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The Kryptonian Cybernet Issue 64
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T H E K R Y P T O N I A N C Y B E R N E T
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http://www.kryptonian-cybernet.com
Issue #64 -- July 1999
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CONTENTS
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Section 0: Table of Contents
Editorial Staff
Disclaimers
Subscription Information
Section 1: Superscripts: Notes from the Editor(s)
Just who do we think we are, anyway?
Shane and Jeff respond to some recent criticism about
the Kryptonian Cybernet's new comic reviews.
Ratings At A Glance
Titles Shipped June 1999
The KC Newsroom
Fresh from the WizardWorld Comic Con, Josh brings us news
about the new direction for the Superman and JLA titles;
some teasers about what Morrison and company had in mind
for the Man of Steel; and a new scripter signals new
movement on _Superman Lives!_
Section 2: And Who Disguised As...
Trying to pass along advice to the new Superman creators,
J.D. Rummel examines two recent Superman specials as
examples of what to do and what not to do in the future.
Faster Than A Speeding Bullet
Douglas M Tisdale Jr debuts his new ongoing column about
the classic Superman radio serials of the 1940s and 1950s,
this month providing an introduction to the program.
Web of Steel: The KC Guide to Superman on the WWW
Jon Knutson's web-spanning column returns with a look at
a variety of web sites dedicated to the Metropolis Marvel.
Section 3: New Comic Reviews
The Triangle Titles
Superman: Man of Tomorrow #14, by Johanna Draper Carlson
Action Comics #756, by Gary D. Robinson
Superman: The Man of Steel #91, by Mike Smith
Section 4: New Comic Reviews
The Triangle Titles (cont)
Superman #147, by Thomas Deja
Super-Family Titles
Superboy #65, by Rene' Gobeyn
Supergirl #35, by Thomas Deja
Section 5: New Comic Reviews
Super-Family Titles (cont)
Superman Adventures #34, by Cory Strode
Team Titles
JLA #32, by Edward Mathews
Young Justice #11, by Gary Robinson
Section 6: New Comic Reviews
Miniseries
A. Bizarro #2, by G.M. Nelson
Batman & Superman: World's Finest #5, by Simon DelMonte
Specials
Superman: The Last God of Krypton, by Glenn Crouch
Section 7: Tales of Earth-One
Episode 11: The Modern Prometheus and his Robots of Tin
Part 2: The Rebellion of the Robots
Bob Hughes continues his look into the history of robots
in Superman comics, exploring several stories where the
robots turned on the Man of Steel.
Section 8: Superman Stories
Judge, Jury, and Executioner
Sean Hogan turns his attention to perhaps the most
controversial of the post-Crisis Superman stories, the
Supergirl saga, in which the Man of Steel decides that
he must execute the Phantom Zone criminals.
Section 9: The KC Mailbag
Several comments on the execution of the Phantom Zone
criminals and an interesting take on Superman: The Last
God of Krypton highlight this month's reader mail.
EDITORIAL 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
DISCLAIMERS:
-----------
Superman, Superboy, Supergirl, Steel, JLA, Young Justice, and all
associated characters, locations, symbols, logos, and events are copyright
and/or trademarks of DC Comics. This magazine, its publisher and
contributors, and any content related to the Superman family of characters
are not authorized by DC Comics. Use of these copyrighted and trademarked
properties is not intended to challenge said ownership. We strongly suggest
that each reader look to the media sources mentioned within for further
information.
All original material published in The Kryptonian Cybernet, including but
not limited to reviews, articles, and editorials, are copyright 1999 by The
Kryptonian Cybernet and the respective authors. Reprinting in any format
is expressly forbidden without the permission of The Kryptonian Cybernet
and the contributing author.
Opinions presented within this issue belong to the authors of the articles
which contain them. They should in no way be construed as those of any
other particular member of the editorial or contributing staff, unless
otherwise indicated.
This magazine can be distributed in whole, freely by e-mail. Permission is
also granted to advertise subscription information on other on-line
services and/or websites. Should you desire to share this publication with
other on-line services and/or web sites, please contact Jeff Sykes at
sykes@kryptonian-cybernet.com for permission.
SUBSCRIPTIONS:
-------------
THE KRYPTONIAN CYBERNET is available by e-mail -- to subscribe, simply send
an e-mail message with the word "subscribe" in the Subject: field to the
following address:
To: kc-request@kryptonian-cybernet.com
Subject: subscribe
This will subscribe the address from which the message was sent. If the
address is successfully subscribed, you will receive a copy of the list's
welcome message. If you have any problems, contact Jeff Sykes at
sykes@kryptonian-cybernet.com.
Back issues are available via ftp at ftp.kryptonian-cybernet.com. These
archives can also be reached via the Kryptonian Cybernet Homepage:
http://www.kryptonian-cybernet.com
_____________________________________________
End of Section 0
_____________________________________________
SUPERSCRIPTS: NOTES FROM THE EDITOR(S)
----------------------------------------------------------------
By Shane Travis and Jeff Sykes (editors@kryptonian-cybernet.com)
JUST WHO THE HECK DO WE THINK WE ARE, ANYWAY?
In a recent issue of the Kryptonian Cybernet, we ran a review that prompted
a response from one member of the current Superman creative team. This
person took issue with some of the things written about their work,
especially as the criticisms did not reflect the other ratings and comments
associated with the review. Furthermore, they indicated that the reviews in
the KC have deteriorated -- that they propagate the usenet trend towards
snide comments, personal attacks, and cheap shots, and have become just
plain unenlightening. In closing, this creator no longer cared to read our
"awkward effort of journalism," and asked to be removed from the
subscription list.
Jeff and I were understandably bothered by these comments, on a number of
levels. For one thing, we hate losing subscribers. That this subscriber was
a major player in the Superman universe, and has decided that KC is no
longer worth reading, certainly didn't help -- but it didn't hurt as much
as you might think. Finally, we do a lot of work to get this magazine to
you every month -- as do all our contributors -- and being called names and
having that work denigrated hurt our feelings. Ironic, isn't it? Had this
creator chosen to write this letter to the KC Mailbag, though, I doubt
either of us would have been nearly as upset. It was that the letter was
written directly to Jeff, with the implication that it should carry more
clout given its origin and that perhaps we should 'reign in' our writers,
that was most irksome.
You see, The Kryptonian Cybernet's intended audience is not the creators on
the Superman titles -- not as such, anyway. It is published for the benefit
of those who are readers and fans of the Man of Steel, which includes the
creators insofar as they fit into those categories. Further, the
contributors and editors are people who have a deep and abiding love of
Superman and want to see the character handled as well as possible. That
means that sometimes we point out when we think he is being handled badly,
and we will continue to do so. We are the people who consume Superman
comics, and as such we can say what we like about them. After all, the
point of criticism, and of the KC, is to serve the reader by addressing the
quality of the individual work; it is not to stroke the egos of creators.
Does that give us the right to be mean, or mean-spirited? Not in my book,
no. Certainly, some of our reviewers can get a bit stinging with their
criticism, but much more often than not, they are able to back up these
words with examples and solid reasoning. Still, there is a fine line
between criticizing a creator's work and criticizing the creator, and there
can be some difference of opinion as to what constitutes a personal attack,
and what is just the writer's style. Sometimes, writers make comments that
cross that line, and sometimes we slip up and let them through. It is
important to realize, however, that everyone's opinion of where that line
*is* is going to be different.
To acknowledge one of the points that this creator raised, in that the
review did not agree with the other comments on that issue, I can only say
that this observation is absolutely correct. Sometimes the reviews *don't*
reflect the opinions of everyone on the ratings panel. In fact, that's why
we *have* the ratings panel -- to get a wide variety of opinions from fans
of different stripes, free of the biases of the reviewer. That works both
ways; sometimes the review is significantly more positive than the other
ratings and comments. As the one who felt savaged by the review, this
creator had every right to feel hurt and to say, "I'm not going to read
this crap any more!" It's just too bad that they decided to focus on the
review and not on the other comments, many of which were much more
positive.
The Kryptonian Cybernet is, by any definition, a fan publication. Neither
Jeff nor I are professional journalists, and we do not claim otherwise. For
ourselves and our contributors, this e-zine is at best a hobby -- a
secondary interest. For all that, though, we take it very seriously and
have high standards -- a fact which has helped us survive and thrive for
five years now. When someone criticizes what we do, we stop and assess what
they have to say and see if there is merit to the comments. If so, we do
our best to address the situation and correct things where we can. If not,
we try and shrug it off and recognize that the criticism is only one
person's opinion, even if that person *is* one of the people on the
Superman creative team.
Too bad not everyone can do the same.
__________________________________________
RATINGS AT A GLANCE: Titles shipped June 1999
-------------------------------------------------------------
Prepared by Shane Travis (travis@kryptonian-cybernet.com)
This month marks the next to last issue of _Superman: the Man of Tomorrow_,
and I for one am not going to miss it when it's gone. For one thing, the
book is no longer fulfilling the purpose for which it was created --
namely, to fill in the skip weeks. For another, the stories have been
rather lackluster, with an average of under 2.5 Shields since issue #9.
Mostly, though, I'm just glad that I'm almost through having to use &#$@%!
footnootes in the Ratings at a Glance column!
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 previous six
issues, each of which is weighted equally, regardless of the
number of people who assigned it ratings. If the average is for
fewer than six issues, the number of issues is displayed in ().
Current Previous Average
Title Issue Rating Rank Rating Rank Rating Rank
----- ----- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
A. Bizarro 2 4.0(7) - 3.7(7) - -- -
Supergirl 36 3.8(8) 1 3.4(9) 2 3.50 2
Last God of Krypton 1 3.7(6) - -- - -- -
Superman 147 3.5(11) 2 3.4(14) 4 3.13 6
World's Finest 5 3.3(7) - 3.1(6) - 3.16(5) -
Superboy 65 3.3(10) 3 3.8(10) 1 3.87 1
JLA 32 3.2(11) 4 2.6(10) 8 3.18 5
Young Justice 11 2.9(9) 5 3.4(9) 3 3.38 3
Man of Steel 91 2.9(12) 6 2.9(12) 7 3.10 7
Man of Tomorrow 14 2.7(11) # 2.5(7) # 2.48(5) #
Superman Adv. 34 2.5(4) 7 3.4(5) 5 3.28 4
Action Comics 756 1.9(12) 8 3.2(12) 6 3.03 8
Adv. of Superman ** ** ** 2.4(11) 9 2.73 9
# Though it does sport a triangle number, _Superman: Man of Tomorrow_ is
treated as a special due to its infrequent publication, and therefore
does not receive a ranking.
** Due to the publication of _Superman: Man of Tomorrow_ #14, no issue of
_The Adventures of Superman_ was published in June. The previous issue
was #570, which was released in May 1999.
"Paging Misters Miller and Immonen... Your Fans Miss You..."
ACTION COMICS #756
- John Rozum stepped up to the plate with the first of his two fill-in
stories this month, and was not well-received. In fact, he brought this
title the lowest outing it's had since I started keeping track almost two
years ago. The violence level was the single biggest factor; many felt it
was just too much for a mainstream Superman comic.
"It's like Deja Vu all over again..."
SUPERGIRL #35
- Peter David brought us a tale of yesterday -- of many yesterdays,
actually, as he did a quick recap of the last three years of _Supergirl_.
Despite that we've seen most of this before, the presentation pleased the
long-time readers (earning the highest average rating for this title in
almost a year) and is a great jumping-on point for those who'd like to
start picking up the series.
"It am worst book of the month!"
A. BIZARRO #2
- Steve Gerber and M. D. Bright continue with a strong second issue of
the story of Al Bizarro -- imperfect duplicate of a regular guy. Not only
do we have a great story unfolding, but we've got better characterization
of Lex Luthor here than in his own mini-series of a few month's back, and
better marks for just two issues of this limited series than all four
issues of _Lex Luthor_ combined...
Information for 'Ratings at a Glance' and the ratings that accompany the
monthly reviews of Superman comics are obtained from KC readers. To become
a contributor, or to obtain information about what is required, contact
Shane Travis at <travis@kryptonian-cybernet.com>.
__________________________________________
THE KC NEWSROOM
---------------------------------
By Joshua Elder (j-elder@nwu.edu)
IT'S ALL GOOD
I spent the weekend of July 16-18 at the WizardWorld Comic Con and it has
given me hope for the future. I'll be relating to you all the Superman info
I picked up, including my thoughts on the preview issues I read from the
new creative teams.
THE NEW GUYS
I suppose the most exciting thing for me while I was at the convention was
getting to meet editor Eddie Berganza and new _Action Comics_ scribe Joe
Kelly. I got to read several preview copies of the new books, and I must
say that they blew me away. Mr. Berganza also dropped several other hints
about what would be upcoming in the Supertitles. One of the biggest
developments will be a complete redesign of Metropolis by Stuart Immonen in
order to make a true city of the future. Berganza also said that Steel will
become a supporting character in _Man of Steel_, Superboy and Supergirl
will be featured more regularly, that Superman and the son of Mongul will
be teaming up to battle a huge menace in _Superman_, and that Wonder Woman
and Superman will get trapped in another dimension fighting a constant war
for a thousand years. All of the above mentioned story arcs will take place
within their respective books. The triangle system will remain, but will be
very flexible. Basically, all the books will interact, but the team that
starts a story will finish it as well.
Berganza also said to look for Superboy to confront Superman about why he
wouldn't trust him with his secret ID (learned by Superboy during his trip
through Hypertime). I also learned that there aren't any 80-Page Giants or
mini-series coming out for Big Blue anytime soon. Oh yeah, look for
Luthor's new bodyguards, Mercy and Hope, as well as the return of that
building with the globe on top of it -- you know the one.
THE FUTURE OF THE JLA
As I'm sure you all know, Grant Morrison will be leaving the JLA soon. His
final story arc, entitled "World War III", will feature the return of the
Injustice Gang (helmed by Luthor) and the climactic battle with the
doomsday device of the Old Gods, Mageddon. Morrison still has at least one
other big JLA story on the plate, that being the hardcover due out for
Christmas detailing the JLA's battle with the Crime Syndicate (the evil
versions of the JLA).
After that, it's Mark Waid's turn. He plans on returning the League to the
core seven and Plastic Man, 'cause Plastic Man's just so cool. As for what
to expect from his JLA, Waid said "Lots of talking heads." He made it clear
that characterization is his strength, not the generation of insane,
mind-bending concepts like Morrison. Waid's first arc will have the JLA
facing off against the Demon's Head himself, Ra's Al Ghul. That arc will
conclude Porter and Dell's involvement with the JLA monthly as they go to
work on a "top secret project." Their replacements? None other than the
utterly incredible team of Bryan Hitch and Paul Neary from _The Authority_.
If you don't read that book, just pick up issue number four and you'll know
that these guys will draw the JLA right.
TEAM-UPS OF MARVELOUS PROPORTIONS
An Avengers/JLA crossover is still in the works. Mark Waid said that he and
Kurt Busiek have been working on the script for his project for a while.
The biggest stumbling block is that Perez is really the only man for the
job and he can't leave _Avengers_ anytime soon. To solve that dilemma, Waid
and Busiek have proposed an intercompany crossover between the _JLA_ and
_Avengers_ titles. No limited series or prestige formats, just one awesome
story taking place in the regular books. The companies have pretty much
nixed the idea due to concerns over reprint rights. Another proposal still
on the floor calls for suspending the publication of both titles during the
summer and letting Perez draw a limited series featuring the heroes.
In other team-up news, it looks like the JLA/JSA team-up will once again
become an annual event. Once Waid gets settled in on _JLA_, look for the
two teams to join forces.
WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN
During the JLA/JSA panel at WizardWorld, I asked Grant Morrison about the
Superman proposal that he put forth at the same time as his JLA proposal.
Grant responded by saying that it wasn't just his proposal, but Mark
Waid's, Mark Millar's, and Tom Peyer's as well. They didn't want to say too
much about it in the hopes that it could still one day be used by DC, but
they did drop a few tidbits at the insistence of the crowd. They threw out
things like "Metallo: the Man with the Red Kryptonite Heart", Superman
inscribing his diaries on a "Super-molecule" with his heat vision, and
Superman counting the number of microbes that died in the breath of the
person he was talking to each time he exhaled. They had also completely
redesigned Superman's rogue gallery and made plans for a new fortress, in
which would hang the ship of dreams itself, the Titanic. Knowing that DC
passed up something like this made me want to cry. Let us only hope they
one day come to their senses and we see some of the most creative minds in
comics working together on comic's first and greatest superhero.
THE NEVER-ENDING SCRIPT
According to Cinescape (http://www.cinescape.com), the latest script for
_Superman Lives!_ has been rejected, and a new screenwriter, Bill Wisher of
_T2_ fame, has been brought on board. Read on to find out why I thanked God
that this script will never see the light of day.
Brainiac, just like in the animated series, is responsible for the
destruction of Krypton. Clark becomes Superman just like normal, then the
actual "plot" of this film begins. Luthor finds a piece of Superman's ship
and Big Blue fears that his identity will be revealed to Lois. Then
Brainiac arrives with his super powered thug, Doomsday. Then Brainiac takes
over Luthor's body and becomes the evil Lexiac, sending Doomsday after
Superman. He beats Supes to death and then disappears. A mysterious being
known as K soon appears and resurrects Superman, sans powers. K wants to
take Superman to another yellow sun planet away from Brainiac, but Brainiac
unleashes the world's nuclear arsenal all at once and kidnaps Lois and her
niece (?). Superman gets his powers back and saves the day, only to
discover that, oops, Lois is pregnant with his child.
Words cannot describe how much I hate this script. As both a Superman fan
and a film student, I am insulted that someone was actually paid to produce
this swill. A chimp with a typewriter could have banged out a better script
than this. I once again am amazed by the seeming efforts to take one of the
greatest creations of the 20th century to a new low.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
I must say that I'm looking forward to the future more than I have for
quite some time. The core titles look to be the strongest they've been
since "The Death of Superman" and things look pretty bright for the JLA as
well. The Warner Bros. execs even seem to be wising up, rejecting that
horrendous script and hiring a screenwriter with some talent. Even though
Eddie Berganza wouldn't look at my Superman proposal (it's really good if
any of you artist types are looking for a project), I have nothing to
complain about. Superman is back on track and soon he'll be back where he
belongs: on top.
_____________________________________________
End of Section 1
_____________________________________________
AND WHO DISGUISED AS...
---------------------------------------------------------
A Column of Opinion by J.D. Rummel (rummel@creighton.edu)
Recently I waxed hopeful about changes that Superman has forthcoming, and
considering some of the things I like to see, I wondered what advice I
would give to the creators of his latest adventures. So, what makes a good
Superman story? Rather than give you a lot of bulleted points, I would
suggest you examine two recent publications. This last month I read two
very different Superman one shots, _Superman: the Odyssey_ and _Superman:
The Last God of Krypton_.
They are two very different and telling tales. _Last God_ is by Walt
Simonson and the brothers Hildebrandt, and it is an example of what not to
do. That's not to say that it is outright crap -- it's just not worth the
price the public is asked to pay. It was probably fun to talk about in an
editors' meeting, but it should not have been produced.
The story concerns an ancient Kryptonian deity coming to Earth and wanting
to mate with Superman. Eventually she discovers that Kal-El is descended
from Rao, the ancient sun god that imprisoned her, and she must then
destroy him. This is one of those cluttered,
no-one-will-remember-it-in-DC-continuity tales that gathered to form the
great dead weight that even Superman couldn't lift, pre-Byrne. In this
adventure we find that Superman is not just the son of Krypton's most
brilliant scientist, he now has divinity in his family tree.
