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The Kryptonian Cybernet Issue 60
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T H E K R Y P T O N I A N C Y B E R N E T
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http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/kc
Issue #60 -- March 1999
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CONTENTS
--------
Section 1: Superscripts: Notes from the Editor(s)
Just a Quick Note
Ratings At A Glance
Titles Shipped February 1999
The KC Newsroom
Kirk Alyn passes, more news on the upcoming creative
changes on the Superman comics, information on comics
and products planned for the rest of the year, Kids! WB
announces the fall line-up, and much more.
Superman: The Animated Series
"New Kids in Town"
When a young Clark Kent is attacked by a time-traveling
Brainiac, will the world lose its Superman before he ever
even adopts the moniker? Not if the Legion of Super-Heroes
has anything to say about it! Episode review by Neil
Ottenstein.
Section 2: Superscripts: If We Picked The Kaycees!
Your fearless editors (and amateur critics) take a look
at who'd win the Kaycees if we had the only say... or
maybe we just argue a lot.
Section 3: Superscripts: If We Picked The Kaycees!
(continues)
Section 4: New Comic Reviews
The Triangle Titles
Superman #143, by Thomas Deja
Adventures of Superman #566, by Enola Jones
Action Comics #753, by Derek Jackson
Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #13, by Mike Smith
Section 5: New Comic Reviews
Super-Family Titles
Superboy #61, by Rene' Gobeyn
Supergirl #31, by Thomas Deja
Superman Adventures #30, by Cory Strode
Team Titles
JLA #28, by Anatole Wilson
Section 6: New Comic Reviews
Team Titles (cont)
Young Justice #7, by Gary Robinson
Miniseries
Batman & Superman: World's Finest #1, by Simon DelMonte
Superman & Batman: Generations #4, by Anatole Wilson
Superman's Nemesis: Lex Luthor #2, by G.M. Nelson
Section 7: And Who Disguised As...
Night and Day at the Edge of the 21st Century
J.D. Rummel chimes in on what needs to be done with the
Superman comics and with his reaction to news of the
upcoming changes.
The Phantom Zone
Action Comics #438
Scott Devarney shares with us a review of one of his first
Superman comics, in which the Man of Steel races to cure
Lois Lane, who has literally become a monster!
AfterByrne
Superman Stories: Favorite Jurgens Tales
In honor of Dan Jurgens' upcoming departure from the
Superman books, Sean Hogan takes a look back at some of
Jurgens' best work in his many years with Superman.
Section 8: Web of Steel: The KC Guide to Superman on the WWW
Longtime contributor Jon Knutson begins a new column
highlighting the best Superman sites on the World Wide
Web. This month, Jon takes a look (primarily) at the
"official" sites.
The Mailbag
STAFF:
------
Jeffery D. Sykes, Publisher and Co-Editor-in-Chief
Shane Travis, Co-Editor-in-Chief and Executive Editor of Comic Reviews
Neil Ottenstein, Executive Editor of STAS Reviews
LEGAL DISCLAIMERS:
-----------------
Superman and all related characters, locations, and events are copyright
and trademark DC Comics. Use of the aforementioned is not intended to
challenge said ownership. We strongly suggest that each reader look to the
media sources mentioned within for further information.
All original material published in The Kryptonian Cybernet, including but
not limited to reviews, articles, and editorials, are copyright 1999 by The
Kryptonian Cybernet and the respective authors. Reprinting in any format
is expressly forbidden without the permission of The Kryptonian Cybernet
and the contributing author.
Opinions presented within this issue belong to the authors of the articles
which contain them. They should in no way be construed as those of any
other particular member of the editorial or contributing staff, unless
otherwise indicated.
This magazine can be distributed, in whole, freely via e-mail. Should you
desire to share this publication with other on-line services, please
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THE KRYPTONIAN CYBERNET is available by e-mail -- to subscribe, send the
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Back issues are available via ftp at oasis.novia.net. These archives can
also be reached via the Kryptonian Cybernet Homepage:
http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/kc
__________________________________________
SUPERSCRIPTS: Notes from the Editor(s)
------------------------------------------
By Jeff Sykes (sykes@ms.uky.edu)
JUST A QUICK NOTE
Just wanted to point out that I went ahead and stuck with the March cover
date because I will have mailed this issue before April began for me, and I
really just don't care for those Early/Late designations, anyway. :)
Anyway, I'm keeping this really short this month so that Shane and I can
present our second annual "If We Picked The Kaycees" column (which was a
real trick with him being out of the country the past couple of months)!
We'll have the results of the Kaycees for you either in the April issue or
in a special edition to come out sometime between now and then.
In the meantime, would somebody *please* send me an editorial so I can get
back to my dissertation!?! :)
Enjoy the new issue, gang!
Jeff Sykes
__________________________________________
RATINGS AT A GLANCE: Titles shipped February 1999
-----------------------------------------------------
Prepared by Jeff Sykes (sykes@ms.uky.edu)
_World's Finest_ is off to a weak start, lumped down among the triangle
titles, which once again *all* rank below the team titles. Even though some
people are calling this one of the more interesting arcs in recent years,
the Superman titles still need some marked improvement.
Key:
----
Issue -- Issue for which 'Current' Rating and Rank are calculated. The
'Previous' columns refer to the issue immediately prior to
this.
Rating -- Average Rating, in Shields (maximum rating is 5.0). The number
in () indicates how many people submitted ratings.
Rank -- The relative ranking of the book among the regularly-published
Superman titles. (T) indicates a tie.
Average -- Average of the ratings for this title over the indicated number
of issues, based on the book's cumulative average. Each issue
is weighted equally, regardless of the number of people rating
the book that issue. If this book is averaged over fewer issues
than the rest, the number of issues is displayed in ().
Current Previous Avg (6 Iss)
Title Issue Rating Rank Rating Rank Rating Rank
----- ----- ------ ------ ------- ----- ------ ------
Young Justice 7 4.2(5) 1 3.6(5) 3 3.27 4
Superman Adv. 30 4.2(3) 2 3.1(4) 7 3.35 3
Superboy 61 4.0(8) 3 3.9(9) 1 3.77 1
S/B: Generations 4 3.9(5) - 3.8(8) - 3.80(4) -
Supergirl 31 3.6(5) 4 3.7(5) 2 3.07 5
JLA 27 3.5(7) 5 3.6(11) 4 3.47 2
Action Comics 753 3.2(10) 6 3.3(7) 5 3.03 6
Superman 143 3.0(7) 7 3.0(7) * 2.85 8
World's Finest 1 3.0(4) - -- - -- -
Adv. of Superman 566 2.8(9) 8 2.8(9) 8 2.83 9
Man of Tomorrow 13 2.5(7) # 2.6(10) # 2.73(4) #
Lex Luthor 2 2.5(6) - 2.9(7) - 2.70(2) -
Man of Steel ** -- - 3.2(10) 6 2.98 7
* The rankings in the "Previous" category were for books published in
January 1999. The previous issue of _Superman_ was published in
December 1998 and, therefore, was not ranked among these books.
# 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_ #13, no issue of
_Superman: The Man of Steel_ appeared in February. The previous issue
was #87, which was released in January 1999.
"What a load off!"
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES
- As the horrible "Motivation of Parasite" issue drops off the back end,
to be replaced by one of the strongest issues of _Superman Adventures_ in a
long while, the title's six-month average jumps almost four-tenths of a
point, vaulting the book from 8th to 3rd!
"I'm supposed to root for whom?"
SUPERMAN'S NEMESIS: LEX LUTHOR #2
- Only in its second issue, and already this miniseries has found its way
to the bottom of the list. The only thing tougher than writing a book
without a starring hero is writing a book with no hero at all. And it's
possibly even harder to sell...
"Footnotes suck."
THE TRIANGLE TITLES
- It'll sure be nice when four weeks means the four monthly Superman
titles *all* come out, if for no other reason than the fact that it'll make
the ratings chart above *so* much easier to compute each month...
Information for 'Ratings at a Glance' and the ratings accompanying the
monthly reviews of Superman comics are obtained from KC readers. Anyone
interested in contributing may contact Shane Travis <travis@sedsystems.ca>
and will be added to the monthly mailing-list to receive a Ratings Form.
__________________________________________
THE KC NEWSROOM
---------------------------------
By Joshua Elder (j-elder@nwu.edu)
DEATH OF SUPERMAN
Kirk Alyn, the first actor to portray a live-action Superman, died on
Sunday, March 14 at age 88. Alyn brought Superman to the screen in two
serials for Columbia Pictures: "Superman" in 1948 and "Atom Man vs.
Superman" in 1950. Kirk was typecast after he played Superman, but he never
regretted playing the Man of Steel. He made several television and film
appearances over the years, including an appearance in the Saturday Night
Live special: "Superman's 50th Anniversary." Alyn had suffered from
Alzheimer's disease for many years. The first man to bring Superman to life
is gone, but his work shall live on in the memories of all those who heard
him say, "Up, up, and away!"
MCGUINNESS TELLS HIS PLANS FOR THE MAN OF STEEL
http://www.anotheruniverse.com/columns/newsbytes/newsbytes030599a.html
In an article by Rob Allstetter of Another Universe, new _Superman_
penciller Ed McGuinness talked about working on the greatest character in
comics. Said McGuinness: "What could be cooler than drawing Superman into
the year 2000? He is the single greatest icon in comics and I'm honored --
without sounding too fanboyish -- that DC has given me the opportunity to
draw Superman." McGuinness has a very powerful and vibrant style, but he
can still slow it down to portray the quiet moments. And anyway, with a
writer like Jeph Loeb, how can he miss?
YET MORE CHANGES FOR THE SUPERTITLES
Do you remember when I said last time that the teams for the main books
were finally locked in? Well, I lied. It appears that still more changes
are in the works, but at least they all look pretty good. As Michael Doran
reported at Newsarama (http://www.mania.com/newsarama/index.html), DC has
announced that German Garcia, best known for his numerous fill-ins on
Marvel's core X-books in 1998, will join the Superman creative team as
penciler of the Joe Kelly-written _Action Comics_, beginning in October.
Artist Steve Epting, initially linked to _Action_ with Kelly, will now
pencil _Adventures of Superman_ and will remain on the title while
penciller/co-plotter Stuart Immonen writes and pencils _Superman: End of
the Century_, an upcoming hardcover project for DC. Immonen will continue
to co-plot _Adventures_ with Mark Millar. The publisher reports that when
Immonen returns, the art line-up will then evolve again beginning in the
year 2000.
Oh yeah, and _Man of Tomorrow_ has been cancelled with issue #15.
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Issue #297 of ZENtertainment reports that Grant Morrison will revisit the
futuristic DC universe he helped establish in last year's DC One Million
event with an 80-Page Giant issue due out on June 9th. Morrison writes a
Justice Legion A story and introduces an 853rd century Atom, and the issue
also features the future's Young Justice, Superman, Aquaman, Resurrection
Man, and League of Executive Familiars, by a group of writers and
illustrators including Mark Millar, Mike Wieringo, Richard Case, Dusty
Abell, Chuck Dixon, Mark Schultz, Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, Norm Breyfogle,
and Phil Jimenez. _DC One Million_ was one of the best crossovers DC has
put out for quite some time, and I for one cannot wait to get back there.
AFTER MORRISON -- THE FUTURE OF THE JUSTICE LEAGUE
http://www.anotheruniverse.com/newsarama/dc99.html
DC has finally answered the question at the center of reader speculation
for over a year now -- just who will take over as writer of their premiere
superteam title _JLA_, when current scribe Grant Morrison moves on to other
projects sometime early in the year 2000. Following the teams' current
team-up with the original Justice Society of America and war with the 5th
dimension, guest-artists Mark Pajarillo and Walden Wong, along with
guest-writer Mark Waid, come on for two issues -- #32 and #33 (with Devin
Grayson co-writing #32) -- that will examine the JLA's role and reaction to
Gotham City's status quo in No Man's Land. However, Waid won't be guest
writer for long because he is currently set to take over for Morrison. But
first things first. Morrison and regular artists Howard Porter and John
Dell return with issue #34, to begin Morrison's final story arc (which
according to editor Dan Raspler, will probably conclude with issue #39,
maybe #40), an epic that promises to leave plenty of changes and victims in
its wake, as the team squares off against the deadly Mageddon. Let us hear,
or rather read, the words from Waid's own mouth on what he plans to do with
the JLA: "Since I don't smear peyote on my morning bagel, it'll be tough to
sustain the sheer barrage of weird inventiveness Grant brought to the book,
but I'll do my level best. I wouldn't look for any radical changes in
approach, but I think my own strength is in exploring the character
relationships. What does Superman think about Green Lantern?" While Mr.
Waid may not have the frenetic style of Morrison, he can still write
amazing stories. I mean the man did write _Kingdom Come_ after all.
UPCOMING DCU CROSSOVERS
Thanks to those folks at Newsarama, I have learned that Superman will be
involved in a massive two major DCU crossovers this year, one being the
_JLApe: Gorilla Warfare_ annuals and the other being the DCU crossover
called _Day of Judgement_. In _JLApe_, warfare breaks out in Gorilla City
and in the course of events the JLA actually become simian themselves. The
story will be spread throughout the annuals of the big 7 Leaguers,
beginning with the _JLA Annual_ and concluding with the _Martian Manhunter
Annual_. The _JLA Annual_ will be written by Len Kaminsky with pencils by
Jason Orfalas, and the _Superman Annual_ will be written by Dan Abnett and
Andy Lanning, with art team to be announced.
The big fall DCU event for this year is _Day of Judgement_, which focuses
on the magic-based characters of the DCU. The story begins with the fallen
angel Azmodel taking the power of the Spectre and bringing Hell to earth in
order to destroy Heaven. The DC superheroes must try and stop the demons
from ripping apart the Earth, while the magical heroes take the fight to
Azmodel. Superman is supposed to have a _Day of Judgement_ one-shot so as
to bring him into the story without disrupting the flow of the regular
titles.
HOWARD STERN: SUPERMAN FAN
Strangely enough, it appears that radio shock-jock Howard Stern is a
bonafide Superman fan. He asked DC's Bob Greenberger several questions
about the Last Son of Krypton on a recent broadcast. Stern did not have the
time to ask all the questions he would have liked, so he suggested putting
Greenberger on retainer so that he could ask him questions anytime he
wished. Now that is some weird and wild stuff.
THE KIDS' WB FALL SCHEDULE
Warner Brothers recently announced the 1999-2000 TV schedule for the Kids'
WB, and it looks like we can expect less of the Man of Steel. First, _The
New Batman/Superman Adventures_ continues to air from 4:00 to 5:00 PM on
weekday afternoons, but will also be adding _Batman Beyond_ to the mix. On
the weekends, look for only a half-hour of _The New Batman/Superman
Adventures_, airing Saturday mornings at 8:00 AM. According to Andy
Mangels' Hollywood Heroes column
(http://www.mania.com/columns/amhh/index.html), don't expect to see any new
Superman episodes next season.
SUPERMAN PROJECTS AND PRODUCTS FOR THE COMING YEAR
http://www.anotheruniverse.com/comics/features/dc99extra.html
* Another Universe has spilled the beans on some of DC's comics plans for
the coming year, including information on planned Superman and JLA specials
such as _Superman vs. Predator_, _The Superman Monster_, _Superman: End of
the Century_, and _JLA: Earth II_.
* According to Andy Mangels' Hollywood Heroes, April or May will see the
release of "Superman: The Ultimate Collection", an audio CD on the Varese
Sarabande label. This CD will feature symphonic music from the Fleischer
cartoons, the film serials, the feature films, each of the various TV
series, the various animated series, the Broadway musical, and probably
even some novelty records. Randy Miller will conduct the orchestra.
* In addition to DC's announced comics plans, Comic Shop News
(http://www.csnsider.com) has passed along information about DC Direct's
upcoming DCU-themed merchandise. In the coming year, look for a Crisis on
Infinite Earths Medium Statue, featuring Superman holding the lifeless body
of Supergirl; Superman vs. the Atom Man, an extended story line from the
classic radio drama, on cassette and CD; and a deluxe edition of _Superman:
The Complete History_, which includes the Les Daniels book with new art, a
reproduction of _Superman_ #1, and an Alex Ross Golden Age Statue available
only with this collection.
__________________________________________
SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES
---------------------------------------
Episode #43: "New Kids In Town"
-------------------------------------------------
Reviewed by Neil Ottenstein (otten@tomco.net)
October 31, 1998
Written by Stan Berkowitz and Rich Fogel
Directed by Butch Lukic
Guest-Starring: Jason Marsden as Young Clark Kent
Corey Burton as Brainiac
Jason Priestley as Chameleon Boy/Reep Daggle
Chad Lowe as Cosmic Boy/Rokk Krinn
Melissa Joan Hart as Saturn Girl/Imra Ardeen
Mike Farrell as Jonathan Kent
Shelley Fabares as Martha Kent
Kelly Schmidt as Lana Lang
Scott Menville as Kenny Braverman
Tony Pope as Scientist
RATINGS:
Average: 3.6/5.0 Shields
Neil Ottenstein:
3.7 Shields
Nathan Bredfeldt:
3.6 Shields - Pretty basic story. I expect better after the last two
seasons. Liked the quick cameos, though.
Scott Devarney:
4.5 Shields - This was a nice change of pace episode. It was an
interesting decision to have young Clark, instead of Superman,
meet the Legion. The celebrity voice casting of the Legion worked
surprisingly well. This story screams for a sequel set in
present-day Metropolis.
Curtis Herink:
3.4 Shields - A reasonably entertaining look at what must have been
Clark's first super-adventure. I was favorably impressed by the
displays of the Legionnaires' powers, especially Chameleon Boy's
transformations, but thought the flight rings were too gimmicky.
Karen Whitney:
3.0 Shields - It was fun seeing the teenage Clark Kent again, and
interesting voice casting for the guest heroes. I'm just getting
a little tired of seeing Brainiac more often than Lois or Jimmy;
at least Clark's parents were in this one.
REVIEW
In the year 2979, Brainiac creates a temporal anomaly and travels into the
past. Three members of the Legion of Super-Heroes -- Chameleon Boy, Cosmic
Boy, and Saturn Girl -- follow. Landing near Smallville, they realize what
Brainiac is up to, and an encounter with a farmer allows us to see their
various powers at work.
A young Clark Kent is at a dance and goes up against Kenny Braverman in
one-on-one basketball. He hurts Kenny with his powers, which he does not
quite know how to use. Lana is very upset with the way he has acted and
leaves upset. Brainiac attacks him and Clark doesn't know what is going on.
Our heroes from the future strike back and Brainiac leaves the battle via a
spatial disruptor.
They give Clark a pair of glasses as a "disguise." Clark responds, "like a
pair of glasses is going to fool anyone." Saturn Girl tells Clark of the
future, and of how the Legionnaires were inspired by Superman. Clark runs.
Meanwhile, Brainiac searches for Clark and causes more destruction in
Smallville. Clark makes it home, where Lana tells him he has "become so
arrogant lately, it's time [he] learned a little humility." Clark
definitely does learn through this episode.
Brainiac goes to the Kents' house. Hiding in the basement, Clark uses his
vision powers to see what's going on and then goes to fight Brainiac.
Brainiac uses tractors and Ma and Pa Kent join the fight with shotguns. The
Legionnaires arrive, and during the fight Saturn Girl tells Clark how to
defeat Brainiac with his own equipment. Brainiac appears to actually die
(but since it is a future Brainiac, he can still appear in another half
dozen episodes this season).
