___________________________________________________________ T H E K R Y P T O N I A N C Y B E R N E T Issue #22 - February 1996 ___________________________________________________________ In memory of Jerry Siegel ___________________________________________________________ CONTENTS -------- Section 1: Superscripts: Notes from the Editor Looking into the past, rushing to the future News and Notes Superman's Birthday by David Chappell Section 2: From A Dream To A Legend -- A Tribute to Jerry Siegel From Cleveland to Krypton A brief biography, by William Nixon The Right Thing To Do A farewell from J. Michael Straczynski Jerry...You And Joe Are Together Again Poetry by Carmen DiMaria Our Own Goodbyes Section 3: The 1995 Kaycees! The Second Annual Kryptonian Cybernet Readers' Choice Awards Contest Only a few more days left in our pre-Crisis trivia contest! Section 4: Just the FAQs "Who is Supergirl?", Part 2: Power Girl by David T. Chappell And Who Disguised As... Do The Right Thing, by J.D. Rummel Super Merchandise Section 5: Reviews The "Triangle" Titles Action Comics #719, by William J. Nixon Superman: The Man of Steel #54, by Arthur LaMarche Superman #110, by Ken McKee Adventures of Superman #533, by Anatole Wilson Section 6: Reviews Other Super-Titles Superboy #25, by Arthur LaMarche Steel #25, by Dick Sidbury Showcase '96 #3, by Rene' Gobeyn Specials Marvel Vs DC #2, by Rene' Gobeyn League of Justice #2, by Rene' Gobeyn Section 7: After-Byrne Krisis of the Krimson Kryptonite Part 4: Superman #50 by Mark Lamutt Manuscripts of Steel Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography by Denes House Action Comics #661 by Ben Marlin Section 8: The Phantom Zone The Girl Friend and the Pal: Lois and Jimmy In Their Own Comics by Jon B. Knutson Super Friends Batman and Lois Lane team up in BRAVE AND THE BOLD #175 by Joe Crowe Section 9: The Phantom Zone (cont) Into the Archives Superman #1, by Neil Ottenstein Coming Attractions Section 10: TELEscopic VISION: Superman on the Small Screen Here We Go by Zoomway Episode Review #3-13: "The Dad Who Came In From The Cold" by Marta Olson Star System Catalogue EDITORIAL STAFF: --------------- Jeffery D. Sykes, Editor-in-Chief Arthur E. LaMarche, Executive Editor of Reviews LEGAL DISCLAIMERS: ----------------- Superman and all related characters, locations, and events are copyright and trademark DC Comics. Use of the aforementioned is not intended to challenge said ownership. We strongly suggest that each reader look to the media sources mentioned within for further infor- mation. 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 should be distributed freely via e-mail. Should you desire to share this publication with other on-line services, please contact me at sykes@ms.uky.edu for permission. Feel free to advertise subscription information on other on-line services which have internet mail availability. THE KRYPTONIAN CYBERNET is available by e-mail -- to subscribe, send the commands subscribe kc
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field with your INTERNET e-mail address. The program ignores the subject line of the message. Back issues are available via ftp at acm-ftp.creighton.edu and at ftp.hiof.no. Archives are also reachable via the Kryptonian Cybernet Homepage (http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/kc). ___________________________________________________________ SUPERSCRIPTS: Notes from the Editor ------------------------------------ Looking into the past, rushing to the future -------------------------------------------- It's been a while since I wrote to you, and I thought that now would be a good time. This month I'd like to discuss my votes in the 1995 Kaycees (the results are in this issue, so I won't spoil anything for you!) and my thoughts on the past and coming years. Call this my 1995 year in review article. First, for some overall comments, I think it's fairly clear that the quality of the Superman family of titles this year markedly exceeded that of 1994's books. "The Death of Clark Kent" and "The Trial of Superman" were certainly much better received than last year's "Dead Again", "Battle for Metropolis", and "Fall of Metropolis". The grumbling I've heard has been not quite as audible as before. Don't get me wrong. There's still progress to be made, but I believe the teams are back on track and headed in the right direction. The main problem areas seem to be dissatisfaction with ACTION COMICS and MAN OF STEEL, as well as the sheer volume of titles and the related price of keeping up with the Man of Steel these days. Unfortunately, with SHOWCASE keeping a Metropolis theme and with the additions later this year of SUPERBOY AND THE RAVERS and SUPERGIRL (title speculative), this problem doesn't seem to be curing itself. And that's not to mention the probability of a S:TAS companion title. For more specific thoughts on the past year, let's take a look at my votes for the Kaycees. CS1-2: Best/Worst Writing in an ongoing title I went with Karl Kesel for ADVENTURES for best, just edging out Roger Stern. These two are clearly the strongest writers in the fold. In addition, I think Dan Jurgens has been more on than off this year, and deserves credit for a good job as well. Louise Simonson's writing was a mixed bag. When she was forced to write about Superman and his Super-activities, her work wasn't very strong. However, when writing stories focused on the supporting cast (including Clark), her work compares to that of Kesel and Stern. David Michelinie received my vote for worst writing for ACTION. While he put out the occasional gem, I found his work to be, on the whole, erratic. CS3-4: Best/Worst Art in an ongoing title Had these awards been given two months earlier, I'd have voted for Grummett/Breeding for MAN OF TOMORROW or Immonen/Marzan for ADVENTURES. I realize that Immonen/Marzan have a distinctive style that splits the fans, it appeals to me. However, the debut of Frenz/Rubinstein on SUPERMAN at the end of the year has me enraptured! I simply love their work and look forward to much more in the future -- they received my vote for best art. While Bogdanove and Janke seem to receive the most "dislike" remarks, I thought their art improved this year, while the art on ACTION continued to degrade. Seeing little change in the art when Dwyer joined, I blame Rodier for what I see. Since Guice/Rodier look just a bit worse to me than Dwyer/Rodier, they get my vote for worst art. CS5-6: Best/Worst Cover In a hard-fought battle, ADVENTURES #525 wins my vote over MOT #1 for the best cover (that's the Lois and Clark reunion issue), while Bog and Janke's hideous "Who's Next" cover from MOS #46 easily takes worst. Overall, the cover art improved tremendously this year, thanks mostly to the wonderful technologies being used to help color and separate artwork these days. CS7-8: Best/Worst Story/Story-Arc In my mind, the reunion of Lois and Clark in ADVENTURES #525 was one of the best-written stories in all of comics this year. It wins easily. (But a strong honorable mention to SUPERBOY's "Future Tense"!) The conclusion of "Dead Again" just as easily takes the worst "honors". CS9-10: Best/Worst Single Issue Again, ADVENTURES #525 was about as good as it gets, with MOT #1 running a close second. My vote for worst was hard to pick. There were several books that I found to be not good, but not really anything that stood out as utter trash (not even the "Dead Again" issues). So I decided to go with MOS ANNUAL #4, the rehash of Superman's first meetings with the Justice League -- this was a pretty solid waste of paper and effort. I'm sure something else could have been covered in this issue. CS11-12: Best/Worst Title SUPERBOY was good, but not as good as last year. MOT was wonderful, but only gave us three issues. SUPERMAN receives my vote for most improved title, but ADVENTURES wins my vote for best title. Kesel, Immonen, and Marzan were simply the most consistent and entertaining group out there this year. MOS showed improvement this year, and I even found STEEL to be enjoyable at times. So my only choice for worst title of the year is, sadly, DC's flagship title, ACTION COMICS. No book disappointed me regularly in 1995 more than ACTION. (Though the recent break-up issue was well done and has me hopeful for the coming months...) LS1-6: Limited Series Awards SUPERMAN VS ALIENS and SUPERMAN: KAL epitomize great Superman comics. Dan Jurgens takes my vote for best writing on SVA, with Dave Gibbons a close second for KAL. Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez turns in the most beautiful Superman artwork this year in KAL, with Jurgens and Nowlan a solid second. For overall enjoyment, SVA wins the best limited series award, with KAL following up a strong second. As honorable mentions, GUARDIANS OF METROPOLIS overcomes painful art with a very good story, and the DOOMSDAY ANNUAL was surprisingly good. On the other end of the spectrum (WAY on the other end) are Tom Veitch, Frank Gomez, and their utterly contemptible SUPERMAN: AT EARTH'S END. The character in this book doesn't in any way resemble Superman, and the team and title takes all three of my worst votes. Also worth noting, in my opinion is the poor writing on METROPOLIS SCU and the bad art on GUARDIANS OF METROPOLIS. And SHOWCASE 95 was a bit of a disappointment with its very inconsistent quality. LC1-6: LOIS AND CLARK Awards Three episodes stand out above the rest in LOIS AND CLARK's second season: THE PHOENIX, TEMPUS FUGITIVE, and AND THE ANSWER IS.. THE PHOENIX wins my vote for best writing (they just love writing for John Shea, I think :), while the complete fun of TEMPUS FUGITIVE edges it ahead of AND THE ANSWER IS... for best episode. The aspect putting TEMPUS over the top is my vote for best guest star, Lane Davies as "Tempus". He was one of the few guest stars who actually seemed to enjoy his role. His devilishly funny Tempus sets the standard for L&C non-Luthor villains! On the negative end, Grant Rosenberg should not be allowed to write Prankster episodes anymore. I thought his scripts completely ruined Bronson Pinchot's wonderful portrayal of the Prankster. Since I liked RETURN OF THE PRANKSTER a bit more than the original, my vote for worst writing goes to Rosenberg for THE PRANKSTER. Worst guest appearance is also easy. Sherman Hemsley's overacting in SEASON'S GREEDINGS ruins what was otherwise a good episode with a very nice script by Dean Cain. And for worst episode, dare I mention the most inane and boring episode of LOIS AND CLARK to date -- even worse than SMART KIDS, imo -- CHI OF STEEL. Let's just forget they ever made that one, okay? Well, there you have my thoughts on 1995. As for 1996, there's a long way to go. But from all indications, things look very promising. For the most part, the first few months of 1996 comics have shown marked improvement (even given the story direction, which I despise). With Peter David giving us the long-awaited Supergirl series, it seems we'll have another quality book on hand later this year. And while RAVERS may be a trade-off for Marz taking SUPERBOY, I look forward to seeing where the Kid's adventures are going to take him. LOIS AND CLARK has had its strongest season to date, and it continues to get more and more riveting as the season progresses (again, though I'm not thrilled with the direction of the plot recently). The acting has been superb and the writing has been stronger than ever. I can't wait to see what they're going to do next! And of course, we've got a brand new animated series to look forward to in the fall! New trading card sets are on the way, as are additions to the Kenner/Hasbro toy line. And in the next couple of years, we should be treated to a new feature film. All in all, it looks like a great time to be a Superman fan, gang! Jeff ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- NEWS AND NOTES: NOVIA! The mailing list and archives are both fully operational nowadays, so you can find all back issues through Novia's ftp site: ftp://oasis.novia.net/pub/zines/kc will take you to the proper directory. WHAT IDES OF MARCH? We're going to have a *very* quick turnaround in between February's and March's issues of KC. This should place us back on our mid-month schedule and realign us with DC's revised shipping schedule. And it'll let me get things done before Spring Break hits full stride! :) The March issue will be ready in around two weeks. DAN JURGENS, ROUND TWO Dan Jurgens has agreed to a second interview with KC! Those of you who have been with us a while will remember that Mr. Jurgens graced KC with its very first creator interview. It's been some time since then (the hot topic of that day was the impending ZERO HOUR!), and I just know that you'll have plenty of questions about that other little project he's involved in... :) Once again, we'll give him as much time as he needs to answer your questions. After all, we would prefer he spend his valuable time working on more great projects of the caliber of SUPERMAN VERSUS ALIENS, right!? If you have a question (or questions) for Dan, send it (them) to Art LaMarche (DrArt95@aol.com). WELL THAT WAS QUICK In a recent appearance on AOL, Mike Carlin (recently departed editor of the Superman titles) announced that Joey Cavalieri, former editor of Marvel's 2099 universe (and recently a victim of the Marvelcution), will be taking over as editor of the Superman titles from KC Carlson. Carlson took over sole possession of the Superman reigns following "The Trial of Superman", just over two months ago. No word on when Cavalieri begins. KC will still be editing DC's Legion titles. SUPERGIRL AGAIN! More news on the forthcoming Supergirl comic series. Not only will fan favorite Peter David be writing the series, but it appears that he will be teaming with his prior cohort on THE INCREDIBLE HULK, as Gary Frank is reported to be Mae's new artist! SATURDAY MORNING SHOWDOWN It has been announced that the regular airtime for SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES (title speculative) on the WB network will be 10:00 AM Saturday mornings, up against a certain FOX animated series featuring Marvel's celebrated webslinger... Let's get ready to rumble!!! :) I hope that I can soon find out some information about whether or not S:TAS will be made available through syndication to markets without a WB affiliate. But as of this moment, as best I know, the WB is it. SUPERBOY AND THE RAVING ART TEAMS A bit of a correction from last month's issue is in order. Steve Mattsson, who will be co-writing SUPERBOY AND THE RAVERS with Karl Kesel, has informed me that Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis will comprise the art team for RAVERS, not for SUPERBOY. No word on who will be replacing Grummett and Hazlewood yet. SUPERBOY #31 will feature a fill-in team, and then Ron Marz begins his stint as writer with issue #32. RAVERS is set to appear very close to Marz's inaugural issue (which should appear in late summer). As always, enjoy the new issue! And we'll see you again a couple of weeks! Jeff Sykes Editor, The Kryptonian Cybernet ___________________________________________________________ SUPERMAN'S BIRTHDAY by David T. Chappell Common American tradition makes birthdays into special events. Not only are they important on a personal and family scale, but the birthdays of historically important people often turn into holidays. This month, time has come again to celebrate the birthday of one of the best known of all Americans--Superman. While no countries make the Man of Steel's birthday a national holiday, it is by its very nature a special day worldwide. Unlike most of us who get to celebrate our birthdays annually, Superman must wait years between birthdays, for he was born on February 29. Back in the "good old" pre-Crisis days, tradition mandated that Superman's birthday was February 29. The placement of his birthday on the Leap Day that occurs only once every four years helped explain--in a twisted sort of way--why Superman aged so slowly in comic books. After all, this is now only the fifteenth Leap Year and thus fifteenth birthday since Superman first appeared in the 1930s. Who'd have guessed that Superman was just a teenager? In the modern, post-Crisis comics era, however, Clark Kent's date of birth has not been specified exactly. Instead, we only know that he was born in the middle of a winter storm when his rocket ship crash-landed near Smallville. In other media, though, the birthday tradition continues. In the third-season episode "Never on Sunday" of the LOIS & CLARK television show, Clark stated that his birthday was February 28-- which is close enough to the old traditional date that it certainly seems to be more than a coincidence. In a bit of irony pointed out by Jeff Sykes, there will not be any Superman titles shipping on the week of his birthday. In an era when a new Superman comic book ships every week, Superman's birthday happens to fall during the "Amalgam week" when the DC and Marvel universes temporarily merge into one. Thus, we will get to read about the Super Soldier rather than the Superman, as Clark lets yet another year go by without any celebration. For more information on Leap Day, including its usefulness, history, and birthday celebrants, check out the Leap Day WWW page at URL http://www.amherst.edu/~atstarr/leapday.html. ___________________________________________________________ ********************************************************* End of Section 1 ___________________________________________________________ FROM A DREAM TO A LEGEND -- A TRIBUTE TO JERRY SIEGEL ----------------------------------------------------- From Cleveland to Krypton - Jerry Siegel, Superman writer and co-creator 1914-1996 Jerome 'Jerry' Siegel was the writer behind the creation of the world's first and best loved superhero: Superman. With artist Joe Shuster, his High School buddy, he helped to usher in the age of Superheroes and saw the creation of a phenomenal super-industry. An industry which since 1938 has "become a billion dollar cultural and commercial juggernaut" [Tribune]. Siegel's vision of Superman came to him one sleepless night in 1934 and all the essential elements which we take for granted were there: the doomed planet Krypton, mild-mannered Clark Kent, and a man with superhuman abilities. It was Joe Shuster who developed the skintight outfit and together they wrote and drew a 32 page strip with the caption "A Genius in intellect! A Hercules in Strength! A Nemesis to Wrongdoers! The Superman!" [Gifford] Getting Superman published though was not the same overnight experience and this story was rejected. Shuster tore it up and they went on to other projects such as "Doctor Occult and the Ghost Men" and the "Federal Men of Tomorrow" [Gifford]. This Superman was not the first though. The young Siegel had written a story entitled "The Reign of The Superman" in 1933, with art by Joe Shuster. That Superman was a mad, bald scientist (shades of a Lex Luthor to come!?) It was four years from that first vision in 1934 to Superman's first appearance in ACTION COMICS #1 in June 1938. Siegel and Shuster were paid $130 for that first 13 page Super-strip, in a deal which included all rights to the character. Siegel and Shuster were dismissed from DC Comics in 1947, and I have read separate versions of this (although they may well be separate events). In the '40's DC presented 'Superboy', a comic book based on the early life of Superman. This new book didn't credit Siegel and Shuster, and in 1947 they took their publisher to court. They won their case and were awarded $100,000 but were dismissed from their posts [Gifford]. The alternative and more common version (I have read) is that they sued for more money and the rights to their character, lost, and then were dismissed. They would never write or draw Superman again. Siegel created 'Funnyman' in 1948, a humorous version of Superman but it would never be as famous. In 1963 they tried to regain control of Superman and a 12 year case ensued which they ultimately lost. As the Last Son of Krypton went from strength to strength in radio, TV, and movies, his creators were driven to take low paid jobs. Siegel went to work as a clerk in Los Angeles. As the first Superman movie went into production in 1976, Siegel and Shuster again tried to make their rights public. In an out of court settlement, they were both awarded an annual stipend of $20,000 a year for life (later raised to $30,000) and their credits as creators were returned to the strips. Siegel has been reported as saying "I love Superman, and yet he has become an alien thing to me" [Tribune] A hardly surprising reaction from a man who had fought a succession of court battles over the rights to his co-creation. It is sad to consider that it was not until some 30 years later that their credits were returned to the books. Today they are again recognized as the fathers of the Man of Steel and I am sure they will never be forgotten by either the industry who made (and broke) them or by the fans who love them. Siegel and Shuster created an enduring legend which Superman fans will always cherish, and it may be some small recompense to know that the fans will never forget. Finally, I would like to echo Jeff's sentiment last month that the heavens are now one star brighter. References * Gifford, Denis "Jerry Siegel", The Independent, p12, 1 Feb 1996 * Lyttle, John "Oh, Superman", The Independent Section 2, p2-3, 2 Feb 1996 * Hughes, Scott "He came from Krypton and earned a million" The Independent Section 2, p3, 2 Feb 1996 * "Jerry Siegel, a Superman creator who never cashed in", International Herald Tribune, p3, 1 Feb 1996 * "Jerry Siegel", The Economist, p99, 17 Feb 1996 * "Jerry Siegel", The Scotsman, p13, 1 Feb 1996 William J Nixon ___________________________________________________________ The Right Thing To Do by J. Michael Straczynski I'm mentioning it here because it hasn't been mentioned elsewhere here that I've seen, and because it's something pivotal to me, and my upbringing, and the formation of my personality. And because you ought to know about it if you don't already. The other day, Jerry