Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
The Kryptonian Cybernet Issue 68
________________________________________________________
T H E K R Y P T O N I A N C Y B E R N E T
_______________________________________________
http://www.kryptonian-cybernet.com
Issue #68 -- Early December 1999
________________________________________________________
CONTENTS
--------
Section 0: Table of Contents
Editorial Staff
Disclaimers
Subscription Information
Section 1: Superscripts: Notes from the Editor(s)
You Take the Good, You Take the Bad...
Some self-jeers for the delays in bringing you this issue,
and some cheers for DC's recent endeavors
Ratings At A Glance
Titles Shipped October 1999
The KC Newsroom
An interview with Superman writer Jeph Loeb, an upcoming
Mxyzptlk/Bat-Mite special, artist rumors for Adventures of
Superman, and Superman battles Predators
Section 2: 1999 Superman Comics Index
Part I: Triangle Titles and Superman Family Monthlies
Section 3: 1999 Superman Comics Index
Part II: Limited Series, Specials, and Guest Appearances
1999 Kaycees Nominations
Web of Steel: The KC Guide to Superman on the WWW
Jon Knutson looks at several general comics sites and
reveals his brand new choice for the Superman web site
of the month!
Section 4: Faster Than A Speeding Bullet
Douglas Tisdale's series returns, continuing his exploration
of the early days of the Superman radio serials, this month
beginning the tale of Superman's investigation of the threat
to the Silver Clipper!
Phantom Zone Reviews
Scott Devarney begins a series of reviews of the Superman
Specials of the mid-eighties, beginning with the Man of
Steel's encounter with the Ultimate Man in _Superman
Special_ #1!
Section 5: Superman Stories
Sean Hogan shares with us some of his fondest pre-Crisis
tales, featuring stories of Superman and Ambush Bug,
creator appearances in comic book stories, Silver Age
anniversary stories, and some Silver Age inspirations for
more recent storylines.
Section 6: New Comic Reviews
The Triangle Titles
Superman #151, by Thomas Deja
Adventures of Superman #573, by Josh Hill
Superman: The Man of Steel #95, by Mike Smith
Section 7: New Comic Reviews
The Triangle Titles (cont)
Action Comics #760, by G.M. Nelson
Super-Family Titles
Superboy #69, by Rene' Gobeyn
Supergirl #39, by Thomas Deja
Superman Adventures #38, by Cory Strode
Section 8: New Comic Reviews
Team Titles
JLA #36, by Edward Mathews
Young Justice #15, by Gary Robinson
Miniseries and Anthologies
Batman & Superman: World's Finest #9, by Simon DelMonte
Legends of the DC Universe #23, by Cory Strode
Section 9: New Comic Reviews
Specials and Guest Appearances
The Superman Monster, by Josh Hill
Superman Inc., by Thomas Deja
Batman: Shadow of the Bat #92, by Rene Gobeyn
Section 10: The KC Mailbag
Odds 'n' ends concerning complicated continuities, some
newsreels answers, the declining comics readership, how
to locate other collectors in your area, and the death
of Mongul.
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)
YOU TAKE THE GOOD, YOU TAKE THE BAD...
Well, long time no write. You loyal readers have no doubt been waiting in
eager anticipation for our views on the new creative teams among the
Superman fold, and I'm sorry to say that the delays were completely and
utterly my fault. You see, not only did I allow myself to fall into the old
trap of overestimating what work I'd be able to get done while at my
parents' house for Thanksgiving, I also overestimated the competency of
their ISP. But that's a long and infuriating story, and I don't really want
to bring down everyone's holiday!
Another "power" I've discovered is my ability to underestimate how much
grading I have to do, not to mention how long it's going to take me. Fact
is, during the week I'm absolutely swamped at school, especially here at
the end of the semester -- don't know how I'm gonna fare next semester,
with one more course added to my teaching load than I'm dealing with now.
(Actually, I do -- fewer assignments = less to grade, so my students next
semester should be a bit less grumpy than this semester's.
Anyway, I'm not going to make any promises concerning our publication
schedule, but I will go ahead and announce that I have every intention of
getting our next issue out before Christmas (so I don't have to fight with
my folks' internet service between then and New Year's), which *does* mean
two issues around two weeks apart. I've held back some content from this
issue so that we will have a little bit more than just the new comic
reviews, but you should still look for our next issue to be quite a bit
shorter than this one.
Now, enough with the complaints, apologies, and exasperation. DC's been
doing several things right, and I want to pass along a few kudos!
First, while I'm actually only through the first month and a half's worth
of the new creators, I'm pretty happy with what I've seen. I'm a little
concerned that the titles received almost no sales bump as a result of the
new creators, but I hope word of mouth will start to bring some folks back
on board.
Second, has anyone seen the Celebrate the Century Super Heroes Stamp Albums
that DC published with the US Postal Service? I'm sure the main idea here
is to help promote the Celebrate the Century stamp offerings by the USPS,
but this is exactly the kind of thing that could help to promote comics to
a new audience. There are five books, one for each decade from the 1900s to
the 1940s, each providing a history of the people, places, and events that
are captured on the stamps. Not only are the books a nice introduction to
some of the history of our country (maybe the kind of reading which could
spark a child to want to learn more), but they can emphasize to the
community at large that comics can be used for more than just entertainment
purposes.
Finally, did anyone notice that DC's books with a 2000 cover date seem to
have gained a little weight? _Superman_ #152 and _Adventures of Superman_
#574 had a page count of 40, while _Superman Adventures_ #39 and a few
other titles clocked in at 36 pages. These are all up from what was
formerly 32 pages, but none of the books appear to have added any
additional story pages. Since the prices have all remained unchanged, I
suspect that this has come about as a method to increase DC's revenue
without having to increase costs to the readership. From my point of view,
this is a pretty good solution, and I would like to commend DC for keeping
the readers in mind with this decision.
Nice to have some good things to say every once in a while, no?
Enjoy the new issue, and we'll see you back here in a few weeks.
________________________________________________________
RATINGS AT A GLANCE: Titles shipped October 1999
------------------------------------------------------------
Prepared by Shane Travis <travis@kryptonian-cybernet.com>
Great Caesar's Ghost! Wouldja just *look* at those ratings? That's the
thought that kept running through my mind as I edited this month's reviews
and amassed the ratings. Team Super pulled out all the stops in October,
giving us not only an impressive debut of the new Triangle Title creative
teams, but some excellent stories and visuals by long-time scribes. Maybe
everyone wanted to give us their best effort before Kaycee nominations
closed...
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
----- ----- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
Superman 151 4.5(11) 1 3.7(13) 1(T) 3.47 2
Supergirl 39 4.4(5) 2 3.6(6) 5 3.77 1
Superman, Inc. 1 4.3(5) - -- - -- -
Action Comics 760 4.2(12) 3 2.0(11) 8 2.90 8
Young Justice 15 4.1(6) 4 3.6(7) 4 3.32 5
Superman Adv. 38 4.1(5) 5 3.7(7) 1(T) 3.45 3
Adv. of Superman 573 3.9(12) 6 2.1(11) 7 2.73 9
Man of Steel 95 3.8(12) 7 2.0(11) 9 3.02 7
Shadow of the Bat 92 3.7(8) - -- - -- -
JLA 36 3.7(9) 8 3.4(8) 6 3.23 6
The Superman Monster 1 3.6(4) - -- - -- -
Superboy 69 3.2(6) 9 3.6(8) 3 3.37 4
Legends of the DCU 23 2.9(5) - 2.4(5) - -- -
World's Finest 9 2.6(8) - 3.6(7) - 3.37 -
"What's a guy gotta do to get ahead around here?"
SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #95 (3.8 Shields, 7th place)
- You can't get a more concrete example than this of just how much people
loved this month's Superman books. MOS pulled down its best ratings since
the superbly-received 1930s-Superman arc, and its third-best rating since
I started keeping track in early 1997, yet still only manages to land in
seventh place. No respect, I tell ya... No respect!
"It's the end of the world as we know it..."
JLA #36 (3.7 Shields, 8th place)
- Another example of how impressive this month's offerings were; JLA got
the same rating this month as they did last month, but instead of being
first (as it was in September), it came in Eighth! Still, a lot of people
liked the beginning of Grant Morrison's final arc, World War III, but
you've gotta feel sorry for the guy. Everyone slagging him all the time
for throwing too many ideas at the reader too fast, and now, when he tries
to slow things down a bit and build up gradually, people are knocking him
for dragging his pacing! No respect, I tell ya... No respect!
"And now... I'd like to present to you... The Beat--umm-- Jeph Loeb!"
SUPERMAN #151 (4.5 Shields, 1st place)
- Okay, so it wasn't thousands of screaming teenage girls mobbing Ed
Sullivan's stage, but it was pretty damn close. The much-heralded and
highly-anticipated Jeph Loeb burst onto the scene, absolutely wowing his
audience. Let's not forget the part that guest artists McKone and Alquiza
played in this love-in; more than one person expressed a desire to see
them get a long-term gig on the triangle titles after they step aside for
McGuinness in a few months. What really struck me, though, was how *every
one* of the eleven Ratings Panelists who commented assigned this book a
grade of 4.0 Shields or higher. The last time I remember this many people
agreeing on such high marks was on a little thing called _Superman: Peace
on Earth_, and before that on a minor project called _Kingdom Come_.
That's some pretty good company you're keeping, guys...
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)
AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH JEPH LOEB
Risking life and limb, I recently managed to procure an interview with
_Superman_ writer Jeph Loeb. The interview was conducted via e-mail and the
text is printed verbatim below. Hopefully it will provide some new insights
on Loeb as a writer and on how he views the Man of Steel.
1) What are your educational professional backgrounds (both comic and film
work)?
I graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. in American Literature and
M.F.A. in Screenwriting. After film school, I co-wrote and or co-produced
_Teen Wolf_, _Commando_, _Burglar_, _Model By Day_ (for TV), _The
Hitchhiker_, and last year's _Firestorm_. My first comic book work was on a
mini-series called _Challengers of the Unknown_, the revamping of the
1950-1960 heroes. It's notable only in it is the first work I did with also
unknown Tim Sale. Since then, I've written about every icon I can think of
-- Superman, Batman, Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, X-Men -- and I
co-created, with Steve Skroce, X-Man.
2) How similar to screenwriting do you think comic writing is? Do you
approach both mediums in the same way?
Very similar. I write my scripts for comics as movie scripts with
description and dialogue down the center of the page, which is unusual for
comic writers who tend to write their dialogue left margin to right. Some
of that has to do with the computer program I used starting out. Some of it
has to do with the way I see a comic book being laid out -- much like the
storyboards of a film. Shot by shot. I've been very lucky to have artists,
who, like good directors, take the scripts and execute them brilliantly and
often improve on them.
3) What draws you to Superman, both as a writer and as a fan?
His nobleness. The act of kindness. I wrote Lana Lang narrating in
_Superman For All Seasons_ #4, "Every time a nurse bandages a wound. Every
time a pastor offers comfort. Every time a parent hugs their child. These
are choices each of us makes not only to do good, but inspire good in
others." That's who Clark is. It is also pure wish fulfillment. He can fly.
He can see through walls. He is incredibly strong. All those things are
things we can dream about, but could never do. What fun to have that in our
lives to inspire us.
4) What do you think of Superman's villains? Are most of them incurably
lame or is there some hope?
I don't think anything is incurably lame. What is the famous line -- "There
are no small parts, only small actors." I've certainly had my fun with
Batman using characters like Scarecrow and The Mad Hatter when no one else
would -- Calendar Man -- so I'm looking forward to reaching into the hand
bag and seeing what Superman gives us. And Lex Luthor is part of history.
You can't go wrong with Lex.
5) Why do you think Superman has remained popular for so long?
Again, I think it is the wish fulfillment element and the inspiration to do
good. We all want something better for ourselves, for our families, for the
world. Superman achieves those goals, month in and month out. In a world
without hope, he reminds us that dreams can come true.
6) What do you think about some of the deeper interpretations of the
Superman character: Christ-figure, assimilated Jew, or simple adolescent
power fantasy? Is he one of these or something else entirely?
Whew. There is certainly a little bit of all of that. The Christ figure in
that Jor-El sent his only son to Earth to better mankind, the assimilated
Jew in that he does see himself as an outsider in a world that welcomes
him, and the power fantasy I've discussed above. But don't rule out the
wonderment of creation. There was nothing like Superman before Superman. He
created a new artform in the Superhero and it is now part of the world
culture.
MXY AND BAT-MITE TOGETHER AT LAST
Evan Dorkin, the creator of _Milk and Cheese_, is set to write a 64-page
Elseworlds one shot for DC entitled _World's Funniest_. The story is
entitled "Last Imp Standing" and is centered on a feud between Mr. Mxyzptlk
and Bat-Mite. They basically go around and destroy some of DC's alternate
realities, including ones like _The Dark Knight Returns_.
Speaking of _The Dark Knight Returns_, Frank Miller is one of 18 artists
who will be contributing to the project. Others are Dave Gibbons,
Mazzucchelli, Brian Bolland, Jaime Hernandez, Dick Sprang, Ty Templeton,
Glen Murikami, Phil Jimenez, Jim Woodring, Stephen DeStefano, Scott Shaw,
and Frank Cho. The one and only Alex Ross will be supplying the cover.
I, for one, can't wait.
PORTER ON ADVENTURES?
Rumors have been circulating that _JLA_ artist Howard Porter might be
coming on as the regular artist for the _Adventures of Superman_ once J.M.
DeMatteis comes onboard. John Dell, Porter's inker on _JLA_, has already
signed an exclusive contract with CrossGen comics, so Porter will have a
new inker should he get the job. DC has made no official statement as to
who the regular penciller will be.
I only have two words in response to this rumor: Mike McKone. That man
belongs on the Super-titles full time.
SUPERMAN VS. PREDATOR
http://www.anotheruniverse.com/columns/newsarama/newsarama111999.html
DC and Dark Horse Comics are no strangers when it comes to inter-company
crossovers. The Aliens have clashed with Superman and Batman, have a
tag-team match with the Green Lanterns coming up, and have even decimated
the ranks of DC/Wildstorm's Stormwatch. Superman hooks up with a Terminator
this winter, Batman's currently swingin' it up with Tarzan, and the Dark
Knight has also gone mano a mano with a Predator. So it was only a matter
of time before Big Blue and the Predators waged their grudge war -- the
operative word being "time" in this instance.
According to writer David Michelinie, a three-issue prestige-format
Superman vs. Predator mini-series pencilled and inked by Alex Maleev is set
to ship beginning this March, some four years after he first turned in his
first proposal. "The reason readers may not remember if they've heard about
this project before could be because it's been around since the spring of
1995, while I was still writing _Action Comics_, and thus may have been
relegated by many to the status of 'urban legend'."
"The tale starts when some scientists from S.T.A.R. Labs discover the
original Predator spaceship, from the first movie, in the Central American
jungle," explained Michelinie. "Most people assume that the vessel
automatically self-destructed when the Predator blew himself up at the end
of the movie, but that was never actually shown. As it turns out, the
self-destruct circuit malfunctioned and the ship is intact. Since a cache
of skulls and spines (Predator trophies) is found near the ship, S.T.A.R.
calls in Superman to check the strange vessel out before proceeding. During
this examination, two things happen: an intrusion signal is triggered,
sending a message into space, and Superman's Kryptonian physiology is
compromised by an alien virus, sort of a reverse War Of The Worlds riff.
This weakens the Man Of Steel so that a battle between himself and a
Predator will last more than one panel."
"Meanwhile, a sinister group of scientists and soldiers commandeers the
technology from the alien ship, intent on using it to speed up a master
plan that will result in selective genocide. When a Predator arrives on
Earth to eliminate evidence of his race's existence, Superman finds himself
caught between a human-slaughtering monster and humans who are planning
something monstrous -- and he has to choose sides. And, hopefully, a good
time will be had by all."
___________________________________________________________
End of Section 1
___________________________________________________________
1999 SUPERMAN COMICS INDEX
------------------------------------------------------------
Compiled by Jeffery D. Sykes (sykes@kryptonian-cybernet.com)
------------------------------------------------------------
Part I: Triangle Titles and Superman Family Monthlies
THE TRIANGLE TITLES
-------------------
1 - ACTION COMICS #750, "Confidence Job"
Written by Stuart Immonen
Art by Stuart Immonen, Jose Marzan, Jr., and Randy Duburke
Cover by Immonen and Marzan, Jr.
Luthor tests fake Kryptonite, and Superman has a prophetic dream
2 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #85, "Creative Differences"
Written by Jon Bogdanove
Art and Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke
Simyan and Mokkari create a hybrid clone of Jimmy and Superman
3 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW #12, "Need to Know"
Written by Louise Simonson
Art by Paul Ryan and Joe Rubinstein
Cover by Paul Ryan and Dennis Janke
Lightning-powered Stryke invades STAR Labs, Lexcom, and Cadmus
4 - SUPERMAN #141, "Introducing Outburst!"
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art by Scot Eaton and Joe Rubinstein
Cover by Jurgens and Rubinstein
Superman meets Outburst, who helps him against DEO forces
5 - THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #564, "Visions of Death"
Written by Karl Kesel and Jerry Ordway
Art and Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
Another of Clark's dreams comes true, nuclear meltdown in Markovia
6 - ACTION COMICS #751, "Sixes and Sevens"
Written by Stuart Immonen
Art and Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr.
Luthor and the DEO try out a new batch of fake Kryptonite on Supes
7 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #86, "On the Job!"
Written by Louise Simonson
Art and Cover by Scot Eaton and Dennis Janke
Superman frantically tries to interpret his dreams and avert disaster
8 - SUPERMAN #142, "Clark Kent No More"
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art by Georges Jeanty and Joe Rubinstein
Cover by Jurgens and Rubinstein
The world grows wary, and Superman decides he can no longer be Clark
9 - THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #565, "The World Is My Backyard"
Written by Karl Kesel and Jerry Ordway
Art and Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
After he overthrows a dictator, the JLA confronts Superman
10 - SUPERMEN OF AMERICA #1, "Fire From Heaven"
Written by Stuart Immonen
Pencils by Breyfogle, Phillips, Ramos, Wojtkiewicz, Lim, & Van Sciver
Inks by Rubinstein, Phillips, Marzan, and Janke
Cover by Dave Gibbons
Outburst gets Luthor's help to form an anti-violence organization
11 - ACTION COMICS #752, "Superman: Have You Forsaken Metropolis?"
Written by Stuart Immonen
Art and Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr.
Lois has an unpleasant run-in with the Supermen of America heroes
12 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #87, "The Iron Hand of Kindness"
Written by Mark Schultz
Art and Cover by Doug Mahnke and Dennis Janke
Superman tells his family good-bye and is confronted by Team Superman
13 - SUPERMAN #143, "Shattered Illusions"
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art and Cover by Steve Epting and Joe Rubinstein
Superman unleashes a cadre of robots as his "peacekeeping" force
14 - THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #566, "...And Lose His Soul"
Written by Karl Kesel and Jerry Ordway
Art and Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
Superman destroys the LexCorp building; the SCU moves against him
15 - ACTION COMICS #753, "A Law Unto Himself"
Written by Stuart Immonen and Mark Millar
Art and Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr.
The JLA confronts and tries to stop Superman from further action
16 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW #13, "The Iron Hand of Kindness"
Written by Louise Simonson
Art and Cover by Paul Ryan and Dennis Janke
The JLA attempts to neutralize Superman; Lois gets into the Fortress
17 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #88, "A Kiss Before Dying"
Written by Mark Schultz
Art and Cover by Doug Mahnke and Dennis Janke
Lois snaps Superman out of his trance, Dominus stands revealed
18 - SUPERMAN #144, "Up in Smoke"
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art and Cover by Steve Epting and Joe Rubinstein
Lex convinces Outburst to help him drop Lexcorp on the Fortress
19 - THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #567, "The Pathway to Oblivion"
Written by Karl Kesel and Jerry Ordway
Art by Paul Ryan and Denis Rodier
Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
Superman battles Dominus in the rubble of the Fortress
20 - ACTION COMICS #754, "The Aimless Blade of Silence"
Written by Stuart Immonen and Mark Millar
Art and Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr.
Trapped in the Phantom Zone, Superman learns of Dominus' origin
21 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #89, "Prelude to a Coronation"
Written by Mark Schultz
Art and Cover by Doug Mahnke and Tom Nguyen
Superman discovers a Kryptonian technique to fight Dominus
22 - SUPERMAN: KING OF THE WORLD #1
Written by Karl Kesel
Art by Doug Braithwaite and Joe Rubinstein
Cover by Walt Simonson
Dominus' deception is uncovered, and Superman finally defeats him
23 - SUPERMAN #145, "Public Hearing"
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art and Cover by Steve Epting and Joe Rubinstein
Superman tries to rebuild trust, answers a disturbing letter
24 - THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #568, "Lookin' Good"
Written by Louise Simonson
Art by Tom Morgan and Denis Rodier
Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
A battle with Metallo distracts Superman from a TV interview
25 - ACTION COMICS #755, "Necropolis"
Written by Stuart Immonen and Mark Millar
Art by Shawn Martinbrough and Jose Marzan, Jr.
Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr.
Ron Troupe takes a new job; Clark envisions a future of his own making
26 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #90, "A Girl and her Robot"
Written by Mark Schultz
Art by Mike Collins and Tom Nguyen
Cover by Doug Mahnke and Tom Nguyen
One of Superman's robots becomes a bit too overprotective of Lois
27 - SUPERMAN #146, "Rough Day at the Office"
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art and Cover by Dan Jurgens and Joe Rubinstein
All indications point to the Toyman when high-tech toys go haywire
28 - THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #569, "Power"
Written by Louise Simonson
Art by Tom Morgan and Denis Rodier
Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
The SCU recruits four new metahuman officers to join their ranks
29 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW #14, "Conspiracy of One + One + One..."
Written by Louise Simonson
Art and Cover by Paul Ryan and Dennis Janke
Superman and Lois discover Riot's origin
30 - ACTION COMICS #756, "Comeback"
Written by John Rozum
Art by Vince Giarrano and Janice Chiang
Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr.
A villain comes out of retirement, finds today's villains violent
31 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #91, "Nemesis"
Written by John Rozum
Art by Charlie Adlard, Doug Mahnke, and Tom Nguyen
Cover by Doug Mahnke and Tom Nguyen
A game designer thinks that Superman is out to get him
32 - SUPERMAN #147, "Secret Origins, Part 1: The Knight"
Written by Ron Marz
Art by Tom Grindberg and Bill Anderson
Cover by Walt Simonson
What if Superman was raised to become a Green Lantern?