Saturn Girl has used her powers to convince the townspeople that a tornado
caused all the damage. She also changes Clark's memories before they return
to their own time. Lana shows up, and the two of them go to class, but not
before Clark shows her his glasses and asks, "are they me?"
I liked seeing some character development occur with Clark with him
learning some humility, even if he didn't remember just what happened. We
also have an origin for the glasses disguise. All in all, a fun episode
which also interestingly introduces Kenny Braverman for the comics readers.
Will we see him in a present day episode?
__________________________________________
SUPERSCRIPTS: IF WE PICKED THE KAYCEES
------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Jeff Sykes (sykes@ms.uky.edu) and Shane Travis (travis@sedsystems.ca)
Jeff Sykes: Welcome, Superman fans, to the second edition of our now annual
pre-Kaycees special! I'm Jeff Sykes, your worn and haggard publisher...
Shane Travis: ...and I'm Shane Travis, globe-trotting co-Editor-in-Chief of
The Kryptonian Cybernet. It's time once again to reveal what would
happen...
Together: ...IF WE PICKED THE KAYCEES!
[Cue credits, cut to Theme Music.]
ST: Before we get started, we'd like to make a couple of dedications. As
some of you may know, the world lost another Superman earlier this month
when Kirk Alyn passed away. Alyn was the first actor to portray the Man of
Steel on film, and though he spent much of his career typecast because of
the role, he never regretted playing Superman.
JS: And in addition to Alyn, we'd also like to dedicate this special to a
man who was one of its inspirations, film critic Gene Siskel, who also
passed away in the past month. His and Roger Ebert's annual "If We Picked
the Oscars" is clearly the pattern for this column, and we hope that we
have produced a worthy homage.
ST: Thanks for your contributions to entertainment, gentlemen.
[Brief Pause]
JS: Now, since we have a few more categories than last year, let's jump on
into the awards!
ST: [Interrupting] Now, you *did* promise me that your votes this year
wouldn't be as bone-headed as last year's, right? I mean, we're not gonna
have to put up with your Cyborg love-fest again, are we?
JS: Are you *ever* going to let that go?
ST: [Grinning like a Cheshire] Probably not.
JS: Oh, quit with the grinning already. Can we get on with this, please?
ST: By all means.
JS: Good. Our first category this year is...
TT1: Best Story/Story-arc in the Superman Triangle Titles
=========================================================
JS: In my opinion, three tales stood above the rest last year, and because
they featured very different styles, it's very difficult to choose one
above the others. "The Death of Mr. Mxyzptlk" was another fine example of
comedic parody from Jon Bogdanove and Louise Simonson, a hilarious
follow-up to their widely-praised Mxy tale set during Lois and Clark's
broken engagement. "Checkmate", appearing just a week later in _Superman_
#131, was a much darker tale, as Dan Jurgens brilliantly reminded us
exactly how cold, calculating, and maliciously evil Lex Luthor can be. In
the end, however, my vote went to Bogdanove and Simonson's fantastic homage
to the Golden Age in _Man of Steel_ #80-81. Perhaps this had something to
do with my newfound interest in Siegel and Shuster's original vision, but
there can be no mistaking that Bog and Simonson crafted a powerful story
which wonderfully captured the feel of the era.
ST: These were definitely the three stand-outs, Jeff, although I wasn't as
wild about the Bog and Simonson Mxyzptlk story as you; it just seemed
too... forced. That left me with two real choices, but unlike you I went
with the chilling portrayal of Luthor and voted for "Checkmate". If the
1938 Superman arc had been three full issues instead of the two-and-a-third
that we got, I'd probably have voted for it. As good as it was, there were
a few holes in it, and that confusing and dreadful let-down in the third
issue. Still, it was a close call.
TT2: Worst Story/Story-arc in the Superman Triangle Titles
==========================================================
ST: Geez... so *many* bad stories to choose from here. It's certainly easy
to see why those few good ones stood out so well. Looking at the candidate
list, I decided that while _Superman Red/Superman Blue was a poorly-told
story (why and how did they split, again? Oh right... we have no idea), the
final chapter of the Dominus story was a *huge* letdown after all the
buildup it had received, and the Kandor arc saw the re-introduction of the
Cyborg (yawn), nothing compares to the fully mind-boggling, "WTF?" feeling
I got when I read Immonen's "Eye of the Storm". I had *no* idea what was
happening on first read, second read, or even third read. I couldn't
stomach reading it any more times than that, so I still don't know what he
was trying to do -- nor do I care.
JS: What stood out to me were the number of stories this past year which
failed to provide any level of explanation -- reasonable or otherwise --
for the causes, events, and resolutions of those stories. You've already
mentioned Superman's xerox trick, and few readers had any idea what caused
Superman's power changes or how he reverted to normal. (Note that DC is
still trying to explain this, as evidenced by the recent story in _Superman
Secret Files_ #2.) The worst of these, and the "winner" of my vote, is the
Millennium Giants arc. I've still no idea what role the Supermen played in
the coming or defeat of the Giants, and how these events led to Superman's
restoration. That eight issues didn't provide enough room to provide that
explanation is inexcusable.
ST: Hmm... Millennium Giants. I guess I'd sort of blocked that one from my
mind, the way one might forget the details of a traffic accident. Still, I
don't think anyone *expected* great literature from it, there were enough
clues for the observant reader to at least make a guess at an explanation,
and the whole thing led to the end of Electri-Kal... which was enough of a
saving grace in my books that I didn't even consider it.
JS: Oh, so now I'm inobservant. Remind me again why I work with you?
ST: (blinks innocently) Gee, Jeff, I always thought that it was because of
my quiet demeanor and winning personality... are you telling me that there
are other reasons too?
JS: Don't make me throttle you in public, Shane.
ST: Heaven forfend! But I *do* wish you'd stop interrupting so that we can
get on with the show.
JS: grrrrr....
TT3: Best Cover from a Superman Triangle Title
==============================================
ST: A real toss-up here. Of course Alex Ross' work is always gorgeous, but
we've come to *expect* that from him. (That's what comes of being great,
Alex; people expect greatness.) Still, if this had been a normal year, I
would have given it to him hands down. As it was, though, there was one
other stand-out cover in 1998, and that was the blood-spattered birth
announcement of Lena Luthor. Talk about an attention-getter! It *really*
made me want to open up the book and find out what had happened, and what
it all meant... and that's what a cover is *supposed* to do. For its
effectiveness, beauty, and elegant simplicity, I have to give this one to
_Superman_ #131.
JS: I have to agree with you, Shane, and for all the same reasons. The
primary purpose of a cover is to get readers to pick the book up off the
shelves. Good artwork is certainly important, but the content is even more
so. Thus, I also voted for _Superman_ #131. This simple, striking image is
both powerful and unusual enough to entice the casual shelf-browser.
TT4: Worst Cover from a Superman Triangle Title
===============================================
ST: And just as there were many bad stories in 1998, there were many bad
covers to go with them. I didn't forget the Giants this time around, but
neither did I vote for them (although there really wasn't that much that
was appealing about them, and the Cabracas-head follow-up was no beauty
either). Nor did I vote for the 3-D cover of _Superman Red/Superman Blue_,
despite that it hurt to look at it... No, the cover that I most wanted to
hang on my dartboard this year was Tom Grummett's childish drawing on the
cover of _AOS_ #558.
JS: I still think that you are *so* missing the point of that cover. It was
about the magical childhood memories that fans of Superman all share, of
that moment we tied a towel around our neck and jumped off of the
furniture. It captured Superman through the eyes of a child, and for that
reason it was superb.
ST: Maybe it was evocative to you, but to me it was just an embarassment.
After a year of suffering through Electric-Supes, I wanted to look at the
first cover after that and see Superman as he *should* be -- decked out in
his red-and-blues, soaring majestically over Metropolis. Instead, all I get
is a crayon-scrawl of Superman with a hard-on. (Go ahead, take a look. I'll
wait.) Maybe it grabbed some people's attention and made them want to look
inside, but it just made me ashamed to carry it home.
JS: I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this one; we're obviously
looking at it from two very different perspectives.
ST: Yup. Too bad you're so stubborn when you're wrong, or we might be able
to have a decent discussion about this. Oh well.
JS: (scowling) Anyway, I agree with you about the Millennium Giants covers
-- the individual covers, especially the bottom two-thirds of the grid,
were just not a selling point at all. I also did not at all care for the
painted covers to Ron Marz' Kandor Saga. The cover that turned me off the
most, though, and my selection for worst cover of the year, was the 3-D
cover of _Superman Red/Superman Blue_ #1. Now, I'll admit that I have a
personal bias against 3-D art in general, but it makes *no* sense to use
3-D for a cover. Since the 3-D glasses tend to come packaged with the book,
and store owners won't want you defacing the book just to look at the
cover, all the customers will see is blurry red and blue line art. What
about that makes it interesting enough to pick up?
TT5: Best Writing in the Superman Triangle Titles
=================================================
ST: Not much to choose from this year, is there Jeff?
JS: Sadly, no. Nobody really stood out as particularly great in 1998. The
writers that turned out some really good stories also turned out some
really bad stories, and the remaining writers managed to chug along with
mediocre fare throughout the year. Even Karl Kesel, the writer I generally
found to be most consistent in the past, failed to entertain me on several
occasions. In the end, I cast my vote for Jon Bogdanove and Louise Simonson
for _Man of Steel_. They collaborated as writers on six issues, three of
which (the Mxy parody and the Golden Age tribute) made my list of the
year's best stories. That elevates Bog and Simonson's overall writing
efforts just enough to stand out above that of the other Superman writers.
ST: Among the other writers, Jurgens had his usual hit-and miss year, and
while I'd vote for him as Worst Dialoguer he doesn't deserve Worst Writer.
Neither, however, does he deserve Best, despite pulling off the year's best
story. Louise, it seemed, was just going through the motions as she waited
to leave, and while Jon did some good work during his stint, I don't think
he had long enough to establish himself. (Besides that, he kept using
Simyan and Mokkari... ugh). As for Stuart Immonen... well, I'll talk about
him in the next category. That leaves me with Karl Kesel as best, sort of
by default, and I think I'll give it to him alone; his pairing with Ordway
wasn't that memorable to me.
TT6: Worst Writing in the Superman Triangle Titles
==================================================
ST: And now, it's time to talk about Stuart Immonen. As much as I despised
how Marz' brought back the Cyborg (yet again), I've got to go with Stuart
as Worst Writer. His 1970s Superman was the weakest of the four Eras, and
he wrote some truly awful stories -- notably the Kirichitan issue and my
pick for Worst Story, the third part of the Dominus-1970s arc. He's shown
that when he sticks to straight storytelling, he can do a decent job, but
too often this year he went for style over substance, and we the readers
were the losers. Sorry Stuart, but while I still like your art, and am glad
you're staying on the titles, you get the Golden Raspberry this year.
JS: Once again, I am forced to agree. When Stuart Immonen took over the
writing chores of _Action Comics_, I wondered why someone with so little
writing experience would be given a Superman title. It's become clear that
my concern was justified, as Stuart has yet to grow into a talented writer.
I admire that he's willing to take risks, to experiment with his writing,
but he really needs a better hold on the basics. At best, his work in 1998
was mediocre, and he turned in a few real stinkers. He *has* shown
improvement in recent months, though, so I hold out hope that I'll be able
to vote for him in the other category next year.
ST: Guess that makes two Golden Raspberries then, eh? Thptbtbtbtbtb...
JS: (rolls his eyes) Oh, *do* grow up.
TT7: Best Art in the Superman Triangle Titles
=============================================
JS: What surprised me is how easy this decision was. In the past, it's
always been tough for me to choose my favorite artist among the Superman
titles. While the artwork has generally been satisfactory this year, only
one art team managed to contribute quality work on a consistent basis:
Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr. Their work on _Action Comics_ was
almost always breathtaking, and Immonen's style appeals to me. Theirs was
perhaps the only art I actually looked forward to in 1998.
ST: I'll agree that as a writer Stuart makes a good artist, but his visuals
have never been to my tastes. Besides, you're supposed to support the
hometown boy when voting, isn't that how these things go? Since I not only
love Tom Grummett's art, but also run into him from time to time at my
local comic store (where he works in a studio just above) I think that's
where I'm going to place my X. If he were less talented and less deserving,
I might feel guilty about this shameless favouritism, but he isn't so I
don't. This may not have been his best year (with a few 'Layouts' credits
to his name) but he still stands head-and-shoulders above the rest of the
crew.
JS: Grummett is still one of my favorite pencillers, but he has never
really meshed well with Denis Rodier. Then again, who has? Quite simply,
the inker is why I couldn't vote for _Adventures of Superman_.
ST: Did I *ask* you? Geez... some guys have to explain *everything*.
TT8: Worst Art in the Superman Triangle Titles
==============================================
ST: I'm of the opinion that Kryptonian Cybernet readers don't like the art
of Bogdanove and Janke, and past vote-totals bear this out. This pairing
has won this category *every single year* since we started Kaycees, with
totals of 17-3, 32-9, 30-20, and 19-14. The only person to even come
*close* to dislodging them was Ramon Bernado, and even he couldn't do it. I
suspect he'll win again this year, but not with my help. I haven't voted
for Jon in the past, and I'm certainly not going to start now -- not after
he showed up with some superb work including a beautiful tribute to
Shuster's Superman. No, the art that most pained me was the collaboration
of Grindberg and Palmer in the Kandor story-arc. Cityscapes they can do --
I'll grant them that -- but comics are about people, and theirs often
looked deformed, emaciated, or just plain unappealing. I may not know art,
but I know what I don't like.
JS: Bogdanove and Janke will have to get by without my vote too. While I
don't usually like Bog's angular style or Janke's excessively heavy inks,
their art seemed to work really well for the Mxy issue, and especially for
the Golden Age tribute. As a result, I actually *enjoyed* a good portion of
their work. Grindberg and Palmer's collaboration on the year-ending Kandor
saga was also distasteful, as I just couldn't get into their style. Most
oddly, though, was that I no longer enjoyed the work of Frenz and
Rubinstein. Towards the end of his tenure on _Superman_, Frenz's work
became squat and gaunt, and the level of detail diminished. It's sad,
actually, that an art team I once considered one of my favorites has now
managed to capture my vote for worst of the year.
TT9: Best Superman Triangle Title
=================================
JS: Need I point out once again that mediocrity seemed to be last year's
theme?
ST: Not to me...
JS: With all the Red/Blue/Giants crap that led off the year, it was really
hard to tell the titles apart. In the end, however, I went once again with
the title that turned out the largest percentage of good stories in 1998.
Given that I used to loathe this title, it certainly is odd that _Superman:
The Man of Steel_ would now receive my vote for best triangle title, but I
just can't find enough in the other titles to overtake the Mxy and Golden
Age stories.
ST: But what about Bog's repeated use of Simyan and Mokkari, the two
villains I would most like to see star in an Itchy and Scratchy episode?
JS: Hey, I kinda like those guys. Sure, they're annoying, but they're
humorously annoying. In fact, I'm surprised you don't like them, Shane,
since you and they seem to have so much in common.
ST: No surprises here from me. I picked both the writer and artist as my
favourites this year, so _Adventures of Superman_ gets the nod from me. It
was the one book in the rotation last year that I could consistently count
on not to suck... and given what else we had to face in 1998, that was
enough to get it top honors.
TT10: Worst Superman Triangle Title
===================================
JS: Ideally, the reason to have difficulty selecting the worst title should
be that all of the books were just too good to deem any of them as bad.
Realistically, this was a tough call only because they were all pretty
similar.
ST: I'll say. It got so the art was about the only way I could know what
book I was reading. That's why I ended up picking _Superman: The Man of
Tomorrow_ as Worst Title in 1998 -- not so much for what it was, but for
what it wasn't. It was designed to fill in those four 'skip weeks' per year
-- months where there are five ship-dates -- so that we could get our fill.
Instead, these dates are being used for company-wide crossovers, and when
they're not, we get a special triangle book, e.g. _SR/SB_, _Save the
Planet_, or _Superman Forever_. This title, which took off with such
promise, has outlived its usefulness and should be terminated for the good
of the franchise.
JS: It *has* been cancelled. Where have *you* been? Out of the count...
oh... yeah. Anyway... In the end, my primary concern as a reader lies with
the storytelling, and not even the lovely art could save Stuart Immonen's
stories. Thus, _Action Comics_ gets my vote for worst of the triangle
titles in 1998.
ST: Given that I like Stuart's writing as little as you and his artwork
even less, I'd say that it's a fair call that _Action_ would be my second
choice. Depresses me, though, that I spent much of 1998 reviewing this
title... (sigh)
JS: Don't worry, Shane -- it's bound to get better. After all, they've
brought in Mark Millar to help Stuart with the scripting, and that's got to
improve the situation, right?
ST: Oh yeah? Wait until you see who *else* I voted for in a Worst Writing
category ... (big sigh)
JS: Well, folks, I'm going to take a few minutes to try and cheer up my
co-host. In the meantime, why don't you get up and stretch, and we'll be
right back with our look at the family titles!
[Lights fade, American Express commercial begins]
JS: Buck up, guy! You're bringing the whole place down! Besides, I need you
to be in a better mood so that I don't feel guilty about the verbal beating
I'm about to lay on you.
ST: For what?
JS: Using the term 'hard-on'! This is supposed to be a *family* show, you
jerk. There are kids out there, you know! I just *know* we're going to get
mail for this one.
ST: Well, that's what it looks like...
JS: But you didn't have to *say* it.
ST: So what did you want me to say? Woody? Chubbie? Stiffie? Erogenously
Aroused? In a hurry to get home to Lois? I calls 'em as I sees 'em, my
friend.
JS: Then get your eyes checked -- and your head too while you're at it.
ST: Why you, I oughta...
JS: Whoops, no time for that now! Jerry's letting Superman tackle the
meteor. Guess it's time to get back to business...
[Lights fade in, music rises]
SF1: Best Story/Story-arc in a Superman Family Title
====================================================
ST: And we're back! Now comes the really juicy stuff, as we move from the
mediocrity of the Triangle Titles and into the Superman Family. It's sad
that Big Blue doesn't get the same respect and attention as the others who
wear the 'S', but the truth is that the quality is much higher here than in
the main books. I think you can agree with that, can't you Jeff?
JS: Absolutely. Unfortunately, that didn't make the voting any easier, as
there was just so much great material to choose from.
ST: You said it. Although I have to wonder what the readers were thinking
when they submitted a couple of these stories for consideration. "The Star
Conqueror" as Best Story? Puh-lease...
JS: [Interrupting] Actually, I don't think *any* of the JLA stories
deserved to be nominated. The book's not bad, but it *is* overrated.
ST: Ahem. Remember those little lessons your mother gave you on manners and
interrupting other people when they talk? Or were you too busy daydreaming
about tying a towel around your neck and jumping off the furniture to pay
attention?
JS: Cheap shot, Shane.
ST: If you wouldn't interrupt my train of thought, I wouldn't have to
reveal you for the ill-mannered lout that you are, so you have no one to
blame but yourself. Anyway, as I was saying... as a rule there wasn't a
dud among the nominees, making it hard to choose a favourite. Ultimately, I
went with Superboy's "The Last Boy on Earth" arc, which worked on *so* many
levels. For new fans, it was just a straight-out good story. For those who
have been collecting a long time, it was a great riff on the old-time
Kamandi stories. Furthermore, like an asphalt-paved divided highway after
50 miles of bad road, this story was a welcome sight after the pain and
suffering that was the Marz/Bernado team. _Superboy_ was once again a fun
read, and that alone deserves an award.
JS: (dripping with sarcasm) My turn now?
ST: (expansively) By all means. Speak your piece.
