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The Kryptonian Cybernet Issue 59
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T H E K R Y P T O N I A N C Y B E R N E T
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http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/kc
Issue #59 -- Late February 1999
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CONTENTS
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Section 1: Superscripts: Notes from the Editor(s)
The Wish List
In a guest editorial, Jon Knutson gets an early start on his
Christmas list, highlighting projects and products he'd like
to see from DC.
Ratings At A Glance
Titles Shipped January 1999
The KC Newsroom
Meet Josh Elder, the newsroom's new keeper; DC announces the
new line-up of creators for the Superman titles; Kevin Smith
casts his Superman movie; new Superman figures from Hasbro;
Superman's worldwide odyssey; and Big Blue meets Big Green!
Section 2: The Power of a Superman
Exactly why does a man with the powers of a Superman choose
to be a hero, contrary to the nature of man? Douglas Tisdale
discusses the motivation of a Man of Steel.
The Mailbag
Section 3: New Comic Reviews
The Triangle Titles
Adventures of Superman #565, by Enola Jones
Supermen of America #1, by Thomas Deja
Action Comics #752
Superman: The Man of Steel #87, by Mike Smith
Section 4: New Comic Reviews
Super-Family Titles
Superboy #60, by Rene' Gobeyn
Supergirl #30, by Thomas Deja
Superman Adventures #29, by Cory Strode
Section 5: New Comic Reviews
Team Titles
JLA #27, by Anatole Wilson
Young Justice #6, by Gary Robinson
Miniseries
Superman & Batman: Generations #3, by Anatole Wilson
Superman's Nemesis: Lex Luthor #1, by G.M. Nelson
Section 6: New Comic Reviews
Specials
Legends of the DC Universe #14, by Rene Gobeyn
The Phantom Zone
When Supermen Meet: Part Four
Lou Mougin wraps up his series on meetings between the
Supermen of multiple Earths, this time as two Supermen
and a Superboy join forces to help end the Crisis on
Infinite Earths.
Superman #352
In this review by Scott Devarney, Superman faces the
possibility that his heroics have made the citizens of
Metropolis a little too dependent on the Man of Steel.
Section 7: The Phantom Zone
The One, True, Original Superman!
Episode 9: Krypton on Earth-2
Bob Hughes looks at early instances when the original
(Earth-2) Superman had the opportunity to visit his
home planet.
Section 8: AfterByrne
Superman Stories
Adventures of Superman: Year One
Sean Hogan revisits the first year's worth of issues of
Adventures of Superman, paying note to some themes
similar to those currently permeating the Superman
titles.
STAFF:
------
Jeffery D. Sykes, Publisher and Co-Editor-in-Chief
Shane Travis, Co-Editor-in-Chief and Executive Editor of Comic Reviews
Neil Ottenstein, Executive Editor of STAS Reviews
LEGAL DISCLAIMERS:
-----------------
Superman and all related characters, locations, and events are copyright
and trademark DC Comics. Use of the aforementioned is not intended to
challenge said ownership. We strongly suggest that each reader look to the
media sources mentioned within for further information.
All original material published in The Kryptonian Cybernet, including but
not limited to reviews, articles, and editorials, are copyright 1999 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
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__________________________________________
SUPERSCRIPTS: Notes from the Editor(s)
--------------------------------------------------------
Guest Editorial by Jon Knutson (waffyjon@execpc.com)
THE WISH LIST
We've got a while before Christmas, certainly, but given publishing
schedules and the time it takes things to happen, I thought I'd offer up my
personal "Superman Wish List" of things I'd like to see DC do in relation
to the Man of Steel.
Firstly, let's cover the current comics. Jeff Sykes has said it, others
have said it, I'm going to say it now... stop the event-driven storylines
unless -- UNLESS -- there's a *great* story to go with it. And make that
story cover no more than a month. That's four issues of the current titles,
six if you can get Superboy and Supergirl involved in it, as well. Period.
Get Superman back to the character we all know and love, fighting for truth
and justice. The current "Super Big Brother" story is an excellent
case-in-point of Superman acting way out of character. Is DC trying to
convince me that the Superman who's becoming a control freak (and building
robots that early in the Byrne run were dismissed as not being stable
enough) is the same Superman from the excellent _Peace on Earth_? Given my
druthers, I'd say get Paul Dini to write a new "Superman Bible" that
provides the basic moral code that Superman follows, and don't stray from
this. I can't see that Superman is going to learn any big lesson from all
this (and if he is, I think it was much better covered in _Kingdom Come_
anyway), and besides, Lois needs him. She waited over 50 years for the guy
to marry her, and he pulls this on her? Sheesh.
Okay, enough griping on the current books. If I don't like 'em, I don't
have to buy them, right? Let's turn to what I'd like to see DC come out
with that will satisfy my urges otherwise.
I'd like to start by asking DC to look at the "Essentials" line Marvel is
putting out and consider something similar. I'm not saying they need to
copy them exactly... I like the page count and black and white concept, but
DC wouldn't have to necessarily follow the "24 issues in a row" idea. What
I'd like to see them do with the publishing format is start "The Superman
Library," which would be a series of books reprinting stories that follow a
theme, kind of like the classic 80-Page Giants. Hands up, KC readers... who
among you would like to see volumes such as "Red Kryptonite Stories,"
"Adventures in Kandor," "Jimmy Olsen Transformations," "Time Travel
Stories," "Voyages to Krypton" and the like? I know I certainly would! And
the icing on the cake would be that I could convince my wife that the books
are a great deal (she already has no problem with my buying the
"Essentials" books). Failing that, since DC's reviving the 100-Page
Super-Spectacular format, a bi-monthly or quarterly Superman Super-Spec
would be nice, too.
Next on the wish list: Talk to the licensees, and let's get a Lois Lane
figure out on the market! She can be based on the animated series or on the
current comics, but do it! Think of all the lonely Superman action figures
out there with nobody to rescue! Just make sure you put a Superman figure
out at the same time (heck, make it a three-pack... Superman, Clark, and
Lois).
Next: Let's talk about the Warner Bros. Store and their Superman offerings.
Certainly, some of the figures and other (admittedly minimal) offerings are
nice, but there's a number of other things that can be done that would have
broad appeal. These ideas would work well for the comic shops, too. How
about a Daily Planet coffee mug? I'd buy one. Let's keep on this track -- a
nice Daily Planet Globe Christmas ornament would earn a permanent place on
my tree (talk to the Hallmark guys, DC!). A PVC collection like the current
Legion one with Superman, Lois, Jimmy, Luthor, and some other assorted
characters would also be nice. And let's see a re-try on getting the old
Filmation DC cartoons on video out there... you can find third- or
fourth-generation copies at conventions, but I believe the only reason
those are being purchased is there isn't any other way you can get 'em.
Failing that, maybe the Cartoon Network can buy the rights to broadcast
them. And, lest I forget, a Superman and Lois wedding cake topper would
have been very nice to have when I married my wife last year (I had to make
one of my own based on TV's _Lois and Clark_).
Back to more comics-related items. How about some reissues or trade
paperback collections of the tabloid-sized specials of the 70's, like
_Superman Vs. Wonder Woman_ and the like? And hey, why not start providing
some free publicity for the Metropolis, IL "Superman Celebration" enough
ahead of time in the comics so people can make plans? A greater DC presence
at the event would be very nice as well (a one-shot comic to be distributed
at the event would go over very good, methinks)...
I've thrown out a lot of ideas in this editorial, and I've got lots more
where they came from. I'm sure the KC readership has their own wish list
they'd like to see, as well... and if you'd care to share them, maybe I can
talk Jeff into letting me do a sequel to this editorial or your ideas can
run in the letter column. In the meantime, don't forget to "Look, up in the
sky...!"
__________________________________________
RATINGS AT A GLANCE: Titles shipped January 1999
-----------------------------------------------------
Prepared by Jeff Sykes (sykes@ms.uky.edu)
All but two titles saw an increase in their rating from last month, which
just *has* to be a good sign. On the other hand, the new specials which
shipped in January performed rather poorly when compared to the recent
success of other one-shots and miniseries. Just once, I'd like to see all
silver linings...
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. (T) indicates a tie.
Average -- Average of the ratings for this title over the indicated number
of issues, based on the book's cumulative average. Each issue
is weighted equally, regardless of the number of people rating
the book that issue. If this book is averaged over fewer issues
than the rest, the number of issues is displayed in ().
Current Previous Avg (6Iss)
Title Issue Rating Rank Rating Rank Rating Rank
----- ----- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
Superboy 60 3.9(9) 1 3.6(8) 2 3.70 1
S/B: Generations 3 3.8(8) - 3.6(6) - 3.77(3) -
Supergirl 30 3.7(5) 2 3.3(6) 5 3.12 4
Young Justice 6 3.6(5) 3 3.5(7) 3 3.27 3
JLA 27 3.6(11) 4 3.3(8) 4 3.38 2
Action Comics 752 3.3(7) 5 2.8(7) 9 3.03 5
Man of Steel 87 3.2(10) 6 3.1(7) 6 2.98 6
Superman Adv. 29 3.1(4) 7 3.6(4) 1 2.97 7
Legends of the DCU 14 3.1(7) - -- - -- -
S'men of America 1 3.0(8) - -- - -- -
Lex Luthor 1 2.9(7) - -- - -- -
Adv. of Superman 565 2.8(9) 8 2.9(7) 8 2.85 8(T)
Superman ** -- - 3.0(7) 7 2.85 8(T)
** Due to the publication of _Supermen of America_ #1, no issue of
_Superman_ appeared in January. The previous issue was #142, which was
released in December 1998.
"Nobody Does It Better"
SUPERBOY
- Not only does _Superboy_ score the top rating this month (3.9 Shields)
and the top six-issue average (3.7 Shields), but it also has averaged 3.6
Shields in the twelve issues since Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett returned to
the title. And in fact, the nine of those issues which were pencilled by
Grummett averaged 3.8 Shields. Not too many creative teams in comics work
together quite as well as these guys...
"The cream always rises to the top..."
THE FAMILY AND TEAM TITLES
- _Superboy_, _Supergirl_, _JLA_, and _Young Justice_ continue to rule the roost, taking the top four slots for both their current ratings and their six-month averages. Good writers telling their own stories -- gotta count for something.
"...while the sludge always sinks to the bottom."
THE TRIANGLE TITLES
- Yeah, I know I did this last month, too, but the fact still remains. If
it weren't for _Superman Adventures_, the four Superman titles would sit at
the bottom of both the current and six-month ratings. If there's any hope
in the situation, it's that new editor Eddie Berganza seems to be aiming
away from the "weekly" interpretation of the Superman continuity, and that
the new creative teams are going to be largely allowed to write their own
stories.
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.
__________________________________________
THE KC NEWSROOM
---------------------------------
By Joshua Elder (j-elder@nwu.edu)
UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT
Hello all, my name is Josh Elder and I am the new overseer of the KC
Newsroom. As a lifelong Superman fan, I promise to do the best job humanly
possible and provide the readers with the Superman news they so desperately
crave. I would also greatly appreciate reader feedback as well. If you have
any questions about current happenings in the world of Superman or have any
newsbytes you'd like to pass on, just e-mail me at j-elder@nwu.edu. And
since none of you came here to listen to my ranting, let's get straight to
the news.
SUPERTEAM DECIDED ... FINALLY
Newsarama (http://www.mania.com/newsarama/index.html) reports that DC has
finally released the identities of the writers and artists whom, starting
this October, are going to take the supertitles into the next millennium.
Mark Schultz and Doug Mahnke remain on _Superman: The Man of Steel_, while
the team of Stuart Immonen and Mark Millar move from _Action_ to
_Adventures of Superman_. Now that the old guard has been dealt with, let
us focus on the new blood coming into the Superman Family. Jeph Loeb, fan
favorite writer of the superb _Superman For All Seasons_, has just signed
on to be the regular writer for the adjectiveless _Superman_ with former
Deadpool artist Ed McGuinness handling the pencils. Now for my personal
favorite new creative team: Mighty Marvel Maniac Joe Kelly has ended his
exclusive Marvel contract and has been enlisted to write _Action Comics_.
Kelly is joined by current _Superman_ penciler Steve Epting.
Here's what the new writers had to say in a Newsarama interview by Michael
Doran:
Interview with Jeph Loeb
Citing the first two Superman feature films and the current Superman
animated series ("Paul Dini & Bruce Timm -- YOU ROCK!" exclaimed the
writer) as sources of inspiration, Loeb hopes to touch on the right mixture
of "fun, humor, pathos and big action" he believes these interpretations
exemplify. "I'm real interested in concentrating on the core cast --
Superman, Clark, Lois, Jimmy, Perry and Luthor in Metropolis and Ma & Pa
Kent, Lana and Pete back in Smallville," said Loeb. "If this were a TV show
you wouldn't need more than that as long you have a 'special guest
villain', and that pretty much works for me!"
Interview with Joe Kelly
"Superman has to be fun, he has to be exciting, and he has to be cool,"
Kelly proclaimed. "But here's the kicker -- he already is! All of the
elements that made Superman an icon are still there under the 'S' ... our
job as writers is simply to shine a new light on them. Certainly, each of
us bring specific strengths to the table that will come through in our
books -- humor, characterization, etc. -- but the ground work has already
been laid. Expect our versions of the Superman titles to be great reads
about well-developed characters in way out situations, with plenty of
pyrotechnics between the covers. Expect to see us use Superman's powers in
unexpected ways, and to challenge him with more than just physical threats.
Expect humor, expect romance, and action, action, ACTION!"
The Editor Speaks
Here's Superman editor Eddie Berganza putting in his two cents about the
direction he sees for the Superman titles in an interview by Matt Brady of
Newsarama.
The four monthly Super-books will have their own identities. "It will still
be the same Superman in each title, but each book will give their own take
on him and have its own flavor," Berganza says. "We'll probably stick to
subplots and other minor things throughout all four titles, but I want each
of the teams to lay claim to specific supporting cast members and aspects
of Superman's life. The books were kind of like that during Mike Carlin's
run, and that was something that really helped to flesh Superman and the
rest of the cast out, and made them all that much more real to the
readers."
>From the outset, Berganza feels that _Superman_, written by Loeb, will
delve inside the head of the title character; _Action_ will focus on bigger
action-filled storylines; _Adventures_ will look at the 'stranger in a
strange land' aspect of Superman; and _Man of Steel_ will tend to examine
the man behind the 'S.' While Berganza wants to see each title carry its
own feel, he isn't ruling out an occasional crossover of the four where all
the creators put their heads together for a multi-part storyline. "...As
everybody gets more comfortable with their book and the characters, we may
lead into something big that will connect the titles, but again, it will be
something that will warrant a four-part, weekly story, not just a
four-issue fight with the Parasite."
KEVIN SMITH MAKES A SUPER CASTING CALL
In _Wizard_ #92, Kevin Smith, original screenwriter of _Superman Lives_,
cast all the characters for his version of the Man of Steel's latest
cinematic foray, but I'll get back to that later. First I have to comment
on a few revelations concerning _Superman Lives_ producer Jon Peters.
Apparently the former hairdresser to Barbara Streisand wanted to cast Sean
Penn in the Superman role originally. He thought that Superman and Mr. Penn
both had the charisma of a "caged animal" and a "violent killer." I just
can't understand how a man this stupid can tie his shoes, much less hold
down a steady job. Only in Hollywood. Anyway, back to the casting call.
Kevin, as always, cast his friends in most of the roles, but the casting
job overall is good, far superior to anything Jon Peters has put together
at any rate. Superman: Ben Affleck, Lois Lane: Linda Fiorentino, Lex
Luthor: Jack Nicholson, Jimmy Olsen: Jason Mewes, Brainiac: Jason Lee,
Perry White: John Mahoney, and Two Polar Bears (Jon Peter's idea for
guardians of the Fortress of Solitude): Meryl Streep and Renee Zellweger.
BRIEFS
* The Raving Toy Maniac (http://www.toymania.com) procured some pictures of
the newest Classic Superman and Superman Blue figures from Hasbro at
ToyFair99. They are seven inches tall and have amazing articulation and
sculpting.
* Former Batman creators Graham Nolan and Chuck Dixon team-up in May to
tell a story from the early years of Superman in _Superman: The Odyssey_.
Co-written by Nolan and Dixon, with art and cover by Nolan, the
prestige-format one-shot is set in between Clark's boyhood years in
Smallville and his arrival in Metropolis while the young Superman-to-be
struggles to master his burgeoning powers on a journey to Paris, France.
Superman fans have been clamoring for this story ever since it was revealed
back during John Byrne's run that young Clark wandered the globe for
several years before coming to Metropolis and becoming Superman. The
special also promises a "blink-and-you'll-miss-it" cameo by Batman.
* That Superman just can't keep out of the Marvel Universe. To follow up
March's crossover with Marvel's first family of superheroes, DC has decided
to pit him against Marvel's Green Goliath in May's _Hulk/Superman_. The
48-page bookshelf format book, written by Roger Stern and penciled by Steve
Rude, will find the characters facing off against each other early in their
careers.
__________________________________________
THE POWER OF A SUPERMAN
-------------------------------------------------
By Douglas M. Tisdale Jr (dmtisdale_jr@yahoo.com)
One of the truly fascinating characteristics of Superman is his motivation.
Lois Lane put it best (to my mind) in _Superman For All Seasons_: "He can
... do just about anything he wants to. And that's the part that gets me.
He can do anything he wants to ... and he decides to do what? Be a hero?
Why?" [Loeb & Sale, 5-7] This, to me, expresses the single most fascinating
thing about the character of Superman. That someone with such powers and
abilities would use them to do good for society goes against every precept
of human nature.
The sixteenth century English philosopher Thomas Hobbes, in his master work
_The Leviathan_, wrote that human beings naturally live in a natural state
of war (called the "state of nature,") during which the life of man is
"solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." [Cahn, 119] Accepting that
premise as a base for his argument, he continues that "in such a condition,
every man has a right to every thing: even to another's body. And
therefore, as long as this natural right ... endureth, there can be no
security to any man ... of living out the time, which nature ordinarily
alloweth men to live." [ibid., 121] To avoid the genocide which would be a
natural consequence of such a so-called state of nature, then, Hobbes
argues that human beings must voluntarily agree upon a social contract
which would "create a government run by a sovereign holding absolute power,
because only absolute power is sufficient to resolve disputes that
otherwise would precipitate conflict dissolving the commonwealth and
threatening the lives of us all." [ibid., 79]
Assuming, then, that humans are by nature unable to live together in peace
and harmony and require an outside force (the "Leviathan") to dictate the
rules and regulations (the "social contract") to them, it follows that
someone with the powers of a Superman would naturally want to use those
powers to further his or her own interests. If doing so meant violating the
social contract, then so be it. A normal human being would not wish to
violate the social contract, because to do so would not be in his or her
best interests -- the contract being designed to maintain peace within the
society would naturally have provisions to deal with such troublemakers.