Siegel -- half of the team of Siegel and Shuster, creators of the most widely known character ever to come out of comics, one of the five most recognizable characters on the planet (this by a survey not long ago) -- passed away, following his partner Joe a few years earlier. Jerry and Joe created Superman. I didn't have the honor or pleasure of ever getting to meet them, but everything I have ever heard has shown them to be decent, kind, generous people who got screwed out of their fair share in the character who became a billion dollar industry. Bill Mumy, who is as much a comics fan as I am, maybe more so, had Jerry over to dinner once, with Bob Kane and Jack Kirby; it was the night of his life. Jack is also gone, but this is about Jerry. And it's about Superman. I collect only a few things. Watches. I like watches. I don't have a lot, but more than 3 is a collection, I'm told. Comics, sure, I got about 10,000 comics, most in storage, a lot in my office at home. But I've always considered myself a comics reader, not a comics collector. I *collected* Superman stuff. And I have one of the best collections on the Western Seaboard: bronze rings from the 1940s, pinbacks, patches, mugs, pins, figurines, Supermen of America membership badges, a cape made from the original bolt, to the original patterns, as that made for George Reeves...you name it, I got it. Because when I was a kid, Superman was It. Because of that singular character -- invulnerable, unstoppable, whose single goal was to find the right thing and do it -- I decided that I could do anything I set my mind to doing. Truth, justice, and the American way. Yeah, it's corny as hell, and maybe it doesn't parse too well in a "stick it to 'em" society, but as a kid, it *meant* something to me. Okay, I grudgingly accepted that I couldn't fly...but otherwise, if I decided I wanted to do it, then by god I *could* do it. If that meant teaching myself to read at an early age, or dealing with the great personal angst of a family life that was dysfunctional on the best of days, for which invulnerability was a quality much to be desired...or deciding that someday I was gonna be a Writer, then that was what was going to happen. And to this day, my only agenda is to try and find the right thing, as best as I am able to perceive the right, and do it. Because when you're a kid you're young and foolish enough to believe there IS a Right Thing; you just have to dig long enough and think hard enough and survive the kryptonite long enough to figure it out. And you don't lie, you don't sell out your friends, you put yourself on the line, and anybody who wants to hurt your friends has to go through you first. These are the lessons learned by a kid; they are tempered with time, but they still shape the adult. When you start as a nearsighted kid, who doesn't fit in with the new school (and there was always a new school every 6-12 months), who believes he just might have a little nascent talent waiting to come out, tall and gawky, with stars in your eyes and a home life that would make the Borgias seem like a tea party...how much of a leap is it really to see Clark Kent in the mirror, and anticipate Superman...? Maybe it's maudlin, maybe it's indulgent. Maybe it's over-wrought, and maybe it's silly. But the concept and the character of Superman meant something to me as a kid. Still does. And now the man who created Superman is gone, and somebody ought to say something, however silly or indulgent or maudlin it might be seen by others. Because it's the right thing to do. Thanks, Jerry. Bye. Give my regards to Joe. And Kandor. And Krypton. And Jor-El. And Lara. What you created, endures. Rest easy. [Editor's note: This tribute was originally posted on CompuServe by Mr. Straczynski, who is -- among many other things -- the creative force behind BABYLON 5. His words are reprinted here with his permission. ___________________________________________________________ Jerry...You And Joe Are Together Again by Carmen DiMaria You are the one who started this whole "super" thing You gave us a hero that inspirations would bring You set the stage of a man who can fly Without you here brings a tear to my eye I love your creation as if it were my own I love how the way me and Supes have grown He has always been a part of this life that I've known And he'll forever be here in my heart etched in stone None have come after as great as he You let this hero from your mind to be free "Faster than a speeding bullet!" Jerry used to say It's truth and justice the American Way We are the children of this superhero craze The term "super hero" would have never been phrased I thank you sir for the legend you left You gave me a role model, whom I can model myself It'll never be the same now that you're gone I'll never fear cause Superman will live on You are in a place where happiness will begin Now that you and Joe are together again........... Thank you Jerry for all that you gave to the world........It was something that the whole world needed.........Something we all needed......Something to believe in...Something Immortal........ When a god can live amongst men........ Farewell....Rest in Peace....In Jesus' Name......................Amen ___________________________________________________________ Our Own Goodbyes ---------------- Jerry, you will be sorely missed. Not only by those who remember ACTION #1 and the subsequent mythos of Superman it has fueled, but by people who realize that although Superman is but a mere creation of two imaginative young men, he represents the best of humanity's ideals. He is far from infallible, but he is a role model for truth, justice, decency, and respect. Thank you, Jerry and Joe, for showing us what being human should be about. Not about superiority, not about power, but about caring for others and making others proud of who you are as a person. Neither of you have had an easy life but I hope that you and Joe realize that what you've done for us can never be repaid and that some of us will try to be worthy of your imagination and dreams. Rest in peace. Victor Chan ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Ever since I first started reading Superman comics, both old and new, I have been fascinated with the fact that, out of all of the Superman writers, Jerry Siegel's work STILL stands out as the best. His writing created a character that was not only fascinating to read, but also fun to read. In him Superman found life, DC found a great writer, and the world found a great man. We will truly miss him. Isaiah J. Campbell ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- A dream. A simple night of vivid imagination. From the depths of an incredibly creative subconscious sprang forth the image and character of a most remarkable man. A man of more than just incredible strength and abilities, this was a man driven by basic values and virtues. Responsibility, truth, justice, common courtesy, decency, respect for the sanctity of life. Superior in every way, but no better than the rest of us. Through years of change, one thing has remained the same. Superman continues to provide a model of humanity. Through all of our faults and mistakes, still we struggle to make this world a better place than when we joined it. Maybe we can't always succeed. Maybe we can't always be what everyone else wants us to. Maybe we can't even meet our own goals and standards. But we continue to try. This is the essence of Superman. The neverending struggle to make the world a better place. The battle to overcome setbacks with shining victories. The decision to get out and make a difference. In many ways, the Man of Steel is little more than a fantasy. An alien from a distant planet, with god-like powers and abilities. But beneath it all lies the humanity of a couple of kids from Cleveland. Jerry, Joe, thank you so much for sharing with us your vision of humanity. You accomplished through Superman what each of us continues to work at. You made the world a better place. You gave us something to believe in, something to pattern our lives after. A symbol of hope for the future, an icon of virtue. A legend. ___________________________________________________________ ********************************************************* End of Section 2 ___________________________________________________________ THE 1995 KAYCEES The Second Annual Kryptonian Cybernet Readers' Choice Awards ------------------------------------------------------------ The votes have been counted, your choices have been made, and your choices for the best and worst in the world of Superman for 1995 are just ahead. Before we begin, however, I want to announce the winner of the random drawing! As promised, one name was drawn at random from those who voted in this year's awards. This reader wins his or her choice of a set of LOIS AND CLARK trading cards or a set of SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL Collector's Edition trading cards! And this year's lucky winner was ... Jim Smith (jasmith2@students.uiuc.edu) The number of ballots jumped from 29 last year to 106 this year! The unexpected jump is the primary cause for the delay in the results this year, as tabulating the results was quite a bit of work! Let's get started. The number of votes are given to the left, and a few brief comments follow some categories. In the interest of brevity, only those receiving more than two votes will be given at this time. However, in the near future, I will make available on the KC home page a list of all votes received. CONTINUING COMIC SERIES ----------------------- CS1: Best Writing in an ongoing comic series 22 Roger Stern, SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW 20 Dan Jurgens, SUPERMAN 18 Karl Kesel, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN 16 Karl Kesel, SUPERBOY CS2: Worst Writing in an ongoing comic series 17 David Michelinie, ACTION COMICS 15 Louise Simonson, SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL 13 Marv Wolfman, THE NEW TITANS 12 David Michelinie, STEEL 5 Louise Simonson, STEEL 3 Karl Kesel, SUPERBOY It is interesting to note that only David Michelinie, for STEEL, received no votes for best writing, and only Roger Stern received no votes for worst writing. As well, nobody else received more than five votes in either category. It seems the fans are pretty clear about whose writing they do and don't like! CS3: Best Art in an ongoing comic series 18 Tom Grummett/Doug Hazlewood, SUPERBOY 16 Tom Grummett/Brett Breeding, SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW 13 Stuart Immonen/Jose Marzan Jr, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN 13 Dan Jurgens, SUPERMAN 9 Ron Frenz/Josef Rubinstein, SUPERMAN 7 Gil Kane/Josef Rubinstein, SUPERMAN 4 Jon Bogdanove/Dennis Janke, SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL CS4: Worst Art in an ongoing comic series 32 Jon Bogdanove/Dennis Janke, SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL 9 Jackson Guice/Denis Rodier, ACTION COMICS 8 Stuart Immonen/Jose Marzan Jr, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN 4 Kieron Dwyer/Denis Rodier, ACTION COMICS 4 Ron Frenz/Josef Rubinstein, SUPERMAN 4 Gil Kane/Josef Rubinstein, SUPERMAN 4 William Rosado/Keith Champagne, THE NEW TITANS 3 Chris Batista/Rich Faber, STEEL Again, opinions are fairly polar, but we see some equal disagreement about Immonen/Marzan and Kane/Rubinstein. To me, this is a result of their distinctive styles. But there can be little doubt that Bog and Janke still hang onto that least favorite status for now. CS5: Best Cover Art from an ongoing comic series 7 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW #1, Tom Grummett/Brett Breeding 4 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #525, Stuart Immonen/Jose Marzan Jr 4 SUPERMAN, Dan Jurgens (usually with Breeding or Rubinstein) 4 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW, Grummett/Breeding CS6: Worst Cover Art from an ongoing comic series 8 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #46, Jon Bogdanove/Dennis Janke 6 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL, Bogdanove/Janke 4 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #50, Bogdanove/Janke There was a bit of confusion on these two categories. In the November issue, I made it clear that this award was for single issues only, but I failed to make that distinction on the web page. Many issues received votes in these categories. Most notably, half of the MAN OF STEEL covers received votes for worst cover. The Bog/Janke disfavor continues... CS7: Best Story/Story Arc in an on-going comic series 21 "The Death of Clark Kent" 15 "The Trial of Superman" 8 "Future Tense" (The Superboy/Legion crossover) 6 "Watery Grave" (From SUPERBOY) CS8: Worst Story/Story Arc in an on-going comic series 25 "Dead Again" 12 "The Trial of Superman" 6 "The Death of Clark Kent" The bad taste left in our mouths about "Dead Again" at the start of 1995 obviously stayed with us long enough to make it a clear winner for worst arc. But the other voting surprised me a bit. First, few people voted on one- or two-issue stories. And the receptions of the major Superman arcs were not what I'd expected. I was under the impression that "Trial" was better received than "Death of Clark Kent", but clearly the voters though opposite. I suppose I should point out that "Trial" had not yet concluded when the majority of votes were cast, and I believe the last few issues were more liked than the middle issues... CS9: Best Single Issue of an ongoing comic series 19 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #525 (Lois and Clark reunited) 10 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW #1 (Return of Lex Luthor) 6 SUPERMAN #100 (Beginning of "Death of Clark Kent") CS10: Worst Single Issue of an ongoing comic series 6 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #42 (Conclusion of Babe/Locke tale) 4 SUPERMAN #99 (Agent Liberty, Arclight) 3 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #528 (Alien bounty hunter) 3 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #40 ("Dead Again", brain beasts chapter) I wasn't too surprised with these choices, with the possible exception of ADVENTURES #528. CS11: Best Ongoing Comic Series 22 SUPERBOY 20 ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN 16 SUPERMAN 11 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW 3 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL CS12: Worst Ongoing Comic Series 20 THE NEW TITANS 20 STEEL 13 SUPERMAN: MAN OF STEEL 5 ACTION COMICS 4 SUPERBOY No best votes for NEW TITANS, no worst for MAN OF TOMORROW. I did find it interesting that MAN OF STEEL's writing, art, and covers were all voted as worse than those of TITANS and STEEL, yet... LIMITED COMIC SERIES -------------------- LS1: Best Writing in a special or limited series 36 Dan Jurgens, SUPERMAN VS ALIENS 12 Dave Gibbons, SUPERMAN: KAL 5 Cindy Goff, METROPOLIS SCU 5 Roger Stern, DOOMSDAY ANNUAL #1 4 Dan Jurgens, DOOMSDAY ANNUAL #1 3 Karl Kesel, GUARDIANS OF METROPOLIS 3 Jerry Ordway, DOOMSDAY ANNUAL #1 LS2: Worst Writing in a special or limited series 22 Tom Veitch, SUPERMAN: AT EARTH'S END 9 Cindy Goff, METROPOLIS SCU 6 Jeff Loeb, LOOSE CANNON 3 Karl Kesel, GUARDIANS OF METROPOLIS 3 Jerry Ordway, DOOMSDAY ANNUAL #1 3 David Michelinie/Brett Breeding, SHADOWDRAGON ANNUAL #1 3 Roger Stern, SHOWCASE '95 (Thorn) Pretty decisive, huh!? Watch the trend ... LS3: Best Art in a special or limited series 21 Dan Jurgens/Kevin Nowlan, SUPERMAN VS ALIENS 18 Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, SUPERMAN: KAL 12 Dan Jurgens/Brett Breeding, DOOMSDAY ANNUAL #1 7 Frank Gomez, SUPERMAN: AT EARTH'S END 6 Gil Kane/Jerry Ordway, DOOMSDAY ANNUAL #1 3 Brett Breeding/Dick Giordano, SHADOWDRAGON ANNUAL #1 3 Stuart Immonen/Wade Von Grawbadger, SHOWCASE '95 (Supergirl) LS4: Worst Art in a special or limited series 11 Adam Pollina, LOOSE CANNON 10 Kieron Dwyer/Mike Manley, GUARDIANS OF METROPOLIS 8 Frank Gomez, SUPERMAN: AT EARTH'S END 6 Dennis Janke, DOOMSDAY ANNUAL #1 3 Gil Kane/Jerry Ordway, DOOMSDAY ANNUAL #1 3 Pete Krause/Jose Marzan Jr, METROPOLIS SCU 3 Dan Jurgens/Kevin Nowlan, SUPERMAN VS ALIENS Well, with the exception of that last line, there, have you figured out which of the limited series we loved!? If not, maybe this will help... LS5: Best Special or Limited Series 33 SUPERMAN VS ALIENS 15 SUPERMAN: KAL 12 DOOMSDAY ANNUAL #1 5 GUARDIANS OF METROPOLIS 5 SHOWCASE '95 3 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL GALLERY LS6: Worst Special or Limited Series 23 SUPERMAN: AT EARTH'S END 12 METROPOLIS SCU 10 LOOSE CANNON 5 DOOMSDAY ANNUAL #1 4 SHADOWDRAGON ANNUAL #1 3 GUARDIANS OF METROPOLIS 3 SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL GALLERY Dan Jurgens, hear me now. If this doesn't make it clear, I don't know what will. WE WANT ANOTHER SUPERMAN VS ALIENS SERIES!!!!! On a more calm and collective note, SUPERMAN: KAL was right up there with SUPERMAN VS ALIENS in quality, and the high marks for the DOOMSDAY ANNUAL surprised me. I though it was pretty good, but I didn't figure it to get too many accolades from the fans. LOIS AND CLARK SECOND SEASON ---------------------------- LC1: Best Writing in a second season episode 24 Jack Weinstein & Lee Hutson, TEMPUS FUGITIVE 19 Dean Cain, SEASON'S GREEDINGS 16 Tony Blake & Paul Jackson, AND THE ANSWER IS... 9 Tony Blake & Paul Jackson, THE PHOENIX 5 Kathy McCormick & John McNamara, WHINE, WHINE, WHINE 3 Grant Rosenberg, THE RETURN OF THE PRANKSTER LC2: Worst Writing in a second season episode 14 Hilary Bader, CHI OF STEEL 8 John McNamara, WALL OF SOUND 7 Kathy McCormick, A BOLT FROM THE BLUE 7 Grant Rosenberg, RETURN OF THE PRANKSTER 5 Tony Blake & Paul Jackson, TARGET: JIMMY OLSEN! 4 Grant Rosenberg, THE PRANKSTER 4 Tony Blake, Paul Jackson, & James Crocker, METALLO 4 Kathy McCormick & John McNamara, WHINE, WHINE, WHINE 4 Kathy McCormick & Grant Rosenberg, THE EYES HAVE IT 3 Dean Cain, SEASON'S GREEDINGS 3 Chris Ruppenthal, LUCKY LEON 3 Gene Miller & Karen Kavner, THAT OLD GANG OF MINE 3 Tony Blake & Paul Jackson, MADAME EX The first half of the season fared much more poorly in voting than did the second half. It would appear that the fans would generally rather not hear again from Bader, McNamara, McCormick, or Rosenberg. Dean Cain's strong showing was a bit surprising to me -- I realize the episode was well-received by FoLCs, but there was also a lot of complaining about it as well. LC3: Best Performance by a guest-star in a second season episode 20 Farrah Forke as "Mayson Drake" 14 John Shea as "Lex Luthor", THE PHOENIX 11 Lane Davies as "Tempus", TEMPUS FUGITIVE 9 Bronson Pinchot as "The Prankster" 4 Bruce Campbell as "Bill Church, Jr." 4 Leslie Jordan as "Resplendent Man", A BOLT FROM THE BLUE 4 Terry Kiser as "H.G. Wells", TEMPUS FUGITIVE 4 Tony Jay as "Nigel" 4 Barbara Bosson as Lois' therapist 3 Scott Valentine as "Metallo", METALLO LC4: Worst Performance by a guest-star in a second season episode 8 Sherman Hemsley as "Mr. Schott", SEASON'S GREEDINGS 7 Lane Davies as "Tempus", TEMPUS FUGITIVE 7 Scott Valentine as "Metallo", METALLO 7 Jim Pirri as "Agent Scardino" 6 Michael Des Barres as "Lenny Stoke", WALL OF SOUND 6 Bronson Pinchot as "The Prankster" 5 William Devane as "Al Capone", THAT OLD GANG OF MINE 5 Cindy Williams as "Wandamae", A BOLT FROM THE BLUE 5 Michelle Phillips as "Claudette Wilder", TARGET: JIMMY OLSEN! 3 Denise Crosby as "Dr. Gretchen Kelly" 3 Emma Samms as "Arianna Carlin", MADAME EX 3 Racquel Welch as "Diana Stride", TOP COPY Given the range of opinions here, it's kind of hard to call any results predictable or surprising. This category may get dumped for next year. LC5: Best Season Two Episode 28 AND THE ANSWER IS... 27 TEMPUS FUGITIVE 8 THE PHOENIX 7 WHINE, WHINE, WHINE 6 LUCKY LEON 4 SEASON'S GREEDINGS 3 RESURRECTION This was a dogfight from start to finish. The very last vote I received decided the battle! Interesting to note that with the lone exception of TOP COPY, every episode from THE PHOENIX on received at least one vote for best episode. LC6: Worst Season Two Episode 14 CHI OF STEEL 8 A BOLT FROM THE BLUE 7 WALL OF SOUND 6 THAT OLD GANG OF MINE 6 RETURN OF THE PRANKSTER 5 THE PRANKSTER 5 MADAME EX 5 METALLO 5 OPERATION BLACKOUT 3 THE SOURCE 3 TARGET: JIMMY OLSEN! 