Spare us.
In the final moments, Lois rescues her man by flying to the surface of the
sun in a suit of Kryptonian armor. That moment needs no unkind barb from me
to cap it off. Just read the first sentence in this paragraph aloud to
yourself.
During reading Last God one is struck by the art. While the brothers are
talented painters, their Superman is sort of pretty. The brothers appeared
to have used models for a fair amount of this. While they produce lovely
fantasy book covers and calendars, their Superman is very much part of
those big coffee table fairy tale collections that you used to peruse as a
child. It's not bad, it's often gorgeous, but there isn't a trace of
humanity in any of it.
Next is _Superman: The Odyssey_ by Graham Nolan and Chuck Dixon. This is
not genius, but it is a good, rock solid tale of the Man of Steel. Its
story concerns Superman hearing the news of the death of someone from his
past. The news sets him reflecting on how he came to choose his mission in
life and accept the great responsibility his alien birth has placed on him.
The art is sort of Joe Staton meets Superman: The Animated Series, with
some Will Eisner thrown in for good measure. Like _Last God_, the pictures
don't paint reality either, but several pages in the drawings have created
a world that grips you firmly. The images are used to tell a truth, panel
by panel. By the last frame, even non-fans of Superman would get the point.
It wouldn't convert them, but they would have a taste of what a Superman
story should be about. Yet, Supes appears in his tights for only a few,
brief pages.
_Last God_ will be forgotten, or at least it should be. _Odyssey_ will be
remembered and held on to by lots of fans of good, exemplary fiction
starring Superman.
Away!
And Who Disguised As... is copyright 1999 by J. D. Rummel. Its contents may
not be reproduced in any format without the written permission of the
author.
__________________________________________
FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET
-----------------------------------------------------
By Douglas M Tisdale Jr (dmtisdale_jr@yahoo.com)
A SHORT INTRODUCTION
Towards the end of the first half of this century, as the world found
herself recovering from the economic and political troubles of the first
world war while at the same time preparing for a second, Americans found
solace and release from their troubles by turning to their radios. The
comedic routines of favorites like Burns and Allen or Jack Benny, the
adventures of familiar characters such as Sherlock Holmes or the Shadow,
and dramatic presentations by troupes such as the Mercury Theatre On The
Air provided a welcome diversion from everyday life for millions
nationwide, in all age groups. And, starting on February 12, 1940, radio
listeners began to thrill to the adventures of the Man of Tomorrow.
A BRIEF HISTORY
When the brainchild of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster proved his popularity
in the comic books, leading to the first ever comic book devoted to a
single character, DC Comics knew they had something, and that it could be
capitalized on somewhere other than just in the comics pages. Robert
Maxwell was assigned the job of taking the Man of Steel and finding another
medium in which to promote him. Maxwell wisely chose the radio, the only
way apart from the printed word of reaching millions. With help from DC
press agent Allen "Duke" Ducovny, Maxwell wrote the first episode of what
he hoped would become a popular radio serial, complete with the first
version of what would soon become the most famous opening signature in
history:
"Faster than an airplane! More powerful than a locomotive! Impervious to
bullets! Up in the sky -- look! It's a giant bird! It's a plane! It's...
SUPERMAN!"
The Superman serial was at first unsuccessful in finding network time, but
its then-sponsor, Hecker's H-O Oats, bought airtime on several local radio
stations. As its popularity increased over the years, its sponsor changed,
and it earned a place in the network scheduling. Although it started as a
thrice-weekly syndicated program, by 1942 Superman was flying over the
airwaves daily; and he continued to do so until 1951.
The Superman radio show was typical of its time, utilizing sound effects
and a vast repertory of skilled radio actors over its decade-long run. It
also was immensely influential in the crafting of the Superman mythos,
introducing key characters like Perry White, and even the dangers of
kryptonite. The serial also featured the first team-up between Superman and
the Batman, which began a friendship that extended into the comics several
years later. Two of the stories were so popular that they were used as the
basis for the two movie serials starring Kirk Alyn which were broadcast in
the 1940s, and some have even been recalled in more recent adventures of
the Man of Steel, as I will demonstrate in a later column.
So return with me now to those golden days of yesteryear... whoops, I'm
sorry, that's the wrong show. What I mean to say is, don't miss the next
exciting installment of this article, same time, same station, when I'll
tell you about the voice of Superman, and discuss his earliest radio
adventures. In later installments, I'll discuss some of the later radio
adventures, presenting them in the context of the times, and showing their
long-reaching influences into the comics and television shows of today.
__________________________________________
WEB OF STEEL: THE KC GUIDE TO SUPERMAN ON THE WWW
-------------------------------------------------
By Jon B. Knutson (waffyjon@execpc.com)
Greetings, fellow KC readers, and welcome to the fourth installment of my
column which will point your way to the many Superman-related sites on the
web. As always, if you are interested in the guidelines I follow when
reviewing sites, there's a page up at:
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Capsule/7801/webofsteel.html
Before I get started this time around, I'd like to apologize to everyone
for missing the June KC... in my preparations for going on vacation, I'd
completely forgotten to submit this one! It's not Jeff's fault, or anyone
else's but my own... and considering I've got columns stockpiled for
several months ahead of time, I feel quite silly... anyway...
This time around, it's potpourri! Let's get started...
WARREN HILL'S SUPERMAN WEBPAGE
Warren's a very enthusiastic fan of the Man of Steel... or rather, he
became one during the "Death of Superman" storyline, which begins his
coverage of Superman in the comics (with a brief nod to the pre-Death
stuff), with plenty of panel reproductions and a narrative which, to be
completely honest, veers into melodramatics at times. However, he earns
points with me for making it my option as to whether or not I want music
played as I read. Warren does need to watch his grammar and spelling, as I
spotted a lot of errors there, and he needs someone to point out where he
makes statements that can be misleading (for example, he states when
Superman came back from the dead, he was joined in the assault on Engine
City by Supergirl, Superboy, Steel, the Eradicator, the Cyborg (!) and
Green Lantern. Be prepared for page four, when the immense amount of
graphics all trying to download slow your progress to a crawl. Warren's
site also has some pictures from the current animated series as well as the
Chris Reeve movies. Given his enthusiasm, I can forgive the slowness and
grammar enough to rate his site three shields out of five.
http://members.tripod.com/~WarrenHill/index.html
NICE STUFF -- IF YOU CAN READ ABOUT IT
Flying Pirate is an online store which sells quite a few unique and some
not-so-unique Superman items. Prices overall seem fair, and they do have a
number of items which I don't believe have been generally available for
some time. But (and it's a big but), the text is very hard to read... rule
of thumb when creating a web page: don't use red text on a dark background!
Also, there are very few photos of the items (I think there were only three
Superman items with photos), and online ordering is not simple by any
means. It's extremely rare that I'll buy something online if I have to
copy-and-paste info from one page to the next because I can't just click an
"add to my cart" button to add something to the list of stuff I want to
buy. So, you've got good items and good prices vs. a bad design, few photos
and poor online ordering. To me, that adds up to a poor two shields out of
five for this site -- they've got to correct those problems before it will
earn more shields from me. Perhaps I should say 2 out of 5 shields for
design, and 4 out of 5 for merchandise (only because I recognize some
merchandise from the descriptions). Two different sites, both offer the
same stuff.
http://flyingpirate.com/
http://www.galactictradingpost.com
DAVID SCHUTZ'S "ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN" PAGE
Every now and then, while surfing, you'll find a site that makes you say,
"Wow!" This is one of them. David is obviously a big fan of the old George
Reeves tv series, but his site isn't limited to that! He also has sections
on Lois Lane and the women who've played her, Superman collectibles,
Superman stamps, and much more. On the down side, there are a few items
that look like other sections of David's site, but which appear to be links
to other sites. I'll give David the benefit of the doubt, though. My only
real complaint about the site is that episode descriptions are minimal, and
there's no bio sections on the actors from the show. Still, the site's good
enough to earn it four out of five shields in my book!
http://members.tripod.com/~davidschutz/index.html
THE SCI-FI CHANNEL STORE
You certainly wouldn't think that the Sci-Fi Channel's online store would
sell any Superman merchandise, given they don't show any regular Superman
programming, would you? Well, I didn't, either, but I was proved wrong.
What they offer is a variety of comics, action figures, trade paperbacks,
Archives, and some other items which, frankly, you should be able to find
at your local comic shop or comics con/show for less money (and not pay
shipping charges). On the other hand, if your area doesn't seem to be
supporting your needs, and you're looking for relatively recent (i.e.
post-reboot era) Superman items, it's worth checking out. Three out of five
shields (losing shields for lack of unique items). The first link below
takes you to their featured Superman items, while the second takes you to
the list of all Superman items.
http://store.scifi.com/categories/Superman.asp
http://store.scifi.com/browse/browse.asp?x_cat=Superman
VARTOX'S SUPERMAN PAGES
Vartox has several Superman-related pages on the web, and since most of the
interest areas aren't that in-depth, I decided I'd review them in a bunch.
The first page listed focuses on Superboy on television, with a primary
focus on the live-action series, although there is brief mention of the
Filmation cartoon of the 60's and the live-action pilot considered after
"The Adventures of Superman" went off the air. The second page is a feature
of photos of various people (other than those hired to play Superman in TV
and movies, save for a pic of George Reeves with Lucille Ball) wearing
Superman costumes. I'll rate the Superboy site three out of five shields (a
bit more info would've been nice), and the costumes page four out of five
(nice tight focus, but the dark background with dark red and blue text is a
bit hard on the eye). He also has a very brief George Reeves page, but as
that mainly focuses as an extended link to another site, I won't review it.
http://members.aol.com/VARTOX/superboy.html
http://members.aol.com/VARTOX/costume.html
The "crown jewel" of Vartox's pages appears to be his "Lana Lang Onscreen"
pages, which is a staggering (compared to the others) four pages long!
However, don't fret too much, as each of these pages is short and sweet,
covering Lana Lang portrayals from the Superboy pilot, the 1960's Filmation
Superboy cartoons, the Ruby-Spears one-season Superman series, the modern
animated series, the Superboy tv series (Stacy Haiduk is his favorite,
which one can tell quickly), the Superman movies, and the brief Lana
appearance in "Lois and Clark." As with his other pages, Vartox keeps the
focus sharp, and while some additional info would've been nice, I still
feel confident in awarding Vartox four out of five shields.
http://members.aol.com/vartoxv2/lana.html
SUPERMAN THEN AND NOW
This is what I call a "super-site" -- one that covers Superman in his many
and various incarnations, from the comics to cartoons to movies, tv shows,
etc. A very spiffy site, with plenty to offer the super-surfer. The site is
extremely well-organized (although links between sub-subheadings would be
nice, instead of going back to the subheading, but I can live with that).
The site could use some updating (as is acknowledged by the siteowner on
the front page), but there's still plenty of information... and anything he
doesn't have extensive info on, he's provided links to. It's a great site,
and in spite of a few nitpicks I have about it, there's enough there to
overcome them, and award it five shields out of five, making this site the
KC/Web of Steel Site of the Month!
http://www.fxstation.com/heroes/superman/super.htm
That's it for this issue, super-surfers... join me back here next time for
a themed column again, focusing on "Lois and Clark" websites! In the
meantime, if you run or know of a Superman site you want to see featured in
"Web of Steel," e-mail me the URL at waffyjon@execpc.com and I'll fit it in
as soon as I can.
_____________________________________________
End of Section 2
_____________________________________________
NEW COMIC REVIEWS
---------------------------------------
Comics Arriving In Stores June 1999
Well, I finally have something to report about in this space. Due to a lack
of significant Superman content (and a general opinion that the book was
just pretty darn bad), we decided not to devote any review space to the _DC
One Million 80-Page Giant_ #1. It certainly wasn't worth my five bucks, but
your mileage may vary. Now, on to the books we did review!
Ratings Panelists:
-----------------
BS: Brian Seidman JB: Jeremy Bleichman SDM: Simon DelMonte
CoS: Cory Strode JDC: Johanna Draper Carlson SI: Seth Isaacs
EJ: Enola Jones JE: Josh Elder SL: Sebastian Lecocq
EM: Edward Mathews JSy: Jeff Sykes ST: Shane Travis
GC: Glenn Crouch MS: Mike Smith TD: Thomas Deja
GR: Gary Robinson RG: Rene' Gobeyn
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:
-------------------
29. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW #14 Aug 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Conspiracy of One + One + One + One + One + One..."
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciller: Paul Ryan
Inker: Dennis Janke
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Color Seps: Digital Chameleon
Assoc. Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Paul Ryan, Dennis Janke, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 2.7/5.0 Shields
JDC: 2.5 Shields
BS: 1.0 Shields - Satisfactory, but uninspired; a better writer and a
better art team could have made this issue so much more than it
was. My fond farewell to the departing Super-Team is turning into
a good riddance!
GC: 3.5 Shields - Not a big fan of Riot but this was a well handled,
well drawn story. It lost points for needlessly tying Riot to
"Dr. Frankenstein"; why include great characters of literature
so pointlessly?
JB: 1.4 Shields - This one should've been titled "Ruining Riot". Once a
happy-go-lucky sneak thief with a whacked-out sense of humour, now
he's a psycho who chucks people off buildings. And could they
*please* get rid of the Forgettable Four, AKA the Meta-SCU?
JE: 3.6 Shields - It really bugged me that Riot's powers seemed so
mutable; he displayed abilities here that he's never shown before.
At least we finally got an origin for him.
JSy: 3.3 Shields - Anyone who wonders why I like Riot so much need only
look at this issue. It's not so much a matter of the character
as it is the way Superman must act in order to contain him. So
rarely does Superman have to use his wits instead of his brawn.
SI: 3.3 Shields - Riot is a cool villain Superman actually needs to use
his brain to defeat. It's a shame Lois stumbled across Uncle
'Plot Device' Hal and spared him the trouble. A good story
nevertheless, but I had higher expectations for Riot's origin.
SL: 1.5 Shields - The secret of Riot is revealed, and I would rather it
had stayed hidden. His origin is simple and not very original.
Also, Ryan's art is not up to par. I have never liked Riot, and
what we learned here didn't make me change my mind.
TD: 3.0 Shields - Okay for what it was: an origin and final (surprisingly
decent) fate to one of the most annoying and unnecessary Supes
villains imaginable. Louise is finally finding her way back to her
strength, but it's too little too late.
Review by: Johanna Draper Carlson <johannadc@mindspring.com>
Character spotlights are usually more interesting to me than your
run-of-the-mill standard action plots. Spotlights on villains can be even
more interesting, because there's room for more variety of experience and
events. Given the number of Superman comics recently that haven't really
involved Superman, however, I think this book would have seemed more
unusual to me if I'd read it at another time. I'm also a bit tired of
having the villain know better than the hero, but I'm getting ahead of
myself. (Ironic, given that that's precisely the situation the villain
finds himself in.)
In this issue, Riot, a skull-headed thief who can split himself into
numerous copies, interrupts Lex Luthor's party in an attempt to obtain a
techno-MacGuffin. We also learn his origin, and the Meta-SCU characters
make an appearance.
This was my first exposure to Riot. After a friend who'd read his previous
appearances explained the character to me (as a mixture of the Creeper,
Emil Hamilton, Mxyzptlk, and the Multiple Man), I found the concept very
interesting, but until then I couldn't figure out exactly what was going
on. From the opening events, I didn't know if he was supposed to be
humorous or just incompetent. His power also confused me: I didn't know if
he was splitting and rejoining or just had multiple versions of himself.
Unfortunately, the character is rather hard to explain through art alone,
and the attempts to do so lead to some over-crowded panels. Superman
finally elaborates to the readers, but it happens far enough into the story
that you then have to reread the opening third of the book, and it's not
quite interesting enough to stand up to immediate rereading.
I was also a little disturbed that this character, who is supposed to be
somewhat funny, was pitching innocent bystanders off roofs. Then again,
there's not a lot of humor in this particular story, and I don't know that
there should be. I suspect if I'd read Riot's other appearances, I would
feel that a somewhat one-note character was experiencing a needed change of
pace. Without that background, though, I'm left to conclude that this
character doesn't really fit the story he's in (even though it's his
origin, strangely enough). Another problem is that the look of the
character goes in a completely different direction from the sympathy I
think the writer wants us to have.
Conveniently, Riot can provide exposition through talking to himself. It
becomes rather obvious by page eight, though, when Riot's describing what
the art shows. The biggest problem with this issue is the pacing. The story
is pretty slow to get started -- we don't see Superman until page six --
and we spend too much time on some sequences and not enough on others. The
transition on page four, for example, is oddly paced; the story jumps a day
in overlapping panels on the same page, which is confusing even though the
text explains what happened. I'd also cut directly from "we'll attack
Luthor's party" to showing them attacking Luthor's party, rather than
spending an entire page on Riots disappearing from a rooftop. It's boring.
There is a nice writing transition when Clark becomes Superman, though,
with overlapping thought balloons indicating the speed of the change, but
the art doesn't support the concept. The chosen images are pretty standard
and rather flat.
It was a blast to see Charlie Kochman again. (Charlie's an editor in DC's
Licensed Publishing department. I'm guessing that he worked with Ms.
Simonson on the _I Hate Superman!_ kids' book that was out a few years
ago.) I'm trying not to read too much into the fictional version hating his
job and his company while consoling his writer pal who's had their contract
cancelled. The appearance doesn't have much of a point if you don't know
the in-joke, but departing writers should be allowed their indulgences.
This sequence, though, is another example that suggests that a bit more
tightening would have resulted in a better flow throughout the story. I
would have liked to have seen it minimized, or have the Charlie character
given something else to do in the story.
The conclusion is somewhat disturbing. The lesson that Superman can't
always rush in and save people is not a bad one; sometimes the right thing
to do is to have patience and let people work things out on their own.
Unfortunately, in a superhero comic, that can also be read as, "Just don't
get involved, and don't worry about the people who get hurt along the way."
Overall, though, the final word -- that no one can be the best at
everything -- is something we should keep in mind, and a sleep-deprived bad
guy who only wanted a get a few more things done is certainly someone I can
identify with.
===============================================
30. ACTION COMICS #756 Aug 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Comeback"
Writer: John Rozum
Artist: Vince Giarrano
Letterer: Janice Chiang
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Associate: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Stuart Immonen, Jose Marzan Jr., and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 1.9/5.0 Shields
GR: 2.9 Shields
BS: 0.5 Shields - A carelessly drawn Superman fit perfectly into this
boring issue that wasn't even interesting as a one-shot. As an
added bonus, this issue was unnecessarily violent.
EM: 3.1 Shields - A cute meta-commentary on the changes in comic book
villains over the years. This wasn't as poorly telegraphed as some
recent tales, even if it was hokey.
GC: 1.0 Shields - A huge body count and overly violent villains for what
seems like a "lighter" issue, and Superman doesn't seem perturbed
by the devastation. Worst Superman Story I've read in a long time.
JE: 3.4 Shields - The tale of a retired supervillain's last hurrah
makes for an entertaining little vignette. Not exactly a "real"
Superman story, but he's got plenty of other books.
JSy: 0.7 Shields - I'll admit I'm probably being too harsh with this one,
but there is no excuse for putting this level of violence in a
regular Superman title. Just goes to show how worthless that
Comics Code Authority label is these days.
