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The Kryptonian Cybernet Issue 66
_______________________________________________________
T H E K R Y P T O N I A N C Y B E R N E T
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http://www.kryptonian-cybernet.com
Issue #66 -- Late September 1999
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CONTENTS
--------
Section 0: Table of Contents
Editorial Staff
Disclaimers
Subscription Information
Section 1: Superscripts: Notes from the Editor(s)
Odds 'N' Ends
Brief notes concerning schedules, spoiled storylines, and
comics by mail order.
Ratings At A Glance
Titles Shipped August 1999
The KC Newsroom
An update on Time Warner's copyright battle with the family
of Jerry Siegel, Alvin Schwartz talks Golden Age man of
Steel, Ty Templeton on Superman Adventures, DC 2000, a tale
of Super-dedication, and a farewell to the outgoing creative
teams.
Web of Steel: The KC Guide to Superman on the WWW
Jon Knutson tells you which web sites you can visit to get
your greedy little paws on Superman merchandise, and takes
a trip to the "Superman Through The Ages!" site.
Section 2: Superman Stories
Supergirl: Part 1
Sean Hogan looks briefly at Super-Girl and Kara Zor-El,
then begins a look at the history of the post-Crisis
Maid of Might.
Section 3: New Comic Reviews
The Triangle Titles
Adventures of Superman #571, by Enola Jones
Action Comics #758, by Gary D. Robinson
Superman: The Man of Steel #93, by Mike Smith
Section 4: New Comic Reviews
The Triangle Titles (cont)
Superman #149, by Thomas Deja
Super-Family Titles
Superboy #67, by Rene' Gobeyn
Supergirl #37, by Thomas Deja
Section 5: New Comic Reviews
Super-Family Titles (cont)
Superman Adventures #36, by Cory Strode
Team Titles
JLA #34, by Edward Mathews
Young Justice #13, by Gary Robinson
Section 6: New Comic Reviews
Miniseries
A. Bizarro #4, by G.M. Nelson
Batman & Superman: World's Finest #7, by Simon DelMonte
Specials
JLA: Foreign Bodies, by Ed Mathews
Superman Annual #11, by Josh Hill
Section 7: The One, True, Original Superman!
Episode 12: Action Archives Volume II -- The Shuster Shop
Bob Hughes continues his discussion of the Golden Age
Superman, taking us this month from Superman #4 through
Action Comics #27, as Joe Shuster gets a bit of art help.
Section 8: Phantom Zone Reviews
Action Comics #354
Scott Devarney takes a look at Superman's encounter with
the Captain Incredible robot, as well as a tale in which
Supergirl's intelligence and principles prove to be her
key to victory.
The KC Mailbag
A bunch of letters on a variety of topics, including some
thoughts on reviews, the revival of a Classifieds section,
Superman's origin, and the audience of Superman Adventures.
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)
ODDS 'N' ENDS
Well, our last issue was *really* long, and it's only been three weeks
since that issue was mailed, so I'm guessing that some of you may still be
working on it. For that reason, I'm gonna keep the editorial kind of brief
this issue. I just have a trio of topics to quickly address.
First, it appears that this issue will be mailed to subscribers on Tuesday,
September 28. While that's still fairly late in the month, and certainly
later than we had hoped to have this one ready, it's been over a year since
we had one out this *early*. So it's a little bit of progress at least.
We'll keep trying to push things up, and hopefully we'll *finally* be back
to a mid-month schedule before too long.
Second, can anyone explain to me what's up with the spoiled storylines at
DC? There was a recent Green Lantern special (I believe it was a Secret
Files) that revealed the ending of a storyline from the Green Lantern
monthly, several months before the story actually unfolded. Now the
Superman titles have been running a story, asking "Who is Strange Visitor?"
-- even though that question was answered months ago for anyone who picked
up _Superman Secret Files_ #2. It's one thing to hint at what's going to
happen, but it's something else all together to outright *tell* what's
going to happen.
Finally, I *hate* mail order. It's not the service -- in fact, Westfield
has so far provided exemplary service. It's about missing the interaction
and flexibility a reader has when visiting a comic shop each week. It's
about getting all of your books several weeks after everyone else, never
mind the catch-up time it takes to read several weeks' worth of comics.
It's about not being able to participate in online discussions of new
comics without spoiling the books you've yet to receive. It's about having
to pay for postage. Blecch.
Maybe it's time to start gauging interest in a local comic shop. (Yeah,
like I have time for that.) Ah, well, what are you gonna do?
Enjoy the new issue!
______________________________________________
RATINGS AT A GLANCE: Titles shipped August 1999
-------------------------------------------------------------
Prepared by Shane Travis <travis@kryptonian-cybernet.com>
Key:
----
Issue -- Issue for which 'Current' Rating and Rank are calculated. The
'Previous' columns refer to the issue immediately prior to
this.
Rating -- Average Rating, in Shields (maximum rating is 5.0). The number
in () indicates how many people submitted ratings.
Rank -- The relative ranking of the book among the regularly-published
Superman titles. (T) indicates a tie.
Average -- Average of the ratings for this title over the previous six
issues, each of which is weighted equally, regardless of the
number of people who assigned it ratings. If the average is for
fewer than six issues, the number of issues is displayed in ().
Current Previous Average
Title Issue Rating Rank Rating Rank Rating Rank
----- ----- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------
Superman Adv. 36 4.4(6) 1 2.6(5) 8 3.23 3
World's Finest 7 4.0(6) 2 3.6(8) - 3.40 -
JLA: Foreign Bodies 1 3.9(7) - -- - -- -
A. Bizarro 4 3.8(9) - 3.6(8) - 3.78(4) -
Supergirl 37 3.6(7) 3 3.8(7) 1 3.52 2
Man of Steel 93 3.5(12) 4 3.0(12) 6 3.12 4
Action Comics 758 3.4(12) 5 2.7(12) 7 3.03 8
JLA 34 3.0(10) 6 3.5(12) 2 3.08 5
Young Justice 13 2.8(7) 7 3.1(9) 5 3.07 6(T)
Adv. of Superman 571 2.8(10) 8 2.5(11) 9 2.67 9
Superboy 67 2.8(8) 9 3.5(7) 3 3.60 1
Superman 149 2.5(11) 10 3.2(11) 4 3.07 6(T)
Superman Annual 11 2.4(7) - -- - -- -
"Lo, how the mighty have fallen."
SUPERBOY #67 (2.8 Shields)
- This didn't go over at *all* well, did it? The Kid can thank misters
Frenz, Frenz, and Buscema for rescuing him from last place this month, as
Kon-El takes a huge tumble down the ratings. Grummett's continued absence
is definitely a factor, but several people expressed discontent in general
-- that the stories weren't as much fun as a year ago. _Superboy_ still
hangs on to the top spot in the 6-month average for the eighth consecutive
month, but I get a feeling this may be as far as that train goes.
"It's missing a certain... je ne sais quoi..."
YOUNG JUSTICE #13 (2.8 Shields)
- Usually you can't compare books directly, even when they're written by
the same writer as with _Young Justice_ and _Supergirl_, but this
two-month crossover gave us a chance to put them side-by-side and
Supergirl came out the clear winner. Maybe it's the art, maybe it's the
subplots, maybe SG's fans are more generous, or maybe PAD just treats the
two books differently. Whatever it is, SG outperformed YJ by 0.8 Shields
for both parts of the crossover.
"How'd I get up here?"
SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #93 (3.5 Shields, 4th overall)
- While this month's story was enjoyed by all and earned enough kudos to
place it fourth, the real surprise was that the six-month average jumped
from seventh place to fourth overall. While the title has been consistent,
the leap was mostly due to YJ taking a tumble as issue #7 (with the parent
conferences) fell off the back end of the 6-month scale, the continued
underperforming of JLA, and the very poor reception of the first part of
the Strange Visitor arc.
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)
THE SAGA CONTINUES
Warner Bros and the Siegels have released a few more statements to the
press; statements that indicate Warner may not be willing to give up Big
Blue without a fight.
Warner Brothers spokesperson Barbara Brogliatti issued a statement in the
September 20th edition of _Newsweek_ magazine, stating that WB has "a
different interpretation of the copyright law." According to Matt Brady of
Newsarama
(http://www.anotheruniverse.com/comics/features/supermanrights5.html),
Brogliatti has implied that the Siegels have little claim to the Superman
character and say that all papers so far filed by the Siegels, apparently
including those filed with the U.S. Copyright Office, are inaccurate and do
not tell the entire truth.
Rick Veitch of Comicon, citing unnamed sources, has put forth the problems
WB has with the Siegels' interpretation of the law. Time-Warner maintains
that the paperwork stating that the transfer of copyright was being
terminated was not filed at the appropriate time. The Siegels' termination
of transfer *only* applies to the first 13 pages of _Action Comics_ #1
(which were originally prepared as daily newspaper comic strips) and the
characters of Lois Lane, Superman, and Clark Kent. Siegel and Shuster
worked for DC under a work for hire agreement (despite the fact that Vin
Sullivan, editor of _Action Comics_ has gone on the record several times,
including at a videotaped panel discussion at the 1998 Comicon
International as saying that Siegel and Shuster brought Superman to DC
Comics as a fully developed character). Any rights reclaimed by the Siegels
only apply to the United States, while DC Comics will retain worldwide
rights to Superman and all related characters under international copyright
convention.
Arthur Levine, the Siegels' attorney, responded to the legal points of
contention raised by Warner Bros. with, "That is all very interesting, but
they're wrong." He also stated that they filed legally sound and correct
notices of termination, and he is positive of the validity of the
termination.
Now on to another question -- why have negotiations been going on for close
to two years with no definite end in sight? Apparently, DC Publisher Paul
Levitz has always been an ally of the Siegels in their struggle for
recognition and compensation. Levitz could be one of the main reasons that
both sides have kept this case so quiet and apparently so civil. Let's hope
that continues. Most insiders feel that DC and the Siegels will reach a
settlement on the Superman matter because WB, even though it could keep the
Siegels in court for years, can't have the bad publicity.
On yet another note, the attorney for the Siegels, Arthur Levine, is
considered one of the top in the field of copyright law. No matter what
happens with this, Warner Brothers won't be able to roll over the Siegels
like National Comics did to Jerry and Joe in the '40s.
Several comic professionals have gone on record concerning this volatile
topic, including Alex Ross. "It's great to see this finally come through
for the Siegels. Moreover, it would be nice to see compensation like this
while Siegel and Shuster were alive ... It's a great damn thing. A very
great damn thing."
EXPLORING THE GOLDEN AGE
In two of his "Exploring the Golden Age" columns on the World Famous Comics
website (http://www.wfcomics.com/alvin/), Alvin Schwartz reveals some very
interesting things about the history of the Man of Steel.
For those of you who don't know, Alvin was a prolific writer for DC during
the Golden Age. He wrote almost four years worth of the Superman newspaper
strip in the late forties to early fifties. He also wrote for the Batman
newspaper strip and produced dozens of comic stories for several other
characters in DC's stable of heroes.
He reveals that one of his Superman newspaper scripts has the Man of Steel
putting himself inside a particle accelerator. This story was written in
early 1945, before knowledge of the nuclear bomb was public. The FBI tried
to stop the story from being distributed, but they were only partially
successful. For reasons unknown, DC told the FBI that Jerry Siegel wrote
the story instead of Schwartz. In the meantime, stories broke in _Newsweek_
and _Time_ magazine that Superman "had the bomb first." It was still
assumed that this was Jerry Siegel's work. The truth would not come out
until years later.
The other interesting tidbit Mr. Schwartz revealed is that Superman is an
opera star. That's right, Schwartz wrote two Superman operas that were
performed by the cast of the Superman radio serial.
"A complete episode, with a beginning, a middle and an end -- and lots of
songs. In fifteen minutes. And somehow, it really worked. My years doing
the Superman and Batman dailies had really taught me how to compact a story
and still give it breathing room. It was produced on a set of two vinyl,
double-sided 78 rpm records, and the original radio cast was used. The two
records were then packaged in a comic book containing a flap on the inside
front cover. The covers were a soft but sturdy cardboard encasing a book of
10 pages printed on very heavy quality paper. The size was 8 x 7.25 inches.
A little more compact than a regular comic book. Within the ten pages were
printed the narrative and the song lyrics, so the reader could either read
along with the records or read the story separately. Also, the narrative
was heavily illustrated, with at least two colorful comicbook style
illustrations per page, with the text flowing around the illustrations."
This first operetta sold so well that Schwartz wrote a second one, entitled
"The Magic Ring." It was an instant sellout as well. After that, Schwartz
was offered the chance to helm the radio show, but declined because of
other commitments. Apparently very few of these operettas are still in
existence, as even Mr. Schwartz only has one copy of "The Magic Ring" to
his name. So I guess that if anyone happens across one of these operettas,
they should hold onto it dearly.
TY TEMPLETON SPEAKS OUT ON PLANS FOR SUPERMAN ADVENTURES
Ty Templeton, veteran of _Batman Adventures_, the comic book based on the
animated series, revealed his plans for _Superman Adventures_ in an
interview with the Comics Continuum
(http://comicscontinuum.com/stories/9909/17/index.htm). After Mark Millar's
departure, Templeton will write a few issues of the animated title,
including issues #40, #43, and #44. Issue #40 is the story of a certain
white dog from Krypton, though Templeton warns, "Not what you think
though." Beyond that, #43 deals with how Superman's presence affects the
criminal element and #44 shows the first appearance of the Manhunter from
Mars in the DCU animated titles (outside of _Adventures in the DCU_, which
he claims nobody counts anyway). Sounds good to me.
DC 2000
DC has unveiled plans for a 96-page _Secret Files and Origins Guide to the
DC Universe 2000_. The lead story, written by the team of Dan Abnett and
Andy Lanning and drawn by Scot Eaton and Ray Kryssing, will feature Green
Lantern on a quest for the DEO to find Bedlam from the _JLA: World Without
Grownups_ storyline, which introduced Young Justice. Lantern makes stops in
every major locale in the DCU until he figures out that the DEO aren't
telling him the whole truth...
Other features give some of the first glimpses of the new Metropolis and
Gotham, a science and technology investigation by the Blue Beetle, a list
of all the DCU aliens and robots, an Atom feature, a summary of the
government/corporate players in the DCU and so much more.
A REAL TROOPER
Enola Jones, one of KC's most faithful reviewers, had her dedication put to
the test thanks to a recent accident.
While at a water park with her family, Enola received a concussion when the
wave pool she was in turned her and her raft over. The force of the water
sent her to the bottom of the pool and she hit the bottom hard. Then the
wave sent both the raft and Enola's seven year old daughter crashing down
on top of her.
Her husband, Steven, quickly alerted the lifeguards who shut off the waves
and pulled her out. The family then left the park and Enola passed out in
the car.
I'll let Enola explain this last bit herself. "Doc said I had a concussion
and had to stay in bed. I used the time to work on my stories and reviews.
Steven typed them in."
Batman could never inspire dedication like that.
THE LAST OF THE OLD GUARD
This month sees the last of the "Death of Superman" creators leave the
regular titles. With Dan Jurgens' last issue of Superman, the creative
teams that brought me into the world of the Man of Steel will be no more. I
miss them already. Now, I am looking forward to the new creative teams and
can't wait to see what the _Adventures_ and _MOS_ teams can do when they
really cut loose, it's just that I lament the passing of what I feel is the
greatest era of Superman to date.
To me, the years from Byrne's retcon to about a year or so after "The Reign
of the Supermen" contained the greatest block of Superman stories in the
character's history. The only run that compares with it are Siegel and
Shuster when they had their mysterious running-from-the-cops vigilante or
when the Maggin/Swan team fleshed out Superman's cosmic destiny over the
course of a decade.
Those creators, Byrne, Wolfman, Ordway, Jurgens, Kesel, Simonson,
Bogdanove, and so many others too numerous to mention, are what made me
care about Superman, really care about the character for the first time.
They advanced Superman's character more than most other writers in the
character's history. They allowed Clark to become a real person for the
first time and then allowed Lois to become more than a shrew who wanted to
learn Superman's secret identity. They gave us a Luthor who was ruthless
enough to deserve the title of archenemy to the Man of Steel. Heck, they
even made Jimmy pretty darn cool. This Man of Steel had epic adventures
throughout space and time and even came back from the dead. This was a
hero.
I just want to say thank you to all the creators of Superman from that era.
Thank you for helping me believe that a man can fly.
______________________________________________
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 sixth installment of my
column which will point your way to the many Superman-related sites on the
web. As always, if you are interested in the guidelines I follow when
reviewing sites, there's a page up at:
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Capsule/7801/webofsteel.html
This time around, I'm covering websites where you can find Superman
merchandise! So get your credit cards out, and let's go shopping! For those
of you not interested in shopping, the site of the month follows...
ROBERT TONNER DOLL COMPANY
What's that? A doll company in "Web of Steel" reviews? Yes, folks, a doll
company. But not just *any* doll company, Robert Tonner Doll Company
produces limited-edition dolls, including one of Superman, which the link
below takes you to. Be warned in advance... this is a 21" porcelain doll
which will run you $495.00 if you decide you have to have it! A previous
Superman and Lois Lane doll (1940's-50's era) used to be available, but
apparently no longer. The doll itself is nice, but for almost half a grand,
it should look better. Two shields out of five for the doll itself.
http://www.roberttonner.com/Detail.CFM?number=98408&whatcategory=Porcelain
HAVE A SUPERMAN PARTY
Say you have a Superman fan young or old who's got a birthday coming up...
how do you celebrate it? With a Superman cake? True, there was a Superman
cake pan out long ago (I've got one, and no it's not for sale), but you can
certainly bring in other Superman-themed items. The Party Works offers a
line of Superman party supplies, from napkins to plates to cups,
invitations, tablecloths, centerpieces, hats, and loot bags for your
favors, all done up with a picture of the animated version of Superman.
