them do what they
do best. If *they* come up with a story too big for their own book, let
*them* decide whether or not to do a big crossover. We should no longer
mandate the big crossover -- they should only happen as a story warrants
it.
4. MAKE IT AFFORDABLE. I've been told that the volume on the Superman books
is the only reason they're not charging $2.50 an issue, which is the
standard for the glossy format they use. Well, if we can sell $2.50 books
for $1.95, then we should be able to sell $1.95 books for $1.50. I'd take
every Superman title and knock it down to the so-called Standard Format --
the same format in which SUPERMAN ADVENTURES, GREEN LANTERN, FLASH, and
many others are currently sold at $1.95. However, with the volume working
in our favor, we should be able to drop those prices to $1.50, thereby
increasing sales tremendously. Imagine the entire set of Superman books --
within the main continuity -- all priced at $1.50. The titles would now
cost a total of $6.00 a month instead of $8.00. Not only would it allow
some to pick up the books for the first time, but it would also allow
current readers to try out something new, perhaps giving DC a new reader
on another title...
An alternative would be to increase the page count of each issue to 40,
and make most of that new advertising. I know that ads can be annoying,
but it's gotta be worth it to make the books more affordable. Besides,
comics have less ad content than anything else you can find on the racks
these days. Have you checked out any magazines lately?
I'll admit there's a possibility this wouldn't work, but it would be because
of another reason all together, and one that I really hope is not the case.
Is it possible that our society has become so cynical and jaded that it won't
support a moral, ethically-driven hero? Could it be that we've *sunk* below
the standards of Superman, and so reject him?
The Big Boy Scout. This used to be a compliment of the Man of Steel, but
these days it's often used in a mocking or disparaging manner. The most
popular comics character today is an agent of Hell who has no problem with
maiming and killing his enemies. Perhaps the most popular of the popular
X-Men is Wolverine, another character who often displays his dark side. When
it's not violence that's selling, it's sex. One of Image's most popular books
is GEN 13, which features a bunch of *teenagers* drawn like adult super-models
in skimpy costumes. Another is WITCHBLADE, whose title character's costume is
almost not there.
This isn't to say that these things are all that populate the medium, but they
*are* the things which seem to sell the most. And sex, violence, moral
ambiguity, and lack of ethics are simply not attributes of the Man of Steel.
In the end, it boils down to this. Superman is a morally strong character,
overwhelmingly good, with a strict ethical code, while today's society appears
to prefer heroes whose actions are often questionable. Does this make the
marketing of the Man of Steel presently non-viable?
I truly hope not, for it would be a sad commentary on "how far we've come."
Jeff Sykes, Editor
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RATINGS AT A GLANCE: Titles shipped November 1997
-----------------------------------------------------
Prepared by Shane Travis (travis@sedsystems.ca)
Key:
----
Issue -- Issue for which 'Current' Rating and Rank are calculated. The
'Previous' columns refer to the issue immediately prior to this.
Rating -- Average Rating, in Shields (maximum rating is 5.0). The number
in () indicates how many people submitted ratings.
Rank -- The relative ranking of the book among the regularly-published
Superman titles.
Average -- Average of the ratings for this title over the indicated number
of months, based on the book's cumulative average. Each month is
weighted equally, regardless of the number of people rating the
book that month. If this book is averaged over fewer months than
the rest, the number of months is displayed in ().
Current Previous Avg (6Mth)
Title Issue Rating Rank Rating Rank Rating Rank
----- ----- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
Superman 131 4.1(11) 1 3.4(12) 3 3.40 4
Sup: Secret Files 1 3.7(11) -- -- -- -- --
JLA 14 3.7(7) 2 3.8(5) 2 3.72 2
Steel 46 3.4(5) 3 3.8(4) 1 3.65 3
Supergirl 17 3.4(8) 4 3.1(5) 6 3.38 5
Man of Steel 75 3.3(13) 5 3.1(11) 5 2.85 8
Superman Adv. 15 3.0(5) 6 2.8(3) 8 3.77 1
Green Lantern 94 3.0(9) -- -- -- -- --
Action Comics 741 2.6(10) 7 2.6(8) 9 3.17 6
Superboy 47 2.5(7) 8 2.9(6) 7 2.80 9
Adv. of Superman 554 2.3(11) 9 3.3(11) 4 2.95 7
SB and the Ravers 17 2.0(4) 10 1.6(4) 10 2.58 10
"God Bless Us, Every One!" SUPERMAN #131 (4.1 Shields, 1st overall)
- What a nice Christmas present we all received from Dan Jurgens this month.
Continuing his hot streak, Jurgens presents us with one of the best tales of
pure villainy in quite some time, and shoots a Triangle Title to the top of
the charts for the first time in over a year!
"Marley was dead, in the beginning..." SATR #17 (2.0 Shields, 10th overall)
- Unlike Marley, this title was quite alive in its beginning, but has shown
deteriorating vital signs of late. Perhaps that's because it knows it hasn't
got long to live.... Hopefully, we can remember this patient in its strong
and vibrant youth, and not as the doddering wreck it became.
"How the Grinch Stole Christmas" AoS #554 (2.3 Shields, -1.0 Shields)
- Maybe it wasn't the Grinch, but *someone* made off with Kesel's writing
abilities. Not even Grummett's art could save this one, as he's been as busy
as an elf on December 24th and only had time to do the layouts.
"Miracle on 34th St." SUPERGIRL #17 (3.4 Shields, +0.3 Shields, +2 ranks)
- If you don't call sprouting huge flaming wings out of your backs a
miracle, then you need to re-check your definition. Besides, who better to
deliver a miracle then God himself, in the shape of a sweater-wearing kid?
Information for 'Ratings at a Glance' and the ratings accompanying the
monthly reviews of Superman comics are obtained from KC readers. Anyone
interested in contributing may contact Shane Travis <travis@sedsystems.ca>
and will be added to the monthly mailing-list to receive a Ratings Form.
______________________________________________
NEWS AND NOTES
--------------
HOLIDELAY
Because I'll be away during the holidays, there's a good chance that
January's Coming Attractions and Merchandise will be late. If you can't
wait for this information, I'd suggest either picking up the next issue
of PREVIEWS, which should be in comic stores by the end of the year, or
visiting Mania magazine (http://www.mania.com/mania/), which already has
the information on March comics. From the staff of The Kryptonian
Cybernet, the very best wishes for you and your families during this
holiday season!
COMICS QUICK BITS
In April 1995 and April 1996, DC and Marvel joined forces to bring us the
Amalgam Universe, but it would appear that Amalgam will no longer be an
annual event. The two companies recently announced that there would be
*no* new Amalgam projects for April 1997.
Due to printing problems, the special DCU HOLIDAY BASH II (originally
scheduled for November 26) was canceled, and DC announced plans to
resolicit the book for late 1998. However, DC managed to correct the
printing problems by upgrading the book's paper format, and the HOLIDAY
BASH will now be released (at the original price) this month.
Kieron Dwyer (ELSEWORLDS' FINEST) is reportedly illustrating a new
Elseworlds title for DC, tentatively called SUPERMAN: SON OF DARKSEID.
More information on this project as it becomes available.
Mike McAvennie, associate editor of the Superman titles and group editor
of the Superman Family titles, was recently chosen to succeed KC Carlson
as editor of the Legion of Super-Heroes books. No word, as yet, on
whether this will affect his status on the Superman books.
The word is that next year's annuals will all tie in to this year's JLA
SECRET FILES origin story, as Starro the Conqueror invades over the
course of the summer. From a purely business standpoint, you gotta give
credit to DC on this one -- what better method to sell your annuals than
by tying them into your most popular title? In additional annual news,
rumor has it that annuals may be given to individual characters instead
of to individual titles -- so Superman fans may have just one annual to
buy instead of the usual four...
MERCHANDISE UPDATE
In the December Merchandise supplement, I listed two mugs that DC is
offering in March. One of these was a white porcelain mug with a
reprinting of the cover to THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #28, the first
appearance of the original Justice League of America. It has since
been pointed out to me that Superman does not actually appear on that
cover. The other mug featured a reprinting of last year's JLA #1, and
I *do* know that featured the Man of Steel prominently!
Incidentally, also available at that time is a third mug featuring the
cover to ALL-STAR COMICS #3, the first appearance of the Justice Society
of America. These are just the first in an entirely new line of DC mugs.
Look for information on some more additions to this line in the coming
months.
WHICH-WAYS GO HIGH TECH
Brilliant Digital Entertainment (BDE) and DC Comics recently announced
an agreement to co-produce SUPERMAN MULTIPATH ADVENTURES, interactive
computer-based serials featuring characters from DC Comics. The first
titles will be released on CD-ROM and online in 1998.
Multipath Adventures, called "Multipath Movies(TM)" by BDE, are
three-dimensional, digitally animated stories, each with hundreds of
plot alternatives (paths) that are influenced by the user, leading to
multiple distinct conclusions. Each Multipath Adventure runs
approximately the same length as a film or video, with changes in
plot being made based upon character interaction by the viewer. BDE's
proprietary software allows for seamless interactivity, whereby the story
and graphics are uninterrupted by the user's decisions. Interactive
decisions are requested on average every 30 to 45 seconds and, because
the viewer's choices are reflected in real time, Multipath Adventures
present a fast-moving narrative experience, like a combination of
watching a film and playing a video game.
DC will write original scripts for the Superman Multipath series,
and will consult closely with BDE throughout the production process.
Utilizing BDE's suite of proprietary software tools, the multiple
serial episodes of Superman will be produced efficiently and cost
effectively in order to meet the anticipated worldwide consumer demand
for ongoing Superman Multipath Adventures. BDE's tools will also allow
Superman to be produced in multiple languages in order to take advantage
of the character's international popularity.
"Since his first appearance in 1938, Superman has always been the Man of
Tomorrow," states Paul Levitz, Executive Vice President and Publisher of
DC Comics. "It's only fitting that we push the limits of technology in
presenting his adventures for the digital age. Our partnership with
Brilliant Digital Entertainment will take advantage of Superman's
classic, narrative strength and the exploding world of online
communication to create new ways of telling stories."
LIKE SANDS THROUGH AN HOURGLASS...
Kevin Smith (who wrote one of the earlier drafts of SUPERMAN LIVES),
recently indicated on his View Askew website (http://www.viewaskew.com)
that comedian Chris Rock (formerly of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE) looks very
likely to be cast as Jimmy Olsen in the forthcoming Superman film.
Ain't It Cool News (http://www.ain't-it-cool-news.com) also reports
that Tim Burton is in casting discussions with Oscar-winning actor
Kevin Spacey (MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL). Spacey has
played several cold, calculating characters in his career which
indicate he could make a wonderful Lex Luthor.
Cindy Pearlman's November 27 "The Big Picture" column in the Chicago
Sun-Times mentioned that Tim Allen (HOME IMPROVEMENT) has talked with
Burton about playing the villain Brainiac. Her column also mentions
Courtney Cox (FRIENDS, SCREAM) as Lois Lane. I've also heard that the
Courtney Cox casting was reported in a recent issue of VARIETY, but I've
been unable to confirm this.
So continues the soap opera saga of SUPERMAN LIVES.
FINALLY NEW STAS TOYS!
Toymania (http://www.toymania.com) reports that Kenner has recommitted
to its line of toys based on the Superman and Batman animated series,
and that we can expect new toys in the immediate future. Not only will
the next assortment (including Supergirl, Metallo, and Bizarro) be
released in the coming months, but Kenner also plans at least two new
assortments to be released in 1998!
Still, this is going to be the third year in a row that new assortments
in a Superman toy line have hit the shelves in wide release immediately
*after* the big holiday season. Kenner's got to get these toys out
earlier if they expect them to sell.
In related news, DC will be soliciting a SUPERGIRL ADVENTURES comic
book special for March 1998, and the blurb for this book indicates that
it comes in the wake of Supergirl's debut on the SUPERMAN animated
series. Looks like the new Supergirl's just around the corner! (And
check out the web edition of KC for a sneak peek at the character design
for the animated Supergirl...)
______________________________________________
AND WHO DISGUISED AS...
---------------------------------------------------------
A Column of Opinion by J.D. Rummel (rummel@creighton.edu)
The Basement Columns, Part I
[Standing in his basement, he opens box after box, sorting through each stack
of magazines, the size of his task becoming more apparent. As he digs, the
memories come rushing in and he embraces them like an old friend long missed.
They are part of him, like his arms stretching down to his fingertips--without
them he would be diminished, less capable.]
Do you remember your first comic book? I'm not sure I do (mine, not yours). I
think it was either a Gold Key _Phantom_, or a copy of _World's Finest_. I
remember the painted _Phantom_ cover. The Ghost Who Walks was being attacked
by big jungle cats while giant eyes in the background watched. The _World's
Finest_ had a Swan cover depicting Superman running a machine that was clearly
hurting Jimmy Olsen and Robin as Batman protested loudly, saying that Superman
was killing them. I have the _World's Finest_, but have never seen _The
Phantom_ issue despite years of casual searching.
I don't know how comics grabbed me, what part of any child they grab, but they
did sink deep. Some kids, most, probably, read them for a short while, then
move on. I never made that break, not completely. I did tire of getting so
many and over the years I lost the need to have a complete run of some title.
I never did collect something just because it was hot or even critically
acclaimed. I only collected the ones that I enjoyed reading.
To this day I still read and buy comics. Not with the fevered enthusiasm of
youth, in fact sometimes almost out of a sense of duty, but they are still
part of my life. They shaped my upbringing, my thinking. I have discussed here
before how comics molded my view of men and women, of crime and justice, and
how I was both blessed and scarred by the impressions they made on my
thinking. Partly because of comics I believe in truth, honesty and fair play.
For years, partly because of comics, I believed that women should chase after
muscular, heroic figures who rescue them. I was an innocent, and while I
wasn't seduced, Dr. Wertham, I was certainly influenced.
If we are alert, we can learn while living. A few years ago an aunt passed
away, and her house was a cluttered mass of stuff collected and never
straightened or inventoried. Somewhere in that house with all the old recipe
magazines, dolls, antiques and junk, I began to see all the stuff that we
accumulate in our lives. We collect it all for many reasons, but we can't take
it with us, and instead it is left behind for others to deal with. While I
don't anticipate dying anytime soon, I began to notice in my life what George
Carlin calls "stuff." I have lots of stuff, and most of it I never use for
anything more than a place to store dust.
So, today I find myself in the basement of another Aunt's house, where I have
stored those comics I have collected for thirty-plus years. I'm organizing
them, pulling them off the shelves, checking what I have, preparing to
liquidate some that no longer have emotional value to me. It is very hard, and
I vacillate, moving piles from table to table trying to figure out just what I
want to do. I don't want those early _Justice League_s anymore, do I? I mean,
I never liked Mike Sekowsky's art. Ah... all those Silver Age _Green
Lantern_s. I loved having mom read those to me. I pause at a pile to sit and
re-read the Adams and O'Neil issues (I'm missing the first two) and the beauty
of the page still strikes me. The writing is no longer the provocative,
cutting edge that it was in '72, but neither is it embarrassing. Rather, it is
like many first steps, unsteady, but hinting at great journeys to come.
I've been lucky, lots of folks haven't had a chance to keep their comics over
a thirty-plus year span. Others sold theirs years ago. I bought some of mine
from such folks. Anyway, I'm working in my basement, separating the ones I
intend to sell from those I must keep for emotional reasons. Over the next few
columns I will be examining the magazines in my basement and sharing with you
some of things I see and feel. Hope you're there.
Away!
And Who Disguised As... is copyright 1997 by J. D. Rummel. Its contents may
not be reproduced in any format without the written permission of the author.
______________________________________________
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
----------------------
by Yosef Shoemaker
It was 1933 and we were in the depths of the great Depression. The world was
full of cruel injustices, and in Europe war seemed imminent. I wondered, what
would *I* do if I could make things better? What would I do if I weren't so
meek and mild, and if I were stronger than anyone else on Earth? --Jerry
Siegel
I imagine most every Superman fan knows that Superman was created by Jerry
Siegel and Joe Shuster some time in the 1930s. This article will attempt to
chronicle that historic process of creation. This article is based on the
following sources:
* The interview with Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster published originally in
_Nemo_ #2 [1983] and reprinted in _Comic Values Monthly Special_ #2 [1992]
* Jerry Siegel's article in _Action Comics_ #544
* The program to the 1st DC Comics Convention
* Les Daniels' _DC Comics: 60 Years of the Worlds Favorite Comic Book Heroes_
[I have lifted many phrases verbatim from this invaluable and enjoyable
book.]
