________________________________________________________

                T H E    K R Y P T O N I A N    C Y B E R N E T
                ________________________________________


                       http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/kc

                          Issue #34 -- January 1997

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CONTENTS
--------
Section 1:  Superscripts: Notes from the Editor
               The Times, They are a Changin'
            News and Notes
            And Who Disguised As...
               Clearing Off the Desk of My Mind
               by J.D. Rummel

Section 2:  Just The FAQs
               Why Does Superman Wear His Famous Costume?
               by David T. Chappell
            Superman: The Serial
               Chapter 6: Superman in Danger!
               by Steven Younis
            Super Merchandise

Section 3:  New Comic Reviews
               The Superman Titles
                  Action Comics #729, by William J. Nixon
                  Superman: The Man of Steel #64, by Jeff Sykes
                  Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #7, by Rene' Gobeyn
                  Superman #120, by Jeff Sykes

Section 4:  New Comic Reviews
               The Superman Titles (cont)
                  Adventures of Superman #543, by Anatole Wilson
                  Action Comics #730, by William J. Nixon
               Super-Family Titles
                  JLA #2
                  Steel #35
                  Superboy #35, by Rene' Gobeyn
                  Superboy #36, by Rene' Gobeyn

Section 5:  New Comic Reviews
               Super-Family Titles (cont)
                  Superboy and the Ravers #5, by Jeff Sykes
                  Superboy and the Ravers #6, by Jeff Sykes
                  Supergirl #6
                  Superman Adventures #4
               Miniseries
                  DC/Marvel: All Access #4
                  Superboy/Robin: World's Finest 3 #2, by Rene' Gobeyn
                  Superman/Wonder Woman: Whom Gods Destroy #3
               Specials
                  Silver Surfer/Superman #1
                  Superboy Plus #1, by Rene' Gobeyn

Section 6:  New Comic Reviews
               Specials (cont)
                  Supergirl Plus #1, by Rene' Gobeyn
                  Superman Plus #1, by Rene' Gobeyn
                  Superman's Metropolis
               Guest Appearances
                  The Batman Chronicles #7
                  Teen Titans #5, by Rene' Gobeyn
            Star System Catalogue

Section 7:  AfterByrne
               Lost Love -- The Story of Lori Lemaris
                  Superman #12, by Mark Lamutt
               Manuscripts of Steel
                  Superman: At Earth's End, by Denes House

Section 8:  The Phantom Zone
               Super Friends
                  DC Comics Presents #36, by Joe Crowe
            Coming Attractions

Section 9:  Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
               "The People V. Lois Lane"
                  Episode Review by Scott Devarney
               Crashing in the Ratings is As Simple As ABC
                  By Zoomway

Section 10: Superman: The Animated Series
               "Stolen Memories"
                  Episode Review by Nathan Bredfeldt
               "The Main Man", Part 1
                  Episode Review by Mark C. Dooley
               "The Main Man", Part 2
                  Episode Review by Nathan Bredfeldt


STAFF:
------
Jeffery D. Sykes, Editor-in-Chief
Arthur E. LaMarche, Executive Coordinator of Reviews
Nancy Jones, Executive Coordinator: Lois and Clark, S:TAS sections

Editors:
   Chip Chandler         Steve Hanes           D.M. Simms
   Joe Crowe             Curtis Herink         Shane Travis
   Trevor Gates          Bill Meeks            Steven Younis
                         William O'Hara



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 information.

All original material published in The Kryptonian Cybernet, including but not
limited to reviews, articles, and editorials, are copyright 1996 by The
Kryptonian Cybernet and the respective authors.  Reprinting in any format is
expressly forbidden without the permission of The Kryptonian Cybernet and the
contributing author.

Opinions presented within this issue belong to the authors of the articles
which contain them.  They should in no way be construed as those of any other
particular member of the editorial or contributing staff, unless otherwise
indicated.

This magazine can be distributed, in whole, freely 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
        end

in the body of an e-mail message to "majordomo@novia.net" (without the
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Back issues are available via ftp at oasis.novia.net.  These archives can also
be reached via the Kryptonian Cybernet Homepage:

        http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/kc

________________________________________________________


                      SUPERSCRIPTS:  Notes from the Editor
                      ------------------------------------


THE TIMES, THEY ARE A CHANGIN'

Yes, that title refers to exactly what you probably think it does, but it also
refers to something else.  So first, just a few comments about the impending
new powers story.

I have read comments e-mailed to me by readers, posted to message boards on
AOL, and posted to the Usenet newsgroups about the upcoming story, and I must
say that it saddens me the way that people are reacting.  The funny thing
about it is that these reactions are exactly what I expected.

I first learned of the upcoming story when I stumbled upon it on Diamond's web
page -- the day before I left for Christmas break.  My immediate reaction was
that this is a really interesting idea.  Think about it.  We've been given
clues for several months now that something was wrong.  And now, suddenly, the
Man of Steel's powers mutate on him.  And this new costume is provided by
mysterious sources to help him control these new powers.

Imagine stories about Clark adapting to these new powers.  Imagine stories
about the citizens of Metropolis and the world reacting to these changes in
the first among heroes.  And most of all, imagine Clark trying to solve the
mystery of who or what is behind this?  There are so many possibilities for
good storytelling here.

But my second reaction, moments later, was something along the lines of, "Boy,
will people be screaming about this."  Little did I know.  I've seen the
comments from the creators about the changes being permanent.  Oh, ye of short
memory.  They said *exactly* the same thing about Superman's death in 1992.
People, they're saying these things to the press simply to generate exposure.
You're playing right into their hands with all of your gloom and doom
statements.

I've also heard the "marketing ploy" accusation.  I don't believe it.  Suppose
for a minute that the creative team *didn't* have the marketing frenzy in mind
when they planned this.  Suppose it *was* as innocent as someone saying, "What
if his powers started to change?"  (Incidentally, this is how the death idea
began.)  Suppose that they, thinking this could be a really great, possibly
epic tale, brainstormed and planned out several months' worth of stories. What
do you think would happen when this was brought to the attention of the
marketing department?  EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW!

You see, I firmly believe Dan Jurgens, Roger Stern, Mike Carlin, Karl Kesel,
and the lot when they say that they choose story lines and *then* marketing
runs with their ideas.  The *only* time I had reason to believe otherwise was
the wedding, and that was clearly a special circumstance brought upon by the
existence of LOIS AND CLARK.

This is just a story.  And one that, if you'd take the time to consider
instead of making knee-jerk reactions, has some amazing possibilities.  For
several years now, every other comment I've heard about the Superman books was
that they needed something fresh to give them a jump-start.  Now the team has
come up with just such an idea, and it's being blasted without even being
given a chance.

There have been some truly spiteful and mean-spirited remarks made.  They're
not trashing an icon.  They didn't wait until Siegel and Shuster were dead to
destroy their creation.  They're not trying to give small children nightmares.
They're not trying to turn Superman into an Image character.  They're simply
telling a story.  Give them a chance.

To close off these thoughts, let me remind you of something.  They're not
changing what it is that makes Superman Superman -- it's not his powers or his
costume that make him the ultimate icon of justice and heroism.  It's what he
stands for and how he conducts himself.  And no costume or power change will
ever be enough to change that.

Well, that went a bit longer than I had intended, so I'll keep my second topic
a little more brief.

Having taken time off between the final two issues of 1996, I came to realize
the amount of time I had been spending on this magazine.  More specifically, I
came to realize that it has become more of a time sink in my life than I need
it to be, especially as I'm trying to complete my doctoral degree in a
reasonable amount of time.

So I made a decision that things are going to have to change.  Again, to be
more specific, my workload as it pertains to THE KRYPTONIAN CYBERNET is going
to have to lessen.  So we've already instituted several administrative ideas
which will do just that.  For the most part, these are not changes that you
will notice.  However, there are two areas where you will probably not be able
to help but notice.

>From this point on, we'll not be going out of our way to make certain that
*every* new comic and/or television episode is reviewed.  If a writer fails to
get his review submitted in time, we'll just go to press without it.  However,
we will continue to at least provide creative credits and, where possible,
ratings.

Second, there will no longer be a set mailing date for the magazine.  We have
definitely shelved the semi-monthly format for the foreseeable future (even
though the readers choice was clearly for a more frequent publication
schedule).  Instead, the magazine will continue to pursue a more-or-less
monthly schedule, and I will continue to hope for the middle of the month for
publication.

The remaining changes are in the background, and serve primarily to lessen my
load.  Such changes will likely increase in the near future, culminating
eventually in the reduction of my role in the magazine to that of a consulting
editor.  This means that I eventually plan to pass off the vast majority of
production aspects of the magazine, including almost all writing, editing, and
coordinating efforts, to other members of our staff.

I don't do this easily.  In the past three years, THE KRYPTONIAN CYBERNET has
grown from an off-the-cuff suggestion to what I consider to be one of the
premiere internet publications.  It means so very much to me that I am
unwilling to simply cease publication unless it becomes a necessity.  God
willing, once I have completed my degree (planning for August of next year)
and found a job, I will return to helm the magazine into an even bigger and
brighter future.

Jeff Sykes, Editor

________________________________________________________


                                 NEWS AND NOTES
                                 --------------


SHUFFLING AROUND, PART 1: COMICS

    David Michelinie will shortly be stepping down from his position as
    writer of ACTION COMICS.  Citing creative differences, Michelinie
    decided not to renew his contract, which expires in April.  It has
    been rumored that the "creative differences" center upon the already
    controversial power and costume changes to the Man of Steel beginning
    in March.

    Sources inform me that Joey Cavalieri, Superman group editor, announced
    on America Online that ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN penciller Stuart Immonen 
    will be taking over the writing chores of ACTION COMICS.  In addition,
    the art teams on these two books will be switching titles.  This means
    that ACTION COMICS will be written and pencilled by Stuart Immonen and
    inked by Jose Marzan, Jr.  ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN will be written by
    Karl Kesel, pencilled by Tom Grummett, and inked by Denis Rodier.

    In one other bit of creator news, it appears that SUPERGIRL penciller
    Gary Frank will be leaving that title after issue #9 (March).  No word
    yet on a replacement.  Jennifer Graves, who pencilled the backup story
    in SUPERGIRL PLUS #1, provides guest pencils in SUPERGIRL #10.


SHUFFLING AROUND, PART 2: LOIS AND CLARK

    On January 5, ABC began broadcasting LOIS AND CLARK an hour earlier,
    moving it into the 7:00 PM Eastern time slot (switching places with
    AMERICA'S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS).  Unfortunately, this won't be the
    last time change that the show experiences.