Okay, so most adults won't be that thrilled with it... the kids will think
it's cool, though! Prices seem fair, and you can order online. Five shields
for this site, although some comics-related stuff would've been nice
(still, they don't promise what they aren't delivering).
http://thepartyworks.com/superman.htm
FRIDGEDOOR.COM - MAGNETS
If you're looking to decorate your fridge with the Man of Steel, check out
Fridgedoor.com! The link below will take you to their main comics and
cartoons page, and from there you can get to their selection of cool
Superman magnets, like the super-cool Superman magnetic clock!
http://www.fridgedoor.com/fridgedoor/comics1.html
SUPERMAN ANIMATED
Looking for production cels from the Superman animated series? Here's a
bunch of sites that have or are now offering them, and many also have cels
from previous Superman animated series!
http://www.animationusa.com
http://www.barkeranimation.com/wblc-106.htm
http://www.theanimatorsgallery.com
http://www.toonartinc.com/
ANOTHER UNIVERSE
Another Universe is a great site for finding comics and comics-related
items, although sometimes their prices are a bit steep. However, they've
got a great search function, and you can find all sorts of things you may
not be able to find around your area.
http://www.anotheruniverse.com
SUPERMAN BOOKS
I know, these will kind of seem like a "duh, of course" thing to mention,
but you do know that you can find all sorts of trade paperbacks and books
featuring Superman or about him at most online bookstores, right? Here's
the two most popular:
http://www.amazon.com
http://www.barnesandnoble.com
Okay, now that your available credit is probably nil after all this
shopping, I think it's time for the KC Web of Steel Site of the Month!
SUPERMAN THROUGH THE AGES!
Let me just say this up front: Any KC readers (or anybody else) thinking
about starting a Superman site (or even anyone who's got one now) and wants
to know what to aspire to, check this site out. If you can't come up with
something that this site doesn't have, or can't go into more detail about
specifics, you may not want to bother. After spending some time going
through it (and frankly, barely scratching the surface... this site is
immense!) the only possible critique I could have is that it would benefit
from frames... but that's a real nitpick. This site is dedicated to the
pre-reboot Superman, and covers an incredible range of info. If you've got
a few hours to surf, check this site out, and be prepared to be blown away.
Five shields out of five (it's tempting to give it a bonus shield, but I'll
resist)!
http://www.fortress.am/
That's it for this issue, super-surfers... join me back here next time for
a column covering what I refer to as "Sites every comics fan should have
bookmarked," plus next month's Site of the Month! In the meantime, if you
run or know of a Superman site you want to see featured in "Web of Steel,"
e-mail me the URL at waffyjon@execpc.com and I'll fit it in as soon as I
can.
_________________________________________________
End of Section 1
_________________________________________________
SUPERMAN STORIES
------------------------------------------
By Sean Hogan (shogan@intergate.bc.ca)
SUPERGIRL: PART 1
-----------------
THE ORIGINAL SUPER-GIRL
There have been a number of different Supergirls in DC's history. The first
debuted in August 1958 in "The Girl of Steel" from _Superman_ #123 (first
series -- written by Otto Binder with art by Dick Sprang and Stan Kaye).
This "Super-Girl" was a magical creation that comes to life when Jimmy
Olsen makes a wish on an ancient Indian totem that "a Super-Girl, with
super-powers equal to Superman's, would appear and become his companion."
I don't have the original story, but I believe in it Super-Girl wore the
traditional blue and red outfit. I first came across this story as a
reprint in Giant _Superman_ #216, where Super-Girl's appearance is
obviously influenced by her creator, Jimmy Olsen -- she was a redhead
wearing an orange shirt with green cape, skirt, and boots (no doubt so that
readers wouldn't confuse her with Superman's cousin, Supergirl, who was
active at the time of the 1969 reprint). The reprint in _The Greatest
Superman Stories Ever Told_ collection has Super-Girl dressed in red and
blue.
Despite her good intentions, Super-Girl causes only trouble for the Man of
Steel -- while using her powers alongside Superman, she blows roofs off
buildings, causes explosions, and generally just gets in the way. She also
accidentally reveals Superman's secret identity to Lois when she greets
Clark as Superman.
Lois doesn't come off very well, as usual for almost any woman in that era.
Her first concern is the lovelorn complaint -- "What chance have I anymore
with Super-Girl around? They'll fall in love and get married ... (choke!)".
While tempted to cancel Jimmy's wish, Lois' conscience strikes as she
decides, "But -- but Superman won't have me anyway! It would be mean to
take Super-Girl away from him ... She'll make Superman happy ... (sob!)".
Gosh, Lois is terrific! For a girl, that is.
But she reverts to stereotypical type again when she hears Super-Girl refer
to Clark as Superman. Lois quickly jumps to the attack and says, "Your
secret is out, Clark!" As usual, Superman cleverly throws Lois off the
track. This time he gives her a love note adorned with hearts and roses
that says, "My Darling Lois! I've fallen madly in love with you! But I'm
too timid to pop the question in person ... Will you marry me? Clark Kent"
In the twisted logic of the times, Lois decides, "Oh my goodness! If -- if
Clark were really Superman, he wouldn't dare propose ... I'd accept! Then
... then it must have been a sheer case of mistaken identity when poor,
bewildered Super-Girl called him Superman!" She turns down Clark saying,
"It's sweet of you Clark, but I could only marry you if you were really
Superman!" Our hero thinks, "I figured she'd reject Clark! But what if
she'd accepted? Whew!"
Anyway, returning to the theme of this article, Super-Girl is conveniently
redeemed when she sacrifices herself to save Superman from deadly
Kryptonite. Unlike many stories of the day, Super-Girl doesn't end up as an
imaginary tale, a dream, or a computer prediction. Super-Girl remained
in-continuity (although as far as I know, she was never referred to again).
Super-Girl was a one-issue test on the popularity of a female counterpart
to Superman -- a test that was apparently popular with readers and/or
editors.
As a side note, Jimmy's third wish in this story raises an interesting
moral issue that hearkens back to my earlier article on Superman's
execution of the Phantom Zone criminals. I'll deal with that at the end of
this article. Meanwhile, back to our regularly scheduled program ...
SUPERGIRL CLASSIC
The idea of a Supergirl proved sufficiently popular that the Silver Age
Supergirl debuted less than a year later, in May 1959's _Action Comics_
#252, titled "The Supergirl from Krypton" (most recently reprinted in last
year's _Giant Superman Annual_ replica edition). Otto Binder again wrote
the story, with art by Al Plastino.
Superman investigates a rocket crash outside town and is greeted by a
young, blonde girl wearing a variation of his costume. Supergirl explains
how, when Krypton exploded, a "street of homes" on "a large chunk of the
planet" was hurled into space "by sheer luck", complete with air bubble and
a food machine. The survivors cover the Kryptonite ground with a sheet of
lead and life continues, as scientist Zor-el and his wife (Alura is unnamed
in the story) have a young daughter whom they name Kara.
Tragically, a meteor shower destroys the lead shielding, and Zor-el and his
wife, discovering Superman on Earth through a "super-space telescope", send
their daughter to safety. After exchanging the names of their respective
fathers, Superman exclaims, "Great Scott! Then you're my -- cousin!" Well,
that solved the potential romance concern for Lois Lane.
The issue sets up the rest of the basic Silver Age Supergirl background
when Superman disguises her as an orphan and delivers her to the Midvale
Orphanage. Supergirl decides on the name Linda Lee (continuing the L.L.
tradition) and agrees to train in secret until Superman decides she is
ready to reveal herself to the world, which occurred in February, 1962's
_Action Comics_ #295.
There are far too many Silver Age Supergirl stories to do justice to them
by mentioning only a few. Kara Zor-el had a long career, including her own
comic, _Supergirl_, and gathered her own supporting cast and villains along
the way, until her heroic death in 1986's _Crisis On Infinite Earths_ #7.
Post-Crisis, Supergirl has been forgotten by continuity. However, she does
appear in a memorable story in _Christmas With The Super-Heroes_ #2 (cover
dated December 1989). The story, "Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot",
written by Alan Brennert with art by Dick Giordano, has Deadman in despair
during the holidays until a mysterious blonde (later giving her name as
Kara) tells him:
"We don't do it for the glory. We don't do it for the recognition. We do it
because it needs to be done. Because if we don't, no one else will. And we
do it even if no one knows what we've done. Even if no one knows we exist.
Even if no one remembers that we ever existed."
The story is dedicated to Supergirl scribes, Otto Binder and Jim Mooney,
with the inscription, "We still remember".
THE NEW SUPERGIRL
Even though the new Superman regime emphasized that Superman was now the
sole survivor of Krypton (no Krypto, Kandorians, or Phantom Zone criminals
-- and no cousin Kara), John Byrne still managed to reintroduce a new
version of Supergirl.
Supergirl first appeared in _Superman_ #16 (story and pencils by John
Byrne, with inks by Karl Kesel). While most of the issue dealt with (as the
cover says) "the perfidious perils of the pusillanimous Prankster!" (a fun
read by the way), the final two pages had a team of scientists
investigating an anomaly under the frozen Antarctic ice. Arriving at the
site, they find the temperature registering at 126 degrees and, beneath the
slush, the unconscious figure of a lovely blonde woman, dressed in a
variation of Superman's costume.
The story runs as a sub-plot over the next several months as the scientists
discover that she had apparently been lying under that ice for several
hundred years. Awakening from her sleep, Supergirl heads out to find
Superman, finally catching up to him in _Superman_ #21 (by Byrne with inks
by Terry Beatty), the first part of "The Supergirl Saga".
Superman is flying over the blue skies of Kansas when he becomes aware of
someone following him. Quickly doubling back, he is surprised to find "a
flying woman in a variation of my costume!" More surprises follow as the
young lady introduces herself as Supergirl and then morphs into Lana Lang,
telling Superman that she was given these powers by Lex Luthor.
Supergirl's powers are very different from Superman's Kryptonian powers. In
addition to her "chameleon powers", she also uses a "psycho-kinetic blast"
and turns invisible. However, Supergirl is clearly confused about her
identity, location, and mission. She tells Superman that Metropolis has
been destroyed, and accuses him of being an impostor attempting to deceive
her. Eluding her attack, Superman heads for Lana Lang's farm to try and
find some answers. When he arrives, he finds the original Lana Lang and his
parents tied up in the cellar.
Rescuing them, Superman tells them that Supergirl is not just posing as
Lana. His scan reveals that Supergirl is identical to Lana, even on the
molecular level. Recalling the Superboy he had met a few months before (in
the epic battle against the Time Trapper), Superman deduces that Supergirl
must be from the Earth of the Pocket Universe.
Superman heads off to lure Supergirl to his world's Metropolis and Lex
Luthor. While Supergirl tries to reconcile her recollections with this
reality, Superman tells her his theory of her origin. This triggers the
return of her full memory and, activating a device in her belt, she
transports the two of them to the Pocket Universe's Earth.
In _Adventures of Superman_ #444 (by Byrne and Jerry Ordway with Dennis
Janke's inks over Ordway's pencils), we learn that three criminals from
that universe's Krypton have destroyed the planet. Lex Luthor explains that
two years previously, he discovered a way to give Lana super-powers, and
that Lana used a variation of the missing Superboy's costume as a rallying
symbol for the people of Earth.
In a fancy bit of pseudo-science to explain how Supergirl was discovered,
Lex explains that the only way to get Supergirl to Superman's Earth was to
send her in suspended animation from the Antarctic, as "the poles would be
the most stable areas from which to launch our mad gamble".
In 'stereotypical plot device explanation; scientifically convoluted and
mad' (SPDESCM, or 'speedy scam'), Luthor says that he sent Supergirl back
in time 200 years because, "With his ability to travel through time, there
will be plenty of opportunities for Superman to find you." (Lex is unaware
that Superman, unlike Superboy, cannot travel in time under his own power).
To complete the SPDESCM mystery, Lex blanks Supergirl's memory (so that if
she is captured by the enemy, she "will not be able to reveal anything to
them") and leaves her with a compulsion to seek out Superman and thus
trigger her memory.
After all, where's the fun in just sending her straight over with her
memory intact?
The big fight scene against the Phantom Zone criminals takes place in
_Superman_ #22 (an all Byrne issue), but Supergirl is quickly taken out of
the action by the combined heat vision of Zod and Zaora. Supergirl's body
turns into an oozing purple form and falls to Earth. Lex stops Superman
from going after her, mysteriously saying, "the protomatter will regenerate
itself soon enough."
There is no time for further explanation until the fight ends and a dying
Lex confesses, "sorry ... about the deception ... with Supergirl. Lana was
one ... of the first killed. I used her ... molecular matrix ... to create
... pattern for protomatter. Artificial life form ... my creation ... Hoped
... you'd come if it was Lana ... She ... never knew she wasn't real."
Later, as Superman prepares to leave the dead planet, he sees Supergirl's
protomatter form moving. Gathering her up, he somehow returns to his own
Earth and delivers her to his parents and Lana. Lana is shocked by the
figure's strange, mottled appearance -- so unlike the vibrant Supergirl
that attacked them earlier. Superman asks them to look after Supergirl,
"while it regenerates."
MATRIX
Most of the stories during this next period deal with Supergirl as one of
the running sub-plots. I won't be identifying the individual writer or art
team unless it's significant, as I consider this to be a continuing tale by
the entire Super-team.
Superman, traumatized by his execution of the criminals on the Pocket
Universe Earth, eventually leaves for adventures in outer space. He says
his farewells to his parents in _Adventures of Superman_ #450. At the Kent
farm, he also sees Supergirl again, now referring to herself as Matrix. Pa
explains, "She started calling herself that a while back, and I guess it
kind of stuck."
Matrix has not returned to her former look, and appears to be a slightly
androgynous female with purplish skin and a shock of short white hair. Her
speech is halting, she cries easily when upset, and she doesn't appear to
be very animated -- mostly observing those around her. Superman's parting
words to her are, "stay with them, protect them ... love them."
The outside world begins to intrude on the Kent farm after an explosion in
Clark's apartment leads to concerns by his friends in Metropolis that Clark
has been killed. Matrix becomes increasingly obsessed with Clark's pictures
-- staring at and studying them. In _Superman_ #30 we learn that, "her only
memories are vague remembrances copied from a woman long dead." Matrix is
able to fly, but only weakly. She longs to be human and wonders, "what is
it like to be Clark Kent?"
In _Adventures of Superman_ #453 Matrix painfully changes her shape again
until she is an exact duplicate of Clark, saying that s/he wants to help.
In _Adventures of Superman_ #454, Matrix leaves the Kents' home and travels
to Metropolis where s/he is soon threatened by three hoods, until Bibbo
intervenes to even the odds. Matrix takes off as the police arrive.
While Superman battles on Warworld, Matrix stumbles around Metropolis in
_Superman_ #32. Once again confused and lost, Matrix is having difficulty
remembering anything other than, "He knows he is Clark Kent ... and that
something terrible had happened ... something to do with Superman."
Jimmy Olsen comes across Matrix and rushes him to safety, assuming Clark
has amnesia. Matrix vaguely remembers Jimmy from Clark's pictures and goes
along. In _Adventures of Superman_ #455, Clark's friends try to reintroduce
him to his old life, assuming that his amnesia comes from the attempted
mugging that Clark vaguely recalls.
Matrix's life changes yet again when Superman returns from space in _Action
Comics_ #649. At the end of the issue, Superman resumes his life as Clark
and returns to his apartment, just as a massive, silent explosion tears it
apart. Inside, Clark is shocked to find an unconscious duplicate of
himself, holding the Eradicator device which he had brought back from his
space adventures.
In _Superman_ #34, the two Clarks are together when Jimmy Olsen arrives.
The real Clark quickly switches into Superman's costume and Jimmy takes the
often seen picture of Clark and Superman standing together. Matrix is still
confused, believing herself to be Clark Kent. Superman talks to his parents
and decides to return Matrix to them, but super-duty intervenes, forcing
him to delay Matrix's return.
Matrix eventually returns to Smallville and the Kent farm on his/her own in
_Action Comics_ #644, an all-Matrix issue written by Roger Stern and George
Perez, with art by Perez and Brett Breeding.
When the confused Matrix sees Superman, s/he explodes with anger saying,
"Someone's threatening me -- trying to get inside my head! Someone close
by! There!! And he's stolen my face!" Blasting Superman, Matrix removes the
Kents and Lana to hide out at the old limestone quarry.
They try to convince Matrix of her identity, but Matrix refuses to accept
the truth. To convince them of her reality, Matrix transforms her clothing
into a grey and black version of Superman's costume. Fueling the confusion,
a mental link has formed between Superman and Matrix as Matrix recalls
memories that are not her/his own and even finishes sentences as Superman
thinks them.
A huge battle ensues between them, ending only when Superman has to save
Lana and his parents from a collapsing building. As a shaken Matrix
approaches them, Superman takes the opportunity to remind Matrix of her
origins and of the Eradicator device that somehow linked their minds.
Matrix blasts Superman with psi-bolts, but Superman is prepared this time
and continues to reason with Matrix, until Matrix collapses in defeat.
Similar to Superman's earlier departure, Matrix decides that, without
control, "we are a danger to those around us" and that, "I must learn what
I am truly to be. Until I do -- I must not put another single life at
risk!" Matrix turns invisible and, visiting the Kent home briefly, leaves
for the depths of outer space and exile. The narration adds ominously,
"Today, Matrix learned what he is not. Now he goes to discover what he is.
We may never see him again."
THE REDEMPTION OF SUPERGIRL
Matrix disappeared for over two years, real time, returning to take part in
the "Panic In The Sky" arc (triangle titles 1992:8-15; also collected in
trade paperback -- and again, I'm not going to refer to the individual
writers or art teams). The prologue in _Action Comics_ #674 opens on an
alien world when a handsome stranger saves a barmaid from unwanted
attentions by a customer. The stranger's hat and poncho are removed in the
following fight -- revealing ...
Clint Eastwood. Oops, wrong story. Revealing a black and grey Superman.
The stranger comes to the attention of several people, including the
cellkeeper and Draaga (both from the real Superman's adventures on
Warworld), and Maxima -- the red haired Lady of House Almerac. While the
cellkeeper talks with the shapeshifted Matrix, Draaga appears and demands
to continue the fight to the death that began on Warworld.