SL: 1.0 Shields - The Doomslayers are simply too violent. Giarrano does
some great work in _Batman_, but here he is inconsistent. A real
massacre -- of the book, and not just in the story.
TD: 0.1 Shields - Terrible characters run around in a pointless story
pointlessly enacting atrocities on each other while some goofy
pre-Crisis reject acts as the hero. What was the point?
Review By: Gary D. Robinson <robinfam@akron.infi.net>
Well, what do you know! An honest-to-goodness, twenty-two page,
self-contained story! No plot threads from long past strewn about, no
cumbersome editorial notes ("See Action # ____"), no crossover characters
-- just a story which begins in _Action_ #756 and ends in _Action_ #756.
Normally, I'd be more than happy with such a novel approach, but, though I
hate to admit it, "Comeback" may be a little too short a story.
It goes like this: Once, a long time ago, when the bad guys were in it less
for the mayhem and more for the money, there was a mighty villain called
Diode the Invincible. After a suitable four-page battle with Superman,
during which the Man of Steel was nearly defeated, Diode was himself
vanquished. Snap-Fzztt went the villain's Power Fork as our hero broke it
like a cheap toy.
... Or at least that's the way Diode, now an old codger in the Cavalieri
Rest Home, would like to remember it. The truth his decrepit pals won't let
him forget is that he was actually taken down by a mere local super-doer,
"Checkered Flag, Superhero of the Speedway." Still, Diode dreams of a
comeback. With the help of a catalog and the internet, he refits,
refurbishes, and picks at random the town of Bloomfield for his comeback.
Meanwhile, the Doomslayers, a pack of spandex-clad psychopaths sporting
silly names, have invaded Bloomfield and gone on a murderous rampage. As
luck would have it, when Superman appears to stop them he first does battle
with Diode, who has discovered the gap between the old kind of
supercriminal and the modern meaner, crueller type. Diode doesn't need much
persuading to switch sides. He and Superman win the day.
Let's see, a straightforward plot wrapped up in one issue. That ought to be
worth, oh, 2.7 shields. But, wait, as they say, there's more! During the
course of their querulous conversation, we learn the sad history of each
has-been heavy in the rest home: One had once gone under the name "Monsier
Maestro." Another was captured by a Boy Scout troop. Yet another had...
well, let him explain his downfall in his own words, "Times were different
when I started out. Back then 'Molester' just meant to bother someone."
Although the concept of the retired supervillain/hero is scarcely original,
the dialogue John Rozum has given these old coots as they sit around a game
of Scrabble caught me off guard. I laughed, yet somehow I pitied them.
Here's another .2 shields then.
Hardly pitiable, and, to me, not very amusing are the Doomslayers. I wish I
could continue to upgrade my review, but I've hit a snag here; these
characters have murdered hundreds. They're even shown, albeit in off-camera
PG-fashion, killing a mother and her child. "You are one evil man," says
the villainous Halo to the overseer of this carnage, Omega Man. "No," he
replies. "I'm the evilest." Similar panels show the various animals
("villains" is too weak a word) accompanying their shots and stabs with
quips. Perhaps this is meant to be taken as so over-the-top, it's funny.
Sorry, guys. In the wake of Kosovo and Columbine, I, for one, am not
amused.
Some may argue that the slaughter is necessary to the integrity of the
script's theme: Old values vs. New values. I imagine John Rozum considers
himself in the former camp. Still, using butchery to teach the value of
civility seems an unnecessarily extreme method. It's like saying we can
learn the beauty of art by applying a sledge hammer to Michelangelo's
David. Human nature being what it is, mightn't we eventually prefer the
rubble to the statue?
Rozum has striven for an entertaining story with a light tone and a quick
wrap-up. He might've pulled it off, were it not for the gruesome violence
without consequences. I'd really like to read a good Superman story between
two covers. As it is, this one's been short-sheeted.
===============================================
31. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #91 Aug 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Nemesis"
Writer: John Rozum (pages 2-21)
Artist: Charlie Adlard (pages 2-21)
Letterer: Phil Felix (pages 2-21)
Writer: Mark Schultz (pages 1, 22)
Penciller: Doug Mahnke (pages 1, 22)
Inker: Tom Nguyen (pages 1, 22)
Letterer: Ken Lopez (pages 1, 22)
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separator: Digital Chameleon
Associate Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Special Thanks: Scott Koblish
Cover: Doug Mahnke, Tom Nguyen, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 2.9/5.0 Shields
MS: 2.3 Shields
BS: 2.3 Shields - At least this Superman one-shot had heart. An
imaginative tale with nice nods to Lois & Clark among others.
JB: 2.9 Shields - I found the game designer's descent into madness
pretty chilling, but once again it feels like the writer forgot
one thing: this is Superman's book.
JDC: 3.0 Shields - Interesting portrayal of a paranoid in Metropolis, but
the cynicism and suspicion contrast a bit much with Superman's
brightness. Artist does a good job of constructing differing talk
scenes. Very realistic interaction with Lois in framing scenes.
JE: 4.4 Shields - Rozum's second enjoyable fill-in this month. This one
gets inside the mind of a man with "Superman-paranoia," one of
those neuroses one can only find in a superhero universe. A very
different and enjoyable tale.
SI: 3.5 Shields - While the framing device wasn't needed, Rozum does a
good job of showing how Superman's mere presence can make an
already unstable guy go gonzo.
SL: 3.7 Shields - Well-written from beginning to end, this splendid
episode detailing the story of one very common man was simple but
very effective. I find this type of story far more interesting
than 22 pages of fight scenes and big breasts.
TD: 0.5 Shields - Rozum's story is on rails, predictable in every way,
generating nothing in the way of interest. At least it doesn't
suffer from the pointless violence of his _Action Comics_ story.
Review by: Mike Smith <mike_p_smith@hotmail.com>
Basically, I'm counting down the days until the new creative teams come on
board the Superman books. It's not that I have anything against the old
guard -- Simonson and Jurgens have been writing Superman since I started
reading the comics seven years ago -- but since _King of the World_ came
out, it's become quite clear that they're just marking time until they
leave for good. At first, I thought I'd have Mark Schultz and Doug Mahnke
to tide me over until the others arrive, but apparently they've fallen into
the same rut; less than six issues into their run, we've already got a
guest team filling in.
You may remember John Rozum from the notorious "Doors of Deception" story
in last year's _Superman 80-page Giant_ #1, arguably one of the worst
Superman stories ever written. Of course, he's much fresher in memory for
_Action Comics_ #756, which I think gives "Doors of Deception" a run for
its money. Given his track record, you can imagine my trepidation at seeing
Rozum's name on the cover. Much to my surprise, however, Rozum shows
considerable improvement here over his work on _Action_ just the week
before. Still "Nemesis" fails to break any new ground.
Our story begins with Superman showing Lois a typed description of a story
in which he unwittingly played a part. *His* story begins with one Harvey
Musgrove sitting in a doctor's office, telling the doctor a story of his
own. *His* story (annoying, isn't it?) begins with his job in the Wackyland
toy company, when Musgrove had just had one of his new game ideas stolen by
a shifty co-worker named Morgan. When Musgrove returns home to develop an
even better idea, he notices Superman flying by his window several times.
Musgrove keeps a tight lid on his project at work, and Morgan smiles and
says "Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be just *super*. I can't wait to find
out all about it."
And so begins a lengthy obsession with Superman. Musgrove becomes convinced
that Superman is spying on him and conspiring with Morgan to stop him from
completing his new board game. When Musgrove does complete it he finds that
no one is willing to buy it, and he blames this failure on Superman as
well.
As if he weren't paranoid enough, arsonists burn down his apartment
building and Musgrove finds Superman on the scene. Realizing that Superman
won't be satisfied until the game is destroyed completely, Musgrove goes
into a wild rage which gets him arrested by Superman's loyal paramedics and
policemen. As he completes his story to the doctor, he offers to give her
his hidden copy of the game, but at the last instant notices that her name,
"Samenpur", is an anagram for "Superman". Convinced that she too is another
agent of Superman's, he pushes the psychologist out of a window. Sure
enough, Superman is there in the nick of time to save her.
The tale ends with Musgrove in an insane asylum, trying to teach his game
to the other inmates. Superman muses that no matter how unstable Musgrove
may have been, it was his presence as Superman that catalyzed his paranoid
delusions. Lois convinces him that it's not worth worrying about and they
make out by the light of the computer monitor.
First of all, I found the framing sequence by Schultz and Mahnke to be
completely superfluous. Rozum's story would have been all the more ironic
if Superman had been totally oblivious to what Musgrove had become.
Instead, Superman has investigated Musgrove's private life -- exactly what
Musgrove was worried about -- and is trying to use it for inspiration for
his next novel. If Superman had any moral qualms about that, apparently
kissing Lois somehow resolves them.
As for the main story itself, Rozum did succeed in adding more depth to
this yarn than he has on his previous Superman projects. Musgrove's twisted
logic is air-tight, and the only reason we don't take his side of the story
is because we just happen to know the alien in question. His descent into
madness is compelling; first he believed himself to be a persecuted
innocent, then a hero, and finally a near-martyr. I have to give some of
the credit to guest artist Charlie Adlard for designing this unassuming yet
moody figure of mentalinstability.
Unfortunately, Musgrove is swamped in unoriginal writing. His theory of
Superman being the advance scout for a Kryptonian invasion is lifted
entirely from Emmett Vale's rants in _Superman_ V2#1. His plight of being
unable to sell a board game in a world of virtual reality and computer
simulations is similar to that of the Toyman (who appeared just last
month). On a broader scale, Musgrove's infatuation for games and puzzles is
used by dozen of third-rate villains in DC Comics alone. Finally, the whole
bit about the doctor being named for an anagram was simply preposterous.
To make matters worse this story is a victim of bad timing. Rozum has
carefully used Superman's squeaky clean image to enhance the irony.
Superman attends ribbon-cutting ceremonies. Children hold signs in his
honor. Musgrove sees this as proof of his accusations and everyone else
just laughs. No one believes that Superman would try to take over the
world. Problem is, Superman *already* took over the world, remember? Rozum
has to ignore this in order to achieve the full effect of the story, but
*we* still haven't forgotten, so the plot hole just stands out all the
more. I realize that it was the only way to make the issue work, but it
should have prompted the editors to ask for a different story from Day One.
Certainly, this isn't one of the best Superman stories I've seen, but at
least John Rozum has managed to make up for the foul taste that _Action_
#756 left in my mouth, and he's proven that he can create a well-rounded,
worthwhile character to portray the villain. It's not much, but it's
enough, and it gets us one week closer to the end of the rut.
_____________________________________________
End of Section 3
_____________________________________________
THE TRIANGLE TITLES (cont):
--------------------------
32. SUPERMAN #147 Aug 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Secret Origins Part One: The Knight"
Writer: Ron Marz
Pencils: Tom Grindberg
Inks: Tom Grindberg (pages 1-6, 13, 16-22)
Inks: Bill Anderson (pages 7-12, 14, 15)
Letterer: Gaspar Saladino
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Associate: Maureen McTigue
Father Figure: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Walt Simonson and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.5/5.0 Shields
TD: 2.5 Shields
BS: 2.7 Shields - The plot seems too similar to _Team Superman_ #1, and
the JLA characterization in Superman has remained consistently bad
since Millennium Giants.
EJ: 5.0 Shields - THIS is what great story arcs are about! Who is the guy
at the end? what's next for Kal? I can't *wait* to find out!
EM: 4.0 Shields - Looks like Jor-El gave some thought into where he was
going to send his son. Ron Marz does a good job telling a decent
"What if?" tale within continuity.
GC: 3.9 Shields - I enjoyed the story as the first part of four; here's
hoping the others will maintain this standard of intrigue and
nostalgia. Good art.
JB: 3.5 Shields - Better than I expected. Superman's "alternate history"
recalls some of the better pre-Crisis tales. Grindberg's art
reminds me of Gil Kane's.
JDC: 2.5 Shields - Neat idea, but it would have worked better in the
Silver Age, when the Corps didn't seem so scary and Jor-El's
treatment of his son didn't resemble child abuse. Some really
amazing art, though.
JE: 4.0 Shields - An enjoyable little tale. Superman's character as the
"son" of the Guardians was very nicely done. Marz and Grindberg
excel at space opera and it shows in this tale.
SI: 3.2 Shields - The main story itself is a fairly forgettable
'Elseworld' tale, but the wraparound story shows promise. It did
its job because I'm looking forward to the next issue.
Review by: Thomas Deja <blackair@gis.net>
__He appears in a field, surrounded by bunnies and puppies and kitties and
other non-offensive creatures. He opens a book and starts to read.__
You may recall that a while back I gave a serious drubbing to Ron Marz's
last four-part guest stint in the Triangle titles. You remember that story
-- based in Kandor, featuring the Cyborg (Mr. Overexposure DCU) and
horribly mismatched Tom Grindberg/Tom Palmer art?
I'll wait until you stop shuddering.
__He picks up one on the puppies and chucks it on the chin playfully as the
bunnies gambol around his feet.__
Well, as the countdown to October continues, Team Super has stepped aside
for another Marz spectacular. The good news is this opening chapter of
"Secret Origins" is better than that Kandor mess. The bad news is that it's
a relentlessly ordinary dip into the Elseworlds that does nothing different
or exciting.
The premise is this: for some strange reason, Kal-El's ship landed on Oa
instead of Earth. He was raised by the Guardians and has become the Green
Lantern Corps' 'secret weapon'. Now Sinestro has come calling, and the
Guardians team their son up with Hal Jordan to stop the renegade Lantern
and the Weaponeers of Qward.
But wait; if we're in on an Elseworld, why do we see the JLA stopping a
jailbreak on Stryker's Island (amongst the breakers: Riot, Barrage,
Anomaly, and Toyman) and remarking on how Supes has disappeared? The sudden
lack of a Kryptonian energy signature worries J'onn J'onzz so much he
creates a party of Leaguers (Green Lantern, Steel, and Flash) to find the
Man of Steel.
Back in that alternative dimension, Hal and Kal head off to intercept
Sinestro's Big Yellow Cruiser. The two Lanterns tear it up good, but not
before ol' Purple face shoots off an anti-matter missile to... well that's
never quite said.
__The bunnies and kitties look up at him with adoring eyes.__
Kal heads off to stop the missile, and Hal learns that this is part of
Sinestro's plan; he wants Kal to stop it, since the anti-matter explosion
will annihilate even Kal's body -- and half the universe, for that matter.
So Hal and Kal, using Sinestro's ring, contain the explosion and save the
galaxy. Except...
__The animals all wait expectantly for his next pronouncement.__
...Jor-El stops the simulation, and we learn that this is a computer
program the father of our Metropolis Marvel is using to determine where to
send his son. Except...
__The forest falls deathly silent, as the woodland creatures wonder what is
going on.__
...It's not Jor-El, but some weird looking mook who seems to have bought
his costume at a Fourth World fire sale rummaging through Supes' mind in
the hopes of learning what makes him Superman.
__The animals all blow raspberries as best they can with their adorable,
lipless, mouths.__
Yeah, that's how I felt as well. Marz is telling a story, and he's doing it
competently, but he's not really bringing anything new to the table. The
Elseworld section is pretty well realized, overall. Hal feels like Hal, as
does Sinestro, and Supes himself, but we've seen this sort of 'someone's
playing with Superman's head' set-up before -- most memorably in the
classic Alan Moore story, "For the Man Who Has Everything." If a writer is
going to drag this old trope out of the closet, he better have something
new to say about it. Marz, apparently, does not.
__The animals nod.__
As with last time Marz darkened these halls, Tom Grindberg is doing the
art. This time, with the exception of a few pages finished by Bill
Anderson, Grindberg inks himself. Our boy does do a better job than last
time, creating a Super Lantern that's got the heft and movement and
dynamism that was missing when he teamed with Palmer. It's not my taste at
all -- I find that Grindberg's work looks unfinished more often then not --
but at least we have a straightforward artist to tell this straightforward
story. The fact that Grindberg is pitching his performance straight down
the middle makes me wonder just how special this 'special event' is going
to be.
__The animals lose interest, starting to root around for nice grubs to
eat.__
Now, let's be brutally fair here; this is the first part of a four-part
story. For all I know, Marz and his partner in crime, Tom Peyer, have a
big, fat surprise up their collective sleeves for me concerning the alien
guy or the reason Supes is being subjected to these particular scenarios.
(After this, Marz and Peyer visit Rann, then Peyer solos as he takes us to
Thanagar and Mars.) Judging from this, though, it's a holding pattern.
They're going to occupy our time for a month, and as long as you're not too
demanding, you could do worse than pick this up. Unfortunately, for those
of us who want something of worth for our $1.99, "Secret Origins: The
Knight" might be too ordinary for you to be satisfied.
__With a final contemptuous look, the animals abandon the reviewer, leaving
him all alone.__
Awww, c'mon back, guys. At least the Walt Simonson cover kicked ass.
I'll tell you about "Panic in the Sky" again...
Guys?
__________________________________________
SUPER-FAMILY TITLES:
-------------------
SUPERBOY #65 Aug 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Hypertension! Epilogue: Out of Hyper-Time!"
Story: Karl Kesel
Art: Tom Grummett and Dan Davis
Colors: Buzz Setzer
Letters: Comicraft
Asst. Editor: Frank Berrios
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Tom Grummett, Karl Kesel, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.3/5.0 Shields
RG: 4.0 Shields
EM: 4.0 Shields - Kesel continues to put out fun stories. Send
subscriptions to younger relatives for the holidays or for
birthdays.
GC: 3.9 Shields - Not enough SB but it was good to see how the other DCU
characters feel about him. Flamebird was well handled.
JSy: 3.5 Shields - While it's nice seeing so many underused characters,
I found this kind of a slow read, perhaps because Kesel spent so
much time on the Challengers to begin the story. It's *really* not
nice to tease us Hawk/Dove fans with Hank and Dawn's costumes...
SDM: 2.7 Shields - Some entertaining bits but not much of a story;
essentially filler with lots of extraneous guest stars.
SI: 4.2 Shields - Nice wrap-up to "Hyper-Tension". The crowd scenes at
Cadmus were great; reminded me of the Legion tryouts. This
issue had a lot of fun tidbits in it, and would have been better
if Dr. Roquette hadn't been extorted by Donovan so easily.
SL: 2.0 Shields - After a long and uninteresting introduction with the
Challengers, we get a long and uninteresting episode where a lot
of heroes stand around discussing Superboy, their powers, their
roles, etc. leading to a long and (mostly) boring epilogue. Wheee!
ST: 3.0 Shields - A rather weak issue, overall, marred by continuity
errors (Sparx lost her powers in the final issue of _SB and the
Ravers_) and Dabney turning into a computer-genius as well as a
geneticist supreme. Still, fun in a light-hearted way.
Review by: Rene Gobeyn <bedlam@frontiernet.net>
At the end of last issue, we left Superboy and the Challengers of the
Unknown careening through Hyper-Time in a wrecked Hyper-ship. As luck (and
comic-book physics) would have it, they crash through the roof of Planet
Krypton, in our DCU. (Darn, I had such high hopes too.) After the
Challengers get reacquainted with their teammate, Rocky, they offer
Superboy a place on their team. He turns them down since he already has a
place at Cadmus. It's then that Superboy finds out that Cadmus has started
interviewing for his replacement.
The next page of the book is a group shot of some of the least likely
replacements I could have imagined. Everyone from the Metal Men to the
Titans and Young Justice are there, as well as a few others that really
surprised me, including some JLA members. Things are as confused as you
would have expected, and we find out that many of them aren't there for the
job at all but are hoping for news about Superboy. The Guardian turns out
to be a bit more of a straight arrow than I expected when he rejects Heat
Wave because of his history. Heat Wave says he is trying to go straight,
and this could be his chance to prove himself.