33 - THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #570
"Secret Origins, Part 2: The Invader From Earth!"
Written by Tom Peyer and Ron Marz
Art by Tom Grindberg and Tom Palmer
Cover by Walt Simonson
What if Superman was raised on Rann, in the place of Adam Strange?
34 - ACTION COMICS #757, "Secret Origins, Part 3: Eyes of the Hawk"
Written by Tom Peyer
Art by Tom Grindberg and Bill Anderson
Cover by Walt Simonson
What if Superman was raised on the Hawkworld of Thanagar?
35 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #92
"Secret Origins, Part 4: Cogito Ergo Doom!"
Written by Tom Peyer
Art by Tom Grindberg and Tom Palmer
Cover by Walt Simonson
Superman breaks free from Cogito's experimentation, agrees to help
36 - SUPERMAN #148, "Champions"
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art and Cover by Steve Epting and Joe Rubinstein
Superman, Vartox, and company battle invaders of a distant world
37 - THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #571, "Image is Everything"
Written by Louise Simonson
Art by Mike Collins and Denis Rodier
Cover by Paul Ryan and Denis Rodier
Superman and the Atomic Skull confront sabotage on a movie set
38 - ACTION COMICS #758
Written by Stuart Immonen and Mark Millar
Art and Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr.
Intergang power struggle; Superman battles giant robotic lobster
39 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #93, "The Sea Beast of Metropolis!"
Written by Mark Schultz
Art and Cover by Doug Mahnke and Tom Nguyen
Superman discovers Nekton, a monster that escaped from a laboratory
40 - SUPERMAN #149, "Who is Strange Visitor? Chapter One: What?"
Written by Rand and Ron Frenz
Art by Ron Frenz and Sal Buscema
Cover by Ron Frenz and Joe Rubinstein
A woman with Superman's "Electric Blue" powers hits Metropolis
41 - THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #572
"Who is Strange Visitor? Chapter Two: When?"
Written by Rand and Ron Frenz
Art and Cover by Ron Frenz and Sal Buscema
Superman and Strange Visitor face up against the gangster called War
42 - ACTION COMICS #759, "Who is Strange Visitor? Chapter Three: Where?"
Written by Rand and Ron Frenz
Art and Cover by Ron Frenz and Sal Buscema
Strange Visitor loses control of her powers, the Parasite helps out
43 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #94
"Who is Strange Visitor? Chapter Four: Why?"
Written by Rand and Ron Frenz
Art and Cover by Ron Frenz and Sal Buscema
Superman and Strange Visitor team up against the Parasite
44 - SUPERMAN #150, "Earth's Final Hour"
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art by Steve Epting and Joe Rubinstein
Newsstand Cover by Dan Jurgens and Kevin Nowlan
Collector's Cover by Dan Jurgens and Joe Rubinstein
Superman must prevent Brainiac and friends from destroying Earth
45 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW #15, "Heart of Hell"
Written by J.M. DeMatteis
Art by Ryan Sook and Jeff Gan
Cover by Ryan Sook
DAY OF JUDGMENT: Superman battles Neron in order to save Lois's soul
46 - SUPERMAN #151, "We're Back!"
Written by Jeph Loeb
Art by Mike McKone and Marlo Alquiza
Cover by Phil Jimenez
Luthor sells the Daily Planet to Perry, but at a cost to Lois Lane
47 - THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #573, "Higher Ground"
Written by Stuart Immonen and Mark Millar
Art by Steve Epting and Denis Rodier
Cover by Phil Jimenez
Superman, Lois, and the Planet help save Mr. Odetts' home from Luthor
48 - SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #95, "Krypton Lives"
Written by Mark Schultz
Art by Doug Mahnke and Tom Nguyen
Cover by Phil Jimenez
Superman and Lois travel to the Fortress and find Kryptonian chaos
49 - ACTION COMICS #760, "...Never-Ending Battle..."
Written by Joe Kelly
Art by German Garcia and Joe Rubinstein
Cover by Phil Jimenez
Superman chases Encantadora and her Kryptonite scam around the globe
JLA
---
25 - "Scorched Earth"
Written by Grant Morrison
Art and Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
The Ultramarines attempts to destroy the members of the JLA
26 - "Our Army at War"
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Mark Pajarillo and Walden Wong
Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
The JLA and the Ultramarines join forces against General Eiling
27 - "The Bigger They Come..."
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Mark Pajarillo, Walden Wong, and Marlo Alquiza
Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
The JLA enlists the Atom's aid in defeating a new Amazo android
28 - "Crisis Times Five: Part One"
Written by Grant Morrison
Art and Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
An invasion from the 5th dimension brings together the JSA and the JLA
29 - "Crisis Times Five: Part Two"
Written by Grant Morrison
Art and Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
The Thunderbolt joins the battle against fifth-dimensional LKZ
30 - "Crisis Times Five: Part Three -- Worlds Beyond"
Written by Grant Morrison
Art and Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
Green Lantern and Captain Marvel travel to the 5th dimension
31 - "Crisis Times Five: Part Four -- Gods & Monsters"
Written by Grant Morrison
Art and Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
The fifth-dimension war is ended and Triumph is defeated
32 - "Inside Job"
Written by Mark Waid and Devin Grayson
Art by Mark Pajarillo and Walden Wong
Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
The JLA prevents Locus from experimenting in No Man's Land
33 - "Altered Egos"
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Mark Pajarillo and Walden Wong
Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
Batman claims Bruce Wayne is responsible for Gotham's "No Man's Land"
34 - "The Ant and the Avalanche"
Written by Grant Morrison
Art and Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
A Belle Reve prison riot disguises Luthor's manipulations
35 - "The Guilty"
Written by J.M. DeMatteis
Art by Mark Pajarillo and Walden Wong
Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
The new Spectre confronts the JLA's past sins
36 - "World War Three: Part One"
Written by Grant Morrison
Art and Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
As the League learns of Mageddon, Luthor attacks the JLA Watchtower
SUPERBOY
--------
58 - "Demolition Run, Part 2: Crash & Burn"
Written by Karl Kesel
Art by Tom Grummett and Ray Kryssing
Cover by Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel
Superboy, Roxy, and The Mechanic try to finish the Demolition Run
59 - "Mission to Krypton"
Written by Karl Kesel
Art by Dusty Abell and Dexter Vines
Cover by Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel
Superboy experiences the destruction of Krypton, is given a name
60 - "Hyper-Tension! Part One: Big Bang Theory!"
Written by Karl Kesel
Art and Cover by Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel
When a dead Superboy turns up, Superboy is blasted into Hypertime
61 - "Hyper-Tension! Part Two: Superboy of Infinite Worlds"
Written by Karl Kesel
Art and Cover by Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel
Superboy bounces through Hypertime, meets the Earth-One Superboy
62 - "Hyper-Tension! Part Three: Divided by Zero"
Written by Karl Kesel
Art by Tom Grummett, Karl Kesel, and Dan Davis
Cover by Grummett and Kesel
Superboy is captured by Black Zero, learns of their similar origins
63 - "Hyper-Tension! Part Four: For Every World -- A Doomsday!"
Written by Karl Kesel
Art and Cover by Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel
Knockout and the Challengers of the Unknown come to Superboy's aid
64 - "Hyper-Tension! Part Five: Zero Tolerance"
Written by Karl Kesel
Art and Cover by Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel
Superboy and the Challengers defeat Black Zero, but at what cost?
65 - "Hyper-Tension! Epilogue: Out of Hyper-Time!"
Written by Karl Kesel
Art by Tom Grummett and Dan Davis
Cover by Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel
Thinking Superboy missing, Cadmus begins a search for a new agent
66 - "Wild Hunt!"
Written by Karl Kesel
Art by Aaron Lopresti and Tom Simmons
Cover by Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel
Superboy and friends return to the Wild Lands
67 - "Tooth & Claw"
Written by Karl Kesel
Art by Aaron Lopresti and Tom Simmons
Cover by Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel
In the Wild Lands, Superboy and friends are hunted by King Shark
68 - "Demons!"
Written by Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett
Art by Tom Grummett and Mike Manley
Cover by Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel
DAY OF JUDGMENT: The Demon comes to Cadmus as all Hell breaks loose
69 - "Hawaii--Hana Hou!"
Written by Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett
Art by Tom Grummett and Ray Kryssing
Cover by Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel
Superboy returns to Hawaii to wrap up some loose ends
SUPERGIRL
---------
28 - "Hell Hath No Furies..."
Written by Peter David
Art and Cover by Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs
Supergirl and Twilight battle the Furies at a Space Girls concert
29 - "Small Change"
Written by Peter David
Art and Cover by Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs
Supergirl travels to Apokolips to rescue the abducted Twilight
30 - "I Remember Matrix"
Written by Peter David
Art and Cover by Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs
Matrix returns to confront Supergirl about her "taking" of Linda
31 - "A House Divided"
Written by Peter David
Art and Cover by Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs
Superman tries to help Supergirl regain control over Matrix
32 - "The Quality of Mercy"
Written by Peter David
Art by Sean Phillips
Cover by Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs
Supergirl attempts to stop child prostitution in Thailand
33 - "Above a Murmur"
Written by Peter David
Art by Jason Orfalas and Robin Riggs
Cover by Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs
Carnivean sends a villain known as Murmur against Supergirl
34 - "We'll Always Have Parasite"
Written by Peter David
Art and Cover by Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs
Linda's art show in Paris is crashed by the Parasite
35 - "For Those Who Came in Late..."
Written by Peter David
Art and Cover by Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs
Carnivean and Luthor discuss Supergirl while she battles Parasite
36 - "Heck's Angels, Part 2: Justice Delayed"
Written by Peter David
Art and Cover by Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs
Winged monkeys lead Supergirl into battle with possessed Young Justice
37 - "Heck's Angels, Part 4: Demon in the Bottle"
Written by Peter David
Art and Cover by Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs
Supergirl and Young Justice fight Dante and the demon Dis
38 - "City of Angels"
Written by Peter David
Art and Cover by Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs
DAY OF JUDGMENT: Supergirl and Zauriel join forces against the Spectre
39 - "On Ice"
Written by Peter David
Art and Cover by Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs
Supergirl searches for Andy, who's in the clutches of Carnivean
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES
-------------------
27 - "How Much Can One Man Hate?"
Written by Mark Millar
Art by Aluir Amancio and Terry Austin
Cover by Rick Burchett and Terry Austin
Luthor introduces Metropolis to Superior Man, Superman's replacement
28 - "Jimmy Olsen Versus Darkseid"
Written by Mark Millar
Art by Mike Manley and Terry Austin
Cover by Rick Burchett and Terry Austin
Jimmy and Superman swap minds, leaving only Jimmy with the power to
rescue the Man of Steel from Apokolips
29 - "Bride of Bizarro"
Written by Mark Millar
Art by Aluir Amancio and Terry Austin
Cover by Rick Burchett and Terry Austin
Lobo brings Bizarro to Metropolis to help him win Lois' heart
30 - "Family Reunion: Part One"
Written by Mark Millar
Art by Aluir Amancio and Terry Austin
Cover by Mike Manley and Terry Austin
Returning to Earth after a year, Superman finds things not quite right
31 - "Family Reunion: Part Two"
Written by Mark Millar
Art by Aluir Amancio and Terry Austin
Cover by Mike Manley and Terry Austin
Jor-El finds a way to defeat Lara and Kal-El and rescue Earth
32 - "Sullivan's Girl Friend, Lois Lane"
Written by David Michelinie
Art by Neil Vokes and Ron Boyd
Cover by Mike Manley and Terry Austin
Under a villain's trance, Lois becomes the girlfriend of a repairman
33 - "Clark Kent is Superman -- and I Can Prove It!"
Written by Mark Millar
Art by Neil Vokes and Terry Austin
Cover by Mike Manley and Terry Austin
A person from Clark's past has discovered his secret identity
34 - "Sanctuary"
Written by Mark Millar
Art and Cover by Mike Manley and Terry Austin
Fate comes to town when a 'demon' possesses Superman
35 - "Never Play with the Toyman's Toys!"
Written by Mark Millar
Art by Aluir Amancio and Terry Austin
Cover by Mike Manley and Terry Austin
The Toyman gets angry when Bruno Mannheim uses his toys
36 - "This is a Job for Superman"
Written by Mark Millar
Art by Aluir Amancio and Terry Austin
Cover by Mike Manley and Terry Austin
A Metropolis night in the life of a Superman
37 - "Clark Kent: Public Enemy"
Written by Mark Millar
Art by Aluir Amancio and Terry Austin
Cover by Mike Manley and Terry Austin
Someone commits crime spree while impersonating Clark Kent
38 - "If I Ruled the World"
Written by Mark Millar
Art by Aluir Amancio and Terry Austin
Cover by Mike Manley and Terry Austin
Superman's got trouble when the Parasite steals Mr. Mxyzptlk's powers
YOUNG JUSTICE
-------------
4 - "Harm's Way"
Written by Peter David
Art and Cover by Todd Nauck and Lary Stucker
Arrowette, Secret, and Wonder Girl join just as Harm attacks
5 - "First, Do No Harm"
Written by Peter David
Art and Cover by Todd Nauck and Lary Stucker
The team must stop Harm and Red Tornado from killing the Pope
6 - "Judgment Day!"
Written by Peter David
Art and Cover by Todd Nauck and Lary Stucker
The JLA gives the boys a test to prove their teamwork skills
7 - "Conferences"
Written by Peter David
Art and Cover by Todd Nauck and Lary Stucker
While Red Tornado meets the "parents", the kids have a campout
8 - "The Uninvited Geeks"
Written by Peter David
Art by Todd Nauck, Coy Turnbull, Lary Stucker, and Jaime Mendoza
Cover by Nauck and Stucker
The Psyba-Rats infilitrate the Justice Cave
9 - "Thug of War!"
Written by Peter David
Art by Todd Nauck, Jon Sibal, and Lary Stucker
Cover by Nauck and Stucker
TV show "The Hugga-Tugga-Thugees" turns children into killers
10 - "Kali'd Away"
Written by Peter David
Art and Cover by Todd Nauck and Lary Stucker
The team battles the Acolyte to prevent Kali from entering the world
11 - "Siege Perilous"
Written by Peter David
Art by Angel Unzueta, Jaime Mendoza, and Lary Stucker
Cover by Todd Nauck and Lary Stucker
YJ comes to the rescue when the courts try to take Tornado's daughter
12 - "Heck's Angels, Part 1: Dante's Disco Inferno"
Written by Peter David
Art and Cover by Todd Nauck and Lary Stucker
YJ escapes the DEO only to find themselves in a disco hell
13 - "Heck's Angels, Part 3: Dis, Dat and De Other"
Written by Peter David
Art and Cover by Todd Nauck and Lary Stucker
Supergirl battles Dante and the possessed Young Justice
14 - "Like Heck, You Say"
Written by Peter David
Art and Cover by Todd Nauck and Lary Stucker
DAY OF JUDGMENT: Harm returns from the dead; Secret's secrets
15 - "Unstrung"
Written by Peter David
Art and Cover by Todd Nauck and Lary Stucker
Arrowette hunts down the men who killed her guidance counselor
___________________________________________________________
End of Section 2
___________________________________________________________
1999 SUPERMAN COMICS INDEX
------------------------------------------------------------
Compiled by Jeffery D. Sykes (sykes@kryptonian-cybernet.com)
------------------------------------------------------------
Part II: Limited Series, Specials, and Guest Appearances
LIMITED SERIES AND GRAPHIC NOVELS
---------------------------------
A. BIZARRO (Four issues, Jul - Oct)
Written by Steve Gerber
Art and Covers by Mark Bright and Greg Adams
A bizarro clone of a Lexcorp employee escapes into Metropolis
BATMAN & SUPERMAN: WORLD'S FINEST (Ten issues, Apr 99 - Jan 00)
Written by Karl Kesel
Art by Dave Taylor, Peter Doherty, Robert Campanella, and various
Covers by Taylor and Campanella
Superman and Batman team annually over the course of their careers
DAY OF JUDGMENT (Five issues, Nov)
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Matt Smith, Chris Jones, and Steve Mitchell
Covers by Smith and Mitchell
Hell freezes over and a former hero is reborn as the new Spectre
THE INCREDIBLE HULK VS SUPERMAN (Jul)
Written by Roger Stern
Art by Steve Rude and Al Milgrom
Painted Cover by Rude
Superman and the Hulk foil Luthor's plans to capture and study Hulk
JLA/TITANS (Three issues, Dec 98 - Feb 99)
Written by Devin Grayson and Phil Jimenez
Art by Phil Jimenez and Andy Lanning
Cover by Phil Jimenez
The JLA and the Titans must save the world from Vic Stone's return
JLA: FOREIGN BODIES (Oct)
Written by Len Kaminski
Art and Cover by Val Semeiks and Prentis Rollins
Kobra's plans result in body switching for members of the JLA
JLA: PRIMEVAL (Dec)
Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Art and Cover by Ariel Olivetti
A villain named Disciple causes the League to devolve
JLA: SUPERPOWER (Nov)
Written by John Arcudi
Art and Cover by Scot Eaton and Ray Kryssing
The rise and fall of Antaeus, the newest member of the JLA
THE KINGDOM (Two issues, Feb)
Written by Mark Waid
Art and Covers by Ariel Olivetti, Mike Zeck, and John Beatty
Gog plans to accelerate the Kansas disaster, Hypertime is revealed
SUPERMAN & BATMAN: GENERATIONS (Four issues, Jan - Apr)
Written by John Byrne
Art and Covers by Byrne
World's Finest Elseworlds spanning many eras and multiple generations
SUPERMAN & SAVAGE DRAGON: METROPOLIS (Nov)
Written by Karl Kesel
Art and Cover by Jon Bogdanove
Superman and Dragon battle the Fiend and forces from Apokolips
THE SUPERMAN MONSTER (Dec)
Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Art and Cover by Anthony Williams and Tom Palmer
An Elseworlds combination of the Superman and Frankenstein stories
SUPERMAN, INC (Dec)
Written by Steve Vance
Art and Cover by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and Mark Farmer
Elseworlds Superman grows from an outcast orphan into a media superstar
SUPERMAN'S NEMESIS: LEX LUTHOR (Four issues, Mar - Jun)
Written by David Michelinie
Art and Covers by Val Semeiks and Dennis Janke
Bad guy Krisma attempts to take down Luthor and LexCorp
SUPERMAN/FANTASTIC FOUR (May)
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art by Dan Jurgens and Art Thibert
Cover by Dan Jurgens and Alex Ross
Superman enlists the Fantastic Four's help against Galactus
SUPERMAN: A NATION DIVIDED (Feb)
Written by Roger Stern
Art and Cover by Eduardo Barreto
Superman battles on the Union side of the American Civil War
SUPERMAN: PEACE ON EARTH (Feb)
Written by Paul Dini
Painted Art and Cover by Alex Ross
Superman battles world hunger
SUPERMAN: SILVER BANSHEE (Two issues, Dec 98 - Feb 99)
Written by Dan Brereton
Art by Joyce Chin and Andy Lanning
Painted Covers by Brereton
Superman and Lois become involved when Banshee tries to end her curse
SUPERMAN: THE DOOMSDAY WARS (Three issues, Dec 98 - Feb 99)
Written by Dan Jurgens
Art and Covers by Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund
Brainiac takes over Doomsday's body while Superman tries to save Pete
and Lana's premature son
SUPERMAN: THE LAST GOD OF KRYPTON (Aug)
Written by Walt Simonson
Painted Art and Cover by Greg and Tim Hildebrandt
An ice goddess from Krypton comes to Earth to destroy Superman
SUPERMAN: THE ODYSSEY (Jul)
Written by Graham Nolan and Chuck Dixon
Art and Cover by Nolan
Clark reflects on events in Bhutran from before he became Superman
SPECIALS/FEATURES
-----------------
DC ONE MILLION 80-PAGE GIANT #1,000,000 (Aug)
Written by various
Art by various
Cover by Val Semeiks and Prentis Rollins
Selection of stories revisiting the 853rd century
DCU HOLIDAY BASH III (Jan)
Written by Karl Kesel
Art by Dave Taylor and Klaus Janson
Cover by Rodolfo Damaggio and Robert Campanella
(First story in an anthology book - five non-Superman tales)
Superman and Batman help the Toyman's victims in different ways
JLA 80-PAGE GIANT #2 (Nov)
Written by various
Art by various
Cover by Bryan Hitch and Paul Neary
Steel and Superman feature in two of seven new stories
JLA ANNUAL #3 (Sep)
Written by Len Kaminski
Art by Jason Orfalas and Jordi Ensign
Cover by Art Adams
Gorilla Grodd changes the League members into gorillas
LEGENDS OF THE DC UNIVERSE #12-13 (Jan - Feb)
Written by Christopher Priest
Art by Ken Lashley and Ron Boyd
Painted Covers by Dave Johnson
Justice League members become giants, Superman tries to help them
LEGENDS OF THE DC UNIVERSE #14 (Mar)
Written by Mark Evanier (based on a plot and concepts by Jack Kirby)
Art by Steve Rude and Bill Reinhold
Painted Cover by Steve Rude
Superman, Jimmy, and Guardian once again thwart Darkseid and Intergang
LEGENDS OF THE DC UNIVERSE #22-23 (Nov - Dec)
Written by Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier
Art by J.O. Ladronn and Keith Aiken
Painted Covers by Steve Rude
Superman and Dabney Donovan visit the lab-grown world of Transilvane
LEGENDS OF THE DC UNIVERSE: CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS #1 (Feb)
Written by Marv Wolfman
Art by Paul Ryan and Bob McLeod
Painted Cover by Glen Orbik
The Earth-1 JLA helps the Earth-D JAA try to save their world
SUPERMAN 80-PAGE GIANT #1 (Feb)
Written by various
Art by various
Cover by Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding
Anthology with six Superman stories and one tale about Scorn
SUPERMAN 80-PAGE GIANT #2 (Jun)
Written by various
Art by various
Cover by Tony Harris and Ray Snyder
Superman pleads his case and asks forgiveness of his friends
SUPERMAN ANNUAL #11 (Oct)
Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Art by Joe Phillips, Rich Faber, and Rob Stull
Cover by Art Adams
Superman cures himself and then battles a giant ape robot
SUPERMAN SECRET FILES #2 (May)
Written by Ron Marz and various
Art by Paul Ryan, Tom Simmons, and various
Cover by Doug Mahnke and Tom Nguyen
Superman's recent history retold to a damaged Superman robot
TEAM SUPERMAN #1 (Jul)
Written by Mark Millar
Art by Georges Jeanty and Doug Hazlewood
Cover by Brian Stelfreeze
Steel, Superboy, and Supergirl must rescue Superman from the Anti-Hero
YOUNG JUSTICE 80-PAGE GIANT #1 (May)
Written by various
Art by various
Cover by Humberto Ramos and Wayne Faucher
Elseworlds-type stories featuring members of the YJ team
YOUNG JUSTICE IN NO MAN'S LAND #1 (Jul)
Written by Chuck Dixon and Scott Beatty
Art by Andy Kuhn and Chris Ivy
Cover by Scott McDaniel and Danny Miki
Superboy, Impulse, and Robin take a trip into Gotham City
YOUNG JUSTICE SECRET FILES #1 (Jan)
Written by D. Curtis Johnson and various
Art by Ale Garza, Cabin Boy, and various
Cover by Humberto Ramos and Wayne Faucher
Young Justice sneaks into a DEO facility at Secret's request
GUEST APPEARANCES
-----------------
AQUAMAN #53 (Mar)
Written by Erik Larsen
Art by Eric Battle, Danny Miki, and Norm Rapmund
Cover by Battle and Rapmund
Superman drops by to give Aquaman an assist against Shrapnel
BATMAN #566 (Jun)
Written by Kelley Puckett
Art and Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Eduardo Barreto
Superman comes to restore Gotham City's power during "No Man's Land"
BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT #92 (Dec)
Written by Devin Grayson
Art by Dale Eaglesham and John Floyd
Cover by Scott McDaniel and Klaus Janson
Clark tries a new, human approach to helping out in "No Man's Land"
HITMAN #34 (Feb)
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by John McCrea and Garry Leach
Cover by McCrea
Hitman cheers up Superman after he fails to save a Shuttle commander
HOURMAN #6-7 (Sep-Oct)
Written by Tom Peyer
Art by Rags Morales and David Meikis
Covers by Scott McDaniel
Amazo turns the members of the JLA into androids\
IMPULSE #47 (Apr)
Written by William Messner-Loebs
Art by Craig Rousseau and Barb Kaalberg
Cover by Craig Rousseau and Wayne Faucher
Superman gives Impulse a hand in stopping wayward Supermen of America
NIGHTWING #30 (Apr)
Written by Chuck Dixon
Art and Cover by Scott McDaniel and Karl Story
Superman helps Nightwing stop some "truck-jackers"
THE POWER OF SHAZAM! #46 (Feb)
Written by Jerry Ordway
Art by Jerry Ordway and Dick Giordano
Painted Cover by Ordway
Superman tries to prevent Captain Marvel from killing Black Adam
ROBIN #63 (Apr)
Written by Chuck Dixon
Art by Staz Johnson and Stan Woch
Cover by David A. Williams and Karl Story
In a brief cameo, Superman helps the Flash and the Boy Wonder
STARS AND S.T.R.I.P.E. #5 (Dec)
Written by Geoff Johns and Lee Moder
Art and Cover by Lee Moder and Dan Davis
Young Justice comes to check out the new Star-Spangled Kid
THE TITANS #2 (Apr)
Written by Devin Grayson
Art and Cover by Mark Buckingham and Wade von Grawbadger
Superman gives the Titans some unneeded help against the H.I.V.E.