JS: I liked almost all of these nominees, and could easily have gone with
any one of five stories, but in the end, I decided to cast my vote for "The
Last Boy on Earth." In his triumphant return to _Superboy_, Karl Kesel gave
us an exciting romp through a new land, introduced several intriguing new
characters, and wove a tale of mystery and intrigue, all while reminding us
how fun this book can be.
ST: See how well things work when we all take our turn?
(continued in Section 3)
__________________________________________
SUPERSCRIPTS: IF WE PICKED THE KAYCEES
------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Jeff Sykes (sykes@ms.uky.edu) and Shane Travis (travis@sedsystems.ca)
(continued from Section 2)
SF2: Worst Story/Story-arc in a Superman Family Title
=====================================================
ST: Aaah... worst story. This is where Starro... oops! Excuse me... the
Star Conqueror belongs.
JS: As well as a few other JLA stories...
ST: A-HEM! Still, he's not at the bottom of the list -- not when there were
other such pieces of compost out there as "Hexed!" (where Superboy trashes
Paris as Guardian looks on approvingly, and gunslinger Jonah Hex is
reincarnated as a supermodel) and the execrable "Hide 'n' Seek" (where
Jimmy Olsen, boy from da hood, helps an incredibly dimwitted cast solve the
mystery of the missing plot... er... villain, and Superman throws some
thugs back *into* a burning building). Still, neither of these could even
come close to this year's biggest waste of trees, "When She Was Good..."
from _Supergirl_ #1M. Not only was this book unfunny, unoriginal, and
totally predictable, it failed to have any relevance to either the
company-wide crossover *or* the ongoing series. It was a Tangent title
dressed up as a DC book. I hope Peter David enjoyed his holiday, because it
sure couldn't have taken much time to come up with *this* piece of dreck.
JS: Well, as overrated as _JLA_ has been for the past year, there were two
or three other stories that were much worse. The concluding storyline from
_Superboy and the Ravers_ was just too easy a target, and I'd already
thoroughly trashed the book in last year's awards. In the end, though I
hate to do so, I'm gonna have to agree with you on this one. _Supergirl_
#1M was infantile, pointless, and just plain dumb.
ST: My, Jeff, you're agreeing with me an *awful* lot this year. I see your
tastes have improved *significantly* in the past twelve months.
JS: Only because you've gone first in the categories where the choices are
blindingly obvious....
SF3: Best Cover from a Superman Family Title
============================================
JS: _Superboy_ #50 was one of those attention-grabbing covers which
probably netted quite a few new readers, and were it not for the existence
of one other cover, I would have voted for it in a heartbeat. That other
cover, in my opinion, did at least as good a job at grabbing attention.
After all, it's not often that you see an army of "Men in Black" using
rocket-boots to fly in formation as they did on the front of _Steel_ #48.
It was even less often that Cowan and Palmer turned in *any* good art on
the book, yet for this one issue the two managed to produce an absolutely
stunning piece of artwork. No other cover in any title -- Superman related
or not -- drew me into it the way this one did, and that's why I rate it
the best of the year.
ST: Most of these covers I considered and discarded fairly quickly,
although I almost voted for SB #50 too... I guess it's one of those 'always
a bridesmaid' things. My pick, though, was the ludicrous and hilarious
image of Superboy, Robin, and Impulse trick-or-treating while dressed up in
their mentors' costumes that graced the front of _Young Justice_ #3. Both
this one and the Superboy cover grabbed me and made me want to look inside,
and while I think that SB did a better job of delivering on its promise,
the humour of this choice was just enough to push it over the top.
SF4: Worst Cover from a Superman Family Title
=============================================
JS: Honestly, none of the covers struck me as all that bad this year, so I
suppose I'm technically choosing the one I'm most indifferent about. The
cover of _Supergirl_ #19 showed the Girl of Steel caught in a tornado of
junk. Whoopee. Not only did the cover fail to provide any reason for me to
be interested in the story within, but the busy, confused layout just
didn't look good -- a true rarity for Leonard Kirk. If I hadn't already
been a reader of Supergirl, there's little chance that I'd have even
considered picking this particular issue up off the shelf.
ST: Once again I find myself agreeing with your logic, but not your
conclusion. Nothing was really *bad* this year, but the most yawn-worthy,
"Who cares?" cover had to be that of _Superman Adventures_ #20. Superman
gets hit with an energy beam -- whoop-de-diddly-do. An image so generic as
to be meaningless, nothing about this cover made me want to do anything
except pass it over for something more interesting.
SF5: Best Writing in a Superman Family Title
============================================
JS: This was *quite* a tough call for me. During the first few months of
the year, _Steel_ was easily my favorite book, almost exclusively because
of Priest's writing. PAD provided yet another strong year for _Supergirl_,
providing a mess of intrigue and genuinely thought-provoking stories. Karl
Kesel's return to _Superboy_ immediately shot that title to the top of my
reading list, where it has remained ever since. So how did I choose?
Ultimately, it comes down to fun. The books that I enjoy the most are the
ones that are fun to read. So for restoring the quality *and* the fun to
what is currently my favorite DC book, my vote for best writer goes to Karl
Kesel and _Superboy_.
ST: You know, if you cut out that part about _Steel_ -- a book that I agree
was decent but just wasn't my cup of tea -- everything you said is a
prescient echo of what I was *about* to say. Thus, in the spirit of saving
space and time, and with a tip of the hat to our AOL readers, I'll just
add, "Me Too." Way to go, Karl, and thanks for a great book.
JS: Agreeing with *me* now?
ST: Only because the choice is 'blindingly obvious'...
SF6: Worst Writing in a Superman Family Title
=============================================
ST: As much as _Superboy_ has risen on the coattails of its new creative
team there is another super-title that has plunged for the same reason. I'm
talking about _Superman Adventures_ here, and how the quality of this book
has declined since Scott McCloud decided to graze in different pastures.
Mark Millar has tried to fill his shoes, and I'll admit that there is
always the germ of a good idea to be found within his stories, but the
devil is in the details, and somewhere in his execution Millar almost
always loses me, confuses me, or lets me down. I can almost always find at
least one good moment in each issue, but those moments aren't enough.
Millar isn't really a bad writer, but when measured against the strength
that is the rest of this field, he is sorely lacking and ends up at the
bottom of the heap.
JS: In his defense, I think his reviews suffered from comparison to Scott
McCloud. Notice how our ratings of the book have started to rise again as
McCloud's run becomes more distant. Still, _Superman Adventures_ was only
mediocre. _Superboy and the Ravers_ was just plain bad, the only Superman
Family title with *no* 1998 issues worth reading. Even though there were
only three issues of the title published last year, it just wouldn't have
been right to call anything else worse. Thus, Steve Mattsson and Karl Kesel
receive my vote for worst writing.
ST: I maintain that most of that book's writing problems can be traced back
to the swift cancellation, a fate which didn't allow the scribes the space
they needed to tell the tales they had planned. The resulting abortion
wasn't pretty, but it wrapped things up in a reasonable manner given how
many threads they had.
JS: I'll grant you that consideration, but it still doesn't change the fact
that the book was just not good for those three issues.
SF7: Best Art in a Superman Family Title
========================================
ST: There's really only two art teams that I'd even consider voting for in
this category, but it's a tough choice between them. Not surprisingly, Tom
Grummett is in one of those two groups. Unlike the Triangle Title category,
however, where he stood head-and-shoulders above the other contenders,
Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs more than gave Tom a run for his money. I'd
love to call it a tie and leave it at that, but a choice has to be made. In
the end, I gave to Kirk/Riggs for two reasons, neither of which had
anything to do with them: colouring (the colours in Supergirl always seem
so vibrant and intense) and the fact that Grummett got my vote in the other
category.
JS: I narrowed it down to the same two choices, but I went the other way
when voting. Leonard Kirk's work on _Supergirl_ has been sublime,
especially when paired with inker Robin Riggs, and the art continues to
improve from month to month on the book. On the other hand, I've always
loved Tom Grummett's pencils, and I'd forgotten exactly how good an inker
Karl Kesel can be. It was essentially a coin toss for me, but I guess it's
always easier to go with the old familiar than with the new kid on the
block. So Grummett and Kesel on _Superboy_ grab my vote by an eyelash.
SF8: Worst Art in a Superman Family Title
=========================================
ST: You know, Jeff, there's at least one good reason to be glad that
_Superboy and the Ravers_ lasted as long as it did.
JS: What's that?
ST: It gave me a chance to vote for Josh Hood again in this category in
this year's Kaycees.
JS: You said it. Cowan and Palmer stunk on _Steel_, and Jorgensen and
Meikis were pretty bad in their several fill-ins on _JLA_, but nothing
compares to Josh Hood and Dan Davis, who produced perhaps the worst art
I've seen in years. Sorry to keep trashing everyone involved with the book,
but once again my vote goes with _Superboy and the Ravers_.
ST: I was thinking that maybe if you had someone read you the stories from
the last three or four issues, so that you could get a feel for them
without having to look at Hood's art, you might think more favourably of
them.
JS: Could be...
SF9: Best Superman Family Title
===============================
ST: Another close call here. Supergirl's Peter David keeps coming up with
great stories, and Kirk illustrates them beautifully. Kesel and Grummett,
on the other hand, made Superboy *fun* again, and made it great to look at
as well. In the end, these books both deserve high praise, but I had to go
with my gut instinct; I flat-out like SB better than I like SG, and have
been waiting (praying?) that it would get this good again. Now that it has,
it deserves the highest accolades and garners my vote in this category.
JS: I guess it's no surprise that I agree with you, especially given my
choices above. David, Kirk, and Riggs deserve loads of praise for
consistently making _Supergirl_ one of DC's best titles. The simple fact,
however, is that I have enjoyed Kesel and Grummett's _Superboy_ more than
any other monthly title I've read in the past year, and so I have to give
the nod to the Kid.
SF10: Worst Superman Family Title
=================================
JS: And yet another obvious answer. In a field with so many good titles,
bad writing and bad art *really* stand out, even if only over the course of
three issues. For that reason, my vote for the worst Superman Family title
of 1998 has to go to _Superboy and the Ravers_.
ST: So SB and SG are out of the running for this one, as are YJ and JLA.
That leaves me with Superman Adventures, Steel and SATR. The first two
varied in quality, but never did they manage to out-bad the final three
issues of _Ravers_. Sorry guys; you started out so promisingly, but a
premature cancellation and the anchor known as Josh Hood dragged you
straight to the bottom.
JS: And that's all for this segment of our show.
ST: When we return, we'll take a look at another area where DC really
excelled in 1998 -- Miniseries and Special Editions.
[Theme music swells, lights fade]
JS: What the heck was that crack about me always agreeing with you supposed
to mean? That's a pretty low blow to make for no reason at all.
ST: No Reason?! I overheard you talking to the producer earlier, arranging
who would go first on some of the more contentious votes. Let me see if I
can recall your exact phrasing... oh yes. "I think that as the Publisher,
my words carry more weight, so I should be batting clean-up." Clean-up!
Like I was some sort of lightweight lead-off hitter!
JS: No no no no! You misinterpreted what I meant entirely! What I was
implying was that you are so deft at introducing these subjects, and
painting them in a light that makes it clear to everyone, that you should
be the one to present them first. After all, there has to be someone on
base for it to matter when the next guy comes up, otherwise the whole thing
isn't nearly so powerful. It was a compliment!
ST: (looking slightly mollified) Really? You meant it that way?
JS: Of course.
ST: And you really do depend on me to go out and 'get on base' for you --
to set up the issues in the minds of those at home?
JS: Absolutely!
ST: Well... alright then.
JS: (under his breath) Of course, a home run is still a home run even if
the bases areempty...
ST: What was that, Jeff?
[Lights come to full, cue theme music]
LS1: Best Writing in a Special or Limited Series
================================================
ST: And now we're back with out final portion of our pre-Kaycees show --
Specials and Limited Series.
JS: There was a lot of quality to be found in this category this year; more
than any other category in 1998, and more in this category than in any
previous year that I can think of. Superman fans may have been turned off
by the soap-opera nature of the Triangle Titles, but they were turned right
back on by how great the specials were.
ST: You're certainly right about that, Jeff. Just to name a few: Dan
Jurgens showed us how good he can be as he recapped the most famous
origin-story in comics in _Superman Secret Files_ #1. Moore and Dwyer stood
that origin on its head, with most excellent results in _Superman: The Dark
Side_. John Ostrander deftly wove fiction and reality together to give us
the very excellent _The Kents_, and Roy Thomas' _Superman: War of the
Worlds_ neatly meshed those two tales.
JS: Shining brilliantly above them all, however, was one of the best
Superman stories I've ever read. In _Superman For All Seasons_, Jeph Loeb
got inside the head of the Man of Steel, showing us how difficult it must
have been for a simple farmboy to grow into the most powerful man in the
world. Superman's upbringing and small town roots are often disregarded,
but they form the core of who he is. My thanks -- and my vote for best
writing in a limited series -- go to Jeph Loeb for reminding us all where
Clark Kent came from.
ST: What he said. Thanks again, Jeph, for an excellent, and simple tale.
You can't believe how much I am looking forward to having you on a monthly
title.
LS2: Worst Writing in a Special or Limited Series
=================================================
ST: And now, the other end of the spectrum. It was a lot harder to find a
really bad story this year, because everything seemed so good. Then I cast
my mind back to the early part of the year and remembered a piece of work
called _Distant Fires_, and things became much clearer. Chaykin was all
over the place in this one; first he sets up Superman as the last survivor,
then totally changes direction by introducing an outpost of metahumans. His
pacing was off, spending too long on trivial things but skimming through
several key events in two pages. Finally, he gave us the most egregious
characterization I've seen in a while -- not so much in Superman (who was
still out of line) but in Captain Marvel. This is the epitome of everything
good -- the purest soul on earth -- who defeated Neron with his
selflessness, yet Chaykin portrayed him as a jealous, possessive,
small-minded lunatic.
JS: I had the same problem finding really bad writing as you did, Shane,
and ultimately came to the same conclusion. Granted, the lead story in _JLA
in Crisis Secret Files_ #1 was pretty foul, but Superman really didn't play
much of a role, and since the 3-D artwork prevented me from ever finishing
the book, I can't really justify voting for _Superman 3-D_ #1, no matter
how bad everyone else tells me it was. It was Howard Chaykin's _Superman:
Distant Fires_ that irked me the most in 1998, partially for the poor
characterization that you already mentioned, but mostly because of how
gloomy and defeatist it was. This is something I just do not care to see in
a Superman story.
LS3: Best Art in a Special or Limited Series
============================================
ST: There was really only one contender for me in this category, although I
don't think that there were enough names on the ballot next to the box I
checked. Even more than for the writing, I bought _Superman For All
Seasons_ because of the beautiful illustrations -- a rarity for me, as I
usually don't care much about the art. As good a job as Tim Sale did on
this series, though, a good portion of my vote goes to colourist Bjarne
Hansen, who made the whole thing come *alive*. Looking closely at some of
the one- and two-page spreads, you'll see that there really is very little
linework, and that most of the grandeur and majesty was added with the
colours. Bjarne, this one's for you too.
JS: I'm surprised you found it so easy; I had almost as tough a time with
this category as with the Best Writing award. Once again, there were so
many wonderful artistic efforts. Were it not for a particular special early
in the year, my vote might have gone with Michael Lark's gorgeous depiction
of the Golden Age Superman in _Superman: War of the Worlds_, or with Tim
Sale's stylistic illustrations in _Superman For All Seasons_. For all the
wonderful work that came after, though, there really was no contest. Jerry
Ordway has always been one of my favorite Superman artists, and I began to
drool when _New Year's Evil: Gog_ #1 was solicited, despite the fact that
Dennis Janke was going to be inking. To my surprise and to my great
pleasure, Janke turned in one of the strongest ink jobs I can recall, and
the art was absolutely gorgeous. So if you'll pardon my gushing
"fanboyishness", I'm voting for Ordway and Janke.
ST: That's twice now, Jeff, that the colours have made a difference to me
in how I voted. Is there a reason that we don't consider the colourist to
be part of the 'art team'?
JS: Because it makes the lines too long for the ballot? No, seriously, it's
just a matter of oversight, I guess, as colorists have never really been
given their due. Perhaps this is because great coloring can't help bad
pencils or inks, or perhaps it's because colors are rarely bad enough to be
noticed. Either way, great colorists like Hansen and Whitmore (from the
Superman books) deserve to be recognized more often than they are.
LS4: Worst Art in a Special or Limited Series
=============================================
JS: I started to vote for Neil Vokes and Scott Koblish for _Superman 3-D_
#1, but then I realized that it wasn't the art itself that bugged me. Such
a vote would just be a knee-jerk reaction to my distaste for the 3-D
effect. As everyone who read my review of _The Kingdom_ #1 knows, I just
don't at all care for Ariel Olivetti's style, and so I almost voted for
_JLA: Paradise Lost_. Then I remembered that I didn't like Arnie Jorgensen
and David Meikis' fill-in issues on _JLA_, so I pulled out _New Year's
Evil: Prometheus_ #1. As with Olivetti, I'm pretty sure it's a matter of
personal taste, as they're certainly all more talented than, say, Tommy Lee
Edwards or Josh Hood, but I really just can't stomach what they did on
_Prometheus_. Sorry, guys, but you take my vote.
ST: Well, unlike you, I did manage to get through _Superman 3-D_ (although
I can't say I'm proud of the accomplishment) and it *was* the art that
bugged me. I happen to sort of *like* 3D comics, so I knew that wasn't what
annoyed me. This was bad, bad stuff -- worse than Bog at his boldest and
most cartoony. I looked at some of the other nominees, and while I've never
been a fan of the art of Gil Kane (he makes everyone look like an anatomy
chart), I actually liked his stuff in _Distant Fires_. The only other book
I seriously considered voting for was _NYE: Mxyzptlk_, which makes me
wonder if Koblish, like Janke, might have an anti-midas touch, turning
everything he inks into dreck.
LS5: Best Special or Limited Series
===================================
JS: I've said it before, but it bears repeating. I'm first and foremost
interested in story, and _Superman For All Seasons_ was simply the best
Superman story I've read in years. As good as the competition was, I
absolutely can not vote for anything other than this masterpiece. (And let
me say it again; I want it all collected in hardcover, DC!)
ST: It's a simple equation: Best Writing + Best Artist = Best Book. Given
how I've praised it, I'd be a hypocrite (and a fool) not to vote for
_Superman For All Seasons_. Simply put, this was the best thing DC has done
in years, and probably one of the few things in 1998 to *deserve* the
squarebound prestige format.
LS6: Worst Special or Limited Series
====================================
ST: Remember that equation from last category? Well, turn it on its head
and you can figure out who I'm going to vote for now. Bad Art and Bad
Writing make for a Bad Special, and the biggest waste of $6 I spent in
1998. That's right, I'm talking about the eye-popping,
consciousness-bending _Superman 3-D_. Not only did it feature
two-dimensional villains about whom we care not a whit, not only were the
protagonists dated holdovers from one of Jack Kirby's less-than-stellar
creations, *not only* did it contain bad art that was only made less
viewable by the 3D process, but as a coup de grace it also starred Jimmy
Olsen and Misa -- a duo whose time has long-since passed, if it ever really
had one! This one was a marketing gimmick pure and simple, folks, and I
fell for it hook, line, and sinker. I bought it, and I'm not proud, but you
won't catch me making that mistake again.
