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The Kryptonian Cybernet Issue 47
_____________________________________________________________________________
T H E K R Y P T O N I A N C Y B E R N E T
_______________________________________________
http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/kc
Issue #47 - February 1998
_____________________________________________________________________________
CONTENTS
--------
Section 1: Superscripts: Notes from the Editor
Little of This, Little of That
Ratings At A Glance
Titles Shipped January 1998
News and Notes
Lots of comics news including a new Alex Ross tidbit, still
more movie news and rumors, STAS episode and toy futures, and
Superman on Laserdisc
Section 2: Superscripts: If We Picked The Kaycees
Jeff and Shane bicker over the best and worst of 1997
Section 3: Superscripts: If We Picked The Kaycees (cont)
Origins
Part Two: Krypton
Enola Jones continues her series on the origins of Superman
Section 4: New Comic Reviews
The Triangle Titles
Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #10, by Jim Smith
Action Comics #742, by Dan Radice
Superman: The Man of Steel #77, by Mike Smith
Superman #133, by Thomas Deja
Section 5: New Comic Reviews
The Triangle Titles (cont)
Superman #133, by Thomas Deja
Super-Family Titles
Steel #48, by Jeff Sykes
Superboy #49, by Rene' Gobeyn
Superboy and the Ravers #19, by Jeff Sykes
Section 6: New Comic Reviews
Super-Family Titles (cont)
Supergirl #19, by Thomas Deja
Other Superman Titles
JLA #16, by Anatole Wilson
Superman Adventures #17, by Cory Strode
Legends of the DC Universe #2, by Andrew Hudson
Section 7: The Phantom Zone
Tales of Earth-One
Episode 4: Birth of the Super Sitcom, by Bob Hughes
Section 8: Superman: The Animated Series
Episode #20, "Identity Crisis"
Review by Neil Ottenstein
Episode #30, "Bizarro's World"
Review by Scott Devarney
The Mailbag
STAFF:
------
Jeffery D. Sykes, Editor-in-Chief
Shane Travis, Executive Editor: New Comic Reviews
Neil Ottenstein, Executive Editor: S:TAS section
LEGAL DISCLAIMERS:
-----------------
Superman and all related characters, locations, and events are copyright and
trademark DC Comics. Use of the aforementioned is not intended to challenge
said ownership. We strongly suggest that each reader look to the media
sources mentioned within for further information.
All original material published in The Kryptonian Cybernet, including but not
limited to reviews, articles, and editorials, are copyright 1998 by The
Kryptonian Cybernet and the respective authors. Reprinting in any format is
expressly forbidden without the permission of The Kryptonian Cybernet and the
contributing author.
Opinions presented within this issue belong to the authors of the articles
which contain them. They should in no way be construed as those of any other
particular member of the editorial or contributing staff, unless otherwise
indicated.
This magazine can be distributed, in whole, freely via e-mail. Should you
desire to share this publication with other on-line services, please contact
me at sykes@ms.uky.edu for permission. Feel free to advertise subscription
information on other on-line services which have internet mail availability.
THE KRYPTONIAN CYBERNET is available by e-mail -- to subscribe, send the
commands
subscribe kc
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in the body of an e-mail message to "majordomo@novia.net" (without the
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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
----------------------------------------
By Jeff Sykes (sykes@ms.uky.edu)
LITTLE OF THIS, LITTLE OF THAT
Shane and I have cooked up something a little different this month, found
elsewhere within the magazine. As a result, I'm going to keep this very
short for a change.
First, two cries for help! :)
We recently provided you with news about a forthcoming game for the Nintendo
64 based on the current animated incarnation of the Man of Steel. I've heard
release dates for the game ranging anywhere from March to November, so it's
time we get prepared. I'm sure several of our readers likely own an N64 and
plan on buying this game when it is released. If you will be doing so and
would be willing to write a brief review of the game, please contact me in
the near future so that I can organize a list of names.
Second, as some of you may have noticed, we've lost the ability to add new
issues to our ftp archive site. Furthermore, there's a possibility that we
might lose the mailing list privilege in the near future. As KC is a
completely free publication and none of us make anything from it, we simply
cannot afford to pay for this service. I don't particularly like to beg, but
if anyone knows of or can help point us towards a party who might be willing
to donate these services to the magazine, I would be highly appreciative.
Finally, to some editorial content. Shane and I have teamed up this month to
present "If We Picked The Kaycees!", a new twist on the annual discussion of
my votes. (A twist I think you'll find much more entertaining!) Please look
for it elsewhere this issue. However, Shane didn't watch much of the fourth
season of _Lois and Clark_, and he doesn't have access to the animated
series. As a result, we've limited "If We Picked The Kaycees!" to comics
awards.
I, however, voted in all of the awards, so I want to take this opportunity to
quickly share my votes with you. So here goes:
LC1: Best Season Four Lois and Clark Episode
============================================
As I looked over this list, nothing jumped out at me. Nothing was really
great, and nothing was really bad. Lois and Clark's final season just was.
The only episode which I could latch on to was "Soul Mates" -- in short, the
couple's destiny was a large aspect of the series as originally developed by
Deborah Joy LeVine, and the concept of Lois and Clark as soul mates appeals
to me.
LC2: Worst Season Four Lois and Clark Episode
=============================================
Again, while I couldn't put my finger on anything that was just plain bad
(the earlier seasons had clear stinkers like "Smart Kids" and "Chi of
Steel"), the extremely bad acting of Grant Shaud, combined with an
uninteresting plot, make "Toy Story" my recipient of worst episode.
SA1: Best First Season S:TAS Episode
====================================
Most of the first season was pretty good, but the debut movie, "Last Son of
Krypton," was a breathtaking introduction to the series. Who among us didn't
giggle with glee at all the wonderful touches lovingly added by Dini and
company? Weren't the "coming of age" scenes, where Clark discovers his full
powers, absolutely exhilarating? I just couldn't find anything wrong with
it!
SA2: Worst First Season S:TAS Episode
=====================================
Only "Fun and Games," the introduction of the Toyman, was any sort of let
down for me, and even it wasn't a bad episode. Perhaps the primary flaw of
this episode was showing it so soon after the debut of the debut movie. :)
So there you have it, short and sweet. Be sure to check out "If We Picked
The Kaycees!" and then check back in March's issue for the results of your
voting!
_____________________________________________
RATINGS AT A GLANCE: Titles shipped January 1998
-----------------------------------------------------
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
Supergirl 19 4.0(6) 1 3.5(5) 3 3.47 4
Steel 48 4.0(3) 2 4.0(4) 1 3.68 1
JLA 16 3.7(7) 3 3.3(9) 4 3.67 2
Superboy 49 3.2(6) 4 2.8(5) 6 2.83 8
Superman Adv. 17 3.2(4) 5 3.8(4) 2 3.52 3
Legends of DCU 2 3.0(8) -- 3.6(5) -- 3.30 --
Man of Steel 77 2.9(10) 6 1.9(10) 10 2.70 9
Adv. of Superman ** -- 7 2.8(10) 5 2.88 7
Action Comics 742 2.6(12) 8 2.6(10) 7 2.92 6
SB and the Ravers 19 2.4(3) 9 1.9(4) 9 2.15 10
Superman 133 2.4(6) 10 2.6(10) 8 3.12 5
Man of Tomorrow 10 2.3(11) ## 2.3(8) ## ## ##
**No issue of _Adventures of Superman_ was published in January due to the
holdover delays caused by the 5th-week specials in December *and* the
publication of S:MOT this month. All four core titles will be back on the
shelves in February.
##_Superman:Man of Tomorrow_ is published so infrequently that despite its
status as a Triangle Title, it is treated as a special for the purposes of
monthly rankings.
Should Be Cancelled: MAN OF TOMORROW #10 (2.3 Shields, Last Overall)
- This book is no longer serving its purpose of filling in the skip-weeks,
and has out-lived its usefulness. That Stern is leaving, and that the book
consistently gets abysmal marks only adds to the argument.
Shouldn't Be Cancelled: STEEL #48 (4.0 Shields, 2nd in Jan, 1st Overall)
- Should or shouldn't be, it has been, and #52 will be the final issue. This
is really too bad, as Priest is one of the hottest writers around, and he's
been doing some great things with this title. Maybe better (or just cleaner)
art would have helped the sales.
Too Good To Cancel: SUPERGIRL #19 (4.0 Shields, +0.5 Shields, 1st in Jan)
- A consistently strong performer, The Maid of Might leaps for the first
time to the top of the rankings with what many consider to be PAD's best
story so far in his run on this title.
Too Bad *Not* To Cancel: SATR #19 (2.4 Shields, 2.15 6-month average)
- The final issue was a high-water mark for the last six months, but still
disappointing compared to the book's promise at its inception. Thus dies the
only cosmically-scoped title DC had left. With no GL Corps, no Manhunters,
and a Superman who has to breathe every hour, who's going to explore the rest
of the universe now?
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
--------------
FOUR-COLOR FORECASTS
** Don't ask me how I know this one folks, but I've been informed by a very
reliable source that Alex Ross *is* involved in a special project for
Superman's 60th anniversary, and I'm *not* talking about the cover to
_Superman Forever_. Ross will provide the art for a 64-page special to
be written by Paul Dini, tentatively scheduled for holiday release.
Commence drooling, fanboys! :)
** Despite a positive buzz from existing readers, DC has announced the
cancellation of _Steel_ as of May's issue #52. Ultimately, low sales were
responsible for the decision, though writer Christopher Priest has hinted
that there were creative differences between his and DC's visions for the
book. Unfortunately, short notice and participation in the "Millennium
Giants" crossover means that Priest will be unable to conclude any of the
ongoing storylines before the cancellation. On the bright side, Steel
will continue to be seen in the DC Universe, including upcoming guest
appearances in _Supergirl_ and his new membership role in _JLA_.
** Dan Brereton (artist of _Legends of the World's Finest_) has written a
one-shot special scheduled for release this spring. _Superman: Silver
Banshee_ will feature interior art by Joyce Chin and a cover by Brereton.
** The Junior JLA project has now been officially titled _Young Justice_,
and is scheduled to debut this summer. The two-issue, prestige format
miniseries will hit stores in June and July, with the ongoing series to
follow in August. As well, the title will be previewed in _Young Justice:
The Secret_, part of April's "Girl Frenzy" event.
** DC's 1998 crossover event, scheduled for September, will further address
concepts outlined by Grant Morrison in his "Rock of Ages" story from the
pages of _JLA_. Tentatively titled _DC One Million_, the event will carry
the DC Universe one million months into the future, when every DC title
will celebrate its one millionth issue. The primary story will be told in
a four-issue miniseries in which the JLA finds itself transported to the
853rd century to be honored by their future counterparts, the Justice
Legion A. However, the current and future heroes must unite to protect
the Solar System from a malevolent new entity, the likes of which has
never been seen. We'll have more information on this event in the coming
months.
** Gary Frank's tenure as the cover artist on _Supergirl_ will end in March.
Beginning with April's _Supergirl_ #22, current penciller Leonard Kirk
will provide both interior and exterior art. In addition, Robin Riggs
becomes the title's regular inker as of issue #23.
** Mark Millar (_JLA: Paradise Lost_, _Flash_) will be involved in several
upcoming Superman projects this summer. First up will be his new position
as writer for _Superman Adventures_, beginning in June with issue #22.
He's also the writer of the upcoming miniseries _Superman: Red Son_, which
we've mentioned on several occasions. _Red Son_, featuring art by Dave
Johnson, is now tentatively scheduled for release this fall. As well,
Millar will be writing an upcoming "Team Superman" special featuring
Superboy, Supergirl, and Steel.
** On the heels of the announcement of "Girl Frenzy," DC's fifth-week event
scheduled for the final week in April, DC has now announced that July's
fifth-week event will feature a return to the Tangent universe first
introduced last October. This round will feature some second issues of
the original titles, as well as some new titles, including a _Superman_
and _JLA_. Keep in mind, however, that the characters are completely new
concepts only making use of the existing names.
HOLLYWOOD HOOPLA
** Concrete news on _Superman Lives!_ is still elusive, but Ain't It Cool
News (http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com) now reports that the film is
officially a go, and that we should expect official press releases and
casting announcements to begin hitting the news before long.
** AICN is also reporting that Barry Corbin (_Northern Exposure_, _War
Games_) has expressed an interest in playing Perry White, and that the
casting powers may give him that role.
** More casting news from AICN reports that Chris Rock has signed to play
Jimmy Olsen, and that Kevin Spacey has signed on to play Brainiac. In
fact, they report that he will play both Brainiac *and* Luthor, in a dual
role. (This could actually lead credence to the rumors of Brainiac as a
robot -- Spacey could voice the character -- and the merging of Brainiac
and Luthor as "Luthiac," which I'm told is somewhat similar to the
occurrence in "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?")
** Courtney Cox is now apparently unavailable for the role of Lois Lane as
she will be busy with either _Scream 3_ or _Friends_ when the Superman
movie begins filming.
** Michael Keaton confirmed his involvement with _Superman Lives_ in an MTV
interview. When asked if he would be reprising his role as Batman, he
would only reply, "Not exactly."
** Finally, Corona's Coming Attractions (http://corona.bc.ca/films/) reports
that Ron Bass (_My Best Friend's Wedding_) has been hired to write a new
script because Burton's screenplay was not well received. You think WB
regrets canning Kevin Smith yet?
ANIMATION ANTICIPATION
** The second season of the _Superman_ animated series will conclude with a
two-part episode featuring the debut of Supergirl. The episodes have
been scheduled to air in May.
** Thirteen episodes are planned for the third season of _Superman_, and
producer Bruce Timm has mentioned that Darkseid will be a key player in
the season opener.
** Mike McAvennie, the editor of the Legion of Super-Heroes books at DC,
indicated in a recent AOL chat that the Legion will guest-star in a
third-season episode of _Superman_.
TOY TRAGEDY
** Fans of the Superman toys based on the _Superman_ animated series are in
for a disappointment, as Kenner announced at the recent Toy Fair that the
line has been shelved indefinitely. Existing figures will now only be
sold through international distribution, and there will be no new
additions to the line.
** A petition of Kenner to resurrect the _Superman_ animated line has begun
in earnest. The number of people signing the petition has grown rapidly,
and we need your support to help this trend continue. Let Kenner know
how disappointed you are in their decision and their handling of the
Superman line. You can sign the petition by visiting
http://members.global2000.net/~darth/petition.htm
on the world wide web or by e-mailing Chip Cataldo at
darth@global2000.net
MULTIMEDIA MANIA
** The Image Entertainment web site (http://www.image-entertainment.com)
announced that Warner Brothers Home Video plans to release the 15-part
_Superman_ serial from 1948 on LaserDisc. This serial, reviewed last
year in the Kryptonian Cybernet by Steven Younis, was previously
available only on videotape.
** The George Reeves _Adventures of Superman_ TV series from the fifties is
also scheduled for LaserDisc release. This spring, Warner Home Video will
release _TV's Best Adventures of Superman: Volume 1_, which consists of
the first and last episodes of the series. The collection will also
contain one episode of the celebrated Max Fleischer Superman cartoons
from the 1940s.
_____________________________________________
SUPERSCRIPTS: IF WE PICKED THE KAYCEES
------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Jeff Sykes (sykes@ms.uky.edu) and Shane Travis (travis@sedsystems.ca)
Jeff Sykes: Good Day, one and all, and thank you for tuning into this special
edition of SUPERSCRIPTS. I'm Jeff Sykes, Editor-in-Chief of the Kryptonian
Cybernet...
Shane Travis: ...And I'm Shane Travis, Editor of New Comic Reviews for the
Kryptonian Cybernet. It's Awards Month, and let me tell you, we're as
excited as the next person about the Fourth Annual Kaycee awards.
JS: That's right, Shane. Sit back and relax, folks, because we're going to
tell you how things would turn out...
Together: IF WE PICKED THE KAYCEES!
[Cue credits, cut to Theme Music.]
JS: Thank you, thank you all. Before we get under way tonight, I thought I'd
mention a piece of Kaycee trivia. Several years back, when the Kryptonian
Cybernet was a young, fresh face on the e-zine scene, we had our first Awards
Ceremony. At that time, we didn't have a name for these little tokens of
recognition, so we held a contest. Who do you think was the winner of that
contest?
ST: Aww, come on Jeff, you said you weren't going to do this.
JS: Nothing to be embarrassed about here, Shane. That's right, ladies and
gentlemen, it was our very own Mr. Travis who gave the Kaycees the name they
bear today. Can we show the picture please?
ST: (looking genially embarrassed) Boy, was I thin back then!
JS: Yeah, you've put on a few pounds, but we still love you for it. As you
can see in the photograph, here's Shane accepting his copy of _Action Comics_
#700, signed by none other than Roger Stern, as a display of our
appreciation.
ST: That was the first time we met, Jeff, and while I'm enjoying this stroll
down Memory Lane, I think we'd better get on with our picks. The first
category is...
TT1: Best Story/Story Arc in the Superman Triangle Titles
=========================================================
JS: As I scanned through the list of nominees in this category, I came to the
realization that none of the stories in 1997 were clear standouts. There were
good stories, of course, but no masterpieces along the lines of the Mxyzptlk
story in 1996's _Man of Steel_ #56 or 1995's reunion of Superman and Lois in
_Adventures of Superman_ #525. Late in the year, though, Dan Jurgens wrote
what is perhaps the only truly exceptional story of the Electri-Kal era in
_Superman_ #129. "Within Human Reach" will forever be famous as the story
wherein Ashbury's Armstrong's art teacher turned out to be the Cyborg. To see
it as only that, however, would be missing the point. I'm a sucker for strong
characterization and development of the supporting cast, and Jurgens painted
a vivid portrait of this newest member. More importantly, rare is the book
these days that can actually make me *think* about the methods of my favorite
hero, and about whether there are other ways to tackle problems. For that,
Jurgens' tale wins my vote.
ST: Personally, I didn't understand all the hype about this tale. There were
just too many unbelievable things that happened, primary of which was the
*incredible* compression of the timeline. This whole story, from the Cyborg/
Teacher arriving at the school to the fire and his capture, seems to have
taken place in about three weeks -- hardly enough time for Ashbury to develop
the emotional attachment she did, and certainly not enough time for Cyborg to
build himself a new body after coming back from The Wall. If more time than
that did pass, then Jurgens should have indicated it somehow. Given that
we're talking about a writing category here, these are inexcusable, bush-
league blunders. Finally--It's the Cyborg, and I think we can all agree that
we're getting sick of seeing him.
JS: She's a teenager, Shane. I seem to recall high school friends having
complete relationships -- from meeting, to "serious" dating, to break-up --
in shorter spans of times that three weeks. Teenagers form strong emotional
attachments much more easily than we "experienced" adults do. Cyborg has
shown in the past that it only takes moments for him to reconstruct a body
with even the crudest of materials, and his ability to manipulate computers
would make it a snap to produce a false record. In short, I don't see these
as blunders at all. Anyway, we should move along to your pick.
