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The Kryptonian Cybernet Issue 65
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T H E K R Y P T O N I A N C Y B E R N E T
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http://www.kryptonian-cybernet.com
Issue #65 - Early September 1999
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CONTENTS
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Section 0: Table of Contents
Editorial Staff
Disclaimers
Subscription Information
Section 1: Superscripts: Notes from the Editor(s)
Growin' Up
There are moments in one's life when it becomes suddenly
apparent that a threshold has been crossed. Jeff shares
his revelation and indicates what effects it will have on
the Kryptonian Cybernet.
Ratings At A Glance
Titles Shipped July 1999
The KC Newsroom
DC's latest copyright conundrum; anticipation builds for
the debut of Superman's new creators; the Man of Steel
returns to land mine duty; the menace of "Cashman"; the
return to TV of George Reeves' Superman; the latest
Superman story from Elliot S! Maggin; a few sneak peeks
at upcoming Superman projects from DC; a new study on
glasses as a method of disguise; and much, much more!
Section 2: A Conversation with Elliot S! Maggin
Anatole Wilson and Rich Morrissey sit down with one of
Superman fandom's most beloved creators for a gem of a
discussion of comics, the Man of Steel, and the Kingdom
Come novel!
Section 3: A Conversation with Elliot S! Maggin (cont)
Section 4: Faster Than A Speeding Bullet
In the first two episodes of Superman's now-classic radio
serial, listeners are treated to the Man of Steel's origin
and to the debut of his heroics on Earth. Article by
Douglas M Tisdale Jr.
Web of Steel: The KC Guide to Superman on the WWW
Jon Knutson's column turns to sites dedicated to TV's
_Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman_.
The Phantom Zone: Superman #278
Superman travels "Around the World in 100 Pages", from the
Old West to Atlantis, from seven remote locations to the
four corners of the globe, all in this 1974 Superman Super
Spectacular, reviewed by Scott Devarney.
Section 5: New Comic Reviews
The Triangle Titles
Adventures of Superman #570, by Enola Jones
Action Comics #757, by Gary D. Robinson
Superman: The Man of Steel #92, by Mike Smith
Section 6: New Comic Reviews
The Triangle Titles (cont)
Superman #148, by Thomas Deja
Super-Family Titles
Superboy #66, by Rene' Gobeyn
Supergirl #36, by Thomas Deja
Section 7: New Comic Reviews
Super-Family Titles (cont)
Superman Adventures #35, by Cory Strode
Team Titles
JLA #33, by Edward Mathews
Young Justice #12, by Gary Robinson
Section 8: New Comic Reviews
Miniseries and Specials
A. Bizarro #3, by G.M. Nelson
Batman & Superman: World's Finest #6, by Simon DelMonte
JLA Annual #3, by Ed Mathews
Section 9: The One, True, Original Superman!
Episode 11: Action Archives Volume II -- Empire and Growing
Pains (Feb-May 1940)
Bob Hughes sets the historical stage and then rounds off
the first two years of Action Comics by looking at issues
21-24, including the final tale of the Ultra-Humanite and
Superman's first encounter with Lex Luthor!
Section 10: Superman Stories
Demons
Sean Hogan discusses the Man of Steel's dealings with the
demonic brother and sister duo of Blaze and Satanus,
including such classic tales as "Soul Search" and "The
Blaze/Satanus War!"
Section 11: The KC Mailbag
More thoughts on Superman's execution of the Phantom Zone
criminals, and some comments on the variety and tone of
the magazine.
EDITORIAL STAFF:
---------------
Jeffery D. Sykes, Publisher and Co-Editor-in-Chief
Shane Travis, Co-Editor-in-Chief and Executive Editor of Comic Reviews
Neil Ottenstein, Executive Editor of STAS Reviews
DISCLAIMERS:
-----------
Superman, Superboy, Supergirl, Steel, JLA, Young Justice, and all
associated characters, locations, symbols, logos, and events are copyright
and/or trademarks of DC Comics. This magazine, its publisher and
contributors, and any content related to the Superman family of characters
are not authorized by DC Comics. Use of these copyrighted and trademarked
properties is not intended to challenge said ownership. We strongly suggest
that each reader look to the media sources mentioned within for further
information.
All original material published in The Kryptonian Cybernet, including but
not limited to reviews, articles, and editorials, are copyright 1999 by The
Kryptonian Cybernet and the respective authors. Reprinting in any format
is expressly forbidden without the permission of The Kryptonian Cybernet
and the contributing author.
Opinions presented within this issue belong to the authors of the articles
which contain them. They should in no way be construed as those of any
other particular member of the editorial or contributing staff, unless
otherwise indicated.
This magazine can be distributed in whole, freely by e-mail. Permission is
also granted to advertise subscription information on other on-line
services and/or websites. Should you desire to share this publication with
other on-line services and/or web sites, please contact Jeff Sykes at
sykes@kryptonian-cybernet.com for permission.
SUBSCRIPTIONS:
-------------
THE KRYPTONIAN CYBERNET is available by e-mail -- to subscribe, simply send
an e-mail message with the word "subscribe" in the Subject: field to the
following address:
To: kc-request@kryptonian-cybernet.com
Subject: subscribe
This will subscribe the address from which the message was sent. If the
address is successfully subscribed, you will receive a copy of the list's
welcome message. If you have any problems, contact Jeff Sykes at
sykes@kryptonian-cybernet.com.
Back issues are available via ftp at ftp.kryptonian-cybernet.com. These
archives can also be reached via the Kryptonian Cybernet Homepage:
http://www.kryptonian-cybernet.com
_____________________________________
End of Section 0
_____________________________________
SUPERSCRIPTS: NOTES FROM THE EDITOR(S)
--------------------------------------------------
By Jeff Sykes (sykes@kryptonian-cybernet.com)
GROWIN' UP
Just to warn those of you who might want to know up front, this editorial's
just not gonna have a lot to do with the Man of Steel. I'm currently
standing at five weeks without having read a single comic, much less a
Superman comic, for reasons which will be explained below. As such, I can't
really offer much in that direction, though I will have a few words about
KC towards the end of my rambling.
August was an incredibly busy month for me and, to be quite honest, I'm a
bit surprised we've managed to get this particular issue of the Kryptonian
Cybernet to you as soon as we have. Let's see a show of hands here. How
many of you have finished a doctoral degree (in mathematics or any other
discipline)? How many of you have moved from one state to another? How many
have had to buy a new car because your old one was on life support? How
many have driven 1000 miles for a week-long family visit, and then another
1000 miles back home? How many have started a new job, complete with myriad
meetings and orientation programs?
Okay, that seems like quite a few of you, but please allow me one more
question, if you will. How many of you have done all of the above in the
span of a month?
My hand is still up...
See what I mean by busy? :)
More importantly, though, all of these things have to do with my title for
this column. Now I certainly realize that I'm thirty years old, and that
I've been an adult for quite some time. But even though I've done them all
before -- new college degree, new job, new state, new car -- they're (a)
all happening at once and (b) a pretty big deal even if they're not new!
For the first time since I left home for college (oh so many years ago),
I'm living in a house instead of an apartment or dorm. I even had to buy a
washer and dryer for the first time -- and it's pretty hard not to feel
older when you buy your first appliances <g>.
At work (I'm now an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at West Virginia
Wesleyan College, by the way), students are calling me "Doctor". I have my
own office for the first time in my life. Last weekend, all the new
freshmen arrived on campus (yet another nice little tie-in to my theme),
and I wore my full academic regalia for the first time at our opening
convocation. Oh, and I'm finally getting paid a reasonable salary for all
the work I'll be doing. :)
So I'm feeling kind of an overwhelming sense of adulthood right now, to a
degree I never quite experienced while a student.
Anyway, what does all of this mean for the Kryptonian Cybernet?
Well, first of all, being so busy left me unable to provide much in the way
of updates to our website in August. That, however, has now been corrected,
and I expect to be able to regularly provide television air and comic
shipping schedules just as soon as I find out what they are.
Second of all, as I'm sure you all realize by now, it caused this issue to
slip from an August publication to Early September. On the other hand, it
did allow us to bring you the breaking news concerning the Superman
copyright stunner, so maybe the delay wasn't an entirely bad thing.
Regardless, Shane and I are now making an earlier publication date our
immediate goal for KC, and we plan on having new issues out to you at least
by mid-month, if not earlier.
My new location is going to be a bit of a problem. WVWC is located in a
small town in central West Virginia, and the closest comic book store is at
least a 45 minute drive away. This has led me to begin using a mail order
service for my comic books. As I mentioned above, it has been more than a
month since I last read any Superman comics, and that's because my
September order (for August shipping books) has yet to reach me. My orders
are supposed to ship twice a month from now on, so I have some hope that
I'll still be able to contribute in some limited fashion to our rating of
new comics.
The real problem, however, is that I will now be receiving _Previews_ well
after it is released, and this will probably make it impossible for me to
publish both Coming Attractions and Superman Merchandise in time for our
readers to use that information by the ordering deadline. If this turns out
to be the case, then we'll have to work out something else to get you that
information in a timely manner.
Well, I've rambled on quite enough, and I've still got a mess of things to
do if you're gonna see this before Labor Day. In the meantime, best wishes
to all of you plowing headlong into another school year, and let us all
continue to do a little growin' up.
__________________________________
RATINGS AT A GLANCE: Titles shipped July 1999
-------------------------------------------------------------
Prepared by Shane Travis <travis@kryptonian-cybernet.com>
Key:
----
Issue -- Issue for which 'Current' Rating and Rank are calculated. The
'Previous' columns refer to the issue immediately prior to
this.
Rating -- Average Rating, in Shields (maximum rating is 5.0). The number
in () indicates how many people submitted ratings.
Rank -- The relative ranking of the book among the regularly-published
Superman titles. (T) indicates a tie.
Average -- Average of the ratings for this title over the previous six
issues, each of which is weighted equally, regardless of the
number of people who assigned it ratings. If the average is for
fewer than six issues, the number of issues is displayed in ().
Current Previous Average
Title Issue Rating Rank Rating Rank Rating Rank
----- ----- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
Supergirl 36 3.8(7) 1 3.8(8) 1 3.52 2
A. Bizarro 3 3.6(8) - 4.0(7) - 3.77(3) -
World's Finest 6 3.6(8) - 3.3(7) - 3.23 -
JLA 33 3.5(12) 2 3.2(11) 4 3.17 5
Superboy 66 3.5(7) 3 3.3(10) 3 3.80 1
Superman 148 3.2(11) 4 3.5(11) 2 3.15 6
Young Justice 12 3.1(9) 5 2.9(9) 5 3.30 3
JLA Annual 3 3.0(8) - 3.0(7) - -- -
Man of Steel 92 3.0(12) 6 2.9(12) 6 3.07 7
Action Comics 757 2.7(12) 7 1.9(12) 8 3.02 8
Superman Adv. 35 2.6(5) 8 2.5(4) 7 3.20 4
Adv. of Superman 570 2.5(11) 9 2.4(11) 9 2.67 9
"Cogito 1, Cyborg 0"
AOS #570, ACTION #757, MOS #92
- While none of the last three parts of Peyer, Grindberg, and Palmer's
month-long fill-in quite lived up to the promise shown by part 1 (Superman
as Green Lantern in last month's _Superman_ #147, 3.5 Shields), at least
they didn't stink up the joint as the last outing of this sort was seen to
do. Compare this arc's marks of 3.5, 2.5, 2.7 and 3.0 Shields with the
rather poor showing of 2.6, 2.6, 2.1, and 2.4 Shields we saw for Kandor
and the Cyborg. One can hope that the improvement means that if the team
comes back for a third round, we might see something good, instead of just
something that wasn't bad.
"Where the Wild Things Are..."
SUPERBOY #66 (3.5 Shields)
- The return of the new cast to the Wild Lands wasn't greeted quite as
enthusiastically as their original foray, but enough people thought that
it was enough fun to put it in third place. The cumulative average of
3.80 Shields gave the title first place overall for an unprecedented
seventh consecutive month. The only title that looks to have even a hope
of catching it in the near future is _Supergirl_ (which finished #1 in the
'current issue' standings for the second straight month), but Misters
David and Kirk have their work cut out for them if they hope to topple
Kesel and (usually) Grummett from their perch.
Information for 'Ratings at a Glance' and the ratings that accompany the
monthly reviews of Superman comics are obtained from KC readers. To become
a contributor, or to obtain information about what is required, contact
Shane Travis at <travis@kryptonian-cybernet.com>.
__________________________________
THE KC NEWSROOM
---------------------------------
By Joshua Elder (j-elder@nwu.edu)
THIS IS BIG, REALLY BIG
I'm sure you all already know about this since it's headlining every
comic-related website and newsgroup in existence right now, but if for some
reason you haven't heard: it appears that DC is going to have to give up
50% ownership of Superman to the heirs of Superman co-creator, Jerry
Siegel. I said it was big.
The story broke on August 31 thanks to Matt Brady at AnotherUniverse.com
(http://www.anotheruniverse.com/comics/features/supermanrights.html). The
basic gist of the article is this: in 1997, Joanne Siegel and Laura Siegel
Larson, Jerry's wife and daughter, respectively, filed to revoke the
transfer of copyright on the Superman character given to DC in 1938. This
gives the Siegels 50% ownership of the character effective April 16, 1999.
This 50% share of ownership entitles the Siegels to not only half of the
profits on any Superman product (comic, toy, film, etc.) but also gives
them the rights to produce their own Superman material. The ownership
extends not only to Superman, but to all other derivative works, i.e.
Supergirl, Superboy, Steel, the Legion of Superheroes, etc., as well.
Recent changes in US Copyright law designed to bring it closer to
International Copyright standards are what gave the Siegels the ability to
accomplish this remarkable feat. These changes provide the original authors
with an option to terminate any transfer of copyright (Siegel and Shuster
"transferred" their copyright to Superman when they sold the character to
DC for $130 in 1938) made prior to January 1, 1978. The termination may
take place within a five year period beginning 56 years after the grant of
the initial transfer. The parties requesting the termination of copyright
must also file two years in advance, thereby explaining why the papers were
filed in 1997.
It is unknown at this point exactly what the Siegels plan to do with their
copyright. They are still in negotiations with Warner Brothers and neither
side has issued a statement.
I don't know what to say about this. This could change everything about the
way Superman books are published. The Siegels probably won't exercise their
right to create their own Superman comics, but at the very least this means
that DC will only make half as much profit on Superman as they used to.
This could mean either an explosion in Superman product to make up for the
loss or an implosion, as books that don't make as much money (_Supergirl_
and _Superboy_ being prime examples) might be forced to discontinue
publishing. I doubt this will occur as the Siegel family will not
intentionally put anyone out of work, nor will they do anything to cause
irreparable harm to the character that was so near and dear to Jerry's
heart.
This is exactly what Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster spent much of the latter
part of their lives fighting for, to be recognized and get their fair share
of the character they created. It's too bad it took so long.
THE MOMENTUM BUILDS
With October just around the corner, everyone is getting revved up about
the Man of Steel again. Even _Wizard_ has gotten in on the act, finally
showing some interest in the Super-titles again. So lets hear what the
plans are for Big Blue straight from the proverbial horses' mouths.
Superman group editor Eddie Berganza recently shed some light on the
overall structure of the titles in a Comic Book Continuum interview
(http://detnews.com/metro/hobbies/comix/stories/9907/30/index.htm). "We are
going to keep the triangle numbers, but that doesn't mean they're going to
be an inter-connected as they have been in the past," Berganza said. "You
will be able to read a single issue and enjoy it or you can read them all
in a month and get a bigger story." He also stated that for the eight
months they currently have planned, the books will interconnect three
times, but only for a month each time.
In yet another Continuum interview
(http://detnews.com/metro/hobbies/comix/stories/9908/03/index.htm), Jeph
Loeb revealed his plans for the adjectiveless _Superman_. Loeb will be
joined by artist Mike McKone for three issues before Ed McGuinness takes
over as the regular artist. I've seen some preview pages for both these
guys' issues and lemme tell ya, they look great. Loeb wants to refocus
things on the core cast, with an especially powerful focus on Lois Lane,
considering that all of Loeb's issues will be narrated by Mrs. Superman.
The other core cast members will be given plenty of development as well,
with Jimmy Olsen returning to the Planet as a cub reporter/photographer and
Perry taking over once again as Editor-in-Chief.
Joe Kelly and Jeph Loeb both sounded off on their plans for Supes in
_Wizard_ #98 (which sports a beautiful Shuster-esque cover by Ed
McGuinness). Kelly said that he's been brought onto the book to "...throw a
bit of humor and absurdity in, to bounce weird ideas off this very classic
Superman concept and see what evolves out of that." If Kelly's humor can
work as well for Superman as it did for _Deadpool_, I feel that we should
have a winner here. Kelly also made clear the ultimate goal of the newly
revitalized Superman team: "I'll be conservative. I'd say, in a year, the
books are top-20 sellers and we're at another summit planning what will
take us into the top 10. So within two years, we'll be top 10. That might
be a little bit slow, but I'm being conservative." Amen to that, brother.
SUPERMAN TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN KOSOVO
A comic book featuring Superman will soon be distributed to about 500,000
children in and near Kosovo to help teach them to avoid land mines, first
lady Hillary Rodham Clinton recently stated. "Now he will be both a hero
and a guide to the children of Kosovo," Clinton said at a White House
unveiling of the comic book, which aid groups have already begun
distributing.
The comic book features Superman swooping from the sky to stop two boys
from disturbing a mine and offering lessons in spotting and avoiding the
potentially deadly weapons. The book is aimed at ethnic Albanian refugees
driven from their homes in Kosovo before and during the 78-day NATO air
war, and the dialogue is in Albanian. A similar Superman comic book was
distributed in Bosnia after the war ended there in 1995, and another
version has been used in Central America.
THOSE WACKY SUPERMAN WANNABES
DC Comics has filed a $300,000 (Canadian) lawsuit against Russell Oliver, a
jeweler out of Toronto for copyright and trademark violations of the
Superman character. DC claims that Oliver's "Cashman" television ads, where
he sports red and blue leotards and a cape and wears a large dollar sign on
his chest, confuses the public and depreciates the value of Superman as a
character.
DC told him to stop the ads in a letter last summer, but Oliver has
continued running them on late night Canadian television. Oliver answered
the charges wearing his full costume, saying it was foolish to mistake him,
an overweight Canadian jeweler, for the Last Son of Krypton. Oliver is
currently filing a defense. ($1 US = $1.51 Canadian)
YOU MUST SEE THE IRON GIANT!!!
_The Iron Giant_, the latest release from Warner Bros. animation, is
absolutely stunning. It's the story of massive metal robot from space who
lands in a small Maine town in the 50's at the height of the Red Scare.
It's warm, smart, and just plain fun. Of course the true reason I'm
promoting this film to readers of KC is that it features an incredible
number of Superman references both integral to the plot and emotionally
resonant. I don't want to give too much away, but at the end (don't read
this if you're a "no-spoiler" kind of individual) the Iron Giant must
choose what he wants to be. He chooses to be a hero -- quite literally, he
chooses to be Superman. It's a beautiful moment that actually got me more
than a little choked up. This is a fantastic movie, and I recommend it to
any fan of good cinema, and especially to fans of the first and greatest
superhero of all.
THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN FINDS A NEW HOME
The classic "Adventures of Superman" TV series starring George Reeves has
been picked up by Nickelodeon for use on Nick, Nick-at-Nite, and TV Land.
Check this series out if you want to see the inspiration for a great deal
of the Superman mythos we have today.
THE NEW DC ROLEPLAYING GAME
I was at GenCon, the world's largest gaming convention in Wisconsin, this
year when I ran into the two principle designers of the new DC Roleplaying
game from West End Games. I discussed Superman and the DCU with them,
played a demo of the game, and even got a little hint about the Metropolis
redesigns. The game, and its designers, are very faithful to the DCU. It's
very easy to play, but can as complex as you want it to be. It has rules
for every power under the sun and rules for creating new ones. It's a very
fun game with a great deal of roleplaying potential.
As I was talking with game designer Fred Jandt, he let it drop just how
radical a redesign Metropolis would be getting come January. He said that
they would be releasing a Metropolis sourcebook and a Metropolis travel
guide in the upcoming months, but would have to do it all again for the
"new" Metropolis because Immonen is making such sweeping changes. He said
he'd seen a few pictures of the new City of Tomorrow and all he said was
that everyone would be blown away. I would definitely suggest purchasing
this game when it comes out in September, and I think any Superman fan
worth his salt should pick up the two Metropolis sourcebooks.
THE ORIGIN OF KRYPTO REVEALED!
Elliot S! Maggin, principal Superman scribe for the mid-seventies to early
eighties, has recently posted a short story detailing the origin of the
Silver Age Superboy's best friend, Krypto.
His short story, "Starwinds Howl: The Epic Story of Krypto the Superdog",
is now available online (http://www.starwinds-howl.com/).
I've read the first part and found it very enjoyable. Even for someone who
wasn't even a gleam in my daddy's eye during the Silver Age, I still love
that wacky Super-dog.
WAID AND NEARY REVEAL PLANS AT SAN DIEGO
Waid announced that fans wouldn't have to wait until their debut on the
regular series to see the Waid/Hitch/Neary team on the JLA. The three are
collaborating on a 64-page treasury-sized one-shot called _JLA: Heaven's
Ladder_, due out early next year. Could this be the final Zauriel story? I
guess we'll have to wait and find out.
Waid also revealed at the San Diego con that following Grant Morrison on
_JLA_ is a task that leaves him "sleepless at night." And while Waid said
he plans on paring the team down to the core members (and Plastic Man), he
also said there will be plenty of guest stars. Waid said, "I think Steel
has a place on the team, and I think Atom has a place on the team." And the
JLA/JSA crossover, set to occur around _JLA_ #45 and #46 and _JSA_ #15 and
#16, will bring back Hawkman and iron out the continuity confusion that has
been plaguing him for so long.
NICIEZA BRINGS THE SUPERMEN OF AMERICA CENTER STAGE
Writer Fabian Nicieza, best known for creating Marvel's excellent _New
Warriors_ series, is taking another crack at the teenaged superhero. This
time it's the Supermen of America in a 6-issue series debuting in January
of 2000 and pencilled by Dougie Braithwaite (_Green Arrow_).
In a recent interview with Newsarama
(http://anotheruniverse.com/columns/newsarama/index.html), Nicieza
explained the setup for the series: "Lex Luthor, in his quest to play both
sides of the fence, has financed a 'Guardian Angels' type organization
called 'The Supermen of America', and their goal is to protect the city
streets of Metropolis, help people, etc... Mild-mannered vigilante justice.
Out of all the applicants who joined the group, several were screened out
for their metahuman abilities. This group became the 'Elite Brigade', or
'Mets', as they're nicknamed in the upcoming limited series (Mets being
short for metahumans)."
"Their goals are noble," explained the writer. "They're heroes in training.
They care more about stopping the local mugger than Brainiac's latest
invasion. But what happens when the situation they find themselves in
begins to escalate beyond their ability to control it? When several parties
are after a mysterious energy-containment device, who decides who should or
shouldn't have access to the power inside the storage unit called
Lockdown-6?"
"The story starts out small and local, concerning someone shaking down
Suicide Slum, and rapidly escalates, issue by issue, into a problem of
monumental proportions! A problem the Supermen of America are not really
emotionally or physically equipped to handle! The series is a non-stop
roller-coaster ride that keeps the readers and the characters going up --
and when it all comes crashing down around them, a lot of what these kids
thought was right and true -- about their calling and about the nature of
good and evil -- will be called into question."
Nicieza knows how to write teenaged superheroes and he has an excellent
grasp on what makes Superman and his world tick. Sounds like a sure-fire
combination for a good series to me.
GAIMAN TAKES ON SUPERMAN
Coming up in the spring of 2000 could be one of the most interesting
Superman comics in a long time. Edited by Bob Schreck, this is a 38-page
one-shot that was written by Gaiman years ago to serve as the last episode
of the _Action Comics Weekly_ series from the late eighties. It was
scrapped because of continuity issues but is now going to see the light of
day. The story has Green Lantern and Superman going to hell and features
cameos by almost all the characters featured in _Action Weekly_ during that
time.
Not only is the writer of top-notch caliber, but the issue will be
illustrated by some of the best in the business as well, including John
Totleben (the Deadman sequence), Eddie Campbell, Matt Wagner, Mike Allred
(p) and Terry Austin (i), Eric Shanower (p) and Art Adams (i), Gil Kane (p)
and Kevin Nowlan (i), and Jim Aparo (the Phantom Stranger sequence). Frank
Miller will provide the cover. Oh yeah, this one will be a keeper.
MAYBE IT'S NOT SUCH A BAD DISGUISE AFTER ALL
Susanne Hiller of the _National Post_ recently reported on the interesting
findings of a team of psychologists at Wilfrid Laurier University in
Waterloo, Ontario.
They recently completed a study that helps explain how Superman could put
on horn-rimmed glasses and fool Lois Lane for more than 60 years. Through a
series of experiments, the study found that sunglasses -- and by extension
regular eyeglasses -- actually do disguise people.
"When we are studying a face, a normal face that is not disguised by
eyewear, we spend a lot of time looking at the eyes because the eyes are a
very rich source of information about a face," said Dr. William Hockley.
"When the eyes of that face are covered up we have, in effect, less
information with which to make a decision about the person."