JS: Yeesh. Settle down there, big fella. Looking back at my pick, I don't
think I hated it so much when it first came out, but when I re-read it as I
was making my decision on worst art, I came to realize how sadly violent
and utterly pointless _New Year's Evil: Prometheus_ #1 was. If you're going
to devote an entire issue to introducing and providing the origin of a
villain *supposedly* bad enough to take down the entire JLA by himself, the
least you should do is make it interesting. It's sad that Morrison, a man
who has repeatedly shown us his brilliance and inventiveness in creating
opponents for the JLA, would feel the need to create such a pathetic
villain as Prometheus.
JS: Well, ladies and gentlemen, that's all for our show this year.
ST: I hope that we entertained you, uplifted you, and maybe even
enlightened you a little with our choices and explanations. But you know,
Jeff, I think I'd like to make a change in format for next year's show...
JS: (suspiciously) Oh? What's that?
ST: I'd like to reverse the order of the awards... do Worst, *then* Best.
It gets to be depressing to always end on a down note.
JS: (faintly relieved) You know, that's not a bad idea at all. We'll
certainly have to consider it.
ST: Yeah, and I'd like you to be sitting in one of those dunk-tanks too, so
every time you vote for the Cyborg I can dunk you!
JS: Will you just *drop* it already?
ST: Never!! Anyway, folks, look for the real Kaycees to air on this station
next month, and we'll see you again same time next year for...
Both: ...If *WE* Picked the Kaycees!
[Applause. Music. Lights fade, silhouetting the two reviewers arguing
politely, then vehemently behind the closing credits. Cut.]
__________________________________________
NEW COMIC REVIEWS
-------------------------------------------
Comics Arriving In Stores February 1999
Our regular complement of nine monthly titles is joined by reviews of
issues of three miniseries this month. However, the Superman 24/7 events
spinning through the triangle titles spilled quite a bit over into the rest
of the DC Universe in February. There were five appearances in particular
which we do not review, but which may be of interest to Superman fans. One
of the newly-introduced Superman robots appeared briefly in _Green Lantern_
#111, only to be soundly defeated by GL villain fatality. (The main story
in March's _Superman Secret Files_ #2 followed up on this encounter.)
Superman popped into _Impulse_ #47 to give Bart a hand for a few pages. The
remaining appearances teamed the Man of Steel with Batman's proteges:
Superman helps Nightwing show up Blockbuster in _Nightwing_ #30, makes it a
little difficult for the new team to come together in _The Titans_ #2, and
helps the Flash and the Boy Wonder to gather up bombs in _Robin_ #63. He's
everywhere, he's everywhere!
Ratings Panelists:
-----------------
AW: Anatole Wilson EJ: Enola Jones MS: Mike Smith
CoS: Cory Strode EM: Edward Mathews RG: Rene' Gobeyn
DJ: Derek Jackson GN: G.M. Nelson SDM: Simon DelMonte
DWd: Darrin Wood GR: Gary Robinson TD: Thomas Deja
DWk: Douglas Wolk JE: Josh Elder VV: Vic Vitek
JSy: Jeff Sykes
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:
-------------------
13. SUPERMAN #143 Apr 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Shattered Illusions"
Writer: Dan Jurgens
New Penciller: Steve Epting
Inker: Joe Rubinstein
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separators: Digital Chameleon
Asst. Editor: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Steve Epting, Joe Rubinstein, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.0/5.0 Shields
TD: 3.7 Shields
DJ: 3.2 Shields - Ah, the robots of old. Brought back some nostalgia and
was a decent filler story.
DWk: 1.8 Shields - This is barely a story at all. It's a way of
establishing a single plot point -- the Superman robots -- and
nothing else. The device of Lois' column to establish her position
could have been accomplished in a single page.
EM: 3.2 Shields - I want this storyline to end. At least it is not painful
to read.
JSy: 4.2 Shields - A strong debut by Steve Epting (a killer cover, and
what an amazing splash on pages two and three). Jurgens pens an
excellent essay and does a wonderful job of showing how agonizing
it was for Lois.
Okay... there are several things I like about this story, and one I don't.
We'll get to the one I don't shortly -- I want to spend some time first in
exploring why I've been enjoying what's proving to be one of Dan Jurgens'
strongest runs on this book for a while.
This story, with the exception of two pages, takes the shape of a column by
Lois Lane, who is writing it during a late night session, with the deadline
having already passed. During the course of this story, we return to Kota
Zamfir, the country Superman 'liberated' back in _Adventures of Superman_
#565. It seems the dictator Supes ousted saw Big Blue's increasingly busy,
increasingly global schedule as an indication that he could try to retake
the government of the pocket nation, and strike back at the U.S. Embassy as
well. Well, the Tyrant of Steel doesn't take too kindly to that, and he
personally steps in to help the U.S. Military shut down the dictator's bid
to regain the throne...
...at the cost of 1,712 Kota Zamfirians and 53 Americans. Lois questions
how Superman feels seeing this slaughter instead of "sidewalks ... destined
to be free." In comes Simone, needling Lois about supporting "Superfacist,"
and bringing us to the second phase of the column. Lois discusses the
Supermen of America and wonders whether being inspired by Superman's
example is a beneficial thing. We see one SOA member, a Kota Zamfirian,
reporting on the continued plotting of the former dictator. Luckily, Big
Blue drops in to put a stop to it.
Except it's *not* Big Blue -- it's a Big Blue Robot. Lois then reveals that
these Superman Robots have shown up all over the globe, monitoring the
world through cold, cybernetic eyes. In fact, as we see on the last page, a
Superman Robot is hanging out outside the Lexcom Building, keeping a
watchful eye on a torn Lois. Knowing she has just spoken out against her
husband, Lois vows to get to the Fortress and talk some sense into the just
named "Superman Rex."
Everyone knows how much I hate the concept of this big event. But,
paradoxically, Jurgens has been producing some great stories. And this is
no different. Jurgens manages to do something we don't see all the time --
he highlights the consequences of such extreme action. Even though Jurgens
plays upon the iconography of Superman (Supes spends seven pages carrying a
tattered American flag, which just reinforces the concept that Superman
embodies America), it is done in a dark way, challenging us to support
what's going on.
Now there are some people who might be groaning at the thought of *another*
all-narrative issue of the Superman books -- after all, that stuart Immonen
issue during the Dominus arc left a bad taste in everyone's mouth. Yet I
have to admit that Jurgens has done this before (one of my first encounters
with his writing was a similar story during the "Reign of the Supermen"
arc), and he knows how to do it well. It works because he creates a tension
in the air -- a growing feeling of unease that's increased when we realize
how out of control Supes has become. Jurgens covers a *lot* of ground, and
does it simply, easily, and quickly.
Then we get to Steve Epting -- and *damn*, he takes what could've been a
problematic issue for a debut and makes it his own. From the cover, with
its multitude of uniquely-clad Superman robots, to the impressive sequence
showing us how prevalent the S-bots have become, Epting makes this story
work. Perhaps the most impressive is the way Epting utilizes Superman
iconography, and with a tiny, tiny twist -- Supes in most of this issue is
lit in such a way that most of his face is obscured -- makes him
*menacing*. He's even got a brilliant, cinematic sense of pacing -- the
first page is a series of shots, from a long shot of the U.S. Embassy as
seen from the Kota Zamfirian streets to the close-up of Supes' hand picking
up the flag, and it's a beautiful transition (made even more so by John
Costanza's use of special typefaces to drive home certain phrases that are
also part of the iconography). And he takes the somewhat daunting task of
pencilling a two page spread showing the immensity of Superman's hold on
the Earth and executes it with enthusiasm.
It also helps that Epting's pencils mesh a bit better with Rubinstein's
inks than Frenz's ever did. They complement, instead of clash with, each
other, creating a very distinctive look to the book.
Now onto the thing I *don't* like -- I am really getting peeved at Team
Super's habit of just dragging out things that sort of resemble things from
the pre-Crisis Universe. These Superman Robots, let face it, are trading on
nostalgia (the same sort of nostalgia that gave us the monstrosity that is
Hypertime) without any thought. We don't learn *why* Superman decided to
build robots in his own image, or in fact *how* he did -- they just show up
and start glaring down at lil' ol' us. I guarantee you those Super-robots
will disappear once this present arc is over, and that's sad because it's
just another in a long line of silly ideas abandoned (hey, maybe the S-bots
will form a new 'Forgotten Heroes' team with Shadowdragon, Agent Liberty,
Freelance, the Alpha Centurion, and all the other 'great heroes' introduced
in the last five years of the Triangle titles -- maybe even Outburst, if
history runs true).
"Shattered Illusions" continues to prove Jurgens *can* write if given
enough breathing room, and it continues to amaze me that he's doing so well
as he prepares to ship out. Of course, since Dominus is just around the
corner, I expect that the winning streak is not to last.....
Thomas Deja
<tdj723@webtv.net>
==============================================
14. THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #566 Apr 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"...and Lose His Soul"
Plot: Karl Kesel
Dialogue: Jerry Ordway
Pencil Layouts: Tom Grummett
Finished Inks: Denis Rodier
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Color Separations: Digital Chameleon
Letterer: Albert De Guzman
Assistant Editor: "Mo" McTigue
Wrecks...Er, Rex: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Tom Grummett, Denis Rodier, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 2.8/5.0 Shields
EJ: 2.3 Shields
EM: 3.3 Shields - Are you all familiar with _DC Challenge_? In it, the
creative team of one book would write a cliffhanger, and then the
next team would have to try and pick up where the last team left
off. You don't remember it? I think there's something to be said
about that.
JSy: 3.9 Shields - He threw the LexCorp building into space! And he can't
see why everyone's upset? Yeah, I'd say this justifies calling in
the troops. Anyone else think Ordway's overdoing Turpin's accent?
SDM: 1.0 Shields - A bad story. Shockingly bad art and a lousy script
compound an already tedious storyline.
TD: 3.4 Shields - I'm surprised at how, for an awful storyline, we're
getting a handful of decent stories out of it. I should point out
that a full point is for the cover....
Plot:
After a vivid dream wherein Superman proclaims himself King of the World,
Lois dashes to the Antarctic. When Outburst brings in a carjacker, Turpin
challenges him, wondering what's going to happen when Superman crosses the
line. Luthor puts yet another plan into motion. In Kota Zamfir, army and
civilians attack the Superman robot. When Tehrac tries to launch a warhead,
Superman himself bursts in and stops the launch. The warhead turns out to
be Kryptonite, not nuclear, and signed by LexCorp. Superman then goes and
*literally* destroys the LexCorp tower (he tosses the top half of the
building into orbit), which leads him to face off against the Special
Crimes Unit. Once that situation is over, with some timely help from
Outburst, a grim Batman observes that Superman has finally crossed the
line.
Review:
I knew it.
This has been building for months and it's finally happened. Turpin asks
the question I've been yelling at Superman for several issues now: "Who
died an' made *you* King o' the World?" Despite all the rationalising
Superman is doing, all the excuses he has, that is what he has set himself
up as.
As I have said before, I emphatically do *not* like the turn this recent
storyline has taken. Superman seems to have become a megalomaniac --
looking down on the mortals, trying hard to save us from ourselves. But who
saves the mortals from him?
I knew this would happen. Superman has finally gone too far. However, I did
*not* expect him to destroy LexCorp. For a change, I was actually rooting
for Luthor! It showed only too clearly both the depths to which Superman
has sunk and the twistedness of the billionaire's mind.
I'm eagerly awaiting the next few triangle issues, with the hope this very
wrong turn in Superman will be reversed! My money, for the record, is on
Lois's breaking through to him where all else has failed. Perhaps somewhere
deep inside of him, Clark Kent's love still remains. Though I admit, with
his behaviour of late, that seems a very slim chance.
Near the end of the book, Outburst expresses sincere doubts about
Superman's ability to do what is right anymore. I share those doubts. I
miss the Superman who fought for right and abhor this one who imposes his
will on others. Hopefully, this trend will reverse itself and the old
Superman will emerge -- scarred from the experience, but tempered by it and
made all the stronger for it.
I truly hope so. The alternative is just too sad to contemplate.
Enola Jones
<jennytork@hotmail.com>
==============================================
15. ACTION COMICS #753 Apr 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"A Law Unto Himself"
Plot/Penciller: Stuart Immonen
Script: Mark Millar
Inker: Jose Marzan, Jr.
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separator: Digital Chameleon
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Assistant: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Stuart Immonen, Jose Marzan, Jr., and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.2/5.0 Shields
DJ: 2.4 Shields
DWd: 3.5 Shields - I like it! I wonder why Batman didn't react to his
"authentic" kryptonite not being real. Other than that a nice
little brawl.
JE: 4.8 Shields - One of the best fight scenes ever! Superman vs. the
JLA with Immonen art; it doesn't get much better than that.
SDM: 2.3 Shields - Millar's script and Immonen's art are no match for the
continuing slow pace and cartoony direction of the 24/7 story arc,
but at least we get a glimmer of hope that the Millar/Immonen team
will do good stuff after the shakeup.
TD: 2.7 Shields - Yes, this is the *third* time we've seen an intervention
like this during the storyline -- but damn if the fight it starts
doesn't appeal to the grimy fanboy in me.
VV: 3.0 Shields - A solid story that shows just how hard it would be to
stop Superman, although I believe the JLA should be able to do
better against him, especially J'onn. "I feel your pain"???
Superman vs. the rest of the JLA. If that doesn't get your attention, I
don't know what else will.
The JLA comes to Metropolis to stop Superman. Green Lantern and Wonder
Woman try to talk to him, but Green Lantern has to resort to using his ring
to delay Superman until Batman can arrive. After a brief fight with GL,
Martian Manhunter shows up and gets in Supes' head to find out what is
going on. MM drops to the ground, stunned after seeing the images in the
Man of Steel's head.
Batman finally arrives, courtesy of the Flash. After trying to talk some
sense into Superman, he tries using his Kryptonite, but alas, it is not
real and the attack fails.
Meanwhile, Luthor reveals to Outburst a plan involving him and the Supermen
of America. After a brief interlude in which Ron Troupe and Franklin Stern
discuss a job for the former reporter, we discover that Outburst has
gathered the core members of the SOA. They plan to distract the JLA,
allowing Outburst to talk to Superman, but Steel, Supergirl, and Superboy
overhear their plans and attempt to intercede. Outburst somehow manages to
get through the best heroes the world has to offer and tells Superman that
the world has just declared war on him.
Call in the robots, who begin to beat up the JLA while Superman goes off to
save the world. As he grabs a nuclear missile (aimed at him?) and redirects
it into the sun, Lex Luthor gloats to himself, "Checkmate, Superman."
The story finishes with Lois being dropped off near the Fortress of
Solitude, where she makes a startling discovery that we have to wait for
the next issue to see.
HEY! What happened to my Miraweb Format??? What is this newsprint crap?
You would think Superman vs. the JLA would be a tremendous fight. Instead
this book is marred with subplots that could have easily waited for a
future issue. The JLA is portrayed like a bunch of weak kittens battling a
lion.
I don't understand this constant need for subplots. I don't mind them when
they are used as filler and to develop characters, but this was not the
time for them. And did we really need to waste a page and a half to see
part of Metropolis in ruin?
Everybody wonders about a JLA vs. Superman fight, and this is a
disappointment so far. The only one who can seem to do anything is Wonder
Woman. Isn't the JLA a little better organized than they seem? Speaking of
which, why doesn't Superman just take off? His needs aren't being filled by
fighting the JLA, so couldn't he just leave? The plot isn't following the
character we've seen created in the last few issues.
The art, by my favorites Immonen and Marzan, is actually better then usual,
if that's possible.
And my usual discrepancy: Why would Green Lantern attack Outburst? He has
no reason to suspect him as an enemy.
Derek Jackson
<djackson@iconstructs.com>
==============================================
16. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW #13 Spring 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Madness!"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciller: Paul Ryan
Inker: Dennis Janke
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Color Seps: Digital Chameleon
Asst. Editor: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Paul Ryan, Dennis Janke, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 2.5/5.0 Shields
MS: 2.0 Shields
DWk: 2.5 Shields - Back to the endless slugfest. Where Millar uses fight
scenes as a way to show how characters interact under pressure,
here they're just rock 'em sock 'em cutouts. And the art's badly
cluttered.
EM: 3.4 Shields - Did you ever read _DC Challenge_...?
TD: 2.8 Shields - Not as bad as it could've been -- with an interesting
point about how far the JLA would go to stop one of its members
gone bad...
VV: 1.5 Shields - Come on, please do not telegraph who the villain is by
mentioning his name from out of thin air in the first few pages of
the book! Brainiac would have been a better choice of villain, or
even a fifth dimensional villain to tie it into the JLA storyline.
That dropped my rating about 2 points.
One of the disheartening parts of being a fan of the Superman comics in the
90s are the let-downs. Seems like every once in a while an issue comes
along that sounds pretty incredible from a distance, but doesn't quite
measure up when you finally get ahold of it. Over the years, I've become a
little more calloused to this, but the Superman books have been improving
lately, so I let this one get to me.
The JLA battles Superman and his army of Superman robots! Unfortunately,
this is about all that happens in the entire story. Oh, there's details to
go with it. Superman dumps the world's nuclear weapons into the sun, the
JLA very nearly kills Superman, and Lois sneaks into the Fortress of
Solitude to confront her husband (I'll tell you about that one next month).
And it turns out that Dominus is responsible for the whole thing. Still the
whole story really fell flat for me. Let me explain.
Paul Ryan is a talented artist. I've enjoyed his work on the Superman
titles, and he's done some good work here with Dennis Janke. The whole JLA
looks awesome, and the robots and the Fortress too. And the shot of
Superman floating over the sun with the nuclear missiles makes "Superman
IV" look like mere foreshadowing. Sound good, right? Wrong. Ryan's figures
are simply too static, and while that's great for a cover shot, or a scene
of characters standing still, it really doesn't lend itself to the kind of
dynamic action we'd expect for a JLA fight. The Justice League just seems
to be tripping over itself trying to keep up. Every panel of the battle
just looks like another potential cover image, with neither side gaining
ground. So while it's pretty to look at, it doesn't make for good drama.
Then there's the plot of the story. A lot of twists simply defy logic.
Orion and Barda were kept in reserve? Ignoring the fact that they wouldn't
even care, and that Orion never follows procedure, why is Superman so
surprised by the reinforcements? Considering his resources, you'd think
he'd be more prepared for this kind of resistance, especially since
Zauriel, Plastic Man, and the Huntress could have shown up at any moment.
Later, Green Lantern replicates Kryptonite with his ring (because Batman
lost his supply) using the JLA's knowledge of its composition. Excuse me? I
thought Kryptonite was notoriously impossible to fabricate. Nobody even
knows what it is, let alone how to make more.
What really got me was Louise Simonson's use of the characters in this
issue. The JLA is famous for using its resources to their fullest. So when
confronted with an army of advanced robots, they call upon -- Green
Lantern? Worse, GL creates a device to disrupt the robots' systems, never
mind the fact that they already *had* such a weapon on tap -- it's in
Steel's hammer. I'm extremely shocked that Simonson would so casually
ignore a character -- whom she created no less -- for the sake of
simplifying the script. Instead of utilizing the talents of the entire JLA
and the accompanying Team Superman, Simonson opts to give speaking lines to
only half of them. Hence, Green Lantern steals the spotlight he didn't need
to begin with, and we get to read even more stilted Superboy dialogue.
Meanwhile, Steel waves his hammer around and states the obvious, and
Supergirl doesn't do much of anything. It's a poor showing.
As for Superman, well he *is* showing an astonishing amount of cunning. It
takes a versatile character to play the villain in his own book. After
dumping all the nukes, he raises the Fortress above ground in an effort to
draw fire from the rest of the world's arsenals. Superman's aiming for no
less than total disarmament, and he's doing a surprisingly good job of it.