While crowded, the story is going nowhere fast (but it is still fun) when
Heat Wave alerts the others that two of the heroes (Hawk and Dove) are
really Punch and Jewelee -- two very wanted criminals. They grab Dr.
Serling Roquette as a hostage and the heroes are holding back waiting for a
break when Superboy arrives and takes the crooks out.
Pandemonium ensues as everyone tries to welcome the Kid back home, but a
few interesting things happen afterwards. Heat Wave is offered the position
as Superboy's back-up, over Guardian's objection. We get a glimpse of what
may be the problem with Dubbilex (where did the Gene-Gnome come from?) and
the JLA shows up to drag Superboy off for a debriefing.
Overall, it was a pretty good book. Nothing much really happened, but after
the ride we've been on for the past few months, a break felt good. While I
would have liked to see a bit more interaction with the regular (?)
Superboy cast, this one was better than it could have been. It would have
been hard to give any one character more story time than they got with the
Hero Cattle call that assembled for the job 'interview'.
I'm just glad we got as much story as we did. It would have been all too
easy to skip over the regular cast in favor of some all-out fight scene. I
wasn't too worried on that score; Kesel and Grummett have yet to disappoint
me by taking the easy route. They even managed to come up with a DCU
character that I didn't recognize. On page 20, top panel, he is shaking
hands with Superboy. He is also on the cover. He wears a regular style suit
of clashing colors and patterns, and talks like a bad Vaudeville act. I
thought it might have been Shade, but when he walked away on the wall, I'm
not sure any more. This doesn't happen to me very often. [Editor's Note: I
believe that this is the Odd Man, a Steve Ditko creation, but I know
nothing else about him. Readers? -- ST]
As far as the art was concerned, I loved it. The Kirby homage continues.
Nicely done layouts, good perspectives and detailed panels; I couldn't ask
for more. OK, some of the backgrounds could have used more detailing, but I
doubt it would have added much to my enjoyment.
In review, the story advanced three (mostly) new sub-plots: the Dabney/
Serling blackmail, Dubbilex/Gene-Gnome, and I'm hoping we'll see more of
the Challengers and Hyper-Time. Not bad at all for what looked to be a
fill-in book before the next Wild Lands story arc (Yea!) begins next month.
===============================================
SUPERGIRL #35 Aug 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"For Those Who Came In Late..."
Writer: Peter David
Penciller: Leonard Kirk
Inker: Robin Riggs
Colorist: Gene D'Angelo
Seps: Digital Chameleon
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Asst. Ed.: Frank Berrios
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Leonard Kirk, Robin Riggs, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.8/5.0 Shields
TD: 3.7 Shields
BS: 3.0 Shields - There was too much recap for my taste, but it was
interesting to see how all the characters have changed since the
first issue. Can't wait to see Lex and SG meet again.
EM: 4.5 Shields - If you have been lost or need a jump on point to start
collecting _Supergirl_, this is it. Over two and a half years worth
of storyline are recapped while finishing up Supergirl's Paris
perils -- no small feat.
JB: 4.1 Shields - A great fight with the Parasite, but the special guest
villain (he's a biggie) and the twist at the end really catapult
this one to the top.
JDC: 1.5 Shields - Huge amounts of verbiage that illustrate how many
storylines haven't been advanced. Way too much telling, not enough
showing; more appropriate as a Secret Files story. We also learn
this unlikable Supergirl can't kill, but can sadistically beat
villains senseless.
JSy: 4.0 Shields - A really good example of how to bring new readers up
to speed without boring the long-timers, and PAD throws us yet
another curve with Carnivean's appearance. Nice to see that Luthor
is still interested in "his" Supergirl.
SI: 4.4 Shields - Easily one of the best comics this month. One question
for Mr. David, though; how is a new reader supposed to get the
surprise on the last page?
Review by: Thomas Deja <blackair@gis.net>
Those familiar with the parlance of network television will know what I
mean when I say this issue was a 'cheater.'
A cheater is one of those episodes of a long-running television series --
usually only run in syndication -- where the characters sort of sit around
talking about their lives for some reason, prompting a cavalcade of clips
from previous episodes. These episodes, besides counting as a sort of
'Greatest Hits' package, also serve to boost up the number of episodes
available for syndication.
When all is said and done, "For Those Who Came In Late" is a cheater. In
fact, it may be the most bald-faced cheater a comic writer has ever thrown
us.
Yes, we have original material -- in this case, Carl Carnivean and Lex
Luthor meet to discuss Supergirl as she battles the Parasite -- but the
bulk of the story is a primer on the first two-and-three-quarter years of
this book. This issue gives anyone who needed to know all the information
he or she needs to proceed from here on in, while feeding long time readers
enough new tidbits to keep our attention. To top it off, David gives us a
last-page revelation that throws everything that came before it into doubt.
I give David a hell of a lot of credit for doing this. It's a ballsy move,
to say the least, and he pulls it off. He gives us just enough new material
that we don't feel let down, interweaving the fight between the Parasite
and the Maid of Might with a discussion of her new powers pretty
effortlessly. In fact, the rhythm of the talk between Luthor and Carnivean
is vital and alive, which manages to keep the story's forward momentum
going through all the expository dialogue. The information he does leak out
shows us that some discrepancies weren't discrepancies at all. For example,
Carnivean explains that the wings don't burn the guilty, but only those who
feel they need to be punished, explaining why they flash fried Despero yet
left other baddies relatively unharmed.
I do admit that I felt the denouement of the Parasite combat, while
illustrating another elaboration of Supergirl's 'earth angel' powers, goes
on for too long, and I really could've done without the silly and pointless
Cutter scene. Still, there's enough here (including another Peter David
special last page shocker that isn't as electrifying as the one in SG #25,
but does serve to throw the long-time reader a curveball) to make it
entertaining for new and old readers alike.
Which, in the long run, makes it more successful than the 'cheaters' on
which this issue was patterned.
_____________________________________________
End of Section 4
_____________________________________________
SUPER-FAMILY TITLES (cont):
--------------------------
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #34 Aug 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Sanctuary"
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciller: Mike Manley
Inker: Terry Austin
Colorist: Marie Severin
Separations: Zylonol
Letterer: Phil Felix
Asst. Ed.: Frank Berrios
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Manley, Austin, Severin, and Zylonol
RATINGS
Average: 2.5/5.0 Shields
CoS: 2.5 Shields - An over-simplistic tale featuring Dr. Fate, a car
chase, heroes fighting each other, five total pages of exposition,
an "evil" spirit and a twist ending that won't surprise anyone
over the age of ten.
GC: 3.5 Shields - Good use of Dr Fate. Seems that the "animated" versions
of some DCU characters are more enjoyable than their counterparts.
JSy: 3.5 Shields - The animated version of Fate has never clicked with me,
but this may be the best of the few stories in which he's been
used. My one complaint is that Millar never gives us any clues to
the mystery, making the resolution seem kind of out-of-left-field.
SL: 0.5 Shields - A rarity for this title; a really bad issue. The art is
too dark and the story too simple. There are few original moments;
even the idea of an alien who does evil things only because he
wants to return home is an archetype. This issue is a real mess.
Review by: Cory Strode <Solitaire.Rose@worldnet.att.net>
There is a challenge to writing issues of _Superman Adventures_ in today's
comic market, since the audience is split along two lines. The kids who
watch the cartoon is the main audience at which the book is aimed. If that
is the only audience you seek, this book would be easy to bat out. The
second audience is the long-time comic book fan or older reader. These are
the people who read the book looking for a throwback type of story, or a
story without all of the soap opera trappings of the current super-hero
comics market. At it's best, this book can have something for both of those
markets.
That being said, this issue seems like one that hits the younger market,
but not the older one. Why? The story seems too simplistic. Good issues of
this series have had simple, straight ahead stories, but not ones we've
heard so many times that they feel like twice baked potatoes.
The story starts by introducing Dr. Fate to the reader in a "teaser"
sequence which was very effective, giving us a hint of what is to come
without laying the whole story down in front of us. We actually pick up
with the story later in Metropolis as a wildly driven car careens though
the streets. When the car crashes, reporters Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen are
there to see Superman keep a truck from plunging into the river trying to
escape the out of control car.
After the driver has been taken off in an ambulance, we learn that Lois
Lane has been possessed by the same spirit that caused the man to drive
like someone from Boston. The story cuts to Dr. Fate (or as he should be
called in this story, Background Exposition Man), who brings us up to speed
on the Evil spirit infesting Lois, and its plan must be to take over
Superman and -- dare we say it? -- Rule The World!! (tm)
Dr. Fate comes to try and warn Superman, but Supes is too slow on the
uptake. Lois arrives and knocks the Big Blue Boy Scout out a window.
Apparently, that's all the spirit needs to take over the Action Ace, and he
and Dr. Fate proceed to do what all heroes do when they meet -- fight!
Fate subdues Superman and is prepared to banish him to another dimension
when Lois intervenes, telling Fate that there must be more to the story.
There is, but not too much more since there are only three pages left. In a
shocking twist (OK, they say sarcasm doesn't work on the internet and I
guess they are right) we find that the spirit never wanted to take over
mankind, but just wanted to go home. Using Superman's body and his ability
to fly millions of miles in one page, the lonely alien traveller is taken
home where he is able to rejoin his people, and everyone lives happily ever
after.
The problem with this story, sadly enough, is me. If I were a younger
reader, or hadn't read as much science fiction, the twist would have worked
and saved what seemed like a fairly pedestrian story, which is why I said
this story likely appeals to this comic's younger audience. Sadly, given
the state of the comics industry, that won't generate enough sales to keep
the book afloat. Comics now mostly sell to an older, fan-driven base, and
we demand more.
There are other problems with the story, mostly arising from the medium.
The story structure seems like an episode of the cartoon, but many of the
sequences don't work on a comic page. Car chases don't work well, since
comics are static and don't convey a sense of time easily. The exposition
in the middle that explains the spirit would be a great visual flashback,
but in the comic seemed like we were just being fed information that had to
be there to set up the twist ending. Also, just for my own complaint, why
do writers always want to say that the pyramids were created by something
like space aliens of outside powers? Don't they like the idea that people
can do something that permanent and remarkable?
Manley's art, while serviceable, doesn't really help the story much. His
layouts are workman-like, adding little to a story that is already hard to
visualize on a static page.
All-in-all, it's not as bad a story as this book has seen. Problem is, it
just doesn't do anything, and wastes a very interesting character, namely
the Golden Age Dr. Fate. I'd get it for a kid you know, but if you are an
older fan, you can pass this issue by and not miss anything.
__________________________________________
TEAM TITLES:
-----------
JLA #32 Aug 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Inside Job"
Guest Writers: Mark Waid & Devin Grayson
Guest Penciller: Mark Pajarillo
Guest Inker: Walden Wong
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Colorist: Pat Garrahy
Separations: Heroic Age
Assoc. Ed.: Tony Bedard
Editor: Dan Raspler
Cover: Howard Porter and John Dell
RATINGS
Average: 3.2/5.0 Shields
EM: 4.1 Shields
GC: 3.9 Shields - Best JLA story in awhile, providing a good reason why
the league doesn't interfere in No Man's Land. Superman was well
handled for a change.
JB: 3.2 Shields - A better-than-average showing, but I still can't
believe that the JLA wouldn't get involved in No Man's Land.
JE: 3.9 Shields - An alright issue given what Waid had to deal with. I
loved the scene of Superman scanning the city from space.
JSy: 3.0 Shields - Much better than "Crisis Times Five". Still, for being
advertised as the book to tell us why the JLA's staying out of
No Man's Land, I expected a bit more than "It's illegal" and
"We're already there."
SDM: 3.4 Shields - Grayson and Waid get Superman and the other characters
right, and that alone could carry this issue, but then they
actually come up with a good reason that the JLA isn't in Gotham.
I can't wait till Waid takes over this series.
SI: 3.1 Shields - I don't read the Batman titles regularly, and don't
particularly care why the JLA doesn't help Gotham...
SL: 4.0 Shields - The art is fabulous, and the role of the Huntress in
Gotham and the story of JLA vs. the Locus menace are well done.
A nice change after several insipid issues.
TD: 1.9 Shields - Ask me why I don't like Devin Grayson's I-learned-
everything-about-comic-book-writing-from-third-rate-fanfic style,
or Mark Waid's further demonstration that he needs to take a
break. Nice art aside, if this is what I have to look forward to
in JLA, I'm preparing to jump off.
Review by: Edward Mathews <em11@is3.nyu.edu>
Synopsis:
Due to the massive devastation caused by an earthquake and two plagues
(taking place in the Bat-titles), Gotham has been declared "No Man's Land"
and abandoned by the U.S. government. It is now illegal to enter or leave
the city. Huntress and Superman enter into a telepathic debate. She
questions why the Justice League of America has not come in to help put
Gotham City back together again, and Superman explains to her that the JLA
has been helping Gotham in very real terms while staying within the
boundaries of the law. Locus, the organization of evil geneticists from the
JLA: Year One mini-series, has resurfaced with a dangerous techno-virus
that is turning living organisms into machines. Since Gotham has been cut
off from having any formal legal status as a territory, Locus plans to use
Gotham as a genetic petri dish for its experiments. While the JLA tries to
contain that, Huntress tries to keep order in Gotham. Wacky hi-jinks ensue.
Review:
It has been a long time since I was thrilled to read a story by Mark Waid.
I'd like to attribute this to Waid's writing partner for the issue, Devin
Grayson, but I have the idea that Grayson's input was limited to the
Huntress part of the debate. Admittedly, that is half the strength of this
issue, but the other half is Mark Waid's apparent love for the character of
Superman.
As much as I did enjoy the book, it is not without its flaws. First, the
story acknowledges "No Man's Land", one of the most seriously flawed
premises in comic book history. Given that Batman exists in a shared
universe with heroes like Green Lantern, Superman, and Zatanna, Gotham City
shouldn't *be* a "No Man's Land" when all it would take is one line from
ol' Zee to put things straight like she did after the fall of Metropolis:
"erotseR mahtoG ytiC won" [1]. Coupled with the fact that Batman probably
has better reason to keep in touch with Zatanna than Superman, why he
hasn't called her in makes no sense whatsoever. If you can buy into the
whole premise of "No Man's Land", though, then you can buy into the
explanation that Superman gives Huntress. Entering Gotham is illegal now,
so while three members of the JLA -- Huntress, Batman and Oracle -- are
already helping Gotham from within, the rest of the JLA is protecting
Gotham from the outside and making the world a safer place.
For future issues, consult a proper pseudo-scientist. How much moisture is
in the ionosphere? I'm willing to wager there isn't much. While the visual
was cute, but scientifically Superman should not be forming icicles in the
ionosphere; 99% of the Earth's water vapor is found in the troposphere.
There's not a heck of a lot of oxygen either, so Superman's vapor-breath
makes no sense. Also, if Superman is checking up on the Huntress from the
way out there, why is he using his X-ray vision to do it? I didn't realize
telescopic vision emitted radiation. None of this makes any sense, and it
threw me out of the story. Don't even get me started on the mini-red sun
effect or why a techno-virus would be able to attack Wonder Woman's
non-living lasso.
Bad pseudo-science aside, this issue was fun. Unlike the meandering "Crisis
Times Five", we have a set-up and a resolution within one issue. It is a
complete story, and while not every JLAer gets a speaking role, they are
all given some screen time -- even Batman and Oracle appear on the last
page. As much as I love the concept of Zauriel, we are reminded that he is
not being used to potential once again while being sent on an underwater
mission with Aquaman. I would file this under the bad pseudo-science
category, however. (Why can't he use his shatterscream under water? Sound
travels through water...) Where the issue shines is in the characterization
of Huntress and Superman. Huntress needs to help save someone in Gotham
from a gang of about twenty people and provides the best line of the book:
"Great. This looks like a job for Superman," knowing full well that
Superman will not be joining her.
Art:
Boy have Porter and Dell improved! Oh, nuts; this was Pajarillo and Wong.
Pajarillo captures all the dynamic style that Porter utilizes while also
keeping visually logical layouts. A book should be able to tell a basic
story just by looking from panel to panel without reading the words. Try it
with your comics after you read them. It's still "action figure" art, but
everything is well proportioned, including the women. They don't fall out
of their costumes.
Conclusion:
This is the issue to jump in on. If this is how Waid will be writing the
JLA in the future, we have nothing to worry about when he takes over after
Morrison's final story arc: Maggedon. I only hope he has enough sense to
keep Devin Grayson on as co-writer for the occasional Huntress story, since
this was the best I have seen the character utilized since she joined.
[1] Zatanna has great magical powers, but can only cast spells by saying
words backwards in the proper order of a sentence. She doesn't say the
sentence backwards, just each word in it.
===============================================
YOUNG JUSTICE #11 Aug 1999 $2.50 US/$3.95 CAN
"Siege Perilous"
Same Ol' Writer: Peter David
Guest Penciller: Angel Unzueta
Guest Inker: Jaime Mendoza
Not Guest Inker: Lary Stucker
Good Not-So-Ol' Colorist: Jason Wright
Little Ol' Letterer: Ken Lopez
New Associate Editor: Maureen McTigue
Same Ol' Editor: Eddie Berganza
Cover: Todd Nauck, Lary Stucker, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 2.9/5.0 Shields
GR: 2.9 Shields
EM: 3.9 Shields - "Cogito ergo sum" pretty much covers it, and the courts
are wrong with Red Tornado; too bad it takes a group of teens and
pre-teens to see it. A nice philosophical tale by PAD.
GC: 4.1 Shields - It's good to see Reddy back to the "Android" of old,
fighting for his daughter, and the added insight into Secret is
welcomed. Good balance of drama and humour.
JDC: 1.0 Shields - Story (what there is of it) takes a back seat to cute
chat, inappropriate jokes, and anti-heroism. Characterization
changes at writer's whim. Art is dark and spiky with no
storytelling ability.
JSy: 3.2 Shields - Some interesting developments, but I found the
courtroom scene to be a bit unbelievable, even for an android
claimant. Unzueta's not as good at making YJ look like kids as
Nauck is.
SL: 2.0 Shields - A good start, but it all falls apart after a few pages.
Nothing's funny, the writing is poor and the art is simply
average. The story is sometimes very unclear and situations are
not well described. What a pity!
ST: 2.2 Shields - Some serious flaws mar this issue. RT has already set
the precedent for sentient machines by adopting Traya, SB is *not*
immune to fire, and Fite'n'Madd continue to be annoying. Very
cliched and poorly researched, which is unlike the PAD I've seen.
Review By: Gary D. Robinson <robinfam@akron.infi.net>
Having foiled the plans of the evil Acolyte, the kids have returned to the
states to enjoy some R and R. Little do they know that the Red Tornado's
adopted daughter Traya, while under the spell of the Kali cult, tried to
kill her mother and put her into a coma. With her adoptive mother
incapacitated, Social Services has taken charge of the girl. RT soon has
his day in court, but the judge refuses to grant that a machine can be a
legally viable parent. Defiantly, RT grabs Traya and makes a break for it,
but they are stopped by a force field, resulting in a standoff between the
android and the authorities.