Dr. Hockley and two colleagues asked university students to look at a
series of faces for about two seconds per face. They then asked them to try
to recognize the same faces wearing sunglasses. The models wore white lab
coats and did not sport any visual cues, such as facial hair. They did not
wear makeup, hair adornments or jewelry. In most cases, people really were
not sure if the face with sunglasses was the same one they had seen without
sunglasses. On the other hand, if they studied the original faces wearing
sunglasses, they felt uncertain if they saw the same face without
sunglasses.
"The question was: 'To what extent do sunglasses interfere with people's
ability to remember faces they have already seen?'" Dr. Hockley said. "The
answer is yes, sunglasses do interfere a great deal with memory."
The findings are consistent with the "memory encoding specificity
principle," which states that memory is best when the person you are trying
to remember looks the same as when you originally met the person. The same
principle can be applied to regular glasses and other eyewear, Dr. Hockley
said. Therefore, the study "absolutely" explains why Lois Lane did not make
the connection that Superman and Clark Kent were the same person. The
bespectacled Clark Kent was a nerdy reporter at The Daily Planet. Without
his glasses, awkward Clark suddenly transformed into a superhero.
"Lois probably thought that Superman looked terribly familiar, but couldn't
figure it out without the glasses."
SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION
I've recently written a Superman comic script called "When you're Older."
It deals with Superman having to explain to a little girl dying of leukemia
why she can't come back from the dead like he did. It can be found at:
http://www.northwesternchronicle.org/~templar/whenyoureolder.htm
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End of Section 1
_____________________________________
A CONVERSATION WITH ELLIOT S! MAGGIN
------------------------------------------------
By Anatole Wilson (anatolewilson@yahoo.com)
and Rich Morrissey (RMorris306@aol.com)
Beginning with "Must There Be a Superman?", Elliot S! Maggin (with Cary
Bates) helped define the Superman of the '70s and early '80s. For fifteen
years, he not only chronicled the adventures of Superman, but also the JLA,
Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Captain Marvel, and many more.
He wrote the two best-selling novels, _Last Son of Krypton_ and _Miracle
Monday_, as well as _Generation-X_ with Scott Lobdell. He was lured back
into writing about the Man of Steel when Mark Waid both dedicated the
mini-series to him and asked him to adapt _Kingdom Come_ in novel form.
This August, _Kingdom Come_ the novel will be released in paperback.
AW: I have the sense that many of our readers started reading Superman
post-Crisis, and aren't very familiar with your body of work and how many
of the themes you touched back then relate to your novelization of _Kingdom
Come_. So it's probably a good idea to start at the beginning...
ES!M: Well, let's make one contribution to popular culture by defining that
hybrid term "novelization." It comes up as an error on my spelling checker
and I haven't added it to my dictionary. "Novelization" is a process: the
process of turning something that isn't a novel into a novel. So I expect
that the proper term for the product of that process would be a "novel."
It's a small point, but I like to think of what I wrote as a novel.
AW: I've read that your first comic book story, "What Can One Man Do?",
which appeared in _Green Lantern_ #86, was originally a term paper for a
course in American Media. What point were you making in your term paper,
and how did it relate to the theme of the story?
ES!M: "What Can One Man Do?" was actually the largest part of that
particular term paper. It was a course on American history, for a section
on media. The point I was making was that a comic book story, effectively
directed, could be not just an entertainment but an ideological tool as
well. I wanted to illustrate that the comic book medium was effective in
presenting a multi-layered point of view, and could do so effectively with
a minimum of subtlety and a great deal of effectiveness.
RM: According to past accounts, "What Can One Man Do" was originally
written as a 19-page story. What was cut out and/or changed for
publication, and what did you think of the changes?
ES!M: I did the cutting and pasting myself, so I had no substantive
objections to them. I welcomed the task, in fact, as a useful and
entertaining exercise. There were portions of the story that wanted
tightening, so I tightened them. I would have liked the phone scene in that
story -- where Ollie called a succession of friends for advice -- to be a
two-page spread as I originally wrote it, but Neal's execution made it
quite effective, and I enjoyed the story in its final form quite a bit.
You've got to remember that this was my first comics story, that I had only
the vaguest notion that I might be able to do some more for publication,
and I certainly had no idea that as a result I was going to get to ride
Superman's cape for fifteen years. I was a junior in college. It was just a
homework assignment for me; only more fun than most.
AW: You've said that your first Superman story, "Must There Be a
Superman?", was the foundation for the rest of your Superman stories. Could
you elaborate on that?
ES!M: It was a story in which I articulated to myself a number of the
questions that eventually I tried to answer with the Superman series: What
was Superman's relationship to his charges, the people of the Earth? To the
authoritative functionaries of the rest of the Universe like the Guardians
and, by extension, those who might be considered deities? What were the
limits of Superman's responsibilities? Were there differences between the
real limits of his responsibilities and his perception of those
responsibilities? What role did his heritage, both on Earth and among the
stars, play in the determination of his actions? What long-term effects
were coming about as a result of his intercession? And so forth. These were
all questions I mulled over, most of which I dismissed for a time, in the
course of writing that story. It was my first Superman story, and Julie
[Schwartz, longtime Superman editor], Denny [O'Neil, writer and editor],
Neal [Adams, artist], Murphy [Anderson, artist and regular Superman inker
at the time], Carmine [Infantino, artist and then DC publisher], and others
made a point to me over and over -- as if they had rehearsed it together
and all decided to impress me with it individually -- that it was the
general belief that Superman was the hardest character to write. In fact,
it took me about a month, maybe more, to write that one story. I believed
them all for awhile, but I eventually realized I was not really struggling
particularly with Superman at all. I was exulting in writing this series.
It took me awhile to notice this, but it was true. And I think I managed to
deal with what the others found so difficult, simply because I had started
out by posing to myself what I considered to be these fundamental
questions. I think many of my subsequent stories addressed individually
most of the questions this first story posed.
RM: Some people do find Superman easy to write, I've found. Others
(including most of the people you mention, definitely including Denny,
Neal, and Carmine) gravitate more easily to less powerful heroes like
Batman, finding them inherently more plausible (since Batman theoretically
could exist in the real world; Superman couldn't). Perhaps it's a matter of
the level of their power fantasies, or the use of a hero's power and
ability as a metaphor for the real world. Jenette Kahn herself tends to
divide professionals into "Batman people" (like Bill Finger, Denny, Neal,
Doug Moench, Chuck Dixon, Frank Miller, and Alan Grant, most of whose
comics work has been on Batman and other characters with relatively limited
powers), and "Superman people" (like Jerry Siegel, Cary Bates, John Byrne,
Mike Carlin, Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, and Mark Waid) who tend to favor
Superman and other super-powered heroes. Yet it's almost inevitable that
people in the latter category seem more attracted to real-world power than
those in the former category...which has applied perennially at DC; in the
Silver Age Superman editor Mort Weisinger very definitely dominated Batman
editor Jack Schiff, and Jenette Kahn herself, despite her expressed
preference for "Batman people" promoted Superman's Mike Carlin over the
(senior) head of Batman's Denny O'Neil.
ES!M: Well I think your exception denies the rule. It's well and good to
try and find patterns among the madness, but I think in this case the
conflict is specious. Superman is no more fantastic than Batman. Batman is
no more realistic than Superman. Both require a separate universe with
suspended laws of physics, chemistry and biology to rationalize. It's just
a matter of how effective the storyteller is at prompting the audience to
suspend disbelief. The real question, I think, is what moral issues do you
want to deal with in the stories to which the character lends itself. I
guess you could call me a "Superman person" because I tend to see the more
universal and enduring themes that a Superman story embraces as a better
intellectual workout. This does not, however, make the themes to which a
Batman story addresses itself either exclusionary or somehow less
significant.
The only recurring question of the Superman series, I realized in
retrospect, that was missing from that story was the question of Superman's
relationship with his disguise, Clark Kent. Who was real and who was the
fiction? Was either real? Was either a fiction? This was the only Superman
story I ever wrote, I believe, in which Clark Kent did not appear at all,
and come to think of it, that is in some sense consistent with my eventual
answer to the question -- an answer that is at odds with the approach being
taken in the current series. I went back to the Homeric and mythological
attitude toward the disguise. The disguise may be vivid and important --
even beloved to the hero -- but the hero's true nature is the heroic one.
Check out the story of Odysseus' return to Penelope. Check out the story of
Leda and the Swan. It makes more sense that way, and has more classical
resonance, I think.
AW: That story was only one of many you pitched to Julius Schwartz on that
day. Were there any other ideas in there you would have liked to pursue,
but couldn't because they were shot down, or you never had the opportunity
to follow through?
ES!M: I remember having presented a great many story ideas to Julie that
day. I don't remember what any of them was specifically. I only recall a
phrase Julie shot back at me that struck me funny at the time. "No elves,"
he said. "Don't want to hear anything about elves." For some reason he felt
short people were being overused at the time. I think what I was trying to
bring to Julie that day was stuff like what everyone else was doing, and
what he pounced on was something like no one else was doing. The story
idea, you may know, was out of a conversation I had had a few days earlier
with Jeph Loeb, who was about 12 or 13 at the time. I forgot the
conversation and remembered the story. I think it's a bit of attractive
symmetry that Jeph is writing the series now. Cool, huh? Over and over
since then I've been told by editors and agents that I have this
difficult-to-market penchant for trying to go "off-model," for trying to
press at the walls of what a series is doing at the time. Superman was in
trouble in 1971 -- in enough trouble that the powers that be found it
advisable to entrust him to the likes of a couple of kids like Cary Bates
and me. I felt so empowered by the experience of pulling the character out
of the clutches of innocuousness and oblivion in those days, that I've been
trying to repeat the trick ever since. One of these days I'll find an
editor or a producer who's courageous or desperate enough to walk that walk
with me again, but not so far.
AW: Why "not so far?" Many of DC's critical successes have been old
characters (Swamp Thing, Sandman, Animal Man) whose traditional
characterizations have been turned on their heads. (And, I might point out,
they're doing lots of stories with elves.) Are there any characters other
than Superman you might be tempted to revamp?
ES!M: I don't know. My wife and my literary agent both say it might be my
personality. I have this tendency toward aggressiveness when it comes to
creative intention. Had a massive run-in with an editor and an artist not
long ago because I spent a lot of energy presenting the reasons I chose to
do one thing or another in a project, and I later found that they were just
fed up with my approach. I thought we were having creative differences;
they called it a personality conflict. Go figure. I'd be delighted to take
a crack at virtually any established character and make the moribund dance
and sing. I love to do that stuff. I'd much rather work on something I own
myself, though. It's not the money -- one of my problems is that I've never
been very good at following the money -- but there are just fewer people to
account to in the latter case.
RM: I actually thought you and Cary Bates went "off-model" quite a bit more
than John Byrne and his successors, who often got credit for it but never
seemed to me to be doing more than turning Superman into a generic Marvel
(or, far worse, generic Image) character, neither of which he should be.
ES!M: I'll agree with that, only because it sounds like you're boosting
Cary Bates. Cary deserves a good boost, I think. He's a genuinely
innovative thinker and has never gotten much recognition for that.
RM: Paradoxically, it's usually the less successful characters and
companies (EC in the '50's, Marvel in the '60's, DC in the '70's and early
'80's) who try to do the most experimentation; more successful companies
tend to stick with a successful formula.
ES!M: I don't find that a paradox. Pushing at the dense wall separating
convention from innovation is what creative people do. Did you know that
small businesses, for example, fired by the enthusiasms and visions of
their founders, generate jobs at a rate thirteen times greater than big
established companies? That's an extraordinary number. The same holds true
for any creative enterprise. That's why the music business gets shaken up
by a fundamental change in the character of popular genres and Jefferson
observed that Shay's Rebellion was overdue and indicated an inadequate
penchant for the people of the young United States to commit insurrection
against their government. Stories are dreams. They're supposed to force you
into dealing with situations that have never confronted you, but ultimately
might. They're supposed to shake up your consciousness and spiritual
foundations, not lull them into complacency. Complacent, chronically
"on-model" storytellers are doomed in the long term.
AW: It seems to me that most writers consider Superman the hardest
character to write for either because of his powers, his icon status, or
his image as "the big blue boy scout." Does this seem like a fair analysis?
If so, how do you get around this when writing about him, or do you try to
get around this at all?
ES!M: I found that this was true of Superman only when I got gun-shy as a
result of the warnings of others. The way you get around his icon status is
what I've said before: Love your characters and live with them, and don't
try to freeze them in place and revere them to death. Talk to them. Listen
to them. Ride along on their adventures and write down what you see. I've
learned in adulthood what I never realized other than on a gut level as a
young writer trying to resurrect an icon: Fantasy is real. Metaphor is
real. Look at the opening page of Kingdom Come if you want to understand my
approach to dreams versus reality. I do believe in Santa Claus. And I
believe in flying dogs in capes. And separating your fantasy reality from
your temporal reality is no more difficult than speaking two languages and
keeping track of when you're speaking one or the other. One language is no
"better" or more expressive than another. It's just that some ideas in some
languages are untranslatable to some others. Without believing it yourself,
I can't see how you can make a story work. As for the image of Superman as
a boy scout, that's simply what he is. Do we have a problem with that? I'm
a Boy Scout. I was Cubmaster of my son's pack for years. Never got to be an
Eagle Scout but I've attended a load of Courts of Honor where people I was
proud of got to be Eagles. There was an attitude in the Sixties and
Seventies -- some of the best times of my life nonetheless -- that there
was some kind of inconsistency between saluting the flag and voting
Democratic; between having a point of view that is progressive and
thoughtful, and experiencing the holy. I see no such dichotomy and I'm
pleased to say I wasn't cowed by the thought, when I was a kid, that there
might be some inconsistency there that I just wasn't understanding.
AW: I think the connotation "Boy scout" is meant to imply naivete, or to
suggest that an uncompromising moral code is somehow outdated, or something
only an inhuman being could retain. There's also the issue of respect for
the law in an age where authority is often questioned and our political and
judicial systems are constantly ridiculed. The example in Kingdom Come
would be when Superman had Magog prosecuted, when I think most people would
have said the "human" response would be to take revenge, or "rightfully"
execute a mass murderer.
ES!M: Not something Superman does. Simply out of the question. Any example
of a character taking that action is demonstrably not a Superman story.
It's something else. That doesn't make the character naive. It makes him
more effective. Which is not to say that in some way the character is not
naive. That's simply not the manifestation of it.
RM: You've said that Superman has always been your favorite character, both
as an icon and as a human being. How do you see him as a character?
ES!M: How do I see him as a character? I'm not sure what the answer to that
is, other than to refer you to all the stuff I've written about him and let
you figure it out from that. That's the easy way out. I think that
Superman's place in contemporary American mythology is what attracts me to
him. There are just so many things about him that qualify him to occupy a
level comparable to that of Zeus or Odin or Arthur or Lincoln in
predecessor cultures. I'd like to think that my years wrestling with
Superman were the training I need to begin to map the path of Twenty-First
Century mythology, however that shakes down. I'm working on it.
AW: In what ways are you working on "mapping the path", and where do you
see this path leading?
ES!M: If you asked me that question about Superman in 1971, I wouldn't have
had a clue what you were referring to, and might have given you a
misleading answer that, in retrospect, would now make me look like a total
washout. I'm just writing what I'm writing, trying to keep in touch with
whatever muses cross my path, and being pleasantly surprised whenever it
hangs together coherently.
RM: How do you envision the distinction between Superman and Clark Kent? Do
you agree with Jules Feiffer that Superman is the real identity and Clark
the assumed one, with John Byrne that Clark is the real person and Superman
only the costume, or do you consider them both real people, and different
sides of the same man's personality?
ES!M: I think Jules Feiffer got it on the head and John and those who
continue to adhere to his interpretation are just wrongheaded about it.
Certainly they're both "real" people -- but Clark is real to Superman in
the sense that Superman is real to us. Clark has depth and preferences and
structures of belief that grow as he grows older, but these are all
constructs of Superman's obsession with him. Clark is a soul just as
Superman is a soul. But in the same sense that Superman is a soul who is
the product of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's souls -- and those of every
creator through whose hands he has passed -- Clark is a soul who is most
directly a construct of that of Superman. I refer you back to the use of
disguise in mythology. Certainly, within the confines of the story of
Apollo's conception, the Swan existed -- but Apollo was nonetheless Zeus'
son. Would Jerry and Joe ever have sold -- or even cared about -- the epic
comic book adventures of Clark Kent? I mean Clark's a nice guy and all, but
it would be an irrelevancy.
RM: As you put it in one of your novels, Superman's hobby was Clark Kent.
ES!M: Exactly. His religion, too.
RM: Follow-up question: It's been said that the Lois and Clark TV show
essentially presented the John Byrne Superman, that being the version of
Superman appearing in the comic books of the time. Would you say that the
Christopher Reeve movies reflected the Maggin/Bates/Swan Superman, that
being the Superman who appeared in comics when *they* appeared? Not in all
ways of course (Clark wasn't a TV newscaster), but in others (like the
characterization of Superman and Clark Kent; Reeve is said to have read a
number of contemporary Superman comics for research) they seemed to reflect
your own work.
ES!M: I don't know. I know the people who put together the show did a lot
of reference to my two novels. Other than the characterization of Luthor
and of Clark as the "real" person rather than Superman -- which, I
understand, the folks at DC specified -- the series was pretty consistent
with my ideas of the character. I thought Dean Cain was terrific -- to my
surprise and to that of the people who first cast him as a last resort. I
even wrote an episode on spec one summer. Unfortunately, it was the summer
before they did a story arc about Clark and Lois' engagement and Lois
getting a long-term case of amnesia and some frog-eating illness -- and my
script was inconsistent with their intended direction. The story editor I
spoke with loved it and told me I'd given it to him about six months late.
(Continued in Section 3)
_____________________________________
End of Section 2
_____________________________________
A CONVERSATION WITH ELLIOT S! MAGGIN
------------------------------------------------
By Anatole Wilson (anatolewilson@yahoo.com)
and Rich Morrissey (RMorris306@aol.com)
(Continued from Section 2)
RM: I've always thought you wrote one of the best versions of Lex Luthor
ever (along with Edmond Hamilton and Jerry Siegel, both of whom seemed to
influence your version). Like Marvel's Doctor Doom and _Star Wars_' Darth
Vader, he's a fascinating villain because he's not so much an evil man as a
good man who took a wrong turn due to his ego. How do you see him and his
rivalry with Superman?
EM: You've got it about right. What do I add to that? Luthor is me. On my
best days. Not to say I'm some kind of super-genius, but on a really good
heavy-duty writing day I can be really smart for about three or four hours.
It's in those three or four hours -- totally obsessed and focused -- where
I find Luthor.
RM: You and Cary Bates were the main writers of Superman for a number of
years, and collaborated on several stories. How did your views of the
character compare? And how did you feel about the other Superman writers,
from Denny O'Neil to Leo Dorfman to Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Gerry Conway,
and Martin Pasko, during your tenure?
ES!M: All of these guys are people with whom I have had some measure of
friendship and whom I respect and admire a great deal. Leo Dorfman died not
long after I met him, and I wished I had been able to know him better.
Denny startled the bejeebers out of me last time I saw him when he told me
that, as far as he can tell, he is now the senior editor in the field. I
guess he is -- but I still think of myself as a kid, and I think of him as
someone who ought to think of himself as a kid because I do. He remains, I
believe, the finest and most skilled writer in the field -- without
exception. Len, Marv, Marty, and Gerry have all been people with whom to
break bread and share a joke, occasionally at my expense. These guys are
signposts to me, and Cary is still my main man. To talk about them in other
than personal terms is virtually impossible for me.
RM: What do you think of the changes made, by John Byrne and others, to
Superman since your departure... especially Lois Lane's learning Clark's
identity and finally marrying him?
ES!M: Ever hear of a girl named Joyce Maynard? She's this middle-aged
housewife in New Hampshire somewhere with a talent for autobiography. She's
made a career out of autobiography. She wrote the novel _To Die For_, and I
hear she's got an unspeakably huge advance for a book on an old friend of
mine who is in prison now and whose story ought to be told more sensitively
than Joyce is capable of. Lately she's marketed a collection of love
letters written to her long ago by the reclusive writer Jerry Salinger with
whom she once had an affair. I don't approve. I first became aware of Joyce
Maynard when she was 18 and I was 20 and she had written a series of three
long articles for The New York Times Magazine on what it's like to be young
and hip in America. At the time, I was likewise hip and almost as young
and, I fancied, a significantly better writer. So I hated her. I don't
still hate her. I just disapprove -- and only mildly, at that. Lately I had
occasion to reread her series for the Times Magazine from back in the
Pleistocene Epoch and grudgingly decided that after all it was quite well
written, considering her age and cluelessness at the time. But I was
likewise clueless and still managed to be hip (for the benefit of the
currently young and clueless, they call that "fly" now, I believe) and
still ought to have written the series, I thought. And sometimes I still
think that.
What was the question . ?
RM: I know how you feel! There was a time when Nelson Bridwell (whom I knew
quite well) was editing _Superman Family_, and the writer of the Jimmy
Olsen stories (Gerry Conway, I think) had just left DC for Marvel. I tried
to get the assignment, only to find out the front office had pushed a
replacement on him... Tom DeFalco, who later got to be Editor-in-Chief at
Marvel. I really resented him then; less so now. But I still think I should
have got the Olsen assignment.
ES!M: And in a parallel universe I'm the Senator from New Hampshire and Tom
DeFalco is interviewing you for Kryptonian Cybernet.
RM: Speaking of politics, It was also reported that you'd originally wanted
Oliver Queen to run for mayor (which he finally did) and win (which he
ultimately didn't). Is this so, and, if it was, what would you have done
with him as mayor?
ES!M: I don't know, but I'm sure it would have been fun. Frankly, I got a
bit preoccupied with Superman after that. Julie just wasn't ready to have
me take Green Arrow off in my own direction at that point. He had Denny
with a kind of brotherly affinity for the character, and running for office
was a notion quite alien to Denny. You'll remember that it was Denny who
undid Ollie's fortune -- de-Batmanned Green Arrow in a sense -- and I think
Denny did this in order to present a character whose ambitions and values
mirrored his own to some extent. Ultimately, it's what I did with Superman
-- albeit with similar values but a whole constellation of divergent
ambitions.
RM: Interestingly, I'm in the process of writing an article about Denny's
JLA stories (which of course tie in with his Green Arrow; especially the
development he gave the only JLA members not appearing in a solo strip that
carried over to GL). Although having Oliver Queen go bankrupt might have
been a bit excessive, I could see it as a case of Denny's attempt to move
him as far from being a Batman clone as possible (which had gone pretty far
by the '50's... I mean, an Arrowcave? Arrows and archers, unlike bats,
aren't generally associated with caves...) and closer to his other main
inspiration, Robin Hood. (It had to be pointed out to me that, as Robin
Hood had been a nobleman who lost his title and land when Richard Coeur de
Leon left for the Crusades and his brother John took the throne, so did
Oliver Queen lose his fortune due to the schemes of John ...)
ES!M: That's really cool. I never noticed that before. I think Julie,
Denny, Mike [Grell] and the others who wrote Green Arrow at the time were
really careful well into the Eighties not to use the Robin Hood analogy
overtly, so I don't know how much of the parallel they executed
consciously. I like to think that recurring patterns in popular culture
recurbecause we have something going on in the collective consciousness
that makes them bubble up -- like the creation myth or the flood story that
appears in cultures all over the world without apparent cross-referencing.
RM: Still, as a followup, I remember the _World's Finest_ story you wrote
in which Ollie finally ran for office... only to fall victim to a
last-minute fix. Why couldn't he have actually won then? Denny probably
wouldn't have cared; he'd gone back to Marvel (at least for the time being)
by then...
ES!M: It was my last Green Arrow story. I hadn't written the character for
a long time and knew I wouldn't likely be doing it again ever. I just
wanted to tie up some strings. I wish I'd had him win. Then I might have
done better when I ran for Congress not long afterward.
RM: Whose idea was it to split up the Green Lantern/Green Arrow team, and
give each hero a strip of his own, after the regular title was cancelled?
ES!M: I think it was Carmine Infantino's. It could have been Julie's,
though, with Carmine signing onto the idea and making it his own. Editors
had a lot more autonomy in those days than they do now, but their actions
were ultimately the responsibility of their publishers. The Green
Lantern/Green Arrow series could have gone on much further, I believe, if
DC had the kind of oversight in the marketplace that they have now. I'm
convinced -- and I understand that there is significant evidence to support
this -- that the series was selling far better than DC's numbers indicated.
Retailers and distributors had enormous leverage in those days that allowed
them to falsify sales figures and resell coverless comics for which they
had already received a full refund. I walked into a 7-Eleven with Neal
Adams and a bunch of guys around that time -- somewhere outside New York, I
think it was on the way to Vermont one Halloween -- and somebody got it in
his head to prove to Neal that he was more famous than he thought. So he
walked up to a couple of kids looking through some comics, pointed at Neal
and said, "You know who that is?" and when these strangers looked at Neal
you'd have thought they'd seen Eric Clapton or something. I'm certain that
series made a lot more wind in the countryside than was blowing around it
back at the office.
RM: Well, of course they could have recognized Adams from his Batman
stories or even his Marvel work, but I'm inclined to agree that the series
was a better seller than was realized at the time. I know that's the way
it's said to have happened with Jack Kirby's contemporaneous Fourth World
titles, which were cancelled around the same time.