ST: When looking through a year's worth of Triangle Titles for the single
best story, I had to make a tough call between two good tales, both of which
examined what it means to be Superman. The first of these was "The Shield"
from _MOS_ #66 which gives us a street-level view of how individual people
react to the actions of Superman. While I certainly wouldn't pick this story
based on the artwork (Bog is even more cartoony than usual here) I felt that
Simonson masterfully captured the heroism and presence of Big Blue as well as
the faith that he inspires in the people whose lives he touches.
JS: Sorry to interrupt, Shane, but if you'll recall, this story centered on
Rajiv blasting Metropolis, and we're no less tired of Rajiv than we are of
the Cyborg. Just as _MOS_ #66 isn't truly about Rajiv, _Superman_ #129 isn't
truly about Cyborg.
ST: Aah, but you see, Jeff, I didn't *vote* for "The Shield". Unlike some, I
wasn't able to simply gloss over the story's inconsistencies. Instead, I gave
the nod to "To Be a Superman", from _Superman_ #120. Who among us has not
daydreamed of what we could do if we had the powers of the Man of Steel? It
isn't just the powers that make a Hero, though -- you have to have the heart
to go with it. (That's what DC says they've been trying to teach us with this
whole Electri-Kal story line.) When Superman asks people what they would do
if they had his powers, he is disappointed by their answers: super-reporter
Perry White, super-scientist Emil Hamilton, and super-rock-star Jimmy Olsen.
It is in the end a child who, by being inspired by Superman's deeds, in turn
re-inspires Superman with his hope and faith. Thus, for the child in all of
us who not only believes a man can fly, but who tied a cape around our neck
and jumped on the bed in emulation of him, this book gets my vote.
TT2: Worst Story/Story Arc in the Superman Triangle Titles
==========================================================
ST: When it came to Worst Story Arc, I didn't have to work nearly so hard to
find a winner -- or loser, as the case may be. The biggest waste of space in
1997 was, hands down, _Genesis_ and the accompanying tie-ins. Once again, DC
proved just how bad such title-spanning crossovers can be when not executed
with great care and attention.
JS: I couldn't agree more, and that's why it was my pick in this category as
well. The Mainframe story was a hodge-podge of poorly executed, albeit
interesting, ideas spewed forth in a confusing manner, while the Cyborg's
escape from the Source Wall (a) could have been told in about 8 pages,
instead of the two-issues that were allocated, and (b) didn't even match up
with the events in the crossover -- Superman conveniently reversed the stance
he had made in the pages of _Genesis_ just so that Jurgens could have him
alone at the Wall.
ST: And you wonder why I was no fan of the Cyborg story that immediately
followed this fiasco...
JS: Oh, come on. You can't condemn a character's appearance in one story
simply because his prior appearance was poorly handled.
ST: No story stands truly alone; they are all based, even if only in part, on
what has come before. Every person, including fictional ones, is an
amalgamation of their previous thoughts and actions. When a character is
returned in such a cheap and poorly-done way, it colours our perception of
everything that comes after. Anyway, I doubt that either of us is going to
convince the other, so let's move on to our next category.
TT3: Best Cover from a Superman Triangle Title
==============================================
ST: This one was an easy pick for me. Just over a year ago, when I was still
reviewing _Man of Steel_, I came across the instant classic that was the
cover of MOS #66. We see Clark kicked back in his office chair, reading the
latest copy of The Daily Planet. Even at that time, I said:
"...no matter how much anyone slags Bog and Janke for their interior art,
they can produce some absolutely stunning covers when they set their mind to
it. This one is already high on my list for next year's 'Best Cover' Kaycee
award."
No other cover I saw in 1997 caught my attention as much as this one did. I
think there's just something about Clark in a hat that evokes a feeling of a
simpler and purer time. The "S"-shield, which is splashed across the front
page of the Planet and which Bog has placed dead-center of Clark's chest, was
the master stroke that put it over the top.
JS: I think it's interesting that what I considered to be the two best cover
illustrations depicted not Superman, but Clark Kent. My final cut came down
to the cover you mentioned, and the giant close-up of that we got of Clark's
mug on _Man of Steel_ #74 during DC's "Faces of the DC Universe" month. I
think that MOS #74 was the only Superman cover I liked that month, but there
was something about the cover of MOS #66 that just spoke to me, and that's
why it gets my vote.
TT4: Worst Cover from a Superman Triangle Title
===============================================
JS: The *worst* cover on a Triangle Title was also a 'Big Head' -- only it
showed up six months earlier. Saviour's forehead (from _Action_ #735) with
the "S"-shield branded into it, was absolutely gruesome. Why they insist on
doing this every time Saviour shows up, I simply can't guess.
ST: I didn't mind that one so much; I agree that it was gruesome, but at
least it wasn't an affront to the senses -- unlike MOS #72. This shot of
Superman being held by Mainframe and his gang nearly blinded me when I first
looked at it. Combining the worst aspects of forgettable characters, Bog's
cartoony style and Janke's heavy inks, this cover just squeaked out Bog and
Janke's other aesthetic offence from 1997, namely the shot of Superman and
Scorn from MOS #70. I find it amazing that the two best and two worst covers
were done by the same art team....
JS: Bog has always been able to come up with great cover concepts. Remember
the exceptional _Uncle Scrooge_ tribute in 1996's Mxy issue of _MOS_? If he
and Janke could come up with a cleaner style, I think he'd suddenly become
one of the more popular Superman artists...
TT5: Best Single Issue of a Superman Triangle Title
===================================================
JS: Once again, I'm going with _Superman_ #129, "Within Human Reach." As I've
indicated above, I think this was the best story in the triangles all year,
and the art supplied by Paul Ryan and Josef Rubinstein was quite an
improvement over the regular artists on that title. The only negative was a
somewhat ugly cover, but as a total package, this was tops in my book.
ST: I've already voiced my opinion on that choice, so I won't go over it
again here.
JS: For which we *all* thank you.
ST: Ahem. Looking at the total package of art and story, I was hard-pressed
to find a better example of what the entire Electric Blue Superman arc
*should* have been about than "Without and Within" from _Action Comics_ #736.
It is in this story that Clark truly realizes for the first time that he is
*mortal* when not Superman, and can be not only hurt, but killed. Despite
that, he shows us what Superman is all about by nearly sacrificing himself to
save two other men from a mine cave-in. When you combine that sort of message
with the beautiful artwork of Tom Grummett, this book was a stand-out choice.
TT6: Worst Single Issue of a Superman Triangle Title
====================================================
ST: You know, Jeff, if there was such a thing as an absolute scale of good
and bad, I think that the "History Lesson" _Man of Tomorrow_ #9 would fare
better than it does on my personal scale, but despite that it still gets my
vote for Worst Single Issue. Ryan and Breeding's art was actually pretty
good, but the dialogue was so wooden and forced that it was almost painful to
read. This story pales even more when compared to Jurgens example of how to
do a *proper* recap of Superman's history in the _Superman Secret Files_. I
can honestly say that this was the only Triangle Title that made me *angry* I
had paid money for it.
JS: As far as personal reading goes, I also found _MOT_ #9 to be a waste of
my time. At the same time, there are quite a few readers who have not been
around for all of Superman's post-Crisis exploits, and this was a fairly good
recap for them. As such, I hesitate to call this one *the* worst. My ire was
raised much more by one of the first stories of 1997. _Final Night_ had seen
the loss of Superman's powers, and in an attempt to regain them, the Legion
assisted Superman in getting a solar overdose. It didn't work. So three
issues later, Metron of the New Gods showed up and solved the problem by
throwing Superman into the Sun. Huh? In _Man of Steel_ #64, the Superman
writers set an early precedent for the rest of the year by writing a
conclusion which was inconsistent with what had come before, and which
provided almost no explanation for what had happened. (Sounds a lot like the
Electric Blue arc, no?)
ST: That's it for the Triangle Titles... we'll be right back with our
opinions on how the rest of the members of Superman's extended family after
this short break.
[Theme music rises. Fade lights. Cut to commercial]
ST: I still can't believe you voted for Cyborg in *two* categories. I thought
we had discussed this, and we both agreed that _Superman_ #120 was a better
book.
JS: I thought about it and changed my mind. No big deal. Can we drop it now?
ST: Yeah, but *Cyborg*? jeez...
[Music swells, lights rise.]
JS: Hi, and welcome back. 1997 was a year which saw the family titles vastly
outperform the triangle titles, with a number of excellent stories spread
throughout all books. Without further ado, let's start at the top of the
list.
SF1: Best Story/Story Arc in a Superman Family Title
====================================================
JS: Scott McCloud told the best Superman story since _Kingdom Come_. In
_Superman Adventures_ #11-12, "The War Within" gave us a truly inspirational
Man of Steel, followed by an exceptional beat-the-clock drama. In short, this
tale should be required reading for *anyone* planning on developing *any*
Superman project, inside the comics or out.
ST: I'll be honest and say that if I was voting with my head, I'd give my
vote to "The War Within" as well, Jeff, but in this case I've decided to go
with my #2 choice because it was a personal favourite of mine. _Superboy and
the Ravers_ started out as a well-written, beautifully drawn book with strong
characterizations and interesting story lines. Unfortunately, none of this
was enough to draw or keep the attention of the buying public. Before it
began its slide into the pathetic mess it became, though, SATR gave us one of
the most enjoyable arcs of 1997 with "Road Trip".
JS: "Road Trip" showed just how good _Superboy and the Ravers_ could be, and
was my second choice as well. In the end, my decision boiled down to the fact
that "Road Trip" consisted of three good individual stories, tenuously bound
together by the trip to Metropolis concept. When I compared, none of these
individual tales could match up to "The War Within."
ST: What clinched it for me was when both SATR #7 and #9 made my final cut
for 'Best Single Issue', and #8 was in my 'Best Cover' pile. Besides that, I
know it's going to get clobbered in all the 'Worst' categories, and I'd
rather remember the good times.
SF2: Worst Story/Story Arc in a Superman Family Title
=====================================================
ST: And speaking of how bad SATR got towards the end, I found issue #14 to be
almost a chore to read. Part of my frustration was the inclusion in the
_Genesis_ story arc, but too much of what happened just didn't make sense. A
lot of this probably had to do with the fact that it was known that the book
was cancelled, and they were trying to cram everything in before it wrapped
up, but on the whole, this issue was where I really stopped caring. For that
reason above all others, I vote for _SATR_ #14 as Worst Story.
JS: In my opinion, the slide started earlier with issue #10, when the title
was forced to participate in my vote for worst story arc. In this heaping
pile of refuse, Superboy got bubbly and almost died, all of his friends acted
completely out of character, and the forced crossover helped to ruin a good
book. It was written by Ron Marz and illustrated by Ramon Bernado. It was
"Meltdown," and it was just plain awful.
ST: You know, if they'd stopped it after part 4, I think I'd agree with you.
In fact, I think I might put it even below _Genesis_ in terms of readability,
although Superboy did show some heroism in issue #2. Part 5 made much of the
preceding crap worthwhile, though, so much so that... aaah, but I'm getting
ahead of myself here.
SF3: Best Cover from a Superman Family Title
============================================
JS: There were quite a few good covers in the family titles, but none that
were truly spectacular. The cover of _Superboy and the Ravers_ #8, however,
depicting Superboy and his gang trying to worm his way into Guy Gardner's
joint using a Superman ID card, managed to perfectly capture the light-
hearted, fun-filled nature of the book. Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis are a
strong combination, and I hope they move on to bigger and better things.
ST: Nothing but agreement from me on this one, Jeff. I laughed out loud when
I first saw this cover, and still smile when I see it. Big 'thumbs-up' from
me.
SF4: Worst Cover from a Superman Family Title
=============================================
ST: I think that this is another category where we're going to be in
agreement, because I know that Jeff is no more of a fan of Bernado than I. In
fact, if I recall correctly, you voted for him in this category last year,
didn't you Jeff?
JS: That's true, Shane, but I...
ST: (interrupting) Now, now, Jeff, wait your turn. Everyone gets a whack at
Ramon, but all in due time. As I've indicated, my problem was not deciding
which artist or book to choose, but which specific example offended me the
worst. After much consideration, I decided that it was the disproportionate
size (and everything else) of Sledge, some truly horrible perspectives, and
Bernado's typical 'broken ankle' look for Superboy that earned _Superboy_ #37
the dubious distinction of Worst Cover. So which one did you vote for, Jeff?
JS: (deadpan) None of them.
ST: (boggled) None?
JS: That's what I was trying to say when you cut me off, Shane. I *was*
leaning towards one of those hideous Bernado covers on _Superboy_, but then
DC's "Big Head Month" arrived, and something distracted me. That something
was the terrifying grimace of a supposed hero staring off the shelves from
the cover of _Steel_ #45. That's *not* the way to increase sales on a low-
volume book. <shudder>
ST: But Jeff... this is *Bernado* we're talking about here....
SF5: Best Single Issue of a Superman Family Title
=================================================
JS: Chalk one more win up for Scott McCloud and company. "The War Within" was
an excellent story, but neither issue stands on its own very well. Earlier in
the year, however, McCloud told a fabulous single-issue story in which
Superman had to live through the destruction of Metropolis -- in reverse --
all in the hope of unraveling the initiator of the chain events which led to
the cataclysm. The issue featured Mr. Mxyzptlk -- currently my favorite
Superman villain -- and a Superman who used his brain to save the day. Even
though the art is a bit standard, it works very well, and the cover featured
a great eye-catching design. Again, a wonderful product in total.
ST: I guess I'm just a sucker for stories about 'what makes a hero', because
I voted for one again in this category. Despite the fact that it was the
final part of a truly awful storyline, "Meltdown 5: The Cure" really grabbed
my attention. It had drama, it had pathos, it had long-term changes to the
characters, and it had a near-naked Roxy. Most of all, it *didn't* have
Bernado artwork, and that in itself was a refreshing relief. Superboy is
forced to examine himself and his motivations, and gets a hand from The Man
himself through his emotional growth. For all those reasons, _Superboy_ #41
gets my vote.
SF6: Worst Single Issue of a Superman Family Title
==================================================
ST: I'm one of those people who really didn't like the direction that PAD was
taking Supergirl in the early issues, and _Supergirl_ #9 was just the icing
on the cake. The kill-crazy attitude she displayed, the whole mystery of
angels and demons, the uncommented-on Christ-pose as she rises from the ashes
-- all of these left a bad taste in my mouth, and black mark on my voting
card.
JS: To this day, _Supergirl_ #9 is the one issue of the series which stands
out as just not up to snuff, and I, as many others, simply didn't care for
it. However, I can't ignore how bad _Superboy and the Ravers_ got towards
the end. In one issue in particular, normally solid writers tell a confusing
story highlighted by a cast behaving out of character, and Josh Hood turns in
the worst, most distorted art of his lousy run on the title. In _Superboy and
the Ravers_ #16, it was almost like they were trying to justify the series'
cancellation after the fact.
ST: And that about wraps it up for the Family titles. We'll return with the
awards for Continuing Series right after these messages from our sponsors.
[Music]
JS: All the Superboy ...
ST: What's that?
JS: I was just noticing how Superboy stories dominated this group, in both
best and worst.
ST: Yeah, no kidding. Both Superboy and SATR got votes in best and worst
categories. When was the last time you saw that happen?
JS: I was thinking specifically at _Ravers_ -- I can't believe you voted for
*any* part of Meltdown as best-anything. As for Ravers, though, when was the
last time you saw a title's quality take such polar swings in the course of a
year? Pathetic.
ST: Yeah. Would have been nice if there had been time for an upswing on the
pendulum again. Speaking of weird votes, I still can't believe you didn't
vote for Bernado. Or that you _did_ vote for Cyborg!
JS: Shaaane...
ST: Ssh. Commercial's over.
[Music]
(continued in Section 3)
_____________________________________________
SUPERSCRIPTS: IF WE PICKED THE KAYCEES (continued)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Jeff Sykes (sykes@ms.uky.edu) and Shane Travis (travis@sedsystems.ca)
JS: And we're back! Let's continue by moving into the continuing series
awards, where we look at individual creative teams and titles as a whole.
CS1: Best Writing in a Continuing Series
========================================
JS: As I mentioned before, the family titles generally outperformed the
triangle titles last year, and it was primarily a matter of writing. Peter
David gave us a fascinating new take on Supergirl, Scott McCloud showed us
what not being hampered by continuity can do for you, and Grant Morrison
turned out the most popular DCU title in years. The writer who continually
kept me on the edge of my seat, rolling on the floor, and guessing at what
the next unexpected plot twist would be, however, was the writer formerly
known as Jim Owsley. Priest's work on _Steel_ in the past year was some of
the best writing in comics.
ST: You converted me to _Superman Adventures_, Jeff, by mentioning the great
stories that Scott McCloud was writing there. You tried to do the same for
_Steel_, but it was never my cup of tea. But for one, every single story that
McCloud wrote had me feeling the same way you describe Priest; when you throw
in "The War Within" on top of that, McCloud wins this category hands down.
JS: He's clearly an excellent choice as well. In fact, it's a shame that
there couldn't be multiple winners here. Other categories, however, are much
less crowded...
CS2: Worst Writing in a Continuing Series
=========================================
JS: Need I mention "Meltdown" again? Could anybody other than Ron Marz
possibly take this category? Nope.
ST: I almost voted for Immonen... who would have thought that I'd ever miss
the days of David 'Artist? What artist?' Michelinie? On reflection, though, I
realized that Stuart isn't *bad*, just *inexperienced*. At least he is trying
new and different things... unlike Marz. One good issue (Meltdown 5) doesn't
make up for what he did to Superboy the rest of the year, and we find
ourselves in agreement again. Nice to know that you can be right *once* in a
while.
JS: [Pause] Just get on with it.
CS3: Best Art in a Continuing Series
====================================
ST: I'm going to go straight to the hot seller here and name Porter and Dell
for their work on _JLA_. For my money, they were the only ones who were able
to draw Superman looking heroic. It helped -- a lot -- that they had Morrison
writing good material for them, but a picture is still worth a thousand
words. Nothing -- *nothing* -- was more awe-inspiring than watching Superman
move the moon, or fight against Asmodel.
JS: Those were great scenes, indeed, but Porter and Dell just never really
worked for me. Much of how we perceive art teams depends upon our personal
taste, and _JLA_ just never *looked* good to me. The one art team which
managed to impress me issue after issue is Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan,
Jr. Most artists have "off" issues every now and again, where things just
don't work out well. For the life of me, though, I really can't think of a
single Immonen/Marzan production in the last year which disappointed me in
the slightest, and their work just gets stronger over time.
ST: Let's hope that Stuart's writing continues to improve as well, so I don't
have to consider him again for 'Worst Writer' next year.
JS: Amen to that. If his writing ability ever catches up to his artistic
ability, _Action_ will return to the prominence it deserves in this industry.
CS4: Worst Art in a Continuing Series
=====================================
JS: This was a dogfight. Bernado and Hazlewood's work on _Superboy_ was bad,
but they finally received a challenge late in the year from Josh Hood and Dan
Davis on _Superboy and the Ravers_. It's difficult to determine who draws the
more distorted figures, so I couldn't break the tie that way. Late in the
year, however, Hood captured the title the moment that Rex the Wonder Dog
suddenly looked like Rex the Wonder Cat. Honestly, should a major publisher
be hiring folks who can't make a dog look like a dog?