Of course, the problem with that is that we've got no one to root for in
this issue. Superman's gone fascist, the JLA is fairly inept as the guest
stars, and Team Superman is a non-issue. Who's left? Lois? Well, she made
it into the Fortress, but we run out of comic before we get to see what
she's up to. In the end there's no protagonist to the story, and that's a
severe drawback.
Simonson and Ryan have done the impossible: they've drained the life out of
a JLA appearance. From the way things are looking in the Super-offices, I'd
be surprised if this creative team (and _Man of Tomorrow_ itself) are going
to be around much longer. But if this is the standard fare, I can't say I'd
miss them.
Mike Smith
<mike_p_smith@hotmail.com>
__________________________________________
SUPER-FAMILY TITLES:
-------------------
SUPERBOY #61 Apr 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Hyper-Tension! Part Two: Superboy of Infinite Worlds"
Storytellers: Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett
Additional Inks: Dan Davis
Colors: Buzz Setzer
Letters: Comicraft
Assistant Editor: Frank Berrios
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Tom Grummett, Karl Kesel, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 4.0/5.0 Shields
RG: 4.5 Shields - Keeps getting better and better.
JE: 4.6 Shields - This issue was beautiful. It had not only the fun,
light-hearted feel we've come to expect from _Superboy_, but an
epic scope as well. I was initially very much against the idea of
Hypertime, but Kesel and Grummett are selling me on it more with
every issue.
SDM: 3.0 Shields - Still a lot of fun to see all those Elseworlds and to
see the real Superboy and Krypto, but Karl and Tom are still in
set-up mode. The arrival of Black Zero promises that things will
take off soon, though.
TD: 2.2 Shields - The storyline still strikes me as being a game of
Husker-Du, although I will admit that I liked seeing the
_Elseworld's Finest_ JSA again, and Black Zero does appear to
be an interesting adversary...
VV: 4.3 Shields - I liked the jumps through Hypertime, although I didn't
get all of the references. And to see Krypto in all his glory once
again was great. Deep ramifications, perhaps, with Superboy's new-
found knowledge of Clark's secret ID... then again, *this* Superboy
has the advantage of super-hypnotism...
Kesel and Grummett are pulling out all the stops, and the story is picking
up speed quickly. The jacket that made it possible for Superboy to jump
into Hypertime is malfunctioning, catapulting him from world to world. I
suspect that having an atom bomb go off under it might have something to do
with this. Picking up from last issue, Superboy meets Superboy in a
sixties-style Batcave. As always when two heroes meet, they have to fight.
That is until Batman stops it. Batman has just figured out some of what is
going on when Knockout crashes in and literally knocks Superboy out of the
picture.
The story starts pulling in scenes from many of the Elseworlds stories that
DC has been publishing for the past few years. We get glimpses of the world
of the Supergirl/Batgirl team-up from last year (one of my favorites), the
world that spawned the alternate Superboy that died last issue, a single
panel from the world of _Superman: Kal_, and a few we haven't seen before.
Eventually, the increasingly unstable jacket explodes, leaving Superboy
stranded on yet another world. As he soon discovers, this is the home of
the Superboy that the Kid met back during Zero Hour (_Superboy_ #8), and of
his super-powered dog Krypto! While the Kid is finding out some interesting
facts (like Superman's secret identity), the real villain of the story,
Black Zero, introduces himself on the final page.
This is the kind of story I read comics for. It is very similar to some of
the pre-Crisis stories that I grew up on. If you are a fan of the DC
Elseworlds stories, this tale is for you. It seems that Hypertime can be
used to move the actual characters from the main DCU into alternate
timelines such as those which have previously only been seen in Elseworlds
books. I wonder how long it will be before the Elseworlds imprint changes
to Hypertime? I don't know about any of you, but I would love to see some
crossover stories between the mainstream DCU characters and their
Elseworlds counterparts. Maybe Access could help?
I think I would have liked it a bit better if Superboy had been able to
stay on some of the Elseworlds for a bit longer. It would give us a view of
them from his eyes, but I suspect that Kesel and Grummett resisted the
temptation so as to move the story along. <sigh> I really liked some of the
different views we got of Knockout. I know that many of you hated the
Knockout/Superboy team up from a few years ago, but I enjoyed it. It could
easily have gone in a different direction and reformed the Knockout
character as suggested in this story.
The book was full of interesting little throw-away humor scenes. I
especially liked the one on page 13, where Jonathan and Martha find
Superboy (again). I hadn't realized how much I missed the old Superboy
stories that dealt with a young Superman, and Krypto. I guess I'll be
crawling through my old stuff looking up favorite stories again for a
while. Meanwhile, back at Cadmus, Mickey Cannon and Colonel Winterborne
have a brief discussion that can spell nothing but trouble for our cast in
the months ahead.
Artwise, what can I say. If you (like me) have a love of the old Kirby
style, then you will find a lot to like about this book. This is not to say
that I don't like Kesel and Grummett's modern style. It too, is very much
in evidence throughout the book.
This title just keeps getting better and better.
Rene Gobeyn
<bedlam@frontiernet.net>
==============================================
SUPERGIRL #31 Apr 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"A House Divided"
Writer: Peter David
Artists: Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs
Letters: Pat Prentice
Colors: Gene D'Angelo
Seps: Digital Chameleon
Assists: Frank Berrios
Edits: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Leonard Kirk, Robin Riggs, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.6/5.0 Shields
TD: 4.2 Shields
DWd: 2.0 Shields - Ugh. I wish PAD would either lose Matrix, kill it, or
flush it down the loo. I was just starting to enjoy the new
Supergirl and he brings that back...
EM: 4.3 Shields - This is consistently the best read of the Superman
Family titles. PAD does a great job of using the Superman 24/7
storyline to his advantage.
JSy: 3.5 Shields - You know, we never did find out anything more about
the girl who seemed to be coaxing Matrix last issue. And maybe
I missed something, but didn't Linda change into Supergirl
in front of quite a large number of people?
VV: 3.8 Shields - Surprise! I just had naturally assumed that Supergirl
had told everything to Superman -- if not, wouldn't he wonder why
the Kents were away from the farm for a while, or why they went to
Leesburg? I liked the resolution, though more angst would have
been welcome.
First off -- cheers to this wonderfully fugly cover ... dead spot perfect.
Last month I made a comment about how this storyline was shaping up to
resemble the Silver Banshee two-parter from the series' second year. I must
have been psychic -- once again, a menace is defeated not through violence
or dominance, but through understanding and enlightenment ... although
which person becomes enlightened is a surprise, and shows us what David is
capable of at the peak of his form.
It's ground zero immediately after last issue, with the Matrix-dominated
body of Supergirl tearing through *everything* to get at Fred Danvers. The
Supergirl we know is deeply submerged in the creature's subconscious --
along with Linda, both drifting in a fetal position, hopelessly confused
and frightened as to the reality behind their actions. Seeing a report of
this chaos on the news, Sylvia prays for Linda and Fred to be 'saved', but
it doesn't look like that's going to happen. Even Superman, who takes a few
minutes out from his schedule as a tyrant in the Triangle Books, can't keep
Matrix under control. In fact, Matrix reveals to Supes the Maid of Might's
new 'identity,' something that has not been revealed to Kal until now.
However, several things happen that turn the table -- a third presence,
displayed as a flaming 'S' appears to Linda and Supergirl, persuading the
two to reunite because --
As Fred explains to Matrix, as far as he's concerned, Supergirl didn't
absorb Matrix out of hunger, but because Linda *needed* Supergirl; the
heroine brought to Linda the parts of her that were always missing,
creating a stronger, better person.
Now keep in mind what follows is my interpretation -- the combination of
Sylvia's prayers, Fred's words, and the spirit's intervention all serve to
make Linda dominant. She ends up, in a truly grotesque sequence, sloughing
off Matrix and emerging from inside her, to the relief of both the Man of
Steel and her father. After the fight, Superman and Linda discuss her
reluctance to tell him about her new identity, but the Man of Steel
suddenly disappears -- unaware that the mysterious Atlas corporation from
issue #19 has made off with the remaining protoplasm from Matrix.
This is the type of story in which David really shines, and which is such a
relief after the silly free-for-all of issues #27 and 28. Very simply and
eloquently, David definitively explains the character in a way that is
keeping with the 'Earth Angel' angle while not violating a thing that went
before. And even more interesting is the fact that David does not wave the
doubts Linda had in the last issue -- the first sequence features the two
sides of Supergirl going over their recent past in their minds, trying to
figure out if her position as an Earth Angel is a sham (in fact, David
brings up the fact that the being who brought up this prospect first,
Satanus, is the big mucka-muck of liars!). It, simply put, is great
storytelling, giving the reader a shift in perspective to see the main
character in a new light.
David also shows that he understands his Man of Steel (even a Man of Steel
trapped in a silly storyline like 'Superman Rex'), portraying him as
fatherly and a little bit condescending (as befitting a man going power
hungry). His portrayal also fits within the storyline without requiring
readers to be aware of the storyline (lucky readers).
I should note that David does attempt some vaudeville (a policeman shouting
contradictory orders on page three comes to mind), but here, as in other
cases in the past, the effect becomes unconsciously creepy. When David
truly *thinks* about how to use his humor, as opposed to forcing it in
willy nilly, it serves to make the creepy things creepier (like when Matrix
casually starts reading her victims their 'rights' on page seven)
As for Kirk, he puts in another marvelous turn here. It's interesting that
he managed to do a lot with the fight sequence to make it look more
intimate than the standard fight scene -- an emphasis on elements leading
up to the moments of impact rather than on the impact itself, and a
definite emphasis on expressions, conveying the fear and chaos of a
parahuman fight through the reactions of the cops themselves. And while
there's nothing as brilliant as last issue's Matrix dream sequence, there
are plenty of the usual little Kirk touches: the interesting interplay of
thought on Matrix's face on page 10, the way Kirk allows Matrix's
appearance to better or worsen in reaction to her moods throughout, and the
truly gruesome sight of Linda emerging from Matrix's 'skin' on pages 19-20.
I also have to say I liked the 'costume design' of Matrix -- with a
trenchcoat filling in for the cape and lace-up wrestling boots, there's
something subtlely more aggressive about this character.
"A House Divided" is a *great* story. It's about as good as it gets from
David, a story that illuminates our main character as well as entertains
us. All indications are that things are going to get nastier and scarier,
especially with the imminent advent of the final Earth Angel shortly; if
David and Kirk continue on this curve, that storyline may end up being the
best storyline of _Supergirl_ to date.
Thomas Deja
<tdj723webtv.net>
==============================================
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #30 Apr 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Family Reunion: Part One"
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciller: Aluir Amancio
Inker: Terry Austin
Colorist: Marie Severin
Separator: Zylonol
Letterer: Phil Felix
Assistant: Frank Berrios
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Mike Manley, Terry Austin, and Marie Severin
RATINGS
Average: 4.2/5.0 Shields
CoS: 3.5 Shields - While this issue is just laying groundwork for the
second part, it has a nice Silver Age feel to it and sets up an
interesting situation.
JE: 4.5 Shields - One of the best _Superman Adventures_ in quite a while.
The idea of an evil Lara, first glimpsed during Byrne's run, is a
stunning contrast to the good-natured Kents.
JSy: 4.5 Shields - Oh, wow. Millar's best issue so far. I'm anxious to
see how Superman's gonna fare against himself *and* two other
Kryptonians.
One of the old stand-bys for serial fiction is the use of standard plot
devices. If you watch a TV sit-com, you know that eventually, there will be
an episode where everyone on the show has to sit around and reminisce in
the form of clips from previous episodes. If it's a SF action TV series,
eventually, the hero will face an evil duplicate of themselves. And, if
it's just about any long running series, they will do a version of the old
movie "It's a Wonderful Life," where one of the main characters finds out
what life would be like if they weren't around.
Superman has gone through a number of different variations of this sort of
story, the best being Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' "For the Man Who Has
Everything." That's right, the team that later gave us _Watchmen_. It's
hard to measure up to that, and Millar doesn't even try in his version of
the old story. Where that story showed a Kal-El on a Krypton that never
exploded, and the heartbreaking loss of the life he had gone through in his
mind, this one shows Superman a world where he has been gone for a year,
and the heartbreaking loss of the life he had put into place on Earth.
The story starts with an anti-matter generator going haywire at STAR Labs,
with Superman flying in to toss the generator away from Earth before it
explodes. After it blows up, Superman quickly comes to Earth, disguises
himself as Clark Kent, and heads back to the Daily Planet -- after all, he
still has to meet with an Intergang contact for a story. As he comes into
the building, he notices that people are acting funny around him. He
discovers that there is a good reason for their odd behavior. Clark Kent
and Superman have been missing for a year, and Clark has no explanation of
where he has been or what has happened. As Clark tries to pick up the
pieces, he discovers that his parents died in a house fire and that, in his
absence, the world has become a better place thanks to Lex Luthor. Even
Supergirl is gone, and no one knows what happened to her.
Lana Lang, as the only person Clark can talk to about the problem, consoles
him, but as he looks around the world, he feels that there isn't much of a
place left for either Clark Kent or Superman. As he sits in the Fortress of
Solitude, he tries to figure out what he can do about his problem, when a
familiar voice begins to speak to him. As he turns, he sees that his long
presumed dead mother, Lara, the wife of Jor-El, has found him after years
of searching. As she explains to Superman what has happened, she tells him
that nothing as crude as an explosion would be able to destroy Krypton, and
the main city still exists.
Superman looks over what is left of his life, trying to see if there is a
reason to stay on Earth. In the year since he's been gone, life moved on
without him. Seeing that Lois Lane has married another man, he decides that
there is nothing keeping him on Earth and leaves for Kryptonopolis. The
city itself is a domed city floating in the rubble of Krypton, filled with
survivors of the explosion. As Lara shows him around the city, she finally
introduces him to his father, Jor-El.
Jor-El, rather than being overjoyed to see his son, is enraged, saying,
"Wasn't it enough that you corrupted Krypton's last colony with your insane
ideas? Must this poor devil die too?" Before Superman can get a decent
explanation, he is attacked and put into chains so as not to escape. Jor-El
explains to Superman that the anti-matter explosion threw him into this
parallel universe, and that Lara is planning to invade Earth and use it as
the new Krypton. When Superman says that this universe's Superman and
Supergirl will be able to stop her plan, she shows him that they have
already been mentally altered to serve as her invasion force. The issue
ends with the mind-altered Superman and Supergirl landing on Earth,
prepared for battle.
One of Millar's faults in his _Superman Adventures_ stories (as well as
some of the stories he wrote for _The Flash_ while Waid was on a break from
the series) is that he has interesting plots with large holes and poor
pacing. He has largely overcome that in the last few months, and this story
(which relies on a lot of exposition) flows quickly, and logically. The
sequences where Clark Kent realizes what has happened during the missing
year of his life are very well handled. He turns a few things on their head
by having Lex Luthor be mankind's benefactor, curing cancer and imprisoning
Superman's foes, "fixing" them so that they are no longer criminals. In a
story with this much information to get across, it's amazing that he was
able to work in a quick retelling of Superman's origin that didn't bring
everything grinding to a halt. The best part of the story, though, was the
human sense of loss gotten across in the big things (Ma and Pa Kent dying
in a common house fire) and the little things (the hot dog vendor no longer
remembering him).
The art wasn't up to the task in every instance. The splash page of
Superman flying over STAR Labs shows a Superman with arms wider than his
already massive torso, and long enough to drag on the ground if he were
walking. Not a great way to grab a reader flipping through the book.
However, after that shaky start, Amancio is able to use the art to service
the story. In an issue without a clearly defined fight scene, he is able to
keep the pace flowing, getting across the information that can't come
across in dialogue or narration. The two-page sequence of Clark Kent
visiting his parent's graves was particularly well-done, with the final
panel of Clark embracing Lana while overlooking Smallville being notable
for its subtlety, when other artists might have gone for a more showy
layout.
While it's hard for me to judge the first half of a two-part story, I will
say that this one sets up an interesting situation. For the first time in a
while, I'm reading a story and have no idea how it will end. In my mind,
that's worth three and one half shields by itself.
Cory Strode
<Solitaire.Rose@worldnet.att.net>
__________________________________________
TEAM TITLES:
-----------
JLA #28 Apr 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Crisis Times Five: Part One"
Writer: Grant Morrison
Penciller: Howard Porter
Inker: John Dell
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Colorist: Pat Garrahy
Seps: Digital Chameleon
Assoc. Editor: Tony Bedard
Editor: Dan Raspler
Cover: Howard Porter and John Dell
RATINGS
Average: 3.5/5.0 Shields
AW: 3.5 Shields
DJ: 3.7 Shields - Good story, but a bit sporadic and confusing. Glad to
see use of the 5th dimension, and I hope to see Mxy.
DWk: 4.3 Shields - The pacing's a little off, but the idea that Mxyzptlk
and the Thunderbolt are both djinn -- what a brilliant concept!
And LKZ = "so cool" backwards, of course... and somebody's
*finally* doing something interesting with Triumph. Very nice.
JSy: 2.5 Shields - Gotta admit, I'm lost already. I hope Morrison can
bring some of this together in the next issue.
VV: 3.3 Shields - Hourman could get very boring very quickly. This should
be an interesting battle since Superman and company usually do not
do well against magic.
Many of the most memorable comics of my early collecting years were the
annual JLA/JSA team-ups in the original _Justice League of America_. As
much as I enjoyed most issues, the team-ups always provided that much more
excitement, especially when they crossed other worlds in the multiverse and
included such heroes as the original Freedom Fighters, the Earth-S(hazam)
heroes, or even the Legion of Super-Heroes. Talk about your stories too big
to fit in a single issue! Well, Morrison, Porter, and Dell have begun the
first JLA/JSA team-up of this new incarnation of the team, and so far I'm
giving it mixed marks.
The plot is fairly simple so far, though I expect lots of twists and turns
in the future. Five mighty Djinn, magical beings from Mxyzptlk's Fifth
Dimension, have been let loose on the Earth, and are bound to cause all
kinds of destruction. One, LKZ, has restored the powers that former JLAer
Triumph thought he had lost. Another has embued its powers into a homeless
child. A third is somehow connected to a derby hat (any guesses,
Super-fans?), and a fourth, Thunderbolt, is the former partner to JSA
member Johnny Thunder, and is apparently transforming reality around
Keystone City. It is because of the JSA's connection to Thunderbolt that
the senior statesmen of the JSA -- Wildcat, Flash, and Sentinel (formerly
Green Lantern) -- have been called in for consultation. There are no clues
about the fifth Djinn yet, but somehow Captain Marvel is also involved in
the upcoming struggle. There is also some link to Heaven, as Zauriel has
been called back to investigate the magical imprisonment of the Spectre.
I suppose my enthusiasm for seeing the JSA back in action is dimmed because
the guys are just so darn old. It's not that I have anything against old
heroes, it's just that we're constantly reminded of their diminished
abilities. We're reminded that Johnny Thunder is senile and living in an
old age home, and that Jay Garrick isn't nearly as fast as Wally West, and
that Sentinel is aging once again.
It *is* interesting and fun to have Wildcat reminisce with Huntress about
how he taught Batman to box, and to see Jay Garrick giving out autographs,
but all the recent JSA-character appearances have dwelled upon their ages.