However if the violator is impervious to bullets or has the strength to
bend steel in his bare hands, then the laws of the social contract (which
apply to normal men with normal abilities) or the provisions spoken of
above would matter little. The powers of a Superman would give a person
(who has, in the state of nature, "a right to every thing: even to
another's body,") the ability to violate the social contract and defy the
Leviathan without fear of consequence.
I do not feel that the above descriptions of human nature, as being selfish
and unwilling to advance or even accept the interests of others over
oneself, is off the mark. I think all people do what they can to better
their own positions; and that the reason most of them do so within the
boundaries of the law is because to do otherwise would not be beneficial to
them. But if Joe Public had the powers of a Superman, why should Joe Public
feel obliged to remain within the boundaries of the law? What are they
going to do, shoot him? Arrest him? What is that to someone who can change
the course of mighty rivers?
Which brings us back to Lois' amazed realization that Superman, who exists
by his very nature outside of the normal laws of society, chooses --
against all precepts of human nature -- to act in an altruistic fashion. It
is not terribly unreasonable to expect a few exceptions to my rule of human
nature. Moses, Mohandas Gandhi, and Mother Teresa are prime examples of
those few shining individuals, those diamonds in the rough, who do in fact
choose to help others, to act in ways not in accordance with human nature,
to put others' needs, wishes, and desires before their own. Moses
sacrificed his future as Ruler of Egypt to lead the Israelites out of their
slavery. Gandhi gave up what might have been an eventually satisfying legal
career to help the peoples of India achieve freedom from British Rule.
Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu became a nun at the age of 12 and spent her entire
life helping to cure the sick, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and
comfort the dying, in the process also increasing international awareness
of these problems. But these are, I would contend, the exceptions that
prove the rule, as I have called them the diamonds in the rough. And then
there is that most brilliantly shining diamond, Superman.
To my way of thinking, Jonathan and Martha Kent never really got the credit
they deserved for making Superman the man he was. His foster parents were
good people, who raised the tiny alien boy they found to their good,
Christian values. Most of us, I am sure (I know I do), still retain much of
the value system our parents instilled in us as children -- modified by
certain events over time, perhaps, but still at their core much the same.
The adopted son of Jonathan and Martha certainly did. Even after he moved
to Metropolis, after his powers had developed, he still believed all that
they had said. Thus it is that Superman chooses to fight his neverending
battle for Truth, Justice, and The American Way, rather than flying
straight to New York and telling the United Nations that his will be the
new order. Nothing could stop him; no power on earth exists that could
contain him (ignoring, for the purposes of this editorial, the existence of
kryptonite). By rights, he should be the ruler of the world. If he were
subject to the normal influences of human nature, by now he would be.
But he doesn't; and not only does he choose to operate for the goodness of
humanity, he chooses to do so anonymously. At the very first, Superman
tried his hardest to remain out of the public eye. While that plan failed
miserably early on, he was relatively successful in maintaining a dual
identity, acting as meek and mild Clark Kent to observe humans at their
best and worst, then changing into Superman in times of crisis. Many have
commented that it's a very see-through disguise, after all -- no mask, just
a pair of glasses that he takes off and maybe a different part to his hair.
But there's more to it than just that. Clark Kent is about the most
diametrically opposed character to Superman that there is. In "The Secret
Revealed" (_Superman_ #2 1987), Lex Luthor set about finding out who
Superman's secret identity was. He fed all the data he could find on
Superman into his computer, which naturally returned the results, "Clark
Kent Is Superman." But Luthor would have none of it, saying in the last few
panels that "a SOULLESS machine might make that deduction. But not LEX
LUTHOR! I know BETTER! I know that no man with the POWER of SUPERMAN would
ever PRETEND to be a mere HUMAN! Such power is to be CONSTANTLY EXPLOITED.
Such power is to be USED!" [Byrne, Gold, & Greenberger 333] The underlying
assumption in Luthor's comments, by the way, reinforces the above point as
to the selfishness of human nature -- why would any being with such power,
firstly, disguise it as he does, and secondly, use it to help others?
Think about the last time your significant other did you wrong. The last
time your spouse forgot an important anniversary. Or the last time your
lover ended your relationship on less than mutual terms. I would wager that
your immediate reaction would be one of anger, and that you were probably
hurt. I would further wager that you wanted, at least at first and,
depending on the situation, for a long time after, to exact some kind of
revenge. Personally, I can say that the last girl who broke up with me was
the subject of a healthy number of fantasies involving ugly, painful, or
maybe just very embarrassing situations for her. Or, to take it out of the
personal arena, those of you in the work force imagine the last time your
boss did something truly heinous -- denied you a raise, or promoted someone
else to a position you knew you deserved, or even fired you. Those of you
still in school, imagine the last time a teacher jilted you -- gave you an
"F" you truly and perhaps rightly felt you did not deserve. If you had the
power of a Superman, what would stop you from exacting even just a little
revenge? Not, perhaps, killing the person who did you wrong, but finding
some way to hit them where it hurts?
If it is taken as a given that human beings by and large do whatever they
can to advance or at least preserve their own interests, then it can be
shown why the social contract of Hobbes is the only way to prevent
genocide. Throw into the mix someone or something for whom the normal rules
of that society cannot apply, and the equation is destroyed. A normal human
being with the powers of a Superman would not use those powers entirely for
altruistic purposes. Perhaps at first such a person would, to make the
world comfortable with this power, to put society at ease. But once that
was done, once society showed this person its gratitude, human nature would
take over and this superperson would begin to advance his or her own
agenda, at the expense of others if necessary. Not perhaps out of outright
evil, but because that's the nature of the beast.
But Superman wouldn't; and that's what makes him Superman.
[The works cited above are:
BYRNE, John, Mike Gold, and Robert Greenberger (Ed): _The Greatest
Superman Stories Ever Told, Vol 1_: DC Comics Inc: New York NY: 1987
CAHN, Steven M. (Ed): _Classics of Modern Political Theory_: Oxford
University Press: New York NY: 1997
LOEB, Joseph and Tim Sale: _Superman For All Seasons Book 2_: DC
Comics Inc: New York NY: 1998]
__________________________________________
THE MAILBAG
-------------------------------------
(sykes@ms.uky.edu, KryptonCN@aol.com)
KC Responses are indented and begun with ****
========================================
From: Lou Mougin (lomougin@wf.net)
In the latest KC Mailbag, [David Young] asked about the Silver Age Supes's
first meeting with Robin. Thanks to time travel, there are two answers to
that question.
Superboy first met Robin when the Boy Wonder travelled back in time in
_Adventure Comics_ #253 (1958). In his own time, Robin had already met
Superman as part of the Superman/Batman/Robin team, but the Man of Steel
had been endangered by a Kryptonite clock, and Batman's teen partner went
back to Superboy's era to make certain that this particular timeline would
not come to pass. Years later, after meeting Bruce Wayne three times (and
Oliver Queen once) and learning they were to become costumed heroes in the
future, Superboy subjected himself to hypnosis and wiped the memories of
Batman, Robin, and Green Arrow from his mind.
But Robin first met Superman in a flashback sequence in _World's Finest
Comics_ #94, in which he and Batman saved Supes from another Kryptonite
trap and helped him bring in the gang who had employed it. This took place
chronologically before _Superman_ #71, in which Batman and Superman learned
each other's secret identities.
This is just going by Earth-One. On Earth-Two, they either first met in the
Justice Society origin story (_DC Special_ #29) or the Zoltan episode
(_World's Finest Comics_ #271). Since Superman wasn't included in the
Batman/Flash/Green Lantern team that Commissioner Gordon helped bring
together at the start of _DC Special_ #29 (and he probably would have been
included if they had been a team), I tend to think that this was their
first meeting. The Earth-Two Superman and Robin would have first met in the
_World's Finest_ flashback.
As for Superman's crossing over into Batman stories before recent times,
there are several examples. The most obvious one is _Batman_ #293, in which
he appears on the cover with Batman and helps him fight Lex Luthor. But the
first such crossover came in _Batman_ #101 (August 1956), with Supes
helping Batman preserve his secret identity in that story. Mort Weisinger
was apparently more comfortable borrowing Batman to guest-star in Superman
stories than Jack Schiff (and, later, Julie Schwartz) was in using Superman
in Batman stories. That's probably why Supergirl, Krypto, the Phantom
Zoners, et al, made no appearances in the Schiff-edited issues, but did
turn up in _World's Finest_ once Weisinger started editing it. Ironically,
Weisinger's _World's Finest_ was the last place where Schiff holdovers such
as Vicki Vale, Clayface, Bat-Hound, Bat-Mite, and Kathy (Batwoman) Kane
appeared before their revival in the 1970's with _Batman Family_.
========================================
From: Douglas Tisdale Jr (dmtisdale_jr@yahoo.com)
In his well-written paper, "The Story of Superman," (I sure hope he got an
"A"), Joshua Elder writes "Kirk Alyn was the first person to ever play
Superman." However in the paragraphs before, Mr. Elder makes mention of the
Superman radio broadcasts on the Mutual Broadcasting System, which aired
from February 12, 1940 until March 1, 1951. Superman and Clark Kent were
portrayed first on the radio show by Clayton "Bud" Collyer from the
beginning until its final season in 1950-51, where the role was taken over
by Michael Fitzmaurice. Technically speaking, then, Bud Collyer was "the
first person to ever play Superman."
In "Superman Stories: Lois Lane," Sean Hogan writes, "Clark, determined to
win [Lois] as himself (not as Superman), takes heart when she calls him a
weasel because, 'I consider that up a step up from swine.'"
However, Superman *is* himself. Clark Kent is the phony identity he has
adopted to conceal his true nature and live an ordinary life. It has been
commented before (and I'm new here so if it's been commented upon here
please forgive my ignorance) that Superman's wish for Lois to desire Clark
Kent is his wanting her to love him for who he *isn't*.
**** That's really a pre-Crisis interpretation of Superman. Post-Crisis,
Clark Kent is the true identity formed as a result of, among other
things, being raised by the Kents. His powers developed as a teen,
and he only adopted the Superman identity so that he could perform
his super-heroic deeds and still protect his and his family's privacy.
Superman (the powers, the costume, etc) is the "front" that Clark Kent
puts on when performing heroics.
When we say that Clark wanted to win Lois as himself and not as
Superman, we are saying that he wanted to be certain that Lois loved
him for his strength of character and not for his ability or
celebrity.
========================================
From: Jim Lesher (JLesher@npr.org)
With regards to [Francis Barel's] questions...
...the proposed JLA/Avengers team-up was supposed to have been drawn by
George Perez and written by Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway. The story that I
heard was that Perez had pencilled about 20 pages when the project was
halted. It's been over 10 years, but the reasons that the project was
killed are still unclear. There was a large article about it in "Comics
Interview" a while back. DC Comics basically blamed Jim Shooter for the
death of the project, and Marvel blamed DC for foot-dragging, changing the
JLA's lineup, etc. I don't think that the true reasons will ever be fully
known. However, the JLA did encounter the Avengers in the _Unlimited
Access_ mini-series last year. And there have been rumours from Marvel and
DC about trying to get the project started up again. But it probably won't
happen anytime soon.
With regards to your second question, I'm a little confused by what you
asked. You said "Clark is thrown overboard and starts looking for
Superman." Did you mean to say, 'starts looking for Batman'? If so, I think
that this was a story from _World's Finest_ issue #278 or 279. The art, if
memory serves, was by Keith Pollard and Mike DeCarlo.
========================================
From: Edwin Everett (Edwin_Everett@cargill.com)
I'm looking for info on the Supacomics series from New Zealand... Was it a
bootleg or just a forgotten series? I found one in an antiques shop and
haven't seen any other notes on this...
========================================
From: Neil Hansen (Neil4161@aol.com)
It's another fine issue of an online mag I enjoy every time it shows up in
the e-mail. I especially enjoyed [Bob Hughes'] Jimmy Olsen article, not
only for the comments on some of Jimmy's earlier straight adventures, but
also for the mini-Curt Swan history within the piece. I was very lucky to
know Curt for 13 years while he was alive. He was one of the nicest, most
generous guys in the business as well as being extremely talented. I had
him sign my _How to Draw Super Heroes_ book by Golden Books and _The Earth
Stealers_. _The Earth Stealers_ had special meaning because Curt had to
knock down a 64-page plot into 48 pages, and he asked me to pace it. When
God calls asking for help, you don't ask why. You act dumbfounded and
honored. Then you just do it. I miss his help and advice to me. As a
result, every time I see something mentioning this great guy, I just have
to comment what a lucky mortal I was.
I also appreciate the replies to my World's Finest Superheroes newspaper
strip question. Continued success to this great online zine.
========================================
From: Dave W. MacLean (cf603@freenet.toronto.on.ca)
I am just wondering if there is anyone who lives in the Toronto, Ontario,
Canada area that has or is taping current and past episodes of the Batman
and Superman cartoons. If anybody can help me out please e-mail so we can
try to workout something.
**** A note to anyone else interested in this kind of help. You might have
better (and more immediate) response to such a request by making it in
an appropriate newsgroup -- alt.comics.superman, rec.arts.sf.superman,
alt.comics.batman, and rec.arts.comics.other-media, to name a few.
-- Jeff Sykes
__________________________________________
NEW COMIC REVIEWS
------------------------------------------
Comics Arriving In Stores January 1999
We have a smaller selection of reviews for you this issue, though there
were still two other Superman appearances we chose not to review. The Man
of Steel, newly embarked upon his quest to protect all the Earth, drops in
for the last seven pages of _Aquaman_ #53. And Superman, Superboy, Steel,
and Supergirl all have small roles or cameo appearances in _JLA/Titans_ #3.
Actually, in retrospect, January might have been one of the lightest months
for the Superman family in some time...
Ratings Panelists:
-----------------
AW: Anatole Wilson EM: Edward Mathews MS: Mike Smith
CoS: Cory Strode GN: G.M. Nelson RG: Rene' Gobeyn
DJ: Derek Jackson GR: Gary Robinson SDM: Simon DelMonte
DWk: Douglas Wolk JE: Josh Elder TD: Thomas Deja
EJ: Enola Jones JSy: Jeff Sykes VV: Vic Vitek
As always, the first rating given after the average is that of the
reviewer. The average rating given for each book may correspond to a
larger sample of ratings than what is printed following the average.
==============================================
THE TRIANGLE TITLES:
-------------------
9. THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #565 Mar 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"The World Is My Backyard"
Plot: Karl Kesel
Dialogue: Jerry Ordway
Pencils: Tom Grummett
Finishes: Denis Rodier
Letterers: Clem Robins & Albert DeGuzman
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Assistant: Maureen McTigue
Dictator: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Tom Grummett, Denis Rodier, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 2.8/5.0 Shields
EJ: 2.5 Shields
DJ: 1.2 Shields - Boring Filler.
EM: 3.0 Shields - Not a bad issue, but really... a lesson from Batman on
not taking things too far is pretty laughable.
GN: 3.5 Shields - Perhaps even more than in the other books, Kesel and
Ordway clearly show a Superman who has crossed the line. (Um,
exactly how did Lois manage to find Batman in the devastated --
and isolated -- Gotham City?)
MS: 3.9 Shields - Wow! Superman's bending tanks and sassing the JLA like
he was Superman or something. Oh, wait he is. I think I like him
better this way.
TD: 2.0 Shields - Ah, the prerequisite 'all filler' issue of a major
storyline... all the foreshadowing and none of the verve, in one
of those 'read it and forget five minutes later tales.
VV: 3.0 Shields - Okay, so maybe I was wrong. Something is happening to
Superman, and I don't think it is psychological. He has a plan
for some reason -- maybe due to the upcoming "5th dimensional
invasion"?
Plot:
After a crackdown on the democratic protesters in a country named Kota
Zamfir, Superman forces the dictator of the country to resign and hold free
and fair elections, prompting Luthor and his associates to kick an
anti-Superman project into high gear. Back home, Outburst helps Superman
take down two of Flash's old enemies, Captain Cold and Captain Boomerang.
Once he's accomplished that, Superman responds to Batman's signal and finds
himself the subject of an intervention by the Justice League. Said
intervention fails miserably, its only effect being that Superman is more
determined than ever to save Earth from itself.
Review:
First of all, let me state what I found enjoyable about this issue. The art
maintained its usual high calibre. Each person was instantly, easily
recognizable. Also, the idea of the Justice League of America -- the most
powerful organization in the comics world -- staging an intervention on not
only their acting chair, but also the most powerful member in their ranks;
*that* took guts. That idea was well thought-out and well-written. Finally,
the idea that Lois can contact the JLA as easily as Clark can was a subtle
nod to the bond between husband and wife as well as a tangible reminder
that said bond is slowly severing.
That said, I must say that I emphatically *do not* like the current
storyline. In my opinion, Superman is exhibiting signs of mental illness.
Batman points out in this issue, "I know insane. This isn't it."
Maybe not yet, Caped Crusader, but he's getting *awfully* close.
In this issue alone, Superman grandstands (his final words to the JLA are a
half-hearted question in a word balloon dripping icicles), pontificates (he
asks the JLA a series of questions about recent events, then answers those
questions from his own skewed point of view), and overjustifies his actions
(he refers to the nuking of an American city as the result of mind-control
in Washington as an example to prove his point). Perhaps the most alarming
aspect of this storyline is the fact that several other metahumans
(including Outburst, who at book's end has *totally* missed the point) are
*also* setting themselves up as judge, jury, and executioner.
The bottom line on _Adventures of Superman_ #565 is this: as a vehicle for
advancing the storyline, this works very well. Standing on its own, it is
an alarmist piece of literature reflecting the old adage about absolute
power's corrupting influence.
Enola Jones
<jennytork@hotmail.com>
==============================================
10. SUPERMEN OF AMERICA #1 Mar 1999 $4.95 US/$7.95 CAN
"Fire From Heaven"
Writer: Stuart Immonen
Artists Pgs 1-14: Norm Breyfogle and Joe Rubinstein
Artist Pgs 15-23: Sean Phillips
Artists Pgs 24-29: Humberto Ramos and Jose Marzan, Jr.
Artists Pgs 30-38: Chuck Wojtkiewicz and Jose Marzan, Jr.