ES!M: Same story. Brilliant comics. Lousy feedback. Get a clue.
RM: Denny O'Neil has always appeared to be, and has specifically said, that
he's personally more in tune with "human" heroes with few if any powers.
You, by contrast, seem to enjoy working with super-powered heroes like
Superman. So why, when the team was split up, did he continue on the Green
Lantern solo stories while you took over the Green Arrow feature, when each
of you might have seemed more at home with the other character?
ES!M: I wasn't in on that decision and I don't think Denny was either, but
you're right about our preferences. I had this whole rebirth idea worked
out for Green Lantern which didn't get any farther than my honors thesis at
Brandeis. Eventually Denny and Green Arrow got back together -- and I still
miss Hal Jordan. Maybe I've just got a penchant for boy scouts.
RM: Actually, Denny didn't do a whole lot more with Green Arrow...just used
him in the second GL/GA run which read like a pale imitation of the SF run
(its worst sequence, I always thought; issues 80-84 or so) of the original
go-round. Mike Grell (who illustrated a number of your backups; how did
*that* collaboration go?) did most of his character development there.
ES!M: I liked working with Mike Grell. Great guy. I really get along well
with people who are outlandishly different from me. I don't think he's ever
gone anywhere unarmed.
RM: How did you see the relationship between Green Arrow and Black Canary?
It always confused me that he seemed to take the lead, even though, at
least by the continuity of the time, she was supposed to be at least a
decade older than he was. Did you ever consider exploring this in a story?
ES!M: Never thought about it. I think the way we got around it was the time
dilation effect of passing between Earth-One and Earth-Two.
Multi-dimensional rationales manage to explain away a lot of
inconsistencies -- like spackling before you paint.
So have you got a problem with older women or what?
RM: Why did you take on the assignment of writing SHAZAM! ?
ES!M: I loved Captain Marvel and lobbied for the job. I felt he was an
important figure in the contemporary mythology and wanted to be the guy
telling his stories.
RM: What do you see as the main distinction between Captain Marvel and
Superman ... especially since, for most of the time since DC took him over,
he's had mostly editors (Julie Schwartz, Mike Carlin), artists (Kurt
Schaffenberger, Bob Oksner), writers (Denny O'Neil, E. Nelson Bridwell, and
yourself), not to mention writer/artists (Jerry Ordway, with a reported
proposal by John Byrne as well) who've also handled Superman? Should he be
done in the same style as Superman, or differently?
ES!M: Differently. He's Jupiter to Superman's Zeus. Where Superman is
serious Captain Marvel ought to be solemn. He's surrounded by talking
tigers and malevolent worms, for heaven's sakes, and he goes about his life
as though that's reasonable. He's Woody Allen to Superman's Clint Eastwood:
a reasonable man in an insane world, as opposed to a man of values imposing
those values on a world only partially able to incorporate them. Get it?
I'm not sure any further analogies would be useful, but I can't quite bring
myself to get the idea out the door any other way.
RM: Could you tell us your side of the 1973 controversy leading to C.C.
Beck's departure from the series?
ES!M: Beck had this notion -- quite reasonable, I think, in retrospect --
that his interpretation of Captain Marvel was the definitive one, and that
any other means of approach was invalid. His artistic style at the time was
criticized as simplistic or out-of-date. I prefer to think of it as
restrained. He put a lot of work into his pieces. Unfortunately, he took
any measure of respect for his contribution as a license to ride roughshod
on other people's likewise hard work. He took liberties with scripts and
made unreasonable demands of editors, attempting to impose policies and
procedures on people who were already comfortable working with one another
with a previously defined set of boundaries. He took outlandish offense at
little things like whether a writer capitalized or underlined material that
was to be bold-faced in the lettering. He insisted, ultimately, on a de
facto creative veto with regard to "his" character. I don't think his style
or creative approach were out of date or no longer valid, but his
interpersonal skills were negligible. His departure from the character was
a classic case of the people in charge simply not wanting to work with him
any longer -- a phenomenon with which I've been acquainted myself.
RM: You briefly wrote the Justice League, both by yourself and with Cary
Bates. Did you want to do more with the group?
ES!M: I would have liked a freer hand for a longer time, but all of life's
experiences are like that, I guess. I found Justice League probably the
most difficult comics assignment I have had -- though, young and foolish, I
approached the difficulty as a challenge. I enjoyed far more what little I
was able to do with a later incarnation of the Justice League -- little
stories I did with Fire and Ice, with Booster and Beetle. I would most have
liked taking that kind of freewheeling storytelling approach with the
traditional characters. That would have been fly. (See? I can do it
sometimes.)
RM: You wrote the story bringing Hawkman back to Earth, introducing the
Equalizer's plague that exiled him from Thanagar. Jack C. Harris finally
resolved this loose end, but did you have any plans of your own as to how
to resolve it?
ES!M: To tell you the truth, I don't remember. Jack's good. I appreciate
his bailing out the loose end when he had the chance.
AW: Let's talk about _Kingdom Come_. Your second novel, _Miracle Monday_,
took a number of your comic book stories and wove them together into a
coherent story. How did the experience of writing _Kingdom Come_, which was
based on Mark Waid's story, differ from that?
ES!M: I took the opportunity to do a good deal of weaving there too. Mark's
story was strikingly consistent, especially with regard to sensibility,
with the work I did in comics -- especially the Superman series -- for many
years. Mark's sensibility was the reason I took the assignment. For the
opportunity to work with characters in old age with whom I had worked in
their youth (as well as mine) I felt able to purge a lot of
long-unsatisfied demons from my system. Browse the book. You can't help but
trip over an example of my filling in the blanks left in my own long-ago
canon. I thank Mark all the time for that chance.
AW: Did you find it constraining, or a greater challenge?
ES!M: Actually it was a little easier having a story framework to start
with. I started both earlier Superman books without much of an outline in
mind. I didn't know you needed one. These days, I plan to a fault. I go out
at night with a cigar and a beer and make diagrams. Writing _Kingdom Come_
was, compared with _Last Son_ and _Miracle Monday_, like an engineering
job. I wrote it at pretty much the speed of light. Comes with experience, I
guess.
AW: One of my favorite parts of the book is when Jennifer Capper found
herself elected President, without campaigning, solely on her merits and
without really wanting the job. Is this a Utopian or dystopian fantasy of
yours or is it the ideal outcome of your own run for Congress?
ES!M: Yeah, I always wanted to get elected President by acclamation myself.
There's a lot to be said for denying high office to anyone who actively
seeks it, but not wanting it also licenses a person to fail. The attitude I
like best was Clinton's when he first got elected. Someone asked him if
he's intimidated by the sudden rush of authority and responsibility, and he
said basically that he'd turned his skin inside out to get to be President,
and to shrink before the task now would be altogether too self-important to
be acceptable.
AW: In your forward to _Kingdom Come_, you say that super-hero stories are
not about gods, but about the way humans wish themselves to be. Yet so many
of today's comic book "heroes" are nihilistic and amoral -- heroism is
almost an accident. Aren't they more like the Greek gods of old than the
super-heroes of the Golden and Silver Ages of comics?
ES!M: I think a lot of current interpretation of "heroism" misses the
point. Free-fall sales through this Dark Age of Comics bears that out. I
think we're marking time until somebody wakes up and gets back in touch
with the American character.
Working on that one too.
AW: How is each of these characters changed by the events of _Kingdom
Come_: - Superman
ES!M: He recognized and thus overcame the error of his desertion of the
obligations that, until the death of Lois, defined his life and gave his
days meaning. By finding himself again as a result of the love and tutelage
of another great woman, he finally honored Lois.
- Wonder Woman
She suffered the wrath of her Fates that came as a result of the classic
tragic flaw of each of her predecessor Greek heroes: hubris. She overcame
these adversities through battle, lost some friends, and learned the lesson
of humility of which she shows evidence by finally involving herself in the
life of a worthy man as formidable as herself.
- Norman McKay
ES!M: As an old man, he is reminded of his childhood faith, wraps it up in
his personal tradition and finds a way to give it as a gift to his
community.
- The Spectre
ES!M: Finally, at great pain, he remembers his humanity and takes steps to
begin to restore its core values within his soul.
- Magog?
ES!M: Redemption is possible. He allows others to take his hand and lead
him. Absolutely classic.
AW: You've written two original stories in the past couple of years,
"Luthor's Gift" and "Starwinds Howl." Both stories deal largely with
Superman's childhood -- with Superboy. How important would you say that
being Superboy, with a full range of powers, is to Superman's character as
an adult?
ES!M: In my perception, Superman was at some point Superboy. Child is
father to the man, we all know. If the character is going to be real, if he
is ever going to be the great man beneath the glasses and the timid facade,
then he has to have been such a person in his most formative years. Anyone
who remembers his own childhood at all must know this.
AW: One of the shortcomings of the comic form -- or any visual medium -- is
that often a facial expression or pause in dialogue takes the place of a
thousand words of introspection. Do you think that writing the novel gave
you greater insight into the characters than was conveyed by the graphic
novel?
ES!M: I certainly hope so. I hope a wonderful graphic novel managed to
inspire a comparably perceptive and viable novel. We'll see. I hope this
novel is one that's not only read, but discussed.
_____________________________________
End of Section 3
_____________________________________
FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET
-----------------------------------------------------
By Douglas M Tisdale Jr (dmtisdale_jr@yahoo.com)
THE BEGINNING
"Boys and girls -- your attention, please. Presenting a new and exciting
radio program featuring the thrilling adventures of an amazing personality.
Faster than an airplane! More powerful than a locomotive! Impervious to
bullets! 'Up in the sky -- look!' 'It's a giant bird!' 'It's a plane!'
'It's SUPERMAN!' And now, Superman: a being no larger than an ordinary man,
but possessed of powers and abilities never before realized on Earth. Able
to leap into the air an eighth of a mile at a single bound, hurdle a
20-story building with ease, race a high-powered bullet to its target, lift
tremendous weights, and rend solid steel in his bare hands as though it
were paper. Superman -- strange visitor from a distant planet, champion of
the oppressed, physical marvel extraordinary who has sworn to devote his
existence on Earth to helping those in need."
With that startling proclamation, the adventures of radio's most exciting
character took flight. And yet, interestingly enough, the very man whose
skills these words outlined was nowhere to be seen in the entire episode!
MILLIONS OF MILES FROM OUR OWN...
Following that startling opening statement, the narrator takes us to the
other side of our own yellow sun, to a planet called Krypton, whose
population has evolved "into a race of Supermen -- men and women like
ourselves but advanced to the peak of physical perfection." One of these
that we quickly meet is Jor-L, who is addressing the ruling body of Krypton
-- the Science Council. Jor-L (brought to life by radio's Dick Tracy -- Ned
Wever, who would return in various roles throughout the run of the Superman
series) pleads with the Council to listen to his findings -- that the
planet Krypton is shifting its orbit, being drawn closer to the sun. When
asked what his solution to the problem is, Jor-L replies that the people of
Krypton could build a fleet of spacecraft similar to the prototype he is
currently working on in his home laboratory, and migrate to another world.
The Science Council laughs him out of their presence. Discouraged but by no
means defeated, Jor-L returns to his lab and continues construction of his
model spacecraft. While he does so, his wife, Lara, approaches.
THE LOVELY MARGOT LANE
The wife of Jor-L was voiced by Agnes Moorhead, one of the premiere radio
actresses of the day. Ms. Moorhead originated the role of Margot Lane on
"The Shadow" opposite Orson Welles; and in fact made her screen debut in
Welles' classic "Citizen Kane." She also portrayed Elizabeth Montgomery's
mother on the television sitcom "Bewitched." Her performance on "Superman"
is brief but memorable as a loving and concerned wife and mother. She
approaches her husband and asks what the Council had to say about his
findings. Bravely, clearly ashamed to admit of his failure to his wife, he
replies "I... I didn't mention it." Their conversation is suddenly
interrupted by a violent quaking -- the planet Krypton beginning its final
death throes. Reacting quickly, Jor-L and Lara place their sleeping infant
son, Kal-L, into the ship, and send him to the safety of the planet Earth
mere moments before Krypton's gravitational shift tears that planet apart.
A JOB FOR SUPERMAN...
The second episode of the series, which aired on February 14, 1940, found
the baby Kal-L's journey complete. "During the voyage," says the narrator,
"the child has become a man," and the long-awaited public debut of Superman
can finally be heard.
The producers of the show decided early on that they would need special
talent to pull of the roles of Superman and his alter ego, Clark Kent. They
were unsure at first whether they should go with one or two actors for the
part; but that question was quickly settled when Clayton "Bud" Collyer
stepped up to the microphone for his audition. Collyer, who had already
made a name for himself as Pat Ryan on the adventure series "Terry and the
Pirates," used a high tenor voice as Clark Kent, dropping down to a low
baritone register for the Man of Steel. No matter how many times I listen
to it, I still get shivers whenever he makes the transition from one to the
other -- "This looks like a job FOR SUPERMAN." Great stuff.
Although Superman himself was nowhere to be seen during his inaugural
episode, the actor who brought him to life so wonderfully was heard as a
mocking voice within the Science Council. Had Bud Collyer had his way, that
would have been the end of it -- despite the fact that his talent was so
perfectly suited for the role of Superman, "I really fought to unload it!"
as he said during a 1966 interview. Bob Maxwell and Allen Ducovny, the
show's producers, tricked Collyer into returning after his audition, and
the actor finally relented to their pressure. He made his first appearance
as Superman in events which I will describe after a brief word on details.
THE STORY'S THE THING
There are nine planets in our solar system, each with their own satellite
moons, and an asteroid belt, all of which revolve around our yellow sun.
Were any of these planets to "shift" in their orbit, the resultant
gravitational disruption would affect all the others. Disastrously. But
this scientific fact is conveniently ignored in the first episode of the
radio series, which had Krypton -- a tenth planet, on the opposite side of
our sun from the Earth -- doing precisely that. This was but the first of
many small "trivial" details that were glossed over during the run of the
"Superman" series. The reason for this score of omissions is simple enough
-- the show was written for children; and kids weren't interested in fact,
they wanted adventure and excitement. It may be -- indeed it *is* --
essential for the Superman myth that the planet Krypton orbited a red sun
in a distant galaxy and it is because of the yellow solar radiation that
Superman's physically perfect body is augmented with super powers; but for
the radio audiences of 1940 it was sufficient to say that Kryptonians were
all Supermen.
Another vital "detail" to the Superman myth is that it was Jonathan and
Martha Kent who found the Kryptonian babe, named him, and raised him with
their own positive moral example. But, because the producers of the series
wanted action and adventure over setup, that didn't happen. Instead,
episode 2 found Superman, already a grownup, observing his new home in
wonderment. Watching from afar, he notices than an elderly Professor and
his young son, Jimmy, are in peril -- the trolley car that they were going
to take into town has run out of control and threatens to smash itself to
bits on a tree which has fallen across the tracks. Quick as lightning,
Superman flies down, tears off the roof of the trolley car, and saves them
just in the nick of time.
The two survivors thank their mysterious benefactor, who they notice is
clad in a "blue costume, with that cloak and shield on your breast" -- the
"clothes of a Superman." Superman asks them to prove their gratitude by
giving him some advice:
Superman: "You know the people here. I have yet to find them out..."
Professor: "You want to meet men, eh?" Superman: "Not 'meet' them,
Professor: observe them. See them at their best and worst; to know who to
help and when help is needed." Professor: "Well let's see... to see men at
their best and worst... how about a newspaper? ... Yes, a great
metropolitan daily!"
Superman's civilian identity is established just as quickly and
conveniently by the Professor's young son, Jimmy, who suggests excitedly,
"How about... 'Clark Kent'? That sounds ordinary enough." Thanking the
Professor and his son for their help, and extracting from them the promise
never to reveal his existence or identity ("I want no one to know... except
those I help"), Superman flies off, eager to join the staff of a major
metropolitan newspaper in his secret identity of mild-mannered Clark Kent.
A GREAT METROPOLITAN NEWSPAPER
Clark Kent attempts to get a job with the Daily Planet, whose gruff editor
Perry White (Julian Noa, who established the blustering editor and cemented
that image in the public's mind's eye) takes a chance on the young
reporter, sending him to Colorado to investigate the threat against the
Western Limited. A mysterious figure called the Wolf has threatened to
destroy that train. Can Kent, who is Superman, make the 200 mile journey in
time to save the Limited, just out of Denver and on its way to Salt Lake?
Tune in next time, same time, same station, to find out!
"Up in the sky -- look!" "It's a bird!" "It's a plane!" "It's SUPERMAN!"
[Quotations taken from the "Superman" radio series, episodes 1 and 2,
released on cassette by Smithsonian Historical Performances.]
__________________________________
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 fifth installment of my
column which will point your way to the many Superman-related sites on the
web. As always, if you are interested in the guidelines I follow when
reviewing sites, there's a page up at:
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Capsule/7801/webofsteel.html
This time around, I'm covering websites for "Lois & Clark: The New
Adventures of Superman," and there's a lot of them (so many, in fact, that
I'll probably have a second one in a few more months, and probably a third
after that).
EPISODE GUIDE
How can I do a column on L&C websites without mentioning our dear editor's
own L&C episode guide? Jeff also keeps you up-to-date on Turner's rerun
schedule for the series. You can find it at:
http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/lc
DOUBLE MEANINGS IN LOIS & CLARK
Yes, it's another Lois & Clark fan site, this one focusing on sounds from
the tv show. Right off the bat, there's an autoplaying sound, which is
always annoying. Essentially, what this site offers are sound bites from
the series which, when taken out of context, have a double entendre to
them. Aside from the autoplaying sound, my biggest complaint is places
where there is red text on the dark blue patterned background (which is
impossible to read on my monitor). If you're a L&C completist, this is a
site you'll want to hit. Four out of five shields (the site achieves the
intent, but I hate autoplaying sounds, and the lack of contrast between
background and text is also annoying).
http://members.aol.com/BluJae/lcsounds.html
CLAUDINE'S LOIS AND CLARK PAGE
Yes, there are a lot of Lois and Clark fan sites out there... and this is
another one. Unfortunately, it's another one with an autoplaying sound on
the home page. The site also uses a bright red background with blue
lettering... barely readable, but it can be read. So far as content goes,
Claudine offers L&C web cards (the first I've seen so far), which earns
points for uniqueness, links to two of the "fifth and sixth season" fan
fiction sites, a place to nominate fan fiction for the current "Kerth"
awards (named after a journalism award from the TV series), bio and photo
pages of Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher, scans of a few articles about the
show, a multimedia page with sounds, video, pictures and photos of fan
gatherings, and a relatively up-to-date news section to let fans know
what's happening with the stars of the show. Altogether a nice package,
marred only by the autoplaying sound (can you tell how much these bother
me?) and text/background choices. Four out of five shields.
http://members.aol.com/cmassih/claudy.htm
IN LOVING MEMORY OF LOIS & CLARK
Andrea's L&C page commits what's fast becoming the "cardinal sin" of
websurfing for me... having an autoplaying sound. Here's another bit of
advice: If you're going to check out this site, grab yourself a bite to eat
while you wait... there's one graphic that's about a megabyte in size
alone! I don't mind a long download time when it's worth it, but this wait
was painfully long. After nearly 20 minutes, I gave up and went to check
out the multimedia area. While there are some nice downloads of promos for
the show from the UK in that area, the blue background is much too dark
compared to the text. Most of the videos are available as AVI files or in
Real Video, which is a nice touch. There are also a good number of screen
captures from the show, as well as photos of co-stars Dean Cain and Teri
Hatcher. The most interesting area of the site is Andrea's creations
inspired by the show, with stories and videos created by her. I didn't
download any of the videos, as I'm not trying to spend *that* much time at
each site I review, but if you're into fan-created videos, check them out.
So, we have a lot of content balanced against an autoplaying sound and long
download time... the content helps overcome those two points quite a bit,
enough so that I can rate this site four shields out of five.
http://www.annie.simplenet.com
COOKIE'S LOIS & CLARK PAGE
Cookie's got a nice little fan site here, although it's been nearly two
years since she's done anything with it. Still... what's there is nice.
There are a nice variety of photos (which aren't all the standard photos
you see on nearly all L&C sites), and probably the biggest feature, a
number of songs you can download that were featured on the show. There are
also a number of scans of prizes Cookie's won on AOL chats for correctly
answering trivia questions. Where this site really suffers is the number of
"New!" bursts (rather unusual for a site that hasn't been updated since
1997) and the link to the FoLC (Fans/Friends of Lois & Clark) Ad (placed in
USA Today in an attempt to get ABC to reconsider cancelling the show as
well as attract more viewers), which when clicked tells you the ad "will
be" appearing... Still, I won't count that against Cookie too badly, as she
wasn't promising anything more than a tribute to her favorite show, which
she's done. Four out of five shields.
http://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~lienanhd/lc.html
THE LOIS & CLARK FANFIC ARCHIVE
Okay, let me begin this review with two disclaimers: 1) The site was
actually reviewed by my wife Barbara, not I (she's much more into
fan-fiction these days than I am) and 2) this archive has all of my own L&C
fan fiction of several years ago (written during the third season of the
show). Those disclaimers aside, let me tell you that this is probably the
best site out there for fan-fiction, period. Want to find a particular
story by title? You can do that. Want to find all stories by a particular
writer? You can do that, too. It's extremely well organized, and I can
easily award it five out of five shields, making it this month's KC Web of
Steel Site of the Month! Highly recommended if you're into fan-fiction!
http://lcfanfic.actwd.com
That's it for this issue, super-surfers... join me back here next time for
a column covering Superman merchandise on the web, plus next month's Site
of the Month! 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 PHANTOM ZONE: Reviews of the pre-Crisis Man of Steel
------------------------------------------------------------------
SUPERMAN #278
-------------------------------------------
By Scott Devarney (devarney@ll.mit.edu)
Back in the mid-70s, DC experimented with a format they called the 100-Page
Super Spectacular. It usually had one new story, about five reprints from
the Golden and Silver Ages, and some shorter features. Several titles
converted exclusively to this format (the Batman titles, _Shazam_, and
_Justice League of America_, to name a few), but just about every
super-hero title published occasional issues in this format.
When _Superman_ went to this format, the stories centered on a theme. The
theme for issue #278 (August 1974) is "Around the World in 100 Pages". The
new story features Superman in the Old West.
SUPER-SHOWDOWN AT BUZZARD GULCH
Writer: Cary Bates
Art: Curt Swan and Bob Oksner
Editor: Julius Schwartz
Terra-Man kidnaps Lois, Jimmy, Perry, Clark, Morgan Edge, Steve Lombard,
and Lola Barnett. All but Clark are hypnotized into believing that they are
residents of the Old West town of Buzzard Gulch. Terra-Man challenges
Superman to a series of seven fights; if Superman loses a fight, one of his
friends dies.
This is a fun story. Terra-Man concedes that he can't stop Superman
directly, so he strikes at the Man of Steel through his friends. This plays
on one of Superman's greatest fears and underscores just how low Terra-Man
truly is. Terra-Man also gets the added "bonus" of humiliating Superman
time and time again. Of course, he also runs the risk of being captured
every time he stages a fight, but one gets the impression that that is part
of the fun for Terra-Man.
The story's pacing is a problem in that it seems rushed. Each confrontation
lasts only a few panels and three of the fights aren't shown at all. Had
each battle lasted for at least a page, tension could have been better
built and there might have been room for more than a cursory look at
Superman's emotions.
LOLA BARNETT'S METROPOLIS GOSSIP
This is one of the short features. It is just a collection of sight gags
involving the cast and is just filler. The other features are a "Tricksy"
comic strip and a "Superman vs. SHAZAM" letters page.
THE MERMAID FROM ATLANTIS
Art: Wayne Boring
Reprinted from _Superman_ #138, July 1960
(All information regarding the original sources of the reprinted material
comes from the main letter column in this issue.)
While Lois and Clark are on assignment at sea, mermaid Lori Lemaris tries
to trick Superman into proposing to Lois.
This story has all of the trademark characterizations of the Silver Age
Superman/Lois stories, namely insensitive Superman and desperate Lois. The
latter is shown when Lois seriously considers a sudden marriage proposal
from an amnesiac shipwreck survivor, for fear of becoming an old maid; the
former is shown when Clark angrily snubs her when she goes to him for
advice. Lori is well-intentioned, but her efforts are wasted on this
clueless pair; after witnessing their behavior, one wonders why anyone
would bother trying to get these two together.
THE COMPASS POINTS TO MURDER
Reprinted from _Superman_ #33, March-April 1945
A shipping magnate is murdered and implicates one of four captains in his
employ. Superman must travel to the four ends of the Earth to solve this
mystery.
This story features the cocky Golden Age Superman and he is a joy to watch.
The art is very dynamic; especially striking are the symbolic scenes of
Superman flying literally to the four points of the compass. The story is
epic yet doesn't feel rushed, although how Superman figures out the
murderer's identity is confusing. Some of the story elements may be
objectionable to today's readers, most notably the violent whaling scenes.
THE SEVEN SECRETS OF SUPERMAN
Reprinted from _World's Finest_ #62, January-February 1963
Professor Wilton has created a 4th-dimensional projector which can
instantly send or retrieve any object to or from any place. To keep his
machine from Luthor, Professor Wilton splits up its formula into seven
capsules and uses his machine to send the capsules to seven inaccessible
spots in the world. He then destroys his machine but leaves a list of clues
as to the locations of the capsules. The seven spots are the highest place,
the deepest place, the biggest crater, the hottest place, the coldest
place, the most dangerous place, and the safest place. Luthor holds Lois
hostage and forces Superman to decipher the clues and retrieve the formula.