I don't care that they're old; I do care that they're constantly being
portrayed as one step away from death. I'd call on all the DC writers to
keep the aura of respect these heroes are due and let them share their
experiences with the younger generations of heroes. But focus on their
contributions, not their limitations. If necessary, introduce some new
blood into the JSA. In that sense, I miss the old All-Star Squadron, with
Power Girl, the Star-Spangled Kid, and eventually the Huntress providing a
balance to the older, more experienced JSA heroes.
Another irritation is the new Hourman. His sole function, like Plastic Man,
seems to be as an irritant. He's constantly predicting the small talk the
heroes are about to engage in, but is unable to predict anything useful.
What's the point?
In this issue, Morrison has put a new twist to the standard "heroes gather
to fight menace" scenario. He made it, appropriately, a gathering of old
friends. But now these old friends must shuck off the old-age-isms, and go
into battle. It's up to next issue for him to prove he can handle the
action as well as he's handled the interlude.
Anatole Wilson
<awilson@us.oracle.com>
__________________________________________
TEAM TITLES (cont):
------------------
YOUNG JUSTICE #7 Apr 1999 $2.50 US/$3.95 CAN
"Conferences"
Writer: Peter David
Pencils: Todd Nauck
Inks: Lary Stucker
Colors: Jason Wright
Seps: Digital Chameleon
Letters: Ken Lopez
Asst. Editor: Frank Berrios
Dean: Eddie Berganza
Cover: Todd Nauck, Lary Stucker, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 4.2/5.0 Shields
GR: 4.0 Shields
DWd: 3.7 Shields - Nothing like a good catfight. I really wish Robin would
put a little more trust in the rest of the team. I mean the Titans
knew about Dick being Robin.
EJ: 4.5 Shields - *This* one was worth the price of admission! Max's line
about catfighting *alone* made it for me! And the final shot of
the girls asleep in their tent was *so* sweet. Arrowette's mom,
however, needs to buy a clue!
EM: 4.5 Shields - Arrowette just became my favorite YJ character. Anyone
who is willing to tell the JLA off while still a teen is all that
and a bag of chips.
JSy: 4.3 Shields - The grown-ups were interesting, but the campfire
scene made the issue well worth the price of admission. PAD is
doing a wonderful job of characterizing the kids, but we've just
*got* to get some more background on the Secret!
Someone should have cued the ghost of William Conrad, Rocky and
Bullwinkle's unsung narrator, at the end of last issue. You can almost hear
his manic announcement, "Be with us next time for 'Mommie Mayhem' or 'Kids
On A Kampout'!"
Those are the titles I give to the two stories that fit under PAD's banner,
"Conferences." The former takes place around and, at times, in a cake at
the first Young Justice Parent/Teacher conference. The latter takes place
around a campfire as the superkids joke, play, and discuss their hopes and
fears.
There's a lot to laugh at in both places. There's a great combined
cake-catfight -- great for lowbrow Three Stooges fans like me -- between
two mommies at the PT meeting. Meanwhile, back at the campfire, the kids
play an amusing game of "Truth Or Dare." During the course of the game,
Robin removes his mask, Impulse sits quietly for a panel-and-a-half, and
Superboy ... why Superboy turns out to be Peter Pan!
PAD bills himself as "Writer of Stuff," and most of the time he writes some
pretty good stuff. Dialogue is his strong suit; few guys are as fun to read
aloud. Observing the knockdown-dragout "spat" between Helena Sandsmark and
Bonnie Jones,Dubbilex suggests intervention. Max Mercury calmly replies,
"When you've been around as long as I have, you know that the only
worthwhile things you can bring to a catfight are popcorn and a drink."
Later, as Nightwing keeps the battlers apart, he declares, "You're lucky
Batman was tied up and couldn't make it. One glare from him and you'd be
ready to confess to having been on the grassy knoll."
Like all good comedic writers, PAD is able to combine humor and pathos.
Take, for example, his handling of Bonnie Jones, Arrowette's mom. We're
happy to see this manipulative chain-smoker take her licks. Yet she's more
than a mere "stage mother" stereotype. Beneath the hard surface, she fears
not only for her child but for her child's love. We can almost see her
tar-stained fingers trembling. Then there's Superboy. In our writer's
capable hands, Superboy is more than a preening show-off. In a poignant
sequence near the end, the clone of Superman ponders life as a never-aging
child. "No! Don't grow up!" he pleads with his shadow. "I'll be alone!" As
funny as it is, an undercurrent of sadness runs through the story.
The wonderful team of Nauck and Stucker effectively complement the script.
I like them better all the time. I've quibbled with their depiction of
adults, but its only because they capture the gawkiness and insecurity, the
deadly-seriousness and hilarity of youth so well.
But I can't get over how well PAD has done with this latest issue. I'm
struck by his grasp of the fact that adults and children are very much
alike. They worry about many of the same things: What makes me significant?
Who loves me? Will I end up alone? Perhaps the only difference between
Young Justice and their parents/mentors is that the latter have become more
adept at hiding their true feelings -- that is, until somebody's face gets
pushed into a cake and a PTA meeting becomes a brawl! The kids, on the
other hand, razz and diss one another mercilessly, yet somehow still manage
to talk about the things that matter most -- like life and death.
Funny, poignant, thought-provoking. I recommend it.
Gary D. Robinson
<robinfam@akron.infi.net>
__________________________________________
MINISERIES:
----------
BATMAN AND SUPERMAN: WORLD'S FINEST #1 Apr 1999 $4.95 US/$7.95 CAN
"Year One: Different Worlds"
Writer: Karl Kesel
Penciller: Dave Taylor
Inker: Robert Campanella
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Editors: Darren Vincenzo and Scott Peterson
Cover: Dave Taylor, Robert Campanella, and Scarlett Smulkowski
RATINGS
Average: 3.0/5.0 Shields
SDM: 2.6 Shields
EM: 4.7 Shields - Given that I bought the Lex Luthor comic because this
hadn't yet come out, I feel that I wasted my money on the LL book
even moreso after reading this. Wow. Kesel, Taylor, and Campanella
put out a wonderful book. Highly recommended for showing the
similarities and contrasts between the two heroes.
JE: 2.2 Shields - First off, this series messes with continuity big time
since it erases the first meeting between Batman and Superman that
occurred in _Man of Steel_, a much better story by the way. The art
was quite shoddy as well.
JSy: 2.5 Shields - The art is barely passable, and the story is just not
interesting. For five bucks, I expect a whole lot more than what
we got here.
The first part of this highly anticipated 10-issue miniseries written by
Karl Kesel (_Superboy_, _Adventures of Superman_) kicks off with a team-up
between the Metropolis Marvel and the defender of Gotham in New York, with
a tragic result that will set up the rest of the series. It also kicks off
in the always-expensive Prestige Format. But I'm not quite sure that the
set-up works, or that Taylor and Campanella are the right people for the
art.
It's ten years ago. After a 12-page introduction where we see parallel
crimes being handled by Batman and by Superman in their respective
hometowns (and involving a twin brother in each city, I think), the story
shifts to New York. It turns out that a new center for non-cosmetic
reconstructive surgery -- funded in part by LexCorp and by the Wayne
Foundation -- is under the aegis of Dr. Harrison Grey, a childhood friend
of one Clark Kent. Bruce, Clark, and Lex Luthor are all guests at the gala
opening, and are part of a little debate about whether Superman is doing
any good and whether Batman is real. Meanwhile, Dr. Grey prepares to make
his remarks but worries about his security.
His worries, normally a matter of paranoia, are real in this instance, as
an anti-government militia group kidnaps him and kills his bodyguards after
his speech. In moments, Superman and Batman are on the job, but neither is
too thrilled about working with the other, and neither has home field
advantage. Grey is spirited off to help Eric Stang, an escaped serial
killer and self-proclaimed vigilante, get a new face so he can continue his
mission of "justice." Stang didn't count on both Superman and Batman,
though, and they succeed in ending the threat. Stang tries to end his life
and jumps from a window, but both heroes, not trusting the other, jump to
his rescue. While they're saving Stang, Gray seemingly panics, runs away,
and is hit by a truck. The tale ends with Kent and Wayne, at Gray's
funeral, wondering aloud about how Batman and Superman could have worked
together better. It doesn't state, however, that this leads to the annual
meeting at Gray's grave that is the McGuffin for the series.
I wasn't very impressed with what seems like a very familiar story of
Batman and Superman not knowing how to work together. To be fair, this was
the first part of a tale that promises to explore the evolution of the
post-Crisis World's Finest team. The set-up is necessary to bring Supes and
Bats together during a time when neither did much work outside their
hometowns. But by itself, this was average and full of cliches, including
the vigilante villain who tells the heroes they're just like him, and the
childhood friend from Smallville. Doesn't anyone in Smallville
underachieve?
As for the characters themselves, it's very by-the-book. Bruce is brooding
and uncooperative when not pretending to be a playboy, and Clark is the
farmboy in tights. Except perhaps for Batman's costume, there's no sense
that we're meeting the heroes at the beginning of their careers. Maybe
Batman is supposed to have behaved that way then, but other portrayals of
Superman in his first year show us a more uncertain hero. At the same time,
the interactions between the two, both in costume and in their still-secret
identities, capture the tension we would expect, as well as a sneaking
admiration neither would ever admit. Placing the action in New York was
also a clever idea, although it's hard to accept either of them in a real
city after so long in their own worlds.
Kesel's script is good, but the voice is different than the one we hear in
his regular work. It's a bit like the style Jeph Loeb used in _Superman for
All Seasons_, but without the narration. In fact, there's not one word of
narration in this comic. I wonder if Kesel will stay in this voice, or if
he'll go to his usual, less reverent approach if the occasion -- perhaps a
visit from the Joker -- calls for it.
Among the artistic highlights are the views of New York. A scene set on a
rooftop in midtown Manhattan with views of the Empire State Building, the
New Yorker Hotel, and One Penn Plaza establishes the location without
resorting to more cliched uses of New York. Taylor and Campanella also draw
a good Superman and a good Batman, reminiscent of Chris Sprouse's work.
Batman is a shadow in a cape, while Superman is majestic in flight but not
musclebound. However, the rest of the cast looks a lot more cartoony. The
criminals all seem to have weird facial hair, Bruce's date for his night in
New York looks too much like a Ralph Bakshi bimbette, and Clark's glasses
seem to be swallowing his forehead. The worst looking character is Luthor,
who simply does not look anything like Luthor, with white (not red) hair,
and is considerably shorter than Clark. I get a sense that Taylor and
Campanella put more effort into backgrounds and into the heroes than
anything else. I think that if this series stays focused on action, they'll
do okay, but if we get more character studies (which I hope to see), there
could be a lot more mediocre artwork coming.
Despite my qualms with this opening act (and the dubious decision to do
this and the last part as Prestige Format books), I'm still enthusiastic
about _World's Finest_. There's a hint that there's more than meets the eye
to Grey's death, and I love a good mystery. Moreover, there's the promise
of watching the two greatest heroes of all develop the uneasy but admiring
relationship that's been a highlight of their post-Crisis meetings and of
_JLA_. I especially look forward to seeing their meetings following Jason
Todd's death, Superman's exile, and their respective near-deaths. At the
same time, if Kesel pits them against the same hackneyed threats for the
next nine months, the rest of the comic could get awfully bland awfully
fast.
Simon DelMonte
<sdelmonte@aol.com>
==============================================
SUPERMAN AND BATMAN: GENERATIONS #4 Apr 1999 $4.95 US/$7.95 CAN
"1999: Beginnings and Endings / 2919: Nineteen Twenty Nine"
Writer, Artist, Letterer: John Byrne
Colorist: Trish Mulvihill
Cover Separations: Heroic Age
Interior Separations: Jamison
Associate Editor: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: John Byrne
RATINGS
Average: 3.9/5.0 Shields
AW: 2.0 Shields
DJ: 4.2 Shields - Would've given it a higher rating except for the cheesy
end with Lana Lang. She didn't work into the story.
JE: 4.7 Shields - After all the trauma of the previous issues, after all
the pain that both Batman and Superman had to go through, they
finally get the happy ending that they deserve. We even get the
added bonus of a Superboy/Robin tale. A fitting ending to a great
series.
VV: 4.7 Shields - A solid finish to a great series, and a "retcon" to
match the 90's fact of life <g>.
"Beginnings and Endings" is a good name for this final issue of the
_Generations_ series: there's a beginning and an end, but nothing in the
middle. We've gotten cursory glances of the Batman (Batmen?) and Superman
of several decades, but the views have been shallow and ill-conceived. It's
as if Byrne considers plot and literary devices -- such as, oh, character
conflict or dramatic tension -- as annoyances that get in the way of
telling his story. When a good, clean, story is told (like the 1939
adventure and the 1929 interlude this issue), it's almost by accident.
Take "1999," for example. Here's what happens: Bruce Wayne Jr., the 1999
Batman, confronts the head of the League of Assassins, whom he believes to
be the ever-malevolent Ra's Al Ghul. It turns out, however, that the head
of the League is none other than Bruce Wayne Sr. It seems that Ra's and
Bruce Sr. jumped into the Lazarus Pit together, and only Bruce Sr. emerged,
with the added bonus of becoming virtually immortal. In the ten years since
his mysterious disappearance, Bruce has turned the League of Assassins into
a "front" for a charitable organization that actually does a lot of good in
the world. (I have to admit I love this idea, the ultimate extension of the
"hero posing as villain" tradition.) Batman's reason for revealing himself
to Bruce Jr.? He wants Bruce Jr. to take over control of the League, while
he goes back into action as the one and only Batman.
Batman (Bruce Sr.) is so filled with exuberance after donning the old cape
and cowl that he decides to cut short Superman's self-imposed prison
sentence in the Phantom Zone. Once freed, Superman tells his grandson (who
believes he is a Wayne, not a Kent) about his true heritage.
You may remember that incredibly stupid plot from the past two issues,
where Clark and Lois tried to keep their son from knowing about his
Kryptonian heritage, since he had been exposed to Gold Kryptonite in Lois'
womb and had no super-powers. The result, of course, was that he turned
against them and killed his super-powered sister in revenge, before being
killed by the treatment that gave him temporary powers. Apparently they
failed to learn from their mistakes, and raised his son to believe he was
related to the Waynes, not the Kents. Go figure.
Luckily, everything turns out well this time because there actually is a
way to reverse the effects of Gold Kryptonite, and grandson is elated to
gain a grandfather and super-powers, both in the same day. Now that
everyone's happy, Superman takes off for the stars.
In 2919, Batman flies out to visit Superman in space. They reminisce about
an "unofficial" team-up adventure they had back in 1929, when Clark was
still Superboy, Bruce Wayne first tried out the identity of Robin, and Lois
Lane was a sassy bob-haired flapper in the "Thoroughly Modern Millie"
tradition.
I won't re-tell the plot of this interlude; I will say, however, that this
is the only adventure that comes close to re-capturing a grand old
tradition. In this case, it's the "how Superman and Batman really met for
the first time" stories that appeared in '50s and '60s, and purported to
show the true origins of such traditions as Batman and Robin's costumes, or
how they learned each other's secret identities. For the first time since
the 1939 adventure, Byrne has fun with the characters, especially Lois
Lane.
Unfortunately, "2919" concludes in the characteristically rushed, shallow
method we've seen throughout the series. In a two-page wrap-up, Superman
and Batman decide that since evil has pretty much been eliminated on Earth
and there are no more challenges, it's time to go adventuring through the
stars. After all, they are men of action, and not the types to appreciate
the sedate life of peace and happiness they helped bring about. (So they've
been fighting crime all these years for the adventure, not because of their
heroic desires for a great and just society. How silly of me to think
otherwise.)
As a final twist, Lana Lang (who was suddenly thrown into the last panel of
the "1929" story) was also made near-immortal by constant dabblings in
magic and artifacts, and after nine hundred years has become the perfect
love and travelling partner for Superman. As "Church Lady" used to say on
_Saturday Night Live_, "How conveeeeeeenient."
And that, in the end, is what the _Generations_ series has been. A
convenient compilation of half-conceived ideas, with any nasty
inconveniences, like logic, consistent characterizations, or dramatic
tension dropped without a look back.
It's a shame, really, because Byrne has introduced some great ideas into
the mix. The problem is, he didn't take time to develop them as well as
they needed to be developed. Even the artwork shows signs of a rush just to
get through the ideas he wanted to get out. The layouts and finished work
are just average Byrne, nothing great or exciting. Whatever happened to the
stunning, innovative, and powerful layouts and storytelling that typified
his runs on the X-Men, Captain America, and even Power Man/Iron Fist?
On the whole, _Generations_ is more notable for what it could have been
than what it is.
Anatole Wilson
<awilson@us.oracle.com>
==============================================
SUPERMAN'S NEMESIS: LEX LUTHOR #2 Apr 1999 $2.50 US/$3.95 CAN
"Lex Luthor: Dark Victory -- Chapter Two: Bad Riddance!"
Writer: David Michelinie
Penciller: Val Semeiks
Inker: Dennis Janke
Letterer: Ken Bruzenak
Colorist: Joe Rosas
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Asst. Editor: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Val Semeiks and Dennis Janke
RATINGS
Average: 2.5/5.0 Shields
GN: 2.1 Shields
DJ: 3.4 Shields - This is a pretty decent series so far. It's cool to see
Luthor on the other end of the stick.
EM: 2.0 Shields - Why am I buying this? Oh, yeah... _World's Finest_
hasn't come out yet. Not recommended.
JE: 3.2 Shields - I usually commend authors when they take old discarded
villains to use in their plots instead of constantly creating new
ones, but I make an exception with that second-rate Bloodsport,
Demolitia.
TD: 2.0 Shields - As much as I like Michelinie, this is a surprisingly
poor showing -- and I keep expecting Krisma to be a space alien...
at least he tied up that Demolitia dangler from -- no, wait, he
didn't.
Welcome back to the adventures of the most unlikable protagonist offered in
a mini-series in many a moon, Lex Luthor. Actually, protagonist isn't the
right word for Luthor's role in this series -- maybe victim is better.
This issue, Luthor's staff brings him evidence that the Sea Tracker
disaster at the climax of last issue was the result of sabotage -- with the
leading suspect one Irene Diego, an "exemplary employee" who, after some
checking, has some holes in her resume. Luthor sets a trap for Diego at an
experimental Nevada facility for disposing of hazardous waste.
In the meantime, Krisma, the motivational guru that is currently causing
Luthor grief, gets a visit from Superman, who warns him that he plans to
keep an eye on him. (Boy, if this is how Supes greets all the businessmen
who make a splash in his city, the Metropolis Chamber of Commerce must love
him.) Superman, apparently, is immune to whatever Krisma has that charms
everyone else, but Krisma isn't concerned so long as the rest of Metropolis
remains "cooperative.")
Meanwhile in Nevada, Diego is already questioning the presence of the new
security cameras, and upon discovering she is being watched by someone
armed with a machine pistol, she teleports a weapon into her hand,
revealing her true identity. Diego is actually Marita Chavez, aka
Demolitia, who a while back appropriated the Bloodsport technology. A
victim of Luthor's near destruction of Metropolis, she is determined Luthor
will not create any new victims if she can help it. Confident that the
saboteur has been discovered before she could do any harm, Luthor is
enraged when the waste disposal experiment goes out of control. When his
staff won't risk themselves to repair the breach, which could potentially
endanger thousands of lives, Luthor -- looking to stave off potential
lawsuits -- heads in to repair the damage himself. Here he encounters
Demolitia, who assists him in preventing disaster. Unfortunately for Lex,
the waste disposal facility is a loss and, moreover, surveillance tape
showed Demolitia was nowhere near any place she could affect the experiment
-- meaning someone else is sabotaging his operations. When he returns to
LexCorp Tower, Luthor finds federal marshals waiting for him with a summons
calling on him to answer questions regarding supposedly secret weapons
sales to Qurac and a writ preventing him from conducting business. The book
closes with a grinning Krisma, presumably contemplating Luthor's fall.