WONDER WOMAN #140-141 (Jan - Feb)
Written by Eric Luke
Art by Yanick Paquette and Bob McLeod
Covers by Adam Hughes
Superman and Batman rescue Wonder Woman from a fantasy dream world
________________________________________________________
1999 KAYCEES NOMINATIONS
----------------------------
As I'm sure many of you have already noticed, November's comics sported a
2000 cover date. This of course means that it's once again time for the
Kryptonian Cybernet Readers' Choice Awards!
As it has been successful in the past, we are once again going to use a
two-step voting procedure, and to make things a little easier on us at this
busy time of the year, we're also going to stick with exactly the same
award categories that we used last year. In the categories listed below, we
are asking you, the readers, to put forth worthy nominees. Nominees will be
ranked according to the number of nominations received, and the top eight
(or more, in the case of ties) will appear on the 1999 Kaycees ballot, to
appear in the next issue of the Kryptonian Cybernet.
Nominations for any of the awards below (multiple nominations are
acceptable) must be E-MAILED to me at sykes@kryptonian-cybernet.com no
later than Monday, December 20. Only the final voting will be facilitated
by a web-based ballot.
With these niceties out of the way, let's get to the awards for which we
are now accepting nominations. Accompanying the awards below are lists of
books eligible for those awards. For further information about specific
issues and their contents, see our 1999 Superman Comics Index.
SUPERMAN TRIANGLE TITLES:
------------------------
TT1: Best Story/Story-arc in the Superman Triangle Titles
TT2: Worst Story/Story-arc in the Superman Triangle Titles
TT3: Best Cover from a Superman Triangle Title
TT4: Worst Cover from a Superman Triangle Title
TT1 and TT2 are "total package" awards; both writing and art should be
taken into account when deciding on nominees. Also note that one may
nominate either single-issue stories or multiple-issue arcs. Eligible for
the TT awards are the five core Superman titles and specials with a 1999
triangle number:
Action Comics #750-760
Adventures of Superman #564-573
Superman #141-151
Superman: The Man of Steel #85-95
Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #12-15
Supermen of America #1
Superman: King of the World #1
SUPERMAN FAMILY TITLES:
----------------------
SF1: Best Story/Story-arc in a Superman Family Title
SF2: Worst Story/Story-arc in a Superman Family Title
SF3: Best Cover from a Superman Family Title
SF4: Worst Cover from a Superman Family Title
SF1 and SF2 are also "total package" awards; both writing and art should be
taken into account when deciding on nominees. Also note that one may
nominate either single-issue stories or multiple-issue arcs. Eligible for
the SF awards are the five Superman Family titles. The specific issues
published in1999 are:
JLA #25-36
Superboy #58-69
Supergirl #28-39
Superman Adventures #27-38
Young Justice #4-15
LIMITED SERIES AWARDS:
---------------------
LS1: Best Writing in a Special or Limited Series
LS2: Worst Writing in a Special or Limited Series
LS3: Best Art in a Special or Limited Series
LS4: Worst Art in a Special or Limited Series
LS5: Best Special or Limited Series
LS6: Worst Special or Limited Series
Note that we're taking nominations on these awards simply because of the
large number of specials and limited series published by DC this year.
Titles eligible for nomination include everything listed in our 1999
Superman Comics Index.
Again, nominations for any of these categories should be e-mailed to
sykes@kryptonian-cybernet.com no later than Monday, December 20.
Next issue: the ballots!
________________________________________________________
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 seventh and, regrettably,
final installment (see note at end) 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 that any comics fan should have
permanently on their bookmarks list. While these sites don't all have
specific Superman content all the time, they're invaluable. If you're not
interested in any of these, the site of the month follows...
THE KRYPTONIAN CYBERNET
Duh... of course you've got Jeff's website bookmarked, don't you? Even if
you get the KC in your e-mail? Because there's more there than "just" the
current KC... you can download the back issues you're missing, as well as
check out a whole list of other resources!
http://www.kryptonian-cybernet.com
MANIA MAGAZINE
This site used to be a lot better than it is now... Another Universe's
Mania Magazine used to have a lot of weekly columns, but many have been cut
for one reason or another. Still, it's worth checking it out weekly for
Newsarama and Comic News Bytes, as well as other comics content, and their
features and episode guides for related television shows.
http://www.anotheruniverse.com/mania
WFCOMICS
World's Finest Comics is a comic shop with a website... and what a site it
is! As if the "standard" comics news and links lists weren't enough,
World's Finest is also the host for Tony Isabella's "Tony's Online Tips"
column (a daily version of his Comics Buyer's Guide column) as well as Bob
Ingersoll's weekly "The Law Is A Ass" column, plus they have the latest
information on Mid-Ohio Con! Check them out!
http://www.wfcomics.com
COMIC BOOK RESOURCES
Want info on all sorts of comics? These are the guys to check out...
there's so much information here I can't even begin to list what they've
got for you. Just hit the site and bookmark it!
http://www.comicbookresources.com
THE MINING COMPANY
The Mining Company is probably one of the ultimate web guides out there,
and they've got a great chunk of cyberspace set up with pages and pages of
comics websites... if you can't find what you're looking for at Comic Book
Resources, try these guys!
http://comicbooks.miningco.com
DIAMOND COMICS
Yes, the guys who produce Previews every month and supply your local comic
book shop have a website, and it's a great place to surf to... selected
items from the current Previews catalog are featured, but what's probably
the best feature of this site in my opinion is the downloadable Adobe
Acrobat version of their order form -- incredibly handy if you've lost
yours and you've got to place your order!
http://www.diamondcomics.com/
DEREK SANTOS
Derek's got a great piece of the web set up with lots of great comics
information... worth going to alone just for his History of Comics, but
there's even more for your enjoyment!
http://www.dereksantos.com/
CHEEKS' SILVER AGE PAGE
Any of you remember the Ambush Bug's sidekick, Cheeks the Toy Wonder? No?
Well, whether you do or don't, this is one of my favorite sites on the web,
featuring scans of comics covers of the Silver Age along with commentary.
You'll find plenty of Superman covers! Fair warning, though... the pages
take a long time to download!
http://toywonder.simplenet.com/
SUPERMAN HOMEPAGE
Got a lot of time on your hands? You'll need it if you want to check out
this super-site, and not because it takes forever to download! This is a
huge site, covering Superman in all his incarnations, with plenty of
information for you to read. I probably spent longer looking over this site
than any other I've reviewed so far, because there was so much there that I
hadn't seen before (especially the episode list for the 1960s Filmation
Superman cartoon). Bookmark this site, you won't regret it! Five out of
five shields, making the Superman Homepage this month's Kryptonian
Cybernet/Web of Steel Site of the Month!
http://www.fandom.com/superman
That's it for now, super-surfers... this will be my last column for the KC.
I'd originally planned on continuing this for some time to come (there are
a lot of Superman sites I've yet to review), but I've found myself
extremely overcommitted lately due to the work I've been doing for
TwoMorrows Publishing (those of you who picked up the latest issue of
"Alter Ego" will be able to read two interviews I transcribed), as well as
some other factors, and something had to give... and partly due to my
wife's insistence, I'm forced to give up what I'm doing for gratis
(besides, you may have noticed I've managed to miss two deadlines in eight
months!). However, if you are interested in taking over this column, let
Jeff Sykes know, and if he chooses you to take it over, then he'll put you
in touch with me so I can forward the information I've got on other sites!
It's been a fun ride, folks, but it's come to an end for me! Happy surfing!
___________________________________________________________
End of Section 3
___________________________________________________________
FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET
-----------------------------------------------------
By Douglas M Tisdale Jr (dmtisdale_jr@yahoo.com)
(A QUICK NOTE
Yikes! For those of you who missed last month's column, there is a
perfectly reasonable explanation as to why it didn't appear. For those of
you who didn't miss it, skip down to the next section. Actually the reason
this column wasn't in the last issue of the KC is that I simply didn't have
an opportunity to sit down and write it, preoccupied as I was with some new
reading material I recently acquired -- the _Action Comics Archives_,
Volumes 1 and 2. These are great! Reprints of the first issues of _Action
Comics_ -- Volume 1 from #1 through #20 and Volume 2 from #21 through #36
-- showcasing the Man of Steel in all his pre-wartime glory. This was
before Superman faced such outrageous villains as Brainiac and Metallo and
Lex Luthor (although Superman did face the Ultra-Humanite in these early
days, who was a mad scientist along the same lines as the pre-Crisis
Luthor), but instead really fought for "Truth, Justice, and the American
Way" by helping the little guy against insurance scams and labor laws and
that sort of thing. The reason I mention it to you is twofold -- firstly,
to encourage you to check these books out, as well as the _Superman
Archives_ if you haven't already; and secondly, to demonstrate the sort of
battles that Kal-El was waging at the time, because they reflect the
battles he was waging over the airwaves as well. That said, on with this
month's column.)
DANGER TO THE LIMITED
Having been given a job by Daily Planet editor Perry White ("Miss Smith,
this is Clark Kent, temporarily attached to our staff. You'll note I said
-- *temporarily!*", Superman quickly sheds his alter ego to fly to Denver
to investigate the threat posed against the Silver Clipper. There is some
mild hilarity which precedes his departure, as White's assistant, Miss
Smith, leaves Kent alone by a window twenty stories above ground while she
gets him some petty cash to pay for a plane ticket. Upon her return she
finds the window open and Kent gone and immediately jumps to the wrong
conclusion -- "The open window, he went through it and it's twenty stories
down!!"
The next episode switches to a cabin hidden somewhere in the Colorado
foothills, with twenty-four hours to go before the Silver Clipper's
imminent but as-yet undefined danger. Here we meet the Wolf, brought to
life by Ned Wever (told you he'd be back), and his assistant Keno, voiced
by Arthur Vinton. The Wolf soon explains why the two are in position even
though the Silver Clipper isn't due until the next day -- they have been
ordered by a mysterious force to bring damage to the Western Limited, due
along at any time. As the Wolf puts it, "When they see what overtakes the
Limited, in slightly less than ten minutes, they will pay more attention to
me when I call again!" The Wolf then outlines his plan to Keno -- the train
will pass over a bridge of sorts -- the Wolf calls it a "trestle" -- which
is next to a 300-foot deep canyon. As the train crosses the trestle, Keno's
instructions are to detonate a charge which has been placed at the far end.
The end result, as Keno is horrified to discover, will be that the entire
Western Limited train will be sent crashing into the deep canyon, killing
all aboard. The plan seems flawless; anyone who has ever seen "Lawrence of
Arabia" can tell you that if you set off an explosive charge close enough
to a fast-moving train, it's confoundingly difficult to stop that train
from running itself right off the rails. But there's one thing the bad guys
haven't counted on -- Superman.
WHO MADE THESE MAPS, ANYWAY?
At this point the geography becomes somewhat confusing. We know that
Metropolis is 2,000 miles East of Denver, Colorado. We know that the Silver
Clipper is due to travel West from Denver to Salt Lake City, Utah. We know
that the Wolf's cabin is located along the tracks in the Colorado foothills
which are also West of Denver. And yet when Superman first appears in this
episode he sees a train -- the Western Limited -- which is currently *en
route* to Denver. Did the Man of Steel overshoot his target? As I said in
last month's column, this sort of thing crops up once in a while in the
show. It's usually best just to ignore it, and enjoy the show. But I can't
help wondering how my fellow Denverites of the 1940s felt about having the
layout of their state and city adjusted so (they were probably just as
confused -- though slightly less panicked -- as the residents of Grover's
Mill, New Jersey, on the night of October 30, 1938. Check the end of this
column if *you* are now confused).
Superman easily catches up to the Western Limited on its way to Denver; and
even though he could easily outdistance the locomotive, moving at a paltry
90 MPH, he debates boarding her, to "ride into town as Clark Kent." In the
midst of his thinking, his powerful vision spies a man at the far end of
the trestle holding what appears to be an explosive device -- "He's waiting
for the train! Going to blast it right off the tracks! This looks like some
of your dirty work, Wolf! Well, here's where Superman takes a hand!" That
settles the question, and Superman quickly drops on to the empty
observation car near the back of the train and, after a quick costume
adjustment, enters the next car as Clark Kent. A conductor asks him for his
ticket; when Kent explains he has no ticket and no money to buy a ticket,
the conductor threatens to stop the train and kick the freeloader off.
"Yes, that's right, conductor," agrees Kent eagerly, "Stop the train and
put me off. I don't mind." Instantly suspicious, the conductor asks for
Kent's identification; upon learning that the freeloader is a member of the
press he decides that kicking him off might be a bad idea after all --
"You're liable to write up a story about being kicked off our train."
Instead he threatens to take care of Kent when they reach Denver, and goes
on about his business.
Angry with himself for having "overplayed it," and desperate to save the
lives of the people on the train and confound the Wolf's evil scheme, Kent
pulls the emergency brake cord and brings the train to a grinding halt just
as Keno detonates the explosive, sending 20 tons of rock crashing down on
the tracks, destroying them. The Western Limited is saved from almost
certain destruction!
POWERS AND ABILITIES FAR BEYOND THOSE OF MORTAL MEN
So far on the show, audiences had been treated to only some of Superman's
more amazing abilities -- power of flight, excellent hearing, impeccable
eyesight. Now, at long last, do we get to thrill to his amazing strength;
as he first dives into the canyon to retrieve the rails which the rockslide
had broken, and then returns to the roadbed to sweep up "twenty tons of
rock ... hardly a workout!" The Man of Steel makes short work of clearing
the tracks, and the Western Limited is soon on her way to Denver once
again.
Keno, meanwhile, returns to the Wolf's cabin and explains what happened --
how the train stopped and was spared the destruction when he detonated the
charge, and how he snuck down to the milling crowd and overheard talk of a
missing reporter named Clark Kent who must have been responsible for
stopping the train. He is interrupted by the sounds of the train starting
her engines again; and although the Wolf assumes that the Limited is "on
its way back to Pueblo," (see section on geography, above), the two soon
find out that the enormous rockslide has somehow, miraculously, magically
disappeared to allow the train to continue on its way. The Wolf's plot has
been foiled! Determined to seek out the reporter who must have been
responsible for the salvation of the train, the Wolf and Keno board their
small plane and fly to Denver.
In the next episode, the Limited has arrived in Denver and Clark Kent is on
his way to a meeting with the Divisional Superintendent, to see what he can
learn about the still vague but now more credible threat against the Silver
Clipper, "crack train of the Western Railroads." Keno and the Wolf have
also arrived; and the episode begins with the Wolf reading Kent's article
describing the narrowly averted disaster. He notes with some amusement that
a conductor who reported seeing a man in blue tights with a cape clear away
the rubble is now confined to the state mental hospital. He instructs Keno
to deliver a phony telegram to the Divisional Superintendent's office, and
if possible to eavesdrop on the Super's conversation with Clark Kent.
The Super confesses his fears to Kent, explaining that an engine which was
being transported along the same rail line as the Silver Clipper had
vanished utterly and without a trace. Two search parties which had been
sent from opposite sides of the tracks had met somewhere in the middle,
with no indication of where the missing engine had gone. Keno enters and
delivers his phony telegram, which states "Where an engine is now, a train
will be tomorrow. The Silver Clipper will vanish like smoke, never to be
seen by the eyes of living men." These ominous words spur Kent into action,
and he quickly leaves the Superintendent's office in pursuit of the
messenger. Both Keno and the Wolf ambush him. Clubbing him over the head
with a blackjack, they carry him down into a basement dungeon, chaining him
to the wall. There, over the course of the night, they torture him, trying
to make him confess just how much he knows about their plot to paralyze the
country with fear. The Wolf, meanwhile, being contractually obligated as a
villain to explain his plot, tells Kent that the Silver Clipper will vanish
in the same way that the missing engine vanished the day before and that
nobody will ever find it. Keno hits Kent once again with the blackjack;
and, thinking him unconscious, the two bad guys prepare to make their own
journey, towards San Joaquin. Keno asks the Wolf what he plans to do with
Kent: "He'll stay where he is, permanently ... Or, until someone comes down
here and finds [him], which may take a month or two ... Breaks out? Don't
be silly, Keno. The walls are solid steel, three inches thick, then five
inches of concrete, then more steel." Things look pretty grim for our hero
as the two leave him in the darkness.
RACE AGAINST TIME
Or do they? Moments after they leave, Superman stops feigning
unconsciousness. He makes short work of the handcuffs with which the
villains had chained him to the wall, then kicks his way through the steel
("You're a liar, Wolf ... two and a half [inches] at most!"), the concrete,
and the rest of the steel, then takes to the air in hot pursuit of the
Wolf. But will Superman be able to stop the Wolf and Keno, already on the
road to San Joaquin? Can he rescue the Silver Clipper, racing towards
disaster on the way to Salt Lake? And what of this mysterious force which
instructs the Wolf -- will Superman unmask this hidden foe before more
trains are endangered? 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!"
[Grover's Mill, NJ, was the site of the first Martian cylinder's landing in
the historic broadcast of H.G. Well's "The War of the Worlds" by Orson
Welles and his Mercury Theatre on the Air, October 30, 1938.]
________________________________________________________
PHANTOM ZONE REVIEWS
--------------------------------------------
By Scott Devarney (devarney@ll.mit.edu)
For the next three months, I'll be taking a look at the _Superman Specials_
published during the winters of 1983-1985. These were all double-sized,
single issue stories -- essentially winter annuals. Like the annuals of
today, they were of varying quality.
SUPERMAN SPECIAL #1
1983
"Behold! The Ultimate Man!"
Story & Art: Gil Kane
Letterer: Milt Snapinn
Colorist: Tom Ziuko
Editor: Julius Schwartz
The issue begins with Superman battling an energy-creature during a space
patrol. Returning to Earth, he barely has time to check in at the Daily
Planet as Clark before he must contend with another emergency. A renegade
presidential advisor, Bently Wayland, is threatening to unleash the US
nuclear arsenal unless he is given complete control of the government.
As Superman's efficient apprehending of Wayland is broadcast around the
country, a scientist at an observatory in a remote area of the Sierras is
inspired by Superman's selflessness. He has developed a machine to
accelerate man's evolution and he intends to create a multitude of supermen
to benefit the world. He tests the machine on himself. The machine
bequeaths great knowledge and power but at the cost of his empathy. He
becomes callous and arrogant towards those whom he wanted to help, people
whom he now considers beneath him.
Calling himself Ultimate Man, the former scientist demonstrates his power
by raising a land mass from the Pacific Ocean floor. Unfortunately, the
displacement of that much mass causes a tidal wave which threatens
inhabited islands. This of course attracts the attention of Superman. After
attacks on the Man of Steel prove futile, Ultimate Man uses his machine to
evolve further. He then uses his increased power to transport Superman into
a black hole near the edge of the universe.
Superman's escape so enrages Ultimate Man that he tries to use his machine
to evolve himself further still. Spent from the previous attacks, Superman
gambles that the best way of defeating Ultimate Man is to overload his
power. Using a spare observatory telescope lens, he places it between the
energy stream being directed at the villain. So much power is directed at
Ultimate Man that he goes past the peak of the evolutionary ladder and
emerges a few rungs lower than where he started, in an ape-like body, his
mind burned out from the incredible stress.