3 TOP COPY 3 THE EYES HAVE IT Mostly first-half episodes. Hmmm... This one was never in doubt. I guess Super-Chi, Super-rats, and Super-sounds just don't work for FoLCs. WRITE-IN AWARDS --------------- And finally, we conclude this year's awards with a few of the better write-in awards. To kick things off, let's remain with the L&C theme for a moment... Rusty Priske (ut834@freenet.victoria.bc.ca) The "You Make TV Worth Watching" Award to Teri Hatcher The "Yeah, OK, You're Pretty Good Looking, Too" Award to Dean Cain Michael McKay-Fleming (mmckayfl@uoguelph.ca) Worst Continuity, LOIS AND CLARK, Leslie Jordan, "Hmmm, weren't you the Invisible Man from Season 1?" Mark L. Smith (mlsmith@nadc.nadc.navy.mil) Best Short Cut -- Teri Hatcher's Hair Stylist Claudia Henry (seahen@u.washington.edu) Best Line in Lois and Clark: Clark - "Superman is what I can do, Clark is who I am." Sliding into some of the past year's comics... Michael McKay-Fleming (mmckayfl@uoguelph.ca) Best Anatomical Mistake, Trial of Superman, Leeya's Breasts, "If her species offspring can only eat the flesh of the parent, then why do the women have large breasts?" Jarod Cates (fizban@expert.cc.purdue.edu) Best "I've fallen and I can't get up" Superman Artists: Bogdanove & Janke - S:TMOS #50 Willie Berkovitz (berkovw@alleg.edu) "If it twitches, kill it." to Dead Again Stuart Reid (Fantom@Progsoc.Uts.Edu.Au) The Bad-Hair-Day Award, to Jon Bogdanove. The Man of Steel team still haven't worked out how to draw Supes with long hair Javier Heredia (JHERED02@serss1.fiu.edu) The award for the longest story-arc with a lame theme: Runner-up -- O.J. Simpson! The Winner -- Dead Again Dawoud Al-Haddad (hal@seas.smu.edu) Most depressingly underused character: Gangbuster Dan Williams (djwilli@cv.hp.com) Best use of Pre-Crisis Homages: Kesel and Grummett's Superboy. Worst Concept of Superman. Superman at Earth's End, for the Superman with Big Gun concept. A few miscellaneous thoughts... David Young (dayoung@luna.cas.usf.edu) Best Superman news of the year -- A new Superman cartoon in the works by "Adventures of Batman & Robin" creators, "Lois & Clark" getting ratings in the Nielson Top 20, and a new Superman movie in the works! Ben Marlin (COSMICBEN@aol.com) The "Why Can't They Write Every Super-book?" Award: Karl Kesel and Roger Stern Jim Lee (jlee2@buster.eng.ua.edu) Coolest mom and pop in the known and unknown universe: the Kents Of course, I'm gonna run this one: Matt Combes (NandoX@aol.com) Best Internet newsletter dedicated to Superman: The Kryptonian Cybernet!!! :) And finally, Jenny Stosser (jennys@melbpc.org.au) How about an award for best writer for The Kryptonian Cybernet. (Of course, now that I'm in that select group, I couldn't vote, could I?) :) Before signing off, I want to admit that Jenny (and several others) raises a good point. In the interest of improving the magazine, we need reader input. As a result, look for a reader survey in a few months (after I've passed my qualifier!!!) -- we're going to ask *you* what's good and bad about KC, what articles/columns do you read on a regular basis, and what suggestions would you make. Thanks to all of our fans who voted this year! Let's all look forward to what promises to be one of the most exciting years ever for the Man of Steel! ___________________________________________________________ CONTEST! -------- Okay readers, dust off your pre-Crisis thinking caps! Jeff Epstein has provided us with a list of trivia questions pertaining to pre-Crisis Krypton. See what you can handle! Send your answers to KCContest@aol.com, and be certain to include your name and e-mail address in your entry. Why? Because it's prize time again! The person answering the most questions correctly will win a complete set of DC VS MARVEL trading cards, plus a 5"x7" oversized card of Superman vs The Hulk, painted by Glen Orbik! These cards were only available to those who purchased a complete box of the cards. In the case of a tie, the winner will be selected at random from all of those involved in the tie. As with the Kaycees, I will also set up a form on the KC Homepage, so that you may send in your entries from there. I've extended the contest deadline to 11:59 PM Eastern, Friday, March 8. However, you needn't wait until you've found all of the answers. I will (in a way) accept multiple entries. If you submit your entry and later discover another answer, you may resubmit -- at the expense of your previous submission! I will not provide you with access to your prior answers, so if you plan to follow-up, make certain you keep your current answers handy! Well, then, what are you waiting for? Dig out your collections and get to work! 1. What was the oldest city on Krypton ? 2. What was the highest peak on Krypton ? 3. What was the most precious metal on Krypton ? 4. What was the strongest metal on Krypton ? 5. What was the most commonly spoken language on Krypton ? 6. What metal, common on Krypton, was erupted by a volcano of the same name ? 7. What Kryptonian jungle's name had a hue to it ? 8. How many moons did Krypton originally have ? 9. What was the capital city of Krypton before Kryptonopolis ? 10. What was the independent island of thieves on Krypton ? 11. What was the main defense center on Krypton ? 12. What was the "ghost city" of Krypton ? 13. What city was Supergirl (Kara Zor-El) born in ? 14. Name two Kryptonian oceans. 15. Name two seas on Krypton. ___________________________________________________________ ********************************************************* End of Section 3 ___________________________________________________________ Just the FAQs More Details about Frequently-Asked Questions about the Man of Steel by David T. Chappell Last month, I kicked off a three-part article with a description of Kara Zor-El, the original Supergirl. Now, I continue with another Kara and an alternate Supergirl as I continue to ask, "Who is Supergirl?" Part II: Power Girl An Alternate Supergirl for an Alternate Earth The "original" Supergirl appeared back in 1959 (see last issue of the KRYPTONIAN CYBERNET for details). In the 1970s, DC Comics decided that it was time to introduce a new version of Supergirl. While the then-current Kara Zor-El appeared on the same Earth-1 that was home to other Silver Age heroes, this new Supergirl was designed to be the Kara of Earth-2. Without launching into a thesis-length description of the various Earths, it suffices to explain that the two Earths existed in alternate dimensions, and Earth-2 was home to the older heroes of the Golden Age. Thus, beginning in ALL-STAR COMICS #58, this new female Kryptonian became part of Gerry Conway's new Super Squad feature. This alternate version of Kara was intended to be a "modern woman," meaning that she was more independent and self-driven. Her attachment to the Earth-2 Superman was not as strong as the relationship between their Earth-1 counterparts. This new Kara wore a costume noticeably different from Superman's, especially in the absence of an "S" shield. Moreover, the timing of her arrival on Earth made her more of a successor than an assistant to the Earth-2 Superman. The Origin of Power Girl (Take 1) The origin of this new superheroine had only surface similarities to that of the Earth-1 Supergirl. There was no Argo City involved, but Kara was still sent to Earth to avoid disaster, and she was still Kal's cousin. Before Superman's home planet Krypton exploded, a scientist named Jor-L realized that the destruction was imminent. He thus built a rocket to carry his infant son Kal-L to another planet. Jor-L also told his brother Zor-L, who also built a rocket. While Zor-L could not build a rocket large enough to save himself nor his wife Allura, he was able to save his daughter Kara. Jor-L's rocket turned out to be superior to his brother's. Thus, while both rockets launched at the same time, Kara's rocket took sixty years to reach Earth, during which time she aged twenty years and lived in a mentally-induced dreamworld. When Kara's rocket landed on Earth, Superman investigated to find a super- powered adult woman from Krypton. Kal-L was then middle-aged and in semi- retirement, but he helped his super-cousin become a member of the Justice Society of America. The Huntress helped Kara take on a secret identity as Karen Starr, and Kara adapted the title of Power Girl. Super Teams for a Super Girl Power Girl began her crime-fighting career as a member of the JSA, and she was a charter member of the JSA's short-lived subgroup known as the Super Squad. Kara had a brief feature stint in SHOWCASE, and she continued to appear alongside the JSA in its annual team-ups with Earth-1's JLA. In the mid-1980s, Power Girl finally left the JSA. When a number of other young heirs to JSA members were rejected for membership, Kara decided to join their new group (INFINITY, INC. #1, Mar 1984). Although Power Girl only remained a member of Infinity, Inc. for its first major mission, her presence was important for that first year. Kara then struck out on her own. Mid-Life Crisis Then the red skies came, and everything changed . . . Power Girl joined the other major heroes of multiple Earths in fighting the Anti-Monitor during the Crisis on Infinite Earths. When the dust settled and only one Earth was left, Kara was orphaned as a heroine without a past. Since Superman was being revived as the sole survivor of Krypton, she needed a new excuse for her super-powers. For a brief time, Kara was simply ignorant of her true heritage. When she finally learned the truth, she realized that what she had believed before was wrong. During this period, she still remembered all about Earth-2 and her "original" past. Finally, DC realized that it was overly confusing for all the heroes of the Crisis to remember the pre-Crisis days, and Kara gradually accepted her new origin as being her only origin. Power Girl's new origin, based on an idea by original creator Gerry Conway, was written by Paul Kupperberg and appeared in SECRET ORIGINS #11 (Feb 1987). The remainder of this article explains only the post-Crisis version of Power Girl and speaks about revamps as though things have always been the way they are now. A New Origin for an Old Heroine After the Universal Crisis, Kara wondered about her true origins. When she returned to the symbio-ship in which she had awoken a few years before, a magical illusion spoke to Kara and told her of her past. Kara was actually born 45,000 years ago in ancient Atlantis. She was the granddaughter of Arion, an Atlantean wizard-prince. Arion manipulated Kara's genetic make-up to grant her powers "beyond those of mortal men." When Arion's brother and arch-enemy Garn Daanuth threatened the child, Arion magically transported his two-year-old granddaughter forward through time to the modern era. As the illusion faded and the Kara's history lesson ended, Arion granted Kara the parting gift of his magical amulet, which Kara thereafter wore as a belt buckle. Modern History and More Super-Teams In the post-Crisis universe, Kara suspected that she was Superman's cousin, but she never voiced her ideas. Soon after her millennia-long sleep, Power Girl became a member of the Justice Society, and she later joined Infinity, Inc. When the JSA went into limbo for several years (LAST DAYS OF THE JUSTICE SOCIETY), Dr. Fate insisted that Power Girl remain behind on Earth. When Kara learned of her Atlantean origins, she set out to learn about her roots. Thus, she traveled to the "hollow-earth" world of Skartaris (WARLORD #116-124). In 1988, Kara starred in her own four-issue POWER GIRL mini- series in which she fought several villains and eventually defeated a magical Lord of Chaos. Kara also joined the Doom Patrol for occasional adventures, and she guest- starred in various other team-ups. It was only a few months later, though, that she joined another super-team. When the Justice League International opened a new European branch, Power Girl joined as a charter member (JLE #1, Apr 89). In one of her first big missions with the JLE ("The Teasdale Imperative"), Kara was nearly killed by the Gray Man. Superman performed surgery to save her life, but Kara's powers were considerably diminished as a result (JLE #9, Dec 89). In real life, this injury and power loss were deemed necessary because Power Girl was too powerful: she was essentially stronger than Superman since her pre- Crisis Kryptonian origin was only slowly being replaced. Power Girl (or PG as some members would call her) remained with the JLE throughout the group's existence. She was the group's strongest hero, though Kara had to constantly fend off Wally West's advances. Over the years, she changed costumes several times, trading in her old blue, white, and red outfit for other costumes with various color schemes. When the League reformed after Zero Hour, PG chose to remain with Wonder Woman's JLA group. The modern Power Girl still has the secret identity of Karen Starr, though she rarely uses it in comic stories. Karen is the founder of StarrWare, a software company located in New York City. Superhero duties, however, have sometimes made Karen negligent of her business duties. The Baby While a member of the JLE, Kara became mysteriously pregnant. She claimed that there was no father to the child, but doubts persisted in the minds of others. In truth, Arion and the mages of Atlantis used Kara in a plan to combine the powers of law and chaos, light and darkness to create a powerful being. Thus, they secretly impregnated Kara's body with the genetic material of the demon Scarabus. Kara carried the pregnancy to full term, and her young babe was born into the world in the midst of the turmoil of Zero Hour (ZERO HOUR #0, Sept 94). The child turned out to be more than merely a bright spot at the end of a major story, however. In the subsequent months, Kara remained protective of her son, and he magically, rapidly grew to become a young man. The child's "father," Scarabus, attacked his son. The demon was defeated only by the combined efforts of Kara and her latent Atlantean magic; the rest of the Justice League; and, most importantly, Kara's now-adult son, Equinox. (JLA #107-108; 1996) While this new child is not a part of the Superman family, nor does his mother any longer bear any Kryptonian roots, it is interesting to consider that neither Power Girl nor Equinox would exist were it not for a special creation of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. ___________________________________________________________ And Who Disguised As... ------------------------------------------------------------------ A Column of Opinion By J.D. Rummel (jrummel@vulture.creighton.edu) Do The Right Thing (WARNING: This contains some SPOILERS, so don't proceed until you have read Action 719 ) Usually I don't do general reviewing, I leave that to other stalwarts here at the KC, but I really have to say some things about ACTION COMICS #719. Did anybody else think this was one of the best stories in a long time? Wowza! Written by David Michelinie, a guy whose work first impressed me back when he gave some new life to Iron Man years ago, ACTION #719 is the kind of fine, talented, thoughtful, writing that has been missing from the Superman titles for too long. In it, Superman must choose between doing The Right Thing and what he really wants, even loves. This is no easy task, even for the supremely powerful Kryptonian. The Right Thing in this instance is letting a homicidal madman go on living at the expense of the life of his fiancee. Don't think this is some slap-dash job that is obvious. Although no reader thinks that Lois is gonna die, Superman, under Michelinie's deft hand, certainly appears to believe it. Supes must find a cure for Lois who has been poisoned by the Joker (being handled better here than in many of his over-exposed years). As it turns out, the lunatic has devised a scheme in which the only cure that can be developed in time requires injecting him with the lethal toxin and having the antidote worked-up from his corpse. Superman must decide whether or not to end the life of one person, an evil, or insane (or both, depending on your philosophy), individual, and the life of someone whose life is more valuable to him than his own. In the real climax, Superman comes face to face with his own superhuman standard of conduct. After all, he is virtually an avatar of conduct, a manifestation of all we would like to be. Another man, one of us, might make the selfish choice and kill the madman in order to save the girl. After all, it's a win/win situation, right? A killer will be put away for good, and a decent human will be given a renewed chance at life. It's the death penalty argument taken to its impossible extreme: Kill the killer and the victim really gets to come back. Ironically, it is the tortured human, Batman, that understands the situation, and he is handled extremely well in these pages. He is not the over-the-top nut case that appears sporadically in his own, too-numerous titles, rather, he is an even-tempered man that obviously deals in a world far more real and dark than Superman's. Batman understands, as only a human can, that loved ones die, and sometimes all we can do is watch. His is the reasoning, more than any other, that shines through, explaining to Superman what exactly is at stake. Superman lets Lois die. Of course, Lois can't really die, this is a legend and a merchandising juggernaut, so she returns to life in what is really a nice touch. The toxin did not really kill her, it only stopped the heart momentarily, before allowing it to restart again. No, that's not clever; what *is* clever is the rationale behind it: it was a prank -- the horribly twisted, Joker kind. The gag was that the Joker wanted to ruin a champion, forcing him to kill on selfish grounds, reducing him to something far less than a Superman. The truest moment may be where Superman explains to the "risen" Lois that he had to let her die, that she herself "would have wanted it that way" because killing to save her would have diminished him and her own life. She says she understands, but he does not see her face as they hug, and only we are privy to her thought balloon that reads: "I think." Imagine how she must feel; her rescue is just blind-ass luck, and the one who has always rescued her before deliberately let her slip away because the price for saving her was judged too high. Who among us wants to find out just how much we are worth to our loved ones? The man she loves most has declared that his mission, his ethic, is higher than their love. There are standards greater than any human affection. If the writers don't pursue this, they are missing a fine opportunity. After all, it must push some kind of wedge between them. No woman (nor any man) wants to hear, "who I am comes before your life," from her (or his) significant other, not even from Superman. We all want to believe we are the most important thing in the lives of our partners. My hat is off to Mr. Michelinie. He done a real good thing here. This is your last chance to send movie ideas/wishes/observations. I'm gonna go through em and put together a column. Send to: jrummel@vulture.creighton.edu Away ___________________________________________________________ SUPER MERCHANDISE ----------------- Information on Forthcoming Superman Merchandise Assembled by Jeffery D. Sykes The information which follows is reprinted without permission from Diamond's PREVIEWS and is in no way meant to serve as a replacement for that magazine. For further information on (and in many cases, pictures of) the below merchandise, see recent issues of PREVIEWS! ABBREVIATIONS: ------------- FC: Full color HC: Hardcover PB: Paperback PI: Inquire about price SC: Softcover Unless otherwise indicated, the product is from DC Comics. Also keep in mind that dates listed are when Diamond will be able to distribute the product in question. For some merchandise (books and toys especially), you may be able to find the item at a retailer earlier than this given date. These monthly updates only list new merchandise solicited by PREVIEWS. For a full listing of Superman-related merchandise, visit the Kryptonian Cybernet Homepage! ___________________________________________________________ APRIL: ----- KINGDOM COME Retail Poster Painted art by Alex Ross DC trumpets the impending debut of the eagerly awaited KINGDOM COME mini-series with this incredible fully-painted poster by Alex (MARVELS, KURT BUSIEK'S ASTRO CITY) Ross. One month later, the waiting is over as Mark Waid and Ross' apocalyptic Elseworlds saga begins! Poster prominently features Superman. Scheduled to arrive April 3 22x34 $5.50 Superman Collector's Set This 6-issue set is a great introduction to the Man of Steel for new readers, featuring ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #526, ACTION COMICS #713, SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #48, SUPERMAN #104, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #527, and ACTION COMICS #714. The set also includes a free phonecard featuring 4-color art of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, good for 5 minutes of credit on phones in the US. Scheduled to arrive April 24 PI Superman in Action Comics Vol. I Tiny Folio Abbeville Press Featuring the complete covers -- 300 images in full color -- from the first 25 years of ACTION COMICS! Introduction by fan favorite writer Mark Waid. SC, 4x4, 320pgs, FC $11.95 Superman in Action Comics Vol.II Tiny Folio Abbeville Press Featuring the complete covers -- 300 images in full color -- from the second 25 years of ACTION COMICS! Introduction by fan favorite writer Mark Waid. SC, 4x4, 320pgs, FC $11.95 I Hate Superman Little Brown by Louise Simonson and Kevin Altieri Being a kid is awfully tough sometimes, but having someone to look up to can help. James is extra lucky because he has two heroes: his brother and Superman! But what happens when your heroes do the unthinkable? I HATE SUPERMAN is a storybook for all ages! SC, 9x11, 32pgs, FC $13.95 Superman Look & Find Book Publications International Who needs Waldo when you could be looking for the coolest hero in comics! This beautiful, full-color book features the Man of Steel in crowded scenes. Your mission? Track down the hero first and you win. Great fun for all ages! (Also a Batman version.) HC, 24pgs $7.98 Deco T-Shirt Offered Again by Graphitti Designs Kevin Nowlan provides the simple yet elegant design for this beautiful Superman t-shirt. Set against an art deco background, the Man of Steel has never looked so regal! Screenprinted in color on a black 100% cotton heavyweight t-shirt. L-XL $16.95 Ultimate Superman Figure Kenner/Hasbro Standing over 13 inches tall, this replica of the Man of Steel detaches from its display stand for the coolest dynamic poses! Decked out in full Action Ace regalia, Supes has never looked bigger or better. This towering vinyl Superman figure displays all that is good and noble in the Man of Tomorrow! PI Superman Kryptonian Battle Tank Kenner/Hasbro Sometimes even a Superman needs some help, and this tank will do nicely! The Kryptonian Battle Tank is a piece of military technology from Superman's destroyed home planet of Krypton. This mighty war machine, when under the control of Superman, is now an unstoppable force for good on Earth! PI Supermen of America Rings No company given In celebration of 55 years since the release of the original, this is the first limited edition ring based on the most sought-after premium in history -- the Supermen of America ring! Based on the original design, this ring is not an exact reproduction. Created in Silver and Gold in adult sizes, it features classic designs on each side and is much more detailed than the original adjustable child's ring. The Sterling Silver ring is limited to 2,000 and comes packaged in an illustrated tin with a full-color reproduction of the original Supermen of America club kit from the 1940s. The Gold ring is limited to only 200 and comes packaged with a miniature 3 3/4" reproduction