    Because of low ratings, ABC has decided not to show LOIS AND CLARK
    at all during February's sweeps period, meaning that the next new
    episode of the serious will probably not appear before early March.
    In addition, there have been some mumblings about trying the show 
    on another night when it returns.  No decisions have been made as
    of yet, but we'll pass along the word as soon as we know.

    ABC also recently announced that THE MAGICAL WORLD OF DISNEY would
    be returning in the Fall, and that it would most likely be airing
    from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM Eastern on Sunday nights.  This means that
    LOIS AND CLARK will *have* to move by the beginning of its fifth
    season.


SHUFFLING AROUND, PART 3: STAS

    First note that the Kids WB area on America Online is showing a
    new episode scheduled for the weekend of February 1.  This episode,
    "Tools of the Trade", is one of the two new episodes remaining for
    this first season, and will be introducing Intergang and Darkseid
    into the animated series' continuity.  It is expected that the final
    new episode for the season will also air in February.

    However, when more new episodes begin in the Fall, don't look for
    them to appear at the same time as they do now.  Warner Brothers
    recently announced the relocation of the award-winning BATMAN animated
    series to Kids WB.  Featuring all-new episodes for both series, BATMAN
    and SUPERMAN will alternate weekday afternoons beginning in the Fall
    of 1997.

    Rumor has it that the new episodes will begin in the fall with a 
    feature 90-minute animated "World's Finest" movie, featuring the 
    teaming of Batman and Superman against the arch-villains the Joker
    and Lex Luthor.  Further credence is lent to this rumor by the
    fact that Mark Hamill has reportedly mentioned reprising his role
    as the Joker in an episode featuring both the Man of Steel and the
    Dark Knight.


TOYING AROUND

    According to a recent issue of PREVIEWS, orders for the Superman Action
    Figure Carrying Case have been canceled because the product has sold out.
    (Did anyone ever see one of these?)  Also canceled are orders for the
    Superman Action Playsets, because they will be resolicited.


AMALGAM NATION, TAKE TWO

    Another week of Amalgam, the comic universe formed from the merging of
    the DC and Marvel universes, is on its way in April.  DC and Marvel are
    keeping mum on what actually brings about the resurrection of the Amalgam
    universe this time, but the twelve titles (six from DC, six from Marvel)
    have been announced:

    BAT-THING
        by Larry Hama, Rodolfo Damaggio, and Bill Sienkiewicz
    CHALLENGERS OF THE FANTASTIC
        by Karl Kesel, Tom Grummett, and Al Vey
    DARK CLAW ADVENTURES
        by Ty Templeton and Rick Burchett
    EXCITING X-PATROL
        by Barbara Kesel and Bryan Hitch
    GENERATION HEX
        by Peter Milligan, Adam Pollina, and Mark Morales
    IRON LANTERN
        by Kurt Busiek, Paul Smith, and Al Williamson
    JLX UNLEASHED
        by Christopher Priest, Oscar Jimenez, and Hanibal Rodriguez
    LOBO THE DUCK
        by Alan Grant, Val Semeiks, and Ray Kryssing
    MAGNETIC MEN FEATURING MAGNETO
        by Tom Peyer, Barry Kitson, and Dan Panosian
    SPIDER-BOY TEAM-UP
        by Karl Kesel, Roger Stern, and Jo Ladronn
    SUPER SOLDIER, MAN OF WAR
        by Mark Waid, Dave Gibbons, and Jimmy Palmiotti
    THORION OF THE NEW ASGODS
        by Keith Giffen and John Romita, Jr.

    More information about the titles can be found in the February issue of
    PREVIEWS and the April issue of MARVEL VISION (both in stores the final
    week of January), as well as the March issue of OVERSTREET'S FAN.

________________________________________________________


                            AND WHO DISGUISED AS...
           ---------------------------------------------------------
           A Column of Opinion by J.D. Rummel (rummel@creighton.edu)


Clearing Off The Desk Of My Mind.

Friends call me to ask about comic books. Most times they want to know if
something they found in the basement is valuable, but on some occasions they
call to ask what is going on with something that made the press. The last time
this happened, DC had announced the death of Superman. I got calls, even the
people I work with asked about what was going to happen: "what will the world
do without Superman?" people asked me. I explained as any cynical comic fan
would, that death in comic books is just a marketing tool and hardly a cause
for legitimate grief. Publicity was what DC wanted, and they got it in spades.

The phone is ringing again with questions about the Marvel bankruptcy and the
new blue body suit. Folks, what I don't know about finance could fill a CD
ROM, but I do know something about the new costume.

It's just a marketing tool, okay?

The cape is coming back, this is just DC shaking some stuff up. Why do I
believe this is just creative razz mataz? History, that's why. Remember back
to Spider-Man's big change after the Secret Wars marketing, er... story line?
For a long time Spidey had a new suit of clothes and he switched back and
forth 'tween the old and the new. Eventually the new costume suit became one
of the biggest villains Spider-Man has ever faced. (Sometimes I read back over
these lines and even I shake my head).

I remember when the costume change first hit the press; I said to a friend of
mine, something to the effect of: "Wow, it's the end of an era."

My friend Todd, who runs the Merchant of Venus bookstore, just sort of snorted
and said, "Do you know how much money Marvel has tied up in that old outfit?
The licensing agreements? This is not gonna last." Yep, it was the end of an
era all right. It was the beginning of my looking at comics as a business. And
as anyone who hangs out at the comic stands knows, the old suit is back. Well,
Superman is a multi-million dollar business, too, and is far more established
in the national consciousness than Spider-Man. The same argument is magnified
tenfold. The new blue suit is just a gimmick

The big money comics (DC's and Marvel's staple series) are partly a shell
game. They make you look elsewhere, away from certain truths. They are limited
in their ability to express artistic insights. They are art, just as McDonalds
is food. They are limited by the scheduled, assembly line nature under which
they are constructed. What they do, they do professionally and well, but the
chances of producing high art with the phalanx of artists and writers that put
out Superman like clock work are mighty remote. Also, while high art is highly
unlikely, bad art is distinctly possible. A little while ago our boy got
married, and what followed for a honeymoon adventure was such a heaping mound
of overwrought, unbelievable, poorly written crap that the persons who
organized it should be deeply ashamed ("My Wife...Commando!").

What's more, as long as we're talking about the Wedding, let's discuss the
point of rushing a story line so as to accommodate a sister production (_Lois
and Clark_'s nuptial ratings Hindenburg). This is corporate think. We can only
guess that the comic creators had to do it, slap together a wedding in order
to have the Warner family present a unified front. Well the wedding issue was
nice for an under-the-gun affair, but for what was the Wedding of the World's
Most Eligible Bachelor, marking a true sea change in how a character is
written and developed, it was a resounding failure (y'know, oddly, no one
called me about the wedding. Guess people besides the talent didn't care much
either).

Anyhoo, I don't blame DC for the suit change, heck, they gotta do stuff to
make things as interesting as they can under the constraints of how they must
work. Besides, it's not a bad outfit. I'm also curious to see what the new
powers are. But no one should think that this is anything more than a nice
sleight-of-hand. Maybe they'll make him murder his wife or let him have an
affair -- doesn't matter, none of it is permanent. This is still funny books.

Next, after seeing the few episodes of Superman The Animated Series, I can
pronounce final judgment. Despite the initial shameless airing of two
half-hour episodes in a ninety minute slot in order to sell deodorant and WB
programming, despite the fact that only three episodes appear to have been
produced and these run in a perpetual loop (I am really glad they reran the
origin, as the first night I was watching a friend's neighbor stopped by and
talked quite a bit, but after the fiftieth lap it has worn a groove in my
pleasure), Superman TAS is certainly the best cartoon appearance of the Action
Ace since the Fleischer installments.

The idea of Brainiac as Kryptonian computer deserter is far superior to the
anemic and annoying incarnation that appears in the comics. The voices are
right, and while the drawing doesn't lend itself to atmosphere the way it does
in the Batman cartoons, it's still a good time for all fans of Superman.

Well, my fellow cybernauts, lord knows I could go on, but I suspect my job
here is done. I will talk about the new movie soon, maybe even next month.

Away

And Who Disguised As... is copyright 1997 by J.D. Rummel. Copying this
document in any format is expressly forbidden without the written permission
of the author.

________________________________________________________


                                Just the FAQs
      More Details about Frequently-Asked Questions about the Man of Steel

                            by David T. Chappell


With Superman's upcoming change in costume, it seems an appropriate time to
look back at the origin of the Man of Steel's current crime-fighting suit.  In
particular, however, this month's column was sparked when Josh Toole sent me
e-mail asking, "Why does Superman wear those embarrassing tights?  Don't you
think that if you were a super-hero it would be extremely embarrassing to go
around everywhere wearing blue tights and your RED underwear on top of that! 
Besides, wouldn't it be very uncomfortable?"  Surprisingly, there is a logical
answer to Josh's question.  I'll cover that and a few related issues this
month as I cover the broad question,

                "Why Does Superman Wear His Famous Costume?"

Introduction

In both the DC Universe and the real world, Superman's distinctive red and
blue uniform is recognizable world-wide.  The clothes do not grant Superman
his powers, but they do make him identifiable to everyone on the planet. 
Having grown up seeing it, most comics fans take the costume for granted.  The
real-life story of why Siegel and Shuster chose the costume is not the
question today, but instead I shall present the modern comic-book story of the
origin of Superman's crime-fighting costume.  Why Superman even wears the suit
and has a secret identity is another matter, and this article will concentrate
on the costume itself.


The Skin-Tight Suit

In the 1980s, DC Comics decided to revamp Superman, and writer John Byrne
resolved to make the character more logical.  In current continuity, Superman
naturally generates a bio-chemical aura which not only grants his body
invulnerability but also protects anything pressed close against his skin. 
Thus, if Superman were to wear loose-fitting clothing, it would get torn and
scarred and burned every time he got in a fight, but when Ma Kent designed the
original costume, she realized that it ought to be skin-tight to take
advantage of Clark's natural aura.  Thus, although the costume is made of
ordinary cloth, it is as tough as metal when worn by the Man of Steel.