Artists Pgs 39-49: Ron Lim and Joe Rubinstein
Artists Pgs 50-54: Ethan Van Sciver and Dennis Janke
Letterer: Steve Dutro
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separator: Digital Chameleon
Assistant Editor: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Dave Gibbons
RATINGS
Average: 3.0/5.0 Shields
TD: 2.5 Shields
DJ: 2.7 Shields - Interesting story, but it all seems kind of pointless.
I like Outburst, but do we really need more heroes?
EJ: 3.5 Shields - An excellent beginning to what promises to be an
excellent title. Outburst particularly shines here; his struggles
with his conscience make him a particularly sympathetic character.
EM: 2.5 Shields - I just didn't get my money's worth. Outburst is almost
an appealing character, but the rest of the characters have all
the appeal of the latest Tekken videogame.
GN: 2.7 Shields - Immonen's writing was pretty good, but the art was all
over the place on this book. It'll be interesting to see Luthor's
attempts to manipulate the "Superman" name.
JSy: 3.5 Shields - Yet another example of a completely pointless cover
"enhancement", though Immonen continues to show strong signs of
his growth as a writer. Oh, but why was Lotus called Nora last
week and Nona this week?
MS: 1.9 Shields - Just about every super-powered teen angst cliche gets
packed into this one. And why should I want my own membership kit
for a psycho-fascist street gang run by Luthor?
As you know, I really enjoy reading about Mitch Anderson, now the magnetic
hero known as Outburst. Never mind that Outburst is sure to slip into the
oblivion reserved for Superman 'allies' such as Shadowdragon and the Alpha
Centurion. Team Super has been treating him with an enthusiasm and a sense
of fun that's just energizing the books. And I think his presence is
inspiring the burnt-out Team Super writers to have a little fun with what
looks to be a dreary major story arc.
Well, as you know, you can't be a Forgotten Superman Ally without a special
of your own (remember the Shadowdragon Annual?), and here comes Outburst's
-- _Supermen of America_ #1 shows how Luthor has manipulated the young
idealist teen into forming a super-group of his own, and how that might not
bode well for the future.
We first see Mitch on the side of that funky 'L' on the Lexcorp building,
feeling like he's failed at being a hero twice. The first time was at a
concert not so subtlely based on Lollapalooza, where a gang altercation
gets out of hand, killing the concert's founder, a lead singer not so
subtlely based on Kurt Cobain. Being caught in the center of the commotion,
Mitch manages to prevent a horrible accident, but is spirited away by the
shooter's girlfriend, who seems to have powers of her own.
The next day, Mitch and Tim Thomas (from _Adventures of Superman_ #565)
discover that Lexcom is being critical of Outburst for not intervening. As
the Magnetic Marvel, Mitch decides to confront Lex Luthor and finds out
that the dig was meant to bring Outburst to him -- Luthor wants to start a
youth organization building on the death of the singer, utilizing
Superman's global outlook to inspire them into making the world a better
place. Mitch agrees to the plan while the gang banger who started this all
starts buying guns from a mysterious 'Mr. Richards.'
We find out in the next sequence that Supes is busy trying to stop war from
breaking out between Tehrac and Bhutran -- which is why he's not around to
intervene as Luthor does form his own 'Supermen of America Elite Squad.'
The heroes include White Lotus, the girl who helped Mitch escape earlier
and whose martial arts are enhanced by a 'mystical aura'; Brahma, the
super-strong guy; The Loser, whose Petey-the-Dog costume hides the fact
that he controls an 'innate dermal force field' (all together now --
huh?????); Pyrogen, a pyrokinetic; and Psilencer -- Tim Thomas, who it
turns out possesses a precognitive combat sense. We watch the heroes train,
some (Mitch and White Lotus) getting closer, others (Brahma) not
understanding what the Supermen of America stand for. Mitch has second
thoughts but is shushed up by a sizable check. However, when he is unable
to respond to a page alerting the Supermen to an arms deal involving the
shooter of the singer from the first sequence, Psilencer takes over... and
tragedy strikes.
Now this is a vast improvement over some of Immonen's previous stuff --
primarily because he dispenses with all the experimental stuff he loves to
indulge in to tell a simple story. And because Immonen utilizes Mitch as
his P.O.V. character, we get a lot of nuances and insights into what was,
up until this point, just a 'happy-go-lucky' character. God help us, I
really think Outburst is idiot proof; his actions and his conflicts ring
true, and you can't help but sympathize with him as he tries to juggle what
he feels is right, his joy at being a hero (and being in love), and his
responsibilities to his family.
Unfortunately, Immonen does not bat a thousand. I'm still trying to figure
out why Tim, who was being set-up as a decent friend to Mitch, turns out to
be (a) a meta and (b) a jerkalope. From the second time Tim shows up in the
Psilencer costume, it's like he's another character entirely; and because
this one has little connection with the character we'd been led to believe
he is, Tim's ultimate fate is blunted in impact. It also doesn't help that,
outside of Mitch and White Lotus, the other Supermen are pretty much
ciphers; it's not until this month's _Action_ that we get a sense of The
Loser (did I happen to mention I think the Loser's outfit is
unintentionally ridiculous?) or Pyrogen as characters.
One more thing about the Supermen of America -- am I the only one who sees
some parallels between this team and The Network, the youth-oriented
super-team that assisted Superman and Batman in the waning days of _World's
Finest_? I swear White Lotus and The Loser both seemed borrowed from that
oft-forgotten group.
The art is handled by several teams, with mixed success. Norm Breyfogle's
opening pages work well, especially the moody conversation between Superman
and Lois on pages four and five and the shooting of the singer on page 10.
Sean Phillips' artwork seems inappropriate at first, but it ends up
carrying the second sequence well (check out the Outburst travelling scene
for a great example of dynamic movement and framing). On the other hand,
Humberto Ramos' anime-style Superman and Lois Lane are unintentionally
hilarious, and Chuck Wojtkiewicz's people seem all made out of tinfoil. Ron
Lim does the major fight sequence with professional elan, and Ethan Van
Sciver's closing pages are workman-like but gets the job done.
_Supermen of America_ #1 makes some good points, and is a decent read. It
certainly is a scotch better than the thoroughly unmemorable _Alpha
Centurion Special_ or the pointless _Eradicator_ miniseries. And maybe
it'll show Team Super that not every 'ally of Superman' deserves to be
forgotten.
I just wish it was more about Outburst, and not about silly suited guys who
look like Petey the Dog.
Thomas Deja
<tdj723@webtv.net>
==============================================
11. ACTION COMICS #752 Mar 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Superman: Have You Forsaken Metropolis?"
Writer/Penciller: Stuart Immonen
Inker: Jose Marzan, Jr.
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separator: Digital Chameleon
Assistant: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Stuart Immonen, Jose Marzan, Jr., and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.3/5.0 Shields
DWk: 4.1 Shields - Immonen's the most interesting creator on the triangle
books right now, and this is him in top form -- I hadn't even
realized until the end that Superman himself never appeared on-
panel. And Lois's slow burn was great.
EM: 3.3 Shields - Immonen's art saves an otherwise average tale. Don't
get me wrong; I love Lois to pieces, and the fact that she misses
her husband resonates with me, but... this is an entire issue of
_Action Comics_ without Superman in it!
GN: 3.2 Shields - A nice opposition view of the SoA from Lois' POV, with
the reason behind her hostile attitude well touched upon in the
closing scene.
JE: 3.6 Shields - As always, the Immonen art was fantastic, and the story
itself was quite enjoyable, although the narrative style employed
in this issue was very confusing and detracted from the plot. Lois'
outlook on Clark's recent changes were very well presented as well.
JSy: 4.0 Shields - Aside from some initial confusion due to the flashback
format, I found this to be a fairly intriguing issue. I'm a bit
confounded at why Lois is *so* suspicious of the Supermen of
America, but certainly she's been put through the wringer.
TD: 2.4 Shields - I still like Outburst, and this story would've worked
if not for Lois' position as misfortune magnet this time around...
nice ending, though.
VV: 2.5 Shields - I don't like the Supermen of America idea, and I don't
think it had to be Lois to tell this tale. Just too coincidental.
[No review submitted]
==============================================
12. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #87 Mar 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"The Iron Hand of Kindness"
New Writer: Mark Schultz
New Penciller: Doug Mahnke
Inker: Dennis Janke
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Assistant Editor: Maureen McTigue
Same Ol' Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Doug Mahnke, Dennis Janke, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.2/5.0 Shields
MS: 4.0 Shields
DJ: 1.6 Shields - More boring filler. Couldn't they have skipped to more
plot or the climax of this story?
DWk: 3.3 Shields - Schultz is headed in the right direction, but a lot of
the drama in this issue felt forced, and the Team Superman
intercession seemed a *lot* like the JLA scene in _Adventures of
Superman_ #565 -- haven't I read this story already?
EJ: 2.3 Shields - The scene with Jonathan Kent and the axe was the most
telling scene of the issue. Here we see Superman's deteriorating
mental condition portrayed in graphic detail.
GN: 2.8 Shields - Superman's farewell to Clark Kent's life got Schultz
off to a good start -- the scene with Pa was particularly
effective -- but it's going to take some time for me to warm up
to the new art team.
JE: 4.0 Shields - A strong first showing for Schultz and Mahnke. Their
portrayal of Superman's change towards benevolent overlord rather
than protector, and what this meant to the people around him, was
very powerful. As long as this issue is indicative of their run
on the book, I have no doubt that MOS is in good hands.
It's been a long wait, but at last _Man of Steel_ has gotten its permanent
creative team. Let's just dive right in.
Our story starts with the Supermen of America. Seems that they've been
getting bigger and more threatening in Metropolis each day, and the only
person who can keep them under control is Outburst. And sure enough, when
some SoA members harass Lois and Jimmy for their articles questioning
Superman's recent activities, Outburst has to show up to restore order. It
can't last, but it's admirable to see that Mitch is serious about living up
to his responsibilities even when he's not sure he can.
As for Lois, she's taking the long weekend to get away from Metropolis.
President's Day, right? Wrong. Seems that Superman was so busy monitoring
the Earth from his Fortress of Solitude that Thanksgiving sneaked up on him
this year. Fortunately, one of his servant robots is programmed to remind
him. Superman decides to use the opportunity to say goodbye to his parents,
but before he leaves he quickly plans a way to catch up for the personal
time he's about to spend. More on that later.
In Kansas, Pa is feeding the hogs only for Superman to arrive just in time
to save him from maybe slipping on some mud. From there it just becomes
more awkward as Superman finds Lois in the kitchen, hoping that she might
find him here after he abandoned his Clark Kent identity. At the dinner
table, Superman (still in costume) tries to explain his new outlook on his
duty to the world and winds up arguing with the family he hasn't seen in
weeks. To make matters worse, he's not listening to Lois or his parents
because he's tuned to a subsonic broadcast from the Fortress. And then he
flies off.
Back to saving the world, Superman quickly flies over a hurricane in the
Caribbean, spinning up part of the storm to save the boats in the area. He
carries the wind and water to the Amazon, where he drops the water on a
fire set by Lexoil wildcatters. Finally, he heads for the stratosphere,
releasing the tropical air to generate an electrical storm which
replenishes the ozone layer. Not bad for a few pages, huh?
Superman returns home just in time to catch the news report of his actions,
and Lois and the Kents are horrified to learn that Superman has altered the
weather to correct mankind's mistakes. Frustrated that his son is becoming
obsessed with protecting humanity from itself, Jon goes outside to chop
firewood, only to have Superman take the axe from him before hehurts
himself. At last, Ma and Pa accept the fact that their son has made up his
mind and they trust him to do the right thing. Lois is conspicuously
silent.
Back in Metropolis, Superboy has convinced Supergirl and Steel to help him
confront Superman about his new attitude. It's yet another intervention,
and Superman is in no mood to hear it. As he leaves his colleagues to
return to the Fortress, he notices the Supermen of America gathering in the
streets to catch a glimpse of their hero. He makes a mental note to deal
with them later.
I'm very impressed with Schultz and Mahnke's debut. For one thing, Superman
is the unquestioned focus of the story, which is always good in my book,
and the bulk of the issue is devoted to developing the whole "Superman
24-7" arc, rather than just re-establishing a status quo. Superman's not
just losing his personal life, but his basic humanity as well. Like last
issue, Superman is using his head to be as efficient as possible, but now
he's become calculating, and ruthless even by his own admission. Using a
pocket of warm air to generate ozone was a stroke of brilliance, but a
chilling scene nonetheless. A month ago he just wanted to use the Fortress
to help interpret his dreams and figure out how to handle them. Now he
doesn't even wait for sleep.
Maybe the most priceless moment was when Pa confronted him about his
actions. "Is it true? Have you been controlling the weather?" It's a pretty
significant matter, but he makes it sound like Clark's been drawing on the
wall again.
As for the art, it's very appealing. Superman is big and imposing on every
page, the way he should be, especially for a story like this. The Kents
look a lot closer to their actual age than I've seen in a while. And Lois,
well, Lois looks pretty darn good herself. Nice to see an artist who can
make Lois attractive without resorting to the wetsuit or the commando gear.
My only real problem was the appearance of "Team Superman" in the book.
Since they were on the cover, I had assumed that they'd play a bigger role
in the story. Instead, they're relegated to the end of the issue, almost an
afterthought, and they just wind up repeating the same intervention
scenario from _Adventures of Superman_ #565. The fact that Steel mentions
his membership in the JLA only serves to show how redundant this scene
really is. And that's a shame, since a lot more could have been done here.
Other than that, I really thought the ill timing of this "Thanksgiving"
issue took me out of the story. I really don't feel like it's Thanksgiving,
and there's not much effort to convince me. Then again, Superman wasn't in
the spirit either, so maybe that was intentional. He *forgot* it? One of
the most dangerous nights of the year for U.S. motorists and he didn't
notice? That's a nice touch, because this definitely isn't just a matter of
Superman trying to boost his efficiency. Someone's messing with his
humanity, and Mark Schultz has certainly piqued my curiosity.
Mike Smith
<mike_p_smith@hotmail.com>
__________________________________________
SUPER-FAMILY TITLES:
-------------------
SUPERBOY #60 Mar 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Hypertension! Part One: Big Bang Theory!"
Storytellers: Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett
Colors: Buzz Setzer
Letters: Comicraft
Assistant Editor: Frank Berrios
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Tom Grummett, Karl Kesel, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.9/5.0 Shields
RG: 4.5 Shields - Great start to a new story line, maybe a glimpse of the
future of the DCU.
DWk: 3.2 Shields - The first application of Hypertime in the monthly books
could yet be interesting, but this one is all setup, and relies on
a few too many convenient coincidences.
EJ: 3.8 Shields - This storyline blew me away. Having missed the first
few issues, I was delighted to learn Superboy does indeed have a
Kryptonian name. The parallel universe angle is *fantastic* and
I hope this one is drawn out for awhile. The art, however, was
uneven -- fantastic in places, choppy in others.
EM: 5.0 Shields - Kesel and Grummett are on fire, baby! This was one of
the most fun issues I have read in a long, long time. They also
manage to do something that other authors have had a difficult
time doing: they've articulated what Hypertime is. I can't wait
for the next part.
GN: 3.3 Shields - The DCU's first post-Kingdom exploration of Hypertime
shows it's not as easy as pre-Crisis dimension crossing -- yet.
I'm waiting to see more of the Hypertime Superboys.
TD: 2.5 Shields - I hate stories that are all set-up; I really, really
do -- and I am officially on the 'Hypertime is a bad idea' wagon...
VV: 3.7 Shields - I used to read _Superboy_ about 40 issues ago. I picked
this up for the Hypertime angle, and I cannot wait to see how it
plays out.
If you aren't reading _Superboy_, go get this book right now. I'll wait
until you get back to start this. What, your store was sold out? I'm not
surprised. All three stores in my area were sold out by the end of the
third day.
Superboy is one of the best (IMHO) fun books being done at DC. When a story
starts off with (bad) puns for both the title and the cover blurb I get
nervous. When the story is by Kesel and Grummett, I get real nervous. It's
a pattern I've noticed that seems to hold true with all of what have turned
out to be some of my favorite stories. If the rest of the series is a good
as this one, it will be no exception.
Now, you have to admit that starting off a new plot line by killing the
main character is a tad unusual, but that is exactly what happens. When a
dying Superboy falls out of the sky at Barda's feet, she reacts by
teleporting to the JLA headquarters on the moon. Wonder Woman and Steel
attempt to revive him, but to no avail. Stripping off the Kid's jacket,
Wonder Woman gets a (literal) flash of insight as to what is happening.
Superboy dies, giving a warning that "Blackness is coming and this Earth is
next." Everyone is upset by the event, including ... Superboy?
Now relax -- we quickly find out that this isn't a robot or (thankfully) a
clone when the body is taken to Cadmus for autopsy. The body is exactly
what/who it seems to be. The Kid is justifiably upset, and the only clue
they have to go on is the jacket the body was wearing. It seems to be some
sort of dimensional life jacket, lined with micro circuitry. After taking
the jacket to the Hairies for analysis and repair, Superman, Wonder Woman,
and Batman share the story of Hypertime (see _The Kingdom_ limited series
and one shots for more details) with Superboy and together they plan to
send Superboy into Hypertime by strapping him to a nuclear bomb. Seems a
bit drastic to me, but hey, this is a comic we're talking about.
The story ends with Dubbilex taking the job as head of Genetics at Cadmus
and Superboy finding himself in a strangely different Batcave with a Batman
who doesn't recognize him and a very different Superboy. What a place to
stop.
All that was old is new again. I'm not sure that I'm ready for DC to open
up this particular barrel of monkeys again but it seems that they are bound
to do it anyway.
What I'm talking about now is the whole 'alternate' time-lines thing. When
DC first tried to resolve its (very fractured) history from the Golden Age
to the Silver Age, they tried to do it by having many different Earths (1,
2, X, A, etc) that co-existed but were separated by vibrational (?)
differences. Some of the heroes (notably Barry Allen, the Silver Age Flash)
were able to cross over between the various Earth's.
As a plot generator this was great. Some of my favorite stories were from
just such a plot device. Then, in 1985, came _Crisis on Infinite Earths_.
It was a monumental effort on the part of DC, and to the continuity
management of the time it was felt to be necessary (the fans were never so
sure). What it did was compress all the 'alternate' Earths into one with a
single unified continuity. It also allowed for some (again the jury is out)
necessary re-boots and re-evaluations of old DCU characters (Superman was
drastically depowered). The DCU now has a single unfractured time line.
Events can be plotted against this time line and things (usually) make
sense
Somewhat later, more (different) continuity problems were found, and these
were 'fixed' by the zero-hour reboot. Again, the fan-ish jury is still out
as to this being a good thing or not.