of the rare and sought-after "Syrocco" pressed wood figurine from the 1940s. The Gold Ring with Diamond chip is available in extremely limited to 50. Available in men's sizes 9-12 only. PI ___________________________________________________________ JUNE: --- Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman #3: Deadly Games Harper Collins by M.J. Friedman Book Three of this dazzling new series places the beloved characters from the hit ABC TV series into an all new adventure! Included is an 8-page b&w photo insert. PB, 192 pgs $4.99 ___________________________________________________________ ********************************************************* End of Section 4 ___________________________________________________________ REVIEWS ------- Ratings Panelists: AL: Arthur LaMarche IC: Isaiah Campbell MC: Matt Combes AW: Anatole Wilson JS: Jeff Sykes RG: Rene' Gobeyn DS: Dick Sidbury KM: Ken McKee WN: William J Nixon 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: --------------------- Uniform Credits: Colorist: Glenn Whitmore Separator: Digital Chameleon Assistant Editors: Mike McAvennie Editors: KC Carlson 9. ACTION COMICS #719, "Hazard's Choice" Writer: David Michelinie Artists: Kieron Dwyer & Denis Rodier Letterer: Bill Oakley Cover: Dwyer, Rodier, & Color Works $1.95/$2.75 RATINGS: Average: 3.4/5.0 Shields WN: 3.0 Shields - Life and death decisions as the World's Finest battle the Joker's latest fiendish joke. A dark tale which brings seeds of doubt. IC: 4.0 Shields - An excellent story, reminiscent of the old World's Finest team-ups. I loved the portrayal of Batman and his psychoanalysis of Superman. It had me on the edge of my seat. About time something *real* happened! (I also loved the ONE ISSUE STORY! YAAAY!) :) MC: 3.7 Shields - MUCH better than Joker's last appearance in ACTION. I love the fact that there's more thinking done than any brawn- battle. They over-exaggerated Clark's anger at the Joker just a tad bit, though, because I sincerely believe that Superman *would* have killed the Joker had it not been for Batman's knocking some sense into him. KM: 5.0 Shields - Outstanding issue; great artwork; Bats and Supes always make a good team and this story had our hero agonizing over his situation with the Joker. I really wanted to read the last page to see how it would end. The suspense was nerve-racking. JS: 1.5 Shields - Sorry, but I didn't buy the characterizations of either Batman or Superman in this issue. And Rodier once again mangles Dwyer's work. Pop quiz: your fiancee has minutes to live, you have it in your power to save her, but to do so you will have to break a vow you made to yourself; you would have to take a [villain's] life - what do you do? Answers on a postcard. This dilemma is the heart of this month's ACTION COMICS. It's team-up month in the Super-titles, and where better to start than with a fellow crusader-in- arms, Batman. Lois is dusting her apartment, without Lori's help, when she falls to the floor, struck by toxic agents she has been absorbing through' the Joker doll (from back in ACTION #714). Rushed to hospital, Superman learns that she has only two hours to live. Flying to Gotham, he reproaches himself for 'screwing up' and vows not to let her die like this. Batman can't make an antidote, but suggests that finding the Joker is the best solution given the tight time scale. He gives Superman the address of where some of the Joker's gang will be breaking into an armory. They head out to find them. While at the Planet, Ron Troupe is startled to see the ghost of Martin Luther King walk through the office. Superman takes on the gang breaking into the armory, only to discover that they don't work for the Joker. Since his escape from Superman, the Joker has been returned to Arkham and Batman goes to see him -- and is given a cryptic clue. Supes catches up with Batman, who is on the trail of Phil Drumm, philtrum, the cleft in the upper left (right under your nose). Drumm is dead and there's a note from the Joker, saying that he has the antidote. The heroes confront the Clown Prince in Arkham as he plays with a syringe containing the antidote. He explains that while he can't kill the physical Superman, placing him in a situation where he has to take a life will do as much damage and it would be a fitting revenge. Batman intervenes between Superman and the Joker to give a reality check, Clark says that he is trying to save a life so that he would be justified (I'm paraphrasing) -- Batman knows what's at stake, that Lois is more than a mere reporter to Superman. There is some great interplay, the Joker is beatific as Superman advances on him, but when Batman intervenes, Joker becomes angry and taunting. Batman asks him what Lois would want, what price their souls? They return to the hospital, leaving the Joker untouched, just in time to see Lois flatline. In moments, though, with a strangled gasp she pulls through. Lois asks if he would have let her die, and he answers that it was the hardest decision he ever made, and there we see her doubt. Back in Arkham, the Joker is annoyed but philosophical, he's got more jokes, and in his own twisted way has wrought harm. This was a thought-provoking and dark tale. The Joker was true to form, and one has to admire the insane elegance of his joke. I would also like to believe (and I know these are comics) that Batman knew it was a joke and played a hunch that Lois would be okay if Superman didn't kill the Joker. [Me too. The Joker is a lot of things, suicidal is not one of them, and Batman knows that. --Art] Although he was sincere in his belief that the damage to his friend's soul would haunt him for the rest of his days; one wonders though at the cost to Supes soul for bartering his fiancee's life for the Joker's. Clark's rationalizing on the final page leaves you wondering who he is trying to convince, himself or Lois. This issue's compressed timescale pushed the action along, although I have the odd niggle about the time. The only reference we are given is midnight, but when Superman arrives in Gotham, it's dusk, but hey, maybe it gets dark real late in Gotham?! It was good to see the World's Finest team back in action, although I have to confess I was more struck by the look and feel of Batman and the Joker than Superman this issue. The thoughtful Wayne in the cave and the close-up shots between Batman and the Joker were great. This gaunt and pasty faced Joker is the menacing personification of evil. The cover shot of Superman was wonderful, and I liked the World's Finest homage which it presented. The light and dark of their different costumes and the subdued gargoyle's head were all atmospheric and appropriate. A thought provoking single issue which kept me thinking. William J Nixon (W.J.Nixon@lib.gla.ac.uk) ==================================================== 10. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #54, "Ghosts" Story: Louise Simonson Penciller: Denys Cowan Inker: Dennis Janke Letterer: Ken Lopez Cover: Jon Bogdanove, Janke, & Color Works $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN RATINGS: Average: 2.1/5.0 Shields AL: 2.0 Shields - Too much blending of styles and plot devices. MC: 2.0 Shields - A very weak story that I don't think needed to come to print. KM: 3.0 Shields - I hate crossovers. I don't read Spectre comics, so I don't have a reference point. Cover was cool, but the rest of the artwork was not as smooth as I would have liked. JS: 1.5 Shields - Magnificent cover! The interior, however, was nowhere near the exterior. The art wasn't as bad this issue (how come Janke inks Bog so much heavier?), but the story was absolutely unintelligible. The stress resulting from ACTION #719 continues in the opening of this month's SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL, but is interrupted when the Daily Planet becomes haunted by much more than cameo appearances. As all of the electronic equipment comes to life, the ever-thinking Superman rushes to the basement and disrupts the power supply to the building, but that does not thwart the machines as they attack the people in the building. Lucky for our hero it is Team-up Month, and the Spectre arrives and exorcises the poltergeists with a wave of his hand. It seems that Alpha Centurion's ship hovering above the Planet's globe has similarities to a Native American dream catcher. Somehow, the native spirit of the land is drawing energy through this geometry and has awakened from a long sleep. It attacks the building and the Spectre as Superman rescues other occupants and reassures "Ms. Lane" that their conversation will continue. Superman joins the battle, and the spirit tries to posses him as it laments the cancerous advances of technology, which it believes is intent on destroying the natural order. Superman retorts that technology is a tool, neither good nor evil. The Spectre urges Superman to find his own Iconic Reality which he can use to defeat the shaman and avoid being possessed. Superman is able to overcome the influence of the shaman, but its powers are still growing. The Spectre calls upon the people of Metropolis to shut off all machines connected to the city's power grid in hopes of slowing the increase of the spirit's power. In addition, Alpha Centurion shows up and moves his space craft. These weaken the spirit, but he says the talisman that awoke him is still present. Using X-ray visions, Superman finds a fragment of the American Talisman. He unearths it from the Planet Building and hands it to the Spectre as the spirit fades. The Spectre quickly does the same, but not before he again reminds Superman of his role in the American Dream. Just when Superman thinks his troubles are over, Lori usurps Lois' congratulations with an embrace. I think this issue had a lot more possibilities than were elaborated on in the story. I believe the issue of Superman as an iconic entity could have been handled very interestingly in an issue of the Spectre. No slight on Simonson, but I think John Ostrander has a much better feel for those things. Of course, he fails to do other things as well as Simonson does. I think it lost a lot of its power in MAN OF STEEL. Too many things were tossed together and just did not fit well. We have a Native American spirit awakened by an alien space craft above a media icon containing a colonial talisman drawing power from technologically advanced appliances. Huh? Just too much stuff here. Also, I did not care for the guest pencils of Denys Cowan. The art seems to combine the styles of Bog and Mandrake, and it just does not work for me. But there is some good stuff. We get to see Bibbo in training for his fight. Olson and Grant cover the story live, and we get an update on Lex and Contessa as they watch. In addition, we see the fissures in the relationship of Lois and Clark. Not that I am in favor of this. I do not even like the idea, but I am glad to see that it is being handled well. We get a gradual build-up, not some lightning strike from a previously blue sky. Arthur LaMarche (DrArt95@aol.com) ==================================================== 11. SUPERMAN #110, "The Treasure Hunt Caper" Plot: Dan Jurgens Script: Jerry Ordway Art: Ron Frenz & Joe Rubinstein Letters: John Costanza Cover: Frenz, Rubinstein, & Color Works $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN RATINGS: Average: 3.2/5.0 Shields KM: 2.0 Shields - ...and that's streeeeeeeeetching it. MC: 4.2 Shields - This is my first Plastic Man comic, so I was a bit surprised at the personality of this character, but I loved him! His seeing the world though cartoon eyes and his partner, Wooz, made the whole issue both fun and funny. I'm glad Jimmy got some recognition in this ish as well... we haven't seen much of him, and I hope he gets more spotlights in future issues. JS: 3.5 Shields - Beautiful Frenz/Rubinstein art, but the story was a bit on the stupid side. (Didn't they do this story on LOIS & CLARK earlier this season?) It was, however, fairly entertaining. A funny little man in a trenchcoat (could it be...FLASHERMAN???), holding a red staff in the shape of a familiar "S", is seen walking down the snow-covered streets of Metropolis by Jimmy Olsen, who recognizes him as an old friend. Suddenly the red "S" begins to reshape itself into a man with sunglasses and crimson leotards. Enter Plastic Man and his pal Woozy Winks. After the customary greetings have subsided, the trio head on over to WGBS, where the two visitors begin to tell Jimmy their reason for the visit. Always the dedicated reporter, Jimmy is hoping for another great story. We also learn of Jimmy's brief experience as a Plastic Man when the Eradicator changed his molecular structure in a previous comic. The two "exceptionally unconventional collaborators" actually run a detective agency in New York City. Imagine that! In the process of trying to figure out how to pay the back rent to a really obnoxious landlord (actually I kinda liked the bum), a beautiful blonde bombshell in a painted miniskirt darkens their door, loaded to go with loose cash. She tells them a sob story about how her brother has invented a sonic atomizer for the military and plans to try it out on Superman. "If he can prove its effectiveness," Treasure Hunt continues, "the military will order more, and their company will return to profitability." She hands them a mysterious box, the sonic atomizer nullifier, which will prevent the atomizer from hurting Superman. She wants the two detectives to find Superman and warn him of the impending doom. Desperately needing the money, they hastily decide to take the case. Meanwhile, a lone stranger is having a mysterious rendezvous with Clark Kent in a deserted parking garage. The stranger basically tells the same story, except he puts the blame on his sister. He also hands a mysterious box to Clark in the hopes that Superman can use it to nullify the effects of the deadly weapon. As soon as Tiger Hunt is gone, Clark does the Superman switch and decides to fly over to Professor Hamilton to see if he can figure out what the box is. Since the case is lined with lead, Superman cannot see the contents. Suddenly he spies an unusual "S" signal gleaming over the clouded skies. As soon as he lands he realizes that Plastic Man has reshaped himself and placed his body on a big searchlight in the hopes of attracting the Man of Steel. In the midst of trying to figure out what is going on, the two boxes begin to take a life of their own. Two robots transform with the holographic images of Tiger and Treasure Hunt. After a mild skirmish to pacify the situation, one of the robots vacuums Superman's cape off his back and zooms off into the wild blue yonder. The other robot, with the image of the brother, suddenly sucks up Plastic Man. Superman gives him the old one-two, exploding the body in a thousand pieces, freeing Plastic Man. All that is left is the holographic image of Tiger in the football shaped helmet. He explains to the bewildered crowd that he and his sister have a competitive hobby where they try and outdo each other with strange and unusual collectibles from the different regions of the universe. The bet this time was Superman's cape. No one is amused at the sibling rivalry, especially Superman. The closing scenes show Treasure Hunt being greeted by her robot. She retrieves the cape and encases it in a glass shrine as an addition to her collection. (And people think my POG collection is weird!). As soon as she is gone, the cape begins to take on another shape. It transforms into Plastic Man, who sneaks off before he is caught. Filler material. That's all this was. I really didn't want to even read this one because I knew it would be corny. I was right. Maybe it needed to be told in first person from Woozy's point of view. "It was colder than a brass door knob in a glass of ice water when...SHE...walked in. Her baby blues could have warmed up the chill in my heart as she drifted over to my beat up excuse of a desk. All I could do was listen...and hope my tongue wasn't dangling out of my mouth. Old Plas was a mess of drool and I tried to ignore his panting chants." Something like that, anyway. I thought the scene where Plastic Man turned into a chair so Treasure Hunt could sit on his face was really tasteless. The artwork was okay, even though it looked like something out of "Roger Rabbit" or maybe "Mad" magazine. Maybe I just haven't read Superman comics long enough to appreciate characters like Plastic Man. I do have some back issues where the Eradicator changes Jimmy's molecular structure, but to be honest, I have had no interest in reading them. Just a matter of taste, I suppose. But, I do want to know how Plastic Man took the place of the real cape after Treasure's robot had already left the scene. And THEN maybe, JUST MAYBE, this RIDICULOUS ISSUE WILL MAKE SENSE!!!! Sorry, but I passed up a really exciting Rockets game to read this issue and I'm just not very happy right now. Just kidding. Ken McKee (stdkrm01@shsu.edu) ==================================================== 12. ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #533, "Scavenger Hunt" Writer: Karl Kesel Penciller: Stuart Immonen Inker: Jose Marzan Jr Letterer: Albert De Guzman Cover: Immonen, Marzan Jr, & Color Works $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN RATINGS: Average: 4.1/5.0 Shields AW: 4.5 Shields - A fun story that recalled the best of the '60s Superman stories. MC: 3.2 Shields - Well, I was a bit worried as to how they would integrate the personalities of someone like Impulse with someone like Clark in the same book, but it seemed to work out fine. The story could've been pushed a little more than it was, and (not to mention) Impulse's costume was the wrong color throughout the entire issue, but otherwise it was a good issue. KM: 4.0 Shields - I like Impulse; however, I shouldn't have had two cups of coffee while reading this comic. He REALLY made me jittery. What is Lori up to? JS: 4.5 Shields - While the art was slightly off this issue, Karl Kesel's writing more than made up for it. Great characterization, especially of Impulse, and for the first time, I can see where Lois could be having doubts. I have to admit that I often grab IMPULSE off the comic book store shelf more eagerly than the latest Superman title. Impulse, like Superboy, is brash, fun-loving, impetuous, always with a surprise or two under his belt. And true to form, Impulse added a lot of energy and fun to this issue's team-up. The basic premise of this story is that someone is planting bombs around the world, and challenging Superman to find them. Realizing he needs someone with *real* speed to help him, he calls...Wally West. But Wally isn't there. Jay Garrick, maybe? Nope. Reluctantly, Superman accepts Impulse's help. They chase around the world following clues from bomb to bomb, until (of course) Superman figures out the sinister plot and foils it...with the help of some friends. With "Scavenger Hunt," Karl Kesel recaptured for me the spirit of the Superman of the Sixties. Nothing earth-shaking, no great consequences (at least so far), but a mystery that took a special combination of some brains, some super powers, and some special help to decipher. The repartee between Superman and Impulse was amusing, and the guest appearance by the Kents was a nice touch. I'm even looking forward to finding out who the mysterious enemy is, this "brother of the hood" Scavenger is girding himself to battle. I didn't even care that Impulse's costume is red, not brown. I had a lot of fun reading this story. In fact, if it weren't for the soap opera touches that brought me back into the Nineties, I would have thoroughly enjoyed the issue. Of course, I'm referring to the impending Lois/Clark break-up. I've thought about it, and I can accept the way they're splitting apart. Clark and Lori never did end their relationship, and Lori's sudden loss of her husband and her return into Clark's life was bound to reunite old passions. And Lois has discovered that she doesn't know everything about Clark; and she can't, being an "ordinary" woman engaged to a superman. So, as I said, I can accept it, But I don't have to like it. It just added a touch of sadness to an otherwise wonderfully refreshing issue. Way to go, guys. Anatole Wilson (awilson@vnet.ibm.com) ___________________________________________________________ ********************************************************* End of Section 5 ___________________________________________________________ OTHER SUPER-TITLES: ------------------ SUPERBOY #25, "Whom The Gods Would Destroy!" (Losin' It: Part 1) Writer: Karl Kesel Pencillers: Tom Grummett, Jeff Moy, Dean Zachary, & J. Calafiore Inkers: Doug Hazlewood, Keith Champagne, Dan Davis, & John Lowe Colorist: Tom McCraw Letters: Richard Starkings & Comicraft Assistant Editor: Chris Duffy Editor: Frank Pittarese Cover: Grummett & Kesel $2.95 US/$4.25 CAN RATINGS: Average: 3.1/5.0 Shields AL: 2.5 Shields - Big slug fest, but some very interesting developments. MC: 3.9 Shields - I'm a bit confused as to why SUPERBOY #25 was extra while STEEL #25 was the regular price, but I guess the story inside made up for it. Knockout's always been a sort of favorite character for me (though she could use quite a haircut....), and when the kid and she team up, nothing could come out of it but trouble and a good story. The best part was all the pinups in the back, especially Humberto Ramos's rendition of Superboy and Impulse! JS: 3.0 Shields - Double-size so we can have more fighting!? Sigh. In between battles, there's some good characterization, and I loved the help-out by Jeff Moy. But still, I'm going to miss Grummett and Hazlewood when they go... Lucky for Tana, her cameraman was late and not present when the Furies showed up. He runs away from the Boom Boom Room and notifies Superboy. Superboy, who is procrastinating at a study group, flies to the rescue. Shortly, Knockout arrives to join the melee. In a pause in the action, Knockout relates to Superboy her origins as a Fury trainee. She was a rebel even then, but had much shorter hair. Soon, the Furies catch up with the two, along with Turpin and the