I *really* wanted to like this story. Gil Kane is a comics legend whose
reputation is well-deserved. He came to prominence illustrating the
adventures of both the Silver Age Green Lantern and the Silver Age Atom.
His art here is exciting and dynamic. His writing leaves a lot to be
desired.
The story suffers when it focuses on Ultimate Man. Ultimate Man is a second
rate copy of Marvel's High Evolutionary who evolves into a second rate copy
of Marvel's MODOK. The design of his initial appearance, a green and white
suit with white helmet, is a bit generic but not too bad. However, the
design of his second transformation is rather silly, a giant head with his
brain encased in a transparent dome, a heavily furrowed brow, big eyes,
small mouth, and emaciated body in a chair; he looks like an owl.
Ultimate Man's characterization is also uninteresting. His transformation
from beneficent scientist to megalomaniac is too sudden. He has such
altruistic intentions, yet they are never addressed after he becomes
Ultimate Man. He keeps mentioning a vague master plan for benefitting
humanity, yet he never does anything to implement it. He spends the bulk of
his time endangering lives and attacking Superman. Kane may have been
trying to make a statement about power corrupting, but the abrupt shift in
Ultimate Man's motives doesn't make this point as clear as it could have
been.
Further hampering Ultimate Man's characterization is his clunky dialogue.
His speech and thoughts are so cliched that it's almost painful. Witness
his thoughts from page 20, panel 1. "It hadn't occurred to me that I'd have
to contend with Superman's interference in my ministrations! He *would*
defend mankind against a greater good if it destroyed some paltry lives!
However, I can't be bothered submitting my plans to those who cannot grasp
the value of what I am preparing for them!" The only thing missing is the
accentuating "Bwah-ha-ha!" and mustache twiddle!
Kane also has a love of captions also laden profusely with purple prose.
Many of the captions are unnecessary as they describe what can clearly be
seen in the art. For example, on page 11, Superman punches through a wall
to apprehend the rogue diplomat Wayland; the scene is accompanied by the
following caption. "Then, with a mighty boom, the sodden wall bursts under
the impact of an incredible blow... Molten metal splatters onto the
remaining walls as Superman, like an avenging spirit, leaps into the
once-sealed room." Other captions would have worked better as speech or
thought balloons. Tighter editing could have eliminated much of the
verbiage.
Now, there are things that Kane does *right* and that's when he focuses on
Superman. He gives Superman quite a workout and provides emergencies that
are truly jobs for Superman. Prior to the main story, Superman fights a
space creature and saves the world from a nuclear blackmailer. During his
battle with Ultimate Man, he stops a tidal wave and an erupting volcano,
crushes giant meteors, redirects the force of a giant undersea explosion,
and escapes from a black hole. It's very easy to believe that Superman is
spent as he prepares for his final showdown with Ultimate Man.
The art is incredibly powerful. Kane really shows the majesty of Superman
as the hero uses his super-powers. The variety of backgrounds are amazing.
These range from a one-panel look at the Daily Planet offices to the
pyrotechnics of the volcanic eruption, to the intricate hardware in
Ultimate Man's headquarters. Of particular note are the scenes in space
which are reminiscent of Ditko's mystical landscapes in _Doctor Strange_.
Tom Ziuko deserves credit for a fantastic coloring job. Particularly
noteworthy are the scenes of the multi-faceted tidal wave, the volcano
erupting, and the many panels of Ultimate Man bathed in his own power.
This book gets high marks for the solid artwork and its epic scope. It also
loses points for the villain's unclear motivations, corny dialogue, and the
overall overwriting. Perhaps a co-scripter could have shored up what should
have been a very exciting story.
___________________________________________________________
End of Section 4
___________________________________________________________
SUPERMAN STORIES
------------------------------------------
By Sean Hogan (shogan@intergate.bc.ca)
OLD FAVORITES
-------------
The December holidays are a great time to go hunting through the back bins.
Not only do a lot of comic shops have sales, but you've got some time off
to enjoy them. With that in mind, I'm going to skip through some of my
favorite comics. Although Great And Powerful Editor Jeff normally has me
play in the Post-Crisis Universe, this month I'm going to step into the Way
Back Machine and look at the DC Universe I grew up with.
To keep Jeff happy, I might point out how some of these characters, themes
and stories have influenced the new DCU. But really, it's tenuous at best.
I'll start way off the beaten path -- with Superman's most feared ally,
AMBUSH BUG
Although his stories sport a tag saying "created by Keith Giffen", Ambush
Bug first appears in a story written by Paul Kupperberg and pencilled by
Giffen in the Superman team-up comic _DC Comics Presents_ #52, dated
December 1982. Superman's teammates this issue are the New Doom Patrol
(basic plot: Negative Woman's powers go berserk and create havoc until
Superman catches and contains her).
Amidst chaos, Ambush Bug (in his green longjohns and orange antennae)
appears. His gimmick is that, by use of little flying electronic bugs, he
is able to transport himself with his trademark "pop" sound effect. In this
issue, he decides to establish himself as a bad guy by murdering a District
Attorney on live television.
Ambush Bug is far funnier when he decides to become a hero, which he does
in _DC Comics Presents_ #59, co-starring the Legion of Substitute Heroes.
Giffen does story and breakdowns with additional dialogue by Paul Levitz
and finishes by Kurt Schaffenberger. Actually, the art is a real treat here
-- the issue is dedicated to Joe Shuster and the art has a great
Shuster-looking Superman, while still showing Schaffenberger's distinctive
style.
In the story, the Bug tugs on Superman's cape and accidentally gets towed
along into the 30th Century. With everyone reliable away, Superman has the
Subs put Ambush Bug under house arrest. Great hilarity ensues, mostly at
the expense of the poor Subs.
Kupperberg gets another crack at Ambush Bug in _Supergirl_ #16. The running
joke here is that AB doesn't recognize Supergirl and thinks that something
strange has happened to Superman's look and memory (in fairness, they did
have red kryptonite in those days!). While lacking Giffen's wit, the story
is a nice self-contained tale about two of my favorite characters.
Plot and humour gel in the absolutely wonderful _DC Comics Presents_ #81,
as Ambush Bug decides to team up with Superman to defeat the villainous
Kobra. The Bug finds a pretty red rock which he gives to Superman -- but,
of course, the rock is red kryptonite (see! toldja!) and it switches each
character into the other's body. Wacky hijinks ensue. If you buy only one
Ambush Bug comic -- this is the one to get.
But wait! Don't touch that dial! There's more!
1985 is a good year for the Bug as he also gets several 8 page stories in
_Action Comics_ (#560, 563, and 565) and a mini-series. The _Action_ issues
assemble the team that will continue to haunt Ambush Bug, as Giffen is
joined by writer Robert Loren Fleming, inker Bob Oksner, colorist Anthony
Tollin, letterer John Costanza, and an unknown editor named Julius
Schwartz. These issues set up Ambush Bug (real name: Irwin Schwab) as a
private detective and begin the storytelling journey into a Pythonesque
world.
Shortly afterwards, our man Schwab gets his own 4 part miniseries, cleverly
titled _Ambush Bug_ . The first issue introduces his famous sidekick,
Cheeks the Toy Wonder. The first issue also kills Cheeks the Toy Wonder.
Issue #2, in addition to the giant mutant koala bear, introduces Johnni DC,
Continuity Cop. This little lady (with her DC Bullet body -- a tribute /
rip-off of the Johnny DC ads of the past) is in charge of correcting DC
continuity. It is rumoured that she is the real power behind the Crisis on
Infinite Earths (actually, that's my rumour, but I like it). I bet
Hypertime has her hyperventilating (get it? clever, eh? neh? ah well).
The third issue is a real treat to those who have a fondness for DC's
lesser known characters as Ambush Bug checks in with characters 'Crisis-ed'
into limbo, like Egg Fu, Wonder Tot, Binky, Super-Turtle, Quisp (although
he turned up recently in _JLA_), and the Super-Pets, among many others.
After the miniseries, Ambush Bug appeared in various special issues. There
was a 6-issue miniseries, _Son of Ambush Bug_ (which I haven't read) as
well as some one-shot appearances.
_Secret Origins_ #48 reviews a number of possible origins for the Bug --
including a Batman-style origin that had me giggling for a week (that issue
has several other origins including Rex the Wonder Dog, last seen in
_Superboy and the Ravers_).
The _Ambush Bug Stocking Stuffer_ dated 1986 is a great mess of a story
that features a cannibalistic doll and the return of Cheeks the Toy Wonder.
It's enuff ta make ya weep wit' joy.
Finally, there's the very strange _Ambush Bug Nothing Special_ from 1992
that features, as its main villain, the detached head of Superman editor
Julius Schwartz. Honestly. I told you it was very strange. Julie looks good
though -- for an evil, immortal head that is.
Post-Crisis, Ambush Bug has appeared in every single comic ever made by DC,
although mostly off camera or between panels. His most recent visible
appearance was in _Chronos_ One Million (as a bartender in Hong Kong,
11,021 AD). A Bizarro version of Ambush Bug appeared in the recent
_Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl and Batgirl_.
Julius Schwartz' villainous head has not been seen since 1992.
CREATORS IN THE COMICS
One of the things I liked best about Silver Age stories is that the people
involved in making the comics sometimes appeared in the stories -- not just
in cameos, but as part of the plot.
Julie Schwartz is mostly responsible for this by introducing parallel
Earths. However the interaction between Superman comics and the real world
has a long tradition, starting with the first imaginary story in 1942. In
the story titled "Superman, Matinee Idol", Clark and Lois go to the theatre
to see a movie about Superman. Since the movie includes scenes showing
Clark transforming into his alter ego, Clark has to keep diverting Lois'
attention from the show (sorry, I don't have the issue # -- it appears at
page 150 of the hardcover, _Superman From The 30's To The 70's_).
With all these parallel Earths around, it was only a matter of time until a
story was written about someone from our Earth meeting the DC heroes. Cary
Bates did the honours in May 1968's "Flash -- Fact Or Fiction" from _The
Flash_ #179 (also reprinted in the collection _The Greatest Flash Stories
Ever Told_).
Flash gets knocked into a new Earth and finds that kids know all about him
and his secret identity from their comics. Needing some help to build a
Cosmic Treadmill, Barry heads off to find the "one man on Earth who might
believe my fantastic story and give me the money I need -- the editor of
that Flash comic mag!" With Julie's help, Barry builds his machine and
heads back home.
Classic Superman artist Curt Swan draws his own adventures on Earth-1 in
_Superman Annual_ #9, from 1983. Falling asleep at the drawing board, he
awakens in Metropolis. Heading off to 344 Clinton Street, Apartment 3-D, he
introduces himself to Clark Kent. Clark mentions that he has already
visited Earth Prime and met Julius Schwartz (not a story I know). As Clark
opens his shirt and reveals his Superman costume, Swan says, "I've drawn
this scene a million times on a million sleepless nights ... but I never
thought I'd see it for real!" Great fun.
Leaving the Super-stables, another of my favorite artists gets to draw
himself in _The Brave And The Bold_ #124, from 1976. Terrorists decide the
only way to get rid of Batman and Sgt. Rock is to capture artist Jim Aparo
and have him draw a death scene. This is way, way out of continuity (poor
Johnni DC) as Aparo has to call writer Bob Haney for help in finishing the
script and avoiding the terrorists.
Anyway, back to Superman. In 1985, Julius Schwartz turned 70. As a birthday
present, the gang at DC snuck around Julie to prepare _Superman_ #411 as a
special tribute to him. It's a terrific story that has the Earth-1 Schwartz
as a nasty, down and out bum. Perry White sees his old friend on television
and enlists Superman to help Schwartz. Mix in a super-villain and a
modified version of Julie's history, garnish with in-jokes and finish with
Superman taking Earth-1 Schwartz to Earth-Prime in time for the DC Comics
surprise birthday party for Julius Schwartz. The story ends with Superman
placing a bust of Schwartz in his apartment, next to the bust of Mort
Weisinger.
I'm sure there are lots of other stories with creators in them. I suggest
those in the know write to the Kryptonian Cybernet at
mailbag@kryptonian-cybernet.com and share any other good stories.
SIGNIFICANT SILVER STORIES
The closing days of the pre-Crisis universe led to a number of great
stories. Probably the best known story of that period is "Whatever Happened
To The Man Of Tomorrow" by Alan Moore, Curt Swan, George Perez, and Kurt
Schaffenberger (_Superman_ #423 and _Action Comics_ #583; also available in
collected form).
A good bookend to that farewell is the life story of the Golden Age
Superman in _Secret Origins_ #1. Roy Thomas' tale is based on the Siegel
and Shuster stories, with a timeline from the destruction of Krypton to the
events in _Action Comics_ #1. The treat is the art by classic Superman
artist Wayne Boring and another classic Superman artist, Jerry Ordway.
The story ends with a picture of Superman's wedding to Lois Lane, which
took place in the 1978 issue of _Action Comics_ #484 in "Superman Takes A
Wife". This Cary Bates story (illustrated by Curt Swan and Joe Giella)
takes place on Earth-2. The villainous Wizard casts a spell to make
Superman disappear. Clark Kent, having no memory of his life as Superman,
romances and weds Lois. One year later, Lois learns that she is married to
an amnesiac Superman and convinces the Wizard to restore Superman, even
though she realizes it may mean the end of her marriage. The revived hero
renews his vows with Lois, this time in a Kryptonian ceremony.
1978, being a 40th Anniversary year, was a significant time for Superman.
In _Superman_ #338 (by Len Wein with Curt Swan and Frank Chiaramonte), he
finally figures out how to enlarge the bottled city of Kandor. The issue
has Superman and Supergirl battling wits with Brainiac and Superman risking
his own life to test the enlarging ray. The story combines triumphs and
heartaches with a brilliant two page spread of Kandor arising as well as
the teary farewell between Supergirl and her parents -- separated yet
again.
The following year celebrated _Action Comics_' 500th issue with a special
64-page-edition story by fan-turned-pro Marty Pasko (with Swan/Chiaramonte
art) called "The Life Story Of Superman". Using the opening of a Superman
Pavilion as a backdrop, Superman recalls his life as he wanders through the
various exhibits. Since you can't have a nostalgic story without a villain,
Luthor kindly shows up with another diabolical trap.
Although Luthor is featured in that special, he had an issue focusing on
his origin in 1975's _Superman_ #292. The story is the traditional classic
that has Superboy accidentally causing a follicle fallout in young Lex --
leading to a lifelong vendetta. The mid-70s, with Curt Swan drawing for
writers Elliot S! Maggin and Cary Bates, marked a remarkable time for the
adventures of the Man of Steel .
Maggin wrote both the Luthor story and issue #293's "The Miracle of Thirsty
Thursday", which has time travelers returning to a celebrated day in
history to discover why the citizens of Metropolis slept for an entire day
and awoke parched (Maggin later used this story as the inspiration for his
novel, _Superman: Miracle Monday_).
Starting with _Superman_ #296, Maggin and Bates co-wrote an epic 4-part
adventure that examined the roles of both Clark Kent and Superman. An alien
scout arrives on Earth about the same time as baby Kal-El. Using the name
Mr. Xavier, the alien monitors Earth and its hero, receiving orders to
destroy Earth by using Superman as the weapon of its destruction.
From his apartment next to Clark Kent's, Xavier breaks into Clark's room
and treats all of his clothes with red sun radiation. Clark learns that he
has his powers when dressed as Superman, but not when wearing any article
of Clark's clothes. Added to the mix, Inter-Gang has a contract to kill
Clark and prevent him from testifying against them. The set-up issue has
Clark wondering whether his body is trying to tell him that he will have to
make a choice between his identities.
In _Superman_ #297, he resolves to be only Clark for the next seven days.
With the freedom to act as he wishes, Clark literally turns the table on
Steve Lombard, tells off boss Morgan Edge and starts actively romancing
Lois. This issue is infamous among fans for raising speculation as to
whether the two consummate a relationship that night, as the next morning
sees Lois singing merrily and blissfully as she puts a flower on Clark's
desk. The beef bourguignon dinner they shared has become a symbol of this
suspected union.
The comic itself gives no indication of anything but sexy, late night
smooching. Apparently there were a lot of us hormone filled, imaginative
teens in the mid-70s.
In issue #298, guilt finally drives him to abandon his Clark Kent persona
to be Superman 24/7 (oops, wrong reference). Superman defeats a wacky
villain but realizes that Clark is also important -- both for the
Inter-Gang trial, for Lois, and, more importantly, for himself. In one
scene, his pal Jimmy actually berates Superman for taking time off when
there are villains menacing the city.
Superman heads off to get the bad guy with a tear in his eye (not as silly
as it sounds when Curt Swan draws), reflecting, "People expect so much ...
of a Superman!", although he realizes that "the world will always need a
Superman!" The issue ends with Superman proclaiming, "and now I have
concluded whose life is more important to me ... that of Superman or Clark
Kent! I'll do what I must!"
Meanwhile, our antagonistic alien, Mr. Xavier, has stolen some space-jewels
from Clark's apartment. He alters them so that they will collect energy
whenever Superman uses his super-powers, until they gather enough to cause
a massive explosion and destroy the planet.
In the final issue (#299), Xavier assembles nine of Superman's rogues
gallery to force Superman to use his super-powers. Superman captures all of
the villains, including Xavier, using his wits as much as his super-powers
(I won't spoil how -- it's a well-written ending). As required by stories
of the time, everything returns to normal with Superman saving the world
and Clark again becoming mild-mannered.
What about Superman's decision as to which identity was more important to
him? As the issue ends, Superman says he, "realized that to do away with
one would be to kill half of myself -- whoever I really am! So even before
I got rid of my power problem, I'd decided ... meek, mild-mannered Clark
Kent will still walk the streets of the city -- while up in the sky the
world will still watch and thrill to the sight of -- a job for Superman!"
The following issue, _Superman_ #300, was another fun story celebrating the
comic's tricentennial issue in a story called "Superman 2001". This
imaginary story has baby Kal-El's rocket landing in 1976 and being captured
by the US military (barely beating the Russians). Interestingly, although
many of the traditional Superman elements are worked into the story (he
adopts a secret identity by combining the names of the man who first
reached his ship, Thomas Clark, as well as the man he considers a father,
Kent Garrett -- and no, it's not Thomas Garrett, wise guy), there is no
reference whatsoever to any of the regular Superman supporting cast.
SILVER AGE INSPIRATIONS
Another anniversary issue is _Action Comics_ #544, which celebrates
Superman's 45th year in 1983 by upgrading Lex Luthor and Brainiac in
separate stories. Although both stories are great, the special treat is a
three page text piece by Jerry Siegel recalling the early years in the
creation of Superman, as well as a short note and original drawing from Joe
Shuster.
In the Luthor story (written by Cary Bates with art by Curt Swan and Murphy
Anderson), Luthor flees to the planet Lexor -- the planet which worships
him as a hero. Luthor discovers that his wife, Ardora, has borne him a son,
also named Lex.
The story shows Lex in a new light as loving and beloved father, husband
and hero, but as ever, his obsession with Superman grows. A mysterious
armoured villain begins creating mayhem on Lexor, but Lex assures his wife,
"I swear the marauder is as much a mystery to me as every other Lexorian!".
Ultimately, Superman arrives to collect Luthor, who reveals that he is in
fact the mysterious marauder. Using advanced weapons which he had
discovered and incorporated into an armoured suit, Luthor's attacks bounce
off Superman, triggering an explosion that destroys Lexor -- killing
everyone, including Ardora and Lex Jr.
The tale ends with a maddened and tear-filled Luthor vowing, "You've taken
my family from me ... You've taken my world from me ... Until now, I always
thought I hated you as much as any one being could hate another! But I was
wrong ... until today, I didn't even know the meaning of the word! I'M
COMING FOR YOU SUPERMAN ... AND I HAVE ONLY JUST BEGUN TO HATE!"
The Brainiac story is written by Marv Wolfman and drawn by Gil Kane. The
humanoid robot, Brainiac, entombed in a computerized planet, is converted
into a molecular form by a nearby super-nova. Eventually he reincorporates
himself into a deadly new life form combining computer, organic and more.
In his skull-shaped ship (which is part of him), he attacks an innocent
planet to lure Superman to him.
The Brainiac tale continues in _Action Comics_ #545 and 546, as Brainiac
sends advance hordes of aliens to attack Earth. Superman assembles the JLA
and Teen Titans to battle the aliens while he goes after Brainiac in space.
In case this story sounds slightly familiar, it should be -- it's the basis
of the "Panic in the Sky" story from the 1992 Superman titles (also
available in trade paperback). The earlier story is just as gripping as the
later one and I'd encourage you to read both.
The other element from "Panic in the Sky" -- namely Warworld and its
previous master, Mongul -- first appeared in 1980 in a storyline from _DC
Comics Presents_ #27-29. Len Wein's story (art by Jim Starlin and Romeo
Tanghal) has Superman acting arrogantly out of character. Superman
seriously screws up as he confronts and battles J'onn J'onzz, allowing
Mongul to obtain the key which controls Warworld.
In the following issue, Superman recruits his cousin, Supergirl to defeat
Mongul and Warworld, but victory comes at the ultimate cost for Supergirl.
The concluding issue has the Spectre preventing Superman from following his
cousin in his attempt to save her life and soul. The Spectre forces
Superman to confront his arrogance and hubris, before reuniting him with
Supergirl.
See -- I finished with a tenuous connection!
Enjoy the holidays!
___________________________________________________________
End of Section 5
___________________________________________________________
NEW COMIC REVIEWS
------------------------------------------
Comics Arriving In Stores October 1999
We have a total of fourteen reviews of books which arrived in October
(including one, _Superman, Inc._ which actually arrived a week early!), but
we still chose not to review a couple of things. _JLA: Primeval_ was a
prestige format book in which the League were caused to devolve into
primitive beings, and Young Justice guest-starred in _Stars and
S.T.R.I.P.E._ #5, the first issue of a two-part story.
Ratings Panelists:
-----------------
CoS: Cory Strode GR: Gary Robinson RG: Rene' Gobeyn
DWk: Douglas Wolk JB: Jeremy Bleichman SDM: Simon DelMonte
EM: Edward Mathews JE: Josh Elder SI: Seth Isaacs
GC: Glenn Crouch JH: Josh Hill SL: Sebastian Lecocq
GD: Gavin Douglas JSy: Jeff Sykes ST: Shane Travis
GN: G.M. Nelson MS: Mike Smith 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:
-------------------
46. SUPERMAN #151 Dec 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"We're Back!"
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Guest Penciler: Mike McKone
Guest Inker: Marlo Alquiza
Colors: Glen Whitmore
Separations: Tanya and Richard Horie
Lettering: Richard Starkings and Comicraft
Assoc. Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Cover: Phil Jimenez and Liquid!