This story focuses on Superman using his brain. Superman quickly deciphers
most of the clues and retrieves the capsules. There is not a lot of action,
but there is suspense towards the end of the story as Superman tries to
rescue Lois before Luthor can harm her. Regarding the clues, there are a
couple of quibbles. They are supposed to be in Earth's most inaccessible
places, yet the crater used isn't on Earth but on the moon; and the most
dangerous place is an atomic energy plant but Superman finds the exact
plant quickly. The artist (Al Plastino, maybe?) draws plenty of great
scenes of Superman in flight, but his Luthor is extremely ugly, and in
several close-ups, Superman looks like a Neanderthal.
CLARK KENT, COWARD
Art: Curt Swan and George Klein
Reprinted from _Action Comics_ #298, March 1963
Clark, Jimmy, and Lois accidentally take a ride on a runaway balloon to the
mysterious kingdom of Mistri-Lor. The ruler, Queen Lura, falls in love with
meek Clark, who is unlike all of the other very masculine men in her
kingdom. This doesn't sit well with Prince Vikar, her betrothed. Clark must
find a way to dissuade Queen Lura's affections, save her from assassination
attempts, get his friends home, attend to his Superman duties, and still
protect his secret identity.
This story demonstrates one of Superman's greatest powers, super-tolerance.
The man puts up with a lot of grief to maintain his secret identity. Bruce
Wayne, Hal Jordan, and Barry Allen have the respect of their peers. Clark's
"friends" have no sympathy for the predicament he finds himself in, nor do
they try to help him out of it. Instead they belittle him for showing fear
when confronted by a roaring tiger and when forced into a life-or-death
duel with explosive boomerangs. Had Jimmy been the one duelling, he'd have
been pressing his signal watch so hard, the signal button would have gone
through the other side of the watch!
Lois and Jimmy also fair poorly in the intelligence category. Know how
Clark routinely fools them using just a pair of glasses? Well, as part of
his ruse to escape Queen Lura's advances, he pretends to break his glasses
so that it appears that he can't see. He appears for two pages without his
glasses -- and neither Lois nor Jimmy recognize that Clark is Superman!
THE SUPERMAN SPECTACULARS
Art: Wayne Boring
Reprinted from _Action Comics_ #211, December 1955
Perry talks Superman into performing a series of stunts for the French,
Greek, Italian, Dutch, and Japanese editions of the Daily Planet. Photos of
those stunts will be published in those papers to celebrate their
anniversaries. Unfortunately, none of the pictures are printed. Have
Superman's super-feats become old news?
This is a story which deftly mixes the super and the man. The super-feats
are impressive with each successive feat becoming grander as Superman
becomes increasingly frustrated. Superman's frustration is understandable.
He's doing this as a favor to Perry; he's taking time out of his days to
plan and execute the stunts; and he takes pride in his work. The excuses he
gets from the various editors are very flimsy. The ultimate reason for the
snubs is a heartwarming tribute to the Man of Tomorrow.
Superman's doing the feats for the Planet is unsettling. It seems as if
he's staging the news for the Planet's benefit. The papers' competitors in
the various countries would not be happy with Superman's actions. Comments
on this from people in journalism would be appreciated.
All in all, this is a fun collection, as are most of the
Super-Spectaculars. They are well worth seeking out, but they may be hard
to find, and there may be a wide range of prices. For example, I picked up
this issue in very good condition for $4.75, but I saw other
Super-Spectacular issues going for $8.00-$12.00.
_____________________________________
End of Section 4
_____________________________________
NEW COMIC REVIEWS
---------------------------------------
Comics Arriving In Stores July 1999
We have twelve reviews for you this month, but there were a couple of guest
appearances that completists will want to make note of. First, Superman and
other members appear in _Hourman_ #6, but as androids, courtesy of the
new-found powers of Amazo. Second, in a touch of set-up for their upcoming
2-part guest-starring stint, the Young Justice kids make a cameo appearance
in the pages of _Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E._ #2.
Ratings Panelists:
-----------------
BS: Brian Seidman GD: Gavin Douglas SDM: Simon DelMonte
CoS: Cory Strode GR: Gary Robinson SI: Seth Isaacs
DWk: Douglas Wolk JB: Jeremy Bleichman SL: Sebastian Lecocq
EJ: Enola Jones JSy: Jeff Sykes ST: Shane Travis
EM: Edward Mathews MS: Mike Smith SY: Steven Younis
GC: Glenn Crouch RG: Rene' Gobeyn TD: Thomas Deja
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:
-------------------
33. THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #570 Sep 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Secret Origins, Part 2: The Invader From Earth!"
Script: Tom Peyer
Plot: Ron Marz (pages 1-6), Tom Peyer (pages 7-22)
Pencils: Tom Grindberg
Inks: Tom Palmer
Lettering: Gaspar Saladino
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separator: Digital Chameleon
Associate: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Walt Simonson
RATINGS
Average: 2.5/5.0 Shields
EJ: 4.5 Shields
BS: 2.3 Shields - This issue wasn't bad, but it just didn't do anything
for me. JLA guest-stars have become boring, and Adam Strange's
appearance was so quick it was almost a cameo. All-in-all, it
looks a lot like Team Superman again.
DWk: 2.3 Shields - I've been reading Adam Strange stories for 15 years,
and if this one baffled me, think what it must do for people
who've never encountered him before.
GC: 3.6 Shields - Good handling of Rann, and involvement of the "real"
Adam Strange. Very reminiscent of pre-Crisis imaginary tales, and
not as dark as some of the elseworlds, though I get a little tired
of Superman's mind being damaged all the time.
JB: 1.8 Shields - Suffers from Elseworld-itis; the compulsion to restore
the status quo at the end. I expected better from Mr. Peyer.
JSy: 2.0 Shields - Superman as near-despotic protector of his world?
Didn't we just finish a whole arc about this? (Though I'll admit
that the Adam Strange story has never done much for me anyway...)
SL: 2.0 Shields - Grindberg and Palmer do an average job, but this second
part is too linear and without surprises, making for a rather
uninteresting story.
SY: 2.5 Shields - Nothing very inspiring here. Would hate for this to be
someone's first Superman comic.
Review by: Enola Jones <jennynesmith@hotmail.com>
PLOT
As J'onn J'onzz, Green Lantern, Steel, and the Flash scour the galaxy for
Superman, he undergoes the second of four memory implants by Cogito. The
purpose of these implants remains a mystery at this point.
This time, Superman is Skyforce, a ruthless security agent who
singlehandedly protects the planet Rann from both alien invaders and the
citizens themselves. He is engaged to Alanna, the daughter of Rann's most
eminent scientist Sardath, who is as headstrong and impulsive as Skyforce
is rigid.
Skyforce captures a band of aliens called the Eternal Ones just as a
Zeta-beam yanks an Earthman named Adam Strange to Rann. Skyforce sees only
another alien invader -- Alanna sees something more. Adam breaks through
Skyforce's paranoia with a handshake, and the Zeta-beam draws him back to
Earth. Soon thereafter, Skyforce dismantles his Fortress and turns the
invaders over to other authorities. He himself leaves Rann for Earth after
giving Adam Strange the Eternal Ones' ship so that he may fly to Rann and
live there permanently. At that moment, however, the memory program seems
to destroy Superman's brain. Cogito nonetheless begins a third scenario...
to be continued in _Action Comics_.
REVIEW
I love "What If" stories. I always have.
One could arguably say that all comic stories are "What If" stories, and be
right in doing so, but what I call "What If" stories involve taking
established fictional characters and *tweaking* them just a little. Red
Kryptonite stories were and still are favourites because of the changes
that would take place. Stories that took place on other worlds and in other
times were and still are favourites because of the break from the 'routine'
involved. Exotic locales were a plus, *if* something happened to change the
main character (which is why the recent Wild Lands _Superboy_ stories were
such a hit with me).
My favourite of all favourites, and the type I write the most when I write
my own stories, is the Alternate Universe story. One of Cogito's lines
expresses perfectly why I write what I do; "Alternate histories must be
pursued, embraced, studied and mastered... because TRUE history is always
so TRAGIC."
Amen.
Also known in the past as Imaginary Stories, these tales would have one
small detail 'tweaked' and everything else would change. Kal-El was found
by the Waynes, for example; or the main characters were gender-reversed or
age-altered. Perhaps Earth was destroyed and Jimmy Olsen was rocketed to
Krypton where he became Superman. Perhaps the entire birth-family of Kal-El
survived. Perhaps Kal-El's ship landed somewhere other than the United
States -- Russia for example.
Or perhaps it never landed on Earth at all. Perhaps it landed on another
planet altogether.
A planet like Rann.
That's the premise behind _Adventures of Superman_ #570. While the opening
and closing pages make it clear that Superman is in grave danger in
reality, the middle pages -- Superman's dream -- are so plain and so solid
they stand firmly on their own as a story.
Before I get into the alternate reality, let me say that I find the idea of
the JLA coming after one of their own as very empowering. If one is lucky
enough to find friends that loyal, and that caring, one is truly blessed
indeed. Contrary to popular opinion, that sort of friendship is not only
found in stories. Even if it is confined to the printed page, it should be
an ideal to aspire to.
The art in the JLA sections does not variate from the animated cel-like
views in the dream sequence (once or twice, I could *swear* I saw Alanna's
hair actually move with the wind). This aspect of the art manages to
communicate quite readily the depth of the feelings felt by the members.
When J'onn J'onzz announces Superman's mind is gone, his grief shows on his
face, its depth an almost palpable thing.
I must confess, seeing Superman in Adam Strange's outfit with the 'S'
shield on the cover of Adventures was a bit... jarring. Seeing him fly out
of a Zeta-beam was even more so. Once again, however, the cover of
Adventures was misleading. (What is this, three months in a row?) He was
not from a Zeta-beam. He was raised on Rann, to be the ultimate security
force.
Sadly, however, this version of Superman was cold. Protecting Rann from
alien invasions turned him into a pseudo-dictator who kept anyone who
didn't agree with him locked away in his Fortress. Though he was to marry
Alanna, it was plain from the way he talked about her and the way she
talked about him that they did not love each other. It appeared merely to
be a way of cementing Skyforce's power.
When Adam Strange himself shows up, he finds himself at the mercy of a
people so xenophobic they've forgotten what trust is. He also finds himself
having made an enemy of the most powerful being on Rann simply because he
exists. This Superman is one who is prejudiced, cruel, and hateful, and it
shows most strongly in his actions toward Adam. "Swim and I will boil the
river. Run and I will shatter the ground." I wanted to climb into the comic
and slap his face. It would have been worth the broken hand.
The resolution of the story was a bit abrupt for my tastes, though I did
like Adam shattering Skyforce's preconceived notions with a simple
handshake. That one action made me smile for hours. Adam's example led the
cold, heartless man to discover the warmth that lay within, and freedom was
the result. From the way the text is worded, I wonder if Rann was ever free
before this -- if Skyforce wasn't simply the last in a long line of
dictators?
The last few panels of the imagination story, with Adam on Rann and
Skyforce on Earth, leave one with an "all's right with the world" feeling
-- a good feeling sadly missing from many stories lately. The last panel of
the book left me with anticipation; Hawkman was one of my favourites in the
seventies. Seeing Kal-El as Hawkman will be a trip and a half.
That is, if the last panel's not as misleading as this issue's cover was.
Looking forward to _Action Comics_ and more "What If" stories....
================================================
34. ACTION COMICS #757 Sep 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Secret Origins, Part 3: Eyes of the Hawk"
Writer: Tom Peyer
Penciller: Tom Grindberg
Inker: Bill Anderson
Letters: Gaspar
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separator: Digital Chameleon
Assoc. Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Walt Simonson
RATINGS
Average: 2.7/5.0 Shields
GR: 2.4 Shields
BS: 3.4 Shields - I'm not a big Hawkman fan, but the appearance of Paran
and Byth served to remind us of the richness of the Hawkman
legacy. This plot is starting to pick up.
DWk: 2.0 Shields - It's kind of a mistake to use Hawkman for anything
until someone figures out how to fix his continuity morass.
EJ: 4.3 Shields - This is probably the ultimate misuse of Superman's
powers I've yet to see. Katar as the hero of the book -- though a
mistreated, misunderstood one -- I loved!
EM: 2.5 Shields - Wow. Perhaps it was the "police state" tone of the book
and perhaps it was revisiting Hawkman, a character that DC has
managed to turn into a continuity mess, but whatever it was, this
issue was the weakest of the arc.
JB: 2.5 Shields - Peyer does better this week, but even his look at the
society of the Hawkworld doesn't raise this Elseworld riff above
the level of average.
SI: 2.1 Shields - Yet another issue of Supes in slumber. This plot has
lost its appeal. It's been a series of Elseworlds tales wrapped in
a framing device. Maybe the conclusion will make it worthwhile.
SL: 3.2 Shields - While the story is not very original, the whole episode
is consistent. Katar Hol is used with far more subtlety than the
latest personification of Superman.
TD: 2.0 Shields - The lowest point of the story arc, with Peyer hitting
all the dark, noir-ish Elseworlds cliches and a sloppy art job.
Review by: Gary D. Robinson <robinfam@akron.infi.net>
The more things change, the more they stay the same -- except they cost
more.
Back in the Silver Age, there was a story entitled, "The Day Superman
Became The Flash" (_Action_ #314, July, 1964) that asked the question,
"What if Jor-El had pointed his son's rocket at a planet other than Earth?"
The scientist consulted a computer forecaster in order to determine what
planet to send Kal-El. Before deciding on Earth, he discarded five other
planets on which Kal would have battled crime under guises very similar to
those of his Justice League cohorts -- but on which he would have been
unhappy or alienated.
Fast forward thirty-five years. Now we're reading a serial that asks the
question, "What if Jor-El had pointed his son's rocket at a planet other
than Earth?" So far, Kal-El has grown up on Oa and become a Green Lantern,
and on Rann where he became a planetary protector, a la Adam Strange. The
penultimate chapter explores Kal-El's destiny on the world of the hawkmen,
Thanagar. Solomon had it right, didn't he? There's nothing new under the
sun. Still, we can be thankful the modern writers have reduced the
planetary options from five to four; it's less expensive that way!
"Eyes Of The Hawk" begins with Green Lantern, Flash, Steel, and J'onn
J'onzz searching through space for Superman. J'onn worries that Superman's
brain has died. They re-experience an encounter with a great space octopus.
(As Casey Stengel might've put it, they deja vu all over again.) Meanwhile,
Superman hangs cruciform and unconscious before a villain named Cogito who,
for reasons thus far known only to himself, is studying why Superman became
the Supes we all know and love.
The first part of the story (_Superman_ #147) depicted Jor-El as having
created a "probability file" full of planetary prospects for his child. Mr.
I Think has somehow -- Lord knows how! -- plugged this device into
Superman. The process seems to be destroying Superman's mind. None of this
gobbledygook is explained. Indeed, in this issue, there's not even a
mention of Jor-El.
Anyway, we somehow shift to Thanagar, a world under the pall of a police
state. By order of the government, no private citizen may possess lead.
Even the Thanagarian police aren't allowed to know why. Naturally, their
superiors are protecting the secret of their Seer, Kal-El's projected
identity in this world. He sees everything unshielded by lead, hears
everything, but, strangely, is unable to fly or do much of anything else.
Katar Hol, a chromosome level or two above the run-of-the-mill cop, delves
into the mystery. He learns that his father had discovered the infant
Superman in his fabled rocket. He wanted to study the baby, but made the
mistake of obtaining funds for his research from the authorities,
effectively putting the strange visitor from another planet into their
hands. The dastards have inserted a power-robbing crab (yes, you read right
-- a crab.) into Kal's neck to keep him in check.
Since Seer can see and hear Katar wherever he goes, he learns the truth
about himself. (Given his ability to overhear, if not see, practically
everything on the planet, the question arises: why weren't the bad guys'
plans thwarted years ago? It's a question we're apparently not to ask.) Kal
commandeers some wings and rescues Katar before he can be silenced. In
return, Katar performs a nauseating crab-ectomy on Kal, freeing him and, we
suppose, Thanagar from oppression.
The last pages of this issue return us to Cogito's lair, where we receive
the mystifying revelation that he has Steel, Lantern, Flash, and JJ under
mind-control as well.
The Thanagarian sequence is unmemorable. I had to read the thing twice just
to recall what happened. Tom Grindberg's pencils are sometimes good --
reminiscent of the great Gene Colan -- and sometimes sloppy. The layouts
needed to be tighter. Maybe my mind is starting to totter along with my old
eyes, but, sometimes, I couldn't tell which way to look.
I was rather disgusted with the framing sequence involving Cogito. For
reasons given above, I couldn't make head or tail of it. Maybe all will be
made as clear and lucid as a cloudless moon in the last chapter, but since
they have to make room for the Superman On Mars scenario, I doubt clarity
will be forthcoming. The whole thing seems just an excuse to dress Superman
in other garb and play with his powers and role. It's Blueperman revisited,
King of the World revisited. In short, it seems less a story than a
gimmick.
So, it could be argued, was "The Day Superman Became The Flash," but,
shoot! That one only cost twelve cents!
================================================
35. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #92 Sep 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Secret Origins, Part 4: Cogito Ergo Doom!"
Writer: Tom Peyer
Penciller: Tom Grindberg
Inker: Tom Palmer
Letters: Gaspar Saladino
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separator: Digital Chameleon
Assoc. Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Walt Simonson
RATINGS
Average: 3.0/5.0 Shields
MS: 3.0 Shields
BS: 3.5 Shields - This issue was, at least, a change of pace. I liked the
Vulcan mind-meld, as well as Superman being super and helping the
civilization. On the other hand, the JLA has never been that
chummy since Pre-Crisis.
DWk: 1.4 Shields - The "merging identities" thing defies most of what we
already know about J'onn, and makes for some really awful writing.
Not as lame as the conclusion to the story, though, which requires
everyone to act beyond credibility.
GC: 2.2 Shields - I enjoyed the first 3 parts, then came this. The story
seemed rushed and disjointed. Superman goes from having his mind
completely gone to easily fixed. Seems like they had a good story
and a good mystery but no real plan on how to conclude it.
JB: 3.6 Shields - I'd love to toss out a one-liner like "cogito ergo
sucks", but this actually ended well. It's always really cool to
see Superman proving his heroism in new and different ways, and
giving up his identity to save a world certainly qualifies.
JSy: 3.5 Shields - A pretty good ending for a so-so story arc, though I
have a hard time accepting Cogito's sudden attitude reversal in
allowing the other leaguers to accompany him in the final pages.
SI: 1.4 Shields - What a disappointment. As I read this I found myself
saying "oh puhlease" just a few times to many. The mental wars and
the solution Superman and J'onn come up with just didn't work.
TD: 4.0 Shields - To my surprise, Peyer wrapped it up well, producing a
clever little puzzle story reminiscent of the best of the early
70's stories. In its way, the wrap-up is more satisfying in its
nostalgic power than the Elseworlds sections preceding it.
Review by: Mike Smith <mike_p_smith@hotmail.com>
I never cared much for Ron Marz and Tom Peyer. Until now.
My problems with Peyer go back a ways. Mostly I'm just irritated that he
couldn't keep his commitments on his _Marvel Team Up_ revival a couple of
years ago. As for Marz, he wrote the four part Kandor story arc last year,
and you can dig up my review in the KC archives to find out what I thought
of that.
This time, though, I find myself pleasantly surprised with their joint
venture in this month's Superman books. "Secret Origins", or "The One-Man
JLA" if you only read the covers, is a fun story arc that focuses on
Superman and dissects the character to his very essence. I don't know how
they did it, maybe it was their collaboration, but Marz and Peyer pulled it
off, so I won't question it.
Just to bring you up to speed: Superman has been abducted by the mysterious
Cogito, who is forcing Superman's mind to relive artificial memories of
what his life might have been like if he had been sent to other worlds --
Oa, Rann, Thanagar, specifically. A four-man JLA squad has gone off in
search of Superman, but they've been captured as well, and are currently
reliving a memory of battling an alien squid over and over again.
Superman's mind is very nearly on the verge of collapse, but Cogito presses
on with one final scenario where Kal-El grew up among Martians. Perhaps
that thin connection is what helps the Martian Manhunter see through
Cogito's illusion, and allows him to establish telepathic contact with
Superman. J'onn mind-melds with the Man of Steel, and the two of them join
not only brains but bodies; J'onn's body assumes Superman's features, and
the melded pair wakes up, frees themselves and the others, and makes short
work of Cogito's robots.
Under interrogation, Cogito explains that he learned of Superman from a
trader who sold him a Kryptonian data unit containing alternate-life
projections Jor-El used to help to decide on a destination planet for the
unborn Kal-El. Cogito realized that he could use those scenarios to help
save his homeworld.
That world, X'vyv'x, has been overrun by an invading force called the Sole
Jurisdiction, and even though the JLA would be willing to help despite
Cogito's actions, Cogito refuses to trust them with the location of his
homeworld. After all, the last aliens X'vyv'x trusted were the Sole
Jurisdiction, so they've naturally become a bit paranoid. Which brings us
to Cogito's plan; he wanted to use the data-unit to re-write Superman's
memories so he had grown up on X'vyv'x instead of Earth. Only then would
Cogito have a hero X'vyv'x could trust.
Fortunately, Superman has a solution to the deadlock. Voluntarily
submitting to Cogito's memory probe, Superman becomes the champion and
adoptive son of X'vyv'x, and repels the Sole Jurisdiction in a matter of
minutes. Swayed by Superman's self-sacrifice and courage, Cogito takes the
other Leaguers to Superman and restores his identity once and for all.
Cogito promises that he'll ask for help the next time he needs it, and
Superman at last returns home with his friends.
Yesterday, I read the back of a macaroni box featuring various animated DC
heroes. The entry for Superman said something like, "This is the hero that
everyone looks up to -- even other heroes!" This issue is a testament to
that reputation. With all of Cogito's power, you'd think he could have
found a way to defeat the Sole Jurisdiction himself, or at least found a
hero more susceptible to his memory probes. He didn't; he wanted the best.
Similarly, after everything Superman went through at the hands of Cogito,
it would have been very simple to leave him high and dry -- especially
since he refused to even tell the JLA where his planet was -- but he
doesn't. Superman put his very identity on the line, his only hope of
getting it back being that Cogito would followSuperman's selfless example
and allow the JLA to retrieve him. Of course, what does it say about a man
that he has four friends who are willing to wander across the galaxy to
save his neck? Quite a bit.
That's what this story has done; it's shown just how much of an impact
Superman can have on entire worlds, and perhaps it shows just how much
impact this world has had on him. The line "Earth must be a paradise!"
says it all.
I was a little disappointed that we didn't see more of the Superman of
Mars, but I suppose the story had to end somewhere. Beyond that, I only
have three major complaints. First, I would have liked to have seen more
attention on the JLA. Other than the Martian Manhunter, none of them got
much characterization here; the fact that I could write the above synopsis
without even mentioning Green Lantern, the Flash, or Steel makes my case
for me.
Second, I thought Tom Grindberg's design of the X'vyv'x Superman was
lacking in originality. We had already seen five drastic variations on
Superman's costume (all nicely done, by the way), so why not one more? I
would have preferred something in the green and purple of the X'vyv'x
culture, or perhaps even the red Kirbyesque suit Cogito was wearing.
On the subject of Cogito, I found it mildly annoying that Steel unmasked
him only to discover that he was a much smaller, frightened little alien.
That irony was played out with the Anti-Hero in the Team Superman special a
few months back. Here, it's just tedious, and it didn't really serve to
further the plot. Big, mean-looking people need help too, sometimes.
Nevertheless, this issue served as a satisfying conclusion to a strong
story-arc, and it served to redeem Marz and Peyer in my eyes. This is
definitely one of the better guest shots -- maybe even one of the better
issues, period -- that I've seen come down the pike.
_____________________________________
End of Section 5
_____________________________________
THE TRIANGLE TITLES (cont):
--------------------------
36. SUPERMAN #148 Sep 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Champions"
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Penciller: Steve Epting
Inker: Joe Rubinstein
Letterer: John Costanza
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separator: Digital Chameleon
Assoc. Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Epting and Rubinstein
RATINGS
Average: 3.2/5.0 Shields
TD: 3.9 Shields
BS: 3.6 Shields - Characterization of Superman was right on for a change.
I'm glad to see a Lois plot, too, but she can't really be mad just
because Lana named her child after Clark, can she?
EM: 3.4 Shields - Oooh! A cliffhanger *and* a self-contained story -- be
still my beating heart. This is an interesting take on Vartox and
I can't wait to see who the mysterious figure is.
GC: 3.1 Shields - Whilst the story by itself is quite good, and the
re-introduction of Vartox is interesting, we have Superman just
return from "One Man JLA" only to be "lost" in space again. The
interesting ending saves it for me.
JSy: 3.0 Shields - Several nice little touches such as Superman's wanting
to help NASA, the set-up of the Man of Steel, and Epting's subtle
hint on page four concerning the primary villain. The actual
combat scenes left a little to be desired, but an interesting
read overall.
SL: 2.1 Shields - The two pages with Lois, Clark's parents and the Rosses
were the only ones I was happy to read. Even the good art of
Epting and Rubinstein can't save this boring episode.