police. More carnage develops and we see Knockout charge past an officer. Whether the officer's arching (broken?) back is collateral damage caused by Knockout or one of the Furies remains to be seen. After a few more pages of carnage, we see the bleeding and broken bodies of Superboy and Knockout in the center of the Furies' gauntlet. As quickly as they came, the Furies leave through a boom tube. We quickly learn that the beaten heroes were a ruse created by Dubbilex. Knockout is furious, because she believes it was their battle to win or lose. Later, back at the compound, Dubbilex is called by the police department and asked to come in the next day. Rex seems to be in a great mood and seems to want to help the police department. Dubbilex is also surprised and hints at ominous future events in the mind of Rex. Elsewhere, Superboy and Knockout go off for another "training" session, and Knockout continues to drop additional sexual innuendo. I am confused by the title. This is supposed to be the start of a six part story, but the Furies appear to be vanquished. So they can not be the main story, and this was a great deal of the book. Most of the book was a slug fest. We also got to see the origins of Knockout. I am not sure that a supporting character would be the emphasis of a six part story arc, but we have seen a lot of her. There has been a lot of innuendo being dropped -- maybe the title is more innuendo. But before all the combat started we saw an entire page of the sea floor. If there is one thing I have learned about quality story-telling, everything means something. The ocean floor must mean something. What also could be interesting is the officer who may have been pushed by Knockout. Was it her or someone else? Is his back broken, or was this another case of blue on blue, fratricide, friendly fire, or what ever euphemism one wishes to come up with... Arthur LaMarche (DrArt95@aol.com) ==================================================== STEEL #25, "Deadly Weapons" (Family Feud: Part 1) Writer: Louise Simonson Penciller: Phil Gosier Inker: Rich Faber Colorist: Stu Chaifetz Letterer: Pat Brosseau Asst. Editor: Chris Duffy Editor: Frank Pittarese Cover: Phil Gosier & Rich Faber $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN RATINGS: Average: 2.3/5.0 Shields DS: 2.5 Shields - JS: 2.0 Shields - I don't understand the direction of this title. Just when things were starting to look good, they reveal Steel's identity, decide he's a meta, and pick up with gobs of slugfest. Blech. Family Feud Part 1 We open in the aftermath of Steel's startling revelation that he is in reality John Henry Irons. Everyone (including this reviewer) seems to be wondering why he decided to tell the world who he is. Shauna Beryl is surprised, perhaps embarrassed, and probably sad that Steel is black. [Maybe she can work through her surprise and a mixed race relationship can develop -- Art] Hardwire's body is lying in ruins beside the Washington Monument and John Henry Irons is being carried off by the FBI to investigate his involvement in the monument's destruction. The secret government agency, meanwhile, is covering its ... uh ... bases, making sure that the creation of Hardwire and the aftermath are not blamed on them. Steel will be killed before he ever comes to trial! Meanwhile Hazard gloats over Steel's loss of his armor and the fact that his family will always be in danger. To keep Steel from being killed and made to look like a suicide, Hazard orders his henchman, Split, to teleport into Steel's cell and bring him to the secret headquarters. Hazard tells Steel his master plan: with John Henry's disappearance, the government will spend its time looking for him and ignoring Hazard. Steel is somewhat peeved to find that the destruction of his life is merely Hazard's way of distracting the government. As Hazard telekenetically pummels Steel's body, Steel calls on his armor to reappear, which it does. Steel is just getting ready to clean Hazard's clock when Hazard tells Steel that he (Steel) has a metagene and is therefore a meta-human. A multi-page slugfest erupts in which Steel finds out that Hazard is planning on taking over America's Nuclear Arsenal with his computers. (It's not clear what good this will do him unless Superman, the Justice League and everybody else in the DC Universe-Earth branch is taking a vacation, but maybe Hazard didn't consider that.) At the culmination of the bash fest, as Steel and his armor are getting ripped apart, John Henry decides to send his armor to wherever it goes when he sends it away. But this time he goes with it. Meanwhile, Tyke has confessed to his family that he is the individual who took the money and told the government agents that Steel was John Henry Irons. The family is divided about Tyke. Some are trying to forgive him while others are less forgiving. Steel is in limbo without the ability to breath, since apparently the place he sends his armor is not really a place after all. He teleports back to Earth, where military choppers are shooting to kill, and Hazard and his cronies are teleporting in after Steel. Steel flees, all the while vowing to reveal Hazard's plan to the world and get his revenge for Hazard's ruining his life. Stay tuned for the next thrill packed episode of Steel. I don't like the idea that Steel is a meta-human. The thing that attracted him to me in the first place was that of all the pretenders to the name of Superman, he was the only "ordinary" man but was also the one who was most closely attuned to the soul of Kal-el. I will probably follow this story line to its conclusion, but if things don't go in a direction that I want to follow, I'm going to get off soon after that. Phil Gosier is back, after a one month hiatus when Steel was pencilled by Lee Sullivan. The layout is varied even by Gosier's standards -- the first page has 11 panels while the next two pages form one splash. Gosier's style has always appealed to me in this regard. Once again several color palates are used to good effect -- John Henry's family has a predominantly green tint to the picture, while Hazard's lair is rendered in a reddish purple in keeping with Hazard's costume. The cover is excellent. Steel's identity is revealed by the unwrapping of his headgear, showing his face interspersed with the spiraling helmet/facemask. Dick Sidbury (sidbury@cs.uofs.edu) ==================================================== SHOWCASE '96 #3, "Birds of a Feather" Featuring Lois Lane, Black Canary, & Oracle Script: Jordan B. Gorfinkle Layouts: Jennifer Graves Finishes: Stan Woch Colors: Dave Grafe Letters: Ken Bruzenak Asst. Editor: Chris Duffy Editor: Frank Pittarese Cover: Gary Frank and John Nyberg, with Gloria Vasquez & Android Images $2.95 US/$4.25 CAN RATINGS: Average: 3.4/5.0 Shields RG: Story: 3.5 Shields - Well balanced, complete. Art: 3.0 Shields - OK, needed detail and backgrounds. JS: 3.5 Shields - Pretty nice story, and solid art (though maybe a little dark). Minor timing gaffe on DC's part though -- since this issue takes place after ACTION #720 and spoils the big news they've tried to be cryptic about... Lois, fresh from her break-up with Clark, is trying to get her career back on track. She is trying to break a story on the use of illegal immigrants as virtual slaves in Metropolis. She ends up teaming up with Black Canary to break it up when they gets caught. Oracle, via the micro transceivers she uses to work with Black Canary, manages to figure out what is going on. Lois, Black Canary, and one of the slaves lead a revolt against the meta- powered foreman who is in charge of the operation. A nice handling of the sweatshop/slavery story that everyone seems to be doing of late. At least it wasn't too preachy. I had to give this one slightly lower marks than I normally would, simply because the plot is so over-used. The background was current and up-to-date with happenings in the DC Universe (Lois and Clark's break-up, Green Arrow's death). All in all, not a bad story. The art was, as usual, very plain and lacking in detail. The colors were slightly muddy and could have benefited from greater detail in the shading and backgrounds. "Mercy Killing" Starring Deadman Writer: Jamie Delano Artist: Wade Von Grawbadger Colorist: Pat Garrahy Letterer: Kevin Cunningham Editor: Chuck Kim No "super" content, not rated Deadman tries to "hitch" a ride when a death-row inmate is executed. Story was interesting, but Deadman isn't much of a character anymore. "Acts of God" Starring Lightray Writer: Scott Ciencin Penciller: Alex Morrissey Inker: Brian Garvey Letterer: Kevin Cunningham Colorist: Roberta Tewes Editor: Chris Eades No "super" content, not rated Lightray is attacked when he visits a soup kitchen that has been started in his name. Rene' Gobeyn (gobeyn@kodak.com) ___________________________________________________________ SPECIALS/OTHER APPEARANCES: -------------------------- MARVEL VERSUS DC/DC VERSUS MARVEL #2 (of 4) Written by: Peter David (with thanks to Ron Marz) Pencilled by: Claudio Castellini & Dan Jurgens Inked by: Paul Neary (thanks to Sean Hardy) & Josef Rubinstein Lettered by: Bill Oakley Colored by: Gregory Wright Separated by: Digital Chameleon Assistant Edited by: Joe Andreani & Chris Duffy Edited by: Mark Gruenwald & Mike Carlin Cover by: Castellini & Neary $3.95 US/$5.55 CAN RATINGS: Average: 4.1/5.0 Shields RG: Story: 3.0 Shields - Starting to turn to fight scenes. Art: 5.0 Shields - Gorgeous detail, layouts, and color. MC: 4.9 Shields - As with the first, this issue was excellent. I only take one tenth of a point off because of the facts that 1) These battles are WAY too short and not in-depth, and 2) They seem to have mixed up two of the battles, IMO....there is no way Aquaman could beat Namor, despite how they worked it, and it would be a cold day in the netherworld before Thor could come close to touching Captain Marvel. Both are extremely unreal, but otherwise, I absolutely LOVED everything! I am eagerly awaiting #3, which I believe will have DC winning the majority of the five voted bouts. JS: 3.5 Shields - The art was just as solid as the first issue, but this time there's actually a bit of story-telling, rather than just a bunch of pin-ups. Next up, Supes kicks [Hulk] butt! The Universes are continuing to merge. Even the common folks are beginning to lose track of where they are as things continue to deteriorate and Axel Asher seems to be a part of the key to what is happening. As the heroes and villains of both universes continue to team up in both expected and unexpected ways, we start to see some of the promised battles come off. It's fun to watch how Wolverine takes on Killer Croc, Captain America takes on Bane, and Nightwing and Gambit don't hit it off very well. However, while Batman checks on Nightwing, Gambit and Wolverine steal the Batmobile. This, to me, was the high point of the book. From here, the story starts to slow down and turn into a collection of fight scenes. Not my favorite thing, but the drop-dead gorgeous art is some of the best super-hero art I have ever seen. We now learn how and why this is all happening. It seems like two god-like (what else - I had hoped for something a bit more creative) "Brothers" were created in the "big-bang". Each had their own universe. As long as they were unaware that the other existed, all was well. Now that they are aware of each other, both want to be unique. They decide to pit some of the heroes from each universe against the corresponding(?) hero and let the outcome decide which universe will survive. Everyone, hero and common man alike, are told that only one universe will survive. If the heroes refuse to fight, the brothers will go to war, and that could be the end of both universes. We also get to learn the significance of the box, the homeless man, and Axel. This could prove to be interesting. Well, without belaboring the point, the three matches that are resolved in this book are: Quicksilver vs. The Flash (Flash wins) Sub-Mariner vs. Aquaman (Aquaman wins) Thor vs. Captain Marvel (Thor wins) There are eight more to come, including the results of the match- ups that the fans got to vote on. This includes the bouts between Superman and the Hulk and between Superboy and Spider-man. With the coming of the two Cosmic Entities, the quality of the story rapidly deteriorates into mostly-brainless fights. The heroes of both universes whine about how they don't want to do this, but if they don't, their universe will end. Each fight is usually handled well, with some really good scenes. The Aquaman/Namor fight is great fun, while some of the fights are resolved in ways that don't really prove anything. The Thor/Captain Marvel fight is a good example. We were promised actual documented resolutions to these fights, but some leave much to be desired. Rene' Gobeyn (gobeyn@kodak.com) ==================================================== LEAGUE OF JUSTICE, Stave Two: Hero War Writer/Penciller: Ed Hannigan Inker: Dick Giordano Color Artist: Tom McCraw Letterer: John Costanza Assistant Editor: Alisande Morales Editor: Brian Augustyn Cover: Hannigan & Giordano, with McCraw & Cynthia Morris $5.95 US/$8.50 CAN RATINGS: Average: 3.3/5.0 Shields RG: Story: 3.5 Shields - Predictable but fun anyway. Art: 4.5 Shields - Lavishly detailed and colored. JS: 2.5 Shields - The story broke down in its conclusion, but at least Supes came through in the end. For the most part, the art was as good as last time, but it did seem a bit rushed toward the end. While this is truly a wonderful story, I couldn't rate it higher because most everything that happened was too predictable. The story telling was well done, and while it was a stock fantasy quest type plot, the twists added by having the super-powered beings available made it enjoyable. The art was gorgeous, with rich colors and incredibly fine details to add depth and texture. All-in-all a well done book that I can recommend, but if you don't enjoy fantasy quests you might want to give it a pass. I have really enjoyed this story. It's an obvious take off on the formation of the early JLA, but Hannigan has managed to pull it all together, right down to Snapper Carr. If you were ever a fan of the JLA, you will probably enjoy this one. Some time has passed since the end of the story last issue. The Batmancer managed to rescue two of our heroes, Neil and Ken (who now is taking on the aspect of the Martian) from Loblo in Goth City. He managed to get them out of the city and back to his cave, where he prepares them for their journey. He sends them on their way, but not before Phaeton manages to bestow his talisman of power on Neil (one of the outworld kids). The rest of our crew (Fred and Alcy) has joined up with the Green Knight and his army to face Sovereign (this world's Superman) and his Father Luithorr. The Green Knight's army gets trashed, and the Green Knight captured, but before he gets taken away he sends his Gauntlet (this worlds Power Ring, that uses Kryptonite for a stone - a nice touch) into Fred's keeping. Meanwhile Ken, Neil, and the Batmancer have journeyed to the land of the Hawkpeople to enlist their aid in the battle against Luithorr. It isn't easy, but they eventually succeed. The Green Knight is taken to Metropolis, and here we get our first look at Luithorr and Sovereign's fortress city. It is a giant mobile tower, powered by Kryptonite. It is so huge that it crushes all in its path, all the while carving out mystic symbols necessary to Luithorr's plans to actually destroy the universe so that he can create a new one of his own design. Fred, Alcy, Green Arrow, and Atomus have been joined by Snappercaw and Hunkk'll, two other survivors of the battle, as they prepare to find The Amazon and the Atlantean. Ken, Neil, Batmancer and the Hawks have arrived at Metropolis and attempt to free the Green Knight. In doing so, Neil complete the process necessary to gain Phaeton's speed powers and slow Luithorr down a bit, giving the others a chance. The whole gang together again, they journey to Amazonia to find the last two heroes they need to complete the Lady of the Birds' prophecy to defeat Luithorr and hopefully get them home at the same time. Our crew finally enlist the aid of the Amazon and the Atlantean, only to have Sovereign (off panel) manage to critically wound the Amazon, forcing her to pass her powers on to Alcy, as the only female present. With all the heroes called for by the prophecy, our crew finally takes the battle to Luithorr and Metropolis, where they are forced to battle Sovereign while The Lady and Luithorr fight it out. The balance of power is in question until Luithorr betrays Sovereign, and a dying Sovereign finally comes to his senses and manages to defeat Luithorr. The result of the explosion opens a rift between the worlds allowing the last three human kids to get back to Earth. Rene' Gobeyn (gobeyn@kodak.com) ___________________________________________________________ ********************************************************* End of Section 6 ___________________________________________________________ AFTER-BYRNE: Reviews of the post-Crisis Man of Steel ---------------------------------------------------- KRISIS OF THE KRIMSON KRYPTONITE -------------------------------- by Mark Lamutt (markdl@netcom.com / mdlamut0@wcc.com) Title: SUPERMAN #50 Written by: Jerry Ordway Art by: Dan Jurgens, Brett Breeding, Kerry Gammill, Dennis Janke, Curt Swan, John Byrne, and Jerry Ordway Colors by: Glenn Whitmore Cover by: Jerry Ordway Cover Date: December 1990 Cover Price: $1.50 US/$1.85 CAN "Krisis of the Krimson Kryptonite, Part Four" The final part of our story begins with Clark Kent attempting to visit Lex Luthor and getting dumped into the street by Lex's security. Walking towards the subway station, Clark recalls what has happened to him thus far. While flying a prisoner to Stryker's Island, red bands of light passed through his body, stealing his powers away. After falling into the harbor and then standing dripping wet in Lex's office, Lex beat the living daylights out him. Later, while impersonating him, Starman managed to grab the red rock that Lex said was the key to Superman's lost powers. Professor Hamilton studied the rock, but concluded that it is nothing like Kryptonite, and is unsure what to do next. As Clark boards the subway, he reflects on his life, and how the only thing that seems to be going his way is his relationship with Lois. The power goes out, and the subway car is plunged into total darkness. Just as the power comes back on, a giant rat-like creature leaps through the window and straight at Clark. In the nick of time the Guardian's yellow shield appears in front of Clark, saving him from the ravages of the beast. Heading back to his apartment, Clark sees a mugging in progress, but Gangbuster is handling the situation. Arriving back at his apartment, Clark starts taking a shower, and the phone rings. His parents are worried about him after seeing his performance on CNN from Stryker's Island. Clark reassures them that everything is fine. Martha then asks Clark if he found the surprise that she left in his suitcase from his last visit. Of course, Clark hasn't even unpacked yet, but when he does he finds a diamond ring that has been in the Kent family for years. Heading for the Daily Planet, Clark cannot help overhearing everyone talking about how Superman has lost his powers, and can't do anything to help them anymore. At the Planet, things aren't that much better. Jimmy is depressed about his mom being in the psychiatric ward, and Perry blows up at Lois because he's having problems with his wife Alice. Lois is desperately worried about her mom, who is dying in the hospital. Her mom isn't getting any worse, but she isn't getting any better either. Racing to catch Lois, Clark jumps into her elevator and asks her to lunch. Sitting at their table, Clark pulls out the ring, shows it to Lois, and asks her to be his wife. With everything happening in her life, she tells Clark that she needs some time to sort everything out. At that moment, Lois gets a phone call from Lex Luthor: Lex wants to talk to her about writing his biography. Clark grabs the phone from her and tells Lex that he has the red Kryptonite, and wants the true story behind it. Lex tells Clark to bring the rock to his office, and he'll get his story. Walking into Lex Luthor's office, Clark tells Lex that the price for the rock is a story off the record -- the reason Lex fears Superman so much. Lex exclaims that he fears no man, but that Superman's "act" is a sham. Clark goads him on, claiming that if Lex and his operations were so squeaky clean then he has no reason to fear the Man of Steel. As Luthor grows more angry, he cries that the Kryptonite that should have killed Superman is instead killing him. Clark continues questioning Lex, asking if he is taking Superman with him with Lex's own creation, the red Kryptonite. Lex scoffs at Clark, stating that he had nothing to do with creating the red Kryptonite. As he has Clark thrown out of his office, Lex tells Clark that it would not break the rules for him to know that the red Kryptonite had been given to Luthor by Mr. Mxyzptlk, the imp from the fifth dimension. [As you will recall, when Mr. Mxyzptlk first gave the red-K to Lex, the only rule that could not be broken was that Lex could never tell Superman where the red-K had come from.] Down on the street, Clark Kent regains his powers and once more becomes Superman. Flying through the skies of Metropolis, Superman sees Luthor holding the rock, which has taken on the form of Mr. Mxyzptlk. The imp is yelling at Lex about the rule of not telling Superman. Lex calls Mr. Mxyzptlk a liar just as Superman enters the office via the window. Mxyzptlk offers to leave for the customary ninety days, only if Superman will punch out Lex for calling him a liar. Superman refuses, and tells the imp to leave. The standard, customary fight ensues, with Mr. Mxyzptlk transforming into a giant blob of fat cells (taken from a piece of Lex's skin that had caught on the rock). Superman lures the blob out over the harbor, where Mr. Mxyzptlk starts begging to be hit. Confused, Superman