* _Fifty Who Made DC Great_ [DC, 1985]
* Robert Beerbohm's "The First Superman Cover," from _Comic Buyers Guide_
#1165 [3/15/96]
* Superman Homepage
For the sake of brevity and clarity, I have quoted people without mentioning
the source of the quote. Every time you see, So-and-so said, please mentally
add the words, in an interview (or article).
************
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were both born in 1914, Siegel in Cleveland and
Shuster in Toronto. Shuster said that he moved to Cleveland when he was about
10, and that he and Siegel were about 16 when they met.
Using the mimeograph machine at Glenville High school, from which they were
later graduated, they started a fanzine called "Science Fiction." It was
published from 1932-1933 and lasted six issues. Shuster said that it was
sub-titled, The Advance Guard of Future Civilization. Siegel said that he was
the editor and that Shuster was the art editor.
In the third issue, dated January 1933, there was a story written by Siegel
entitled "Reign of the Superman." It had been written in 1932. It was
illustrated by Shuster. The Superman it featured was a villain with enhanced
mental powers.
Siegel said, "A couple of months after I published this story it occurred to
me that a Superman as a hero rather than a villain might make a great
comic-book character... Joe and I drew it up as a comic book--this was in
early 1933." They prepared this full-length comic book story for Chicago's
Humor Publishing Company, (described by some as) a "fly-by-night" publisher
with representatives in Cleveland. Their comic was 9 x 12-and-a-half inches,
with a finished cover depicting The Superman saving a man from an armed
criminal. Shuster said that "The Superman was not a costumed figure. He wore
only a T-shirt and pants. He was just a man of action. [He was] a character of
goodwill." Siegel said, "Joe and I [ ] seem to recall some scenes there in
which the character had a [ ] cape." Although "Superman" was not an alien at
this point, the blurb from a rough pencil sketch of an alternate cover
described him as a "genius," a "Hercules," and a "nemesis to wrong-doers,"
implying that he was already a super-powered crusader for good. This same
cover depicts "Superman" shrugging off a bullet attack. Siegel said that Humor
had been interested at first, but ultimately reneged. Siegel said that Shuster
was so upset he ripped up his artwork; he burned everything except the cover.
Siegel said that in 1934, he decided to make Superman a comic strip character.
He then went on to say, "Late one night, it was so hot I had trouble falling
asleep. I passed the time by trying to come up with dramatic story elements
for the comic strip. These included Superman's birth on Krypton, his being
sent to Earth, and his being raised to help people." He said, "Excitedly, I
got out of bed and wrote that down. Yawning, I went back to bed and fell
asleep. I awoke a little later. More ideas came to me. These included
Superman's dual identity." Siegel added, "...the concept came to me that [] in
one of his [two] identities he could be meek and mild [] and wear glasses."
Siegel said, "Very early the next morning, I didn't bother to eat, I ran all
the way, twelve blocks, to Joe's apartment...Joe read the script. Instant
approval." Shuster said that they worked all day long.
Siegel was one of the first to portray an alien as a benevolent being. Siegel
wanted the character to be "glamorous and unique," so considerable care was
taken with the costume. Tights seemed vaguely futuristic and were often used
in science fiction illustrations. A cape was added to help give the effect of
motion. They used the primary colors, thinking of the colors in the Sunday
comics, because, as Shuster said, "they were the brightest colors we could
think of." Shuster said that the costume was inspired by the Fairbanks costume
pictures. Shuster also said that he had a heraldic crest in mind when he drew
the insignia. He also said that he had classical heroes in mind, also, which
is why the early Superman wore sandals.
Shuster said that Siegel came up with all of the names; the name Clark Kent he
derived from Clark Gable and Kent Taylor.
Siegel said that Zorro's dual identity motif definitely had an influence. He
said that Tarzan and Popeye were also influential.
Siegel said that most comics editors couldn't have cared less about Superman.
He said that certain offers and suggestions from various companies were either
turned down or never came to fruition
The Superman comic strips were now at the McClure Syndicate. Sheldon Mayer, an
editor at the McClure Syndicate, had tried unsuccessfully to get his boss,
Maxwell Charles (M.C.) Gaines, an agent at McClure, to believe in the
success-potential of the strip. Mayer said, "When the Superman strip first
came in, I immediately fell in love with it. The syndicate rejected it about
fifteen times."
Siegel said that DC was considering features for a new comic. Harry Donenfeld
(or Jack Liebowitz) of DC had asked Gaines for new material for this new
comic: _Action Comics_. (Donenfeld had bought DC in 1937, and Liebowitz was
his business partner.) Mayer said, "I was singing Superman's praises so much
that in 1938 Gaines finally took the strip up to [ ] Donenfeld." (It would
later be said: M.C. Gaines brought Superman to the attention of Harry
Donenfeld at the urging of Sheldon Mayer.) Siegel says that he gave Gaines
permission to forward Superman and others of his comic strips to DC. The
strips were sent to DC editor Vin Sullivan. Siegel said that Sullivan liked
Superman most of all and would publish it. "It looked different," Sullivan
said, and he attributes to himself "just good luck, or maybe a little bit of
foresight."
Sullivan says he had Siegel and Shuster cut the strips apart to make them into
comic book pages. Liebowitz called the decision to run the strip "a pure
accident" based on availability of material at deadline.
The rest is history.
______________________________________________
RISING ABOVE LIMITATIONS
--------------------------------------
by Enola F. Jones (sj1025@gte.net)
Disabilities fascinate me. Perhaps it's because I went blind for a day when I
was ten years old, or maybe because my best friend is very hard-of-hearing,
but I have always liked stories where familiar characters are disabled and
must cope with their new limitations.
I found no dearth of stories in this vein in the Superman family of comics. I
was always on the lookout for Red Kryptonite, as it would do wonky things to
Superman and other Kryptonians. Usually, though not always, it involved a
handicap. One of my favorites in this vein was a Superboy story from the early
eighties where Red K blinded Superboy until he put on his Clark Kent glasses.
Then he could see and perform all his vision powers. That led to a priceless
scene with Lana Lang where he pretended to be Clark pretending to be Superboy.
Lana snatches off his glasses and he freaks, still in milksop character. Pete
Ross, knowing his identity, helps with the story and between his pleas and
Clark's panic, Lana gives the glasses back, declaring Superboy wouldn't act
like THAT. But as Clark walks off, Pete realizes he didn't focus his eyes when
the glasses were off and he really is blind.
Under the "Never Seen It But Man I Wish I Had" category is a story I read a
synopsis of in _The Superman Encyclopedia_. It was another Red K story where
the insidious K had upped Superman's hearing so that even the footsteps of an
ant caused him unbearable pain. The only solution was to wear a helmet that
rendered him stone deaf.
Another story I thoroughly enjoyed was one I read in a digest. I have no idea
where it came from, but according to Curt Swan's art style I'd say it was late
sixties or early seventies. It was the flip side of the Superboy story related
above. Clark was on assignment to research a scientific breakthrough: new
radiation, the purpose of which I can't recall. The side-effect of it,
however, was that it gave off such a brilliant light it blinded the animals it
came in contact with by paralyzing their optic nerves. Clark was watching a
demonstration of it wearing protective goggles, but the goggles were old and
the strap snapped right when the light blazed. Clark had to pretend he was
blinded, to protect his identity. He lost his job and nearly lost his home.
Lois (I think) declared her love for him, but he snapped that she pitied him
and he didn't want that. So Clark Kent faded from sight and Superman was
trying to forge new secret identities. (I think he should have stuck with
Clark, as a blind man would be perfect cover. Ah well...) Eventually, however,
the scientists announced the blindness in the rats was only temporary, so
Clark's sight conveniently returned and he got his old position back. All was
once again right with the world.
Superman wasn't the only one that endured disabilities. In a _Superman Family_
book from 1976 or 78 (the last letter is unreadable) Lois Lane has finished a
demonstration of how a guide dog works. As she is walking home, she is
discussing with Jimmy a trial she is testifying in. Suddenly a robbery happens
in front of them and one of the hoods shoots at Lois. The bullet grazes her
nose, and sears her corneas. She goes blind within the hour. She puts up a
brave front, even getting Lucy to help her with some carnival props. However,
Superman discovers the truth and Lois finally admits she needs help. She gets
the guide dog she worked with, and is quickly kidnapped by the gang of the man
she is testifying against. Superman rescues her, and she undergoes a cornea
transplant, the corneas in question being those of a murderer. Soon after, she
begins seeing visions of people with horrified looks on their faces. Convinced
she is going mad, she does research and finds they are all victims of the man
whose corneas she now has. But a little more research makes her suspicious. At
the trial, Lois is on the witness stand when another vision strikes. But this
time Superman collars a spectator to the trial and Lois spills the whole
scheme. The man Superman is holding, as well as Lois' eye doctor and a few
others, are all members of the gang of the man she is testifying against. To
destroy her credibility, they staged that robbery and deliberately blinded
her. But she would have regained her sight in a matter of days. The transplant
was faked. While she was under, the bogus doctor slipped on thin contact
lenses painted with a picture of the murdered man's (who, incidentally, they
murdered) victims. Another member of the gang would shine a special light into
her face to make the portrait visible. She removed one of the lenses and
demonstrated this to the judge. One of the perpetrators asks her how she found
out and she tells him the murderer shot all his victims in the back, so he
would never have seen the looks of terror so expertly portrayed in her
visions. All is normal again. (By the by, the man she was testifying against
was found guilty.)
I have written a story where Jimmy was blinded, but I don't think that counts.
I can't recall one story in the lexicon where Jimmy was handicapped. Or Perry
or Lana. If anybody out there can tell me of one, please let me know.
Watching Superman and Lois getting disabled and rising above their temporary
limitations makes for a wonderful read. Always it seems they learn something
from their experiences. Usually this lesson is that what we call normalcy can
never be taken for granted, because someday it could be taken away. That is a
good lesson for us all.
______________________________________________
NEW COMIC REVIEWS
-----------------
Completists alert:
There were three Superman-related titles in November which are not reviewed
in this issue. Superman played a small role in JLA: PARADISE LOST #2;
Superman and Superboy both appeared in LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES #100; and, of
course, THE KENTS #6 focused on Clark's human ancestors.
Ratings Panelists:
AHu: Andrew Hudson DWd: Darrin Wood LF: Lawrence Faulkner
AW: Anatole Wilson ES: Emmanuel Soupidis MS: Mike Smith
CoS: Cory Strode EJ: Enola Jones RG: Rene' Gobeyn
DC: David Chappell GN: G.M. Nelson ST: Shane Travis
DJ: Derek Jackson JO: Joey Ochoa TD: Thomas Deja
DR: Daniel Radice JSy: Jeff Sykes VV: Vic Vitek
As always, the first rating given after the average is that of the reviewer.
The average rating given for each book may correspond to a larger sample
of ratings than what is printed following the average.
===================================================
THE SUPERMAN TITLES:
-------------------
1. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #75 Jan 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"The Death of Mr. Mxyzptlk"
Writing & Drawing: Jon Bogdanove
Kibitzing: Louise Simonson
Inking: Dennis Janke
Lettering: Ken Lopez
Coloring: Glenn Whitmore
Computer Seps: Digital Chameleon
Bereaved: Maureen McTigue
Good as Dead: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Jon Bogdanove, Dennis Janke and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.3/5.0 Shields
MS: 4.5 Shields
DC: 3.0 Shields - Fun and moderately good story, but Mxy is too friendly
with Clark these days.
DJ: 0.1 Shields - This is the worst Superman comic I've ever read. It was
poorly written, and just as poorly drawn. The story was uninspired,
and a big letdown considering all the publicity DC was giving it.
The art looks like it was done by a five year old. C'mon guys!
DWd: 3.9 Shields - The first time I have actually laughed out loud while
reading a Superman comic. This is how Mxy stories SHOULD be!
EJ: 3.5 Shields - This one was so funny! I had to stop reading it three
times just to catch my breath! For me the best scene was the one at
the very end with the foldout panel. I actually started to miss the
little bugger, then started laughing all over again!
GN: 1.5 Shields - The story was only fair -- not worth the hype -- and
Bog's art brought it further down.
JSy: 4.7 Shields - Not quite as good as the last Mxy appearance in MOS, but
a wonderful read nonetheless. Bog and company *really* know how to
make this character work.
TD: 2.5 Shields - What was the point of this, other than to prove that
Bogdanove loves drawing Mxy?
For those of you wondering, this is the reason I applied for this job.
_Man of Steel_ #56 was easily the most critically acclaimed issue of the
series, offering a popular new take on our favorite imp from the 5th
Dimension. It doesn't take a genius to see that putting him in #75 couldn't
miss, and I wanted to be part of it.
Lois and Clark happen upon Mr. Mxyzptlk attending a funeral (with popcorn)
trying to get a better understanding of death. Realizing that the Death of
Superman (tm) did wonders for his P.R., Mxy resolves to kill himself in a
similar fashion. Creating a monster named Badabingbadaboomsday to do the
honors, he prepares to sacrifice his life to stop the creature. The Doomsday
parody is too close to the original, so it ignores Mxyzptlk to attack
Superman. Determined to keep Supes from hogging the glory again, the imp
renounces his powers and tries to get himself killed in the fray.
Although Mxy never gets a scratch, his beloved popcorn is destroyed in the
conflict, never to be seen again. He realizes the analogy to death just in
time for Emil Hamilton to arrive and explain everything to Lois. It seems
that the only way to stop Badabingbadaboomsday is for Superman to expend all
of his energy, thereby killing himself and ending the simulation of the
original Doomsday menace. Horrified by that prospect, Mxyzptlk charges once
more into the battle, desperately trying to get the monster's attention.
Finally, with some popcorn induced flatulence (he's mortal now, after all),
he incurs the monster's wrath.
B-Day kills Mxyzptlk with one blow, which destroys itself as well. Tumbling
through the Great Beyond, Mxy finds himself in the office of God, a.k.a.
Superman Group Editor Mike Carlin. Back in Metropolis, Superman, Lois,
Hamilton, and the creative team of MAN OF STEEL look on in astonishment at
the live -- albeit naked -- body of Mxyzptlk.
This one lived up to my expectations perfectly. Bogdanove's cartoony style
worked like a charm for this gag-a-minute script where nothing was sacred.
(Mxy giggles at Superman's new costume, and asks him if it comes in red.)
I would have complained about Emil Hamilton's all too convenient appearance
and explanation, but Mxy beats me to it ("Doesn't it bother you that your
whole life is just one big expositional plot device?").
Beyond that, my only problem with this issue is the somewhat rushed job Bog
does in some places, particularly Lois Lane, who looked a little too much
like Agent Scully this time around. Jon makes up for it with the scene in
Carlin's office, littered with Superman memorabilia, complete with a poster
by Dan Jurgens. Bog apes his style, a la the "Batmen" cover of #37, reminding
us that he can do more than cartoony imps and caricatures of the boss.
Superman almost takes a back seat in this one, although he still gets some
powerful visuals fighting Badabingbadaboomsday, as well as the moment where
he realizes he may die by one of Mxy's pranks. Despite his fear, he is
prepared to sacrifice himself--showing us in one page what he's all about.
It's nice to see some of that has rubbed off on Mxyzptlk.
I was worried at first about Jon Bogdanove taking over the writing duties
on _Man of Steel_, but this issue proves that the future arrangement of the
creative team can do funny, at the very least. I look forward to seeing what
else they can do. This is a fun comic that had me laughing out loud, pure and
simple.
Janke's inks are back up to their normal quality. I can't understand how he
can produce decent harmony with Bogdanove's pencils, but falls flat with
nearly every guest penciller to date (see Scott Eaton's run in #69-74). At
least they're together again, so things are back up to snuff for now.
It worked for love in #56, now death this time around. One wonders what
will happen when Mxyzptlk learns about tax returns and acne in MAN OF STEEL
#100. Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be a blast.
Mike Smith
<mpsmit0@pop.uky.edu>
===================================================
2. SUPERMAN #131 Jan 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Checkmate"
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Artists: Ron Frenz and Joe Rubinstein
Letterer: John Costanza
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Assistant Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Ron Frenz, Joe Rubinstein, and Patrick Martin
Special Thanks to Tom Christopher
RATINGS
Average: 4.1/5.0 Shields
TD: 4.3 Shields
AHu: 5.0 Shields - This was an excellent story -- one of the best that I have
read for quite a while. I can now almost sympathise with Lex, and the
way that he got revenge on his step-father was very cold.