ST: 4.0 Shields - An excellent portrayal of Superman's leadership,
heroism, and smarts. Bonus points for re-introducing Vartox, for
a one-issue story, for an unexpected surprise ending. Points off
for Lois' inexplicable reaction to Lana's baby.
SY: 3.5 Shields - The twist at the end caught me by surprise. Although I
spoilt the identity of the mystery villain at the end for myself
by having read Previews first.
Review by: Thomas Deja <blackair@gis.net>
Of all the aspects of Superman, I really like the fact that the man is
infused with an inherent human decency and the intelligence to use his
powers wisely. Let's face it, Supes has the potential to be a blunt object,
but here is a man so strong in his beliefs that he will always find a way
to act *without* displaying sheer brute force.
I bring this up because, in this final stretch of Dan Jurgens' lengthy run,
he's produced a very satisfying story that contrasts him with three other
'world champions', and demonstrates why Superman is the best of them all.
The Man of Steel is doing a favor for NASA, travelling to Mars and
replacing the batteries on a stalled exploratory vehicle. Just as he's
about to head home, he's transported to another world populated by a race
of intelligent sand creatures -- and three similarly transported world
champions: Vartox (possessed of 'hyperblasts'), Vestion (regulation 'woman
warrior with a hot temper') and Paz (four-armed mystic-type with the
ability to see through, and travel the expanse of, all space and time). The
sand creatures inform this quartet that they are under siege by an alien
race, and plead with the heroes to stop the invaders before they destroy
the sand beings' potential.
The other champions, heedless of Supes' desire for 'a plan,' rush into the
fray -- and almost get their heads handed to them. This prompts them to
devise a clever plan that stops the invasion and saves the sand creatures
without any loss of life. In gratitude, the sand creature return the
champions to their home world...
Except Vartox, Vestion and Paz remain. It seems this whole scenario was the
opening salvo of a plan from a mysterious mastermind to destroy the Man of
Steel *and* the Earth... and if those other heroes are reluctant to destroy
Supes, this mastermind is all too willing to torture these heroes into
submission.
I liked this story a lot precisely because it played to Superman's
intelligence. The plan Jurgens devised is very characteristic of the Action
Ace, making use of all of the heroes' powers and abilities. Jurgens also
avoids the 'Let's You and Him Fight' cliche, with a series of very brief
action sequences throughout which Supes is as rational as possible. In
fact, Jurgens refreshingly dispenses with the attitudinal Superman that has
from time to time slipped into the Triangle titles; this is a Man of Steel
who utilizes his powers as tool, not a man who uses his powers as the
be-all and end-all.
Now, if you know anything about basic science, you can probably figure out
who the mastermind behind this plot is and how he pulled it off. If you do
that, it might make some of the elements of the scenario iffy -- most
importantly, the nature of the invaders; for all we know, they may be
quantity surveyors of some sort -- which serves to suck the reader in even
more. The other champions are basic types, albeit with some interesting
quirks... but wondering how the mastermind is going to use them makes them
very interesting.
Steve Epting bounces back from the unfortunate pencils of his last effort;
I suspect that's because this is primarily a war story at heart. A lot of
what Jurgens writes here is the super-heroic equivalent of 'the outcast
patrol defending the tiny village from the mean soldiers,' so it gives
Epting many opportunities to play to his strength as a choreographer, and
he rises to the occasion, with several excellent and striking sequences.
Hell, page 17 through 20 is a joyful tableau of movement and action with
just the right touch of 'sensawonda' thrown in. (I particularly love page
19: four large panels showing the invader's slow realization that their
starship isn't taking off, but that Superman is lifting it up with sheer
brute force).
One other thing I want to point out about Epting's work that I liked. I've
commended him in the past for drawing a very beautiful yet down-to-Earth
Lois. Here, in a brief scene that rings the only false note in Jurgens'
script (Lois is at the Kents and discovers that Lana named her baby after
Clark, which disturbs Lois for no readily apparent reason), there's a shot
of Lois (p. 9, panel 2) that can best be described as dork. I loved this,
because it made Lois seem even more human. Much like 60's JLA penciller
Mike Sekowsky, Epting isn't afraid to show his characters in less than
ideal postures. That makes them much more believable as characters, and I
encourage him to continue doing this.
Way back in my review of _Superman_ #141, I expressed a sincere desire that
the upturn in quality of Jurgens' work signified that he was going to go
out with head held high, presenting us with a story we can be proud of.
"Champions" is a great read.... and it could be a sign that my wish will
come true.
__________________________________
SUPER-FAMILY TITLES:
-------------------
SUPERBOY #66 Sep 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Wild Hunt!"
Written (with a gazelle's grace): Karl Kesel
Pencilled (with a panther's power): Aaron Lopresti
Inked (with an eagle's eye): Tom Simmons
Colored (with a toucan's tints): Buzz Setzer
Lettered (with a lyrebird's lyricism): Comicraft
Assisted (with an aardvark's astuteness): Frank Berrios
Edited (with opposable thumbs): Mike McAvennie
Cover: Grummett, Kesel, and Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.5/5.0 Shields
RG: 4.0 Shields
BS: 3.8 Shields - Any appearance of the Wild Lands characters is good
with me, and I liked their interaction with the Cadmus crew. Art
on the Guardian was great.
EM: 3.4 Shields - It had talking monkeys the way talking monkeys should
be. I'm not the biggest fan of the Wild Lands, but the title
remains Kesel-rific.
GC: 3.4 Shields - The story was going a little slow until "Captain Kerk"
was introduced; the laughs that he brought saved things. Starting
to wonder if the "Kirby" side of things is being overdone in SB.
JSy: 4.0 Shields - Lopestri and Simmons provide a passable fill-in job
on the art, making the denizens of the Wild Lands a bit more
menacing than did Grummett. The story recaptures a lot of the
fun and adventure of the earlier stories in the Wild Lands.
SDM: 3.0 Shields - I loved this when I was reading it, but quickly forgot
everything except the ridiculous Captain Kerk joke. There wasn't
much here we didn't see before, and while it was well done, it
seems redundant. This series is not the fun it was six months ago.
SI: 3.5 Shields - A solid issue that serves mainly to set up the next
one. The cover gives away any shock value the final page might
have had. Minor quibbles aside, this was a solid issue of
Superboy, just not as good as other recent issues.
ST: 2.8 Shields (Art: 2.2, Story: 3.2) - Grummett, we miss you. The art
was easily the low-point of this issue; the humans all looked
stiff and plastic, like poseable action figures. The story was
decent but fairly forgettable, and the ending was totally spoiled
by the cover. For shame!
Reviewed by: Rene Gobeyn <rgobeyn1@rochester.rr.com>
The story opens in the Wild Lands, where two of the citizens answer a call
for help. Ratsputin seems to be trapped under a fallen tree. While helping
him they are attacked.
Superboy, Serling, Mickey, Col. Winterborne, and a new character, Dr.
Forest, are on their way to the Wild Lands to ask if they can conduct some
research. When they land, the Royal Guards, under the command of Captain
Kerk (Kesel is having way too much fun with this book) attack them -- at
least until Tuftan and Tawna show up.
A brief party is held in honor of the visitors. Col. Winterborne learns
that he was found outside an area called the Glowing Swamp, which, because
of the danger, is largely unexplored. Serling talks to Dr. Canus and finds
out that the experiments that led to the creation of the Wild Lands were
older than anyone thought, going back to experiments on fish and fowl in
the forties.
There is a brief interlude back at Cadmus between Dubbilex, the Guardian,
and Dr. Donovan. We find out a couple of interesting things about
Dubbilex's powers, and he finally meets the Gene-Gnome, who may have
something to do with the troublesome thoughts Dub's been having.
The expedition to the Glowing Swamp arrives, and they find the scene from
the beginning of the story. Tuftan recognizes Ratsputin's scent and they
find a blockhouse where he might be hiding. As they approach the house,
Kerk disappears; they do in fact find Ratsputin, but they also find King
Shark.
Wow. A great lead in to a new Wild Lands adventure. A great jumping-on
point for anyone who isn't reading this title. For those readers who are
not familiar with the old Kirby Kamandi stories, or the first Superboy
adventure in the Wild Lands, Kesel provides a fair amount of background
material to bring them up to speed while at the same time providing enough
new material for long-time readers that the story doesn't drag too much.
There were a (very) few slow spots, but with the amount of material that
needed to be presented, I think I can forgive him.
I'm a fervent fan of Jack Kirby's original pre-Crisis Kamandi/Wild Lands
stories. I wasn't too sure that I was going to like DC trying to bring them
into the existing DC universe. Kesel and Grummett did a wonderful job of
integrating the original flavor of the Wild Lands with the new Superboy
stories. When they integrated the original experiments that caused the
creation of Cadmus with the Wild Lands it forged a solid link to the DCU.
This book does more to integrate the Wild Lands into the current DCU and
includes more of the Superboy cast. The bit at the Party where Superboy is
getting Kerk to do James T. Kirk impressions was wonderful. I also loved
the panel where Tawna is talking to Serling; her comment ("I hope that's
not a real pelt you're wearing...") was priceless.
For me, I enjoyed finding out that the experiments that created the Wild
Lands also included fish and fowl (who still haven't made an appearance). I
suspect that there are more than a few real surprises still to come while
Superboy and company continue to explore the Wild Lands.
The art was better than I had expected when I saw that Grummett wasn't
going to pencil the story. Lopresti has an excellent sense of perspective.
His backgrounds were very well done, though he had a bit too many panels
with just solid colors. He was also able to display some wonderful emotions
on the animal faces. Kerk's facial expressions while putting up with
Superboy's antics were great. My only complaint was that some of his human
faces were a bit too angular, and Mickey simply didn't look right; he was
too thin. Otherwise, he did a great job.
================================================
SUPERGIRL #36 Sep 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Heck's Angels, Part 2: Justice Delayed"
Writer: Peter David
Penciller: Leonard Kirk
Inker: Robin Riggs
Colorist: Gene D'Angelo
Seps: Digital Chameleon
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Asst. Ed.: Frank Berrios
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Kirk and Riggs
RATINGS
Average: 3.8/5.0 Shields
TD: 3.5 Shields
BS: 4.0 Shields - Character interaction was wonderful here, and I liked
the banter between Supergirl and Superboy. I don't remember who
Tammy Neil and Wanda Lee are, but at least this issue framed the
situation and made me eager for more.
EM: 4.1 Shields - Now we're talking! Flying monkeys! Supergirl! Comet!
Young Justice! Did I mention flying monkeys? (Ok, they're
supposed to be little demon looking things, but I'm on a monkey
kick this month.)
JSy: 4.1 Shields - This issue returns to the wonderful character vignettes
which have made this title so interesting, though I'm a little bit
apprehensive about the rest of the crossover -- will it be more
like this issue, or more like _Young Justice_ #12?
SI: 4.0 Shields - The supporting cast get some hilarious scenes in this
issue, particularly Cutter and Mattie. While part of a crossover,
the main story still gets advanced and it all feels natural.
SY: 3.0 Shields - Nice character interaction. Interesting development in
Cutter and Mattie's relationship, and finally the introduction of
the third earthborn angel.
Review by: Thomas Deja <blackair@gis.net>
For about half of this issue, it's as good as it gets in this title. We get
more creepiness involving Carnivean and Matrix, a truly eloquent discussion
of what the creative process is like, a long-overdue crimp in David's
Cutter/Mattie 180, a potential development in Linda's relationship with
Dick Malverne, a revelation about why things continue to be screwed up in
Leesburg, and the return of Comet.
Then, literally, the book changes directions. All of a sudden Superboy is
fighting a big monkey and the Maid of Might is wondering if she's wandered
into someone else's adventure.
Yep, it's the crossover I always dreaded.
As you know, I don't care much for Peter David's sense of humor. I find
that it is at times obvious, and usually used inappropriately. When David
does humor correctly, it gives us a tremendous insight into his characters,
and -- in those rare gems of moments -- gives us a somewhat disquieting
sense of unease. Unfortunately, the man continues to toss out dumb puns and
lame vaudeville jokes instead of playing to his true strengths, which in my
opinion are a talent for making heavy issues palatable and for developing
undeveloped characters. (For examples of why I feel this way, look at the
way he grasped the tension between the street smart Rudy and the
insufferably intellectual Doctor when writing the Parasite in issue #34.)
With _Supergirl_, David has found an artist in Leonard Kirk who is
perfectly capable of letting him play to these strength; one who, in fact,
excels at character work like no one else working in comics this side of
Brent Anderson or Terry Moore. One has just to look at the absolutely
gorgeous way David's monologue about Linda's creative process melds with
Kirk's succession of close-ups of Linda at work to realize what miracles
this team can produce. David equates the process of creation with the
process of making love, and Kirk's panels, very simply laid out in a
4-over-4 grid, seem slow and languid, verging on the erotic, the clay
stains undefined in a way that allows us to interpret them as something
else. It conveys a lot about how Linda has changed, as have her fortunes.
But Peter David, for some reason, decided to crossover his two books, and
the product is a very schizophrenic piece of work. _Young Justice_ is where
his vaudevillian tendencies run wild, and rather than try to find a common
ground, he tosses us casually into the middle of the plot from the previous
book, confusing the Hell out of those of us who haven't read (or damn well
don't want to read) _Young Justice_.
For the first half of the book, we get a lot of little vignettes that
definitely play to both David's and Kirk's strengths. Besides the scene
referenced above, we start off with Carnivean checking in on the Matrix at
Atlas industry. It seems Carnivean has plans for the Matrix -- plans that
scare the Hell out of it -- but we don't find out much more as he's
diverted by Stubbs into looking in on a situation involving 'Dante'...
We'll return to Dante shortly.
The essay on sculpture leads directly into a scene with Dick Malverne, who
delivers a sizable check to Linda and gets a sizable kiss in return -- a
kiss that, as the just-arriving Andy Jones points out, sends Linda, ummm,
flying. This scene is cute in its way, and shows us how David can use humor
to illuminate a character; the humor is woven into the scene and doesn't
stop it like it does later.
Then we get Cutter and Mattie, and we learn both why Cutter is throwing
himself into this Supergirl gig so seriously, and what Mattie may have been
thinking when she did that 180 a few issues back. (Personally, I would have
preferred this development had been trotted out earlier....) Then it's
super-heroics time when Supergirl and Comet defuse a purse snatching and
start exchanging notes about their Corsican Brothers moment in #35.
Suddenly, a flying monkey shows up out of nowhere and tries to attack
Sylvia Danvers' minister.
Here's where the schism starts, folks.
The two known Earth angels disengage monkey from minister and chase the
thing down the sewers where they discover that a new chaos stream has
developed underneath Leesburg. Supergirl goes to investigate and finds
Superboy fighting a really giant monkey. She helps the Boy of Steel defeat
the creature before the flying-monkey-possessed other members of Young
Justice set about whaling on The Maid of Might. Meanwhile, Comet discovers
the final Earth Angel, who is probably connected with Tammy Neil (from the
much better _Resurrection Man_ crossover of last year) presently serving
time as flying-monkey-bait. The architect behind all this is Dante -- a
very dull looking bad guy (oooh...he's real pale and wears leather and a
bat-winged cape) who lacks anything in the way of real originality. He
takes over people with his flying monkeys and runs a disco-themed Hell...
excuse me while I yawn.
The second that flying monkey shows up, the story falls apart, as the
reader is dragged away from anything remotely involving Supergirl and
forced into a Young Justice story. All the wonderful moments David and Kirk
are developing, all the dramatic interplay between characters, goes out the
window for the sake of David's extreme silliness. Worst of all, David seems
to want to switch between the anything-for-a-gag tone of YJ and the more
sober tome of this title, and it doesn't work; when Superboy rips the wings
off an obviously-in-pain winged gorilla and then doesn't know what to say,
it comes off decidedly odd. David does try to dangle enough elements before
us to keep Supergirl fans interested -- Ember, the Chaos Stream,
Carnivean's implied connection with this cardboard cut-out Dante -- but
right now they're just window dressing, and that's sad.
I recommend this issue for its first half, which features some truly great
examples of David at his best. I advise you, however, to just shut the book
after the flying monkey shows up. You'll only make your head hurt.
_____________________________________
End of Section 6
_____________________________________
SUPER-FAMILY TITLES (cont):
--------------------------
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #35 Sep 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Never Play With The Toyman's Toys!"
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciller: Aluir Amancio
Inker: Terry Austin
Colorist: Marie Severin
Separations: Zylonol
Letterer: Phil Felix
Asst. Ed.: Frank Berrios
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Mike Manley, Terry Austin, Marie Severin, and Zylonol
RATINGS
Average: 2.6/5.0 Shields
CoS: 2.5 Shields
GC: 2.8 Shields - The art wasn't as good as it usually is, plus I feel
the stories seem to be losing some of the oomph. More work needed
on developing Clark and Lois I think. Still Toyman was reasonably
well handled.
JSy: 2.8 Shields - Certainly not a bad story in its own rights, but it's
just a bit too dark and violent for my tastes. I know that DC
doesn't necessarily intend this to be a kids' book, but it *is*
perceived that way.
SY: 2.5 Shields - Villain vs. Villain with Superman in-between. Not one
of Millar's best outings on this title.
ST: 2.3 Shields - I don't get to see the cartoon much, but I'm certain
that the Toyman on S:TAS is *not* 30 inches tall, as he is
repeatedly portrayed here. All in all, a rather lackluster outing
that would probably have worked better on the screen than on the
page.
Review by: Cory Strode <Solitaire.Rose@worldnet.att.net>
I'm afraid I have to start this review the way I thought I never would.
Must be my advancing age, I guess. I have heard for years how older fans
don't like the darkening of super-heroes and super-villains. I never much
thought about it, since Batman was always pretty dark, Swamp Thing was
better after Moore made him scary instead of just a superhero fighting
monsters, and Green Arrow needed Mike Grell to give him a new personality
since he'd pretty much run out of things to be mad about in his Denny
O'Neil personality. In the Superman books, however, I never liked what they
did to the Toyman.
Before the Crisis, Toyman was goofy, silly, and the kind of gimmick
super-villain notorious in the 50s and 60s. There could have been a lot of
ways to update the character to fit the more "Marvelized" version of the
Superman Rogue's Gallery, but turning him into an insane, serial killing
toy designer was a decision that made my stomach turn. The whole story of
him killing Cat Grant's child rubbed me the wrong way, and every time he
shows up in the Superman books, I feel like I should wash my hands with an
SOS Pad and Borax to get clean again. The very poorly done "rehab" in
recent months has done nothing to help with this, since now they seem to
have made him a *benign* serial killer.
It was with much dread, then, that I greeted the new issue of _Superman
Adventures_, featuring Toyman. Having not seen the TV show that often, I
had no idea of how they treated the villain. Thankfully, they totally
reinvented the character, giving him little relation to any previous
incarnation.
The issue starts with a splash page of the new Toyman doll being delivered
to a shop. This is one of the best openings I have ever seen -- not because
of the art, but because the image of the Toyman encased in a package
clearly identifies him without stupid expository dialogue that grates when
read. Instead, we are sucked right in, given the info we need and primed
with what to expect.
The toy attacks with its clearly labeled "Poison Gas Gun," indicting to
Clark that Toyman is back up to his old tricks, despite being in prison.
Toyman denies this and other toy-related crimes, pointing out that he's *in
prison*. A nice little page of exposition tells us that Toyman hates a
mobster who was involved in the murder of his father. Lois speculates that
the mobster might be doing the crimes to make money off of Toyman's old,
abandoned robot controlled toys.
Through the magic of cross cutting scenes, we learn that Lois is right, and
that Toyman has figured it out as well. He escapes from prison by means of
a wind-up, exploding duck. That's right; a wind-up exploding duck. Am I the
only one who things that prison guards in Metropolis spend a lot of time on
a therapists' couch?
Superman then has his hands full in a battle between Toyman's toys and the
gangster's men, which gives us a lot of pages of Superman fighting toy
soldiers and giant mechanical dragons. While Supes is distracted, Toyman
captures the gangster and ties him to railroad tracks, leading me to
believe that Toyman's secret identity is Snidely Whiplash! Superman is, of
course, able to defeat the giant mechanical dragon in time to save the
gangster and fry the Toyman's remote control, rendering him powerless.
Might this be a bit of inadvertent symbolism about how most of us would be
powerless without our remote controls?
OK. Maybe not. Maybe it just looked cool and was a quick way to finish the
story.
For a brief moment, Toyman is horribly upset that he will be alone again in
prison without his toys. He perks up again, though, when he realizes that
he and the gangster will be there together; now he will get his revenge,
and he won't have to be alone in his cell any more.
Millar doesn't go for much in this story. There are a couple of fun twists
(one of the gangster's henchmen turns out to be one of Toyman's toys), and
the way Superman defeats the robot dragon was amusing, but for the most
part this is a stock super-hero story. The fact that it's Toyman doesn't
much matter, and I could see a nearly exact same plot with any number of
villains, such as the Joker or the Penguin. In my mind a story must flow
from character in order to work, and Millar does tend to emphasize plot
over character. Not that that is a bad way to do it, and in fact it has
worked for him on a number of occasions... it just doesn't work here. It
felt like a simple slugfest, and while it might be fine for younger
audiences to see Superman just fight things once in a while, I have seen
slugfests in this book that also have a strong plot and more originality.
Amancio's art is well done, making the toys seem harmless on the surface,
but menacing due to their appearance. The page with the wind-up duck is
particularly well done, building suspense while still moving the story
along. He pulls a couple other stylistic tricks to try and bring the story
up a couple of notches (such as the page where Lois splits the page into
two halves), but the problem is that the issue seems cluttered and a bit
too busy. A prime example of this business is when Superman saves the
gangster from the train. The actual rescue looks off, we don't get a
feeling that Superman stopped the train, but just hit it. Then, the panels
of Superman being attacked by the toys are too small for the effect they
should have. When Toyman goes into attack mode, we should feel like they
are after Superman, but instead there is a panel of Toyman surrounded by
toys... and no sense of menace. I hate to keep going back to Jack Kirby
when I go over art, but Kirby was a master of the fight scene. He knew when
to have a background and when to just put force lines so that it didn't
seem cluttered or distract the reader from the action.
This issue is a mixed bag, with many good parts being dragged down by parts
that are fairly indifferent. I imagine if I was a kid (and yes, I know
that's who the book is aimed at) I would like the big fight scenes and
Superman mixing it up with a mechanical dragon. Even as a kid, though, I
would have read it once, tossed it aside, and forgotten it within an hour
or so. As an adult, I just wish there would have been a more innovative or
direct plot, and less clutter.
__________________________________
TEAM TITLES:
-----------
JLA #33 Sep 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Altered Egos"
Guest Writer: Mark Waid
Guest Penciller: Mark Pajarillo
Guest Inker: Walden Wong
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Colorist: John Kalisz
Separations: Heroic Age
Associate Editor: Tony Bedard
Editor: Dan Raspler
Cover: Porter and Dell
RATINGS
Average: 3.5/5.0 Shields
EM: 4.3 Shields
DWk: 4.0 Shields - What does Waid have that Morrison doesn't? The ability
to put together ingenious plots like this one. Throw in the
fabulous gag about Barda's dress and a swell teaser for the
Flash's own series, and this is a fine self-contained issue.
GC: 3.5 Shields - Cover and story got me involved, and I didn't guess the
ending. The epilogue spoiled an otherwise good story; why would
Superman ever challenge Batman about keeping secrets? Only J'onn,
Bruce and Diana know who he is in this post-crisis JLA...
JSy: 4.2 Shields - Best issue of JLA in quite some time, highlighting the
pedestal on which Waid places Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
Lovely that someone's keeping track of Morrison's throwaway ideas,
and Waid's use of Plastic Man is priceless.
SDM: 2.9 Shields - A bit of a letdown in terms of the Bruce Wayne story;
maybe Waid's tired of NML. The Flash subplot was done well, but
unless you're as big a Flash-junkie as I am, it meant little.
SL: 3.0 Shields - Even if the art was great and the integration of the
new Flash was very well done, the villain behind Bruce Wayne
was confusing. Plastic Man is a great laugh and the discussion
between the Dark Knight and Superman interesting. A good episode.
ST: 2.3 Shields - Waid's Plastic Man acts how he's *supposed* to, but
that's all I really enjoyed. I don't like being reminded that the
heroes don't trust each other any more. Scratchy art didn't help.
SY: 3.5 Shields - Very interesting use of the various JLA members with
strong rationale for events. Loved the Plastic Man dress scene.
TD: 3.4 Shields - Some good interaction between the characters and a
really, really good denouement that touches on one of Morrison's
loose ends. The art is cool, with a particularly hideous depiction
of the threat's ultimate manifestation.
Review by: Edward Mathews <em11@is3.nyu.edu>
Synopsis:
Batman announces to the assembled JLA (minus the Flash) that he has
discovered who is behind the legal situation that Gotham City is in after
the great earthquake hit. The person responsible is one of the JLA's most
powerful villains to date: Bruce Wayne. While those in the JLA who don't
know Batman's secret identity are sent into a covert operation to find
Wayne, his most trusted companions are sent on an even more important
mission which requires the help of the new Flash. As Team Wayne goes
undercover, Team Flash winds up trying to save the people on a bridge
between Central and Keystone City as they explain their real mission to the
new Flash. Wacky hi-jinks ensue.
Review:
Last month, I noted that it had been a long time since I was thrilled to
read a story by Mark Waid. I also attributed that to his writing partner
for that issue. I am happy to say, Mark Waid delivers again this month, and
while flying strictly solo.