obliges. Since the blob body had come from the skin of Lex Luthor, the pact is completed and Mr. Mxyzptlk disappears back to the dimension from whence he came. News quickly spreads that the Man of Steel is back, and better than ever. Lex broods in his office, staring at a picture of his son, Jerry White, who died several issues back. Perry and Alice White continue their argument over the fact that Lex Luthor was Jerry's father. Jimmy Olsen's mother awakens from her coma to find Jimmy watching over her. Lois' mother is doing better after seeing Lois and Lucy at her side when she awoke. As Lois heads for the lobby to meet Clark, her father, Sam Lane, tells her that Clark has "passed muster with Sam Lane." As Clark and Lois head for the parking garage, Clark takes her into his arms. Lois tells him that her mother really likes him. She then turns to Clark and says, "Shhh Clark. I've already decided. Yes. I want to share my life with you." Slipping the ring onto her finger, they kiss. Before I get into reviewing the writing and the artwork, there are a few things that should be pointed out about this story arc which were provided to this author by David T. Chappell, the keeper of the Superman FAQ. First, revealed in an interview once, the Superman team had originally intended for Lois to turn down Clark's proposal. As they were writing the story, however, they couldn't come up with a good reason why she would, so she accepted. Second, in the sequences with Mr. Mxyzptlk giving all kinds of trouble to people in another dimension, it becomes apparent that Mr. Mxyzptlk is also the Impossible Man from Marvel's The Fantastic Four books. This is very similar to his appearing as the Yonder, (Beyonder from Marvel's Secret Wars I and II) in his first Byrne story. And third, this issue marked the final appearance by John Byrne doing artwork for the Superman books. [Well, until ACTION COMICS ANNUAL #6, anyway... -- Jeff] Jerry Ordway strikes again, with the conclusion to one of the all-time best stories written since the beginning of 1987. Yes, I have raved about Ordway's work since this column began, and once again, his words deserve my best. The story is gripping, keeping the reader on the edge of the seat throughout the entire 48 pages. All of the loose ends are brought to a satisfying close throughout, and the reader is left with a feeling of "WOW" after finishing. All in all, some of the best writing that has ever been done, at least in this reviewer's opinion. As for the artwork, when this group of artists gets together to do a book, you know that it will be something special. This one is no exception. You might think that having seven different artists working on this would make the artwork choppy from section to section, but not with these artists. They have been doing Superman for a long time now, and are able to integrate their work seamlessly with each other. The panels are poignant throughout the book. The art enhances the story, and in fact tells the story in this book more so than any Superman book published in recent times. It makes you laugh, and if you have a heart beating in your chest, it makes you cry. In my opinion, this is one of the best looking books that has ever been done. If you don't have it in your collection, you should. Overall, this is one of the only books done since 1987 that I can honestly give 5 shields out of 5. Pick it up. Stay tuned next month for a one-shot deal reviewing Superman #51, introducing the Mysterious Mr. Z! ___________________________________________________________ MANUSCRIPTS OF STEEL -------------------------------- Reviews of After-Byrne Superman special stories by Denes House (dhouse@itsmail1.hamilton.edu) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography Written by James D. Hudnall Art by Eduardo Barreto Colored by Adam Kubert Painted Cover by Eric Peterson 1989 Prestige Format, $3.95 US/$4.95 CAN Rating: 5.0/5.0 Shields --------------------------------------------------------- ACTION COMICS #600, which came out in 1988, gave us a much closer look at Lex Luthor's schemes than any comic up to that point. In it, Lex loses his right hand to the radiation poisoning that eventually killed him. We actually see him try to manipulate Maggie Sawyer, and we know the kind of dirt he likes to dig up. Shortly thereafter came LEX LUTHOR: THE UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY. This book is, bar none, the best exploration of the character of Lex Luthor in existence. It is a look at a man who would be god, a man of incomparable ego, insatiable lust for power, and ultimate, unquenchable evil. James D. Hudnall (The "Red Glass" storyline in the Superman books, STRIKEFORCE: MORITURI, ALPHA FLIGHT) crafts a well-paced story that unfolds on several levels, building to a climactic encounter with Luthor himself. The story opens with Clark Kent accused of the murder of a fellow reporter, Peter Sands. Police interviews marked Kent as the last person to see Sands alive. Police photographs present damning evidence. And as the police interrogate Kent, Sands' story unfolds. Now a man used to looking at life from within a bottle, Sands was once a solid reporter and biographer. Continually drunk and unable to pay his bills, Sands is looking for work, any kind of work, but not even the sleazy "Hot Babes" magazine will hire him. At his lowest point, he is approached by a book publisher, familiar only with his earlier work, looking for a juicy biography. Shuffling through the enormous mess on his coffee table, Sands comes across a copy of the Daily Planet, headlining Luthor's latest charitable donation. Sands tells the publisher he is working on an unauthorized biography of Lex Luthor. As the police interrogate Clark Kent further, they present him with the most difficult evidence of all -- the dying Peter Sands had written Kent's name on the floor with his own blood! Meanwhile, Hudnall continues to reveal Sands' story. Investigating Luthor's life brings back Sands' old reporter instincts and habits. It gives direction to his life, focus and meaning. Sands quits drinking and starts reading newspaper articles, Luthor's autobiography, school records -- anything he can get his hands on. He interviews people who knew Luthor as a child, as a young tycoon, and as a corporate mogul. All the while he is being followed. Witnesses are killed, and threats are levied towards Sands, but this drives him on further -- compelled by the horror of what he has learned to seek out the truth about this thoroughly evil man. Hudnall's story is rich with characterization, and presents a frightening picture of a man driven only by his thirst for power. Hudnall's story is lushly textured, giving us glimpse after savage glimpse of Luthor's brutal past -- and the secrets he will kill to protect. At the same time, the framing story of Clark Kent being investigated for murder is tense and gripping, showing again some of the difficulties of living a double life. Clark's only alibi during the time of the killings is that he was in Tokyo, rescuing the survivors of a massive earthquake as Superman! Layer upon layer of the plot builds until Clark Kent, Peter Sands, and even the police themselves are drawn into Lex's labyrinthian machinations. The climax is a confrontation between Sands and Luthor himself, as we hear finally from the cunning power-broker himself. The effect is chilling, and the reader is gripped far beyond the final page. Eduardo Barreto shows his mastery of his medium here, pencilling and inking the entire book. His gritty realism brings the reader onto the mean streets of Suicide Slum, and we can almost smell the reeking waves of alcoholic stench radiating from Peter Sands. At the same time, Luthor himself is a pillar of evil power, from his youth through his middle age. Adam Kubert's blocky, moody colors are the perfect complement for all of Barreto's atmospheres. What stands out to me is that, in this age of flash over substance, Barreto and Kubert speak volumes with their subtlety, telling the story rather than overwhelming it. With this amazing melding of story and art, Hudnall and Barreto even accomplish the unthinkable - at times we can even sympathize with Luthor. Perhaps this is the most chilling thing of all. Capsule review: Story: Richly textured and riveting from beginning to end. 5 Shields out of 5. Art: Moody and gritty, a perfect mesh with Hudnall's story. 5 Shields out of 5. Overall: One of the best Superman-related Graphic novels. If you have not yet read this book, search it out and do so. Now. 5 Shields out of 5. Denes House February 1996 ___________________________________________________________ ACTION COMICS #661 Resilient Writer: Roger Stern Adaptable Artists: Bob McLeod and Brett Breeding Elongated Letterer: Bill Oakley Recoiling Colorist: Glenn Whitmore Amorphous Asst: Dan Thorsland Elastic Editor: Mike Carlin Cover: Kerry Gammill and Brett Breeding January 1991 $1.00 US/$1.25 CAN/50p UK In light of Plastic Man's recent guest appearance in SUPERMAN #110, I've decided to review Plas's first appearance in the Post-Byrne Super-titles, ACTION COMICS #661. The writer is Roger Stern, and that name alone should tell you how good this issue is. The ever-competent art team is Bob McLeod and Brett Breeding, who in my opinion, drew the definitive versions of all the characters, especially Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen. On to the story. Jimmy Olsen and Lucy Lane are walking through an airport. He is thoroughly bored listening to her until a small peck on the cheek brightens his day and reminds him that he "may have a love life yet." His thoughts are interrupted by a cry of "ouch!" coming from a piece of luggage being thrown down on the conveyor belt. It turns out to be Plastic Man's partner, Woozy Winks, who explains to Jim that traveling as baggage was the only thing he and his partner could afford. Jimmy finds out who the "partner" is when a crook steals a red suitcase that turns out to be none other than Plastic Man himself! Plas captures the crook, and he and Woozy are driven away from the airport by Jimmy. Plastic Man explains their current situation: a man riddled with bullet holes came into their detective office and, before collapsing, told them that "T.B. is coming" and the code "PO1....8811." Over in another part of town, Superman comes upon an Intergang operation. He captures about ten helpless soldiers and sets his sights on one of their airships. He rips into it, and the two pilots immediately eject. Superman reads from Intergang's private bulletin board and finds out that "T.B." arrives today. At that moment the ship blows up with the "kick of a baby nuke." Mannheim, the leader of Intergang, gloats about how he's killed Superman. The poor, deluded fool. Superman, curious about T.B., dusts himself off and flies away. Meanwhile, Jimmy has taken a wrong turn and driven into Suicide Slum. He spies Bibbo, and the three of them get out of the car to meet him. Bibbo reveals that he has bought the Ace O' Clubs with some of the $14 million he won in the lottery. Plastic Man asks Bibbo about T.B., and Jimmy calls Clark Kent at the Planet. In the foreground, we see Bibbo, Woozy, and Plastic Man (who has taken on Bibbo's face and is imitating him) downing a round of beers. When Jimmy mentions TB to Clark, Clark gets excited and rushes off. He remembers meeting Plastic Man once and sees him as "an adaptable sort," but not "all that stable." When he gets to the bar, he finds that the two detectives are gone and that Bibbo told them to go to the docks and look up PO18811 as a harbor registration number. The detectives look in vain for the number, but they do find... Time Bomb, who blasts Woozy over the ocean. Fortunately, Superman saves him. Time Bomb, with the ability to blow up and reform his body, fights Plastic Man and Superman, until Plas devises a way to engulf Time Bomb in his body and stop him. Jimmy writes up the story, and they all live happily ever after. But what about PO18811?? Just then, at Pacific Orient Airlines, gate 1, flight 8811, Leilani (Mannheim's 'executive assistant' and part leader of Intergang) meets her sister, Tiny Bubbles. They leave, and our story ends with Woozy saying "That's all, folks!" I liked this issue for many reasons. One, it was a Stern issue. No need to explain there. It was well-written and well-drawn. I also like team-ups. It's fun to see how Superman fits in with other heroes -- that's what made John Byrne's early ACTION COMICS issues so fascinating. Here, Superman "tells" us his opinion of Plastic Man, and he actually recognizes Woozy Winks! These are little hints about how all these heroes co-exist. One thing I would have liked (and expected from Roger Stern) was a little origin story for Plastic Man. For such an under-used (yet interesting and fun) character, we should be given a little clue about his past here. But otherwise, this issue was very fun to read. I give it 4.5 shields, and would recommend it for any Super-fan. Thanks! [FYI: Plastic Man's origin was retold in PLASTIC MAN #1, the first issue of a mini-series which ran from November 1988 to February 1989. -- Jeff] Ben Marlin COSMICBEN@aol.com ___________________________________________________________ ********************************************************* End of Section 7 ___________________________________________________________ THE PHANTOM ZONE: Reviews of the pre-Crisis Man of Steel -------------------------------------------------------- THE GIRL FRIEND AND THE PAL: LOIS AND JIMMY IN THEIR OWN COMICS ---------------------------------------------------------------- By Jon B. Knutson (jonknut@eskimo.com) This is the first of what will hopefully be a continuing series of reviews of two titles in the Superman Family of comics which are often overlooked: Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane, and Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen. First, a bit of history: Lois Lane, lovely black-haired reporter for the Daily Planet (originally the Daily Star), began her comics career at the same time as Superman did, in ACTION COMICS #1. Clark asks her out on a date, and she decides to give him a break. As they danced that evening after dinner, a local gangster decides he wants to dance with Lois. Clark, playing the milksop, allows the gangster to cut in, but Lois refuses to dance with him, leaving Clark alone in the nightclub. Of course, Lois gets kidnapped by the gangster, and Superman has to rescue her. Jimmy Olsen, at least according to the Overstreet Price Guide, had to wait until ACTION COMICS #6, in which he's referred to as simply 'office boy.' Again, according to Overstreet, he's first called by name in SUPERMAN COMICS #13, after the Daily Star mysteriously became the Daily Planet (a bit of pre-Crisis history here: It was later decided that the Earth-2 Superman always worked at the Daily Star as Clark Kent, with his editor being George Taylor, despite the fact that in SUPERMAN #4, the newspaper's become the Daily Planet, and Perry White's first appearance is apparently in SUPERMAN #7. Other than that bit of confusion, however, it's pretty much taken for granted that any Superman story prior to about 1956 or so was Earth-2, and afterwards, Earth-1). Lois Lane began a solo series of stories in SUPERMAN COMICS #28, which continued until #40 or #42 (Overstreet isn't clear... perhaps #41 didn't have a Lois solo story in it, and the final one appeared in #42). The series was titled "Lois Lane, Girl Reporter." Some of these stories were later reprinted in Lois' own title. Before getting her own comic book, Lois got two issues of SHOWCASE, #9 and #10, as a trial run. At least one of those stories was reprinted a few years ago in the SHOWCASE trade paperback. SUPERMAN'S GIRL FRIEND, LOIS LANE, began with issue #1 in 1958, and continued through to #137 in 1974, with two annuals (#1 and #2, Summer 1962 and 1963 respectively). Lois also had a two-part miniseries in 1986... but I'm getting ahead of myself. Jimmy was much luckier than Lois... he only had to wait until 1954 for his own comic book, SUPERMAN'S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN. His series continued until issue #163, in 1974. The numbering sequence continued in SUPERMAN FAMILY #164, which combined Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, and Supergirl into one giant-size comic book as part of DC's Dollar Comics experiment, and lasted until #222, in 1982. Sharing the combined book with Lois, Jimmy, and Kara were Krypto, Nightwing and Flamebird, Superboy (after his own book was canceled), Mr. and Mrs. Superman (the Earth-2 Clark and Lois, who got married), and The Private Life of Clark Kent (carried over from Superman). The series was canceled to make room for new Supergirl and Superboy titles, and Lois and Jimmy had to settle for being supporting cast in ACTION and SUPERMAN again (with the exception of the Lois miniseries in 1986). While the two had their own titles, the artwork was handled by a variety of artists, the most memorable (in my opinion, at least) in Lois Lane being Curt Swan and Kurt Schaffenberger, and in Jimmy Olsen by Curt Swan (him again!), Kurt Schaffenberger (yep, him, too), Pete Costanza, and even Jack Kirby! The Lois stories, at least through to the late 1960's, had a tendency to use at least one of the following plot devices: 1. Lois tries to prove that Superman is Clark Kent. 2. Lois tries to trick Superman into marrying her. 3. Lois does something incredibly impulsive and stupid. 4. Lois has to deal with her rival, Lana Lang. It must be admitted that a lot of these stories ended with Superman having a big laugh over the predicament Lois got herself into. Nice guy, eh? Jimmy's comic also had its plot devices, many of which were combined as well: 1. Jimmy tries to make Lucy Lane jealous of him. 2. Jimmy undergoes a strange, bizarre transformation. 3. Jimmy uses his incredible "Olsen Disguise Kit." 4. And of course, Jimmy calls Superman on his signal watch. Both titles had many other regular plot devices as well, but these are the most common. There were also common items in each title as well... such as appearances by other Superman family cast members as Perry White, Mr. Mxyzptlk, Supergirl, Lori Lemaris, Krypto, and many more. The first issue of LOIS LANE that I'll review is #82, April 1968. This issue is really a major landmark issue, because during the course of this story, Superman proposes to Lois, she accepts and they get married. Nope, it's not a dream, not a hoax, not an imaginary story, and it doesn't involve exact doubles or alternative Earths. Let me explain. The cover, nicely drawn by Neal Adams, shows Lois reacting in surprise as a futuristically-clad man indicates a large marble 'bed' with statues of Lois and Superman lying on it. The man is saying, "And this memorial symbolizes the great love between Superman and Lois Lane. They were killed on their honeymoon centuries ago, in 1968!" Lois reacts to this by thinking "That's _my_ face!! I'm destined to marry Superman... but we're both doomed!" A box on the lower part of the cover says, "Featuring 'The Tragic Fate of the Superman Sweethearts!'" Unusually enough, the story inside the comic has the same title... not the norm for DC's Superman Family comics of that era. The interior artwork is by the late Ross Andru, who drew several stories in many of the Superman Family titles in the late 1960's, as well as WONDER WOMAN for a time. The splash page shows Lois and the gentleman from the cover watching a viewscreen, which shows a group of purple-clad men in matching gloves and skullcap masks. The head man, speaking, gestures at a Superman statue, saying that after their trap is sprung, that statue will be all that's left to remind them that there ever was a Superman. The story begins with Clark telling Lois that he's just learned she broke her arm on a skiing trip. Lois invites him to sign her cast (displaying a bit of fishnet-stocking-clad leg in the process). While Clark signs the cast, he overhears a call for Superman: A UFO has landed in Metropolis Park. Clark changes into Superman and flies to the scene, while Lois takes the Daily Planet's helicopter (despite her broken arm and Perry's complaints) to cover that story. Superman arrives at the park to see the UFO, which is empty, but also spots a little old woman walking nearby. Since all civilians were ordered to clear out, Superman x-rays the woman, discovering that she's really a jewel thief who specializes in being a quick-change artist. Flying the thief to the police, Superman doesn't notice Lois flying the copter to the UFO. Lois approaches the UFO, and is strangely drawn inside it, where she discovers it's not a spacecraft, but a time machine. Sitting down in a cushioned seat, the time machine activates, and Lois is drawn to the future. In the year 4068, an earth upheaval has shattered North America into a cluster of huge islands. The UFO/time machine lands Lois on one of them, in the midst of a vast city. However, the landing isn't so good, and it rams another vehicle. Looking over the scene is Professor Kryon and his students. One of the students sent the time machine to 1968 to get the jewel thief, but Lois got caught in it instead, and the student's faulty space-time coordinates caused the crash. Lois is alarmed when nobody wants to help the girl in the other ship, but Kryon tells her that in this city, Katraz, they don't panic over accidents. A Medi-Guard patrol ship arrives, and they use a Frigidron to put the girl in suspended animation until she can be operated upon. The accompanying doctor notices Lois' broken arm, and uses a Polycure Accelerator to heal it, followed by treating her with a Micro-Radiation Scanner to kill the germs she brought with her from the past. Kryon then takes Lois on a tour of Katraz. Lois is surprised to find that there are no Superman descendants around, especially after the rescue of a high-tech ocean-going vessel. Kryon takes Lois to a 20th century museum, where she's shown the memorial we saw on the cover. Lois is told that Superman and Lois died on their honeymoon. Kryon shows Lois the events using a time-scope. The