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The Kryptonian Cybernet Issue 57
_________________________________________________________
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 #57 -- Late December 1998
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CONTENTS
--------
Section 1: Superscripts: Notes from the Editor(s)
Oh, Yes He Can... Part II
Jeff and Shane conclude their response to Wizard's article
Ratings At A Glance
Titles Shipped November 1998
Section 2: The KC Newsroom
A note about Coming Attractions, Crisis hardcover delayed,
a change in the JLA schedule, and various bits about the
world of Superman
Rumors, Revelations, and Reflections
Dan Jurgens talks with us about his time on the Superman
books and his departure from _Superman_
In Defense of Story Arcs
In response to recent grumblings about the format of the
Superman titles, Steve Premo comes to their defense
Section 3: The 1998 Kaycees!
The Fifth Annual Kryptonian Cybernet Readers' Choice Awards
Voice your opinions on the Superman comics, the animated
series, and your favorite KC writers!
Section 4: New Comic Reviews
The Triangle Titles
Action Comics #750 by Derek Jackson
Superman: The Man of Steel #85, by Mike Smith
Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #12, by Darrin Wood
Section 5: New Comic Reviews
The Triangle Titles (cont)
Superman #141, by Thomas Deja
Super-Family Titles
Superboy #58, by Rene' Gobeyn
Supergirl #28, by Thomas Deja
Superman Adventures #27, by Cory Strode
Section 6: New Comic Reviews
Team Titles
JLA #25, by Anatole Wilson
Young Justice #4, by Gary Robinson
Specials and Miniseries
Superman: Peace on Earth, by Shane Travis
Section 7: New Comic Reviews
Specials and Miniseries (cont)
Superman: The Doomsday Wars #2, by Gary Robinson
Superman: Silver Banshee #2, by Josh Elder
Superman & Batman: Generations #1, by Anatole Wilson
Section 8: The Phantom Zone
The One, True, Original Superman!
Episode 8 - Early Days and Action Archives - Part 2
Bob Hughes returns to his exploration of the earliest
days of the Superman legend
Section 9: The Phantom Zone
When Supermen Meet: Part Two
Lou Mougin's discussion continues, this time looking
at the first meetings of the Earth-1 and Earth-2
Supermen in their own books
DC Comics Presents #92
The Man of Steel teams up with the New York-based
Vigilante in one of the final appearances of the
pre-Crisis Superman; reviewed by Scott Devarney
The Mailbag
Section 10: AfterByrne
Superman Stories
Sean Hogan recounts Christmas-themed stories starring
the post-Crisis Man of Steel
Superman: The Animated Series
"Obsession"
The Toyman returns, intent on making supermodel Darci
Mason his own; episode review by Denes House
STAFF:
------
Jeffery D. Sykes, Publisher and Co-Editor-in-Chief
Shane Travis, Co-Editor-in-Chief and Executive Editor of Comic Reviews
Neil Ottenstein, Executive Editor of STAS Reviews
LEGAL DISCLAIMERS:
-----------------
Superman and all related characters, locations, and events are copyright
and trademark DC Comics. Use of the aforementioned is not intended to
challenge said ownership. We strongly suggest that each reader look to the
media sources mentioned within for further information.
All original material published in The Kryptonian Cybernet, including but
not limited to reviews, articles, and editorials, are copyright 1998 by The
Kryptonian Cybernet and the respective authors. Reprinting in any format
is expressly forbidden without the permission of The Kryptonian Cybernet
and the contributing author.
Opinions presented within this issue belong to the authors of the articles
which contain them. They should in no way be construed as those of any
other particular member of the editorial or contributing staff, unless
otherwise indicated.
This magazine can be distributed, in whole, freely via e-mail. Should you
desire to share this publication with other on-line services, please
contact me at sykes@ms.uky.edu for permission. Feel free to advertise
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THE KRYPTONIAN CYBERNET is available by e-mail -- to subscribe, send the
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Back issues are available via ftp at oasis.novia.net. These archives can
also be reached via the Kryptonian Cybernet Homepage:
http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/kc
___________________________________________
SUPERSCRIPTS: Notes from the Editor(s)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Jeff Sykes (sykes@ms.uky.edu) and Shane Travis (travis@sedsystems.ca)
OH, YES HE CAN... PART II
Greetings, readers, and welcome back to the somewhat-delayed Part Two of
"Oh Yes He Can..." -- a response and rebuttal to an article in _Wizard_ #86
(October 1998) titled "Clark Can't". Part One of this rejoinder ran in our
October issue (KC #55) where your two Editors addressed the first four
topics that _Wizard_ raised: 'Stories, Not Events', 'Rogues Gallery',
'Supporting Cast', and 'Powers'. Without further adieu, then, let us
continue the examinations and explanations as we assess the validity of
_Wizard_'s remaining six points.
ROMANTIC TENSION
================
(Jeff's Opinions)
_Wizard_ really exposes how little they understand about Superman in
discussing this topic. According to their writers, "Clark Kent has options.
While enduring Cat Grant's advances, Clark should be getting an earful from
Lois who's really steamed that Clark beat her to that Intergang expose. For
a guy who can do anything as Superman, making his personal life a
roller-coaster ride is critical to make him a balanced character."
Fine. These are reasonable expectations, but they really don't have
anything to do with whether or not Clark is married. Unfortunately,
_Wizard_ doesn't see it that way, claiming that "marriage completely
removes any romantic tension from Superman's life."
Ridiculous. Complete and utter hogwash. Makes me wonder if any of the
writers involved with this piece have any experience with marriage.
Romantic tension does not end with marriage, and neither does the daily
roller-coaster ride of life. Marriage does not bring about an end to the
problems that couples regularly face; at best it exchanges them for an
entirely new set of trials and tribulations. Anyone who would suggest
otherwise has no clue what marriage is really about.
Furthermore, the _Wizard_ writers bring up the standard old _Moonlighting_
defense, that allowing those characters to link up romantically killed the
show. They also (predictably) point out that _Lois and Clark_ lost its
excitement after the two were married. These tired old arguments are as
invalid as they are popular. Bad writing killed the two shows, not the
romantic couplings. Had the shows found writers capable of handling a
married couple as their lead characters, both shows could have flourished.
Finally, _Wizard_'s suggesting for "fixing" the comics is to either
separate or divorce Clark and Lois.
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
I wrote the following words in an editorial a couple of years ago, and they
are just as true today as they were then:
"Superman is the icon among icons. He's a hero to children and adults
alike. In this day and age when marriages fail more often that automobile
engines, the world needs such an icon to show people that marriage *is* an
important step, and a lifelong commitment. When the going gets tough, or
when you don't get your way, you don't bail on a marriage -- that's just
not what it's about.
Along these lines, I hope that somewhere down the road we'll see a
magnificent story about Lois and Clark having some kind of emotional
trouble in their marriage, but a story in which love serves as a more
powerful force than any of Superman's powers. A story in which Lois and
Clark simply refuse to give in to their problems and show exactly the kind
of commitment that is marriage. For better or worse, for richer or poorer,
in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, so long as you both shall
live."
Divorce is giving up. Superman does not give up. That's all that needs to
be said.
The important thing here is that we don't confuse the inability of some
writers to accurately portray a married Superman with the ludicrous
assertion that marriage is an inherently bad thing for Superman comics.
There is still a wealth of material and issues to be explored with the
married Superman, and it would be a crime to return to the same old
material that has been *thoroughly* mined during the Man of Steel's first
58 years.
PERSONALITY
===========
(Shane's Opinions)
What _Wizard_ would like to see is less emphasis on the 'Super', and more
on the 'Man', because "No matter how much he can press, how far he can see
or how fast he can fly... he's still just a country boy from a small Kansas
farm." In both personas, Clark/Superman needs to be made more human so that
we can understand and connect with him better. His life is too perfect --
gorgeous wife, outstanding career, super-powers -- and needs to be shaken
up a little from time to time.
All I have to say to this one is, Ask and Ye Shall Receive! The latest
goings-on in the super-books seem tailor-made to handle this specific
request. They complained that as a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist he had
no worries about job security, and suddenly he's thrown out of a job when
the Daily Planet closes. They want him to be paranoid that Luthor, the most
powerful man in Metropolis, is out to get him? Well, guess who bought the
Planet, is using his influence to keep Clark unemployed, and is whipping up
a batch of fake Kryptonite to boot? You want to see a Superman who has
doubts and concerns in his quest for Justice? Guess who is going crazy
right now worrying about all the disasters that he's failing to prevent?
The article's authors aren't really fair in this category, though. While
conceding that the Electro-Superman, which ran for over a year, did a good
job of 'throwing him for a loop', they dismiss it in two scant lines and
call for more of the same. Give credit where it's due, guys, and people
will be far more willing to listen to your legitimate complaints.
KEEP IT MODERN
==============
(Shane's Opinions)
Superman is known as the Man of Tomorrow, not the Man of Yesterday, and the
_Wizard_ staff would like to see him keep up with the times. Given their
druthers, they would ditch Turpin's bowler hat, the Newsboy Legion, and
other such temporal holdovers in favour of 'modern stories' featuring 'new
ideas', starring Clark Kent, "a reporter who's hip to pop culture." After
all, "Big Blue is 60 years old, but the readers don't have to *know* that."
In response to these opinions, I must respond with a loud and hearty, "Bah,
Humbug!"
First of all, Clark Kent -- at least the Clark with whom *I* am familiar --
is not exactly 'hip' to anything. He is a corn-fed, down-home country boy
who just happens to live in the most modern city in the DCU. There is
nothing in his history or biography to even imply that he was *ever* 'hip',
at least not in the traditional sense of the word. His job may be
considered glamourous by some, but that's hardly the same thing. He is
still the worlds biggest Boy Scout -- a poster boy for Motherhood and Apple
Pie -- and square to the Nth degree.
Secondly, comics which try and stay abreast of the 'current' trends quickly
get annoying and dated. As a rule, comics are written by middle-aged white
guys; not exactly the demographic that is most into the latest scene,
whatever it may be. When they try and show how groovy and happenin' they
are, it often comes off sounding horrific; witness the drivel that often
came out of Jimmy Olsen's mouth during the 'Jimmy the Wanted Man' arc, or
how grating Superboy's dialogue could be in _Superboy and the Ravers_. To
steal a phrase from one of Jeff Sykes' reviews of that title, "When current
pop slang makes its way into a comic book, it kind of ruins any chance the
comic might have of being timeless."
What most annoys me about the above opinions, however, is the idea that the
_Wizard_ staff wants to just throw out the fact that Superman has been
around for 60 years. If I want the latest flavour-of-the-month, I'll go
read Gen13 or Witchblade. Personally, I *like* knowing that there is a
tradition and a history behind the man in the costume. I like it that some
writers care enough about this history to keep around or re-introduce some
of these pieces of history. Maybe the writers choose to leave them as-is
(like Turpin, Cadmus, the Hairies, the Newsboy Legion) or maybe they choose
to upgrade them and update them (like Metallo, Luthor, Supergirl). Either
way, to suggest ignoring the 60-year history of Big Blue is to spit on the
people who made him the icon that he is.
About the only thing on which the _Wizard_ staff and I agreed this time
around was the timing of the two/three issue 'retro' arcs in 1999. No
sooner does Superman revert from his energy form into his more familiar
costume and powers but he splits into multiple different versions of
himself. We both think that this was a poor timing decision on the part of
the creative/editorial staff. There was nothing wrong with the stories
themselves (in fact, they were quite well-received) but the readers should
have had time to deal with the transition from Man of Energy back into Man
of Steel before these stories saw the light of day. Had that happened, I'm
betting that _Wizard_ would have run something else as point #7.
THE BIG SECRET
==============
(Jeff's Opinions)
There's really not much to argue about on this one, except perhaps for a
matter of degree. According to the _Wizard_ staff, very few people
(preferably just the Kents, Batman, and Lana Lang) should know Superman's
secret identity. They think that too many people currently know the truth,
but they realize that not much can be done about it.
On the other hand, I can't see any reason why the people listed by _Wizard_
wouldn't or shouldn't know. Lois is his wife, but we won't get started on
that again. <g> Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, and Wonder Woman are close
friends and allies through the JLA, and having few secrets is important to
the trust necessary for good teamwork. Supergirl's knowledge comes from her
origin, and her shapeshifting powers have served the secret well. Lori
Lemaris, Colin Thornton, Phantom Stranger, Dr. Occult, and Mr. Mxyzptlk all
know because of their powers and abilities -- how do you prevent that?
_Wizard_ is dead on with one comment. The Superman writers need to be a bit
more careful about Superman and Lois getting careless in public, or else
they're going to have to do a story like _Lois and Clark_'s "Sex, Lies, and
Videotape," in which pictures of Lois kissing Superman show up in the
tabloids.
FORMAT
======
(Shane's Opinions)
There have been a number of letters to the Kryptonian Cybernet about the
weekly format of the Superman books, and Jeff has even worked the topic
into a Superscripts column or two over the last couple of years. I will not
re-hash all the various options or opinions here, other than to sum them up
with a quote from the article; Less is more. Wizard would like to see DC
pare things down to two monthly titles -- _Superman_ and _Action Comics_,
like things were before Byrne came on the scene.
You'd think that this one would be almost a 'gimme' for the _Wizard_ staff,
since there is so much clamour for something to be done. I will concur that
there are definitely some problems with the Triangle Title format (several
of which are highlighted by Dan Jurgens in an interview elsewhere in this
month's issue) and I'm not going to dispute that some of these problems
need to be addressed, but I happen to *like* getting the next installment
of an ongoing Superman story every week. I don't want to see that trimmed
back to twice a month.
Not even a hard-core, dyed-in-the-wool fan such as myself, however, can see
any use for a fifth Superman title. Originally, _Man of Tomorrow_ served a
purpose (however marginal) of filling up the four 'skip weeks' every year.
Now that these are taken up by marketing events such as Girlfrenzy,
Amalgam, and Tangent, the title has outlived its usefulness. Let it die a
quiet death, folks, and no one will really miss it.
SENSE OF GRANDEUR
=================
(Jeff's Opinions)
"This guy is *it* ... whenever he shows up, the readers gotta know it means
something." This is perhaps the only topic about which I completely agree
with _Wizard_. Remember the sense of awe you felt when Superman appeared in
costume for the first time in _Kingdom Come_? Or that exhibited by the
little boy Superman rescues in _Superman For All Seasons_? Or by the next
generation heroes in _Kingdom Come_ when Superman calls for them to join
him? Or how Flash and Green Lantern are always so in awe of the Man of
Steel in _JLA_? Or how you felt when Superman *moved the moon* in _JLA_? Or
when he wrestled an angel?
Grant Morrison, Howard Porter, and John Dell all get it. Mark Waid and Alex
Ross certainly get it. Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale seem to get it. So why is
that this kind of grandeur and awe only rarely occurs in the Superman books
proper? Issue after issue, month after month, year after year, Superman
should be absolutely breath-taking.
Conclusion
==========
There are very few folks who will argue that the Superman titles are as
strong now as they were in 1991 and 1992, around the time of the Death of
Superman storyline. At that time, the Triangle format was something new and
exciting, the editorial direction seemed designed to keep things strong and
vibrant, and the stories were *interesting*. _Wizard_ has its ideas on how
to return the Man of Steel to his glory days, and we have ours. While we
think that their plans are a little grandiose (given that they want bigger
bad guys (Rogues Gallery) that cause Superman to think more creatively
(Powers), stories that focus on 'bringing the Man of Steel down to earth'
(Personality) while 'making his personal life a roller- coaster ride'
(Romantic Tension) -- all within the space of two monthly books (Format)),
we choose to believe that they voice these opinions because they want the
same thing that we do; a return to greatness for the greatest hero of them
all. Here's hoping that a new year, a new Editor, and several new creative
teams are up to the task.
Happy New Year, from your Editors;
Jeff Sykes and Shane Travis
___________________________________________
RATINGS AT A GLANCE: Titles shipped November 1998
-----------------------------------------------------
Prepared by Shane Travis (travis@sedsystems.ca)
Not a bad start to 1999 for the Triangle titles. A lot of people enjoyed
the beginning of the faux-kryptonite arc, and Dan Jurgens scored a
surprise hit with the introduction of a 'sidekick' for Superman. The
specials didn't fare as well, unfortunately, with two hits and two misses.
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 months, based on the book's cumulative average. Each month
is weighted equally, regardless of the number of people rating
the book that month. If this book is averaged over fewer months
than the rest, the number of months is displayed in ().
Current Previous Avg (6Mth)
Title Issue Rating Rank Rating Rank Rating Rank
----- ----- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
S: Peace On Earth 1 4.9(9) - -- - -- -
S/B: Generations 1 3.9(8) - -- - -- -
Young Justice 4 3.5(6) 1 3.1(7) 4 3.38(4) 3
Superboy 58 3.4(8) 2 3.6(8) 1 3.40 2
JLA 25 3.2(11) 3 3.2(10) 2(T) 3.32 5
Superman 141 3.2(10) 4 2.1(9) 9 2.87 8
Superman Adv. 27 3.1(5) 5 2.5(6) 7 2.93 7
Action Comics 750 3.0(11) 6 2.6(11) 5 2.80 9
Man of Steel 85 2.9(11) 7 2.6(9) 6 3.33 4
S: Doomsday Wars 2 2.9(10) - 3.1(7) - -- -
Supergirl 28 2.7(7) 8 3.2(6) 2(T) 3.55 1
Man of Tomorrow 12 2.6(10) ## 2.5(8) ## 2.42(4) ##
S: Silver Banshee 2 2.5(7) - 3.1(5) - -- -
Adv. of Superman ** -- - 2.4(9) 8 3.03 6
## _Superman:Man of Tomorrow_ is published so infrequently that it is
treated as a special for the purposes of monthly rankings. The Overall
Average is based on the average ratings for issues 9-12.
** No issue of _Adventures of Superman_ was published in November due to
the publication of _Superman: Man of Tomorrow_. It will return in December.
"No, that's not a typo."
SUPERMAN: PEACE ON EARTH (4.9 Shields)
- In the history of the Kryptonian Cybernet, only _Kingdom Come_ has
earned a higher mark than this, and only _Superman For All Seasons_ has
even come close. The high price ($10 US/$16 CAN) caused a little sticker
shock among fans, but they were quickly soothed by the gorgeous interior
artwork. Trust me; ignore the Triangle Titles for a month and buy this
instead. You'll be glad you did.
"No, that's not a typo either."
SUPERGIRL #28 (2.7 Shields, -0.5 Shields, eighth place)
- Supergirl starts 1999 on a low note -- the lowest note she's ever
achieved, in fact. Seems that the appearance of Fourth World characters
will do that; a lot of people just don't *care* about Kirby's creations.
When the brunt of this historically character-driven book is given over
to an extended fight scene... well, that's a pretty lethal combination.
Still, even this low mark wasn't enough to knock it out of first place
in the six-month average, so that's saying something about the book's
usual quality.
"Always Leave'em Wantin' More..."
THE MAN OF STEEL #85 (2.9 Shields, +0.3 Shields, 4th place overall)
- This issue marked Jon Bogdanove's last on _Man of Steel_, and while the
rating was nothing spectacular, it was a whole 1.0 Shields better than the
last time we were subjected to Simyan and Mokkari. Also, having divested
itself of the anchor that was Millennium Giants and still riding on the
crest of the 1930s-arc wave, the title reached fourth place overall -- the
highest for a Triangle Title in a year. Not a bad way to go.
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
-------------------
HOLIDELAY 98/99
Because I won't have access to a copy of _Previews_ before the 5th or 6th
of January, there's a good chance that January's Coming Attractions and
Merchandise will not be out before the ordering deadline.
OOPS
As many of you will have learned by now, the highly anticipated _Crisis on
Infinite Earths_ slipcased hardcover edition has been delayed in some areas
due to a printing error. The misprint was only discovered after initial
orders had already been shipped, but most reorders and advance reorders
were held back to allow time for the error to be corrected. DC has also
given retailers the option of returning for correction those copies already
received.
The misprint occurs in the "Monitor Tapes" section of issue #10 of
_Crisis_. These were originally presented in pencil art, not having been
inked before publication. In the restoration of the artwork prior to the
hardcover compilation, the "Monitor Tapes" were inked, but a panel
featuring Tommy Tomorrow was repeated on pages 280 and 281, replacing the
Forever People panel that should have appeared on page 281.
Corrected copies of the hardcover will have the misprinted page removed and
a corrected page tipped-in in its place. Via Newsarama
(http://www.mania.com/newsarama/index.html), a DC official explains that
this entails slicing the majority of the misprinted page and pasting the
corrected one onto the edge of what's left of the original page. The DC
official also claims that the process is not uncommon and was in fact used
to correct an error in _Superman Archives Volume 3_.
DC estimates that it will take approximately 10 weeks to repair and resend
all of the books, and projects that the corrected copies will reach stores
by mid-February. All corrected copies will be shrink-wrapped with a coupon
that will give consumers a free copy of an exclusive poster of the
wraparound cover to _Crisis on Infinite Earths_ #1.
OOPS AGAIN
DC had previously announced that _JLA_ #27 (scheduled for January 27) would
be the first of a three-part story teaming the JLA with the JSA in battle
against the 5th Dimension. DC has now delayed that story until February's
_JLA_ #28. _JLA_ #27 will now feature a lead-in to the JLA/JSA team-up,
guest-written by Mark Millar (_Superman Adventures_) and guest-illustrated
by Mark Pajarillo and Walden Wong, the art team from _The Kingdom: Kid
Flash_ #1. The corrected solicitation follows:
JLA #27
Written by Mark Millar
Art by Mark Pajarillo and Walden Wong
Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
In stores January 27. While the JLA conducts a recruitment drive in
anticipation of the upcoming war with the 5th Dimension, T.O. Morrow
unleashes a new version of Amazo! Endowed with the combined powers
of all the current JLA members (regardless of which Leaguers he's
facing at any given time), the League must call on as many former
JLAers as they can to join the fight. But the key to victory rests
with the most unlikely Leaguer of them all!
QUICK BITS
* Sean Phillips provides guest-artwork for _Supergirl_ #32.
* The tabloid-sized Superman/Fantastic Four crossover by Dan Jurgens
(scheduled to arrive in March) will feature a wraparound cover painted
by Alex Ross over Jurgens' pencils.
* DC is beginning a new branch of Elseworlds called Realworlds, which will
essentially feature DC characters placed in our reality. One of the first
three Realworlds projects is a Superman story written by Harlan Ellison
and Peter David, with art by Paul Ryan.
* _The New Batman/Superman Adventures_ earned Warner Brothers Television
an International Animated Film Society ("Annie") Award for Outstanding
Animated Daytime Television Series.
* Following his Jimmy Olsen story in _Legends of the DC Universe_ #14
(January), Steve Rude (World's Finest) is pencilling _The Hulk vs
Superman_, a 48-page one-shot written by Roger Stern.
* Last month we ran a news item about recent hirings and firings in the
Superman books. Be sure to check out our interview with Dan Jurgens,
elsewhere this issue, for a follow-up.
___________________________________________
RUMORS, REVELATIONS, AND REFLECTIONS
----------------------------------------
By Jeff Sykes (sykes@ms.uky.edu)
In the wake of Dan Jurgens' departure from _Superman_, we thought it a good
time to catch up with the longest-running member of the post-Crisis
Superman team for his afterthoughts, his plans for the future, and for a
word on his departure. Mr. Jurgens graciously agreed to speak with us in
this piece for KC.
BACKGROUND:
Recently, rumors have been surfacing about a proposal by Mark Waid and
Grant Morrison to take over the Superman titles, and about the mayhem which
resulted. The original rumor appeared in Rich Johnston's Ramblings 98
column at www.twistandshoutcomics.com (spelling corrected):
"At San Diego this year Mark Waid and Grant Morrison proposed to DC to take
over the writing of the Superman books. They along with writers Tom Peyer
and Mark Millar would script one each of Superman's comics. Editor Joey
Cavalieri and I think Mike Carlin said no. When Eddie Berganza took over
the Superman books they tried again. This time the answer was yes. Plans
were started. Promises made. Then two weeks after they started Berganza was
told by Levitz, "We don't put superstars on our Superman or Batman titles."