Waid manages to continue with the large-scale threat theme that has been
running in Morrison's JLA while also handling wonderful little bits of
characterization and keeping the tale self-contained. That's no small feat
and one that needs to be applauded given the last set of huge arcs we've
endured in JLA.
The best part of the issue, however, was that there was indeed a Bruce
Wayne and a Batman. One of the White Martians, who were collectively mind
wiped into believing that they were human beings during Morrison's first
story arc (_JLA_ #1-4), was jarred out of his human identity -- that of one
of Bruce Wayne's secretaries -- and assumed Wayne's identity as a defense
mechanism. Eventually, the White Martian realized who he really was; his
inherent telepathic powers (on par with Green Martians) coupled with his
sudden recollection could send a psychic shock to all the others, leaving
the world to face 80 beings as powerful as Martian Manhunter. It was up to
Team Flash (Flash, Superman and Wonder Woman) to make sure that none of the
others snapped out of their mental prisons while Team Wayne wrestled this
one into submission.
Now I've been calling the team with Superman on it Team Flash for a reason.
This new Flash reveals his identity to Superman and Superman vouches for
him without reservation. We are not let in on the identity of the new Flash
and neither is the rest of the JLA. Flash is the subplot here, and besides,
there already is a Team Superman. ;-) Since all this ties in with the
current events in _Flash_ -- a title Waid also writes -- it all fits
together quite well. There is genuine shock in Superman's face when sees
the new Flash's face, and we are led to believe it is not Wally West.
While Batman, Superman and the other big guns shine well under Morrison, I
have to admit a dirty little secret: I love Waid's Plastic Man. Oh, my. I
was rolling on the floor when Barda realized her choice of attire.
Art:
Pajarillo and Wong do another fine issue. Pajarillo's White Martian is a
mean looking creature that I sure wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley.
The facial expressions on Plastic Man are priceless. I would be content if
these guys were the regular fill-in artists for the next JLA run under
Waid, too.
Conclusion:
It had Martians and a funny Plastic Man. What's not to like? I must admit
that Waid got his groove back with JLA and I'm hoping this foreshadows his
own run on the book after Morrison leaves.
================================================
YOUNG JUSTICE #12 Sep 1999 $2.50 US/$3.95 CAN
"Heck's Angels, Part 1: Dante's Disco Inferno"
Writer: Peter David
Pencils: Todd Nauck
Inks: Lary Stucker and Jaime Mendoza
Colors: Jason Wright
Letters: Ken Lopez
Assoc. Ed: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Cover: Nauck and Stucker
RATINGS
Average: 3.1/5.0 Shields
GR: 2.8 Shields
BS: 2.8 Shields - Red Tornado's family relations are refreshing as
compared to, say, Man-Bat's. At least Tornado's daughter loves
him, and I'm looking forward to seeing him get a break. The
villain was so weird that I had trouble finding him dangerous.
EM: 3.9 Shields - Disco wasn't that bad, PAD. Some people might
consider this particular fate a pleasant one, if you removed the
flying monkey demons and the molten lava...
GC: 3.0 Shields - While I enjoyed the story and art, the number of darker
adversaries YJ faces is getting out of hand. There's not enough of
the fun that I'm used to in this book.
GD: 2.0 Shields - The basic premise of this crossover is interesting
enough, and the first half of the issue is great, as is Todd
Nauck's art. Sadly the plot goes to heck in the second half.
JSy: 2.0 Shields - Give me more of pages three and five; the core of this
title is how the team interacts with each other outside of battle.
The rest of this particular issue just wasn't as satisfying as I
usually find _Young Justice_ to be.
SI: 3.8 Shields - This issue was fun, pure and simple. I'm looking
forward to seeing more of the Disco Inferno, and the Red Tornado
plot remains interesting.
SL: 3.5 Shields - The story is a little slow and the action not very
impressive, but all is well constructed. The changes in our heroes,
Red Tornado, and his family are very well done, giving us a well
written (if a bit simplistic) episode with some good art.
Review by: Gary D. Robinson <robinfam@akron.infi.net>
The kids have helped Red Tornado and Traya escape the heartless clutches of
the law, but Fite 'n Madd are closing in. Thanks to Impulse's ability to
vibrate the entire crew through the floor and the timely appearance of the
Super-Cycle, YJ escapes. Inexplicably, the S-C carries them down, down
through the earth until, eventually, the startled kids survey a fiery
vision of... Disco Hell?
Amen, Brethren! It's a true inferno run by a guy named -- what else? --
Dante. Having discovered the subterranean lair of tiny, demonic-looking
beasts that feed on pain and misery, this former theology student has
agreed to provide what the nasty creatures want. Dante finds people who
"deserve a little punishment", drugs them, and when they awake in "Hell,"
he convinces them they are but serving out the fate they deserve. Even
though Robin recognizes a murderer and an embezzler among the "damned," the
group can't allow such goings-on. The inevitable clash begins.
Meanwhile, Secret has literally gotten inside the head of Traya's comatose
mother and convinced her that dying would not be such a hot idea right now.
RT and Traya need her. This leads to an amusing bit wherein Secret flies
out of Kathy in ghostly fashion, convincing the terrified medical staff
that they've seen the passing of a soul -- until Kathy herself sits up and
asks to see her daughter! Soon RT and Traya receive a message from Mom:
"All's well, come home." Complications ensue, however, and Tornado is led
away in handcuffs.
The vision of the 70s inferno is frustratingly banal. Hell as Disco? It's
not a particularly gruesome, or funny, notion. Why should "Dante" choose
such a motif? Who is he anyway? A theology student, we're told; one with a
rather disturbing proclivity toward torture and pain. Here are the makings
of true and memorable villainy, but aside from calling Wonder Girl a
"frump" and conjuring up the usual scaly monsters, Dante weighs very
lightly on the "Heavy"-scale.
The side-plot, involving RT's domestic troubles remains predictable and
rather boring. It isn't that PAD doesn't strike all the right notes, it's
that this piece has been played too many times before -- on soaps and
Afterschool Specials, if not in funnybooks.
So much of the territory we tread in this issue seems to have been imported
from elsewhere and laid down here like pre-made turf -- everything from
Traya's mother's "going toward the light" to the police captain's lying
promise about RT, from the Gawd-Weren't-The-70s-Awful posturing to the
standard run-at-the-mouth villain. The artwork is the usual good job. I
almost wish it weren't. Everything in this issue seems to be "the usual."
PAD can do better. In a recent Supergirl, he launched the Maid of Might (or
whatever they call her these days) against Parasite not because of the
usual "I've got to save these people!" altruism, but because the big,
purple idiot trashed her artwork! Now, as a motivation for a super-type,
you gotta believe that's New and Different, a novel twist from a Novel
Twister. We all know PAD can take the hackneyed and -- whuf! -- blow the
dust off it.
I hope he does next time.
_____________________________________
End of Section 7
_____________________________________
MINISERIES AND SPECIALS:
-----------------------
A. BIZARRO #3 Sep 1999 $2.50 US/$3.25 CAN
"Nine-Inch Sonic Pumpkins"
Writer: Steve Gerber
Penciller: M. D. Bright
Inker: Greg Adams
Letterer: Steve Dutro
Colorist: Tom Ziuko
Separator: Digital Chameleon
Assistant: Frank Berrios
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Bright and Adams
RATINGS
Average: 3.6/5.0 Shields
GN: 2.8 Shields
BS: 3.9 Shields - While this mini-series still shines as a beacon to
comics everywhere, I much prefer to see Al facing "normal"
problems than Para-Demons, what's a story about a naive character
without a trip to Apokolips?
JSy: 4.1 Shields - One of the reasons that this book has worked so well is
that it's using a completely irrational character and completely
dehumanizing events to tell a wonderfully human tale. As evidence,
I present the warm friendship which develops between a bizarro
clone and a female fury amidst the hell of Apokolips...
SI: 4.8 Shields - DC should get Steve Gerber to write an ongoing Bizarro
series; I'd certainly buy it. This issue's trip to Apokolips was
uproarious. Unlike most humor series, this one fits seamlessly
into the existing DC Universe.
SL: 3.6 Shields - This time around the focus is less on Al and more on
the other participants, and it's very frustrating. The art and
script are great but after the first two parts I was hoping for
another grandiose episode.
ST: 2.5 Shields - The least enjoyable issue to date. Al was still great,
but the plot was too incredible, too contrived and filled with
Deus ex Machina (literally). Also, I don't see why Apokolips/
Darkseid/New Gods have to be dragged into every damn thing. The
art of M.D. Bright, however, continues to please.
SY: 2.8 Shields - I don't know why, but I just can't get into this
title, although putting Al on Apokolips and seeing how he handles
himself was a masterstroke.
TD: 4.3 Shields - The Apokolips scenes do feel a bit unsteady, but
Gerber's sense of the grotesque and the luridly absurd still
shines through.
Review by: G.M. Nelson <KALEL224@aol.com>
And it was going so well...
After establishing a pretty entertaining character with a thoughtful (if
moderately recycled) storyline, Gerber inexplicably takes a left turn into
the fantastic with a side trip to Apokolips -- apparently so our pal Al
Bizarro, now set on pursuing the music career that "Perfect Al" (aka Al
Beezer, the human used for Bizarro's template) never had, could pick up an
accompanist.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
First, we find Bizarro in the custody, at last, of Lex Luthor, who is
contemplating the prospect of interbreeding the creature with human females
-- a notion that doesn't sit real well with his lady assistants, or with
Bizarro, for that matter. (Why Luthor wants to breed a subclass of
brain-damaged, chalk-skinned morons is anybody's guess at this point --
aren't there enough regular brain-damaged morons walking around on the
street, or serving in public office?) It's while trying to escape from
Luthor's headquarters that Bizarro comes across a Mother Box that Luthor
says he acquired during an altercation with Intergang. None of Luthor's
people could get it to work, but pretty much as soon as Bizarro stumbles
upon it, it opens a boom tube and sends him to Apokolips.
Riddle me this, Boy Wonder: Isn't a Mother Box New Genesis technology, not
Apokolipsian? And even if it does have "boom tube" capability, why would it
send Bizarro to Apokolips?
In this story, it serves to hook up Bizarro with Seera, a young trainee for
Darkseid's Female Furies -- complete with her own version of Big Barda's
armor -- who plays a musical instrument called an apokolute. Bizarro
ultimately convinces Seera to escape to Earth with him and join in his
music career. They hook up -- again courtesy of Mother Box -- with
Bizarro's buddy, E. Wilbur Wolfingham. Within six months, the first CD by
Al Pokolips, "To Am or Not to Am," is on the shelves.
Now, of all DC characters, Kirby's Fourth World characters probably fit
best in Superman's universe, just because of their sheer cosmic scope and
power levels. Their inclusion here, however, comes off as a pointless,
using them just for the sake of using them. Worse is the fact that
characters like Granny Goodness are so badly mishandled. Does anyone find
it at all believable that Granny would sit down to tea with a disobedient
student? Or that future Female furies would be receiving music lessons, as
well as instruction in literature and science? (Can you imagine Big Barda,
let alone Stompa or Mad Harriet, taking this kind of training?) Or has
Granny just changed the curriculum in recent years?
As in the recent and horrible _Lex Luthor_ mini-series, a "cosmic" element
is tossed into the mix to no real good effect. I'm not saying that this
story is anywhere near as bad as that was, but it's just an unnecessarily
intrusive element into a story that was working well on a very simple,
human level. I mean, I'm sure that Bizarro could have picked up a guitar
player somewhere on Earth -- those guys from Roy Harper's old band, Great
Frog, are probably looking for work, right?
Even the art is off this issue. Oh, overall Bright and Adams do a capable
job, but there are spots. Darkseid, in a tiny one-panel shot, looks
anorexic. Bizarro, stretched out on Desaad's rack, looks to be about eight
feet tall. (Gee, maybe he should forget the music and go into the NBA. He'd
make Dennis Rodman look normal.)
This mini-series -- and even this issue -- isn't a bad read overall.
Gerber's handle on Bizarro and Luthor is still solid, and the dialogue
remains a highlight. (The animosity between Desaad and Granny was well
played.) There just seemed no reason for the story to take this turn this
issue.
Maybe "Apokolips... Why?" might have been a better title.
================================================
BATMAN AND SUPERMAN: WORLD'S FINEST #6 Sep 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Year Six: The Imp-possible Dream"
Words: Karl Kesel
Pencils: Peter Doherty
Inks: Robert Campanella
Colors: Alex Sinclair
Letters: Clem Robins
Assoc. Ed.: Joseph Illidge
Editor: Darren Vincenzo
Cover: Dave Taylor and Robert Campanella
RATINGS
Average: 3.6/5.0 Shields
SDM: 2.7 Shields
GC: 4.0 Shields - This issue does suffer from numerous minor continuity
problems, since DC seems committed into squeezing all of its modern
history into a 10 year period, but good insights into Superman
and Batman, and a good, fun story, manage to overcome these.
JSy: 4.0 Shields - Maybe the best issue of this series so far, as Kesel
presents a wonderful tale of the World's Finest imps. If only the
art hadn't been so terrible...
SI: 3.2 Shields - This series gets better as it goes along. Kesel does
a fun job of getting years worth of Superman and Batman commentary
into the story. It was also good to see Mxy and Bat-Mite again.
SL: 3.9 Shields - The association of Mr. M and Bat-Mite is pure fun, and
even if the art depicted our heroes as uncertain at times, this
union of our Heroes with Lois and Robin was splendid.
SY: 3.5 Shields - Storyline was quite good, art was fairly lackluster.
Lois, Batman, and Robin seemed right in character, but I felt the
"Superman just wants to be like a normal person" angle was a bit
too strong.
ST: 3.0 Shields - The story was too similar to that of _Generations_ #2,
but it was decent for all that. The art showed a nice dichotomy
between the real and the unreal.
Review by: Simon DelMonte <sdelmonte@aol.com>
Superman's favorite imp, Mr. Mxyzptlk, recruits (or creates) Bat-Mite to
join him for some mayhem on what happens to be the fifth anniversary of
Harrison Grey's death. The duo journeys to Metropolis, where Bruce Wayne
has come to see Clark Kent -- they'd revealed their other identities to
each other off-screen -- and concocts a challenge to see which imp's heroic
foil is the better man. Just to make things interesting, Mxy puts Lois in
danger -- and in a revealing circus outfit -- and Bat-Mite throws Dick
Grayson into the mix.
Hi-jinks ensue as our heroes and friends run the gauntlet. To slow down the
imps, Batman works with Lois and Supes with Robin. This allows Robin to
lament to Big Blue on how Bats sees him as a kid, and Lois to complain that
Bats knows how to treat Robin like an equal instead of a helpless
bystander. Naturally, the imps overhear and keep messing with the rules and
with the good guys; by the time they're done, Robin is an adult (in a
costume vaguely like that of the adult Earth-2 Robin) and Lois and Batman
have super-powers. Why? Because that's what they want to be, an idea which
Mxy finds silly, and which gets even sillier to him when he figures out
that Superman wants to be normal. The whole bunch seems pathetic to him,
but even Bat-Mite understands that everyone -- even imps -- wish for
something more than they have, or else why would Mxy keep coming back to
bother Supes? Mxy gets fed up with the whole thing and leaves. Finally,
Clark and Bruce say goodbye to each other, commenting they get along better
out of costume, and that Mxy has reminded them that the most powerful wish
is the one that hasn't yet come to be,
Given his track record with whimsical troublemakers, Karl Kesel could have
done much more with the idea of Mxy and Bat-Mite vs. Batman and Superman.
Sadly, he continues his trend of starting out with a good idea and then not
doing much with it, much as he's been doing of late in _Superboy_. The end
result is a by-the-numbers Superman comic, with Lois showing up to whine
about being protected by Superman and with a lot of talk in place of solid
action. This wasn't a bad comic, but it's tepid compared to the uproarious
"Death of Mxyzptlk" story. Granted that Mxy is a very hard character to do
right by, but he's little more than a conversation motivator here.
The biggest flaws are one big thing we don't see and one (more) bit of
broken continuity. We are told that Superman and Batman now know each
other's real name... but this happens off-screen! A huge event in both
heroes lives -- a rare moment when the game of pretend is put on hold --
and it happens when no one is watching. Does this refer to a story I
missed, or did Kesel lightly skip over what should have been a dramatic
moment? Such an event should have been played up, not down.
The big continuity glitch is that Mxy knows Superman is Clark Kent too
soon. Mxy didn't figure it out until the Superman Wedding Special, and his
ignorance was a key part of the now-classic "Krisis of the Krimson
Kryptonite" story from nine years ago. Again, this by itself doesn't ruin
the tale, but it makes me wonder if Karl is paying any attention to detail,
or even if this series is in continuity.
As for the art, given that the faces looked just as out of focus this month
as last, it's clear that Robert Campanella's ink are as much to blame for
the quality of the pictures as the pencils. Furthermore, Peter Doherty --
an unknown to me -- drew a too-old looking Robin and a rather dumpy-looking
Lois. I'm all for women in comics who look like real women, but Lois has
never looked like that. I wonder why DC didn't get a better artist for such
a high-profile series? Or is this a hint that this comic just isn't that
important?
================================================
JLA ANNUAL #3 Sep 1999 $2.95 US/$4.50 CAN
"Gorilla Warfare"
Writer: Len Kaminski
Penciller: Jason Orfalas
Inker: Jordi Ensign
Letterer: Kurt Hathaway
Colorist: Jason Wright
Separations: Heroic Age
Assoc. Ed.: Tony Bedard
Editor: Dan Raspler
Cover: Art Adams
RATINGS
Average: 3.0/5.0 Shields
EM: 3.5 Shields
GC: 2.6 Shields - The JLA turned into Gorillas is a bit much in our
post-crisis universe. Art was good and the story fair, though if
Annuals are going to be crossover events a more plausible "Crisis"
would be nice.
JB: 4.8 Shields - This is what we need: more gorillas. If the Marx
Brothers' cameo doesn't make you laugh, wait till Green Lantern
starts doing Heston.
JSy: 3.0 Shields - Monkeys *everywhere*, a completely silly plot line,
and I'm miffed that Batman was excluded from the transformation.
But, you know, it's still a pretty engaging read, and how can
you say no to a cover which features gorillas by Art Adams!?
SI: 2.9 Shields - The basic premise seems cool, and the story itself
started off with a bang (literally), but it degenerated (just like
the JLA) as it went along. By the end it was obvious this would be
another fairly standard summer crossover event.
SL: 2.4 Shields - The concept is interesting, but the execution fell
short; the script was sometimes hard to follow and the art was
only average.
TD: 2.5 Shields - Feh. The idea is inherently silly, but Kaminski almost
pulls it off. Pity he keeps indulging over and over again in
silly 'Planet of the Apes' in-jokes.
Review by: Edward Mathews <em11@is3.nyu.edu>
Synopsis:
After years of isolationism, Gorilla City (a city populated by super-
intelligent gorillas) has petitioned the United Nations for membership as a
sovereign nation. Things go sour when their leader, Solovar, is
assassinated by a terrorist car bomb attack while on a goodwill tour of
man's world. A secret cabal of gorillas, secretly manipulated by Gorilla
Grodd, takes advantage of the political turmoil to decry the incident as an
act of war. When the JLA is called in to try and convince Gorilla City that
this is a mistake, the Gorilla army hits them with a gorilla bomb and turns
the core seven JLA members (minus Batman) into gorillas. Wacky hi-jinks
ensue.
Review:
If there is one thing that can get me to buy a comic book, buy a video
game, or watch a cartoon, it's monkeys. I am not going to apologize;
monkeys amuse me. Apes, on the other hand... apes can be amusing, or they
can be tedious. In this particular annual, they are amusing. Len Kaminski
does a great job of playing up the joke that we are supposed to take this
gorilla threat seriously within the context of the story. I know I was
supposed to take the threat seriously, but come on, they're apes.
Bonus points are awarded to Kaminski for the cameo appearance by Animal
Man. In Grant Morrison's run of Animal Man, Buddy Baker went on an
adventure that ran from issue #8 to #26 that, for lack of better words,
introduced the foundations for Hypertime in 1990.[1] The re-introduction of
Buddy Baker into the pages of JLA is a welcomed sight since it can only
mean that Morrison will probably be using him in his final story arc.
The JLA, as apes, must try and stop the transformation of the world into
apes. Unfortunately, we don't get to see it here. That is my only gripe
with this book; it is part one of eight "JLApe: Gorilla Warfare!" annuals,
and since it is not a self-contained story I must take off points for that.
What we do get in this book is a good read with lots of interesting bits
that stand up on their own. If you want a resolution to the story, you will
probably have to pick up Martian Manhunter's Annual (also by Kaminski) at
the very least.
Art:
Jason Orfalas has the distinctive honor of being able to draw gorillas
really well. He draws people well, too. The page layout is dynamic and,
well, Superman as a gorilla just looks like Titano in Beppo's suit. I
wouldn't mind seeing Orfalas on another book in the immediate future. Bonus
points are awarded for the excellent Art Adams cover.
Conclusion:
In spite of the fact that I personally like Kaminski's writing, I have to
warn you again that this is not a complete story. If you are on a budget
and don't want to pick up a bunch of JLA annuals featuring monkeys, then
avoid this book since you will be lulled into a false sense that the rest
of the annuals are likely to be enjoyable. So far, they are not, and at
$2.95 US a shot, that's a lot of (ahem) chimp change to throw at an
incomplete story.
[1] Animal Man actually met Grant Morrison in the pages of the comic book
to discover from Morrison that he was nothing more than a comic book
character and that the reason he was in turmoil was because "the creator,"
Grant Morrison, thought it would entertain. If you can find them, pick up
issues #23-26 of the Animal Man run. Issues #23 and 24 are known as
"Second Crisis" and it actually resolves a lot of lingering post/pre-Crisis
details, while #25 and 26 describe Hypertime in a way that should have been
done in _Kingdom_ #2.
_____________________________________
End of Section 8
_____________________________________
THE ONE, TRUE, ORIGINAL SUPERMAN!
---------------------------------------
by Bob Hughes (bobhughes@ttlc.net)
(or see Bob's web page, "Who's Whose in The DC Universe"
at http://members.ttlc.net/~bobhughes/whoswho.htm)
Episode 11:
Action Archives Volume II -- Empire and Growing Pains (Feb-May 1940)
Before I get started, I'd just like to mention the fact that the Superman
adventure I plugged some months back as "The Greatest Superman Story Ever
Told" is now available. "Superman vs.Atom Man" has been released on CD and
Cassette by Radio Spirits and the Smithsonian Institution and is available
at larger book stores everywhere. I also think I saw it in a Diamond
Previews recently. This is great stuff and I strongly recommend it.
Now back to our regularly scheduled feature.
When we left the _Action Comics Archives_ series at the end of Volume 1,
we'd covered the adventures of Siegel and Shuster from June 1938 through
February 1940. We saw how the boys had found work from Malcolm
Wheeler-Nicholson and hung on as the Major sold out to the slightly more
reputable Harry Donnenfeld. They'd pedaled their comic strip Superman to
every syndicate in America, only to end up back where they started when
Detective Comics purchased it for their new title _Action Comics_, which
was released in June 1938.
From there on, the momentum kept building. A daily newspaper strip was
added starting in January 1939. In April, Superman appeared in a special
New York World's Fair comic book. Then in May, all the earliest Superman
stories were reprinted in a special comic book album, one of the earliest
comics ever to feature a single character from cover to cover. In November,
a Sunday page, was added to the daily strip.
Joe Shuster was able to handle this increased workload by cutting back on
his other strips and hiring assistants, notably Paul Cassidy, who had been
inking and finishing Superman for about a year, and Wayne Boring, who had
been doing Federal Men, Slam Bradley and Spy pretty much solo, working
through the mail from his home in Virginia.
The workload was about to increase again, however, as Vin Sullivan informed
the boys, that beginning with issue #4, they would be expected to furnish
52 pages of new material for each issue of _Superman_ comics.
Perhaps this is the reason that Dennis Neville did the inks and finishes on
the story in _Action_ #21. Neville's ink line is much thinner than
Cassidy's, and the "S" on Superman's cape disappears. Often referred to as
"The Atomic Disintegrator" (Siegel didn't bother to title most of the early
stories) the adventure wound up the adventure of the Ultra-Humanite, which
had begun way back in _Action_ #13.
As he walks towards the Daily Star, Clark Kent is startled when a building
he passes suddenly begins to collapse. Swiftly, Kent tosses pedestrians
aside, out of the way of the falling masonry "but is buried beneath the
debris himself!" A doctor (we know he's a doctor because he's wearing a
perfectly white lab coat despite having just walked through an explosion)
pulls Kent from the wreckage and drags him inside for an examination. Not
particularly wishing to be examined, Clark quickly changes the subject and
asks the man if he had anything to do with the disaster.
Terry Curtis immediately breaks down and confesses. He was working on
harnessing atomic energy and is on the verge of discovering a weapon that
could destroy any matter. Of course, he's doing this in the heart of
Metropolis within walking distance of the Daily Star. Kent suggests he be
more careful in the future.