This didn't seem to hurt the writers any. DC was still able to write
stories that were not part of the continuity; they simply labeled then as
Elseworlds stories and printed them. Some of the best work in recent years
has been done in these Elseworlds, but they were clearly labeled as being
out of DCU continuity. No problems.
Along comes _Kingdom Come_ and the question arises, is this in DCU
continuity or not? DC said yes, but questions about the how and why were
never truly answered.
A few months ago, there was a follow-up to _Kingdom Come_, and as a result
the DCU has found Hypertime. Now, all the Elseworlds and pre-Crisis
continuity issues are fresh again. I hope DC is ready for the flood of
questions that will be coming from the fan-ish community.
For me I can hardly wait, it seems like the fun is just starting, and
Superboy is right in the middle of things. For those of you who were not
into DC at the time of Crisis -- the whole story of the end of the DCU
Silver Age is being reprinted in a new (expensive) hardcover. Coincidence?
I think not.
Rene Gobeyn
<bedlam@frontiernet.net>
==============================================
SUPERGIRL #30 Mar 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"I Remember Matrix"
Writer: Peter David
Pencils: Leonard Kirk
Finishes: Robin Riggs
Letters: Pat Prentice
Colors: Gene D'Angelo
Seps: Digital Chameleon
Asst. Ed.: Frank Berrios
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Leonard Kirk, Robin Riggs, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.7/5.0 Shields
TD: 3.0 Shields
EM: 4.1 Shields - This is consistently the best of the Superman Family
titles. It would only figure that the left over goo got all of
the bad that was discarded in the Linda/Matrix mix... Is this the
post-Crisis Satan Girl?
GN: 3.3 Shields - Horror returns to the fore in this title, at least for
this arc. PAD effectively portrays the emotional conflict between
Linda and the Matrix matter.
JSy: 3.8 Shields - Uhm, who's the woman with electric-looking wings who
appears to be calling Matrix? And the toothy-grinned guy? PAD
throws us an entirely new level of intrigue, mystery, and danger.
VV: 4.3 Shields - Matrix's approach came out of left field, and made
*me* wonder about Linda/Supergirl's true motive in "the joining".
While I don't expect Wally to turn out to be a manifestation of
Supergirl's powers, this issue calls a lot into question from
the previous issue.
Okay, lots of ground to cover, so let's get to it.
We start up shortly after last issue ends, with Linda waking up in the back
seat of Cutter's car. She's filled in about what happened, while in
Leesburg we learn that Lieutenant Harwood was confronted last issue not
with the Matrix but with the bum who was attacked several issues past,
still looking pretty bad from his encounter. The derelict is arrested while
Matrix attacks Fred because the creature remembers Fred as a 'bad man.'
Fred is rescued by Dick on his horse and the two escape.
Meanwhile, Linda learns that Elizabeth Perske wishes to sponsor an exhibit
of her sculpture just as she learns of Fred's troubles. She heads off as
Matrix, besieged by conflicting emotions and memories -- some hers, some
Linda's -- is visited by a vision of what appears to be the final Earth
Angel. This angel does not seem to be as helpful as Linda, however; she
makes a deal with Matrix to deliver Linda to a shadowy figure that Matrix
is instantly attracted to. The vision ends just as Supergirl arrives.
Instead of a fight, however, we get conversation. Linda does not wish to
fight Matrix -- who tells the Maid of Might how she remembered their
previous selves wishing, yearning for a soul and taking Linda's the way a
vampire would take blood. Supergirl counters by insisting that what they
did waaaaay back in the first issue was a matter of survival, and that it
was all part of a higher plan... the plan that led to her becoming an
angel.
Which leads to Matrix laughing at Supergirl. The protoplasmic creature
accuses Linda of acting like a super-hero out of a selfish need to atone
for her sins, and attributes the fire wings to a change in her powers. Not
sure what's going on, Supergirl hesitates -- and Matrix absorbs her,
proclaiming, "There's just Matrix now!"
Meanwhile, in what has to be the most 180 degree development in modern
comics, Mattie decides she likes Cutter in that way after all and beds him
just as Cutter gets tons of offers for Supergirl to speak.
There are some interesting things going on here, most importantly the fact
that David calls into question Linda's present motivations. And what's
more, he has the courage to have his main character actually hesitate and
consider that Matrix's view may be the correct one. It's this kind of
balance between action and thought that makes for some of the strongest
moments in this series (as opposed to that pointless free-for-all between
Linda, Twilight, and the Furies two issues ago). In many ways this is
reminiscent of the Silver Banshee dust-up during the book's second year --
this is a battle, I suspect, that will end up being fought on a level other
than the physical. And what's more, with Matrix, David has brought us back
to the creepy, slimy, horror-tinged flavor the book has been missing of
late, creating for us a character who is not wrong or evil, but definitely
antithetical to the well-being of our main character.
I am definitely not thrilled with the Cutter-Mattie development, especially
since David had not set things up to turn out this way nearly as well as he
should have. There is some lame lip-service reference to Mattie realizing
how much she missed hanging out with Cutter while she hung out with Dick,
but we needed to see that before being told it. This is one case where
David should have dispensed with the background characters (even Dick
Malverne, whose daring horseback rescue of Fred seems gratuitous and
overall unlikely... he becomes a complication, but a needless one) to
concentrate on the Yin-Yang symmetry of Linda being confronted with her
literal past life.
Kirk does an excellent job here, primarily because the story is operating
on two levels. His Matrix in its final form is grotesque and shockingly
ugly, yet surprisingly expressive and actually eloquent in its maneuvering.
Kirk manages to do a neat trick by starting the creature out with very
stiff posture and mannerisms that become more fluid and graceful as the
creature 'recovers' more of its shared memories. His expressions are, as
always, a joy, even managing to punch up some of the more unnecessary
sequences (look at the brilliant transitions on Dick Malverne's face on
page eight, as the guy quickly runs the gamut from confused to utterly,
absolutely terrified).
I also would like to take a second to commend Kirk and colorist Gene
D'Angelo for the vision sequence, which is startlingly vivid while being
drenched in darkness. The first appearance of this final angel, holding out
a ball of light against a partially stained glass backdrop is expressive
enough to be photorealistic. This is the type of stuff Kirk does with elan,
and he simply outdoes himself with four simple panels -- they're the best
sequence he's produced to date.
"I Remember Matrix" could've been, should've been more focused, but it does
manage to serve as a nice segue into what promises to be a phase in the
book to rival that of the Buzz sequence that opened the series. And with a
next issue that promises more psychological thrills (and sporting a
perfectly deliciously hideous cover), David -- after a brief stumbling --
may be on the right track again.
Thomas Deja
<tdj723webtv.net>
==============================================
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #29 Mar 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Bride of Bizarro"
Writarro: Mark Millar
Pencillarro: Aluir Amancio
Inkarro: Terry Austin
Colorro: Marie Severin
Separarro: Zylonol
Lettarro: Lois Buhalis
Asst. Editarro: Frank Berrios
Editarro: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Rick Burchett and Terry Austin
RATINGS
Average: 3.1/5.0 Shields
CoS: 3.5 Shields - Lobo stirs up trouble for Superman by bringing a
love-struck Bizarro to Metropolis for a date with Lois Lane.
The story was the best since the Supergirl issue; it's marred
by a shoddy art job.
JE: 2.5 Shields - A fairly humdrum adventure that should have been
far funnier. Lobo is the most hilarious character in _Superman
Adventures_, and he just wasn't allowed to shine in this issue.
JSy: 3.4 Shields - Not a bad story, but Amancio's art is about as bad as
it's ever been on this title. I kept looking back to make certain
I hadn't misread the credits...
GN: 3.0 Shields - Millar's story was just the proper blend of humor and
poignancy. Much as I dislike the DCU Lobo, the Adventures version
is always a lot of fun.
When Lobo started to get big in comics back in the early 90's, I was one of
the few fans I knew of who really liked the character. Not because of his
personality (which was like Wolverine without any of the annoying internal
conflicts -- come to think of it, Marvel has seen fit to ignore that aspect
of Wolverine lately) or because the stories were brilliant (because they
were just entertaining fluff), but because he reminded me of the characters
from England's comic _2000 A.D._ His stories were just supposed to be
over-the-top romps that used massive violence as their punch lines. The
problem was, that's not enough to hang a series on. The Lobo series quickly
became the same story over and over again, and variations on a theme can
only carry a series so far.
Oddly enough, the team on the Superman animated series seem to realize this
and use Lobo better than the comics do. When it was announced that they
would be using the character, it was hard to imagine how they could work a
character whose origin is that he killed everyone on his planet into a
Saturday morning cartoon. They did it by taking an aspect of Lobo (the fact
that he's a big bully who likes fighting) and playing it up while ignoring
his other aspects. He's also a very easy story hook -- not only can he be
hired to fight Superman, but his basic nature is diametrically opposite
Superman's, making him a perfect foil for the Man of Steel.
In the latest issue of _Superman Adventures_, Lobo is the character who
gets things rolling, and it shows just how well he works as an antagonist
of Superman. The story begins with Lobo cruising around the galaxy, looking
for trouble. He finds it in the form of Bizarro, whom Superman has left on
a planet with a strange looking alien creature he calls "Krypto." Bizarro
asks Lobo to take him to Earth so that he can get a wife -- specifically
Lois. Lobo decides to help him out of the goodness of his heart... no,
wait, that would be if he were Superman. Lobo does it because he thinks it
would be funny and a good excuse to fight with the Big Blue Boy Scout.
Since Superman is kept busy throwing down with Lobo, it doesn't take
Bizarro long to show up at the Daily Planet and kidnap Lois. The fight
itself is one of the better slugfests this book has seen, with Lobo playing
the role of the school-yard bully to perfection. In fact, when Superman
shows up, Lobo is trying to get his attention by defacing a Superman Public
Service Announcement bulletin board. This gives Bizarro time to romance
Lois, even though he doesn't quite get the hang of it. For example, he
knows flowers are important, but since he can't find any, he brings her a
tree. Lois's heart isn't melted by these shows of affection, so Bizarro
decides he must make Lois a freaky monster like him.
Meanwhile (which is a word we just aren't seeing enough of in comics now
that writers don't like using narrative captions), Superman and Lobo's
battle moves throughout the city, while Lobo laughs about what Bizarro has
planned with Lois. On the street, their blows carry them into a costume
contest that was conveniently mentioned early in the story, and the tussle
ends with Superman tossing Lobo in the river. Superman, knowing what
Bizarro would be up to, tracks him to the lab where Lex Luthor created him.
Superman fails to stop Bizarro from completing his creation, arriving just
in time to see Bizarro Lois emerge from the machinery. Superman snaps and
begins to pummel Bizarro, saying that he has killed the best person
Superman has ever known. Bizarro is confused, wondering why everyone thinks
Lois is dead as she emerges from the duplication chamber. All's well that
ends well, as Bizarro has someone to share Bizarro World with, Lois is not
dead, and Lobo is disgusted by all the "soppy geeks and dweebs."
Millar's work on this title has finally hit its stride, after a lot of
issues that frustrated in the fact that he would just miss the mark by
enough to make you think he had this sort of story in him. All along, he's
been trying to capture the flavor of the plot-heavy Silver-Age comics, but
in the past, he has had trouble telling a story without having a couple of
holes in his plots. This time, however, the plot hums along nicely, split
between the Superman/Lobo fight and the Bizarro/Lois "date", but with
neither one getting the short shrift. If there is any room for improvement,
I would like to have seen more of Bizarro's ideas of how people date, as
the two pages devoted to that were some of the most inventive this book has
seen in a while.
The art, however, took a turn for the worse this issue. In the past,
Amancio has adapted the style of the cartoon well to the comics page by
remembering that the design is very Kirby-esque. In this issue, there are a
number of pages that just plain look bad. Bad panel flow, bad figure
drawing, and backgrounds that don't work well at all. Rather than try to
explain it throughout the book, I'll break down a specific page, pointing
out what doesn't work. The second page of the book features Lobo meeting
Bizarro for the first time. The top two panels are large taking up the top
half of the page, with a diagonal panel border slashing through, making the
top panel a triangle. This top panel shows Lobo flying on his motorcycle,
and the second panel shows Bizarro swooping in. From these two establishing
panels, we should get an idea of where the characters are, and their
relation to each other, but we don't.
The four panels along the bottom of the pages are where the two interact --
we get individual panels of the characters talking, once again with no idea
where they are. You would guess from these panels that the two have stopped
flying and are discussing what is going on, but the first panel of the next
page shows that they have been flying toward some destination the whole
time. Or does it? The layout of page 2, not grounding the reader or giving
a spatial relationship between the two, makes the story flow poorly. There
are individual examples of poor figure drawing (including a panel on page
seven where Lobo's arm is bigger than the rest of his body, and not drawn
in a way that makes it look attached to that body), but overall, it just
seems like a sloppy, rushed job.
I have read that Mark Millar is going to start work on the main-line
Superman books when they get the new creative teams in place, and from his
growth on this book, I think it bodes well. He is part of what I call the
"Back To Fun" movement in comics, where characters are lighter, more
plot-driven, and generally feel like updated versions of their Silver Age
incarnations. I also think that working with the triangle format, the other
people working on the books can help out with his rough spots. As for this
issue, my bias for story over art shows through, and I would recommend it
to most readers with a warning that the art may put you off.
Cory Strode
<Solitaire.Rose@worldnet.att.net>
__________________________________________
TEAM TITLES:
-----------
JLA #27 Mar 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"The Bigger They Come..."
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciller: Mark Pajarillo
Inkers: Walden Wong and Marlo Alquiza
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Colorist: Pat Garrahy
Separator: Digital Chameleon
Asst. Editor: Ali Morales
Editor: Dan Raspler
Cover: Howard Porter and John Dell
RATINGS
Average: 3.6/5.0 Shields
AW: 4.5 Shields
DWk: 3.8 Shields - A very old-fashioned, creaky sort of plot, cranked up
a few points by that wonderful scene with Clark, Bruce and J'onn
just talking. More of this sort of thing, please.
EJ: 3.0 Shields - Amazo was always one of my favourite characters. Seeing
this new and improved version was a hoot. The way the JLA defeated
him was pure genius!
GN: 3.8 Shields - Another solid Millar story this month -- this time a
guest spot. The Atom's return, and his victory-gaining stratagem,
were welcome in this title. Frankly, Superman may have a point
about Batman's attitude and the team.
JE: 3.2 Shields - The Atom scenes were quite entertaining, and the scene
between Superman, Batman, and the Manhunter in their civilian
guises was inspired -- one of the best moments in _JLA_ in quite
some time.
JSy: 2.9 Shields - A slightly above-average story, but the art here was
pretty bad. I don't know why, though, as Pajarillo's been much
better on other books in the recent past (_The Kingdom: Kid
Flash_ #1, for example).
TD: 3.0 Shields - Basically proving Morrison's assumption that the
Atom is 'the coolest professor *ever*,' this was loads of fun,
especially with the 'blink and you miss 'em' cameos by half of
the members of old Leagues.....
I'm left a little breathless -- a former, much-abused JLAer finally gets
some respect, a JLA "B" team is formed, old costumes re-appear, and
Superman exercises a new power -- all this in one action-packed issue!
So let's see if I can pull off a fast summary: the new Hourman, fresh from
_DC One Million_, has warned the JLA that they're about to become embroiled
in a war with the Fifth Dimension (home to Mr. Mxyzptlk and Johnny
Thunder's Jini-friend, Thunderbolt.) Superman thinks that the best response
is to recruit new members to the League, while Batman favors a slower
approach, as too many members may prove a detriment to the League's status
as an "elite" group. (This discussion, as well as Superman's new power, are
demonstrated at a restaurant in Tokyo.) They both agree, however, that Ray
Palmer -- AKA the Atom -- will make an ideal candidate even though he turns
down Green Lantern and the Flash when they ask him.
Meanwhile, all heck breaks loose as T.O. Morrow lures the JLA into a trap
and they must fight Amazo, an android construct who has been programmed
with all the powers of the JLA (though I still haven't figured out how you
create a program that can duplicate Zauriel's "divine armor"). Without
telling too much, the JLA reserves get called out, and our favorite "mighty
mite" saves the day. And yes, after Superman once again exercises his
newfound power, the Atom joins the League.
Now, for a self-professed "old-timer," this issue had lots of high points.
First, there's the Atom. He's back to his old professorial self (making him
the only surviving hero/scientist in the DC universe), and I couldn't be
happier. I always thought that he had been treated too disrespectfully ever
since that late, unlamented mini-series of the mid-eighties where his wife
cheated on him and he retreated to some Barbie-sized, fantasy-based
kingdom. When he was transformed into a dumbed-down teenager, I really
thought they could kiss his character good-bye. But now it looks like
they're finally willing to give him the respect he deserves. The segment
where he discusses professorial life and how he tests his students at
Ivytown University is, in itself, worth the price of this book.
The second high point for me was the return of some longtime-missing
heroes, like the Elongated Man, and Power Girl and Firestorm in their
original costumes. Sure, Power Girl's costume is sexist (just go ahead and
prove to me that the cleavage-exposing circle in the costume serves some
practical purpose), but her character was so abused after Crisis that just
seeing the costume sent me back into fond reminiscences of her JSA days,
when she was still Supergirl's Earth-Two counterpart. And then there was
that picture of the "original" League, with Hawkman and HawkGirl. Am I the
only one hoping that someone brings Hawkman back in something close to his
original incarnation? Of course, this could merely have been one of several
continuity slips, as when Kyle and Wally tell the Atom they long to see
"that little chair floating above the meeting table again" when neither of
them were members of the League during the Atom's previous tenure, but I'll
take my chances and enjoy the "slips" while I can.
Then there was an all-out battle with Amazo that could only be resolved by
thinking things out. This has been a strong point of this JLA incarnation
regardless of the writer, and I'm glad Mark Millar continued this
tradition.
I also enjoyed the artwork. Pajarillo, Wong, and Alquiza proved themselves
more than worthy as fill-in artists, and in some panels I liked their work
even more than the usual Porter/Dell team.
Of course there is some nit-picking to do.
The main nit is Superman's new power -- super-sarcasm. It isn't enough that
Plastic Man already uses and abuses this power, but it made the
Batman/Superman/J'onn J'onzz get together in Tokyo extremely baffling. Were
Batman and Superman seriously arguing and picking at each other, or was
Superman abusing his new power? Why was J'onn there at all? Can someone
tell me why the name Hino Rei was a "dead giveaway?" And finally, doesn't
Superman realize that using his new power around some of the dimmer heroes
like Kyle can be dangerous? Hey -- when you're in a life-and-death
situation, the last thing you want to do is confuse the guy with the
will-based power ring.