Waid (who was going to leave at least one of the two Captain America
titles) and Morrison are rather annoyed. And Berganza looks like an idiot.
Plus he fired Ordway and Jurgens to clear the deck for the new guys and was
then ordered to rehire them. But they said no."
I have confirmation of some aspects of this rumor from a few sources,
including Mark Waid himself. According to Mr. Waid, he and Grant Morrison
were asked to submit a proposal for the Superman books, though Joey
Cavalieri didn't have a chance to either accept or reject the proposal
before Eddie Berganza took over. Ultimately, says Waid, their proposal was
rejected ("we're very, very disappointed"), but he was not at liberty to
discuss the reasons for the rejection. He did say that the proposal had
nothing to do with the firings of other Superman staffers.
Jerry Ordway has not been as close-mouthed as others, as he has no plans to
work for DC in the near future and seems to be burning some bridges in his
wake. Mr. Ordway has spoken with several other comics sites on the web,
including the following statement to www.detnews.com/comicbooks:
"After three weeks of phone tag, we talk and [Eddie Berganza] tells me they
want to take a 'back to basics' approach, and that I wouldn't be part of
it. ... Bottom line is, I'm fired, until (Mike) Carlin (DC executive
editor) comes back from vacation and tells me that Eddie had no
authorization to fire me. The job was still mine if I wanted it. This was
several days later, and besides having scrambled to line up assignments
already, how could I work with this guy who wanted me gone so badly?"
With this background, we turn to Mr. Jurgens.
THE EXIT:
KC: Were you in fact let go from your position as writer of _Superman_?
DJ: In terms of that specific title, yes. At the same time, I had been
discussing a new Superman project with DC that will still be done. My
understanding is that they want me to do more solitary projects such
as the recent Superman/Doomsday or Superman/Fantastic Four.
KC: What reasons were you given? Do you know if the firing had anything to
do with the 'back to basics' approach mentioned by Jerry Ordway?
DJ: Eddie mentioned "back to basics" to me. Frankly, it's a nice catch
phrase that can mean a multitude of things, so I'm unsure exactly what
they're looking for.
I think what's really required on the books is effort to write the
characters again and not just stories. Until you make the characters
meaningful again, the plot elements are just window dressing. I'm sure
that most people know by now that the creative teams get together every
year to plan out the next year's stories. For the last two years I've
wanted to spend an entire day talking about the characters, who they
are and why they act the way they do, so that we can make sure that all
the writers are on the same page, taking the same approach. No one else
wanted to do that, so it was never done.
Consequently, the books fragmented. The differences among the titles
became more and more apparent. As the lack of consensus on character
grew, the stories became less meaningful.
The Superman books are somewhat like a long train that can't be
stopped. The momentum of producing a book a week makes it almost
impossible for the train to make an adjustment in its direction, and
the track keeps it locked into place. That makes differences all the
more difficult to deal with.
In short, I'm not sure what "back to basics" means. What's required is
good, solid writing, by a staff of people who all agree on who Superman
is, what a good Superman story is and how each character behaves in
given situations. We haven't had that for some years. Coming in
together as they would have, it's something Mark, Grant, Tom, and Mark
might well have had nailed down. I also think it's a dimension Jerry
Ordway and I could have supplied because, as writers, we see Superman
quite similarly.
KC: Jerry Ordway says that he was asked back when Mike Carlin returned from
vacation. Did they also ask you back at that time?
DJ: No. As I mentioned earlier, I've been "shifted" to other Superman
projects. To this date no real reason has been given other than, I
guess, I've been around too long. Such is the nature of the industry,
which has always had a deplorable history in how its work force has
been treated. Given the economic desperation of the times, I see and
expect a return to some of those practices, especially since it's been
in vogue at DC for over a year now. Measure the DCU books up against
what they were about a year ago, and you'll see a change in the
creative team on almost every single level.
Ultimately, it's the creators' penance for seeing 3,000 shops go under.
All across the industry, decisions about creative teams are being
factored by ever more bizarre criteria and, as I said earlier,
desperation. Many decisions are based solely on age and longevity of
the creators involved and the desire to signal the marketplace that
big change are coming. It's also a stance that the pragmatist in me
understands, but the moralist deplores.
One of my great regrets is that, after going over a year without a
regular artist on this title, now that I finally have an outstanding
one in Steve Epting, I won't get to collaborate with him. He's doing
great stuff.
IN RETROSPECT:
KC: Before you write that last _Superman_ story, is there any chance you
can convince the editors and/or new creative team to bring back Riot?
(My co-editor, Shane Travis, and I are *big* fans of Riot!)
DJ: I like Riot as well, but I think it should be up to the team that
created him to bring him back.
KC: Now that you have the chance to look back at the entire body of your
work (both individually and as a member of the creative team) on the
Superman books, which of the Superman stories, both of your own and
of other writers, are your personal favorites?
DJ: Certainly, the overall "Death of Superman" stories, which in my mind
include "World Without a Superman" and "Reign of the Supermen" stands
out.
My favorites are probably the quieter solo stories I've done like the
Metropolis Mailbag stories, the drunk driving story, the Superman
origin I did for Secret Files last year as well as the Luthor story.
I've always said that Superman is far more interesting for what he
can't do than what he can do, whether those limitations are because
of powers or, more likely, self-imposed standards.
I also have fond memories of working in a good creative atmosphere
along with good creative people. On a team approach like we had, you
need good juice between editor and creators and when we had that, it's
a fun way to work.
KC: I'm sure you're aware that I, some of our writers, and some of our
readers have been debating the merits and drawbacks of the current
creative approach used by the Superman books. Now that you'll be
working mostly on stand-alone projects, what are your opinions on the
triangle format, the weekly publishing schedule, and the impact it has
had on Superman, both as a character and from a sales perspective?
DJ: Whew. That's tough.
The weekly format is a very valid way to tell a story. When it works,
it works great. When it fails, it fails miserably because with that
method of writing, you're only as strong as the weakest link in the
chain. One bad story or idea in the overall arc can sink everyone.
Still, there are tremendous rewards to working that way that can pay
off. I sometimes think it's too easy to blame the format rather than
the weaknesses of the writing.
If I could wave a magic wand I'd keep the basic approach but knock it
back to either two or perhaps three books per month with a group of
writers who all have the same vision of the character. Along with that,
I'd only have about two tightly focused stories per year that would
cross the books. For the other nine months I'd leave each team to
concentrate on their own direction. That's how we worked before the
"Death of Superman" and I think the quality of the books was higher
because of it.
Whoever ends up doing these books, I wish them well. Superman deserves
no less.
UP, UP, AND AHEAD:
KC: We've recently learned of your Superman/Fantastic Four crossover book.
What can you/would you like to tell us about this project? (Sell us on
it, bay-bee! :)
DJ: I just finished it last week. It's 64-pages that I wrote and drew,
inked by Art Thibert. Alex Ross painted a wrap around cover over my
pencils, fitting since it's a treasury-sized book! It all revolves
around Superman's trauma when he discovers that Galactus ate Krypton!
KC: With this and the Doomsday miniseries, are you happy to be drawing
full Superman stories again?
DJ: When I did the Superman Secret Files origin story last year I was
amazed at how much fun it was to draw Superman again. I've had the
bug ever since.
KC: How about following up on Kara in a _Superman vs Aliens_ sequel now
that you've got a little more free time on your hands? Please, please,
please, please, please... (Too much groveling?)
DJ: I'd love to do a Superman/Aliens sequel. Dark Horse has the plot
synopsis in their hands and I've been ready to go on it for some time.
Unfortunately, their own delays and constant editorial changes and
business practices have prevented us from moving forward.
KC: What other projects, Superman and otherwise, do you have on the
burners now?
DJ: Thanks for asking, but I'll have to pass on that for a couple of weeks
until we nail a couple of things down!
ONE FINAL QUESTION:
KC: It sounds like there are still some people out there who both love
Superman and want to write good stories about the Man of Steel. I'm
referring of course to you, Ordway, Waid, and Morrison. However, it
seems like all of you were treated rather disrespectfully during all
of this. Even Berganza seems to have been neutered by the higher-ups
before he's even had a chance to get going. As a reader and fan of
the Man of Steel, does it bother you to see this kind of garbage
going on in relation to his books?
DJ: I spoke earlier of the new realities of this industry. They aren't
pleasant.
As a creator, I'm troubled by what I see happening everywhere. Because
of the new economics of the industry where there are far too many
people for far too few jobs, creators have been placed in a tough
position. Publishers know this and are using it to their advantage.
Some of this also stems from the fact that editorial staffs are far
different than they used to be. When I started, almost every editor at
DC had worked significant years as a freelancer, be it Dick Giordano,
Joe Orlando, Ross Andru, Ernie Colon, etc. They understood the nature
of freelancing and, I believe, were more in sync with the needs of
their workforce. My basic feeling is that DC has become less creator
friendly than it used to be.
The situation has changed. Few editors have worked in the positions
they actually manage, a condition singularly unique to comics. Can you
imagine lawyers, architects or brokers being managed by people who
never did those jobs? They might try hard and be terrific, and some
will work well, but you'll have a higher failure rate. "Comics Editing
101" isn't taught anywhere. Add that and economic instability along
with the fact that most freelancers work away from the publisher's
location, and you have a greater chance for trouble. Factor in the
growing unprofessionalism among freelancers and it's almost surprising
the system works as well as it does.
Thanks for your questions and thanks for you support of Superman!
KC: And I'd like to pass along my thanks to you, Dan, for being so willing
to work with us on this, given the touchy nature of some of the topics.
Our best wishes in your future endeavors!
___________________________________________
IN DEFENSE OF STORY ARCS
--------------------------------------
By Steve Premo (premo@cruzio.com)
I know some folks disagree, but I like long story arcs. I am referring to
the big, background story arcs, like Superman turning into an energy being,
or the Daily Planet closing down. Of course, the actual stories have to be
well written, but the fact that, say, Superman spends a year as an energy
being, or the Daily Planet dies for a while and the characters do other
things, does not bother me. In fact, it helps to keep things interesting.
I started reading Superman comics in the mid-60's, and stopped reading them
as the "bronze age" was dawning. I was getting to be a teenager, and the
changes that were introduced bothered me. I liked minor, cumulative
changes, such as discovering that Brainiac was a robot, but I disliked
fundamental changes, such as changing Superboy's parents into young folks.
Also, I was getting older and discovering the youth protest/hippie
movement, so the Freak Brothers and Mr. Natural became more appealing to
me. Then, when Clark quit working for the Planet to become a newscaster,
they completely lost me.
In those days, I would have been bothered by the idea of Superman being
different for a whole year, and I would have felt jerked around by all the
changes. A year is a long time to a ten-year-old!
I also would have been bothered by the fact that each issue does not carry
a complete story. But I did not have access to a comic store, and had to
rely on the racks at the corner grocery.
Now, in my mid-40's, a year is no big deal. It's a storyline, not a
fundamental change. And it's easy for me to pick up my weekly dose of
comics, so longer story lines are fine.
The long story arcs provide the setting for interesting sub-plots. As of
this writing, Jimmy is working for LexCom but spying for Perry in an
attempt to bring down Luthor. But will he be seduced by his new job?
Lex is trying to keep Lois from investigating Hypersector by keeping her
under his thumb, and by keeping her and Clark dependent on her income from
LexCorp. What will he do to stop her, and what will she find out in spite
of him? I don't know, but I suspect that it will involve Mr. Odetts.
Simone is working for Lex because he can use her, but ultimately she will
have to face his wrath for publishing pictures of his daughter. What is in
store for her?
On top of all that, Ron Troupe is unemployed, but about to become a father;
Lucy is pregnant and her parents are enraged; and Perry, teaching at a
university, is likely to become involved in some subplot there.
All of this serves to make the titles more interesting. The subplots
provide depth to the characters, and provide an ever-changing backdrop to
keep the stories from completely falling into a predictable formula.
Now, there are disadvantages to having all these subplots and long story
arcs. It's hard to really get into it if you just pick up the occasional
issue, and many writers don't like the restrictions of having to produce a
chapter in a longer story. But this article is not about whether the story
arcs, subplots, and triangle numbers are good for sales, or good for the
occasional reader, or good for the writers. It is about whether they are
good for me, and I like them.
With respect to the bigger picture, the Superman of today is far better
suited to me, as an adult, than the Silver Age Superman. Although many of
the Silver Age stories are excellent, even the good stories often have
implausible elements. The other night I was reading an old Superboy story
in which Jonathan said, "That's the kind of spirit I would like to see in
my own son, if we could have had one." What a thing to say to your adopted
son!
In another story, Superman was on another planet and finished fighting off
an alien invasion there just in time, since he was due back at work. Now, I
can buy space flight for Superman, but not an ability to instantly travel
interstellar distances. It ought to at least take him a few hours!
The stories of today are much more plausible and consistent, and the
characters of today have much more depth than they used to have, and more
complex motivations. Lois used to be motivated mainly by three things: to
marry Superman, to prove Clark is Superman, and to get stories. Now, she is
a whole person, and her life is more real.
Clark himself is much more complex. He worries about impressing his
father-in-law. In spite of being Superman, he is bothered about losing his
job, and Simone's barbs get to him.
Lex Luthor is no longer just a brilliant criminal wearing a grey prison
suit, he's a rich industrialist. His character is much more intriguing than
it used to be, and more plausible. Someone with Luthor's talent,
intelligence, and ruthlessness is not likely to spend his time on schemes
to rob gold shipments. It makes more sense for him to be in business,
gathering enough wealth to buy those gold shipments many times over.
And the fact that the Kents are still alive makes for all kinds of great
characterizations and stories. It gives Clark a family life, and ties him
to Smallville.
The art is much improved over the Silver Age as well. Instead of simple
pastel backgrounds in half the frames, we have actual rooms, buildings, and
landscapes in the background, and the characters adopt more realistic
postures.
I have been reading the opinions of people who think the Superman stories
have totally gone down the tubes in the last few years. Some of those folks
are so convinced of this that they stopped reading the books a couple of
years ago. And there may be some truth to that. But I find that the
Superman titles are still the most consistently entertaining comics around.
No other title makes me care about the characters the way I care about
Clark, Lois, Perry, Jimmy, and the rest.
Take JLA, for example. Morrison does a great job writing those books, and
comes up with excellent plots. The heroes are well defined and true to
their characters. But the characters lack depth, because of the inherent
limitations of writing one book a month featuring a great many heroes. So
while I like JLA a lot, the book does not entertain me nearly as much as
the Superman titles.
No one knows what is in store for the Superman titles in the future.
Perhaps the triangle format will be abandoned, each title will contain a
complete story, the subplots and story arcs will be dropped, and the
stories will be heavy on plot and light on characterization. That would,
perhaps, make some folks happy, but I would miss the character development
that the subplots provide.
___________________________________________
THE 1998 KAYCEES
----------------------------------------------------------------
The Fifth Annual Kryptonian Cybernet Readers' Choice Awards!
Welcome all to our annual awards for the best and worst in the world of
Superman! The 1998 Kaycees give you, the readers, the opportunity to voice
your opinions about comics with a 1998 cover date, about the second season
of the animated _Superman_ series, and about the columnists and reviewers
of the Kryptonian Cybernet.
For those of you with WWW access and a forms-capable browser, I will be
setting up a voting "booth" at the KC homepage. Check in at
http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/kc/kaycees
or link in from the main page. Those of you without a forms-capable browser
can still vote, simply by sending your votes on the ballot below through
e-mail. Place your votes, and you could win a special Superman prize!
This year, we again used a nomination process to narrow the number of
choices for some of the categories. This should ease both the voting and
vote-counting processes. Before we jump into the ballot, though, let's
quickly go through the rules.
1. Use the ballot found below to record your votes (or vote via the form on
the KC home page). Please leave the entire ballot intact, even if you do
not vote in all of the categories. Be certain to include your e-mail
address on the first line of the ballot, as is indicated below. To place
your vote, simply place an [X] in the box next to your choice for the
award.
2. Only one ballot should be returned per person. In the case of multiple
ballots from the same person, only the last ballot submitted will be
counted.
3. You may vote for one and only one nominee per award. On any ballot where
one award contains more than one vote, all votes for that award will be
discarded.
4. E-mail your votes to KCVote@aol.com. This account has been set up for
the sole purpose of collecting votes. Votes sent to any other address
will be thrown out and not counted. Simply replying to this message
*will not* direct your ballot to the correct address -- you should make
certain the address is correct before actually sending the mail.
5. Voting ends at 11:59 PM EST on February 7, 1997. Votes dated after this
will not be accepted! I strongly suggest that you mail your ballots no
later than a day or two after January 31. This should prevent any e-mail
delays from causing your vote to be ignored.
We did not take nominations for every single award. For those awards left
out of the nomination step, everyone who is eligible is listed for both the
Best and Worst awards in that particular category. In these cases, there
will be two columns alongside the list of nominees -- one for each of the
awards. Please be sure that you are marking the correct column, and also be
certain to mark only one choice per column.
As in past years, the Kryptonian Cybernet is awarding a special prize to
one voter, selected at random from all who enter. This year that prize
includes a set of Kingdom Come trading cards, fully painted by Alex Ross
and including the special Superman sketchbook insert card; the oversized
promotional poster for _Superman: Peace on Earth_; and a copy of the
hardcover edition of _The Death and Life of Superman_, autographed by
author Roger Stern!
MAKE CERTAIN YOU INCLUDE YOUR NAME AND E-MAIL ADDRESS ON YOUR BALLOT, OR
ELSE YOU WON'T BE ELIGIBLE FOR THIS PRIZE PACKAGE!
We'll also have some sources available on the KC home page to assist you in
your voting process, including synopses of comics nominated for story and
issue awards, as well as a gallery of covers nominated for cover awards.
Happy voting!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Include everything below the next line of plusses as your ballot.
E-mail the ballot to KCVote@aol.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Name:
E-Mail Address:
TRIANGLE TITLE AWARDS:
---------------------
These are awards for the Superman titles which sport a triangle number.