DJ: 4.8 Shields - Wow! A great story, with an interesting look into Luthor's
past. The ending of the story is superb.
EJ: 3.0 Shields - The glimpses into Luthor's past were nicely done. I feel
now as if I understand him better. That's why his treatment of the
Contessa was at once chilling and yet completely in character.
ES: 4.4 Shields - This one issue could be my fave of the year! At long last
Lex Luthor is the meanest S.O.B. in the DC Universe, and it shows
in spades. I was expecting squishiness galore with Lena's birth, but
it was Lex at his best!
GN: 3.3 Shields - Nice insight into Luthor, whose evil has rarely been
shown as clearly. He probably shouldn't be totally absolved by the
public after his trial; Look at O.J., and he was acquitted too.
JO: 4.5 Shields - Just when I think there's a small part of Luthor I could
actually feel for, he proves I'm wasting my time. Truly the mark of
a great villain.
VV: 4.9 Shields - Berkowitz' assassination came completely out of left
field, and while Luthor's double-cross of the Contessa didn't, I am
expecting that the Contessa had something ready for just such an
emergency; we haven't seen the last of her yet.
I have a theory that every artist, no matter how bad, has one great work in
him or her; it's just a matter of time before it emerges.
Dan Jurgens--who, though improving in the last year or so, is mediocre at
best--has come awful close to producing his one great work of art. In fact,
he came awfully close two months ago with "Within Human Reach", his portrait
of the Cyborg in _Superman_ #129. This month, Jurgens comes closer yet,
although "Checkmate" is a great story for a reason other than the reason I
suspect he thinks we'll think it's a great story.
I'll give you a second to stop your head from spinning.
"Checkmate" is all about Lex Luthor--so much so that the brief scenes with
Sparky the Wonder Kryptonian are extraneous. On the day of the birth of
Luthor's new child, he decides to help Mayor Berkowitz launch an anti-crime
campaign in the Simon Project district. While Perry relates to Lois a
childhood tale of Lex's fascination with a fellow foster child (tying this
tale neatly in with the fantastic James Hudnall one-shot--and inspiration for
the X-FILES episode "Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man"--THE UNAUTHORIZED
BIOGRAPHY OF LEX LUTHOR), we see how Lex has set up a scheme that culminates
right that second, a scheme that puts the city in more disarray than ever,
and allows him to keep it 'safe' for his progeny.
Now I think Jurgens wants us to be horrified by what Luthor does while also
understanding a bit of what makes this character so horrific. If you ask me,
it works so well because it shows us exactly why Luthor is the ultimate
opposition for Supes. In this story, we see Luthor pretty much from his
viewpoint: a man of such overwhelming ambition that he thinks nothing of
planning a revenge that literally takes decades to enact...as long as it
ultimately advances his own goals. As portrayed here, he is incapable of
human emotions; people are resources, and nothing more. Some of the steps
taken are bone-chilling in their ruthlessness -- particularly the penultimate
page, where Lex wraps up the loose ends involved with the birth of the new
Luthor.
This story must have really inspired Jurgens, because even his dialogue--
something about which I've raged in the past--is pretty spot on, with only
a few exceptions (the flashback stuff is downright painful to read because
it's all hysteria and high notes, without a touch of subtlety). I doubt that
Jurgens could keep up this quality from month to month, but it's my sincere
hope that the level of storytelling will remain close to this in the future,
especially during this Superman Red/Superman Blue froforah.
"Checkmate" would have gotten an even higher rating if it wasn't for the
lackluster art job. Frenz doesn't seem comfortable with this type of
psychological story, so most of his linework is primitive and sketchy.
In many spots, his art is so by-the-book that Joe Rubinstein's inks totally
overpower it, creating an effect that is very similar to bad Sal Buscema--I
had to keep flipping back to the title page to make sure Sal (one of my least
favorite pencillers) had nothing to do with this book.
Except for the artwork, _Superman_ #131 is as good as the core titles get
these days, telling a story that justifies Lex Luthor's standing in the
Superman Rogues Gallery. It's interesting that Jurgens of late has been
hitting more than he's missing; I sincerely hope he's learning, and that
we'll soon be able to look upon "Checkmate" as the first in a great run of
stories.
Thomas Deja
<manciniman@rocketmail.com>
===================================================
3. THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #554 Jan 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Children And Monsters"
Words: Karl Kesel
Layouts: Tom Grummett
Finishes: Denis Rodier & Scott Koblish
Letters: Albert De Guzman
Colors: Glenn Whitmore
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Assistant: Maureen McTigue
Monster: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Tom Grummett, Denis Rodier, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 2.3/5.0 Shields
DR: 2.8 Shields (Story)
2.4 Shields (Art)
DJ: 3.2 Shields - Pretty good; a typical Superman vs. Monster story. I am
really beginning to hate Thompson, which is definitely intended by
the writers, so they're doing a good job. I hope this is a lead-in
to a much bigger story.
EJ: 1.3 Shields - Boring. Predictable. From the second I saw Thompson I
knew what would happen. The scene with Lena and Lex at the start was
the only good point in this snorefest.
ES: 2.2 Shields - The best part of this Ripper story-arc is that it's over.
Why must we sit through these dime-store threats week after week?
JO: 3.5 Shields - Nice recovery in terms of story from the last time we saw
the Ripper. This new angle with Thompson is very interesting.
JSy: 2.1 Shields - Decent art from Grummett and friends, but it seemed a bit
rushed. However, I saw absolutely no purpose in this story, which
was little more than a rehash of a tale from last year. Since when
did Karl Kesel start repeating himself?
VV: 2.0 Shields - Ehhh. A letdown after the previous two issues. I don't
think the Ripper (kidnapper) has been truly revealed, and I'm getting
very tired of "Hunter" Thompson. Why not just drop him in Africa
where he can hunt to his heart's content, or at least until he runs
out of ammo <g>.
Did you know that each page of the average Superman book costs you 8.8 cents
(12.5 cents Canadian)? Isn't that a Super-deal? Couple that with the fact
that the book stars Superman himself, and we're talking a fanTAStic deal,
right? Well, one must consider the artwork, the story, and of course, the
characters involved. Let's see if this book is worth a dime per page...
Ooh! The comic opens with Superman laying waste to a renegade LexCorp "Metal
Monster" (Couldn't somebody come up with a better name?) Swooping down from
the sky, in a nice opening splash page, he makes quick work of the robot. Lex
Luthor appears, thanking Superman for his efforts, and inviting him inside to
see his new daughter Lena.
Down on street level, specifically Suicide Slum, the "Ripper" chooses his
next victim. Meanwhile in the Mayor's office, newly elected interim Mayor
Sackett and representatives from the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit discuss,
ironically enough, how to handle the 'Ripper' situation. Their solution? Seek
help from Burton "Hunter" Thompson, monster specialist, and winner of the
"I Couldn't Come Up With A Good Costume So I Wore This Stuff I Found" award.
For the media, the hunt is on for a picture of Luthor's new daughter, with
the first printable photo of the child receiving $5000. Another daughter, on
the other hand, has run away, and Dirk Armstrong is still deeply saddened by
Ashley's disappearance.
Superman does a little hunting of his own, along with the S.C.U. and Burton
Thompson. They eventually find the Ripper, and a subsequent rescue of his
captive occurs! The issue ends with a reminder/revelation of where the Ripper
actually came from...
You've read the summary, now taste my mighty comments! Looking at this issue,
we see quite a few plots and sub-plots going on. We have: "Luthor's Baby",
the "Ripper", "New Mayor", runaway Ashbury and Scorn, the "Photo Contest",
the "Fate of the Contessa", "Superman's Reminder that he's not Genetically
Compatible with Humans", and the "Evil that Lurks Beneath Star Labs". Do
these ALL have to be going on at one time? Sigh. Things are more like a soap
opera. I sure hope we don't find out Lois Lane is really dead and Clark
married her twin...
Kesel juggles these little subplots with masterful ease, but I'm beginning to
really hate the current set-up of the books. Poor Karl has to deal with all
those side stories and only has 2 or 3 pages for his own. When are we going
to get to see an independent tale within AOS like Jurgens' gets, quite often
I might add, in _Superman_? Karl deserves more than being the janitor of the
super-team. Let him write. It's what he does best.
This month we're treated to something wonderful: A New Inker! Scott Koblish
does a great job, compared to what we're used to, inking Grummett's pencils.
Actually Koblish did "finishes", which are much more than just "inks", but he
still did a better job on Tom's pencils in his first shot than Denis Rodier
has done in his whole run. If we can't get Doug Hazlewood back, might as well
sign this guy up. He's FAR better than Rodier. Heck, my dog with a marker in
his mouth is better than Denis Rodier.
Of course, Grummett isn't actually doing pencils this issue. Once again, he's
doing layouts. What with _Superboy_, _Silver Surfer_ and _Adventures of
Superman_, poor Tom is taxed. I miss the old days of the Superman books, when
Tom and Doug Hazlewood would dazzle me week after week with clean, defined,
and nicely-organized pages. Not this slop. Tom is rushing to put these issues
out.
This isn't to say that I thought this issue of _Adventures of Superman_ was
bad, which is far from what I mean. It's just that it's not at the regular
Kesel/Grummett standards (I shall ignore Rodier) that I've learned to love.
It's like _Seinfeld_'s current season; the episodes aren't up to par with
previous episodes, but they're still better than other shows out there. This
is a good issue as comic books go, but a badissue in respect to what we have
come to expect from Kesel and Grummett.
Dan Radice
<dradice@caninet.com>
______________________________________________
THE SUPERMAN TITLES (cont):
--------------------------
4. ACTION COMICS #741 Jan 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"A Cautionary Tale" (with apologies to Chaucer)
Writer/Penciller: Stuart Immonen
Inker: Jose Marzan Jr.
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Assistant: Maureen McTigue
Troubador: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Stuart Immonen, Jose Marzan Jr., and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 2.6/5.0 Shields
ST: 2.2 Shields
GN: 3.2 Shields - Nice scenes with Luthor and his daughter, and a cute bit
at the beginning with Lois and Clark. The main story seemed a bit
by-the-numbers. Stuart and Jose's art seemed to be missing something
this issue.
JO: 2.0 Shields - This story took forever to get nowhere. The art was also
bad. They shouldn't let someone (Immonen) who can't write and can't
draw do both!
JSy: 2.2 Shields - Gorgeous cover, and lovely interior art, and Immonen
presents something refreshingly different in the Chanticleer tale.
However, aside from the intriguing confrontation with Luthor, the
Legion story was just plain boring.
LF: 3.8 Shields - Another great turnout from Immonen and Kesel. Immonen
continues to impress me as one of the best Superman artists of all
time.
TD: 2.0 Shields - As someone who doesn't read Legion, I could've done
without the C.O.M.P.U.T.O. stuff. The scene where Luthor reminds
Supes he can't have kids, however, was choice....
VV: 3.4 Shields - Legion fan here, so that earns it some extra points <g>.
Foreshadowing of Superman Red/Superman Blue in Chanticleer's tale,
and some nice work with Superman and the Legion.
Synopsis:
"Legion Month" in the DC Universe. This means that we are forced to sit
through meaningless guest-appearances of the Legion of Super-Heroes in titles
where they do not belong, telling stories which are at best tangential, and
at worst irrelevant to either the LSH or the character in whose book they are
appearing. For anyone who doesn't regularly follow the exploits of the LSH,
you'll have no clue what's going on. After all, if you want an explanation,
go buy more of DC's products.
Don'tcha just love Marketing Departments?
As a quick re-cap: The LSH is a team of teen-age heroes from the 30th
century. Due to an unfortunate accident, they have been trapped in the
20th century for quite some time. Brainiac 5, resident genius of the LSH,
has been attempting to figure out how to get them home. One of his
experiments was to create a super-computer by linking a Mother Box (from
the Genesis cross-over) with a Responsometer (from the Metal Men). After
successfully creating COMPUTO, Brainiac 5 took it apart for a while -- a
state akin to death for a sentient computer. COMPUTO didn't like that at
all, and vowed no one would ever do it to him again. He has been lashing
out at his surroundings (including the Legion itself) ever since.
That's where we come in. COMPUTO has taken over a set of tanks and starts
razing downtown Metropolis (which was conveniently empty at the time --
apparently, no one works weekends in the Big Apricot). From there, he turns
his attention to an air-show (which is attended by the daughters of the
recently-assassinated Mayor Berkowitz) and causes planes to go haywire. The
LSH and Superman save the day.
...Only it turns out that COMPUTO wasn't responsible for the tanks. Luthor,
for some motivation known only to him and not shared with the readers, took
the opportunity to blow up a significant portion of Metropolis and *blame*
COMPUTO. Brainiac 5 and his 'advanced technology' manage to correlate all the
information and finally get some hard evidence on Luthor when in a literal
act of Deus ex Machina, Computo wipes it all for spite.
Woven throughout this is an adaptation of Chaucer's "The Chanticleer's Tale"
which Luthor is reading to his newborn daughter Lena. Luthor twists the
interpretation so that it reads as a morality play in which Big Blue is the
fox and Luthor himself is Chanticleer. Interestingly enough, it also fits if
you reverse the roles.
Oh, and two pages are wasted on Jimmy Olsen and the Runaway Gang.
Opinions:
The first word that came to mind as I read this comic was 'scattershot'.
It seemed as though Immonen figured that if he could tell enough stories, at
least one of them had to strike home. Unfortunately while buckshot covers a
wide area, you don't tend to get much penetration depth -- which was exactly
the problem with this issue.
We are never really told, for example, why it is that Luthor sees fit to
raze several city blocks of downtown Metropolis. Oh, certainly he gets the
publicity of donating all that money... but wait! Sackett doesn't give out
the names of the philanthropists! That means that nobody knows that Luthor
is the benefactor. If he was going to do it all secretly, why not just buy
the buildings and then do what he wants with them?
Let's turn to the Berkowitz girls. After missing the funeral, the older
sister, Julianna drives up while everyone is still in mourning. Furthermore,
she doesn't seem the least bit apologetic or sad, but has a huge grin on her
face. Then they go to see 'the last thing Dad ever did'... an air show that
he started fifteen years ago. What has he been doing in the intervening time?
Finally, while I'm all for not spoon-feeding the readership, the 'Booster
Gold Incident' that Julianna refers to took place almost 150 issues--twelve
years--ago. Kudos for remembering it at all, Stuart, but care to fill the
rest of us in?
While I was not happy about the Legion appearing at all, I will say that
Stuart did a good job of their characterizations. Unfortunately, I can't say
as much for Superman. From learning how to supinate his wrist to totally
losing his cool with Luthor, something about Ma Kent's boy just seemed wrong.
While I applaud the style and technique Immonen used in Chanticleer's Tale,
and marvel at the breathtakingly perfect illustrations accompanying it (with
hats off to Whitmore for the excellent colorations), I think that this was
the wrong place and time. In a book already filled with a half-dozen guest
stars and as many plotlines, the 3 1/2 pages taken by the Tale could probably
have been put to better use. Furthermore, an intriguing device such as this
should not be wasted on a throwaway. I would have loved to see an entire
book devoted to Luthor reading Lena some children's stories, and putting
his own unique spin on things. Imagine the things that could be done with
pastiches of Curious George, Peter Rabbit and Dr. Seuss!
Oh, and two pages are wasted on Jimmy Olsen and the Runaway Gang.
Shane Travis
<travis@sedsystems.ca>
______________________________________________
SUPER-FAMILY TITLES:
-------------------
STEEL #46 Jan 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Bori"
Writer: Priest
Artists: Denys Cowan and Tom Palmer
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Colorist: John Kalisz
Asst. Editor: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Cowan and Palmer
RATINGS
Average: 3.4/5.0 Shields
JSy: 4.6 Shields
AHu: 2.0 Shields - I didn't enjoy this at all. It was just too forced. The
idea of Superboy and Natasha... Naaaa!
GN: 1.8 Shields - Superboy's pursuit of Natasha seems to come out of left
field. (He wants back with Tana, but keeps winding up with other
girls.) Art was only so-so.
JO: 3.7 Shields - A very well-written book. I enjoyed the insights into
all of the characters. Art is O.K. but still too "sketchy" for me.
MS: 4.8 Shields - The best issue of this series. This is the sort of stuff
that made Steel my fav'rit nearly five years ago. Why are you still
reading this? Go out and buy _Steel_ #46!