RATINGS
Average: 4.5/5.0 Shields
TD: 4.8 Shields
DWk: 4.8 Shields - An exciting, intriguing resolution to some dragged-out
plot threads, the start of some even better new ones, and an
exploration of actual tricky ethical issues. Beautiful to look at,
too. This is exactly what the triangle books should be.
EM: 4.3 Shields - Wow. It's too bad that McKone is only a fill-in artist
for three months. I love the look! Kudos to Loeb for his wonderful
job of setting the tone for the main Superman title.
GC: 4.1 Shields - The Planet is back to the institution it was meant to
be, and Lois' deal with the devil adds a sub-plot that should
prove interesting. Hope this level of story writing continues.
JE: 4.9 Shields - This was almost the perfect Superman story. It
featured all of the main cast members, set up a major new menace
for Supes and introduced an awesome plot thread (Lois's secret).
Oh, and did I mention that the new Daily Planet looks fantastic?
JH: 4.5 Shields - Not as groundbreaking as we might have hoped, but given
this issue and Jeph Loeb's past work, this promises to be the most
intriguing and entertaining of the four Superman titles. Stellar
art by Mike McKone, who I'd love to see more of with Supes.
JSy: 4.8 Shields - ...and only because I'm leaving room for Loeb to top
himself. The Planet is back, Jimmy's snapping pictures, Clark's
still a farmboy, Lois is a major player, and Luthor's plummeting
to new lows. All is right with the world.
SL: 4.2 Shields - The Planet and staff are back with a bang. The art, the
colors, (even the letters!) and the story are all superb. I'd have
liked to see Cat back at the Planet, but maybe soon.
Review by: Thomas Deja <blackair@gis.net>
Imagine your highest expectations for the newest _Superman_ team... your
most demanding thoughts and dreams and hope for the way the book is
written, the approach, the characterization. Now amp those expectations up
to the tenth power.
You still haven't reached the sheer joy that is this story.
From Mike McKone's stunning three-page sequence of Superman lifting the
Daily Planet globe to the final revelation of *what* it took for the Daily
Planet to be revived, this is literally as good as it gets. Jeph Loeb takes
that understanding of what makes Clark Kent tick he displayed in _Superman
For All Seasons_ and starts kicking out the jams from word one. I, for one,
could not be happier.
This is basically a set-up-cum-jumping-on point. The story, when all is
said and done, is simple: unspecified persons have bought The Daily Planet
back from Lex Luthor for a dollar, and turned its operations over to Perry
White. Everyone is back: Jimmy Olsen as news photographer, Lois on the City
Beat, and Clark as 'Foreign Correspondent' (a job he's been given because
he has a habit of disappearing for long stretches!). Lois is getting
herself settled, the old memories welling up as Clark acts like a kid on
Christmas Day, flying off to break the news to his parents. There's even a
surprise, as Mongul's son (!) literally makes Earthfall and begs Superman's
help. An even bigger surprise lies with Luthor, the deal he made to return
the Daily Planet to Perry White's hands, and the person with whom he made
that deal.
Damn, this is good stuff. Loeb finds his voice immediately and starts
making the book his own, giving us very clear indications of who these
people are, how they interact with each other, and what their goals are.
The people he's writing about are *not* cardboard figures being moved and
placed for the next event. They are *not* toys that will jump through hoops
in between world-shaking events. They are people, and they are people I
want to follow. Even the obvious set-up for the next big event, which
involves Lex's deal, seems to grow out of the personalities of the
characters involved, and not out of a desire for a major sales spike.
The only flaw -- and the one thing that prevented this book from getting a
full count from me -- is that there's a tad *too* much 'reminiscing'. The
otherwise wonderful flow of Loeb's story is impeded several times by full-
page depictions of major events in Superman's history. Add, on average,
another page leading up to the full pages and you've got approximately a
third of the book devoted to 'Husker Du'. I expect better of this writer,
and, in fact, I do *get* better. Many scenes feature framed enlargements of
front pages of the Planet that remind the reader about such turning points
as The Reign, the Crisis, Final Night, Superman Red/Blue, etc. This is a
much more elegant way of bringing us up to date.
Artwise, this story is simply gorgeous. Mike McKone is ably helped by inker
Marlo Alquiza to create a very distinctive look. There's something very
old-time Hollywood in the lighting and the angles of many of the scenes,
and its something that's very appropriate to the book itself. While the
uncommonly high forehead on Lois in some scenes admittedly disturbs me, I'm
very happy with McKone as our pinch-hitter until Ed McGuinness steps to the
plate in three months.
So we've got our first big adventure coming (and considering it involves
the son of Mongul, it promises to be *big*), we've got a chewy little
sub-plot, and we've got real characters interacting like real people.
Damn, it's *good* to be a Superman fan right now.
=============================================
47. THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #573 Dec 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Higher Ground"
Plotter: Stuart Immonen
Dialogue: Mark Millar
Penciller: Steve Epting
Inks: Denis Rodier
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separator: Wildstorm
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Associate: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Cover: Phil Jimenez and Liquid!
RATINGS
Average: 3.9/5.0 Shields
JH: 4.3 Shields
CoS: 4.0 Shields - Rather than ignoring a subplot that has been in the
background of the Superman books for ages, or making it a four
part 'event', it's ended. I like the idea behind the story, and it
showed that character can drive story without being soap opera.
DWk: 4.0 Shields - Pretty obvious from the beginning how this would work
out, but deftly told anyway, including the flashback sequence. I
like how the development of Clark's powers has become puberty gone
amok. The box of cigars was a nice touch.
JB: 4.0 Shields - I've always been a sucker for "Superman takes on the
problems of ordinary people" stories.
JE: 4.2 Shields - Another good story by Millar, Immonen and Epting, tying
up some of the old plot threads. Luthor had some very juicy scenes
in this issue. Mercy and Hope, what great ideas.
JSy: 4.2 Shields - Superman's "threading the pipes" was an extraordinary
sequence, but I didn't really get the point of the flashback to
Smallville. Rodier meshed well with Epting's pencils, but I'd
still prefer to see someone else inking him.
SI: 3.5 Shields - In a month of new beginnings, Loeb wraps up an old
plotline. This is a quiet, enjoyable little tale, and it would be
nice to see more of these.
SL: 3.2 Shields - I love Lex's new bodyguards, but was rather let down
by the story. It wasn't very spectacular -- not even amazing. A
good read, but I was expecting more in this month of new starts.
TD: 3.9 Shields - A nice wrap-up of a dangler from the Superman Rex era
ably given life by Steve Epting's cinematic pencils and pacing.
Review by: Josh Hill <KryptoJosh@aol.com>
Stuart Immonen, Mark Millar and Lex Luthor have a lot in common. They work
their tailfeathers off to please those around them, devising a new and
insidious plot to trouble Superman each month all for the sake of the
public at large, and what do they get in return? A slap in the face! The
people would rather have something brighter and slicker, something more
noble and new. In the case of Luthor, it is indeed our Man of Steel. In the
case of Immonen and Millar, however, it is the cosmically hyped (with
warrant) Jeph Loeb and Joe Kelly, the new kids in town who are at the
forefront of Superman's next evolution.
All kidding aside, it certainly must have been a little troubling for
Immonen and Millar (the last of the old creative guard, if you don't count
Schultz and Mahnke over on _Man of Steel_) to realize they had to come up
with a strong enough story that would grab their readers' attention in
this, the month of fan-favorite writers Loeb and Kelly's arrival on
_Superman_ and _Action Comics_, respectively. Instead of trying to compete,
Stu and Mark went with what they know best, using some minor plot threads
from the old status quo, and just trying to fashion as humanly touching a
tale as they possibly could.
Hypersector was conceived by Lex Luthor as the new face of Metropolis, a
renovation and redesign of the city claimed to be the next step into the
future. Not much stood in the way of a man of Lex's influence and power;
nothing, in fact, except one old man who held the last small piece of land
Luthor needed. Jerome Odetts, whose family farmed there for generations,
has been struggling for months to hold onto what he considers to be the
"last little piece of the old Metropolis". As our story opens, Luthor is
making his latest shady attempt to remove this thorn from his side,
presenting Odetts with legal documentation claiming he must give up his
home by the end of the week, but not before a bundle of steel suspiciously
comes close to falling on his head, which Superman swoops in to stop.
Kal-El stands defiantly before his archfoe, criticizing Lex for his
heartless actions. In return Lex sicks his newest dogs on him -- two amazon
bodyguards named Mercy and Hope. These silent and highly fashion conscious
"ladies" give Supes a run for his money in battle, but the fracas is soon
ended when Odetts makes a last ditch attempt to appeal to Luthor. The
villain will not bend, and all seems lost.
Clark and Lois will not bend, themselves. Clark wishes the situation were
as simple as just delivering the ol' one-two to some square-jawed
super-baddie. He thinks back to a moment from his childhood, when young
Clark was just discovering his strange powers and abilities and was faced
with another seemingly hopeless cause. Clark recounts how he had to prevent
lightning from striking a feedmill in Smallville that would have taken out
nearly half of the town had it toppled. Clark had Noticed earlier that the
feedmill's lightning rod was beginning to split, and when a storm began to
rage that night, he flew from the Kents' dinner table directly back to the
mill, grabbed hold of the rod and used his own body to absorb the 50,000
volts of electricity which struck it. The story seems irrelevant to their
current plight, but suddenly it hit Clark and Lois just as sharply as that
bolt of lightning: Superman will always be able to make a difference, no
matter what he faces.
Using the Daily Planet, Superman announces to the citizens of Metropolis
that he is taking a stand for preserving the past, and is encouraging
everyone to back Mr. Odetts in his stand against Lex Luthor. A mass of
protesters arrive at Jerome's house on Friday to show their support. The
city council itself has heard the cries of the people and have voted
unanimously to protect Odetts; Luthor has lost, and Superman welcomes home
the man who represents all that is good about the past.
Immonen has always excelled when given a chance to display the human side
of our hero, and Millar has been responsible for the sharpest, most tightly
conceived and scripted Superman comics of this past year. I stated above
that they didn't attempt to compete with their new co-conspirators, but in
their own little way, Immonen and Millar also harkened back to the glory
days of the Man of Steel -- when he resembled the best of what America was
made of. Just as Superman rebelled against Luthor's power, our writers have
cast him as a rebel in today's society, where it's fine to dress in the
fashions of times past but you can act as disrespectful towards it's morals
and values as you'd like. There is no middle ground for Superman; he
totally embraces that which came before him and had made it his own.
Immonen and Millar assure us he will always be the best of us all.
As for the new pleasures which have been added, I have nothing but honest
approval of Mercy making the jump from the animated series to the comics.
Lex's most trusted bodyguard makes for great eye candy that no one should
have any complaints about, especially with new partner Hope in tow. Hey,
if the Superman books are "starting over", why *not* borrow from the
cartoon?
Steve Epting, another familiar name to the credits box, really outdoes
himself on the pencils as well. His talents wasted for years over at
Marvel, Epting came aboard the Superman titles earlier this year and
provided us a truly majestic Man of Tomorrow -- one who looks every inch as
powerful as we dream he could be. His larger-than-life cinematic style for
the action sequences, and the smaller and tighter perspectives that go
along with the character moments, show how much range this budding master
storyteller actually has. He'll be missed when he goes, but at least Epting
will bereunited with his _Superman_ writer Dan Jurgens on _Aquaman_.
I'll admit I felt a little disappointed when I realized that _Adventures of
Superman_ #573 didn't feature any new creators, but by the last page, my
heartstrings were humming a different tune. I know that Immonen and Millar
are leaving this series early next year, but the time we have remaining
with them will undoubtedly be entertaining and satisfactory. A round of
applause, boys!
=============================================
48. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL Dec 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Krypton Lives"
Writer: Mark Schultz
Penciller: Doug Mahnke
Inker: Tom Nguyen
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separations: Wildstorm FX
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Assoc. Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Cover: Phil Jimenez and Liquid!
RATINGS
Average: 3.8/5.0 Shields
MS: 4.7 Shields
CoS: 3.5 Shields - While better than the Superman books have been in a
long time, still more set-up than story.
DWk: 3.7 Shields - Too many implausibilities for the sake of the plot,
though it's nice to see Jimmy being something other than a jerk
again. More set-up than actual story.
GC: 3.7 Shields - A good story, though I thought the artwork let it down
a little. The almost anti-Krypton stance of Superman is well
handled and bodes well for future stories.
JE: 4.5 Shields - Superman wanting to explore Kryptonian culture has been
a long time in coming; the fact that Lois prodded him is even
better. Can't wait to see what the new Eradicator holds in store.
JH: 4.3 Shields - Strong, mature approach to the sci-fi aspects of
Superman. I am looking forward to the follow-up on new supporting
cast member Steel, whose presence is established here.
SI: 3.9 Shields - Superman hasn't explored his Kryptonian heritage much
over the last few years, so cheers to Schultz for examining it. My
one quibble is that Jimmy seems a little too gullible. A Kelex
alarm clock? He fell for that? Wow. :)
SL: 2.6 Shields - It's great to see John Henry Irons more involved in a
Superman title, and the two pages with Jimmy were fun, but that
was it. I love the fortress, but not how it's depicted here.
TD: 3.7 Shields - I've said it before and I'll say it again: Mark Schultz
gives good monster, and these creations are genuinely creepy. Plus
we get the resurfacing of my favorite of the 'Supermen', Steel.
Review by: Mike Smith <mike_p_smith@hotmail.com>
Hey, it's Christmas in October here at the Triangle titles, and I've torn
open the Phil Jimenez wrapping paper to find that long-term creative team
I've been hinting for since I started this gig.
Yeah, this title hasn't gotten the same attention as _Superman_ or
_Action_, mostly because Schultz and Mahnke have been around since #87. For
me, though, stability is more important than media spotlight. Eddie
Berganza says it best in the letter column; "I'd be a fool to mess with
this winning combination." Despite that, Berganza has managed to improve on
the product anyway, because I don't see any guest creators in the advance
solicitations. At last, Schultz can start developing some plots and
defining a direction.
See, this is the "sci-fi/Kryptonian heritage" book, now, so it's only
fitting that our story begins at the ruins of the Fortress of Solitude. A
team of Lexcorp employees has just finished looting the wreckage while the
Superman robot assigned to observe the Fortress just looks on. They flee
the area when the ground opens up and monstrous hands reach out of the
fissure and attack the robot.
Of course, this activity won't go unnoticed by the owner of the grounds.
After all, Superman has a robot head from the Fortress to alert him to the
latest developments, right? Too bad he left it on the mantle in his
apartment when the alarm goes off, and too bad that Jimmy Olsen happens to
be visiting when it does.
Ah, but Superman is the master of the Improvised Cover Story! Clark tells
Jimmy that it's a collectible Superman radio/alarm clock (verrry
collectible, don't even ask where he got it... that's the ticket!), and he
says it went off to remind him and Lois of an important appointment so they
show Jimmy the door.
Kelex's head tells Clark that the Fortress has been intruded upon by
humans, and that some weird effect has taken place. Clark prepares to
investigate, but Lois insists on going along. (Being married, half of
Fortress of Solitude is legally her property, natch.)
So we cut to Antarctica, where the Superman Robot (Hey, I thought the
monsters got him. Hmmm...) tells Superman and Lois that the humans set off
some sort of change in the trace singularity that has rendered the Fortress
an immaterial energy phantom. Oh, and Lois is human, so it happens again.
Whoopsie.
Once again, the ground opens up and pre-historic Kryptonian monsters emerge
from what looks like a giant version of Superman's birthing Matrix. Clark
orders the robot to evacuate Lois, and he battles the creatures. To drive
the monsters back into the birthing matrix, Superman generates a cold front
around it to lure them back towards the warmth they came from. It seems
that the creatures are sensitive to the Antarctic cold, and they must not
have absorbed enough yellow sunlight to be *too* much trouble. Still,
Superman has to wonder what horror might have been unleashed if he hadn't
been around to stop them.
That's when he realizes what's going on. Somehow, the Eradicator, the
Kryptonian program that created the Fortress, has been rebuilding the
Fortress, and lashing out at any Earth life that attempts to interfere. For
the moment, Superman buries the remains of the Fortress and flees the
continent as it recovers for another assault. Lois asks him what's going
on, and all Superman can say is that the Fortress must be utterly destroyed
before it poses a threat to Earth.
Meanwhile, the Metropolis S.C.U. must have read my review of last month's
issue [Where Mike lambasted them for throwing missiles at the Parasite in a
crowded city area -- Shane] because they're looking into getting some
non-lethal equipment for dealing with metahumans. The man designing it for
them is a guy by the name of John Henry Irons.
It's as if this entire issue was put together with me in mind. Gone is the
"extreme prejudice" tactics of the S.C.U. Gone are the unexplained
paranormal phenomena. Gone are endless assortments of guest creators of
varying quality. And Jimmy Olsen is... gasp! A photographer! No more
sleazeball journalism or moonlighting as a third-rate Kirby character. Back
to basics indeed.
Mark Schultz has done an excellent job playing up Superman As Alien by
juxtaposing him with his human wife. Clark has a robot head to keep tabs on
his secret headquarters, and Lois scolds him for leaving his stuff lying
around. Clark has a robot doppleganger, and Lois wants to name it after her
Uncle Ned. It really makes the chemistry between them come alive, and
that's something we haven't seen much of since they got married to begin
with.
As for the science fiction angle, Schultz has improved on that front as
well. I found his "phantom fortress" story from a few months ago to be
shaky at best, but now that we know it was the Eradicator reasserting
control over the Fortress, it makes a little more sense. Furthermore, it's
good to see Clark using his head to win a fight against steep odds.
And let's not forget the artwork. Doug Mahnke continues to depict the
definitive Lois Lane of this era. The alien "dinosaurs" look truly hideous,
and they still look outclassed by the powerful image of Superman. Nothing
against Jimenez or the four-cover collage gimmick, but Mahnke definitely
should have gotten the cover for this issue.
The icing on the cake is Steel. Six years after leaving the book, after
losing his own solo book and with Mark Waid downsizing the JLA, Steel has
already escaped Comic Book Limbo once again. It's a testament to the
versatility and tenacity of the character, and I for one am happy to have
him back. With any luck, Schultz and Mahnke can generate enough interest to
give my fav'rit another crack at his own title, but let's take this one
step at a time. For now, John serves as an all important link between the
old Simonson-Bogdanove days, and the Schultz-Mahnke run of today.
Wow, this is the first really positive review I've done in a long time. I
almost didn't think I could do it, but if this is the sort of thing I can
come to expect from the new regime, I suppose I can get used to it.
___________________________________________________________
End of Section 6
___________________________________________________________
49. ACTION COMICS #760 Dec 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"...Never-Ending Battle..."
Writer: Joe Kelly
Penciller: German Garcia
Inker: Joe Rubinstein
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separations: Wildstorm FX
Letterer: John Costanza
Assoc. Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Cover: Phil Jimenez and Liquid!
RATINGS
Average: 4.2/5.0 Shields
GN: 3.5 Shields
DWk: 4.7 Shields - Totally entertaining, very funny, and extra-densely
packed. Nice to see this story in one issue, rather than stretched
out to three. I love Kelly's take on the Lois-and-Clark dynamic.
EM: 4.4 Shields - Kelly had me rolling on the floor laughing with this
one. The sheer number of 2-bit villains who thought they could
take out Superman with a painted rock... hehehe. Will DC collect
these four covers and make a poster? Please?
GC: 3.8 Shields - Good humour with good story makes this a worthwhile
read. Clark's new job is handled well. The new villain seems
lighter than her appearance in _Secret Origins of Super Villains_
which takes away a bit.
JB: 4.3 Shields - Kelly adds a heaping helping of humor (and plenty of
costumed feebs) to this tale. Garcia does an excellent job on the
art, delivering one of the sexiest Loises I've ever seen.
JE: 4.8 Shields - This is a Superman story unlike most any that I've ever
read. Kelly captures the character perfectly but still brings
something new to the Man of Steel -- not an easy feat for a sixty
year-old character.
JH: 4.8 Shields - The best of the first four issues of the new era. Joe
Kelly does wonders with the Clark/Lois relationship, and gives us
(finally) an interesting new villain for Supes. German Garcia was
a pleasant surprise in the art dept.
SDM: 3.8 Shields - Kelly shocked me by putting our hero in a humorous
story and never once threatening his dignity. I can't remember
the last time I saw Supes used so well in a funny situation, or
when such a situation was also still a legitimate threat.
SI: 4.1 Shields - One word describes this issue: fun. We'll obviously be
seeing La Encantadora again in the future. If used well, she'll
make an interesting member of Superman's Rogues gallery.
Review by: G.M. Nelson <KALEL224@aol.com>
The new _Action_ creative team of Kelly and Co. gets off to a strong start,
introducing a new super-villainess for the Man of Steel. El Encantadora is
(very) female con artist who -- using a mist that renders her marks
vulnerable to suggestion -- sells bogus kryptonite to what seems like half
the loser villains in the DC Universe, and leads the Man of Steel on a
chase around the globe.
I'm coming into this revamp with some caution. I liked the previous teams
for the most part, and the big problem with the titles in recent years
seemed to stem more from a perceived need to create mega-events rather than
work by the individual creative teams. (Look at some of the terrific
single-issue stories by Kesel, Jurgens, etc.) That said, there's no
question that Kelly hits the ground running with his first issue. The story
moves at a breakneck pace, but it actually works for this story, and
Encantadora proves to be a clever and engaging villainess, if one with a
certain fondness for her adversary. (In contrast with Obsession, who simply
declared that Superman was the one for her, Encantadora tries to flirt with
Superman, and the story is better for it.)
Kelly also adeptly handles the interplay between Lois and Clark. (The
developing relationship of the newly married Kents -- they can't have been
married more than a few months or a year tops, comic book time --
especially as handled by Karl Kesel, was a highlight of the books.) He also
uses humor to good effect in other areas, in particular with regard to the
various villains Encantadora cons. I know one of the stated goals of the
new teams is to bring more humor into the books, but I hope they avoid what
the Giffen-DeMatteis _JLA_ degenerated into toward the end. So far Kelly is
handling the humor just right. (Loved that line about the handcuffs --
funny, but not out of character at all for Superman.) I'm also glad to see
that Kelly hasn't forgotten recent events in the titles, working in a
reference to the Superman Rex storyline. I am curious how this foreign
correspondent gig is going to work out for Clark.