Throughout the prologue, Matrix, although still in Superman's guise, seems
to have found some peace and tranquillity. Matrix's explanations as to her
true identity prove unsuccessful as Draaga begins a relentless attack.
Matrix uses invisibility and psychokinetic beams to repel Draaga, but is
ultimately defeated.
However, when Draaga raises his fist to finish the death-rite, he pauses as
the figure he holds morphs into Supergirl's form and costume (for the first
time since her defeat in the Pocket Universe). During this pause, the two
figures are transported to Warworld where its new leader, Brainiac, takes
mental control of Supergirl. Brainiac's mental abilities also allow him to
examine Supergirl's mind -- learning that she is an artificial life form
who is, "most malleable ... in both body and mind!"
Brainiac sends Supergirl against Earth's heroes in _Adventures of Superman_
#488. Although Supergirl initially attacks Superman as "my greatest enemy",
she soon pauses, resisting Brainiac's mental compulsion to fight Superman.
A blow from Superman stuns her and breaks Brainiac's mental hold, and
Supergirl quickly joins Superman in the battle.
For the rest of the arc, Supergirl and Draaga fight on the side of the
heroes. When captured and questioned by Maxima in _Superman: The Man Of
Steel_ #10, she says about Superman: "I once hated him as well, but now ...
now I believe he is the bravest, most honorable man alive ... save for
Draaga ... while Brainiac is a madman who destroys all he touches!" So
convincing are her arguments, that she persuades Maxima to release her and
join with them against Brainiac.
Although Supergirl is prepared to sacrifice her life to stop Brainiac, it
is Draaga who stops her by acting first: "I have vowed to protect your life
with my own ... as I have foolishly vowed Superman's death or my own! So
let one act now redeem both vows ... for if I must die, I would spend my
life ... to further a good cause!"
For the rest of the battle, Supergirl assumes Draaga's form and, although
the transformation is painful, "the agony and pain I endure to take his
form shall be nothing in relation to the glory I will bring to the name of
Draaga ... who ransomed our lives with his own."
The battle concludes in _Superman_ #66 as the combined might of the heroes
on Earth and on Warworld succeed in defeating Brainiac and leaving him an
apparently mindless husk. While the heroes return to a tribute on Earth in
_Adventures of Superman_ #489, Supergirl goes to the cellkeeper's asteroid
where she places Draaga's remains beside those of the Cleric.
To the cellkeeper, Supergirl reflects that, "For too long, little one, I
wandered the galaxies, frozen in the form of Superman ... unsure of who I
was supposed to be, or where I belonged." As to the form of Supergirl that
she has again resumed, she says: "This is the image I assumed when Draaga
attacked me, thinking I was Superman. It is the form he died protecting.
This 'skin' feels right and the name 'Supergirl' does suit me."
She decides that it is now time to return to Earth, which is "the closest
thing to a home I have." The cellkeeper helps her find a ship and bids her
farewell with the wish: "May your destiny be bright!"
Next month, we'll see what happens when Supergirl arrives on Earth, and
falls in love with Lex Luthor -- but first, this message:
SILVER AGE SUPERMAN: EXECUTIONER
In "The Girl of Steel" from _Superman_ #123, Jimmy Olsen's third wish (the
first created Super-Girl) is to have Superman 'meet' his parents. To
surprise Superman, Jimmy writes out his wish, but accidentally writes that
he wants Superman to 'mate' his parents (wonder if anyone else shuddered at
the possibilities?)
Anyway, Jor-el and Lara end up on one of Krypton's moons with a bad guy
named Kil-lor (subtle, huh?). Kil-lor had invented a death ray to conquer
Krypton. Being off-Krypton, everyone gets superpowers and Superman and
Kil-lor battle to a standstill.
When Superman returns to his parents, he tells them that he is concerned
that Kil-lor could still threaten Krypton by hurling missiles across space
and adds that "If two radioactive rocks are banged together with
super-force while heated to super-temperatures, it will create a nuclear
explosion. But luckily that's Earth science that Kil-lor doesn't know."
Kil-lor, listening in with those sneaky super-powers, tries out the
experiment and, smashing two pieces of radioactive minerals together,
creates a Kryptonite filled crater around him.
Kil-lor cries out (his actual speech balloon says: "I'm going fast ...
ahhhh ... (fade)") as the narrator adds that "Superman watches from a safe
distance, as the dictator succumbs!"
What's really disturbing is Superman's thought balloon: "It's Kryptonite!
Using my own telescopic vision, I spotted Kil-lor eavesdropping before! I
tricked him into duplicating the very same chain reaction that blew up
Krypton and created Kryptonite!"
Superman and his parents rejoice, Jor-el proposes to Lara and Superman is
whisked back to Earth.
No concerns are expressed at all about Superman tricking the villain into
causing his own death. Superman makes no attempt to try and save him (at
the very least by one of his patented super-long fishing poles). It appears
that Superman's famed code against killing had some significant holes in
1958.
John Byrne could have been using this very tale as a template for his story
where Superman executed the Phantom Zone criminals. Here, on a dead world,
Superman kills a Kryptonian villain who has committed unspeakable crimes
and who might cause further horrific crimes against an innocent planet.
Returned to Krypton, the villain would have lost his super-powers, but
would have tried to regain them and complete his threatened massacre.
Interesting, eh? Feel free to address any comments to
mailbag@kryptonian-cybernet.com
_________________________________________________
End of Section 2
_________________________________________________
NEW COMIC REVIEWS
-----------------------------------------
Comics Arriving In Stores August 1999
Two specials expand our selection of reviews to thirteen books this month,
but I will also point out one additional title that the JLA/Superman
completists will be interested in. A without-humanity Man of Steel
(literally) and his android compatriots wind up their guest-appearance
with the conclusion of the JLAndroids storyline in _Hourman_ #7.
Ratings Panelists:
-----------------
BS: Brian Seidman GR: Gary Robinson SDM: Simon DelMonte
CoS: Cory Strode JB: Jeremy Bleichman SI: Seth Isaacs
EJ: Enola Jones JE: Josh Elder SL: Sebastian Lecocq
EM: Edward Mathews JH: Josh Hill ST: Shane Travis
GD: Gavin Douglas JSy: Jeff Sykes SY: Steven Younis
GN: G.M. Nelson MS: Mike Smith TD: Thomas Deja
RG: Rene' Gobeyn
As always, the first rating given after the average is that of the
reviewer. The average rating given for each book may correspond to a
larger sample of ratings than what is printed following the average.
=====================================
THE TRIANGLE TITLES:
-------------------
37. THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #571 Oct 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Image is Everything"
Writer: Louise Simonson
Penciller: Mike Collins
Inker: Denis Rodier
Letterer: Albert T. De Guzman
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separator: Digital Chameleon
Imagineer: Maureen McTigue
Imaginary: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Paul Ryan, Denis Rodier, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 2.8/5.0 Shields
EJ: 4.8 Shields
BS: 2.5 Shields - I guess you can't use the same joke twice, but I really
wish they'd do another split-screen movie issue when they use the
Atomic Skull. Every Skull appearance is great, but this issue
never really got off the ground.
JE: 3.4 Shields - I've always liked the Atomic Skull, so this final word
on the character by his creator, Louise Simonson, really clicked
with me.
JSy: 2.5 Shields - Never much cared for the Atomic Skull as a villain, and
he's even less interesting as a misunderstood freak.
SL: 2.4 Shields - An insipid story from Louise Simonson with flat
dialogue, and a villain whose identity was obvious from the
beginning. The interaction between Lois and Clark is completely
absurd. Even the art is only average. Once again, a poor episode.
SY: 3.0 Shields - Nice compact story. I'm not fussed by the Atomic
Skull, but it was nice to see some background on his alter-ego.
TD: 1.9 Shields - Louise Simonson's farewell to regular Superman writing
ends not with a bang but with a very weak whimper in this silly,
nonsensical and simply mediocre effort. Eminently forgettable the
second you finish it.
Review by: Enola Jones <jennynesmith@hotmail.com>
PLOT:
The Atomic Skull is on the loose again! ... Or is he?
Alphonsus King is making a movie about the Atomic Skull, and Joe Martin
(the real Atomic Skull) has been hired as a consultant. Joe is horrified,
however, at the inaccuracies in how the story of his life is being told and
several times comes close to reverting to the Atomic Skull when he gets
angry.
Out of work and happy to keep an eye on Martin, Clark agrees to do a series
of publicity pieces about the movie. Bad things start to happen on the set
-- falling lights, broken scaffolding -- and rumours fly that the Atomic
Skull is trying to shut down production. Joe Martin protests his innocence,
and Clark believes him.
When a stunt chopper begins to fire live ammo, Martin is faced with a
horrible choice; become the Skull to stop the chopper and go to jail for
breaking his parole, or preserve his freedom and let the chopper fly away.
He chooses to become the Skull. He and Superman protect the crowd and
ultimately capture the mastermind behind everything -- Alphonsus King.
It turns out that King was embezzling money to pay gambling debts, and
seized on the opportunity to blame Martin for the damage. The movie is shut
down and King is arrested -- as is Joe Martin. Lois vows that she will tell
his side of the story, though, because he acted as a true hero. In the end,
as Lois says, "Justice was served!"
REVIEW:
I like movies. I like the escape into alternate worlds a good movie gives.
What I *don't* like are the movie-makers who take a real person and slander
them -- who put their slant on 'truth' and distort it to fit their own
twisted view. Or even worse, who add in fictional motives and end up
sacrificing good people's character for the sake of making more money.
Apparently, neither does the creative team behind _Adventures of Superman_
#571. They have pulled together a story that brings out all the worst of
Hollywood and exposes it to the harsh light of day, turns a few movie
cliches on their ear, and still manages to be page-turning riveting!
Oh, did I mention it is also a deeply moving and powerful story of
self-acceptance and personal redemption?
On the surface, this story is an indictment of the sleaziest practices in
movie-making that turns into an adventure story at the end. Beneath that,
however, is what I have come to regard as the true story of the personal
redemption of Joe Martin. I loved the way the two stories merged into one
at the book's end.
In the movie scenes, shallowness and arrogance runs rampant in the cast and
crew alike. The worst case of the former is found in the actor playing
Superman; the worst case of the latter in the producer. At times I wanted
to shake them both.
The unnamed actor who played Superman is, quite literally, a costumed
buffoon. In the accidents, he seemed more worried about his makeup and
about studying the real Superman for tips. In his final speaking role, he
tells the cops that without him the studio hasn't got a picture. The cops
both have this "Yeah, Riiiight..." look on their faces. By that time, so
did I.
Then there was Mister King -- arrogant, egomaniac producer. When he was
revealed to be the villain of the piece, I was not surprised -- in fact, I
rejoiced because I saw his meanness boomerang right back onto him. The
sleaze of a man didn't even bother to read Joe's autobiography because he
didn't want to 'limit his creative interpretation with facts'! When he sees
the reaction of Joe and Superman, he calls to get interviews with Lois,
then turns on Clark! "Good move, Kent! About time you interviewed the
Little Woman!"
I wanted to hurt him by that point.
King's machinations also led to what struck me as the most hilarious
understatement in the entire book. When his financial motives for the
entire scheme are revealed, Lois simply notes, "Luthor wouldn't like being
cheated."
Indeed!
The other plotline that runs through this book centers on Joe Martin -- The
Atomic Skull himself. He's first seen protesting -- justifiably, in my
opinion -- the way the egotistical movie-makers are portraying him on
screen. These people who bought his life story and are turning it into
filth are *so* clueless about the real Joe Martin that they're shocked when
he's glad to see Superman.
I hope this art team stays around a while; they show some real strengths,
one of which is their ability to convey action with just expressions. The
look of disgust on Clark's face when he's watching the dailies and King
tells him to get to work speaks volumes. There are other good scenes too;
after the first accident, when Joe complains that he's being seen as a
madman and a monster, his utter dejection comes across most pointedly in
his body language. On that same page, we get the perspective-wrenching
sight of Clark sitting at a table and "Superman" strolling nonchalantly
by. The nearly-identical "I'm-going-to-be-ill" looks Lois and Clark both
shoot at King speak loudly of the revulsion this slimeball causes them both
without eversaying a word.
For me, Joe's redemption begins when he saves Lois. Even though he's still
calling her Zelda -- as he did at the height of his madness -- at that
point, he switches from being victim to *doing* something. His
soul-searching in his trailer brought tears to my eyes. "Real life? I'm
just another crazy loser looking for salvation in a bottle!" Then comes the
penultimate moment of crisis -- the stunt chopper firing live ammo into the
crowd -- where Joe is forced to make "an insane choice". His choice was a
noble one, marking his ultimate redemption -- villain to hero.
The scene where Martin and Superman meet and agree to a plan that would
both save lives and end the insanity was poignant. In that one bit,
Superman realises that Martin is no longer the insane villain who thinks
he's a hero -- he truly has become a hero. Sure, he's still slightly
insane, but aren't we all?
Though he is arrested for violating parole, Joe seems content; he has
become the hero he'd always imagined himself to be. As well as that, this
comic ends with another feel-good moment -- that miserable movie will never
be finished. To quote Superman on that, "No loss." Justice did, indeed,
appear to be served.
This issue was one of the best I've read this month, if not *the* best.
This creative team outdid themselves again, producing a riveting
page-turner that has two tightly-interwoven plotlines and a beautifully
warm and satisfying ending. The cover of my copy is already falling off
from multiple readings because this story truly makes me feel good. I look
forward to this title every month, as it has become one of the most
wonderful reads in my collection.
All I can say is, keep putting out stories like this one and I'll be hooked
for life!
=====================================
38. ACTION COMICS #758 Oct 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
Plot/Pencils: Stuart Immonen
Dialogue: Mark Millar
Inker: Jose Marzan, Jr.
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separator: Digital Chameleon
Associate: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Stuart Immonen, Jose Marzan, Jr., and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.4/5.0 Shields
GR: 3.7 Shields
BS: 4.2 Shields - This issue was so weird, it was wonderful. Superman's
dialogue was hilarious and the art was beautiful. Only drawback
was another new character taking over an Intergang that now has no
members.
EM: 3.3 Shields - Intergang doesn't really excite me much, but it had an
Immonen Lobster-thing, which is just silly enough for me to enjoy.
JB: 4.2 Shields - Frank Sixty has officially replaced Riot as my favorite
modern-day Superman villain. Oh, and the art ain't bad, either.
JE: 3.2 Shields - Intergang is supposed to be organized crime that is a
legitimate threat to Superman -- something it hasn't been since
Darkseid was removed from the equation. So unless Frank Sixty is
Dr. Bedlam in disguise, I'm not too happy with this change.
JSy: 3.7 Shields - I'll admit to my initial skepticism when I first heard
we were gonna have a story about a gigantic, robotic lobster, but
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The
art is as beautiful as ever, and Mark Millar provides some of the
best dialogue in a Superman story in some time.
SDM: 3.0 Shields - Great art and the return at last of a Lois and Clark
subplot save what is otherwise a rather routine story with perhaps
the silliest giant robot I've seen since Power Rangers premiered.
SI: 2.1 Shields - While visually appealing, the robot is defeated far too
easily and never really menaces. Maybe Frank Sixty will make
Intergang interesting again, but I doubt it.
SL: 3.7 Shields - A pleasurable read with wonderful dialogue. The story
is a bit simple, and the monster is laughable, but it is well
written with great art and good character interaction.
TD: 3.0 Shields - Despite the silliness of a robotic lobster, this
actually turns out to be a pleasant piece of work, with a couple
of true Superman moments, the clearing out of the old ill-advised
Intergang and an interesting set of crosses, double-crosses and
triple-crosses.
Review by: Gary D. Robinson <robinfam@akron.infi.net>
We begin this strangely untitled tale with a splash page depicting Superman
at his mighty best. He's mounting the steps of police headquarters while
holding a crushed auto aloft by one hand. "Good afternoon, Captain," he
casually greets the startled Maggie Sawyer. "Keeping well?" It's a nice
take-off for a story that flies smoothly and lands neatly. Along the way,
it serves up a dish that tastes a bit like the Man of Steel in other
incarnations.
The compacted car contains the captured Intergang assassin Noose. Boss
Moxie gets the news and, in the grand tradition of all those "dem, dese,
and dose" thugs George Reeves used to battle, plots the End of Superman. He
wheedles a giant robot lobster from Frank Sixty (whose cyborg eye makes him
look like a cross between a buccaneer and Deathlok the Demolisher), then
double-crosses the tortured tinkerer.
Now I catch a nostalgic whiff of the old Fleischer cartoons as the
Mechanical Monster bursts through the pavement and into battle with
Superman. It's a relatively brief tussle, ending with the robot in pieces
and Moxie in jail.
Neither fifties reruns nor forties animation to your taste? Try the
sophistication of the nineties. The rest of the book reads like an episode
of _Lois and Clark_. The Missus is upset with her husband; he never has
time for her anymore. Mark Millar's dialogue is usually enjoyable whenever
these newlyweds get together and this story is no exception:
A perturbed Lois in a Japanese restaurant: "Do you realize it's got to the
point where I can tell what's interrupting our lives just by the expression
on your face?"
Clark springing into action: "Lives could be at stake out there, Lois. I
can't enjoy a good Japanese meal if someone needs my help."
Lois yelling after him: "It's a good thing sushi comes to the table cold!"
Nothing earth-shaking occurs in this issue. That's okay. It's still
entertaining. Non-readers may be attracted by the cover with its primal
image of Superman battling the mechanical menace. The story itself is
straightforward and accessible to the uninitiated. Immonen and Marzan's
artwork, rendered in Whitmore's colors, is easy on the eye. It's soft in
the right places, yet able to pack a punch when necessary. There's action,
humor, romance -- a little something for everybody. It's not _Superman For
All Seasons_ but, then, what is?
What more can I say? I liked it.
=====================================
39. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #93 Oct 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"The Sea Beast of Metropolis!"