For further information on specific stories and issues, as well as a cover
gallery, please visit the KC homepage:
http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/kc/kaycees/index.html
TT1: Best Story/Story-arc in the Superman Triangle Titles
[ ] "The Death of Mr. Mxyzptlk", Superman: Man of Steel #75
[ ] "Checkmate", Superman #131 (Lena Luthor born, Mayor assassinated)
[ ] Millennium Giants, Triangles 15-20
[ ] Superman Forever #1 (Powers restored, Superman searches for Lena)
[ ] Silver Age Superman tribute, Adventures of Superman #558-560
[ ] "Polyesteryear", Action Comics #745-746 (from 1970s Superman tribute)
[ ] Golden Age Superman tribute, Superman: Man of Steel #80-81
[ ] Superman 2999, Superman #136-137 (Superman/JLA of 2999 vs Muto)
[ ] Superman: Save the Planet #1 (Meteor Shower, Luthor buys the Planet)
TT2: Worst Story/Story-arc in the Superman Triangle Titles
[ ] Superman Red/Superman Blue #1 (Toyman/Cyborg split Superman in two)
[ ] Superman Red/Superman Blue arc, Triangles 6-20
[ ] "Devil May Care: A Thesis...", Action Comics #742 (Kirichitan)
[ ] Millennium Giants, Triangles 15-20
[ ] Superman Forever #1 (Powers restored, Superman searches for Lena)
[ ] "Eye of the Storm", Action Comics #747 (Final issue of 1970s tribute)
[ ] Dominus/Kismet Saga, Triangles 33-37
[ ] "A Matter of Time", Superman #139 (Conclusion of Dominus story)
[ ] Superman: Save the Planet #1 (Meteor Shower, Luthor buys the Planet)
[ ] Crisis in Kandor arc, Triangles 41-44
TT3: Best Cover from a Superman Triangle Title
[ ] Superman: Man of Steel #75 (Mxy parody of Superman #75 cover)
[ ] Superman #131 (Lena Luthor's blood-covered birth announcement)
[ ] Superman Forever #1 (Alex Ross painting(s))
[ ] Action Comics #745 (Superman Jigsaw puzzle)
[ ] Superman: Man of Steel #81 (Golden Age Superman jumps train)
[ ] Adventures of Superman #559 (Curt Swan-ish Superman)
[ ] Adventures of Superman #560 (Grummett pencil-art Superman)
[ ] Superman #138 (Four Supermen in Dominus' hand)
[ ] Adventures of Superman #562 (Planet globe coming down)
TT4: Worst Cover from a Superman Triangle Title
[ ] Adventures of Superman #554 (Sewer monster strangles Superman blue)
[ ] Superman Red/Superman Blue #1 (Direct 3-D cover)
[ ] The Millennium Giants covers (the 9-grid panel as a whole)
[ ] Superman: Man of Steel #79 (Red and Blue in front of Cabracas' Head)
[ ] Adventures of Superman #558 (Child's Superman in crayon)
[ ] Superman: Man of Steel #83 (Waverider, Dominus, Superman)
[ ] Superman #140 (Painted, Superman in shackles in Kandor)
[ ] Adventures of Superman #563 (Painted, Superman vs Cyborg in Kandor)
TT5: Best Writing in the Superman Triangle Titles
TT6: Worst Writing in the Superman Triangle Titles
TT5 TT6
[ ] [ ] Jon Bogdanove and Louise Simonson (Man of Steel)
[ ] [ ] Stuart Immonen (Action Comics)
[ ] [ ] Dan Jurgens (Superman)
[ ] [ ] Karl Kesel (Adventures of Superman)
[ ] [ ] Karl Kesel and Jerry Ordway (Adventures of Superman)
[ ] [ ] Ron Marz (Kandor saga)
[ ] [ ] Louise Simonson (Man of Steel, Man of Tomorrow)
TT7: Best Art in the Superman Triangle Titles
TT8: Worst Art in the Superman Triangle Titles
TT7 TT8
[ ] [ ] Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke (Man of Steel)
[ ] [ ] Ron Frenz and Josef Rubinstein (Superman)
[ ] [ ] Tom Grindberg and Tom Palmer (Kandor saga)
[ ] [ ] Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier (Adventures of Superman)
[ ] [ ] Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr. (Action Comics)
[ ] [ ] Paul Ryan and Dennis Janke (Man of Tomorrow, fill-ins)
[ ] [ ] Paul Ryan and Josef Rubinstein (Superman)
TT9: Best Superman Triangle Title
TT10: Worst Superman Triangle Title
TT9 TT10
[ ] [ ] Action Comics
[ ] [ ] Adventures of Superman
[ ] [ ] Superman
[ ] [ ] Superman: The Man of Steel
[ ] [ ] Superman: The Man of Tomorrow
SUPERMAN FAMILY AWARDS:
----------------------
These are awards for the seven Superman Family titles. For further
information on specific stories and issues, as well as a cover gallery,
please visit the KC homepage:
http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/kc/kaycees/index.html
SF1: Best Story/Story-arc in a Superman Family Title
[ ] JLA and Sandman vs Star Conqueror, JLA #22-23
[ ] "Invasion", Steel #48 (The Origin of Crash)
[ ] "The Last Boy on Earth", Superboy #50-53
[ ] "OMAC: One Million and Counting!", Superboy #1M
[ ] Supergirl gains wings of flame and battles Despero, Supergirl #17-18
[ ] "Double-Edged Sword", Supergirl #23 (Free Speech and Racism)
[ ] "Desperate Times", Supergirl #25 (Wally helps, Comet's identity)
[ ] "It's a Super Life!", Superman Adventures #18
[ ] "The Bodyguard of Steel", Superman Adventures #19
[ ] "Last Daughter of Argo", Superman Adventures #21
[ ] "Young, Just Us", Young Justice #1
SF2: Worst Story/Story-arc in a Superman Family Title
[ ] JLA battles Prometheus, JLA #16-17
[ ] JLA and Sandman vs Star Conqueror, JLA #22-23
[ ] "Hexed!", Superboy #55 (Superboy and Guardian meet Hex)
[ ] "OMAC: One Million and Counting!", Superboy #1M
[ ] "Love Is All That Anti-Matters", Superboy and the Ravers #17-19
[ ] "When She Was Good...", Supergirl #1M
[ ] "Hide 'N' Seek", Superman Adventures #20 (MasterTrax)
[ ] "Power Corrupts ... Absolutely", Superman Adventures #24 (Parasite)
[ ] "Yesterday's Man of Tomorrow", Superman Adventures #26 (Mxyzptlk)
[ ] All Young Justice, #1-3,1M
SF3: Best Cover from a Superman Family Title
[ ] JLA #19 (Skeleton hand rolls dice with JLA on faces)
[ ] JLA #24 (JLA stands against the rain at sunset)
[ ] Steel #48 (Steel wields hammer, Crash's forces fly overhead)
[ ] Superboy #50 (Shirtless long-haired Superboy firing gun)
[ ] Superboy #54 (Superboy and Guardian under barrage of flame)
[ ] Supergirl #24 (Supergirl using flame-vision on Resurrection Man)
[ ] Supergirl #25 (Supergirl and candidates for Comet's identity)
[ ] Superman Adventures #21 (Supergirl in spotlight)
[ ] Superman Adventures #25 (Superman and Batgirl)
[ ] Young Justice #3 (YJ in their mentors' costumes at Mxy's door)
SF4: Worst Cover from a Superman Family Title
[ ] JLA #17 (Prometheus stands over defeated league)
[ ] JLA #22 (Sandman holds ball containing sleeping JLA members)
[ ] Steel #50 (Millennium Giants cover)
[ ] Superboy #55 (Superboy battles Grok, Hex in shadows)
[ ] Superboy and the Ravers #18 (Superboy between Kindred brothers)
[ ] Supergirl #19 (Supergirl in a tornado of junk)
[ ] Supergirl #20 (Millennium Giants cover)
[ ] Superman Adventures #20 (Superman blasted by energy beam)
[ ] Superman Adventures #22 (Superman under attack by Fortress)
SF5: Best Writing in a Superman Family Title
SF6: Worst Writing in a SupermanFamily Title
SF5 SF6
[ ] [ ] Peter David (Supergirl)
[ ] [ ] Peter David (Young Justice)
[ ] [ ] Karl Kesel (Superboy)
[ ] [ ] Steve Mattsson and Karl Kesel (Superboy and the Ravers)
[ ] [ ] Mark Millar (Superman Adventures)
[ ] [ ] Grant Morrison (JLA)
[ ] [ ] Christopher Priest (Steel)
[ ] [ ] Mark Waid (JLA)
SF7: Best Art in a Superman Family Title
SF8: Worst Art in a Superman Family Title
SF7 SF8
[ ] [ ] Aluir Amancio and Terry Austin (Superman Adventures)
[ ] [ ] Denys Cowan and Tom Palmer (Steel)
[ ] [ ] Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel (Superboy)
[ ] [ ] Josh Hood and Dan Davis (Superboy and the Ravers)
[ ] [ ] Georges Jeanty and Doug Hazlewood (Superboy)
[ ] [ ] Arnie Jorgensen and David Meikis (JLA)
[ ] [ ] Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs (Supergirl)
[ ] [ ] Leonard Kirk and Cam Smith (Supergirl)
[ ] [ ] Todd Nauck and Lary Stucker (Young Justice)
[ ] [ ] Howard Porter and John Dell (JLA)
SF9: Best Superman Family Title
SF10: Worst Superman Family Title
SF9 SF10
[ ] [ ] JLA
[ ] [ ] Steel
[ ] [ ] Superboy
[ ] [ ] Superboy and the Ravers
[ ] [ ] Supergirl
[ ] [ ] Superman Adventures
[ ] [ ] Young Justice
LIMITED SERIES AWARDS:
---------------------
These are awards for Superman mini/maxi-series and specials. For further
information on specific stories and issues, please visit the KC homepage:
http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/kc/kaycees/index.html
LS1: Best Writing in a Special or Limited Series
[ ] Alan Grant, New Year's Evil: Mr. Mxyzptlk #1
[ ] Dan Jurgens, Origin story in Superman Secret Files #1
[ ] B. Kesel/Haley/Simmons, Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl and Batgirl
[ ] Jeph Loeb, Superman For All Seasons
[ ] John Francis Moore and Kieron Dwyer, Superman: The Dark Side
[ ] Grant Morrison, DC One Million
[ ] John Ostrander, The Kents #6-12
[ ] Kelley Puckett, Legends of the DC Universe #6
[ ] Roy Thomas, Superman: War of the Worlds
[ ] Mark Waid, New Year's Evil: Gog #1
LS2: Worst Writing in a Special or Limited Series
[ ] Howard Chaykin, Superman: Distant Fires
[ ] Dan Jurgens, Superman Annual #10
[ ] David Michelinie, Superman Adventures Special: Superman vs Lobo #1
[ ] Grant Morrison, New Year's Evil: Prometheus #1
[ ] Tom Peyer, JLA in Crisis Secret Files #1
[ ] Louise Simonson, Superman 3-D #1
LS3: Best Art in a Special or Limited Series
[ ] Kieron Dwyer and Hilary Barta, Superman: The Dark Side
[ ] Matt Haley and Tom Simmons, Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl and Batgirl
[ ] Michael Lark, Superman: War of the Worlds
[ ] Jerry Ordway and Dennis Janke, New Year's Evil: Gog #1
[ ] Paul Ryan and Chris Ivy, Superman Annual #10
[ ] Tim Sale, Superman For All Seasons
[ ] Timothy Truman, Michael Bair, and Tom Mandrake, The Kents #6-12
LS4: Worst Art in a Special or Limited Series
[ ] Arnie Jorgensen and David Meikis, New Year's Evil: Prometheus #1
[ ] Gil Kane and Kevin Nowlan, Superman: Distant Fires
[ ] Tom Morgan and Scott Koblish, New Year's Evil: Mr. Mxyzptlk #1
[ ] Ariel Olivetti, JLA: Paradise Lost
[ ] Paul Ryan and Chris Ivy, Superman Annual #10
[ ] Neil Vokes and Scott Koblish, Superman 3-D #1
LS5: Best Special or Limited Series
[ ] DC One Million
[ ] Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl and Batgirl
[ ] The Kents #6-12
[ ] New Year's Evil: Gog #1
[ ] Superman For All Seasons
[ ] Superman: The Dark Side
[ ] Superman: War of the Worlds
LS6: Worst Special or Limited Series
[ ] JLA in Crisis Secret Files #1
[ ] New Year's Evil: Prometheus #1
[ ] Supergirl/Prysm Double-Shot #1
[ ] Superman 3-D #1
[ ] Superman Adventures Special: Superman vs Lobo #1
[ ] Superman Annual #10
[ ] Superman: Distant Fires
SUPERMAN ANIMATED AWARDS:
------------------------
These are awards for the second season of episodes. If you wish to refresh
your memory, there is an excellent episode guide residing at The Superman
Homepage:
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/7771/index.html
SA1: Best Second Season Episode
SA2: Worst Second Season Episode
SA1 SA2
[ ] [ ] Blasts From the Past (Jax-Ur and Mala)
[ ] [ ] Ghost in the Machine (Brainiac kidnaps Luthor)
[ ] [ ] Action Figures (Amnesiac Metallo)
[ ] [ ] Livewire (Origin of Livewire)
[ ] [ ] Target (Someone tries to kill Lois)
[ ] [ ] Identity Crisis (Luthor creates Bizarro)
[ ] [ ] Mxyzpixilated (Superman meets Mxyzptlk)
[ ] [ ] Speed Demons (Superman/Flash race)
[ ] [ ] Double Dose (Livewire and Parasite team up)
[ ] [ ] Solar Power (Edward Lytener returns as Luminus)
[ ] [ ] Brave New Metropolis (Lois visits alternate dimension)
[ ] [ ] Monkey Fun (Titano)
[ ] [ ] The Prometheon (Giant released from asteroid)
[ ] [ ] Father's Day (Superman battles Kalibak)
[ ] [ ] The Hand of Fate (Dr. Fate helps Superman)
[ ] [ ] Bizarro's World (Bizarro recreates Krypton)
[ ] [ ] Prototype (SCU member uses battle armor)
[ ] [ ] The Late Mr. Kent (Clark fakes his death)
[ ] [ ] Apokolips...Now! (Apokolips invades Earth)
[ ] [ ] Heavy Metal (Debut of Steel)
[ ] [ ] Warrior Queen (Maxima)
[ ] [ ] Little Girl Lost (Supergirl's origin)
[ ] [ ] World's Finest (Superman/Batman vs Luthor/Joker)
KC WRITER AWARDS:
----------------
The following two awards provide you the opportunity to reward your
favorite Kryptonian Cybernet writers. New comic reviewers listed in KC1 are
those who have taken on a regular writing assignment during the past year,
along with those assignments. These contributors may also have provided
reviews of various limited series and/or specials during the year.
Columnists listed in KC2 are those who have contributed at least two
articles - including AfterByrne, Phantom Zone, and STAS reviews, during the
past year.
KC1: Best New Comic Reviewer
[ ] Thomas Deja (Superman, Supergirl)
[ ] Josh Elder (Superman: Silver Banshee)
[ ] Rene Gobeyn (Superboy, Superman: The Dark Side)
[ ] Derek Jackson (Action Comics)
[ ] G.M. Nelson (JLA: World Without Grown-Ups)
[ ] Dan Radice (Adventures of Superman)
[ ] Gary Robinson (Young Justice, Superman: The Doomsday Wars)
[ ] Mike Smith (Superman: Man of Steel)
[ ] Cory Strode (Superman Adventures)
[ ] Jeff Sykes (Superboy and the Ravers, Steel)
[ ] Shane Travis (Action Comics, Superman triangle special issues)
[ ] Anatole Wilson (JLA)
[ ] Douglas Wolk (Superman For All Seasons)
KC2: Best Columnist
[ ] Scott Devarney (Phantom Zone reviews)
[ ] Sean Hogan ("Superman Stories")
[ ] Denes House ("Manuscripts of Steel")
[ ] Bob Hughes ("Tales of Earth-One", "The One, True, Original
Superman!", "The Greatest Superman Story of All Time")
[ ] Enola Jones ("Origins")
[ ] Lou Mougin ("When Supermen Meet")
[ ] Neil Ottenstein (STAS reviews)
[ ] J.D. Rummel ("And Who Disguised As...")
WRITE-IN AWARDS:
---------------
Feel free to write in any award not given above which you feel is deserved.
These awards need not be serious in nature: feel free to create bizarre
categories and award-titles. Not all of these will be published, but I will
print the best of them when the awards results are announced. Please do not
submit more than two write-in awards.
W1:
W2:
___________________________________________
NEW COMIC REVIEWS
-------------------------------------------
Comics Arriving In Stores November 1998
Three Superman Family appearances were not reviewed this issue. First up,
Karl Kesel and Dave Taylor gave us a preview of their upcoming _World's
Finest_ maxiseries with a Superman/Batman Christmas tale in _DCU Holiday
Bash III_. Superboy and the rest of Young Justice starred in _Young Justice
Secret Files_ #1. Finally, Batman and Superman both guest-starred in
_Wonder Woman_ #140, the first of a two-part story.
Ratings Panelists:
-----------------
AW: Anatole Wilson EJ: Enola Jones RG: Rene' Gobeyn
CoS: Cory Strode EM: Edward Mathews SDM: Simon DelMonte
DJ: Derek Jackson GN: G.M. Nelson ST: Shane Travis
DR: Daniel Radice GR: Gary Robinson SY: Steven Younis
DWd: Darrin Wood JE: Josh Elder TD: Thomas Deja
DWk: Douglas Wolk JSy: Jeff Sykes VV: Vic Vitek
MS: Mike Smith
As always, the first rating given after the average is that of the
reviewer. The average rating given for each book may correspond to a
larger sample of ratings than what is printed following the average.
===============================================
THE TRIANGLE TITLES:
-------------------
1. ACTION COMICS #750 Jan 1999 $2.95 US/$4.75 CAN
"Confidence Job"
Writer: Stuart Immonen
Penciller: Stuart Immonen
Inker: Jose Marzan, Jr.
Dream Sequence: Randy Duburke
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separator: Digital Chameleon
Assistant: Maureen McTigue
Con Man: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr.
RATINGS
Average: 3.0/5.0 Shields
DJ: 2.4 Shields
DWd: 3.5 Shields - Better than usual. I don't like this new dream power
thing of his though.
DWk: 3.2 Shields - Nicely drawn -- this team just keeps getting better --
but it's very hard to stomach the idea that everybody would just
start working for Luthor under these conditions. Don't any of
these characters have savings?
EJ: 1.9 Shields - This read like a 'filler' issue. I am, however,
intrigued as to what will become of Lois at Lexcom.
EM: 4.0 Shields - Cameos by the DEO and an explanation worth having for
the villain-of-the-month places this book in good company with
some of the best Superman subplots in recent history.
JSy: 4.0 Shields - Aside from what I guess are emerging funky ESP powers,
I rather enjoyed this issue. The faux kryptonite plot is off to
a good start, but the highlights of the book are the wonderful
character sketches, the gorgeous artwork, and an incredible cover.
SDM: 2.9 Shields - The plots Stuart and the others are trying to build
are good but so little happens from week to week that I can't
remember in what book the good stuff happened. The art was great
-- that I recall.
TD: 2.0 Shields - A bunch of random events stumbling about trying hard
to be a story, and featuring the latest in a loooong line of
interchangeable baddies for the an of Steel.
_Action Comics_ #750! I think Siegel and Shuster would be very proud of the
legacy they created so many years ago.
We open this issue as a new villain called Crazytop wreaks havoc in
Metropolis to get Superman's attention, which he quickly does. After a
brief fight, Crazytop is subdued, but not before the fight wrecks an
outdoor restaurant (Superman rescues a woman who gives him a more-than-
friendly kiss) and an electrician named Henry seemingly causes an
electrical blast of some sort. Superman finishes by taking an injured man
to the hospital, who I think we are supposed to assume is Henry.
Time for a few subplots: Perry White takes a job teaching at a local
university, Dirk Armstrong has to try and convince daughter Ashbury's
principal to let her graduate, and Lex holds his first meeting with the new
Lexcom staffers, informing them that they will be pilfering web sources to
create the news.
A gentleman claiming to be a lawyer pays a visit to our friend Henry in an
attempt to convince him to sue Superman for his injuries. He and Henry
disappear into a surveillance van. Ron Troupe and Lucy Lane tell Ron's
parents about the pregnancy, and his parents prove very supportive. We see
Lois leaving Lexcom in fully furbished elevator, complete with television.
The elevator comes to an unexpected halt between floors at the exact same
time as...
Crazytop escapes from Star Labs and immediately attracts Superman's
attention. He attacks Superman, and in the battle suddenly reveals...
Kryptonite!!! Superman falls back in pain as Lois watches in horror on the
elevator TV, Luthor gleefully monitors things from his office, and the men
in the surveillance van keep a interested eye on things. Things don't look
good for Superman, but suddenly he knocks Crazytop out with a single mighty
punch. The men in the van begin to withdraw, Luthor sighs, and Lois's
elevator resumes its descent.
As Superman hands Crazytop to the SCU, an SCU agent finds Henry in the
surveillance van along with some equipment suspected of controlling
Crazytop. Henry is arrested. Lois confronts Luthor about the credibility of
Lexcom's style of reporting. They argue a bit and Lois leaves. Luthor has a
mysterious phone conversation about the attack on Superman with someone
called Mr. Director, and they discuss a future attempt.
Clark and Lois end up in their home, where Clark heads for bed after a
sudden dizzy spell. He has a weird dream about Franklin Stern and a train
crash, and wakes up in a fright. Lois comforts him, and the story ends...
with a train crash.
A new villain of the week, way too many subplots, and a very weak story
make for an unmemorable anniversary issue. After finishing the book, I felt
like I had read an old story with a few extra pages that were thrown in
just to be thrown in.
As usual, I will comment on the art. Everyone knows I'm a big fan of
Immonen's pencilling, and Marzan does a great job on the inks. The cover is
excellent. I did not care for the dream sequence, although I realize it was
supposed to be a warped sort of view.
I like Immonen's art, but I can't say the same about his writing. Why
introduce a new villain? Certainly there are scores of minor villains out
of past issues from which to choose rather then introducing yet another
one.
As for the subplots, most of the larger books seem to have them, but I
think they were overdone here. The Henry subplot didn't seem to have any
purpose other then to take up space. Maybe it was supposed to show the
plight of people caught in Superman's battles, but it did so poorly. Also,
we aren't really sure what happened to Henry. We see his glove on a wrench
attached to some wires, and then he falls, supposedly injured by some sort
of electrical blast. What caused the blast? Crazytop's gloves had been
destroyed, so he couldn't have done it.
The reaction of Ron's parents was completely unexpected and a pleasant
surprise. I know I was expecting them to be mad (as was Ron), and most
people would expect a parent's reaction to an out-of-wedlock pregnancy to
be negative. I don't expect Lucy's parents will be as kind.
As far as the Kryptonite goes, giving Luthor access to an unlimited supply
of kryptonite (synthetic or not) seems a little ridiculous. Since it only
seems to have temporarily or partially weakened Superman, though, this
seems like a viable alternative. If he ends up creating a batch that has
the same effect as regular K, this would have a significant (and negative)
impact on future stories; we will see where they go with this.
One thing I do like is the characterization of Luthor. How very like him to
ask his employees to attend a meeting at 12 midnight, then say that an
assistant got the times mixed up and it was supposed to be 12 noon, just to
show them who is boss. That is vintage Luthor.
Immonen can draw. Immonen has shown us he can write good stories. He has
shown us he can write bad stories. This issue shows he can write average
stories. I would like to see him write a great story, for which I think he
has the potential.
Hey! There are only 21 stars and 8 stripes on the flag on the cover! Must
be an Elseworlds thing.
Derek Jackson
<djackson@iconstructs.com>
===============================================
2. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #85 Jan 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Creative Differences"
Written and Drawn by: Jon Bogdanove
Inked by: Dennis Janke
Lettered by: Ken Lopez
Colored by: Glenn Whitmore
Separated by: Digital Chameleon
Assistant Editor: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Thanks to: Dave Cullen and Dan Britton
Cover: Bogdanove, Janke, and Cullen (after Kirby)
RATINGS
Average: 2.9/5.0 Shields
MS: 2.8 Shields
DWk: 2.3 Shields - Simyan and Mokkari have always been at least a little
dull, and this weakly drawn, way-too-casually written issue does
nothing to help with the problem.
EJ: 3.8 Shields - A laugh RIOT! The Jimmy clone was HILARIOUS, and I
would like to see more of SCU man Tork, but that's just me <G>
EM: 3.9 Shields - Face-hugging squids and Kirby tribute art made me laugh
out loud at the office while reading this book. New-man. Heh.
GN: 2.3 Shields - Bogdanove's less-cartoony Superman is an improvement,
but I'm growing weary of the constant Kirby "tributes" here and
elsewhere.
JSy: 3.5 Shields - Thoroughly entertaining issue, though I couldn't begin
to figure out why. Even if I didn't generally care for the highly
angular, heavily-inked style of Bog and Janke's work, I'm gonna
miss their vibrant, dynamic Superman. Farewell, Bog.
TD: 4.0 Shields - Although the story does begin to fray once we see 'New
Man', I was surprised how much fun this read was. Unlike the last
time we saw these two, the characters played off each other well.
VV: 1.0 Shields - I have absolutely no interest in these "monster makers".
Well, this is Jon Bogdanove's last issue on _Man of Steel_, and I'm not
quite sure how to react. I can't really miss Bog's work on this book since
it's been seven months since his last issue and I had pretty much gotten
used to the idea that he'd be gone. While it took long enough, he finally
gets a chance to plot and script an issue. Let's take a look.
As you may recall from _Man of Steel_ #76, Simyan and Mokkari, the exiled
geneticists from Apokolips, had been hired by Morgan Edge. Now we finally
find out why. Is it just me, or is every Superman comic these days about
wrapping up some story from at least a year ago? We've seen sequels to a
1996 annual (_Man of Tomorrow_ #11), a 1997 annual (_MOT_ #12), and 1992's
_Superman_ #74 (_Superman_ #141). I guess I should be glad Bog used such
recent source material from late '97.
Anyway, it turns out that Morgan Edge wants to create an "anti-Justice
League" to prove to Darkseid that he's worthy of being noticed. Of course,
Mr. S and Mr. M are far more interested in creating monsters than
superhumans, and when some of their creations escape and run loose in
Metropolis, Edge gets pretty upset. Fortunately for his secret operations,
the monsters do so much damage that no one can be sure where they came
from.
As for Superman, he returns home after a hard day of monster rustling to
have a quiet dinner with Lois and Jimmy. The three of them decide they
should go to Perry White's house to try and cheer him up. (Luthor bought
the Daily Planet a while back.) Turns out Perry's not totally despondent;
he's teaching a college journalism course and plotting against Luthor.
Everything is looking up until New Man busts in.
Oh, I forgot to mention that. See, during the monster attack, one monster
got a DNA sample from Superman, and Simyan and Mokkari combined it with
their *very last* Jimmy Olsen sample to create New Man -- a hulking
powerhouse with freckles. New Man is a prototype for Edge, but he's also
useful for collecting more Olsen DNA. He grabs Jimmy from Perry's house,
and Clark quickly excuses himself to give chase.
>From there it's a fairly typical fight scene, except that New Man has some
power that lets him transfer Superman's blows to Jimmy, so Supes has to
trick him into letting Jimmy go. New Man throws Jimmy away, escaping while
Superman saves his pal, and returns to his masters with tufts of Jimmy's
hair. Superman tries to follow the trail, but Edge has already prepared an
escape tunnel, and the baddies get away while destroying their old lab.
The next day, Edge unveils Simyan and Mokkari's newest headquarters: MUTANT
ISLAND! (We'll probably have to wait another year to see where *that* one
is going.)
Farly standard stuff, but it's nice to see a better mix of action and
adventure *and* development of the storylines. Bogdanove has handled the
slow moving "Save the Planet" story very well. In a typical scene, Lois and
Simone argue traditional journalism vs. Lexcom's infobyte collecting. While
his mentor, Louise Simonson, might have used this as an opportunity to
editorialize about the demise of conventional newspapers, Bog has Simone
get straight to the point: If Lois doesn't conform to Lexcom's system,
she'll be fired. Furthermore, it's good to see characters like Perry and...
Keith! My how he's grown. Nice to see that kid again on the eve of Simonson
and Bogdanove's departure.
The artwork is what you'd expect from Bogdanove and Janke; plenty of
exaggerated facial expressions and zany monsters. You either like it or
hate it with these two, and this issue's no different. (The tree monster
was my favorite.)
There are inconsistencies, though, which I think can be chalked up to
writer/artist problems. For one, Jon takes playful advantage of the cliches
of Metropolis. Residents are used to monster attacks, and Superman has no
trouble finding steel cable since there's always a construction site
nearby. Great... but why don't I see any construction sites in this issue?
There's no reason why the pictures shouldn't emphasize the words,
especially when the same guy is responsible for both. One panel I hated was
a small, cropped shot of Clark's face, packed with exposition about _Action
Comics_ #750. It's a ridiculous panel, especially since _Action_ #750 had
almost no effect on the story here. It's just wasted space.
It's rough in places, but overall a fun read. I hope that Bogdanove will
have a chance to refine his skills in future projects. In my estimation,
he's already on the right track.