Maybe Curtis should be more careful, but Kent is a reporter and his job is
to sell newspapers, so he immediately writes up the whole story and submits
it to his editor. It is duly published and, as should have been expected,
immediately attracts the attention of the wrong kind of people. The
Ultra-Humanite, who's mind is now contained in the body of Dolores Winters,
actress (see _Action_ #20) believes that an atomic disintegrator ray is
just the thing she (he?) needs to conquer the world. Becoming a beautiful
woman certainly increases Ultra's persuasive powers. Soon she and Terry are
the best of friends. Terry isn't totally blinded by love, however. Once he
catches Dolores trying to lift papers from his laboratory, the romance is
over. Unfortunately for Terry, Ultra has a gun.
Clark is a little slow on the uptake (that super brain really doesn't start
to kick in for another 20 years or so), but it finally dawns on him that
the new girl Terry mentioned he was seeing, who resembled Dolores Winters,
might very well really be Dolores (Ultra) Winters. He returns to Terry's
laboratory only to find the place ransacked and deserted.
Nothing to get excited about however. A week elapses in which Clark lolls
around his apartment smoking a pipe! Then, Ultra is demanding two million
dollars over the radio or she'll destroy the Wentworth tower. Time to put
that pipe away and get down to Action!
Superman is able to hold off the Wentworth's collapse long enough for the
streets to be cleared. Then he allows the building to fall into rubble. Up
he leaps into the air, to chase Ultra's fantastic air-vessel (looks like a
standard 4 engine plane to me). The disintegrator ray blasts at Superman,
but he twists and avoids it. Back on the ground, he hurls a boulder at the
plane, destroying the weapon. Leaping back into the air, Superman sits on
the plane's tail and hitches a ride back to Ultra's headquarters, a
glass-sheathed city inside an extinct volcano.
Superman smashes a couple of robots and breaks into a laboratory where
Terry Smith and Dolores are working. Terry tells him that if he comes any
closer, a photo-electric beam will be tripped and Metropolis destroyed.
Ultra tells Superman she'll release Terry if Superman brings her the crown
jewels which are being guarded within the Reynolds building (they must be
on tour or something). But as Superman leaves, she calls the police and
warns them that he's coming to steal them.
The police don't take kindly to Superman's appearance and blow him out of
the sky with a cannon. But Superman twists the top off a hydrant and washes
them away with the water inside. Then he climbs up the outside wall of the
building (like an anthropoid). But a man opens a window above him and
whacks Superman with an ax, causing him to lose his grip and fall. Superman
seizes a ledge on the way down and "draws himself up to safety". Army
troops then push a safe out the window at him. Superman catches it with one
hand. "They must think it's Christmas the way they toss gifts around." With
one heave of his wrist, the safe is airborne.
Finally, Superman reaches the roof, where he dangles the army commander
over the edge, threatening to drop him if everyone doesn't back off.
Inside, Superman rips open another safe and departs with the jewels amidst
a hail of gunfire.
Ultra isn't really happy to see Superman return. She greets him with
diamond drills. While Superman brushes them away, Terry turns on Dolores
and stops her from throwing the switch which will destroy Metropolis. Ultra
then escapes by leaping into the volcano crater! Superman destroys the
laboratory and fills the crater with huge boulders, awakening the volcano's
slumbering fires. Superman leaves Curtis in Metropolis and tells him to
forget he ever succeeded in disrupting the atom.
This story provides a pretty good snapshot of the style into which Superman
had settled down. Each adventure was liberally dollopped with action
sequences, usually involving great explosions, weapons and projectiles.
Superman routinely got involved in battles with the police and the military
and didn't seem too concerned about causing destruction every where he
went. Since Superman wasn't able to fly, this made battles with airplanes
even more spectacular, since it required him to go to extraordinary lengths
to even get near them.
The formula was apparently very successful. The last panel of the story is
filled by an ad for the Spectre by Jerry Siegel (author of Superman) and
Bernard Bailey, which began its run in _More Fun Comics_ #52 that month.
Perhaps even more significantly, a new publisher entered the comics market
with _Whiz Comics_ #1 that very same month, featuring a character who also
bent a lot of steel with his bare hands -- Captain Marvel!
Being buried at the bottom of an erupting volcano was a finish that Siegel
apparently thought he couldn't top. Either that or editor Vin Sullivan
really didn't like the idea of a villain who was a man in a woman's body.
Now that Superman was in the newspapers and attracting national attention,
they would have to be more careful in the type of ideas espoused in the
strip.
It wasn't until _All Star Squadron_ #21-26 in 1983 that we found out what
happened next. Roy Thomas wrote a sequel, ostensibly set in 1942, in which
Terry Curtis, now known as Cyclotron, and Ultra, still Dolores Winters,
attempt to steal the Powerstone (a magic jewel which had once given Luthor
super-strength) and transfer Ultra's brain into Robotman's body. (Robotman
was another one of Jerry Siegel's creations, which began its run in
_Star-Spangled Comics_ #7 in April 1942). Superman, the Justice Society of
America, and the All Star Squadron are able to defeat the two of them,
however. Curtis eventually becomes the grandfather of current Justice
Society member Atom Smasher.
By the time _Action_ #22 came out in January of 1940, it was important for
the publisher to put a blurb on the cover that said "World's largest
selling comics magazine!" Jerry Bails's database covering all known comic
books (www.nostromo.no/whoswho) shows that the number of different comics
published went from 82 in 1939 to 151 different comics titles available at
some point during 1940.)
The headlines screamed "Europe At War!" as Paul Cassidy (and the "S" on
Superman's cape) returned as Joe Shuster's assistant. When "The armed
battalions of Toran unexpectedly swoop down upon a lesser nation, Galonia,"
the editor of the Daily Star sends Clark and Lois to Luxor to act as war
correspondents.
"Swell, I've hoped for a vacation for a long time!" says Lois, much to
Clark's disgust.
The two reporters embark upon an ocean liner voyage aboard the Baronta.
Once at sea, the international intrigue begins immediately. Clark notices
an exotic looking beauty, Lita Laverne, a famous foreign actress who
travels frequently. Lita ignores Clark until he chances upon a man
attempting to kill her and subdues him with a belaying pin! Gratefully,
Lita invites him to her home in Toran. But later, he spies her rummaging
through the captain's cabin. Plainly there is more to Lita than meets even
the super eye!
Finally, they dock in Toran. Lita has invited Clark to a big party at her
house, but it is plainly evident she's only trying to pump him for
information about America's attitude towards the war. It doesn't stop Lois
from acting jealous, however. The party is interrupted by a Galonian air
raid, which introduces some wonderful pages of Superman battling airplanes
again. (Remember, he won't be able to fly for another two years!)
Superman soon eavesdrops on Lita's conversations and discovers she is
arranging to have a neutral ship sunk by a submarine disguised to look like
it's from Galonia, in order to swing the democracies' sympathies towards
Toran. But Superman reverses the direction of the torpedo and that plan
backfires.
Then Superman drops in on a Toranian war council and forces a confession of
under-handed tactics from the general. His superiors are shocked to hear of
such dastardly deeds done in wartime, and there is an immediate shake-up in
the Toranian high command.
February 1940 was a big month for Superman. On February 12, the Adventures
of Superman debuted on the radio and introduced a new member of the
Superman cast, editor Perry White. White would not appear in the comic for
many months yet. On February 14, _Superman_ #4 came out, the first issue
devoted to all new material, mostly provided by Shuster and Cassidy. Then
on February 23, _Action_ #23 was published, featuring the first appearance
of Luthor, Superman's arch enemy. (Luthor also appears in two stories in
_Superman_ #4, but the _Action_ #23 adventure is chronologically the
earliest. Even back then, DC editors couldn't keep their continuity
straight.)
This is the first issue to feature the DC bullet up in the top right corner
of the cover. Superman's picture is on the left. From now on, the company
that produced Superman can legitimately be referred to as "DC Comics"
although it wouldn't officially change its name to that until the mid
1970's. (_Action Comics_ was published by Detective Comics, Inc. up until
1947, while _Superman Comics_ was published by Superman, Inc. Donnenfeld
used many other publisher names for his other titles. Maybe this is where
the idea for secret identities really came from?)
"Clark Kent and Lois Lane, war correspondents for the Daily Planet are
covering the conflict between Toran and Galonia." Daily Planet! Where did
that come from? When they left home last issue, it was the Daily Star!
Actually, the name Daily Planet first appeared in the December 10, 1939
Sunday page, where it also took over in the middle of a story line. Given
the different lead times for preparing stories for publication in the two
media, it's probable that both changes were made simultaneously, without
fanfare or explanation. Perhaps the Toronto Daily Star objected to the use
of its name (although it did carry the comic strip). In any case, there was
no real newspaper called the Daily Planet, so it was a much safer name to
use.
Despite Superman's intervention and the reorganization of the Toranian high
command last issue, the war continues. Now in Galonia, Clark and Lois
experience bombardment from Toranian shells. Superman is opposed to the
bombing of civilians and seizes the shells, hurling them back at the
artillery batteries from which they came.
Toran and Galonia are supposed to be discussing a cease-fire in a couple of
hours, so Superman zips out to the battlefield with his camera to get some
spectacular aerial shots for the Planet, just in time to see the Toranian
peace delegation be blown to bits.
General Lupo denies any involvement, but he reckons without Clark's
super-hearing. Overhearing Lupo give suspicious orders, he follows him out
into the country side. There Lupo vanishes into a cliffside! Superman can't
figure out where he went, so he digs right through the rock until he finds
a secret passage. Inside, Lupo is staring at a display of flashing lights.
A giant floating head appears in front of the rock and Lupo gives a report.
"Your plans have been carried out. The war will be prolonged."
Superman confronts Lupo on the way out and forces a confession out of him.
"Momentarily a squadron of unidentified planes are to invade and bombard a
neutral country. Luthor's plan is to engulf the entire continent in bloody
warfare!"
"Who is Luthor?" Superman asks, but Lupo is cut down by a mysterious green
death ray before he can answer. Then, the entire cavern collapses over
Superman, forcing him to dig his way out. (Well, he dug his way in, didn't
he?) Quickly, Superman must defeat another squadron of airplanes before the
war can be expanded.
Then Clark Kent tries to convince the two sides they are only fighting
because Luthor wants them to, without much luck.
Luthor makes his first appearance on page 7, a short, stocky, fellow with a
shock of red hair, sticking out at all angles, wearing the traditional
mad-scientist monk's robe. Angry at Kent's interference, he tells his
henchmen to eliminate the reporter. Of course they grab Lois by mistake.
Irritated, Luthor has her tossed in a dungeon. There, she entices one of
Luthor's guards to send a message to Clark to come and rescue her. Superman
eventually tracks her down to Luthor's new secret headquarters -- in a
giant dirigible high in the stratosphere.
This is quite the wacky dirigible. From it is suspended a flat platform on
which a stone castle complete with towers and turrets has been built. (As
we've seen, it even has a dungeon!) There Superman's X-ray vision shows him
Lois being tortured by a guard. He smashes through a stone wall to rescue
her, but Luthor's floating head reappears and tells Superman to surrender
or Lois will die.
"What sort of creature are you?" demands Superman.
"Just an ordinary man -- but with th' brain of a super-genius! With
scientific miracles at my finger tips, I'm preparing to make myself supreme
master of th' world!"
Luthor is trying to start a war between the nations of Earth so that he can
step in afterwards and pick up the pieces. Superman, to save Lois, agrees
to submit to Luthor's ray machine. Luthor believes that eventually the rays
will destroy Superman, no matter how strong he is. He may be right, as
Superman feels his strength ebbing away.
But Luthor is impatient. As his mind wanders, Superman seizes the moment
and lunges at the ray machine, whipping it around and blasting Luthor's
guards. Luthor trains one of the other rays at Superman but -- "summoning
up the last bits of his energy" -- Superman leaps across the room and
destroys the machine.
"Don't harm me!" pleads Luthor. "And I'll give you unlimited riches!"
"I thought you'd prove yellow," responds Superman.
Superman destroys the dirigible's control mechanisms and leaps to the
ground, carrying Lois in his arms. He and Lois watch as the dirigible
crashes in flames. Thus begins a pattern, of Luthor seemingly perishing in
flames at the end of every appearance.
Back at the peace conference, Clark Kent explains how the generals have
been manipulated for Luthor's own ends. Freed from Luthor's outside
agitation, peace is soon declared. Clark and Lois pack and return to
Metropolis, where Lois hopes that once again she will see Superman.
The mystery men market continues to get more crowded as an ad for the
Sandman appears in the last panel.
Although the real war in Europe had been under way since August of 1939,
Siegel had apparently not chosen sides yet. He clung to his belief that
wars were fostered by evil capitalists out for profit and that sides were
pretty much interchangeable. How very different from the attitude on many
other comic creators who were using Hitler as a villain long before America
officially entered the war. (To be fair to Siegel, though, Germany did not
begin its invasion of France until May of 1940. So little had gone on in
Europe since the conquest of Poland that the press was calling it "The
Phoney War".)
The story known as "Carnahan's Heir" in _Action_ #24 was quite a change of
pace. Superman had to do something much harder than bending steel, this
time. He had to bend an entire life!
Rufus Carnahan, retired industrialist, puts an ad in all Metropolis
newspapers, requesting Superman's aid. Kent's editor sends him to get the
story, but the butler tosses him out. He returns as Superman but the butler
still won't let him in. Superman tosses him aside and marches up the
stairs. Soon he's at Carnahan's bedside and we can get on with the plot.
Rufus is dying, and his only heir, his son Peter, is a "weak-kneed sop and
spendthrift" and a gambler. Carnahan wants Superman to straighten out his
son's character and make him a man. Just then, Peter, dressed in top hat
and tails, wanders in, presumably from last night's partying. Jenkins, the
butler, wants Peter to go upstairs and throw the madman in blue tights out,
but Peter is too scared. The police arrive, and Superman leaves via the
window, much to Peter's relief.
But Peter's troubles are just beginning, as Superman follows him to the
Purple Oar, a notorious gambling joint where he finds that Peter owes
$10,000 to gambler Jake Brent. Dad's will states that Peter will get
nothing if he is found to be involved in gambling, so Jake ups the ante and
demands $100,000 to keep quiet about Peter's debts. An argument ensues -- a
shot is fired -- and Peter takes off in his roadster. Distraught, Peter
tries to drive over a cliff, but Superman grabs the rear bumper and pulls
him back. Peter insists he's innocent and that the gun went off
accidentally.
To make matters worse, old Mr. Carnahan has just died. In those days
justice moved swiftly. The circumstantial evidence is overwhelming and
Peter Carnahan is sentenced to the chair. Kent has his doubts however. A
quick trip to the scene of the crime by Superman soon uncovers new evidence
that more than one shot had been fired. It's time for another of those
last-minute confrontations at the state prison, as Superman races the
deadline, with rival gambler Benny Farrel tucked under his arm. It's a bit
too close for explanations this time though, so Superman stops at the
dynamo room and rips the flywheel off. Then Superman delivers Farrel to the
governor's mansion.
"Go ahead -- confess, or I'll shake your teeth loose!" demands Superman.
"This is MOST irregular!" says the Governor.
Carnahan's life is saved, but he can't inherit his father's money. Instead,
he has it put in a trust to establish a home for wayward underprivileged
youths and appoints himself as director.
Perhaps in those halcyon days before the Miranda decision, such a
confession would stand up in court. I have my doubts, however. It would
still be many months before Superman began working within the confines of
the judicial system.
_Action_ #24 was the end of the first era in the history of Superman. There
was now too much work to do for Shuster to be personally involved in every
aspect of art production, even with an assistant. The call went out to
Wayne Boring to move to Cleveland and join the Superman production team.
From now on, stories would be parcelled out to several different artists at
once. Layouts, details, backgrounds, supporting characters -- all might be
handled by different people, often switching roles between pages. Joe
gamely tried to make sure he at least did the heads of Superman, Clark, and
Lois, but often he couldn't even keep up with that. Eventually, he would
lose control all together.
But that's a story for next time.
_____________________________________
End of Section 9
_____________________________________
SUPERMAN STORIES
------------------------------------------
By Sean Hogan (shogan@intergate.bc.ca)
DEMONS
Last time, I reviewed stories where Superman wrestled with his inner demons
and traveled through a personal hell, dealing with the consequences of his
execution of the Phantom Zone criminals. This time, I'll review some
stories where Superman literally goes to hell, as he battles the demons
Blaze and Satanus.
Superman's first encounter with Blaze and her domain is in the three part
"Soul Search", which begins in _Action Comics_ #656 (written by Roger
Stern, with art by Bob McLeod and Brett Breeding). The issue begins with
the bloody and unconscious bodies of Jimmy Olsen and Jerry White being
wheeled into the Emergency Room on stretchers.
This story arc was the culmination of a number of sub-plots involving
Jerry's problems with the law, his friend, Jose Delgado (Gangbuster), and a
church turned nightclub owned by a mysterious socialite named Blaze. The
first issue of this arc nicely explains the necessary background, so
readers don't need to have read the earlier issues.
We learn that Jerry and Jimmy were shot by drug dealers outside Blaze's
nightclub. Although the boys should be recovering from their wounds, they
continue to decline. Clark learns of the shooting and goes to the hospital
where he meets Perry and Alice White. As Clark stands by the boys' beds, he
sees the Black Racer enter the room. For those who aren't familiar with
this character, the Black Racer (created by Jack Kirby, and part of his New
Gods mythology) collects dying souls to deliver them to their afterlife
destiny. He describes himself as a messenger, "When there is an imbalance
of forces in the cosmos, it is my lot to deliver the correcting factor."
The Black Racer recruits Superman as the correcting factor in this
instance, to save the injured youths and to deal with an entity which "has
gained a foothold on this mortal plain". The Black Racer creates a Boom
Tube over Blaze's converted church saying, "This once hallowed hall has
become a focus of infernal forces. But it shall be the nexus by which we
continue our journey!"
Superman is deposited in Blaze's infernal realm, where he sees the tortured
figures of Jimmy and Jerry. While Superman is distracted, Blaze blasts him
into a molten pit telling him that these are the boys' souls, "and they are
mine -- as are you, Superman!"
_Superman_ #47 (written and drawn by Jerry Ordway, with inks by Dennis
Janke) is a big all-out, knock down, drag 'em out fight on several levels.
Superman battles an onslaught of demons in the underworld, while Gangbuster
is recruited by the Black Racer to fight Intergang arsonists who set fire
to the packed nightclub. Blaze takes part in both battles -- in human guise
on Earth and in her demonic guise in her own realm.
In the hospital, quieter but no less desperate battles are fought. Jimmy
and Jerry's bodies continue to decline, and bloody writing appears on
Jerry's chest as Blaze marks her name on his soul below. Lex Luthor also
chooses this time to appear and tell Perry that Jerry White is Luthor's
biological son (another story for another time). This only confirms Perry's
long-held suspicions, but he acts true to character when Luthor threatens
Alice. Perry takes Luthor out with one punch, telling him to leave Jerry's
room. "Alice and I raised that boy. He's still our son!"
"Soul Search" concludes in _Adventures of Superman_ #470 (Dan Jurgens with
finished art by Art Thibert), as Blaze possesses Jerry's soul to better
attack and demoralize Superman. Superman refuses to give in, but he is
clearly having difficulty with the continual attacks. Blaze's attention is
sufficiently diverted that Jerry is able to fight off her control and he
heroically throws himself at Blaze to save Jimmy.
Blaze welcomes Jerry, "to the eternal damnation of my after-life" and
literally sucks the life out of him, body and soul. In the hospital,
Jerry's body stiffens, arches and dies. Superman, horrified by Jerry's
sacrifice and death, renews his efforts and blindsides Blaze with another
attack, allowing him to speed away from Blaze's domain. Jimmy's soul
returns to his body and Superman finds himself bursting through a volcano,
returned to Earth.
The ending is somber as Alice, Perry, and the other characters (including
Luthor) quietly mourn Jerry's passing. However, on the final page, the
Black Racer appears in the morgue and summons Jerry's soul. He comforts
Jerry by telling him that he has one final journey awaiting him, but, "Have
no fear, you have been deemed worthy ... relax and enjoy your just
rewards," as they disappear into the light.
Superman's initial encounter with Blaze is mostly a physical one, but when
they next meet (two years later in real world time), the battle is both
physical and spiritual, as Superman has begun to question his morality and
worthiness following his execution of the Phantom Zone criminals. He is
more vulnerable to attack because of this, and the unwavering determination
and self-confidence that served him so well in "Soul Search" is missing
during his rematch.
Superman's second descent to Blaze's netherworld begins with "Night of the
Bat!" a two part team-up with Robin (Tim Drake) in _Superman: The Man Of
Steel_ #14 and _Superman_ #70. Robin has been investigating a "vampire
plague" that started in Gotham and appears to have moved to Metropolis. The
vampire, having previously bitten Lucy Lane, returns to her bedroom window
to reclaim her. Jimmy Olsen saves her and then, arming himself with holy
water, a garlic necklace, a cross, and a stake, goes vampire hunting.
With Superman busy out of town, the two vampire hunters meet in the usual
fight and team-up scene. Louise Simonson (with art by Jon Bogdanove and
Dennis Janke) has some fun with their introductions as the two pause during
their fight and see each other face to face. Jimmy starts: "Hey! You're not
the vampire! You're . ."
"Robin. As in 'Batman and . . !' Who are you?"
"Jimmy Olsen."
"Who?"
"As in 'Superman's pal . . !'"
Unfortunately, when they do team up to tackle the vampire, they find their
holy water and crosses useless. Canines exposed, the vampire grins, "I may
be a creature of the darkness, but not the Dark Ages! Modern technology has
neutralized your danger to my kind." Jimmy finally uses his signal watch to
call Superman, who arrives and flies the vampire up, up and away to greet
the rising sun. The vampire seems to disintegrate, but as Superman returns
to pick up Robin and the injured Jimmy, they hear the vampire's mocking
laughter, threatening to return.
_Superman_ #70 (Dan Jurgens with finishes by Brett Breeding) opens with
some banter between Superman and Robin until Jimmy insists on turning
matters serious, stressing his concern for Lucy. While they talk, we cut to
a corner of hell, where Blaze is advised by her demonic accountant that the
soul count is short. Some dead souls due from Metropolis have failed to
arrive.
Blaze believes that her (so far unnamed) brother is behind these events.
Gazing upon Metropolis, she sees a human leaping from a bridge to commit
suicide. The man is Sam Foswell, a recently fired editor at the Daily
Planet. Blaze decides that she can use this human as her agent. She appears
in the form of a ghostly, angelic and scantily clad female and halts
Foswell's fall. She tells Foswell that he must pledge his life to her, then
disappears and leaves him to fall again -- only to arrange for him to be
rescued by Superman.
Meanwhile, the vampire has returned to gather Lucy Lane in his arms,
bringing her and a host of his nearly-dead victims to a local cemetery.
Robin and Jimmy manage to follow and cause an explosion to get Superman's
attention. Superman is ill-prepared for the vampire and the three heroes
appear close to defeat until Blaze intervenes.
Still watching from her kingdom, Blaze has learned of the vampire's
interference with the fate of souls that should have been hers. She decides
that she will be the one to claim Superman's soul, not this "insignificant
little vampire". As Lucy Lane's fangs touch Superman's neck, Blaze lets
loose a "burst of earthly hellfire" that cleanses the vampire's dark bite
from his victims, curing them, "so that I, one day, may claim their souls!"
The vampire tries to flee, but Superman restrains him and the vampire
impales himself on a statue of a soldier with a bayonet, dissolves, and
vanishes.
Blaze muses that, "This puny distraction was not my brother. No ... my
brother wields far more power and cunning than this specimen ... My brother
is the accursed Satanus -- and I now fear he desires Superman's soul -- and
has taken root in Metropolis to ensnare it!"
The issue ends as a reinvigorated Sam Foswell meets Colin Thornton, owner
of Newstime Magazine. Thornton needs a new managing editor since his
previous editor, Clark Kent, recently quit. Thornton offers the job to
Foswell who thinks, "The angel was right! She's -- changed everything for
me!"
The "Blaze/Satanus War!" begins in _Adventures of Superman_ #493 (written
by Jerry Ordway, with Tom Grummett on pencils and Doug Hazlewood on inks).
Blaze gloats over the fate of her pawn, Foswell. As Foswell enters the
Newstime building, an unearthly blue glow suddenly surrounds the building,
the lights inside dim and computer screens go blank. Foswell's handshake
delivers an electric shock to Thornton, surprising both men.
Later, when Foswell visits the men's room, demons stare back at him from
the mirror. The demons begin to emerge from every mirror Foswell passes,
and he is oblivious to the havoc they begin to wreak on his fellow
employees.
A new player emerges from a mirror near Thornton's office -- Lord Satanus.
The majestic, horned and helmeted purple demon reassures a secretary, "Fear
me not, human. No misery awaits you -- this day. These mirrored portals
spew forth demons from a dank place."
Meanwhile, Jimmy Olsen, knocked unconscious in an unrelated incident, sees
a vision of the Newstime building and is warned by his dead pal, Jerry
White, that Blaze has returned. He and Lois Lane head to the building,
while Clark slips away to fly there as Superman.
Demonic fights ensue. Jimmy and Lois enter the building, only to become
trapped as a mysterious force seals it off from the outside world. When
Satanus tells Superman that it may require Foswell's death to shut the
gates to the Netherworld, Superman replies, "That puts us at odds, mister!"
As the issue ends, Blaze gloats that, "The pawns are in place, dear
brother, and my knight has made his move!"
The battle continues in _Action Comics_ #680 (written by Roger Stern, with
art by Jackson Guice and Denis Rodier). Blaze, in angelic guise, removes
Foswell from the fight and convinces him that Superman, Jimmy, and Lois are
his enemies. Foswell tells her, "Help me, angel! Help me get back at them!