Writer: Mark Schultz
Penciller: Doug Mahnke
Inker: Tom Nguyen
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Assoc. Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Doug Mahnke, Tom Nguyen, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.5/5.0 Shields
MS: 2.0 Shields
BS: 3.6 Shields - With all the potential to fail, we were delivered a
Superman who was smart and, well, super. Art was good too; this
only lost points for a quick, sappy ending.
EM: 3.0 Shields - Exactly how many creatures who look swacky but have
their hearts in the right place does Metropolis need? It wasn't a
poor issue, but I'm not waiting for Nekton's next appearance.
JSy: 4.0 Shields - We did the monster in the sewers story not too long
ago, but not nearly this well. I love seeing Lois and Clark
working together to break a story, and Schultz shows us a Superman
who uses his brain more than his brawn. Nice work all around.
SI: 3.1 Shields - This story left me with mixed feelings. On the one
hand, I enjoyed the character of Nekton, a naive monster in the
Frankenstein tradition. On the other, the story was relatively
simplistic and predictable.
SL: 3.9 Shields - Neither a monster who protects children nor a father
who abuses them are original ideas, but with the fabulous art and
storytelling here we get a great story. It's linear and without
surprises, but very well done.
SY: 4.0 Shields - I don't know what it is about this story, but it just
grabbed me. Maybe it was the different angle taken to show who the
monsters really are in Metropolis.
TD: 3.5 Shields - A surprisingly sweet, surprisingly entertaining story
reminiscent of the pre-Crisis Superman comics. Mahnke draws a cool
monster, and the gentleness of the story is one that can't help
but make you smile.
Review by: Mike Smith <mike_p_smith@hotmail.com>
As the story goes, the now-famous cover of _Action Comics_ #1 almost didn't
see print because the Powers That Were thought that the image of a man
lifting a car over his head might have been too outlandish to attract
readers. Today, that editorial reluctance is just another legend of the
Superman mythos. More on that later.
I wasn't looking forward to this issue of _Man of Steel_, since the advance
solicitation went something like "If you thought the Robot Lobster from
last week was something, wait till you see the monster in this issue!"
Maybe it's just me, but I don't think, "Our product is slightly preferable
to mechanical seafood!" is a good slogan to sell comics. Since said robot
lobster didn't exactly wow me anyway, it boded poorly for this outing.
Still, this is the grand return of Schultz and Mahnke to full-time duty, so
I'll be forgiving.
Our Plot: Two kids with a penchant for exploring abandoned waterfront
buildings discover a monster's lair. Ironically, the monster, Nekton, is
gentle and kindhearted, and he gives the children jewelry as a token of his
friendship. The kids tell their lowlife father Henry about the incident,
and he decides to investigate the situation in case there's more jewelry to
be had.
You can probably figure the rest out yourself, but just in case... Henry
convinces Nekton to steal more jewelry to 'support' the kids. Superman
finds out about the bizarre thefts and uncovers Nekton's lair. They fight,
the children beg them to stop, and Nekton apologizes for the error of his
ways. Henry agrees to make up for what he's done, and Superman suggests
that the kids teach Nekton how to be a good citizen.
Pretty straight-forward stuff. This issue reads like an episode of
Superman: The Animated Series, and is only a hair less predictable.
Admittedly, I didn't expect Henry and Nekton to both get let off the hook
so easily, but it was the last page, so maybe it was the only resolution
that would fit in the constraints of the issue.
Not much in the way of subplots, either. Of course, this installment was
sandwiched between two guest creative teams, so I suppose Schultz didn't
want to start any loose ends he couldn't finish right away. In Nekton's
defense, he is the genesis of a couple of plot points. First, Superman
thinks he's an escapee from the monster rampage in #85, so it stands to
reason Simyan and Mokkari might want their property back. Second, Superman
thought Nekton might be able to watch over the nearby harbor, so maybe he
might take a place in the supporting cast. Fortunately for him, Nekton's
creators will actually be around in six months -- which is more than I can
say for Cogito, Strange Visitor, or even Scorn (remember him?) -- so we
might actually get to see him again.
As always, *very* nice artwork from Mahnke and Nguyen. If nothing else,
Nekton has a really cool visual going for him. All the little things are
there: Clark descends down a manhole and looks around probably more out of
embarrassment than concern for his secret identity; Lois and Clark roll out
of bed, and while she's a wreck he looks like he's been up and around for
three hours already. I wish I could get this sort of thing on a more
regular basis, but it's still good enough to make up for the
paint-by-numbers story.
Which brings me back to the above trivia. Back in 1938, the cutting edge of
science fiction was a man picking up a car, and I'm sorry to say that
Superman hasn't done much lately to keep that edge. Now, the current buzz
is that _Man of Steel_ is supposed to become the "sci-fi" book in the
Superman lineup, but so far Mark Schultz has yet to impress me on that
front. So Nekton can convert himself into water. So Superman can perform
chemical analyses with his vision powers. Those are both innovative
concepts, but all it adds up to, "Here is another fight scene." Wouldn't it
have been a lot more interesting if Superman had used his powers to find
out just what makes Nekton tick? Suppose he's a collective consciousness
made up of microscopic sea life. Interesting, eh? After all, "How?" is the
question that defines science fiction. "What?" gave us Superman. "How?"
gave us Krypton, the Kents, the Eradicator, etc.
If Nekton is going to be developed further then I'll be happy to rescind
this complaint. Given a proper origin and direction he could be something
special. If he's just another "Monster of the Week" like a certain robot
lobster I know... well... I think we at the Kryptonian Cybernet have made
our feelings clear on that particular matter.
_________________________________________________
End of Section 3
_________________________________________________
THE TRIANGLE TITLES (cont):
--------------------------
40. SUPERMAN #149 Oct 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Who Is Strange Visitor, Chapter One: What?"
Writer/Storyteller: Randall Frenz
Artist/Storyteller: Ron Frenz
Finisher: Sal Buscema
Letterer: Steve Dutro
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Separations: Digital Chameleon
Associate: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Ron Frenz, Joe Rubinstein, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 2.5/5.0 Shields
TD: 1.5 Shields
BS: 3.0 Shields - Could Superman have been written as any more of an
idiot this issue? "Gee, I wonder what mystery the Professor is
talking about?" The colors on Strange Visitor are good; now let's
see what they do with her.
EM: 3.4 Shields - Ok. She's a little perky, but at least they get it
now. I never had a problem with a hero with electric powers and I
even liked the costume, but it didn't belong on Superman. I'm
willing to see where this goes.
JB: 0.2 Shields - Without a doubt, the most cliched, badly written,
poorly dialogued piece of tripe I've ever seen.
JH: 3.0 Shields - Nice artwork, and not too bad of a story, but did this
story really need to be stretched out to four issues? I doubt
anyone's going to want to stay on board for that long.
SI: 2.3 Shields - When do the new creative teams start? Until they do, we
get another mediocre fill-in month. I'm hoping the Strange Visitor
arc gets better, because the first part didn't hold my attention.
SL: 3.9 Shields - The work of Ron Frenz and Sal Buscema always amazes me;
I think they're simply among the greatest. Together, they're even
better. Even if we don't have any surprises in this story, it's so
well written that it's very enjoyable. A good first part.
ST: 1.9 Shields - Since they blew the whole climax of this four-part arc
in _Superman SF&O_ #2, I can't bring myself to care at all. That
Superman acts like an absolute idiot doesn't help matters.
SY: 3.2 Shields - Sadly it's not too difficult to work out just who
Strange Visitor is, but I'm interested to see just how this whole
situation came about. Too bad this story didn't go anywhere close
to answering some of those questions.
Review by: Thomas Deja <blackair@gis.net>
WARNING: The following review will contain gratuitous use of the phrase
'Sparky the Wonder Kryptonian,' because I know it makes Shane laugh. You've
been warned.
I remember a long while back, when the second _Superman Secret Files_ came
out, looking at Strange Visitor and going, "Oh, no." I honestly thought
that Outburst was going to be wearing the Sparky the Wonder Kryptonian
outfit judging from the way they were hinting that Mitch had control
problems with his powers. I also thought Strange Visitor was a hideous name
for a new character, awkward and stilted.
So now, many months after I was warned, I'm looking at a cover that swipes
from _Superman_ #123, featuring the self-same Strange Visitor in the pose
originally made infamous by Sparky the Wonder Kryptonian. Inside is...
well... basically fill-in, badly written and drawn by an artist I never
cared for and his brother, tricked out to be a major event. Sad, really.
**(Now if you want to see a really cool Superman cover, you should see this
month's _Wizard_. Ed McGuinness' Superman, flying right into the camera.
Classic pose. That McGuinness dude's got a lot of power to his pencils, and
it's a terrific piece of art. Only two months left until... no, get a
grip)**
"Who is Strange Visitor?" begins with the standard plane-crash-no-one-
should-walk-away-from-but-everyone-does. It is indicative of the lack of
imagination in this story that the last panel of this sequence centers on a
mother holding a little girl (mercifully *not* in pigtails; that would be
salt in the metaphoric wound), the girl holding out her hand and
proclaiming 'Look, mommy! It's an angel.' We're in for a wild ride, you
betcha.
Flash forward to Superman running around Metropolis trying to quench a
series of fires. We get more hints that this month's worth of stories is
going to be *very* painful in the narration by being reminded that even
though Superman has, "...earned the respect of men and the love of a strong
woman, he is a work in progress... a stranger in a strange land... alone in
a crowd...." No cliche is left unburied, it seems, in Frenz-land.
Then we see the cause of all this trouble: a terrorist called The Dome and
three android-looking fellas. The Dome walks around in this goofy looking
machine that looks like a sno-globe on legs. As a chubby bystander shouts
'Terrorists! They'll kill us all!' the Dome boasts of how he set up
explosions all over the city so he can 'steal components!'
**(There are some readers right now who are wondering why I'm quoting so
much of the dialogue and narration of this issue. Well, basically, I want
you to get a sense of the wince-factor of this issue. The Frenz brothers
are certainly no Jeph Loeb. Boy, I remember how crisp the writing was in
_Superman For All Seasons_, and now we're going to get that sort of
insightful prose every mon... no, Deja, focus!)**
Enter the woman dressed in Sparky The Wonder Kryptonian's duds. She smashes
up the android-looking dudes because -- guess what? -- they *are* androids,
and then gets pissed when the Dome threatens to kill innocent bystanders.
She defeats the Dome and pulls him from the machine (he's a guy with a big
head and a goatee, in case anyone's interested) and mocks him when he vows
revenge with a snappy, 'Yeah, right. You and what army of *real*
Super-villains?' She then heads off just as Superman shows up. Maggie
Sawyer fills him in on the newcomer, prompting Clark to be ultra-suspicious
of this girl in his cast-offs. Meanwhile, Sparkette the Knock-off
Kryptonian lands at her 'home base' and discusses the day's events with
Professor Hamil... uh, a mysterious figure with a cybernetic hand.
What follows is a short sequence in which Sparkette becomes a major
sensation while Supes tries to keep up, alternating between tracking down
witnesses to her previous appearances and staring at a bunch of news clips.
Meanwhile, we learn that there's some major street gang war going on, which
is caused by this dreadlocked guy named War and that Professor Hamilton
wants to see Superman to 'shed some light on a new mystery.' There's also
this kid in another part of the country looking for his girlfriend, who,
upon seeing a picture of the now-dubbed 'Strange Visitor' gasps, 'It can't
be! It's impossible! It IS!'
I want to remind you, folks that this is *actual* dialogue taken directly
from the book.
Still stumped, Clark heads over to Professor Hamilton to find Strange
Visitor herself waiting for him.
This is bad. I mean, really bad. The plot is forced, with the Frenz
brothers dumbing down Superman and his friends to make the story work.
After all, Superman *sees* pictures of this gal in his old Sparky the
Wonder Kryptonian outfit; he *knows* she has powers similar to what his
were during that period, yet it doesn't occur to him once to actually call
Professor Hamilton, the guy who helped build the containment suit? Of
course, Hamilton himself isn't doing anybody any favors by being so
mysterious, instead of out and out telling Superman what he wants. The fact
is this story is a big mess, and if this is indicative of the month we have
ahead of us, I may not survive to see October.
As for the art, I am not a big Ron Frenz fan. As long time readers know, I
find his swipes of Jack Kirby to be sub-standard and ill defined, with very
little detailing and a limited palette of poses and faces. Well, Frenz's
limitations are compounded by the use of Sal Buscema as inker. While I
could certainly see how an editor would choose Buscema to ink Frenz --
there's a definite similarity and a cleanness to the two men that makes it
seem a logical teaming -- Buscema's inks serve to emphasize Frenz's
shortcomings, reducing the man's minimal details into the equivalent of
coloring book outlines. It's a pretty sad showing for someone who was a
major contributor to the Triangle titles for a notable stretch.
**(Of course, if you want to see an artist who packs a lot of dynamic power
into his pencils without a lot of details, you should take a look at
McGuinness' cover again. I mean, here's a guy who obviously has some form
of manga influence on his work, yet doesn't let that influence rule him.
He, along with Mike Wieringo, seems to have taken a few elements from those
Japanese comics without slavishly imitating them, creating something that
is unique in and of itself. Damn, I can't wait for him and Loeb to... NO! I
must keep my eye on my subject...)**
You have to wonder who the target audience of this story was. I mean, are
there enough fans nostalgic for the Sparky the Wonder Kryptonian era that a
whole month introducing a female look-alike was warranted? Do they feel
that the general concept of an energy-being hero is viable enough to launch
the character into its own title, a la _Superboy_ and _Supergirl_? I don't
know, I just know one thing.
This story is bad, and I'm just waiting for the end of this era.
______________________________________________
SUPER-FAMILY TITLES:
-------------------
SUPERBOY #67 Oct 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Tooth and Claw"
Writer: Karl Kesel
Guest Penciller: Aaron Lopresti
Guest Inkers: Tom Simmons and Aaron Lopresti
Colors: Buzz Setzer
Letters: Comicraft
Ass't Editor: Frank Berrios
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Tom Grummett, Karl Kesel, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 2.8/5.0 Shields
RG: 4.0 Shields
BS: 2.8 Shields - King Shark has been much scarier before, and it seems
like making him from the Wild Lands somehow diminishes the
character. Any appearance of the Wild Lands is a good one, though.
JH: 3.5 Shields - This two-part arc became more interesting when King
Shark's connection to the Wild Lands was revealed. Grummett's art
is missed, though.
JSy: 3.0 Shields - Two things struck me as just plain wrong about this
issue. For one, I just can't buy that Dubbilex would so easily
believe what he's "hearing" from Guardian. For another, since when
has Winterborne been so openly resentful of his Cadmus posting?
Nonetheless, _Superboy_ remains a fun read.
SDM: 2.7 Shields - Ho-hum. While Superboy's wisecracks were rather funny,
the story was bland and poorly paced. I was not at all engaged
by the return to the Wild Lands or by the effort to flesh out
Winterborne's past. The guest art was OK.
SI: 2.7 Shields - A few subplots are advanced, but most of the issue is
taken up by the big fight between King Shark and Superboy et al.
It feels like Kesel is biding his time until Grummett returns.
SL: 1.2 Shields - A "big" fight, insipid dialogues... boring, all along
very boring. There's nothing -- nothing at all -- of interest.
Even Dubbilex's new friend makes me laugh.
Review by: Rene Gobeyn <rgobeyn1@rochester.rr.com>
This title continues to be my favorite monthly DC book. While this may not
be a good jump-on point for a new reader, they would only need to go back
to last month to get enough of the back-story to be comfortable.
This issue starts off with a bang -- or rather a "choom" -- as King Shark
makes his presence known to the party investigating the glowing swamp. For
those who are new to _Superboy_, King Shark is one of Superboy's first
original villains from his early Hawaii days. That he has ties back to the
Wild-Lands just gives more depth to the series.
As Superboy is fighting King Shark, Captain Kerk, of King Tuftan's royal
guard, shows up and adds to the battle, making up in bravery what he lacks
in firepower. Soon it's a free-for-all as King Shark proceeds to beat on
Superboy, Col. Winterborne, Kerk, King Tuftan, and Tawna until King Shark
leaves, dragging Tuftan with him. Kerk (who has had his arm broken in the
fight) discovers Ratsputin hiding nearby, and the rat-man is quickly
'convinced' to tell them that Tuftan is most likely not dead, but being
saved for later. He shows them where King Shark keeps his prisoners. As
they travel, we find out that Col. Winterborne is half Indian and learn a
bit more about his military career.
We make a short stop at Cadmus where we get an origin (of sorts) for the
Gene-gnome. Turns out he was created not by Cadmus, but by Simyan and
Mokkari. He and Dubbilex seem to be getting along well, but I'm still
suspicious.
Back in the Wild-Lands, King Tuftan finds himself, Llarry, and Llouise (the
missing folks/llamas from last issue) captive of King Shark. Meanwhile,
Superboy and the others have found Ratsputin's treasure room. In it are the
remains of the experimental jet that brought the Colonel to the Wild Lands
the first time. It still seems to be intact, but is so badly damaged it
will never fly again. While examining the jet, Tuftan and the two other
prisoners burst into the room, having escaped their holding pen by swimming
through the underwater caverns. Superboy and the others barely manage to
get them out of the water when King Shark reappears.
There is another brief interlude back at Cadmus where a buried glove is
found that seems to transport Guardian back to WWII.
As the battle rages strong in the Wild Lands, Ratsputin manages to trap the
others in the room with King Shark. Too bad something with long tentacles
is on *his* side of the door. King Shark is overpowering and getting the
best of the Kid until Winterborne gets his jet working again; he pierces
the man-shark with the jet's sharp nose and ends up blowing the engine. The
party limps back to Roam and are being treated for their injuries when a
distress call comes in from Cadmus... but that's a story for next month.
When I saw that King Shark was going to be the villain, I was dreading this
month's book. He has never been a favorite of mine; he is just big, strong
and stupid. While he can give the Kid a good fight, after a page or two,
you're ready for more of the story. After reading a bit over a year of
excellent work, I was very much afraid that I was going to have to slam
this one. I guess I shouldn't have worried; excellent story-telling pulled
this one out.