Then there's the continued presence of Plastic Man and Zauriel. Why didn't
Elongated Man take this opportunity to kick Sarcastic Man's butt and take
his rightful place back in the League? And as for Zauriel, well, fans might
note that he did actually-almost-kind-of get a blow in, and I'm sure he
would have made a great difference in the battle if Amazo hadn't turned
around and blasted him first. Oh well.
Admittedly, though, these are small nitpicks for such an enjoyable,
highly-recommended issue. (Get it? "Small" nitpicks in an issue starring a
"small" superhero? Hmmm. Maybe I should leave the humor to Plastic Man
after all...)
Anatole Wilson
<awilson@us.oracle.com>
==============================================
YOUNG JUSTICE #6 Mar 1999 $2.50 US/$3.95 CAN
"Judgment Day!"
Writer: Peter David
Pencils: Todd Nauck
Inks: Lary Stucker
Colors: Jason Wright
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Letters: Ken Lopez
Asst. Editor: Frank Berrios
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Cover: Todd Nauck, Lary Stucker, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.6/5.0 Shields
GR: 3.0 Shields
EJ: 3.7 Shields - One scene, and one scene *alone*, made this issue a
must-have for me. Arrowette told off the entire JLA! I was
cheering in my seat. My husband told me I screamed that it was
about bloody *time* someone did!
EM: 4.0 Shields - Arrowette has just become my favorite new character.
She told off the JLA, fer crying out loud! :)
GN: 3.4 Shields - PAD redeems YJ nicely in the JLA's eyes. Hope to see
more Despero, now one of the JLA's great villains.
JSy: 4.0 Shields - Impulse thinks again!? Arrowette telling off the
League, and her subsequent reaction, were worth the price of
admission alone. However, with all the hints he's dropping,
I'll be rather upset if PAD doesn't focus on Secret's... um...
secrets pretty soon.
Every man needs a chance to prove himself, especially a young man. On
"Judgment Day" the members of the Young Justice prove their worth in their
own inimitable style.
Under the scrutiny of the JLA, the kids suggest a test of their ability to
meet a challenge. Impulsively -- how else? -- Impulse bets the adults that
he, Robin, and Superboy can contain a menace within twenty-two minutes. If
they fail, their group will be scrapped. Fittingly, the boys tackle Despero
at a carnival, while the girls remain with the old fogeys to debate the
merits of a teen super-team. Needless to say, the boys pass the test within
the allotted time (with Secret's surreptitious help), and Despero goes to
hell. But the damnation of the villain pales before the frightening
prospect of... parent/teacher conferences!
Hey, what happened? We're back on track! After some wild see-sawing between
horror and humor, PAD has settled things down and smoothed things out. Oh,
I know we've still got to deal with Harm and his apparent death at the
hands of his own father. But, for this issue at least, entertainment and
fun carry the day.
There's a lot to laugh at in here. The battle with Despero is frenetic and
funny. More intriguing, however, is what occurs "back at the ranch." Wonder
Woman shares her concern with Wonder Girl that she might pick up bad habits
from those nasty boys. Then comes a nice bit wherein Arrowette tells off
the judgmental JLA-ers, only to find herself hyperventilating after that
heady experience. Horrified that she's stood up to the world's greatest
heroes, she blurts out, "...and Superman, Mary Mother of God, I was yelling
at Superman...!" Through it all, PAD never loses sight of the fact that
he's writing about kids. Neither the bizarre situations nor the standard
super-heroics obscure the natural comedy or pathos of growing up.
The dialogue is sprinkled with movie references. Can you spot the one from
_Independence Day_? There's also a hilarious twist on a famous line from
_The Wizard of Oz_.
As usual, Nauck and Stucker's artwork suits the kids' adolescent gawkiness
just fine. However, it doesn't fit the adults so well. As rendered by N&S,
Superman looks as though he has a glandular condition. If Wonder Woman's
legs were any longer, she couldn't pull her boots on.
But this is a mere blemish beside the cheerleader's very-kissable mouth.
_Young Justice_ #6 isn't "gut-wrenching" (whatever that is!). It won't make
your pulse pound. In the vast configuration of things, it's not much
account. But it's still enjoyable.
Gary D. Robinson
<robinfam@akron.infi.net>
__________________________________________
MINISERIES:
----------
SUPERMAN AND BATMAN: GENERATIONS #3 Mar 1999 $4.95 US/$7.95 CAN
"1979: Twilight of the Gods / 1989: Crime and Punishment"
Writer, Artist, Letterer: John Byrne
Colorist: Trish Mulvihill
Cover Separations: Heroic Age
Interior Separations: Jamison
Assistant Editor: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: John Byrne
RATINGS
Average: 3.8/5.0 Shields
AW: 1.5 Shields
DJ: 4.2 Shields - A very good issue that makes me look forward to the
final issue.
DWk: 2.1 Shields - If Byrne didn't draw so well, this would have been a
lot lower. Gruesome, poorly paced, unnecessarily mysterious and
contrived. But darn pretty to look at.
EJ: 5.0 Shields - They do not come any better than this! John Byrne's
style is perfectly suited to these imaginary stories. 1979 was
slightly too graphic for me to let my six year old read, but
other than that this book was a definite keeper!
JSy: 3.9 Shields - Not at all a fun issue, but that's exactly what John
Byrne was attempting to accomplish in mimicking the style of
these eras -- down even to the almost Image-ish Batman costume
in the 1989 story. Hope he sees the future as more uplifting for
the final issue, though.
VV: 4.6 Shields - This series is building up to one heck of a finale.
This would be a scenario where I could see Superman cracking to
the point of killing, not that I'd think he would. The manipu-
lations of UH/LL were well done, and the attacks showed his
viciousness.
I worry that sometimes I take Superman too seriously; that I'm offended too
easily when a writer or creative team goes beyond exploring the character
of Superman or the character of his mythos, and disrespects them instead. I
resent it more when I feel like the story is just a somnambulistic
walk-through instead of a carefully thought out story. So I'll warn you now
that this review is my biased, completely unobjective opinion of a series I
really wanted to like, and let you take the review with the appropriate
grain of salt.
In my last _Generations_ review, I expressed my disappointment that John
Byrne hadn't followed through with what I thought was the original promise
of this series: That he would capture the essence of each decade's
portrayal of the World's Finest team and show us how these styles might
mesh with each other and affect the relationship between Superman and
Batman. Instead, Byrne quickly diverged onto his own, and in my opinion,
less-interesting path. Since I told you this last time, I won't dwell on
it.
I will, however, dwell on a comment I made while reviewing issue #1: that
Byrne clearly loved the character of Superman. With this issue's killing of
all of Superman's family by the Ultra-Humanite (in Luthor's body) and then
Superman's subsequent slaying of the Ultra-Humanite, now I can't help
thinking that Byrne's aim was to once again destroy everything surrounding
the legend of Superman so that Byrne can once again re-mold it in any
direction he so desires.
So here's what we have:
In "Twilight of the Gods," Clark and Lois' daughter, also known as
Supergirl, is about to marry Bruce Wayne's son, who has carried on the
Batman tradition. At their wedding, Lex Luthor engineers the return of Joel
Kent, whom we all thought was killed in Viet Nam. While Joel, who suddenly
has full super-powers, kills Supergirl, Luthor snaps Lois' neck, then
vanishes. Joel discovers he was deceived by Luthor, but only after he also
discovers that the method Luthor used to give him the powers would also
kill him. Superman arrives just in time to cradle Joel's dead body in his
arms. There is hope for the future, however, as Joel had a son whom Bruce,
Jr. vows to raise as his own (forgetting that Joel's wife -- the baby's
mother -- should have some choice in the matter).
I was annoyed at first that Joel killed his sister just because he thought
he had been lied to, and that he was jealous of her powers. But then I
thought about how I've always cheerfully accepted the notion that Luthor
wanted to kill Superboy/Superman because he blamed the hero for making him
bald. So I guess in the psychology of the comic book world, maybe it's
possible. I always regret ruthless and gratuitously violent killings in
comics, so I can justify the bile that rose in my throat when Luthor
snapped Lois' neck.
In "Crime and Punishment," Byrne has Superman kill once again -- this time
the Ultra-Humanite -- and then regret it. Although it was apparently an
accident, Superman banishes himself to the Phantom Zone. Oh yes, the big
twist in this story is that Luthor was killed back in their 1939 clash, and
that the Ultra-Humanite has been possessing his body all these years. Oh,
and Bruce, Jr. has inexplicably gone high-tech, so his suit looks more like
Azrael's version of Batman than the costume Batman really wore in the late
'80s.
A friend of mine has said that he's really been enjoying this series, that
the adventure has been fun so far, which has been the exact opposite of my
own reaction. I can only say how this series has made me feel. I leave it
to others to defend and possibly enjoy.
Anatole Wilson
<awilson@us.oracle.com>
==============================================
SUPERMAN'S NEMESIS: LEX LUTHOR #1 Mar 1999 $2.50 US/$3.95 CAN
"Lex Luthor: Dark Victory -- Chapter One: An Early Fall"
Writer: David Michelinie
Penciller: Val Semeiks
Inker: Dennis Janke
Letterer: Ken Bruzenak
Colorist: Joe Rosas
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Asst. Editor: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Val Semeiks and Dennis Janke
RATINGS
Average: 2.9/5.0 Shields
GN: 2.3 Shields
DJ: 3.1 Shields - Intriguing, Krisma will hopefully give Lex a good run
for his money
DWk: 3.9 Shields - The plot's very stale, but I like Michelinie's idea
of Luthor as somebody whose facade of philanthropy covers a deep
layer of awfulness -- which, in turn, covers a little kernel of
basic decency at his core.
TD: 2.0 Shields - The artwork is lacking, and what I thought was gonna
be fun actually turned out lifeless... Krisma is an awful
character, and not worth Lex's time.
VV: 2.2 Shields - Good setup with one major flaw -- would it take Lex
even a nanosecond after the oil rig disaster to figure out Krisma
was behind it?
Lex Luthor is one of the world's richest men, whose businesses employ more
than half the people in his home city of Metropolis, which he regards as
his personal domain. Then, a flashy intruder comes to town and outshines
him in the eyes of his fellow Metropolitans.
Familiar, isn't it? Well, as much as it sounds like something from John
Byrne's early run on the Superman titles, it's actually the plot of the
latest Superman miniseries, _Superman's Nemesis, Lex Luthor_. Instead of
the Man of Steel stealing Luthor's thunder, however, it's his newly arrived
business rival, Krisma, a motivational guru whom the public has afforded "a
cultlike awe usually reserved for rocks stars and irreverent radio
personalities." After a charity racquetball match with his new rival,
Luthor orders his staff to find out more about the mystery man who has
"established a power base in [his] city in a surprisingly short time."
Meanwhile, the enigmatic Krisma with just a word calms a teeming crowd
waiting for his arrival, and, meeting with two underlings, tells them the
war is about to begin. (In a subplot, there's also a dissatisfied worker
within Lexcorp.) At the unveiling of a new LexCorp undersea exploration
device, Luthor finds himself further frustrated as Krisma continues to
upstage him, even to the point that Bradford Sackett, Luthor's hand-picked
mayor of Metropolis, has Krisma sitting next to him in the VIP box. Worse,
as Luthor's SeaTracker goes out of control (complete with the arrival of
his arch-foe Superman), Luthor uses a cargo vehicle to shove the rampaging
device into the ocean, only to find himself pulled into the water and
having to be rescued by Krisma, who graciously accepts Luthor's thanks but
later, with his underlings, talks of his plans to destroy the billionaire
for unknown reasons. Already insecure about his place in Metropolis, Luthor
is chagrined when his infant daughter screams at him as if she's afraid of
her father. (Boy, is he in trouble when the terrible twos come around.)
First off, I hate the name. Yes, I grew up during the Silver Age when the
newsstands had titles like _Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen_ and _Superman's
Girlfriend Lois Lane_ (and I'm sure having "Superman" in the title makes it
more marketable), but _Superman's Nemesis Lex Luthor_ just...sounds...dumb.
On to the story itself. One problem is ingrained in books where the villain
is the lead -- it's hard to build up any sympathy for his situation. It
doesn't help that Luthor is one of the nastiest pieces of work on the
planet. Here is a guy who promotes chaos and murder in his city by
supplying gangs with weapons, bought the Daily Planet so he could fire
virtually the entire staff, stole his daughter from her own mother, and
personally has killed at least two people. Not to mention spending billions
attempting to discredit, destroy or kill Earth's leading champion. We've
got to root for a guy who has been pretty thoroughly portrayed as a total
creep. So Krisma wants to destroy Luthor? How is this a bad thing? Writer
David Michelinie is gonna have a tough sell on his hands to convince
readers Krisma is worse than Lex.
So far as he knows right now, Luthor's main concern is that he is being
overshadowed as Number One Guy -- oh, wait, that's now Superman, isn't it?
Are we really supposed to care which of two businessmen is regarded as the
top dog in a city. Um, haven't either of these two guys heard that we are
in a GLOBAL ECONOMY? (By the way, Luthor should fire advisors if they think
a $50,000 charitable contribution is going to mean very much for someone
with his kind of money.)
This story also tends to point to a weakness in the motives of the
contemporary Lex Luthor.
The motivation of the pre-Crisis Luthor has been criticized as weak, but
silly as the lost-his-hair thing might have seemed sometimes, Luthor's
hatred grew and legitimized -- so to speak -- over the years as Superman
continually foiled his plans, carted him off to jail, etc. There also
seemed to be more of a personal investment on Luthor's part in his schemes.
Today's Luthor basically approves the plans, signs the checks, and watches
as his underlings are carted off to jail while he watches, free and clear.
And Luthor's motivation? Despite being one of the richest men in the world,
he's not the "top dog" in Metropolis anymore. (Dan Jurgens' recent
exploration of Luthor gave more insight into Superman's enemy, without
necessarily trying to justify the kind of man he has become.)
I don't mean to come down as hard as this. I normally like David
Michelinie's work. He just hasn't gotten off to a good start on this book.
Artwise, Semeiks and Janke do a capable job for they most part. They are
both fine -- though not remarkable -- storytellers, and they do nice work
on this story. However, it seems the plot isn't the only thing that seems
pulled from the early Byrne era. Luthor seems to be back to his pre-clone
body bulk. Since the deal with Neron, he's been shown to be a bit thinner,
more like the '60s and '70s Luthor in build.
Overall, this isn't a bad story -- I'm just not convinced yet it's a good
Luthor story. I am curious to see the background and motivations behind
Krisma (an apparent metahuman), and I'm hopeful that Michelinie can
convince me why I should care about what happens to Luthor.
G.M. Nelson
<KALEL224@aol.com>
__________________________________________
SPECIALS:
--------
LEGENDS OF THE DC UNIVERSE #14 Mar 1999 $3.95 US/$6.25 CAN
"The American Evolution"
(Based on a plot and concepts by Jack Kirby)
Writer: Mark Evanier
Penciller: Steve Rude
Inker: Bill Reinhold
Letterer: Todd Klein
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Assistant Editor: Frank Berrios
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Painted Cover: Steve Rude
RATINGS
Average: 3.1/5.0 Shields
RG: 2.5 Shields (Story) - A bit whiny, but otherwise a good story.
4.0 Shields (Art) - Looked like vintage Kirby, made me nostalgic.
DJ: 2.1 Shields - Seemed very bland, not much of a Legends story.
DWk: 3.8 Shields - If anybody's going to do this straight-up a Kirby
homage, it might as well be Evanier and Rude, and this was a hoot
to look at. So why did it ultimately leave me so cold? Maybe
because all the pyrotechnics didn't add up to a very engaging
plot, and the selfish guy was a little too much of a caricature.
JE: 2.4 Shields - No offense to Mr. Kirby, because I have some of his
run on _Jimmy Olsen_ and I think it's inspired, but this is one
plot that should have been left alone.
JSy: 4.0 Shields - Sure the story's a bit hokey, but it's *fun*, and
I'd pay this price again in a heartbeat for the opportunity to
see more of Steve Rude's Superman!
MS: 3.0 Shields - Jimmy helps Superman and Cadmus thwart Intergang and
Morgan Edge? Gee, that takes me all the way back to 1990. Nice
story and swell art, but I think the nostalgia's wasted on me.
TD: 3.0 Shields - Geez, those old Jack Kirby stories were goofy... and
damn if I didn't have a ball with this, from the Steve rude art
to the more sinister versions of Simyan, Mokkari, and Darkseid.
Roll back the years and journey with me to the early (pre-Crisis) days of
Superman's career. Back when Jimmy was Superman's Pal and had his own book.
Back to the days when Jack Kirby was creating the whole Fourth World
concept (Apokolips, New Genesis, The New Gods, The Forever People -- <sigh>
'The Good Old Days'). Superman is still new at the job, so he seems a bit
unsure of himself. The story is being told from several points of view: a
doorman for the Planet, who refuses to get involved with anything, and
Jimmy Olsen, a relatively new reporter who seems anxious to get involved
with just about everything in trying to track down a good story. A giant
monster appears from nowhere and attacks the Daily Planet building, setting
off a chain of events that causes the Planet's Globe to be ruined.
It just so happens that the ruined globe is a perfect opportunity for
Morgan Edge (head of Intergang, and Darkseid's minion) to install a
de-evolution ray inside the globe as it is being repaired. The ray will be
combined with an attack by a batch of giant monsters (yes, the first was
just a test run), grown for Darkseid by our old friends Simyan and Mokkari.
Little do they realize that Guardian has found them -- well, at least not
until he attacks them!
After Guardian is subdued, they find that they are now short of the
chemicals needed to finish Darkseid's monsters, so they send some of Ugly
Mannheim's Intergang thugs to acquire the chemicals they need. Superman
again gets involved during the robbery, but some of the gang manages to get
away with the chemicals. Jimmy, while trying to find a clue to tie the
robbery with the original monster, finds the hidden lab and releases
Guardian. Dubbilex and, eventually, Superman aid the two of them.
While Guardian and Superman try to hold back the army of monsters, Jimmy
and Dubbilex take the Whiz Wagon to the Daily Planet, hoping to shut down
the de-evolution ray. As usual the evil plan is stopped, and Superman gets
rid of the ray just before Darkseid blows it up.
When I read that this story was based on a Jack Kirby plot, I was really
looking forward to reading it. However, the plot must have been very
sketchy, because it sure didn't read much like one of his stories.
It's difficult to identify exactly where the story fell short. It could
have been that the pacing was just a bit off. It might have been the whine
that you could almost hear when the point-of-view character was the
doorman, Bernie Sobel. (Jack didn't do whiny characters). I've re-read the
story several times, and I still can't quite identify why I didn't like it
more.