Mike Smith
<mike_p_smith@hotmail.com>
===============================================
3. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW #12 Jan 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Need to Know"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciller: Paul Ryan
Inker: Joe Rubinstein
Letterer: John Costanza
Colors: Glenn Whitmore
Color Seps: Digital Chameleon
Lightning: Maureen McTigue
Lightning Bug: Joey Cavalieri
Special Thanks: Tom Christopher
Cover: Paul Ryan, Denis Janke, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 2.6/5.0 Shields
DWd: 2.0 Shields
DJ: 2.7 Shields - Decent issue, but there are too many plots going on.
This one felt like another generic 'Get Revenge on Luthor' story.
EM: 3.9 Shields - I don't know what the editors are feeding the writers,
but they should stay on this diet. So far, there are two new
characters in the same month that I want to see again.
GN: 3.4 Shields - Nice to some of the strains in the Kents' relationship
due to their employment status. Regarding Stryke, I wonder if
we're seeing the beginning of the return of Electri-Kal's suit?
JSy: 2.7 Shields - There are some nice things going on here, such as
Luthor's gradual return to his sneakier days, but on the whole
this issue left me flat.
MS: 0.9 Shields - Gosh, I sure wondered when they were gonna tie up all
those loose ends from _Man of Steel Annual_ #6! And this is
almost as easy to follow!
SDM: 2.7 Shields - Readable with some good characterization, but not
noteworthy. still don't get why DC has a "skip week" comic
that doesn't come out skip weeks.
TD: 2.2 Shields - Only marginally better than the specials that got
spewed up. Did we *really* need a sequel to the monumentally bad
_Man of Steel Annual_ #6?
Our story begins with Superman trying to intercept a lightning bolt for no
apparent reason except that it must look good as a dream sequence. Clark
wakes up in a sweat, shocked and relieved that, "It was only a dream..."
(insert sarcastic tone here).
Meanwhile over in S.T.A.R. Labs everyone is working hard on some experiment
far beyond the time when normal (and supernormal) people should be in bed.
Lo and behold, a lightning bolt streaks into the lab and takes humanoid
shape. Enter "Electro Man" (a.k.a. Stryke). Lucky for everyone involved
Superman was "in the area" as he comes smashing through the window (causing
headaches for the insurance people) to save the day. Superman, being the
intelligent super being that he is, flies at Stryke and ends up passing
straight through him. After some cliche army dialogue the unknown intruder
disappears and monsters start jumping at people from unknown places.
Now for something different. Thanks to a little internal dialogue, we learn
that Lois is as bored as hell in her new job. Little do us silly readers
know that this was Lex's plan all along (insert gasp of surprise). Lois
gets home at the end of the day to complain to Clark how much her job
sucks. Clark suggests she quit, at which point Lois starts going on about
the debts they have.
Let me stop here for a moment. A fair thought at this point would be, "Hang
on! Wouldn't there be some form of payment being received by Superman being
a member of The JLA?" This is a much larger debate than I have room to
address, so I shall leave it there. Anyone wishing to debate the issue may
feel free to contact me.
Summing up the rest of the issue, Lucy Lane tells her parents about her
pregnancy -- much to their horror (and totally unoriginal reaction).
Electro Man breaks into LexCom and Cadmus and steals information from their
computers in the same way he did at S.T.A.R. Labs. The SCU manages to track
down the perp only to have him get away because of interference by some
members of the DEO. The issue ends with Lois and Clark mulling over Lex's
involvement in everything bad that is going on lately.....
You're probably reading this thinking I'm being a bit harsh, and just a tad
sarcastic. Well, I'm a Superman fan from a long way back, but it's been a
long time since I've actually been impressed by an issue of the regular
super titles. The stories seem unoriginal and cliched while more emphasis
is placed on the supporting cast than the main character.
I'll get off my soapbox now and say I am *still* a Superman fan and hope
The Powers That Be realise that fans are only going to put up with crap
storylines for so long.
Darrin Wood
<dags@north.net.au>
___________________________________________
THE TRIANGLE TITLES (cont):
--------------------------
4. SUPERMAN #141 Jan 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Introducing Outburst!"
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Guest Penciller: Scot Eaton
Inker: Joe Rubinstein
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Assoc. Editor: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Jurgens and Rubinstein
RATINGS
Average: 3.1/5.0 Shields
TD: 3.7 Shields
DJ: 4.0 Shields - Despite it's obvious cheesiness, it was a highly
entertaining story. I never thought of Superman having a sidekick.
DWd: 3.0 Shields - Not too bad. I'd like to see how Mitch got these
powers, but yet again I'm more interested in a supporting
character than Superman.
EM: 3.3 Shields - Outburst should be hit by a bus. Soon. Jurgens was
doing so well recently. He used to create such cool characters;
remember Booster Gold?. The story was serviceable, though.
GN: 3.1 Shields - I am curious to see how Mitch got his powers, and how
he changed his tune regarding his new role model.
JE: 3.2 Shields - I've been waiting for the super-scribes to do
something with Mitch for quite some time; I only wish they could
have given him a better superhero identity and less generic powers.
JSy: 3.3 Shields - I was ambivalent about Outburst until we learned his
identity, and now I'm very interested to know what happened to
provide his powers. I also really liked the Eaton/Rubinstein art.
MS: 2.6 Shields - Finally Jurgens has found the perfect outlet for his
brand of snappy banter. As long as it's not coming out of Jimmy
Olsen or Lana Lang, it's not so bad.
Those of you who are just joining us at the Cybernet are prolly wondering
why I am the reviewer in charge of reviewing _Superman_. After all, my
outlook on the Superman Family Titles is relatively bleak; I tend to be the
hardest of the reviewers to impress and the one most willing to point out
flaws. I like to think Jeff and Shane keep me here because they realize a
true fan is like your best friend; he will tell you things you may not want
to hear, things about your flaws and failings, because dammit, he _cares_
enough to want you to better them. Thus I am brutal at times with
_Superman_ in general and Dan 'I Killed Superman' Jurgens in particular
because I care enough to want to see both improve (especially in light of a
handful of stories Jurgens came up with that were truly impressive).
I don't think the reason I'm here has anything to do with my tendency to
submit my reviews consistently on time.
I bring this up because I have before me an example of Jurgens writing that
even I am surprised to admit I like. Yes, it's flawed. It relegates Supes
to a supporting character in his own book, and it advances what is shaping
up to be the worst big story-line Team Super has ever come up with. Despite
this, there is a straight-out enthusiasm for what's going on that carried
me away, and a character who, despite seeming cliched, has several
implications that show promise for future stories.
A bunch of guys bust into Star Labs to lift scientific data on Superman's
biology. They are interrupted by a wise-cracking character in a red and
white outfit calling himself Outburst. Outburst proceeds to engage the men
in combat, utilizing a variety of powers vaguely based on magnetism. The
alarm goes off...
... and finally drags Superman into his own story on page eight. In the
other Super-books, Luthor has decided to break Lois and Clark, partially by
making sure the two have very little time together. In fact, Clark comes to
LexCom to pick up Lois, and is told that she has a meeting with Simone
(still the dullest character in the Superman mythos), all of which makes it
pretty fortunate that Clark hears STAR Labs' alarms going off, prompting
him to shoot off into action.
Once Superman arrives on the scene, he and Outburst mop up paramilitary
types left and right, until a prerequisite black helicopter starts shooting
prerequisite missiles at the facility. Superman just grits his teeth and
bears the brunt of the missile's blast. The paras drop some nasty ol' toxic
gas as they make good their escape. Outburst helps the Man of Steel dispose
of _that_ threat through judicious use of his magnetic abilities, and then
books to his house, where he is revealed to be a child whose family was
saved by Superman during the Doomsday crisis.
We now learn why the paras were after the info on Supes: Luthor, in cahoots
with the DEO, is still determined to produce synthetic Kryptonite. With
this new information, the goal is a lot more attainable.
As you can see, this plot is almost all fluff, one that forces Superman
into the background of his own book, yet for some reason I still liked it.
A lot of the reason _why_ I like it, I suppose, comes from Outburst
himself. Sure, he is the cliched 'happy go lucky punk kid' (Booster Gold,
anyone?), yet there are individual elements that appeal to me. Jurgens --
who was notorious for forcing Superman Red's dialogue into the groaner-land
last year -- actually reins in his love of Spice Girl jokes and makes the
bantering at least a little likable. On top of that, the kid has a frank
and seemingly honest hero worship of Supes. In the past, these kind of
characters have bucked the heroes of the status quo; Outburst likes the Man
of Steel and wants to emulate him in the best possible way.
Guest penciller Scot Eaton does not do as good a job. There's a definite
oil-&-water (or maybe I should say Cowan-&-Palmer) quality to the way his
pencils interact with Joe Rubinstein's inks. The two together create a
shockingly lumpen and ill-formed Superman (especially in page 10's full
page shot and the unintentionally embarrassing shot on page twelve of Supes
letting bullets bounce off him, one tracer comically ricocheting off his
forehead ). Even when characters are supposed to be smiling, they look
pained; look at page nine's top two panels for a prime example of that.
I've loved Scot Eaton's work in the past, and in some places it still has
its dynamic feel -- pages 4 and 5, featuring Outburst's first appearance,
are particularly kinetic -- but he's just not meshing with his inker, and
that's sad.
"Introducing Outburst!" is the type of Superman story I would usually
complain about. Oddly enough, even with its lightweight story and brief
reading time -- you can whiz through this thing in about three minutes --
it's got a quality to it. A good quality. Sure, it's not "Checkmate"; it's
not even "Within Human Reach," but it is worth a look.
Thomas Deja
<tdj723@webtv.net>
___________________________________________
SUPER-FAMILY TITLES:
-------------------
SUPERBOY #58 Jan 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Crash and Burn"
Storytellers: Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett
Guest Inker: Ray Kryssing
Colors: Buzz Setzer
Letters: Comicraft
Assistant: Frank Berrios
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Tom Grummett, Karl Kesel, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.4/5.0 Shields
RG: 4.0 Shields
DWd: 2.5 Shields - Very Average compared to the previous issues. Oh well;
you can't be perfect all the time.
EJ: 2.5 Shields - Not a good one, not a bad one either. I feel bad for
Roxy, and I wonder what this is leading up to.
EM: 3.7 Shields - Kesel and Grummett continue to channel Jack Kirby and
do it well.
JSy: 4.0 Shields - Another strong issue of the best super-hero comic that
DC publishes. My only complaints are that all the unfamiliar
characters were a bit confusing, and that Roxy left at the end.
SDM: 3.5 Shields - Fun, fun, fun. Great art, cool characters, and never
a lull in the action. I'm looking forward to getting to know the
new cast members -- Kesel is almost as good with creating new
characters as he is with using the Kirbyverse.
ST: 3.6 Shields - Another fun issue, with the first appearance of what
could be an interesting new mastermind/villain. Too bad Roxy left,
but I'm certain she'll be back.
The story picks up from where it left off at the end of last issue. Mickey,
Roxy, and Superboy are in the thick of the Demolition Run trying their best
to win, while doing what they can to protect the lives of the other racers.
This gets tough when the others are out for blood (or whatever bodily
fluids the other drivers have). Superboy has more than his hands full, as
even some of the race cars seem to have minds of their own.
It's near the end of the race when the last contestant, Fastback of the New
Gods, pops in via Boom Tube. This distracts Superboy and Mickey long enough
for one of the other contestants (a real Monster truck) to draw a bead on
the Whiz Wagon and seriously damage it. The Wagon crashes into another
contestant and goes down in flames. After rescuing Roxy and Mickey,
Superboy goes after the truck hoping to get a piece of the drivers. He
does, kind of, but this only narrows the field to the last two contestants;
Drag Queen and Fastback. After a bit of New Gods high tech magic, Fastback
wins easily and Mr. Big (the race sponsor) finally appears to pay off. He
isn't happy when Superboy (ticked at Mr. Big's refusal to help Roxy)
convinces Fastback to ask for a prize that will deprive him of all the
revenue that he would have earned from the race. Mr. Big isn't a good loser
and he leaves Superboy with the promise that he will make him pay.
Wow, Kirby could have done this book, and it wouldn't have been any better.
If you are anything at all like the Kirby fan that I am, this book (and the
preceding several) will make you fondly remember the old days. Everything
about this story brings back memories of Kirby's original stories of the
New Gods and the Forever People. It even had a Kirby style twist for an
ending where the 'bad guy' doesn't profit from his scheme. Beautiful work.
While the story had very little in the way of the characterization that I
look for, and Roxy ends up leaving us again, it was still a pleasure to
read. It may have been the glimpses we had of the other racers (and their
cars) or some of the by-play between Mickey and Superboy. Whatever it was,
it worked. Kesel and Grummett even managed to insert a bit of foreshadowing
with Dabney Donovan and Cadmus. One thing that got my attention was that
the drivers of the Monster Truck swore in the name of 'the Dabney'. I have
to wonder what the connection between them will be. Kirby never wasted
details and I suspect that Kesel and Grummett won't either. I can hardly
wait.
The art in the book is pure Kirby with a 90s twist. The better quality
printing and reproduction techniques coupled with Kirby's stylistic art and
simple backgrounds makes for a visual treat. While I would love to see this
book done on better quality paper, the newsprint goes a long way to keeping
the look and feel of an old Kirby story.
If you've been holding back on buying this book, now is the time to give it
a try, I think you'll be glad you did.
Rene Gobeyn
<bedlam@frontiernet.net>
===============================================
SUPERGIRL #28 Jan 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Hell Hath No Furies..."
Writer: Peter David
Penciller: Leonard Kirk
Inker: Robin Riggs
Letterer: Patricia Prentice
Colorist: Gene D'Angelo
Seps: Digital Chameleon
Outer Space: Frank Berrios
Lost in Space: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Kirk and Riggs
RATINGS
Average: 2.7/5.0 Shields
TD: 2.0 Shields
DWd: 2.0 Shields - I am *not* a fan of anything Fourth World, so this was
the most disappointed I've been in a Supergirl comic in a while.
EM: 4.3 Shields - This is the PAD I know and love. He tells the story
he wants to tell without violating any other story, and he even
remembers little tidbits about boom tubes... namely that they
not only traverse space, but they bring you to scale on the
planet you're booming to.
GN: 3.4 Shields - Clever use of Supergirl's powers by Peter David, not
to mention a great twist at the end.
JSy: 2.9 Shields - When Supergirl's not fighting, things are pretty
interesting, as PAD gives us nice characterization of and dialogue
by the supporting cast. There's just too much brawl for my taste.
ST: 2.5 Shields - A very average issue, with little to engage me. Kirk
and Riggs do their usual bang-up job, but ultimately this is a
book-long fight scene with the Female Furies -- nothing special.
VV: 2.0 Shields - Basically a big fight with little ongoing plot
development. Since I'm not a fan of the New Gods, I doubt if I'll
like next month's issue any better, but I *did* like Cutter's
first page appearance <g>.
For those of you not wanting to hear my griping, here's the short form of
the review: Supergirl fights with the Female Furies fighting Twilight
during a Space Girls concert. The Furies win. When they take Twilight,
Twilight's chickie pal in the Space Girls begs Supergirl to go after the
Furies. Supergirl tries, but pulls a Ray Palmer (and I *don't* mean she
reverts to a teenager). Not much else happens.
Look, fight scenes are cool if handled correctly. I'm not contesting that.
They also have the potential to be the most boring sequences in comics --
especially if produced by a writer and artist who's hearts are not in the
right place.
To be absolutely fair, David tries something interesting here. By
introducing a series of side vignettes that take place while Supergirl is
on stage betwixt rock and a bitch place, David and Kirk try to inject the
qualities for which they're famous. In fact, the book opens with the
somewhat comical sequence of Cutter fighting his way to his ex-girlfriend,
the Space Girl, chanting to himself 'Don't let it be a super-villain.' It's
not only amusing in its way, it's distinctly Cutter. On the other hand, the
vignette in which Dick Malverne tries to get to the stage to wreak revenge
on Twilight for almost killing his mother but is instead swept away by the
crowd falls flat; it almost trivializes what was one of the high points in
the series' post-Buzz existence for the sake of a gag.
Also, to be fair, David and Kirk do come up with some interesting fight
choreography. The Supergirl in this story is one who thinks, who takes
advantage of her surroundings and the changes she's gone through since she
last met with Twilight. David does go to the well of 'I may be an angel but
I can enjoy the sufferings of evil people' one too many times, but his
dialogue is, if not strong, at least interesting throughout. The story
overall just reads a little hollow because it is nothing more than a fight
scene; the only real non-fight scene, featuring Fred Danvers making a
connection between the Carnivore and Supergirl, could have used some
breathing space, or at least another cut scene.
Kirk and Riggs are still doing well, with Kirk's facial expressions still
being the best in the business right now. In fact, Kirk's talent with faces
is what saves some cliched sequences. For example, on page 14, Mad Harriet
is cowed by the Space-Girl-Who-Could-Be-Twilight's-Pal. We've seen this
kind of scene repeated in comic books throughout the decades; but Kirk's
progression of Mad Harriet from maniacal to contemptuous to genuinely
worried is brilliant, as is the way he gives Twilight an expressiveness
even when her face is fully concealed (look at the bottom panel of page
five for an example of this). Of course, the sad thing is that David has
this weapon for smaller, disquieting moments and simply wastes it on an
issue long fight scene.
So I'm not happy with "Hell Hath No Furies." I do not want _Supergirl_ to
become one of those sitting-around-getting angsty books like _Starman_ (
which is still an excellent book, don't get me wrong), and I definitely
don't want it to become another drawn-out excuse for David vaudeville. I
want it to be what it showed it could be with the end of the recent Comet
arc, or "My Dinner With Buzz." Having Linda knock heads with the Female
Furies isn't gonna make that happen.
Thomas Deja
<tdj723webtv.net>
===============================================
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #27 Jan 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"How Much Can One Man Hate?"
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciller: Aluir Amancio
Inker: Terry Austin
Colors: Marie Severin
Seps: Zylonol
Letters: Lois Buhalis
Assistant: Frank Berrios
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Rick Burchett and Terry Austin
RATINGS
Average: 3.1/5.0 Shields
CoS: 3.5 Shields - A new Superhero has come to town to replace Superman
and be the right hand man of Lex Luthor. We know Luthor's got
something up his sleeve, but what?
GN: 3.2 Shields - Good insight into Superman's greatest foe and a unique
use of Metallo to boot -- but "Superior Man"? Luthor should fire
the marketing guy that came up with that one.
JE: 2.8 Shields - I wasn't fond of this story. The concept was sound,
but the execution was weak. The name alone says it all: Superior
Man. That has got to be one of the worst names ever in the history
of comic books.
JSy: 3.1 Shields - Luthor is perfectly chilling in this story, and Millar
caught me completely off guard with the revelation of the villain.
Superman comes off a little angry at times, preachy at others.
ST: 2.9 Shields - Luthor continues to be the most one-dimensional villain
in the Rogue's gallery, and Millar does nothing to change that.
Maybe this is more acceptable in the 'adventures' universe where
people are supposed to be simple, but it just reminds me of why
it's tiresome. Points for Metallo and his reaction, though.
Why does Lex Luthor hate Superman? In comics of the early 40's, there
really wasn't a reason, since villains were villains because they were
villains. Then, it was added that Lex Luthor and Superboy had been close
friends until Superboy caused one of Luthor's experiments to go wrong,
making Luthor both bald and mad at the world. When Byrne and Wolfman did
their reboot of Superman, Luthor was turned into Metropolis's most
prominent citizen who felt as though he had dropped to second place when
Superman came to town. There has been a lot more added to Lex's background
over the past twelve years, some of which made him seem like a copy of
Frank Miller's version of "The Kingpin," and some that made him a genuinely
perfect opponent for Superman.
The animated series and connected comic book have done a good job of making
their Luthor a good foe for Superman. He is a ruthless businessman who is
able to cover his tracks and get out of paying for the schemes and attacks
that Superman stops. In the latest issue of _Superman Adventures_, the
spotlight falls on Luthor, showing him in a different light than any
previous feature.
The story begins as Superman drops off the remnants of some robots --
Luthor's latest attack. While both Superman and Luthor know what is going
on, Lex has been able to legally maintain his innocence. As Superman
leaves, Luthor and Mercy review the cost of his ongoing battle with The
Action Ace. (Since the comic never uses that nickname any more, I'm going
to -- mostly so I'm not writing "Superman" every sentence). We discover
that it is such an obsession with Luthor that he has it built into his
company's budget.
Later, the staff of the Daily Planet learns that The Parasite resurfaced,
but before Superman can swing into action, the criminal is defeated by a
new super-hero. The new hero poses for the press and introduces himself as
Superior Man -- since he is here to stop the menaces that Superman can't
handle. After he makes Metropolis a crime free zone, Superior Man announces
that he will work with Lex Luthor to make Metropolis into a virtual utopia.
Superman is left with little to do but find lost cats, when Superior Man
arrives to taunt him.
The two heroes settle their differences by paying a nice game of Monopoly.
No? All right, they decide who will be Metropolis's super-hero by playing
freeze tag. You don't buy that either? How about they have a moderated
debate, where each person gets 15 minutes to speak and a 5 minute rebuttal?
OK, alright -- they fight. (Who'da guessed it in a superhero comic?)
Superior Man shows his true colours, blasting Superman with Kryptonite eye
beams and calling it a gift from Luthor. During the battle, Superior Man is
revealed as Metallo, the man with the Kryptonite heart; turns out he's been
brainwashed by Luthor to do Luthor's bidding. Metallo doesn't take this at
all well, and goes after Luthor, only to be stopped by Superman. Superman
leaves Luthor by saying, "You were blessed with a brilliant mind. You could
make the world such a wonderful place. Stop wasting your life trying to
destroy it."
The story ends with Luthor ranting that he will increase the budget for the
next year on his Superman attacks, and he has already started his next
plan. He does this while remembering his childhood, where he vowed to have
everyone look up to him in Metropolis, and he would be able to look down on
everyone.
After being unimpressed with Millar's work on this title, this issue worked
quite well for me. The pacing of the story was well done, with a nice mix
of action and plot to keep things moving. The final pages are particularly
well scripted, showing Superman's confusion at Luthor as well as Luthor's
maniacal hatred through pacing and dialogue. You almost think Superman has
made a breakthrough in the panel where Luthor talks about how all his
schemes and money have not done anything to get him what he wants. This
story also shows that if the main plot is strong, minor quibbles (such as a
window on the top floor of a skyscraper that opens) are not noticed until
the reader has put the book away.
Amancio does a nice job handling the parts of the story where Luthor and
Mercy are talking, varying angles and using techniques to make the panels
seem like they are bursting with action when the plot is being moved along.
Particularly well done are the aforementioned last three pages. He captures
the mood perfectly on page 20, adding power to Millar's dialogue. Page 21,
showing Luthor's past is also well done, shifting perspectives, showing
just enough of Luthor's bad home life without rubbing the reader's nose in
it. On this page, Marie Severin uses shades of a single colour not only to
denote memory but also to heighten the drama of the scene. It is a
technique that served her well as staff colorist for EC Comics in the
1950s, and it works again here.
After this issue, I have to admit, I prefer this Lex Luthor to the one in
the continuity books. This one is more complicated, more single-minded and
a better opponent for Superman. That, and he hasn't died, been cloned, sold
his soul, been arrested, been convicted, and all the things that have been
done to Luthor since his reboot. Luthor should be Superman's ultimate
opponent. Millar has shown us both how and why.
Cory Strode
<Solitaire.Rose@worldnet.att.net>
___________________________________________
TEAM TITLES:
-----------
JLA #25 Jan 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Scorched Earth"
Writer: Grant Morrison
Penciller: Howard Porter
Inker: John Dell
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Colorist: Pat Garrahy
Separations: Heroic Age
Assoc. Editor: Tony Bedard
Editor: Dan Raspler
Cover: Porter and Dell
RATINGS
Average: 3.2/5.0 Shields
AW: 3.0 Shields
DWd: 3.0 Shields - Like an action film; a lot of fighting but not much of
a storyline. A nice bit of escapism.