For a book that was mostly one fight scene after another, there was a fair
amount of characterization in the story. We find out a lot more about
Winterborne and the Gene-Gnome, the Cadmus subplot that has been building
for the past couple months is advanced, and a new Wild Lands subplot is
started. Kesel gets high marks from me for this one.
The art in the book was good to excellent. Lopresti is able to add more
characterization to the Wild Men's faces than anyone else I've seen since
Kirby's work in _Kamandi_. Grummett has always been my favorite _Superboy_
artist, but I think Lopresti does a better Wild Man. He fails to do as well
on human faces, though; I found them to be too angular in general. The
perspectives were very well done, but background detail was lacking. While
far from bad, the overall effect was not quite as pleasing as I've come to
expect.
=====================================
SUPERGIRL #37 Oct 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Heck's Angels, Part Four: Demon in a Bottle"
Writer: Peter David
Artists: Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs
Colorist: Gene D'Angelo
Seps: Digital Chameleon
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Asst. Ed.: Frank Berrios
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Leonard Kirk, Robin Riggs, and Patrick Martin
RATINGS
Average: 3.6/5.0 Shields
TD: 4.1 Shields
BS: 4.6 Shields - Top Ten Moments of 1999: Fite & Madd vs. Fred Danvers.
Again, this issue was low on characterization between the heroes,
but I'm intrigued by the Carnivore's plans. I keep flinching every
time Supergirl gets close to 'falling'.
EM: 3.5 Shields - Carnivean is a delight, and he is becoming one of my
favorite villains. Young Justice seems a little out of place in
this book, however.
JB: 3.9 Shields - I could've done without the evil lava-lamp from hell,
but Carnivean and his realm were really, really cool.
JSy: 2.9 Shields - Kirk and Riggs do a reasonably good job on the interior
art, but the cover left something to be desired. The story is
fairly typical fare for this title, with perhaps more action than
I'd prefer. In the end, I just didn't enjoy this crossover much.
SL: 3.2 Shields - The dialogue and story are far from grandiose, but the
essentials are here and the whole thing is fast-paced with little
dead air. I'm enjoying this four-part crossover with YJ, even if
the two parties haven't interacted much.
SY: 3.2 Shields - I didn't buy the crossover issues in _Young Justice_,
but I found this story interesting nonetheless.
Review by: Thomas Deja <blackair@gis.net>
You know, this is the second time of late that I've been very dissatisfied
with one of Peter David's set-ups, and twice that the climax really came
through for me. Whereas the first part of this story was schizophrenic and
crippled by the lame vaudeville that makes _Young Justice_ a book I simply
will not buy, this one was clever, smart, and even featured a couple of
gags I found amusing and clever.
Since last issue, Supergirl has fought the winged disco demon Dante and his
liquid lord Dis, while Young Justice turned evil thanks to the flying
telepathic monkeys on their backs. Well, Supergirl is still fighting Dis
and Dante, and having some problems. You see, she knows Dis is not an
Underlord as it claims; yet this 'sentient lava lamp' is able to will her
wings to freeze. In fact, there seems to be an overall dropping of the
temperature in and around Leesburg, judging by the way Fred Danvers' breath
frosts when he admonishes the unfortunately named Fite-N'-Madd.
Watching all this is Mr. Carnivean, who stops by Stubbs' forge to monitor
Supergirl's progress. His hope is that Dante will so infuriate Supergirl
that the Maid of Might will kill the demon, thus completing her fall from
grace. As is usually the case when you have multiple opponents, however,
Dis accidentally incinerates Dante in his pursuit of Supergirl, causing
Dante's 'disco inferno' to fall apart. Meanwhile, the Super-Cycle discovers
a way to free Young Justice from flying-monkey-thrall and the gathered
heroes evacuate Dante's prisoners just in time for everyone to witness Dis'
surprising fate -- a fate surprising to Carnivean as well, for it seems
Hell has frozen over.
My biggest problem with the first part of this crossover (I did not read
the _Young Justice_ portions) was the way the story whiplashed from a
_Supergirl_-style story to a _Young Justice_-style one. In this issue,
David more seamlessly integrates the elements making for a much smoother
reading experience. As the icing of the cake, he also manages to keep the
consistency of both sets of characters. He creates a couple of very nice
character touches (I was particularly taken with the scene of Arrowette
professing her admiration of Supergirl; it's sweet and lovely without
stopping the story one bit) and keeps the crossover going in the context of
the themes of the book. Most importantly, David integrates his jokes fully
into the story, using them to advance the plot. If he did this more often
rather than stopping the flow in mid-scene to drop a joke on us, I'd be
willing to bet he'd be ever better regarded than he is now.
And then there's Carnivean. One of the things I like the most about David
as a writer is his willingness to do things that throw his characters and
storylines into new light. This is, I feel, an outgrowth of his tendency to
plan ahead in the long term. Ever since his revelation, Carnivean's
presence continues to entice. Sure, he's a charismatic sucker, but he also
makes long-time readers question what has been going on since the
beginning. The impression I'm getting is that it's going to be a long time
before this phase of Supergirl's career wraps up, and while David's long
term planning has backfired on occasion, I'm really hoping we get to see
Carnivean's plan played out as he envisions it.
Kirk and Riggs continue to excel artistically. Their subtlety in particular
gets a workout in relation to some of the gags. Take a look at the bottom
of page sixteen. I could see other artists 'punching up' the joke with
speedlines and whirlwinds; instead, Kirk just omits Impulse from the
preceding panel, shows him saluting Fred and lets *us* fill in the blanks.
It's hilarious, and I think it works better *because* of Kirk's restraint.
It's also notable that David could have made the dropping in temperature in
Leesburg much more obvious. Instead, he has enough confidence in his
collaborators to let their art tell the tale. It's this sort of
collaboration we *should* see more often in comics, but rarely do.
When they're on, David, Kirk, and Riggs are an unbeatable combination. All
three play to each other's strength, and what results is entertaining, not
to mention, from time to time, thought-provoking. In "Demon in a Bottle",
they are *on*.
_________________________________________________
End of Section 4
_________________________________________________
SUPER-FAMILY TITLES (cont):
--------------------------
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #36 Oct 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"This Is A Job For Superman"
Writer: Mark Millar
Penciller: Aluir Amancio
Inker: Terry Austin
Colorist: Marie Severin
Separations: Zylonol
Letterer: Phil Felix
Asst. Ed: Frank Berrios
Editor: Mike McAvennie
Cover: Mike Manley, Terry Austin, Marie Severin, and Zylonol
RATINGS
Average: 4.4/5.0 Shields
CoS: 5.0 Shields
JE: 4.5 Shields - Possibly Millar's best issue yet. A non-stop ride that
I had to read twice to make sure I got everything. I hope we see
more of this type of human perspective in both of Millar's titles
in the months to come.
JH: 4.3 Shields - A touching Maggin-esque tale with some very nice
sentiments. Millar is perfect for this series, and Amancio has
loads of potential.
JSy: 4.2 Shields - Wonderful! A brilliant day-in-the-life-of-Superman
story that beautifully captures the essence of why the Man of
Steel has endured as an icon for more than 60 years.
ST: 3.6 Shields - Definitely enjoyable, but Millar takes everything too
far over-the-top; a cave-in *and* a flood, a late heart for a
transplant *on* a hijacked plane, small meteors puncturing a space
station *and* a planet-killer. In some cases, less is better.
SY: 5.0 Shields - Perfect! Loved it! This is Superman! Up there with the
likes of _Peace on Earth_. Millar has outdone himself.
Review by: Cory Strode <Solitaire.Rose@worldnet.att.net>
One of the story themes that have been bouncing around with Superman and
related characters is just how busy they are as a super-hero. The first
issue of _Astro City_ did a beautiful job of showing how a Superman-like
character really can't ever stop. The interminable "Superman Rex" arc
seemed to start with Superman deciding that he can't ever stop doing what
he does. At least, I think it did; the medication and time have blotted out
the pain of that story in my memory. The current issue of _Superman
Adventures_ mines the same ground and comes up with a completely different
twist on the theme, showing that the plot of a story isn't as important as
its execution.
The story begins quietly, with a small boy asking Superman to find his lost
dog, while Superman rushes from one emergency to another. The plot is
episodic and simple in its construction. Superman saves a woman in a
wrecked ambulance, stops hijackers, saves people trapped in a cave-in,
saves an innocent man on death row, and saves a space station from
destruction in a meteor shower. Oh, and in the last page, the dog is back
in the little boy's apartment. Simple, right?
You would think so, but Millar is able to construct the story seamlessly.
In the past, I have said that he leaves holes in his plots, or has trouble
getting from plot point to plot point, but with this issue it was almost
like Millar had read those criticisms and wanted to show that he could do
it right. Each emergency works into the other, with Superman either hearing
about another emergency or being told of one just as he finishes solving
the current crisis. The story moves so fast that it almost seems like it is
shorter than an average issue.
One thing that struck me about the story was that Millar chose to show us
Superman the way people see him. In the regular Superman book we usually
see things through Superman's perspective, and are privy to his thought
processes, private life, etc. This issue uses no thought balloons for
Superman; all we know of him is what he says to other people. We don't know
what he's thinking and we don't know how he makes his decisions on what to
do next, or how to solve the crisis at hand. This works best in the
sequence where Superman is saving the Space Station, since the astronauts
have no contact with him, and we see Superman not as a person, but as a
force of nature counteracting other forces of nature.
Amancio does a great job at pushing the story forward, not just with layout
and panel placement, but with the urgency of character drawing. Superman
looks as if he's moving forward, going from panel to panel, pulling our
eyes as fast as we can read the words. Very rarely do we see an expression
on Superman's face, and while in other stories that can be a problem, in
this case it adds to this story. It distances us from Superman, reminding
us that he is apart from us. In many panels Superman is in silhouette or
seen as he is going away, further distancing the reader, and driving home
the story's point.
_Superman Adventures_ works best when it works on two levels, like all good
entertainment that children can enjoy with their parents. For younger fans,
it is a heartwarming story of Superman saving a boy's puppy and a lot of
other people. For older fans, this is a well-done action story with a
subtle reminder of Superman being a Strange Visitor From Another World.
______________________________________________
TEAM TITLES:
-----------
JLA #34 Oct 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"The Ant and the Avalanche"
Writer: Grant Morrison
Penciller: Howard Porter
Inker: John Dell
Letterer: Ken Lopez
Colorist: Pat Garrahy
Separations: Heroic Age
Assoc. Ed.: Tony Bedard
Editor: Dan Raspler
Cover: Porter and Dell
RATINGS
Average: 3.0/5.0 Shields
EM: 3.3 Shields
BS: 3.8 Shields - So much happened this issue that it took a re-read to
understand it, but the suspense is building toward Mageddon's
arrival. Looks like every bad guy with a grudge is coming out of
the woodwork, and the battle looks to be bloody.
JB: 2.8 Shields - Morrison regains his coherence; too bad this story
isn't that exciting. Here's hoping Mageddon provides a bigger
threat than a few third-string villains.
JE: 4.2 Shields - A very intriguing beginning to Mageddon. Once again
Luthor is on top of things with his Machiavellian schemes, and
Morrison makes second string villains seem threatening. Porter's
artwork was quite on target this issue.
JH: 3.0 Shields - The worst Howard Porter art to date, and not the best
of offerings from Morrison, but worth picking up for the set-up of
the "World War Three" arc.
JSy: 3.7 Shields - One of Morrison's best issues in months, without the
trademark confusion that plagued his recent stories. As usual,
great characterization, especially in the revelation of Luthor's
manipulations. By the way, when did Orion get a dog?
SI: 0.5 Shields - It's been a long time since I read a story this
confusing and hard to follow. Morrison is capable of much better.
SY: 2.8 Shields - Improves my respect for Green Lantern, however as
usual, Morrison has too much going on for my liking.
Review by: Edward Mathews <em11@is3.nyu.edu>
Synopsis:
A prison riot at Belle Reve sets into motion the first part of the final
story arc by Grant Morrison. While most of the JLA is occupied with the
prison break, Superman is busy saving a space station, and Steel and the
Huntress deal with a security risk at the Watchtower. An unknown spacecraft
rescues the General (formerly the Shaggy Man) in deep space. At the prison,
the new Red Dart manages to steal Green Lantern's ring in the ruckus so it
can be analyzed by the JLA foe Prometheus. The ring is returned to Superman
by Red Dart as the rest of the JLA finally learns why Zauriel, Orion, and
Barda joined the team: Mageddon is here and somehow the prison riot is
related. To top it all off, several wars have broken out on Earth and Lex
Luthor's Injustice Gang is back. Wacky hi-jinks ensue.
Review:
Fasten your seatbelts, kids; you're going to be in for a bumpy ride. In our
latest installment of _JLA_, Grant Morrison starts his final story arc:
Mageddon. This arc has been foreshadowed since the team doubled in size.
For a set-up issue, this was an interesting read. The best part of the book
was not the high-level action scenes or the complicated plot twists that
will probably not be resolved to anyone's satisfaction given the last set
of huge story arcs ("Crisis Times Five", "Rock of Ages"); the best part was
seeing the JLA from the point of view of the new Red Dart.
The Red Dart was an old foe of Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow. This new Red
Dart apparently has little to do with the former bearer of the name aside
from purchasing the old costume and equipment. He steals the Green
Lantern's ring, lets Prometheus analyze it, and then returns it at the
prison to the JLA. He manages to accomplish his mission without screwing up
or getting sidetracked. Despite this, he's strictly small-time as far as
super-villains go and that's what makes his view of the JLA interesting.
He's in awe that he actually saw an angel. His narration of the events is
what made this book worth the price of admission this month. Morrison gave
this two-bit villain more of a personality in one issue than Zauriel has
displayed throughout almost the run of JLA.
I say almost the entire run because in this issue, Zauriel actually
functions without impediment. He knocks out the Rainbow Raider swiftly and
he finds the source of all the chaos in the basement of the prison. You get
the feeling that the angel is in for a big fall during this story arc,
though. I just wish they kept his original characterization when he
debuted; he was funny and there was a tragic element to him that we just
haven't seen in a long while. It will be a true waste of a potentially good
character if he bites the dust.
The Superman bits were less interesting this month, but this is probably
due to the fact that crises were arranged to keep big blue occupied, thanks
to Luthor and his latest scheme with the new Injustice Gang. The internal
dialog the Red Dart has when he meets Superman, though, is perfect.
I was very glad to see Mr. Miracle return. He is Barda's husband, and a
former member of the JLA, after all. Very few husband and wife teams have
had JLA membership status and their time with the JLA during the Giffen run
was enjoyable. I was always puzzled as to why they sent Orion over Scott
Free, but at least now we get to have both of them.
This issue could have been a convoluted mess, and without the Red Dart it
would not have held up as a stand-alone issue. Fortunately for us, Morrison
figured that out and gave us an issue that had a lot of set-up for the
biggest threat to the JLA while remaining a perfectly enjoyable single
issue.
Art:
Hitch and Neary do an incredible job. I mean, how cool was it seeing Jenny
Sparks take out an armada of... oops. That was the art team on _The
Authority_, the future art team on _JLA_ when Mark Waid takes over the
book. Porter does manage to have some nice bits in this issue, but the
layouts were a bit confusing during most of the story. While I love his
illustrations of characters like Plastic Man, the General (formerly the
Shaggy Man), and that icky eyeball thing, most of his human characters
retain that "action figure" style, making all the people look like they are
constipated or in constant pain. The angles of some of the shots are so
weird in some places that they are disorienting. An issue like this one
offsets every issue I think that Porter and Dell have improved; it's as if
they've regressed.
Conclusion:
If you've been following the series this long, don't stop now. Morrison has
had the Mageddon story arc in mind since he started writing the book, and
this issue marks the prelude to the biggest firework displays that the JLA
has yet seen. If you haven't been reading all these big story arcs, but
want to get an update, this issue will do that for you as well. If only the
art could improve just enough to match the writing we'd have a good ending
on Morrison's run, but I have to subtract .5 shields from this month's
rating for the art; even the cover was a crowded mess.
[Note: next month is a fill-in issue revolving around the crossover "Day of
Judgement" and will feature guest writer J.M. Dematteis]
=====================================
YOUNG JUSTICE #13 Oct 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Heck's Angels, Part 3: Dis, Dat and De Other"
Writer: Peter David
Pencils: Todd Nauck
Inks: Lary Stucker
Colors: Jason Wright
Letters: Ken Lopez
Assoc. Ed.: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Cover: Nauck, Stucker, and Wildstorm
RATINGS
Average: 2.8/5.0 Shields
GR: 0.9 Shields
BS: 3.9 Shields - I'm glad the JLA is finally taking interest in RT's
problems. As crossovers go, this one is very good, if lacking in
characterization. More single-writer crossovers!
EM: 3.6 Shields - Maybe it was the Red Tornado bit, but I preferred this
over the Supergirl issue this month.
GD: 1.5 Shields - An issue of YJ about Supergirl with minor cameos by YJ
-- yuck. Luckily the bits with YJ were hilarious, especially Robin
and Impulse, and Wonder Girl should definitely keep the vest.
JB: 3.0 Shields - YJ's world hasn't really meshed with Supergirl's, but
the hints at Secret's past are intriguing.
JSy: 3.0 Shields - Forget the disco hell. The good stuff is in the scenes
involving Red Tornado and the Secret, promising some interesting
developments to come. Nauck does a better job of making the age
differences between characters more apparent than he did in the
JLA appearances a few months back.
SI: 3.3 Shields - If anything, this is more of a Supergirl story than a
Young Justice tale. As the middle part of a crossover, this story
works well. It'll be interesting to see where the Secret sub-plot
is going.
Review by: Gary D. Robinson <robinfam@akron.infi.net>
Back when dinosaurs waddled the earth and one had to watch TV by
candlelight, the Superman-family books sported "Coming Attractions" at the
foot of the last page of a story. There were three small posters announcing
the thrills and chills to come in other titles. You read the story in, say,
_Action Comics_, then checked out "Coming Attractions" to see what was
going to happen in _Superboy_, _Adventure Comics_, or _Superman's Girl
Friend, Lois Lane_. It was a charming and unobtrusive sales-gimmick.