What Has Come Before:
Dr. Amanda Quick has struggled with her emotions for two men. One, Dr. John
Irons -- AKA Steel -- is about the densest male on the planet, still not
accepting her obvious feelings for him, and fighting his own emotions for
her. The other, Dr. Sam Ellis -- AKA Skorpio -- triggers a deep desire
inside Amanda, but she resists because Ellis is also an assassin for hire.
Natasha Irons is a teenage girl just learning about her power over the
opposite sex, and about what she wants and needs in a relationship. Paul
(whom she calls Boris) is her closest companion, but it's unclear whether
either of them sees the other as a romantic interest. We *do* know that
Steel has learned that Paul is HIV positive.
Synopsis:
Amanda Quick has made a choice, and already she regrets it. Work serves as
a feeble excuse for hurriedly leaving her apartment... and Dr. Ellis. In a
later encounter at the hospital, Amanda explains that she can't live with
Ellis' "second job," but they both realize that Irons is the true reason.
Even if it takes forever to get it through his thick skull, she will wait
for John.
Meanwhile, Amanda's not the only one having to make choices. Following his
dramatic appearance in last month's issue, Superboy appears on Nat's doorstep
before school, ready and willing to begin their relationship. (If you'll
recall, Nat used Superboy as an easy out when forced to choose between Paul
and the Ice Cream Guy.) Superboy blames his super-heroic "job" for his
break-up with Tana, and sees Natasha as a romantic interest who can better
understand his situation, given that she is the niece of a hero. During the
course of their after-school evening of theme parks and zoos -- though that's
nothing like what you'd expect -- Superboy and Nat both come to realize that
the Kid is still not over Tana, and that the two of them should not enter a
relationship, at least for now.
Steel *does* show up in his own book. He finally has a talk with Paul about
the boy's condition, and perhaps comes to realize that he has nothing to
fear. He also steals Superboy from Nat for a brief action-filled respite from
the relationship themes, in which the two heroes prevent a train wreck from
causing widespread catastrophe.
Comments:
Priest once again nicely illustrates how a super-hero book doesn't have to be
filled with mindless slugfests and inane villains, and that the hero doesn't
always have to take center stage. One of the more interesting aspects of
this title under Priest and company is that the book is every bit as much
about Natasha as it is about Steel, and the stories have not once suffered
as a result.
One of the techniques that Priest uses to relate his stories in _Steel_
(and more so in _Quantum and Woody_, his book from Acclaim) is short, often
disjointed vignettes which require the readers to make the connections
between scenes, to determine the flow of the story. I'll admit that it took
me some time to get the hang of the style, but I've also discovered that it
produces some of the best character development that I've seen in comics.
The first rule of a visual art form is "Show, don't tell." -- a rule often
violated by writers with no confidence in their artists. We can often learn
more about the characters from a single illustration than we can from a page
of dialogue, and this "jumpy" style allows for more of these types of scenes.
Examples? A brief transitional scene shows a dressed John Irons at 7:30 AM,
drinking coffee in front of a large monitor screen, presumably watching or
reading the morning news. Another scene witnesses Dr. Sam Ellis playfully
juggling two vials which, we have just discovered, contain enough of a toxin
to kill everyone in the hospital. Natasha and a friend go swimming in the
polar bear exhibit while Superboy pets the animals. Each scene speaks
volumes about the characters' personalities.
Of course, we can't live without dialogue. Priest always delivers in his
dialogue, but there were two particular scenes in this issue which stood
out. Each scene deals with Steel talking to a "Boris" about Natasha, but
the scenes are played with completely different moods. When speaking with
Paul about his being HIV positive, John is cautious, almost apologetic.
It's clear he's just looking out for the safety of his niece, but he learns
that Paul may be a lot more mature than John was giving him credit for. In
fact, I'd go so far as to say that Priest makes Paul out to know more about
women than does John. Priest takes a completely different route in Steel's
conversation with Superboy, however, presenting a variation of the
"gun-cleaning father" routine. Steel simply intimidates Superboy into a
typical teenager, fumbling for the right words and seldom finding them.
Priest handles Superboy very well here. He's got a typical teenage attitude,
and he's reacting to his break-up with Tana much as a teenager would --
blaming the split on her not recognizing his "duty" as a hero, rather than
realizing that he wasn't up to the maturity level that she needed. In
addition to the stumbling conversational skills he displays around Steel,
he's also fairly quick to defer to Steel's command, though not before firmly
voicing his opinion. I've mentioned it before: Priest has a good handle on
teenagers.
While I wouldn't go so far as to say that Cowan and Palmer's art DEtracts
from the story, I will say that it DIStracts from the story. It's not a
quality problem though; the characters are well-proportioned, and their
likenesses distinctive. Furthermore, Cowan has a good nose for layout and
for dynamic action shots. The style, however, tends to be scratchy and
sometimes angular -- in some ways, quite similar to the Bogdanove/Janke art
in _Man of Steel_. This could be due to the inking, but since I've never
seen Cowan with another inker, it's hard to say. Cowan will be finished by
Sal Buscema next month, so I'll have more of a comparison by then.
In the end, Priest and company have produced yet another quality issue
of _Steel_, and they've been doing so for at least the past six months.
Despite this, the sales continue to fall. We often complain about how so
much garbage continues to be published while quality books are canceled
because they don't "fit the mold." If the numbers don't rise in the next
year, it's gonna happen again.
Give _Steel_ a chance -- it's worth it!
Jeff Sykes
<sykes@ms.uky.edu>
===================================================
SUPERBOY #47 Jan 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Idol Worship, Part 2"
Writer: Ron Marz
Pencils: Georges Jeanty
Inks: Doug Hazlewood
Letters: Starkings and Comicraft/AD
Colors: Buzz Setzer
Assistant: Maureen McTigue
Sweating from
the Heat: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Tom Grummett and Doug Hazlewood
RATINGS
Average: 2.5/5.0 Shields
RG: (No Rating Submitted)
AHu: 2.0 Shields - Bummer. They spoilt the second part of this story. It
seemed to rush by, what with the battles etc.
ES: 2.3 Shields - Ho-hum. Two heroes get together, beat the snot out of a
misunderstood deity, SB learns how to draw pretty damn fast, and
whines about Tana. There, I've just saved you $1.95 ($2.75 CDN).
Only three more months until Kesel and Grummett return...
GN: 2.2 Shields - Characterization was non-existent in this chapter compared
to GL 94. Pele is just another in the series of stock Hawaiian
villains we've seen enough of in this title. Jeanty just doesn't
have a handle on this title artwise. A real drop from Part 1.
JO: 3.7 Shields - Another nice team up well-written and well drawn. The
writers did some things with both "Pele" and Silver Sword that could
make for great stories in the future.
ST: 2.8 Shields - Sigh. Several months of build-up lead to nothing more than
another dime-store villain pretending to be a Hawaiian god. Nice to
see Silver Sword redeem himself though; he is one of the best and
most interesting of the regulars.
This story is continued from _Green Lantern_ #94 (reviewed elsewhere in this
issue of the Kryptonian Cybernet). If _Green Lantern_ is not a title that you
normally pick up, I suggest you make an exception in this case. While that
issue is not quite essential to the plot, you will be missing some solid
storytelling and good characterization if you skip it.
After being thrown into an active volcano as a sacrifice to the returned
Hawaiian goddess Pele, Superboy and Green Lantern manage to save themselves
by using a bit of solid teamwork. Meanwhile, Silver Sword and Pele have gone
to Hilo to find worshippers. When Superboy and Green Lantern show up to stop
them, Pele nearly destroys the city, showing Silver Sword that she is a fake.
He turns on her, and manages to distract her long enough for Superboy to step
in and take her down. She jumps into the lava instead of letting herself be
taken into custody. The end?
Yet another book in the continuing upward trend this title has taken over
the last few months. Now that the creative team on this book has settled in,
I hope we can come to expect this quality of work in the future. If you
dropped this book while it was having its problems you might want to give
it another try.
In my opinion, Ron Marz is the best writer of young heroes on the market
today. He seems to have a feel for most of the emotions and problems that
they would face, and tries hard to portray them in a way that makes them a
bit more real. Since he is the regular writer on both titles (_Superboy_ and
_Green Lantern_) it made it possible for him to write a completely seamless
story that ran between both books. As fans, we seldom get this quality of
story in a cross-over because different writers have different styles and
will often will mis-use a character. Marz didn't have this problem. My one
complaint with this book was that the fight scene took up too much of the
story. As the only real fight in a two issue story it wasn't bad; I just
wish it had been shorter.
While I enjoyed the work that Buscema was doing, the new team of Jeanty and
Hazlewood is as good as any that I have seen. My only <minor> complaint is
that I think that the panels could use more background and detail. Where the
backgrounds are used, they make a real difference. A good example would be
the title page where Superboy and Green Lantern escape from the lava in the
Kilauea Caldera (a currently active volcano in Hawaii).
Overall, solid storytelling and good art really made this book work.
Rene Gobeyn
<bedlam@frontiernet.net>
______________________________________________
SUPER-FAMILY TITLES (cont):
--------------------------
SUPERBOY AND THE RAVERS #17 Jan 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"No Weddings and a Funeral"
Writers: Steve Mattsson and Karl Kesel
Penciller: Josh Hood
Inker: Dan Davis
Computer Colorist: Stu Chaifetz
Letterer: Kevin Cunningham
Assistant Editor: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis
RATINGS
Average: 2.0/5.0 Shields
JSy: 2.0 Shields
DJ: 2.6 Shields - They are definitely hurrying this story up! It's too bad,
as it had a lot of potential at the beginning. Not a bad story, but
not of the quality we saw earlier.
DWd: 1.0 Shields - Please please please! roll on 19 so we can see how this
abysmal storyline/comic will wrap up!
ST: 2.5 Shields (Art: 1.0, Story: 3.1) - Except for the two-page throwaway
with Aura, this was actually a pretty decent story. The Qwardians
were well-portrayed (loved the scientist!) and everyone stayed in
character. If only Josh Hood's art wasn't so... so... bad!
Instead of the standard synopsis/commentary breakdown, let's go at this from
a point by point approach. Follow with me, if you will, and let's see what
works and what doesn't work in this month's installment of SUPERBOY AND THE
RAVERS...
First, Kindred Grim has captured Kindred Sol on Qward. Not only does he plan
to use her as bait for his brother, Kindred Marx, but he also begins to leech
her powers -- and plans a similar fate for Marx. The Qwardians revel in his
evil, for he will give them supreme reign over the universe...
Having been a Green Lantern fan for some time, I've long enjoyed seeing
the Qwardians involved in DCU stories. Their anti-nature is a fun
concept to play with -- just think about it: the primary enemy of the
state is a size-changer who wants to be a good guy!
I wish that Mattsson and Kesel had more time to explain the powers of
the Kindred, because it seems to be growing. Of course, Grim will be
quite displeased to find that Marx no longer has his powers, and I can
almost guarantee that Marx's Mother Box will play a role in the
resolution of this tale.
Why would Grim want to merge the matter and anti-matter universes, and
then turn over control to the Qwardians? Methinks there's more here
than meets the eye.
Superboy reveals to Marx that he's seen Sol, and Marx goes a bit ballistic,
demanding Superboy reveal her location.
Problem 1: I absolutely *hate* it when current pop slang makes its way
into a comic book -- it kind of ruins any chance the comic might have of
being timeless. So I really don't care for the Kid commenting that Sol
is "da bomb in purple leotards."
Problem 2: Marx does not lose control. For 16 issues, Kesel and
Mattsson have made a point of showing how Marx doesn't let his emotions
overpower him, yet here he turns into a snarling monster, baring his
fangs. (Maybe it's the art, but I doubt it.)
DC whines to her Granny Iris about not knowing what Hero's relationship is
with Leander, but Granny tells her to stand by her friends -- and that her
actions will decide who lives or dies.
DC's reaction to Hero and Leander is reasonable, especially given her
age, though Kesel and Mattsson should have told us this last issue when
she left the Rave because of her discomfort. More on this shortly...
Hero and Half-Life can't find Kaliber, and then realize he probably went
back to Qward to die a warrior's death. Superboy and Marx pop in, but Marx
doesn't want to take time to go to Qward. However, Rex then shows up, and
Marx determines that Sol is on Qward.
More on the Kindred powers again. Marx is relying on Mother Box to
teleport him, and to tell him what to do next, but he can somehow tell
by just touching Rex that Sol is on Qward. Mother Box should have been
the one to reveal this. Oh, and just to start the art bashing, Rex
looks more like a cat than a dog in this scene.
On Qward, Kaliber has consulted the Science Lord about his blindness, but
nothing can be done. When the Qwardian cops burst in and kill the Science
Lord, Kaliber decides that it's a good day to die. Marx and the Ravers
arrive on Qward just as Kal increases his size to that of a building. Marx
and Rex go in search of Sol, while SB, Half-Life, and Hero remain to join
the fray.
Interesting scene here, and one that exhibits (again) how different
Qward is. The Science Lord can see "the birth of the universe and the
face of God" in Kaliber's eyes, and decides they must be studied. Just
before he is killed, he decides to harvest Kaliber's eyes *before*
sending young Kal to his death. (Kind of interesting that the only
Qwardian who "worships" Superman is nicknamed Kal.)
Aura's two pages are next. Lindsay/Aura discovers that her father killed
her mother because she was "a filthy genetic freak! A metahuman that didn't
deserve to live!" Aura warms up her powers for the verdict...
Puh-lease. Exchange the word metahuman for mutant, and this exact scene
has happened a hundred times in the X-books. I hope that Mattsson and
Kesel went this direction only because the title was cut short. I'd hate
to believe that this was their original plan...
Back on Qward, everyone's fighting. Hero gets nailed while trying to use the
H-Dial, and Sparx suddenly swoops in to rescue him. (The Qwardians don't take
"the Qwa-Angel's appearance" as a good sign.) Having saved the life of her
friend, Sparx is about to leave when Hero points out that Granny Iris might
not have meant him.
*BIG* Problem: Marx didn't blip the entire Rave to Qward. He just used
Mother Box to transport himself, Rex, and the three guys. Sparx's
hand-stamp should only be able to transport her between Earth and the
Rave, so how did she end up on Qward? Either Mattsson and Kesel forgot
the rules, or Hood drew the transport scene wrong.
Sparx explains to Hero that she didn't really believe him about being
gay until she saw him with Leander. If you'll recall, I asked for help
understanding why seeing the two guys arm-wrestling would make Sparx
get uncomfortable and bolt. Our reviews editor extraordinaire, Shane
Travis, suggested that Leander might be a possible love interest for
Hero. Whether it's true or not, I think I can understand how Sparx
could come to that conclusion. However, Kesel and Mattsson should have
explained her uneasiness last issue -- I never would have guessed this
on my own, simply because I don't perceive arm-wrestling as a tip-off
that two guys are forming a relationship. Again, had the title not
been canceled prematurely, perhaps the writers would have been able
to better illustrate this progression over several issues.
Marx and Rex find Sol, but it's not really her -- it's a trap, and Marx is
surrounded by the Red Shift. Meanwhile, when Sparx starts attacking the
Qwardians, they decide they'd rather not fight a Qwa-Angel, and so they begin
a retreat. Half-Life has damaged one of the attacking vessels, however, and
it crashes into the building on which he was standing, resulting in a massive
explosion...
Nice use of Sparx's appearance to scare off the Qwardians. Someone
ought to take this to the JLA so they'll know what to do next time the
Qwardians invade....
Sure, Half-Life appears to have just been blown up. But what could you
really do to a guy who's already dead? So maybe he'll just be all green
stuff by now. Of course, given how often people survive these kinds of
things in comics, it might be refreshing to have him actually pass on.
There were more good things happening in this issue than in the last, but
there were still a lot of problems. As mentioned above, many of them can
probably be attributed to the early demise of the book, but some of them just
seemed downright careless. The art is just as bad as ever. Maybe not
Bernado-bad, but certainly not easy to look at. It's another classic case of
distracting art. I mean, if you can't even make a dog look like a dog...
To end on a positive note, though, Stu Chaifetz' colors continue to impress
me. In fact, I'd go so far as to say this was the best colored book from the
Superman group this month.
All in all, a better issue than last month, but still a few problems to
work out.
Jeff Sykes
<sykes@ms.uky.edu>
===================================================
SUPERGIRL #17 Jan 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Teetering on Oblivion"
Writer: Peter David
Pencils: Leonard Kirk
Inks: Cam Smith
Letters: Pat Prentice
Colors: Gene D'Angelo
Seps: Digital Chameleon
Assists: Maureen McTigue
Brakes for Big Guys
With Fins on Their Heads: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Gary Frank, Cam Smith, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.4/5.0 Shields
TD: 3.8 Shields
DWd: 3.0 Shields - Hmmmm... burning wing thingies... how's she going to
hide these when she's Linda? Not a bad issue though.