Ma Kent explained it well:  "I started noticing when you were only twelve
years old that cloth right up close against you never seemed to tear or get
dirty.  Besides, it shows off your muscles!"  The red boots were also Martha's
suggestion, and Jonathan commented, "They add a nice swashbuckler look!"  (THE
MAN OF STEEL #1, 1986)


The "S" Emblem

In Lois Lane's story on the Constitution space-plane near-disaster, she first
dubbed the new super-hero as "Superman."  The name caught on quickly, and soon
other newspapers and the public at large were calling the mysterious hero by
this new moniker.  Perhaps more importantly, the Kents embraced the new name,
and Clark and Pa Kent designed the famous "S" shield for Clark's costume to
stand for the new heroic designation.  They presented it to Martha, who
eagerly stitched it on the chest.  (THE MAN OF STEEL #1)


The Cape

The final touch on Superman's costume was his red cape.  "It's the cape that's
my favorite," Martha Kent said, "Even though it may tear, not being
skin-tight." (THE MAN OF STEEL #1)  Ma was right about the cape tearing:  it
does not benefit from the protection of Clark's natural aura, and thus it can
be damaged relatively easily.  Superman comics written by John Byrne in the
late 1980s are notable for the many scenes where Superman flies with a torn or
burnt cape.  Eventually, the Eradicator fashioned an indestructible cape for
Superman (ADVENTURES #455, Jun.89), but Clark lost that one and now has an
ordinary cape again.

Since he first adopted his costumed identity, Superman has made several subtle
changes to his outfit.  One such minor modification was the inclusion of a
pouch under his cape to hold Clark's street clothes.  The pouch is located
just behind the "S" emblem where the cape's folds are naturally thickest.


Other Costumes

Superman has sometimes been forced into other outfits and has sometimes taken
them by choice.  When he fought in the arena on the original Warworld,
Superman insisted upon adding the tatters of his cape to the provided battle
gear (ACTION Annual #2, 1989).  Later, the Eradicator's influence drove Kal-El
to adopt a Kryptonian suit during the Day of the Krypton Man story line
(1990).  The different costumes of the "new Supermen" from the Reign of the
Supermen (1993) are clearly variations of the basic outfit, though Kal-El
never actually wore any of them himself.  Perhaps the most famous alternate
costume is the black suit from the Return of Superman after his death
(Oct.93).  This suit recently reappeared in Superman's attempts to rejuvenate
his powers in the Fortress during the Power Struggle story (ACTION #729,
Jan.97).  Another notable outfit was the battle-dress which Superman wore
during his rematch with Doomsday (SUPERMAN/DOOMSDAY: HUNTER/PREY, 1994).  Each
of these alternate costumes has proven to be short-lived, however, as the Man
of Steel has returned to his traditional costume.


Variations in Other Media

The preceding story tells the details about the modern comics story of
Superman's outfit, but other media have had different stories.  In the first
Superman comic books, the "S" emblem was simpler than it is today, though it
quickly evolved into the modern symbol.  In some television and movie
versions, the "S" symbol is the emblem of the House of El on Krypton. Another
major difference was the origin of the suit in pre-Crisis days:  the material
of Superman's costume was explained as having been made from young Kal-El's
Kryptonian baby blanket, and thus it was both super-tough and super-elastic. 
Other single stories, such as the famous "Amazing Story of Superman-Red and
Superman-Blue" (SUPERMAN #162, 1963), have presented the Man of Tomorrow
wearing different clothing in the comic books.

I personally find it ridiculous that an alien civilization would choose a
symbol so very similar to a character in the Latin alphabet.  Instead, I am
pleased with John Byrne's explanation for the symbol and the suit as described
above.  The modern comics story makes the existence of the suit and its
various pieces plausible as more than just a pretty costume.


Conclusion

After the Kents designed Clark's first costume, the newly decked out hero was
pleased: "It's got just exactly the symbolic look I wanted.  So, from now on,
whenever there are people who need my very special kind of help, [...] it'll
be a job for Superman!" (THE MAN OF STEEL #1)

Soon, Superman will be getting another, quite different costume.  A change in
colors, loss of cape and boots, and modification of the "S" shield present a
quite different look for the Man of Tomorrow.  Though declared as "permanent,"
I expect the new costume to be as permanent as the death of Superman:  it
won't be retconned, and it won't be revoked soon, but the original will
eventually return.  The change in powers and dress are not just a marketing
gimmick but an honest story for its own sake as Superman undergoes a strange
metamorphosis.  It remains to be seen whether the new costume will become
popular among fans, but the mere existence of the uproar over the new outfit
demonstrates the super-strong symbolism of Clark's classic costume.

Copyright (C) 1997  David T. Chappell.  All rights reserved.

________________________________________________________


                              SUPERMAN: THE SERIAL
                      ------------------------------------
                      by Steven Younis (younis@dot.net.au)


Firstly, I promised I'd try and find information for Australian readers as to
where you could buy the Superman Serial videos. Unfortunately, the people I
bought it from don't have a shop or an outlet, they only operate via certain
Collector Fairs that circulate around Sydney (and I guess there are others
outside NSW). A call to an Australian-wide Video Library turned up the fact
that these videos don't seem to be readily available in Australia. I'd suggest
calling up your local video library to double-check, or calling your local
Town Hall and finding out if there is a Collector's Fair happening there any
time soon. I know there are two in February 1997 at the Parramatta Town Hall.

Okay, let's get the show on the road...

*CHAPTER 6: SUPERMAN IN DANGER!*

Narrator: "The Spider Lady's men daringly steal the Kryptonite from the
Museum, even though it was guarded by the police and Superman. Lois tries
unsuccessfully to stop the men, and now as they flee, leaving her in deadly
peril..."

Two policemen and a growing crowd have as yet been unable to get close to the
burning car involved in the fake crash set up by the Spider Lady's men, when
Superman arrives on the scene. As the woman's scream continues, Superman uses
his Super-breath to blow out the flames. Superman reaches into the smoldering
wreck and pulls out a record player, which is the source of the female
screams. There's nobody in the car. "We've been tricked!"

Racing out of the Museum the two men are picked up by a third man in their
get-away car, but Superman spots them and takes pursuit.

Meanwhile back in the Professor's office, the gadget continues to snake about
menacingly, heading ever closer to Lois. Lois awakens and screams as she sees
the gadget almost upon her!

On foot, Superman, chasing after the get-away car, stops when he hears Lois'
scream and...

Narrator: "Again Superman makes use of his X-Ray vision."

Flying back and through the window of Professor Leeds' office, Superman takes
care of the gadget and lifts Lois, sitting her in a nearby chair. Lois asks
Superman (in one of this series' cornier moments), "Superman! How can I ever
thank you?" "Don't try now, you'll be seeing me again!" and with an, "Up, up
and away!" he flies out the window.

Landing behind the crook's get-away car, Superman lifts the rear of the car,
stopping it from going any further. The man in the front passenger seat jumps
out and fires his gun, only to see bullet after bullet bounce off Superman's
chest.

"Stop kidding! I'm not in the mood for fun." warns Superman, as he advances on
the man. While Superman attempts to subdue the man, another hops out of the
back seat of the car and says to the driver, "This Kryptonite is supposed to
handle him!" and reaches for the stolen lead box. He throws the chunk of
Kryptonite which lands next to Superman, who wobbles unsteadily on his feet
before fainting away. The man Superman was tussling with grabs the Kryptonite
and scoots back to the car. A groggy Superman regains his feet and wanders
back.

Back at the Spider Lady's hideout, the men are congratulated on a good job
well done. The Spider Lady tells her right-hand man that with the Kryptonite
in her possession, they can use it as the means for finding the secret of the
Relativity Reducer Ray (the most powerful weapon in the world). She says that
she thinks they'll need scientific help with what she has in mind. Dr. Hackett
is her scientist of choice, as he couldn't use his knowledge within the bounds
of the law, and is now in the State Penitentiary. She tells her man they need
to devise a plan to break Hackett out of prison.

The State Penitentiary - Sirens wailing. Alarms ringing. Guards running about.
Motorbikes racing off.

Perry White at the Daily Planet gets a call -- there's been a jail break! He
calls in Clark Kent and assigns him to the story. Dr. Hackett, a brilliant
scientist with a warped mind has escaped from prison.

Down on the street, Clark is talking with an uncooperative Hawkens (Lois'
information source). Uncooperative, that is, until Clark mentions he'd pay a
lot of money for anyone who could give him information on Dr. Hackett. :) Just
as they're talking terms, a car pulls up not far from where they're standing.
Hawkens sees the car and gets scared, rushing away. Two of the Spider Lady's
men (inside the car) get suspicious when they see Hawkens speaking with Clark,
so they drive off. Clark gets into his Daily Planet car and follows them.

Lois sees Hawkens sneak back out of the alley and approaches him, but he sees
her and runs away in a panic, hiding down the alley again. Lois finds him and
for a hearty meal, Hawkens tells her the information he was about to tell
Clark.

>From Hawkens, Lois finds out that the Spider Lady's men are keeping a
supposedly sick man under cover at a summer cabin.

Clark, having followed the men to that cabin, parks his car out of sight as
the two men enter the cabin. The men tell Hackett they're to take him to the
Spider Lady. Outside, Clark uses his Super-hearing to listen in on the
conversation taking place inside. One of the men explains to Hackett that
they'll wrap his face in bandages and, using a fake ambulance, drive him to
the Spider Lady's hideout, past all the unsuspecting police out looking for
him.

The two men leave Hackett to wrap himself up while they go get the ambulance.
Clark waits for them to leave, somehow sneaks into the cabin, and grabs Dr.
Hackett, explaining he'll be taking his place. Having tied him up and locked
him away in another room, Clark rings Perry White at the Daily Planet. He
tells Perry he's captured Hackett and gives him the address so the police can
come pick Hackett up. He's going to find the Spider Lady's hideout!

Arriving back at the cabin with the fake ambulance, the two men find a man
whose face is all wrapped in bandages and presume it's Hackett (we know it's
Clark). Carrying him out on a hospital gurney, they load him into the back of
the ambulance and drive off.

Wouldn't you know it! Lois pulls up outside the cabin, while inside Hackett is
doing his best to set himself free. Entering the cabin, Lois hears the noise
Hackett's making and unties him!!! Pulling a gun out of his pocket, Hackett
forces Lois to take him to her car.

Meanwhile, one of the men, riding in the back of the ambulance with Clark,
notices that Hackett's clothes are different and calls for the driver to stop,
as he and Clark begin to grapple with each other. Bringing the ambulance to a
halt, the driver assists his partner in belting up Clark and forcing him over
a cliff. Back in the ambulance they turn it around and head back to the cabin
to find Hackett.

Driving along, Lois and Hackett pass the fake ambulance going the other way.
The men recognize Lois, and Hackett recognizes them. He tells Lois to slow
down, but she refuses, so he struggles with her in an attempt to take over the
controls. The ambulance turns around once more and follows after Lois' car.

Lois and Hackett continue to fight until Hackett whacks her on the head,
knocking her out. He jumps from the car, leaving an unconscious Lois headed
straight for the cliff edge and....