ST: (Pulls a coin out of his pocket) Heads, it's Bernado, tails it's Hood.
(flip) Heads. I guess that's appropriate. Bernado was bad for a lot longer
than Hood was bad. Honestly, should a major publisher be hiring people who
can't make people look like people?
CS5: Best Continuing Series
===========================
ST: I said it before, and I'll say it again. The only one who was able to
properly utilize Superman's new powers, demonstrate his commanding presence,
and make him out as the true leader that he is was Grant Morrison in _JLA_,
and Porter and Dell did a fantastic job turning words into pictures. Have to
give the vote here.
JS: Morrison's _JLA_ was very good, but I can't vote for it because, for me,
the art detracted from the package. _Steel_ had exactly the same problem.
_Supergirl_ has been fantastic towards the end of the year, but the overall
was marred by the overly-dark tone of the book early in the year. In the
end, only _Superman Adventures_ managed to feature strong stories and solid
art from start to finish in 1997. Kudos to Scott McCloud, Rick Burchett, and
all the rest of the gang for creating the best Superman title of the year.
CS6: Worst Continuing Series
============================
JS: On the flip side, bad writing and bad art result in a bad title. For the
second year in a row, Marz and Bernado usher _Superboy_ into the last-place
position among the super-titles. I look forward to Kesel and Grummett
correcting the situation.
ST: I agree with the formula, Jeff, but disagree with the conclusion. Despite
the sometimes-excellent covers, Bog and Janke continued to produce dark,
heavy, cartoony work. Furthermore, Louise Simonson demonstrated that she is
tired of writing Superman stories after six years, and seemed to spend much
of the year just mailing it in. Consistently the weakest link in the rotating
continuity, I have to vote for _Man of Steel_.
JS: We'll break now for our final commercials, and when we come back we'll
look at the many specials and one-shots that featured the Man of Steel.
[Music]
JS: (glowers)
ST: (looks innocent) What?
JS: You are *such* an idiot.
ST: *I'm* an idiot? I'm not the one who voted for Cyborg!
JS: (growls) You just don't give up, do you?
[Music]
ST: Looking at the last batch of awards, you were right in that the Family
titles were certainly well-represented among the top awards winners, but they
also took home almost all the 'Worst' awards too.
JS: They certainly did, Shane. Guess it was a really mediocre year for the
Triangle Titles.
LS1: Best Writing in a Special or Limited Series
================================================
JS: Because I don't want to slight some excellent work, let me briefly point
out that Mike Allred (_Hullabaloo_), Paul Dini (_Batman/Superman
Adventures_), Dan Jurgens (_Superman Annual_ #9), Karl Kesel and Chuck Dixon
(_World's Finest Three_), and George Perez (_Silver Surfer/Superman_) all
turned out some fantastic stories this year. However, nothing has even come
close to the storytelling of John Ostrander in _The Kents_. If you have any
interest at all in Westerns, Historical fiction, or the Civil War, then you
owe to yourself to be reading this book. If you've missed it so far, there's
bound to be a trade paperback -- which will undoubtedly be worth every penny
they decide to charge for it.
ST: This year, DC decided that it would have a 'theme' for its annuals, but
that for the first time in several years they would all stay in continuity.
Well, only one of the Annuals really did anything that dealt in any way with
current continuity, and it told by far the best pulp-genre story of them all.
I'm speaking of _Superman Annual #9_ written by Jurgens -- a rollicking romp
that was the first of the several really excellent stories that Jurgens wrote
this year.
JS: Does that mean you liked "Within Human Reach" after all?
ST: Oh, do shut up.
LS2: Worst Writing in a Special or Limited Series
=================================================
ST: Short answer: _Genesis_. 'Nuff said.
JS: What in the world was John Byrne thinking? _Genesis_ was the most
confusing, pointless piece of garbage to come out of DC in a long time. In my
not so humble opinion, Byrne should be apologizing for these four issues --
he's certainly capable of so much more than this.
LS3: Best Art in a Special or Limited Series
============================================
JS: I originally planned to vote for Sean Chen's gorgeous art from _Superman
Annual_ #9, but in compiling the list of artists, I stumbled upon Tom
Grummett and Scott Hanna's work on _World's Finest Three_. It was way back
at the beginning of the year, and the books were Prestige Format, meaning
sales were probably not as high as they could have been. However, this was
some of the most beautiful and detailed work of Tom Grummett's career -- and
another great reason to have high hopes for his return to the pages of
_Superboy_.
ST: "Stumbled upon it" -- hah! You overheard that I was voting for this and
stole my opinions!
JS: (outraged) I most certainly did not!
ST: You did too!
JS: Did not!
ST: Did... Ahem. As you may have guessed, this series took my vote too. It's
got Tom Grummett drawing three characters he does best: Superboy, Robin, and
Metallo, and his Poison Ivy looks good enough that I'm willing to risk a skin
rash! Scott Hanna inks are the cleanest I've ever seen on Grummett's work. I
don't usually buy comics for the art, but I'll tell you right now that I'd
plunk my money down for anything that featured these two paired up again.
LS4: Worst Art in a Special or Limited Series
=============================================
ST: There are seldom nice, mediocre stories in _Superman: The Man of Steel_,
either the series or the annual. We either get very, very good stories (like
Busiek's last year, or the Elseworlds several years ago), or very, very *bad*
stories (Bloodlines, Year One). This year, we not only got an
almost-unintelligible story, but we got absolutely dismal artwork to go with
it. At least a few (small) good features about this muddy and convoluted
plot; there was no similar redemption for the artwork. Art is supposed to
*enhance* a story -- not obfuscate it further and make the reader fight for
every shred of enlightenment he can get. This dark, dank, dismal work gets a
big Bronx cheer from me, and my nomination for Worst Art in a Special.
JS: A couldn't agree more. This production by Edwards and his host of inkers
makes Bog and Janke's *worst* art look good. I was especially turned off by
the exceptionally dark inks, and the illustrations were bathed in way too
many shadows. Perhaps more importantly, Edwards drew absolutely *the* ugliest
Superman in comics this year.
LS5: Best Special or Limited Series
===================================
ST: When I started reading _The Superman/Madman Hullabaloo_, I had no idea
whatsoever who this Madman guy was -- nor did I care. Mike Allred *made* me
care, though, with his off-beat cast of characters and his take on a time-
worn 'power-switch' story. The series continued to get better as it
progressed, until its final, bust-a-gut-laughing climax. For having the
genius to hinge the fate of the world on a game of Twister, and for almost
making me wet myself laughing so hard, Mike Allred deserves this award.
JS: _Hullabaloo_ employed my favorite villain, and his defeat *was* an
instant classic, but I don't think we really need to hear about your problems
with bladder control, Shane.
ST: Well excuuuuse me...
JS: The miniseries began too slowly for me to call it the best of the year,
however, not when it was among as much great work as we saw this year. All of
the titles I mentioned in the best writing award were equally strong in their
art. In addition, the unique _Superman's Metropolis_ was a wonderful
creation. Just as it did above, though, _The Kents_ stands tall above
everything else from the past year. In my humble opinion, this maxi-series is
destined to take a place in history as one of DC's best.
ST: While I agree that _The Kents_ is great storytelling, I don't see it in
the same light that you do. That probably has something to do with the fact
that I'm Canadian, and that Ostrander isn't telling _my_ history.
LS6: Worst Special or Limited Series
====================================
JS: This was the most cut and dry award for me. Only one special managed to
offend my sensibilities so completely. The art was the worst of the year. The
story took place over 64 pages, but probably could have been told in 16. _Man
of Steel Annual_ #6 was simply the worst of the lot.
ST: Again, if I was voting with my head, I'd probably agree with you, Jeff,
but this time I'm voting with my wallet. _Whom Gods Destroy_ started out with
*so* much promise that I was anxiously awaiting the second issue. After
reading it, however, I started to get a little confused, and that confusion
did not go away, even with subsequent re-readings. The art did little to
help clear the picture; I was willing to tolerate it when the story seemed so
good, but it just got more and more distracting as the series progressed. By
the time it was done, I'd spent $32 once again proving that Claremont has
some *great* ideas, but *really* needs a good editor to keep him reined in.
At least the MOS Annual only cost me $6 to find out how bad it was.
JS: Well, ladies and gentlemen, that's all for our show this year.
ST: I hope that we entertained you, uplifted you, and maybe even enlightened
you a little with our choices and explanations.
JS: And I hope we, or rather *he*, didn't offend you with his so-called wit.
ST: Hey!
JS: We'll see you at the real Kaycee Awards next month, and join us again
same time next year for...
Both: If *WE* Picked the Kaycees!
[Applause. Music. Lights fade, silhouetting the two reviewers arguing
politely, then vehemently behind the closing credits. Cut.]
_____________________________________________
ORIGINS
-----------------------------------
by Enola Jones (sj1025@gte.net)
Part Two: Jonathan
Last month I looked at Krypton, birthplace of Superman. This month I begin
looking at the people on Earth who made him the man he is today. Again, the
logical place to begin is at the beginning, with the couple who found the
ship/birthing matrix. Whenever I've read articles of this type, the author
has always taken the Kents as a single unit. I intend to break with tradition
and only examine Jonathan Kent in this article.
By varying accounts, Jonathan Kent was either a farmer or a general store
owner, or both. He wooed and wed Martha Clark, but their extremely happy
marriage was shadowed by the fact that they could not have children. One day,
however, a baby boy quite literally dropped into their lives. In some
stories, they turn him over to an orphanage for a time, in others they keep
him at their home, but all stories agree that at some point Jonathan and
Martha legally adopted the child, naming him Clark after Martha's family.
There are two huge shifts between Pre-Crisis Jonathan Kent and Post-Crisis
Jonathan Kent. One of these is in relation to Clark's powers. Post-Crisis,
Clark's powers developed at puberty. Pre-Crisis, Clark had his abilities from
infancy. Jonathan took it upon himself to train his exceptional son to
control those powers. This led to scenes such as Clark flying with balloons
strapped to his chest and Jonathan holding a lead rope shouting instructions
to him. It also led to one of the most charming stories I have ever read.
In the early eighties, there was an eight-page feature called "Superbaby!"
that appeared sporadically in the back of the comics. One of these had the
Kents, the Langs and two other couples having a party at the Kents' house.
Jonathan had read the children 'Aladdin and his wonderful lamp' as a bedtime
story. Clark, however, did not go to sleep. Professor Lang brought an
artifact he had found on one of his digs, reputed to have the power to grant
wishes. And indeed, wishes seem to be granted throughout the night. Martha
wishes she had made more sandwiches, and a plate of sandwiches (peanut butter
and bologna combined) does appear. One of the men, however, makes the mistake
of wishing they were on a deserted island. The whole house begins to shake
and they find themselves on a deserted island! The adults are puzzling over
this and Clark tugs on Jonathan's sleeve.
"Daddy, you gots to WISH!"
Jonathan takes Clark into the kitchen and Clark explains that he is playing
genie. He is granting all the wishes he hears. "Which explains the peanut
butter and bologna combination," Jonathan thinks. And it is Clark who has
brought them to the desert island. Finally, Jonathan makes Clark see that
Clark misunderstood and made a mistake: "One which you'll have torectify
immediately."
"Huh? Me make a wreck?"
"No, son. All you have to do is listen for one more wish, and after you make
it come true, you stop playing genie, okay?" Clark agrees, and soon they are
all safe and sound back in Smallville.
As a teenager, Clark as Superboy frequently turned to his adopted father for
advice. And more often than not, it was Jonathan's wise council which helped
temper Clark's impulsiveness. Perhaps that's why what would eventually happen
to Jonathan was so wrenching.
This leads to the other major difference between Pre- and Post-Crisis
Jonathan Kent. The Kents had been on a Caribbean vacation and had contracted
a rare virus. The virus would take both their lives: Martha first, and some
days later, Jonathan. Jonathan's last words to his son were for Clark to be
the greatest force for good the world had ever known, to make him proud. The
loss of his parents, especially his wise father, was a shadow that would
haunt Superman all his life. All his powers, and he could not save the two
people he loved most in the world. No wonder he would never reveal his
identity and marry Lois. He was terrified of losing her the way he had lost
his parents.
In the late seventies/early eighties (memory fails me) there was a two-issue
story that brought back Jonathan Kent. Not a robot, not a dream, not a
parallel universe story -- the Real McCoy! When Clark was a teenager,
Jonathan helped some aliens that had crashed on Earth. As a reward, they said
they would grant his fondest wish -- one that even he did not yet know he
had. One day, many years later, after Clark and Lana finished their news
broadcast, Lana took Clark out to dinner with a man who eerily resembled a
much older Jonathan Kent. He even claimed to *be* Jonathan Kent! Lana reacted
like he'd been alive all these years. Clark excused himself and flew to
Smallville, to find with horror that only Martha's grave was there. In
Jonathan's desk were letters in Clark's own hand that dated from when he
moved to Metropolis. Jonathan was really alive!
But there was also trouble. A hippie had gotten into some of the smoke that
the aliens had used to get Jonathan to present day. This man had been told
that magical things would happen if he said "Please," and that was the power
that resulted from exposure to the smoke. He used that power to terrorize
Metropolis and make Superman beat himself up. The aliens reappeared and gave
Jonathan the ability to see what Superman saw. Superman limped to Lois's
place and Jonathan followed. He called Superman 'son' twice in front of Lois,
explaining that Lois was an exceptional woman and someday... Superman said
they'd talk later and flashed out. Lois smiled and asked Jonathan, "How do
you know I've not already figured that out?" Jonathan gets tickled at this. I
forget how Superman defeated the Please guy, but he returned to the newsroom
and found a letter from Jonathan saying he had to go home now.
Then Lana begins the newscast with yesterday's date and top stories.
Jonathan's letter vanishes. Lana's surprise dinner guest is Lois. Jonathan is
smiling down from clouds watching this. He thanks the aliens for letting him
come back for one day to see what kind of man his boy would become. He is
very proud of Clark. The aliens had stopped time for one day so the return
would not devastate the time continuum. Clark begs off dinner and flashes to
Smallville, where he stands before the twin graves. He thinks, "Funny. All of
a sudden I feel closer to my parents than I have in years... Especially Pa!"
I don't like many of the changes Byrne made to Superman after the Crisis, but
there is one *huge* exception to this statement. Post-Crisis, Jonathan and
Martha Kent are still alive and well. Superman can draw upon their love and
wisdom at any time. I feel that this love and support is what gave Clark the
courage to reveal who he was to Lois and eventually marry her, despite the
danger. The Superman of today is a braver, stronger person than his
Pre-Crisis counterpart, in large part I feel because of the continued support
of his loving parents.
When Jonathan had his heart attack, all I could think of was they're *not*
gonna make history repeat itself! Don't let him die! Well, thank goodness,
the powers that be at DC did not do that. The wisest man Superman has ever
met is still alive and well. Leave him that way!
Jonathan Kent is the wisest, most loving man in the comics. It is in no small
part due to his influence that Clark is a wise, gentle man capable of much
kindness and love. Pre-Crisis, Clark was just as wise and gentle, but his
guilt and grief over the loss of his parents crippled him as much as it drove
him. Post-Crisis, the continued presence of his parents empowers him as much
as his powers do. From Jonathan, Clark gets wisdom and gentleness, and a
wonderful role model for his new role as a husband and, I hope, someday as a
father. He could ask for no better one.
What does Clark get from his mother? That's next time.
_____________________________________________
NEW COMIC REVIEWS
------------------------------------------
Comics Arriving In Stores January 1998
After the 17 comics we reviewed last month, many of you will be happy to
see that we're down to just 11 for this issue (I know Shane's probably
ecstatic!). As usual, there were a few titles which were not reviewed
for various reasons. Here, then, is the completists' report:
For those of you following Steel, but who do not read _JLA_ -- start now.
With the impending cancellation of _Steel_, JLA will be the only regular
appearance of the other Man of Steel. (He debuted in January's _JLA_ #16!)
Superman and the rest of the "Magnificent 7" JLA line-up starred in
_Adventures in the DC Universe_ #12, in a sequel to their first appearance
in that title. Superman and Superboy, as well as new amalgamations making
use of their characters, both appeared in _Unlimited Access_ #4. The saga
of Clark Kent's adopted ancestors continued in _The Kents_ #8. Finally,
Superman served as little more than window dressing in a couple of panels
in _JLA: Paradise Lost_ #3 and _Teen Titans_ #18.
Ratings Panelists:
-----------------
AHu: Andrew Hudson DWd: Darrin Wood RG: Rene' Gobeyn
AW: Anatole Wilson EJ: Enola Jones ST: Shane Travis
CoS: Cory Strode JP: Julian Pinder SDM: Simon DelMonte
DC: David Chappell JSy: Jeff Sykes TD: Thomas Deja
DJ: Derek Jackson LF: Lawrence Faulkner VV: Vic Vitek
DR: Daniel Radice MS: Mike Smith
As always, the first rating given after the average is that of the reviewer.
The average rating given for each book may correspond to a larger sample
of ratings than what is printed following the average.
=================================================
THE TRIANGLE TITLES:
-------------------
9. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW #10 Winter 98 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Who Do You Love?"
Writer: Roger Stern
Artists: Paul Ryan & Brett Breeding
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Editor Red: Maureen McTigue
Editor Blue: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Paul Ryan, Brett Breeding, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 2.3/5.0 Shields
JSm: 2.5 Shields
DC: 2.7 Shields - A little rushed and sappy, but has its good parts, too.
DJ: 1.2 Shields - Puhlease. I am sick of Maxima. You'd think she'd figure
out that Superman doesn't want her and look for somebody else.
Obsession's "Won't you please love me?" is just as annoying.
JP: 3.8 Shields - Surprisingly good art by Ryan and Breeding, and Stern
proves himself the best Superman writer with a solid story and the
best take on Superman Red and Superman Blue.
JSy: 2.7 Shields - Roger Stern leaves the super-books with this issue, yet
there's not even a mention of his departure. I wish he had come up
with something better for his farewell.
SDM: 1.0 Shields - Possibly the worst story Roger Stern has ever been
involved with. Weak artwork doesn't help, either, but even George
Perez might not have been able to save this.
TD: 2.5 Shields - Silly, silly sitcom-like story that did nothing to
really entertain.
VV: 0.5 Shield - It seems like every time Superman changes in some way,
Maxima comes back to see if one of the changes isn't going brain-
dead and suddenly falling completely in love with her.
Two Supermen. Drastically different powers. A Superman title to fill in the
"skip weeks" that come four times a year. Roger Stern, Paul Ryan, and Brett
Breeding. These are all things that *should* be incredible, either separate
or combined, but in _Man of Tomorrow_ #10 are just 'pretty good'.
Things get started with something I've missed in the Superbooks as of late:
a TV news report on weird stuff happening to Superman. Time was, whenever
Superman died, got impersonated, or disappeared into space, you would get a
glimpse of the average person's viewpoint with a few TV-shaped panels. This
one is well-timed, since we need to know Superman has been split into two
beings (and two colors), who fought and vanished over Metropolis.
Each of the two Supermen had been convinced--up until now, anyway--that the
other was in fact the Cyborg impersonating Superman, but by the time they
rematerialize in Lois's apartment, it's clear that they trust each other.