ES: 3.5 Shields - This reminds one of the awesome Despero stint in the
previous incarnation of the Justice League; thank goodness L-Ron
isn't wacky, I feel that David is pacing this book much better than
in _Aquaman_, because I actually care about all the plot threads
here. Leonard Kirk is doing a fine job as penciller.
GN: 3.3 Shields - The return of Despero as a villain is a welcome
(permanent?) sight. The scenes with both sets of parents sets this
issue apart. David is realistically dealing with how the Danverses
would react to their daughter's transformation, as well as Linda's
own conflict. Can't wait to see what's up with the wings.
JSy: 4.0 Shields - On the whole, this issue was nothing particularly special,
but there were too many interesting moments *not* to like it. So is
anyone else wondering where Mr. David's going with this angel motif,
and how Wally ("Hi. I'm God") plays into it all?
LF: 3.0 Shields - Peter David's offbeat writing style continues to mesh
nicely with Kirk's portrayal of Supergirl, but I find that this book
seemed to drag on, overall. Subplots take too many issues to resolve
themselves and I find myself becoming uninterested.
VV: 3.0 Shields - Not quite as good as some of the previous issues. What do
do you say to someone who introduces themselves with, "Hi, I'm God."?
I don't know why Peter David keeps on raiding the Justice League's rogues
gallery, but it's doing okay by him.
This issue begins with Sylvia, drunk and depressed, heading home from the
local bar. She's listening to Buddy Holly on the radio when she runs into
Despero, the psychotic galactic dictator whose body was taken over by L-Ron
during the Keith Giffen-era JLA. Despero literally tosses the car aside....
Except that, when Fred Danvers discovers the wreck, it's Despero that helps
get her out of the car. It seems that the alien is suffering from a severe
disassociative multiple personality disorder. He is struggling to keep his
destructive side submerged--only he keeps losing.
While this is going on, Linda seems to be shuttling back and forth between
hospital rooms, visiting first Dick's mother (injured in the Extremist
free-for-all), and then Sylvia. She has a tense confrontation with Fred that
is thankfully broken up by Despero's appearance and the shocking development
of some new...manifestations of her powers. Meanwhile, the Kents drop by,
presumably to talk to the Danverses, we learn a bit more about the creepy
little kid who thinks he's God, and Andy seems to be coming closer to making
a pass at Linda. (Does anybody *not* see this coming? Does anybody care
about what is sure to be described as Andy's *shocking* secret?)
The idea of tossing the Maid of Might together with a character like Despero
--someone else who is afflicted with two personas--is inspired, and it makes
for some of David's best, most subtle writing in a long, long while. David
has the personalities of both L-Ron and Despero down cold, and exploits their
disparateness for great effect. Contrasting it with Linda's predicament,
where her parents are unable to deal with the fact that their daughter is not
their daughter--but somehow better--works pretty damn well.
David also deserves kudos for his characterization of the Kents as people
with life and spirit (not to mention a sense of humor), and for handling the
confrontation between Linda and Fred so well. David knows that Fred's signals
are seriously crossed; when he moans about wanting things back the way they
used to be, Linda points out that the way it used to be was terrible. I only
wish David had allowed the scene to play out naturally, rather than giving it
a standard "Ooops, trouble, gotta go" ending. Less successful was the scene
with Malverne, his mom and Luthor's former wife, Elizabeth Perske--I kept
wondering why Linda had to be there, as it really did nothing to move things
forward.
As for the art, Kirk is firmly back on track, with a compositional sense that
crackles with energy. Hell, the first three pages are an excellent example
of storytelling and mood. Pretty much whenever Despero is on stage, Kirk
knows what he's doing (my fave is the wordless scene on page 7, proving that
even asleep Despero is a formidable foe), making it obvious through facial
expressions which personality is in charge. There is so much character stuff
in this issue, that it just allows the man to shine all the more. Cam Smith's
inks are beginning to mesh well with Kirk, enhancing his power without
overpowering them.
I loved this issue--so much so that I didn't even mind the reference to
'Comet' on page 8. The only thing that prevented it from getting a score in
the 4's is the lame Andy Jones subplot and the even lamer reintroduction
of Elizabeth. Other than that, this is top flight, and hopefully the start
of a good strong run of stories.
Thomas Deja
<manciniman@rocketmail.com>
______________________________________________
OTHER SUPERMAN TITLES:
---------------------
JLA #14 Jan 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Twilight of the Gods"
Writer: Grant Morrison
Penciller: Howard Porter
Inker: John Dell
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Colorist: Pat Garrahy
Assistant Ed.: L.A. Williams
Associate Ed.: Peter Tomasi
Editor: Dan Raspler
Cover: Howard Porter and John Dell
RATINGS
Average: 3.7/5.0 Shields
AW: 3.7 Shields
DWd: 4.0 Shields - I'm really enjoying the JLA and what is happening, but
Porter tries to jam too much into panels resulting in a very cramped
and seemingly hurried issue. Still, Grant is a legend!
ES: 4.5 Shields - Once again, the JLA doesn't disappoint!! This storyline
takes you right back to the classic confrontations the Justice League
had 20 years ago, and makes it an epic not to be missed. Alternate
timelines with bite never do me wrong!
JSy: 3.4 Shields - *Strong* characterizations of the desperate Leaguers, but
Darkseid just felt wrong. He'd *know* if something had happened to
Desaad, and I doubt he could have his brain fried so easily.
LF: 4.2 Shields - Strong art and Morrison's bang-on portrayals make this
issue a must-have, but like others in the series, it seems a tad
rushed. Hopefully when "Rock of Ages" is over, readers will be able
to just watch everyone interact with each other for a bit.
MS: 3.0 Shields - Yeah, it was a swell story. Only one page of Superman,
but still...
TD: 3.2 Shields - Eh... it just seemed to be treading water before the big
blow-out next month.
In the penultimate chapter of the "Rock of Ages" saga, Morrison mines an old
science fiction tradition, the "future that could be if we don't go back and
change the past." It's a well-proven formula that lets writers do just about
anything they want and imagine any scenario. The problem is that Morrison,
Porter and Dell did it so well last issue that there's little else to do
except kill off the future versions of our heroes and send the 1997-era
heroes back home. It's not that they don't do it well, it's just that the
most interesting visions of this future were presented last month. With all
the rest of the story crammed in the previous four issues, I can't help
questioning if this was really the place to pause for a full-length story.
As we left the JLAers--Aquaman, Green Lantern, and the Flash--last issue,
they were still stuck fifteen years in the future, on an Earth where the
destruction of the Philosopher's Stone by Lex Luthor in 1997 has somehow
cleared the way for Darkseid to take over the Earth. Future Batman had
defeated Desaad, and devised a plan to confront Darkseid while at the same
time using Metron's Moebius chair to send the JLAers back to 1997.
Phase 1 of the plan is carried out by Azteka and Argent, who attack
Darkseid's Anti-Life, "zombie" factory on the Moon. Porter and Dell present
their most powerful vision as they portray the victims of Anti-life equations
emerging from the factory, minds wiped clean, with hand-shaped masks covering
their eyes and mouths. Azteka and Argent must dash across an open courtyard,
but Argent is felled by Swarmtrooper firepower.
Phase 2 of the plan has Amazo, Green Arrow and the Atom carrying out a
diversionary attack over Metropolis. The Atom and Green Arrow dodge the
volley of weapon blasts, but "mind-eating codes" scramble Amazo's circuitry.
In Phase 3, Aquaman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash and Green Lantern launch a
frontal attack on Darkseid, arriving via Boom Tube. While Wonder Woman holds
off Darkseid, Batman tricks Metron into becoming human and uses a powerful
hypnotic agent to force him to send the JLAers back in time.
WW dies taking out the Grandmother Box (Granny Goodness merged with Mother
Box), and Batman faces down Darkseid. In a fine exchange of dialogue,
Darkseid asks, "Do I know you?" Batman answers, "We've shared a few laughs.
Everything you know. Everything you own: I'm taking it all." Azteka then
releases the power of her "fourth dimensional battery" and blows up the
moonbase (and herself), freeing the zombies from Darkseid's control. Darkseid
thoughtfully dispatches Batman. ("How small you are, yet...you have hurt me.
I respect that.") All these delays allow Connor Hawke and Ray Palmer to
arrive on the scene. Using his brain for the first time since Zero Hour, The
Atom realizes that Darkseid's forcefield is transparent, and therefore must
allow light to pass through. Shrinking down to quantum size, and propelled by
one of GA's arrows, he bypasses the field and enters Darkseid's brain through
his eye where he performs a lobotomy on the dark god, dying in the process.
Now the only survivors are Green Arrow, Orion of the New Gods, and the Black
Racer--the New God embodiment of death, who has been observing the entire
struggle. The Black Racer watches as Orion employs a Genesis Box to help him
destroy the entire universe, intending that it will then be re-created without
the taint of Darkseid.
I liked the addition of the Black Racer--Morrison makes the struggle more
than just a killfest by having each of the heroes, as they realize their
deaths are imminent, acknowledge the Racer in their own way. Since Darkseid
only conquered New Genesis and Earth, though, wasn't wiping out the whole
universe just a little extreme?
Suddenly we're back to the present and--hey! The fight's over and the
Injustice Gang lost! What happened? The last thing we see is Superman
holding the Philosopher stone, Luthor trying to manipulate it, and Superman
destroying it. Shhhzzaak! Uh-oh.
So why did Morrison stop to tell a two-issue tale of the future and still
fail to spell out how Darkseid and the Philosopher's Stone are connected?
And what about Wonderworld? Are we going to see how the struggle against the
Injustice Gang proceeded before that last scene? Next issue is going to be
double-size--will that be enough space to tie up all the loose ends? And will
I be able to do more than just drop Superman's name at the end of the review
to justify its existence in the Kryptonian Cybernet?
Tune in next month when we answer the musical question, "after you destroy
the universe, whaddaya do for an encore?"
Anatole Wilson
<awilson@oracle.us.com>
______________________________________________
OTHER SUPERMAN TITLES (cont):
----------------------------
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #15 Jan 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Maximum Effort"
Writer: Mark Evanier
Penciller: Rick Burchett
Inker: Terry Austin
Colorist: Rick Taylor
Letterer: Lois Buhalis
Assistant: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Rick Burchett, Terry Austin, and Marie Severin
RATINGS
Average: 3.0/5.0 Shields
CoS: 3.5 Shields
ES: 3.0 Shields - I don't know how many more 'kooky' issues I can take from
this book. Considering some of the awesome storytelling Scott McLeod
did before, this book is starting to want for more. Why does it have
to be treated like a kiddie book all of a sudden?
GN: 2.7 Shields - Another lighthearted romp in the S:TAS universe, this
time focusing on Bibbo. Though showing the story from a supporting
character's perspective often reveals much about Superman (as shown
in the regular titles), given that this is a largely unexplored
Superman, hopefully stories won't fall into the trap of not using
Superman as a regular focus.
JSy: 3.0 Shields - The "Do Superman's powers make him less of a hero?"
question is interesting, and how can you not enjoy a Bibbo story?
Luthor, however, would never be as obvious and uncareful as he is
in this story.
ST: 2.9 Shields - Some nice bits and visual gags but overall it didn't gel.
This Bibbo is too much of a buffoon and braggart compared to his
comic-book counterpart, but at least they both share a heart of gold.
The insurance scam is not a scheme worthy of Luthor, though, and he
was far too careless in executing it.
Capsule Review - A look at the Animated Universe's version of Bibbo and how
he and his Fav'rit superhero, Superman, teamed up and fought one of Luthor's
schemes. An entertaining, if lightweight, issue that would have worked well
as either a comic or a TV episode.
One of the things I like about _Superman Adventures_ is that we get nothing
but straight-ahead story. It wasn't until this issue that I realized how
much baggage the character of Bibbo has attached to him in the regular
Superman line. There, he's a ex-prizefighting bar-owner who is friends with
Jimmy Olson, and has a back-story involving a lottery windfall, the Death of
Superman story, and so much more. Here, he's just a regular guy who wants to
live up to Superman's ideals, but doesn't seem to have either the skills or
the abilities.
The story starts with Bibbo telling his friends at the local bar how he
and Superman foiled a bank robbery. Together they beat up the bad guys and
Bibbo is able to say that he's not only Superman's pal, but an equal partner.
Unfortunately for Bibbo, another bar patron was there and tells everyone that
Bibbo was more of a blunderer who got in Superman's way. All Bibbo really did
was knock the mask off one of the thieves, revealing his scarred face.
As the laughter of the crowd drives Bibbo away, Clark Kent is looking into
the strange bank robbery. Despite having high tech weapons and a viable plan,
the crooks didn't take anything. They accidentally destroyed twenty million
dollars in negotiable securities owned by Lex Luthor, which were heavily
insured. Luthor, as we see, looks fairly pleased at their destruction, and
figures that if it works once, it will work again.
As Clark Kent tracks down information on Luthor's shady insurance dealings,
Bibbo encounters the man with the scar and decides to follow him. Once at
their hideout -- a farmhouse outside the city -- the crooks take off in a
tank back toward Metropolis. Bibbo grabs the tank and rides with them to the
Luthor Metropolitan museum, where the armored crooks start destroying
everything in sight. Bibbo tries to help by grabbing a bomb they've placed,
but by doing so triggers an instant detonator. Looks like a job for Superman;
he grabs the bomb and flies it out of the museum, saving everyone inside, but
the explosion knocks him silly and allows the crooks to get away. Bibbo walks
away, dejected that he's screwed up again.
Upon investigation, firemen reveal that the paintings aren't damaged, but
it looks as if they had been disintegrated with no trace remaining. After
hearing the words of a Salvation Army volunteer ("You do what you can in this
world."), Bibbo seeks out Clark Kent and reveals the location of the crooks'
hideout. Despite warnings from Clark to stay away, Bibbo bikes out there to
try and stop them, but is nearly run over by the crooks as they make another
run. Someone recognizes Bibbo, and they decide that he shouldn't be around to
mess up their plans anymore. As they fire, one of the crooks jumps in the way
of the bullets, revealing himself to be Superman, who makes short work of the
armored thugs, even allowing Bibbo to take out the leader. As Luthor prepares
another insurance scam, Superman knocks on his window, holding up one of the
thugs to let Luthor know that it is all over.
Bibbo tells his new story at the bar, and the same people begin to ridicule
him and his fantasies. As Bibbo leaves, however, Superman flies by. He waves
at Bibbo and calls out, "Thanks for all your help. Hope we can work together
again sometime." Bibbo departs to slack-jawed gaping by the patrons.
I had forgotten until this story that when Bibbo showed up in the
continuity Superman books he was a light supporting character, who bore no
slight resemblance to Popeye. In this issue, he's a squinty eyed sailor
who is comic relief with a twist. The story starts strong, and while
Luthor's scheme in interesting, it's almost all Bibbo. The character goes
through an arc (from laughing stock to hero), and we see Superman through
his eyes. Like a lot of _Superman Adventures_ stories, most of the best
parts are throw-aways: Clark Kent having trouble opening a jar, his
investigation being a long one with a lot of paperwork, and Luthor's calm
greed in working his plan.
Burchett and Austin are truly a great team on this book, and no one else
who has worked on it has been able to deliver the light, throw away jokes
and subtle characterization they work into each story. Evanier also does
a nice job. The story, while not inspired, was well-done and solid
entertainment. Now, if they could make Bibbo this interesting in the
other Superman titles....
Cory Strode
<Solitaire.Rose@worldnet.att.net>
______________________________________________
SPECIALS AND GUEST APPEARANCES:
------------------------------
SUPERMAN: SECRET FILES AND ORIGINS #1 Jan 1998 $4.95 US/$6.95 CAN
"Secret Origin: Who...is Superman?"
Writer & layouts: Dan Jurgens
Finishes: Jerry Ordway
Colors: Jason Wright
Letters: Albert DeGuzman
Separator: Digital Chameleon
"Guided Tour: Superman's Fortress"
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Penciller: Todd Nauck
Inker: Jose Marzan Jr.
"Lost Pages: Who watched Metropolis during Superman's Honeymoon?"
Writer: Karl Kesel
Pencils: Ron Frenz
Inks: Brett Breeding
Letters: Albert DeGuzman
Cover: Tom Grummett, Dennis Rodier, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.7/5.0 Shields
RG: (No Rating Submitted)
DJ: 3.6 Shields - Where was the Alpha Centurion in the Honeymoon pages?