Nowadays, however, this device is woven into the "story" itself. So,
instead of finding out what happens to Young Justice in Disco-Hell, and
then seeing blurbs from forthcoming issues of YJ and other titles, the
sales hooks are embedded throughout, snagging us left and right as we go.
"Plot threads, Gary," someone may casually remark. "Not sales-gimmicks,
plot threads. You see, the modern comic book is as far from your antiquated
notion of story as the moon is from green cheese. The idea that a single
issue, even three issues, should house such simple story structure as
Conflict and the Resolution to said conflict is behind the times." Speaking
of being behind the times, do any of you recall Scotty's wonderful line
about the starship Excelsior in "The Search for Spock"? Says Sulu, "She's
supposed to have transwarp drive." The old engineer replies, "Aye! And if
my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a wagon." Scotty fires another zinger
later on: "The more they overtake the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up
the drain."
Too many plot threads do indeed stop the narrative flow, resulting in a
stringy mess in the drain. This particular issue of YJ starts out in
Disco-Hell. YJ is grappling with Supergirl. They canna help it, Captain!
The beasties have burrrrowed into theirrr necks! (Sorry, I'm stuck on
Scotty.) There are the usual fisticuffs of the usual super-kind. Supergirl
does her earthborn-angel bit, igniting a spark of recognition in one of
Hell's denizens. Apparently, she's not just any angel but an angel named
Ember. Looks like a Coming Attractions panel to me.
The trend continues throughout. We go to Red Tornado, who has turned
himself in and gone to jail. He's telling Marvin the Martian -- I mean, the
Martian Manhunter -- to go away and leave him alone. He dinna want na help,
Captain! Then we go back to Hell, then back to jail, then to Traya's
mother's hospital room. Now it's Coming Attractions time again: a teaser
page showing a chick in a bubble bath. A guy drops a radio in the water.
Result: fried chick. We're off now to Leesburg, where the demon-infested YJ
disrupts a meeting of some absolutely despicable, thoroughly detestable,
ridiculously insensate NRA-types. Then it's back to jail and the Coming
Attraction hint that the young'uns have a decrepit counterpart in "Old
Justice". Back, now, to Hell for more meaningless battling and bated-breath
dialogue, climaxing in -- Coming Attractions again -- Supergirl's
confrontation with a demon that looks like a cross between a slug and a
lollypop. Though this issue's over, we're still in Hell. Truly.
The thing reads like 20 minutes of movie-trailers, and where is PAD's
sprightly dialogue? If there's any humor this time around, I missed it. If
only I could care about anything that happens to the creatures in this
issue. PAD's made me care, as he's made me laugh, before. I might want to
read any one of the stories touted or hinted at -- if I knew for a fact I
could do it without being interrupted by the next sales-pitch. (Excuse me;
plot thread.) The "story" is rightly titled "Dis, Dat and De Other," and
the book left me worn out and frustrated. It's the kind of an issue that
makes me want to drop a title like a hot rock.
_________________________________________________
End of Section 5
_________________________________________________
MINISERIES:
----------
A. BIZARRO #4 Oct 1999 $2.50 US/$3.95 CAN
"Viva Bizarro!"
Writer: Steve Gerber
Penciller: M. D. Bright
Inker: Greg Adams
Letterer: Steve Dutro
Colorist: Tom Ziuko
Separator: Digital Chameleon
Associate: Maureen McTigue
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Cover: Bright and Adams
RATINGS
Average: 3.8/5.0 Shields
GN: 2.6 Shields
BS: 4.5 Shields - "The sooner, the later." Viva Bizarro, indeed. This
miniseries was inspired, and I am waiting impatiently for an
_A. Bizarro_ special.
JE: 4.5 Shields - A bizarre ending to an excellent mini-series. Gerber
and Bright created a wonderful character in Al and I hope we see
more of him soon.
JSy: 3.5 Shields - A worthy conclusion to an excellent miniseries, but the
tale feels somehow incomplete, as if Gerber just ran out of ideas
and let the story dwindle to a close.
SL: 4.0 Shields - Why this is the last issue of Al? I simply ask for more
great stories like the ones I've read these past four months.
I really love this Bizarro; humanity and characterisation are much
more important to me than half-naked heroines.
ST: 3.0 Shields - Al's unique look at the world made for some interesting
moments, but I'd rather have seen him in situations to which we
could relate than on Apokolips or in a guerilla revolution.
SY: 3.0 Shields - Fun but I just never got into this whole series. Kind
of pointless in my opinion.
TD: 4.5 Shields - An excellent wrap-up to an excellent series; consistent
in tone and loaded with the patented Gerber humor. Gerber and
Bright work wonders, never sacrificing jokes for characterization,
and using a fine sense of the absurd to get their points across.
Review by: G.M. Nelson <KALEL224@aol.com>
What a great premise. What fun dialogue. What a great start.
What a disappointment.
After a promising first two issues, _A. Bizarro_ took a pretty steep dive
with issue three, and continued in that direction in the finale.
Pursuing his template Al Beezer's dream of becoming a rock star, it isn't
long before the now affluent Bizarro -- Beezer's imperfect duplicate,
created by a Lexcorp experiment -- comes to the attention of Lex Luthor.
Lex, who sees Bizarro as his property and has been looking for him since
his escape from Lexcorp last issue, figures that everything Bizarro has
earned belongs to him and gets the authorities to confiscate Bizarro's
goods. The police are just taking Bizarro into custody when he is freed by
Seera, his musical partner from Apokolips. The two of them, along with
their agent, J. Wilbur Wolfingham, use Bizarro's Mother Box to escape.
The sentient Mother Box creates a boom tube that takes them to San Latte, a
South American nation whose citizens are being abused by both their own
president and by Luthor, who owns the exclusive rights for the country's
coffee crop, which the citizens have to pick for a pittance. Bizarro is
convinced to lead the populace of San Latte in their revolution --
eventually overthrowing the government and revealing some of Mr. Luthor's
shady dealings at the coffee plant. Oh, and Superman shows up too, because
Clark Kent is poking around the El Lexigente plant on a story. (Don't ask
me where this fits into continuity.)
The plot is a bit complicated -- just check out the previous paragraphs --
and unfortunately that is the key problem with what started out to be a
pretty good mini-series. Mind you, Steve Gerber's characterization, and his
handling of Bizarro and the supporting cast, is pretty good; check out the
scenes featuring Luthor's aides, Aliska and Tiffany. His handling of Luthor
is right on target, and his use of Bizarro-speak and logic is funny without
crossing the line into annoying.
The problem is that the story itself just got too complicated, and the more
outlandish turns the story took, the more it lost its simple charm. In the
first two issues, half the fun was watching Bizarro cope with normal human
people and situations as he tried to find his purpose, but in the third
issue he was tossed into an alien environment (Apokolips), which diluted
the effectiveness of his own alien-ness. The same thing happened this issue
with his trip via Mother Box to San Latte. (Why the Mother Box is acting
like this at all I'm not sure.)
The art in this last issue also proved to be disappointing as well. Clark
Kent looks almost anorexic at some times (all this guy does to become
Superman is change clothes, but as Clark he's drawn as though he needs to
get to a gym -- stat!), and just plain goofy at others. Just check out the
glasses on him. I normally like M.D. Bright's work, but in this issue it
occasionally left me cold.
With the door left open for future appearances by A. Bizarro, I'm hopeful
that Gerber -- or whatever writer handles him in the future -- will
remember what made the early chapters of this title fun.
=====================================
BATMAN AND SUPERMAN: WORLD'S FINEST #7 Oct 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN
"Year Seven: A Better World"
Writer: Karl Kesel
Penciller: Peter Doherty
Inker: Robert Campanella
Colorist: Alex Sinclair
Letterer: Clem Robins
Assoc. Ed.: Joseph Illidge
Editor: Darren Vincenzo
Cover: Dave Taylor and Robert Campanella
RATINGS
Average: 4.0/5.0 Shields
SDM: 4.2 Shields
EM: 3.3 Shields - Having her name the kid Jason was a very nice touch.
It's good to see Bruce out of his element.
JH: 4.5 Shields - My favorite Superman moment of the year, when he shows
Batman his father's cornfields and tells him this is what he
fights for. Great artwork, too.
JSy: 4.7 Shields - Wow. Kesel really gets into the heads of the heroes
in this one, and the result is a powerful and moving issue. While
the lack of action may not be everyone's cup of tea, this is
one of the best explorations of the characters' differences,
similarities, and motivations that I've ever read.
SL: 3.0 Shields - The story starts with very good intentions -- a strong
introduction and scripting page after page -- but the intensity
falls just before a good ending with the birth of a new Jason. The
art is too repetitive,though, and doesn't do justice to the
script. What a pity !
SY: 4.0 Shields - Loved Superman's determination to get a better
understanding of their individual situations and a sharing of
burdens. Great character interaction.
Review by: Simon DelMonte <sdelmonte@aol.com>
It's shortly after the death of Jason Todd and the crippling of Barbara
Gordon, and not long after Superman executed the Phantom Zone villains in
the Pocket Universe. Upon his return from his self-imposed exile in space,
Superman goes to the Batcave to clear the air with Batman and to prevent
the angry and depressed Dark Knight from burning himself out. Clearing the
air, however, includes Supes confessing that before he stopped Batman from
killing the Joker, he played judge, jury, and executioner. An infuriated
Batman wants to throw Supes out, but Supes grabs him and flies them to
Smallville.
What follows is a heart-wrenching exploration of two heroes' travails and
fears, where the two protagonists bare their souls to each other in an
attempt to come to grip with the tragedies that have changed their lives.
Superman tells of his breakdown and his Batman-like Gangbuster identity.
Batman faces his guilt over Jason's death. Superman comes to redouble his
resolve not to take a life again, and begins to see that if he has to fight
to the death, he will. Batman accepts that Jason Todd (and the others in
the fight in Gotham) made a choice to be part of his life. And Superman is
starting to realize that Lois is and always has been part of his life, even
if Batman thinks Supes taking a wife is a dangerous idea.
The self-reflection is interrupted by a call for help from a pregnant
Smallville woman whose doctor has collapsed from a heart attack. Superman
delivers the baby, Batman does CPR on the doctor, and a happy Superman
suggests flapjacks to celebrate a good day. The tale ends with Clark and
"Wayne" eating breakfast at the Kents' farm, where Clark tells that he
suggested the new baby be named Jason and where Bruce accepts that taking a
journey off the beaten track can help you learn something about life.
This story is what I think I expected from the beginning; just Superman and
Batman, the world's finest team, comparing notes and coping with what comes
their way. No fight scenes, no strange Kirby-esque villains: just two men
angry and scared and hopeful and sad. Kesel lays all the emotions bare,
never once strikes a wrong note in conveying those feelings. Rarely have
these heroes been more human. Even more impressively, Karl doesn't let the
tale become maudlin; the heroes talk, they face their fears, and then they
go save some lives.
It helps tremendously that many of us remember reading the stories to which
the heroes refer. We remember as if it were yesterday the horror of Jason's
death and Batman's confrontation with Superman as the Joker went to the UN.
We remember Superman's painful decision to execute Zod and his partners in
genocide. We remember our own feelings at such horrific events. It's
revealing to see things from a new and more personal perspective. This also
reminds us that DC has lost a lot by letting Superman and Batman's
individual histories get so muddled; it would have been nice to see the
heroes at the intersections of other noteworthy moments in their careers,
but those moments don't exist anymore for Supes and barely seem to exist
for Batman.
As fine as the script is, the art carries the story. Doherty and Campanella
make up for the weak art of the first six issues with perfect renderings of
Smallville and a heartbreaking shot of Superman standing next to the
display case containing Jason's costume. The faces are expressive and the
people look like who they're supposed to look like. The exaggeration we saw
previously is gone, as Campanella's inks seem to be under control at last,
allowing Doherty's pencils to shine. Special kudos also go to colorist Alex
Sinclair for bringing the wheat fields of Kansas to amber life, and to Dave
Taylor and Campanella (and Mr. Sinclair, I would assume) for a spectacular
cover.
I thought that Kesel didn't have it anymore, that this series would
continue to be bland and a bit silly. With one stunning issue, Karl has
made _World's Finest_ worthwhile. I'm now looking forward to issue nine,
where the repercussions of Superman's "death" and Batman's near-death will
be dealt with. Until then, I'm quite glad to say that this issue is the
best Superman story so far this year. It serves a reminder of what Superman
stands for and what we hope he'll continue to stand for as the new writers
begin their work in October.
______________________________________________
SPECIALS:
--------
JLA: FOREIGN BODIES Oct 1999 $5.95 US/$9.25 CAN
Writer: Len Kaminski
Penciller: Val Semeiks
Inker: Prentis Rollins
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Colorist: John Kalisz
Separations: Heroic Age
Assoc. Ed.: Tony Bedard
Editor: Dan Raspler
Cover: Semeiks and Rollins
RATINGS
Average: 3.9/5.0 Shields
EM: 4.0 Shields
JB: 4.8 Shields - Kaminski delivers on this one. It's pure Silver Age
fun, and it was great to see Superman save the day instead of
Batman for once.
JE: 4.2 Shields - This was a very entertaining and well thought-out
issue. Kaminski really knows how to write the Martian Manhunter
-- another of my favorite characters -- so that only added to my
enjoyment of this issue.
JSy: 4.0 Shields - The art was very nice, the plot was interesting,
and the characterization was beautiful. Kaminski and Semeiks
wonderfully portray both the initial confusion and, later, the
growing comfort of the heroes during their displacement. If only
the book hadn't been so darned expensive!
SL: 4.1 Shields - Not an original idea, but it's so well done. Watching
each hero experiment with their new bodies and experience another
person's body, view, and perceptions made for some great reading,
and a very good special.
SY: 3.5 Shields - A very entertaining issue. It took me a while to
understand just who swapped with whom, but overall I thought it
was handled well. I loved the fact that Superman came to the fore
in saving the day... minus his familiar powers.
TD: 3.0 Shields - Even though I find Kobra to be one of the most tedious
villains in the history of comics, Kaminski really spins a nice
tale with a lot of characterization touches, showing us a Justice
League that works first and foremost as a team and not as a bunch
of individuals sharing the same cool HQ.
Review by: Edward Mathews <em11@is3.nyu.edu>
Synopsis:
Kobra, a cult leader living under the delusion that he is the rightful
ruler of the supposed upcoming dark age that Earth will fall under, uses
some advanced technology to have 8 of the members of the JLA, along with a
character named Psykosis, to switch minds and bodies. Most of the issue
deals with how the different members deal with their new bodies. Kobra
almost wins. Superman saves the day. Wacky hi-jinks ensue.
Review:
I openly admit I am a fan of Len Kaminski. Many writers have no idea how to
use a good villain with delusions of grandeur. Take this into consideration
when I say that this is the best use of the villain Kobra in years.
Kaminski turns in a tale that both fits in with the "big budget movie" feel
that Morrison conveys in his run of JLA while doing something that Morrison
tends to forget to do: fleshing out the characters. The technique that
Kaminski uses to explore the different personalities on the team is an
effective one. We see the character of Bruce Wayne trapped in the body of
Superman pondering the implications of such a switch and how uncomfortable
he is with that kind of power. We see Aquaman deal with life as a surface
dweller and a woman just as Flash has to cope with not moving fast in the
body of Steel.By forcing the characters to walk a mile in another
teammate's shoes, we the readers are given insight into what makes these
characters tick. Even Zauriel, who isn't part of the switch, is fleshed out
nicely as we see some of the old humor that was originally part of the
character.
The highlight of the book was seeing Superman deal with his body switch. As
part of his attempt to take over the Watchtower, Kobra switched his own
mind into the body of Batman and Superman's mind into Kobra's body. For
most of the book, including the cover, we are led to believe that Superman
and Batman switched. This was an interesting bait and switch. The endgame
where Superman in Kobra's body stops Kobra's loyal followers by actually
commanding them to stop was a smart move that Kobra obviously felt Superman
wasn't clever enough to think of.
There's only one thing I didn't care for: Barbara Gordon's portrayal. It's
not that I can't believe that she might like to walk again for a day, it's
that Oracle is a secret member. Of course Kobra didn't take her into
account! No one is supposed to know she is there.
Art:
Semeiks and Rollins turn in a decent job, but if we're going to have faux
Porter, give us Mark Pajarillo. The art wasn't bad, it just wasn't any more
dynamic than Porter's art with slightly better layouts. For $5.95, I expect
a little more.
Conclusion:
In spite of the standard art, this was a very enjoyable stand-alone tale
that explored the characters while presenting an action filled story.
Kaminski has a gift and I hope DC uses it for more than one-shots.
=====================================
SUPERMAN ANNUAL #11 Oct 1999 $2.95 US/$4.50 CAN
"The Apes of Wrath"
Writers: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning
Penciller: Joe Phillips
Inks: Rich Faber and Rob Stull
Colors: Jason Wright
Letters: John Workman
Assoc. Monkey: Maureen McTigue
Beppo the Super-Monkey: Eddie Berganza
Cover: Art Adams
RATINGS
Average: 2.4/5.0 Shields
JH: 3.5 Shields
BS: 2.0 Shields - An entire issue of Superman fighting an ape, and no
mention of his battle with Titano? For shame, for shame!
EJ: 2.4 Shields - A cartoonish story with art to match. Memorable
moments: when the giant ape, who Lois thinks is her husband, eats
her (LOL!) and the look on the prince's face when he realises he's
been tricked. Overall, though, this was a forgettable story.
EM: 2.0 Shields - Gyah! Well, JLApe started out amusingly enough.
Unfortunately, this issue borders on totally unreadable. While the
art is pretty decent, I can't take the giant steel monkey as a
serious threat, nor should I have to.
JB: 2.9 Shields - Good... but not great. The giant robot gorilla saves
this one.