YJ soon catches the news and, wearing street clothes and trying to hide
powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men, the group attempts a
rescue. Employing such bizarre distractions as a gigantic Kenneth Starr and
a human torch, the team helps Red and Traya escape. Their joy is
short-lived, however, interrupted by a confrontation with the ubiquitous
Fite n' Madd. Meanwhile, in Traya's mom's hospital room, Secret (whom
Arrowette has dubbed "Suzie") has discovered that the woman is "hovering on
the abyss." I get a sulphurous whiff of a Hell of a next issue, don't you?
Maybe so, but this one's not so hot. My favorite part is when the kids,
splashing and horsing around in their cave pool, discuss the fact that all
of them have real names save for Secret. PAD's at his best when he's being
a kid. What drives the story down -- what usually drives his YJ stories
down -- is the big ol' adult concerns plunking their barnside butts down on
the seesaw. Wak, goes the judge's gavel. "Daaadddyyy!" cries the child,
"Daaaadddyyy!" This is maudlin movie-of-the-week stuff.
To be fair, the adult side of the see-saw is lightened a bit by PAD's
excellent dialogue: The judge, who's obviously read Asimov's "I, Robot",
declares that RT is no more entitled to human rights than his father's '63
Chevy. In answer to the question, "Are you alive?" the android draws
himself to his full height, throws out his chest, and proclaims, "Cogito
ergo sum." (I love the editor's note here: "Look it up.") This is rather
stirring.
The rest of the book is a lot of running around, shooting arrows, tossing
gas bombs, etc. I wanted to hear more from the kids about how a name like
"Robin" works and a name like "Victoria" (as in "Victoria Secret")
doesn't. I wanted to see some more goofing off, listen in on some more
juvenile joking around. This is, after all, what PAD delivers best in these
pages.
A couple other criticisms are nagging their way out. For one, the swimsuit
scene bothered me. Why should these pubescent girls have to look like the
physical oxymoron of our day -- anorexic yet balloon-breasted? Sigh. You
know the answer to that one, Gary; it's because the current crop of young
American males -- the ones DC hopes might buy this stuff -- is rumored to
be taken with this ideal of feminine "beauty." Of course, it's a standard
attained by only a relative few, and usually at great cost, but we won't go
into that. That's too much reality, and this is just a funnybook.
As for my other criticism, maybe some will think it purely political, but
here it is anyway: I suppose the Kenneth Starr "monster" panel is good for
a laugh... until you realize that no one working in the popular media would
dare suggest that our good and faithful and responsible and mature and
brave President of the United States could ever be so caricatured!
_____________________________________________
End of Section 5
_____________________________________________
MINISERIES AND SPECIALS:
-----------------------
A. BIZARRO #2 Aug 1999 $2.50 US/$3.95 CAN
"Silicon Dreamer"
Writer: Steve Gerber
Penciller: M. D. Bright
Inker: Greg Adams
Letterer: Steve Dutro
Colorist: Tom Ziuko
Separator: Digital Chameleon
Assoc. Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Gerber and Bright
RATINGS
Average: 4.0/5.0 Shields
GN: 3.4 Shields
BS: 4.2 Shields - This comic continues to be fresh, witty, and touching.
If you're looking for something to hold you until the new creative
team, this is it.
JDC: 3.5 Shields - A true love of writing shines through with the
wordplay, capped off with a terrific inspirational message. The
linework's a little busy at times, but the excellent artistic
characterization continues.
JE: 4.6 Shields - Gerber has the Bizarro-speak down perfectly. Not only
that, but he writes a fantastic Luthor. Bright's pencils are
nothing to sneeze at either.
JSy: 4.0 Shields - Again, Gerber manages to write great confusion on the
part of his characters, and the bad guys are so wonderfully
menacing in a passive way (well, except for Tiffany). Bright and
Adams, though a bit scratchy at times, do a wonderful job with
expression and body language.
SL: 4.1 Shields - Funny, realistic and full of emotions, Gerber has
created a great scenario. The art is perfect for the development
of this new Bizarro. It's fresh to see this new one thinking of
life like all normal men.
TD: 4.0 Shields - Steve Gerber, one of my favorite comic writers,
continues to find a way to rework the themes of his classic
_Howard the Duck_ abetted from some great, quirky, M.D. Bright
linework.
Review by: G.M. Nelson <KALEL224@aol.com>
Al Bizarro, the bizarre result of an old Lexcorp experiment, is searching
for a purpose in life -- or at least a way to end it. Superman 'saves' him
from being hit by a truck, and after a pretty funny exchange realizes that
despite the similar appearance, this new creature isn't a duplicate of him.
Still, he is a sentient being and doesn't seem to he harming anyone, so
Superman lets him wander off.
Al Bizarro continues to try and kill himself, but even a non-super Bizarro
appears to be pretty resistant, though he does get hungry. While begging
for money for food, he makes the acquaintance of E. Wilbur Wolfingham, a
former slumlord now reduced to begging. (In the pre-Crisis DCU, Wolfingham
was a con artist whose schemes tended to enrich his intended victims rather
than himself, typically due to Superman's intervention.) In this, what I
think is his post-reboot debut, Wolfie strikes up a partnership with
Bizarro. This works well until Tiny, another beggar losing out due to the
partners' successes, persuades Wolfie at knifepoint to have Bizarro take up
a new profession -- armed robbery.
In the meantime, after getting roughed up by one of Luthor's lethal Gal
Fridays, Beezer (Al Bizarro's template) confesses that the duplicate had
been by to see him. At Lexcorp, Luthor's staff determines crucial
differences between this new creature and the Superman Bizarros; not only
is the Beezer Bizarro capable of regenerating cells (unlike his
predecessors) he is even able to interbreed with humans.
Bizarro's new career is cut short by the Guardian, who -- like Superman --
lets Bizarro go on his way. Thinking back, Bizarro recalls how Perfect Al's
father discouraged his plans to become a rock star, persuading him to go to
college instead. Bizarro is inspired to follow the dream Beezer left behind
-- just as a net comes down from a Lexcorp helicopter.
Much of the fun in reading this series comes from Bizarro's twisted logic
and fracturing of the language -- his exchange with Superman after being
rescued is pretty funny. (On the subject of logic, though, I'm not quite
sure I buy Superman's reasoning that he can't take Bizarro into custody. I
mean, jeez, he's walking around with a bullet in his head -- isn't that
worth having STAR Labs or just any doctor check out? Why Guardian doesn't
take him in is also unclear. I mean, he works for Cadmus, doesn't he?
Guardian even caught him committing a crime. Still, these are pretty minor
flaws.) Again, Gerber manages pretty well with a form of bizarro-speak that
managed to tread pretty well the fine line between funny and annoying, and
Bright's images compliment that nicely in several places.
Bizarro's recollections of Beezer's life often take a bizarre twist --
remembering Beezer and his ex-wife as puppies rather than yuppies, for
instance. It was also nice that Gerber remembered Luthor's penchant for
surrounding himself with female aides, a la the early years of Byrne's
reboot. In addition to being a nice nod to continuity, it gives Bright
another chance to draw nice-looking women. On the other hand, I'm not
certain how Gerber's use of Wolfingham came off. Readers who have been fans
only in recent years probably haven't the slightest idea of his history,
and pre-Crisis fans may come off as annoyed at this treatment of a
character that, while not admirable, provided some amusement in older
stories.
Overall, however, this continues to be an amusing series, as Gerber blends
just the right touch of nostalgia for older stories -- and not just those
dealing with Bizarro -- with a modern sensibility, and keeps it from simply
being a forum for cheap gags.
===============================================
BATMAN & SUPERMAN: WORLD'S FINEST #5 Aug 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Year Five - A Woman's Work"
Words: Karl Kesel
Pencils: Dave Taylor & Tom Morgan
Inks: Robert Campanella
Color/Separator: Alex Sinclair
Letters: Clem Robins
Assoc. Editor: Joseph Illidge
Editor: Darren Vincenzo
Cover: Dave Taylor and Robert Campanella
RATINGS
Average: 3.3/5.0 Shields
SDM: 3.1 Shields
EM: 3.5 Shields - Ok. I get it. Gotham and Metropolis have some similar
elements and some stark contrasts. I still liked the story, but
I hope things progress further on the Grey plot.
GC: 4.2 Shields - The best issue in the series so far. I'm a big fan of
Barbara Gordon's Batgirl, and Superman's teaming with her was well
handled. The use of Thorn was also good.
JDC: 2.5 Shields - Great seeing two heroines of the 70s, Batgirl and
Thorn; shame they're shown as such bubbleheads. Guess they have
to give the guys plenty of chances to save the day.
JE: 3.8 Shields - This whole mini-series is a gigantic continuity error;
I'd hoped for some great stories to offset that, but alas, none
came. They've all been fairly enjoyable, this being no exception,
but none of them have yet been spectacular.
JSy: 3.5 Shields - The closing scenes demonstrates exactly the kind of
progression I was hoping for in this series. I get the impression
the art was rushed, but the resulting simplicity worked for me.
SL: 2.5 Shields - Again and again we are confronted with the Light vs.
Darkness theme; Metropolis/Gotham, Batgirl/Thorn, Superman and
Batman.... The story just isn't that interesting and the art is
inconsistent. Only the last two pages are really good for either.
Review by: Simon DelMonte <sdelmonte@aol.com>
Year five: This time, Supes comes to Gotham. Before he can rendezvous with
Batman, he helps Batgirl battle a couple of thugs from the 100 -- the
Metropolis-based syndicate -- outside the Gotham Library. She is thrilled
to meet him and suggests they team up. Superman is pleasantly surprised to
receive a warm welcome from someone with Bat-ears. Meanwhile, the 100's
number two man makes a deal with a Gotham thug that could help ease the
100's arrival in Gotham, only to be interrupted by their mortal enemy, the
Thorn.
Batgirl introduces Supes to Jim Gordon (who is a mite concerned that
Batgirl be careful), and the two use detective skills to follow the 100's
trail, a trail Batman is also on. Batman is ahead of them, and has also
found the Thorn, giving her some well-needed backup. The 100 is defeated,
but Bats has to stop Thorn from killing the 100's man by getting inside her
mind and her own pain, so much like his own.
Supes and Batgirl arrive. All four are baffled as to why the 100 would try
to break into a library until Bats intimidates the bad guy into talking.
The 100 was planning to plant evidence that Barbara Gordon was embezzling,
and then blackmail Jim Gordon into keeping out of their way. While that
plan has been foiled, an ancillary plan to kill the Library's bookkeeper is
still on. Off rush Supes and Batgirl to save him from Barbara Gordon! Or
rather, from a 100 operative disguised as her. This doesn't sit well with
Batgirl, who knocks the assassin out.
Finally, Supes and Bats meet and it turns out that Bats asked Supes to meet
Batgirl and assess her. Supes is impressed -- not only by her but also by
the idea that Batman values his opinion. The two discuss the Thorn and
clearly she and Bats have something in common. When Supes asks if something
like what happened to Thorn happened to Bats, the latter answers,
"Something like that. Maybe someday I'll tell you about it..."
While adding guest stars -- especially the forgotten and rather limited
Thorn -- seems extraneous, it works well enough to carry the issue. Kesel
writes Barbara Gordon very well, perhaps with input from his wife, who
helped keep Batgirl interesting before the events of _The Killing Joke_
crippled her. She's certainly more fun than Batman or Superman have been so
far, and the way she reacts to Superman is charming. I think using the 100
was a good idea, if only because we don't seem them too often since
"Booster Gold" was canceled. Their goal of escaping Superman and Intergang
was rather smart, even if going to Gotham isn't that great an idea.
That said, the story itself felt padded, and having the Thorn as part of it
didn't do anything for me. I understand why Karl wanted to have her and
Batman meet but there could have been some other way for Superman to learn
a little more about Batman's pain. Still, at least the two are beginning to
trust each other. As this is supposed to a comic about the two of them,
however, I would have liked to have seen more of them teaming up and less
of the guests. Nonetheless, as their team-ups haven't worked as well as I'd
hoped, maybe it was a good idea not to have them work together as much and
to shift the focus. It certainly made for a better read.
The art was passable, without any egregious examples of cartoony characters
as was the case before. I'm not unhappy that someone else will be taking
the reigns from Dave Taylor after this, though.
All in all, I'm satisfied with this story, but wonder if anything we see
the rest of the way in this series will live up to the potential of the
premise or to previous Batman/Superman team-ups I've loved.
===============================================
SUPERMAN: THE LAST GOD OF KRYPTON Aug 1999 $4.95 US/$7.95 CAN
"The Last God of Krypton"
Writer: Walter Simonson
Artists: Greg and Tim Hildebrandt
Letter: Ken Lopez
Assoc. Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Greg and Tim Hildebrandt
RATINGS
Average: 3.7/5.0 Shields
GC: 4.5 Shields
EM: 3.3 Shields - A decent tale that gives Lois Lane the chance to save
Superman's bacon. Still, it's a bit pricey.
JSy: 4.2 Shields - The Hildebrandts' painted artwork is absolutely
gorgeous, and Simonson uses both Luthor and Lois brilliantly.
If I had any problem with this story, it was with the initial
premise of an ice goddess surviving the destruction of Krypton.
How convenient. :)
SL: 4.7 Shields - I've been awaiting this since it was announced, and it
was worth it. The story is simple, but full of great adventure,
and the work of the Hildebrandt brothers is fabulous. The duel
between the Last Son and the Last Goddess of Krypton is one of the
legendary takes on the Man of Steel!
ST: 2.8 Shields - This violates the '*sole* survivor or Krypton' paradigm
that Byrne laid down. So have other scribes of late, but this adds
nothing to the mythos for the effort. Neither the price nor the
Hildebrandts' artwork do anything for my appreciation either. Only
the depiction of Lois, Clark, and their relationship saves this.
TD: 2.5 Shields - A relatively standard story that probably would've
gotten a better rating if either: a) it was less expensive, or
b) the Hildebrandt brothers didn't paint Clark and Lois in such an
odd way. Supes in particular looks so damn... jockish.
Review by: Glenn Crouch <glenn@esbconsult.com.au>
Synopsis
When Krypton was destroyed, it led to the release of a Kryptonian Goddess,
Cythonna, who is bent on the destruction of all things Kryptonian.
Metropolis is hit by freezing weather in the middle of Summer. While Clark
and Lois discuss the situation, Cythonna crashes into the Press Room,
speaking Kryptonese. Superman confronts her; when she discovers how
powerful he is, Cythonna mistakes him for a Kryptonian God and declares he
will become her mate, arranging to meet with him in an hour.
Superman takes Lois to the Fortress both for protection and to find out
about Krypton's Mythology, where he learns that Cythonna had waged war
against Rao (the Sun God), who imprisoned her after defeating her.
Meanwhile, Luthor tries to make a deal with Cythonna and fares poorly, so
decides to help Superman by giving him a Kryptonite weapon.
When Cythonna realises that Superman is mortal, she brutally attacks him.
An injured Superman is seen flying into space towards the Sun. Getting
close to the Sun, Superman is not only 'repaired', but also supercharged,
making the battle more even. Cythonna reverts to her "true self" and tries
to drag Superman into the Sun, but the cavalry appears in the form of Lois
in a Kryptonian Battle Suit from the Fortress. Cythonna almost kills Lois,
forcing Superman to use the Kryptonite weapon -- leaving Cythonna trapped
"for all time" in the heart of the Sun.
Story
Over the past couple of years, I must admit to being a bit disappointed
with graphic novels. When I spend the extra money, I expect to get a better
story than I would normally see in a standard issue. Happily, this time I
got a good story and good art for my money.
For once we had a story that is self-contained and of the length that suits
a graphic novel. Superman is handled well, maintaining his upbringing and
morality. Lois is portrayed well as a strong independent woman deeply in
love with her husband. Luthor is portrayed well as a scheming opportunist.
Cythonna is a sociopathic super-powered being that makes Superman into the
underdog -- not an easy thing to do properly. The dialogue between the
characters was quite believable.
I especially enjoyed the scene where Clark changes in the ladies room
because there is a queue in the men's; I would wager this is the first time
he has ever done this in comic history. Lois asks whether he peeked, and
Clark cheekily replies that he also has super hearing. Sadly, this sort of
light comedy between our married couple is often missing from the regular
series.
In the Fortress, Superman avoids promising Lois that he would return. Lois
slowly comes to realise what her husband is planning, but she isn't about
to let him deal with it by himself. This is an area in their relationship
that we need to see more of. Clark, by his upbringing, will sacrifice
himself willingly and will not easily permit Lois to be endangered. Lois,
however, can take care of herself and has very much earned her place at
Superman's side. This tension was used to add depth to the story without
creating a rift between the two of them.
Luthor's discussion with Superman after his earlier failed meeting with
Cythonna showed him ever to be trying to control the situation. Superman
comes across as no fool, however; the two characters have an understanding
that is shown well.
I must say I like an evil (or even amoral) villain and good triumphing over
evil. After all that isn't that what Superhero comics are about?
The opening sequence was a bit confusing, though. We see Krypton's
destruction and watch Jor-El and Lara launch Kal-El's ship. We then see a
doorway form, from which Cythonna emerges. She rejoices in Krypton's
destruction but senses, "...The hint of some living thing shrouded in a
device unknown to me," as we are shown Kal's rocketship. Cythonna swears
destruction and flies off. After that, we then switch to Metropolis --
"Five days later..." Why did it take 30 years, or thereabouts, for her to
be released? If she could sense Kal's ship 30 years ago why not sense that
he was Superman? Why mistake him for a god? It would have made much more
sense to have her released shortly after Krypton's destruction and some
cosmic event delay her in tracking Kal.
Furthermore, why would she give Superman an hour to meet if she had decided
on him as a mate? This time was used well in the story, though, so I'm not
too critical of the ploy.
Finally, I think it would have been better to destroy her in the Sun,
rather then leave her trapped "for all time". Good villains can be
overused. I'd hate to see her become like Doomsday or Cyborg, and dragged
out every year.
Art
I found the painted artwork of the Hildebrandts to be very good, and quite
appropriate for a graphic novel. There was good emotion in the faces of the
characters. I thought Lois was especially well drawn. The one downside
would be that I thought Clark/Superman appeared a bit too young. Despite
that, I would enjoy seeing the Hildebrandts doing more Superman graphic
novels.
Conclusion
While _Peace on Earth_ is still the #1 must-have item in the 1999 list of
Superman releases, there were enough strengths in _Superman: Last God of
Krypton_ that I would put it right up there on the list.
_____________________________________________
End of Section 6
_____________________________________________
TALES OF EARTH-ONE
--------------------------------------
by Bob Hughes (bobhughes@ttlc.net)
(or see Bob's web page, "Who's Whose in The DC Universe"
at http://members.ttlc.net/~bobhughes/whoswho.htm)
Episode 11
The Modern Prometheus and his Robots of Tin
Part 2: The Rebellion of the Robots
Last month, we saw the nascent years of Superman robot stories as Mort
Weisinger and his pulp-magazine-oriented SF writers took over the strip and
revamped it according to their own proclivities. Otto Binder and Ed
Hamilton had written many stories involving robots in other media, so it
seemed natural that they should bring these ideas into Superman's universe,
especially as robots were one of the key elements of the Fifties' science
fiction movie boom.
But how do you get suspense and action out of a robot? Simple, you make it
rebel. In gothic fiction, the creation always rebels against the creator.
Come to think of it, according to the Bible, isn't that the story of the
human race?
So it's sort of surprising that it took until April 1959 for "Rebello, the
Human Robot" to show up in _Superboy_ #72, by Otto Binder and John Sikela.