I'll do anything you ask!" Blaze seals the pact with Foswell's blood and
welcomes him to "--MY HELLISH HOST!" as she transforms him into a fierce,
winged gargoyle (inelegantly called "Fosgoyle").
Meanwhile, Superman, Satanus, Lois, and Jimmy continue to battle the other
demons. When Superman comments that Satanus seems to take great enjoyment
from dispatching his opponents, Satanus replies, "Perhaps, one takes brief
pleasures where one may." (Personally, I prefer bad guys to have a good
sense of humour and irony).
Fosgoyle attacks, taking Superman and Satanus cannoning through several
floors of the building. Outside, Supergirl is using her powers to breach
the barrier that surrounds the building. Satanus feels the barrier
weakening and worries that a breach would draw the physical world into
Blaze's domain. To prevent that, he adds his powers to the barrier and
transports the entire building away, directly into Blaze's hellish home.
The next issue in the saga is an interesting one. _Superman: The Man of
Steel_ #15 is written by Louise Simonson, but the art chores are divided.
The team of Kerry Gammill and Dennis Janke handle the normal scenes inside
the building and in Metropolis, while Keith Giffen and Trevor Scott draw
all the scenes in the underworld. Giffen's art is surrealistic and garish
-- emphasizing strange vistas, weird shadowing and unusual 'camera' angles.
It makes a nice contrast between the real world and the netherworld scenes.
Superman's struggles send him and Satanus outside the building into the
hellish realm. As demons spew forth to attack them, Superman finds that his
powers behave unpredictably. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Perry and Alice
White are standing near the police cordon when they see what appears to be
the ghost of their son, Jerry, beckoning them from the abandoned church
that had been converted to Blaze's nightclub. As they enter, Blaze removes
the building to her domain, gloating that they have been "caught like mice
in a trap." Her reason is that to neutralize Superman, "one must simply
endanger his friends."
Perry sees the demon-filled Newstime building and, noting that the church
seems free of demons, rings the church bells to signal those trapped in the
other building. Lois, Jimmy, and the rest are fighting a losing battle when
they hear the bells and decide to cross over to the church.
Superman is diverted from his battle to help the humans cross safely. As
his attention is turned, Blaze strikes her brother. She gloats that
although it was virtually impossible to defeat Satanus while Superman aided
him, "separated, each of you is pathetically easy to defeat!"
Indeed, Superman also soon falls to the demon horde. As Satanus finally
manages to get a stranglehold on Fosgoyle, Blaze reveals her trap to
Superman: killing Foswell (her "living portal") will return the demons to
her pits, but saving Foswell will trap Superman and his friends in her
realm for eternity. Superman must choose to fight Satanus to save Foswell,
or allow Foswell to die to save his friends.
The Blaze/Satanus War ends in _Superman_ #71. While Blaze's hell no longer
has that Giffen look, the lovely Jurgens/Breeding art is a pleasure to look
at, in any dimension. The fight intensifies on all fronts as Superman
attacks Satanus and the humans fend off attacking demons. Superman refuses
to accept either Blaze or Satanus' rules, vowing that he will "get all of
them out of here! Just watch me!"
Satanus tells Superman, "You would do well to recognize that you are naught
but a weapon in the Blaze - Satanus war!". Satanus preys on Superman's
fears to convince the hero to ally with the devil, "Think, Kryptonian! Are
you truly prepared to pay over one thousand souls -- to save just one?"
Finally, Satanus succeeds in trapping Superman, advising him, "It is time
you realize you have no choice or independence here, mortal ... choose now!
Do you serve Blaze or Satanus!"
Blaze merges her demons into one monstrous hellspawn, intent on demolishing
the church and the humans inside. Superman's convictions and
self-confidence begin to erode as he watches the destruction of the church
and the helpless victims inside. He begins to doubt his ability to win both
wars. Satanus tells Superman that Blaze will "feast on your friends ...
their flesh ... their souls! Is this what you want? Is your independence
worth so much?"
Superman desperately thinks, "how do I give in to an evil like Satanus?"
Unable to free himself, and with Blaze moments away from destroying his
friends, Superman finally gives in to Satanus' goading and says, "You WIN!
Let me LOOSE!"
Suddenly, Fosgoyle intervenes and frees Superman, saying "You made the
right choice, Superman. I'm not worth all those lives." Together, the three
unite against Blaze.
Blaze has allowed herself to be distracted, entering the church to taunt
Alice and Perry with more visions of their son (mass mayhem always tastes
better with a pinch of mischief to flavour it). She tells them Jerry is
"mine, body and soul" and gloats that she conjured visions of Jerry to lure
them.
Suddenly, the church bells peal again, reminding Blaze of her other prey.
She realizes that Satanus has directed Superman to ring the bells allowing
the vibrations to be channeled as a sonic weapon. As Blaze appears and
attacks Superman, Perry White replaces him on the bellrope, vowing to
continue for the sake of his deceased son. Perry struggles, despite the
serious injuries he receives from Blaze, to continue ringing the bells.
Satanus' attack, fueled by Perry's efforts, succeeds in opening a portal,
allowing both buildings to return to their proper places in Metropolis. An
explosion tears through the netherworld, blasting Superman and Blaze
elsewhere. Back on Earth, Lois confronts Satanus, but the demon lord tells
her that the missing Superman, "is no longer my concern. He will have to
survive on his own."
Satanus also answers the Whites' questions, telling them, "Rest assured.
Neither I nor my sister claim your son. His soul lives in a place you would
undoubtedly favor." Finally, in private, Satanus returns Foswell to normal
saying, "Now that your soul is mine I grant you your true form ... I do
this for my own benefit. Someday I may have need of your earthly form. For
now -- BE GONE!"
As Foswell scurries away, Satanus transforms, revealing his mortal disguise
for the first time: "Though victory is mine, the war between my sister and
me continues. Nevertheless, I have gained a loyal servant this day and
protected the greatest secret of all. Not Superman or Foswell, or any of
the rest suspect that Satanus -- walks the Earth as Colin Thornton!"
While Blaze and Satanus go their separate ways (for now), Superman still
has to find a way home, and to find a way to reconcile his actions in
allying with Satanus and therefore putting Foswell's life at risk.
_Adventures of Superman_ #494 (by Ordway, Grummett, and Hazlewood) examines
morality and choices as Superman confronts some of his most significant
failures and fears.
Superman awakens in yet another dimension -- the home of Kismet (her first
appearance). She is aware of Superman's moral dilemma, telling him, "Kismet
exists between dark and light, illuminating the pathways to both. The
choice belongs to those at the crossroads." When Superman complains that
not all choices are black and white and that there are shades of grey
everywhere, Kismet replies, "I do not judge -- I merely offer the choice."
Superman reflects, "I was taught by the tenets of religion by my adoptive
parents, as a child ... that is where much of my concepts of right and
wrong were formed. Those concepts are shaken with every encounter I have
with a so-called greater being!"
Kismet reshapes her dimension to review some of these significant
incidents. Superman recounts what is still the heaviest of his burdens, his
execution of the Phantom Zone criminals. Yet this time, Kismet alters the
ending and, as the criminals plead for mercy, has Superman relent and seal
the kryptonite in it's canister. Kismet shows Superman how this might have
ended with his own death at the hands of the Kryptonians.
Superman asks himself, "Was I wrong to kill those villains? Was I right for
the wrong reasons or wrong for the right reasons? Either way -- I tried to
grow from the experience."
As Kismet continues to probe, Superman retorts, "Look, I'm not stupid --
I've heard your message! I'm sick of this 'soul-search' Kismet. Let me go,
to rejoin my friends and loved ones!"
Kismet refuses, "You cried out for help, and there is much more to be done
... many significant events left to review ... you pondered 'what might
have been' and I am obliged to show you."
She returns him to his youth, when a friend, Scott Brubaker, crashed while
drinking and driving (from _Adventures of Superman_ #474). Clark, Lana, and
Pete were in the car with Scott, yet failed to stop him from driving. Scott
spent the next 10 years in a coma, before dying.
Superman argues that Scott's life would have been changed if they had only
called for a ride from his parents instead of driving. Kismet points out
that Scott may have taken the same risk on another day, without the lesson
on responsibility given to Clark by his parents. She asks, "Would their
words have had the same weight without Scott Brubaker's tragic example?"
They discuss other risks and possibilities -- the possibility of harm to
Superman's loved ones by his enemies, the chance that Superman might one
day decide to rule the world in order to better control its violence (to
which Superman replies, "That could never happen, Kismet!").
As Kismet ends the conversation, a frustrated Superman cries out that he
still has doubts about himself and his mission, "What if I hesitate the
next time I come across a drowning man? A suicide? An accident about to
happen? Do I think about Sam Foswell, and wonder if some OTHER omnipotent
being is pulling my strings?"
Kismet, realizing that this question cannot be answered by words, returns
Superman to Earth, just in time for him to save a family from danger. This,
more than any of Kismet's lessons, assures Superman that he will not be
paralyzed by indecision. Superman appears to realize from his instinctive
action that he will have to accept that he is not perfect, and that he will
continue his never-ending battle to help as best he can whenever he sees
danger or injustice.
While Superman's adventures have led him to face many other challenges,
decisions, and even demons, he has not yet had to deal directly with either
Blaze or Satanus again (although Blaze does manipulate Superman and Captain
Marvel into fighting each other in _Superman_ #102). While Blaze moved on
to other battles, Satanus remains in Metropolis disguised as Colin
Thornton. While we occasionally see him step out of his role as Thornton
(such as his protection of the Newstime building from Luthor's missiles
during the "Fall Of Metropolis" story arc), his master plan has never been
fully explained. To paraphrase George Costanza pitching a Seinfeld show,
'See! There's a story'. Let's hope someone gets around to it someday.
For those interested in further stories featuring Blaze, Jerry Ordway
featured her in the first year of his wonderful Captain Marvel series, _The
Power of Shazam_, especially issues #8-12. Blaze's manipulations peak in a
climactic battle with the entire Marvel Family. That storyline also
examines the history of the wizard Shazam and, in a brilliant linking of
the Superman and Captain Marvel legends, Ordway reveals Shazam as the
father of Blaze and Satanus.
Satanus has only one other significant story, when the wizard and Captain
Marvel visit Metropolis in _Superman: The Man Of Tomorrow_ #4. Satanus
recognizes his father's presence and releases a demonic drug which turns
its victims into monsters. Satanus' plan is to create havoc and distract
Shazam from learning of Satanus' hidden presence. The story doesn't spend
much time on the father/son dynamics, but focuses on the two heroes as they
fight the victims of the drug.
Well, this article has run on long enough. Time to get the heck out of here
and into the hot weather!
_____________________________________
End of Section 10
_____________________________________
THE MAILBAG
-------------------------------------
(mailbag@kryptonian-cybernet.com)
KC Responses are indented and begun with ****
===========================================
From: Chris Mullane (cdm55@webtv.net)
Byrne's plan for Superman's execution of the Phantom Zone Criminals (PZCs)
was flawed in that it was a conscious decision on Superman's part. It isn't
necessary for someone to murder before they know for sure that it's wrong,
and Superman of all people should have had this moral virtually encoded in
his DNA by his now-living-in-new-continuity parents.
It would have been more believable if Superman had been placed into a
position where killing was the absolutely last, only, and final option, all
other practical outlets failed. This situation could have been easily
implemented because the three alternate Kryptonians were much more powerful
than he was. If it had happened this way, Superman's moral dilemma would
have been in the tear between vowing to never kill and being forced to in
self-defense.
Let's say it went something like this: the PZCs beat Superman to
near-death, then Supergirl shows up and occupies them long enough for him
to retreat. He goes to Pocket-Superboy's lab and snatches the Gold K in a
lead shield. He flies out to save Supergirl, who is taking a serious
beating as per the original comic. Superman orders the PZCs to stop or else
he'll be forced to expose the power-draining ore; because they're still in
the poisoned atmosphere, it would mean certain death. They don't believe
him, citing that if such a substance exists the rebels would have certainly
attempted to use it. They call his bluff and he has no choice but to open
the container, lest he himself die at their hands. They're stricken with
the kryptonite radiation and fall to their deaths at the barren wastes
below.
Now, with the above scenario Superman still has a moral dilemma (Was there
another option besides the Gold K? Was he too distraught/hurried to grab
another ore or subconsciously wanting them to die?) without him actually
"pulling the trigger" on completely defenseless beings. This leaves the
*possibility* that he killed them on purpose, but leaves him free to sort
it out during his exile.
Perhaps my setup isn't perfect, but I'm positive that there were other
options for having Superman kill without making him a murderer. (Even
Batman doesn't kill the Joker, and he's left with a near-identical moral
dilemma every time Joker escapes Arkham for another killing spree.)
**** As I understood it, the purpose of this story was not to show us how
Superman learned that murder is wrong -- it's clear from his internal
debate that Superman had already learned that lesson. I believe the
point was to eventually provide us with a reason why Superman never
kills under *any* circumstance. After all, many people think killing
is justified when done in self-defense. Some think killing is
justified when done in punishment for numerous and heinous crimes
against humanity. Yet Superman's code is *never* to kill, not even in
circumstances where many, or even all, others think that he would be
justified in doing so.
Ultimately, I think your basic premise is correct, though. Byrne
didn't do a good enough job of presenting a situation where killing
truly *was* the only option, and that's probably the main reason that
fans have been debating this story ever since. (Though others may
question whether or not Superman's code against killing actually
needed to be explained in such a manner.)
===========================================
From: David Young (young_d1@popmail.firn.edu)
There are a couple of issues within the newest KC which I felt I had to
comment on. Words of wisdom? Nope, just my two cents worth.
First (since it came up first) is the infamous "Superman executes the
Phantom Zone villains" story. I've heard a lot of different views on this
story (all the way from mild remarks to "it ruined Superman for me!"). I
don't like to overanalyze a story, especially one that I liked. I've found
that if I sit here and really try to pick apart why I liked something then
it usually loses something for me. Now, I was an English major, so I think
I have the ability to do so and to support my arguments, but it is not
something I enjoy doing. (For instance, I could never be a critic, because
I rarely have a strong negative reaction to something... at worst I usually
say "It's not my kind of thing" because I know that somewhere out there in
the world is someone who liked it.)
So for this now-classic John Byrne story all I can say is that, when it
came out, I liked it. I felt Byrne's story held together very well. Now, I
wasn't sitting there trying to take it apart. If someone decides to be the
"devil's advocate" then they can almost always find problems with
something. I didn't have a problem with the "Superman's always had a
'no-killing' creed", because I had already become accustomed to the "break"
between the Pre-Crisis Superman and the Post-Crisis Superman. I saw the new
Superman more-or-less as a blank slate, and the only events/ideas from
Pre-Crisis which mattered were the ones they took the time to re-establish.
Therefore, I believe I saw Byrne's Superman as always knowing right from
wrong, but not necessarily swearing "I will not take a life under any
circumstance."
(And now that I've said that, someone will probably find a Byrne issue
where he did. He may have even said it in the story in question. If he did
have the "creed" established, I simply saw it as the realistic truism that
we can never truthfully say what we would do in a certain traumatic
situation until we are in that situation, or as one is not able to truly
predict all potential situations when one makes such a pledge.)
That said, when Superman said that he was the sole remaining person on this
"Earth" to judge them, and fearing that these mass-murderers would one day
recover their powers and find their ways to his Earth (and by this time
Superman had seen far more far-fetched events happen... to that person who
wrote in about this, how would the Post-Crisis/John Byrne Superman know
that this Pocket-Earth's Gold Kryptonite was one hundred percent absolutely
permanent? Was he supposed to have kept up with Pre-Crisis comic books?)
... well, I believed him. Case closed.
And when Byrne's successors decided to use his decisions in this case to
further develop his character with the Gangbuster/"sleepwalking" story, I
thought they did a great job. I hesitate to make a broad statement like "a
personal code is much stronger when one has experienced what they are
denouncing", but I think it did strengthen Superman's will not to kill in
the future.
While I know that some people think that the character of Superman should
never be effected or "tainted" by what other modern comics characters have
become over the years (or by the world at large), I do think Superman has
to be seen in a different light by each new generation. In a world where
characters who are considered the "better" and "more positive" ones (I'm
not talking Punisher and Wolverine, here, but the "good" ones) have a very
difficult time swearing that they would never take a life (even in
self-defense), it's difficult to see Superman taking that line without some
strong personal reasons (besides simply knowing "killing is wrong"). The
traumatic lessons Superman learned from the Phantom Zone criminals and the
following tales made that creed stronger in my eyes in regards to the
"modern" version of Superman.
Ok, there are my two-cents on that issue, and I gabbed a lot more than I
thought I would about it, so I'll try to sum up issue #2 quickly. The irate
Superman writer who quit his KC subscription because a reviewer went too
far (in his or her eyes). I'm not really addressing this directly because I
can see both sides. I've seen times when reviewers seemed to be on a
vendetta to return things to a time or style which he or she preferred, or
who seemed to just have been in a bad mood the day he or she wrote the
review. On the other hand, a professional should be made of pretty sturdy
stuff. They must have to put up with negative reviews all the time. (Not
everybody is Frank Miller, George Perez, or Alex Ross, ya know!)
What I wanted to say was that I don't read KC's current comics reviews at
all. I mean, occasionally I'll skim them. But usually I avoid them
altogether. I figure, I already purchase all of the Superman titles, so the
reviews won't serve the purpose of guiding my buying. And I'm going to read
them myself anyway, so I don't need these other people shading my opinions
of the books. I mean, if you liked a book (or a movie or whatever) and then
see this review where four or five people all unanimously hated it, what
reactions do you have? My first reaction is usually a defensive "Hey, I
liked that book!", and my second one is a more tentative, "Well, if all
these people didn't like it, maybe there really was something wrong with it
and I just didn't see it." See how it can taint one's opinions?
I have an example from this very issue. I just now got off the exercise
bike reading three issues of _Batman and Superman: World's Finest_ in a row
(#3-5), and I loved them. This has got to be my favorite Superman-related
series or mini-series so far this year (excluding one-shots/graphic
novels). Yet what do I see when I scan the reviews for issue #5? Complaints
over repeated themes (people, that is a common convention of comic books...
how many times have Spider-Man fans had to rehash the "with great power..."
theme?). Complaints over how Batgirl and Thorn were characterized (remember
this is basically "Year One" for Batgirl... she's supposed to be somewhat
perky and inexperienced here). "This whole mini-series is a gigantic
continuity error" (um, I could probably find a few small continuity
inconsistencies, but this is one of those retroactive stories where we are
supposed to believe these events "happened" in these characters' pasts all
the time... I think they've done a superb job so far of dealing with these
two characters' very complicated histories).
After reading the reviews, what did I come away with? Some people didn't
like the story. I would have predicted that even without reading the
reviews (it's impossible to get *everyone* to like one particular thing).
And it didn't change my opinion of the stories a bit (I still love this
series).
**** I'm going to interrupt here for just a moment. Enjoyment of a title is
a very personal thing and generally has nothing at all to do with what
others think of the book. The purpose of our new comic reviews is the
*sharing* of opinions, not the *changing* of opinions. I encourage
anyone who believes that their opinions are not being represented to
participate by submitting ratings and comments, editorials, or letters
to the mailbag.
To be fair, I realize that the reviewers go to a lot of work of reviewing
each issue, and I appreciate that sense of loyalty to both KC and the
Superman titles and fans. I also realize that a critical voice is needed to
let the DC people know when the fans are dissatisfied, so I know these
reviews have merit (however I think individual letters to DC and fans
abstaining from buying an unwanted product makes more of an impact than
organized critics/reviewers panels). I just wanted to let you know my
opinion of the whole matter.
(My only other problem with the way reviews are done here in KC, is that
each reviewer has a different concept of how the "Shields" work. "JE's"
summary was for the most part negative, yet he gave the story a higher
ranking then "JSy's" 3.5 rating, and "JSy" seemed to enjoy the story much
more from his summary. A little more consistency would be nice.)
**** Another possibility is that some people tailor their comments to
their ratings, while others do not. I'm not averse to using my limited
comment space to praising some aspect of a book which really caught my
eye, even if I didn't care for the book over all. I've also submitted
negative comments for books that I mostly enjoyed -- sometimes it's
easier to point out the flaws than the merits. If there was something
about the issue that irked me, it might take my entire allotted space
to explain what it was that elicited that reaction from me, but if
that's what I feel I need to comment on, then that's what I'll comment
on. The rating can then express my overall opinion of the book.
I should probably say what things I *do* look forward to in each issue
(since I've let it be known that the current issue reviews are not one of
them). I look forward to the "News" announcements for the Superman/DC line.
I enjoy Jeff's editorials (and other "guest" editorials too sometimes). I
particularly like reviews of older comics, particularly ones that I don't
already have (kudos to the writer of the "Earth-1"/"Earth-2" Superman
articles... my favorite KC stories this year!) or reviews of general
Superman/comic book history. So please don't take this as an overly
negative letter.
**** Of course not. Different readers prefer different flavors, and I don't
expect that *any* of our pieces are read by *every* KC reader. This is
one of the reasons that I encourage pieces focusing on media other
than comics, and that I encourage participation in the Mailbag. The
better variety of topics we can provide, the better chance we have of
having *something* for every reader to enjoy.
===========================================
From: Jon Knutson (waffyjon@execpc.com)
Got a question/favor to ask you... I don't recall if you are still placing
"classified ads" in the KC anymore, but just in case you do, would you mind
putting in a little notice for me?
I'm auctioning off a lot of my Superman collection via Yahoo! Auctions
(http://auctions.yahoo.com) as well as a lot of other comics. My bidder
name is waffyjon, which you can search for. Starting bids for each lot of
comics is usually 1/4 to 1/2 of Overstreet, and bidding's been slow so
far... it'd be a big help if you could point some of the KC readers that
way. These are books I used to have in Washington, left behind when I
moved... it was too expensive to ship them all to Milwaukee, so I just
shipped back the 70s comics for my website, as well as a couple hundred
comics I thought I'd be able to sell over the web (most of my Silver Age
stuff got sold off to a dealer when we were visiting Washington in July,
the rest are going to be quarter boxesat my parents' garage sale this
summer unless I get lots of responses to the auctions I have so far). Any
pointing out of these auctions to the KC readership would be greatly
appreciated (and make it easier to treat my wife to a real nice birthday
this year, to say nothing of Christmas).
**** Jon sent me this a couple of weeks ago, and I haven't had a chance to
contact him to see if the auctions are still going on, but I thought
I'd pass the information along, anyway. I do have an alterior motive,
though, in that it allows me to ask our readership about a return of
KC Classifieds. A few years ago, we ran a classified section in each
issue of KC, in which readers could list Superman-related items they
had for sale which might be of interest to their fellow fans. It was
intended only for personal sales, and not for any type of commercial
offering. If there's enough interest, I'd be willing to start the
classifieds back up again -- just give me a sign. :)
===========================================
From: Name Withheld
First of all, let me *thank* you for your marvelous newsletter. I've had no
access to the comics in almost a decade and have gotten re-hooked to
Superman through the 'net. KC has been invaluable in actually bringing me
up to date about what's happening to Superman in the DCU.
I've never been much for sending feedback; a pity, I know, and not what you
and your excellent staff deserve. I did want to comment, though, about a
letter in your mailbag from Johanna Draper Carlson.
Mrs. Carlson draws parallels between a specific comic (_Superman: The Last
God of Krypton_) and sexual conflict. For all the formality of her
language, the letter is pretty explicit -- enough to make me, a married
woman close to thirty, rather uncomfortable. Now this is, of course, a
matter of subjective opinion, and I'm sure there are many people out there
who would disagree. Still, I can't help feeling that the "adult" nature of
that particular letter was out of place in your newsletter, which (while
you may have never specified it to be as such) has always seemed to me to
be a family newsletter.
**** In all honesty, that particular letter has turned out to be more of a
headache for us than you can know, but I do not regret running it, and
I'd like to address that.
Yes, I have always intended KC to be a magazine which most parents
would feel comfortable allowing their children to read. After all,
Superman always has appealed to and always will appeal to the younger
set, and *all* Superman fans should have the opportunity to share
their love of the character.
On the other hand, Superman also has a very diverse group of fans
spanning all ages, beliefs, and backgrounds, and sometimes people with
a different point of view can see things in a story that some of the
rest of us can not. Even if I did not agree with all of her
observations, Johanna's view of _Last God of Krypton_ was well
thought-out and well backed-up. For that reason, I think that her
opinions deserved to be heard.
So now I find myself wedged into a bit of a corner. Some of our
readers don't think the letter was appropriate for KC, and some of our
readers thought that I treated the letter poorly in my response to it.
It would be very easy for me to respond by deciding not to publish any
such opinions anymore, but I'm not one to believe that there are many
good absolutes in this world, and I also don't think I want the
responsibility of deciding for *all* of our readers what is or is not
appropriate for all ages.
In the end, I can't promise anyone who is reading this magazine that
they will never read anything with which they might take offense or
which might make them uncomfortable. I try my best to strike a balance
between providing something everyone can read and providing something
in which differing viewpoints and opinions are welcome. On some
occasions, that means that we run pieces that fall outside of people's
comfort zones. However, I think that over our more than five years,
those instances have been few and far between. I hope that our record
bears that out.
-- Jeff Sykes
__________________________________
**************************************************************
End of Section 11/Issue #65