Looking at the art, new penciller German Garcia brings a new look to the
Man of Steel - fresh without being overly cartoony -- and Rubinstein's inks
are always welcome on the books.
Overall, the new creative team has made a pretty good first impression. I'm
curious to see how the team develops over the coming months, and what is
coming next.
________________________________________________________
SUPER-FAMILY TITLES:
-------------------
SUPERBOY #69 Dec 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Hawaii -- Hana Hou!"
Kompa-Kompas: Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett
Ichiban Inks: Ray Kryssing
Kalakoa Colors: Buzz Setzer
Local-Style Letters: Comicraft
Ete Editor: Mike McAvennie
The Big Kahuna: Jack Kirby
Cover: Tom Grummett, Karl Kesel, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.2/5.0 Shields
===TEXT
RG: 2.0 Shields
GC: 2.8 Shields - While I always enjoying Grummett's art, I still feel
that this title lost direction after the fabulous Hypertime
stories. I also find the Dubbilex subplot a little tedious.
JSy: 3.2 Shields - I'm just not at all impressed with this Dubbilex and
the Gene-Gnome plot, perhaps because it's taking so long to get
going. The rest of the issue was a bit depressing, since it was
essentially a farewell to the Kid's past.
SDM: 3.8 Shields - This is what I remember loving about Superboy four
years ago; no monsters or aliens, but lots of people and lots of
Superboy learning about life. The sequence with Knockout was
chilling, and the Kid's farewell to Hawaii is quite moving. I
think I'll miss the small scale of the Honolulu years even more
now that we've been taken back one last time.
SI: 3.5 Shields - Good to see Krypto back again. This Hawaii flashback
issue was fun, and Kania is an interesting new character. Now if
only Tana and Roxy would come back as well...
===WWW
RG: 2.0 Shields
GC: 2.8 Shields - Whilst enjoying Grummett's art as always I still feel
that this title lost direction after the fabulous Hypertime
stories. I also find the Dubbilex subplot a little tedious.
JH: 3.9 Shields
JSy: 3.2 Shields - I'm just not at all impressed with this whole thing
with Dubbilex and the Gene-Gnome, perhaps because it's taking so
long to get going. The rest of the issue was a bit depressing,
since it was essentially a farewell to the Kid's past.
SDM: 3.8 Shields - This is what I remember loving about Superboy four
years ago - no monsters or aliens, but lots of people and lots of
Superboy learning about life. The sequence with Knockout is
chilling, and the Kid's farewell to Hawaii is quite moving. I
think I'll miss the small scale of the Honolulu years even more
now that we've been taken back one last time.
SI: 3.5 Shields - Good to see Krypto back again. This Hawaii flashback
issue was fun, and Kania is an interesting new character. Now if
only Tana and Roxy would come back as well...
Reviewed by: Rene Gobeyn <rgobeyn1@rochester.rr.com>
This one didn't do much for me. While fun, there was little advancement in
any of the ongoing plot lines. A new character is introduced, but unless we
see more of him I'm not going to get excited. I was looking forward to a
slow, character-driven story after the past few months, but this one wasn't
just slow -- it was lethargic.
Superboy and Dr. Serling Roquette have just arrived in Hawaii when he gets
a taste of just how fondly he is remembered by the locals, that being not
very. He manages to generate a massive traffic jam when the Whiz Wagon
lands in the middle of a crowded intersection. While dealing with the local
police (and reporter), Kon-El overhears shots signaling a robbery in
process. He gets there just in time to be upstaged by the new local hero,
Kana.
Kana easily takes out two of the three bad guys, leaving Superboy to deal
with the third. Kana is another elastic hero, who uses his stretchy body to
contain and engulf his foes; Superboy uses his TK powers to rip up the
street under his bad guy. For some reason the locals don't particularly
approve of Kon's methods.
This is a scene I've always wanted to see. Ever since I grew up and started
paying taxes I've wondered, why do the citizens of the DCU cities put up
with the massive destruction that the costumed heroes generate? It looks
like maybe the citizens of Honolulu are saner than most.
After Inspector Sam Makoa shows up to take care of things, Kon and Serling
join him to get caught up on things. While talking, Makoa observes that the
Kid seems to have found a real place to belong at Cadmus.
After seeing Makoa, Superboy goes to visit Knockout (his real reason for
visiting Hawaii). Knockout tries real hard to convince Kon to release her,
but in the end he leaves her as he found her. As he leaves, she threatens
to get free and pay a visit to him and Serling at Cadmus something that
neither of them would enjoy.
One last stop to make; they head out to the compound where they meet
Hillary Chang and Krypto. Superboy learns that the cop and reporter he met
earlier are actually Hillary's brothers. After a brief conversation,
Superboy, Serling, and Krypto are heading back to Cadmus.
Meanwhile, back at Cadmus, Dubbilex and the Gene-gnome are attacked by a
couple of the guards. I suspect that this will somehow be continued next
issue.
See, not much happened. I think the impression we were supposed to get was
that Superboy has outgrown Hawaii, but I'm not 100% sure. We met a new
hero, but that is starting to get old; the book is already over-crowded
with under-used cast members. Loose ends were not tied up, nor did we get a
chance to find out what was happening with any of the old cast from the
early days in Hawaii. Some were mentioned in passing, but nothing new was
learned. Roxy and Rex are still missing, and so is Tana Moon. Other than
the lead in to next issue, nothing happened.
The art was as good, as usual. I like the Jack Kirby tributes, but it
wasn't enough to carry the book. For me, the art is always secondary to the
story. Sure, poor art can drag an otherwise good story down, but no matter
how good the art, it can't make up for a slow plot.
Sorry folks - better luck next month.
=============================================
SUPERGIRL #39 Dec 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"On Ice"
Writer: Peter David
Pencils: Leonard Kirk
Inks: Robin Riggs
Letters: Bill Oakley
Colors: Gene D'Angelo
Seps: Digital Chameleon
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Leonard Kirk, Robin Riggs, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 4.4/5.0 Shields
TD: 4.3 Shields
EM: 4.4 Shields - PAD impresses me again with his wonderful portrayal of
Andy and the issues that she had to deal with while coming out of
the closet to her parents. How it must have hurt to see that her
parents actually thought she was coming over to announce her
pregnancy!
JB: 5.0 Shields - This is, flat-out, the best book out this month. Andy's
story was both tender and shocking, and done without ham-handed
moralizing. Kirk's art drives the story home in admirable fashion.
JSy: 4.0 Shields - Very powerful and disturbing scenes with Andy's
torture, and Kirk and Riggs once again provide the most
beautifully expressive faces throughout the issue. Blithe
certainly looks like her power has corrupted her, so if she's
the final Earth-born, then shouldn't her wings have changed?
SI: 4.2 Shields - Yet another great issue. Supergirl remains one of my
favorite comics month in and month out, and this issue is no
exception.
Review by: Thomas Deja <blackair@gis.net>
I have said it once, I have said it twice, and I have said it many, many
times; Peter David's strength lies not in the way he gleefully festoons
each of his stories with used vaudeville gags. It lies with the way he is
able to couch disturbing material in a context that makes that material
twice as disturbing.
On page one of this issue, in one of those rare synergies David achieves
with his long-time collaborator Leonard Kirk, we are faced head on with an
image of Andy Jones viciously battered. Her clothes are torn. Her limbs are
bruised. She sports a black eye and seems to be only on the verge of
unconsciousness. Her T-shirt, in some macabre joke, displays a picture of
her in this state wearing the shirt with the picture of her in this state
wearing a T-shirt.... She has fallen into a situation that's like a hall of
mirrors, this panel seems to be saying; our heroine cannot escape the
infinity of pain.
And the caption, a quote from Supergirl involving a fashion line Cutter has
devised, is, "Whoa! You look terrific!"
I defy anyone not to read further.
There is some humor in this month's issue, but the crux of the story is
Andy Jones -- to be more precise, a moment of great emotional pain that
helped define Andy as the person who would become Comet. It's a harrowing
journey made all the more harrowing by the festivity David uses to contrast
Jones' torture.
You see, in light of the Day of Judgement affair, Supergirl finds herself
more popular than ever. Cutter is capitalizing on that, making deals for a
line of designer clothing parades and other goodies. Hell, she's even
feeling some confidence in her personal life, as the recent kiss with Dick
Malverne and advice from Maddie to seize the opportunity to deepen their
relationship seems to be promising more. Granted, she still has a
hopelessly naive view of how she should do that.
By contrast, Andy is being held prisoner in an unknown apartment being
tortured by an attractive woman calling herself Blithe. Prevented from
transforming to Comet, being made to dress in degrading T-shirts, and
forced to watch Supergirl bask in the adulation, Andy is being physically
and emotionally brutalized. This Blithe is able to reach into Andy's mind
and pull out memories of the time she revealed her lesbianism to her
parents and was physically thrown out of the house -- and how the aftermath
of that act led to the first of several suicide attempts for Andy.
It's a particularly brutal scenario to see unfurl, and even more brutal to
watch Andy, helpless, begging to have this movie of her life turned off.
David, as he has in the past, manages to get to some level of extreme
honesty in these scenes that make it absolutely gut wrenching, and in
Blithe, he's created a true monstrosity. This woman goes about torturing
and tormenting Andy with such a blase air, only seeming to really smile
when she is handed a cigarette by her employer in a true representation of
cruelty as banality. She's a frightening number, further indication that
David's intentions with this storyline are to return this book to the
pitch-black horror of its first year. (It's telling that one moment that
was probably included for humor purposes -- a homeless person reacting
negatively when Supergirl dresses her in new clothes -- actually comes off
as reinforcing the increasing bleakness of this book.)
Kirk and Riggs do their usual wonderful job, handling this story which
relies more on human pain than anything else with grace and verve. I've
always said the two of them excel when it comes to quieter moments that
involve deep interaction, and here they really go to town. Pretty much from
page 11, which begins the hallucinatory trip back to Andy's trauma, Kirk
and Riggs *own* this book. They get a great deal of mileage out of the
contrasts and similarities between the facial expressions of the past and
present Andy, and their command of body language increases the tension a
hundred fold. It's a bravura performance, and one I'm going to remember
come KayCee time. Kirk and Riggs are not showy and flashy like Gary Frank
was, but considering the tenor of the book and the road down which it's
going, it's choice work.
"On Ice" continues to shore up my optimism for this storyline, and
continues what is shaping up to be a long run of absolutely stunning
stories from this creative team.
Between this and what Loeb is doing in _Superman_, I'm becoming a very
happy critic.
=============================================
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #38 Dec 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"If I Ruled The World!"
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciller: Aluir Amancio
Inker: Terry Austin
Colorist: Marie Severin
Seps: Digital Chameleon
Letterer: Phil Felix
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Mike Manley, Terry Austin, Marie Severin, and Zylonol
RATINGS
Average: 4.1/5.0 Shields
CoS: 4.0 Shields
GC: 4.2 Shields - Both my son (6yo) and I are big Mxyzptlk fans, and we
both thoroughly enjoyed this issue. In our opinion, it is the best
of the series. Good humour, good handling of villains and support
cast, plus a great cover.
JE: 4.2 Shields - Why is that Millar is writing all his best stories just
as he's leaving the Superman titles? A story of almost cosmic
scope and yet still told convincingly in one issue. I think all
comic writers could take lessons from this series.
JH: 4.0 Shields
JSy: 4.0 Shields - I don't know if this idea was Millar's or if it had
been done somewhere else before, but having the Parasite steal
Mxyzptlk's powers was absolutely a brilliant concept. Rudy's
*use* of the powers was uneven, but for the most part that can
be attributed to the character's not being the sharpest of tacks.
Review by: Cory Strode <Solitaire.Rose@worldnet.att.net>
Capsule Review: Super Villain Team Up, Superman Adventures Style! When the
Parasite gains the powers of Mr. Mxyzptlk, Superman has to deal not only
with that, but also with Mxyzptlk wanting to be his partner. A fun, well-
plotted story that puts all three characters in a new situation to see how
they will react.
One of the cool things about comic book super-heroes has always been when
they team up. Marvel had two series running in the 70's that were nothing
but team-ups, while DC had three, _DC Comics Presents_, _The Brave and the
Bold_, and _World's Finest_. While team-up series don't work in the current
market, fans still like to see what happens when two or more heroes meet.
Villains, however, are a different story.
Series that have focused on such events, like Marvel's _Super-Villain Team
Up_, or DC's _The Joker_, are notoriously short lived. I would think that
the main reason is that in series like that, there is no one for the
villains to play off. This issue of _Superman Adventures_ started off with
an interesting pairing, and reminded me of those old comics. It seems that
The Parasite has escaped and is out for revenge, coincidentally on the day
that Mr. Mxyzptlk is able to come back to our dimension and mess with
Superman.
Now most writers would do a story where the two of them form an alliance
and go after The Big Blue Boy Scout. Millar, however, puts an interesting
spin on things by having the Parasite absorb Mxyzptlk's powers, leaving the
5th-dimensional imp powerless and unable to mess with Superman at all. So,
as one of the better quotes I've read lately states, "The universe is putty
in the hands of a High School Dropout."
Luckily, Mxy is able to find our hero, and inform him of what has happened,
so we do get our team up after all... except it's Superman and Mr. Mxyzptlk
teaming up to face the new, much more powerful Parasite. Oddly enough, the
Parasite has some interesting ideas to do with Mxy's powers, like turning a
street into marshmallow creme, making mannikins come to life and animating
a Superman statue to fight the Real Steel Deal. Why odd? A couple of times
the point is made that the Parasite is a simple person -- not dumb, but not
very creative. In using Mxy's powers, though, He shows more creativity than
almost every new show in the fall TV lineup. While it made the story more
interesting, it did contrast against the characterization we've been given
of the Parasite. That's a frighteningly minor quibble, though.
The rest of the issue (over half of it, actually) is taken up with a battle
between a powered-up Parasite and The Man Of Steel. In the course of the
battle, the Parasite realizes he can play with the time stream; this allows
Superman to trick him into going three days into the future where he has
lost Mxy's powers, and Superman lowers the boom. When the Parasite loses
the powers, Mxy gets them back. Superman is prepared for this eventuality,
though; back when Mxy first asked for help, Kal-el had the 5th dimensional
pest write his name backwards twice, sending him home once his powers had
returned.
For a story that comes down to a slug-fest, the plotting is very sharp.
Supes' solution to the get rid of Mxyzptlk was dropped into the story very
early, seeming like little more than a throw-away bit. It's prominent
enough that when it pays off, though, it doesn't feel like it came out of
the blue. Also, while the idea of another super-villain with reality
warping powers is not a new one, it's handled here with imagination, and
flows out of the character (except for the burst of creativity shown by the
Parasite noted above).. I also like the interaction between Superman and
Mxyzptlk. What could have easily been annoying was instead fun and sharp,
and made me think that Millar draws more inspiration for his
characterization of Mxyzptlk from Ambush Bug than from past incarnations of
the character.
Amancio handles the battle sequences with his normal ease, as they seem to
be one of his strong points. The reality jumps could have been hard to
convey, but writer and artist combine to make it work. What could have felt
like random panels on the page where each panel is a different reality has
a flow that draws the reader through Superman's plan and the complexity of
the situation.
I normally don't mention covers, since in today's comic world, very few
people care much about covers. Comic shops have pull lists, and it's pretty
rare that a casual reader picks up a book based on its cover. This issue,
however, has a delightful parody of the _Detective Comics_ cover
introducing Robin by Make Manley and Terry Austin that would have made me
pick up the book even if I didn't read the series normally. I hope other
readers feel the same way, since this book should be selling better than it
does.
_Superman Adventures_ is the unsung gem of the Superman Family at this
point. The stories are tightly plotted, and each issue is highly
entertaining. Many readers are passing this book up, thinking it to be a
kid's book, but it's not. It's one of those rare gems that can be read by
kids who know Superman from the cartoon, and by long-time fans as well.
Oddly enough, most comics used to be like this, back when they sold 250,000
copies a month. Now, a book that does the same thing struggles to sell
50,000. Highly recommended for all Superman fans.
___________________________________________________________
End of Section 7
___________________________________________________________
TEAM TITLES:
-----------
JLA #36 Dec 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"World War III, Part One"
Writer: Grant Morrison
Penciller: Howard Porter
Inker: John Dell
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Colorist: Pat Garrahy
Separator: Heroic Age
Assoc. Ed.: Tony Bedard
Editor: Dan Raspler
Cover: Porter and Dell
RATINGS
Average: 3.7/5.0 Shields
EM: 4.5 Shields
GC: 3.2 Shields - I was expecting a bit more from this issue given all
the hype. I found the story to be too drawn out, but there are
enough good plot threads to redeem it.
JB: 3.9 Shields - Mageddon starts out with the slickest, most evilly
confident Luthor this side of Maggin. Nice story and art, too.
JE: 4.7 Shields - Morrison once again proves his JLA is the best ever.
I thought "Rage of Angels" and "Rock of Ages" were epic, but this
redefines the term. I can't get over how evil Grant's Luthor is.
SI: 3.0 Shields - A solid start to Morrison's final arc, but I'll have to
read the entire story as a whole before I reach a final opinion.
SL: 2.8 Shields - This introduction to Morrison's final arc was a little
too slow. The art was good, and the tension between Orion and
Aquaman well done, but in twenty-two pages we've nearly nothing to
read. I'm hoping the rest will be faster and more compact.
Review by: Edward Mathews <em11@is3.nyu.edu>
Synopsis:
The Anti-Sun, known by the New Gods as Mageddon, is on its way to Earth. As
Metron, Big Barda, and Wonder Woman have discovered, it has already met and
destroyed Wonderworld, the fantastic world of superheroes visited in the
"Rock of Ages" story arc. Mister Miracle debriefs the JLA on what Mageddon
is and exactly how difficult it will be to keep it at bay. Superman puts a
call out for everyone who has ever been in the JLA to assemble. Meanwhile,
the new Injustice Gang comprised of Lex Luthor, Prometheus, the new Queen
Bee, and the General (former Shaggy Man/General Eiling), strike at the JLA
and destroy the Watchtower. Wacky hi-jinks ensue.
Review:
Wow. The opening part of Grant Morrison's final story arc begins with a
bang. Yes, Mageddon has been foreshadowed since the beginning of the JLA
run and now we get to see what Morrison had in mind. I'm impressed. Unlike
the beginning of "Rock of Ages" and "Crisis Times Five", "World War Three"
opens up with a very clear focus on what is coming down the pike for the
JLA. It's the end of the world, folks, and the JLA is the last line of
defense for the universe.
Morrison built up the heroes from Wonderworld in "Rock of Ages" enough to
make the opening pages actually mean something. These heroes who made Green
Lantern, Aquaman, and Flash seem powerless by comparison have been wiped
out by Mageddon. Bad things are coming our way. Mageddon is a weapon left
over from the world of the Old Gods and it has returned from its exile.
Before it arrives, Mageddon influences beings to go to war with one
another.
Once again, multiple plotlines are thrown at us, but this time Morrison
weaves them together through the use of the Mageddon influence. Why would
Luthor attack the JLA now when they are the last line of defense for
existence? This is the same man who worked with these heroes to make sure
the sun didn't extinguish in Final Night. These heavy-hitting villains are
obviously under the anti-sun's influence.
How bad are things? Zauriel indicates that Heaven is writing us off and
getting ready for the next universal reboot. And you know what? Morrison
does a great job of driving that across this month.
Once again, Mr. Miracle's return looks promising. This issue, however, I
see why Morrison picked Orion; Darkseid's son even manages to give Superman
the willies.
Between the call to arms that Superman made for all former and current
JLAers to assemble, the destruction of the Watchtower by the Injustice Gang
at the single most inopportune moment, and the actually stunning visuals
this month, based on this one issue I'm willing to wager that this is going
to be a fantastic ride.
Art:
Porter confuses the heck out of me. This month, he and Dell come through in
spades. Plastic Man, the General, Aztek, the new Queen Bee, the anti- sun
critters... the characters were just visualized so well. I love the new
design for the Queen Bee a great deal. She looks to be a formidable
opponent. Just when I think that they've regressed, Porter and Dell pull
this off. When Orion indicates with a smile how hopeless the current
situation is, the look on Superman's face is priceless. Even the cover
looks cool. The layouts are not confusing and this is the story arc that is
supposed to look like a big budget blockbuster. So far, so good; the
fill-in issue must have given them time to get their stuff together.
Conclusion:
This has always been Morrison's pet story arc; he's had it in mind since he
started his JLA run. He has told people in interviews that he knew how his
run would start and how it would end. We're seeing that now and it looks
like it is going to be a cohesive story. Mark my words: this story arc will
define what the Morrison JLA was about.
=============================================
YOUNG JUSTICE #15 Dec 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Unstrung"
Writer: Peter David
Pencils: Todd Nauck
Inks: Lary Stucker
Letters: Ken Lopez
Colors: Jason Wright
Assoc. Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Cover: Nauck, Stucker, and Wildstorm FX
RATINGS
Average: 4.1/5.0 Shields
GR: 3.8 Shields
EM: 4.0 Shields - There are no easy answers as Arrowette struggles with
what seems to be a paradox.
GC: 4.3 Shields - An excellent and well-needed insight into Arrowette. It
is good to see more depth to the female characters whilst not
detracting from the big three. Superboy's handling in this issue
was also very good. One of the best YJ's in awhile.
GD: 4.5 Shields - A completely unoriginal set of plotlines (_Buffy the
Vampire Slayer_ season 3, anyone?) that PAD turns into a
marvelously dark yet funny read. This is the best YJ in months.
Also some nice art and a neat new outfit for Arrowette that
thankfully doesn't show skin
SL: 3.9 Shields - A difficult subject well-handled. The psychology
of Arrowette in pursuit of the murderers was written well, and the
sequences fit together nicely without any sub-plots interrupting
to break the intensity and emotion.
Review by: Gary D. Robinson <robinfam@akron.infi.net>
Although I own a .22 rifle and a 12-gauge shotgun, I'm not a gun
enthusiast. I'm not even much of a hunter. The guns came to me by way of my
late father whom I loved. He was, as time permitted, a hunter. My son, the
fellow I most want to be like when I grow up, has received excellent
firearms training in the Boy Scouts. So, for admittedly sentimental
reasons, I get rather nervous and irritated when I hear people screaming
about gun control, even amid the violence that so permeates our society.