EJ: 4.5 Shields - I could not put this one down! The story with the "college
friend" was a fresh twist on an oft-told tale. I loved how the news-
paper articles foreshadowed what may be coming in Superman's life.
ES: 3.0 Shields - Thanks for the spoilers, guys! Grrrrrrrrrrrrr..........!!!
GN: 4.2 Shields - Jurgens and Ordway deliver the best Superman story of
the month, exploring in print the oft-debated differences between
Superman and Batman, with good insights into both.
JSy: 4.3 Shields - Excellent origin story from Jurgens, and Jurgens/Ordway
make just about the best art team in comics today. Wish they'd work
together more often. *Man* did this book spill a bit too much about
the next couple of months, though.
LF: 3.0 Shields - I felt that I was once again being hit on the head about
the origins of Superman. Adding Batman was a nice touch but Clark's
origin has been done so many times that it has lost all appeal to me.
MS: 2.5 Shields - Everything I already knew about Superman! Great origin
story by Jurgens, followed by weak, yet informative backups.
Recommended for newer fans who don't want to buy all the back issues.
TD: 2.5 Shields - A very, *very* mixed bag. Jurgens' origin re-cap is miles
better than Stern's in S:MOT a while back (is this guy on a roll or
what?), but the rest of it was filler. I really didn't care for being
told, in great detail, the plot for the next story arc.
Superman is busy fighting tornadoes in the Midwest, while a mysterious
stranger looks into Clark Kent's past. The mystery seems to resolve itself
as Gordon Selkirk, Clark's college roommate shows up at the Kent farm
unexpectedly. But why is he putting together the real story of Superman's
origin anyway? The answer, while not unexpected from the clues dropped during
the story, reveal some interesting relationships between a couple of the DCU
favorite heroes.
As retellings of the Superman origin story goes, this one doesn't reveal any
surprises, but the details of the story are brought out in a different and
very interesting fashion. The art in the story is just short of fantastic,
and the coloring of the Superman figure hints strongly of the Red/Blue
stories to come.
This one was worth the price of the book by itself. From here the features
and shorts were just gravy.
Like all the other `Secret File and Origin' books that DC is producing now,
one of the features included single page introductions of all the major
characters in the Superman titles, and some of the minor ones. Each character
chosen had a short text profile, and a nearly full page pin-up.
Other features of the book, included a short reprint of some "Daily Planet"
stories outlining some of the most recent events in Metropolis, and a short
out-take from the "Daily Whisper" (a Metropolis scandal sheet that often
plays a minor role in the Superman stories). Each of these features go a
long way towards bringing a new reader up to speed on what is going on in
the `Super' titles.
Other interesting items in the book included a tour of the Fortress of
Solitude, and some story pages of what went on in Metropolis during the
honeymoon. The Loophole scene with Wonder Woman was a lot of fun.
While not on a must-read list, the book is highly recommended for new
readers and those who like a look `behind the scenes' into the heroes
lives. I thought it was well worth the price.
Rene Gobeyn
<bedlam@frontiernet.net>
===================================================
GREEN LANTERN #94 Jan 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Idol Worship; Part 1"
Writer: Ron Marz
Pencils: Paul Pelletier
Inks: Terry Austin
Colors: Jason Wright
Letters: Chris Eliopoulos
Associate: Dana Kurtin
Editor: Kevin Dooley
Cover: Tom Grummett, Terry Austin, and Schwager
RATINGS
Average: 3.0/5.0 Shields
RG: (No Rating Submitted)
EJ: 2.8 Shields - I like the new GL. I really like this new lady he's having
to deal with. That has possibilities.... I loved the part when he
started to write his real name as an autograph! And Superboy showed
respect for his feelings. Maybe the Kid is growing up?
ES: 2.5 Shields - Talk about a forced crossover. As a consistent GL reader,
I'd advise you not to rate this one as par for the course, but see it
as Ron Marz stretching an average story over two issues and killing
two birds with one stone.
GN: 3.0 Shields - It's nice to see Superboy shown as growing (at least
emotionally); that's really been lacking in his own book as of late.
GL relates well to The Kid, perhaps because both heroes are trying to
grow into others' shoes. I hope the art lesson isn't just dropped.
JSy: 3.2 Shields - Reasonably well-told, and nice artwork from Pelletier and
Austin. Funny that Superboy has a recurring villain in the Menehune,
though they've never appeared in the Kid's own book...
ST: 3.7 Shields - Good by-play between the two, and excellent insights into
Superboy's mental state, both currently and in general. Extra points
for the return of the Menehune, who could become very interesting
(and very unique) supporting characters for SB.
TD: 3.0 Shields - Some nice interplay between GL and Superboy, but this read
like an issue of DC COMICS PRESENTS.
While visiting Hawaii to gather material for an art assignment, Kyle Rayner
(Green Lantern) gets entangled with some of the local troubles. First he
teams up with Superboy to tangle with Kekona (a member of a mythological race
known as the Menehune, introduced in _Adventures of Superman_ #541). After
they defeat Kekona they are captured (too easily!) by Silver Sword and Pele,
the Hawaiian volcano goddess. They are both sacrificed to an active volcano.
The story is continued in _Superboy_ #47.
There should be more team-ups like this one. No long, boring fight scenes
between the two heroes before they team up. Instead, Superboy simply steps
in and works to help Green Lantern defeat a rather minor foe. Afterwards,
Green Lantern almost plays big brother to Superboy, talking about his latest
troubles and trying to teach him a little self control. If you're a regular
reader of the Green Lantern title, you know how strange a situation this is.
Both Kyle and Superboy stay completely in character, and the story works to
show both of them at their best. Of course it helps that Marz is the regular
writer of both books. I just hope that this is the start of some well-done
crossovers between the two characters. Both of them could use a good friend,
and their styles complement each other. The art in the book is nicely done--
very clean and with plenty of detail in the backgrounds and establishing
shots to keep things in perspective.
It's an unusual situation for Kyle to find himself in. When on his own, Kyle
seems to have a <small> inferiority complex around other heroes. This is more
apparent in his JLA appearances. It's a bit unusual for him to be cast in the
'close friend' role. While he seems to be becoming friendly with Wally West
(Flash) and Connor Hawke (Green Arrow), he doesn't seem to have many friends
that he can relax with.
The dichotomy of the two different approaches to the heroic lifestyle is
dramatic. This is shown in the autographing scene where Kyle almost uses his
real name instead of Green Lantern. Kyle is very uncomfortable dealing with
the spotlight, while Superboy basks in it. Superboy has no secret identity;
he came into being with the role, and really doesn't know any other way of
life. Kyle on the other hand had a 'civilian' life before he became a hero.
In some ways, his mundane life, and the complications with his career as a
hero make Kyle lot more interesting. For example, the by-play between Kyle
and his new agent, (the innuendo and double entendres are well done) show
just the beginning of a new professional challenge for Kyle in the coming
months.
Overall, a good book and one I recommend highly. If you aren't a regular
reader of the book, this might be a good time to start.
Rene Gobeyn
<bedlam@frontiernet.net>
______________________________________________
MANUSCRIPTS OF STEEL
------------------------------
Reviews of After-Byrne Superman Special Stories
by Denes House (househld@borg.com)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
ACTION COMICS ANNUAL #3
"Executive Action"
an Armageddon 2001 Annual
Written by Roger Stern
Pencils by Tom Grummett
Inks by Denis Rodier, Doug Hazlewood, Carlos Garzon, & Brad Vancata
Colored by Whitmore & Hollingsworth
Cover by Dave Gibbons
1991
Squarebound Format, $2.00 US/$2.50 CAN
Rating:
4.0/5.0 Shields
----------------------------------------------------------
"Lord Acton once wrote, 'Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts
absolutely,'" quotes a character in ACTION COMICS ANNUAL #3. What would happen
if Superman, a person with nigh-absolute physical power, acquires tremendous
political and social power as well?
That's the question explored by Roger Stern and Tom Grummett in this engaging
Annual, a strong part of DC Comics' 1991 Annuals cross-over, Armageddon 2001.
The story opens with Superman slugging it out with troops of parademons from
Apokolips, and with Kalibak, the son of Darkseid. During the fight, Superman
pulls his punches a bit, even though he knows who Kalibak is. Superman vows
not to underestimate Kalibak's threat again. A boom tube provides escape for
the parademons and Kalibak, and a late-arriving Metron reveals that he drew
Superman there subconsciously by planting thoughts in his head. Superman hates
being manipulated...
Enter Waverider -- a being of pure energy who rides the streams of time to
prevent a fascistic super-powered dictator, Monarch, from coming to be.
Waverider is from Monarch's future, and knows that Monarch was once one of
Earth's greatest heroes. The story of Armageddon 2001 shows Waverider merging
with the lives of the DC Universe's heroes, to see if they turn out to be
Monarch.
Waverider had already merged once with Superman's timeline (In SUPERMAN ANNUAL
#3 -- See last month's Kryptonian Cybernet for my already-classic review of
that book) and discovered tragedy -- Superman becoming a Tyrant of Steel who
ends up being killed by the Batman. But in BATMAN ANNUAL #15, Waverider
experienced none of that future. In ACTION ANNUAL #3, Waverider decides to
examine Superman once more.
Merging with a happy Clark Kent, Waverider experiences Clark's love for Lois
Lane, his fiancee. Returning from a lovely night on the town, Clark receives
an answering machine message from Ma Kent -- his Pa has had a heart attack. Pa
dies, leaving Clark, Ma and Lois in grief. We see Lois and Clark's wedding --
different from the one portrayed in SUPERMAN ANNUAL #3, most notably in the
absence of Pa.
Meanwhile, Bruno Mannheim's Intergang scheme to blackmail Metropolis with a
nuclear device is foiled by Superman. In SUPERMAN ANNUAL #3, this nuclear
device detonated, killing Lois and everyone in Metropolis. That was the event
that triggered Superman's change into a tyrant. But Superman somehow
unconsciously "remembered" that future, and worked double-hard to prevent it.
As Waverider comments, "Clearly this will be a VERY DIFFERENT future!"
The differences get interesting as Clark's old Smallville pal, Senator Pete
Ross, decides to run for President. He asks Clark to run his campaign. Things
look good until a man steps out of a crowd at one of Ross' speeches and fires
an automatic weapon at the candidate! Clark dashes in, too late to stop the
first bullets from striking Pete, but the final few shred away his suit,
revealing his Superman garb underneath. Ross is seriously wounded, and Clark's
greatest secret is revealed.
In the hospital, a stunned Ross asks Clark to pick up where he had left off --
to step in and runfor President in Pete's place. After careful consideration,
Superman agrees. Legal challenges and political nuances aside, Superman's
candidacy sweeps the elections, and the Last Kryptonian becomes President of
the United States!
Dealing with Lex Luthor, Jr., the national debt, terrorism, the environment,
natural resources, and disarmament, Superman becomes a world leader on an
unprecedented scale. It is only when he calls together the world's
super-heroes to help with disarmament inspection and verification that a
serious challenger steps forward -- Guy Gardner, Green Lantern of Earth.
Angered at Superman's disarmament plan, Gardner attacks the President, who
through sheer force of will captures Gardner's power ring.
Thus armed with the most powerful weapon in the universe, possessing
remarkable physical strength, and tremendous political power, would Superman
go over the edge to impose his will on the world?
Roger Stern weaves a gripping story in the finest tradition of "What if..."
tales. Handling many of the problems inherent to the story well, he creates a
great deal of suspense, and manages to hook the reader. This is no mean feat,
considering the inherent difficulties of stories like this. Since there were a
bunch of Annuals still to go that summer, the reader knew from the start that
Superman would not turn out to be Monarch. Since major changes in the lives of
supporting characters would happen in the regular books, the reader knew from
the start that Pa's death and other events in the story would not be left to
stand. Still, Roger Stern pulls it all together with style and class, weaving
an excellent story around a compelling premise.
Tom Grummett, judging from Kryptonian Cybernet reader response, is one of the
fan-favorite Superman artists, and it is not hard to see why. His rounded,
massive style is very pleasing to the eye, though lacking in formal technical
merits. Simply put, his artwork is pleasant, but not strictly GOOD art. His
knowledge of anatomy is minimal, his facial expressions and use of shadows
clumsy. What he has in spades though, is design sense. The man can design
shots and pages like nobody's business. He tells a story well. Some of my
favorite shots are times when Waverider, living Superman's future through him,
duplicates the actions of the Man of Steel off-panel. The newspaper front page
revealing Superman's secret is powerful, as well. The multitude of inkers
working over him in this book don't hinder it as much as was the case in
SUPERMAN ANNUAL #3, and the coloring is first-rate. A fine Dave Gibbons cover
completes a solid artistic package.
Capsule review:
A great story, with a fantastic premise and solid execution. Artistically
good, with Grummett's keen sense of design overcoming his lack of technical
knowledge. A solid entry in a generally good series of Annuals.
Story: Who hasn't wondered what it would be like to have Superman for
President of the U.S.? Stern does it well. 4.5 Shields out of 5.
Art: Fan-favorite Grummett does not disappoint. 3.5 Shields out of 5.
Overall: 4.0 Shields out of 5.
Next Month: I actually liked the S:TAS episode "Warrior Queen." Well, what if
Maxima got her man?
______________________________________________
THE PHANTOM ZONE: Reviews of the pre-Crisis Man of Steel
------------------------------------------------------------------
TALES OF EARTH-ONE
--------------------------------------
by Bob Hughes (rhughes3@ix.netcom.com)
Together Again for the First Time, or
How Clark Kent Met Lois Lane
Once the powers that be at DC comics had decided that Superboy (a feature that
was almost necessary due to the need to protect their trademark) would be
about the adventures of Superman as a boy, time paradoxes set in. The
original Superman stories had never presumed a boyhood Super role, or left
room for one. Superman first appeared in _Action_ #1. No one had ever seen
him before. For there to be a Superboy, the writers had to ignore established
history. The earlier stories were retroactively declared inaccurate.
Once that pill had been swallowed by the readership, it became harder for
writers stuck for plots (and editors stuck for cover sales gimmicks) to resist
going back to the same well, in some cases over and over again. If Clark was
a super-hero as a boy, then when did he first meet Lois Lane? It was
inevitable that such a story be written. Given the nature of comic marketing
in those days, it was inevitable that it be written many, many times.
Thus it was that the May 1948 issue of _Adventure Comics_ (#128) cover
featured "How Clark Kent Met Lois Lane". Although the cover, featuring
Superboy flying Lois high above a burning house, is by Win Mortimer, the
inside art is by that bete noire of Golden Age comic fans: "Artist Unknown".
"Artist Unknown" appears to have drawn all the Superboy stories from mid-1947
through mid-1949, the period during which John Sikela left to work on Funnyman
with Siegel and Shuster. The fact that this artist's name has escaped us is
rendered doubly annoying because he was pretty good! Working firmly in the
Shuster/Sikela tradition, he still managed to produce his own exciting take on
the dynamic Superboy, producing aerial shots that were breathtaking and
serving up non-standard "camera" angles throughout that kept the art from
becoming stale and repetitive. DC workhorse Win Mortimer helped out by inking
this story, making sure that all characters stayed on model.
Mortimer had just come to the US from Canada at this time and needed full-time
employment to satisfy the immigration officials. Therefore he asked
permission to work out of the DC offices. Soon the editors were taking
advantage of his presence to draw (or redraw) the majority of the Superman and
Batman covers for the next five years. consequently Mortimer pencilled very
few stories at this time. His career at DC lasted for decades, however,
including a stint pencilling the _Legion of Super-Heroes_, and he even
pencilled some of the early John Byrne "new Superman" mini-series!
It was writer Bill Finger, however, who had to come up with a way for Clark
and Lois to meet while still in high school. And to figure out something for
them to do!
With almost the first line of text he hit upon the formula that all these
stories would follow for years to come: "Young Clark has to go through a
routine he will repeat as a man!" As the story opens, a letter arrives for
small town boy Clark Kent from the Daily Planet in the nearby city of
Metropolis. He has been chosen one of the two winners of an annual contest to
honor the best high school reporters with a chance to work at the Daily Planet
for a week! The other winner? Lois Lane, of course.
Daily Planet editor, Mr. Morton soon introduces our two protagonists with
pretty much the same results as the previous "first" meeting in _Action_ #1.
"Golly ! She's so pretty!" thinks Clark. "Golly! He's so unexciting!" thinks
Lois.
