#129

... man_ #131, 4.1 Shields), finishing only slightly behind the reintroduction of Cyborg as Ashbury Armstrong's teacher ("Within Human Reach", _Superman_ #129, 3.8 Shields), and tied with "Machinations!" (_Superman_ #126), where Lex stole back his kryptonite ring from Batman. While there were some mixed emotions about the new Brainiac -- much as there have always been about Mr. Jurgens and his writing -- most reviewers thought that this was a suitable coda to Dan's 10-year run. Whether you like or dislike his work, there's no denying that the man has left his own indelible mark on the Superman legacy. "And so it ends..." SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW ...

... an eerie resemblance between the "Phantom Superboy" and a tale published only a couple of years earlier called "The Ghost of Lois Lane!" (_Superman_ #129, May 1959, by Jerry Coleman, Wayne Boring, and Stan Kaye). The splash page shows Superman in his Fortress, confronted by a ghostly figure of Lois Lane. He moans, "Lois ... why don't you stop haunting me? You know I didn't mean to kill you... that it was all an accident!" At the Daily Planet office one day, a glib salesman tries to sell Jimmy an electric typewriter. "It's so sensitive I can move the keys just by blowing on them!" says Jimmy. Lois then goes to return a briefcase to a Professor Gr ...

... Of course, Jurgens' art, finished by Joe Rubinstein, greatly enhanced my enjoyment of the story. The other 1997 Kaycee-nominated story was _Superman_ #129, where Ashbury's new art teacher, Mr. Sormon, is developed as a supportive, sympathetic character -- only to be revealed as the Cyborg. The story presents Hank Henshaw as a tragic character, flawed by madness and hatred of Superman -- adding much needed depth to a character that has become very one-dimensional since his reintroduction as the Cyborg. More recently, Jurgens presented a masterful examination of Lex Luthor in _Superman_ #131 ("Checkmate"). Building on Luthor's background of his abu ...

... he art of Boring and Kaye on a script by the very talented Bill Finger, is a flashback tale of Clark Kent's college years, originally from _Superman_ #129. In his senior year at college, Clark meets the beautiful but wheelchair-bound Lori Lemaris, an exotic exchange student with strange experiences and an unusual background of her own ... a captivating combination for many college boys, myself included. Clark begins dating Lori and finds himself falling hopelessly in love, in spite of hints that she has secrets of her own ... after all, so does he. But so entranced is he that he decides to marry her even if it means giving up his Superman career ...

... ndor", Triangles 24-27 [11] "Burden of Proof", Action Comics #737 [10] "They Call It Suicide Slum," Superman #121 [10] "Within Human Reach", Superman #129 [ 7] "The Shield", Superman: The Man of Steel #66 [ 6] "Dead Men Walking", Adventures of Superman #544 [ 5] Superman vs. Metallo, Triangles 20-22 [ 3] The Superman Revenge Squad, Triangles 7-9 TT2: Worst Story/Story Arc in the Superman Triangle Titles ---------------------------------------------------------- [32] "GENESIS" TIE-INS, TRIANGLES 39-41 [19] Jimmy Olsen's "discovery" of Superman's identity, Triangles 32-36 [12] Superman's new powers and costume, Triangles 19-50 [ 7] Return of Sa ...

... of Superman_ #525. Late in the year, though, Dan Jurgens wrote what is perhaps the only truly exceptional story of the Electri-Kal era in _Superman_ #129. "Within Human Reach" will forever be famous as the story wherein Ashbury's Armstrong's art teacher turned out to be the Cyborg. To see it as only that, however, would be missing the point. I'm a sucker for strong characterization and development of the supporting cast, and Jurgens painted a vivid portrait of this newest member. More importantly, rare is the book these days that can actually make me *think* about the methods of my favorite hero, and about whether there are other ways to tackle ...

... roducing his one great work of art. In fact, he came awfully close two months ago with "Within Human Reach", his portrait of the Cyborg in _Superman_ #129. This month, Jurgens comes closer yet, although "Checkmate" is a great story for a reason other than the reason I suspect he thinks we'll think it's a great story. I'll give you a second to stop your head from spinning. "Checkmate" is all about Lex Luthor--so much so that the brief scenes with Sparky the Wonder Kryptonian are extraneous. On the day of the birth of Luthor's new child, he decides to help Mayor Berkowitz launch an anti-crime campaign in the Simon Project district. While Perry rela ...

... y Scot Eaton and Dennis Janke Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke Free-for-all as Parademons attack in the Wild Area and Metropolis 44 - SUPERMAN #129, "Within Human Reach" Written by Dan Jurgens Art by Paul Ryan and Joe Rubinstein Cover by Dan Jurgens and Joe Rubinstein Ashbury Armstrong's art teacher has a little secret... 45 - ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #552, "Control of Power" Written by Karl Kesel Art and Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier Luthor takes over Intergang, Superman almost kills the Parasite 46 - ACTION COMICS #739, "Party Trappings" Written by Stuart Immonen Art and Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr. Lois is capture ...

... ove your Superman trivia skills! The Mailbag Section 4: New Comic Reviews The Superman Titles Superman: The Man of Steel #73, by Thomas Deja Superman #129, by David T. Chappell Adventures of Superman #552, by Dan Radice Section 5: New Comic Reviews The Superman Titles (cont) Action Comics #739, by Shane Travis Super-Family Titles Steel #44, by Jeff Sykes Superboy #45, by Rene' Gobeyn Superboy and the Ravers #15, by Jeff Sykes Section 6: New Comic Reviews Super-Family Titles (cont) Supergirl #15, by Thomas Deja Other Superman Titles JLA #12, by Anatole Wilson Superman Adventures #13, by Cory Strode Limited Series Elseworlds' Finest #2, by Douglas ...

... Crowe Section 8: Sneak Peeks: The Kryptonian Cybernet's Pre-Reviews Spoiler-Free opinions on some September titles: Superman Adventures #13 Superman #129 Superman Adventures Annual #1 STAFF: ------ Jeffery D. Sykes, Editor-in-Chief Shane Travis, Executive Editor: New Comic Reviews Nancy Jones, Executive Editor: Lois and Clark section Neil Ottenstein, Executive Editor: S:TAS section Editors: Chip Chandler Steve Hanes D.M. Simms Joe Crowe Curtis Herink Shane Travis Trevor Gates William O'Hara Steven Younis LEGAL DISCLAIMERS: ----------------- Superman and all related characters, locations, and events are copyright and trademark DC Comics. Use of t ...