When they touched in AOS #555, they apparently made some sort of mental
contact. Now each of them believes the other is an energy duplicate who
*thinks* he's Superman. Watching them try to validate themselves in front
of Lois is fun.
The Supermen are sure that the solution is to simply reintegrate the energies
that the Cyborg inadvertently split, but their previous physical contact
nearly killed them both. Since they're both basically the same guy, they
realize at the same moment that the Fortress probably has what they need.
It's here that the differences in Red and Blue's personalities are played up;
Blue's dialogue is cold and stodgy, while Red wants to make a competition out
of their trip to the Fortress.
Right about now the Supermen discover that Dana Dearden (the woman who got
some super-powers in a desperate attempt to win Superman's affection) has
been hanging out in the Fortress for a while. While Dana had been reported
dead (and named "Obsession") by the media, she developed a partial amnesia
for a time. When she remembered her devotion to Superman, she eventually
tracked him down to the Fortress and has been waiting for him ever since.
Dana, as I had guessed before reading this issue, has absolutely no problem
with two Supermen, and even refers to them as "darlings" (!).
Maxima, however, isn't too pleased with Superman's current conundrum, and
follows Red and Blue's energy trails right to the Fortress just in time to
meet Dana. Maxie, of course, will only settle for the *real* Superman as her
mate, and she's just not willing to share with the other "Super-groupie."
Before you can say "Girl fight tonight!" Maxima and Obsession are throwing
down. While Superman Blue heads back to the U.S. for a gadget that'll stop
Maxima, Superman Red tries to break up the battle before the Fortress (and
Kandor) get trashed. Unfortunately, Dana takes off in a fit before anyone can
stop her, and Maxima is already vowing her revenge on Superman...
So, after a quick run-down of the Fortress's technology, Superman Red and
Blue *still* can't find a way to integrate, and Lois is *still* pretty
concerned about all of this, and the two Supermen *still* have to figure
out how to sleep on the same couch.
Time for my quick soapbox on the whole "new powers" situation that's given
us Superman Red and Blue. This issue, like many before it in 1997, had
absolutely *nothing* in it that required or took advantage of Superman's
energy-based powers. (I'll ignore Supes being split in two--that happened
in the Silver Age and with Clark's usual powers.)
What's more, this story would make more *sense* with Superman's original
powers. Red and Blue have a conversation while they travel to Antarctica
at *light-speed*--even Roger Stern thought this was so ludicrous that he had
to write an explanation. Then during Maxima and Obsession's fight, we're
supposed to accept that it takes more than a minute for Superman Blue to make
a round trip to S.T.A.R. Labs. Furthermore, wouldn't the danger posed to
Kandor have been more plausible if we didn't know Superman Red could erect a
magnetic field around it? (For that matter, why didn't he just play havoc
with Maxie and Dana's nervous systems and knock them out immediately?)
_Man of Tomorrow_ #10, like every "new powers" story before it, keeps making
me ask, "Was this trip *really* necessary?" The answer continues to be "No,"
which is really sad, because this *could* have been exciting. Instead it's a
very standard Superman story, except it's missing that very standard Superman
that makes those stories so enjoyable.
I will admit that Superman Red and Blue provides some new and different
headaches for the Man of Steel, especially in this issue, but as I look
to the future, all I see are stories where they split up and face various
menaces on opposite sides of town. As much as I liked Red and Blue's
interaction in this issue (Superman Red is the character find of 1997!), I
fear it's short-lived.
I think Roger Stern, Paul Ryan, and Brett Breeding are all very talented
people. On this particular title, though, they just haven't been amazing me.
Stern was excellent on _Action_ a few years back, Ryan is swell when he fills
in on _Superman_, and Breeding was once, in my mind, *the* inker back when he
worked with Dan Jurgens on _Superman_. Here, though, the three of them are
not much more than 'just alright'.
Part of the problem may be apathy -- _Man of Tomorrow_ almost never ships,
thanks to "skip week" events like Tangent Comics and the New Year's Evil
specials. The void this book was created to fill has become non-existant, and
now it just comes out whenever DC feels like it. It's hard for me to even
remember the book *exists*. These kinds of problems are exactly why Stern is
leaving with this issue, and why Louise Simonson (who is reportedly scaling
back her work in comics) is moving in.
If it were up to me, I'd just cancel the book and stick with DC's quarterly
events. The House of Superman is sagging a bit these days, and the last
thing it needs is yet another title in need of fixing.
Jim Smith
<jamsmith@risc.usi.edu>
=================================================
10. ACTION COMICS #742 Mar 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Devil May Care: A Thesis on the Psychopathologist's Role"
Writer/Penciller: Stuart Immonen
Inker: Jose Marzan Jr.
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Assistant Editor: Maureen McTigue
Troubador: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Stuart Immonen, Jose Marzan Jr., and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 2.6/5.0 Shields
DR: 2.2 Shields (Story)
4.5 Shields (Art)
DJ: 1.5 Shields - The only worthwhile part of this story was when Maggie
Sawyer threatened to kill the animals to stop Kirichitan. Made me
wonder if she was bluffing, or would have carried through.
EJ: 2.9 Shields - A little confusing. The underlying current of who is using
who for what end, however, was compelling.
JP: 2.3 Shields - Once again, Immonen proves himself to be a great penciller
but a poor writer: the 'thesis' aspect started well but was all but
forgotten after page four, only to be hastily resurrected at the end.
LF: 3.3 Shields - Immonen's writing isn't quite up to par with his artistic
ability. The story seemed to drag at times but I'm hoping Stu can
rise to the challenge as time goes on.
SDM: 2.1 Shields - Stuart really wants to do something good and something
different, but he's just not a good enough writer. Thankfully, he
is a good enough artist to at least make this comic look good.
TD: 3.9 Shields - Surprisingly effective insight into the head of Dr. Noah
Brazil, although the confrontation scene made little sense. Best
moment: Brazil hanging out with the cats....
VV: 1.0 Shields - <sigh> It is hard to believe that the one thing that
Superman needs now is another one-shot-worthy(????) villain.
"Artists should be seen and not heard." If this were an old adage I'm sure it
would've been proven true by the latest issue of Action Comics. This isn't to
say that Stuart Immonen isn't a capable writer, it's just to say that he's
not ready for Prime Time quite yet. This particular issue holds a good idea
--a character piece on Dr. Noah Brazil/Kirichitan--but Stuart seems to be
reaching back to first year university for the majority of his story ideas.
How do I know? Because this is basically what I'm studying in Psych 1F90....
If you read _Metropolis SCU_, a mini-series which came out a few years ago,
then you may remember Dr. Noah Brazil. I read it, but I'll be darned if *I*
could remember him, so back issues needed to be dragged out. I wondered why
we needed another "sword guy"? I mean, why resurrect a character into a place
where Shadowdragon could have easily been used?
This story introduces us to Amy, a psychology student who has taken Dr.
Brazil into her care to try and rehabilitate him--or something like that.
I'm really not too clear on the whole thing because I found it to be a
profoundly stupid idea. Suffice it to say, she has a psychotic man living in
her apartment, and thinks that it's a great idea! Immonen does a poor job
explaining to us why any woman in her right mind would do such a thing. Argh.
That's all I can say.
Meanwhile, as an undercover photographer searches for a picture of Luthor's
new baby, information is received that the hospital where the Contessa is
residing has gone up in flames. In a fury, Luthor leaves his child in the
nursery, and the Planet photographer with a perfect opportunity. Luthor's
character in this particular scene is perfectly portrayed; His "concern" for
his wife is excellent characterization, as it keeps up his social image. At
the same time, it allows for a bit of dramatic irony since the reader knows
his _true_ intentions. My only gripe is that someone jumping into the middle
of the story might be a bit confused, or at least led the wrong way by Lex's
comments.
Superman Blue, who had recently been at Professor Hamilton's apartment,
arrives (as Clark) at the daily planet for a brief discussion with Lois.
We are further reminded of the problems they are having, what with Kal-el now
coming in two different flavours. That's enough to make any woman go a little
nutty. This is one of those wonderful filler scenes that does nothing to the
story plot, but carries on the running sub-plots which swerve through each
title.
Moving along on our quest to bring readers up to speed on just about every
side-story, we're treated to Scorn (I like Ceritak better) and Ashbury
arriving back at the Armstrong apartment. This little scene serves to remind
us how much Dirk Armstrong doesn't like his blind daughter Ashbury running
around with a big monster like Scorn. Luckily, it tangentially ties into the
Kirichitan story, so this subplot isn't *totally* shoehorned in.
Speaking of Kirichitan, we find him in the middle of a Metropolis street,
surrounded by various forms of wildlife (I didn't know he owned a zoo!)
awaiting his confrontation with Superman. Lo and behold, Blue boy appears and
promptly falls victim to the ol' sword through the chest trick! I know that
one gets me all the time! But just when you think Superman is going to die
at the hands of some two-bit villain, the day is saved! Thank goodness for
reasonable plotting! What would the world come to if Superman didn't win
every time? Oh, and we see that stupid furry blue guy on the back of Jimmy's
bike again. Yay.
I really think that Stuart Immonen goes to Brock University (FREE PLUG!) with
me, because since he started his writing stint he's gone off on Canterbury
Tales, which I studied in English, and now random smatterings of Psychology,
with a bit of Sociology thrown in. Not that this is a bad approach, but it
seems like he just picked up a few textbooks and tried to fit them into a
story idea.
Stuart's writing isn't as bad as I may be making it out to be--it's just that
it isn't anything special. There's certainly nothing that really warrants his
writing a book monthly. Dan Jurgens, though I bash him to heck, has spurts of
near-brilliance, so I always have hope that he'll reach those levels more
often than not. Stuart is just a vanilla plain writer. Not that there's
anything wrong with that, but that's not the type of writer that should be on
_Action Comics_.
Of course, to say that Immonen doesn't do anything right would be an
disservice. He has a fairly good handle on characterization, and doesn't fall
into the stereotypical mode of dialoguing that so many writers do. He does
a good job of letting us know what has come before, but has a bit of a hard
time bringing other sub-plots into a story. He should learn from the master,
Karl Kesel....
As for the art, I have to say that, quite simply, Immonen draws the most
beautiful Superman I've ever seen. Everything is wonderfully rendered, and
the colors serve to make things that much better. I think Stuart's effective
usage of shadows allows him to create a more realistic image. His art may not
be as traditional as some of my other favourite Superman artists, but it is
definitely is one of the best.
To sum things up (because I have this obsessive need to wrap everything up
in a conclusion), _Action Comics_ #742 did a fairly good job of bringing Noah
Brazil back into the titles, but in a rather odd situation. Immonen's writing
is average, and could be better, but his art, as usual, is spectacular.The
strong art carries the book nicely, and makes it all worthwhile. Enjoy!
Dan Radice
<dradice@caninet.com>
=================================================
11. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #76 Mar 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Triangles"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciller: Paul Ryan
Inker: Dennis Janke
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Colorist: Glen Whitmore
Computer Seps: Digital Chameleon
Assistant Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Seeing Double: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Jon Bogdanove, Denis Janke, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 2.9/5.0 Shields
MS: 3.0 Shields
DJ: 2.9 Shields - I thought Armstrong had grudgingly accepted Scorn, now he
kicks him out?? Hasn't the man heard of a compromise? Nice to see
that DC points out that racism works on both sides.
EJ: 3.7 Shields - I am so mad at Ashbury's father I could scream... and POOR
LOIS! Having to deal with two versions of her husband! I don't blame
her for leaving the country.
JP: 1.4 Shields - The best thing about this issue is that Bog didn't draw
it. Unfortunately, Simonson wrote it.
JSy: 3.6 Shields - The strongest of the batch this month, as Simonson flexes
her muscles in scenes with the supporting cast. Oddly enough, the
main plot is equally intriguing, laying the groundwork for yet
another Metropolis mystery.
LF: 3.0 Shields - Ashbury and Scorn, Ashbury and Scorn, Ashbury and Scorn!!!
Superman?
VV: 2.0 Shields - Teasers galore for the upcoming Crisis on Infin..., no,
it's Zero Hou.... no. Hmmm. Temporal anomalies? Why?
I know I said there needed to be more of Superman in this book, but this is
ridiculous!
Sorry, but someone had to say it.
I'm sure his issue was continued from _Action Comics_ #742. What surprised me
was that, even though I didn't read that issue, this book stood on it's own
anyway. That's impressive--especially after the weak "cliffhanger" used to
connect _Action_ #738 to _Man of Steel_ #73. It's nice to see that Superman
isn't the only thing changing around here.
Obviously this issue is a half of a whole. The cover is half of a single
picture and the story only features one Superman out of two, but Simonson
doesn't beat us to death with this. Blue's cameos show us that something
more is going on, but we don't hear about it. That's a welcome relief.
No single story is told here. It's a group of sub plots that neatly segue
into each other. Lois becomes frustrated with her multiple husbands and
decides to take a foreign assignment in Mexico until this is straightened
out. Superman-Red tries to stop temporal anomalies (dinosaurs, cavemen,
robots, the usual) from tearing up the city. Dirk convinces Scorn to get out
of Ashbury's life for her own safety. In response to Ron Troupe dating Lucy
Lane, his sister Lenda begins dating his much older boss Franklin Stern. The
private hospital holding the comatose Contessa burns to the ground, and Lex
Luthor is convinced she has faked her death to get their daughter from him.
Oh, and Jimmy is nowhere to be seen. Not that I hate him, but he's been a
little overexposed lately.
The teaser for this issue was that everyone in it would be caught up in
relationship triangles. Lois and the two Supermen; Lex, Lena, and the late(?)
Contessa; Dirk, Ash, and Scorn; Ron, Lenda, Lucy and Franklin... wait, that's
four. I guess DC's editors really are slipping up. No big deal, though.
Themes can get on my nerves anyhow, so I'll overlook this.
First off, Lois made the right decision. There's no way she can live with
both Red and Blue; best to stay out of their way until this is fixed. Better
yet, this foreign assignment thing is being used as a ramification of the
plotline, as opposed to her trip to Australia a while back which was a plot
device to get her captured by Naga. Another improvement.
When the Contessa was introduced in 1995, I thought she was a perfect mate
for Lex. I didn't know the half of it. Seems when the chips are down, she'll
fake her death just like Lex has in the past. Lex's paranoia is dead on for
his character. Fatherhood has definitely been a great direction for this guy.
The temporal surges make for some great action visuals, but we get no
indication of why they're happening, or even if it's over. Superman dismisses
the threat as soon as it subsides, which is strange, really. The last time
this sort of thing happened, Zero Hour nearly destroyed time itself. Superman
should really look into this.
Lenda's objections to Ron and Lucy dating, while an interesting direction,
needs more attention. The last I saw of these folks was in _Action_ #739
or so, and nothing's changed. It's like these characters in a time capsule.
Things are building here, and I want to see the climax of this story while
I'm still young.
The relationship between Scorn and Dirk has come a long way. Remember when
Dirk shot at him, and Scorn jumped out of a window to save Ash from the
"Bad man"? Nowadays there's some measure of respect between these two.
Unfortunately they're putting Ashbury's well being over her own feelings
and decisions.
On a side note, the so-called "Dragon's Teeth" are acting up again, setting
up the Millennium Guard's return for _Superman_ #133 and _AOS_ #557. Kudos to
Simonson for keeping the Teeth in the background this time. For inanimate
objects, they got way too much coverage in #74.
All in all, some great handling of the characters, but the superhero stuff
suffers this time around. Superman-Red carries Lois to the Daily Planet and
phases inside, then gets her to push the window open so she'll fall into
his arms. This is a nice scene, but it's way too complicated. Superman can
fly slow enough to carry Lois and talk to her on the way, but no one looked
out the window and saw him enter, or Lois hanging there? Superman can hold
Lois in a force field and kiss her, but he can't open the window? If he was
pretending to be unable to do this, why didn't Lois call his bluff? She
probably knows what he can and can't do.
This is the pitfall of any Superman story lately. The powers have become
contradictory, and in some cases nonsensical. Worse, instead of coming up
with practical applications of the powers, or defining what they are, the
writers have fallen back to using them to simulate the old powers. This is
pointless, and a little insulting to the reader. I supported the new powers
in the beginning, but now that they're hurting the stories they've lost their
appeal. Hopefully, the swell characterization in this issue will carry over
after Superman is restored.
Art: Paul Ryan does the impossible, taking the guest spot on _Man of Steel_
and meshing well with Janke's inking style! Some nice work from both of them,
especially with the dinosaurs rampaging through town. And how can I ignore
the awesome textured skin on the dinos? Some excellent work by Whitmore and
the Digital Chameleon.
Overall, some nice work. For all the nutty Red/Blue stuff we still see some
interesting and much needed developments in the plotlines. Good to see the
book getting a few improvements.
Mike Smith
<mpsmit0@pop.uky.edu>
_____________________________________________
THE TRIANGLE TITLES (cont):
--------------------------
12. SUPERMAN #133 Mar 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
Writer: Dashin' Dan Jurgens
Letterer: Jugglin' John Costanza
Colorist: Gracious Glenn Whitmore
Color Seps: Dynamic Digital Chameleon
Assistant: Mighty Mo McTigue
Editor: Jet-propelled Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Ron Frenz, Joe Rubinstein, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 2.4/5.0 Shields
TD: 2.0 Shields - Some nice sub-plot moments, and Jurgens recovers his
mediocrity from last month's wretched excess.
DJ: 3.7 Shields - It's amazing how much you notice art differences when more
than one artist collaborates on a book. The first half seems a bit
rushed while the second half is excellent. The stories are pretty
decent and an obvious tie-together for upcoming events. For the first
time I enjoyed a story with Jimmy and Misa.
JP: 1.8 Shields - This title descends further into silver-age silliness.
Just as it seemed that Blue and Red had decided to work together,
Jurgens has them fighting like schoolboys again!
JSy: 3.0 Shields - We'll give this a 2.0 for the first half, in which the
insipid Red/Blue confrontation and the Millennium Giants setup
continues. A 4.0 for the second half, though, with gorgeous art
and nice characterizations.
LF: 2.6 Shields - No matter how much I try I still can't make myself like
Frenz's art. Splitting up Blue and Red was a good idea; it let each
of them shine on their own.
VV: 1.5 Shields - I have absolutely no desire to see the Millennium Giants.
My only hope is that this isn't the start of a two-year crossover
storyline.
In keeping with the themes of Two-two-Supes-in-one, this book is made of two
separate stories, one focusing of each of the colors of Sparky the Wonder
Kryptonian. The good news is that neither are as awful as last month's
travesty. The bad news is that Dan Jurgens has found his normal level of
mediocrity. In order of presentation:
"To Summon The Guard"
Layouts: Rockin' Ron Frenz
Finisher: Joltin' Josef Rubinstein
TD: 1.0 Shields
Okay, first we see Superman Red and Superman Blue arguing over who gets to
go to work. Both agree that one Supes has to lead the normal life while the
other gets to play the Man o' Sparks; problem is, neither wants to give up
playing husband to Lois. Why anybody would want to play husband to *this*
Lois, arguably the worst Lois I've EVER seen, is beyond me. (The gal looks
like Bea Arthur in the last panel of page three, for God's sake!) Red S
decides to go to work, and writes a nasty column on the Hypersector, which
gets Perry upset. Rather than rewrite himself, Red Clark heads off to
investigate an explosion outside of town. There, he finds Cadmus in ruins--
and the Millennium Guard lying in wait.