This issue basically was one of misdirection and went nowhere. While Luthor
spent the issue pursuing one individual, the actual saboteur goes
undiscovered, and Lex ends up accused of a crime, well, actually, he did
commit.
Normally, I really enjoy writer David Michelinie's work, but so far this
miniseries has really left me scratching my head. For one thing, there are
gaps that you could sail a yacht through. Why Luthor is on site with a
suspected saboteur in a potentially hazardous situation is never really
explained. Of course, one might as well wonder how Demolitia got hired in
the first place, or how she still has access to LexCorp's Bloodsport tech.
Further, when you see at the end he's being targeted for selling weapons to
America's enemies, the impulse is to cheer, not feel bad for him. (When the
deal is discovered, Luthor's reaction isn't anger that he's being framed,
but surprise that the deal's been uncovered.) As with last time out,
however sinister Krisma's motives may be -- and we really haven't seen what
those motives are yet, or what his grudge is against Lex -- there's no
indication that he's any worse than Luthor. (Sure, he's resorting to
sabotage against Luthor to achieve his goals, but how is that different
from any of the dozen attempts Luthor has made on Superman?) The only time
we see anything approaching humanity in Luthor is when he is concerned
about why his daughter Lena cries whenever he approaches. Even when he acts
heroically, it is motivated by a desire to protect his fortune. On the
other hand, trying to graft likable characteristics onto Luthor would have
come off as forced and artificial, so maybe it's just as well. Still, it's
hard to follow a series when there's nobody much to root for.
I'm not ordinarily a big fan of Semeiks, but he and Janke end up doing a
serviceable job on the art, if a little cartoony -- like bad Bogdanove --
in spots. I still think his Luthor is too stocky for the current version.
He does draw nice women, though.
In short, after a year in which we've seen some really great Superman
stories (_Peace on Earth_, _Superman for All Seasons_), I'm not yet
convinced this one needed to be told.
G.M. Nelson
<KALEL224@aol.com>
__________________________________________
AND WHO DISGUISED AS...
---------------------------------------------------------
A Column of Opinion by J.D. Rummel (rummel@creighton.edu)
Night and Day at the Edge of the 21st Century.
It was Sunday morning (hang on, this isn't one of my sentimental walks down
my rose-colored past -- it was just *last* Sunday morning), and I was
seated in front of the tube eagerly taking in _The New Batman/Superman
Adventures_ and _Batman Beyond_. I had juice and toast and I was really
enjoying myself -- "What a great morning!", I thought to myself. (Who else
am I gonna think to?) For a few moments I basked in the joy of seeing
comics done well, with fresh, inspired story telling.
It was Sunday night. We had just finished watching _The Simpsons_ (probably
the most consistently well-written show in the history of a very hungry
medium) and _The X-Files_ and I was settling in with my comic purchases. I
started off with John Byrne's Spider-Man re-working (hardly as sweeping as
his Superman work, but a lot of fun). Then I dove into JLA (Morrison is the
man -- somehow finding a beat I can't play, but that makes me dance). I
moved next to Iron Man (I have always loved I.M., and this current
high-tech version echoes the gleaming metal days of Layton and Michelinie).
Next, I went for Captain America (Sidebar: I started picking him up again
during the Heroes RESOLD story arc, wherein Marvel's marketing folks bumped
sales with the illusion of change. I stopped when Jim Lee left. Then, when
Mark Waid came back, I started again because one of you folks had written
to me and said, "*Read* this!", back when Waid had first taken the moribund
Captain and made him interesting -- something that I hadn't seen since the
halcyon days of Englehart and Buscema). I turned then to my Batman
endurance contest. I waded through the bat guano of the misguided quake
story line: take an urban avenger, trash the urban setting, and throw in
the most ludicrous logic (do you think if New York City was thundered to
rubble that the Feds would board up its inhabitants and walk away?). This
is not vision, this is hick thinking, the shotgun remedy: "Hey Cletus, les
shoot it and see whut happens."
Last of course, the Superman titles. Now, I know you are hearing the theme
music, thinking, "Here He comes, it's gonna be okay now."
No, sadly, I do the Superman stuff last because I am most often bored by
it. I go in order from best to worst, and Superman is worst. This isn't
news to anyone. I read the reviews that the other KC contributors put out
and most of them are sipping from the same cup as I am. To some degree we
are all in accord that Superman has been cruising near the bottom recently.
Even the Bat titles have some touches of intelligent power, but Superman's
golden moments are few and far between, and those can be attributed to
math. After all, when you have that many people shooting, someone's gonna
hit the bulls-eye sometime. For instance, the recent Superman 80-Page Giant
had some fine moments.
What's wrong? Well I've said it before, and other KC writers have addressed
it lately. All those writers and artists are being given a tightly outlined
master vision and ordered to stick to it. This might be okay for awhile,
for an epic, but I don't think it lends itself to maximizing creative
output. Imagine telling a bunch of artists you want a picture of a bowl of
fruit. You tell them that there are two apples, an orange, a banana, all
sitting in a wooden bowl on an old table with a gingham cover cloth. You
divvy up who will draw what. The final result might be interesting, but
probably not compelling. Now imagine that one of those guys is Dali, or Van
Gogh, and when the item they have been assigned starts looking melted, or
wildly impressionistic, the editor must say, "Uh listen, you gotta follow
the pattern we've laid out." What are we losing then?
I understand this is art as business, art by committee. But slackening the
reins might just produce a better, more popular product. More popular
product usually makes more money
In short: lose the weekly continuity! Let the writers and artists follow
their own vision for a while. Lee and Kirby did great things as a team for
quite a while. The whole Marvel Age was caused by one man's overall sketch
of a vision and many artists' freedom to color within those broad lines.
So, imagine my joy as I read the KC Newsroom last month about upcoming
changes in creative teams. As the next century looms I can go two ways. I
can continue to mope, I suppose, or I can start believing that Superman
will return. All hero comics are about believing in something, about
suspending your sense of how things really are in order to envision
something better. Super heroes are about faith, and I believe Superman is
coming.
I'd like to start reading Superman first again.
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.
__________________________________________
THE PHANTOM ZONE: Reviews of the pre-Crisis Man of Steel
------------------------------------------------------------------
ACTION COMICS #438
------------------------------------------------
Reviewed by Scott Devarney (devarney@ll.mit.edu)
There is a quote to the effect that, "The Golden Age of comics is 10",
meaning that the best comics of our lives are probably those we discovered
in our youth. [I would be very grateful if any KC reader could accurately
cite the above quote and its author.] This quote aptly reflects my feelings
for the following story. It's one of the first Superman stories I ever read
and it still holds a special place in my heart.
"A Monster Named Lois Lane"
Story by Cary Bates
Art by Curt Swan and Bob Oksner
Edited by Julius Schwartz
August 1974
To cheer up an ailing Lois, Clark gives her a necklace that he, as
Superman, picked up in the Andromeda system. Unfortunately, the necklace
transforms Lois into a mindless, rampaging brute. After a brief fight,
Superman discovers that Lois can also shrink at will. After WGBS gossip
reporter Lola Barnett exposes the story, Superman desperately and
fruitlessly searches for the bestial Lois. Eventually he pretends to turn
into a monster himself to flush her out. After another brief battle,
Superman restores Lois to normal by using a Kryptonian device to cure her
cold. It turns out that, had she been healthy, the necklace wouldn't have
affected her.
Before commenting on the plot, I'd like to get the "obligatory Curt Swan
praise" out of the way. The team of Swan and Oksner are an overlooked gem.
When Curt Swan's inkers are discussed, most of the attention is given to
Murphy Anderson, and rightfully so, but Bob Oksner gives Anderson a run for
his money. Oksner enhances Swan's pencils and make them very realistic;
these drawings compare to some of George Perez's current work. Lois is
gorgeous, especially in one panel where she's delightedly showing off her
new necklace, and the look of surprise in Clark's eye when she impulsively
kisses him is priceless. Monster-Lois and Monster-Superman are frightening
because they look so feral.
Cary Bates is to be commended for *not* making this a slugfest. A total of
4 pages out of 14 are devoted to Lois's rampages. Instead, the story
focuses on Superman's search for Lois and his demonstration of how he feels
about her. There is great interaction between Clark and Lois in the opening
and a very romantic closing where Superman comforts a bewildered Lois and
the two lovers kiss. Bates also manages to throw in 2 classic elements of
70s Superman stories: Superman's indestructible cape averts a disaster and
Clark absentmindedly melts a typewriter from the friction of his superspeed
typing.
This is a serious take on the Lois transformation story, unlike the
humorous/campy transformation stories of the Silver Age, such as those in
the _Giant Superman Annual_ #1 reprint of last year, "The Witch of
Metropolis" and "The Fattest Girl in Metropolis". This story resonates more
with me because Superman acts maturely in this story (well, except for the
fake monster bit), and the tragedy of the transformation is played up.
There's that, and the fond memories of reading this in the grass as a ten
year old on summer vacation.
__________________________________________
SUPERMAN STORIES
------------------------------------------
By Sean Hogan (shogan@intergate.bc.ca)
Favorite Jurgens Tales
With Dan Jurgens leaving as a writer of the regular Superman titles (and
onto special events), it seems like a good time to review his contribution
to the tales of the Man of Steel. Jurgens is best known and admired for his
dynamic art. As a writer he has been criticised, particularly for his
writing of dialogue. Perhaps part of the reason for the sharpness of this
criticism is that his work has to compete alongside other writers who excel
in dialogue, including Roger Stern, Karl Kesel, and Jerry Ordway.
However, when I look back on my Superman collection, the stories that I
enjoy the most and remember the best are often ones written by Jurgens.
Jurgens has written some of the 'important' stories during his tenure,
including the death of Superman (_Superman_ #75) and the introduction of
the 'Electric Blue Superman' in _Superman_ #123, but those aren't the ones
that impress me. After all, most of the stories that Jurgens or any of the
other Super-scribes write are part of the ongoing, cross-title saga and
have a limited ability to stand on their own.
Within that format though, Jurgens has been able to write some wonderful
stand-alone issues -- and those are the ones that I will review here.
Jurgens first worked with DC in 1982, doing artwork on Mike Grell's series,
_Warlord_, starting with issue #63. On the Superman titles, Jurgens first
did a two-issue fill-in during the "Exiled in Space" arc (_Superman_ #29
and _Adventures of Superman_ #452 -- cover dated March 1989). Jurgens
landed a regular job on _Adventures of Superman_ starting with #458
(Fortress of Solitude / Eradicator stories) until #478 ("Time and Time
Again" arc), and then became the writer of _Superman_ as of #57 (Revenge of
the Krypton Man / Eradicator).
While Jurgens has written several other series (_Booster Gold_, _Justice
League America_, _Teen Titans_) in which Superman has appeared, the stories
I am going to review are from his run on the main Superman titles.
Jurgens wrote and pencilled a real treat of a story in _Adventures of
Superman_ #463. It's a race between Superman and the Flash to determine who
is the fastest man alive. The story, an homage to the classic Silver Age
races, has Superman being forced to race Wally West by Mr. Mxyzptlk. Not a
lot else going on in this issue other than a fun race with several twists
and surprises from our favorite 5th dimensional imp. And unlike the
original races, we have a clear winner -- Flash.
In _Adventures of Superman_ #466, Jurgens has Fantastic Four analogues meet
the Man of Steel. A space shuttle travels through some "weird radiation"
and crashes back on Earth. The four facsimiles (a couple, a kid brother,
and a gruff pal) develop strange powers. Unlike the FF's tale, the ending
isn't quite so happy. The characters are well written, especially the four
frightened survivors who struggle to find a cure for their mutations.
Jurgens explores Superman's reactions well through speech and thought
balloons. He uses the tragedy of the fatal flight to have Clark reflect on
his personal life -- as Clark lets Lois know in a lip-lockin' way that he
wants their relationship to deepen.
That issue introduced Hank Henshaw, who later (after the death of Superman)
would return as the mad villain Cyborg. Jurgens continues Henshaw's story
in _Adventure of Superman_ #468. Henshaw, whose body has disintegrated, has
learned to transfer his essence through electrical devices and to control
mechanical objects (he hasn't learned how to use flesh at this point). His
desire is to see and help his wife, who is suffering a breakdown following
the accident. He does not wish to kill others, and he speaks peacefully
with Superman. When he learns that his presence could jeopardize his wife's
recovery, he creates a spaceship using part of the rocket that brought the
infant Kal-El to Earth and departs for the stars.
Henshaw is a tragic character here, not an evil one -- although we see
signs of potential madness in his refusal to remain and his determination
to be a lonely wanderer throughout the universe. He harbours no hate. He
leaves voluntarily, for his wife's sake and for him to start a new life.
This makes his later psychopathic and evil nature even more unexpected when
he eventually returns to Earth.
Jurgens deals with a serious moral issue in _Adventures of Superman_ #474.
Clark returns to Smallville on New Year's Eve -- not to celebrate, but to
reflect. Clark's childhood friend, Scott Brubaker, has been in a coma for
the past 10 years, following a car accident. Clark shares some
responsibility for the accident, as he was a passenger in the car and knew
that Scott was drinking and driving. Tonight, Scott is to be taken off life
support. Clark confronts his past in conversations with Scott's parents.
It's a catharsis for all of them as Clark relives the accident and its
consequences. Jurgens conveys the depth of emotions well, and yet leaves
the reader with a strong, life-affirming message.
In _Superman_ #59, Jurgens deals with how Clark's relationship with his
fiancee is affected by his obligations as Superman. The first half of the
issue illustrates these difficulties as Clark continually has to interrupt
conversations with Lois to deal with criminals. Later, Clark as Superman
flies Lois to Mt. Fuji for a private, uninterrupted discussion. When Lois
asks why Clark has to be Superman, he replies, "Because no one else can."
The issue ends with excerpts from the Daily Planet, including a column by
Lois about giving thanks to Superman. We don't get many stories focusing
primarily on the Lois and Clark relationship, and this one is a nice change
of pace.
Jurgens also wrote _Superman_ #64, which is the first "Metropolis Mailbag"
issue. I recently reviewed that story in The Kryptonian Cybernet #57, Late
December 1998 in my Christmas Stories column. Superman is always more
interesting when the focus is on the man rather than the feats. Jurgens
does a nice job here, showing the human side of the hero.
Louise Simonson and Jurgens each take part in writing about the issue of
wife-beating in _Superman: The Man of Steel_ #16 and _Superman_ #72. The
tale, titled "Crisis At Hand", hearkens back to _Action Comics_ #1, where
Siegel and Shuster had Superman deal harshly with a wife-beater.
In "Crisis At Hand", Superman is unable to help a neighbour who is beaten
by her husband. The issue of spousal abuse is dealt with in a very frank
(yet not preachy) way, as we see how dysfunctional and tragic the situation
is to everyone involved.
In part 1, Clark is awoken by the sounds of a beating. Realizing it is his
own neighbours, he bursts in through their window and threatens the husband
-- only to have the wife attack him and call the police on Superman. She
defends her abusive husband and refuses to press charges. The issue ends
with Clark in his apartment, helplessly trying to shut out the sounds of
continued beatings.
Jurgens picks up the tale, having Clark discussing his frustrations with Pa
Kent and then Lois, reflecting on an incident early in his Superman career
where he dealt with a wife beater. In _Superman: The Man of Steel_ #16, Jon
Bogdanove had wonderfully reinterpreted the scenes from _Action Comics_ #1
where Superman appears to end a wife beating by terrorizing the beater.
In this issue, Jurgens has Clark relate how he later found the wife's body
in the morgue, killed by her abusive husband. A maddened, unshaved Superman
finally caught up with the murderer at the funeral. Superman, appearing
ready to commit murder himself, is only stopped by a plea from the
murderer's mother.
As Clark is telling Lois about the earlier tragedy, he overhears yet
another beating by his neighbour. Together, Lois and Clark break in to the
apartment and stop the beating. Fortunately, this time the wife is prepared
to take steps to end the cycle of violence. Jurgens realistically reflects
the real tragedy of spousal abuse by having the horribly battered wife
taking these steps only reluctantly, while still expressing her love for
her abusive husband.
While Lois convinces the wife to call a women's shelter, Superman follows
up on the husband, who has also reached the point where he admits he needs
help. Jurgens avoids any easy or pat answers. While in good comic book
fashion, he presents a hopeful ending that the cycle may end for this
couple, he does not minimize the seriousness of the problem and shows the
despair of trying to help people who refuse to be helped.
Jurgens, with Jerry Ordway scripting, has more fun in _Superman_ #110,
guest-starring Plastic Man. The two heroes get caught up in a treasure hunt
between a brother and sister act that are competing to collect Superman's
cape. Most of the fun is, of course, with Plastic Man -- especially when
the art shows his cartoon view of the world, and when he and Jimmy Olsen
compare stretching careers. The ending (which I won't spoil) is also a fun
little twist to the story.
Jurgens 'stretches' his theme a bit too much in _Superman_ #120 when he has
members of the Superman cast consider what they would do if they had his
powers. The ending is a bit too pat and saccharine as a young boy gives the
right answers and Superman flies away thinking, "I guess this really was a
super day!"
What makes the issue is the opening scene, with Luthor having a nightmare
that his yet-to-be-born child will turn into a huge Superman fan, telling
his father, "Superman's the number one guy on the whole planet!" and, "Bet
you wish you wuz him!" After that comic introduction, we get to see
Superman enjoying his powers and finding out what Luthor, Prof. Hamilton,
Jimmy, Cat, and Perry would do if they had super-powers. The issue is a
fun, light read and won best story/story arc in last year's Kaycee Awards.
Two other stories by Jurgens were on the best story/story arc list for the
1997 Kaycees. _Superman_ #121, "They Call It Suicide Slum", had my vote for
best story, as Superman dealt with gangs and violence. What made the story
for me is when Jurgens has Clark, shirt open to reveal the Superman symbol
on his chest, holding the injured young girl and then flying her to the
hospital without changing into his costume. To me, those pages conveyed
what Superman is and should be about -- service to others above personal
concerns. Of course, Jurgens' art, finished by Joe Rubinstein, greatly
enhanced my enjoyment of the story.
The other 1997 Kaycee-nominated story was _Superman_ #129, where Ashbury's
new art teacher, Mr. Sormon, is developed as a supportive, sympathetic
character -- only to be revealed as the Cyborg. The story presents Hank
Henshaw as a tragic character, flawed by madness and hatred of Superman --
adding much needed depth to a character that has become very
one-dimensional since his reintroduction as the Cyborg.
More recently, Jurgens presented a masterful examination of Lex Luthor in
_Superman_ #131 ("Checkmate"). Building on Luthor's background of his
abusive parents and foster-parents, the story climaxes with the
simultaneous murder of Mayor Berkowitz and birth of Lena Luthor. Jurgens
presents a chilling story of manipulation and revenge.
Jurgens has also written some Superman stories outside of the regular
titles. In _Superman Secret Files_ #1, a mysterious stranger investigates
Clark Kent/Superman's background. The story has a review of the post-Crisis
Superman as the stranger talks with Ma and Pa Kent. But the highlight of
the story is the final two pages, when Superman meets Batman in the
Batcave. The issue ends with Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne sitting down, mugs
in hand, to talk.
Jurgens has written three Prestige Format mini-series, including the
acclaimed _Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey_ and the recent rematch,
_Superman: The Doomsday Wars_. But my favorite of his mini-series is
_Superman vs Aliens_. This tale of a weakened Superman fighting monsters
alongside Kara in Argo City was dramatic, exciting, and demands a sequel.