Not content with robots he has to direct with his X-ray vision or from a
remote console, Otto Binder has Superboy create a robot which is his mental
duplicate. It's a perfect likeness of him, can operate completely on its
own, and has all his super powers. There's only one problem. The robot is
left handed and Clark is right handed.
"It would take too long to change your circuits. I'll have to destroy you
with my X-ray vision!" barks Superboy impatiently. (This is the same
scientific temperament that made his father, Jor-El, one of the greatest
Kryptonian scientific menaces ever to escape Phantom Zone imprisonment.)
But the robot objects. It begs for a chance to prove its worth, and before
Superboy can stop it, the robot blasts off on an emergency call. A sub is
ensnarled in an old anchor chain. The eager robot rescues the ship but then
runs into an old undersea mine and is blown up.
Or so Superboy thinks. In reality, only one arm was blown off. Rebello soon
retrieves it and repairs himself. The robot returns to Smallville, where
Superboy again threaten to destroy it, but the robot has used its free time
to protect itself. It tells Superboy it has stolen a safe full of rare
collectibles and if he is destroyed, Superboy will never be able to find
them. Reluctantly Superboy decides to let the robot remain and
sarcastically names it Rebello.
But victory soon goes to Rebello's electronic cerebellum. Ecstatic that he
has outsmarted Superboy, Rebello soon challenges the Boy of Steel to a duel
to see who is better all around. They make earthquakes with giant mallets,
wrestle dinosaurs, and fly through thunderstorms.
Superboy goes off to put out a forest fire and Rebello takes his place at a
special school function, "Fly With Superboy Day". Superboy doesn't want
Rebello's robot nature revealed, so he pretends to be the robot. Tired of
the robot jeopardizing his identity,Superboy vows to destroy him. But the
robot flies into space to destroy the hidden safe, only to find Superboy
has been there before him and set a clever trap. Thus ends the threat of
Rebello.
Even when Superboy grew up to be Superman, his robots still seemed to think
they knew more than he did. Take "The Reversed Super Powers" from _Action
Comics_ #274 (March 1961), by Jerry Coleman and Kurt Schaffenberger, for
example. Perry White hands Lois the assignment of covering Superman's
possible discovery of a cure for Kryptonite. Superman folds her up in his
cape and whisks her off to his Fortress of Solitude deep in the Arctic.
There, he sticks a weird helmet on her head and says, "Perhaps our combined
mind powers can accomplish the desired results! Mentally visualize the
experiment succeeding."
Suddenly there is a loud explosion and Superman says, "OWWW!" Superman has
lost all his powers due to the unknown chemicals in the experiment! An
ordinary man would be devastated, but Superman just says, "Lois... I am
free, at last, to marry you!"
Initially, Lois is ecstatic, but she then wonders if she would actually
love a Superman who has no powers. Has Lois actually come to grips with her
own shallowness here? We'll never know, because back in her Metropolis
apartment, Lois suddenly discovers that Superman's powers have been
transferred to her! Lois immediately pops on the super costume that she
keeps around for just such occasions. (That's not a joke. The editor's foot
note references _Lois Lane_ #17, May 1960.) Lois finds Superman sitting
dejectedly in the park and tells him the good news. Then she goes off to
cover Metropolis with a glass dome to protect it from an oncoming
hurricane.
The super boot is now on the other foot, as Lois tells Superman that she
can't marry him because she has super powers and some day her enemies might
try to kill him. Secretly, she gloats that she's just giving him a taste of
his own medicine. Just then he keels over and passes into unconsciousness.
Next moment the *real* Superman comes flashing in the window. He confronts
the prone figure and asks "Superman Robot Z. Why are you masquerading as
me?" The robot's battery is running down: "I am dying, master."
It turns out that Robot Z has long suspected the "scheming female" of
trying to lure Superman into marriage solely because she was dazzled by his
fame and powers and not out of any real love at all. Therefore, he set a
trap for her while Superman was away on one of those oh-so-convenient space
missions he used to go on in the Sixties. He used Superman's machines to
temporarily give Lois super powers. Lois' reactions to the situation proved
that his theory was correct. The robot's batteries give out and Superman
picks him up to take back to his Fortress for repairs. Superman tells Lois
to forget the whole thing. In the same situation he would have done the
same thing. "A Superwoman Lois and an un-super Superman would only have
turned out unhappily."
Lois' stunned reaction is, "He's wonderful."
I suppose you can't fault a robot for stunted logic, but his plan would
have made much more sense if he hadn't temporarily given Lois super powers.
Then the question of whether an un-super Lois would have been in love with
an un-super Superman would have been answered, but this way, everything is
left unresolved. Clever of the scripter, but dumb of the robot.
Jerry Siegel, Superman's creator, returned to writing Superman stories in
the early Sixties after a losing legal battle to regain ownership of his
character. Despite the unfortunate circumstances of his employment, he did
his best to promote his vision of Superman, even though that often
conflicted with Mort Weisinger's. "The Story of Superman's Experimental
Robots" in _Action Comics_ #299, from April 1963, is one of those stories
where Mort's concepts seem to predominate, although Siegel and Al Plastino
did their best to create the light, humorous tone that he felt contrasted
nicely with Superman's amazing powers.
The story is full of the gimmicks which Weisinger felt were necessary to
keep reader interest. It is even marketed as an "Untold tale", an idea
Weisinger had used to answer readers' questions and fill in background
events in Superman's life (what today are called "retcons"). However, there
really isn't anything in the story itself that suggests it could not be a
contemporary Superman adventure. Weisinger's gimmicks were beginning to
overpower the story itself.
Superman inspects a gift from the planet Jax. It's a special Superman robot
that's equipped with a super computer and miniature laboratory built into
its chest cavity. For some inexplicable reason, it has a bronze spire
sticking through the top of its head.
The robot tells Superman it is named LL-35 because the initials LL are
often lucky in Superman's life. The "LL" gimmick began when Bill Finger
introduced Lana Lang as a girl friend for Superboy and remarked in passing
that, coincidentally, she had the same initials as Lois Lane would when he
grew up to be Superman. It was a cute gimmick, a token of the quirkiness of
fate. Then it was followed by the introduction of Lori Lemaris, Linda Lee,
and Llyla Lerrol, by which time it seemed to have become an obsession with
Weisinger. Why shouldn't an alien race from somewhere across the galaxy be
privy to this bit of Superman legend minutiae?
In any case, the robot turns out to be hardly lucky for Superman (but then
again, neither were Lois, Lana, or Llyla). It offers to design a new line
of robots for Superman's use.
Superman is skeptical, but he doesn't have anything else to do that
afternoon, so he builds them just to see what will happen. Predictably,
they are designs only an alien intelligence could have come up with. WK-10
has two faces, one on the back of its head, so it can see 360 degrees. It
can also project kryptonite vision out of one eye, useful in case of an
attack from the Phantom Zone. MZ-6 has four multicolored tentacles instead
of arms, one of which can stretch for miles. Neither has even the remotest
chance of being mistaken for the real Superman. The real Man of Steel
wisely suggests that these ersatz steel fellows be tested on some distant
planet, where no Earth person will see them and doubt his sanity. LL-35
recommends Tharrl, a primitive world inhabited solely by a handful of
cavemen. But if only cavemen live there, then where did the mysterious
double clock tower come from, and why does it mark time in Earth hours,
using Arabic numerals? Every time the clock marks the hour, something
strange happens: plants grows rapidly and spew fruit, lightning sets trees
on fire so the cavemen can cook their food, and terrifying apparitions
appear to scare the natives away.
But enough sightseeing. Time to test the robots! MZ-6 takes on a metal
eating monster, which it easily subdues with its super-stretching plastic
tentacle. Then Superman detects a fleet of flying saucers approaching the
planet, so he sends the robots to investigate, as another test of their
usefulness. "Remember not to destroy life. It's against our code!" The
robots quickly subdue the aliens and chase them off. Not even a magnetic
force field can stop them, thanks to MZ-6's plastic super-stretch arm.
The robots are starting to appear pretty useful to Superman, but when they
return from battle, a strange change has come over them. Robot WK-10 trains
his kryptonite vision on Superman. LL-35 states that the magnetic field of
the alien ships has altered their programming tapes so that they now feel
only hatred for Superman. MZ-6 uses his super stretch arm to collect
kryptonite meteors and place them in orbit around Tharrl so that Superman
can't escape. LL-35 finds a red kryptonite meteor that turns Superman into
silly putty. WK-10 then turns Superman into a hoop and plays ring-toss over
the giant clock. MZ-6 uses his four tentacle arms to turn Superman into a
marionette, saying, "My secret identity is Clark Klunk- Yeep! Yeep!"
Another piece of Kryptonite gives Superman three faces. Then the three
robots throw pie-like plants at each of the three faces. Finally, the three
robots tire of humiliating him and decide to kill Superman, but just at
that moment, the clocks strike and a rain of acid comes down from the sky,
disintegrating the robots. Freed from the maniacal robots by an act of
fate, Superman mulls the fact that for once in his life an LL had turned
out to be unlucky for him. Then he turns and notices that the dual clocks
have struck three. (You'll have to draw this on a piece of paper because
I'm not gonna spell it out for you.)
There's only one loose end left to tie up. Where did the fershlugginer
clocks come from anyway? Using his super speed, Superman travels back in
time and discovers the wacky clocks were built by Atlantean space
travelers, which is why they use the same time system as Earth.
Weisinger must have thought this LL gimmick proved that, mighty though he
was, even Superman couldn't escape from the hand of fate. There were almost
certainly better ways to do this, but, if you accept the strictures upon
which Superman stories were built in the early Sixties, a lot of
imagination and skill went into constructing this intricate artifact.
By 1969, such puzzle tales would be no more. The rise of Marvel Comics to
challenge DC's sales dominance caused DC's management to drastically
rethink their approach to comics. One of the first changes to be made was
the turning of _Superboy_ over to editor Murray Boltinoff with _Superboy_
#149. Boltinoff brought in a whole new crew to handle the Superboy tales:
Frank Robbins, long time scripter and artist for the newspaper aviation
adventure strip Johnny Hazard; Bob Brown, former artist for Challengers of
the Unknown; and EC comics legend Wally Wood on inks.
The Neal Adams cover to _Superboy_ #155 (April 1969) shows Superboy very
small in the lower right hand corner, while five Superboy robots plunge at
him from all angles. Superboy is panicking. "Your combined strength could
kill me!"
Inside, Superboy attempts to stop a volcanic eruption in the Pacific and
decides he needs the help of his robots. At the same time, a young radio
ham, Mousey Malcom flirts with women all over the planet, pretending to be
an international playboy, adventurer and financier. But a blown rectifier
in his set damaged a fixed frequency control crystal, causing one of
Superboy's robots to break formation and fly to Mousey's house instead of
the south Pacific. Handling a Pacific spanning seismic eruption overloads
even Superboy's capacity for details, so he doesn't notice that one robot
is missing. Because of this, one undersea faultline stretches dangerously
towards America, unchecked. The resulting earthquake reaches as far as
Smallville. The Empire Tower building in Metropolis just completed
collapses. (Superboy passes Metropolis en route to Smallville from the
Pacific. What's wrong with this geography?)
Meanwhile, Mousey has used his ham equipment to figure out the control
codes to the Superboy robot. He uses it to steal things for him in an
attempt to enhance his image and make Lana Lang notice him. She does notice
him, but decides he's obnoxious enough to make her appreciate Clark.
Frustrated, Mousey uses his codes to take control of all Superboy's robots
and then orders them to kill the Boy of Steel! Unable to withstand their
blows as a group, Superboy quickly separates the robots and leads them all
into separate traps. It almost works, but Mousey has an ace up a robot
sleeve -- a Kryptonite meteor! Only intervention from an unexpected source
saves Superboy.
To teach Mousey a lesson, Superboy returns to Smallville pretending to be
one of the robots. Mousey orders Superboy to fly him overseas to see one of
his ham "girlfriends", but the Superboy "robot" pretends to malfunction and
drops Mousey into the Atlantic. "Just when I need Superboy most, he's
dead!" moans Mousey. The Boy of Steel figures a few minutes of deep sea
terror are enough punishment for causing the largest earthquake in US
history and he steps in and rescues the now-reformed delinquent.
The story must have been a hit, because five months later, the same team
did it again with "The Day It Rained Superboys!" in _Superboy_ #159,
complete with a fabulous Neal Adams cover (and I don't particularly like
Adams' work, so if I say it was fabulous, it was *really* fabulous)
featuring dozens of stock-still Superboys falling out of the sky feet
first, perfectly upright, above a crowd of panicking citizens.
The splash shows Superboy flying over the US capitol while being shot at by
biplanes. The story begins with the Graft Luftballon flying over Smallville
after a transatlantic voyage. Why the heck are they landing in Smallville,
of all places? In any case, it doesn't matter, because Superboy flies in,
trains his heat vision on it, and blows the thing sky high. Thankfully, all
the passengers and crew managed to escape. (This was back when the CODE was
the CODE, and no messing around.)
Next, Superboy drops an iceberg right in front of a cruise liner, which the
alert sea captain just barely misses ("We'd have become a second Titanic").
Following up the trail of iniquity, Superboy smashes a suspension bridge
and destroys a dam. Other disasters follow rapidly around the world.
Ma and Pa Kent, now young and contemporary thanks to a wacky alien in
_Superboy_ #145 (at least as young and contemporary as they could be stuck
in 1934) are worried sick about what their son is allegedly doing and wish
they knew where he was. They hold out hope that he's not really responsible
for these disasters. Maybe it's really those wacky robots again. Then the
radio says that many of these disasters happened simultaneously, so they
realize it must be robots. But Superboy's robots were destroyed months ago.
And where is Superboy?
Why in his Arctic Cave of Silence, oblivious to the world, building new
tamper-proof robots "Without my robots I cannot meet my responsibilities
fully," he thinks. Superboy finishes four robots and sends them on four
separate routes back to Smallville. Unfortunately, they run into the armed
forces of the world's nations who are really hacked off at Superboy. The
robots are immediately blown to bits. (Tell me again why these robots are
necessary to meet Superboy's responsibilities?)
Meanwhile the *real* Superboy is strafed over the nation's capital and
finally learns about the mess he's in... and a mysterious figure advises
America's top general what to do about the Superboy problem. Who is he?
(continued on 2nd page following)
Professor Ruthol believes that Superboy might suddenly decide to destroy
the Capitol. Ruthol offers the government his storehouse of refined
Kryptonite to make war heads out of, but only if they pay him a 100% profit
(which in 1935 must have seemed like gouging -- nowadays he'd probably want
1000%). The general protests that it's blackmail. Just in case we haven't
yet figured out who Ruthol is, he exclaims, "no hair off my head if you
don't accept my offer."
Despite their previously expressed concern for their son, when Clark
finally gets home, Jonathan lights into him just like one of those
out-of-touch parents shown in the contemporary Teen Titans book. "Let's not
double talk this son! You can't play games with us! You know full well
where your robots are ..out there doing your evil mischief! Perhaps you'd
care to tell us why?" Unlike those Teen Titans parents, Jonathan and Martha
are easily convinced that Superboy really doesn't know what's going on and
determine to help him.
Unable to appear in public as Superboy, Clark adopts a new identity as
Voltran the Unconquerable. Wearing a purple cape and shorts with lightning
bolts shooting out of his face mask in all directions, he looks like a
cross between Marvel's Electro and a Dial H for Hero reject. Voltran
appears in public as if a visitor from space and offers to help the
military destroy Superboy. Ruthol is upset because he'll lose the credit,
but his quick mind almost immediately gloms onto the idea that Voltran may
be Superboy himself.
Ruthol leads Voltran to a cave where five Superboys wait to do battle.
Voltran, of course knowing that the real Superboy is not in there, realizes
its a trap but, as usual, blunders right in anyway. As he bashes in one of
the Superboy robots, a spray of Kryptonite particles comes flying out,
causing Voltran to collapse. Ruthol immediately whips off his fake beard
and does a dance of triumph for he is in reality... (well if you don't know
who he is, you had no business reading this in the first place.)
But it was all part of Superboy's amazing plan, and in the less than half a
page left to the tale, Ruthol is carted off to prison once again.
Robbins was an anomaly in the new DC regime, however. Most of the other new
writers that DC hired were unschooled amateurs still in the process of
learning how to construct a story. It would take most of them a decade or
so to develop the skills of the writers that new editorial director,
Carmine Infantino, had so summarily dismissed. Perhaps the best of the new
kids was Denny O'Neil. At least he had a few years of journalism experience
from which to craft his "torn-from-the headlines" style of writing. Maybe
that was why he was selected by new Superman editor Julius Schwartz to head
the revamping of Superman himself.
One of the changes Schwartz decided to make was to get rid of the robots.
But they couldn't just disappear. In comic books you have to go out with a
bang!
Unfortunately, Denny O'Neil and Dick Dillin could only produce a misfire.
"Vengeance of the Tomb Thing" in _World's Finest_ #202 (May 1971) starts
with Superman flying through a thunderstorm and being blasted by a
lightning bolt (excuse me, "a tongue of blue-white fire"). The downed
Superman is found by a group of Arab desert bandits who, coincidentally,
are pursuing an archaeological expedition being reported on by Lois Lane.
They are searching for the tomb of Malis, an ancient ruler of murky and
mystical memory.
When Superman turns out to have lost his memory, Bedouin Brakh convinces
him that he is a member of his gang. He tricks Superman into putting on
Arab robes and joining in the raid on the expedition. The expedition
leaders unload a hail of bullets on the approaching Arab raiders to no
avail. So Lois Lane jumps into the fray.
"Running isn't Lois Lane's style! Maybe fingernails will do the job lead
DIDN'T!" She leaps onto the back of the lead brigand's horse and tries to
rake her nails across his face, ripping his hood off. To her astonishment,
it's Superman! (And no, her fingernails don't do any good against him!)
Superman, in his amnesia, doesn't recognize her and resists her pleas for
help. She is carted off with the rest of the expedition to Bedouin Brakh's
encampment, which is right at the entrance to the lost tomb!
Fortunately for Lois, there are other heroes in the world. The news of the
missing archaeological party attracts the attention of Bruce Wayne. Since
there's no crime in Gotham City this week, Batman tools off to the Arabian
desert, where he has no qualms about being seen in daylight, driving a pink
dune buggy.
He quickly finds the terrorists but they sic Superman on him. Batman
assumes Superman is faking for some reason and tries to play along, which
almost gets him his head knocked off. Fortunately, instinct takes over and
Batman rolls with the punch.
Meanwhile, the real Superman is up at his Fortress, watching as two of his
robots smash themselves to bits. Eight robots stand in line. Superman is
puzzled "The delicate robots machinery is attuned to the planet itself --
and the planet has changed since I constructed these! It's become polluted,
overpopulated, full of man-made radiation -- Too bad! I have no choice
except to retire my good and faithful mechanical servants."
As soon as he's back in Metropolis, Superman also hears about the missing
expedition and zips off to Africa. There, he confronts his doppleganger,
who turns out to be one of those ubiquitous runaway robots. He orders the
robot to return to the Fortress. The shock of seeing another Superman must
have restored the robot's memory, but not his loyalty.
"To you I am nothing but a thing ... a machine to be used! Never have you
treated me as an equal -- never have you offered me friendship -- Yes, I
rebel!"
To which all Superman can respond is, "You poor silly hunk of steel! I'd be
pretty stupid to build you stronger than myself! I'd feel sorry for you if
I could think of you as real!"