Soon the decade-old game is afoot. Young Clark and Lois compete to see who can
get a byline story into the paper, but Clark is handicapped by having to
change to Superboy all the time. Lois gets the scoops, is awed by seeing
Superboy in Action, and totally unimpressed with Clark.
Lois, as usual, is plenty smart. She figures out who's using construction
equipment to pull robberies by putting clues together in the newspaper morgue.
She's also just as foolhardy, sneaking into the gang's hideout, getting
caught and rescued by Superboy just before being smashed with a wrecking ball.
Superboy is impressed with her courage and coolness under fire. "You've got
plenty of nerve! Any other girl would have fainted!"
Clark has less luck, finally having to buy Lois an ice cream sundae as payment
of their wager as to who would get the better scoop!
The story was successful enough that the editors followed it up with a Clark
meets Perry White story in _Adventure_ 152. Then they left it alone for
awhile. But in April 1955, secure in the knowledge that most of the people
who had read _Adventure_ 128 were no longer reading comics, the editors came
up with another "First" meeting between Clark and Lois. _Adventure_ 211
headlined "Superboy's Most Amazing Dream!"
The Win Mortimer cover pretty much sums up this entire story. As Superboy
sleeps at the bottom right hand corner, the rest of the cover features a dream
sequence in which an adult Lois Lane and Lana Lang both confront Superman,
telling him: "Greetings, Clark Kent, Lois and I both know your secret
identity, Superman!" The sleeping Superboy moans, "Oh, no! When I grow up,
I'm going to have Lois Lane as well as Lana Lang in my hair.!"
Inside, Otto Binder, Curt Swan and Stan Kaye produce one of those
stereotypical Superman stories of the Fifties. It begins with Lana Lang
trying to prove that Clark is Superboy. After foiling her latest annoying
scheme, he returns to Jonathan Kent's general store, where he finds his father
working on his will. Shocked, Clark wonders who he will have to confide in
when his parents are gone and wonders if he should finally break down and tell
Lana he's Superboy. Lying on the couch, he then dozes off and dreams of being
Superman. In this version, Clark gets a job at the Metropolis Museum working
in the archaeology department with Lana. Then he dreams Lois Lane is a Planet
reporter assigned to cover the arrival of Superman in Metropolis. Confronted
with a new snoop in his life, Clark finally tells Lana his secret identity,
thinking she can help him protect it from Lois. Lana is not very good at it
though and Lois finds out in one day! Fortunately, Clark wakes up from his
dream and resolves never to tell Lana -- or Lois either, if he ever meets her
again. He states that he had once met Lois Lane before at a convention of
school reporters thereby resolving the puzzle that Otto Binder had presented
to the readers at the beginning of the story. How can Clark dream about
someone he's never met?
As the difference between these two tales shows, the Superman franchise
suffered greatly in the mid-fifties. Lois, who had once been a fascinating
multi-faceted character admired by Superman is now a snoop, a pest, who is
constantly "in my hair". Whether this change is due to a deliberate aiming of
the stories at a younger readership, or to a change in American attitudes in
the decade following World War II is unclear. The result is a narrowing of
story possibilities however. The art also suffers as DC apparently was
working at eliminating anything representing excitement from their books
______________________________________________
SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES
---------------------------------------
Ratings Panelists:
CH: Curtis Herink MS: Mike Shields NO: Neil Ottenstein
DH: Denes House NB: Nathan Bredfeldt SD: Scott Devarney
The first rating given after the average is that of the reviewer. Given
airdates correspond to the date of first US airing as regularly scheduled
on the Kids' WB.
===========================================
Episode #24: "Solar Power"
-----------------------------------------------
Reviewed by Denes House (househld@borg.com)
September 26, 1997
Written by Robert Goodman
Directed by Kazuhide Tomonaga
Guest-starring Robert Hays as Edward Lytener/Luminus
RATINGS:
Average: 2.9/5.0 Shields
DH: 2.5 Shields
NB: 2.5 Shields - Though the idea with the satellites is clever, I think less
of this "villain" than I do the Toyman. How did this guy get a second
episode?
CH: 3.6 Shields - A wonderful premise spoiled by a weak finish. (Superman's
victory was essentially luck -- but still luck that he earned.)
NO: 3.0 Shields
This is a creative episode which suffers a lot from not knowing what it is
talking about.
The episode opens on a prison yard. A prisoner walks towards some guards who
are awaiting the arrival of a helicopter. The prisoner activates a Kirby-esque
box on his belt -- AND VANISHES! The guards scramble around looking for him,
but can't find him. He steals the helicopter and flies away, making it
disappear, as well. The prisoner is laser specialist Lytener, from the episode
"Target."
Later, it is an overcast day at the Daily Planet, where Clark Kent drops a
pencil under his desk. Glancing about to make sure no one is looking he lifts
up the desk with one hand and reaches under to retrieve his wayward writing
instrument. In the process, he wrenches his shoulder. In pain, he realizes he
is feeling quite weak...
He receives a call from Lois Lane, the lone passenger aboard a sky tram bound
for the prison. Rather than lying low like the police recommended, she is
tracking down leads on Lytener's escape. Of course, an invisible Lytener shows
up, and puts Lois in danger. But this time, his quarry is not Lois -- it's
Superman, and Lois is the bait. Superman saves Lois, in the process losing the
tram. He's even weaker now, and Lytener becomes visible. Now in a
Kirby-influenced costume, he's called Luminus, he declares that he is testing
Superman.
Later, Superman glances overhead, to see the clouds part to reveal a red sky
and sun! Using LexCorp satellites (Lytener used to work for Luthor) Luminus
has created a force field to block all wavelengths of the sun but red. As
Superman fans well know, beneath a red sun, Superman is as powerless as any
human.
It is a race to the finish, with a rapidly dwindling Superman facing off
against a hologram-wielding Luminus. Who will win? Guess -- or watch to find
out.
This episode has several great scenes. My favorite is when Lois confronts
Luthor by phone about whether or not he provided the satellites for Lytener
used to block Superman's power. Luthor is shooting arrows in a huge room. He
retorts, "Lois, would I jeopardize world markets just to settle some private
vendetta with Superman?" and fires an arrow -- BULL'S EYE!
Later, Lois and Jimmy go looking for a LexCorp satellite facility, and find an
empty lot. Lois glances skyward and exclaims -- "LOOK! Up in the SKY!" Jimmy
replies, "It's a bird." And it is. A bird sitting on an invisible building.
Classic lines, infused with contextual humor.
The episode builds genuine menace, with a de-powered Superman facing off
against a powerful villain.
Where it lacks is in some of the specifics. Holograms are cool, but they
require a sophisticated projection system. Lytener's holograms of himself
carry laser weapons. Superman scoffs at Lytener -- holograms can't hurt him!
Lytener responds "we might be only made of light, but so are lasers..." and
zaps the Man of Steel. Unfortunately, lasers require delicate and powerful
focusing lenses, chambers of special gasses, and a powerful energy source to
work. They are not just Light. In other words, a hologram, if one could
possibly be generated in thin air, could not fire a laser beam from a
holographic gun.
These may seem like nit-picks, but they really stuck out to me while I was
watching the episode. There are other questions, many of which plague Star
Trek's holodecks as well, like if a holographic scene is at floor level, how
can holographic water and sharks below your feet be possible? At least
Superman finds a wall in this "holodeck" -- a concession to reality.
Robert Hays' Lytener is effective, jovial but menacing, a good addition to
Superman's stable of villains, if you can get past the pseudo-science of his
abilities.
===========================================
Episode #27: "The Prometheon"
-----------------------------------------------------------
Reviewed by Curtis Herink (herink_cd@acadmn.mercer.edu)
September 12, 1997
Story by Alan Burnett and Stan Berkowitz
Written by Stan Berkowitz
Directed by Nobuo Tomizawa
Guest-starring Victor Brandt as Professor Hamilton
Charles Napier as General Hardcastle
Frank Welker as Creature
RATINGS:
Average: 3.3/5.0 Shields
CH: 3.6 Shields
NB: 2.3 Shields - Another "rampaging giant" episode, only without the
faux emotional involvement of Monkey Fun. Good job introducing
anti-Superman sentiment!
NO: 3.7 Shields - Lots of action, but needed some planning on how things
would work out.
MS: 3.8 Shields
Against a starry background, a space shuttle appears and we hear a gravely
voice describing a desperate situation: An asteroid is on its way toward
Earth, hours away from smashing into Metropolis. "Ten million lives will be
wiped out instantly -- and they'll be the fortunate ones." Onboard the
shuttle are the people assigned to stop this from happening: several enlisted
men, Professor Hamilton, and General Hardcastle (whose voice we have been
hearing). As the general puts it, "It's up to us to destroy it as we would
any other enemy -- utterly and completely." With his troops informed of their
mission, the general turns to Professor Hamilton and suggests that there was
never any need to involve Superman (or, as the general refers to him, "the
alien"). The professor clearly had expected Superman to join this mission,
indicating that he should have been onboard the shuttle for its liftoff. The
Man of Steel's absence is soon explained when a tapping outside the shuttle
draws our attention to Superman floating outside in his spacesuit getup. He
had been drawn away to handle an earthquake in Albania, but is now ready to
deal with the oncoming asteroid.
This turn of events quite pleases the professor, who then relegates the
military team to standby status. Superman picks up explosives from the
shuttle and distributes them to various strategic locations on the asteroid.
His work takes him around to the far side of the asteroid, out of our view,
where he discovers shackled there a gigantic, humanoid creature whose flesh
seems as rock-like as the asteroid to which it is bound. The professor's
investigations soon reveal that the creature is alive and that some kind of
transmission in a binary code is emanating from within the asteroid. Hamilton
wants to decipher the code and further study the creature, but Hardcastle
thinks they must go ahead and demolish the asteroid, even if it means
destroying the creature. To do otherwise would endanger millions of lives.
Superman suggests diverting the asteroid into Earth orbit to buy time.
Hamilton eagerly accepts this possibility over the general's grumbling
objections. As Superman gives his all to change the asteroid's path, the
creature comes into sunlight and starts to stir. That's too much for
Hardcastle, who detonates the charges without even a warning to Superman. The
asteroid breaks apart and a huge chunk heads straight for the shuttle, but
Superman moves in and knocks the chunk away with a mighty roundhouse. In the
meantime, the creature has been released and is now falling straight toward
Metropolis in the clutches of the Earth's gravity.
As it descends through the atmosphere, the creature begins to heat up, glowing
red. Superman wants to divert it to the ocean, but the reentry heat burns off
his suit and he can't keep up. Out on the ocean, the passengers on a cruise
ship interpret the fiery path the creature is cutting through the sky as a
shooting star. Then the creature plunges into the ocean, setting up a massive
tsunami that threatens the ship. Superman is there to save it. We next see
the creature walking along the ocean floor (somewhat like Metallo at the end
of "The Way of All Flesh"). The creature soon encounters a nuclear submarine
and, as it grasps the sub, seems to drain the energy from the sub's reactor.
Superman, who has been searching underwater for the creature, arrives and
manages to propel the sub out of the creature's reach. A radio call from
Professor Hamilton then sends Superman back to the lab -- they've cracked the
code. It turns out that the creature is a synthetic being crafted by aliens
to have immense strength, but little intelligence, to be used for heavy labor.
It was to be fueled by heat from the aliens' suns, but the creature was able
to siphon heat from any source at all, so it became a menace. Based on this
information, Hamilton has formulated a plan to stop the creature by using a
mixture of chemicals that will create an icy coldness -- like a cold pack in a
first-aid kit. But for this plan to work, the creature must be in water, and
the lab has just received word that the creature has come ashore.
We return from commercial to find the military firing everything it's got at
the creature, which is just making the creature stronger. The general refuses
to listen to reason and orders the attack to continue. The creature advances
and swipes a copter from the sky. It falls toward the general, but Superman
saves the day once again. This is enough to get Hardcastle to call off the
attack (but he still doesn't look convinced). The creature moves off toward
Metropolis, attracted by its lights, and comes to a factory smelting iron,
which it attacks to absorb its heat. Superman and Hamilton confer over the
radio, and Superman asks that they black out the city. This accomplished, he
uses a girder from the factory, glowing from a dose of his heat-vision, as a
torch to lure the creature into a man-made lake, the reservoir from a dam.
Instead, the moon catches the creature's eye, so Superman moves in close to
pull back its attention. Too close! The creature catches Superman in its
hand. Even though he is caught, he uses his heat-vision to ignite gas
canisters in a boat on the lake. The flames pull in the creature. It
stumbles into the lake, and planes zoom in to release chemicals as prearranged
with Hamilton. The lake freezes and ice engulfs the creature. It is
motionless at last, but Superman is still caught in its fist. He uses the
girder to lever himself free. The camera pans up to the full moon. All is
well.
This episode got off to a rather slow start, but once it got going the action
moved along quickly enough to keep my attention away from its shortcomings.
Now granted, some of these were done for dramatic effect: the view near the
beginning of the asteroid hovering seemingly motionless in the heavens above
Metropolis, our ability to hear the creature's grunts even while it is in the
vacuum of space. It also seems unlikely that telescopes would not long ago
have discovered the creature on the asteroid, but again that would have been
much less dramatic. To make up for such flaws, there were a number of nice
visual effects, including my favorite, the scene where the creature falls
toward Earth, glowing red from the atmospheric friction. In addition, the
tension between Hamilton and Hardcastle seemed very real. While our
sympathies were clearly supposed to be with Hamilton, the conflict was not all
one-sided. At least once, the general had a better point -- delaying the
destruction of the asteroid to further study the creature would unnecessarily
endanger people on the ground -- even though this was quickly blunted when
Superman intervened with another option.
Some comments about the general. The character's voice reminded me of Brian
Keith, which made the name Hardcastle, not revealed until the end credits,
somehow appropriate. (Keith was one of the stars of the TV series HARDCASTLE
AND McCORMICK.) But I have to wonder why the character never displayed any
insignia to denote the rank of general. In fact, to my nonmilitary eyes, he
was wearing sergeant's stripes, but maybe those were hash marks for time in
the service.
So this wasn't the perfect episode, but we shouldn't expect perfection every
time out. It does provide an entertaining half hour, which is good enough for
now. Maybe the next episode will be perfect.
===========================================
Episode #28: "Father's Day"
---------------------------------------------------
Reviewed by Nathan Bredfeldt (hal@seas.smu.edu)
October 3, 1997
Written by Mark Evanier and Steve Gerber
Directed by Dan Riba
Guest-starring Michael Ironside as Darkseid
Robert Morse as Desaad
Michael Dorn as Kalibak
RATINGS:
Average: 4.3/5.0 Shields
NB: 5.0 Shields - Two guys hittin' each other! And the ending? Wow! My
personal favorite, ever!
SD: 3.5 Shields - Although the fight between Superman and Kalibak went on too
long, any episode featuring Jack Kirby's 4th World characters gets
high marks from me. It was also about time that Jonathan and Martha
Kent were in almost an entire episode. The interaction between Lois
and the Kents was charming.
CH: 4.0 Shields - I liked the glimpses we got of Darkseid and his minions
(and was pleased to see they care enough about continuity to update
us on Mannheim). Back on Earth, have the Kents put Lois on the track
of Superman's secret identity?
NO: 4.7 Shields - Fun episode, but how much destruction can Metropolis take?
Since the dawn of humanity, even before we had a written language, people told
stories. And, since then, a few classic archetypes have found their way
through the ravages of time, and survive to this very day. Perhaps you've
heard of them: the comedy, the tragedy, the epic, and the two guys hitting
each other. Of these, the 'two guys hitting each other' archetype is clearly
the most appealing. After all, hitting each other is the world's second oldest
profession.
(NOTE: I wouldn't put any of the above into an English or Anthropology report
if I were you!)
"Father's Day" carries on the grand tradition of the two guys hitting each
other story (in case you hadn't guessed). It starts with one of Darkseid's
flunkies sending a death machine to Earth. Superman dispatches it in a heated
struggle. Darkseid is upset, and refuses to let his son, Kalibak, follow up on
the "test" with a personal confrontation. But Kalibak is conned into going
anyhow. He gets Superman's attention and, several thousand dollars of property
damage later, is beaten rather soundly (I can't imagine what insurance costs
in Metropolis). Then, Darkseid shows up and treats Superman to a "taste" of
things to come.
It's not a complex episode, but it doesn't have to be. It's a sequel to "Tools
of the Trade," and both episodes inch Darkseid closer to his master plan for
Earth. "Tools" showed us the capabilities of Darkseid's technology, and
"Father's Day" showed us the strength of Darkseid's followers, and his own
ruthlessness.