Now I think the wisecracking Superman Red is godawful--his 'witticisms'
are little more than Spider-Man rejects--and this story did little to sway
me otherwise. The one nice bit was a subplot featuring Scorn's very brief
employment at Big Belly Burger, and feeling his first pangs of homesickness.
This scene actually shows that Jurgens' talent spike still remains, as it's
amusing and poignant at the same time.
What kills this story, however, is Ron Frenz and Joseph Rubinstien. The
artwork is the worst it's ever been, my friends; Frenz is going through the
motions, and Rubinstein continues his Sal Buscema aping. There are some
moments that are grotesque in the extreme; in addition to that harridian
Lois, there's a scene on page 6 where a second reporter is literally nothing
more than a swipe of Red Clark with brown skin and a redesigned sweater/
jacket combo. I suspect Frenz is burning out fast on Superman, and being
given such third-rate scripts to pencil isn't helping any.
"Heart of a Lion, Soul of a Lamb"
Layouts: Torrid Tom Grummett
Finisher: Dastardly Denis Rodier
TD: 2.3 Shields
The story here is barely better: while Jimmy and Misa are bathing in the
woods outside Metropolis, they discover that they picked up a blue, furry
Bamf--uh, Fuzzlet, a product of "faulty genetic engineering" at Cadmus.
Before they can figure out what to do with the Bam-uh, Fuzzlet, they are
set upon by the Black Crucible, who want the Medallion of the Damned (the
MacGuffin from last year's annual). Misa sends out a magnetic pulse that
attracts Blue Supes. Between the Fuzzlet's teleportation and Blue S's
powers, the heroes are able to keep the Medallion out of the Crucible's
hands. Repentant and muttering about muttering about being "rewarded with
life in the New Age," the Crucible literally disintegrate, leaving Jimmy,
Supes and Misa--along with the reader--to wonder what just went on.
Like "To Summon the guard," this is nonsense, but it's better *looking*
nonsense thanks to the work of Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier. There's none of
the hideousness of Frenz' work, and a few moments--particularly the opening
scene of Misa bathing--is very engaging. However, all this story did was add
more stuff into an already overcrowded storyline--and the Fuzzlet seems like
a throwaway whose only purpose was to teleport at random times during the
fight scene.
That being said, there is one major good here--in this story, Clark Blue
agrees to rewrite the story, only it comes out dry and analytical. Okay, if
only for the fact that this Clark is wearing AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT OUTFIT and
nobody notices. It's this sort of a lack of attention to details that makes
this storyline way groan-worthy; all I can say is, thank God it'll be over
soon.
There's still signs in both stories of the Jurgens I got excited about a
short while ago. Ironically, that Jurgens is to be found in the subplots,
which are usually his weak point. It makes me hope that I can call _Superman_
#133 a part of a brief lull in what I was hoping would be a surprising
revival of the quality of the flagship title of the DC Universe.
Thomas Deja
<manciniman@rocketmail.com>
_____________________________________________
SUPER-FAMILY TITLES:
-------------------
STEEL #48 Mar 1998 $2.50 US/$3.50 CAN
"Invasion"
Writer: Priest
Artists: Denys Cowan and Bill Sienkiewicz
Letterer: Pat Brosseau
Colorist: John Kalisz
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Asst. Editor: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Denys Cowan, Tom Palmer, and Josh Myers
RATINGS
Average: 4.0/5.0 Shields
JSy: 3.3 Shields
MS: 3.8 Shields - Great origin for Crash, but the Cardinal needed more
explanation. We do _not_ need another secret agent-type with no
backstory .
TD: 4.9 Shields - The BEST book I read this month--a great profile of a
villain that explains how Good Intentions lead to Hell. I'm a
permanent follower now....
Maybe I should stop writing reviews. I review _Superboy and the Ravers_
and it gets cancelled. Now, _Steel_ will be joining that massive club.
Why don't people read good books?
Anyway, to the issue at hand. _Steel_ #48 continues the tradition of strong
storytelling by Priest, but art troubles and editorial decisions manage to
take this issue down a notch below what I've come to expect.
Things start off strong, with a stunning Cowan and Palmer cover. This is
perhaps the best piece of art the two have produced on _Steel_, and the cover
design perfectly conveys the thrust of the story inside. I can't help but
think that this cover caused a number of folks to pick the issue up off the
shelf.
Of course, they'd have put it right back down after thumbing through a few
pages. In a nutshell, when you take a penciller with a scratchy style and
team him up with an inker with a similar style, the result isn't pretty.
Don't get me wrong. This isn't Josh Hood bad or Ramon Bernado bad, where
the characters barely look human; this is simply a matter of things looking
messy, with lots of heavy black lines and indistinguishable characters.
Unfortunately, the biggest problem isn't the style at all, but the fact that
some of the story's finer points get lost in the illustration, as we'll see
in a moment.
In a nutshell, we finally learn Crash's complete origin, and of his
intentions. Simply put, he intends to safeguard the innocents of the world
by controlling the criminals. To this end, he has built a formidable
organization, exacting vengeance on the criminals who caused his 'deaths'
and eliminating those who would oppose him.
Meanwhile, the high-ups have learned of Crash and his work at protecting
John and his family, and they attempt to draft Steel into their service.
After studying their methods and intentions, Steel escapes to confront
Crash on his own, only to have Crash escape.
The story is intriguing enough, especially the details of the organization
Crash is building -- although I now have to wonder if Priest will have
time to reveal Crash's true identity to John before the cancellation.
Interestingly enough, what stuck out in my mind is how Crash hasn't been
portrayed as truly villainous, unlike John's employer. In fact, had Crash
been introduced as a character in the early 1990s Marvel, he'd have been an
anti-hero, somewhat similar to the Punisher, albeit with different motives.
Back when Priest took over the book, he pointed out that Steel was much more
akin to Batman than to Superman, and that comparison is abundantly evident
in this issue. John is constantly thinking and preparing ahead, evaluating
his opponents, and exuding an air of intimidation. It's a very effective
portrayal.
What was disappointing, however, was the lack of time spent on the supporting
cast which has been so prominent in early issues. This seems to come more
from an editorial directive than anything. The issue has a much more
'mainstream' feel -- bad guys versus good guys, super-villains, robots,
secret government agencies -- than _Steel_ has had in the past. Priest
indicated that DC's editorial offices requested this, perhaps in an attempt
to bolster sales. With this change hitting the stands only a month before
the cancellation was announced, though, it's obvious that the change wasn't
given a chance to win new readers.
As a specific example of the "mainstreaming" of the title, I present Crash
himself. In the past, Crash has largely appeared wearing a trenchcoat and
dark glasses, occasionally in a business suit. Here he sports that look only
when negotiating with other crime bosses. In the scenes where he confronts
and kills his enemies, Crash is suddenly wearing face paint, or tattoos,
which resemble tiger stripes. Priest has explained this as his "super-
villain" persona. (He also explained that they had planned to explain the
new look, but inclusion in the Millennium Giants crossover has caused some
things to get lost in the shuffle.)
Now to the art problems again. There are a couple of important points that
get lost in the details, which might be revealing to the readers.
1. Page 9, where John meets the Cardinal. Note that the issue never reveals
who the Cardinal and his men work for. According to Priest (who responded
on Usenet to the confusion), the script calls for the Cardinal to flash a
badge identifying him as a Federal Marshall. This is why it's not in the
dialogue.
2. Page 9, 18, and 19. What's with the electrical tape? Steel mentioned the
phosphorous gel packs taped to his hammer, but Cowan failed to illustrate
the attachment. When the anti-theft charge goes off, the gel packs burst
into flame. Also, in the next panel, that's the other robot (Mr. White,
not Mr. Black -- they're named by their suits, not their skin color)
crashing into a tunnel wall while attempting to follow Steel.
3. Page 15. This is supposed to be Atlanta's Peachtree Plaza, one of the
more famous hotels in the world. What's drawn looks nothing like the real
thing.
Priest outlined a few more places where the art deviated from his script,
but those weren't as confusing as what I mentioned above. Regardless, these
illustration problems, along with the messy style itself, turned what could
have been a very good issue into an average one. I realize there's immense
pressure to get these things out on time every month, but perhaps Priest and
Cowan need to communicate a bit more during the creative process.
Again, not a bad book, but certainly not what I've come to expect.
Jeff Sykes
<sykes@ms.uky.edu>
=================================================
SUPERBOY #49 Mar 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Searching..."
Words: Barbara Kesel
Pictures: Georges Jeanty
Inks: Doug Hazlewood and John Stanisci
Letters: Comicraft
Colors: Buzz Setzer
Assists: Maureen McTigue
Edits: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Tom Grummett, Doug Hazlewood, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.2/5.0 Shields
RG: 3.8 Shields (Story: 4.0, Art: 3.5)
DJ: 1.8 Shields - I picked this one up because I heard Alpha Centurion (one
of my favorite heroes) made a guest appearance. I didn't give it the
low rating because he only appeared on one panel, rather because the
story was completely unexciting.
DWd: 2.5 Shields - Not a bad issue (better than the last one). Nice lead
up to _Superboy_ #50.
EJ: 2.7 Shields - This smacked a little too much of a permanent goodbye. I
hope it isn't. I've come to like Dubbilex and Roxy over the last few
months (even though I still want to smack Tana). I am curious to see
what this "new direction" is, and the last page looks ... intriguing.
JSy: 4.2 Shields - There was little I didn't like about this issue. Barbara
Kesel exhibits her ability to handle large casts, and Jeanty's art
is quite nice. Roxy Leech has turned into one of the best supporting
cast members in all of comics, so I seriously hope that a place is
found for her in the revamped title.
ST: 4.1 Shields - Roxy shows us why she was accepted as an SCU trainee; she
displays excellent intuition, intelligence and investigative skills.
4 pages was a bit much just to suit up to talk to Knockout, but other
than that, a well-scripted piece of work making fantastic use of the
supporting cast. Only the art prevented a higher mark, and even that
was better this issue.
The story starts out about a month after "Superboy: The Event" (last issue).
Roxy is busy going through Superboy's contacts trying to find some trace of
his (and her father's) whereabouts. She makes calls to the JLA, and tries to
reach Robin (guess who she talks to instead), Alpha Centurion (remember him?)
and Steel. She's so desperate, she even tries to talk to Knockout (good
scene, no joy). Next she tries Tana Moon, the story is the same, except that
Tana tells her that many people seem glad that he's gone. In fact, she is
leaving for an interview that will take her away from the islands also. As a
last straw, she finds out that her dad is in trouble, and Dubbilex is being
recalled to Cadmus; he was Superboy's tutor, and SB's gone, so....
As stories go, this one was a bit of a downer, but it was one of the best
`farewell' stories I've seen in quite a while. The tile "Searching" is
appropriate in that this book concerns itself with Roxy Leech's search for
the missing Superboy. Missing? You bet. SB doesn't even make an appearance.
No scene changes to show where he really is or what he's doing--nothing.
Instead, what we get are cameos and scenes that show the rather mixed impact
the Kid has made in the DCU. We get to see that while the Kid has fought the
good fight, and has all the right intentions, he hasn't made much of a
positive impression on the DCU heroes or the people he is trying to defend.
Instead we get the feeling that some might be happier if he never came back.
Everything the Kid has fought for and tried to accomplish has come tumbling
down, and most of his friends are leaving--some reluctantly, others gladly.
The way it looks, Roxy may the last one who really cares. If the creative
crew wanted to make a clean break from Superboy's life in the islands, they
would be hard pressed to burn his bridges more thoroughly.
I sure hope the up-coming stories are worth what they've done to him here.
Rene Gobeyn
<bedlam@frontiernet.net>
=================================================
SUPERBOY AND THE RAVERS #19 Mar 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Last Dance"
Writers: Steve Mattsson and Karl Kesel
Pencillers: Josh Hood and Todd Nauck
Inker: Dan Davis
Computer Colorist: Stu Chaifetz
Letterer: Kevin Cunningham
Assistant Editor: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Hood and Davis
RATINGS
Average: 2.4/5.0 Shields
JSy: 2.8 Shields
DJ: 1.6 Shields (Story: 1.2, Story after considering the rushed nature
forced by cancellation: 3.6, Art: 0.0) - A disappointing ending
to a great beginning. While they managed to finalize everything
acceptably, they ruined some of the characters: Half-life is really
dead, Sparx is suddenly Satan, and Kaliber is still blind. Maybe
someday I'll be rich, buy DC, and make the writers finish this the
way they originally intended. And fire Josh Hood.
ST: 2.7 Shields (Story: 3.5, Art: 0.8) - Well, that's it--I think. With no
letters page or any indication that it really is ending, it's hard
to be sure. At least everyone was recognizable again (writing-wise,
anyway. Visually they were still incomprehensible.) I hope we see
these people again; there are a lot of good stories yet to mine.
Well, that does it. 19 issues of a Superboy title that was never really
about Superboy. 19 issues of either very good art or very bad art. 19 issues
of either well-paced or extremely rushed storytelling. There were a lot of
highs and lows in this short-lived series, but at least all involved managed
to recover a bit for this finale.
As we left things last issue, all parties had converged upon Qward where they
found themselves face to face with an invading army of Predators. So what
happens in this issue? The main plot is much less rushed than it had been
in recent issues, but it's still a mite boring. There are some events that
go unexplained, and some things that are a little confusing. These are all
forgivable in my opinion, however, because Kesel and Mattsson have returned
the true cast to the pages -- no more pod people acting completely out of
character.
Kaliber never receives a cure for his blindness, but he receives help from
Half-Life (speaking from the other side) in joining the battle. In the end,
his decision to stay and fight the Predators inspires a large number of
Qwardians to celebrate his actions, meaning that the heroism faction on
Qward just grew tremendously. Alas, what are the chances that anyone will
ever follow up on this?
Superboy does little more than bop a few heads during the battle, and
InterC.E.P.T. plays a similar role. In the end, Superboy decides that Marx
and Sol should be allowed to live in peace, so he lies to InterC.E.P.T. and
claims that Marx died in the battle. Hero (who did battle this issue as The
Viridian Paladin -- Predator Hunter) Leander, and Aura discuss forming their
own rave, but before any decisions are made, Superboy decides to head home,
leading into the events in his own title, and the coming new direction under
Grummett and Kesel.
Now, how could Aura set up a rave, you ask? In the midst of the battle, Marx
and Sol both lie drained of their powers, Marx grieving over his failure.
When he expresses that he would "give anything to change things," his Mother
Box begins to ping and Sol is given power. What exactly has happened here is
unclear. Grim thinks that Sol has taken Marx's powers, but we know that Marx
has had no powers of his own since _Genesis_. My guess is that Mother Box
rewarded Grim's selfless desire. When everything is over, and Sol and Marx
have gone their own way, the Mother Box seems to attach itself to Aura for
no apparent reason. Since the Box was providing the teleportation for the new
rave, Aura has the power now.
It hasn't always been apparent, but I think that the primary character in
this book has always been Sparx. It's somewhat fitting, then, that she ends
up saving the day. By accepting her role as the qwa-angel, Sparx defeats the
Predators -- but at a great cost. If you'll recall way back to the Bloodlines
annual which introduced Donna Carol Force, all she ever wanted was to be a
super-hero. She risked the infection of the alien parasites in order to
trigger her metagene, so that she wouldn't be the only member of her family
without super powers. Unfortunately, in the course of this battle, she
expends every bit of energy in her body, leaving her as powerless as she
was back before her triggering. She returns home completely forlorn.
Something else about D.C. that I want to address, and that's the issue of
Hero's homosexuality raised by this book. It would have been so easy (not to
mention the common thing to do) to have D.C. turn around in a span of a few
issues and suddenly be willing to accept Hero's sexual preference. Instead,
she remains unaccepting up to her departure. Regardless of the more basic
question of the normalcy and acceptance of homosexuality, I find this to be
the most realistic portrayal of any such situation to date. D.C. is still a
teenager, and is simply not going to become accepting overnight. Beliefs are
not changed easily by anyone, especially not be a teenager whose heart has
been broken.
As for this month's art, I'll just reiterate that Hood continues to draw
distorted characters in a style which is simply not pleasing to the eye. His
second this month is Todd Nauck, who turns in a more passable job, but not
anything special.
One other thing to note about this issue. 23 story pages should leave one
page for a letters column. At the very least, there should have been some
kind of farewell page to the readers who stuck with this series through its
dark days to the bitter end. In fact, there's really no indication at all
that this was the final issue of the series. I'm willing to bet there will be
a few folks this time next month wondering why _Superboy and the Ravers_ is
late. The fact that there was no good-bye is simply disrespectful to the
readers.
Finally, I want to look back at the series as a whole. In retrospect, DC
would have been better off, I think, had they not tied the book to Superboy.
The concept was about a group of teen heroes visiting various and sundry
places throughout the DC Universe. The rest of the cast was certainly more
interesting than Superboy in this title -- in fact, Superboy's role was quite
minimal. I'd have been just as satisfied with a lesser known hero such as
Damage to fill the spot of Superboy, allowing actual development of that
extra character. As it was, Superboy was a fixture to sell the book, and in
the end, even that didn't work.
There were some very good stories in the first year, particularly those that
developed the team after the opening arc. From Hero obtaining the H-Dial, to
the infamous "Road Trip," things were rolling right along... but with the
inclusion in the awful "Meltdown" arc in _Superboy_, the events of _Genesis_,
and then the replacement of a talented artist with one who is, well, not-so-
talented, the series hit a tailspin.
In the sense that it introduced and/or developed some interesting characters,
however, I consider the series as a whole to be a success. Donna Carol Force
and Kaliber developed into such interesting characters, with D.C. being about
the most realistic teenager in comics today. The Force family was fleshed out
a bit, leaving me wanting to see more of this quirky clan. I hope that Kesel
can find a way to continue their story in other titles. The re-introduction
of the H-Dial into active use in the DCU was another stroke of genius.
In conclusion, while the series just wasn't that good towards the end, I am
still going to miss seeing some of these characters. When you think about it,
what better legacy can a book leave behind?
Jeff Sykes
<sykes@ms.uky.edu>
_____________________________________________
SUPER-FAMILY TITLES (cont):
--------------------------
SUPERGIRL #19 Mar 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Middle-Aged Crisis"
Writer: Peter David
Pencils: Leonard Kirk
Inks: Cam Smith and Doug Hazlewood
Letters: Pat Prentice
Colors: Gene D'Angelo
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Assists: Maureen McTigue
Can't Skate: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Leonard Kirk, Jose Marzan Jr., and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 4.0/5.0 Shields
TD: 4.0 Shields - A throwback to David's X-FACTOR days is once again
outmatched by the great interaction between Linda and Wally.
JP: 4.0 Shields - Strong writing and great art: what'll they think of next??
JSy: 4.5 Shields - One of David's best offerings so far, and Kirk's pencils
are as lovely as ever. Especially loved the follow-up to Mr. David's
"needs ice skates" remark!