DWk: 3.0 Shields - Morrison on autopilot; his weakest issue to date. Good
characterization, but a forced and silly plot.
EM: 4.0 Shields - I thought they were going to be a joke, but Morrison
actually makes it seem plausible that the UM can take on the JLA
toe-to-toe.
JE: 4.1 Shields - The battle between the Ultra-Marines and the JLA was
fabulous. Porter and Dell still need improvement, but were strong
here. The ending looks to be predictable, but the journey is
entertaining enough for me.
JSy: 3.0 Shields - The concept of a well-trained military squad taking
down the JLA is interesting, but unbelievable. I don't care how
good they are, they're not going to take out Superman, Wonder
Woman, or Zauriel for more than a mere moment.
VV: 3.0 Shields - Fight. Why don't we team up? Yeah, that works! Please
don't use the "Let's work as a team!" theme too often; I would
hope that the heroes would have learned that lesson by now.
In this issue, General Eiling's plot to take over the United States moves
forward and DC's favorite plot device, the meta-gene, rears its mutated
head once again.
The last issue ended as the four-member UltraMarine Corps (UMC) launched
its assault on the JLA. This issue consists mainly of the ensuing battle,
in which the UMC mops the floor with the JLA and manages to trash much of
Phoenix, Arizona in the bargain. Meanwhile, Batman, Plastic Man and the
Huntress launch an assault on Eiling's stronghold, infiltrating it just in
time to discover that General Eiling has transferred his consciousness from
his own body into the near-invulnerable body of the Shaggy Man.
I was skeptical at first, but Eiling and the UMC have actually become
formidable opponents for the JLA. The plot, however, is still shaky: I
don't think anybody believes seizing power is as easy as telling off the
President, I don't understand why the UMC is fighting for the guy who's
killing them (I know, a soldier's sense of duty, but come on!), and the
meta-gene still rates as one of the most overused plot devices in comicdom
today. Still, Morrison has managed to balance characterizations with
action.
Then there is the UMC itself. They're not just mindless soldiers following
orders, but are struggling with the knowledge that they're fighting real
heroes and that their powers are killing them. It's their sense of duty and
devotion to each other that keeps them going.
Then there's Plastic Man. While I still think he's completely out of place
here, I must admit that he's consistently annoying issue after issue.
Just as consistent is Zauriel's inability to do anything but be a target,
while those shooting at him go "look, it's an angel." I do think Zauriel
has a lot of potential, but in his own series, not in a team comic.
I'm never sure what to say about the art. Dell and Porter do a reasonably
good job each issue, with very strong layouts and some excellent individual
panels, but there's a certain crudity and inconsistency in the artwork that
bothers me from time to time, especially in the heads and faces. It's
exciting artwork, but not the kind of artwork I would spend hours pouring
over, as I do with say, Neal Adams or Walt Simonson's work.
Still Morrison, Dell, and Porter have refined last issue's pedestrian plot,
added some interesting characters and plot twists, and even made it
interesting enough to have me looking forward to next issue's resolution.
Anatole Wilson
<awilson@us.oracle.com>
===============================================
YOUNG JUSTICE #4 Jan 1999 $2.50 US/$3.95 CAN
"Harm's Way"
Writer: Peter David
Pencils: Todd Nauck
Inks: Lary Stucker
Colorist: Jason Wright
Seps: Digital Chameleon
Letters: Kenny Lopez
Asst. Ed.: Frank Berrios
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Cover: Nauck and Stucker
RATINGS
Average: 3.5/5.0 Shields
GR: 2.9 Shields
DWd: 3.5 Shields - Nice to see the girls in the clubhouse. I like the
energy they exhibit as a new, young group of heroes and will be
sticking around to see the outcome.
EJ: 4.3 Shields - The art was one of the best efforts ever! I *love* the
new Wonder Girl, and Arrowette intrigues me. Can't *wait* to see
what Secret is up to. As to Harm, quite frankly, I hope he is
destroyed. I *hated* the way he talked to his parents!
EM: 3.0 Shields - It's getting better. Perhaps by issue 6, PAD will have
written Impulse properly. The DEO is the greatest contribution to
the DCU since the Suicide Squad. Still, there's a spark missing.
JSy: 4.0 Shields - Nauck's art continues to grow on me, and PAD does a
wonderful job of presenting a truly chilling villain in Harm while
still managing to intersperse humor at just the right times.
VV: 3.0 Shields - I picked this up since I liked the last issue. It was
a good read, and it will be interesting to see which of the girls
want to stay, and why.
So you think PAD hasn't been serious enough in these pages, huh? You think
the levity needs some gravity? Well, PAD hears you, like he always does.
His m.o. is to address us fans on the first page. Up til now, he's done so
humorously, parodying his other work and so forth, but on the first page of
"Harm's Way," PAD looks directly at us through eyes glazing over with
shock. There's an arrow sticking through the shoulder of a young girl.
"Wait a minute... this... this isn't funny..." she murmurs, and she's
right. The vein opened here is anything but jocular. This sickening image
casts its shadow over the rest of the proceedings. If you disdain the
"funny" in funny books, then this one's for you.
Not that the funny business has screeched to a halt. There's plenty of the
usual youthful hi-jinks. We find the boys -- Robin, Superboy, Impulse -- in
Spain for the Running of The Bulls. While foiling a lovely Latin villainess
dubbed Tora, they run quite a lot of bull among themselves. Again, though,
violence throws its shadow in the form of their mysteriously bloody
Super-Cycle.
As promised last issue, this is the one where the girls show up: Arrowette
(whom we found on page one with her namesake in her shoulder), Wonder Girl,
and the wispy Secret. When Secret expresses her desire to introduce Wonder
Girl to her friends, Wonder Girl replies, "What are their names? Ban, Right
Guard, and Old Spice?" No, Secret has even smellier friends in mind --
Robin, Impulse, and Superboy.
Turn the page, however, and things get grim once more. PAD takes us home to
meet the source of Arrowette's pain and confusion. He calls himself "Harm,"
and he's every parent's nightmare! The costume is so derivative as to be
comic, but his parents' terror is anything but. Their cold, despairing fear
is almost palpable.
The remainder of this segment (to be concluded in _Young Justice Secret
Files_ #1) puts Superboy and the lovesick Wonder Girl in battle with Harm
and concludes with Secret's plea of help for other beings of her kind, but
after the shock of seeing a wounded girl, a bloody backseat, and a chilling
domestic scene, it was a little hard for me to snap shift back down into
the lower gear of standard comic book doings. PAD see-saws back and forth
between horror and humor. It's not an enjoyable ride.
As a father, nothing is more frightening to me than the prospect of
children gone wrong. PAD evidently knows that same fear. In the space of a
page, he proves once again that he's more than just a writer of funny
stuff. Like Stephen King, he knows how to use the Boogeyman to get at the
things that really scare people.
I don't think he should -- at least, not here. I think _Young Justice_
works better as comedy-adventure. The blood and gore, the adult fears, are
better left to some other book. For good or ill, PAD has crafted something
akin to Tom Sawyer in this series, albeit with lots of sitcom dialogue and
fantastical situations Mark Twain couldn't imagine. Why shouldn't YJ be a
rollicking kids adventure, and stay a rollicking kids' adventure? I don't
see many others like that on the stands, do you? If it appears to be the
same thing over and over again, at least it's one whole thing, not two
conflicting things.
I don't blame PAD. He's just doing the job we want him to do. We fans want
the vicarious thrill of super-powers and derring-do, and those of us who've
been around awhile want "reality" injected into these fantasies too. After
all, some of us look pretty silly standing in line at the Kwik-E-Mart with
just a couple garishcomics in our hand. (Oh, the blessed anonymity
specialty shops afford!) We therefore must be able to plead a certain level
of sophistication within these pages... and yet -- oh, how I hate to do it!
-- I submit that our spandex-fantasies are too tight to accommodate graphic
violence and real-life concerns. When all is said and done, when we pundits
sink down in exhaustion and wait for our blue faces to return to their
natural color, the fact still remains: These are stories about people who
fly through the air with monograms stitched on their ridiculously inflated
chests! This is -- ready for it? -- kid stuff!
Please don't misunderstand me. Don't flood me with angry e-mail. I'm not
trying to be an iconoclastic Jack Nicholson ("You can't handle the truth!")
character here. I love Superman and all his super friends and family too
well for that! Maybe I'm mourning -- too late! -- the innocence such
characters used to display, or the fact that, these days, most kids are
strangers to super-hero comics. Or maybe, if they bother me so much, I
oughta just grow up and quit reading the damned things.
I'll laugh at myself in the morning. I think.
Gary Robinson
<robinfam@akron.infi.net>
___________________________________________
SPECIALS AND MINISERIES:
-----------------------
SUPERMAN: PEACE ON EARTH Jan 1999 $9.95 US/$15.75 CAN
Story: Alex Ross and Paul Dini
Text: Paul Dini
Art: Alex Ross
RATINGS
Average: 4.9/5.0 Shields
ST: 5.0 Shields
DWk: 4.6 Shields - Wow. This is _beautiful_. I understand there's a story
too, but I don't think that's really the point.
EM: 5.0 Shields - Wow. Just wow. This makes an excellent coffee-table
piece, and the Treasury format is worth every penny. This is the
type of book that should be reserved for this format.
GN: 4.8 Shields - A masterpiece. Here, we see Superman serving not only
as protector of mankind, but as a symbol of hope and his attempt
to be a role model to the citizens of earth.
JSy: 4.5 Shields - The story actually left me a little bit cold, though
this was due to my expectations and not to the quality of the
tale. All things considered, though, I'd just as soon see this
in the Prestige Format at $5.95.
MS: 5.0 Shields - SUPER-size format! SUPER-Congress-addressing action!
SUPER-lion-taming! Come on, how can anyone not like this?
SY: 4.9 Shields - Loved it! Just missed out on a 5.0 by the fact that
Alex Ross makes his Superman look a touch too old for my liking.
VV: 5.0 Shields - I almost put this down, but once I looked inside and
saw the artwork, I'm glad I got it. Of course, trying to find a
bag and board to preserve it is another issue...
Synopsis:
It's Christmas in Metropolis, and Superman is performing his yearly task of
delivering and decorating the city's Christmas tree. Of course, as at every
appearance, throngs of people turn up to see him, talk to him, interview
him, touch him. In the crush of the crowd, however, someone gets trampled.
Superman saves the young girl, only to realize that she is undernourished
and probably homeless. Superman takes the still-unconscious girl to a
homeless shelter, and then returns the next day as Clark Kent to check up
on her. The shelter's doctor assures him that this girl will be fine... but
laments that it's too bad Superman can't be there to save everyone. Clark
agrees.
The doctor's words stir feelings in Clark. He knows that he can't possibly
feed, shelter, or save everyone in the world but maybe -- just maybe -- he
can perform one huge act which will act as a beacon for others, prompting
them to do what they can as individuals to solve the problem. With this
thought in mind, Superman addresses the Congress, asking permission to
harvest all the unwanted crops in the USA and deliver them to as many
people as possible in one day. They agree, and work begins.
The mission starts out well. Many people help collect and organize the
food, and the earliest shipments to a native reserve in the American
Southwest and to starving children in Rio de Janiero go well, buoying
Superman's confidence and resolve. The first sour note comes in a war-torn
European country, where a small child asks if Superman will come back
tomorrow. Still, he is met by many grateful and hungry people as he criss-
crosses the world with his tanker-ships and boxcars of food, stopping many
times on every inhabited continent.
On one of the trips to Africa, Superman is slowed significantly by a nearby
forest fire. The stampede of fleeing animals is heading straight for the
refugees who have come for assistance, and Superman must take precious time
out of his busy schedule to divert and pacify the beasts, then put out the
fire. It is an encounter with a different kind of beast that really starts
the downward spiral of his day, though. A military dictator in an unnamed
Asian country greets the Man of Steel as he makes his delivery. He insists
that he will gladly hand out the food himself so as to save Superman
precious time. The dictator is a well-known crook, and will likely take all
the food for himself, so Superman defies him and continues to give the food
to those who need it. The dictator orders his soldiers to open fire on the
hungry citizens, forcing Superman to drop the food so he can save them.
Realizing that he cannot protect the civilians forever, and that this can
only end in a time-wasting stalemate at best, Superman abandons the food
where it fell and continues on his way.
The downward spiral continues. In some places, people are too afraid or
untrusting to come and get the food Superman brings, and so it is left to
the rats. In others, the citizenry itself refuses to accept his presence,
calling him a tool of propaganda. In others still, the hungry are so
desperate that they nearly tear themselves and each other to shreds in a
rush to get the food that he has brought. The final straw comes when one
government, rather than let Superman land with much-needed food, sends
missiles filled with poison that destroy the vessels and contaminate the
grain.
It is only when Clark is sitting at home, contemplating his incomplete task
and listening to the pundits discuss the successes and failures of his
mission, that he realizes he tried to give the wrong thing. Instead of
giving material goods, he should have been trying to give the world
inspiration and a sense of direction. Thus, through an interview given to
Clark Kent, Superman exhorts everyone to be compassionate -- to reach out
and to share what they have with those in need, especially with the young,
for they are truly the future. The book closes on a scene that duplicates
something we saw at the beginning of the book. In the light of spring,
Clark takes the time to go and practice what he preaches, teaching
youngsters how to properly sow seeds in a prepared field just as Jonathan
Kent taught a young Clark years ago. He knows that not every seed will make
it, but all of them deserve the chance to grow.
Opinions:
Let's start with the art, since it is the most immediately arresting
feature of the book. Any comics fan who has not heard of Alex Ross has been
living in a cave for the past six years. Ross is most famous for
illustrating _Marvels_ in 1993 and for _Kingdom Come_ in 1996. He doesn't
draw comics in a traditional sense, with inked pencils and four colours,
but rather creates paintings of comic-book characters using traditional
comic-book conventions and styles. Everyone in his work is a person -- a
real person, wearing real clothes, doing real things. (I think his heroes
are the only ones to look as though the costumes they wear are real and not
just painted on over their physique.) Really, it is unfair to compare the
work of Alex Ross to anything else in the industry, as his technique allows
for so much more of everything than the standard method. Many people will
buy whatever he does regardless of whether or not they are fans of the
actual characters in the stories. Overall, this book is a visual
masterpiece, and if you haven't seen it I just don't have the talent to
describe it to you.
What of the story? Well, let me say first that I applaud the decision to go
with narration from a single point of view, allowing them to eschew
word-balloons in favour of the elegant typeface used here. The story itself
works to great effect because it shows us both what Superman can do, and
what he cannot. With his immense power, he speaks of crossing the globe
multiple times in a single day, all the while carrying multi-ton loads...
yet he is powerless before the obstinacy of those who will not accept his
well-meaning aid. In the end, he chooses to do what he does best; stand as
a symbol for all that is right and good, and as a goal towards which others
may work.
(A side note for continuity buffs: I have no proof, but I strongly suspect
that Dini's tale features a pre-Crisis Superman and not the current
incarnation. Several things suggest this: the power-level he demonstrates
here is far in excess of his current capacity, his reminiscences at the
beginning imply that Jonathan Kent is dead, Clark comments that he has
never felt hunger whereas post-Byrne he was 'normal' until his teens, and
he carries with him the aloof sense of solitude that characterized the
god-like Silver Age Superman. He has no mate in which he can confide either
his hopes or his failures but bears his burdens alone on his invulnerable
shoulders. In the end, none of it matters significantly, but I found it
interesting that Dini chose to use this archetype instead of the current
one.)
Finally, What of the size? This Treasury Edition format is something that
we haven't seen in comics for a while. We used to get them back when comics
still cost a quarter, and they held big stories with big pictures --
stories like Spider-Man vs. Superman, Batman vs. The Incredible Hulk,
Superman vs. Muhammed Ali, and the LSH story where Bouncing Boy and Duo
Damsel get married and have to retire from the Legion. As audiences became
more sophisticated and specialty stores arrived, publishers stopped making
them. There are probably good reasons for that; they're expensive, they're
bulky, they're awkward, and they don't easily store in standard-sized comic
boxes. Well, that's fine because this comic shouldn't be *in* a box; it
should be out on display where every non-fan who walks into your house can
see it. It should be on your coffee table. It should be a topic of
conversation, wherein you can show those who are not aficionados of the
form just how good a comic book can be.
If DC expects me to spend as much on a single book as I would on any *five*
regular books, it had darn well better be as enjoyable and entertaining as
any five regular comic books. Simply put, this was. While I don't think I
would relinquish five issues of _Astro City_ to own this, it easily
replaces almost any other $16 worth of Superman-related comics I could have
bought in 1998... or almost any other year.
Shane Travis
<travis@sedsystems.ca>
___________________________________________
SPECIALS AND MINISERIES (cont):
------------------------------
SUPERMAN: THE DOOMSDAY WARS #2 Jan 1999 $4.95 US/$7.50 CAN
"Life"
Writer/Pencil Artist: Dan Jurgens
Finished Ink Artist: Norm Rapmund
Letterer: John Workman
Colorist: Gregory Wright
Separator: Android Images
Cover: Jurgens and Rapmund
RATINGS
Average: 2.9/5.0 Shields
GR: 2.0 Shields
DJ: 1.8 Shields - I'm getting rather jaded at DC's inability to kill
someone permanently; next thing you know, Conduit will be back.
EJ: 4.2 Shields - The art was INCREDIBLE! I LOVED the way Clark related
his current struggles to an all-too-human one years past.
JE: 4.7 Shields - Jurgens really came through on this one. While I still
wish that Doomsday had become intelligent on his own, I loved this
issue. For only the second time since Crisis, Brainiac is a truly
frightening villain, finally living up to his potential.
MS: 2.0 Shields - Absolutely no surprises here, but somehow this still
managed to intrigue me. And fewer people saying "Duh!" and
"Clarkster" than last issue.
SY: 2.5 Shields - I was kind of disappointed at the explanation of
Doomsday's new intelligence, and the lack of Editor's notes to
remind us when and where particular things happened.
VV: 3.0 Shields - Okay, I'll buy the idea that Brainiac took over
Doomsday; just explain to me how he (a) time-travelled, and
(b) knew what Doomsday's final fate was. Has he had any reason
to probe Superman's mind about Doomsday since _Hunter/Prey_?
It's all a matter of perspective. I came to this keyboard intending to
trash _Doomsday Wars_ and leave it lying in ruins. Then I spoke with my
son... But before I tell you what he said, let me tell you about Book Two.
When we last left the Man of Steel in these pages, he had decided to fly
the prematurely born infant of Lana and Pete Ross to an advanced medical
facility in Atlanta. Memories of the past and fears for the future were
plaguing him. He had no knowledge that Doomsday had returned and defeated
the JLA.
Chapter Two begins with another flashback to when Clark failed to get to Pa
Kent's cattle before they starved to death in the snow. Determined not to
fail those he loves again, Superman heads for Atlanta with baby-on-board.
In the skies above rural Georgia he re-encounters his nemesis, who is now
able to think and speak. In the course of the battle, Doomsday reveals that
he is actually Brainiac (whom Superman fought early last issue) in the body
of the monster. Doomsday's old personality is struggling to get out,
though, and Brainiac must create a new body in which to house his brain. As
Chapter Two ends, the JLA is imprisoned in Doomsday-Brainiac's stronghold,
Superman is stymied, and the villain prepares to grow a new, more
manageable Doomsday body from -- gulp -- the raw tissue of baby Ross.
After a rather bumpy takeoff, Jurgens' story is now in full flight. What,
if anything, do I like about it? Well, the thing does have a manic energy
-- a pulp fervor that reminds me of the earliest Lee-Kirby collaborations.
Speaking of Marvel, Doomsday-Brainiac's dialogue reminds me of a comment
Ben Grimm once made about villains all the time "makin' cornball speeches."
This chapter also reminds me of those old horror flicks which featured
Lionel Atwill or Bela Lugosi or J. Carroll Naish quite literally trying to
get into the head of the Frankenstein monster. (It's a scheme which, by the
way, puts a new twist on Billy Crystal's "Fernando" routine: "It is better
to look good than to feel good." becomes "It is better to kick butt than to
look good!") Indeed, the Mad Scientist motif may be intentional; Prin Vnok,
Brainiac's lackey, keeps calling him "Master." All Jurgens and Rapmund
needed to do to complete the homage to Universal Pictures was render the
lab scenes in black-and-white. The villain is certainly mad enough for an
old melodrama, his scheme as atrocious as it is audacious.
Not that the nostalgia is thick enough to fog over inconsistencies and
flaws. For example, Jurgens' script declares Smallville Hospital inadequate
to meet the vital needs of the Ross' newborn. In Lana's own words, "They
don't have the facilities, equipment, or talent to keep him alive until
morning." Thus the need to super-fly the little one to Atlanta. Okay. So
how is it that these ill-equipped no-talents are able to come up with a
backpack ventilator for baby Ross to ride in, complete with "a small oxygen
tank, a pressurization unit, and even a gyroscopic balancer to account and
correct for your flight maneuvers"? Oh well, in the modest words of one of
these poor quacks, the thing is "rather crude."
Once baby Ross is in the air, Pete Ross goes ballistic. Some will excuse
his extreme and uncharacteristic rancor on the grounds that he's worried
about what Lana still feels for Clark, but Jurgens takes Pete too far over
the top. Lines such as "Superman? Why? He needs my kid to catch a crook? I
won't allow this, Lana" sound not simply fearful, worried, or even jealous,
but stupid. For crying out loud, the life of the man's son is at stake!
Jurgens hasn't increased the suspense by making Pete Ross, a man supposedly
worthy of Lana's love and Clark's friendship, into a mere jerk. Like he did
with Superman last issue, Jurgens missteps badly with characterization.
Some might find the plight of the infant Ross (Why didn't Pete and Lana
pick a name for this kid before he was born? Most parents-to-be do), whom
Doomsday-Brainiac plans to reshape into his own twisted image, riveting. If
so, more power to them. So far, however, the kid has survived a high-speed
flight across several states in a glorified pantyhose egg, a missile
attack, the pummeling of Superman (still holding the kid in his arms, yet)
by Doomsday, and being handled by the dishpan hands of the brute himself.
I'm not lying awake nights over this little didy-wetter. So long as they
remember to support his widdle head, I think his chances are pretty good!
The art is pretty good, even occasionally arresting. The layout of page 18,
for example, communicates simply and powerfully Superman's shock and terror
at Doomsday's return. (It also reminds me of the great Gil Kane's work.)
The full page that Jurgens and Rapmund take to display the sufferings of
the JLA isn't wasted, nor is the space used to depict the tragic fate of Pa
Kent's cattle. From time to time, however, perspective is annoyingly
skewed. Look at Panel 4 on page 5: Where is Clark standing? It looks as
though Lana must be holding him in the crook of her arm. Then, like last
time, there's the disappointing lack of detail. When Doomsday commandeers
a sophisticated jet fighter, he smirks, "A rather simple instrument panel,
easily adapted to my needs" -- a bit of unintentional humor, there,
considering that the instrument panel of my Escort wagon looks more complex
than what Doomsday sees.
I had more, and worse, to say about this chapter of DWs. But during a break
from the keyboard, I asked my fifteen-year-old son what he thought of it.
Knowing that Dad wasn't very happy with it, he grinned and said, "I kinda
got into it." I returned to my review with a new perspective. I could see
why Alex got into it. There's plenty of action. The colors look great.
(Thanks, Gregory Wright. I like comic book green guys, and yours are the
greenest I've ever seen.) And, of course, we both want to know how ol'
Supe's gonna pull the fat of young and old out of the fire. Maybe it's not
as bad as I thought -- at least, not for everybody. Who knows? Some young
kid might pick the thing up and read it and be enthralled. Where I find a
roadblock of contrivance, making me swerve around the story, he might find
a hook drawing him deeper into it. Where I yawn, he might gasp. I see yet
another Superman story. He might see the Man himself in all his strength,
splendor, and nobility.