As a plot, the story could have been vintage Kirby. There were larger than
life monsters with a hidden lab (right outside of town). There were truly
evil villains, and valiant Heroes putting everything on the line 'for the
greater good'. It even had the last second save by the hero. All of these
are elements of Silver Age Kirby stories. Yet I couldn't quite put my
finger on why the story didn't work for me. Maybe it was just too long.
However, if they were trying to give the story a Kirby feel, the art was
dead on. The strong, slightly angular foreground characters, combined with
the simple backgrounds and futuristic machinery, were almost perfect.
Combine the Kirby style with today's wonderful production values (clean
separations and reproduction, combined with the high quality paper) and you
have one lovely book.
I just wish I liked the story more.
Rene Gobeyn
<bedlam@frontiernet.net>
__________________________________________
THE PHANTOM ZONE: Reviews of the pre-Crisis Man of Steel
------------------------------------------------------------------
WHEN SUPERMEN MEET: PART FOUR
-----------------------------------
by Lou Mougin (lomougin@wf.net)
The last meeting of the Supermen of Earths One and Two stretched,
fittingly, across the last great series of their Earths, Wolfman's and
Perez's _Crisis On Infinite Earths_.
By issue #5, both Supermen had learned, along with the other heroes of
their Earths, about the Anti-Monitor's threat to destroy their universes
and all other positive-matter universes as well. Earth-Three had already
perished, taking with it their counterpart Ultraman and the heroic Luthor
of that world, along with his wife, Lois Lane Luthor. Both were absent from
the next issue, in which Lex Luthor of Earth-One was dragooned into teaming
up with the new, robotic Brainiac. But both were there in force for the
next issue, the most tragic _Crisis_ issue of all. Those who saw the cover
reproduced early already knew what it contained. The cover showed Superman
of Earth-One in tears, holding the bloodied corpse of Supergirl.
Within, Alex Luthor, the son of the Luthor and Lois Lane of Earth-Three,
personally appealed to both Supermen and brought them as representatives of
their Earths to a meeting in which he and Harbinger, the protege of the
dead Monitor, explained the Crisis to them and to Captain Marvel, Lady
Quark, Uncle Sam, and the Blue Beetle. Alex called the Earth-One Superman
"the greatest of all heroes," but admitted that Superman of Earth-Two was
"the legend from whom all others have come." George Perez and Jerry Ordway
gave a remarkable distinction to the features of both Supermen. We could
see the differences in their faces by more than just the elder Superman's
white temples, this time.
Lady Quark, the only survivor of Earth-6, told both Supermen she wanted
revenge on her planet's destroyer. "We fight for what's right, not for
revenge," answered Kal-L.
"Then you don't understand what it is like being your planet's sole
survivor," she snapped.
He replied, "I think we'd better talk."
Since Superman of Earth-One was hardly the only living Kryptonian on his
world, the same statement from him wouldn't have carried as much weight.
However, the Earth-Two Superman had met three others from Krypton-Two, all
of them super-villains, in _Superman_ #65 and _Action Comics_ #194. The
omission can be forgiven.
After the heroes learned the origins of the Crisis on Infinite Earths, they
assembled a squad of heavy hitters, including Mon-El, Captain Marvel,
Captain Atom, Firestorm, J'onn J'onzz, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern of
Earth-Two, Wildfire, and, yes, Supergirl, and were taken into the
anti-matter universe of Qward to fight the Anti-Monitor and his minions.
Kal-L admitted, upon seeing the Anti-Monitor's fortress of living stone,
"In all my years...I-I've never seen anything like it before!" Even worse,
he found out that when he was struck a blow inside it, he bled. Kryptonians
were not invulnerable in the universe of contra-matter.
The good guys fought on, battling living walls of stone. Superman of
Earth-Two was held fast in a gargoyle's grip, and said to his younger
counterpart, "You're our last hope!" Superman-1 flew on, saw the
Anti-Monitor's Earth-merging machine, purposed to destroy it, and was
attacked by their ultimate foe. Supergirl heard her cousin's screams of
pain, and rocketed to his side.
Before the Anti-Monitor could destroy Superman, the Girl of Steel plowed
into the villain and battered him, though she took unmerciful punishment
herself. She did succeed in damaging his physical body so much that he had
to flee and heal. But he blasted her with an energy burst that sealed her
fate. Seconds later, Kara died in Kal-El's arms.
Seconds after that, Kal-L was at his side.
When the younger Superman raged, "I want to kill him for this!", his elder
counterpart counselled, "Kara gave us all a chance to save our worlds.
Don't let your hunger for vengeance destroy that chance." Regretfully,
Superman-1 admitted that his friend was right, and led the way back to
their universe, bearing Kara's body.
Superman of Earth-Two attended her funeral. Superman of Earth-One bore her
body into space. And that was the end of _Crisis_ #7.
Neither Superman appeared in the next issue, in which the Flash died. They
did both make it into _Crisis_ #9, fighting in the war against
super-villains from five Earths, but they didn't appear beside each other.
By the next issue, the Spectre broke up the big fight, united the
super-heroes and super-villains against the Anti-Monitor, and made ready to
send the heroes back to the dawn of time to thwart their enemy once again.
Before they took off, Superman of Earth-Two and his Lois Lane said farewell
to each other, with Alex Luthor surreptitiously watching. "You're the
world's most relentless Boy Scout," said Lois. "...I wouldn't have you any
other way. But I will say I love you. Just please... please come back to
me."
And yet another Superman counterpart showed up for the shindig: the
Superboy of Earth-Prime, fresh from his debut in _DC Comics Presents_, now
the only survivor of his world. "I have a reason to join with you guys," he
said. "But if you don't let me, I'll do it by myself." The two Supermen
agreed to his worth, and the heroes made their departure.
At the blank-featured battleground, the Supermen, Superboy, Power Girl, the
Marvel Family, Ultra Boy, Mon-El, and anybody else who thought he could
lend a hand pounded the even more powerful Anti-Monitor, without much luck.
The Spectre stopped him from destroying all the positive-matter universes.
Another creation took place, but we'd have to wait for the next issue to
find out what it was.
_Crisis_ #11 sported a cover vignette in which Kid Flash, the Flash of
Earth-Two, and Superman-1 tried to prevent Superman-2 from falling into
what appeared to be a black hole. It was the prelude to another great
Wolfman trans-Superman team-up.
As we learned on the first page, one Earth had come to be in the stead of
the many Earths that had been created before. Superman-2 woke up, in his
jammies, in the bed that properly belonged to Superman of Earth-One. He got
dressed, went to his job, sat down in the editor's chair, and promptly
found out...
...that it belonged to Perry White.
Perry was on the verge of throwing Clark Kent of Earth-Two out of his
office when the Earth-One Clark showed up. "Sorry, Perry," the younger
Clark fielded. "This is my Uncle Clark... the one I was named after.
Please, Perry, don't mind him. I, unh, told him I was, unh, more than just
areporter here. I said, unhh, I was editor. You understand, don't you?"
Perry didn't, and hustled them both out.
Lois Lane of the new Earth remarked to Jimmy Olsen, "So that's Clark's
uncle. Two peas in a pod. I see absentmindedness runs in the family."
"Nice to know there are some consistent things in the universe, eh, Lois?"
remarked Jimmy.
The entire universe had been restructured, and the new Lois Lane had never
met a Superman from another Earth, because there was no Earth from which he
could come. This was pointed out graphically as both Clarks changed into
their Superman identities, sought out Jay Garrick and Wally West, and tried
to get to Earth-Two with them on their cosmic treadmill. Before that, Kal-L
got in another noodge: "Y'know, you ought to consider settling down with
your Lois. Nothing like a good marriage." But when they tried to locate
Earth-Two, they only found, as Superman-2 put it, "nothing out there. No
Earth-2... no universe... nothing!"
He tried to leap into the void and end it all.
Superman of Earth-One dragged him back by the cape, and the Flashes had to
hurry them back to the only universe they had left. Kal-L, still in a state
of shock, mourned the fact that his Krypton had now never existed. Kid
Flash decided to call a meeting of all the surviving heroes at Titans'
Tower. There, Harbinger explained the details of the new Earth's genesis to
the assemblage, and admitted there were more than a few things left to sort
out.
The original Superman exclaimed, "My Krypton never was... and though that
means I shouldn't exist... I do -- only through some fluke! But my wife --
my Lois -- she's gone! Never was! NO!" And, so saying, he flew away.
Superman of Earth-One went after him, saying, "Kal stuck by me when I
needed him. I'll do anything to help him now."
He caught up to him on page 20 and calmed the old Superman down a bit, but
couldn't stop the old Kryptonian's tears. Kal-L mourned the loss of his
wife and his world, and the best Superman-1 could offer was that "It will
take time to forget."
A couple of pages after that, the Anti-Monitor threatened the world again.
Both Supermen noticed that the sky was different again, that the whole
world had shifted into the anti-matter universe. And a giant projection of
the Anti-Monitor appeared, to welcome them to their doom.
That threw the whole thing into _Crisis_ #12, on the cover of which both
Supermen and Superboy of Earth-Prime appeared among a battalion of heroes
letting the Anti-Monitor have it. It was another double-sized issue, and
the counterpart Supermen would ride this one out to the very end.
The Supermen observed the Anti-Monitor's shadow-demons attacking and
killing people all over the new Earth. Before they could leap into action,
Harbinger drafted them again to help in the last battle against their
over-foe. They went back with a horde of heroes to the Anti-Monitor's
fortress, found evidence of the Flash's recent death, and were confronted
by the Anti-Monitor himself.
This time, however, they fared better, and kept the anti-matter menace busy
while the new Dr. Light blasted the energy of an entire sun through the
Anti-Monitor, putting him down for the count. But the villain drew upon the
powers of his shadow-demons to revive him, and only the Supermen, Superboy,
Lady Quark, Wonder Woman of Earth-One, and a few others were there to deal
with him. Wonder Woman was reduced to clay by a blast from their foe.
Superman of Earth-One and Lady Quark were about to rip into their enemy.
Superman of Earth-Two knocked them both out.
He brought his two unconscious friends over to Superboy of Earth-Prime,
admitting, "You people have too much to live for. I don't... not any
longer." He had the Boy of Steel take the others back to the
positive-matter universe, then turned to confront the Anti-Monitor,
claiming, "Somebody had to clean up the garbage!"
It took Superman of Earth-Two, Superboy of Earth-Prime, Alex Luthor, and a
blast from Darkseid to do it, but finally the Anti-Monitor died, and
Superman struck the last blow. However, it set up a nova reaction within a
local star, and the expanding sun threatened the three heroes.
The old Superman and the young Superboy stood beside each other, evoking a
father-and-son tableau, waiting for destruction. But Alex Luthor had one
surprise left: Lois Lane of Earth-Two was alive, having been saved inside a
pocket universe in Alex's very being. He brought her out to allow Superman
an embrace with her, and then took them both, along with himself and
Superboy, to another world, just seconds ahead of the advancing
destruction. It would be, he said, a world of "no fear... only peace...
everlasting peace".
And that was the last appearance of the Superman of Earth-Two, the hero who
had started it all some 48 years before, and who had ended it alongside his
newest other-self. The only other shot of a Superman in that issue was of
Superman of Earth-One, comforting Power Girl as both trudged towards his
Fortress of Solitude. It was the final meeting of the two Supermen who had
met before the first was ever a Superman.
However, one fact remains.
The Superman of Earth-Two is not dead. He still lives, on some planet, in
some dimension, with his wife and his surrogate son, Superboy. The
Earth-One Superman has since been abandoned, replaced by the New Earth
Superman.
It's not impossible that, sometime in the future, the Supermen might meet.
Let's just hope it doesn't take a Crisis to get them together.
__________________________________________
SUPERMAN #352
-------------------------------------------------
Reviewed by Scott Devarney (devarney@ll.mit.edu)
"Superman's Day of Destiny"
Written by Marv Wolfman
Pencils by Curt Swan
Inks by Frank Chiaramonte
Letters by Shelly Leferman
Colors by Adrienne Roy
Edited by Julius Schwartz
October 1980
With Superman going into overdrive assisting humanity in the current
storyline, it seems like a good time to review an episode where Destiny,
host of _The Secrets of Haunted House_, believed that Superman's constant
assistance was endangering the citizens of Metropolis.
Our story opens with a couple of busy days for Superman as he puts out a
tenement fire, interrupts a mugging, testifies against the tenement's
owners, Barney Rose and Frederick Stone, in their arson trial, and agrees
to convert the damaged building into an orphanage for Father Perez. Upon
arriving home at his apartment, Superman encounters Destiny, a mysterious
being who "appears before each man only once ... at the precise moment when
fate may still be altered...". Destiny makes some ominous warnings about
heeding his warnings or the fate of those around Superman will suffer.
Superman initially rejects the warnings but then reconsiders.
The following evening, Superman announces his immediate retirement and
Metropolis is thrown into chaos; fires rage and crime increases, literally,
overnight. Superman tries to act but Destiny prevents him. When Superman
pleads that people need him, Destiny replies that he is not the man to help
them.
The next morning Lois visits Father Perez, who has begun building
renovations with his orphans' help. Stone and Rose try to threaten them
away. When that doesn't work, they try demolishing the building with a
bulldozer and jeopardize Father Perez, Lois, and the kids. High in the sky,
Superman spies the trouble, but again is restrained by Destiny. Superman
struggles with his mystic bonds while Destiny explains that even Superman
cannot prevent all human suffering nor solve all of their problems. As this
is occurring, Lois and Father Perez capture Stone and Rose on their own.
Destiny releases Superman, saying that the crisis is past; Lois' and Father
Perez's valor will echo throughout Metropolis and people will again look to
themselves for hope. The story closes with Superman coming out of
retirement and reflecting on the lesson he's learned.
This issue poses an interesting question: with all of his help, is Superman
actually doing a disservice to the people of Metropolis? The issue of when
help becomes a hindrance is an intriguing and oftentimes unsettling one. At
what point does a person's or society's good intentions actually prevent
growth instead? This story suggests that Metropolis may be near the point
of stagnation with its reliance on the Man of Steel. To escape that fate,
Destiny intervenes and forces Superman to retire so that the city's
citizens can learn to look to themselves and each other.
Writer Marv Wolfman uses the characters of Destiny and Lois to explain his
position. They convey the non-intervention arguments well, but at times
they do come across as too preachy. This may just be inherent in the
position; after all, it's easier during a life-threatening situation to
show why Superman must act than to show why he must *not* act. Mr. Wolfman
does not softsell his position either; people are shown getting hurt by
Superman's inaction, but through it all, the concern for the greater good
prevails.
Ironically, this point comes across most clearly not in the big finale,
where Lois saves the group of orphans from being killed, but in a small
scene where a stranger saves a girl from being hit by a train. Lois
routinely outwits smarter criminals but the anonymous stranger performing a
heroic act speaks volumes about human spirit and compassion.
The Swan/Chiaramonte art works well. Destiny is suitably mysterious, and
Superman's anguish and frustration are clearly seen in his face and body
language. The parallel panel placement of Lois saving the kids alongside
Superman's struggles to escape Destiny's enchantments during the climax is
a great storytelling technique.
There are flaws in this story, mainly in the pacing. To emphasize the "day"
in "Superman's Day of Destiny", each day is identified during the story.
According to the captions, this story starts on Sunday and ends on
Thursday. This leads to some egregious shortcuts such as the crooked
building owners being questioned by the district attorney on Sunday and
being convicted on Monday. Another example is Superman announcing his
retirement on Tuesday night, learning his lesson, and coming out of
retirement by Wednesday afternoon. The disastrous effects of Superman's
retirement might have had more impact had they been shown to take place
over a few days.
This issue is similar in tone to _DC Comics Presents_ #29, Jan. 1981
[reviewed by Joe Crowe in _Kryptonian Cybernet_ #32]. In that one, the
Spectre teaches Superman that there are some things that Superman cannot
do. In this story, Destiny teaches Superman that there are times when he
should not act. The theme of Superman facing his limits is a powerful one.
Despite the noted flaws, this is still a powerful story.
__________________________________________
THE ONE, TRUE, ORIGINAL SUPERMAN!
---------------------------------------
by Bob Hughes (rhughes3@ix.netcom.com)
(or see my web page, "Who's Whose in The DC Universe" at
pw2.netcom.com/~rhughes3/whoswho.htm)
Episode 9: Krypton on Earth-2
In December 1949, Superman returned to Krypton. _Superman_ #61 was a
crucial turning point in the series, after which, one could truly say,
nothing would ever be the same again. Bill Finger's and Al Plastino's story
(which is reprinted in the _Greatest Golden Age Stories_ hardcover)
introduced Krypton, Jor-El, and Kryptonite into Superman's comic book life.
(Kryptonite already existed on the radio program, and had since 1943).
After being exposed to Kryptonite for the first time and not knowing what
it was, Superman followed the meteor's trail back through time and space to
another planet far across the universe.
Landing, Superman is invisible to the people because "he is not of their
time and doesn't exist for them. He can only view them as he would a silent
movie. But he can read lips."
There he finds a planet of great scientific advancement where children of
five are expected to know engineering. There Superman spots a man who he
thinks "looks more like myself than I do". He follows the man to his home,
where he sees his wife and child and "listens" to Jor-El explain how he was
unable to convince the Science Council that Krypton's Uranium core is soon
to explode. Suddenly the quake begins, and Jor-El offers to send Lara and
Kal-El away in his experimental rocket. But Lara decides to stay with
Jor-El and send the baby off alone. Curious, Superman follows the trail of
the little rocket as the planet explodes behind him. (Since he was
immaterial, the explosion doesn't affect him, nor does Krypton's gravity.)
He's astonished to find the rocket land on Earth and be picked up by his
very own foster parents. (A little bald guy with a bowler hat and a tall
woman with her hair in a bun -- no names are given.) "Now I understand why
I'm different from Earth men! I'm not really from Earth at all -- I'm from
another planet -- the planet Jor-El called Krypton!!"
Further, Kal-El thinks "When Krypton exploded all the atomic elements fused
to become one deadly compound! Now that I know I can race forward to the
20th Century again..."
The 20th Century? When did Krypton blow up anyway? If Superman began his
career in 1937, was he supposed to have been born in 1899? That would make
him 51 at the time of this adventure. More likely he was just so stunned by
the revelation of his origins that his super-brain had been temporarily
addled.
This whole Krypton sequence only takes up four pages. The main story
featured a crook called Swami Riva (ouch!) who wore a Kryptonite gem in his
turban. Now that he knows the source of his weakness, he quickly separates
the Swami and his turban and rounds up the gang. The secret of Kryptonite
remains safe from the world, and Superman in the last panel hopes that no
more such meteors ever land on his adopted planet.