Narrator: "What will be the Spider Lady's next move? Will the deadly
Kryptonite always render Superman powerless? For the answers, see INTO THE
ELECTRIC FURNACE! Chapter six of Superman at this theater next week."

Be sure *you* see the next review in this e-zine next month!

A clever chapter, this one! I liked the idea of Clark swapping places with Dr.
Hackett using the bandages, and didn't even think of the difference in clothes
until one of the men pointed it out. And boy was I shaking my head when I saw
Lois turn up at the cabin to eventually set Hackett free from Clark's good
work. *sigh*

See you next month when I'll review "Chapter 7: Into the Electric Furnace!"

Please don't hesitate to e-mail me at any time with your thoughts and
reactions to my column.

You'll find the "Superman: The Serial" Theme Music and other Superman related
sounds for you to download (in .wav format) in the Images and Sound File
section of the Superman Homepage at 

             http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/7771/index.html

Please note that the Superman Homepage has moved, so adjusting your links and
bookmarks now would be a good idea. :)

While there, you'll also find a wealth of Superman information, TV and Cartoon
Episode Guides, FAQs, Comic Book Index List, Who's Who, Icons, and so much
more!

I've also designed a puzzle called "Mr. Mxyzptlk's Mix-Up Puzzle" that's
updated weekly. You'll find it in the GAMES & PUZZLES section of my Web of
Wonders at 

            http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/5071/index.html

Later!

Steven Younis
younis@dot.net.au

The "Superman: The Serial" Review column is Copyright (C) 1997, Steven Younis.
All rights reserved. Making copies in any format is expressly forbidden
without the written permission of the author.

________________________________________________________


                               SUPER MERCHANDISE
               -----------------------------------------------
               Information on Forthcoming Superman Merchandise


Descriptions courtesy of PREVIEWS catalog, copyright 1996, Diamond Comic
Distributors.  For further information on (and in many cases, pictures of)
the below merchandise, see recent issues of PREVIEWS!

THESE ITEMS ARE NOT FOR SALE BY THE KRYPTONIAN CYBERNET or by anyone
associated with it.  For information on purchasing any of the merchandise
listed below, contact your local comic shop.

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.

This update lists only merchandise solicited in PREVIEWS Volume VII, #1 (the
January 1997 issue).  For a full listing of Superman-related merchandise,
visit the Kryptonian Cybernet Homepage!

======================================================

MARCH:
-----
SUPERMAN COLLECTOR'S SET
    This exciting collector's set presents two very different types of tales.
    The three Annuals included in this set examine how the legends of Superman
    and Superboy live on in the far-flung future, while the other three issues
    present the complete tale of "The Bottle City," in which a powerful
    warrior is forced into combat against the Man of Steel by the mysterious
    creature known as Tolos.  The set includes the following issues: SUPERBOY
    ANNUAL #3, SUPERMAN ANNUAL #8, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN ANNUAL #8, ACTION
    COMICS #725, SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #60, and SUPERMAN #116.  Plus one
    trading card.
    CAUTION: Quantities are limited, and orders may be allocated if they
    exceed available supply.  The comics in this set may not be first
    printings.
    Scheduled to arrive in stores March 26
    PI

SUPERMAN: A STORY AND STICKER ALBUM
    (Baio and Co.)
    Based on the hit WB animated series!  Relive the exciting origin and early
    adventures of TV's newest animated hero, Superman!  Read along with the
    story, then place one of the 66 SkyBox stickers included to illustrate the
    scene!
    SC, 8x11, 20 pgs, FC
    $3.99

SUPERMAN LOGO SWEATSHIRT
    (Company not indicated)
    It's up, up and away with this cool royal blue sweatshirt that features
    the patented Man of Steel's "S" shield logo.
    L-XL, $22.00

DC SUPER-HEROES 3 PIECE GIFT SET
    (Company not indicated)
    Office supplies don't have to be as interesting as a piece of lint.  Now
    with this gift set you can own a Robin sharpener, a Superman pen, and one
    Batman stamper.
    $8.95

======================================================

APRIL:
-----
ANIMATED SUPERMAN FIGURE KIT
    (Company not indicated)
    This highly detailed kit features Superman as he appears in the animated
    action TV series.  The 1/6 scale big blue boy scout stands approximately
    11" tall, and is always ready to leap a tall building in a single bound!
    CAUTION: All information subject to change, but should ship no later
    than 90 days past its scheduled shipping date.
    Model kit, $13.25

======================================================

MAY:
---
SUPERMAN WALL RELIEF SCULPTURE
    Sculpted by William Pacquet
    DC Comics introduces a new dimension to its collectible sculptures
    program.  This bas-relief wall hanging is sculpted by William Pacquet
    based on the classic cover of ACTION COMICS #1.  Like all items in the
    sculpture program, this relief is cold-cast porcelain, with each piece
    hand-painted in a bronze-like finish.
    NOTE: This statue is limited to a maximum production run of 3000 and may
    be allocated.  Orders for this item must be placed with orders for
    products released in April, solicited in PREVIEWS Volume VII, #2.
    Scheduled to arrive in stores May 21
    $99.00

SUPERMAN '97 LUMINESCENT WATCH
    To celebrate Superman's New Powers, DC offers this deluxe watch featuring
    the Man of Energy's new shield!  By press of a button, the new Superman
    "S" shield glows in a luminous blue and white.  The watch features an
    adjustable stainless steel band and comes packaged in an attractive tin.
    NOTE: This watch is limited to a maximum production run of 5000 and may
    be allocated.  Orders for this item must be placed with orders for
    products released in April, solicited in PREVIEWS Volume VII, #2.
    Scheduled to arrive in stores May 29
    $64.95

________________________________________________________

                               NEW COMIC REVIEWS
                               -----------------


NOTE: Beginning this month, you will notice that we may no longer be able
      to provide reviews of every single title released.  We will, however,
      continue to provide creative credits and ratings from our panelists,
      whenever possible.


Ratings Panelists:

  AW: Anatole Wilson         JG: Jack Grimes           RG: Rene' Gobeyn
  CS: Cory Strode            JS: Jeff Sykes            SF: Shane Furlong
  DC: David Chappell         MC: Matt Combes           VV: Vic Vitek
  DS: Dick Sidbury           PS: Patrick Stout         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 SUPERMAN TITLES:
-------------------
3. ACTION COMICS #729, "Generator X!" 
   Written by David Michelinie
   Art by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
   Letters by Bill Oakley
   Colors by Glenn Whitmore
   Color Separations by Digital Chameleon
   Associate Editor Mike McAvennie
   Editor Joey Cavalieri
   Cover by Tom Grummett, Denis Rodier, and Patrick Martin
   January 1997
   $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 2.6/5.0 Shields

WN: 3.5 Shields - And 3 Cheers for Perry and Alice as he pulls through.
DC: 3.2 Shields - Interesting story but added little to Power Struggle.
MC: 1.0 Shields - I'm really getting tired of stories like this. The return
        of the black Kryptonian regeneration suit near the end was wonderful,
        but the "energy monster" thing was simply lame. I liked the Planet
        pieces, though, with people trying to do things with Clark not around.
JS: 2.5 Shields - An average issue with some interesting tidbits.  For
        example, this "new" energy creature looks a lot like Tolos.  And
        what was with the phase field around Kandor?  Lovely artwork by
        Grummett and Rodier.
VV: 3.0 Shields - Okay story, hopefully a prelude to "the end of the story."
        I *am* getting tired of the powerless Supes storyline now, though.


The first ACTION COMICS of 1997 and the third part of the "Power Struggle"
storyline. Still looking for a jump-start to restore his vanished powers,
Superman heads for the Fortress of Solitude and gets caught up in an adventure
of shocks and tingles.

This issue of ACTION was about teamwork and the strong support of family. The
subplot focusing on Perry's cancer was life affirming and uplifting. The
reserves of strength he can draw on from Alice are a testament to his
marriage. I realize this is fiction, but good role models and a proactive
response to even the most trying of situations should be applauded.

Scientists working on a way to harness the earth's geothermal energy have
unleashed a sentient electrical creature. They used an electromagnetic pulse
to try and kill it but only succeeded in knocking Superman's Cadmus
Convertible out of the sky. Superman warns them that he has lost his powers
but encourages them to work as a team to defeat the creature. With his help
they are able to shoot the electrical creature into space.

In Metropolis, in a parallel story, Perry undergoes further chemotherapy to
halt the cancer from spreading further through his body. Alice is by his side,
and with her help, he pulls through with strong vital signs. His hair is
thinning but he has a fighting spirit and a powerful love of family which
won't be beaten.

Superman uses the Kryptonian Rejuvenation Pod to try and restore his powers.
It fails. As the realization of its failure crashes over him, Mr. Miracle and
Barda crash into the Fortress in a boom tube. They hustle him into the tube as
a stunned Emil can only stammer, "Uh-oh."

This issue, while another chapter in an ongoing storyline, was more balanced
than last month's. The focus on Perry as well as the Planet helped to pace
Superman's own tale. I still think Superman looks younger with the hair, but
Grummett and Rodier's art was evocative and strong. The silhouette of Perry
and Alice in Metropolis General was particularly emotional.

Finally, the cover. With the focus on electricity, the cover showed Superman
in his black suit, buffeted by the rejuvenation pod. And down the side,
"Direct Current." DC can stand for so many things, but Truth, Justice, and
classic super-heroes still top the bill. 'Til next month.

William J Nixon  (W.J.Nixon@lib.gla.ac.uk)

===============================================

4. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #64, "Into the Fire!"
   Story by Louise Simonson
   Guest Pencils by Ron Lim
   Inks by Dennis Janke
   Letters by Ken Lopez
   Colors by Glenn Whitmore
   Separations by Digital Chameleon
   Associate Editor Mike McAvennie
   Editor Joey Cavalieri
   Cover by Jon Bogdanove, Dennis Janke, and Patrick Martin
   January 1997
   $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 2.3/5.0 Shields

JS: 1.5 Shields - Uh-uh.  Sorry, but we don't sit through four weeks of
        this story line only to find out that what Brainiac tried in the
        first week should have worked!  There had better be more to this
        story than the abrupt resolution they produced here.
DC: 3.0 Shields - I'd have been lost if I didn't know about the New Gods.
MC: 2.0 Shields - I'll be the first to say that I'm not a fan of the New Gods
        or any New Genesis/Apokolips/Whatever-the-hell-it-is-now character
        (except Darkseid, who needs to make an appearance soon). So that
        takes away. I thought it was a bit rash to decide to simply "fly into
        the sun" to regain his powers, also...
VV: 2.5 Shields - Okay, so the New Gods can fix things. But why does sending
        Superman into the sun NOW work, when it didn't before?