JSy: 1.5 Shields - Dumb, pointless tale which should have been told in
*many* fewer pages. Absolutely too much padding in the form of
full- and double-page splashes. And could someone please explain
to me why Superman's *boots* would have been transformed? Not
even an Art Adams cover saves this one.
TD: 2.7 Shields - This is one of the few JLApe Annuals (Green Lantern is
the other) that seems to be interested in more than cracking ape
jokes. It's nice to see Superman win by *talking* to his opponent
rather than using brute force.
Reviewed by: Josh Hill <KryptoJosh@aol.com>
Part of the JLApe linked-annuals, _Superman Annual_ #11 continues the tale
of Gorilla City's declaration of war on humankind. Here we see Prince Ulgo
of Gorilla City commandeering a magically powered giant war robot in ape
form (yes, I said that!) and wreaking havoc throughout Metropolis. Luckily,
Superman is able to escape his own monkey-ness (he was transformed into a
simian in the JLA annual) in time to play Charlton Heston and take out the
darn dirty ape.
It wasn't an easy task for Supes, however. He and Lois spent nearly the
first half of this story just trying to return our Man of Steel to normal,
and just as Superman solved the dilemma, Ulgo had already taken Lois
prisoner by popping her down his robot's mouth and keeping her hostage in
its control room. Superman realizes she's inside this juggernaut, so he
knows he must pull his punches just enough to not harm her but still keep
Ulgo's onslaught from causing more horrible destruction. Along with this is
the magic that fuels the "Grogamesh", and we all know Superman and magic
just do not mix well together.
Eventually, it comes down to Superman and Lois using their noodles and
convincing Ulgo he's been misled somehow by his fellow apes (Lois gathered
up evidence in the early part of the story that pointed to a conspiracy by
other unknown gorillas), giving The Man of Steel an opportunity to smash
the Grogamesh into pieces. It's a lot of two-fisted action in the classic
Superman "More Powerful Than A Locomotive" vein that Dan Abnett and Andy
Lanning bring to us, and it's highly entertaining.
Abnett and Lanning appear to be fans of the '70s era Superman, as many of
their stories of the Last Son of Krypton seem to have all these same
elements you'd have found in that period: Superman's constant use of
exclamations like "Great Krypton", the focus on the investigative reporting
lives of Lois and Clark, and the somewhat-serious (despite the outward
appearance) villains. Yes, you still encounter these things in modern
stories, but Abnett and Lanning use them with seemingly-absolute admiration
and love, and as the very springboards from which they bounce their tales.
They have only done fill-ins and one-shots for Superman comics, and I'd be
curious to see how they'd fare on a regular assignment even though I have
seen no proof as to whether their take on Superman would remain fresh for
an extended period of time. Here, however, we have nice characters moments
between Superman and Lois, including some intelligent teamwork from them,
and a really fun villain who doesn't stray too far off into the absurd.
Abnett and Lanning really save "The Apes of Wrath" from becoming typical
Annual fodder.
Penciller Joe Phillips, along with inkers Rich Faber and Rob Stull, also
break from the tradition of creative quality-lacking Annuals. Phillips is
an artist who we've known for a long time, but never seems to settle down
to any one regular assignment. In fact, I can't remember having bought a
comic of his in years. I liked his work when I first encountered it, and I
appreciate it now as well, but I think if he could present thicker pencils
(or team with an inker who can provide that for him), Phillips' work would
finally take that big step forward. One can see evidence of this if you
compare the first half of this Annual to the other, when the inkers were
switched (I am uncertain which parts belonged to Faber or Stull). The
second inker provides heavier outside lines, and the art really comes alive
at that point.
All in all, "The Apes of Wrath" was a fun read with decent artwork. Even
Superman fans who have no interest in reading the rest of the JLApe stuff
will still be able to dig this latest Superman Annual.
_________________________________________________
End of Section 6
_________________________________________________
THE ONE, TRUE, ORIGINAL SUPERMAN!
---------------------------------------
by Bob Hughes (bobhughes@ttlc.net)
(or see Bob's web page, "Who's Whose in The DC Universe"
at http://members.ttlc.net/~bobhughes/whoswho.htm)
Episode 12:
Action Archives Volume II -- The Shuster Shop
Before we begin this month's archaeology lecture, I'd like to announce that
my web page now has a whole bunch of early Superman art on it. Just click
on the pointer that references "Who Drew Superman" to see examples of the
work of just about every artist who worked on the strip prior to 1970.
_Action_ #24 was the end of the first era in the history of Superman. There
was now too much work to do for Shuster to be personally involved in every
aspect of art production, even with an assistant. The call went out to
Wayne Boring to move to Cleveland and join the Superman production team.
From now on, stories would be parceled out to several different artists at
once. Layouts, details, backgrounds, supporting characters -- all might be
handled by different people, often switching roles between pages. Joe
gamely tried to make sure he at least did the heads of Superman, Clark, and
Lois, but often he couldn't even keep up with that. Eventually, he would
lose control all together.
On February 14, 1940, _Superman_ #4 came out. It was the first issue of the
Superman solo comic book to feature all-new stories. Shuster and Cassidy
had to produce four thirteen-page stories, while still maintaining the
workload on _Action Comics_ and the daily and Sunday Superman strips.
The additional workload didn't seem to faze Jerry Siegel at all. His magic
typewriter kept pounding out Superman stories, and he even added a new
feature -- The Spectre, which began that same month in _More Fun Comics_
(definitely one of the worst juxtapositions of series and book title during
the Golden Age).
Shuster and Cassidy produced a spectacular cover shot of Superman juggling
some marble columns while criminals fled in all directions. This Superman
sported a somewhat larger "S" symbol, probably to make it more visible to
newsstand passersby. The field behind the "S" was colored black, a mistake
that was "corrected" for the archive edition. The black background version
would later be used by the cartoon studio for all the 1940s cartoons. It
sometimes appeared in advertising art, but it was never used in an actual
story.
Editor Whitney Ellsworth was still trying to get settled on a really good
Superman logo. This issue featured a "P" that overlapped the following "E"
and an "A" that overlapped the "N". The initial "S" seemed to be falling
over backwards. Rather than an impression of the word leaping into the air,
the effect was more of it being slammed into a brick wall.
The first story, sometimes known as "Luthor and the Earthquake Machine",
cemented Luthor as Superman's new arch-nemesis. The Ultra-Humanite was gone
for good, but the red-haired mad scientist who replaced him would be good
for another 60 years of adventures at least. When Metropolis is hit by a
series of earthquakes, Clark investigates and finds a army secret army
experiment to be responsible. But Professor Martinson, not interested in
answering questions, whacks Clark on the head with a monkey wrench. Not
knowing that Clark has the ability to stop his own heartbeat, he assumes
the reporter is dead and tosses him out the window. Clark saves himself by
grabbing a passing window ledge as he falls. (Remember, he can't fly --
yet.)
He then climbs up the side of the building and overhears the fake Prof
Martinson conferring with Luthor via television. It has often been
speculated that this scene featuring the bald Martinson and the red-headed
Luthor was later given to Wayne Boring as reference for a Luthor story and
Boring mistakenly assumed that Martinson was Luthor and drew him as bald
from then on.
Luthor, however, spots Superman eavesdropping and sends some robot planes
out to bomb him. That doesn't work of course, so Luthor issues Superman a
challenge -- his brain against Superman's muscles. If Luthor wins the
contest then Superman has to retire and leave him a clear path to conquer
the world.
The contest begins. Luthor and Superman race around the world, with
Superman handily beating Luthor's super-stratoliner. Then they try to see
who can fly higher. Luthor wisely entrusts his plane to an assistant, which
is good because the craft is lost in the "clammy clutch of outer space".
Superman, meanwhile, "kicking furiously, his feet blurring like propeller
blades ... commences to fall toward Earth!" Finally, after several more
contests, Superman picks Luthor himself up and threatens to throw him in
the air. Luthor concedes defeat and frees the real Prof Martinson.
Amazingly, Superman lets Luthor go, only to find that the entire contest
was only a diversion to cover up Luthor's real plan. Luthor's henchmen have
stolen the army's earthquake machine. Off goes Superman again only to be
blasted by Luthor's earthquake ray and buried under tons of earth. But
Luthor has reckoned without Superman's super-burrowing power (which I'm
sure Siegel probably made up right at that very moment). Luthor vanishes
and the ray weapon is destroyed. Later, it is discovered that Prof
Martinson, horrified at the destruction caused by his invention, has
committed suicide.
The story is followed by a filler page in which Siegel and Shuster counsel
children to get plenty of exercise and eat their milk and cereal, and they
too can be a Superman.
In the second story, Superman battles Luthor again, in a story that is
drawn almost completely by Paul Cassidy. Cassidy's Luthor is skinnier and
has wild hair that flies in all directions. Superman gets to battle a
pterodactyl and a giant rat in this one, as Luthor plunders the treasures
of a lost civilization.
Cassidy does the art chores on the next story as well, as Superman faces
down a foreign plot to destroy America's industries.
Following that there is a full-page ad for "the Six Big magazines" and the
super-heroes they feature: _Action_, starring Superman; _Detective_,
starring Batman; _Adventure_, starring the Sandman; _All-American_,
starring Ultra-Man; _More Fun_, starring the Spectre; and _Flash Comics_,
starring the Flash. No publisher name is mentioned in the ad, as
Donnenfeld, Liebowitz, and Gaines had not yet adopted a trade name for
their enterprise.
Shuster seems to have penciled the last story, known as "The Carlson
Kidnapping Case". The Planet editor that Clark gets his assignments from
keeps changing hair color throughout this issue (at least in the Archives
version). Since he's never named, a fan could speculate that both George
Taylor and Perry White (who was introduced on radio this month) could be
intended.
Cassidy also drew the story in _Action_ #25, which came out in April 1940.
The bullet symbol indicating "A DC Publication" was now emblazoned on the
cover. Up until now, it hadn't been necessary to associate one comic
magazine with another, but with the newsstands getting crowded with
"imitations", it would become important that readers be able to identify
the "real thing".
This cover introduced a new member to the Superman art staff. Wayne Boring,
who had been working for Shuster from his home in Virginia, had finally
moved to Cleveland. His version of Superman was substantially chunkier than
either Shuster's or Cassidy's. He also drew Superman's cape with a very
large oval of empty space behind Superman's head, as opposed to being
yanked tightly up against his neck with several folds of cloth.
The story known as "The Amnesiac Robbers" starts with a bank messenger who
can't remember what he did with the money he was carrying. Two armored car
drivers can't even remember their names. Of course the car was empty. The
police try to hush the incidents up, but a snoopy reporter with super big
ears soon brings a scoop to editor George Taylor. Clark is so puffed up
with himself that he even asks Lois for a date. But she has an appointment
with a hypnotist who claims to be able to tell her who Superman is.
A hypnotist! Clark figures the guy must have something to do with the
amnesia victims. Superman investigates, which results in a lot of
fisticuffs. Superman has no trouble with the physical stuff, but it's a
different story when Medini the hypnotist subjects him to his mesmerism.
Only Lois's imminent peril gives Superman the strength to break the
hypnotic bonds. And even then, only partially. A dazed and bleary Superman
weaves unsteadily through the air, crashing into trees, missing roof tops,
and dangling precariously from church steeples.
Meanwhile, Medini and the hypnotized Lois board a transport plane that is
also carrying a big shipment of gold. Medini hypnotizes the captain and
crew and has them land the plane at a secret cave where they unload the
gold. Then he tells them to take the plane up and let it crash. But
Superman has finally cleared his head and is on his way to the rescue.
Somehow or other, "due to Superman's tremendously powerful muscles" he
manages to land the falling plane by holding on to its tail. I suspect he
must have been operating the ailerons from the outside, or something.
Anyway, he did it.
The gold is rescued, Medini is captured, Lois is saved, and the mayor of
Metropolis and editor White(?) take all the credit. Clark is miffed, but
Lois points out that Superman did all the work, not him.
_Superman_ #5 went on sale three months after _Superman_ #4, in May of
1940. The same squashed logo was used. The Superman logo that we all
remember from the Silver Age didn't appear until _Superman_ #6.
Wayne Boring produced his second Superman cover, this one even more
muscular than the first. For some reason, Superman is ripping bars off a
window, much to the shock of passersby. The inking appears to be done by
Paul J. Lauretta, a short time member of the Shuster shop. Lauretta had a
very short career in comics. He worked for the Funnies, Inc. shop (the
outfit that produced _Marvel Comics_ #1, among others things) for a couple
of years in the late thirties. He then worked for Shuster until the war,
after which he then left comics altogether to go into teaching and
industrial art. I'm not particularly fond of his style, which includes lots
of hooked noses and eyebrows drawn together into a squint. His detail line
is overly fussy, without, at the same time, being in the least bit
accurate.
Inside, Boring also contributes a "Frontispiece" -- a page included in most
early Superman issues that features a close-up shot of Superman and several
action scenes in the background. Superman stops a train, chases a plane,
smashes a cannon, hurls an armored car into the air, and soars high over
Metropolis amid a hail of gunfire.
Paul Cassidy and Wayne Boring split the art of "The Slot Machines of Slug
Kelley" with Cassidy doing pages 1-7 and Boring 8-13. The story features
Superman and the Planet crusading against the slot machines that pervade
local stores in Metropolis and con poor kids out of their lunch money. When
one child is late for school, he runs in front of a truck, forcing Clark to
jump in and save him. Lois positively swoons over Clark's bravery. But to
cover his secret, Clark swoons on his own.
"I must have been out of my mind to believe you had any spunk in you!"
moans Lois.
The story builds up a rivalry between the Planet and another Metropolis
newspaper, the Morning Pictorial, a sleazy rag that will publish almost
anything that generates headlines. That rivalry is continued in the next
tale, "The Newspaper War", when the Pictorial is bought by a scheming
politician Alex Evell. Cassidy contributes a spectacular art job, as
Superman gets involved in a vicious newspaper circulation war of the type
that really occurred in the twenties and thirties. When both newspapers are
restored to their rightful owners, Clark finds his vacation is cancelled.
His editor needs all the reporters he can get to meet the competition.
Next up, Joe Shuster and diverse hands present the final story featuring
the red-headed Luthor. Luthor uses a narcotic incense to enslave the heads
of a number of major corporations, and then manipulates the stock market
using their funds. Superman battles an auto-gyro, falls into a pit of steel
spikes, is doused with acid, is blasted with electricity, and races through
a collapsing mine shaft. After that he uses his super-disguise power to
contort his facial features into a exact duplicate of Bordan Mosely, one of
Luthor's financial slaves. As Mosely, Superman gains entrance to Luthor's
headquarters. His deception doesn't last long however. Much more
destruction ensues and Luthor once again plunges to his doom.
To round out the issue, Paul Cassidy turns in another lovely job on "The
Secret of Parabiolene". Superman, as usual, sets things right amidst much
mayhem. Of all the early Superman artists, Cassidy is the least repetitive
in his layouts, showing off his knowledge of anatomy, as Superman twists,
gyrates, bends, rolls, leaps and slides into action. Parabiolene is a new
miracle drug which would be a boon to mankind, if its secret hadn't fallen
into the hands of mobsters who extort money from the people who need its
treatment. The scientist who invented it is so mortified at this that he
threatens suicide. But Clark and Lois counsel him, extolling on the good
his invention can do for mankind.
It's clear from the stories in this issue that Siegel believes in
scientific progress, as long as it's targeted towards helping mankind and
not producing more weapons of destruction for the military.
For _Action_ #26, Wayne Boring produces another cover, this one showcasing
still another "S" design -- larger, with a pronounced serif on the top and
a long diagonal bar in the middle. A similar symbol is visible on the cape,
although this is a yellow "S" on a blue background. This would be the color
scheme more often than not for the next couple of years.
The interior art is a mish-mosh of styles. The layouts of the first few
pages are possibly by Wayne Boring, but Paul Lauretta's finishes are so
overpowering, it's hard to tell. Stylistically, it's completely different
from what we've seen before, utilizing heavy blacks and a wider variety of
poses. Lois' hair is substantially longer than in any of the earlier
stories in this volume. Clark's hat is rakishly pulled down over his right
eye and everybody squints. Superman's "S" symbol slides down his chest
until it's almost over his stomach.
When a quack Professor Cobalt arrives at the Daily Planet, he is angered
that they won't take advertisements for his polio cure. Editor Taylor(?)
upbraids the fraud and Cobalt raises his cane to thrash him. Just then
Clark walks in, grabs the cane and snaps it in half, and then tosses the
miscreant out the door, much to Lois' amazement.
"My gosh! Can it be that I've misjudged you?"
"I guess I was so angered that I forgot myself!" stammers Clark.
Clark and Lois investigate Cobalt's clinic and find his cure is nothing but
sugar pills. Clark confronts the doctor, but he pulls a gun on the two
reporters and ties them up.
"Don't just sit there Clark, do something daring like you did in the
chief's office earlier today," demands Lois.
"But I don't feel daring now," stammers Clark.
Clark is stymied until Professor Cobalt decides to split the two of them up
for interrogation. Left alone for a few minutes, the astonishing
transformation takes place. Superman rips the bars from the windows, swings
around the building, and comes back to rescue Lois, ripping out her window,
frame and all.
On page six, everything changes, even the letterer. Superman loses about 50
pounds of muscle and his "S" reverts back to last issue's design. The cape
is once again bunched up at the neck. The rest of the story appears to be
penciled by Paul Cassidy and at least two different inkers seem to have
worked on it, one of whom was Lauretta. The last page may have been
penciled by Joe Shuster. The overall impression is that this story was
completed in a tremendous hurry. One can picture pages of art flying around
the studio, artists filling in any blank space that comes by.
Lois pleads with Superman to go back and save Clark.
"I don't think that cowardly weakling is worth saving, but I'll do it for
you," he responds, while thinking, "can she actually be interested in Clark
Kent after all?"