Well, I demand a sequel anyway.
Now that Jurgens will not have to meet the regular monthly schedule of the
Supertitles and can avoid the compromises inevitable in the serial format
of that storytelling, let's hope he has an even greater opportunity to
thrill readers with the continuing story of the world's greatest hero.
__________________________________________
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 first installment of my
new column which will point your way to the many Superman-related sites on
the web. Longtime readers may remember me from my previous reviews here, as
well as the article on the real Metropolis, and now I'm back with something
new! Every installment, I'll provide some brief information on at least six
Superman sites I've tracked down, as well as a rating of the site, from one
to five shields, five being the best. This rating will be based on a
combination of two things: 1) What the creator of the site was attempting
to do, and 2) How much I liked the site. As with all things, your mileage
may vary. You can pretty much figure if a site earns three or more shields
from me, it's worth checking out... and a five-shield site should be on all
Superfans' bookmarks!
I won't be listing any sites which I have rated 2 shields or less unless
the webmaster of that page has specifically asked me to include them in the
column (and if they still want the site listed in spite of the low rating),
*or* if the site is a commercial one. And I may as well state that I hold
commercial sites to a higher standard than fan sites. After all, someone
got paid money to design the commercial site, or is making money from it. I
will also try to be clear about what I don't like about a site which earns
less than five shields, so if the person who created it reads the review,
they'll know what I think they need to work on.
I've set up a page which outlines the basic web site elements I'm looking
for, which may interest any of you who have a Superman site and want it
reviewed. The address for that site is:
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Capsule/7801/webofsteel.html
This first installment will begin with some of the official and
semi-official Superman sites, most of which you may already be familiar
with...
KRYPTONIAN CYBERNET
http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/kc/index.html
Wouldn't it be silly if I were to start this column without pointing out
the website of this very publication? Jeff's done an awesome job here,
where you can read the current as well as back issues of KC in either web
format or text format. Five out of five shields for being the best online
fanzine about Superman, Jeff!
DC COMICS
http://www.dccomics.com
The official DC Comics web site may not have as many bells and whistles as
the Marvel site (no online comics -- at least, not the last time I
checked), but it's still a great source for advance artwork and
information! The site does use frames, so you'll need a fairly recent
version of Netscape or IE to browse it. DC's recently moved the message
boards to this site from AOL, which really enlarges the scope. The site is
very easy to navigate and loads fairly quickly, which are both two good
points in their favor. Be sure to check out the DC Comics For Kids area,
where you will find coloring-book style artwork of Superman and other DC
Characters done in both modern comics style, as well as animated styles.
These change monthly, so come back often! There's also a separate Superman
area where you can listen to an episode of the old radio show. I can't
recommend it enough! Four shields out of five (there could be a bit more
Superman content, but it's still darn good!).
THE NEW SUPERMAN-BATMAN ADVENTURES
http://www.superman-batman.com
The official web site of the Kids! WB animated series. A little faster than
DC's site, but of course, they offer very different content. I'll admit
this is geared a bit more to kids than adults, but there's still something
for everyone. This is another site that uses frames, but they use them well
to aid in navigation. They've got great files on the characters in their
"Heroes" and "Villains" sections which can give you a "sneak peek" at
upcoming episodes, while the "Episodes" sections tells you which episodes
of both "Batman" and "Superman" are airing on Kids! WB. There are a large
number of video clips to download, and a message board (the "Games" link
doesn't seem to be active right now). Also highly recommended. Four shields
out of five (broken or unusable links will always keep from getting a fifth
shield).
The dedicated Superman site:
http://www.superman-batman.com/superman/cmp/index.html
BRUCE TIMM ARTWORK ARCHIVE
http://www.aiusa.com/chip/timm/archive.htm
This is probably one of the coolest sites on the web, period... and one of
the hardest to keep track of. This is the third location I'm aware of that
it's been at, and it seems it'll be the permanent home. The Bruce Timm
Artwork Archive features drawings by the artistic genius behind the look of
the Superman and Batman animated series, and this site has oodles and
oodles of great artwork you can download. Along with a lot of great
Superman and related pictures, there are illustrations of the Batman
characters, other DC characters, Marvel characters, and much, much more.
Check it out! Five out of five shields.
LOIS AND CLARK ON TNT
http://tnt.turner.com/scifi/loisandclark/
As many of you know, TNT shows reruns of _Lois & Clark: The New Adventures
of Superman_ on Sunday mornings. What you may not know is that the site had
been moved! The current URL is listed above. The site's had a major
overhaul from the last time I'd checked it out, and it's a good one to hit
if you're a fan of the TV series. Schedules, episode guides, lots of
downloads, and now a fan links area! An excellent site! Five out of five
shields.
WARNER BROS. LOIS AND CLARK VIRTUAL LOT
http://virtuallot.warnerbros.com/cmp/vault/classic/superman/lc.htm
While we're on the topic of L&C, I would be remiss if I didn't note that
the Virtual Lot, set up while the show was still in production, is still
accessible! This is another great site for the L&C fan, with lots to see
and download. There may be some duplication of stuff on TNT's site, but
it's still a great one. Five out of five shields.
WARNER BROS. STUDIO STORE
http://www.studiostores.warnerbros.com/
For those of you who don't have a WB Studio Store nearby, this site gives
you access to some (but not all) of the various products available there.
You'll find some Superman items here, although the majority of the product
line is Looney Tunes related. The last time I checked, the only
Superman-related items were a Superman (animated) bean bag toy and thermal
pajamas (for kids, of course), but the available items change fairly often.
Follow the DC Comics link from the main page. Two out of five shields
(there's a lot more Superman stuff at the stores than is listed here, and
I've always wondered why they didn't make more available online... at any
rate, check here before looking at Ebay's auctions!).
Hey, guess what, folks? That's six sites, which means it's time for me to
end this installment... but wait! Assuming Jeff has indulged me, I'll give
you a bonus site -- my own! This site tells about how my wife Barbara and I
met (via _Lois & Clark_ fandom), and also features our Superman-themed
wedding (with instructions on how to make your own Lois & Clark wedding
cake topper). I won't rate this site, but will tell you if you want to know
a little more about me, here's your chance!
http://www.execpc.com/~waffyjon/index.html
So that's it for this month... next month, six (at least) more Superman
sites, and I may even have a common theme as well. Also next month, I will
start awarding one fan site per installment with the KC/Web of Steel "Site
of the Month" award, which will put that site in the running for a new
Kaycee award category for Superman websites, as well as give them the right
to proudly display the nifty graphic award I've created!
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.
__________________________________________
THE MAILBAG
-------------------------------------
(sykes@ms.uky.edu, KryptonCN@aol.com)
KC Responses are indented and begun with ****
========================================
From: Anatole Wilson (awilson@us.oracle.com)
Regarding Scott Devarney's review of "Superman's Day of Destiny"
(_Superman_ #352):
Scott compares the story to _DC Comics Presents_ #29, where the Spectre
prevents Superman from going into Heaven(?) to save Supergirl. I think this
comparison is slightly off the mark, since the Spectre story shows that
there are powers more ultimate than Superman's, whereas the _Superman_
story attempts to show that while Superman could have easily handled the
problem, acting as the all-powerful protector eventually does more harm
than good.
A much better comparison (and far superior story) is _Superman_ #247
(January 1972), whose title was "Must There Be a Superman?" The story was
Elliot S! Maggin's first Superman story, and one of the best I've ever
read. In it, the Guardians of the Universe suggest, as Destiny does, that
Superman's over-protectiveness may stifle human initiative. But instead of
Destiny's heavy-handed preachiness and physical restraint, the Guardians
allow Superman to come to this conclusion by himself. In #247, he confronts
a real, human issue -- migrant workers living in dismal conditions --
rather than the ridiculous scenario of #352, which had, if I remember
correctly, Lois Lane and Father Peres doing aerial somersaults to knock the
bad guys off of a steam shovel.
I would also point out that in #247, Superman concludes the issue having
learned his lesson, but still acting as a leader; Wolfman's story leaves
Superman merely a chastened bystander -- a common scenario for the
post-Byrne Superman.
Just thought I'd point that out for the record.
**** I'll also point out that "Must There Be a Superman?" can be found in
_The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told_, a collection released in
hardcover form for Superman's fiftieth anniversary. The collection is
available in a softcover edition through Diamond's Star System for
$15.95 (US). This collection is a must-have for fans who want to read
the acclaimed stories of Superman's first fifty years, including "The
Amazing Story of Superman-Red & Superman-Blue" and "For the Man who
has Everything."
========================================
From: Mark Cannon (Mark.Cannon@dcita.gov.au)
Edwin Everett asked last month, "I'm looking for info on the Supacomics
series from New Zealand... Was it a bootleg or just a forgotten series?"
I've already replied directly to Edward on this, but thought that the wider
KC audience might also be interested in the answer.
The short answer to his question is that "Superman Supacomic" was
authorised, not a bootleg, and was one of a number of Australian (not New
Zealand, though they would have been sold here as well) anthology titles
which reprinted DC comics in this country for several decades.
The longer answer follows, and involves a bit of Australian comics history.
For many years (roughly 1940-60), the import into Australia of nearly all
US magazines and periodicals, including comics, was prohibited. Basically,
this was to encourage local production, so the only comics (and other
magazines) which were available were local product and local (or British)
editions of US magazines -- including comics.
For the first 15 years or so of this period, a number of DC (and Quality,
Fawcett, and other publishers) titles were published in local editions;
e.g., Batman, Superman, Strange Adventures, Blackhawk. These were generally
published in black-and-white, on poor quality paper (even by comics
standards!) and generally had fewer pages than their US equivalents. They
usually retailed for 6 pence to 9 pence (we didn't adopt dollars and cents
until 1966).
Some time in the late 50s, these individual titles started to be replaced
by larger anthology titles, such as "Century", "The Hundred", and "Five
Score". They were 100 pages long (actually 96 pages plus covers, though for
a time they went up to 116 pages), published in black-and-white with colour
covers, and sold for 2 shillings (20 cents from 1966). Each issue would
contain a wide variety of stories; e.g., in a single issue you might have
an early Silver Age Flash story, a couple of Strange Adventures/Mystery in
Space shorts, a Tomahawk adventure, etc.
By the time I started reading comics, around 1965, there were about 8 of
these anthology titles regularly reprinting DC material: Tip Top, All Star
Adventure Comic, Mighty Comic, All Favourites, Super Adventure, Wonder
Comic, World's Finest, and ... Superman Supacomic.
Superman Supacomic began around 1960 (although they were numbered, none of
these local reprints ever had cover dates). For most of its history it
reprinted recent Superman, Superboy, Batman and (when that series began)
Legion stories, though for the last few years it printed mostly just
Superman. Although stories were usually printed in approximately the
correct order, their currency could vary from being a few months behind the
printing of the US originals to a couple of years.
Some time in the early 60s, the import restrictions on periodicals were
lifted, and many US comics (e.g., Marvel) started to appear in the local
shops. However, the local reprints of DC titles continued, with only a few
American DC titles available locally. Most of these were titles which were
not reprinted in the local anthology titles; e.g., Green Lantern and war
titles (and, confusingly, some DC comics were both imported *and* reprinted
locally; e.g., Justice League).
The local DC reprints continued until around 1985, although the anthology
titles, including Superman Supacomic, had died off around the end of the
1970s. By then, they had shrunk to 48-66 pages (to keep to that 20 cent
price) and then had begun to increase in price. Superman Supacomic ran for
202 issues (possibly one or two issues more, but #202 is the last issue I
have); I currently have slightly over half the run.
**** I love our readers. <g> In twenty or thirty years, I'm gonna be able
to pour through many years of The Kryptonian Cybernet and put together
such a wealth of information about the Man of Steel. Who knows,
perhaps some of us will be the keepers of the legacy in the middle
of the next century, the Les Daniels of the 21st Century.
By the way, while we're on the subject of getting questions
answered, let me remind everyone that Tony Caroselli
(tomanifo@copper.ucs.indiana.edu) has offered to give an "Ask The
Answer Man" column a go for us. So if you're trying to locate
information on a dusty old Superman comic, drop him a line!
========================================
From: David Young (young_d1@popmail.firn.edu)
I just wanted to take a moment to put my two cents in on something. In Jon
Knutson's "The Wish List" guest editorial (#59, Late Feb 1999), he
suggested DC looking to Marvel's "Essentials" trade paperback line as
inspiration for new Superman (and assumedly other DC heroes such as Batman,
Wonder Woman, etc.) trade paperbacks.
He then says the following:
"I'm not saying they need to copy them exactly... I like the page count and
black and white concept, but DC wouldn't have to necessarily follow the '24
issues in a row' idea. What I'd like to see them do with the publishing
format is start 'The Superman Library,' which would be a series of books
reprinting stories that follow a theme, kind of like the classic 80-Page
Giants. Hands up, KC readers... who among you would like to see volumes
such as 'Red Kryptonite Stories,' 'Adventures in Kandor,' 'Jimmy Olsen
Transformations,' 'Time Travel Stories,' 'Voyages to Krypton' and the like?
I know I certainly would! And the icing on the cake would be that I could
convince my wife that the books are a great deal (she already has no
problem with my buying the 'Essentials' books). Failing that, since DC's
reviving the 100-Page Super-Spectacular format, a bi-monthly or quarterly
Superman Super-Spec would be nice, too."
I both agree and disagree with Jon's ideas above. I think a new series of
DC trade paperbacks emulating Marvel's "Essentials" trade paperback line
would be a fine idea (actually DC already has started one with their _Jack
Kirby's New Gods_ and _Jack Kirby's Mister Miracle_ trade paperbacks, which
were very similar to Marvel's "Essentials" ones).
I however disagree with altering the concept's basic format. I personally
prefer my trade paperbacks to cover long consecutive runs of issues rather
than "theme" collections. (I like theme collections too, but I'd rather
they kept those to the special "replica annuals" DC has beenputting out
recently.) By following the format of DC's "Archives" series, and Marvel's
"Marvel Masterworks" and "Essentials" series, each time I pick up a new
volume I can cross off an entire run of original issues from my "wanted
issues" list. So far, DC's Archives series has made my collecting much
easier because I now have _Action Comics_ #1-36 and _Superman_ #1-12 in my
collection (the stories from those issues at least, which is all I really
care about). Theme collections (which are also enjoyable to read) do little
to fill in my collection since they usually include reprint one story per
issue and jump around quite a bit. Also, a lot of the time the most common
stories are reprinted over and over that way. (However, I still would
support such trade paperbacks, and have in the past, including DC's
"Greatest Stories Ever Told" series from a few years ago.)
Another reason I like consecutive runs is that it allows you to read the
stories as they first were released. You can actually see the characters,
setting, and other situations evolve as the writers and artists became more
comfortable with the characters. I prefer this way of reading the stories
so much so that I held off on reading my _Superman Archives_ volumes until
I had the _Action Comics_ ones so I could jump back and forth between the
two, just as a reader then would have, and just as we do now today.
My idea for a new line of DC trade paperbacks would be almost just like
Marvel's "Essentials" ones. DC should pick other time periods from the ones
being covered in the "DC Archives" series (so as not to compete with
themselves). In Superman's case, since the "Archives" series is covering
the golden-age stories, a new black-and-white trade paperback series could
begin with his Silver Age stories. This series would start with what DC
considers to be the first "Silver Age" issues of both _Superman_ and
_Action Comics_ (and possibly _World's Finest_) and would collect them in
long runs, just as they were originally released. It could still be called
the "Superman Library" or somesuch since it would only include Superman
stories. They could also do a trade paperback series featuring the _Jimmy
Olsen_ and _Lois Lane_ issues of the time ("Superman Library: Lois Lane and
Jimmy Olsen" series). Similar series could feature the silver age Wonder
Woman, Batman (DC is already releasing a 1960's Batman trade paperback),
and lesser DC lights such as Aquaman's Silver Age series, the Atom's, and
Hawkman's, to name just a few. And maybe after the DC Archives volumes have
all gone out of print, DC could start Superman Golden Age black-and-white
trade paperbacks.
On the other hand, I hope DC continues to reprint (and create entirely new)
"annuals" and "80/100 Page Giants" collections on a relatively regular
basis. I will eventually support just about any reprint series which
collects material that I don't already have. (My only problem has been
indexing these new "old" annuals. Where do I put the new _Green Lantern
Annual_ #1? By itself as a one-shot or with the actual _Green Lantern_
series that it would have come out with at the time? Same question for the
new _Teen Titans Annual_. In the case of the recent reprinting of _Superman
Annual_ #1, I included it with the original _Superman_ title (Annual #1A --
1998 reprint) because I thought it made more sense, and I didn't like
putting it under _Giant Superman Annual #1_ as it was titled.)
**** I have two suggestions/opinions to add to the mix. Personally, I don't
want to buy black-and-white reprints of stories originally published
in color. I don't have anything against b&w comics, but I prefer to
have the stories archived as they originally appeared. Additionally,
I'm not too thrilled with these reprints such as the _Giant Superman
Annual_. If I'm buying reprints, I want them to be archival quality,
which means high-quality paper and sturdy construction -- what we're
getting right now is cardstock covers on standard comic book paper,
not even the quality of a Prestige Format.
Okay, make it three suggestions. I also think it's time for DC to
reconsider their decision to make the archives volumes only available
in hardcover. There's a whole market out there for these collections
who just can't afford the more expensive hardcovers. Surely DC could
produce more affordable, yet still reasonably high-quality trade
paperback editions of these volumes.
Me, I'm a fan of hardcover books, and I'll continue to buy the
hardcover editions (and I'm still waiting for a hardcover collection
of _Superman For All Seasons_, DC), but there are plenty of people
out there waiting for the opportunity to get in on the archives.
Enough from me. Two other readers responded to Jon's editorial.
========================================
From: Mike Dieckmann (orangemd@cdmnet.com)
I'm all for [an "Essentials"-style "Superman Library"]! Someone pitched all
my comics from the mid 50s to 60s when I went away to college, and I would
love to read some of those stories again. So consider my hand up in the
air. <g> BTW, love the [Daily Planet] tree ornament idea too. I've been
trying to get a local to make me a DP mug (cobalt blue with gold DP symbol)
but she keeps saying it's too hard to do gold. I'll keep trying.
**** Fans interested in Daily Planet merchandise should also take note of
the DP shirt by Graphitti Designs solicited in Previews a couple of
months ago.
========================================
From: Jay Mampel (lem3kids@aol.com)
I enjoyed your Superman want list. What I would like to see most are
*softbound* archives reprinting the old stuff all the way up to the 70s or
beyond. There is absolutely no sense that I can see to put out $50.00 books
of this stuff. If they (DC or Warner Bros.) would take this approach, they
could get these things into Waldenbooks or Barnes & Nobles or whatever. How
many people can afford $50 books? They put out these trade paperbacks and
apparently they sell -- why don't they at least try it with the older
stuff? In addition to Superman and Batman, they could do Flash, Green
Lantern, and the list is endless. A return to the JLA reprint book that is
coming out soon is, I guess, a step in the right direction. I am afraid
that I will be an old man or worse before I see my favorite period
reprinted. (The 50s -- there were really some cool Superman and Actions
along with Batmans and Detectives from what little I have seen.) Thanks for
listening, and again I enjoyed your article.
**** See, DC? What did I tell you above? Rethink the hardcover-only policy
for the archives, and you could make out like bandits. If only I ran
DC's marketing department... :)
-- Jeff Sykes
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End of Section 8/Issue #60