scope shows that in 1968 a gang called the Executioners (the purple-clad men from the splash page) took over the underworld, and plotted the death of Superman. Meanwhile, Superman and Lois got married, and the happy couple slipped away on their honeymoon in a futuristic aircraft. The Executioners, however, have planted their trap... a skywriting plane used colored smoke to create a wedding wreath (wrongly called a wedding march in the word balloon), which the ship flew through, losing power and crashing. Lois learns that the smoke contained Gold Kryptonite, which erased Superman's powers, and the two died in the explosion of the ship. Having seen enough at this point, Lois rushes out of the museum, re-entering the time probe and traveling back to 1968, where she emerges in the midst of an army missile test... the target of the missiles being Superman. Superman berates Lois for her impulsiveness, and Lois tells Superman of her future trip -- omitting the story of their deaths. Superman tells Lois she's more trouble than Pandora, and it's a miracle she's still alive. And then we get the pay-off quote of the issue... the one that really says what the DC creative people thought about women then -- Superman says, "I can see that you're a wild filly who can't be broken to harness till I get you on the bridal path! Marry me, sweetheart! Come and live in my Fortress, where I can keep you out of mischief!" Talk about an offer you can't refuse, eh? Spend the rest of your life hanging out in the Fortress of Solitude, where your closest neighbors are polar bears and penguins? Lois tries to refuse, but when Superman gives Lois a super-kiss, she concedes victory, and decides that somehow, she'll outwit the fate in store for them. In Part II, "Death is the Wedding Guest," Lois and Superman visit the Lane farm, where they tell Lois' parents, Sam and Ella, they want a secret wedding, and a nice-quiet honeymoon with nobody spoiling it -- like the Executioners. However, on faraway worlds, aliens who have nothing better to do than spy on Superman's private life with their scanners learn about this, and they send wedding presents to the two. One of the presents is the aircraft, the message identifying it as being from the planet Krann, and that it is auto-piloted to take them to the South Seas for their honeymoon. Lois convinces Superman to honeymoon on a secret mountain hideaway. The wedding proceeds without a hitch, the only witnesses being the minister and the Lanes (apparently, Lucy was too busy in Jimmy Olsen's comic to participate). The newlyweds pack their things in the aircraft, which Superman's reprogrammed, and as they fly off, we learn the Executioners sent the aircraft to them. Using a remote control ray, they restore the original flight program, and lay their trap. Right on cue, the smoky wedding wreath appears, and Superman flies the plane right through it. Lois finally decides to warn Superman about the Gold K, but it seems to be too late. Superman says that he's an ordinary mortal now, and Lois faints. The Executioners gleefully watch the plane crash. However, Lois is alive, as is Superman. Superman, with his powers intact, lays into the Executioners, flying them off to civilization to charge them with attempted double murder. Returning, Superman reveals to Lois he knew something was up all along, since the "alien" ship was built of Earth alloys. Eavesdropping on the Executioners, he learned that a brainwash ray, powered by Green Kryptonite, caused him to propose to Lois. He also learned the rest of their plans. Developing a temporary antidote to the Gold K (which was apparently never mentioned again), Superman was able to overcome the effects of the Gold K and shielded Lois from the crash. Lois, puzzled over why the future records them as dying, takes the time-probe back to the future to discover what went wrong (with Superman promising to join her later). Returning to the future, she arrives on Superman Day... celebrating the anniversary of his death. Kryon takes Lois to a football game, in which robots of superheroes like Superman, Batman, Flash, Green Arrow, Wonder Woman, and others, fight robots of the Penguin, Brainiac, and the Executioners. The superhero robots are destroyed, and the crowds cheer their defeat. Lois is surprised to learn that the people of Katraz despise Superman's memory, and celebrate his death by destroying his robot double. Suddenly, from within the Superman robot, the real Man of Steel breaks loose, destroying the supervillainous robots. The crowd refuses to accept Superman's alive. Superman tells Lois that Katraz is derived from Alcatraz, and that Katraz is a quarantined island prison for lawbreakers. The memorial is explained by the fact that the Executioners couldn't face the fact that their plot in 1968 had failed. Returning to the 20th Century, Lois tells Superman their marriage is a fraud, because he proposed while brainwashed. Superman insists he wasn't brainwashed when he said "I do," but Lois says she'd always remember he didn't ask of his own free will. They agree to annul the marriage, and Superman promises the next marriage will be for keeps. Overall, the story was pretty entertaining, despite the less-than-enlightened views presented (especially Superman's attitude towards Lois). And isn't it convenient that the entire time they were married, Superman didn't get around to telling Lois that he's really Clark Kent? The artwork was good throughout the book, but what else could one expect from Ross Andru? I'd give it 3.5 stars out of 5. Next time, "When Olsen Sold Out Superman!" ___________________________________________________________ SUPER FRIENDS ------------- by Joe Crowe (j.crowe4@genie.com) I was going to try two months in a row without an appearance by Superman in his own team-up column, but I'm going to be nice. Last month, Lois Lane appeared with Batman. This month, Superman returns the favor and teams up with a rather prominent Batman cast member. DC COMICS PRESENTS #41 Superman and the Joker: "The Terrible Tinseltown Treasure-Trap Treachery" Writer: Martin Pasko Penciller: Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez Inker: Frank McLaughlin Cover Price: $.60 January 1982 Rating: 2.9 shields A gift box drops into the middle of the work yard at Metropolis State Prison. Laughing gas pours out of it, giving everybody the giggles. The Prankster makes his escape in a purple balloon with a familiar white face painted on it. Clark Kent cuts out of the WGBS office and heads for the Prankster's hideout. An unfortunate flunky tells Supes that Prankster went with the Joker to Los Angeles to settle an old score. Coincidentally, there's a big journalists convention in California. Clark makes a personal call. Alfred Pennyworth answers, remarking that Batman has been injured. They decide not to tell him that the Joker is loose, and Superman resolves to capture the clown himself. Lois, Clark, and Perry White head for the coast. Clark discovers that a famous comedian named Jerry Travis died recently, and his estate, full of novelties, is up for auction. But why would Joker and Prankster come so far just for that? There must be more to it, Clark thinks. Indeed there is. Joker and Prankster are hooked up because Travis made his money criminally and scammed both villains at one time or another. During the auction of Travis' estate, the bad guys strike. Clark and Perry are there. While Clark sneaks off to change outfits, the Prankster nabs Perry. The Jokercopter flies over and snatches Prankster and Perry. Prankster double crosses Joker and kicks him out of the plane. In pursuit, Superman makes the save. Joker wants to cut a deal; Superman will need Joker's help to catch Prankster and rescue Perry. Reluctantly, Superman agrees. The novelties that Prankster stole will lead the villains to a missing bank account passbook. Since Prankster has the novelties, Superman deduces the clues using the auction catalog. It appears that the passbook is under Jerry Travis' star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Superman and Joker stake out the star, and Prankster shows up and gets the passbook. While Superman is distracted, Joker shakes Prankster's hand with a joy-buzzer. Naturally, it shoots a fast-acting poison directly into his system. Partnership terminated. Joker agitates the gravel while Superman flies Prankster to the Fortress of Solitude to save his life. He hooks up a signal to the Prankster which will alert him when he regains consciousness. Superman goes back to California and looks for the Joker, who attempts to make a withdrawal with the passbook. Again not surprisingly, he ends up having to take the money by force. Superman arrives in the nick of time, but the Joker hits an ejector seat in his Jokermobile at the last second and flies up into a palm tree. Superman goes to grab him, but it's a dummy -- filled with kryptonite dust! The ever- resourceful Man of Steel chops down the tree with heat vision and bounces himself off the ejector seat into a nearby reservoir, washing off the dust. He hears the Prankster signal and flies back to question him about Perry's whereabouts. Meanwhile, the resourceful Perry has untied himself and heads out the door of his place of captivity -- over which has been placed a huge tank of water, for drowning purposes. Superman catches the bucket and nabs the Jokercopter as the clown prince of crime makes his getaway. This was a wacky little story. Superman flits through, practically with a grin. For some reason, Perry White was the victim this time. That's a rarity, but Lois had her role, too. In a somewhat amusing subplot, Lois alternately fumes and rages that she can't find Clark or Perry anywhere, and their hotel is in Burbank, not Hollywood as Lois hoped. The "mystery" isn't really along the lines of one of those old "Follow along with our heroes! Can you solve it before they do?" If you could solve it as you read this story, then you're a better man than me. But of course -- this ain't BRAVE AND THE BOLD. DETECTIVE COMICS, either. DC PRESENTS was a whole different animal. Perhaps oddly, the Superman team-up book is making its first appearance in this column. Superman and the Joker play off each other well. When Superman rescues him, Joker predicts what the news story will read: "Beefcake saves fruitcake! Film at eleven!" I wonder why Superman and Joker have met pretty often, but Batman and Luthor never have. It was nice to see the subplot with Batman. Alfred is very protective here, and even Robin is there to plead with Batman not to get off his sick bed. And they're successful! Why couldn't they do it again during "Knightfall" ? A pretty fun story. Makes me wonder what happened to Batman and the Joker so that they can't participate in goofy farces like this anymore. Never mind -- I know the answer to that one. Do you have a Superman team-up that you'd like to see reviewed? You can grab hold of me at j.crowe4@genie.geis.com. Thanks for reading me. ___________________________________________________________ ********************************************************* End of Section 8 ___________________________________________________________ THE PHANTOM ZONE: (cont) ------------------------ INTO THE ARCHIVES ----------------- by Neil A. Ottenstein (otten@gluon.umd.edu) SUPERMAN #1, Summer 1939 Before I discuss the subject at hand, I thought I would first provide a brief introduction as to what you can expect from this series of articles. Before this month I had been doing a series of articles concerning the Fleischer Superman cartoons. I was approaching the end of that series and started thinking of what I would do next. After some thought I decided that I would do similar summaries and discussions about some of the Superman stories that can be found in the Superman Archives that DC started publishing in 1989. Each of these volumes contains four issues of the golden age Superman comic book. Each of these issues contains several Superman stories. Up until now I have not taken the time to read these stories, and I thought this would be a good opportunity to take that time. I am going to give a quick description of all the stories from each comic, but only look at one in detail. It was not until about 1978 that I began reading Superman comics consistently. I have not read many Superman stories that were written before this time. The Superman that I am used to reading about is quite different from the one that appears in these archives. It is with this background that I am going to look into the Superman Archives. SUPERMAN #1 1) The first story is 31 pages. It includes several stories inside itself: Superman's origin; an innocent needs to be saved from execution; a wife-beater; Clark, Lois, and Superman encounter hoodlums; a munitions story. This was originally presented in ACTION COMICS #1 and #2. 2) The second story is 13 pages and concerns conditions of coal miners. I'll be summarizing this story in more detail below. This was originally presented in ACTION COMICS #3. 3) The third story is 13 pages and has a short 'hazards of drink' piece which segues into the main story concerning corruption in college football. This was originally presented in ACTION COMICS #4. In addition to these stories there is an invitation to become a charter member of the Supermen of America for only 10 cents to cover mailing costs. There is also a scientific explanation of Superman's strength, a 'meet the creators' page profiling Siegel and Shuster, and a two page text story in which Superman and Clark have a run-in with the law and catch a murderer. The second story's lead panel features a crash in Blakely Coal which traps a miner, Stanislaw Kober. Clark hears of the event from the telegraph reader in the office and requests to cover the assignment. Superman streaks over to the mine, but arrives disguised as a miner. Hearing that there is no news from the rescue crew, he pretends to slip into the mine-shaft. Arriving at the bottom of the shaft he discovers the rescue crew unconscious due to poison gas, which of course doesn't affect him. Superman places them on a lift to be sent to safety, then he searches for Kober. He encounters a wall of coal where the mine caved in and upon removing that, he discovers Kober, who needs serious medical attention. Unfortunately, the lift signal cord is not working, so he has to climb up the elevator cable with him. Clark calls in the story telling of an unidentified miner who saved Kober. Unfortunately, Kober will be crippled for the remainder of his life. Kent interviews Kober and finds out that the owner of the mine disregarded safety in the mine telling the miners that they could quit if they didn't like it. Clark then interviews the owner, Thorton Blakely. When asked about repairing the bad safety conditions, he responds, "There are no safety hazards in my mine, but if there were -- what of it? I'm a businessman not a humanitarian." He thus concludes the interview. That night Superman arrives in his miner's disguise at the Blakely estate where a party is going on. He is captured by guards and brought to Blakely. He explains that he wanted to see the rich party with his own eyes, having only read of such things before. Blakely, who was originally going to have him beaten, decides to keep him around for entertainment. Blakely contrasts the "miner" who "attempted to see how the other half lives" with his guests who he calls "a mob of pampered nincompoops." He suggests to finish the party in the mine as a compromise between the two types of people. His guests think it a great idea and Superman leads them to the mine. As they continue further into the mine, Superman drops back and weakens a tunnel support. After he rejoins them, the support collapses and panic ensues as they realize they are trapped. Blakely soon remembers the safety devices in the mine, but he discovers that the electric signal lever doesn't work. It has rusted beyond use. One of the partiers attacks Blakely, shouting, "If you'd have had the mine equipped with proper safety-precautions, we might have gotten out alive!" He stops and Blakely asks the "miner" to dig them out with a pick. Superman refuses, saying he is content to die, but if Blakely wants to live he should dig. The partiers start digging. After a while, Blakely is tired and repentant, crying "If I only had this all to do over again! -- I never knew -- really knew -- what the men down here have to face!" Seeing that the lesson has been learnt and the partiers have collapsed, Superman tears down the barrier and a rescue crew soon arrives to take them out. Several days later, Clark visits Blakely, who now has a new policy to keep the mine safe and treat his workers well. This was an interesting morality play with Superman only in costume for one panel. He did employ a disguise as a miner. This perhaps could help bolster the Superman/Clark Kent situation. If Superman can so easily fool people as a miner, then it is not hard to believe that they can think Clark Kent and Superman are two different people. The Superman in this story is not above putting people through a hard time in order to teach them a lesson. Before he arrives at the Blakely party, he is described "like some occult, avenging demon." Much of the story is carried through dialogue and not action, but Superman's strength, speed, different physical structure (not affected by the gas), and leaping ability are put to use in places in the story. Thus no ordinary man could have done what he did. ___________________________________________________________ COMING ATTRACTIONS ------------------ A List of Upcoming Comics Featuring The Superman Family of Characters Assembled by Jeffery D. Sykes This monthly section is dedicated to giving you official information concerning which comics you should watch for in the near future in order to keep up with Superman, Superboy, Supergirl, and all the rest of the Superman family of characters. The information which follows is reprinted without permission from Diamond Previews and is in no way meant to serve as a replacement for that magazine. I strongly recommend that each reader find his or her own copy for additional detailed information on the entire DC Universe! Note that Diamond is now the exclusive distributor of DC Comics! NOTES --------------- A few guest appearances by supporting cast this month -- things which I doubt warrant listing below or reviewing. For example, in anticipation of May's KINGDOM COME, DC releases a promotional poster featuring painted art by Alex Ross and prominently featuring the Man of Steel, as well as many other DC characters. The poster has a cost of $5.50 and is expected April 3. Also on April 3 is the ROGUES GALLERY #1. In the tradition of the SUPERMAN GALLERY, this book features all painted art of DC's many villains, such as Darkseid, the Joker, etc. 32 pages, no ads, the book will sell for $3.50. The new Green Arrow drops by Metropolis in GREEN ARROW #109, meeting briefly with Lois Lane before teaming with Thorn. The book should be in stores April 10. If you are interested in trade paperbacks and other collections, I suggest you pick up a copy of PREVIEWS, as this month's issue includes a full listing of such books available through Diamond's Star System. A partial list will be included in this month's Merchandise section. April makes it five consecutive months without a massive multi-part epic in the Superbooks! This month "features" a return to Smallville for Clark, but his homecoming turns out to be more tasking than he had imagined. STEEL and SUPERBOY continue their stories, and SHOWCASE features Green Arrow and Thorn (popular combination, huh?). And DC kicks off the 1996 annuals, sporting another Elseworlds-type theme: far in the future, Earth is dead -- its survivors spread among the stars. But in that scattering, Earth's greatest legends live on... Starting things off is a new entry: the SUPERGIRL ANNUAL #1, featuring the work of Chuck Dixon, Ron Wagner, Karl & Barbara Kesel, Dick Giordano, George Perez, and others! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LIST OF TITLES BY EXPECTED ARRIVAL DATE --------------------------------------------- Arrival Date: Comic title and information: ------------ --------------------------- February 7: Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #4 (W) Stern, (P) Grummett, (I) Breeding $1.95 February 14: Action Comics #720 Written by David Michelinie Art and Cover by Kieron Dwyer and Denis Rodier $1.95 February 21: Marvel Versus DC #3 (of 4) Written by Ron Marz Art by Claudio Castellini and Paul Neary and by Dan Jurgens and Josef Rubinstein 48 pgs, $3.95 Superboy #26 Written by Karl Kesel Art by Staz Johnson and Doug Hazlewood Cover by Grummett and Kesel LOSIN' IT: Part 2 (of 6) $1.95 Superman: The Man of Steel #55 Written by Louise Simonson Art and Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke $1.95 February 28: Spider-Boy #1 (AMALGAM) Written by Karl Kesel Art and Cover by Mike Wieringo and Karl Kesel $1.95 Super Soldier #1 (AMALGAM) Written by Mark Waid Art and Cover by Dave Gibbons $1.95 March 6: DC Versus Marvel #4 (of 4) Written by Peter David Art by Dan Jurgens, Claudio Castellini, Josef Rubinstein, and Paul Neary Cover by Jurgens and Rubinstein 48 pgs, $3.95 Showcase '96 #4 Firebrand and Guardian Written by Brian Augustyn Art by Scot Eaton Cover by Lee Weeks 48 pgs, $2.95 Superman #111 Written by Dan Jurgens Art and Cover by Ron Frenz and Josef Rubinstein $1.95 March 13: Adventures of Superman #534 Written by Stuart Immonen and Karl Kesel Art and Cover by Immonen and Jose Marzan Jr $1.95 Steel #26 Written by Louise Simonson Art and Cover by Phil Gosier and Rich Faber $1.95 March 20: Action Comics #721 Written by David Michelinie Art and Cover by Kieron Dwyer and Denis Rodier $1.95 March 27: Superboy #27 Written by Karl Kesel Art by Staz Johnson and Doug Hazlewood Cover by Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel LOSIN' IT: Part 3 (of 6) $1.95 Superman: The Man of Steel #56 Written by Louise Simonson Art and Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke $1.95 April 3: Showcase '96 #5 Green Arrow and Thorn Written by Darren Vincenzo Art by Steve Erwin and Gerry Fernandez Cover by Ty Templeton 48 pgs, $2.95 Steel #27 Written by Louise Simonson Art and Cover by Phil Gosier and Rich Faber $1.95 Superman #112 Written by Dan Jurgens Art and Cover by Ron Frenz and Josef Rubinstein $1.95 April 10: Adventures of Superman #535 Written by Karl Kesel Art and Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan Jr $1.95 Supergirl Annual #1 Written by Chuck Dixon/various Art by Ron Wagner/various and Bill Reinhold/various Cover by Ron Wagner and Bill Reinhold 48 pgs, $2.95 April 17: Action Comics #722 Written by David Michelinie Pencils by Darick Robertson Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier $1.95 Superboy #28 Written by Karl Kesel Art by Staz Johnson and Doug Hazlewood Cover by Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel LOSIN' IT: Part 4 (of 6) $1.95 April 24: Superman: The Man of Steel #57 Written by Roger Stern Art and Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke $1.95 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SPOILERS ------------------ April 3: ------- Showcase '95 #5 Green Arrow and Thorn cross paths when a sniper takes aim in a Metropolis airport. But these heroes have different points of view about who needs saving, and their uneasy alliance may save or jeopardize innocent lives. This story is by Darren Vincenzo, with art by Steve Erwin and Gerry Fernandez. One backup story features the New Gods, while the other completes the Golden Age Shade tale begun last issue. Steel #27 Using an antimatter weapon of his own design, Steel solves the Hazard problem once and for all. The price: the loss of an Irons family member. Superman #112 In the aftermath of the "bad luck plague," Lois and Clark begin to sort out their fractured relationship. Will wedding bells chime for L&C? The answer is not the one you think! April 10: -------- Adventures of Superman #535 While Clark Kent is in Smallville, Lois Lane has a heart-to-heart talk with Superman's old flame, Lori Lemaris. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor sets plans in motion to discredit the Contessa's security force -- and their leader, Alpha Centurion. Supergirl Annual #1 The "Legends of the Dead Earth" Annuals begin here with three chilling stories set in a distant future: Inspired by childhood tales of the legendary Supergirl, a young woman forced into slavery on a mining planet turns against her captors, using the powerful liquid metal body into which they've forced her mind. "The Surrogate" is written by Chuck Dixon, with art by Ron Wagner and Bill Reinhold. On a frozen wasteland planet, where a stranded population of humans and aliens struggle to survive, one woman keeps the law. When she's called out by a murderous alien, her only hope for survival lies in the mysterious properties of a badge with an ancient "S" insignia. "Shootout at Ice Flats" is by Joe R. Lansdale and Neal Barrett, Jr., with art by Robert Teranashi and Stan Woch. And in "Thick as Thieves," the members of an all-female gang of criminals suspect that one of their number is the legendary Supergirl come back to life -- using her shapeshifting powers to turn them against each other! Karl and Barbara Kesel are the writers, with art by Dick Giordano and George Perez. April 17: -------- Action Comics #722 Tornado season hits Smallville with a vengeance as the Kent house finds itself right in the path of one giant twister! Meanwhile, investigative reporter Lois Lane uncovers evidence of a secret wedding. Superboy #28 LOSIN' IT: Part 4 (of 6) - Enraged by the belief that Superboy has dishonored the name and emblem of Superman, Supergirl travels to Hawaii to set the Kid straight -- but not before she has to fight her way past Knockout! April 24: -------- Superman: The Man of Steel #57 As if one tornado wasn't bad enough, now an entire swarm of twisters threatens to level Smallville! Plus, Lex Luthor and the Contessa continue to try to "one up" each other, and Lois Lane overhears some very bad news. ___________________________________________________________ ********************************************************* End of Section 9 ___________________________________________________________ TELEscopic VISION: ------------------ Superman on the Small Screen Only one episode review this month, and it's all my fault. I simply failed to distribute the reviewing assignments for January's episodes. (You see, this is why I *need* a coordinator for this section!!! :) Anyway, won't happen next month, since I've already got the entire "Clone" Trilogy lined up! Speaking of which... Here are the writing and directing credits for the three February episodes: 15. "I Now Pronounce You..." (2/11) Written by: Chris Ruppenthal Directed by: Jim Pohl 16. "Double Jeopardy" (2/18) Written by: Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming Directed by: Chris Long 17. "Seconds" (2/25) Teleplay by: John McNamara Story by: Corey Miller & Philip W Chung Directed by: Alan J. Levi As you well know, the story from February still ain't over. Though the plotline seems to have the fans all up in arms, I've got to admit, gang, that I can't remember being this caught up in L&C in a long time! The writing and acting have been superb through these three episodes, and for the first time, I really have no idea what's going to happen next! I love it!!! Anyway... :) There's been a little bit of shuffling of episodes (because of the results of the "Clone Trilogy"), and so I believe Ms. Hatcher's episode has been bumped to April (if this season, at all). Here's what I've got on tentative scheduling: March 10: "Forget Me [K]not" March 24: "Oedipus Wrecks" April 14: "It's A Small World After All" May 5: New Episode May 12: New Episode - Season Finale A lot of the gaps in the schedule are pre-emptions, rather than reruns. See ya next month with reviews of "the arc"! Jeff Sykes ___________________________________________________________ HERE WE GO ---------- By Zoomway (Zoomway@aol.com) There was a comedian who mentioned that he used to work at a carnival. His job was seating people on the ride, and lowering the safety bar. He said the most often repeated phrase was "Here we go!" I bring this up because as of this writing, Lois and Clark's wedding arc has just begun, and to me, I feel the safety bar has lowered across my lap, and with all roller coaster rides, there are some that are scarier than others. "I Now Pronounce You..." started the ride. Even though there is a plot involving clones who have a taste for exotic frogs, the majority of this episode actually deals with Lois and Clark gearing up for their impending wedding; Lois's anxiety, the Murphy Law dealing with "if anything can go wrong, will go wrong", Lois getting a better understanding of her mother Ellen, and Ellen getting a better understanding of Lois. The best aspects of the episode deal with the one-on-one interaction of the characters: A humorous and sweet moment when Clark calls Lois 'honey' for the first time; Lois and Clark toasting each other during a very private and intimate rehearsal dinner for two; Lois admitting that she used to be just like her mother, and that her controlling attitude almost made her overlook Clark and thus her happiness. The episode actually manages to be suspenseful because we know someone is singling Lois out with 'creepy' gifts, and due to a typhoon in India, Lois will be without her protector Superman. Lois, being Lois, still decides to take the dangerous road and investigates. We slowly become aware that Lex Luthor is the one pulling the strings and has everything 'wired' to his advantage. We then become ominously aware that Lois may be the next in line as one of the frog-eating clones. So, every time Lois is alone, there is this pit in the stomach feeling of "will she get grabbed now?" Fortunately for Lois, and the audience's anxiety level, Lois actually makes it to the church, but then what? Well, long after I've written this, the audience will know the truth. Did Clark marry Lois Lane, or a clone? Since this will already be history, that particular question isn't the important one. The important question will be "Did the audience enjoy the ride?" For the general viewing audience, that question will most likely be answered in the ratings, but for the Lois and Clark fanatic, the answer will come after each installment, and not after the ride has come to a complete stop. If the first episode in the installment is any indication, this bridal story arc will generate more comments than any previous episode or storyline yet explored, and why not? This is about the wedding of a legendary superhero and an unrequited love affair that has gone on for over sixty years. Whether fans wanted the wedding to go off like clockwork, or whether they wanted no wedding at all, the wedding is upon us. How the creative staff handles things will ultimately be judged by the fans and the general audience as to whether they took the right path, or overestimated the willingness of viewers to wait through a multi-part story arc. Since the show began connecting the episodes to each other beginning with "The Phoenix" from second season, everything done within a given episode will automatically become part of that connection. Unlike the first season and a half of Lois and Clark, where episodes were done in a more conventional manner with the plot being resolved within that hour, the show has taken on more characteristic of a novel now, and the episodes function more like chapters. Story arcs have become very popular, and work well with many shows. If they become too insulated, however, as happened with Babylon 5, it is hard to attract new viewers because they feel as if they've been dropped off in the middle of a movie and can't easily pick up the thread. There's little danger of this happening on Lois and Clark with its main arc, because unlike Babylon 5, the main story arc in this case only helps cement the episodes together. The only danger is if one of the 'sub' story arcs is carried out too long; if that happens it doesn't matter if it is an involving story or a boring one. A boring one will, of course, lose viewers immediately, but an involving story arc played out over say five episodes may cause a loss of viewer interest afterward, so two and three part story arcs are likely the best gamble. Well, the ride has begun, and only time, ratings, and fan reaction will tell whether they say "That was fun" or "I think I'm gonna barf" when the ride is over. Next month I hope I can assess the wedding arc, assuming it is over, if not, I may just print some fan reaction to the wedding arc as it has progressed. ==================================================== EPISODE REVIEW: --------------- Episode #3-13: "The Dad Who Came In From The Cold" -------------------------------------------------- by Marta Olson US Airdate: January 14, 1996 Guest Starring: Ben Slack, Una Damon, and James Read as "Jack Olsen" Written by: David Simkins Directed by: Alan J. Levi Even a nice evening at home is never simple for Lois and Clark. Tonight, they've had dinner at Lois' apartment and are doing the dishes. Lois is washing and Clark, using his heat vision, is drying. Lois comments with a smile, "don't wear yourself out" as he proceeds with the drying. Lois mentions that she received a brochure from the "Winky Tink" pre-school. They are promoting their 5-year waiting list and will hold a position open for your child, whether you have one yet or not, for only $200.00. This prompts a discussion regarding what type of parents Lois and Clark will be. Of course, since this is Lois and Clark, the conversation is interrupted by screeching tires and an explosion. Superman appears on the street in time to put out the car fire, while Lois comes running down the stairs. The man pulled from the burning car is Bud Collins, an acquaintance of theirs. He hands Lois a laptop computer, telling her it contains all the information she needs encoded on the hard drive and that 'it' will happen at noon on Saturday. With his dying breath, Bud turns to Superman and says, "Anybody ever tell you that you look like Clark Kent, except without the glasses?" More screeching tires announce the arrival of a woman. Before she approaches Superman and Lois, Superman takes the computer and tosses it in the air. She pulls a gun on them, demanding whatever Collins told or gave them. "New in town?" Superman asks. She is Sweet Tart, of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA). When asked what happened, Lois replies, "He blew up, he flew down, he was dead." When the police arrive, Sweet Tart leaves, the computer falls, and Superman catches it. So begins another adventure for Lois and Clark. When we first meet Jimmy's dad Jack, we don't know who he is. He is attempting to blow up a train when he is interrupted by a man trying to stop him. Jack, of course, wins the fight and blows up the train. He then meets with a man named Trevanian, who tells him his next assignment is to get the computer back from Lois and Clark. He is also told that Lois and Clark have been selling NIA secrets to other countries. A red sports car pulls up with a blond woman driving. Jack unzips the jumpsuit he is wearing to reveal a tuxedo. He climbs into the car and drives off with the blond. Typical James Bond type stuff. Trevanian, second in command of the NIA, is the villain of this show. He is interested in becoming the head of the organization. Since he is tired of waiting for his time, he has decided to help it along. Assisting him in this task is Sweet Tart and, not knowing the full circumstances, Jack Olsen. This episode introduced the subject of parenting between Lois and Clark. While watching Jack interact with Jimmy and then thinking about Perry's situation, Clark worries that he won't be a good parent to their kids. He is afraid that being Clark and Superman will keep him away and his kids won't know him. Lois' comment at the end of the show is perfect. She says that he should have learned by now that not all men are cut out to be fathers. It's the man, not the job, and Clark, being the man he is, will be a wonderful father. The interaction between Jimmy and his dad was very good. It was almost painful to watch the conflicting emotions. James Read, who played Jack, was convincing in his role, and I hope that maybe he'll drop in again. Justin Whalin, as Jimmy, did a fantastic job. Their relationship went from distant strangers at the beginning to a new understanding of each other at the end. Jack has to come to terms with the fact that his son has grown up. Having dismissed him as an important part of the case, he is surprised to find out that Jimmy is the computer expert who he's been looking for. Jack tries to get Jimmy to stay away from Lois and Clark, but Jimmy defies his father and defends his friends. Yet later, when Clark tries to tell Jimmy his suspicions regarding his dad working for the NIA, Jimmy is torn and defends his dad. There is one scene where Jimmy is working late at the Daily Planet and Jack breaks in to look for the computer. They fight although Jimmy doesn't know it's his dad. The next day, Jimmy can't deny the bruises on his dad's face were from the fight. With the help of the computers at Star Labs, Jimmy has decoded the information. When his father confronts him outside the building, his feelings are obvious. I really liked this scene. Jack says something like "I hope you never look into your son's eye and see fear like I see in yours." Jimmy asks, "Are you a good guy or a bad guy?" Jack responds, "That depends on who's asking." Jimmy says "Your son," and Jack replies "I'm the best guy you've got." Jimmy begins to trust his dad again. There is so much more to this episode than there is room to go into here. I hope if you haven't seen it you will take the time to watch it. I really like the parallelism that has been used this season, whether it's been Jimmy and Jack's relationship making Clark wonder about being a father, or Perry and Alice's situation making Lois and Clark feel more confident in their relationship. My favorite part of this episode had to be when Superman confronts Jack and accuses him of putting Jimmy in the middle of a dangerous situation and of using him. His reply is that it was his job, but Superman says that it was the wrong job. Jack replies, "I believed in what I was doing. I believed in it so much I had to live a double life. But what would you know about that?" More than you think. ___________________________________________________________ STAR SYSTEM CATALOGUE --------------------- Diamond Comic Distributors' monthly magazine, PREVIEWS, also incorporates what is known as the Star System. The Star System is a backlist service stocking hundreds of trade paperbacks, graphic novels, trading cards, and more. Items available through the Star System can be found at your local comics shop. And if the store doesn't have the desired item in stock, Diamond can ship it to them upon demand. Ask your local comic shop owner/employee for details! The following only list Superman and Superman-related items available through the Star System, as provided in the February 1996 issue of PREVIEWS. For information on other Star System products, or for a more up to date listing, again ask your local comic shop. Books whose titles are followed with a (?) indicate titles which probably contain Superman stories. I have no verification however, and I request that anyone with that information please contact me. As well, I list the Justice League of America and Legion of Super-Heroes archives because of their intimate links with the pre-Crisis Superman family. Superman Trade Paperbacks/Graphic Novels ---------------------------------------- THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN Trade Paperback Written by various, Art by various $4.95 US/$6.50 CAN THE GREATEST SUPERMAN STORIES EVER TOLD Trade Paperback Written by various, Art by various $15.95 US/$19.95 CAN LEGENDS OF THE WORLD'S FINEST Trade Paperback Written by Walt Simonson, Art by Dan Brereton $14.95 US/$20.95 CAN LOIS AND CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN Trade Paperback Written by various, Art by various $9.95 US/$13.50 CAN THE MAN OF STEEL Trade Paperback Written by John Byrne, Art by John Byrne and Dick Giordano $7.50 US/$9.95 CAN THE RETURN OF SUPERMAN Trade Paperback Written by various, Art by various $14.95 US/$19.95 CAN SUPERMAN: AT EARTH'S END Prestige Format Written by Tom Veitch, Art by Frank Gomez $4.95 US/$6.95 CAN SUPERMAN: THE EARTH STEALERS Prestige Format Written by John Byrne, Art by Curt Swan and Jerry Ordway $3.95 US/$4.95 CAN SUPERMAN/DOOMSDAY: HUNTER/PREY Trade Paperback Written by Dan Jurgens, Art by Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding $14.95 US/$20.95 CAN SUPERMAN: ERADICATION! THE ORIGIN OF THE ERADICATOR Trade Paperback Written by various, Art by various $12.95 US/$17.95 CAN SUPERMAN: KAL Prestige Format Written by Dave Gibbons, Art by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez $5.95 US/$8.25 CAN SUPERMAN: PANIC IN THE SKY Trade Paperback Written by various, Art by various $9.95 US/$12.95 CAN SUPERMAN: SPEEDING BULLETS Prestige Format Written by J.M. DeMatteis, Art by Eduardo Barreto $4.95 US/$6.50 CAN SUPERMAN: TIME AND TIME AGAIN Trade Paperback Written by various, Art by various $7.50 US/$10.50 CAN SUPERMAN: UNDER A YELLOW SUN Prestige Format Written by J.F. Moore Art by Kerry Gammill, Dennis Janke, and Eduardo Barreto $5.95 US/$8.00 CAN WORLD WITHOUT A SUPERMAN Trade Paperback Written by various, Art by various $7.50 US/$9.95 CAN WORLD'S FINEST Trade Paperback Written by Dave Gibbons, Art by Steve Rude and Karl Kesel $19.95 US/$24.95 CAN Superman-Related Trade Paperbacks/Graphic Novels ------------------------------------------------ THE GREATEST 1950s STORIES EVER TOLD (?) Trade Paperback Written by various, Art by various $14.95 US/$17.50 CAN THE GREATEST TEAM-UP STORIES EVER TOLD (?) Trade Paperback Written by various, Art by various $14.95 US/$19.95 CAN LEGENDS: THE COLLECTED EDITION Trade Paperback Written by John Ostrander and Len Wein, Art by John Byrne and Karl Kesel $9.95 US/$12.95 CAN ZERO HOUR: CRISIS IN TIME Trade Paperback Written by Dan Jurgens, Art by Dan Jurgens and Jerry Ordway $9.95 US/$13.95 CAN DC Archives ----------- JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA ARCHIVES VOL 1 Hardcover Book Written by various, Art by various $39.95 US/$47.95 CAN JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA ARCHIVES VOL 2 Hardcover Book Written by various, Art by various $39.95 US/$47.95 CAN JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA ARCHIVES VOL 3 Hardcover Book Written by various, Art by various $49.95 US/$69.95 CAN LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES ARCHIVES VOL 1 Hardcover Book Written by various, Art by various $49.95 US/$67.95 CAN LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES ARCHIVES VOL 2 Hardcover Book Written by various, Art by various $39.95 US/$47.95 CAN LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES ARCHIVES VOL 3 Hardcover Book Written by E. Hamilton and various, Art by Curt Swan and various $39.95 US/$47.95 CAN LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES ARCHIVES VOL 4 Hardcover Book Written by Jerry Siegel and various, Art by various $39.95 US/$51.95 CAN LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES ARCHIVES VOL 5 Hardcover Book Written by Jim Shooter and various, Art by Curt Swan and various $49.95 US/$69.95 CAN SUPERMAN ARCHIVES VOL 1 Hardcover Book Written by Jerry Siegel, Art by Joe Shuster $49.95 US/$63.95 CAN SUPERMAN ARCHIVES VOL 2 Hardcover Book Written by Jerry Siegel, Art by Joe Shuster $39.95 US/$47.95 CAN SUPERMAN ARCHIVES VOL 3 Hardcover Book Written by and Art by Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, and various $39.95 US/$47.95 CAN SUPERMAN ARCHIVES VOL 4 Hardcover Book Written by and Art by Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, and various $49.95 US/$67.95 CAN ___________________________________________________________ ********************************************************* End of Section 10/Issue #22