It's all a matter of perspective, isn't it?
Thanks, Son.
Gary Robinson
<robinfam@akron.infi.net>
===============================================
SUPERMAN: SILVER BANSHEE #2 Jan 1999 $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN
Writer: Dan Brereton
Penciller: Joyce Chin
Inker: Andy Lanning
Letterer: Ellie de Ville
Colorist: James Sinclair
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Assistant: Maureen McTigue
Pumpkin: Joey Cavalieri
Painted Cover: Dan Brereton
RATINGS
Average: 2.5/5.0 Shields
JE: 3.0 Shields
DJ: 1.5 Shields - I'm sick of villains suddenly becoming good. Can't
they be selfish once in awhile?
DWk: 2.9 Shields - Nicely drawn and evocatively designed, but the story
made no sense at all. At *all*.
EM: 4.0 Shields - Banshee has always been a tragic character. That she is
written to sacrifice her one shot at peace to save another person
just worked for me. Cliche? Sure, but it was done well.
JSy: 2.5 Shields - I'm not really clear on what happened between Banshee
and Lacy, or on what their particular connection is now, and I'm
really not interested in seeing this gratuitous artwork in my
Superman books. I also still don't understand why the *story*
couldn't have been told in the monthlies.
TD: 2.8 Shields - It had its moments, even though it sometimes got
excruciatingly hard to follow....
VV: 1.0 Shields - I'm still not sure what happened to the Banshee at the
end; I guess I'm just not a fan of this genre.
As I said in my review of _Superman/Silver Banshee_ #1, Silver Banshee has
always been one of my favorite Superman villains. She was a tortured soul
who had been cursed by her own family and wanted vengeance against them
more than anything else... but she had never planned on encountering
Superman. Superman bested her time and time again, and she hated him for
it. The thing of it is, she also saw in him all the qualities the other men
in her life lacked: integrity, honor, and compassion. She fell in love with
the Man of Steel and used magic to make him fall in love with her. She
finally released him from his magical bondage in order to save the Earth
from her insane ancestor, thus redeeming herself and her family line. Those
were the traits that made Silver Banshee one of the great Superman villains
-- traits she unfortunately lacks in this series.
The story begins with a quick recap of the previous issue, then jumps
straight into the action. Lacy is shot and falls through a window,
plummeting to certain death, but is saved by the Silver Banshee. To save
Lacey's life, the two merge into one hybrid being with Lacy's face and the
Silver Banshee's body. Lacy's persona is in control, with the Banshee being
only a disembodied voice Lacy hears in her mind. Thorpe and the undead
Trickertreaters attack the Banshee. The Silver Banshee quickly disposes of
the Trickertreaters with her wail, but Thorpe lives because she does not
know his name.
The scene changes to Hecate's lair. The witch has bound Superman to an
altar with her magic, saying that she will use him as the host for a demon
and use Lois as its sacrifice. The scene shifts again to the Silver
Banshee's battle with Thorpe. Thorpe is in possession of the amulet and is
therefore immune to the Banshee's powers. He strikes her and leaves her for
dead, then returns to Hecate's home with the amulet. Hecate has already
summoned a multi-tentacled monstrosity called the Puppeteer. When Thorpe
sees it attacking the Man of Steel, he has an attack of conscience and
hurls himself at Hecate in an attempt to stop her. She repulses him easily,
and all looks lost until the Silver Banshee comes crashing in. The Banshee
and Hecate begin to exchange blows and in the confusion Thorpe frees Lois.
Lois tries to escape, but is knocked unconscious by the demon.
The Silver Banshee unleashes her wail on Hecate, forcing her to drop the
amulet. Thorpe and Superman both become ensnared in the coils of the
Puppeteer. The Silver Banshee realizes she could slay the demon, but that
Superman would die in the process. Picking up the dropped amulet, Banshee
uses it to amplify and focus her wail. This forces the Puppeteer off
Superman and back into the netherworld that spawned it, dragging Hecate
with it.
The Silver Banshee's spirit exits Lacy's body, but doing so reveals that
Lacy is dying. The Crone appears, telling them that Lacy's death has freed
the Banshee; now they are both free to enter the next world. The Banshee
refuses this offer and pulls both Lacy and herself back to living world. In
the physical world, Lois and Clark discuss their evening. Lacy awakens and
wonders how she survived this whole ordeal. Superman offers Lacy a lift
home, but she declines, instead choosing to walk home. She is surprised
when the Silver Banshee appears still wearing Lacy's face. It seems that to
save Lacy's life, the Banshee linked their life force together. Both women
accept their fate and look forward to the future.
The second issue of _Superman/Silver Banshee_ was a big disappointment. I
was a bit letdown by the first issue, but I knew its main purpose was to
set up issue two so I expected this to be better. Too bad I was wrong.
The characterization continued to be a sticking point with me. It seems
that Silver Banshee has gone the Venom route and become pseudo-hero,
something I never wanted to see, and her former relationship with the Man
of Steel -- that of villain and lover -- seems to be totally forgotten in
the context of this story. Superman also suffered from bad writing. In the
past Superman has defeated villains like Hecate and the Puppeteer with
ease, but this Superman couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag and was
completely unable to aid in defeating the villain.
The plot holes and continuity gaffes also caused me a bit of grief. On page
one Lacy is holding the medallion, but by page four it has somehow found
its way around Thorpe's neck. Another even more disconcerting plot hole
appears on page fifteen, when Banshee sends the Puppeteer back to the
netherworld. This actually happens off-panel, so I can only suppose that
Hecate goes with her. Thorpe also turns up MIA at the end of the issue; he
just disappears at the end of the story.
What angered me most about this issue was that it could have so great.
Brereton did a decent job in the first issue for a first-time Superman
writer, and Ms. Chin drew some very eerie characters and scenery. I also
thought that the characters of Hecate and Thorpe had great potential as
supernatural villains for Superman. All of this potential was wasted in the
second issue when Hecate and Thorpe both disappeared and the Silver
Banshee, one of Superman's greatest mystical villains, was ruined by her
transformation into a hero. I can only hope that Brereton wrote this series
to set up something bigger -- hopefully something that actually makes good
use of Superman and turns Silver Banshee back into a villain.
Josh Elder
<j-elder@nwu.edu>
===============================================
SUPERMAN & BATMAN: GENERATIONS #1 Jan 1999 $4.95 US/$7.95 CAN
"1939: The Vigilantes / 1949: Family Matters"
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: 3.9/5.0 Shields
AW: 4.5 Shields
DJ: 3.7 Shields - Some nice story writing with the appropriate feeling
of those eras.
DWk: 4.2 Shields - Byrne gets a lot of flack for his historical
revisionism, but in this case he's really done his homework,
honoring the way the characters have looked and talked over the
years and integrating it into his style. Nicely done.
GN: 4.2 Shields - Byrne remains faithful to the characters in each
period, especially noting the early vigilante flavor of both
heroes. What could have been jarring differences in art styles
were blended seamlessly. Can't wait for next issue.
JE: 4.6 Shields - I've been waiting to see a story like this for years,
and I can't think of anyone better suited to this project than
Byrne. He did his research for this issue; costume accuracy and
characterizations were dead on. I look forward to the next issue.
JSy: 4.4 Shields - DC should just give John Byrne an ongoing Elseworlds
series and allow him to write and draw whatever he wants. His best
work these days is in projects such as this, where he's not bound
by the shackles of continuity.
TD: 1.8 Shields - Okay, I can see that this will get lots of thumbs up
for nostalgia value, but it's Byrne in his second-rate hack phase,
doing slavish imitations that don't work.
VV: 4.0 Shields - This is a great story, starting with a good premise and
promising to move along well. The 1949 part of the storyline sets
up some events in the next issue that I hope will prove to be very
interesting.
If there was any single writer/artist for whom the Elseworlds concept was
invented, it was John Byrne. Long famous for taking established characters
(like Captain America, Fantastic Four, Wonder Woman and, of course,
Superman) and redeveloping their origins and characters to the point of
essentially re-creating them, Byrne has arguably either breathed new life
into or utterly mangled every comic he's written. Elseworlds lets Byrne do
whatever he wants to a character without destroying the established
continuity.
(In the interests of fairness, I must say up front that I was a fan of his
X-Men, Power Man/Iron Fist, and Captain America work. I was quickly bored
with Fantastic Four and New Gods, and completely revile the work he's done
on Superman and Wonder Woman. I will say, however, that I have no doubt
that everything he changes, he does out of love for the characters.)
That being said, it's clear that despite the freedom Byrne had twelve years
ago, he still felt limited by the massive legacy of the Man of Steel.
_Generations_, it appears to me, is Byrne's way of saying, "You know,
continuity was never that tight in the first place, here's how I would have
liked to finish the job I started. Here's the way it should be." Perhaps
I'm reading more into his letter column on continuity than he intended, but
that's how I interpret it.
So what did Byrne do and how well did he do it?
In a nutshell, Byrne is creating a story for each decade of our heroes'
careers, trying to capture the look and feel for our heroes as they changed
over the decades. And, in a nutshell, he's pretty successful, though
sometimes he works a little too hard.
"The Vigilantes" captures Superman and Batman at the beginnings of their
careers, when they were still vigilantes wanted by the law. (As Byrne
points out and portrays in the story, the earliest versions of our heroes
weren't reluctant to toss bad guys off buildings or threaten their lives to
get information.) The story is basically a plot by the Ultra-Humanite to
extort money from Metropolis during the 1939 Metropolis World's Fair.
(Apparently the New York World's Fair was the only major event of 1938:
it's become a mainstay of modern writers like Roy Thomas -- and now Byrne
-- to have a giant robot go berserk on the fairgrounds.)
Byrne catches the most memorable details of the era with cameos by Julie
Madison (Batman's fiancee of the era), Dick Grayson, and a mysterious
henchman named "L", and with wonderful poses that might have been drawn by
Joe Shuster or Bob Kane. The one flaw in this story is that Byrne labors
much too hard to clue us in to "L's" secret identity.
In "Family Matters," Byrne captures a late '40s/early '50s feel while
allowing the characters to age, and diverges more from the established
history. In fact, though, this story could very well have taken place on
the late, lamented Earth-Two before the Crisis. In this story, Superman has
married Lois and she's pregnant with their child, Batman has aged and
mellowed somewhat, and Robin is on his way to college. Also, Tony Gordon
has succeeded his father, James Gordon as police commissioner. Art-wise,
Batman's ears are shorter and both heroes have stockier builds than their
'40s depictions.
In this adventure, the Joker and Luthor have kidnapped Lois Lane as part of
a plot to destroy both Superman and Batman. The story is full of disguises,
faked deaths, plot twists, and Kryptonite -- not suitable for today's jaded
audiences, but just the way I like'em when I'm in one of my "they don't
write comics like that anymore" moods.
An interesting but bizarre twist to the end of this story is that Superman
and Lois' child was exposed to Gold Kryptonite, rendering the child
powerless, which causes Lois and Clark to decide that they can never reveal
Clark's secret identity to the kid. To which I can only reply, WHAT ARE
THEY THINKING? That they can really hide Superman's identity from their own
kid forever? What if they have more than one child? What happens then? This
is the second place where Byrne worked too hard on a plot twist.
Finally, we see that Batman's unnamed wife is pregnant as well. I'm betting
it's Selina Kyle, but we'll see in next month's installment.
While having fun is the order of the day with these Generations-Elseworlds
stories, my view of John Byrne has changed. I used to think of him as an
egomaniac who was not content unless he destroyed the past and left his
own, indelible stamp on the titles he took over. In this comic, though,
Byrne clearly shows his reverence for the past, carefully recapturing the
flavor -- and fun -- of these eras.
Anatole Wilson
<awilson@us.oracle.com>
___________________________________________
THE PHANTOM ZONE: Reviews of the pre-Crisis Man of Steel
------------------------------------------------------------------
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 8 - Early Days and Action Archives - Part 2
By the end of May 1939, a year after Siegel and Shuster's Superman had
debuted, the comic book industry had changed considerably. For one thing,
it was beginning to look like you could actually make money doing this. The
number of comics books on the stands doubled and new publishers jumped into
the act. Harry Donnenfeld's Detective Comics Inc. introduced two new
costumed adventurers -- the Sandman and the Batman. M.C. Gaines, the
printer who had sent the Superman strips to Donnenfeld, teamed up with
Donnenfeld's partner Jack Liebowitz to start his own line of comics called
All-American. (Jerry Siegel worked on a strip for him too, "Red, White and
Blue".) Victor Fox, one of Donnenfeld's accountants, started his own line
of comics, featuring a character called Wonder Man, who could leap tall
buildings at a single bound. Donnenfeld was not amused and Fox was soon in
court. It didn't stop the spread of the long-john crowd, however. Soon,
they would be everywhere. In order to continue to be unique, Siegel and
Shuster would have to come up with something new. And so they brought in
the super-villain.
In our last episode, we covered the early days of Siegel and Shuster's
Superman and made it all the way from the early thirties until the end of
_Superman_ #1. This time I'd like to make it to the end of the first volume
of the _Action Comics Archives_, released by DC back in late 1997. As I
said before, all Superman fans should have a copy of this volume, and the
_Superman Archives_ #1 from 1989 (still in print). They may be expensive,
but if you skip DC's _Secret Files_ books and a few "prestige format"
comics featuring replays of battles that were boring the first time around,
you'll be able to save up for them in no time.
I inadvertently skipped a story last time. "Superman and the Skyscrapers"
appeared in the newspapers from April 3 to April 29, 1939 (and was
reprinted 4 months later in _Superman_ #2). This was before _Superman_ #1
with which I ended the last article, but I didn't realize it until I got
the _Superman: The Dailies_ reprint collection last night.
Many workers are being killed or injured while working on the construction
of the Atlas building. Reporter Clark Kent sends Superman to investigate at
night. His super-hearing detects the sound of a rising elevator. The night
watchman steps out and begins sawing thru the support girders! When
Superman confronts him, the rattled watchman shoots a gun at him and then
falls into space. But Superman catches the watchman in mid-air and hurls
him up into the air higher. Superman lands on the ground, his tremendous
muscles cushioning the shock. He then whirls and catches the falling man.
Superman spends the rest of the story dragging information out of people,
by tossing them in the air, threatening to split their heads open, smashing
up their property, and other unconstitutional means. Finally, he learns the
man responsible for the construction "accidents" is (surprise!) another
capitalist, Nat Grayson, the head of a construction company who is trying
to drive his competitors out of business. Grayson turns out to have a
steel-reinforced study in his house, guarded with mines and electric eyes.
No amount of fire power seems to be enough to stop Superman, however.
Superman tells Grayson to sign a confession and turn it over to the police
or he'll wring his neck. Grayson does as asked and Clark Kent gets another
scoop.
There is a high degree of Paul Cassidy input in this story. Although
Shuster did all the Superman heads, the figure placement seems to be
primarily Cassidy. Cassidy also puts an "S" on Superman's cape fairly
consistently. He twists and turns Superman's body and delights in back
bends, flips and other acrobatic displays. Superman's cape is securely
attached to the front of his jersey rather than behind his head, and tends
to bunch up against his collar.
Cassidy continues to contribute heavily to the next newspaper sequence (May
1 - June 10, 1939) which was also reprinted in _Superman_ #2 as "Superman
Champions Universal Peace". Clark interviews Prof. Runyan, who has invented
a poison gas so powerful that it can penetrate any gas mask. He plans to
turn it over to the war department, "but only in case of a defensive war".
Just then, three thugs break in and threaten the Professor's life if he
doesn't turn the formula over to them. "So you can sell it to armament
profiteers? Nothing doing!" They give the Professor 24 hours to change his
mind -- or else! Superman tracks them to their hideout, but inexplicably
leaves them be while Clark finishes up his story. But before he can hand it
in to the Chief, he finds that Runyan has been murdered.
Quickly, Superman returns to the hideout where he discovers the three are
working for the government of Boravia. When the three leave for Boravia,
with the formula, Superman hitches a ride on the outside of their plane. In
Boravia he smashes a lot of planes, but is captured after being knocked
unconscious by a bursting shell. He is then placed in front of a firing
squad which provides a mild diversion, but it's time to stop the war. Armed
with a few aircraft shells himself, Superman takes out Boravia's munitions
works and then does battle with a dirigible. Soon, at the headquarters of
the munitions company Superman demands an end to the war. But Lubane, the
company head, threatens Superman with the poison gas. The gas, of course,
has no effects on Superman, who watches coldly as Lubane is killed by his
own plan. Superman then forces the warring sides to accept peace on his
terms. Would that ending the looming war in Europe be so simple!
Clark sends a telegram to George Taylor, Editor, Daily Star, Metropolis NY
-- which is the first mention of his editor's name or the city in which he
works (as well as the state in which it is located). He notifies Taylor
that the three murderers are returning to Metropolis and to be at the
airport with the police. Clark's testimony gets the three sentenced to the
electric chair.
"Luck -- Just pure accidental luck!" sniffs Lois. Thus, Superman saves the
day and all is righted. Except unfortunately, no trace of Prof. Runyan's
formula can be found. Clark claims it must have been lost in all the
destruction, but, in reality, he secretly tears it up himself, declaring it
too dangerous for anyone to possess.
Meanwhile, back in the comic book, Siegel, Shuster, and Cassidy began
ratcheting up the ante. Unscrupulous capitalists no longer seemed quite
enough to keep the readers lined up, so the super-villain epic was born.
The bald, crippled genius known as the Ultra-Humanite had been introduced
at the end of _Action Comics_ #13. Now, he and Superman would begin a war
which would last until _Action Comics_ #21. Although Ultra's actions seemed
to be that of yet another Metropolis racketeer, he claimed to be after
total world domination. A scientific experiment resulted in his possessing
the most agile and learned brain on Earth. In _Action Comics_ #14, he would
begin to show it, but the real fireworks were to come later on.
When a Metropolis subway tunnel collapses, Superman employs his usual
tactics -- breaks into the Star Construction Company's offices, threatens
everyone in sight, and gets his usual confession -- but two of the men
escape. When Superman tries to follow, their car vanishes into thin air!
Now this is actually a challenge! Superman scours the area, looking for
tire tracks and finally tracks the invisible car to a nearby shed. Once
inside, he falls through a trap door -- right into Ultra's clutches! Soon,
Superman is completely encased in crystal -- imprisoned, so Ultra claims,
for all eternity. Of course, it doesn't actually hold him anywhere near
that long, but Ultra manages to escape in the invisible car. The story ends
with a worried Clark brooding and a maniacal Ultra plotting a new plan to
destroy Superman.
It would be a couple of months before those worries and plans would come to
fruition. Meanwhile, in _Action Comics_ #15, Clark Kent tries to perform
some good deeds on his own. After a visit to the Kidtown home for
underprivileged boys, Clark discovers that the worthy organization will
soon close if two million dollars cannot be raised to pay off the mortgage.
His next interview is with an explorer who claims to know the location of
several treasure-filled ships that just can't be reached by current
methods. Clark decides to finance an expedition himself. He charters a ship
and hires a crew, not realizing they're actually the gang of Marchetti. As
if that isn't bad enough, Big Boy Chaney and his mob steal a government
submarine and follow Kent and his crew after the treasure. Superman raises
the ship, gets to battle a few sharks (both real and human), and Clark Kent
gets to save the Boy's Home. Kent gets to do a lot of super-feats in mufti
in this episode, all anonymously of course.
Orphanages and boys' homes seemed to be on Siegel's mind for some reason,
for the next newspaper continuity (June 12 - July 22, 1939) concerned a
small boy who sneaks out of the State Orphanage. The sequence, mostly
reprinted in _Superman_ #3, features work by a different Shuster assistant,
Dennis Neville. Neville did a lot of work on Slam Bradley and would later
go on to draw the first two Hawkman stories for _Flash Comics_. His style
was much closer to Shuster's own than Cassidy's was. Neville is clearly
using a pen throughout and has a much thinner, crisper line, unfortunately
lacking in any weight. However, he was particularly adept at mimicking
Shuster's approach towards children, and thus quite suited to this
sequence. The "S" which Cassidy had added to Superman's cape disappears
again.
Clark finds Frankie (the boy from the orphanage) lying asleep on the
railroad tracks. After a quick race with a train, Superman returns the boy
to the state facility but wonders why he ran away. Clark convinces Taylor
that he and Lois should investigate the place. Lois discovers evidence of
abuse, but the children won't talk. Superman discovers Lyman is cooking the
books. Superman refrains from beating a confession out of anybody this
time, but does do a little breaking and entering. Lois does some snooping
on her own and overhears Lyman beating the children. Unfortunately, he
catches her and then tries to burn the orphanage down with her in it.
Superman to the rescue! For a change, Lois never actually sees Superman in
this story.
Although Superman is not on the cover of _Action Comics_ #16, his picture
is plastered in the upper left hand corner, where the "64 pages of thrills"
bullet used to go. It would remain there until 1948.
For his next crusade, Jerry Siegel decides to take on the numbers racket.
After rescuing a would-be suicide driven to despair by addiction to
gambling, Clark decides to crack down on the Metropolis rackets. Police
Commissioner Watson refuses to take any action, so Superman once again
takes the law into his own hands. He smashes up gambling dens and shows the
patrons that the machines are rigged. He steals money from the gambling
Czar and distributes it all over the slums. When that doesn't work, he
threatens violence against the gambling public themselves, unless they quit
their low-down ways. Commissioner Watson turns out to be on the take.
Superman assembles all the gamblers. He offers a deck of cards and tells
them that he will kill the one who draws the Ace of Spades unless he gets
out of town within twelve hours. Mysteriously, all the gambling bosses of
Metropolis vanish within the next day.
Dennis Neville at least began work on the long newspaper strip adventure
called "Royal Deathplot" in the _Superman: The Dailies_ collection. This is
the first significant newspaper story which was not later reprinted in the
comic books. The story ran from July 24 to November 11, 1939, by which time
Neville was probably already working on the new Hawkman feature for
Liebowitz and Gaines' new title _Flash Comics_.
Meanwhile in the real world, the one Jerry Siegel returned to every time he
bought a newspaper, the clouds of war were gathering. In March 1938,
Germany annexed Austria. In September 1938, Adolph Hitler and Neville
Chamberlain, Prime Minister of Britain, agreed Germany could annex half of
Czechoslovakia, a move which was supposed to ensure "peace in our time".
But in March 1939, Hitler went ahead and annexed most of the rest of
Czechoslovakia anyway (allowing the Slovaks to set up a small,
"independent" state). In August 1939, Hitler invaded Poland, and Great
Britain and France declared war on him. This was the official start of the
war in Europe. By November 30, Stalin had joined Hitler on the invasion war
path, taking over the eastern half of Poland and declaring war on Finland.
This was the background that Siegel's tale of international intrigue was
played out against.
Siegel starts with a switch as Lois invites Clark over for dinner. Of
course, his Superman duties interfere and he has to make a hasty exit out
the window. The royal yacht of Rangoria is being pursued by an unknown
submarine. He climbs up to Lois's roof, dumps his Clark Kent clothes there,
jumps to the ground and proceeds to run to the docks. A quick swim and
Superman reaches the Milan just in time to witness a torpedo attack. The
first one he deflects, but the second hits him head on. Soon on board the
sub, Superman tries his patented threatening tactics, but they are of no
avail as the sub's commander chooses to self-destruct.
The explosion almost causes Superman to drown, but he makes his way to the
royal yacht and climbs on board. There he meets the Princess Tania, who
promptly falls in love with her incredibly strong rescuer. Her and her
father's lives are in grave danger, as the King's political enemies want
him assassinated in America in order to drive a wedge between the two
countries.
Back in Metropolis, Lois and Clark are once again on the outs. Both meet
the docking yacht, hoping for a story. When Clark spots an assassin in the
crowd, he grabs a camera from another reporter and hurls it at the gunman.