LF: 3.2 Shields - I don't think I've ever laughed as hard as when Mattie
woke up beside Cutter. It nice to see Linda getting along with her
Dad again. Between Kirk's flowing pencils and David's scripts this
book keeps getting better.
ST: 4.4 Shields - One of the best books I read this month. Kept my attention
throughout with developments and plot-twists that have come as a
natural outgrowth of the characters PAD has developed. Could have
done without Vacuum-Cleaner Man, but I'll forgive this one weakness.
VV: 4.0 Shields - No big fights, but a fair amount of characterization. I
don't believe Wally is who he says he is, though. Somehow I can't see
God "walking softly but carrying a big stick." Great Silver Age nod
by PAD with Supergirl coming out of a tree, just like her Linda robot
used to do.
Way back when, Peter David wrote X-FACTOR. (This is a review of SUPERGIRL;
trust me on this one). One of the running gags in that book concerned a
family of mad scientists that, unbeknownst to X-Factor, was their sworn
enemy. Every issue, a new brother would hatch a plan, and every issue we
the reader would be treated by a new, hilarious and gruesome death because
somebody didn't think their plans through. My favorite was 'Number One Fan,'
who was so busy exalting in his fan-bladed hands that he inadvertently
beheaded himself.
In this issue, Peter David goes back to his roots by presenting us with
Roland Seers, who is laid off from Atlas Corp. Disgruntled, Mr. Seers becomes
"Blast-Off, the Master of the Seersucker Suit" utilizing a suit that is
powered by an artificial White Dwarf star. Unfortunately, Mr. Seers didn't
think his plan through, and this plan literally sucks... It's so difficult
that Supergirl must get a helping hand from Comet, who reveals himself as a
slightly alien-looking, white haired guy. Supergirl is instantly smitten,
leaving Mattie to wonder who or what this new hero is. Mattie's got enough of
her own enough problems, having woken up next to a naked Cutter...
This was a decent story that allowed David to let his vaudevillian tendencies
to work *for* him. Blast-Off is meant to be a joke, and yet is never made
to appear as the buffoon as he could be (he is reminiscent of an old Marvel
villain, Rampage, designated "The Super-Villain who could be YOU!" in the
70's). It's a nice bit of low-key fun after some of the darker stuff of the
last four issues--hell, even the goofy South Park reference on page 3 didn't
piss me off.
The best part of "Middle-Aged Crisis" is a conversation between Supergirl
and Wally. When she asks for proof of his omnipotence, Wally claims that
it's nearly impossible to produce a miracle, citing various super-heroes as
'normalizing' miraculous powers. Beautifully laid out by Kirk and with some
nice images (especially the way Wally allows his grandfather to slip into
a fantasy world while the conversation happens), this scene alone is worth
the price of the book. I'm really beginning to like Wally, and find his
justification for his (possible) delusion wonderful.
Another good scene features the first meeting between Fred and Jonathan Kent.
It's barely more than a set-up, but Jonathan comparing them to members of
'a sort of fraternity' and discussing the circumstances surrounding issue
#17's accident is great. I sincerely hope that David is planning on giving us
more of the supporting cast a the book continues--SUPERGIRL has a great group
of characters hanging around it, and I want to see more.
SUPERGIRL #19 was a great issue in which the subplots were stronger than the
story. I'm personally dying to see how the various threads set down this
month will develop, and hope David keeps on this even keel. If he does that,
I'll forgive him the occasional joke villain like Blast-Off, or the goofiness
of a Comet.
Hell, I might even enjoy them.
Thomas Deja
<manciniman@rocketmail.com>
_____________________________________________
OTHER SUPERMAN TITLES:
---------------------
JLA #16 Mar 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Camelot"
Writer: Grant Morrison
Penciller: Howard Porter
Inker: John Dell
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Colorist: Pat Garrahy
Separations: Heroic Age
Asst. Editor: L.A. Williams
Editor: Dan Raspler
Cover: Howard Porter and John Dell
RATINGS
Average: 3.7/5.0 Shields
AW: 4.0 Shields
JP: 4.5 Shields - I feel cheated: we were promised the new line-up, but
three of the new members didn't appear! Nevertheless, the solid
writing and art in this fast-paced story make it well worth the
price of admission.
LF: 3.8 Shields - A new JLA and a new villain. While Prometheus doesn't come
across as particularly threatening, I enjoy his efforts to destroy
the League. A definite trial by fire for the JLA. But bring back
Green Arrow!!
MS: 4.0 Shields - Great story. Nice to see Steel in the League, but since
when did the JLA adopt a "one-at-a-time" strategy? It's almost like
a ninja movie and a bad horror film put together.
ST: 2.8 Shields - (Story:2.2, Art: 3.8) Some very good bits in the opening
pages, coupled with some awful and unexplainable bits. Why was J'onn
so careless? Why wasn't Wally *already* super-speeding around the
place? Mistakes like this, an intrusive HQ Layout, and the addition
of a lot of second-stringers add up to my less than enthusiastic
response to the 'New-Look' JLA.
TD: 3.0 Shields - Nice intro of the new line-up; I'm a sucker for these
'ten little indians' scenarios....
"The League is dead! Long live the League!" ... or something like that. I
think I can safely assume that no one really believed that the JLA had
permanently disbanded after last issue. Of course, if Prometheus has his way,
the JLA will be dead again before they get started. I'll talk about the story
before I talk about the new lineup. As you'll see, none of the new members
makes much of an impression this issue.
The action of this issue follows a time-proven formula: our heroes are
off-guard and some bad guy with a grudge sneaks up on them and takes them
out one at a time. In this case, the JLA stages a big public relations event
to announce their new lineup, including a "Join the JLA for a day" contest.
(Retro, the authentic winner of the contest, was killed and replaced by
Prometheus in the latter's "New Year's Evil" special.)
Once in the JLA Watchtower on the moon, Prometheus sets out to destroy the
new team. He sets fire to the Watchtower, sending the attending crowds into
a panic. Prometheus disposes of seven of the JLAers pretty quickly: he takes
over Steel's armor, turns J'onn J'onzz into a puddle of goo, transports
Zauriel into "Limbo" via his cosmic key, hypnotizes the Huntress... he even
manages to beat Batman! As the issue ends, he's disabled Flash and Green
Lantern, and we can only wonder--who's next?
I have to give it to Morrison. I was less than impressed with Prometheus'
debut in his own comic. The "cosmic key from Shamballa" schtick seemed
more suited to the ridiculous "Legends of Kung Fu" TV series. In this issue,
though, he's proven himself to be a real threat. I was especially impressed
when he confronted Batman. "I don't care what you're doing. It's over,"
growls Batman with his customary confidence, but Prometheus tells him that
he's downloaded the skills of thirty martial arts experts into his nervous
system. "Maybe I should tell you something else," he adds. "One of those
thirty on my disk, Batman, is you." Uh oh.
I assume Prometheus' downfall will predictably involve overloading his
suit's gizmos, but he's made a heck of an entrance.
Morrison also does his typically nice job of working little details into
the story. Lois' musing on how exciting her life is, for example, and when
a reporter asks Zauriel, "You're an angel, right? So does that mean there
really is a God?" Good question.
Now to the new lineup. Green Arrow and Aztek are gone. The New JLA consists
of seven core members and four new members: Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern,
J'onn J'onzz, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman are the veteran members,
and the four new members are Huntress, Plastic Man, Steel, and Zauriel. There
is also going to be a rotating "specialist," in case of emergency situations.
What do I think of the new lineup? I don't understand it.
I enjoyed the Huntress as a member of the JSA, but ever since the _Crisis
on Infinite Earths_ she has been little more than a Batgirl wannabe with a
vigilante streak. Considering the antagonistic relationship she's had with
Batman in the past, I'm surprised he voted her in.
Plastic Man, I'm afraid, is going to be annoying. His JLA predecessor,
Ralph Dibny the Elongated Man, had a sillier name, but more class. Plas'
"witty repartee" while fighting Circe was just annoying.
I can accept Steel's introduction to the team. He is more than just a
Superman wannabe, but I'm not exactly sure how he'll contribute to the JLA.
It's obvious, though, that the real reason he's been added to the roster
is that they want to make doubly sure each issue will be covered in the
Kryptonian Cybernet. [Clearly. --Jeff]
And Zauriel? Historically, I think heroes created within a series' storyline
tend to work for that storyline, but it then becomes burdensome to squeeze
the character into future stories. I think Zauriel's origins and powers will
make little difference when battling the Key or Lex Luthor; he'll just be
another winged guardian, adding little to the team chemistry. I must also
admit that while I'm not usually squeamish about religious issues being
addressed in comics, I have a little trouble with the idea of one of God's
angels--even an "ex-angel"--getting beat up time and again by your average,
garden-variety supervillain.
The artwork is much improved this issue. Porter and Dell do a superlative
job; not only is the quality of individual panels better, but the two-page
spread of the JLA Watchtower is nicely designed.
Anatole Wilson
<awilson@us.oracle.com>
=================================================
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #17 Mar 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Superman's Pal's Pal"
Writer: Chris Duffy
Penciller: Neil Vokes
Inker: Terry Austin
Letterer: Lois Buhalis
Colorist: Rick Taylor
Assistant: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Rick Burchett, Terry Austin, and Marie Severin
RATINGS
Average: 3.2/5.0 Shields
CoS: 4.0 Shields
JP: 2.3 Shields - Mildly amusing, but I spotted the ending a mile off!
JSy: 3.3 Shields - Poor Jimmy. An obvious plot device, but a fun romp
nonetheless.
ST: 3.2 Shields - One of the few times where I've found the villain more
interesting than the story; Watching Superman fight him was _fun_,
and the 'mystery' was quite fair. Jimmy's plot was little more than
distracting, and somewhat repetitive; it was far too obvious that
the 'intern' wasn't who Jimmy thought he was.
Capsule Review: The spotlight falls on Jimmy Olsen, who shows a young intern
how to dig up a good story while Superman fights a new criminal. More sitcom
than action story, the super heroics take a supporting role as we are treated
to an exercise in comedic timing.
Classic farce is very hard to pull of. At its best, it can be a dizzying
display of timing where the doors always open at the wrong time, people hear
exactly the wrong thing and a simple misunderstanding can drive the plot
further and faster than the audience can keep up with. At its worst, it's an
episode of Three's Company or some other bad TV show, causing you to cringe
with each implausible twist. Trying to pull off a farce on the printed page,
which doesn't have the advantage of motion to drive the timing, is even more
difficult, but In this issue of _Superman Adventures_, Chris Duffy does a
better job that I would have expected.
We starts with a very cool splash page by Neil Vokes and Terry Austin that
shows a huge pile of paper on Jimmy Olsen's desk, giving us immediate insight
into his character. The story gets going right on the second page when Perry
assigns Jimmy to oversee the training of a new intern. Jimmy meets his
protegee--a young, quiet kid he spies standing in the news room and looking
confused--and starts showing him what the interns and copy boys do. As he
explains coffee, copies and carrying, he overhears a hot news tip someone is
giving Clark Kent and drags the kids with him as he chases down the story.
They follow the sights and sounds of disaster and make it to where Superman
is fighting a fairly generic villain called Sinter (who explains that his
name comes from the word for smelting lead) who has a lot of firepower and a
flying spider-like airship. Jimmy gives a running commentary of advice on
how to handle yourself in a crisis situation, but doesn't really pay much
attention to what the trainee is doing. Superman takes care of Sinter easily,
but loses him when Superman has to take time out to save the kid. Jimmy gets
the blame for putting them both in danger.
I am not going to do a normal summary of the story as it would seem pretty
repetitious, with Jimmy and the kid stumbling from one situation to another
while Superman tries to defeat Sinter and keep them from getting injured
-- and the story is far from repetitious. It does a masterful job of making
Jimmy out to be full of himself without making him out to be a jerk. The
joke at the end was readily apparent by the second or third situation, but
the story moved rapidly enough that I didn't much care. Lots of good gags
populate the story, such as Jimmy trying to figure out where Sinter will
strike next by concentrating so hard that he misses the clues practically
surrounding him, or trying to impress a policeman and failing miserably.
The Superman portion of the story remains a backdrop for the Olsen story
when it would be easy for the superhero fight to overpower things. Duffy
works in a lot of little things for older fans, including the SS Plastino
(named for 1950's Superman artist Al Plastino) and the destruction of
Vandalay Securities (which got a Seinfeldian chuckle out of me). I also
appreciated the fact that there is a small "fair play" mystery in the story
where the reader can try to figure out how Sinter is able to get away from
Superman without being seen. The only thing keeping this story from being a
perfect five shields was that Sinter seemed to be a throwaway villain, not
really worthy of Superman, and certainly not someone who would be able to
get away from Superman so many times and attack again so quickly.
Vokes does a good job with the story, but doesn't seem to have the skill
at this format the Burchett does. Maybe it's not fair to compare them, but
I couldn't help thinking as I read the story that Burchett's use of the
delayed reaction and slow take would have made this story funnier than it
already was. Vokes did do a good job of keeping things moving forward so fast
that the reader never really catches their breath, which is what needed to
be done. He had a lot of story to fit in, and did it all in a nice, easy-to-
follow layout style that didn't get in the way, but rather allowed the story
to be told without drawing a lot of attention to the art. He also did a
bang-up job on the characters that were created for this story, not just
making them appear to be in the same style, but imbuing them with personality
through body language and reactions, which is a big component of farce. If
Burchett isn't able to do every issue, I'll be more than happy to see Vokes'
art here; his work continues to improve, even from his stint on Valiant's
late, lamented Ninjak. All the other creative staff did the usual bang-up
job, making this one of the best looking and inviting books on the stands.
Amazingly, month after month, Superman Adventures shows us that TV Tie-in
titles don't have to be filler. It's hard to write a story that appeals both
to new, younger readers and older fans. I think that a lot of the credit has
to go to Mike McAvennie, who has kept the book solid despite having a lot of
different creative teams. I often talk with friends in my local comic shop
and in on-line forums about the fact that there aren't many comics that
appeal to non-comics fans, and it's nice to see a book that would have that
"outside the comic shop" appeal be so well done.
Cory Strode
<Solitaire.Rose@worldnet.att.net>
=================================================
LEGENDS OF THE DC UNIVERSE #2 Mar 1998 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN
"Mad Science"
Writer: James Robinson
Penciller: Val Semeiks
Inker: Paul Neary
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Kevin Somers
Assistant: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover Painting: Glen Orbik
RATINGS
Average: 3.0/5.0 Shields
AHu: 3.0 Shields
EJ: 3.0 Shields (Story:4.0, Art:2.0) - The story is compelling and really
MOVED. The idea of a soul being moved about at will is intriguing but
troubling. I still hate the art, though. Lois and Superman are well
done, but the violence is way too graphic for my taste. That last
panel, especially. The U.H. dead? Yeah, RIGHT.
JP: 2.5 Shields - While it's better than any of the triangle-book offerings,
both Robinson and Semeiks are capable of better.
MS: 2.5 Shields - Not bad, but this was touted as Superman's first
confrontation with a supervillain, and that still hasn't happened.
Some of the dialogue seems too wordy or flowery to be normal speech
for Lois and Superman.
SDM: 3.0 Shields - A much, much better second part by James Robinson, though
still not much of a "legend." Characterization and plot twists give
this tale some momentum, but I don't know why it needs to be three
parts. Good enough art by Johnson, and a great cover by Orbik.
TD: 3.5 Shields - What made this for me was the characterization of Supes,
who is still a bit drunk on his own power, and Luthor's head security
guy, who is evil but nuanced in a way that's engaging....
The second book in this series has another beautifully painted cover,
depicting one of Superman's 'legendary' feats. Titled 'More Powerful Than A
Locomotive' he proves it by stopping one with a single hand! Top marks to
Glen Orbik for his representation of Superman.
The plot thickens in the second part of U.L.T.R.A. Humanite. As with the
beginning of the first issue we find ourselves in the mind of Lois Lane.
This viewpoint is a good one, allowing the story to be told by someone close
to the action. As part of her narrative we see an incensed Lex Luthor in a
beautiful drawing, showing all the rage one can expect from this deliciously
evil villain. He is quite literally tearing his hair out over the recent
'accidents' caused by equipment which is manufactured by or has components
from Lexcorp. My niggle with this section is that Luthor seems to calm down
too much from his rage in the first panel to when he talks with Drake about
launching his own investigation. Luthor almost looks sedate, where he should
really still be enraged!
We see some of Luthor's problems first-hand with a full page shot of Superman
saving the day against a construction droid bearing some of Lex's software.
This scene bothers me; the DCU is meant to be set in a universe identical to
our own, save for the existence of super heroes/villains. Ten years ago, we
wouldn't have had the technology available to build something like this. I
like seeing the realism in comics, which is why I have a hard time with the
existence of a 'construction droid'.
Simultaneously across town, as if on cue, Madness is robbing a bank. Dancing
amidst the hordes under his control he escapes with a carrier bag full of
money. Elsewhere, Superman later learns from Lois, S.T.A.R. Labs and other
scientific research houses were broken into -- all coinciding with the times
that Superman was busy dealing with runaway Lexcorp equipment. As Superman
and Lois part ways, he predicts that the two of them are fated to see quite
a lot of each other. I'm sorry, but this line is just too corny. After
reading it, I just couldn't believe it had been put in!!!
Superman visits the Lexcorp Security Training Facility to swap information
about the sabotage with Drake, and they resolve to try to work together.
During the chat, Drake receives a message that two heavies have been sent to
retrieve Wilde's photograph from Lois. In a flash, Superman arrives at Lois'
apartment and takes care of the two men. Drake swears that neither he or Mr.
Luthor sent the goons, or even knew about the photograph. Inspecting it with
microscopic vision, Superman finds a microdot detailing information on
Wilde's research. From this information Superman reckons that Wilde himself
is the saboteur, having transferred his life energy into another person's
body and becoming an U.L.T.R.A-Humanite. Superman hears the Bullet Train in
distress--and Drake remembers that it was constructed by Lexcorp. Superman
flies off to save the passengers. At the same time, Madness strikes again and
more scientific equipment is stolen....
>From the panel showing the bullet train and Superman, it appears that part
of the track has been destroyed. It has been implied that in every other
instance, electronic components or software have been the problems; surely
you can't use software to destroy a physical track, as it has no electronic
components! Now, if the Bullet Train couldn't brake or something, that would
have been a lot more plausible.
Later that day, armed with his new knowledge, Drake confronts Carlisle,
(one of Lex's chiefs) and accuses him of being the U.L.T.R.A. Humanite.
Admitting it, Carlisle/Wilde threatens to bring down Lexcorp, even if he
does go to jail. Drake tells Carlisle that isn't how they do things at
Lexcorp. The final page shows Superman, Lois and Drake standing over the
dead body of Carlisle. Drake proudly pronounces the U.L.T.R.A. Humanite
dead, and the book closes...
My initial reactions were that I didn't like this book. I can't put my
finger on specifics, but it just isn't really inspiring me in any way.
My hopes for _LOTDCU_ was that the stories would be ones that would be
great to read, but unfortunately this one has disappointed me.
