#21

... uperboy meets the Legion when they travel to his time to get information allowing them to save Lar in the story arc titled "Future Tense" (_Superboy_ #21, _Legion of Super-Heroes_ #74, and _Legionnaires_ #31). This fun arc ends with the Legion giving Superboy a flight ring and granting him honorary member status. While the series _Superboy And The Ravers_ died as of issue #19 and topped the Kaycees 'worst Superman family title' award towards the end of its run, it started out with great promise and had some enjoyable stories. The opening arc in issues #1-4 is a good self-contained introduction to the series and cast with terrific art by Paul Pel ...

... Comics Archives_, Volumes 1 and 2. These are great! Reprints of the first issues of _Action Comics_ -- Volume 1 from #1 through #20 and Volume 2 from #21 through #36 -- showcasing the Man of Steel in all his pre-wartime glory. This was before Superman faced such outrageous villains as Brainiac and Metallo and Lex Luthor (although Superman did face the Ultra-Humanite in these early days, who was a mad scientist along the same lines as the pre-Crisis Luthor), but instead really fought for "Truth, Justice, and the American Way" by helping the little guy against insurance scams and labor laws and that sort of thing. The reason I mention it to you is ...

... mic) has a hip teen Supergirl which combines and alters many of the Silver Age Supergirl's origin. This Supergirl (with her debut and origin in issue #21 of the comic) is a super-powered Kara from Argo City. However, in this case, Argo was a neighbouring planet to Krypton and her last name is In-Ze (which was the surname of Kara Zor-El's mother, Alura). Supergirl's Earth-2 counterpart, Power Girl (who had my teenager's vote for best costume), was re-written after the Crisis to be the granddaughter of the ancient Atlantean wizard, Arion (see _Justice League Europe_ #9 -- Dec 1989). Her powers were revealed to be a combination of genetic alteratio ...

... ginal 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 h ...

... is glasses -- and neither Lois nor Jimmy recognize that Clark is Superman! THE SUPERMAN SPECTACULARS Art: Wayne Boring Reprinted from _Action Comics_ #211, December 1955 Perry talks Superman into performing a series of stunts for the French, Greek, Italian, Dutch, and Japanese editions of the Daily Planet. Photos of those stunts will be published in those papers to celebrate their anniversaries. Unfortunately, none of the pictures are printed. Have Superman's super-feats become old news? This is a story which deftly mixes the super and the man. The super-feats are impressive with each successive feat becoming grander as Superman becomes increasi ...

... le!" Superman was to return to the Pocket Universe's Earth one more time in a three part story arc called "The Supergirl Saga" that ran in _Superman_ #21, _Adventures of Superman_ #444 and, _Superman_ #22. The arc was John Byrne's final, and most controversial, story during his Superman run. _Superman_ #21 opens on a scene of devastation as tremendous forces barrage a dome containing a golden citadel. All around the dome is a cratered wasteland. Inside the dome a group of men and women desperately discuss their plan to recruit Superman to assist them. The story cuts to Superman, who is flying through the blue skies of Kansas when he senses someo ...

... s life in _Superboy_ #18-19. The Legion, discovering Valor's imprisonment 1,000 years later, returns to Superboy's time in "Future Tense" (_Superboy_ #21, _LSH_ #74, and _L*_ #31). Lar Gand takes the name M'Onel in _L*_ #37. The Legion earns its political freedom and deals with the new Fatal Five in five terrific issues starting with _LSH_ #78-80 and _L*_ #35-36 (the Legion titles have numbering similar to the Super-titles; these issues are 1996:5-9). The Legion battles one of its greatest enemies, Mordru, for the first time in _L*_ #48-50. Another arc worth reading is the battle against the Dark Circle in _L*_ 62-65 and _LSH_ #106-108 (numbered ...

... ent becomes editor of the Daily Star in _Superman Family_ #196. Clark and Lois attend the wedding of Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle in _Superman Family_ #211, where it is revealed that the Earth-2 real name of Two-Face is Harvey Kent, not Dent. The Justice Society reforms in 1963, after an attack by their old enemy Vandal Savage (_Flash_ #137). Superman helps them battle Aquarius and meets the Superman of Earth-1 in 1969 (_JLA_ #73-74). In 1975, after the death of his wife, Bruce Wayne renounces his Batman career and becomes Police Commissioner of Gotham City (_DC Super-Stars_ #17). In 1976, Superman's cousin Kara comes to Earth and takes the ident ...

... #50-53 [16] JLA and Sandman vs Star Conqueror, JLA #22-23 [13] "Double-Edged Sword", Supergirl #23 [ 9] "Last Daughter of Argo", Superman Adventures #21 [ 7] Supergirl gains wings of flame and battles Despero, Supergirl #17-18 [ 7] "Young, Just Us", Young Justice #1 [ 6] "Desperate Times", Supergirl #25 [ 5] "Invasion", Steel #48 SF2: Worst Story/Story-arc in a Superman Family Title ----------------------------------------------------- [25] "When She Was Good...", Supergirl #1M [23] "Love Is All That Anti-Matters", Superboy and the Ravers #17-19 [ 7] JLA battles Prometheus, JLA #16-17 [ 6] All Young Justice, #1-3,1M [ 5] JLA and Sandman vs ...

... battle Clark Kent! Wayne Boring and Bill Finger handled "The Outlaws from Krypton" in _Action_ #194 (reprinted in _Superman Annual_ #4 and _Superman_ #217). In a quick recap of the previous story, we see Superman launch the Evil Three into space, but nothing prevents them from crashing again on still another planet. (This story indicates Krypton blew up 30 years ago, not 50 like the earlier tale.) Kizo and U-Ban go off on their own, but Mala decides to return to Earth and get revenge on Superman. This is interesting, because U-Ban was the leader in the earlier story. This is one of the factors which leads me to believe the first story was possib ...