Superman quickly subdues the robot, but Brakh has another trick. He pops
open the tomb door and a mysterious red ray appears, sapping Superman's
strength. Now the robot is stronger than Superman and proceeds to wipe him
around the cavern floor. Lois turns and screams. The red glow comes from
Malis' mummy which shambles up out of the tomb, its head an eerie glowing
ball of red light.
"Doom to all flesh!" roars Malis. With Batman's help, Superman finally
subdues both Malis and Robot 15. Coincidentally, Malis turns out to be a
robot also, left behind by an ancient star spanning race. Who they were is
never revealed. "All I can say for sure," says Superman, "is they had
problems very like ours!"
Denny O'Neil built quite a reputation as a scripter over the years, but
this story certainly didn't contribute to it. About the best that can be
said for it is that it's "not an imaginary story" as the blurb on the cover
says. And the cover scene, which depicts Superman trying to strangle Batman
is "not a symbolic cover" and really does take place inside, albeit it's
really Robot 15, not Superman. Lois' treatment is just as sexist as it was
10 years earlier, although by now the writer should have known better.
After all, he also produced the "Special Women's Lib Issue" of Wonder Woman
the same year. The rationale for Superman's robots not functioning is
politically correct but makes no sense. Given the recent (at the time)
editorial decision that Superman was only 29 years old, then his robots had
only existed for 15 years or so. Air pollution, world population and even
nuclear background radiation hardly changed that much in that length of
time. Background radiation had probably dropped since the cessation of
above ground nuclear tests in 1963. And what does it mean for a robot to be
attuned to the planet itself? It's all pseudo-scientific gobbledygook put
in solely so the writer can claim a hipness he doesn't actually have (which
was the main complaint against virtually all of DC's so-called "relevant"
comics).
The main issue of the story, which is that Superman gave his robots
self-awareness and then continued to treat them as machines ("good and
faithful servants"), is never addressed. Superman is not confronted with
the immorality of his actions and is unrepentant. The writer introduces a
mad alien robot, screaming "Doom to all Flesh" and then implies a parallel.
Perhaps the robots themselves are supposed to be symbols of the same evil
technology that created the air pollution that is supposed to be the
robots' downfall? That's it. Putting our faith and trust in technology will
be our doom.
So, in the end, the new generation of writers can only resort to swiping
the plot of the precursor to the original "robot" story, Mary Shelly's
Frankenstein. The creation turns on the creator and has to be destroyed.
Never mind the subtext in that novel, in which the cause of the creation's
betrayal is the irrational fear of his creation which drives Henry
Frankenstein to reject his own handiwork.
One of the many dark sides of the Flower Power generation that DC was
trying to attract as readers was their irrational fear of technology. With
all their science fiction writers gone and only a bunch of untested college
kids to replace them, DC had nothing with which to challenge that notion.
(Except Kirby, another story altogether.) The Man of Tomorrow abandoned the
future and became a Man of Yesterday.
Give me Weisinger's silly plots any day.
_____________________________________________
End of Section 7
_____________________________________________
SUPERMAN STORIES
------------------------------------------
By Sean Hogan (shogan@intergate.bc.ca)
Judge, Jury, and Executioner
Last month I reviewed the stories leading to the death of Superboy,
including Superman's visit to the Earth of the Pocket Universe. The Pocket
Universe was the creation of a villain as well as an invention of
necessity. Since John Byrne had his re-booted Superman begin his career as
an adult, the new DC Universe did not have a Superboy. This caused a big
problem for the Legion of Super-Heroes creative team, since Superboy had
been an integral part of the Legion's history since 1958.
The solution to this dilemma was to reveal that the Legion's Superboy was
created by their nearly omnipotent enemy, the Time Trapper. Living at the
end of time, the Trapper observed the formation of the Legion and saw how
the Legionnaires modeled themselves after "a long vanished champion known
as Superboy!" However, the Trapper discovered that the Legion's history was
in error -- no Superboy ever existed.
So the Trapper somehow reached into the far past and snared, "a sliver of
time so slender it could not be measured. Yet containing an entire
universe!" He culled this universe to shape Krypton and Earth, culminating
in a Superboy that matched the Legion's legends. Whenever the Legion
entered the time stream, the Trapper diverted them into his Pocket
Universe.
Superman visited the Pocket Universe in _Action Comics_ #591, where he
noted that Superboy's Smallville was "an idealized version of a typical
small town." Superman's role in the battle against the Time Trapper was
limited and he returned to his Earth at the urging of the Legionnaires, who
told him, "You belong to the 20th Century, Superman. There is still too
much for you to do there to make our time possible!"
Superman was to return to the Pocket Universe's Earth one more time in a
three part story arc called "The Supergirl Saga" that ran in _Superman_
#21, _Adventures of Superman_ #444 and, _Superman_ #22. The arc was John
Byrne's final, and most controversial, story during his Superman run.
_Superman_ #21 opens on a scene of devastation as tremendous forces barrage
a dome containing a golden citadel. All around the dome is a cratered
wasteland. Inside the dome a group of men and women desperately discuss
their plan to recruit Superman to assist them.
The story cuts to Superman, who is flying through the blue skies of Kansas
when he senses someone following him. At super speed, he circles around and
grabs the ankle of his pursuer. He stares in surprise at the blonde
bombshell before him, "Great guns! A flying woman in a variation of my
costume! Is it some kind of illusion?"
Suddenly, the girl's face changes into that of Lana Lang and tells him that
her powers aren't like his and that, "they're very, very different, as my
chameleon power should tell you. As to how I got them ... they were given
to me by Lex Luthor!"
Superman asks how 'Lana' could have dealings with "scum like Luthor!" They
argue, with a confused Supergirl calling Luthor, "the greatest hero, the
most brilliant leader in the world!" She also mentions that "Metropolis is
gone! Destroyed!" As Superman attacks her beliefs and memories, Supergirl
becomes convinced that Superman is "one of them". Accusing him of trying to
deceive her, she knocks Superman away with a "psycho-kinetic blast" and
then turns invisible.
Superman flies to Lana's farm, where he finds Lana and Ma and Pa Kent bound
and gagged. Lana warns him about the crazy woman posing as her, but
Superman answers, "she's not posing, Lana. Even down to the molecular
level, she is you. I've checked!"
Superman's synapses suddenly supply a solution to the strange situation as
he says, "Of course! If it was a snake, it would have bitten me!" and takes
off to do "some serious disillusioning".
Drawing Supergirl after him, he heads to Metropolis and introduces her to
the big and bald Lex Luthor. Stunned, Supergirl says, "... Luthor?? ... but
he's not ... I mean he's nothing like ..."
Retreating to talk, Superman explains the Pocket Universe to Supergirl. Her
memory restored, Supergirl activates a device that transports them to her
home. She also mentions that it has been 10 years since Superboy
disappeared, while Superman says that it has only been a few weeks for him.
As they appear in the Pocket Universe, a handsome, young, red-haired Lex
Luthor greets Superman with "Welcome to the end of the world!"
_Adventures of Superman_ #444 has a great cover of Superman kneeling before
the graves of Jonathan and Martha Kent, with his fists raised in anguish.
The story picks up from the cover as Superman looks past the cemetery at
the devastation beyond the dome.
Lex relates how he arrived in Smallville during the funeral for Jonathan
Kent. Both Kents died shortly after the disappearance and presumed death of
their foster-son. Lex told Lana and Pete that he came hoping to meet his
greatest hero, Superboy, as he may have discovered a cure for kryptonite
poisoning. With no reason to keep Superboy's identity a secret, Pete asked
if Lex might be able to use his scientific knowledge to find Superboy.
The three gathered at the Kent home and discovered Superboy's secret lab.
Lex, investigating on his own, activated a Phantom Zone viewer. A man
appeared, calling himself Von-El, brother of Superboy's father, Jor-El. He
claimed that he and his family hid in the "Survival Zone" to avoid
Krypton's destruction.
Convincing Lex that the young man's brilliance might free them where
Superboy's efforts failed, he guided Lex in the construction of a projector
that freed 'Von-El' and his 'family'. Immediately, they destroyed the
projector and revealed themselves to be General Zod, Zaora, and Quex-Ul --
Kryptonian criminals who intended to make the planet quake at their names,
"as once our native Krypton did!" Destroying the lab, they burst out of the
Kent home and, over the next three years, wrought havoc around the globe.
Lex, blaming himself for releasing them, leads the resistance against the
villains from his home base in Smallville. While there were no costumed
heroes on this Earth other than Superboy, Lex is joined by ordinary people,
including Bruce Wayne, Hal Jordan, and Oliver Queen. Lex also explains to
Superman, "Two years ago, I found a way to give Lana super-powers. She
adopted a variation on Superboy's costume as a rallying symbol to the
people of Earth."
The efforts of Lex and his team were not enough, and the villains continued
to conquer until General Zod decided that he'd had enough of the futile
resistance by humans -- "I have conceived a plan by which we can eliminate
all resistance ... by eliminating all life on Earth!!" With those words,
each of the Kryptonian criminals burrowed through the Earth's crust to the
core. The super-heated steam boiled away the seas and ripped away "the
slender envelope of the Earth's atmosphere." Only Smallville survived, due
to Lex's protective force field.
Unwilling to concede victory to the villains, Lex found a way to transport
Supergirl to Superman's Earth, in the hope that he would save them. At the
end of the issue, Superman vows, "Five billion humans, uncounted billions
upon billions of life-forms have perished horribly because of these
so-called Kryptonians. It's time Zod and his murdering crew were made to
pay in full for their actions!"
And pay they do. The ominous cover to _Superman_ #22 shows Superman,
wearing an executioner's mask and holding open a box of kryptonite in front
of his shield. As the deathly green glow permeates the cover, he says,
"You're responsible for the death of a billion beings -- for that you must
die!"
Inside, Superman leads the attack against the Kryptonians. The villains
quickly decimate the human warriors and blast Supergirl with their combined
heat vision. Supergirl's body becomes an oozing mess as it falls toward the
ground. Lex tells Superman to let her go as, "the protomatter will
regenerate itself soon enough." Superman has no time to follow up on Lex's
comment as Lex gives him new, secret instructions.
Reluctantly Superman leaves the battle and heads back to the ruins of
Smallville. Battling the super-powered Quex-Ul, Superman eventually finds
the Kent home and Superboy's lab. Quex-Ul continues his attack and Superman
realizes, "when the Time Trapper created this universe, he made these
Kryptonians very different from me. The way they process solar energy is
much more efficient than the way my body does. Quex-Ul is powerful enough
to kill me."
Fortunately, that isn't the only difference between the Kryptonians of this
world and Superman. In the Pocket Universe, kryptonite exists in a variety
of forms, unlike Superman's Earth, which has only the deadly green
kryptonite.
Superman finally locates the lead cylinder containing gold kryptonite
(which permanently removed Kryptonian super powers) and exposes it before
Quex-Ul. Quickly creating a prison, Superman uses the gold K to remove
General Zod's and Zaora's powers and then captures them.
Searching, Superman finds the dying body of Lex Luthor -- the last human
alive on the planet. Lex apologizes for the deception with Supergirl, "Lana
was one of the first killed. I used her ... molecular matrix ... to create
... pattern for protomatter ... artificial life form" and that Supergirl
"never knew she wasn't real."
Superman asks Lex why he hadn't used the gold kryptonite if he knew it was
there. With appropriate Luthor hubris, Lex admits, "call it ... ego,
Superman. It was my fault Zod and the others escaped from the Phantom Zone.
I ... wanted it to be by my hand that they were defeated. This world ...
has paid ... a terrible price for my folly ... Superman. You must ... make
sure ... it never ... happens ... again".
Lex ... then ... dies ... as ... my ... supply ... of ... periods ... ends.
Superman stands amidst the ruined planet: "[Lex] was the last living human
on this world. Now there is nothing more to keep me here. Nothing ...
except the disposition of the three last survivors of the Krypton of this
universe."
Superman confronts the villains. They taunt him, claiming that they will
find a way to restore their powers and come to his reality to destroy
Superman and his world.
Superman admits he does not know how to rebuild the Phantom Zone projector.
"Nevertheless, I am forced to find a way to stop the three of you once and
for all! You have ruthlessly murdered all the people of this planet -- five
billion humans! That is a crime without equal! The Nazi holocaust pales by
comparison."
Removing the container of green kryptonite from its storage he continues,
"What I must now do is harder than anything I have ever done before. But as
the last representative of law and justice on this world, it falls to me to
act as judge, jury ... and executioner.
He exposes the villains to the deadly kryptonite rays. For long moments he
stands while they beg and plead for him to stop. Zod's claim that the
others duped him leads Quex-Ul to crush the life from him so that he dies
by Quex-Ul's hand. Zaora offers to be Superman's slave and show him
pleasures undreamed, but she too weakens and dies. Superman stands resolute
at his task until all signs of life are extinguished -- only a tear
escaping from Superman's eye shows his sorrow.
Burying the three bodies, he prepares to leave when he notices Supergirl's
protoplasmic form moving in the rubble. Picking her up, he returns to his
own Earth (exactly how he returns is not explained -- presumably by the
same device used by Supergirl to transport him). He leaves Supergirl to the
care of his parents and Lana.
He tells them, "I have to ... be alone for a while. I need to think." He
doesn't tell them of his actions in the Pocket Universe but adds, "it's
something I have to resolve myself." The issue ends with him thinking that,
to the people of Earth, "I am still Superman, still the untarnished
champion of humanity. When I know that from now on, things can never truly
be the same again".
Many fans were, of course, outraged by a story in which the iconic Superman
intentionally kills. The justification for Byrne's story -- that this would
give a strong, realistic basis for his code against taking human (or any
sentient) life -- did not sit well with fans who believed that Superman's
moral code had stood the test of almost 50 years without the necessity of
murder.
Fans accepted that Superman's code was a combination of the morals he
developed from his small town heritage at the hands of his beloved
foster-parents and from Superman's own inherent sense of justice and the
knowledge of right and wrong.
As Elliot S! Maggin, Silver Age Superman writer, wrote in his novel,
_Superman: Last Son of Krypton_: "There were certain fundamentals, however,
that he did not question -- axioms at the bottom of his thoughts on any
subject that approached his mind: that there was a right and a wrong in the
Universe, and that value judgment was not very difficult to make." (This
comes from page 54 -- thanks to John O'Neill for identifying the quote for
me on the rec.arts.sf.superman newsgroup.)
Mark Waid, in homage to Maggin, used a similar line (ironically spoken by
the villain) in _Gog_ #1 and again in _The Kingdom_ #1: "There is a right
and a wrong in the universe and that distinction is not hard to make."
The Silver Age Superman had no difficulty in knowing the difference and in
consistently choosing right over wrong, refusing to compromise his
principles in his search for truth and justice. And readers had no
difficulty in accepting Superman's inherent morality.
While the god-like Silver Age Superman may have been morally and ethically
superior to ordinary humans in his ability to distinguish right from wrong
and to preserve life in all it's forms, the newer version was the very
human Clark Kent -- with more emphasis on the "man" than the "super". Byrne
puts Superman in a very difficult dilemma.
I expect that many, and probably the majority, of humans would agree that
execution is an appropriate sentence in this case. The Phantom Zone
criminals were unrepentant mass murderers who had threatened further crimes
against humanity. Had Byrne chosen to leave survivors of this Earth (rather
than Superman) to execute the criminals, most readers would have felt that
justice had been done.
Instead, Byrne chose the more controversial ending and had Superman slowly
and deliberately kill the villains, by his own hands.
Even though Byrne departed after this story, the consequences of Superman's
actions were examined by _Adventures of Superman_ writer Jerry Ordway and
the newly recruited _Superman_ writer, Roger Stern.
In _Adventures of Superman_ #445, Superman broods in his boyhood bedroom.
Pa Kent tries to find out what troubles his son so deeply, but Superman
(significantly, Ordway has drawn him with his chest symbol in shadow --
showing a dark hero, rather than a troubled, but human, Clark) is unable to
confess, saying "I have to be alone ... to see if I can still live with
myself ... with what I've done."
The rest of the issue is an encounter with Brainiac (his second
appearance), whose psychic attack on Superman finds a darkness within.
Brainiac senses a schism in Superman's subconscious and probes deeper until
Superman finally snaps. With a face maddened with rage Superman's thoughts
attack Brainiac: "Your poking and prodding has stirred something held in
check a long time, Brainiac ... my ANGER!! LOOK INTO THE FACE OF MY ANGER,
VRIL DOX!!! I don't need to look into your mind, Brainiac, I can see the
FEAR on YOUR face. The dawning realization of the KIND of control it takes
to rein in a SUPERMAN'S BAD SIDE!!"
Some kind of psychic explosion destroys the building and renders Brainiac
comatose. A withdrawn, emotionless Superman stirs only when a paramedic
says, "You could've killed him!" His partner tells him to ease up,
"Superman's no killer!" and the first one responds, "I meant he should've
killed him." Superman only stares silently.
Superman suffers terrible delusions in _Superman_ #25 when Brainiac, now
under Luthor's control, tries further psychic attacks. Superman seems more
like his old self in _Adventures of Superman_ #448, although perhaps more
indecisive and passive than usual. He tells a man admitting to murder that
the courts are to decide his punishment and, "I'm not your judge, jury or
executioner." This issue also marks the debut of a mysterious new and
violent Gangbuster (the original Gangbuster, Jose Delgado, being sidelined
with a broken back).
Superman grows increasingly haggard and lost over the next issues. Allowing
facial stubble to grow, he looks like hell as both Superman and Clark.
Finally, after some dramatic moments in _Superman_ #27, we learn in
_Adventures of Superman_ #450 that the new, violent Gangbuster is really...
Superman. Who, until unmasked by the Guardian, is completely unaware that
he has been having blackouts, during which he has being leading a secret
life as Gangbuster. Horrified, Superman decides that he must leave Earth
and his life as Clark Kent.
Quickly he arranges for Clark to disappear and says his farewell to his
parents and to Lana. He confesses to his parents and they offer him excuses
for his actions in killing the Phantom Zone criminals ("Surely it was in
self defense?"; "Nothing's that cut and dried"; "You're a man, you're not
perfect"). These excuses are rejected: "I let my thirst for vengeance take
control. I should have found an alternative to killing. I'm Superman."
He then tells them of his blackouts and his actions as Gangbuster, "...I
don't know what'll happen the next time I black out or even fall asleep!
Who knows what monster will emerge? It could be Gangbuster or someone even
worse!"
Saying his good-byes, he leaves Earth behind, possibly for good. The next
several issues (_Superman_ #28-31 and _Adventures of Superman_ #451-454)
have Superman trying to come to grips with his actions and his guilt, until
he is captured by the dreaded Mongul, leader of Warworld. Superman's
adventures on Warworld begin in the terrific _Action Comics Annual_ #2
(1989) and continue in _Superman_ #32, _Adventures of Superman_ #455 and
_Superman_ #33 (these events are reprinted in the trade paperback
collection, _Superman: Exile_).
It was during his time on Warworld that Superman met a long-lived being
known as the Cleric. The Cleric had visited Krypton in its ancient past to
preach to its people about the evils of cloning. To his horror, the Cleric
inadvertently caused the death of his followers and, in penance and shame,
exiled himself to a forlorn asteroid. In _Superman_ #33 (written by Roger
Stern), Superman and the Cleric seek atonement through a mechanical device
which the Cleric had brought from Krypton -- the Eradicator.
The device linked the two men as they re-lived the scenes of their guilt.