A crossover which went unbilled as such.  This ties in directly with events
from the final issues of THE NEW GODS (which recently relaunched as JACK
KIRBY'S FOURTH WORLD), as Metron summons Superman to fly him into the Sun. 
Never mind why, it really doesn't matter.  The problem is that the New Gods
were unaware of Superman's current power shortage.  Anyway, to make a long
main story short, Metron convinces Superman that the trip into the Sun should
restore his powers as an additional benefit.  So they go, and Superman's
powers finally return.

In one of the supporting stories, Guardian runs across multiple copies of the
recently introduced villain, Riot.  The Riots have stolen a "matter
vibrational harmonizer" from Professor Hamilton's lab.  Apparently, Riot needs
this technology to help him reintegrate into a single entity and to finally
gain some elusive rest.  After Riot has fallen asleep, Guardian accidentally
shorts out the harmonizer, and mayhem ensues.  Riot escapes once again, this
time under the watchful eye of a figure hiding in the shadows.

Also, Perry suffers from side effects from the chemotherapy, resulting in his
admittance to the hospital.  But he vows to continue the treatment, using his
family as his inspiration to keep on living.

Now, as you might guess from above, the main story here did little for me, but
the supporting stories were well done.  How many times have I said it now? 
Louise Simonson is on the top of her game when dealing with the supporting
cast.  This issue is no exception.  However, more than two-thirds of the issue
focuses on Superman's interaction with the New Gods, and this is not so good.

Superman's recovery is stunningly abrupt.  There's absolutely no reason to
expect that this should work just because Metron said it would.  I feel pretty
confident that Metron would have said that Brainiac's idea in SUPERMAN #119
should have worked.  There had *better* be more to this story that simply has
not yet been addressed -- otherwise, I feel like the past month has been a
waste of time.

To address the art in this issue, let me begin by pointing out that I've been
a fan of Ron Lim's pencils since my first exposure to his work.  And with good
inkers, he's capable of absolutely beautiful art.  For examples, see his guest
pencils in GREEN LANTERN #65 (part of 1995's "Siege of the Zi Charam"
crossover with THE NEW TITANS), his recent work in SOVEREIGN SEVEN, and
December's SILVER SURFER/SUPERMAN.  However, I've never accused Dennis Janke
of good inking.  And here, he manages to ruin Lim's work.  It's the same old
story -- much too heavy in places, and too many scratch lines in others.  

In closing, I want to point out something from the letters column.  Associate
Editor Mike McAvennie writes that he is "sorely tempted to fill up the bottle
city [of Kandor] with water and make it a snow-globe."  You just *know* that
someone in marketing's gonna follow up on that...

Jeff Sykes (sykes@ms.uky.edu)

===============================================

5. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW #7, "Hero or Villain?"
   Written by Roger Stern
   Art by Paul Ryan and Brett Breeding
   Letters by Phil Felix
   Colors by Glenn Whitmore
   Separations by Digital Chameleon
   Associate Editor Mike McAvennie
   Editor Joey Cavalieri
   Cover by Paul Ryan, Brett Breeding, and Patrick Martin
   Winter 1997
   $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 3.4/5.0 Shields

RG: Story: 4.5 Shields - Good use of cast, new plot lines started.
    Art:   4.0 Shields - Good perspectives, lovely detail, nice shading.
DC: 3.3 Shields - Mixed bag; good comic but why'd Maxima go bad again?
MC: 3.2 Shields - Not sure if this was just a mistake or what...but on page
        four, when Clark is daydreaming about flying as Superman, he daydreams
        he has long hair. I just thought that was interesting. Anyway, I think
        I like Maxima better as a villain now than a hero.
JS: 3.0 Shields - Ryan and Breeding have not quite gelled yet.  I'm not
        quite sure what to think of Maxima here -- and that's a sign of
        good writing.  Stern has been able to bring back the villainous
        Maxima without ignoring the past few years.  So who's behind the
        Revenge Squad?  Luthor seems way too obvious.
VV: 3.0 Shields - Nothing exciting here, at least to me. Maxima returning to
        evil because of being ignored by Superman would be a good Silver Age
        plot; nowadays, it just doesn't cut it.


Everything works together in this one. Roger Stern has been my favorite
Superman writer for years. To me he has always seemed to have the best handle
on the supporting cast. This book confirms my opinion. When Superman shows up,
it is because he is needed; the rest of the book deals more with Clark, Lois,
Lex, and Lori. There are cameo appearances by members of the Planet staff and
a mysterious background figure on the last page. This is not to say that I
wouldn't have liked to see more, but it's a good start. For me, the supporting
cast is what sets the Superman books apart from other comics on the stand.
They are the real strength of the titles, and when they are ignored the titles
suffer.

The art team of Ryan and Breeding is great. Their styles are complementary and
it is difficult to tell where one stops and the other begins. The panels are,
for the most part, clean and well detailed. There are several panels that
could have benefited from more backgrounds, but there is usually enough detail
that the 'talking head' look is avoided.

The story itself is a simple one, and while it is resolved in this issue, it
plants the seeds of several new ongoing plot lines that will serve to give our
main characters headaches as they develop.

In many ways it's nice to see the 'old' Maxima character back. While she was
adequate as a hero and part of the Justice League, and then Captain Atom's
EXTREME JUSTICE team, many of her personality traits were ignored or
downplayed. Since the League dissolved a few months ago, she has been at loose
ends and has had time to think about what brought her to Earth in the first
place; namely, that she wanted to become Superman's mate. She seems to regret
her rejection of him while he was powerless (SUPERMAN: THE WEDDING ALBUM), and
has decided to give him another chance. In many ways it's interesting to see
the love 'triangle' (Superman/Clark/Lois) being explored from the Superman
side. After all, we've seen it from Lois' side (Jeb Stuart) and Clark's side
(Lori Lemaris). With them being married and the world not knowing that
Superman is part of the 'trio', it makes some sense for the writers to explore
the love triangle from that side.

All in all a very enjoyable issue, with hints of some interesting things to
come.

As Lex Luthor chafes under house arrest, Lois and Clark take some time off to
visit Oceanside Amusement Park. While there, they run into Lori. Meanwhile
Maxima has decided to give Superman another chance to become her mate. When he
rejects her sparks fly.

Rene' Gobeyn (gobeyn@kodak.com)

===============================================

6. SUPERMAN #120, "To Be A Superman"
   Written by Dan Jurgens
   Art by Ron Frenz and Joe Rubinstein
   Letters by John Costanza
   Colors by Glenn Whitmore
   Separations by Digital Chameleon
   Associate Editor Mike McAvennie
   Editor Joey Cavalieri
   Cover by Ron Frenz, Joe Rubinstein, and Patrick Martin
   February 1997
   $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 4.0/5.0 Shields

JS: 3.9 Shields - Nice concept which could have been done a tiny bit 
        better, but Luthor's nightmare at the beginning of the issue more
        than made up for any shortcomings.  Gorgeous splash page by Frenz
        and the inking god (Rubinstein) -- Frenz sure likes those flying
        upside-down shots, doesn't he?
DC: 4.0 Shields - Nice idea and well implemented.
MC: 4.0 Shields - I liked this little "insight" piece. It may have been
        filler (except the part where we get a glimpse of Supes' upcoming
        power change to electric-like qualities), but it was *good* filler,
        which is saying something.
VV: 4.0 Shields - Nice supporting cast issue that really doesn't advance
        anything anywhere. Okay, so maybe the plot doesn't need advancing
        every week, especially when the plot seems to be a little weak or
        aimless.


Really nice cover on this one, folks.  Very stylish.  I'd love to see some
more generic covers -- ones that don't necessarily have anything to do with
the interior story, but just are really cool illustrations of the Man of
Steel!

The first three pages of this issue are more than worth the price of
admission.  Luthor experiences a nightmare in which his future son idolizes
the Man of Tomorrow, taunting his dad with, "Bet you wish you WUZ him!"  The
utter terror on Luthor's face... :)

But down to business.  In this issue we view glimpses of what the non-super
characters in these titles would do if they had Superman's powers.  Luthor
would, of course, destroy all super-heroes and rule the world.  Professor
Hamilton would investigate the otherwise inexplorable mysterious of science. 
Jimmy sees the possibilities for celebrity and, shall we say, hormonal
pursuits.  Cat Grant's would go back and time, erase her mistakes, and bring
her son back to life.  Perry would have used the powers to scoop out the
biggest of stories.

But Superman is hearing most of these fantasies, and he becomes dejected that
nobody seems to want to be a hero.  He begins to wonder just how unique he
really is.  But when he happens upon a young boy who simply needs help getting
back into his home, Superman discovers that he's not alone.  The child shares
his dreams of helping to look after the weaker guys that the bullies pick on
at school.  He passes on the praise of his parents -- how they know they can
always trust Superman to do the right things and to look after the ordinary
man.  

And this is truly what Superman is all about.  Doing the right thing.  And
amazingly, as becomes clear at the conclusion of this story, it really has
nothing to do with the powers.  (Could this have been a subtle foreshadowing
of the upcoming storyline?)  A very nice insight by Mr. Jurgens -- anybody can
be a super-man, but it takes much more to be a Superman.

We have yet another puzzle piece thrown into the "what's wrong with Superman"
question.  We'd already seen the Fortress robots not recognizing the Man of
Steel just prior to THE FINAL NIGHT.  We saw the protective field around
Kandor disrupted as Superman walked by during "Power Struggle."  And now we
have a huge electrical surge destroying Prof. Hamilton's equipment while he's
giving Kal-El a checkup.  Intriguing.

Quick note on Frenz and Rubinstein's illustrations.  The two are working
together as well as ever, and there are some absolutely gorgeous panels.  Best
of all is the splash on page 4.  Once again I find myself wishing DC would
make a poster or print of a Frenz/Rubinstein page...