Looking at the artwork, however, Semeiks uses some bold lines in his
penciling, and he does a good drawing of Lex in particular. The first panel
of Lex is excellent, where we see all of his rage and anger! On the other
hand, his general style seems to be very angular especially when drawing his
characters. This isn't such a bad thing, but I'm not much of a fan of this
approach. Somehow they've got to tie up all the plot threads about Madness
and the other incidents in issue #3, seeing as it is the last in this story
arc. I think they're gonna be rushing it quite a bit, but we'll just have to
wait and see what happens.
This was just an average Superman comic, which is a shame because I was
expecting so much more....
Andrew Hudson
<Scotsman19@aol.com>
_____________________________________________
THE PHANTOM ZONE: Reviews of the pre-Crisis Man of Steel
------------------------------------------------------------------
TALES OF EARTH-ONE
--------------------------------------
by Bob Hughes (rhughes3@ix.netcom.com)
Episode 4: Birth of the Super Sitcom
On July 5, 1948, a seemingly unrelated event took place that would change the
course of Superman's life for the next two decades. Or maybe not. Maybe it
was in July 1947. I don't really know whether either of these events had a
direct influence on the thinking of the Superman staff, but they both are
symbols of the post-war changes that were sweeping through American culture.
Changes that killed all but a few of the super-hero comics.
In July 1947, Hillman Publications released the first issue of a comic book
called _My Date_, with cover and interior art and editing by Joe Simon and
Jack Kirby. The comic book romance boom had begun. Within three years romance
titles swamped the newsstands. According to Michelle Nolan in _Comics Book
Marketplace_ #28, more than 125 romance titles existed by the end of 1949!
Many super-heroes tried to compensate by adding females to the story line.
Captain America bid bye-bye to Bucky and picked up Golden Girl. Ta-Ta to Toro
said the Torch as he replace him with Sun Girl. Other publishers, like Fox
resorted to more extreme measures, featuring women in bondage on almost every
cover. But surely Superman, the first and greatest hero of all would never
have to stoop to such measures, would he? Fortunately, there was an
alternative.
On July 4, 1948, "My Favorite Husband", a new radio program began, featuring
a zany housewife whose hair-brained schemes drove her doting husband crazy.
The show was so successful that the star was able to work an incredible deal
to bring it to TV a few years later under her own terms, which included
replacing Richard Denning, the actor who played her husband, with her
real-life husband, Cuban band-leader Desi Arnaz. If Superman couldn't become
a steamy romance or crime comic book, maybe it could succeed as a female
driven sitcom. All that had to be done was to turn Lois Lane into Lucille
Ball! To really appreciate the similarities, try reading all of Superman's
lines in the following stories with a Cuban accent, and imagine Lois bawling
away at a moment's notice.
The first warning sign was probably the cover of _Superman_ #51, Mar-Apr
1948. Wayne Boring chose not to illustrate Mr. Mxyztplk, Mr. Ohm, or the
crime boss who tricked Superman into granting him three wishes. Instead, we
have a scene of domestic "bliss", as an aproned Lois Lane drops a freshly
baked biscuit on Superman's foot! Superman is feigning great pain as he hops
around, holding the injured toe in his hand.
Shortly thereafter, on one of the first _Superman_ covers to actually have
something to do with the story inside, a super-powered Lois flies through the
air with an astonished Superman in her arms! "In this issue Lois Lane can do
everything Superman can do!" screams the cover blurb. Lois is dressed in a
modified Superman costume, with a sleeveless blue top and a red skirt with a
yellow stripe. Bare legs this time. In her two previous shots at a Superwoman
costume, in _Action_ #60 and _Superman_ #45, Lois had worn blue tights under
her skirt. DC was beginning a great tradition, however, as neither the
costume nor a super-powered Lois appeared in the accompanying story!
"Every Man A Superman" in _Superman_ #57, March 1949 actually featured a
totally new character, Lois's purported great-great-great-great
granddaughter, Lois 4XR. When Prof. Wilson's "super-ray projector" explodes,
Superman is forced into action to shield Lois Lane from the ray's unknown
effects. Lois is saved, but the incredible force of the rays hurls Superman
1000 years into the future! There he meets a young woman with super powers
who is an exact double for reporter Lois Lane. Superman immediately jumps to
the conclusion that Lois 4XR's powers result from a marriage between Lois
Lane and himself, but 4XR quickly disabuses him. Everyone in the year 2949
has super powers she tells him. Now that the idea has entered his head,
though, Superman is determined not to leave the future until he has found out
who Lois did marry.
Unfortunately, the future scientists tell Superman that in the year 1970 a
great comet struck Earth, grazing along its surface and plowing up Metropolis
in its path. Fortunately, strange chemical gases from the comet gave everyone
on Earth super-powers. Otherwise they probably would not have survived such
an encounter. However, the comet destroyed all records of the past, so there
is no way that Superman can find out who Lois married, nor can he prove to
the scientists that he is who he says he is. Unable to get back to his own
time without help, Superman digs futilely among the ruins of ancient
Metropolis digging to see if any records remain. Despite her super powers,
Superman finds Lois 4XR more hindrance than help as her enthusiastic digging
causes a cave-in.
"Will you go home now?" moans Superman. "You're becoming as big a pest as
your distant ancestress was!" To the best of my knowledge, this is the first
time that Superman refers to Lois as a "pest", a term he would employ more
and more frequently as the decade went on.
Superman deduces that Metropolis's records may have been carried off by the
comet and flies out into space after them. (This may be Superman's first
unaided flight into outer space.) Finally locating the comet, Superman
searches through the wreckage of Metropolis and finally finds one half of the
front page of an old Daily Planet. "Two Planet Reporters Wed" reads the
headline. Lois Lane's name appears in the picture caption, but unfortunately
the picture and the rest of the article are gone! Still, Superman is
convinced that Lois Lane must have wed Clark Kent.
Lois meanwhile is caught in the comet's tail, which requires a super-rescue
and another plea for her to return home. Frustrated at his inability to get
to the bottom of the puzzle, and what he perceives as Lois 4XR's
interference, Superman calls her an insufferable nuisance.
Superman then hits upon the astonishing idea of flying deep into space,
faster than light, in order to overtake the light which left Earth in 1949,
hoping to be able to use that light to photograph Lois's long-ago wedding
day! But just as he is completing this amazing feat, he gets another cry for
help from Lois 4XR! Trying to keep up with him and flying faster than anyone
has ever gone before, she finds she doesn't know how to stop! "I'll go on to
the end of space!" she cries. "Lois Lane was a big enough worry. But a Lois
with super powers is far worse!" moans Superman.
Back on Earth Superman develops his hastily snapped photograph and sees
Superman and Lois coming out of a church. His mission accomplished He tells
Lois 4XR, "One Lois is enough to worry about -- I'm going back to my own
time!"
Using his photograph to prove to the future scientists that he really belongs
in the past, Superman finally gets their help in duplicating the ray that
blew him into the future. Mysteriously, he is wafted back to the exact minute
from which he left, so that Lois -- the real Lois -- is convinced the
explosion affected her eyesight, as Superman seems to blink out of existence
for mere seconds and then reappears.
Once all the commotion and confusion are sorted out, Lois reminds Superman
that they have another appointment. She and he have agreed to be witnesses
for the marriage of Jack and Betty, two of Lois's fellow Planet reporters.
Stunned, Superman realizes that the newspaper photo that he had seen was from
Jack's and Betty's wedding, not his and Lois'! "That means I still don't know
whom Lois is going to marry!" the shocked Superman exclaims. Of course, if
Superman's brains hadn't been scrambled by being blown into the future, he
would have realized that a photo of Superman and Lois coming out of a church
didn't match up with a headline that said "Two Reporters To Wed!". That
implies a Clark/Lois wedding, not a Superman/Lois one.
Not every Superman expert agrees with me, but I believe this story to be the
work of William Woolfolk, ably assisted by the greatest Superman artist of
all time, Wayne Boring. Woolfolk was one of the new writers hired to replace
the departing Jerry Siegel and Don Cameron. Woolfolk had already had a long
and varied comic career, starting at Archie in 1941 where he wrote Steel
Sterling, the Shield, and the adventures of Roy the Superboy! After that he
worked at Fawcett on Captain Marvel, Spy Smasher, and many other heroes. He
also wrote Blackhawk for Quality and ghosted the Spirit while Will Eisner was
in the army. He was also a novelist and later a TV writer, where he worked on
the Academy Award winning _Defenders_ series. (No relation to the Marvel
comic book). The preceding information is courtesy of Jerry Bails' _Who's Who
of American Comic Books_, which no comic fan can afford to be without.
Woolfolk would become Weisinger's Lois Lane specialist over the next couple
of years, pumping her stories full of the same whimsy that for many years had
made Captain Marvel outsell his number one influence. Editor Mort Weisinger
probably figured anything in the Captain Marvel strip was fair game to swipe,
given the ongoing lawsuit for copyright infringement that DC had against
Fawcett Comics.
Whether Woolfolk wrote "Every Man A Superman" may be debatable, but he for
sure wrote "Lois Lane's Royal Romance" in _Superman_ #68 from February 1951.
When dumpy little King Harrup of Baclavia proposes to Lois, she promises to
marry him if he can perform three feats, each one more impossible than the
previous. She does this to get a story for the Planet, seemingly oblivious to
the humiliation she is bringing to the lovestruck king. Superman determines
to "teach her a lesson" by helping Harrup complete Lois' three tasks. The
first is to steal her diary from the bank vault where it is kept. Superman
helps by using his photographic memory to make a duplicate of Lois' safe
deposit box key and leaving it where the king can find it. The second is to
get the town's worst miser to donate a nickel to charity. The miser turns out
to be a betting man. The Sultan bets him he can't jump over his turban and
then stuffs the turban in a corner. Desperately afraid that she may have to
go through with the marriage, Lois comes up with a third task she is positive
Superman won't help King Harrup with. Find out Superman's secret identity!
Superman one ups her however by skywriting his name phonetically in ancient
Andramaic, a language which almost no one (except him) knows.
Panic stricken, Lois resorts to jumping out a window to get Superman's
attention and begs him to help her out of this mess. Coldly, he turns her
down. Unknown to Lois however, Superman does have a plan, a plan which
requires Lois' maximum humiliation, as payback for what she did to King
Harrup. Lois gets clear to the altar before King Harrup calls a halt to the
proceedings! Harrup tells Lois that he can't legally marry her in America
because he already has several wives back in Baclavia! Superman had told him
this several days ago and then talked him into continuing his pursuit of Lois
solely to "teach her a lesson"! King Harrup tells Lois that she is a selfish
and conceited young woman and hopes that she will take this lesson to heart.
Lois has her own take on the matter. "Dear old Harrup!" she sighhhhs.
(Everyone sighhhhs in a Woolfolk story). "He made it possible for me to get
all these scoops and the raise Perry just promised me! Isn't it all just
simply wonderful Clark?"
"No comment!" says Mr. Kent.
The domestication of Lois continued in "Mrs. Superman" from _Superman_ #76 in
June 1952, another Woolfolk production. This time, Lois is determined to get
Superman to marry her and, after all, it is leap year, so she proposes. The
quick-thinking Man of Steel tells Lois that he wouldn't think of marrying her
because it would break his friend Clark Kent's heart. The ever-resourceful
Lois immediately hits on the scheme of getting Clark married first and
decides to fix him up with her roommate, Lorraine Jennings. Superman
overhears Lois's plan though (that's what super-hearing is for after all) and
decides to take matters into his own hands. When Lois tries to show off
Lorraine's cooking skills by inviting Clark to dinner, he uses his x-ray
vision to burn the soup and the pot roast. "Don't feel bad girls! Accidents
will happen!" he consoles them. "Especially when I'm around!" he thinks.
(Sounds more like Mxyztplk than Superman doesn't he?) He even ruins the ice
cream by whizzing it high into the stratosphere at invisible super speed to
make it so super frozen that it's inedible. What this has to do with
Lorraine's cooking skills, I don't know. Maybe he was just getting carried
away with his juvenile delinquent routine. After all, it's not often Superman
gets to be mean to people.
The indefatigable Lois next arranges a double date between Lorraine and Clark
and her and Superman! Oh no! How in the world can the Man of Steel get out of
this one?!
Hurriedly, Superman builds a Clark Kent robot which he can operate by remote
control and cause to speak by super ventriloquism! (This may be the first
Clark Kent robot. The very fact that Superman is building experimental robots
and using super ventriloquism to make them speak pegs this as an Earth-2
story. On Earth-1 we all know Superman had perfected working, thinking robots
when he was still Superboy!)
Unexpectedly, "Clark" begins to malfunction when the couples are riding
through the Tunnel of Darkness. The water spray got into his works, I
suppose. Working at super speed, Superman burrows deep into the Earth, grabs
some dinosaur bones, covers them in green paper-mache, and sticks the
resulting giant dinosaur model into the middle of the ride just ahead of the
girls' boat, where they've just noticed that Clark's "fainted"! As they turn
from Clark to see what's ahead, the girls both scream in unison at the
terrifying dinosaur. "No wonder poor Clark fainted!" gasps Lois. Afterwards
Superman carefully sits "Clark" down at that picnic area. "I'm tired! I'll
just sit and watch the girls!" he makes Clark say. Deciding to cut the double
date short, Superman rustles up a thunder storm with torrential downpours.
(Thereby ruining every body else's day at the park also, but I guess he
didn't think of that!)
Superman then decides to escalate the game and teach Lois another "lesson" by
pretending to fall in love with Lorraine. He carves her a giant valentine
which he leaves outside their apartment, driving Lois into fits. To determine
which of them Superman loves more, Lois contrives to knock both Lorraine and
herself overboard from a cruise ship, reasoning whomever Superman saves first
will be the one he likes best. Superman didn't just get off the boat however.
He knows Lois is trying to trick him so he has her hauled in by a fishing
trawler, while he rescues Lorraine. Drenched, heart-broken and stinking of
fish, Lois returns to her apartment. The ultimate insult awaits her the next
morning as she finds a note from Lorraine asking to be met at City Hall at
noon because she's getting married! Devastated, Lois drags herself to City
Hall, determined to put on a noble front as her roommate marries her beloved
Superman, only to find Lorraine is marrying her hairdresser and Superman is
only the best man! Afterwards, Superman takes Lois out for dinner and gives
her a final dig. "I like dating you Lois! You're not like other girls who
expect every man who takes them out to marry them! No sir! You're different!"
he tells her.
"Jeepers!" Lois thinks. "Does he mean that? Or is he just teasing me? Oh
Golly! I'm right back where I started! Will I ever know?"
The past two stories (and the next one) were all drawn by Al Plastino, the
man who probably drew more Superman stories than anyone else in the Fifties
and Sixties. Never achieving the accolades that Wayne Boring and Curt Swan
got, Plastino was there month in and month out churning out page after page.
According to Jerry Bails he also drew the _Superman_ and _Batman_ newspaper
strips in the 1960's and ghosted the comic strip _Ferd'nand_ after leaving DC
in the early 70's. Those of you who know Plastino solely from his Sixties
work would probably be surprised by the extra quality he brought to his early
Fifties efforts. In particular, his Lois was drop-dead gorgeous, wearing the
long curly hair style that was in vogue in the post war era, her nose
upturned, and her smile enveloping her whole face in the radiant glow of the
joy of life. In later years, with less attentive artists, fans might come to
question what Superman ever saw in Lois. When Plastino was on his game, there
was never any doubt.
Reader response to the "I Love Lois" show must have been pretty good, because
Weisinger kept trying to find new ways to up the ante. There was double
trouble ahead for Superman when "pretty, prying, pestiferous Lana Lang"
joined Lois in "The Girls In Superman's Life" in _Superman_ #78 in October
1952. Writer Ed Hamilton usually handled the more science-fiction oriented
Superman tales, but he could twist the tangled webs of romance when he had
to. The last thing Clark needed was for his old high school sweetheart, Lana
Lang, to show up in Metropolis looking for a job on a newspaper and expecting
Clark to get her a job on the Daily Planet. Clark offers to introduce her to
Perry but he groans inwardly. "Lana always spelled trouble for me back in
Smallville....I've had cold chills down my back all day as though trouble was
coming."
Clark's day is saved when Perry turns Lana down due to her lack of
experience. "Thank goodness," thinks Clark. "I don't think I could stand
having both Lois and Lana in my hair!" The ever-resourceful Lana however
talks Perry into giving her a chance by offering to write a series of
personal reminiscences about growing up in Smallville with Superboy. Lois
immediately takes Lana under her wing and offers to let Lana share her
apartment. Or is she just trying to keep an eye on her? Lois then invites
Clark to dinner and Lana suggests that he get Superman to come along too.
"Lana's up to her old tricks already" moans Clark. Lois may be a pest, but
she isn't half the pest that Lana is! When the two girls are alone, Lana
confesses to Lois that she's still convinced that Clark is really Superman.
"Bosh!" replies Lois "He's such a mild, timid mouse -- he can't be Superman."
"Well if he isn't, we'll soon know" says Lana, "as they'll both be here for
dinner."
When Clark shows up alone Lana immediately seizes on the fact that Superman
isn't with him. Clark points to the window and says "There he is now!" But
its really a balloon which Clark controls with super-breath and super-
ventriloquism. (How? If Clark is inside and the balloon is outside?) The
balloon tells the girls it has to leave to help with harbor cable repairs.
Clark then says he wants to cover the story and leaves too. In this way
Superman does not have to lie, the girls see Clark and Lois together and he
gets out of having to put up with any more of Lana's schemes for the evening.
Lana is hard to shake, however. Despite the evidence of her own two eyes, she
still wants to prove Clark is Superman. Lois is worried, not that she doesn't
want to know herself, but she's afraid Lana will blab it to everyone on the
planet (Earth, not Daily) and ruin Superman's career.
But it's Lana's seemingly harmless nostalgia pieces for the Planet (Daily,
not Earth) which cause Superman's next problem. In writing up her tales of
Superboy's feats, Lana remembers a gang of bank robbers disguised as a phony
movie crew that Superboy once caught and thinks that their camera may have
accidentally taken pictures of Superboy changing identities. She dashes off
to Smallville to see if she can find that long-forgotten camera. Lois,
outclassed as trickster and trapper, finds herself in the unfamiliar role of
protecting Superman's identity! She trails Lana to Smallville just as Lana
manages to buy the film from the crook who hid it (he doesn't know why she
wants it). Lois demands that Lana destroy the film. Lana, however, offers to
trade the film to Lois in exchange for free rights to Superman. Lois
selflessly gives in, but her decision is rendered moot when the crook
overhears them arguing and decides he wants the film back himself!
Well, this is a job for Superman, isn't it? Forced into action to protect his
identity, Superman rebuilds the entire Smallville street scene (over scale so
he'll look like a teenager) and shoots an entirely new film re-creating the
original robbery! At the underworld unveiling of the fateful movie, Superman
substitutes his new version at super-speed, a version that clearly shows
Clark and Superman in the same scene at the same time! The crooks are angry
at being defrauded. Superman uses that anger and confusion to rescue Lois and
Lana. Lana gets a job with a different newspaper and Clark ends up finishing
her article about Superboy, by having Superman say "Lana was the swellest
girl I ever met, except for Lois Lane!"