Two months later, though, a Kryptonite meteor fell in public and Superman's
weakness was revealed to all in _Action Comics_ #141, a fact that Nelson
Bridwell overlooked when he wrote the Mr. and Mrs. Superman story in
_Superman Family_ #202, in which he created a completely different story
about the discovery of Kryptonite on Earth-2, one set long after Clark and
Lois were married.
Once rocks from Krypton started falling out of the sky, it wouldn't be long
before other objects appeared. In _Superman _ #65 (July-August 1950)
Superman met "Three Supermen From Krypton". The Al Plastino cover featured
Superman and Lois in the upper left corner, gaping in astonishment at three
strangely dressed men performing super-feats. All wear tight fitting
clothes with chest symbols, head bands, two-toned pants with high waist
bands, and shirts with collars and shoulder pieces with short sleeves
attached (hard to describe). All have capes. Two of the chest symbols are
just triangles. One is a ringed planet. One is dressed in red and green,
one in green and yellow (the guy with the ringed planet) and one in yellow
and purple. No violence or menace is portrayed on the cover -- just flying,
chain breaking and bullet-bouncing.
The story begins with a giant meteor plunging into the middle of
Metropolis, with earth-shattering impact. The Daily Planet building is
rocked. Lois screams and Clark changes to Superman. "Good Grief!" he
exclaims. "Every building on the town square is toppling! In one more
second they'll collapse completely!"
Superman uses super-speed and super-pressure to force the buildings back
together before speeding off to the center of the destruction. There he
finds "a strange sight, a nightmare come to life." (Why is it "a nightmare
come to life"? They're just standing there.) Superman thinks, "Some odd
kind of plane that landed! Both those men -- they lived through that
terrific crash! Impossible! Only Superman could have survived that!"
The one in red says, "Kizo! Mala! follow me! We must elude this red-caped
being!" They zip off at super-speed while Superman tries to catch them
running!
"Lift yourself into the air, brothers! In this strange world we can fly!"
Superman grabs U-Ban (the green-shirted one) by the ankle and pulls him
down. "Bah! You were only able to catch me because this flying is new to
me!" he snorts.
Superman assures him he means no harm. U-Ban introduces himself and says
his brothers Kizo and Mala will be there shortly. Superman realizes U-Ban
must have X-ray vision to know this. "You've got the same super-powers I
have!" he exclaims.
U-ban is not impressed. "Where I come from everyone has see-through vision,
extra-strength and extra-speed!"
Superman puts three and one together and asks, "See here U-Ban! Have you
ever heard of a place called Krypton?"
"Of course we know Krypton!" the astonished space man replies. "My Brothers
and I came from there!"
Superman is non-plussed. Krypton exploded long ago! How is this possible?
U-Ban tells how on Krypton he and his brothers were scientists, 3 of the 10
members of the ruling council. Jor-El was the leader of the council. But,
unknown to him, the three brothers conspired to build a machine which would
extract all the moisture from Krypton's air. With it, they planned to
overthrow the council and set themselves up as rulers. But Jor-El
discovered their plan and cleverly took action.
"This machine employs the principle of centrifugal force! If I adjust that
part to a negative reaction, then rearrange the pistons.. Hmmmm...."
Within moments their mad scheme was ended. The people of Krypton demanded
the three be executed, but Jor-El pleaded their case. Kryptonians should
not ever use capital punishment. Instead, Jor-El had them placed in
suspended animation and blasted in a rocket far out into space.
"Of course, Jor-El did not know it, but he had done us an unwitting
kindness. For a few years later, Krypton exploded due to an internal atomic
explosion and every inhabitant was killed."
But as U-Ban concludes his story, he notices Superman's resemblance to the
hated Jor-El. Yes, Superman admits, "I am Jor-El's son!" U-Ban is
unimpressed. He and his brothers still intend to rule Earth. "This time we
shall not fail as we did on Krypton."
Superman cannot stop them, for it is three to one. To show off, U-Ban uses
his super-voice to shatter a building. While Superman saves the structure,
the three disappear. Next day at the Daily Planet, Clark finds everyone in
Metropolis frozen in place. The only three in motion are the Kryptonians --
out on a crime rampage to steal the materials they need for Project 22.
(They've only been on Earth one day and already they're up to Project 22!)
Superman follows a slight humming sound to find U-Ban's machine that
paralyzes people and pulverizes it with one blow from his mighty fist.
Then, back to confront the Evil Three (as Superman continually refers to
them).
U-Ban suggests they settle their differences by hand-to-hand combat. And
Superman can only agree to protect Earth people from harm. The loser will
leave the planet forever. Superman begins by hurling boulders at the three
but they have no effect.
"Under the shattering impact the whole island shakes violently! Trees
crumple and break under the terrific gale raised by the savage duel of
death!" Scientists believe a massive Earthquake is taking place. A giant
tidal wave is located in the south Pacific. Superman has finally met his
match. As the sun sets, Superman crawls away from the battle exhausted,
bloody, bruised, and torn. (Well actually there's no blood. This may be
pre-code, but it's still a DC comic book.) Superman now knows that he can't
beat the three in a fair fight. So there's only one thing left to do. He
cheats.
I don't really want to explain exactly how these things end, but it
involves one of my least favorite super powers, super-ventriloquism.
Afterwards, Superman puts the Evil Three back into suspended animation and
re-launches their rocket on its journey through space. Not bad for thirteen
pages.
Super-ventriloquism, super-breath, super-burrowing, super-pressure -- these
seemed to be Superman's major powers during this period. Superman also
began using "the heat of his X-ray vision" frequently, but it would be
another decade before someone pointed out that X-ray's don't give off heat,
and Superman officially gained the power of heat vision.
Once Krypton was injected into the story line, it wouldn't go away.
Weisinger began cranking out new Krypton-themed stories like clockwork. In
October 1950, in _Action_ #149, Lois Lane came upon three
thought-projection disks that detailed the courtship of Jor-El and Lara.
(Sorry, haven't read it.) July 1951 brought gangster Kane Korrell a mother
load of Kryptonite, which he broke into thousands of pocket-sized chunks to
protect every criminal in Metropolis ("The Kid from Krypton" in _Action_
#158 -- Weisinger took the opportunity to retell Superman's origin, this
time including Superboy). This was followed by the appearance of Antara,
who claimed to be a Kryptonian in _Action_ #161, but in reality was only an
Earth gangster trying to put one over on the Man of Steel.
In January of 1952, Superman had to worry when "The Lost Secrets of
Krypton" fell into the hands of his arch-enemy, Luthor (_Superman_ #74).
Under a spectacular Win Mortimer cover in which a clearly demented Luthor
uses Jor-El's ray "to turn you and Miss Lane into stone!" lies an Ed
Hamilton/Wayne Boring tale. The splash shows a giant hollow emerald jewel
equipped with stairs and a huge door. Inside it's full of strange machines.
The story begins with Luthor searching for Kryptonite meteors in outer
space, for there are none on Earth. Luthor inside is much fatter than
Luthor on the cover. Boring liked fat villains. Luthor finds a swarm of
Kryptonite and tries to draw it to Earth with a magnet-ray. Unfortunately
for Luthor, his machine is too accurate and the meteor he pulls down
crashes directly into his laboratory, smashing his machine. Conveniently
for future writers he can never build another.
But his find is not Kryptonite at all; "it looks like a massive vault,"
says a henchman. (It does not. It looks like a big green jewel. Who ever
heard of a jewel-shaped vault?) Luthor is a genius, so soon he has
deciphered the Kryptonian text inside and discovers a note from Jor-El.
"I, Jor-El, have gathered in this vault my greatest scientific powers. That
they may survive to benefit other men even though our world must die."
(Jor-El didn't have time to rescue any people other than his son, but he
spared the time to box up all his inventions. Strange man.)
Superman and Lois, meanwhile, go to investigate the apparent meteor
landing. Superman gets there first, but Luthor is ready to attack -- with a
petrifying ray. While the petrifying ray holds Superman and Lois prisoner,
Luthor plans to use Jor-El's levitation bombs and invisibility spray to
make himself irresistible. (No, not to women! From the law.)
There's one more invention in the chamber. Its inscription reads. "Beware
the dread power of this machine. Turn it on only if you desire power over
all men." Luthor plans to save this mysterious invention as a last resort.
Superman uses the heat of his x-ray vision to melt through Kryptonian wire
and turn off the paralyzing ray. He then reads the Kryptonian inscription
and realizes that his own father is responsible for his current
predicament. (Thanks Dad, you couldn't just send a card or something?)
There is a recap of Superman's origin. Lara votes to stay by Jor-El's side
and abandon her son to the stars. Jonathan and Martha Kent find the rocket
and adopt the baby. This may be the first time those names are used in a
Superman story, as Martha was just named in _Superboy_ 12 (Feb 1951).
Meanwhile, Luthor is using his new super artificial lightning projector to
blast messages of doom into the skies over Metropolis. Then he plans to
shatter government buildings with his super bolts. Superman arrives just in
time, so Luthor uses the invisibility spray to hide. Then he launches
levitation bombs at various skyscrapers, causing them to zoom off into the
stratosphere. Superman uses bridge cables as giant lassoes to drag the
buildings back down again. But while Superman is distracted, Luthor is
attacking the citizens of Metropolis with Jor-El's flesh magnet!!! The
joke's on Luthor, however, as the magnet pulls Superman along too, and he
uses his super-breath to blow the invisibility dust off of Luthor and his
henchmen.
Desperately, Luthor turns to Jor-El's ultimate invention. He aims the weird
TV set at Superman and pushes the button. Jor-El's face appears on the
screen. It's a recorded message intended for anyone who attempts to misuse
his scientific knowledge.
"But how could you know it was a trap?" Lois asks Superman.
"Perhaps I saw Jor-El build it, Lois," Superman replies, which puzzles her
no end. Superman loads the strange weapons back into their vault and hurls
them off into space again.
"Someday, my father, when men are able to use your lost secrets wisely,
they will be found again.!"
Pity too, because Earth really needed a flesh magnet and petrifying ray.
The Fifties were a big period for science fiction movies. And Mort
Weisinger was an old science-fiction fan and former SF magazine editor. So,
what better idea than to have Superman fight a giant city-destroying
monster? And what better place for the monster to come from than Krypton.
_Superman_ #78 (Sept-Oct 1952) featured "The Beast from Krypton" by Bill
Finger and Wayne Boring. The spectacular cover shows a giant bat-winged
dragon with Superman clutched in its hands (?), fire shooting out of its
nostrils as they fly over Metropolis. "Has the Man of Steel finally met his
match when a super-monster from his native planet menaces Metropolis?"
In the days before Krypton exploded Jor-El, was working on a serum that
would prolong life for hundreds of years. (That's a better idea than a
flesh magnet, anyway.) He decides to test it on a Snagriff because "it's a
hardy beast and should be able to withstand the shock of the injection
without any ill effects." After the creature is captured for study, Jor-El
begins to notice weird side-effects. Its hide begins to turn metallic and
eventually it begins eating through its metal cage. Soon, the creature
escapes and develops a taste for Boradium, a metal precious to Kryptonian
civilization. Jor-El uses Boradium dust to lure the creature to a space
catapult and launches it towards Koron, one of Krypton's moons.
Ironically, after Krypton blew up, the Snagriff and its moon drifted
aimlessly through space. By the time Koron drifted near Earth, the Snagriff
had consumed almost the entire former satellite. There was so little left
that its passing went unnoticed by our astronomers. But the Snagriff
noticed Earth, and leapt off in search of a new food supply. Superman,
meanwhile, investigates reports of a meteor crashing in the polar wastes.
He finds nothing except a hole in the ice and returns to Metropolis. Soon
reports are coming in of sea serpents menacing the shipping lanes. So
Superman goes out again. ("Probably just a combination of indigestion and
the wrong eyeglasses!") Sure enough the Snagriff is attacking the Queen
Helen. Wisely, Superman rescues the passengers first by blowing all the
lifeboats through the air with his super breath. Returning, Superman
discovers a collar on the Snagriff inscribed with Jor-El's name. ("If
found, please return to Jor-El's Laboratory, Kryptonopolis"?)
Superman doesn't want to destroy the Snagriff. He'd rather capture it and
let Earth scientists study it. His plans are rendered moot, however,
because the metallic hided-creature appears to be stronger than Superman.
The Beast seems to recognize Kal-El as the man who captured it on Krypton.
The memory is not fond. Soon it discovers that it, too, can fly. (Since it
has wings, I suspect it could fly on Krypton too, but, whatever...)
When the beast lands in the desert, Superman tries to use the heat of his
X-ray vision to turn the sand into liquid glass and trap it. But the
creature just eats it. He tries to bury it alive, but it's too powerful and
escapes from hundreds of tons of sand in only a moment. As the beast
approaches Metropolis, Superman uses a super shout to warn the people.
(That ought to prevent panic, for sure!) The military launches planes and
cannon against it -- to no effect.
Metropolis is a wonderland of metal for the creature. After devouring a few
cars, it goes after a skyscraper under construction, side tracking Superman
into some spectacular damage control. The Snagriff breaks into a foundry
and starts drinking molten metal right from the cauldrons. Then it goes on
a rampage, eating railroad tracks, telephone wires, electric dynamos.
Superman is so busy cleaning up the mess that he can't get anywhere near
the creature.
But Superman's problems are multiplied when the creature eats six atomic
bombs. Now Superman can't even touch it without fear of blowing up the
city! The now atomic powered creature is soon off in track of the Federal
gold reserve. After chomping its way through our gold reserve, Superman
starts feeding it scrap metal as fast as he can.
I don't usually like to give the endings away, but this is too much!
Finally, Superman takes his cape off, stretches it, and wraps it around the
creature, dragging it off into space. Presently, the bombs go off and blast
the creature into nothingness, while Superman contains the entire event,
inside his cape!
The Krypton stories came too fast and furiously after that for me to list
them all. By July 1954, when the Evil Three finally returned, being from
Krypton and having super powers didn't seem like enough of a gimmick to
build a story on. Instead of featuring a fight between Kryptonians, the
cover shows Superman getting ready to battle Clark Kent!
Wayne Boring and Bill Finger handled "The Outlaws from Krypton" in _Action_
#194 (reprinted in _Superman Annual_ #4 and _Superman_ #217). In a quick
recap of the previous story, we see Superman launch the Evil Three into
space, but nothing prevents them from crashing again on still another
planet. (This story indicates Krypton blew up 30 years ago, not 50 like the
earlier tale.) Kizo and U-Ban go off on their own, but Mala decides to
return to Earth and get revenge on Superman. This is interesting, because
U-Ban was the leader in the earlier story. This is one of the factors which
leads me to believe the first story was possibly written by William
Woolfolk, rather than Finger.
Mala flies to Earth and decides to take on a secret identity. He whizzes
into Clark Kent's apartment and tosses him out the window with such speed
that Superman's Clark Kent clothes burst into flame. Mala then disguises
himself as Clark. Remember, Mala has no idea that Superman is CK -- this is
just a coincidence. There was never much of a resemblance between Mala and
Superman in the previous story, but all Earth-2 Kryptonians have the power
to alter their facial features, so that's not a problem. Getting Clark's
personality down is a different thing altogether! When the office practical
joker slips Clark a booby-trapped box of chocolates, Mala tosses him across
the room. Shortly, Mala takes Lois to Lunch, but gangster Trigger Malone
decides to take that moment to get revenge on Clark and opens fire. Mala
rips his car to shreds and then, to cover his true identity, tells Lois
he's really Superman! He figures this will keep Superman too busy to stop
his evil plans.
For some reason, this evil plan involves stealing the Sphinx and the Eiffel
Tower. Back at the Planet, Mala offers to let Lois watch him change
identities, but he changes to Mala instead of Superman, imprisons her in a
glass bubble, and goes flying off with her into space. Superman is in hot
pursuit, but after a dizzying chase, Mala throws Lois's bubble back towards
Earth and Superman has to race down to stop it from being smashed. He
manages to save Lois, but when they catch their breaths they notice the
entire planet is now devoid of people! A quick tour of the surface finds
only a few familiar monuments and almost nothing else. Mala has destroyed
the entire planet! Superman and Lois are all alone staring up at the moon.
Suddenly Superman realizes it's a trick and they're not on Earth at all.
Back on the real Earth, the Evil Three have regrouped. Mala plans to really
destroy them before Superman figures out what happened. But it's too late,
for Superman has already returned and is prepared for their arrival. And in
the two year interval between adventures, Kryptonite, which was once so
rare that Luthor had to search vainly through space for it, is now
plentiful enough to make short work of three unsuspecting Kryptonians.
WHOOSH! Superman's super-breath propels them off into space again. with
just enough Kryptonite embedded in the ship to keep them from ever escaping
again. And it must have been enough, because they've never been seen again.
There are a bunch more Earth-2 Krypton stories that appeared throughout the
Fifties, before the original Man of Tomorrow finally completely gave up the
stage to his Earth-1 successor and his seemingly endless family of
Kryptonian survivors. Superman discovered his grandfather had visited Earth
in _Superman_ #103. In _Superman_ #123 he got to actually meet and talk to
Jor-El and Lara, in a time-travel story which took him back to before they
were married.
But those are other stories for another time. Next time, we'll see how the
Earth-1 Superman (and Boy) handled villains from his native world. Don't
miss "The Secret Untold History of the Phantom Zone!"
__________________________________________
SUPERMAN STORIES
------------------------------------------
By Sean Hogan (shogan@intergate.bc.ca)
Adventures of Superman: Year One
Rather than discuss stories about one character, this time I'm going to
review the first year of _Adventures of Superman_ (cover dates January to
December, 1987). The series picked up the numbering of the original
_Superman_ comic which ended with #423 (part 1 of Alan Moore's classic
"Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?").
Reviewing these stories provides an opportunity to examine a number of
topics discussed in the Kryptonian Cybernet over the past year, as well as
some of the themes in the current Superman 24/7 story. Were the stories
better in 1987 or is it just the distance which time brings that makes
critics of current policies and stories prefer the past?
DC's editorial approach at the time was to recruit "top talent" to write
and draw the Superman comics. John Byrne was given the task of re-booting
Superman with the _The Man of Steel_ miniseries and with the regular
titles, _Superman_ and _Action Comics_. Marv Wolfman, just off _Crisis on
Infinite Earths_ and the _New Teen Titans_, and Jerry Ordway (_All Star
Squadron_ and _Infinity Inc._), were given _Adventures of Superman_.