Jeff Sykes (sykes@ms.uky.edu)

________________________________________________________

THE SUPERMAN TITLES (cont):
--------------------------
7. ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #543, "The Honeymoon's Over"
   Written by Karl Kesel
   Pencils by Stuart Immonen
   Inks by Jose Marzan, Jr.
   Letters by Albert T. De Guzman
   Colors by Glenn Whitmore
   Separations by Digital Chameleon
   Associate -- Mike McAvennie
   The Shadowy Figure -- Joey Cavalieri
   Cover by Stuart Immonen, Jose Marzan Jr, and Patrick Martin
   February 1997
   $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 3.1/5.0 Shields

AW: 3.5 Shields - Nice touches in the personal lives of our characters make
        this a worthwhile read. The Superman Revenge Squad, though, is a
        group of lightweights who really don't even want revenge. What's up
        with that?
DC: 3.0 Shields - Nothing exciting; lame squad.
MC: 2.5 Shields - Three out of five ain't bad. Riot, Misa, and Maxima I like;
        I could do without Anomaly and Barrage. Loved seeing Simone DeNeige
        again (last time was during the Conduit story, wasn't it?). And
        little jewels like Lois and Clark being together is something I'd
        like to see more (a la ADVENTURES #525).
JS: 3.4 Shields - Immonen and Marzan were a little off in places this
        issue, especially in the first few pages.  Quite a few interesting
        developments, from Thornton the neighbor to Simone's appearance.
        I'm still not sure who's behind the Revenge Squad, but now I'm even
        more in doubt that it's Luthor.
VV: 3.0 Shields - You gotta love the concept -- team up five losers to make
        a winner. Whoever the mysterious boss turns out to be, you have to
        wonder if he believes five wrongs really have a chance of making a
        right.


With the return of the Superman Revenge Squad, the creative teams at DC
replace yet another block in the foundation of the Superman mythos. But like
the reintroduction of the Fortress of Solitude, Argo City, and other "revived"
artifacts of pre-Byrne Superman, this new squad has only its name to connect
it with the old squad, and surprisingly, only a tenuous connection to
Superman. This squad is only a shadow of its former self.

Before I continue what you have probably sensed is going to be less than an
enthusiastic welcome to the Squad, I'll pause briefly to describe the
goings-on in this issue.

On the supporting character front, the creative teams are beginning this new
chapter in the lives of Mr. and Mrs. Superman--excuse me, Mr. Kent and Mrs.
Lane--by reintroducing some characters: Collin Thornton, editor of Newstime
magazine, and Simone DeNeige. Collin is the Kent-Lane's new neighbor, and
makes no secret of his intention to woo Lois and Clark to leave the Planet and
write for his magazine. (Clark, you may remember, left the Planet for a short
stint at Newstime a couple of years ago.) I have no recollection of Simone
DeNeige, but she clearly has a shared past and an interest in a shared future
with Clark; one that just might put her at odds with Lois.

Meanwhile, Cat is busy on a couple of fronts--sucking up to Lori Lemaris so
Lori won't sue her station for their false accusations against her, and
talking with Lois on the phone, just being sociable.  I really liked the phone
chat and the scene that followed where Lois and Clark spend a quiet night in
front of the television watching an old movie. (I must embarrassingly admit
that my memory is failing me constantly today. I recognized the dialogue of
the movie--an old classic about a newspaper editor and the ex-wife he
loves--but can only remember the title of the remake, "Switching Channels."
with Burt Reynolds, Kathleen Turner, and Christopher Reeves. Any trivia buffs
remember the title of the original movie?)

And on the newlywed villain front, Lex argues with the Contessa--it seems her
past is shrouded in mystery, which he doesn't like--then gets caught up in the
throes of passion ignited by their conflict. Well, whatever works, I guess.

On the action front, a mysteriously shadowed bald man has assembled five
former foes of Superman: Anomaly, Misa, Riot, Barrage, and Maxima. These five
"fingers" will form the "fist" that will drive Superman out of Metropolis
forever.

Yeah, right.

Let's look at the lineup of the Superman Revenge squad.  While I like Riot as
a character, only Maxima can claim heavyweight status--the rest are
lightweights who might be able to get Blue Devil to work up a sweat on a good
day.  As an actual threat to Superman, I'd rate them pretty low.

Now let's consider motives. Four of these members are fairly new additions to
the rogue's gallery.  Only two of them (Maxima and Barrage) can actually say
they were definitively defeated by Superman, and have a reason to want
revenge. Anomaly's motives are still a mystery--I guess he's just a bad guy.
Misa's just being mischievous and Riot was pummeled into joining.

So we have a Superman Revenge Squad that's not only a group of lightweights,
but really aren't out for revenge either. Hmmm.

Some of you may remember the old Superman Revenge Squad--not exactly the most
highly revered creation of the Pre-Byrne era. The Squad was then made up of
aliens from all over the galaxy who at one time or another had crossed paths
with Superman, lost, and had therefore vowed to dedicate the rest of their
lives to destroying Superman.  Superman finally took care of them once and for
all in the '80s by trapping them on one planet where they could only leave if
they renounced their criminal and hate-filled ways. (Once again, my failing
memory can't remember exactly how that worked.)

Yes, this old squad was definitely made up of lightweights. But there were
thousands of them, not just five.  If nothing else, their numbers and the fact
they were aliens reinforced the special nature of Superman--he was revered
(and reviled) all across the galaxy; that made him an intergalactic hero, not
just an Earthbound one.

And at least they really *hated* Superman. This new squad just kind of
dislikes him, and would probably be just as happy being the B'wanaa Beast
Revenge Squad.

When John Byrne revamped Superman, he eliminated a lot of baggage accumulated
over the previous 40-something years: near-omnipotent super-powers,
super-pets, and more survivors of Krypton than could possibly have been living
on the planet at the time it exploded. But in doing so, he left a huge vacuum
that was once the Superman mythos. This mythos set Superman apart from other
super-heroes more than anything else. With the mythos gone, Superman was just
another really strong guy in a universe of strong guys.

In the past few years, the new creative teams have been restoring some of the
old mythos with new twists: The Bottle City (formerly Kandor) is now made up
of beings from all over the universe collected by some wizard whose origins
and purpose were never quite explained.  The Fortress of Solitude is now an
artifact of Krypton built _for_ Superman, not _by_ him. As a result, every
time he goes there he's just as likely to have to fight the Fortress as to be
able to relax there, and there always seems to be something new there that
Superman didn't know about before.

Each re-emergence of a piece of the old Superman mythos seems grafted
on--shallow, not wholly formed. The Superman Revenge Squad seems to be the
same. It consists of four minor characters (I except Maxima, who would beat me
into a pulp if I didn't), three of whom, I suspect, were created and thrown
together in this group because nobody knew what else to do with them.

I don't want to condemn this group without giving them a chance (although I
guess I just did). It's true that whether they provide an interesting
challenge or not depends on the writing. If they devise a clever plot that
goes beyond trying to slug it out, this could be good.

So far the best thing I can say about this group is that I'm just grateful
they didn't try and resurrect Conduit for the membership drive.

Anatole Wilson (awilson@us.oracle.com)

===============================================

8. ACTION COMICS #730, "The Precedent of the United Hates" 
   Written by David Michelinie
   Art by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
   Letters by Bill Oakley
   Colors by Glenn Whitmore
   Color Separations by Digital Chameleon
   Associate Editor Mike McAvennie
   Editor Joey Cavalieri
   Cover by Tom Grummett, Denis Rodier, and Patrick Martin
   February 1997
   $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 2.8/5.0 Shields

WN: 3.0 Shields - Entertaining mix of teamwork pep talks and Super-Villain
        antics.
DC: 3.1 Shields - Fun fight.
MC: 2.3 Shields - Bit of a disappointment (loved the cover, though). It's
        obvious that the man behind this revenge squad is not Luthor -- that's
        too obvious. My guess? Collin Thornton, aka Satanus.
JS: 3.2 Shields - It still amazes me how well Rodier's inks complement
        Grummett's pencils.  Though they're a bit shoved-in-the-face,
        Michelinie draws some nice parallels about teamwork between the
        Planet staff and the Revenge Squad.
VV: 2.5 Shields - Somewhat of a plot device battle, especially with Misa
        involved. You know Supes is going to win in the long run, it just
        would be interesting if Superman didn't always have to fight things
        out.


This was an entertaining installment of the Revenge Squad storyline which
deftly wove the pros of teamwork with super-villain antics. The issue opens
with the newly formed Squad squabbling over leadership of their little band.
Each of their flaws and agendas are laid bare as they bicker and battle.
Maxima fights Riot, and in a wonderful scene, Misa transforms Barrage into a
floppy, Bugs Barrage caricature. The shadowy figure who brought them together
appears to bring an end to these charades. He appoints Maxima as their leader
since she has had the most experience against Superman. This puppetmaster
appears to be well-dressed and suave in an impertinent "can't see my face"
way.

Superman is winging his way to the Planet on Cloud 9, waxing philosophic about
Lois and the bliss of his married state. He's faced with proposals for the
Planet's new Friday Supplement on his desk and staff clamoring at his door.
Everyone wants pole position until enough is enough. Clark demands some space
and then gives them a pep talk on teamwork and the Planet. On the periphery,
Stern muses that Kent was a good choice after all (could he be the shadowy
figure?!).

One advantage of Perry's office seems to be the opportunity for Clark to be
alone and "hold all his calls." He asks for an hour and checks out the city.
Given the choice, who can blame him -- lots of paperwork or a chance to right
wrongs? Anomaly is the bait to lure Kal into an abandoned junkyard, where he
is ambushed by the Squad. For a brief moment it looks as if they will succeed
until their individual desires come to the fore. As Maxima stands to take the
final blow, Misa slam-dunks her into the ground -- why should she have all the
fun? The Puppetmaster contacts Maxima to pull them all together. As they
imperil innocent individuals, Superman is trapped by a solar leech which
drains his energy and leaves him wide open to the Squads depredations. A last
page chance to wax philosophic leaves him pondering on effective teamwork and
its use for both good and evil. While the Squad may be nearer their goal they
are not exactly a close, tightly knit team, but sometimes the result is
perhaps more important than how you got there.

This story benefited from the groundwork which all of the titles have laid for
each of these super-villains and their individual gripes. The formation of the
Squad itself felt like a natural (however unnatural) occurrence in the flow of
current continuity rather than just plucked out of the air for the sake of it.
The rivalry and interplay between the villains was well played and believable:
from the in-fighting about who's in charge to who would deliver the final
blow. These guys are all so used to having their own way that it's impressive
they got this far. The air of mystery over the shadowy figure who is yanking
their strings and his/her agenda also injects an element of much needed
suspense. I wonder if it's Thornton who is behind the Squad, especially with
his appearance in ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #543? Too obvious?

The art by "Tom and Denis" (strong cover guys) is on form. The junkyard fight
scenes with Supes against Riot or saving old ladies were great. Enjoyable fare
to bring in the New Year.