From several less-than-subtle clues he's dropped in these pages, PAD not
only favors tighter gun restrictions, but apparently views the NRA as a
dangerous organization populated by trigger-happy idiots. I don't lean that
way. Consequently, when I glanced at a couple 'in your face' panels touting
gun control, I prepared myself not to like this issue. I poured myself a
cup of coffee, picked up my note-making pen, and grimly set to reading.
I was, you should pardon the expression, blown away. I was prepared for a
diatribe against guns. I expected a tract on Salvation Through Disarmament.
What I discovered instead was a thoughtful, powerful quest for the true
source of the violence that plagues us.
We begin in the woods not far from the Elias School where young Cissie, aka
Arrowette, attends. Dressed in a new costume, a dark amalgam of bowman's
and executioner's garb, Arrowette stalks her prey. One of the men she's
after has murdered the school psychologist. PAD's script flips us back and
forth between the woods and the events that led to the tragedy. I don't
believe I've read anything in sequential art-narratives (I can hardly use
the word "comics") more horrifying than page 15. In a mere five panels,
using no gore, Nauck and Stucker deliver a stunning blow -- the sickening
reality of a terrified woman and a fatal shot.
The next page depicts Cissie's encounter with a posturing politician who
declares violent media the villain. Pounding on his chest, she screams, "I
know you, Zuckerman! I've watched you! You voted against every gun control
law ever made! And you stand there and blame comic books?!" Earlier, I had
shaken my head over these panels: "Just a tract on gun control," I'd said.
Reading the page again in context, however, doesn't lessen the emotional
impact. Cissie hurts. She hurts bad. She runs into the woods after the
perpetrator, sure in her heart of who the good guys and the bad guys are...
and the bad guys must pay.
But, in her pain, Cissie has confused vengeance with justice. She toys with
the fear of the men in the dark woods, drawing out her moment of
retribution, feeling her power over these evildoers. Though content merely
to subdue the shooter's friend, she has no plans to coddle the shooter. As
he had done to her counselor, so she does to him. 'Shuk' goes an arrow into
his right leg. 'Shuk' -- an arrow in his left leg. The killer, the school
psychologist's ex-fiancee, begs for his life. Arrowette, however, is
unmoved towards him. Only the timely intervention of Superboy (to whom PAD
gives some very good lines) saves the murderer for a court of law. The
issue ends with an angry and confused Cissie crying out to Heaven for
answers.
Not everything in the book pleases me; take the artwork, for one thing.
While Todd Nauck is wonderful at drawing gawky teens, it's hard sometimes
to tell where the kids leave off and the grownups begin. I couldn't tell
the shooter -- supposedly an adult -- from a teen-ager. The psychologist
herself looks more the age of Cissie's friend than her mentor. Then there
are certain bits of dialogue that leave something to be desired. The school
shrink's line, "If he'd had a gun, I think he'd have shot me," is weakened
by the forced addition of "That's why I'm in favor of gun control." It's
obvious PAD has an axe to grind in this regard, yet I came away from YJ #15
with the belief that he understands that more gun laws aren't the answer to
violence. Cissie needs no gun to kill her enemy, yet her actions in the
woods are as coldly calculated as his were. She speaks contemptuously of
bullets that are spent with use, forgetting -- or, more frighteningly,
entering into -- the horror of her weapon of choice. Arrows can be used
again... and again.
Where does the violence come from? Cain watched no TV, never listened to
cop-killing rap, never pored, wide-eyed, over an EC comic. He had no gun to
shoot either, but his brother Abel lay just as dead. PAD has touched on
this very important point -- a truth too many ignore. In the end, the
answers we seek aren't in more legislation or in censorship. They lie
somewhere within the labyrinth of the human heart. The problem is, as the
prophet Isaiah said, "The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint."
[[ Editor's Note: This will be Gary's final review for the Kryptonian
Cybernet, at least for the forseeable future. Real Life has caught
up to him, and he simply hasn't the time to devote to the magazine
any more. Thanks, Gary, for your run on _Young Justice_ since its
inception; your voice will be missed. -- Shane Travis ]]
________________________________________________________
MINISERIES AND ANTHOLOGIES:
--------------------------
BATMAN AND SUPERMAN: WORLD'S FINEST #9 Dec 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Year Nine: When It Reigns, It Pours/Knight's Edge"
Story: Karl Kesel
Pencils: Graham Nolan
Inks: Sal Buscema
Colors & Seps: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: Clem Robins
Assoc. Ed.: Joseph Illidge
Editor: Darren Vincenzo
Cover: Dave Taylor and Robert Campanella
RATINGS
Average: 2.6/5.0 Shields
SDM: 2.5 Shields
EM: 3.0 Shields - This issue had so much unfulfilled potential. It was an
OK read, but after last month's Catwoman tale, I expected more.
GC: 3.8 Shields - Not as good as some of the recent issues. Good to see
that some of the unanswered questions of "recent" storylines in
the Character's Histories are being handled as well.
JE: 3.5 Shields - An okay issue, not nearly up to par with the kind of
stories that Kesel has been telling in recent months.
JH: 2.0 Shields - A fair story on it's own, but seems very out of place
and unimportant to the overall scheme this series has laid out.
The only issue so far that I've been able to say I didn't like.
SL: 0.3 Shields - Horrible. I don't know what else to say about this
terrible issue. The art is laughable and I'm still searching for
the story. Sometimes artists/writers/editors should Just Say No.
Review by: Simon DelMonte <sdelmonte@aol.com>
This issue contains two stories connected to the two events that shook the
comic book industry in 1992 and 1993, Superman's "death" seven years ago
this month and Batman's near-death not long after. In each story, the real
hero meets the stand-in (or stand-ins).
Part one sends Batman to Metropolis on Harrison Grey Day, where he finds
eight pretenders to the Super-throne - the four we know from "Reign of the
Superman" and four new ones who are nothing more than crooks taking
advantage of the confusion. While they fight, a crook named Lonnie (last
seen in issue #1) is stealing an electromagnetic pulse generator. He almost
gets away with it, but Batman is into him, and before it's over Lonnie
loses his hand and an eye when the Cyborg destroys the EMP device he still
holds. Steel is aghast at the coldness of Cyborg and the Eradicator, and
Batman knows that none of these men are Superman since none know why he's
in Metropolis on this day.
Part two takes place a season later when Superman is back from beyond and
Azrael is remaking the mantle of The Bat. Supes is there to see if a string
of murdered crooks is Batman's doing. He follows the new man in the mask,
and learns that another new (if uncostumed) vigilante is on the loose. This
vigilante's latest and last target turns out to be Donnie, Lonnie's twin
brother, who also loses a hand before Supes and AzBats can stop him. Supes
finally talks to AzBats, and accepts him as being what Bruce wants, but
warns him not to cross the line.
There was no way that Karl couldn't address the storylines he recalls here;
both were too big and both happened at the same time. He succeeds in
recapturing the spirit of the "Reign" that first brought Kesel to the
Superman titles. The fake (or should I say additional fake) Superman are
interesting, including a ghost of Superman and an electric blue poseur who
looks familiar. Batman's interaction with the four Supermen is limited but
in character for all involved. There was nothing here, however, that was
all that insightful; it was just a flashback, albeit a flashback to a good
story.
The visit to AzBats, however, was grim and not too entertaining -- a
reminder of what I disliked about the thankfully brief run he had as
Batman. He's violent, sullen and boring, and he makes Superman work that
much harder to carry the story. I would have been much more interested if
Superman had tracked down Bruce Wayne.
The attempt to connect the two stories and to bring the pieces of the
miniseries together through Lonnie and Donnie was contrived, but I won't
cast final judgment till we see what Karl has in mind for them next month.
The symmetry should have some resonance, but I don't see it.
The art is by former Batman artist Graham Nolan, who has done some
excellent work elsewhere, but not here. Since I've never seen his work so
lacking in subtlety, I suspect that inker Sal Buscema is responsible for
overdoing it. It's been a very long time since I've seen Buscema's work,
but I'm reminded more of his old Hulk contribution from 1980 than I am of
Nolan's contributions to Batman. I also recall seeing that Jackson Guice
was supposed to do the first half of this story. I don't know if that is
true or not, but I would have preferred that to this.
And so we are left one issue away from the end of this hit-and-miss series.
This issue, like most of the others, offered some intriguing possibilities
but failed to use them. I hope Karl can wrap it up with one last burst of
energy; he has his work cut out for him.
=============================================
LEGENDS OF THE DC UNIVERSE #23 Dec 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Dies Irae"
Writers: Randy and Jean-Marc Lofficier
Penciller: J. O. Ladronn
Inker: Keith Aiken
Letterer: Steve Dutro
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Assistant: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Steve Rude
RATINGS
Average: 2.9/5.0 Shields
CoS: 4.0 Shields (Story: 5.0, Art: 3.0)
GC: 1.8 Shields - Please let it end. There is so much Superman material
that _LotDCU_ could delve into; why this? Adds little to the
mythos and is confusing to boot.
JE: 3.4 Shields - I love Jose Ladronn's art, plain and simple. His
Superman is dynamic and powerful, and yes, a Kirby-esque. As good
as the art was, I thought the story was weak; I just don't
understand what Superman was doing there with Dabney Donovan. It
just didn't work to well for me.
JSy: 3.4 Shields - Again Ladronn's artwork is nice, and this issue at
least flowed better than the first part of the story. Still, I get
the impression that there could have been much more to the story
than what we were given in these two issues.
ST: 2.1 Shields - In retelling a tale, one should strive to make it better
than the original, and the Lofficiers failed to make this 1970s
re-hash interesting or even relevant. Ladronn's art didn't help
matters; while I can see the talent he possesses, his constipated-
looking Superman and *very* busy linework turned me off.
Review by: Cory Strode <Solitaire.Rose@worldnet.att.net>
Capsule Review: The remake of Jack Kirby's Transilvane story finishes up,
once again with excellent art that evokes the feel of Jack Kirby's pencils
without tracing them. The story is a bit ragged around the edges, but moves
at such speed the reader doesn't take the time to think about it.
When we left off last month, Superman and Dabney Donovan were in a
miniature world that he been programmed with a month's worth of cable
horror movies. Trapped in an abandoned house surrounded by zombies, they
had to figure out how to keep the inhabitants of the miniature world from
escaping and attacking the Real World.
When Jack Kirby was building the Fourth World for DC, the number of ideas,
concepts and characters that came flying at the reader were such that is
nearly impossible for us to imagine happening again. Now, artists and
writers hold back their creations until the can put together creator
ownership deals. You want proof? Look at all the lame heroes and villains
who came out of the annuals when Marvel and DC said that each annual would
have a new, exciting character. Out of both companies, the only success was
Hitman. The rest? Well, I don't see a lot of people clamoring for a return
of the Psyba-Rats, to pull an example from the air.
In the books Kirby did for DC in the early 70's there was a new character
nearly every page, many of them interesting and well-conceived enough that
they could be the subject of a series all by themselves. In my mind,
Transilvane was one of those. The whole idea of an entire planet based on
old horror movies is one that appeals to a person who grew up watching two
different 'Creature Feature' movies every weekend -- namely, me.
Luckily, this issue is a lot tighter than the previous one. In the last
issue, the situation had to be set up, the threat needed to be introduced,
and complications needed to be put in the way of Superman. This issue,
we're able to do what both Kirby and Ladronn do well: action, and lots of
it. Superman battles his way through the zombies while having a discussion
with Dabney about whether the creations should have free will. Me, I'd be
too busy screaming and trying to get away from the walking dead to discuss
much of anything; I guess that's why he's Superman and I work in Human
Resources, isn't it?
In escaping, Superman is able to ally himself with a tribe of werewolves.
While on a journey to meet the Lord of Vampires, who wishes to meet
Superman after what happened at Castle Frankenstein, the wolves discover
that Superman companion is "The Dabney" -- the one who they consider to be
their God. In a way, I guess he is. That would make Sunday morning a bit of
a nightmare in my eyes, but who knows what werewolves, vampires and zombies
would think. (OK, zombies don't think -- they're zombies. They feast on the
living, buy X-Men books and watch those creepy "World's Most Dangerous
<blank>" specials on the FOX network, but you get what I'm trying to say.)
When they meed Dragorin, Lord of Vampires, he announces that he is going to
have to imprison The Dabney and destroy human civilization in order to keep
The Dabney from killing them. Even though Superman gives his word that he
will not allow their world to be destroyed, Dragorin vows to continue with
his plan.
Fight Scene!
At the end, Superman has won, the Doomsday Machine has been destroyed, and
the werewolves announce that they will believe in Superman's Word of Honor.
I still have no idea why Dabney had to go along with Superman to discover
the problem on Transilvane other than to set up that he is the God of these
people. Maybe it should have been made more clear instead of just having a
throw away line in the first issue. The character interplay, and debate
between he and Superman did more to give Donovan a personality than
anything else done with the character since his reintroduction. Others just
have him act like a raving madman, but this story puts some reason behind
the madness.
As for the art... well, it's the reason I bought this issue. Ladronn is
able to convey Kirby power and staging, but brings his own element to the
details. While he gets his poses and layout from Kirby, his own linework is
getting more delicate. This is not to say that he swipes, but that he uses
the same techniques Kirby did to tell his stories. A major difference
between the two is that Kirby was inked with thick brush-strokes and power,
and Ladronn's art is showing a grace that Kirby never attempted. In five
years, Ladronn's art is going to be mind-blowing; now, it's still growing
by leaps and bounds. Oddly enough, he has the same problem Kirby did with
the Superman mythos -- drawing Superman himself.
I don't want to rehash the old debate of how DC would have other artists
redraw Jack's faces on Superman, but in a way, this issue shows why they
might have engaged in such a shameful practice. While the other characters
have a lightness and grace to them, Superman often looks awkward and
out-of-place. Maybe it's because of the unique designs of the world they
visit, and the fact that Superman is usually set in 'our world' so that
contrast is something was are used to.
This was a nice updating, even though Jack's story was a lot more fun. It's
too bad that modern horror films don't lend themselves to this sort of
thing, since a world of serial killers wouldn't be as interesting as the
different clans explored in this story.
As with the first version, the surface of this world has barely been
scratched. It's too bad the market is so closed in comics nowadays, since I
think a series based on this world could sell to a general public that
still buys vampire novels and the old Frankenstein movies. As is, we've
just got this issue.
___________________________________________________________
End of Section 8
___________________________________________________________
SPECIALS AND GUEST APPEARANCES:
------------------------------
THE SUPERMAN MONSTER Dec 1999 $5.95 US/$9.25 CAN
Written by: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Pencilled by: Anthony Williams
Inked by: Tom Palmer
Lettered by: Willie Schubert
Colored and Separated by: Lee Loughridge
Assoc. Editor: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Williams and Palmer
RATINGS
Average: 3.6/5.0 Shields
JH: 3.9 Shields
JE: 3.4 Shields - I know I might take some flak for this, but I found
this story to be pretty entertaining. Not worth the price tag,
but I don't have much better to spend my money on than good
Superman stories. The art was great and they even managed to
sneak an Action #1 homage in there.
JSy: 3.9 Shields - After it was delayed for several months, I was a touch
apprehensive about how this would turn out, but I found it to be
an interesting read with artwork which was just about perfect for
the story. (Great coloring job.) Still, it was a bit much to pay
six bucks for a 48-page story.
SL: 3.3 Shields - Not a bad idea. Alas... 48 pages is a bit small for
a detailed and emotionally deep story. The art and the colors
are very honest, like the script. I didn't like the Chest "S"
logo; it's a little displaced and out of time, and useless. It's
too bad that this could only touch on the Frankenstein myth and
had no time to get at the really good stuff.
Review by: Josh Hill <KryptoJosh@aol.com>
An opening note: _The Superman Monster_ is an unrelated 'sequel' to the
recent _Batman: Two-Faces_ Elseworlds. Both tales are set in the 19th
Century, narrated by a familiar supporting cast member from the World's
Finest heroes, and hold the gimmick of an amalgam of the hero with a
legendary horror story -- in that case, Batman with Jekyll and Hyde.
Our book opens in the Iceberg Lounge of 1888's Gotham City, where Perry
White shares a tale with Commissioner Gordon in exchange for the horrific
yarn James had just told (cf: _Batman: Two-Faces_). Perry's tale begins in
Ingolstadt, Switzerland, with an astoundingly brilliant student named
Vicktor Luthor. As intelligent as he was, Luthor had his flaws: his
arrogance, and his obsession with the reanimation of dead tissue. After the
Swiss university's tribunal suspended Luthor's funding, for continuing
experiments that bordered on blasphemy, Luthor soughthis own monetary
means through a hopeful dowry to be obtained on marriage to Eloise Edge.
Eloise's father caught wind of Luthor's mad ways, and swore to Vicktor's
face that he would never come close to Eloise's inheritance.
It was on that night when fate fell from the sky in the form of a crash-
landed rocket. Inside it, Luthor found the teachings Kryptonian scientist
Jor-El had intended for his son Kal-El, who unfortunately did not survive
the trip to Earth with even his own flesh. Months later, Vicktor's evil
mind has abused this alien science to help reanimate a fresh human corpse.
The experiment goes awry, however, and the Monster he created destroys his
lab before fleeing into the night. The Monster goes to Ingolstadt, but soon
discovers that others fear him for his grotesque appearance and strange
powers (including flight and superhuman strength). After The Monster saves
farmers Johan and Martha Kant them from a hungry bear, the pair take him in
as their own son. As time passes the Monster becomes Klaus Kant, named for
the Kants' long-remembered and cherished deceased birthson.
As time passes, Klaus loses his pale coloring, and even learns to speak.
While he loves his "parents" dearly for all they have done, the day comes
where Klaus decides he must go in search of his creator. No sooner that
decision, though, than Vicktor Luthor arrives with a mob of angry villagers
in search of the "evil" monster he warned them of. During the chaos that
follows, Johan suffers a deadly heart attack. Klaus vows revenge and later
confronts Luthor at his wedding to Eloise. This too results in a fatality;
this time Eloise herself, who is hit with a bullet fired by her fiancee and
ricocheted off of Klaus. Using Kryptonite he obtained from the rocket,
Luthor subdues his Monster and takes Eloise to his lab, where he will
attempt to reanimate her as well. By the time Klaus can recover (with the
aid of James Olafson, Vicktor's best man), the damage is done: Eloise is
reborn as a freakish mirror image of her former self. Klaus promises Eloise
he will help her in her second life, as the Kants did for him, and takes
her in his arms and flies her far away from Ingolstadt.
Abnett and Lanning have fashioned a tale that is both hauntingly ironic and
nostalgically honorable to it's source material. They wrap it up nicely
with a scene directly from Mary Shelley's original novel; set in the North
Pole, Luthor dies on the trail of his creation, and the Monster comes to
bury the madman who gave him birth.
Half-way into _The Superman Monster_ is a scene where one realizes Dan and
Andy weren't about to allow this to be typical Elseworlds fluff. The
newborn Monster is hiding in the shadows of the streets of Ingolstadt,
confused, afraid and intrigued by the noise and activity around him. When a
team of horses is startled and frantically breaks loose from the carriage
they are pulling, the Monster is compelled to rush to the rescue of the
damsel in distress inside the transport. Over Anthony Williams' wonderfully
quirky recreation of the cover image of _Action Comics_ #1, with the
Monster lifting the carriage in the air and the townspeople fleeing in
panic, Abnett and Lanning write, "Who can say what drove [the Monster] to
it's action? Some basic human response to another in need?"
Therein lies the brilliance of this concept -- a brilliance which may not
have been readily apparent. The Frankenstein monster is the ultimate
misunderstood victim of unasked-for circumstance. He was created by a
madman, brought back to life for ungodly reasons, and now only wishes to do
good things, even if he doesn't necessarily understand how to go about it.
Superman, as he is today, is perhaps the most misunderstood and
under-appreciated icon of our society. He represents Truth, Justice and the
American Way... but to many, that seems alien and freakish. Abnett and
Lanning certainly hit the motherlode when they combined the stories of
these two; _The Superman Monster_ turns out, in my mind, to be one of the
strongest commentaries I've seen on the very concept of Superman and how it
relates to the time in which we are living.
While this book touches well on the subject of how frightening the concept
of a supposedly good-intentioned superhuman can be for some, it also does a
heck of a job as an Elseworlds comic. Like the "Imaginary Stories" of long
ago, the charm of an Elseworlds is seeing familiar faces with a new twist.
Here we encountered new versions of everyone from Professor Hamilton to
Abnett and Lanning's Resurrection Man. (Remember his secret identity, Mitch
Shelley?) The Elseworlds comics have been around for nearly ten years, and
cute cameos in them have been a staple for just as long. In some cases it
works well (such as the awesome background candy in _Kingdom Come_) and in
others it comes as a desperate attempt to strengthen a comic book's stalled
concept (think _Batman: In Darkest Knight_). In _The Superman Monster_,
these cameos are placed cleverly throughout the story, and serve as much
more than window dressing.
The storytelling itself is handled very well. Everything flows very
smoothly, but one noticeable flaw came in the scene with the attack of
Luthor on the Kants. We witness the death of Johan, then we see Klaus turn
and realize Martha is still inside the burning house, but we never find out
if he saved her in time. I suppose Abnett and Lanning assumed that we would
understand she had died, but an exact confirmation would have been more
satisfactory.
The squiggly lined artwork of Anthony Williams, which has been spotlighted
in many a DC horror series or one-shot, was a fine choice here. Williams
has had experience working with Abnett and Lanning in the past (again,
_Batman: Two-Faces_), and obviously knew the mood the writers wanted to
establish. Williams is also able to throw in enough of a super-hero twist
to keep in tune with this meeting of two genres. I'm not sure if Tom Palmer
was the best choice for an inker, though. While Palmer's similarly dark
style sounds like a good match with Anthony Williams on paper, his
trademark thick inks were too much in certain places, covering up some of
Williams' character and background design. Still, it isn't bad enough to
ruin the overall quality of the art.
If you decide to pick up _The Superman Monster_, don't fool yourself
expecting too much of it. Even with the undertones of commentary I pointed
out, it's still a comic meant to be a fun easy read on a chilly fall night.
As the book was published right around Halloween, I think that throwing
Superman and Frankenstein and all that goes along with them into a bowl and
mixing it up was a pretty cool way to celebrate the holiday.
IT LIVES!!!!!
=============================================
SUPERMAN INC. Dec 1999 $6.95 US/$10.95 CAN
"Superman, Inc."