Speaking of ruthlessness, did Darkseid really kill his own son? I don't think
he did. After all, they went to the trouble to show us that his eye beams can
be used to teleport people as well as harm them. But, why did he tell Superman
he killed Kalibak if he didn't? Lying is a big part of intimidation, and
Darkseid did come all the way to Earth to intimidate Superman.
And, of course, we also have the underlying theme and the reference back to
the title, all rolled into one. In this case, it is a
psychological/sociological message: you are the result of your parent's
treatment. Superman, with kind loving parents, is a good person; Kalibak, whom
Darkseid disapproves of and even shuns, is the big, evil, stupid character.
I should also mention the music: I actually noticed it! That almost never
happens! It was pretty spiffy!
I cannot recommend this episode highly enough! It has everything! And, if two
guys hittin' each other isn't your thing, at least take a look at the last
five minutes; Darkseid's appearance on Earth is worth your effort.
===========================================
Episode #36: "Warrior Queen"
----------------------------------------------------
Reviewed by Scott Devarney (devarney@ll.mit.edu)
November 22, 1997
Written by Hilary J. Bader
Directed by Curt Geda
Guest-starring Sharon Lawrence as Maxima
Miguel Ferrer as De'cine
Shannon Kenny as Sazu
Brad Garrett as "A Surprise Guest"
RATINGS:
Average: 3.4/5.0 Shields
SD: 2.6 Shields
NB: 4.0 Shields - This version of Maxima is good, not great. The twist at
the end is worth the half hour!
CH: 3.7 Shields - Incorporating yet another element from the comic books.
It would be nice to see some real acknowledgment of this in the
credits (beyond the vague "Based on DC Comics characters").
NO: 3.5 Shields
This episode starts with a bang as Maxima, ruler of Almerac, battles De'cine,
a potential suitor. She bests him and then complains about the lack of
suitable suitors. Her aide, Sazu, informs her of a potential mate --
Superman. Maxima falls in lust with the recorded images of Superman and goes
to Earth to meet him. After Maxima leaves, De'cine plots with Sazu to take
over the Almeracian throne. Although Sazu is loyal to Maxima, De'cine
convinces her that the people deserve better.
On Earth, Maxima gets Superman's attention by trashing Angela Chen's news set
on live television. She offers Superman her hand and becomes enraged when he
refuses it. As they battle, Maxima realizes that Superman is her equal and
would make an ideal mate. She stops fighting and then knocks out an
unsuspecting Superman. She brings Superman home to Almerac where she finds
De'cine on her throne alongside Sazu.
De'cine banishes Maxima, Superman, and Sazu to the catacombs, deep in the
bowels of Almerac. Maxima tries to kill Sazu for her treachery but Superman
intervenes. The three of them are attacked by a huge multi-tongued monster,
the Camorite, which Superman and Maxima defeat by working together. The three
of them invade the palace and battle De'cine and his guards to reclaim
Maxima's throne. Maxima intends to kill De'cine but again Superman talks her
out of it and instead she banishes De'cine to her worst dungeon.
Maxima tries to talk Superman into staying, but when she realizes that she
can't, she releases him from his "betrothal" and opens a portal to Earth. As
Superman exits, he assures her that there's someone for everyone. As a
despondent Maxima sits on her throne, [name withheld so you can be surprised
if you haven't seen it] crashes through the ceiling, looking for De'cine.
Stars sparkle in Maxima's eyes.
Maxima makes the transition from comics to cartoon mostly intact. She is
regal but extremely self-centered and somewhat tyrannical. Sharon Lawrence
turns in a lively and, *ahem*, animated performance as Maxima. She is able to
deliver Maxima's speeches without sounding stilted. She and Tim Daly had
great chemistry and the war of one-liners between the two was hilarious. The
only thing that causes Maxima's portrayal to suffer was her campish
boy-craziness which seemed out of character.
Although Maxima was well realized, the plot was uneven. It would have been
better to see the entire episode focus on Maxima's fixation on Superman and
his attempts to ward off her advances. Instead the writers throw in De'cine's
boring overthrow attempt. This held no interest because it was never
demonstrated that De'cine's rule would be any worse than Maxima's rule. Both
characters were shown to be petty and self-serving with no regard for the
people of Almerac. Granted, Maxima was shown to temper her violent
tendencies, but that can be explained as trying to get on Superman's good
side.
Artwise, the characters were also a mixed bag. Although Sazu was lovely and
ethereal, Maxima looked like a Lana Lang clone in body armor, and De'cine
looked like a stereotypical bad guy complete with Snidely Whiplash mustache;
the Camorite looked more silly than ferocious.
With this episode, the creative team stumbled. Maxima is a great character,
excellently portrayed by Sharon Lawrence but the plot let her, and the
viewers, down.
______________________________________________
THE MAILBAG
-------------------------------------
(sykes@ms.uky.edu, KryptonCN@aol.com)
KC Responses are indented and begun with ****
===========================================
From: David Thomas Chappell (dtc@acpub.duke.edu)
I LOVED Shane Travis' review of ACTION #740 in the latest KC. The unique
style was well-done to make the review enjoyable and special yet just as
informative as a standard review.
===========================================
From: John J. Mejia (jjmejia@cumbia.telecom-co.net)
Hi... and congratulations!
I read [Shane Travis'] ACTION COMICS #740 review in the KC and I like it!
[He has] a very original style!
**** Definite kudos to Shane for trying something different! Readers,
please continue to let us know when you particularly enjoy what we do.
Not only is it good for the ego <g>, but it also helps us to know what
works and what doesn't.
===========================================
From: ShutUpRob (ShutUpRob@aol.com)
In response to the comments of Jeff Sykes: "I think it would be difficult to
get four (five) completely new teams without changing the books' format away
from the triangles."
Actually, I don't think that the triangles are relevant to getting new writers
and artists on the Superman books -- if the Superman office were to put some
creative thought into the implications of the weekly format. One reason that
the triangle format doesn't work right now is that several of the artists and
writers involved are noticeably burnt out on the round robin format (Simonson,
Janke, Rodier) or otherwise lack basic artistic competence (Bogdanove, but
more on that later). With no single art team telling complete stories on a
regular basis (with the exception of Jurgens' one-offs and Bog's unusually
brilliant -- for Bog -- MOS #75), none of them seem to have much emotional
investment in the storylines. Consequently, the storylines seem to meander
into awkward sprawls. This was especially apparent during the "Dead Again,"
"Trial of Superman," and "Death of Clark Kent" storylines, but is still
obvious in the current issues which have the meandering pointlessness of soap
opera.
**** I'll admit that I don't care for Bog and Janke's art, but I also think
that "lack[s] basic artistic competence" is a bit harsh. If Bog was
incompetent, he wouldn't be working. His art is the closest to the
classic style of Joe Shuster, but I think the heavy inks of Dennis
Janke spoil that simple elegance. I'd like to see Bog ink his own
work or find somebody else, just so we can see some other combinations.
In order for the weekly format to work -- and I'd rather see Superman continue
as a weekly because I think the format is appropriate to his importance to the
DCU -- the artistic element needs to be rethought. My solution is simple --
Rather than this tired round-robin approach, in which the art teams are
assigned to individual titles, each art team should be allowed to tell its own
arc from beginning to end, in weekly installments. For example, the
Jurgens/Frenz team could start a six-part story in SUPERMAN #132 and finish it
in ACTION COMICS #743, six weeks later, to be followed by a four-part
Immonen/Marzan story beginning in MOS #78 the very next week, to be followed
four weeks later with a Bogdanove-written one-parter drawn by Someone Other
Than Bogdanove, which would be followed by a three-week Kesel/Grummett arc,
and so on and so on and so on ... Subplots could still continue from arc to
arc, and the yearly summits would still be necessary, but the titles would
turn away from disjointed chapters of ill-thought arcs to more fully realized
stories. Too many cooks have obviously been spoiling the broth, so let's
separate them in a way that gives each chef a turn to present their own dish.
And keeps it coming at one weekly click.
**** You seem to be giving Bogdanove a lot of confidence as a writer when,
from what I know of his history, he doesn't have much writing experience.
Sure he's co-plotted several things with Louise Simonson, and he's
written a few back-up stories, but has he ever had a steady writing job
in comics?
I also prefer having a weekly storyline, but only if it's the best thing
for the books. Your idea is an interesting one, espoused by several
others, and certainly not infeasible. But...
I know, I know . . . there's a kink. Rejiggering the scheduling would be a
kicker for at least the first six or seven months, if not longer, while the
new individual arcs were worked on, but there are ways around that. The most
obvious solution is to bring in extra art teams for temporary stays while the
regular teams start working up their individual inventories. I'm sure that
some of the artists who don't want to work regularly on the Superman titles
would jump at the chance to do single issue fill-ins or short two, three or
four month fill-in stints on the individual titles under what would be the
last vestiges of the current method of handing out assignments. It would take
some extra effort and more advanced planning, but, if they give themselves
enough (ie: lots of) transition time, it should end up working.
**** It *could* end up working. It would certainly be a lot more work for
the editors, especially at first. There are other problems I see in
this approach, one being that it does not call for some fresh talent,
which has been one of the major outcries against the Superman titles of
late. Of course, I'm also convinced that more than just a few of the
people griping about the creators aren't even reading the books to even
know about the quality of those creators...
Another problem is that you are still requiring readers to buy four or
five books a month to pick up the whole story, which is another of the
primary complaints. There is currently *no* way for the casual reader
to enjoy the Man of Steel within DCU continuity. Something has to be
done to make Superman accessible to the fan who either won't or can't
buy more than one or two Superman titles a month. I truly believe that
this is the key to increasing sales.
===========================================
From: Pat Gauthier (handsomepat@albedo.net)
How could Mike Smith give [BATMAN AND SUPERMAN ADVENTURES: WORLD'S FINEST] 1.5
Shields when he didn't even read it!? You can't base a review solely on cover
price. If he was that upset about the price, he shouldn't have reviewed it.
Period.
**** Well, we've never set a policy on whether or not price should be
factored into a review, so there was no reason for him to *not* consider
the price of the book in his rating. At $6.95, the price of this book
*was* absolutely ridiculous. Granted, for 64 pages in the Prestige
Format, this was probably the "correct" price, but given that this is
a comic adaptation of an animated film, you'd think DC would have had
the sense to publish the book in a lesser format. I can guarantee that
I would not have picked it up at that price had I been able to see the
movie.
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From: David Joseph Young, Jr. (dayoung@luna.cas.usf.edu)
I thought you might like to include some info on the "Superman 3-D" comic
which is included in the SUPERMAN RED/SUPERMAN BLUE Collector's Edition.
The book is listed in THE OVERSTREET COMIC BOOK PRICE GUIDE as THREE-DIMENSION
ADVENTURES. It had an original publishing date of 1953. Apparently it was
not originally in the standard comic book format, since Overstreet notes it as
"Large size". Overstreet includes a note about "new art". I'm not sure if
they are indicating the formatting done to the comics to make them 3-D, or if
new art was added to the original stories when they were reprinted. Closer
examination of both the original issues (for those who have them!) and
THREE-DIMENSION ADVENTURES should clear this up.
The three stories reprinted in it:
"The Man Who Stole the Sun" is from SUPERMAN #48 (September-October 1947). It
features Superman vs. Lex Luthor.
"The Origin of Superman" is from SUPERMAN #53 (July-August 1948). It is the
first full length story of Superman's origin, which had only previously
appeared as two pages in SUPERMAN #1.
"The Man Who Bossed Superman" is from SUPERMAN #51 (March-April 1948).
Superman outwits racketeer "Pudge" Purdy.
**** Anyone up for a historical review of this reprint for a future Phantom
Zone? While reading the entire comic with those 3-D glasses on caused
a bit of a headache, I actually enjoyed the reprint more than I did the
RED/BLUE special. Not that the latter was particularly bad, mind you.
It's just that there was more playful fun in the classic stories. About
the only time we see playful fun done well by the current creative teams
is when Mxy shows up.
I hope a lot of you are buying the SUPERMAN and SUPERMAN: ACTION COMICS
ARCHIVES. These are great sources for the classic stories which almost none
of us will ever be able to afford in their original editions.
This message is to let you other Superman fans know where we stand in terms of
what Superman stories have been reprinted in the Archives series, and to give
you (and DC) an idea of what should be reprinted next.
So far, DC has released four volumes of SUPERMAN ARCHIVES which each reprint
four issues of SUPERMAN (series one), and one volume of SUPERMAN: THE ACTION
COMICS ARCHIVES which reprints 15 issues of ACTION.
Chronologically this means that we have SUPERMAN reprints from #1 (Summer
1939) to #16 (May-June 1942), and ACTION COMICS reprints from #1 (June 1938)
to #20 (January 1940). In case you are unaware, the ACTION COMICS ARCHIVES is
only reprinting the Superman feature stories, not the various back-up stories,
which allows many more issues to be reprinted in each ACTION ARCHIVE.
By my estimates, it would take two more ACTION COMICS ARCHIVES volumes to come
about even with the SUPERMAN ARCHIVES series. Assuming fifteen ACTION COMICS
issues per volume, a second book should include ACTION COMICS #21 (February
1940) through 35 (April 1941) and a third book ACTION COMICS #36 (May 1941)
through #50 (July 1942).
Therefore, to catch up I feel that the next Superman volumes DC puts out in
its DC ARCHIVES series should be second and third SUPERMAN: THE ACTION COMICS
ARCHIVES volumes.
Next, I think DC should catch up with all the other early Superman stories
which were not in SUPERMAN or ACTION COMICS. This volume would primarily
reprint the Superman stories from WORLD'S BEST COMICS/WORLD'S FINEST COMICS,
which started in Spring 1941. It would also include the Superman stories from
the NEW YORK WORLD'S FAIR 1939 and 1940 issues and the story in SUPERMAN'S
CHRISTMAS ADVENTURE (1940). It would also include any other "special"
Superman comics which I'm missing. I'm not sure how many issues each volume
could contain so I can't say exactly how many volumes this would be.
>From there DC would rotate the three series of Superman Archives, SUPERMAN,
ACTION COMICS, and SUPERMAN IN WORLD'S FINEST (which would continue to include
"special" Superman one-shots and tie-ins such as the SUPERMAN-TIM issues in
which Superman appeared) once a year.
Hopefully by "printing" this in KC, DC will approve of my idea and act on it.
All of you who feel the same way, please e-mail me and let me know
(dayoung@luna.cas.usf.edu). Maybe we could even organize a petition to send to
DC requesting that they continue their excellent DC Archives series,
particularly including ALL the early Superman material in chronological order.
Thanks for your time.
P.S.--Batman fans get in touch with me too. I'd also like to see DC start a
BATMAN IN WORLD'S FINEST ARCHIVES series which would cover both WF and his
stories outside of BATMAN and DETECTIVE such as the NEW YORK WORLD'S FAIR
issue and later on the Robin and Batman stories in STAR-SPANGLED COMICS
(1947-52). And Wonder Woman fans make sure you support the first WONDER WOMAN
ARCHIVES volume coming out soon, and let DC know you want them to continue
reprinting the Amazon's appearances in her own book, SENSATION COMICS, and
COMIC CAVALCADE.
**** With new archive editions planned for ALL-STAR COMICS, BATMAN, JUSTICE
LEAGUE OF AMERICA, LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES, and WONDER WOMAN, it would
appear that DC has once again fired up their "historical division," so
new Superman volumes would seem likely. I also agree with you that a
WORLD'S FINEST ARCHIVE is a natural...
The only problem with these archives is their price. As hardcovers,
they are simply too expensive for a lot of readers, so I think DC should
consider following them with softcover editions. Alternatively, I think
they should seriously look into multimedia formats. The recent
announcement about the forthcoming SUPERMAN MULTIPATH ADVENTURES (see
News and Notes) is very exciting, as I see this as an attempt to port
comics into other forms.
Something else that I think could sell well is a series of CD-ROM
collections. Not only could DC provide Archive-type reprintings on
CD-ROM, but they could also include volumes of cover galleries,
character encyclopedias, and much more. Think about it -- you're
trying to remember about that certain encounter with Brainiac, so you
pop in the Encyclopedia CD-ROM and search for the exact comic in which
that meeting appeared, and then you pop in another CD-ROM and actually
*read* that issue! This kind of thing seems a natural, especially with
the world seemingly in preparation to move all print media into the
digital age.
-- Jeff Sykes
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