William J Nixon  (W.J.Nixon@lib.gla.ac.uk)

======================================================

SUPER-FAMILY TITLES:
-------------------
JLA #2, "The Day the Earth Stood Still"
    Written by Grant Morrison
    Pencils by Howard Porter
    Inks by John Dell
    Colors by Pat Garrahy
    Color Separations by Heroic Age
    Letters by Ken Lopez
    Edited by Ruben Diaz
    Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
    February 1997
    $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 3.3/5.0 Shields

MC: 4.5 Shields - A continuation of something great. Interesting to see the
        JLA big-shots get taken down a notch. I love how Morrison pays
        attention to each individual character rather than just a few or
        lumping them all together and characterizing only as a team.
DC: 2.8 Shields - Not too exciting.
JS: 2.5 Shields - I'm not enjoying Porter and Dell's art, but it's mostly
        a personal preference thing -- I *don't* think it's bad.  The story
        here is a little unbelievable.  I have a hard time buying that 
        these unknowns can pop up out of nowhere and decimate *this* JLA.
        Perhaps the next couple of issues will help.
VV: 3.5 Shields - Good buildup. I like this team and how it is coming
        together. Despite the preview information out there, I can't wait
        to see how things get resolved.

===============================================

STEEL #35, "The Thing"
    Written by Christopher Priest
    Pencils by Denys Cowan
    Inks by Tom Palmer
    Letters by Pat Brosseau
    Computer Colors by Stu Chaifetz
    Associate Editor Chris Duffy
    Editor Frank Pittarese
    Cover by Dave Johnson
    February 1997
    $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN


RATINGS:

JS: 4.0 Shields - So far, I've really enjoyed Priest's take on these
        characters (though the Boris and Natasha thing is a bit loopy).
        The art is not as harsh as last issue, though it's still gonna
        take a bit more time to get used to.

===============================================

SUPERBOY #35, "Kidnapped!"
    Written by Ron Marz
    Pencils by Ramon Bernado
    Inks by Doug Hazlewood and Stan Woch
    Colors by Tom McCraw
    Letters by Richard Starkings and Comicraft
    Associate Editor Chris Duffy
    Editor Frank Pittarese
    Cover by Ramon Bernado and Doug Hazlewood
    January 1997
    $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 2.2/5.0 Shields

RG: Story: 2.5 Shields - Not much here, but a good lead in.
    Art:   2.5 Shields - Gonna take some getting used to, needs detail.
DC: 2.0 Shields - OK story, but the art really sucks.
JS: 2.0 Shields - About the only thing I like about the new direction of
        this title is the fact that Marz brought the Tana/Roxy rivalry
        into the open.  Other than that, the writing and art in this 
        issue are just plain bad.


Boy am I getting tired of clone stories. I know Superboy is a clone, and that
is one of the main points of the book. This shouldn't bother me so much, but
it is beginning to seem like every time they get stuck for a plot they fall
back on yet another clone of the Kid as a plot device. It's getting old. I can
hope that this one will be better than the last one, but I'm not going to hold
my breath.

I know that this is a new team on the book, and I suspect that it will take a
few issues for them to get a good feel for the book. So far, I don't think
they're off to a good start. I mean seriously, does the DC Universe really
need another ultra-secret genetic lab? Otherwise, the story wasn't bad. They
seem to be getting a feel for the characters. The scene where Roxy catches
Tana up with what has happened between her and Superboy was actually pretty
good, and Dubbilex is back (with his powers). These are good things. I hope
that it's a trend that continues.

As for the art, what can I say. The perspectives are way off, the human
figures are misproportioned and have sharp angles where they should have
smooth curves. The backgrounds were sketchy and plain. I realize that it's a
'style', but it doesn't do much for me. I'll give it a few issues to grow on
me before I condemn it.

Overall not a bad issue, but it's not an auspicious start for the new team.

As the story continues from last issue, Superboy, Roxy, and Dubbilex are under
attack by Amanda Spence and a crew of mercenaries. Superboy manages to get
Roxy and Dubbilex out of the line of fire but ends up getting captured (even
with Krypto's help).

Roxy, Tana, Dubbilex, and Inspector Makoa of the SCU get a few details out of
the way, hopefully clearing the air between Roxy and Tana (I can hope can't
I?).

When Superboy wakes up, we are let in on what could be a whole new chapter in
his life, and we get to meet (yet another) secret genetics lab called The
Agenda. We also get a glimpse of the clone of Superboy who I suspect will be a
major player in the near future.

Rene' Gobeyn (gobeyn@kodak.com)

===============================================

SUPERBOY #36, "Grudge Match"
    Written by Ron Marz
    Pencils by Ramon Bernado
    Inks by Doug Hazlewood
    Colors by Tom McCraw
    Letters by Richard Starkings and Comicraft
    Associate Editor Chris Duffy
    Editor Frank Pittarese
    Cover by Ramon Bernado and Doug Hazlewood
    February 1997
    $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 2.7/5.0 Shields

RG: Story: 4.0 Shields - Good story, more than just a fight scene.
    Art:   2.5 Shields - Not bad, perspectives and figures were a bit off.
DC: 1.9 Shields - Another Bizarro-type clone; art sucks.
JS: 3.0 Shields - One of Marz's better writing jobs since picking up this
        book, with nice touches in avoiding the 20-page slugfest and 
        actually getting Tana involved in the stories again.  But Bernado's
        distorted, angular style has just got to go.


This was not the story I expected after the end of last month's story. I had
expected a book-long slugfest with little or no story or plot. What I got
instead was a good story where Tana was at least as much involved as Superboy.
With the way many of the supporting characters are portrayed in this book, we
often lose track of just who the Kid has backing him up. I can hope that this
will be a growing trend.

The art in this book didn't bother me nearly as much as it did last month. The
slightly skewed perspectives still bother me, and I don't particularly care
for the way he draws his figures, but his drawing does work with the story. I
don't know if I'm just getting used to it or if Bernado's style is starting to
grow on me.

As the story opens, we get to see Tana working to track down any lead she can
find on Amanda Spence (the fake reporter). She is feeling more than a little
guilty for her part in giving Amanda some of the information that she used to
capture the Kid. She even turns down the opportunity to take on a high profile
story so that she can concentrate on her efforts.

Meanwhile, we get a bit more of the story on the Agenda and what they have
planned for Superboy, namely nothing. Stalling them, Superboy get them to tell
him what they plan to do with the clones that they are making. It turns out
they aren't out to take over the world, they are in it simply for the money.
It's nice every now and then not to have complicated motives or ideals to get
in they way.

They have managed to remove all elements of free will from Match. They wanted
docile, easily controlled, but incredibly powerful slaves, and this is what
they built. Match's first job is to kill Superboy, but the Kid has other plans
and tries to split.

>From here we drop back in on Tana, who has finally managed to figure things
out and knows where Amanda took Superboy. She puts together a rescue effort
and hopes that she's in time.

Back to our hero, we find him getting himself deeper into trouble when he
comes across the cloning chamber (conveniently in the same room as the main
reactor for the complex). He and Match mix it up again briefly. Superboy
manages to beat him rather easily, only to have Amanda step in again. When the
reactor goes critical, Superboy tries to rescue both Amanda and Match, only to
have Match pull away as the reactor explodes.

Superboy wakes up in a Hawaiian hospital room, surrounded by his friends,
where he finds out that it was Tana's work that got a search and rescue
operation working the right area to rescue him. As the story ends, we are
given a brief glimpse of something embedded in his cheek. Looks like this
story may not be completely over after all.

Rene' Gobeyn (gobeyn@kodak.com)

________________________________________________________

SUPER-FAMILY TITLES (cont):
--------------------------
SUPERBOY AND THE RAVERS #5, "Dial 'X' for X-Mas"
    Written by Karl Kesel and Steve Mattsson
    Pencils by Paul Pelletier
    Inks by Dan Davis
    Letters by Kevin Cunningham
    Colors by John Kalisz
    Associate Editor Chris Duffy
    Editor Frank Pittarese
    Cover by Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis
    January 1997
    $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 3.5/5.0 Shields

JS: 4.0 Shields - Still lovin' this title.  And in this issue, Hero becomes
        quite interesting...
DC: 3.4 Shields - Surprisingly good story w/o too much emphasis on the Rave.
MC: 3.0 Shields - Obviously it was imminent that Hero would get the H-Dial,
        even before we were introduced to it (er...or re-introduced to it) in
        this issue. Fits him quite nicely, though. Nice to see Aura with her
        mask off, too.


Superboy's suspicious of Kindred Marx, and tells this to Tana before returning
to the Rave -- unbeknownst to the two of them, someone's watching.  First
indication is that it's some meta from the rave, but if you look closely at
what's shown, the figure's hand-stamp is on the palm of his hand (instead of
the back of the hand), and it's upside down.  The stamps received from Marx
all have the burst effect pointing towards the fingers, whereas this person's
burst effect is pointing towards the wrist.  Perhaps it's Marx himself.

Okay, for the main story.  DC (that's Donna Carol Force, aka Sparx), Superboy,
and Aura visit Hero's family for Christmas Eve Dinner.  While there, Scavenger
shows up to claim the Atlas vest, which Hero's been wearing since we met him. 
Unfortunately for DC, Scavenger found her by the vest when he appeared, and so
he took her off to his lair.  SB, Hero, and Aura go in pursuit, and we learn
that Hero actually found the vest in Scavenger's lair.

SB, Aura, and Rex get turned to stone by a booby-trap, and Scavenger turns
loose some kind of robot to take care of Hero.  But Hero finds the 'H'-Dial,
and uses it to become Badaxe, who quickly disposes of the robot.  He then uses
the 'H'-Dial again, and changes into Human Justice -- whom Scavenger
apparently recognizes.  Human Justice convinces Scavenger to let the heroes
go.

Off on the planet Boring II, the person who had earlier been spying on
Superboy kills the raver called Phatboy...

Intriguing developments and new questions.  Who was watching SB and Tana, and
later killed Phatboy?  Why did Marx blackmail Aura into keeping an eye on
Superboy and friends?  Will Kaliber be able to handle it when he finally gets
to meet a famous Earth hero? :)

DC has an interesting family, complete with a Tetrad (apparently her
four-bodied father), an Uncle Larriat (who needed to be untangled), and a
younger sibling named Seerah (who has X-Ray vision).  If RAVERS should for
some reason fail, I'd love to see Kesel focus a miniseries on the Force
family!

Hero doesn't want anyone to know how he found Rex.  Wonder why?  How many
super-personalities are hiding inside that 'H'-Dial?  Could make for some fun
exploration.  

Most of all, what in the world is Scavenger's story?  Kesel's been trotting
him out off and on for the past two and a half years.  We know he's alive in
the 30th Century (from the Legion crossover in 1995).  In this issue, he makes
reference to being an Argonaut!  Has he already been around for a few thousand
years?  And what is it that he's preparing for?  I'm definitely ready for
Scavenger's story to be cleared up, at least a little bit...