Clark is immediately swarmed with hero-worshipping admirers who apparently
tear his clothing as he tries to phone in the story. "If that's hero
worship -- I want none of it!" Lois is non-plussed, but Clark's heroism
gets him an interview with King Boru. Clark may be a hero to some, but all
Princess Tania wants to do is pump him for information about Superman.
Clark soon falls into the hands of the Black Gang, the King's enemies. He
agrees to "help" them so he can discover their leader. Clark sets the
Princess up for a kidnapping attempt, but Superman rescues her. In
gratitude she invites Superman into her bedroom, where she attempts to
seduce him. Superman tells her "My life is devoted to battling evil and
there is no place in my scheme of things for romance!" Like any rejected
Princess, she immediately tries to stab him. Annoyed, Superman spanks her.
Now, she only loves him even more.
Meanwhile, Clark's plan to infiltrate the Black Gang is complicated after
they capture a snooping Lois. Lois is convinced Clark has actually turned
traitor and is helping the gang foment a plot to capture Superman! As
usual, the trap fails and Superman ends up with two women (Lois and Tania)
pawing him. Fortunately for Superman, the police finally arrive and rescue
him. Lois is convinced her story of the Black Gang and Clark's being a
traitor will finally get her off the lovelorn assignment and into the news
columns. But Clark has managed to foil her yet again.
After a two-issue vacation, Ultra returns in _Action Comics_ #17 which
sports a Joe Shuster cover of Superman stopping a tank. The S.S. Clarion is
sinking in a storm off the coast. Clark watches in horror as the Coast
Guard rescue crew is swamped and then decides to take matters into his own
hands. Superman once again does battle with the forces of nature! He dives
into the raging sea and swims out to the embattled liner. (Remember
Superman as yet hasn't discovered that he can fly, something he wouldn't
officially do until 1944.) On board, Superman finds the crew and passengers
in an advanced state of panic, so he takes over the ship and starts
organizing the crew to fight fires, but it's no good. The ship hits a rock
and Superman has to push it into port (swimming again) before it sinks.
The heroics completed, the investigative reporter once again takes over,
and discovers the ship was sabotaged. The steam ship company has been
suffering from a rash of threats. Clark listens in on a blackmail call and
recognizes Ultra's voice. Ultra's men attempt to kidnap Clark with
predictable results, but this only prompts Ultra to move up his time table.
Soon Superman is walking into yet another one of Ultra's death-traps! But
Ultra turns out to be just a hologram. (Well, Siegel doesn't call it that,
but that's what he is.)
The first undated "album" issue of Superman was a huge success and went
through multiple printings, so the book was put on the publishing schedule
as a quarterly. However, the only new material in _Superman_ #2 (Fall 1939)
was a text story by Jerry Siegel. The story is memorable mostly because
it's the first "comic book" story in which Metropolis is mentioned by name.
Clark Kent wants to know why a hoodlum, Big Mike Caputo, is visiting the
Police Chief. Superman uses "his amazing telescopic X-ray eyesight" to
track Caputo to his hideout. Superman challenges Big Mike to a hand-to-hand
(Mike is from out of town and doesn't know any better). Superman tosses him
through a window and then catches him before he hits the ground. Mike
decides to leave town and the Chief of Police takes the credit for ridding
Metropolis of another ne'er-do-well. (This sort of story, in which the
forces of law and order were shown to be corrupt, was banned under the
original Comics Code of 1954.)
Clark Kent takes on an interesting opponent in _Action Comics_ #18 -- the
irresponsible, sensational press. Not the Star, of course, but those other
newspapers. A lady hitchhiker uses gas to kidnap Senator Hastings, and then
poses his unconscious body for compromising photos. Meanwhile, rival
reporter Ned Powers prints sensational stories that hurt people just to
sell papers. When Clark calls him on it, the two end up in a fist fight,
which Clark "accidentally" wins. Following up on the sleazy journalist,
Superman uses his X-ray vision and super-hearing to discover that Powers is
behind the blackmailing of Senator Hastings. Superman breaks into Powers'
apartment, rips open his safe and finds a list of blackmail victims. Then
Superman and Powers have an archery contest(!). Superman is better, of
course. Unfortunately, the publisher of the Morning Herald is the head of
the blackmail ring and the only way Superman can stop the libelous scandal
from being spread is to smash the newspaper delivery fleet and the Herald's
printing presses! Then he tells the publisher "If you're smart, you won't
be in this city tomorrow!"
Not content with rackets and blackmail anymore, Ultra ups the ante by
unleashing the purple plague on Metropolis in _Action Comics_ #19, ending
the year 1939 with a bang. Under yet another war cover (Superman rips an
artillery gun to pieces) the citizens of Metropolis are gripped with equal
parts pestilence and panic, as healthy people barricade their doors against
the sick and dying. Professor Henry Travers tries to convince Clark that
the plague is the same as one that swept Europe in the middle ages, but
when the Professor comes up with a cure, he is kidnapped by Ultra's gang.
Superman may not be able to fly, but he falls with great style, as he
catches the Professor after the gangsters toss him off a cliff. Once safely
on the ground, Superman runs right up the cliff face at super-speed,
beating the Flash at his own game. (Of course, there isn't a Flash yet, but
there would be in another month.)
Ultra, who up to this point has been a pretty run-of-the-mill gangster,
finally reveals his true plan -- to blot out the human race entirely, and
replace it with one of his own creation. Now that's pretty up there in the
mad scientist ambition category. Even Luthor just wanted to rule the world,
not remake it in his own image! Superman helps Travers work on his cure by
stealing chemicals Travers needs, until the Ultra-Humanite captures him
with his electric-gun. Superman escapes of course, and in his final
confrontation with Ultra, the electric-gun explodes, killing the evil
genius.
Paul Cassidy contributes heavily to the art on this story, rendering in a
confident style throughout. For the first time, Superman's chest emblem is
depicted consistently with a red border around it. Superman's belt has a
buckle and pants loops and the collar of his shirt is standardized. Only
the "S" emblem on his cape seems to have disappeared, a rarity for a
Cassidy story.
With Ultra finally out of the way, Clark chooses _Action Comics_ #20 to ask
his editor for a vacation. Instead, he gets sent to Hollywood to look for
some movie news. It's lucky for actress Dolores Winters that he does, for
he has to rescue her from an attempted assassination right on the set!
(Clark can act quite dynamic as long as Lois isn't around to see him.) She
invites Clark up for a late night interview, but when he arrives, she acts
like they've never met before and has her bodyguard throw him out.
Next day, she announces her retirement from Hollywood and throws a big
party on her yacht. The guests are mighty astonished when the yacht steams
out to sea and they find themselves kidnapped! She asks for 5 million
dollars in ransom before she'll return Hollywood's stars! Superman follows
the ransom money and soon finds Miss Winters' hideout, where she's
preparing to execute her captives anyway. Startled, Superman realizes that
somehow, the dying Ultra has had his brain transplanted into Dolores
Winters' body! Ultra escapes again (or did he/she drown?).
Ultra's reputation as a great Superman villain really rests on these last
two stories (and the one in _Action Comics_ #21, which is in volume 2 of
the _Action Archives_.) Up until he released the Purple Plague, Ultra
really wasn't any different from the other rogues and scoundrels Superman
was routinely rounding up. Now he became a serious threat. And when
Superman discovered he could transplant his brain into a new body, that
brought evil genius to a level rarely reached even today. The number of
sex-changing comic book villains, even in the "anything goes" Nineties, is
extremely small.
By January 1940, Superman was no longer an interesting anomaly. The
Sandman, Batman, the Flash, Hawkman, Wonder Man, The Flame, The Human
Torch, and the Sub-Mariner had all followed in his footsteps, with Captain
Marvel and Siegel's own Spectre debuting in February. But only Superman had
his own daily and Sunday newspaper strips, and his own comic book,
featuring 68 pages of nothing but Superman from beginning to end. Soon, Joe
Shuster would have an entire staff of assistants cranking out Superman
pages, and it would be almost impossible to tell who drew what. But the
amazing Jerry Siegel would write every Superman story up until the day he
was inducted into the army, as well as the adventures of the Spectre,
Robotman, and the Star-Spangled Kid. Now he truly was a Superman!
___________________________________________
WHEN SUPERMEN MEET: PART TWO
------------------------------------
by Lou Mougin (lomougin@wf.net)
All things come to those who wait, if the editors okay it.
In 1977, Julius Schwartz finally okayed a Superman/Superman team-up.
After all, Superman of Earth-Two had become a regular player in the new
Justice Society strip in the revived All-Star Comics, and was probably
getting better fan-press than his more prestigious Earth-One version. We
saw Clark Kent as editor of the Earth-Two Daily Star, were introduced to
Power Girl, the Supergirl of the Earth-Two universe, and got to see them
both in action with each other and with the entire Justice Society.
Creators like Conway, Wood, Giffen, Levitz, Staton, and Layton made it all
worth reading. Comics readers as a whole now knew and accepted that there
were two Supermen.
Gerry Conway, who at one time or another wrote just about every strip at DC
in the Seventies, served up a two-parter under E. Nelson Bridwell's
editorship in _Superman Family_ #186-187, 1977. 16 years after "Flash of
Two Worlds," the two Supermen would get the chance to play off each other
without a horde of Justice League and Justice Society members littering the
landscape. The art was fittingly done by Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson,
Superman's greatest art team since the Swan/Klein days. Also, during the
course of the story, we learned that two into one would go.
The story began with Superman and longtime cast member Professor Potter
aboard the JLA satellite. Superman of Earth-One had problems with a guy he
pulled out of the transporter that shuttled folks between Earths. The new
arrival was a barbaric villain named Krogg who was stronger than Kal-El,
wielded a mean pipe, and broke the transporter controls. Superman
exclaimed, "Do what you can, Professor! I'll try to buy time!", as Krogg
assumed a batter-up stance.
A few panels later, we learned the source of the problem. Superman of
Earth-Two had found out Jimmy Olsen of his world was dying of a defective
organ of some sort, and only a person as genetically close as a brother
would do for a donor. Luckily, being a bi-Terral person has some
advantages, and Superman leaped into the Justice Society's transporter,
intent on bringing Jimmy Olsen of Earth-One back with him for a transplant.
As fate would have it, Krogg stepped in front of the transporter beam as it
coursed through an intermediary dimension, and Kal-El of Earth-One had to
waltz around with him for several minutes before Superman of Earth-Two
could fight his way through. (He had to wade past a bunch of
interdimensional crabs. No fooling.) The Earth-Two Supes emerged in the JLA
Satellite just as Krogg, having clobbered Superman-1, smashed througha
portal. (In case you're wondering why there wasn't an outrush of
atmosphere, killing Professor Potter outright, it was explained in the next
issue that the satellite had an automatic repair system.) Just after Krogg
explained, "Krogg once ruled a thousand planets," Superman-2 stepped up,
and we could be assured the battle would continue in the next issue.
It did, and the cover showed Superman-1 and Superman-2 merging "into a
giant Superman", with the co-stars of the book, from Krypto through
Supergirl, looking on from a lower panel. Conway, Swan, and new inker Jack
Abel finished up the story in just eight pages. After Krogg conked
Superman-2 over the head with his pipe and escaped, he went down to Earth-1
and started smashing things up. Both Men of Steel were stymied as to how to
stop him.
Professor Potter had a dandy idea.
If both Supermen climbed into the transporter machine, with Potter
monkeying with the controls, they could be merged into "a double-strength
Man of Steel -- a Super-Superman! It's dangerous, perhaps fatal, but
theoretically -- it can be done!"
And it was.
Kal-1 and Kal-2 were merged into one Superman, went to Earth-1, engaged
Krogg in battle, and finally disintegrated him by overloading his power
quotient. In an internal monologue, Superman of Earth-2 appraised his
counterpart of the Jimmy situation. The one big Superman was made two
smaller Supermen again, and Supes-2 left with Jimmy Olsen-1, whose unnamed
organ would be duplicated -- Rao only knew how -- to save Jimmy-2's life.
In the meantime, Superman-1 mused, "I think it'll be some time before I see
my see my alter ego again. ...[B]ecoming one with anybody -- even one's
near-twin -- might well be enough to drive a Superman mad!"
But it can be fairly said that nobody got quite as close to his or her
other-Earth counterpart than the two Supermen.
Conway had both Supermen on hand for the next Justice League-Justice
Society teaming, in _JLA_ #159-160 (1978). They didn't interact very much,
and Superman-1 noted, after a mishap, "My Earth-Two counterpart is still
unconscious -- apparently his age makes him less resilient!" Luckily,
Superman-2 didn't wake up in time to hear the catty remark. He stayed
unconscious till the end of the next issue.
The Metropolis Marvels didn't get together again until three years later,
when they appeared in no less than four books together. The first was
_World's Finest Comics_ #271 (1981), which commemorated the 200th issue
anniversary of the Superman/Batman team. (Technically, they weren't in all
those issues of WF together ... some were giant reprint issues, and there
was a short time in the early Seventies in which Supes teamed up with
heroes other than Batman. But nobody was really complaining.) To celebrate,
writer Roy Thomas and artist Rich Buckler recreated the famed radio team-up
of Superman, Batman, and Robin, adding the Zoltan exploit to the Earth-Two
canon, and bringing Atoman, the antagonist of the greatest Superman radio
serial of them all, to four-color life.
The problem was that Atoman awoke from 35 years of suspended animation on
Earth-One, and set out to get revenge on the wrong Superman. Superman-1 was
faring as bad in battle against the Nuclear Nazi as Superman-2 had all
those years ago, but vibrated himself and his foe into the Earth-Two
universe, in which Atoman proved a lot easier to handle. Superman-2 showed
up in the last two pages of the issue for the team-up, catching Superman-1
as he fell out of the sky. It was an excellent story, devoting space along
the way to almost every early teaming of Superman and Batman.
A month later, the three-parter in _JLA_ #195-197 began. This time, the
enemies were the new Secret Society of Super-Villains, led by the
newly-revived Ultra-Humanite. Ultra, Superman-2's arch-enemy with the body
of a white ape, proclaimed to his band that, if ten super-heroes from the
twin Earths were eliminated, a "cosmic balance" would banish all heroes on
one Earth -- his own, though he wasn't talking about it. Of course, the
good guys won. Gerry Conway did a decent job on script, George Perez and
Romeo Tanghal did a great job on the art, and we even got a decent
interaction scene at the annual JLA-JSA party. When Superman-1 asked,
"How's retirement suiting you, Kal-L?", the elder Supes replied, "Couldn't
say, Kal-El ... since, as you know, I un-retired a few months ago."
One-upmanship among Kryptonians. How Tom Wolfe would have loved to be at
the party.
The twin Action Aces never appeared in _Justice League_ jointly again. But
their next few team-ups were very good indeed, and began a year after their
last _JLA_ appearance. _DC Comics Presents Annual_ #1 (1982) featured both
Supermen and both Luthors on the cover, and the title, "Crisis on Three
Earths", gives one a chill to read nowadays, knowing that the writer was
Marv Wolfman.
However, Wolfman was one of the best Superman writers ever. And the slant
of this story does show that he did have the _Crisis on Infinite Earths_
series in mind, three years ahead of the fact. We did get an action scene
with Superman-1 foiling yet another one of Luthor's Evil Plans, but he came
in carrying Lois Lane, and remarked that they had just come back from a
lunch date on the Champs-Elysse. After the immediate problem was taken care
of, the Man of Steel returned to Lois, who complained -- but not in bitchy,
Weisinger-era fashion -- about how he used his devotion to duty to keep him
from committing to their love life.
Supes could only say, "Please understand, Lois ... the world simply needs
me."
To which she replied, "You do know the world was here before you came. It
may even hang in there once you're gone."
The tone was being set for the best double-Superman tale to date.
Superman-2 came in next, in an Earth-Two vignette. The red-haired Lex
Luthor of his world had sent three missiles at the Daily Star, just to kind
of keep his hand in. By this time, the Super-couple of this world had
appeared in several years' worth of "Mr. and Mrs. Superman" stories in
_Superman Family_, charmingly written by E. Nelson Bridwell. We had seen
the Earth-Two Man of Might married in a great Cary Bates story, and had
learned the lore of the early married days of Clark and Lois Kent. Thus,
their early dialogue wasn't very surprising:
LOIS: Clark -- I -- I can't believe it!
CLARK: That you want to rush into my arms and kiss me?
LOIS: No, you big lug -- look! Up in the sky!
Clark did, judged rightly that it was "a job for Superman!", and doffed his
outer clothes. He hit the missiles, bounced off, and landed on a rooftop.
"Have to remember that I'm not quite as 'super' as I once was," mused
Superman-2. "I was my most powerful when I was in my thirties ... but as
I've gotten older, I've naturally grown a bit weaker."
Nonetheless, the primal paragon was able to turn the missiles against each
other and detonate them all prematurely. Then he went after Alexei Luthor,
found him, and thrashed him properly.
Both Luthors ended up in stir on their respective Earths, but Lex of
Earth-One was prepared, as always. He constructed a device which teleported
himself to the Earth of the Golden Age, introduced himself to a nonplussed
Alexei Luthor, and sent him to the world he had just vacated. It was easy
for Lex to convince the guards that he had been jailed by mistake --
everyone on Earth-Two knew Luthor wasn't bald, for cryin' out loud -- and
to gain his freedom. Alexei did much the same, on Earth-One.
The Supermen were thrown a curve by the unfamiliar Luthors, but managed to
prevail. However, one bit of dialogue made Lois Lane curious: when Alexei
Luthor had spoken to her, he had called her "Lois Kent". "I don't
understand this, Superman!" declared Lois, throwing up her hands.
"Fortunately, I do," said Supes, and took Alexei Luthor to the Fortress of
Solitude. There he consulted with Superman-2 on a trans-Earth hookup, and
they decided to send the two Luthors into the limbo dimension between
Earths.
Not a smart move, as it turned out.
The two Luthors simply teleported to Earth-Three, home of evil counterparts
of the Justice League of America, and were promptly greeted by Ultraman.
To be continued
___________________________________________
DC COMICS PRESENTS #92
----------------------------------------------------
Reviewed by Scott Devarney (devarney@ll.mit.edu)
Superman & Vigilante in "A Question of Justice"
Written by Paul Kupperberg
Pencils by Curt Swan
Inks by Dave Hunt
Letters by Helen Vesik
Colors by Gene D'Angelo
Edited by Julius Schwartz
April 1986
Rating: 4.1/5.0 Shields
While covering the annual New Year's Eve ball drop in Times Square, Clark
stops a man from firing a gun at the dropping ball. During the arraignment
the following day in the courtroom of Judge Adrian Chase, the shooter, Mark
Griffen, gets off because there were no other witnesses and Clark was
distracted at the time of the alleged incident. (He was kissing Lana.)
Something about the defendant disturbs the bailiff.
Superman investigates the Times Square ball to learn why Griffen was aiming
for it; he discovers that the ball is filled with nerve gas. A discussion
with Mayor Koch reveals that the city had received a blackmail threat but
it was never taken seriously. Meanwhile, the bailiff has deduced Griffen's
true identity as that of Professor Arthur Bryan, who'd been charged with
selling nerve gas to the underworld but had been released when the
witnesses mysteriously died. The bailiff changes into his other identity,
the Vigilante, to further investigate.
After meeting and confronting each other in the NYPD headquarters records
area, Superman and Vigilante discover the underworld groups with whom
Griffen/Bryan has had dealings. They split up to tackle different aspects
of the problem; Superman heads off nerve gas attacks in Philadelphia,
Newark, and Boston while Vigilante tracks down Bryan's current hideout and
attempts to stop his second gas attack on New York City. Superman arrives
back in New York to finish capturing Bryan and his men. Superman and
Vigilante then part on good terms.
Paul Kupperberg paces this story well. He uses the New Year's Eve in Times
Square setting to good effect in establishing the story and tying it in
with the holiday season. Clark and Lana's coverage of the famous ball drop
provide a logical reason for them to be in New York City. Kupperberg then
establishes the problems with the New York City justice system, which gave
rise to the Vigilante, and then demonstrated those problems with Clark's
frustrating experience in court. The big threat is introduced with both
heroes getting the information in different ways.
Another nice element of the story's pacing is that Vigilante's history is
presented piecemeal as the story develops instead of being presented in one
big infodump. The Vigilante's history is kind of convoluted. He debuted in
_New Teen Titans Annual_ #2 (first series) and had his own series which
lasted 50 issues. He originally was New York District Attorney Adrian
Chase. Apparently, and this information is gleaned from this story, Adrian
Chase became a judge and another person took up the Vigilante mantle; this
person went violently insane, became a wanted man and later died. Another
person, Judge Chase's bailiff then took over as Vigilante; it is this
person who teams up with Superman in this story. Later, some time after
this story, something happens to the bailiff and Judge Chase becomes the
Vigilante again.
This story plays to the strengths of both characters. Although the
conventional terrorist attack is the sort of threat more suited to
Vigilante, the multiple, simultaneous attacks on other cities create an
angle suited to Superman. It's nice to occasionally see Superman tackle
ordinary crooks, if only for the change of pace it provides. Superman deals
with his foes with panache and bravado. It was also nice to see threats to
real cities. The only nit I have is that we weren't shown Superman saving
Boston; as a lifelong resident of Massachusetts, I was really looking
forward to it and felt cheated.
The characterization was great. The contrasts between the two heroes were
well-delineated. Superman is the bright, somewhat righteous hero who
tackles problems head-on, whereas Vigilante is the dark hero, on the shaky
side of the law, who uses more covert methods. Most striking was
Vigilante's hero worship of Superman and his disappointment that Superman
initially disapproved of him. This just felt so right; Superman is an icon
within the super-hero community and it makes sense that other heroes would
look up to him.
Overall this was a solid story of Superman and a guest tackling
blackmailing terrorists. While not earth-shattering, it was entertaining.
___________________________________________
THE MAILBAG
-------------------------------------
(sykes@ms.uky.edu, KryptonCN@aol.com)
KC Responses are indented and begun with ****
========================================
From: Lee Seitz (lkseitz@mail.HiWAAY.net)
Despite my last letter about dropping the Superman titles, I'm buying _The
Doomsday Wars_. "Why?" I really don't know. I think it must be the
completist in me. I was reading Superman well before his death and I really
enjoyed the stories that came out of it ("Funeral for a Friend" and "Reign
of the Supermen"). I guess my heart hopes for similar things out of this
series, even though my brain knows I won't be getting it.
I agree completely with Gary Robinson in his review. Doomsday should stay
dead. I, too, was hoping he would at the end of _Superman/Doomsday:
Hunter/Prey_. But when _Zero Hour_, also written by Jurgens, came shortly
thereafter, I knew we'd see him again. Regardless of what happens in the
last issue of _Doomsday Wars_, I don't think I'll be picking up any more
Doomsday limited series. Gary's on target that continually bringing him
back just lessens his impact.
Now, the thing I really want to get off my chest is Lana's pregnancy. For
me, it was impossible to continue my suspension of disbelief on this issue.
It's just too contrived. Usually this is the kind of thing that would have
been mentioned in a subplot many months ago. We're supposed to believe that
at least five months of comic book time have passed since we last saw Lana?
And that assumes she didn't know she was pregnant until the second month. I
admit I haven't researched the topic, but surely it's been more recently
than that.
**** I don't have my comics in front of me, so I can't confirm this, but
I believe that the last time we saw Lana was at Lois and Clark's
wedding, more than two years ago our time. If this is correct, then
I don't think five months comics time is unbelievable.
It's bad enough the creators are doing "events" every few months, but at
least they usually give a few hints as to what was coming. This was done
strictly as a gimmick for this one particular story, but regardless of the
outcome, it will (or should, anyway) have a lasting impact on the
characters.
I'm sorry I keep writing negative letters to KC, but I guess it's when
things happen that we don't like that we're most motivated to change them
...or at least gripe about them. If it helps balance things out, I enjoyed
_Superman: War of the Worlds_ and really enjoyed _Elseworld's Finest:
Supergirl and Batgirl_.