Superman watches as a Jury of Superman, glowing deathly green, pronounces
the Phantom Zone criminals guilty, and as another glowing Superman Judge
orders their deaths. He turns away as yet another Superman, in traditional
uniform but with a green Executioner's mask, approaches the criminals and
unseals the canister containing the green kryptonite. As he describes his
dilemma to the Cleric, he approaches behind the Executioner and steps into
him, becoming one, as the death sentence is carried out.
Superman says, "I buried them here, amid the desolation they'd created ...
but I'll never bury my shame. It was the first time I had killed other
living beings. I swear it will be the last!"
The Cleric tells Superman that, "your exile has deprived your world of a
great hero, your family of a loving son. End your exile...". He continues,
adding, "I have looked into your soul. Yours is the heart of a true hero
... if you have sinned, it was in the cause of justice."
Superman replies, "Cleric, I believe that life is a precious gift!" To this
the Cleric responds, "Then do not seek to escape from it, as I did ...
embrace it! Prove yourself worthy of being Superman by living and working
for the preservation of life."
The strain of their psychic journey proves too much for the Cleric, who
collapses. Dying he repeats, "Go forth, Superman ... fulfill your destiny!
Do not ... fail me". Superman vows, "Be at peace, Cleric ... I won't fail
you! As the stars are my witness ... I will champion life over death for
the rest of my days!"
With those words, Superman ends his exile and returns home in a joyous
_Action Comics_ #643. The lessons he learned during his exile are not
forgotten though, and continue to be a strong guiding force whenever
Superman is faced with the choice of having to use deadly force.
The ghosts of the Phantom Zone criminals returned to haunt Superman in
1998's _Superman Annual_ #10, written by Dan Jurgens. The story was part of
the "Ghosts" annuals that had members of the JLA being haunted by phantoms,
ending with _JLA Annual_ #2.
The focus of the Superman story is on the moral issue of capital punishment
(with the impending execution of a convicted killer) rather than on the
morality of Superman's execution of the Kryptonian villains.
The capital punishment angle is dealt with in a heavy handed manner.
Questions are raised, such as when Lois asks Clark if he is investigating
the convict's story, "because you think he might be innocent ... or because
you don't like capital punishment?" But neither the questions nor the
different moral positions are effectively dealt with in the story and the
resolution is contrived as the victim's family has a sudden change of
heart, agreeing to spare the killer from his impending execution.
Superman doesn't even care whether the Kryptonians are ghosts or "plasma
energy of some sort" as he uses energy from a lightning strike to disperse
their essence. The issue could have been more effective in its use of the
phantom villains had they tried a more subtle attack on Superman's
conscience rather than a physical battle, or if Jurgens had Superman
question his motives in executing them or in trying to prevent the
scheduled execution of the convict.
Jurgens makes much more effective use of Superman's memories of his actions
on the Pocket Universe and its effect on his moral code in the _Superman vs
Aliens_ miniseries. Early in the three issue prestige series (also in trade
paperback), Superman reflects on his execution of the Phantom Zone
criminals: "Killing those people was the worst thing I ever did. I was in
agony. Tortured to the soul ... I had betrayed the core of my being. I'm no
killer. It's a measure of desperation that I will never resort to again. No
matter how deadly the threat."
In the series, a weakened Superman must battle the deadly and relentless
creatures to save himself and young Kara of Argo City. Superman is pushed
to the edge of his moral code as he defends himself, Kara and Lois from the
Aliens. Though tempted, he refuses to kill -- with his powers as Superman
he is convinced that there will always be another solution available to
him.
The powerless supporting cast has fewer options and no qualms about killing
the attacking Aliens. Superman doesn't stop those around him from killing
the Aliens, and Jurgens nicely leaves open the question as to whether this
is due to his weakened powers or because he agrees that the attackers must
die, just not by his hand.
When an Alien larva, implanted in his chest, attempts to burst out,
Superman vomits it into the void of space. Although not an intentional
killing, Superman clearly values his life enough to prevent the Alien from
emerging and "de-humanizes" (sorry, can't think of a better word) the Alien
by calling it a "parasite" and a "creature".
Jurgens does a good job at showing the shades of morality while maintaining
Superman's belief in his code against killing. As he confronts the final
Alien, Superman says, "I look at you and all I can think of is an entire
city of people who died! And, God help me, I can't help but wonder if you
should join them."
"No. I went down that path once before. I won't do it again."
As I said in last month's mailbag, I'm interested in readers' comments as
to this story, looking at it over 10 years later. Should DC have allowed a
story where Superman deliberately killed? Was it a positive contribution to
the Superman legend? Did it make a difference to you as a reader?
A final thought: is Superman's moral code against killing now based, not on
an inherent knowledge of right and wrong, but on his fear of the personal
consequences?
Write to mailbag@kryptonian-cybernet.com with your comments and opinions.
[And see this month's Mailbag for some initial responses to this question.
-- Jeff]
Since we saw Superman go through a personal hell in this article, next time
we'll see how he fares in a literal hell, as we review Superman's battles
with the demonic siblings, Blaze and Satanus.
_____________________________________________
End of Section 8
_____________________________________________
THE MAILBAG
-------------------------------------
(mailbag@kryptonian-cybernet.com)
KC Responses are indented and begun with ****
=========================================
In last month's mailbag and in this issue's "Superman Stories" column, Sean
Hogan asked readers for their opinions on Superman's killing of the Phantom
Zone criminals in the story which introduced the post-Crisis incarnation of
Supergirl. We've already received several responses, which appear below in
our first three letters this month.
=========================================
From: Martin A. Perez (magnus@montevideo.com.uy)
I want to give you my opinion on this, but be warned: I'm an unconditional
Byrne fan. You were warned... I think in Byrne's view, Superman already
knew that killing was bad, but he wanted Supes to face a decision as big
and important as that "If they live, they may find their way to my Earth."
And Clark does what many other human beings would do: he kills them. He
then feels remorse and realizes that he, as Superman, should have sought
another way of dealing with them. Just my two cents.
**** I like the idea of Superman having to confront a decision which
challenges his beliefs to the very core, and that's what this story
represents at its most basic. However, do we want Superman to do "what
many other human beings would do," or do we want Superman to somehow
represent the very best of us, rising above human nature to adhere to
his beliefs under even the most trying of circumstances?
=========================================
From: Bill Crupe (wcrupe@concentric.net)
Well, I think that it cheapened Superman to a great extent. I mean, did he
really have to kill to find out that it was wrong? I've never killed anyone
and I'm *pretty sure* that it is wrong.
If anything, the Kents have had way more influence over Clark than they did
in the Silver Age. Clark is raised in a civilized country and no doubt
heard of the Ten Commandments hundreds of times.
Anyway, I hope the next time Superman is redone that this episode can be
eliminated. Although the writers seem to get a lot of mileage out of
Clark's guilt over the incident so we'll be hearing from again in the
future.
**** These first two letters illustrate that some fans are coming at this
issue from two different perspectives. There's a bit of a difference
between knowing that killing is wrong and having a personal code never
to take a life under any circumstances. I know that killing is wrong,
and I'm pretty sure that I'd never kill another person, but I can't
say that with absolute certainty. Faced with a situation (such as
self-defense or protection of a family member) where killing seemed
like the only solution, I can't be certain that I would choose not to.
Even if we were to accept this as a reason for Clark's code against
killing, the creators haven't always done a very good job explaining
exactly why. There have been some occasions where it seems that he
only holds such a strict code because he's afraid of another
Gangbuster episode, instead of actually believing that it's wrong
to take a life regardless of circumstance.
=========================================
From: Luis Dantas (luis@dantas.com)
I am of two minds about this -- allowing Superman to intentionally kill
would be a very delicate, yet potentially marvelous development to the
character if done right.
However, Byrne didn't IMHO succeed on doing so. Good read though it was,
the Phantom Zone criminals storyline was quite flawed in convincing me that
Superman saw their deaths as somehow needed. Perhaps Byrne intended to
reveal later on that Superman had some sort of killer instinct at the time
(unlikely, since it was his very last Superman story)? After all, in the
tale Superman uses Golden K to depower the three villains -- who happen to
be in a depleted Earth, and therefore quite likely to die soon if left
alone. Even if they survived, there was no way for them to recover their
powers.
As a matter of fact, the most intriguing point of the whole story to this
day isn't to me related to either Supergirl or Superman's use of Green K.
It's the rather quick psychological recovery of the PZC, just a few seconds
after being permanently depowered (and falling down from the air as a
consequence) -- so complete that they were actually laughing at Superman
and promising to recover their powers *and* find a way to his Earth to
enact revenge. I read my share of Silver Age PZ stories, but never saw them
as that capable. In my mind, the story didn't really work. It would if
Superman had spent at least a little time pondering whether he should have
given their menaces credit or not, or else if later down the line there was
some sort of explanation for his readiness at killing three powerless
criminals who where stranded at a dead earth (and begging for their lives
to boot, once the exposure to Superboy's version of Green K actually
began). As it stands, the story is slightly unsettling, but not all that
convincing. Sort of Emerald Twilight Lite, if you will :)
In the end, it showed me that Superman doesn't have all that much of a
behavior code. So I guess I didn't like it -- Superman is to be a positive
icon if he's to work as a character at all. And I don't think this killing
works as a justification or basis for the current "Superman doesn't kill"
attitude either; if anything, it makes Superman look like a killer in
denial.
**** While I used to defend this story, I've come to a change of heart in
recent years. I agree that Superman doesn't seem to put enough thought
into his decision, considering very few options and coming to a
conclusion very quickly. Were this a Superman still learning about
himself and what he believes, I could accept this as a mistake of
youth, but this is a Superman who is at least six or seven years into
his career, and who spent many years before that developing his
beliefs.
In the long run, if we're going to have a Superman who does not kill
under any circumstances, then I think it makes for a more heroic,
iconic Superman to have that code simply be a part of his belief
system. There shouldn't need to be a mistake in his past to justify
that code.
=========================================
From: David Young (young_d1@popmail.firn.edu)
I read your comments on my letter. Here are some comments back.
First, I've never really been a big Thor fan either. I like him, but I can
give or take him. I've never collected his book on a regular basis, but I
have always collected _Avengers_ and read his exploits there. When Jurgens
and Romita, Jr. recently restarted _Thor_, I picked up the first few
issues, and enjoyed them. _Thor_ has been getting a lot of good press since
the reboot and the sales seem to be good. This, plus the facts that 1) Thor
is one of the rare solo Marvel characters who is in Superman's league, and
2) Jurgens knows both characters very well should contribute to a very cool
crossover.
**** I'd almost certainly pick up a Superman/Thor crossover by Jurgens,
even though I really don't have much of a background with Thor. That
might result in the same kind of lukewarm reaction I had to the recent
Hulk/Superman crossover, though.
While I'd definitely purchase (and probably enjoy) another
Superman/Spider-Man crossover, I kind of have a "been there-done that"
feeling about it since we already have two Superman/Spider-Man crossovers
under our belt, plus their interactions in the DC/Marvel "Access" minis. To
be a really cool Superman/Marvel crossover, I kind of feel like the Marvel
character has to either a) be close to Superman's power level (such as
Hulk, Thor, Thing), or b) be a like personality (like Captain America, who
I've come to see as the "Superman" of the Marvel Universe in terms of
personality/morals, not power levels). A Superman/X-Men crossover could be
good, if you focus on Superman's interactions with each X-Man. Also,
Superman-with-the-JLA crossovers could be JLA/Avengers (oh when will this
finally happen???...someone get Perez drawing already!) and JLA/X-Men.
**** When it comes down to it, I guess I'm just not much into the Marvel
characters, which dampens my enthusiasm for Superman/Marvel
crossovers. The only Marvel characters I've ever been able to really
get into are Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four, which is probably why
I tend to lean towards wanting crossovers with them. (Though I think
an ultra-patriotic Superman/Captain America team-up might fire me up.)
By the way, there were apparently a lot of rumblings at the Chicago
convention about Mark Waid and Kurt Busiek working up a six-issue
JLA/Avengers miniseries, pencilled by George Perez. I have to admit
that's a tantalizing idea, and given the sales that would be certain
to generate, DC and Marvel would be absolutely nuts *not* to go
forward with it. We'll have to wait and see...
As for the Treasury Editions, I have always enjoyed them. Matter-of-fact,
picking up all of the old 1970s DC and Marvel ones is on my comics "to do"
list. There is just something about that large format that I find extremely
cool (even for just reprints of stories already released in the standard
format). I can see what you are saying about the cost of the format, but
one solution would be for DC to do future "larger format" books (aside from
painted books like Alex Ross' work) on a slightly lower quality class of
paper. The old Treasury editions had cardstock covers but normal
(newsprint?) pages inside. There's no real reason why the new Treasury
editions could do the same and cost a little less than the
_Superman/Fantastic Four_ one did. Of course, the next Alex Ross
masterpiece (which should be the Batman Treasury special) would have to be
on the slick paper to really bring out Ross's artwork.
**** See, I think the only reason to use this format is to showcase the
artwork, and I honestly don't think there's anything much other than
painted artwork which should be showcased like this. On the other
hand, even as gorgeous as it was, I still would have preferred to see
_Peace on Earth_ in a smaller, cheaper format. Maybe that's just me.
=========================================
From: Johanna Draper Carlson (johannadc@mindspring.com)
In reference to Shane Travis's review of _Superman: The Odyssey_, I had
some comments and suggestions. Overall, I think Shane does a wonderful job,
and his reviews are a definite asset to your publication, but if he would
consider the following points, I believe his work would be even better. (My
choice of Shane's work as an example here shouldn't be seen as any kind of
comment on the other reviews, or as any sort of comparison among them --
I've selected him because I know he's open-minded to constructive criticism
... and because he asked me.)
First, I would rather see more space spent on analysis and less on plot
regurgitation. Overwhelming the reader with *every* incident in the book
makes it less likely they'll get to the meat of the piece, Shane's
excellent commentary. In this particular review, I thought just the first
paragraph out of the six given would suffice, with a little elaboration.
While a descriptive section is useful to the reader (reminding them of the
book if they've read it, bringing them up to speed if they're not), it
should not be able to substitute for the book itself.
Another benefit of the summary section is pointing out what was missing
from the story. Here, Shane's description caused me to realize that I would
have liked to have seen much more exploration of Clark's discomfort with
his abilities, people's fear of him, and how great a gift Terri gave him
with her acceptance of him as he was. I would have been more interested in
the book if the creators had concentrated on that instead of the politics.
I wonder if they were afraid of giving Superman yet another lost love and
so downplayed those aspects? Or it could be that they just don't want to
write more of a romance, for whatever reason.
Anyway, Shane has a very good eye for what makes a comic work and how a
book is constructed. His breakdowns were very educational, and I looked at
the work with new eyes after his review. However, like most online
reviewers, he goes into more detail about the plot than the art. I would
have liked to have seen him also apply his analytical talents to discussing
the other major component of the book. I know many writers don't feel that
they have the training to discuss art, but I don't think you have to be an
artist to describe what you see, note the artistic style, and tell your
readers if it worked. Just think about how the book looks as well as what
it says.
If I can only leave one piece of advice, though, it would be "don't cut
yourself down!" There are already people out there looking for reasons to
dismiss your viewpoints; you don't need to give them assistance by saying
things like "Perhaps ... I'm entirely off the mark with this hypothesis. It
wouldn't be the first time." I didn't see any reason Shane undercut himself
to this degree, because his points were well-supported and explained. It's
a review, of course it's his opinion, and of course someone might disagree.
Don't be afraid of having a point of view.
Thanks for giving me a chance to make these points. I look forward to
seeing Shane's review in your next issue.
**** I'll leave Shane to respond as he wishes, but I'll echo your comments
on the length of the plot synopsis. Several of us, myself very much
included, have trouble limiting our plot descriptions. My reviews
almost always get long-winded in the summary, something I have to
really work on.
=========================================
From: Johanna Draper Carlson (johannadc@mindspring.com)
I had an interesting reaction to _Superman: The Last God of Krypton_.
Perhaps it was just a grad school flashback, but I found myself doing a
textual analysis from a woman's viewpoint. Please bear in mind that this is
not any sort of comment about the creators or speculation on their
attitudes; I'm simply reacting to the events and symbolism of this comic
book as a societal artifact, as if I found it in a time capsule.
This analysis is kind of an academic free association, a treasure hunt of
ideas, if you will. Some of the book's events started me speculating on
what terms like "ice goddess" mean in our culture (mostly because any woman
besides Lois who touches Superman gets killed), and then I started noticing
certain links and associations popping up once I started down that trail.
Let me reiterate: I am not suggesting that any of the creators put any of
this in on purpose, or that they set out to talk about this subject.
Ok, for those of you who didn't read it, here's what happens. A previously
unknown Kryptonian ice goddess (wearing a low-cut swimsuit, strangely
enough) appears and vows to kill the only living survivor, Superman. At the
Daily Planet, an anonymous bimbo (wearing a skirt that would better serve
as a belt) throws herself at Clark, leading Lois to jealously reclaim her
husband. Clark changes to Superman in the ladies' room, and the ice goddess
shows up looking to kill him. But upon seeing him, she changes her goals:
she must have Superman as her mate! She kills the bimbo to demonstrate her
powers and runs away.
After Lois has changed into a white turtleneck, Superman takes his wife to
the Fortress for safety. The goddess, currently trashing Metropolis, has
revealed another power: to command any man to do her will. Superman kisses
Lois goodbye before heading out to confront the ice goddess. When he finds
her, she kisses him and forces him to his knees in tribute to her. Then she
wears him out physically by tossing him around in a fight before they fly
into the sun. He rejects her, she tries to kill him, and she is revealed to
be a literal demon. Lois appears and saves the day in a robotic battlesuit,
tossing the villain into the sun.
Now, let's interpret some of these symbols. The villain is overly cold (you
might say frigid) but aroused by Superman's overwhelming masculinity. The
ice goddess is able to control men against their will. This power includes
affecting their body parts without their agreement, i.e. a metaphor for the
forbidden woman causing an unwanted erection. Additionally, the "bitch
goddess" is a cultural stereotype based in men's fear of aggressive women,
especially sexually aggressive women.
This goddess demands Superman's sexual performance (she wants him to mate
with her) and bends him to her will. She wears him out physically until he
is saved by his marriage partner, enveloped in an androgynous shell of her
husband's construction that makes her appear as a non-sexual being. Also,
Lois is covered up through most of the book (long pants, long sleeves), but
the women who have exposed themselves (revealing cleavage or wearing short
skirts) are killed. (These events evoke the excuse of "she asked for it";
the reader is led to feel that they get what they deserve.)
Moreover, Clark is empowered, becoming more potent, after entering a dark,
enclosed space belonging to women (under his wife's guidance, of course).
The slut who dared to intrude on the sacred bond of marriage is punished by
being killed. The chaste wife (her white shirt symbolizing purity) ventures
out from her husband's domain only when contained within another
contraption of his devising.
Summing up, the plot of this comic can be described as the wife rescuing
her husband from the illicit lure of an affair. The message I take away is
that sexually active women who go after what they want are dangerous, ugly
creatures to be feared, and they must be destroyed. After we've gawked at
them for 90% of the comic, of course.
Well, that's probably not what your reviewer thought. I hope this alternate
viewpoint has at least amused you.
**** Or, perhaps, we could take away the message that one who attempts to
steal a person away from his or her spouse is a dangerous, ugly
creature to be feared. Personally, I like the message that a husband
and wife can be equal partners in defending their family, or in
defending all of humanity.
-- Jeff Sykes
__________________________________________
**************************************************************
End of Issue #64