Writer: Steve Vance
Penciller: Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez
Inker: Mark Farmer
Letterer: Bob Lappan
Colors & Seps: Dave Stewart
Cover Design: Steve Vance
Cover Photo: Marc Witz
Cover Art: Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Kevin Nowlan, and Dave Stewart
RATINGS
Average: 4.3/5.0 Shields
TD: 4.1 Shields
EM: 4.1 Shields - Jose-Luis Garcia Lopez... *sigh* I'm glad to see him
back on a project and he makes this Elseworld pretty. This is the
level of art that should be expected for higher priced book
formats.
JE: 4.4 Shields - A great story that takes a very interesting look at
where a person like Superman could have gone if he had bought into
American consumer culture wholeheartedly. Stories like this make
me appreciate the character so much more.
JSy: 4.4 Shields - I bought this primarily for the art -- I'll take *any*
excuse to ogle Garcia-Lopez' art -- but it was also a much more
enjoyable read than I had expected. I'm wondering, though, why
this was the same format and length as _JLA: Primeval_, yet cost a
whole dollar more?
ST: 4.4 Shields - (Story: 4.0, Art: 5.0) I gulped when I saw the price
tag ($11 CDN) but the quality was worth it. Vance tells an
interesting story, with only a few minor glitches, but the real
grabber is the art -- by far one of the best jobs I've seen in a
long, long while. Worth the price, and I'm usually stingy on my
ratings with these high-ticket items.
Review by: Thomas Deja <blackair@gis.net>
A good point and a half of the above rating is solely because of Jose Luis
Garcia-Lopez. Here is an artist who never really became a superstar -- the
bulk of his work has been doing the licensing artwork for DC characters --
yet I defy you to find a better, more expressive artist when it comes to
drawing simple human beings. Half of the joy of reading this book comes
from luxuriating in Garcia-Lopez' animated faces and expressive body
language as he helps tell this story of a Superman removed from the
super-heroic trappings.
As with most Superman Elseworlds, this begins with the once-and-future
Clark Kent being found by someone who's not the Kents. Oh, the ship still
lands in the Kents' field, only the baby from Krypton decides to crawl away
from the crash and is discovered by a down-on-his-luck travelling salesman.
Inspired by his encounter with the 'miracle baby,' the salesman drops
Kal-El off at the local orphanage and becomes a Tony Powers-like guru.
As for Kal... he is adopted by the Sudermans and named Dale, and the Boy of
Steel soon gets it in his head that he should not reveal his powers to the
world. In fact, he suppresses the knowledge that he is superhuman after the
accidental death of his adoptive mother. That doesn't stop him, however,
from using his enhanced abilities subconsciously to become a sports star
and, ultimately, a multimedia sensation.
Here's where we start getting the parallels to our hero. Dale comes in
conflict with Metropolis magnate Lex Luthor, but the conflict takes place
in the board room. Dale (nicknamed 'Superman' by Lois Lane, who is a sports
columnist in this world) parlays his fame into becoming a business magnate
of the first order -- even going so far as to seize the rights to build a
new sports arena right out from under Luthor. Luthor, of course, doesn't
take it well; he retaliates by digging into Dale's past and discovering a
very familiar rocketship....
Besides Garcia-Lopez's art, which is a textbook example of how to properly
draw realistic human beings in realistic situations, _Superman, Inc._
benefits from an interesting script by Steve Vance, who refuses to give in
to a lot of the cliches of past Elseworlds. The only fantastic element is
the presence of a Kryptonian; Vance doesn't engage in the kind of Husker-Du
games that sometimes distract from other specials. The focus here is on
what a superhuman would do in the context of the 'real world', and Vance
shows us how it would've made the Man of steel into a much different person
-- a person with unpleasant personality attributes, but not necessarily a
negative person. Of course, toward the tail end, the status quo asserts
itself as it always must, with Dale meeting the Kents, taking their name
and enrolling in Lois Lane's college journalism course, but at least Vance
holds it off as long as he can.
And because this is a story with a much more realistic setting than most,
Garcia-Lopez is the perfect artist for it. This is an artist who should be
studied in the future. His Lois is unbelievably beautiful, but with a
definite gravity to her, and his Luthor is a mercurial figure, shifting
from mask to mask before letting his true feelings slip. I cannot say
enough about how great it is to see this man working at the top of his
game, and obviously enjoying himself.
_Superman, Inc._, because it doesn't play memory games with fanboys, and
because it tells a straightforward story featuring some magnificent
artwork, is a pretty damn worthwhile Elseworld. Yeah, it might be a bit
pricey, but if you are interested in a sustained, high quality piece of
work, you could do a lot worse than to check it out.
=============================================
BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT #92 Dec 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Stormy Weather"
Writer: Devin K. Grayson
Penciller: Dale Eaglesham
Inker: John Floyd
Colorist: Jason Wright
Separations: Wildstorm FX
Letterer: John Costanza
Asst. Editor: Frank Berrios
Editor: Darren Vincenzo
Cover: Scott McDaniel, Klaus Janson, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.7/5.0 Shields
RG: 4.5 Shields
DWk: 4.2 Shields - Devin Grayson's specialty is character interaction, and
that's what this issue is all about. She gets high marks for
pointing out that Clark is a farmer's kid, and she's got a great
grasp of the uneasiness between Clark and Bruce.
JE: 3.9 Shields - A good concept, having Clark help in No Man's Land
instead of Superman. This definitely shows a different side to
the character than is normally seen.
JSy: 3.7 Shields - Since I'm only now starting to read the No Man's Land
saga with the trade collections, I'm not completely up to speed on
the scenario, but I was suitably impressed with Grayson's take on
Superman's farmboy roots.
SDM: 3.1 Shields - The story here is slight, but Grayson does a great job
having Supes and Bats interact with each other. I still don't
quite buy why he can't fix more things, but I feel Grayson (and
the others who've inserted the DCU) have done a decent job at
rationalizing it.
SL: 3.5 Shields - Despite occasionally-weak art, the story is consistent
and the interaction between the two heroes is very funny.
Reviewed by: Rene Gobeyn <rgobeyn1@rochester.rr.com>
For those of you who don't read the Batman titles, Gotham City has been
abandoned. When a devastating earthquake shattered what was left after a
plague had ravaged it, the Federal government decided that the city wasn't
worth the money it would take to repair it. The major portion of the city
is on an Island, so they gave the survivors a few days notice to evacuate,
after which they blew the bridges that tied the city to the rest of the
country, mined the river and left the city (and those who remained behind)
to rot. All that happened ten months before this story takes place.
Welcome to No Man's Land.
Superman blows into Gotham and changes to Clark to see if he can help. What
he gets instead is a lesson on what life in Gotham has become. When he
stops to give an old man some advice on gardening he gets invited to look
in on the community garden as well. As the old man leads him, Clark stops
to check on a kid sleeping in an alley, and inadvertently puts himself in
the path of ex-cop Pettit, who sets out to bully Clark into joining his
vigilantes.
Things are looking grim when Batman drops in to discourage Pettit and his
gang. Batman and Clark have a little talk about why Clark is there in the
first place. It's a very different relationship than we are seeing in the
_World's Finest_ mini-series. It's one of mutual respect, but little actual
trust. Clark knows that he is going to have to earn that back, but he is
still concerned for a man he has come to think of as a friend. A brief talk
seems to convince Clark that there is little he can do, so he leaves Gotham
in Batman's care, making it rain for the old man and the gardens as he
departs.
This is one of the best, if not *the* best, Superman/Batman stories I've
read since Crisis. In fact, it's one of the best stories I've read this
year. It is far better than the story in _Batman_ 566, where Superman
arrogantly sets out to prove that his methods will work in Gotham. I guess
he learned something then, because this time it isn't Superman, but Clark
who comes to Gotham. It allows for a far richer story and one that is
better able to show the contrasts between the two men.
It shows a mature relationship that has been building over the years
between the two most influential heroes in the DCU. It's not the close
relationship that the two shared before Crisis where it seemed the two were
joined at the hip. Instead there is a growing respect between them that
allows them to work together when needed but also allows them to step back
and let the other do what they feel is necessary. It couldn't be easy for
Superman to leave Gotham and it's people to suffer when he knows he could
fix a lot of it. Instead he puts his trust in Batman and leaves only a gift
of rain for an old man.
The art works well with the story. When Superman first shows up, his bright
colors are a stark contrast with the grim and dark city around him. It's
even more obvious when you see the edges of a Bat cape in the background.
The cape is there again and again in the following scenes as a Bat follows
Clark. No one interferes, though, and we never do find out if it is Batman
or Batgirl that has been following Clark. The art scores high marks for
detail as Clark moves through the city and is eventually confronted by
first Pettit and then Batman. I wish that we could get art this clean and
detailed in the regular Superman titles.
If you haven't been following the Bat titles you have been missing some of
the best comic storytelling in the DCU this year. The No Man's Land story
line is reaching it's conclusion, so now might not be the best time to try
to catch up. In the last couple of weeks, however, Lex Luthor has shown up
in person. He has probably been behind much of the misery the city has been
put through recently, and will play a part in an upcoming arc, so keep your
eyes open for more Super-tie-ins to Gotham.
___________________________________________________________
End of Section 9
___________________________________________________________
THE MAILBAG
-------------------------------------
(mailbag@kryptonian-cybernet.com)
KC Responses are indented and begun with ****
=======================================================
From: David Young <young_d1@popmail.firn.edu>
Well, I just finished skimming the newest issue of KC and I wanted to put
in my two cents again about a couple of things.
First, I also will miss Dan Jurgens on the regular monthly titles. I think
he has become quite a competent (and sometimes very gifted) writer over the
years. However, I still feel that his strongest work (and the stuff I
literally drool over) is the stuff he writes and draws. I was most
disappointed when he felt that he had to scale back his Superman work and
only write _Superman_, so his ultimate departure is not quite as crushing a
blow to me. (However, I also enjoyed his collaborations with Ron Frenz and
Steve Epting, two very good artists in the "Marvel" style/mold.) I
understand Jurgens plans to continue his special mini-series/one-shots
featuring the Man of Steel (such as last year's _Superman: The Doomsday
Wars_ and _Superman/Fantastic Four_). I will be looking forward to these as
they appear on the schedule. Maybe Jurgens could tackle a JLA special with
Mark Waid? (Jurgens fans, don't forget that he will still be writing _Thor_
and _Captain America_ for Marvel, and _Aquaman_ for DC.)
Second, I decided to scan the reviews this issue and once again disagreed
with the consensus on at least one thing. I generally enjoyed the "Strange
Visitor" storyline. I thought it dragged on a bit and might have been a bit
more enjoyable as an extra-sized one-shot instead of as a four-part story.
However, I found it a fun read and I liked the art. I'm beginning to prefer
this method for telling 3 or 4 part story-arcs. Keeping the same writer and
artist over the entire arc eases the flow between chapters and makes it
feel genuinely like a complete story when read in one sitting. I've enjoyed
most of the Superman experiments with it (the Kandor story, the
Superman/JLA story, and now the "Strange Visitor" story), and I have
particularly enjoyed the Batman story arcs which have come out of the "No
Man's Land" saga.
Third, I have to disagree also with the letter writer who blames most of
the comic book industry's problems (and why new readers don't get into
comics) on the fact that super-heroes have gotten too complicated. While
some titles have developed overly-complicated back-stories, I believe much
of this can be blamed back on the readers. In the early days of comics,
there were very few "long-term" readers. The comics industry believed (and
apparently rightly so) that comics readers "grew up" and were replaced by a
new audience every so many years. This change-over allowed for the
characters and stories to remain more or less very simple and static. DC
stories were rarely more than one issue in length, and almost never broke
the status quo (aside from the popular "imaginary stories"). Marvel really
branched out by making popular the continued storylines of the 1960s. This
must have helped contribute to the change from reading comics as a fad (or
a thing to do when very young) to the long-term reading and collecting of
comics. As readers stuck with titles however, they began to want to see 1)
new things (How many times do we like the same story where Lois tries to
prove Clark is Superman?), and 2) a respect for the continuity of previous
stories. No longer could DC (or Marvel) simply ignore stories they had
written earlier because it suited them. The by-product of this over time is
a more complicated continuity, particularly when some writers/editors try
to "fix" it by reboots and revamps of characters and massive crossover
stories.
However comic fans in general don't seem to have massive problems with
this. Sure they groan whenever someone screws with a character they like
(like Supergirl or the dead JSA members at the end of _Zero Hour_), or they
joke about how royally screwed up the timeline in the X-Men books is, but
deep down I think they enjoy all of this. It feeds that almost soap opera
interest we have in these characters. We want to see at least some level of
change occurring, so I feel it is ironic when we later say that things have
gotten too complicated and have moved too far from the original concept.
Also, while sometimes I also prefer a simple comic story (I also read and
enjoy _Superman Adventures_ and _Batman: The Gotham Adventures_), I think
comic readers in general are an intelligent group. I don't think the
strange twists and turns that the post-Crisis Supergirl character has taken
are really that complicated. (I never thought the Earth-1/Earth-2 thing was
that bad either ... I actually enjoyed all the Earth-2 books such as
_All-Star Squadron_ and _Infinity, Inc._) Just because a concept is hard to
boil down into one sentence doesn't make it incomprehensible. It just means
that it will take a little longer to understand, and the best way to do so
is to read the actual comics. (It also means you might have to actually
stick with a book for a little while instead of only picking it up from
time to time and expecting to just be able to pick up the story from where
you left off.)
Let's face it. Most of the comics readers nowadays fall into the
teenager/adult age group. Going with that assumption, I don't think the
comics have gotten too complicated. We don't say a novel is bad just
because we can't sum it up in one short sentence. I don't think all comics
have to fall into that narrow concept either. I mean, do _Kingdom Come_,
_Superman: Peace on Earth_, _The Dark Knight Returns_, _Watchmen_, or many
other "great" stories fall into that category?
**** I think the *primary* reason that the long-running and involved
continuities are a problem for the comics industry is that it makes
it very difficult for readers to jump into comics. For example, I
have always enjoyed Spider-Man and Fantastic Four, but *every* time
I've tried to start reading their current incarnations, I end up
giving on the books because I find I just get lost in their histories.
And I'm not talking about 2 or 3 issues -- I've invested 2 or 3 years
in the titles, yet I consistently end up feeling like I'm missing
something.
In general, I'm much more likely now to try new titles and new
characters than I am to try to jump into existing ones, and I'm
coming at this from inside the existing readership. How likely are
we to pick up brand new readers of Superman comics, if they find
themselves feeling like they need to read several years worth of
comics to really understand what's going on? In an era where comics
desperately needs an infusion of new blood, the extensive and
complicated continuities are, price aside, the biggest obstacle to
that happening.
=======================================================
From: Brad Ferguson <thirteen@fred.net>
[In his review of _Superman_ #144, Scott Devarney asks,] "By the way, "Ace
Newsreels" seems a little outdated, even for 1961. With the gaining
prevalence of television and television news, were there still newsreel
companies in operation at the time?"
There were. I remember seeing a newsreel about the effects of Hurricane
Camille sometime early in 1961. I remember questioning my father about it,
since the newsreel looked like news, and I thought news was supposed to be
on television. I remember him telling me that the hurricane had happened
months before, and that the newsreel was pretty much without value. Perhaps
the newsreels were not very important in 1961 -- but they were still
around. I think Universal was still making them up to 1970.
"Supergirl and Krypto are found guilty of aiding Superman. All three are
stripped of their powers and exiled to a primeval world. There they are
forced to live in a cave and are menaced by dinosaur-like creatures."
Not only are they menaced, but Supergirl and Krypto are actually killed by
one of them. IIRC, they're toasted by some sort of dragon-like beast.
(You'll have to forgive me if I'm wrong about that. It's been about forty
years since I read the story.)
"Once he recovers from the dream, Superman resolves to investigate the
machine off-planet."
A few months later, they published a letter asking what the machine was,
and the editorial response (presumably by E. Nelson Bridwell) was that the
machine turned out to be a popcorn maker from an alien movie theater.
"This story is featured on the cover. It shows Superman, Supergirl, and
Krypto staring at the exploding Earth with Superman lamenting that they're
homeless orphans again."
Unfortunately, Al Plastino's interior art is no match for cover artist Curt
Swan's exploding Earth. By the way, the story has it that Superman,
Supergirl, and Krypto are vulnerable to Earthite, the green radioactive
remains of the destroyed Earth.
=======================================================
From: Mike Smith <mjsmith@kskc.net>
I'm glad Scott Devarney asked about the newsreel business in his review of
_Superman_ #144.
Yes, there were newsreel companies still running at the time. Fox Movietone
News would close down in 1963, while Universal closed theirs down in 1967.
=======================================================
From: Jason Arnett <jlarnett@hotmail.com>
I'd like to take a moment of your time and respond to Neil Hansen's letter
about why comics are losing old and new readers alike. There are many
reasons, and I'm sure there are many more reasons that I'm not thinking of.
1. Comics have become very insular.
Where do you buy your comics, at a specialty shop, from the newsstand /
grocery store or through a subscription? It used to be that I bought all my
comics from the grocery store when my mom did the weekly shopping. Now, if
you can find them at all, (at least in the Kansas City area) in the grocery
stores, the range of titles is limited mostly to core titles of Superman,
Batman, and Spider-Man, the three most recognizable comic book heroes in
the entire world, as well as their spin-off and related series. My point is
this: by comics not being accessible to a larger audience (the kids in the
store with their parents on the weekly shopping trip), the industry is
missing out on potential new readers. I love specialty shops, I think
they're the bomb. However, publishers have seemingly ignored this area of
sales. What can they do? I don't know. Somehow, they must reach a larger
audience without alienating retailers and specialty shop customers. The
downside of newsstand distribution was that you might miss a month of your
favorite title because the distributor didn't order enough copies for the
grocery store. What could you do? Haunt the flea markets, garage sales and
second hand bookstores. In the age of 'Instant Everything', kids don't have
the patience to hunt down a comic they might have missed. Pokemon, yes.
Comics, no. But that leads into point #2...
2. Comics are pricing themselves right out of the market.
High quality paper and computer separated colors are very nice. I like
them. However, they are responsible (not single-handedly) in part for the
boom in comic cover prices. When a kid is lucky enough to find his favorite
title at the grocery store, he hands it to his mom, says "please," and then
when she asks him how much it is, and he says 2.50, she's going to say
"NO." It was easy to get mom to shell out a dollar for three or four
comics, a dollar used to go a lot farther. So the kid saves his money
(allowances having been adjusted for inflation, I guess) and buys the
latest Pokemon video game where he can sit in front of the idiot box
playing for hours and mom feels pleased because she got a better bang for
her figurative entertainment buck. He plays for hours and while he's
playing, he's not under her feet asking for a towel to tie around his neck
so he can pretend to be Superman. What's the solution? Again, I don't know.
But I think that maybe trying to find a way to make comics in general (and
not all of them -- like I said, I like high quality paper and computer
colors) more affordable, more attractive to kids and their parents. Surely
someone knows how to do this...
3. The multi-part stories and mega crossovers used to be 'special'.
The casual reader is a dead duck in the world of comics. The casual
reader will not pick up part 17 of a 34 part epic spanning 15 titles. That
is frustrating for the casual collector as well. If you like Batman, you
have to read Nightwing, Catwoman, Detective, Shadow of the Bat and who
knows how many other titles just to get the complete story. What's happened
to self-contained stories? This trend of multi-part stories is getting way
out of hand. Can a writer tell a short story as part of a much larger work
without repeating a bunch of information? Yes, at least the Batfolks are
telling shorter stories as part of the "No Man's Land" thing. I've managed
to pick a couple of arcs and really enjoy them without having to get four
issues on either side of the arcs to understand the story. But what I'm
talking about is telling 22-page stories in the monthly format and not
worrying about the collected edition. The focus seems to be more on
after-marketing than on that month's issue. Trade paperbacks are, again, a
wonderful addition to the world of the collector who can't afford to buy
the books or misses a couple of them. They're great. But the monthly books
are being done a disservice in favor of telling mega stories that can later
be collected with much hype and a cover painted by Alex Ross. Woo ha. The
advent of the graphic novel is the way of the future for mainstream comics,
but how about leaving the monthly books so that a casual reader can pick up
a title he used to collect as a teenager and, now that he has teenagers,
has time to read again?
4. Any potential female readership is being ignored.
How can a girl relate to Batman or Superman? How can a girl relate to a
female character that is all about the size of her breasts and the lack of
a costume to cover them up? I leave it to other KC readers to cover this
ground. I've gone on long enough.
The KC crew is doing a bang-up job and I wish you all the best of luck.
I'll keep coming back to read it, just so I can keep up with the Man of
Steel, the best superhero in the universe.
=======================================================
From: Christopher O'Brien Jr. <mxyzptlk@afn.org>
In a past issue of KC, somebody asked "How do I get my spouse into comics?"
I have a tougher question, for those of us who believe we won't find
happiness with anybody who says "I can't believe I'm marrying a comic book
collector." How do I go about locating other comic book collectors in my
area? A KC reader once told me I was a superhero in my own way, and I would
certainly like to hear that face to face someday.
**** Having moved to a town at least 45 minutes from the closest comic
shop, and so far not having found any comic book readers in this
town, I know *I'm* not the one to ask. Readers have any suggestions?
(Have I mentioned how much I miss going to the comic shop each week?)
=======================================================
From: Emilio Torres <aquanut59@hotmail.com>
This is my first letter to your magazine. I discovered the Kryptonian
Cybernet a few years ago, but it hasn't been until today that I decided to
write to you. Your e-zine is top class. One of the best I have seen. The
care and attention to detail that you all have put on every issue is quite
refreshing.
I have been a comic book collector since 1984. About two years ago I
stopped reading all the Superman titles because I was disappointed with the
quality of both the art and the writing.
But with the advent of the new art and writing teams I have resumed my
following of the titles. The first thing that started nagging me was,
Mongul dead? When did this happen? I would really appreciate if you could
help me with that question and in what issue this happened. Otherwise I'm
quite pleased with the infusion of new blood on the Superman Saga.
Well that's it for today. Keep up the good work.
**** Thank you for your kind words, even if I'm having a hard time
accepting them right now because of our publication delays. Anyway,
regarding your question, I'm pretty certain that Mongul was killed by
Neron in the _Underworld Unleashed_ miniseries around the end of 1995.
Not a bad series, but Superman didn't play much of a role, and
Mongul's end was only slightly less pointless than was Massacre's
during "The Trial of Superman".
-- Jeff Sykes
________________________________________________________
***************************************************************
End of Issue #68