Then Superman begins a slapstick routine of switching back and forth
between the tied up Clark Kent and the berserk Superman. Superman
terrorizes the clinic and Professor Cobalt, hefts the safe with the secret
records onto the roof, and generally stalls until after Lois gets her story
printed in the Planet. Back then, newspapers published several editions a
day and thought nothing of publishing a story within hours of its
submittal. At least they did in the comics.
Professor Cobalt threatens to sue the Planet for libel. His cure is
effective and his methods are fair. All his patients will testify on his
behalf. (If they don't, he's threatened to kill them.)
All kinds of exciting stuff happens in the last three pages. A girl almost
dies. Superman zips her to the hospital -- bed and all. He has to bring a
special doctor -- through a hurricane. Lois is imprisoned in a "special
heating cabinet". A mob storms the clinic and tries to lynch Cobalt and his
assistant. And Superman bounds his way to police headquarters with a police
wagon on his back. Whew! They don't write 'em like that any more!
The last panel, where normally there would be a plug for another DC comic,
features a request to send contributions to President Roosevelt's fund to
fight infantile paralysis (polio).
Paul Cassidy gets to do the cover and most of the pencils for _Action_ #27,
but the inks are provided by someone else, probably Paul Lauretta. The
effect is unpleasant. Cassidy's slick style suffers mightily under the
inker's aimless scribblings.
"The Brentwood Rehabilitation Home" is ostensibly a foster home for teenage
boys, but the Tweeds use their charges as slave labor and house them under
inhuman conditions. They also employ a bank of telephone solicitors to help
raise money to "care" for the boys. "What a foul racket," thinks Lois, when
she finds out the solicitors keep half of the money they raise. She's even
more upset after she is captured and imprisoned in the basement. Luckily
for her, Superman appears on the scene. He, at least, is not inked by
Lauretta, and does not have to suffer the indignity of beady eyes and a
hooked nose.
He does, however, get to eat a red-hot poker, catch a bullet, beat a fire
out with his bare hands, and pick his teeth with an anvil. Lois gets hit on
the head with a vase and strapped to a circular saw. In the end, all turns
out right with the world. The home gets a new administrator, and Lois gets
another scoop for the Planet.
Shuster and his assistants apparently just managed to get the last two
issues of _Action_ completed on time. Although Shuster generally managed to
keep Superman on model, redrawing the character himself, if necessary, the
rest of the art was rapidly going downhill. Neither Lauretta nor Neville
had proven to be reliable pencilers, and Cassidy was preparing to move to
Wisconsin! And now the publishers had promoted _Superman_ comics from
quarterly to bi-monthly. Something had to be done.
Next: Jack Burnley arrives.
_________________________________________________
End of Section 7
_________________________________________________
PHANTOM ZONE REVIEWS
--------------------------------------------
By Scott Devarney (devarney@ll.mit.edu)
In the past few installments of his column, Bob Hughes has written a
wonderfully informative series detailing the history of robots in Silver
Age Superman stories. This month, we'll look at a story that Bob didn't
cover, _Action Comics_ #354, and Superman's encounter with "that puny
powerhouse ... Captain Incredible!"
ACTION COMICS #354
September 1967
"Captain Incredible"
Written by Cary Bates
Art by Al Plastino
Edited by Mort Weisinger
(Credits are not listed within the story itself but are mentioned in this
issue's letter column.)
There's a new hero in town named Captain Incredible. He's scrawny and wears
glasses; his costume consists of a green shirt, yellow cape and gloves,
white and blue striped boxers over red longjohns, green gym socks and
sneakers. He's also powerful enough to save Superman from the clutches of a
hostile alien and Luthor's green Kryptonite trap! At first Captain
Incredible acts humbly but is soon taking delight in upstaging Superman,
until the new hero is actually attacking the Action Ace.
During the ensuing fight, Superman gets a clue that Captain Incredible
comes from the 27th century. He escapes by going through the time barrier
where he meets Dr. Dane Gnorr. Dr. Gnorr reveals that Captain Incredible is
actually a robot which he created and sent into the past to aid Superman.
He theorizes that the strain of time travel gradually reversed his robot's
programming but that a return trip through time should correct the problem.
Superman returns to the 20th century and engages Captain Incredible in
another battle. He lures Captain Incredible into chasing him through time,
back to the 27th century. As they emerge, the robot's original programming
reasserts itself. Captain Incredible elects to remain in his own time
period, becoming a hero of the 27th century.
Commenting on the art first, Al Plastino's art is very clean with many
close-ups and mid-range shots. His backgrounds are minimal, but this is
balanced by his expressive faces. His panel arrangements vary and help move
the story along. As intended, Captain Incredible looks ridiculous. This
works great during most of the story but is a drawback towards the end;
it's hard to take his climactic, to-the-death battle with Superman very
seriously.
This story is a classic power fantasy -- the stereotypical 98 lb. weakling
showing up the he-man. In this case though, the 98 lb. weakling is more
powerful than the he-man. Oddly enough, Captain Incredible doesn't use his
advanced powers, like paralysis vision, in his fight with Superman, relying
mainly on his strength and speed. Captain Incredible's attitude progression
is believably shown, from altruistic aide to arrogant rival to deadly
menace. Superman is noble, yet human enough to suffer pangs of jealousy.
A lot is packed into this 12-page story. There's a robot, time travel,
super-fights, Luthor, green Kryptonite, and a hostile alien. Yet, the story
is paced so well that all of these elements never overwhelm the reader.
Cary Bates' deft use of transition scenes (one at the Daily Planet with
Clark and Perry, and the conversation between Superman and Dr. Gnorr) keeps
the story rolling like a roller coaster, with enough time for the reader to
catch a breath before the next thrill.
SUPERGIRL: "The Brain Stealers"
No story credits given
The Zorkians, a race of living brains, have captured Supergirl. They have
crammed her super-brain with all of their knowledge and intend to use her
as a living computer. Once a race of human conquerors, the Zorkians
succumbed to a plague mist unleashed by a vanquished race of sea-people. To
save the populace, Zorkian scientists devised a way of moving their brains
into mobile casings while putting their bodies into suspended animation.
Their leader, Cerebron, believes that with all of the information in her
brain, Supergirl could devise a cure for the plague mist.
Supergirl confirms this but, fearing that the Zorkians could conquer the
universe in their restored bodies, refuses. Cerebron asks for a way to
immunize his wife, Queen Neolla; Neolla was already near death when the
brain transfer technique was devised, and now lies in suspended animation.
Fearing Zorkian treachery, Supergirl again refuses.
Seeing that Supergirl is adamant, Cerebron asks her to perform some tasks
honoring Neolla in return for her release. As Supergirl is completing the
tasks, the Zorkians secretly transfer the energy expended into Neolla. The
queen awakens, cured of the disease and endowed with Supergirl's powers.
Cerebron reneges on his deal and recaptures the Maid of Might, but Neolla
frees her. It seems that Supergirl's moral code has also been transferred
to the alien queen. Supergirl offers to give Neolla the cure, but is
rebuffed. Neolla believes she'll eventually find a cure when her people are
ready to live in peace.
The artwork here is flat out gorgeous. Supergirl is beautiful with very
expressive eyes. The uncredited artist does an outstanding job of depicting
an alien world that actually looks alien, or at least very futuristic. As
in the Superman story, panel layouts vary. Unlike the first story, there
are a greater variety of perspectives, giving readers an expansive look at
this place. The pencils, inks, and moody colors provide the feel of a
science fiction story starring Supergirl instead of a more traditional
Supergirl versus aliens piece.
Supergirl's character shines in this story. She stands firmly on her
principles by refusing to aid the aliens for fear of unleashing a great
evil. She does this even at the risk of death by green Kryptonite.
Ultimately these morals save her when Queen Neolla gains her ethics.
The Zorkians are tragic villains. Forced to live as disembodied brains as a
result of their villainy, they've yet to learn civility. Judging by their
brazen, albeit successful, capture of Supergirl, they've grown more
desperate. Viewing the deceit that they're capable of in their present
form, Supergirl's fears of what would happen should they regain use of
their bodies is well-founded.
This dark science fiction story neatly contrasts with the brighter, more
traditional lead story. This story focuses on Supergirl's intelligence and
character whereas the Superman story focuses more on his strength and
speed. Both are great stories, yet greatly different.
______________________________________________
THE MAILBAG
-------------------------------------
(mailbag@kryptonian-cybernet.com)
KC Responses are indented and begun with ****
===============================
From: Alan Fried <Fried-Alan@sc.edu>
Jeffery,
I have my Ph.D. in journalism. I have moved about 25 times. I do cross
country travel often. More than all that, I am 49 years old.
My dad loved comics and he taught my brother and me to love them. He read
them until he died at 60. I intend to outlast him by a quarter century, and
I'm sure the last thing I'll want to do is reread a good old Mxyzptlk
story.
Grow up all you want. But remember, true fans never outgrow comics. You
think Jerry Seinfeld cared what people think when he made Supes central to
his act? You think the post office was fooling around when they made him
central to their millennium project? Do you think a great leader and
politician like Mrs. Clinton would look foolish when she wants that Senate
seat? Supes will outlast us all.
I like the Cybernet and I hope you can use the clout of your readership to
get advance copies of Previews. You do a good job. And frankly, just like a
guy named Roy Thomas who got his start by editing a fanzine, I think you
make an important contribution. So hang in there, hero. The best is yet to
come!
**** Thanks for the kind words, Alan. I'm working on getting that
Previews information in a more direct manner. Hopefully we'll
have the situation resolved before November's Coming Attractions!
===============================
From: David Young <young_d1@popmail.firn.edu>
Two unrelated items for the Mailbag this month (unless I think of something
else to add later this month of course):
First, in response to last month's Mailbag question:
"A few years ago, we ran a classified section in each issue of KC, in which
readers could list Superman-related items they had for sale which might be
of interest to their fellow fans. It was intended only for personal sales,
and not for any type of commercial offering. If there's enough interest,
I'd be willing to start the classifieds back up again -- just give me a
sign. :)"
I think this sounds like a good suggestion, except I think that this may
work better if run from the KC Website instead of as an addition to the
monthly magazine. You could make a quick mention of it in the mag each
month when new items were added to the Classifieds on the Website directing
people there. That way you wouldn't be adding anything to the already very
large KC mag (if successful, a Classifieds section could become a very big
portion of KC).
**** Certainly. In fact, given the message board capabilities that we are
supposed to have with our new website, I've been thinking that setting
up a new Classified section could be as easy as setting up a message
board. Regardless of the method, I'm also of the mind that the website
would be a better place for a revival of the KC Classifieds. Several
others have also expressed an interest, so I'll probably be working on
that in the next month or two.
Second, shameless plug time again. I've finally gotten fed up with not
being able to update my AOL websites, so I've transferred them to
Geocities. My new address is
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Zone/8939/index.html. At this time, the
pages are only slightly updated from before. But now that I have the
ability, I plan to make those long planned updates (as time permits) to my
"Golden Age Superman Index", and to get my "Golden Age Batman" and "Golden
Age Wonder Woman" indexes started. I've already added "Sources Used" and
"Notes on Pre-Crisis/Post-Crisis" pages related to my "GA Superman Index".
===============================
From: Bruce L. Grubb <bgrubb@zianet.com>
(A copy of this message was also posted to the newsgroup
rec.arts.comics.dc.universe)
There were some misconceptions in the KC #65 that I thought I should
correct. [In his article about the Superman radio serial, Douglas M
Tisdale, Jr. wrote,] "It may be -- indeed it *is* -- essential for the
Superman myth that the planet Krypton orbited a red sun in a distant galaxy
and it is because of the yellow solar radiation that Superman's physically
perfect body is augmented with super powers; but for the radio audiences of
1940 it was sufficient to say that Kryptonians were all Supermen."
Actually this was Superman's *original* origin by Siegel and Shuster,
partially show in _Action_ #1 (1938). In 1939, the entire origin showed up
in newspapers, thanks to the McClure Syndicate, and was subsequently retold
in _Secret Origins_ #1 (redrawn by Wayne Boring and slightly edited by Roy
Thomas):
"The opening words of this episode are:
'Krypton, a distant planet so far advanced in evolution that it
bears a civilization of super men -- beings which represent the
human race at its ultimate peak of perfect development!"
Yes, on the original planet Krypton, all people had the ability to run
at super speed and leap an eighth of a mile."
<Wizard Superman Tribute Edition;
http://www.fortress.am/History/VersionI.html>
The retconning of this origin would not begin until the appearance of
Superboy in 1945, by which time reconciling Superman's now increased powers
with the original origin were already a problem.
But despite Superboy and the powers problem, the original origin would be
used clear up until July 1948, in _Superman_ #53, and the yellow energy
part would not used until March 1960, in _Action_ #262.
<http://www.fortress.am/History/VersionII.html;
http://www.fortress.am/History/VersionIII.html>
So the radio show was simply following the only Krypton origin that existed
in 1940: the one that Siegel and Shuster themselves had created and which
had appeared in both _Action_ #1 and in the newspapers. It would have been
impossible for the radio show to use the yellow energy origin, because that
retcon would not happen for another 20 years!
===============================
From: Sean Hogan <shogan@intergate.bc.ca>
A couple of letters in last issue's Mailbag got me thinking about the
review section of KC. I was interested in David Young's comment that he
doesn't read the reviews since he has already read the issues and doesn't
want other people's opinions shading his own (I hope in summarizing I'm not
doing an injustice to his well-written letter).
Personally, I enjoy the reviews and I read them for two main purposes.
First, to hear what people have to say about books I don't usually read (as
an example, I've picked up several issues of _Superman Adventures_ that
were highly recommended). Second, for some insight on the issues which I
have read.
David particularly doesn't like to hear people making negative comments on
issues he enjoyed. My opinion of a comic is usually formed when I read it
the first time, and I don't find that a negative review of an issue I
enjoyed will change my mind about it (I think I'm one of the few that liked
the Kandor issues written by Marz last year) -- although a positive review
of an issue I didn't like might increase my appreciation of it.
A good reviewer (whether making positive or negative comments) will at
least let me understand what the reviewer liked or disliked and why. I have
found that reviews have given me a better understanding both of the issue
itself and the comic industry.
From reviews I've learned about such things as the importance of layouts,
the teamwork required between a penciller and inker, as well as the
colorist and separator. I've gotten insights on the strengths and
weaknesses of the writers, artists, and editors.
A good review starts with a summary of the story and then discusses the
writing and the art. Sometimes a reviewer analyzes what worked or didn't
work, and at other times the review will trigger a comment or observation
not directly related to the issue itself. Either way, I find I have a
better appreciation and understanding of my hobby and some limited
interaction with others that share my interest.
So David, I encourage you to read (or at least skim) the reviews. You might
get more out of your comic than you did on your own reading.
**** I'll echo Sean's comments about learning more about the business of
comic books. When this magazine first got off the ground more than
five years ago, I didn't really know square one about the details of
the individual jobs that are required to put together a comic book.
I also didn't keep much track of who wrote or drew what issue -- which
left me unable to recognize patterns in which stories or artwork I
didn't care for. On the downside, I've also developed a more critical
mindset to my reading habits -- this isn't, in and of itself, a bad
thing, but I've since discovered that the books I enjoy most are the
ones that I'm not thinking about in that manner. I guess a part of me
still looks at my comics as escapist fantasy...
The other letter I wanted to comment on was the one that felt Johanna
Draper Carlson's mailbag review of _Superman: Last God Of Krypton_ was
inappropriate for the e-zine. I thought that Johanna's analysis of the
story was really interesting, and a great example of how someone can make
you look at a story in a new light.
Frankly, Superman (and almost all) comics deal with themes that will be
offensive or uncomfortable to some -- including such things as the nature
of evil, racism, pre-marital sex, and a whole lot of violence, to name a
few. I think we need to encourage discussions of these topics, especially
if done in a mature, intelligent manner -- as Johanna did.
Finally, since I'm talking about the review section, I want to comment on
G.M. Nelson's review of _A. Bizarro_ #3 and his statement that Granny
Goodness and the characters in her orphanage were mishandled (Granny sits
down to tea with a disobedient student and gives lessons on literature,
science, and music).
Actually, I think this is one of the first times that anyone has given
thought to how Granny trains her girls and what she teaches them. It can't
be all mercenary training. Granny's training would have to be psychological
as well as physical.
Granny's students are more than just bumpy male warriors. I have no problem
with her broadening their education to make them more effective. Scientific
knowledge is a useful tool for a warrior. And some of these girls may be
intended for other services, hence music and literature.
While these lessons may not be useful for someone of Stompa's inclinations,
I can see Granny encouraging some of her girls, such as Amazing Grace,
Lashina, and even Barda, to broaden their education so that they will be
better able to serve Darkseid.
And personally, I think having a quiet tea with Granny would be quite
terrifying.
===============================
From: Brian Seidman <bseidman@hotmail.com>
The most I know about Vartox is that he's an already established character,
possibly pre-Crisis, and that's it. Can you send to me, include in the next
newsletter, or ask the readers if they know the history of this character?
I'm curious.
**** Well, can someone give us a Vartox primer?
===============================
From: Yosef Shoemaker <mailbag@kryptonian-cybernet.com>
I find that lately, the _Superman Adventures_ comic book is featuring
provocative drawings of women's chests inside and even on the cover. This
is completely inappropriate, in my opinion, especially in a magazine read
predominantly by children.
**** I'm not certain that the magazine is read predominantly by children,
and I'm not even certain that DC *intends* the Adventures line to be
aimed towards younger readers. Certainly some of the comments I've
heard from their authors would indicate otherwise.
Nonetheless, I'm with you on this one. Whatever DC's intent, the
Adventures line is a clear gateway into comics for fans of the
Superman and Batman animated series, most of whom *are* children. It
would certainly be nice if the books could try to avoid the kind of
barriers which keep parents from letting their children enjoy the
stories. I'm not saying that all Superman comics should be overly
sanitized, but it seems a bit odd to me that there's not really a
single Superman title which is aimed at children. After all,
Superman's greatest asset over 60 years has been the way the
character appeals to readers of all ages.
-- Jeff Sykes
______________________________________________
****************************************************************
End of Issue #66