========================================
From: Jim Lesher (jlesher@npr.org)
[In response to J.C. Ferguson's request for information about a "comic book
(late 70's to early 80's I think) which featured a dead Superman brought
back by a space jewel and a pirate of sorts. Superman had a twin brother
that he had imprisoned in kryptonite, and the story ran for at least two
issues."]
The story that you are asking about appeared in 2 issues of _World's
Finest_, when it was a big, anthology comic with 5 or 6 regular features. I
think that the issues were _World's Finest_ #246 and #247, but I am not
100% certain.
Superman was kind of killed in the story, but it was more of a coma-state.
He was revived by a concentrated dose of yellow solar radiation through
that space jewel. The pirate's name was Ram Drood, and he actually saved
Superman by stealing his body and exposing him to the solar radiation.
The "twin brother" was actually the Parasite. He pretended to be Superman's
long-lost identical twin, and stole Superman's power.
The business about being imprisoned in kryptonite was just a con to get
Superman close enough to sap his power.
This story was *bizarre*. Eventually, the Parasite took over the whole of
the United States, and he really *believed* he was Superman's brother! It
was pretty nuts. I think if anyone managed to find and read these two
issues today, they would howl with laughter at all of the plot holes in
this story.
========================================
From: Douglas Ethington (doug861958@aol.com)
[In "Superman Stories", Sean Hogan wrote,] "Despite several appearances by
Batman in the Super-titles, Superman has only made one appearance in the
Bat-titles. The story in _The Batman Chronicles_ #7 is even written by
Super-scribe Jerry Ordway."
This is incorrect: Superman also appeared in "A Death in the Family" parts
3 and 4. He is asked by the U.S. government to prevent Batman from taking
revenge on the Joker, and prevents the Joker from murdering the U.N.
assembly.
**** I had completely forgotten about that appearance. Thanks for passing
along the correct information!
========================================
From: David Skaar (das3@acpub.duke.edu)
I have a couple comments regarding Scott Devarney's review of _Superman_
#171 and "The Nightmare Ordeal of Superman." He summed up the story by
expressing his disappointment at how badly Superman handled things without
his powers. I can think of two stories right away that have a powerless
Superman, and Superboy, dealing with things more effectively. I can't give
titles and issue numbers, because the comics are 2000 miles away in my
parents' house, but they're from sometime around 1959-1960.
One story has Superboy stuck on a high gravity world under a red sun, so he
is powerless. However, it turns out that the locals are all superpowered,
and the ruler has decreed (for no particular reason) that children born
without powers are to be exiled to a nearby planet. Superboy is adopted by
a couple who have lost their non-powered son to exile, and with their help
and his ingenuity, he manages to fake his way along, get his powers back,
overthrow the government, and get back home, where he's only missed 1 week
of school.
The Superman story has the daily planet crew (Perry, Lois, Jimmy, and
Clark) in an Aztec temple, where they get sent to another world for 24
hours, and Clark is powerless there. Jimmy uses his signal watch to summon
Superman, who shows up once Clark gets over his initial panic and finds a
way to disappear and make a dramatic entrance (Superman can't just walk out
from behind a tree, that wouldn't look right). Superman says he could
easily get them home, but convinces them that it would be much more fun for
them to stay the time and get a good story, and not to worry, he'll stick
around and keep them safe.
He then spends the rest of the story running back and forth between Clark
and Superman, trying to find non-super ways to fly, fight a dragon, and
cook fish, while avoiding sunburn and 5-o'clock shadow.
Both of these stories, particularly the second, where he doesn't have
anyone's help in faking his powers, do a good job in showing the
intelligent, problem-solving Superman that the writers forget about when
they have all the powers at their disposal.
========================================
From: Neil A. Hansen (Neil4161@aol.com)
Here's a toughie because I'm curious. I wanted to have some information on
the World's Greatest Super-Heroes/Superman comic strip. I wanted to know
the dates of art and writing teams, what heroes and villains appeared in
the strip and what the stories were. If anyone can answer this information,
I'd appreciate it. Thanks.
**** Got me. I've never even heard of this one. Readers?
-- Jeff Sykes
___________________________________________
SUPERMAN STORIES
------------------------------------------
By Sean Hogan (shogan@intergate.bc.ca)
Christmas Tales
Religion is not often portrayed in the DC Universe, except where it serves
a specific story purpose. The exception to the rule is stories set in late
December, either as part of a regular issue or as a holiday special. I love
these holiday-themed tales because they give us something not usually seen
during the rest of the year -- stories that are either quieter and
reflective or ones that are light-hearted and fun .
Christmas stories are rare in the regular Super-titles. I've found only 5
tales since the re-boot -- and one doesn't even have Superman in it.
The first tale is 1989's "Homeless For The Holidays" from _Adventures Of
Superman_ #462. The story, written by Roger Stern with art by Dan Jurgens
and Art Thibert, starts on an upbeat note with Superman helping out some
construction workers, who thank him by singing a carol beside the Christmas
tree set atop their building.
The issue nicely reflects both the sadness and the joy that the holidays
can bring. It is Clark Kent's last day at the Daily Planet, as he is
leaving to take a job as editor of Newstime. His co-workers ignore his
entrance and Lois gives him a wrapped box, which is empty. She says, "Well,
you are cleaning out your desk today, aren't you? Excuse me, but some of us
still have work to do."
Fortunately, it's all a set-up to surprise Clark with a farewell party.
After a couple of heart-warming pages, the tale turns serious again as
Clark discovers one of the Planet's interns, Allie, with a sleeping bag in
the storage room. Allie reveals that she has been living in the building
for three years since her mother became ill and the medical bills wiped out
her savings. One panel in particular captures the shared pain. Perry, Lois,
Clark, and Jimmy all stand apart and stare at different parts of the floor
as Allie says, "I couldn't let you know I was really living here. I ... I
was too ashamed."
The tale, while not minimizing the plight of Allie or other homeless
people, turns more optimistic. Perry writes a special front page editorial
as we see Superman and other citizens helping the needy. There is no pat
solution. Cat Grant offers help to one man who clutches his bottle and
refuses, while the caption from Perry's article reads, "Others cannot turn
their backs on drugs or alcohol. For them we may be able to offer little
more than our prayers."
The personal lives of the cast end on a much more positive note. Perry and
Alice White invite Allie to stay with them, and Perry agrees to fight for a
better wage for Allie. Clark flies home to his parents and Lana Lang. The
issue ends with toasts and well wishes worthy of Tiny Tim.
The next Christmas tale doesn't happen until 1991, when two issues deal
with the holiday. Dan Jurgens (with art by Jackson Guice) reveals in
_Superman_ #64, that each year around December 23, Superman goes to the
Metropolis Post Office to answer the "Metropolis Mailbag". He dreads the
job of going through the correspondence and choosing which letters he will
try to answer. His fiancee, Lois, comes along to help.
The Post Office has a year's worth of mail from all around the world.
Superman reunites two sisters who had been separated at Auschwitz during
World War II. Next, Superman travels to a hospital to reply to a young boy
whose father is dying. He arrives just after the father dies. Superman has
to deal with the boy's anger and grief, but the death leads to the saving
of another life, as Superman responds to another letter from a woman who
desperately needs a new heart.
Lois gives Superman one last letter. The Daily Planet's yearly Christmas
party for disadvantaged kids has no money for presents. Superman solves
this with a telephone call to Bruce Wayne who replies, "It will be my
sincere pleasure to assist you." Bruce agrees to make the arrangements and
foot the bill. The issue ends on the Daily Planet's roof, with children
watching Santa and his reindeer fly down to meet them. Superman, hidden by
a black outfit, carries "Santa" and his sleigh to a safe landing.
The story is followed in _The Adventures Of Superman_ #487 with "Santa
Bibbo" and Jimmy the elf bringing the leftover toys to The Children's Aid
Society. The issue, written by Jerry Ordway with art by Tom Grummett and
Doug Hazlewood, mixes the serious with the humorous and touching. Jimmy
Olsen, concerned about his unemployment, is reunited with his mother.
Bibbo's drunken comrades try to break into a toy store to get toys for the
kids. Lois gives "Santa Bibbo" a breath mint because, as one kid tells him,
"your breath smells really bad!" The issue ends nicely with Lois and Clark
together by their Christmas tree.
The Superman Christmas story that doesn't have Superman in it, takes place
after Superman's death -- during the "Funeral For A Friend" arc.
"Metropolis Mailbag II", by Dan Jurgens (story/art) and Brett Breeding
(finished art) in _Superman_ #76, has many heroes meeting atop the Daily
Planet before traveling to the Metropolis Post Office. The main stories
deal with helping a family coping with a separation and the effects of
Doomsday's destruction, as well as Lois, Lana, and the Kents grieving over
Clark's death. The story is touching on its own, and even stronger as part
of the Funeral storyline. The strongest scene is that of Lois, Lana, and Ma
and Pa Kent silently standing in front of the Superman statue, supporting
each other as the snow falls around them.
"Night of a Hundred Thieves", in _Adventures of Superman_ #520, takes place
on Christmas Eve, but, aside from that, it's not much of a Christmas story
since the tale could easily take place on any other night of the year.
Superman is trying to find a "debbi doll" as a present for Lois. Meanwhile,
someone has organized 100 criminals to simultaneously commit thefts at the
stroke of midnight. Superman and the police go up against the villains, who
include Loophole, Captain Boomerang, the Royal Flush Gang, and Punch and
Jewelee. Karl Kesel writes a fun story and shows (with art by Stuart
Immonen and Jose Marzan Jr.) how truly outclassed these villains are
against Superman. Superman takes out Punch and Jewelee by tossing rubber
balls at them while punning that "the holiday season means giving till it
hurts!"
Aside from the regular Super-titles, DC has published five Christmas or
holiday specials since 1986. The most recent are the _DCU Holiday Bash!_,
the third of which came out last month. The issues are recent enough that
I'm not going to review them here (you can check out back issues of the
Kryptonian Cybernet if you want -- or just buy them). Each has a Superman
story, but frankly, I enjoyed the _DCU Holiday Bash!_ for the other stories
(my personal favorite is the Darkseid/Santa story from last year).
Before that, DC published two specials, called _Christmas With The
Super-Heroes_. Both were edited by Mark Waid. The first special, published
in 1988, contains 6 reprint stories.
Superman stars in "Twas The Fright Before Christmas" from _DC Comics
Presents_ #67. DCCP was a Superman team-up series and this one has him
teaming up with Santa Claus to battle the Toyman. Winslow P. Schott, aka
the Toyman, has created hypnotic pop-guns that will brainwash children into
committing crimes. Fortunately, jolly ol' St. Nick and his elves match him
toy for toy, then save Christmas by exchanging pop-guns for genuine
presents. The story, by Len Wein and E. Nelson Bridwell, is lots of fun and
the art is by *the* Superman team of Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson.
Another gem is "The Man Who Murdered Santa Claus" from _JLA_ (1st series)
#110 (published in 1974). Len Wein (with art by Dick Dillin and Dick
Giordano) teams Superman, Batman, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Red Tornado,
and substitute Green Lantern John Stewart. The Key taunts the heroes by
murdering a man preparing to be Santa for a group of orphans. This classic
story has the heroes apparently succumbing, one by one, to a series of
bizarre traps. Of course the heroes succeed, with the help of the Phantom
Stranger. The Key does blow up the decrepit neighbourhood, but this allows
John Stewart to construct improved housing for the residents. The issue
ends with the JLA giving Red Tornado a Christmas present -- a new costume
(the very one he wears today in _Young Justice_).
Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes star in "Star Light, Star Bright",
originally presented in _DC Special Series_ #21 from 1979. Paul Levitz pens
and Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and Dick Giordano draw. Superboy visits the
under-construction LSH headquarters and exchanges greetings with his pals,
including a chaste, under-the-mistletoe kiss from Phantom Girl. In the
monitor room we see screens of Karate Kid commemorating the holiday with a
tea ritual, and Colossal Boy and his family celebrating Chanukah. Superboy,
longing for an old fashioned Christmas, suggests the team look for the
Christmas star.
Using a navigational computer to determine the location of the Star of
Bethlehem, the team arrives to find a planet, but no star. The planet has
three lifeforms, each suffering from the increasing cold (though how in the
heck the planet has survived without a sun is never explained). Each of the
lifeforms is dealing with the crisis in its own way and without success.
Thanks to those handy universal telepathic earplugs, Superboy convinces the
clan leaders to cooperate, allowing them to survive until the United
Planets can evacuate them.
Superboy tells the others that Christmas is "caring, helping ... and maybe
a brightly shining star in the sky that science says is impossible." The
skeptical Wildfire replies, "I'm not saying that it was anything more than
Lightning Lad and a bum navigational computer, Superboy ... but I guess I
can't say it wasn't either!" The story ends with Saturn Girl looking out at
the reader and wishing "Happy Holidays ... from all of us, to all of you!"
Of the remaining stories, two are Batman solo stories and the third is "The
TT's Swingin' Christmas Carol" from _Teen Titans_ #13 (first series --
1968). Bob Haney (with art by Nick Cardy) has the hip-speaking Titans
helping out in a modern version of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol".
Wheelchair bound Tiny Tom enlists the Titans' help for his father Bob
Ratchet and his miserly boss Ebenezer Scrounge. Robin gets "a great idea"
after Scrounge is confronted by his former partner, Jacob Farley. He tells
the others, "haven't you characters begun to dig it yet?" and explains the
Dickens connection. The Titans disguise themselves as the Ghosts of
Christmases past, present, and future to get Scrounge to change his
miserable ways. They even defeat some criminals along the way. Scrounge is
converted, natch, and Tiny Tom exclaims, "Best wishes to all -- for a
swinging and groovy New Year ... and bless us everyone!"
They just don't write 'em like that anymore.
I wish they would. The issue contains some of the best pre-Crisis holiday
stories. They wouldn't be superhero comics without bad guys, tragic
circumstances, and even murder -- but these form the backdrop to the
stories, not the focus or the themes. While skirting the religious, the
stories use the spirit of the season to tell light-hearted, positive tales
of friendship, goodwill, miracles and the kindness of strangers.
In the second _Christmas With The Super-Heroes_ (cover dated 1989), Mark
Waid presents 6 new tales. Only the first and last have a Superman
connection, but all of the stories are enjoyable.
In "Ex Machina", a motorist is stranded in a snowstorm and, suffering from
the cold, prepares to commit suicide. Superman arrives and uses his heat
vision to warm the man and the car engine. Paul Chadwick (story/pencils;
with John Nyber inking) writes an unusual Superman story as the two
converse about the things that have driven this man to consider taking his
own life. The man talks about his medical condition and his estrangement
from his daughter. Superman tells him, "listen, I don't mean to preach
here, but there's one thing I know. No person who's lost his, or her,
parents wouldn't like to get them back. Even one of them. This is something
I know."
He urges the man to call his daughter saying, "My friend, your disease is a
long, hard way to go. Nobody should die alone in this world. If not for
yourself, do it for me." Before he leaves, Superman gives the man
directions to visit some friends that will give him a good Christmas
dinner. He adds, "They're good folks. They helped me out after I had some
trouble in space one time." Superman flies off as the man drives toward the
Smallville exit.
The Batman story by Dave Gibbons is a depressing look at Batman's lonely
life, and the story isn't helped by the murky art of Gray Morrow.
The Wonder Woman tale by Eric Shanower (story/art) is interesting as Diana
converses about her beliefs and gods with a female pastor whose husband has
had an affair and asked for a divorce. The pastor's beliefs are shaken,
especially after a conversation with Diana about her Olympian gods. The
pastor sees a less confident Diana on Christmas Eve. Diana is "reflecting
on what I've accomplished ... and what I haven't" and says, "Though my gods
have helped me in the past, sometimes they have been cruel. Now I feel
abandoned by them. I don't understand anymore. I don't know who or what to
believe."
The pastor asks what she believes in, and Diana answers, "love and peace
and truth". The pastor counsels her to hold fast to those beliefs and they
will sustain her. Someone will hear her message and good will grow. "If it
weren't so difficult, the good wouldn't be that important." The
conversation acts as a catharsis, helping both women with their individual
faiths and beliefs.
Next is a wordless story about Baron Von Hammer, the German WWI flying ace
called the Hammer of Hell, who brings supplies to his enemies on Christmas
Day. Written and penciled by John Byrne, it's the finished art by Andy
Kubert that gives it the look of the original stories by Bob Kahniger and
Joe Kubert.
The Silver Age Flash and Green Lantern star in the next story, written by
Bill Loebs, with art by Colleen Doran and Ty Templeton. As Barry and Hal
finish monitor duty on the JLA satellite, they decide to visit a small town
for an old-fashioned Christmas. It's a Scrooge type story, as they meet a
disillusioned rich man named CB Fenster who offers five million dollars to
anyone who can prove that Santa Claus exists in that town.
GL's ring creates the sleigh, Flash plays the reindeer, and Fenster is
forced unwillingly to play the role of Santa. There's lots of Silver Age
fun as GL squeezes Santa down chimneys. We meet some lonely and sad
residents of the town and, as befits a Christmas story, all ends well when
GL and Flash find Santa by having Fenster look at his reflection. Wearing
their Santa hats, Hal ends with "Happy Hanukkah, Flash" and Barry replies,
"And a merry Christmas to you, pal."
As good as these stories are, the gem of the issue is the last one, a
Deadman story titled, "Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot" written by Alan
Brennert with art by Dick Giordano. It's a poignant tale, as Deadman
inhabits other bodies to send presents to friends he can't bring himself to
visit. He decides to experience the holiday through a young man's eyes (and
body), until he realizes he is stealing his host's Christmas.
Deadman flees, angry and full of self-loathing, until a lovely, blond woman
starts talking to him. Since Deadman can't ordinarily be seen by humans, he
tries to find out who she is. She turns the conversation around and asks if
the reason he is angry is that no one knows what he has done on their
behalf. She then removes Deadman's mask to speak to the man behind it,
Boston Brand.
She tells him, "We don't do it for the glory. We don't do it for the
recognition. We do it because it needs to be done. Because if we don't, no
one else will. And we do it even if no one knows what we've done. Even if
no one knows we exist. Even if no one remembers that we ever existed."
Boston apologizes for how he has acted and the woman tells him not to
because, "you're only human. You are still human, Boston. Don't be ashamed
of it. Rejoice in it. Because it means your spirit -- as flawed or selfish
as our spirits can sometimes be -- is still alive."
As she turns to leave, Boston asks her name. She tells him and says,
"though I doubt that'll mean anything to you." Boston replies, "Merry
Christmas, Kara. Whoever you are." The story is dedicated to Supergirl
scribes, Otto Binder and Jim Mooney, with the inscription, "We still
remember".
Contest time. I'd like to know what stories you remember. Send an e-mail to
me at shogan@intergate.bc.ca (not to the Kryptonian Cybernet) telling me
what are your favorite stories -- whether pre- or post-Crisis. I'm looking
for one or two issue stories, rather than a story arc (any story, not just
Christmas stories). Tell me what you liked and why. I'll do an article on
Reader's Choices in a later issue. I'll also do a random draw among those
who send suggestions. Winners will receive a copy of volume 1 or 2 of
_Christmas With The Super-Heroes_. If you have a preference for one or the
other comic, let me know. I'll contact you for your snail-mail address if
you win.
Next time: Lois Lane. Until then, enjoy the holidays and have a wonderful
time with your family and friends.
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SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES
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Episode #47: "Obsession"
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Reviewed by Denes House (househld@borg.com)
November 14, 1998
Story by Paul Dini, Andrew Donkin, and Ron Fogelman
Written by Andrew Donkin and Ron Fogelman
Directed by Dan Riba
Guest-Starring: Nancy Travis as Darci Mason
Bud Cort as the Toyman
Joely Fisher as Lana Lang
RATINGS:
Average: 2.8/5.0 Shields
Denes House:
3.0 Shields
Brad Ferguson:
3.0 Shields - Middle of the road episode, well done. Given the TAS
version of the Toyman, the robot girlfriend (and her rebellion)
is a logical development. (Can't this guy do _anything_Êright?)
Nice to see the TAS Lana again, even if only briefly. But
where's Lois gone to? China Beach?
Curtis Herink:
3.0 Shields - The premise was a bit too fantastic to be believable.
Otherwise an exciting episode.
Neil Ottenstein:
3.0 Shields - The scene where Lana discovers the truth about Darci
was quite creepy.
Karen Whitney:
2.0 Shields - The Toyman has never really worked for me as a villain,
and the idea that he is supposed to be a brilliant inventor but
can't create a mate for himself programmed to want to be with
him just doesn't ring true. The bright spot of the episode was
Lana Lang though.
REVIEW
"Obsession" opens on a fashion show -- of Lana Lang's new swimwear line.
Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen are there to cover it. The star model for the LL
line, Darci Mason is a statuesque blonde with elaborately arranged hair.
While Clark's attention is fixed on her, a large version of a toy tugboat
pulls up at a nearby pier. Out walk a Knight, an Astronaut, and a Cowboy
Sheriff, who begin terrorizing the crowd. As Clark Kent changes in a nearby
tent, the Astronaut heads directly for Ms. Mason.
In a flash, Superman appears, and in short order he deals with the Knight
and the Sheriff -- both robots. The Astronaut grabs Mason, and rockets off
with her. The Man of Steel gives chase, frees Darci, and destroys the
robot. Later, as police clear up the scene, Clark Kent muses to Lana that
Darci knows more than she's letting on.
The scene shifts to a toy-filled room decorated with floor-to-ceiling
portraits of Darci (her name signed with a tiny heart dotting the final
"i"). At the center of the room, a silhouetted figure rides a hobby horse
and fires off cap-gun pistols. It is the Toyman. He promises Darci's
pictures "soon you'll be all mine..."
Clark Kent knocks at the door to Mason's apartment, and scans the empty
home with his X-ray vision. He flies out the hallway window and into her
apartment, in a cool little scene that I liked very much. The apartment is
bare -- no photos, no knickknacks, no letters, the fridge bare. Darci walks
in on Kent. Kent expresses his and Lana's concerns for her safety. "I can
take care of myself -- believe me."
Suddenly, a giant toy kangaroo breaks in and forcefully boxes Kent off the
balcony. Superman flies in and begins to battle the (quite resilient)
robot. In the scuffle, the kangaroo slams Darci, face first, into a
wall-mounted mirror. It is a scene that made my wife and I both start back
with sympathy pain. Darci sits up, and examines herself in a shard of the
mirror -- disgusted by her appearance. Superman finally flings the Roobot
(sorry) over the balcony, where it destroys the empty car of a wealthy lady
below. Supes looks around -- Darci is gone. The Toyman watches from a giant
toy helicopter a good distance away. He perceives Superman as a rival, and
vows that Darci will be his.
The episode unfolds smoothly, with startling revelations about Darci and
the Toyman. Superman uses a unique and quite cool method to put out a fire,
and there is a great battle between Superman and a "Virtua-Fighter"-like
computer generated foe.
The Toyman always creeps me out. His spooky voice, the weird mask fixed
into a permanent grin, his obvious malevolence are all a potent combo. In
one scene, he approaches Darci with a drill: "I know there's a place for me
in your heart," he asserts, gunning the drill, "I just have to find it."
There are some cool lines, like when Superman is confronted by the Toyman's
guards, robot "wooden soldiers" that challenge "friend or foe?" The Last
Son of Krypton vaporizes them with his heat vision -- "FOE."
The computer battle game "DeathFist Ninja" is well executed if improbable,
and the ending is suitably mysterious.
Is it just me, though, or do the Superman cartoons lack strong conclusions?
They seem to end, but not conclude. I know that the cartoon is over -- a
half-hour has passed, and we've cut to a commercial break -- but I rarely
feel satisfied by the last segment in a S:TAS episode.
All in all, creepy and effective, with cool bits but a weak ending.
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End of Section 10/Issue #57