This story (and the others which I covered last time) shows the essential
difference between Lois and Lana. Lois was a player. She wanted to be in
Ricky's (Superman's) band. Actually she wanted to lead the band. She was
never in awe of Superman. It was more that she thought he was the only man
who was her equal. Lana never wanted to be a player. She just wanted Superboy
to come dance with her. She tried to bring Superboy (or man) down to her
level, to prove he was only Clark Kent after all. Lois, on the other hand,
was puzzled by Clark. How could such a man who seemed to lack the guts she
thought necessary to be a reporter get so many good stories? Her unconscious
attraction to Clark could only make sense to her if he turned out to be
Superman.
These and similar stories primarily written by William Woolfolk would form
the corner stone of the Lois Lane comic book, despite the fact that he left
DC two years before the first issue came out. Check out _Lois Lane_ #28,
where two of the above stories are re-presented in almost identical versions!
The standard plot of those comics: 1) Lois Lane concocts a convoluted scheme
either to marry Superman or figure out his secret identity. 2) Superman
figures out Lois's scheme and concocts an even more-convoluted counter-scheme
which gives him the chance to "teach her a lesson" and to perform some of the
most incredible super-feats ever attempted (photograph images that left Earth
1000 years ago indeed!). Sometimes Superman's counter-schemes were so
complicated that he ended up tricking himself. In the end, however, it all
worked out and the status quo was maintained.
It's easy to mock such material now, but at the time it was fresh and
different and it gave the writers a chance to come up with clever "Gosh!
Wow!" stuff for Superman to do which did not necessarily involve punching and
hitting. And it was remarkably successful. Although fans raised on a
completely different kind of comic today may find it hard to believe, _Lois
Lane_ was DC's #3 best selling comic book for over ten years. It attracted a
significant audience segment that the industry has lost since then -- young
girls. And it provided material that still resonates in the character today.
After all, wasn't the Lois, Lana, Clark, Superman dinner gag used in one of
the Christopher Reeve movies?
What attracted those young women readers (I can't keep saying girls. Women's
lib has been drummed into my head too long.) to stories in which the heroine
is continually one-upped by Superman? Well, that wasn't the way Lois looked
at it. In her view of the events, she always found a way to triumph. No
matter how Superman bested her or humiliated her, she always got the story,
and you can bet in the written version she won. Regardless of the efforts
made by the editors to keep Lois current with a changing society, the
underlying personality given to her by Jerry Siegel always showed through.
That's all for now. (Isn't that enough?) Next: Secret Identities! and Coming
Soon: The Greatest Superman Story *ever*!! Really! No kidding!
_____________________________________________
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 #20: "Identity Crisis"
------------------------------------------------------
Reviewed by Neil Ottenstein (otten@proton.umd.edu)
September 15, 1997
Story by Joe R. Lansdale and Robert Goodman
Teleplay by Robert Goodman
Directed by Curt Geda
Guest-starring Tim Daly as Bizarro
RATINGS:
Average: 4.0/5.0 Shields
NO: 4.9 Shields
NB: 4.2 Shields - Good story. They could have done a better job playing up
the tragedy angle.
SD: 3.0 Shields - Nice introduction of Bizarro. Tim Daly's performance gave
Bizarro some great pathos and there were some great one-liners to
break up the tragic aspects of this story.
CH: 4.0 Shields - Intense and absorbing from beginning to end. I especially
enjoyed the first aerial confrontation between Superman and Bizarro.
But I would have preferred there be an explanation for the
transformation of Bizarro's costume.
MS: 4.0 Shields
After saving a young boy, Superman saves Clark Kent?!? This bizarre
circumstance is a big surprise to Clark Kent, who is then even more shocked
to hear Superman ask Lois Lane for a date. After Superman leaves, Clark races
off to find out what is going on.
Two Superman face-off in the sky, each convinced that he is the real thing.
There is a problem with one of them as his skin seems to be flaking away. He
turns totally white and flies off to a lab to get help from Lex Luthor, and
we discover that what we have here is a deteriorating clone. Not only his
skin, but his mind is flaking away now. Lex's aide Mercy dubs him Bizarro,
and he flies through a wall of the lab to go out and prove that he really is
Superman.
Attempting to do super deeds (such as "fixing" a drawbridge by welding it
shut), Bizarro actually causes many dangerous situations which Superman must
fix. That evening he takes Lois away on their date, which is not the
Super-date Lois originally had in mind. He takes her to the lab where Lex
tries to destroy him and set up the auto-destruct for the lab. Superman
arrives and it is only when he saves Lois that Bizarro realizes who the real
Superman is. In his love for Lois, he helps Superman and Lois escape the
self-destructing lab. With the lab blowing up, it is unknown whether Bizarro
has sacrificed his own life or has survived.
This is a really fun episode with loads of emotions throughout -- from the
surprising beginning to the tragic ending. It was very well paced and
Bizarro's attempts to "fix" things were quite hilarious. There was a nice
reference to a first season episode to explain just where Lex got the raw
material for the cloning process.
_____________________________________________
Episode #30: "Bizarro's World"
----------------------------------------------------
Reviewed by Scott Devarney (devarney@ll.mit.edu)
October 10, 1997
Written by Robert Goodman
Directed by Hiroyuki Auyama
Guest-starring Tim Daly as Bizarro
Corey Burton as Brainiac
RATINGS:
Average: 3.7/5.0 Shields
SD: 4.2 Shields
NB: 3.1 Shields - Bizarro gets clever. Where on earth were they at the end
of the episode, anyhow?
CH: 3.8 Shields - Weaves together strands from previous shows as if it had
been planned that way from the beginning (and maybe it was). Once
again retells a story from the '60s, but with enough twists to give
us something new.
NO: 3.5 Shields - Nice references to other events. Krypto was a nice touch.
Bizarro returns in a moving story about the search for belonging. The episode
opens with a scene of Lois and Superman discussing Bizarro. Cut to a scene of
a forlorn Bizarro walking across a snow-covered landscape and crashing into a
ski lodge, scaring away the skiers. He sees Angela Chen's interview with
Professor Hamilton, regarding Superman's home at the North Pole. A hopeful
Bizarro perks up at the idea of having a home and flies to the North Pole. He
locates Superman's Fortress by honing in on the sounds from the Fortress'
intergalactic zoo with his super-hearing. Bizarro frees the animals and
befriends a ferocious dog-sized reptile with three jaws. Searching the
Fortress, Bizarro finds Brainiac's orb containing all of Krypton's knowledge.
Reacting to Bizarro as if he were Superman, the orb teaches Bizarro about
Krypton and Superman's early childhood. Later, Superman visits the Fortress,
surveys the damage, sees the footprints near the orb, and deduces what took
place.
Bizarro is next seen causing seemingly random destruction to a mall. However,
when seen through his eyes, it's obvious that he's trying to recreate
Krypton. Bizarro also kidnaps a long-coated doorman, mistaking him for
Jor-El. The SCU and Lois arrive. Bizarro invites Lois to see his "home" and
Lois accepts so as to keep him calm until Superman can arrive. Superman
eventually enters the damaged theater that Bizarro is holed up in. Superman
is clad in his lead suit, clutching green Kryptonite, but the Kryptonite has
no effect on Bizarro. "Krypto", the ferocious animal from the Fortress,
attacks Superman, ripping a hole in the lead suit. Bizarro, thinking that
Superman and "Krypto" are playing, throws the Kryptonite back at them.
Bizarro announces that he must blow up "Krypton" and flies through the
ceiling, causing the unstable building to collapse. Lois tries to grab the
Kryptonite, but "Krypto" chases her away. After a Herculean effort, Superman
manages to remove the Kryptonite and save everybody.
Bizarro tries to blow up the mall with a missile. Superman ends up fighting
Bizarro but gets Bizarro to stop by warning him that Lois will die when the
missile hits. As Bizarro flies off to protect Lois, Superman sends the
missile into the upper atmosphere where it explodes harmlessly. Bizarro is
still distraught that he didn't explode "Krypton", so Superman offers to tell
Bizarro what happened _after_ Krypton exploded. The next scene shows Bizarro
and Superman on a deserted planet. Bizarro is displeased because there's no
one to protect. Superman then releases "Krypto" from a compartment in the
rocket that brought them there. Bizarro and "Krypto" play happily as Superman
smiles.
This was yet another touching Bizarro story and a nice follow-up to "Identity
Crisis". The writers have shown that they have great insight into the
character. Bizarro's search for a home is very moving. He is even more of an
orphan than Superman. Superman had the Kents to give him an identity and a
sense of belonging; Bizarro had nobody. The orb, misidentifying him as
Superman, fulfilled Bizarro's fondest wishes. It told him, "YOU are Kal-El.
YOU are from Krypton. This is what happened to YOUR world." The orb gave him
the heritage he was seeking and further reinforced the Superman delusion with
which he was programmed. He then set about recreating that heritage in an
effort to experience it more fully. It was only when the act of recreating
history (the destruction of Krypton) conflicted with his more deeply
ingrained protector role (saving Lois) that Bizarro came to his senses, more
or less.
There were some nice touches of continuity from previous episodes that
enhanced this episode: the orb narrating in Brainiac's voice, the use of
Superman's rocket and his white space suit, the cordoned-off mountaintop lab
from the previous Bizarro episode, and the protective lead suit from prior
episodes.
With regards to the lead suit, the ease of its destruction is becoming
laughable. This is at least the third episode this season where Superman
wears the suit to shield himself from Kryptonite only to have the suit torn
open, thus exposing the Man of Steel to the deadly radiation. It's becoming
a cliche'. The suit could be made of tissue paper for all the good it's done
Superman lately. Either stop using the suit or find another way to imperil
Superman. Another writer's trick that has worn out its welcome is the Angela
Chen broadcast that happens to give the episode's antagonist the exact
information he/she needs. Surely, there are other ways of imparting
information.
All in all, this was a top-notch episode of _Superman_. I much prefer this
tragic, misunderstood Bizarro to the buffoon of Pre-Crisis days.
_____________________________________________
THE MAILBAG
-------------------------------------
(sykes@ms.uky.edu, KryptonCN@aol.com)
KC Responses are indented and begun with ****
=================================================
From: Emes VoTzedek (Mail relayed through sykes@ms.uky.edu)
After reading your December 1997 editorial, I recalled Mike Carlin's words
which appeared during the first year's run of The Kryptonian Cybernet:
I asked the former Marvel editor if he ever thought, "Yeah, I was
editing _The Dazzler_, but *this* is _Superman_!" "I literally say
that," he responded. "When I was the editor of _The Dazzler_, I was
ashamed that it sold better than _Superman_. I am very proud that I
had something to do with putting him back on the map again, though
obviously I didn't do it alone."
Restoring Superman to prominence in an industry dominated by angst-
ridden teens, anti-heroes and large guns was no mean feat for the
"Super-team," the collected writers and artists coordinated by Carlin
to produce five tightly-interconnected titles. "We ourselves were
frustrated that there was a real uphill battle in trying to sell a
good guy who was *actually good* in this world," Carlin said.
Quality is the first ingredient to achieve respectable sales. Then comes
marketing. These are issues for the DC offices.
Of course, you do have to find an audience. Are there comic book readers who
would prefer to read the adventures of the "Big Blue Boy Scout" over the
exploits of surgically-enhanced scantily-clad female vigilantes? These are
issues for society.
**** Agreed. We also must keep in mind that there has to be a connection
between the two. All the quality and marketing in the world can't sell
a book whose characters simply don't interest a sufficient number of
readers.
=================================================
From: Rob Jensen (ShutUpRob@aol.com)
Thomas Deja wrote, in his review of _Superman_ #132, "Josef Rubinstein
continues his crusade to make every penciller he works with look like Sal
Buscema."
Uh, no. Take a look at your credits list again. What you witnessed was
noted comics plagiarist Ron (Tom DeFalco's pitiful demolition of _Thor_)
Frenz doing Sal Buscema doing Jack Kirby -- and otherwise respected inker
Josef Rubinstein (way too many good credits to count) simply doing a
journeyman's job of interpreting Kirby's -- I mean Buscema's -- I mean --
Frenz's lack of style.
Blame Frenz for the stylistic unoriginality, not Rubinstein.
**** While we're on the subject, let's debate Frenz and Rubinstein. Am I the
only one who thinks that their style on _Superman_ has changed a bit
since Frenz first took the title? At first, his Superman was a bit
short and stocky, but over the years, the torso has elongated, as have
the faces of most of his characters. All the characters appear a bit
more gaunt than they used to. I remember really enjoying Frenz and
Rubinstein's work the first year or so, but less so in the past few
months (especially since the _Genesis_ crossover).
=================================================
From: Neil Hansen (Neil4161@aol.com)
Hi. I usually don't do lettercol comments, but with everyone recommending
improvements on the Big Blue Cheese, I'll put in my two cents. I've never
really gotten into the titles even though I'm a devoted collector since post-
Crisis. However, while the comic book writers lacked in terms of story -- I
still think the Marv Wolfman stuff was the most solid -- the stuff outside
the comics was the best written, from the 1988 Superman series to 1993's
_Lois and Clark_ and the current animated series. I'd hire writers who have
experience with writing television scripts because they can provide not only
visual stories, but decent solid plots with characterizational dialogue.
However, I tend to agree with the continuity bit. The stories have become a
little bit too hamstrung because of the continuity, and it tends to give a
good battle plan, but seems artificial at best. Maybe make _Action_ the
team-up book again, emphasize Clark Kent (and or _Lois and Clark_ type
stories) and the supporting cast in _Adventures_ (like the '50s TV show).
_Superman_ could have a focus on the character and the morality of a
Superman, _Superman: Man of Steel_ could focus on his alien heritage, and
_Man of Tomorrow_ could be a quarterly book for artists and writers who want
a crack at the Man of Steel in a double-sized format. You can still have
continuity between the titles, just make it a looser continuity. Olsen can
still break his arm in one book and have it set in another; it just doesn't
have to take place next week. (I must admit Jerry Ordway knows how to tell a
solid story in _Power of Shazam!_ unencumbered by the pressures of multiple
books.) Also, a story arc that goes over 4 parts is too much anyway.
Artists I'd stuff on the books include: Jerry Ordway, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez,
Walt Simonson, and Sal Buscema. All solid storytellers with dynamic or
illustrative styles.
Writers? Mark Waid (if he wants it), Marv Wolfman, Mark Evanier and Alan
Moore (he's sort of doing that with Supreme). All solid pros.
**** Regardless of whether anything's done with the four monthly titles,
something *must* be done about _Man of Tomorrow_. With DC filling all
of its fifth-week gaps with events such as Tangent and New Year's Evil,
there simply is no role as a "skip-week book" for _Man of Tomorrow_.
Perhaps a double-sized quarterly with a pseudo-Elseworlds theme? The
title kind of lends itself to future visions of the Man of Steel.
On something indirectly related, I dislike Grant Morrison's JLA. He does nice
character bits and the actual first four-part story was acceptable (though
Aquaman missing in the first issue still bothers me dramatically). However, I
wish he would make the stories a lot more solid like the Silver Age stuff.
You could transfer the plots to modern times easily and adjust the
characters, but the stuff published now wouldn't work then because the
writers not only did comics, but wrote novels, screenplays, etc. The editors
were tighter with the stories. That's why I enjoy the current animated
series. Even though many of them can be slugfests, the pacing and dialogue
are solid. I enjoy the show better than the comic book. Maybe it's my age,
but I want more.
Enough of my diatribe. My opinions may be in the minority, but I can live
with them.
**** In the end, is there an actual majority? I'm sure that no two fans
of the Man of Steel agree exactly on what constitutes the ideal.
Regardless, I'll agree with you on the animated series. It's certainly
better than the comics have been for some time, and is perhaps my
favorite incarnation of Superman to date. I hope that Warner Brothers
will continue to produce new episodes for several years to come.
=================================================
From: Jason Arnett (jalawa@falcon.cc.ukans.edu)
Okay, I've just gotta throw my two cents in.
Having read the most recent issue of KC, I think the idea of having one of
Clark's parents passing away is bad. However, the stories that could come
from such a major upheaval in his life might bring in readers who might not
be otherwise interested in superhero comics. Superheroes have always been
larger than life, Superman especially. Bringing him down to our level, so to
speak, might attract the kind of reader who is currently interested in
reading books like _Sandman Mystery Theatre_, _Preacher_, or _Desperadoes_.
Those books, and their successes, are based on rather ordinary people in
extremely extraordinary circumstances.
People read books because there is something different about them. The
industry is growing up, and I think people might be ready to accept a
Superman whois, for lack of a better term, insecure about his place in this
world. Not weirdly so, but just as insecure as the rest of us. Having Clark
deal with the death of a parent can be a very powerful, and even ongoing,
story that lots of talent would be able to easily contribute.
As for the ruckus about the triangle format, here's another solution:
Move two titles out of regular continuity, make one of them an Elseworlds
type thing, a la _Legends of the Dark Knight_, and give the other title
rotating creative teams and a Vertigo flair.
I could see continuing _Superman_ and _Action_ in regular continuity as
separate books, and making _Adventures_ into the Elseworlds title. _MOS_
could easily be a Vertigo book. Maybe that would help attract new readers
and broaden sales. Who knows? Obviously DC doesn't, or they would be doing
something to make sure that the greatest hero in all of comics wasn't
languishing on the racks.
**** I think a *monthly* Elseworlds title featuring only Superman might be
a bit much, though a quarterly or series of specials might work well.
For the record, however, _Legends of the Dark Knight_ isn't really an
Elseworlds book. As I understand it, the primary purpose of both it
and _Legends of the DC Universe_ is to allow the telling of within-
continuity stories from earlier in the heroes' careers -- the so-called
"previously untold" stories, if you will.
Amidst all of our complaining (mine included) about needing new readers
and broader sales, we mustn't forget that the Superman titles are some
of DC's best sellers. JLA is the only DC title which consistently
outsells all of the Superman books. From that point of view, one would
guess that DC has more pressing things to worry about. We tend to look
at sales compared to titles from other companies, but DC has more than
simple market share to worry about.
=================================================
From: Michael Ohran (MOhran@vinca.com)
Maybe the Triangles are finally gone, but what's always bothered me about the
Triangles is the fact that subscriptions are still based on title *not* a
sequence of triangle numbers. I guess the subscriptions are really not
significant, because I don't see how anybody could be happy about getting
parts 1,5,9, etc of an ongoing story.
**** This is a *very* interesting point. Since you *can't* get the complete
story without reading all four titles, it would seem that the sub-
scriptions should be based on the triangle numbers and not the titles.
I can only come up with two possible conclusions as to why they're not
handled that way. As you indicated above, perhaps there just aren't
enough subscribers to warrant worrying about it. Alternately, perhaps
all of the Superman subscribers actually subscribe to all four titles.
Of course, then you have to wonder how _Man of Tomorrow_ is handled.
Can one even subscribe to MOT? If so, doesn't its irregular schedule
cause a problem? If not, why not? It *is* part of the overall story.
-- Jeff Sykes
_____________________________________________
**************************************************************
End of Section 8/Issue #47