This contrasts with DC's current attitude not to use established "top
talent" (including Mark Waid and Grant Morrison) but to give opportunities
to writers and artists that they presumably feel have development
potential. Until recently, there was a trend to promote from within by
giving artists a crack at writing (Stuart Immonen, Jon Bogdanove, and Dan
Jurgens). More recently, the editors have been choosing writers and artists
from outside the Supertitles, and even outside DC.
Does this make a difference to the quality of the comics? Certainly the
issues reviewed here by Wolfman and Ordway are of higher than average
quality. However, even Wolfman writes one stinker in this batch. The
quality of the Superman comics have risen and fallen (and hopefully risen
again) over the years.
My preference is that the editors choose people who have a track record at
the job being offered. The Supertitles should not be a proving ground for
writers or artists in training. While using popular writers and artists
increases the odds of getting a great comic, the emphasis should be on the
proven quality and talent of the people involved -- whether they happen to
be well known or not.
Another factor affecting the quality of the comics is the serial nature of
the Supertitles, where the story is handed, baton-like, from one comic team
to the next on a weekly basis. A chain is only as strong as it's weakest
link -- making the editor's job even more important to ensure that the
quality and consistency remain high in each episode.
In 1987, the three (at the time) regular series were not serial,
interlocking stories. They told different tales and had different focuses.
_Superman_ concentrated on the superhero, _Adventures of Superman_
emphasized Clark Kent, and _Action Comics_ featured team-ups. While there
was some cross-continuity (e.g., if a character broke an arm in _Superman_,
he had a cast on it in _Adventures of Superman_), each comic told a
separate story.
Although the task of _Adventures of Superman_ was to focus on Clark Kent,
Wolfman doesn't ignore the action and each issue has Superman battling
someone or something. Between the action scenes, Wolfman weaves his plots
and sub-plots dealing with Clark and the supporting cast.
The majority of the issues are all credited to Wolfman and Ordway, with
Wolfman scripting and Ordway drawing.
The interior art is consistently good and often excellent. Ordway is able
to portray both action and quiet scenes with equal power. In issue #429,
Ordway creates some stunning scenes of Superman destroying planes and
picking up a submarine to ram it into a battleship. In issue #430 he has
some very effective scenes with Ma and Pa Kent having a conversation with
Clark at home. Ordway is able to convey as much of the story with his art
as the writer does with his words.
Ordway is known for his painted covers on _Power of Shazam!_, but his
pencil and ink covers on _Adventures of Superman_ do not suffer in
comparison. The covers are grand and majestic. The first issue has a
classic pose of an eagle alighting on Superman's outstretched arm. The
majority of the covers reflect Superman's power and iconic presence:
bursting through walls, lifting tanks, snatching bullets out of the air,
and slugging it out with villains.
The arc that runs through the first year deals with a mysterious group
called the Circle. We don't learn of the group until issue #427, but it is
behind terrorist attacks that start in #424. While individual issues make
interesting use of the Circle, ultimately Wolfman fails to develop or use
the plot to full potential. Part of the problem is that he makes the Circle
too mysterious.
The origin and purposes of the Circle are never fully explained. It seems
that the members of the Circle pre-existed mankind, and the group has plans
to rule and control humanity. However, they are also seeking a missing
member, one that they need to "complete the Circle" and to leave this world
for another. They wonder if Superman is one of them and if he can be
convinced or coerced into joining them.
In issue #427, we meet two members of the Circle. The male, Prana, is
dressed in Arabic clothing but resembles a humanoid cat. Prana's wife,
Zahara, warns that moving into Superman's emotions could kill him. Prana's
mind merges with Superman and attempts to convince him to join the Circle.
Superman resists the mental attack, refusing to accept the illusions sent
to him. The feedback kills Prana, although Superman is unaware of his death
or the source of the illusions.
Two later issues (#429 and #430) have the Circle sending some of its
members to try and kill Superman in revenge for Prana's death. The plot
concludes in Wolfman's final issue, #435.
Once again, the Circle contacts Superman through telepathic illusions,
urging him to meet with them. The mysterious members gather together on the
13th floor of 666 Tenth Ave -- the Jurgen's Building. Zahara tells again of
the death of her husband, Prana, but says that the attempts for revenge
were wrong, for Superman did not know he caused the death of Prana.
However, she announces that tonight is the time prophesied for them to
leave Earth and she vows that if Superman will not help them, he must die
for imprisoning them on this planet.
As Superman enters the building, he is again assailed by visions and
illusions in the forms of those he knows. The attempts to force him to join
with the Circle fail and, in the end, all Zahara can do is explain why they
need him and ask for his help. In typical fashion, Superman agrees to help,
saying that they should have asked in the first place rather than attack
him. He says, "To be rid of you is enough." He joins hands with Prana and
suddenly she and the Circle are gone while Superman floats above the
destroyed remains of the building.
While the plot had potential, in the end it is disappointing. We still
don't know anything about the origin or history of the Circle or any of its
members. The motivations and actions are contradictory (to rule mankind
and/or to leave Earth; to co-opt Superman and/or to kill him). Worse, after
a great build-up, the ending is anti-climatic. Following violent
confrontations, there is only a brief meeting between Superman and Zahara,
with little in the way of explanation, leading to a sudden, also
unexplained, disappearance. Dorothy showed more dramatic flair when she
clicked her ruby shoes three times and chanted, "There's no place like
home".
Not to be too pessimistic, aside from my problems with the resolution, the
stories themselves were well written, interesting and suspenseful --
especially when the fight was on the psychic level and dealt with morality
and ethics as opposed to physical slug-fests.
Although the Circle plot tied the first year stories together, there were
many other stories told and characters introduced and developed.
In the premiere issue (#424), we open on Lois and her family gathered in a
hospital room around her dying mother. Later in the issue, Luthor kidnaps
Lois, only to offer her a serum for her mother's illness and, later, to
release her. This showcases not only the private side of Lois, but also the
sly and evil of Luthor as we learn that he was responsible for her mother's
condition and intends to influence and thus control Lois by being the only
source of the serum her mother needs.
Also in the first issue, Clark and Lois meet new Daily Planet columnist,
Cat Grant. Cat and Clark hit it off instantly -- to Lois' dismay. Clark and
Cat interview a crackpot scientist, Professor Hamilton, who says that the
government is out to discredit him, claiming his magnetic defense
technology is dangerous.
Aside from the sub-plots, there are some excellent brief glimpses into
other characters. When Perry White tries to talk to Lois about her mother,
we see both Perry's concern and Lois' inability to put aside her tough
reporter image. Wolfman portrays Superman's relationship with Inspector
Bill Henderson in just one panel where Superman asks after his wife,
Maddie, and their kids, and Henderson replies that Superman will have to
come over for dinner again.
Both the action (an attack by Quraci terrorists in Power Ranger type tanks)
and the sub-plots are 'to be continued,' as this issue is clearly setting
out several themes for upcoming issues. Very few of Wolfman's stories are
self-contained. While most issues don't require knowledge of previous
issues, they aim to draw readers into the continuing story -- and the
stories read stronger when all are read together.
Issue #425 picks up directly from the previous issue, continuing the Quraci
terrorist attack and interweaving Professor Hamilton's story. Hamilton
narrates the tale, describing how, after being blackballed by the
government, he turned to Luthor for help. Luthor betrays him, claiming the
designs were developed when Hamilton worked for one of Luthor's subsidiary
companies. When Hamilton refuses to cooperate, he is attacked and his home
trashed. A mysterious benefactor appears and Hamilton accepts an offer to
further develop his work. Unknown to him, his equipment is sabotaged and a
man dies as a result.
Desperate to prove himself, he interferes in Superman's battle with the
Quraci super-tank, capturing the tank and Superman in a magnetic force
field. He ignores Superman's order not to interfere. Superman is ultimately
successful, despite the suicide of the terrorists. Hamilton, dismayed and
angered that he gets no credit, later takes a hostage at gunpoint and makes
Superman run a gauntlet of traps. At the end, Hamilton tries to kill all
three of them, including the innocent hostage, but is thwarted by Superman.
This is a disturbing story, especially given Hamilton's threat to an
innocent victim. Although we learn that Luthor is behind the sabotaging of
equipment (and therefore murder) and has driven Hamilton to madness and
crime, it is clear that Hamilton consciously chose his actions and deserves
to be in jail. In retrospect, the tale is even more disturbing, given
Hamilton's current role as a supporting character and friend of Superman.
There are no other sub-plots dealt with in the issue. The focus is not on
Superman as the tale is about Hamilton's downfall.
The series is interrupted by the _Legends_ mini-series, which dealt with
Darkseid's plans to discredit Earth's superheroes. Issue #426 is the third
part of a _Legends_ cross-over story that began in _Superman_ #3 and
_Action Comics_ #586. The issue has no effect on the following issues of
_Adventures of Superman_. The three part cross-over works well as a
self-contained story about an amnesiac Superman corrupted to fight for
Darkseid on Apokolips. The story can be read apart from the 6 issues of
_Legends_, but both the series and the Superman cross-over issues are well
worth reading.
Issue #427 opens with Superman invading the country of Qurac and thinking
about his global responsibilities: "I've always hesitated before using my
powers to affect the course of life on Earth. I can't let myself act like
some god even if some people think I may be one. But if I were around in
World War Two, I would have had to confront Hitler, or I'd be shirking my
responsibilities. I may have special powers, but I'm still only a man."
Superman "has the strength to rule this world, but he has the wisdom to not
even consider it." Yet he is prepared to ignore international law and wage
war on a foreign country.
Superman's invasion of Qurac is interrupted by a psychic attack by Prana,
leaving the invasion and the moral questions it raises unanswered. The
questions themselves are thought provoking and well presented, as Superman
is forced to confront his ethics while battling the illusions and the
temptations they bring.
Issue #428 resumes Superman's attack on Qurac as he demolishes its army in
just one day. This plot is given short shrift as it wraps up in four pages.
There is no real discussion of the implications of Superman's actions,
except a television narrator saying that heads of state and civilians
around the world "have come out in total support of Superman's actions."
Superman acts with impunity, in violation of international law and
apparently without any real proof of Quraci terrorism. We have no
indication of concern by other nations nor any attempt by Superman to
justify or explain his actions to the world. Although it seems Superman is
content to cease his attack after destroying the weapons of war and
lecturing President Marlo, there is no mention of Superman's internal
battle last issue when he rejected the idea of imposing his will and ruling
Earth. Yet here he does just that. His parting words to Marlo are "Sue me".
This attitude contrasts and contradicts his reluctance to go after Luthor
in a similar manner, until Superman has proof of Luthor's illegal
activities. In an earlier issue, Superman compared Qurac as competing with
Libya and Syria as a terrorist nation. Yet he makes no move against any
other terrorist country. He also leaves Qurac vulnerable to attack from
other countries. There is no follow up on any of these issues.
Although these issues are difficult ones to answer, a writer who raises
them should be prepared to at least address some of the obvious issues and
consequences that would arise.
The balance of issue #428 deals with more personal matters. We see Clark
and Cat becoming friendlier. Perry White begins to take centre stage as he
investigates mobster Jay Falk and as his son, Jerry, is kidnapped to
silence Perry. Perry wrestles with the demand that he retract his story --
he is unable to bring himself to breach his journalistic ethics even though
his son's life hangs in the balance. Jerry is rescued by Superman before
Perry's decision is finalized, but Jerry feels betrayed and storms out.
We also see more of Superman's questionable ethics as, to get information,
he leaves a gangster atop the Daily Planet's globe and says "I'd never hurt
you! But y'know, I'm a busy guy, and I might not be around when you do
finally slip! Oooh, it is a long way down, isn't it?" Superman later sets
another gangster's clothes on fire with his heat vision, letting him
believe he might burn to death. At least this time, Superman does promise
he won't hurt the thug and doesn't put him in any real danger.
Issue #428 also introduces two new characters to the supporting cast, who
will quickly become fan fav'rits -- Bibbo Bibbowski and Jose Delgado (who
will become Gangbuster).
Issue #429 reintroduces the Circle, as one of their members, a big brute
calling himself Concussion, sets out to kill Superman in revenge for the
death of Prana. The other main plot deals with Cat Grant, as she drags
Clark off to a romantic skiing weekend. Cat's pursuit of Clark is
interrupted when they see a news broadcast about Joseph Morgan, who is
under investigation for criminal activities. Cat confesses to Clark that
she was married to Morgan and that 5 years ago she lost custody of their
son, Adam, when the court deemed her to be an unfit mother.
Clark has a serious lapse of judgment when he decides to have Superman pay
a visit to Morgan to demand that Cat be allowed to see Adam. During their
conversation, Concussion attacks. Although Superman wins, Morgan and Adam
are both injured and taken to hospital. Adam blames Superman for trying to
take him away from his father and for causing their injuries. At the
hospital, Morgan agrees to let Cat visit Adam -- as Superman spies on their
awkward reunion.
Although Clark mixes his personal and heroic lives, Wolfman has him begin
to doubt his actions. He realizes he made a mistake by having Superman get
involved because of Clark's personal life. As the issue ends, he is heading
home to his parents to try and find some answers.
Again the story does a nice job of furthering two threads -- the Circle
plot and the relationship between Cat and Clark. Other subplots are not
dealt with as we find out more about Cat's personal history. Interestingly,
it is not very clear where right and wrong lay in these stories. In this
issue, Superman acts from good motivations, but finds that motivation is
not sufficient. Morgan is portrayed as a suspected criminal, but he and
Adam are clearly devoted to each other. Morgan's view of Cat as someone
more interested in playing the field than looking after her son has a ring
of truth to it, as did Cat's earlier version of events. Yet Morgan allows
Cat to see Adam when he could have easily prevented any contact.
Issue #430 continues to develop Clark's struggles to reconcile his two
roles. While it appears he did not go home after last issue, he is trying
to plan his parents' 49th anniversary party. His efforts, both to plan the
anniversary and to keep up with his journalistic work, continue to be
frustrated by his duties as Superman. The action part of the issue is a
fight against the Fearsome Five (former Titans foes), two of whom are
secretly members of the Circle.
Near the end, it's another of Pa Kent's patented talks that reassures
Clark. He says that Clark and Superman are both parts of one person.
Sometimes one side becomes more important than the other, but even Clark
can't take on the whole world's problems. "But what you are isn't what you
do. You're the same man, with or without the fancy suit ... you're a good
man. You are doing your best. Don't ever forget that."
The next issue, #431, suffers from a break in the quality of both writing
and art. Erik Larsen guest-pencils, and the art suffers from the
differences between *nine* inkers for the 22 page comic. The story is
almost all action-driven this time, with only a few scenes set aside for
Cat Grant's custody sub-plot. The problem with the story is that it centers
on a villain who is cliche'd and boring.
Dr. Stratos attempts world domination by using a satellite to control
weather patterns. We see Stratos is evil because he even kills his own
people. We see Stratos is crazy because he thinks he is the abandoned son
of Olympian gods. We see Superman is brave and smart because he fights the
nasty weather attacks and deduces Stratos' secret headquarters. We see
justice as Stratos, consumed by flames, falls to his apparent death. The
issue ends with a reborn, transformed Dr. Stratos, with upraised fists,
vowing revenge, "not tomorrow or the next day, but it is inevitable!" Or
not. To my knowledge, Stratos never reappeared. If I'm wrong, I'd rather
not know.
The next three issues show a definite upswing in both story and art with
"Gangwar". The youth gangs problem comes home in issue #432 as Jerry White,
a member of the Eagle gang, is suspected of involvement in a tenement fire.
Jose Delgado, Jerry's guidance counselor, confirms Jerry's innocence.
Luthor uses the gang violence as a platform to announce a program to "take
gang members off the street and put them on the payroll." In fact, Luthor's
hoods are beating up and recruiting the gang members for Luthor's own
purposes.
Jose, concerned about his kids, decides to investigate. Lois becomes
interested in Jose and trails him to a meeting where Jose confronts several
gang members, trying to convince them to go straight. But it's a set-up,
and soon Jose and Lois are trapped in the burning warehouse -- only to be
saved by Superman.
Issue #433 is titled "A Tragedy In Five Acts", and each part focuses on a
member of the supporting cast. Jimmy interrupts a robbery by the Eagle gang
and unmasks Jerry White. He decides to let Jerry go, and covers up for him.
Lois also meets Jerry, who is storming out of Jose's apartment, and learns
of Jerry's criminal activities.
Perry White faces the difficulty of printing Lois' story about his son.
Jerry, now in prison, refuses to speak to his father. At a public meeting,
Jose publicly accuses Luthor and is later attacked by Luthor's goons.
Meanwhile, Jerry is led by guards to a beating by other inmates, which
makes Jerry decide to talk about Luthor's involvement.
Finally, we learn of Luthor's plot -- he has been treating the gang members
with adrenal stimuli to develop them into ultimate warriors. He watches two
combatants in a fight to the death. Only one of the hundred test subjects
manage to survive the stress caused by the exertion of fighting.
Despite the changing point-of-view, the story works well as it changes
character viewpoint while maintaining the flow of the tale.
In issue #434, Jose Delgado creates his new costume and heroic identity of
Gangbuster. He learns of a massive attack being coordinated with guns and
targets being assigned to gang members. Superman arrives just in time to
help Gangbuster stop the scheme. Luthor is protected when gangster Jay Falk
takes the fall for him. It's not a complete victory for Luthor as Superman
leaves a message that he knows the truth and that "the battle is over but
the fight has just begun".
The other sub-plot involves Jerry, who is released from prison and tries to
make amends with his parents. Perry even takes time off work to travel with
Alice and Jerry and to try to resolve their problems.
While none of the issues of "Gangwar" stands alone, the arc succeeds in
telling its story within the three issues.
With the exception of the _Legends_ tie-ins, the stories in _Adventures of
Superman_ stand alone. While events in the other titles are referred to,
none of the issues require reading of the other Superman comics. Wolfman is
able to develop his characters and plots without interference.
If those stories were told today, they would have been completed in about 3
months and been written and drawn by 4 teams doing 3 issues each. In my
opinion, it's worth waiting a year for a good writer/artist team to tell a
story on their own. The consistency brought to the tale by having the same
writer and artist strengthen the series when read as a whole.
If you haven't read these issues, I recommend that you hunt the back issue
bins and get them (well, avoid #431 with Dr. Stratos).
One final comment: after writing this article, I came across an interview
in Mania Magazine with current Supertitle editor Eddie Berganza and the new
writers. I liked most of what Berganza had to say about giving the titles a
chance to develop their own themes and stories and how he chose the new
writers.
You can read the article by Michael Doran and Matt Brady at:
http://www.mania.com/comics/interview/superman_berganza.html
Enjoy!
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End of Section 8/Issue #59