As usual, Pelletier and Davis turn in some beautiful art.  Especially fun is
trying to determine the identities of some of the artifacts in Scavenger's
lair -- more on the cover than the interior, though,

Jeff Sykes (sykes@ms.uky.edu)

===============================================

SUPERBOY AND THE RAVERS #6, "Truth or Dare"
    Written by Steve Mattsson and Karl Kesel
    Pencils by Paul Pelletier
    Inks by Dan Davis
    Colors by John Kalisz
    Letters by Kevin Cunningham
    Associate Editor Chris Duffy
    Editor Frank Pittarese
    Cover by Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis
    February 1997
    $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 3.6/5.0 Shields

JS: 4.0 Shields - More developments, intrigue, and new questions, all masked
        behind typical teenage fun and games.  Who can't remember playing
        truth or dare!?
DC: 3.2 Shields - Finally some action on the Rave sub-plot.
MC: 3.7 Shields - I'm not sure how long they're planning on dragging out the
        reason behind Marx's "rave" and their visits to other planets and
        dimensions. At least a bit part was revealed here when we found out
        Marx = Jack Nebula. Interesting turn of events, too, regarding a bit
        of a "spark" (excuse this pun) between Sparx and Hero. Personally I'd
        really rather see Superboy and Sparx get together.


'H'-Dial personality number three -- Stormfront!  Thunder and lightning
powers, where will it all end!? :)

Sparx tries out some new costume ideas and lets Aura in on the fact that
Kaliber thinks she's some kind of goddess.  (By the way, I now think it was
Kaliber who was spying on her from behind the bushes back in the first issue. 
Same bug-eyed look he has anytime he's around her...)  Aura fails to see the
problem.

Half-Life's having a hard time fitting in with the Ravers, especially when
Sparx continues to exhibit her case of the willies in his presence.  He's
recruited by the Corpse Corps, but he brushes them off.

Nice misdirection on the recruitment storyline.  The two teens from Ungara
arrive, and we're led to believe throughout the story that Scutor is the
recruit, only to discover at the end of the issue that it was his female
companion that Marx was after.

Half-Life drools over Scutor's meta-cycle (actually, to be more accurate, he
kind of drips his plasma goo all over it), and the two square off.  Since we
already know there's no fighting in the Event Horizon, Aura suggests Truth or
Dare to settle the differences.  And by the time things have ended, Half-Life
owns the meta-cycle.

Now for the sinister plot thread.  Remember the Darkstar Jack Nebula from
InterC.E.P.T.?  Well, he tries to recruit one of the meta-teens from the rave,
and ends up nearly killing him.  And guess-what?  He's got the same funky PALM
hand-stamp as the guy who killed Phatboy last issue.  Guess what else?  When
he removes his helmet a bit later, he looks exactly like Kindred Marx!  And
Marx was mysteriously absent from the Rave while all this was happening.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?  Perhaps, but I doubt it! :)  You see, I
think the Marx thing may be a red herring.  So I went back and checked the
first few issues and discovered something.  Kindred Marx *does* have the
hand-stamp on his palm -- this is shown in issue #3 when he takes back the Red
Shift's hand-stamps and gives one to Half-Life.  But his was not the
upside-down one we've seen on Jack Nebula -- it had the same orientation as
that of the Ravers' hand-stamps.

Speculations?  One possibility is that Marx has some kind of split
personality, which would be a very interesting twist.  One personality is a
"law enforcement" officer attempting to bring in the other personality...

More likely, I think is that there's some sort of anti-Marx.  Maybe they're
twins.  Maybe they're different dimensional versions of each other. 
Regardless, this aspect of the title has become quite intriguing. 

In fact, Kesel and Mattsson have done a wonderful job of making this title
interesting, even though there are so many questions to be answered, including
those about the backgrounds and character of most of our primary players.  It
took Chris Claremont too long to hook the readers on SOVEREIGN SEVEN with this
approach, and his readership has suffered as a result.  It's a testament to
the quality of RAVERS that they've been able to avoid this problem.

Next month, the Ravers begin a road trip.  And at the end of it all, Kaliber
is finally going to meet the Man of ... Energy!?

Jeff Sykes (sykes@ms.uky.edu)

===============================================

SUPERGIRL #6, "Trust Fund"
    Written by Peter David
    Pencils by Gary Frank
    Inks by Cam Smith
    Letters by Pat Prentice
    Colors by Gene D'Angelo
    Color Separations by Digital Chameleon
    Edited by Chris Duffy
    Cover by Gary Frank, Cam Smith, and Patrick Martin
    February 1997
    $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 2.9/5.0 Shields

DC: 3.2 Shields - The new Supergirl-Linda is starting to shape up.
JS: 2.5 Shields - This story just didn't do much for me, and Frank dipped
        into the titillation well a bit too much with Faulkner's assistant.
        And why did Lois look so much like Linda?  Still some intriguing
        aspects, including the whole Buzz situation and the weird kid with
        the bat.

===============================================

SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #4, "Eye to Eye"
    Written by Scott McCloud
    Pencils by Rick Burchett
    Inks by Terry Austin
    Colors by Marie Severin
    Letters by Lois Buhalis
    Edited by Mike McAvennie
    Cover by Rick Burchett, Terry Austin, and Marie Severin
    February 1997
    $1.75 US/$2.50 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 3.4/5.0 Shields

DC: 2.8 Shields - Nice but simple and a little too much fake science.
JS: 4.0 Shields - One little thing about this story really worried me.
        Perry's handling of Jimmy Olsen was simply reckless -- telling the
        kid to essentially put himself in danger.  Otherwise an excellent
        issue, especially Luthor's handling of the situation.

======================================================

MINISERIES:
----------
DC/MARVEL: ALL ACCESS #4 (of 4), "Savior"
    Story by Ron Marz
    Pencils by Jackson Guice
    Inks by Joe Rubinstein
    Colors by Lee Loughridge
    Separations by Digital Chameleon
    Letters by Bill Oakley
    Associate Editor Chris Duffy
    Editor Mike Carlin
    Cover by Jackson Guice and Joe Rubinstein

    Mark Gruenwald - Inspiration

    February 1997
    $2.95 US/$4.25 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 3.1/5.0 Shields

MC: 3.0 Shields - Not as good as what we'll be getting come around April (the
        next wave of Amalgam books), but worth reading. And for once I wish
        there would be actual battles taking place between DC and Marvel
        characters that don't end up in "I hope we never have to do this
        again."
JS: 2.4 Shields - I wanted to like this, especially after witnessing Supes
        commanding the X-Men to let Batman go at the end of issue three.
        But the battles between the JLA and X-Men just didn't live up to
        potential, and things just got weird when Strangefate appeared.
VV: 4.0 Shields - Okay, we all know the JLA would really mop the floor with
        the X-Men <g>.

===============================================

SUPERBOY/ROBIN: WORLD'S FINEST THREE #2 (of 2)
    Written by Karl Kesel and Chuck Dixon
    Pencils by Tom Grummett
    Inks by Scott Hanna
    Letters by Ken Lopez
    Colors by Scott Baumann
    Computer Separations by Heroic Age
    Special thanks to James Grummett
    Associate Editor Chris Duffy
    Editors Frank Pittarese and Jordan B. Gorfinkel
    Cover by Tom Grummett and Scott Hanna
    January 1997
    $4.95 US/$6.95 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 4.1/5.0 Shields

RG: Story: 4.5 Shields - Tightly written, good use of all characters.
    Art:   5.0 Shields - Clean, well detailed, excellent perspectives.
DC: 4.0 Shields - Good story and great art.
MC: 3.0 Shields - As a whole I liked this story, but the second issue wasn't
        nearly as good as the first. It was interesting seeing that Kryptonite
        actually *does* affect Superboy, though, since I previously thought
        it wasn't a possibility with him being cloned from Westfield. I liked
        it nonetheless. Lovely Grummett art.
JS: 4.7 Shields - I really can't say enough about this team-up.  The 
        writing was fantastic, rich in both its perfect characterizations
        and wonderful dialogue.  And the artwork was some of the most
        beautiful and detailed artwork I've seen since KINGDOM COME.  It's
        obvious that all parties put their best into this one.


Overall, this is an excellent and well done book, and one that I can highly
recommend. The two books together form a complete, well connected, and well
paced story. There is enough background given on part one that it is
conceivable that you could read only part two and still enjoy the book. Seeing
Robin (and Alfred) in Hawaii, on Superboy's turf (a bad pun, all considered)
was a lot of fun. One doesn't think of Robin in anything but an urban setting.
Being in the jungle made many of his standard moves obsolete. It was great
seeing him out of his element.

The art in the book is extraordinary, everything works. That Grummett and
Hanna don't work on either of the Superboy or Robin titles is a shame. They
seem to have a real feel for the characters. The layouts and perspectives are
well done. Hanna's inks lend texture and detail that we see all too seldom.

Last issue both Robin and Superboy faced off mostly against their mentors'
enemies. When they switch off, it's to their detriment. This time Superboy
takes on Poison Ivy (after he mostly fights off her control) and Robin squares
off against Metallo. The pairings are more evenly matched than you would
expect. The skills and courage that Superboy and Robin display aren't the ones
that are usually ascribed to either of them (though they get to use those
too).

Superboy plays an even bigger part in this story. Unfortunately, it isn't all
to his credit. After Poison Ivy put him under her influence at the end of last
issue, it takes him quite a while to shake it off. Even after he manages, she
manages to get him back under her control again later. Robin is forced to use
the Kryptonite Ring on him and all questions about its effect on him are
answered. (No, I'm not going to tell you. If you want to know, read the book.)
Unfortunately, Poison Ivy eventually gets her hands on the ring and tries to
use it against Superboy. Thankfully, this backfires on her in a way she
doesn't expect.

Metallo's new "think first" strategy comes more into play this issue when he
finally makes his move against Poison Ivy. Against Superboy, it might have
proved more of a challenge. When used against Robin, it doesn't work quite so
well. Since Robin has no super-powers, Metallo seriously underestimates him.
As usual, Robin uses this to his advantage. Batman's influence really shows
through, especially when he and Superboy need to work together to save each
other.

Rene' Gobeyn (gobeyn@kodak.com)

===============================================

SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN: WHOM GODS DESTROY, "Book Three: The Gift"
    Written by Chris Claremont
    Pencils by Dusty Abell
    Inks by Drew Geraci
    Coloring by Gloria Vasquez
    Lettering by Tom Orzechowski
    Color Separations by Digital Chameleon
    Associate Editor Chris Duffy
    Executive Editor Mike Carlin
    Cover by Dusty Abell, Drew Geraci, with Gloria Vasquez
    February 1997
    $4.95 US/$6.95 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 3.0/5.0 Shields

MC: 2.5 Shields - This is really waning as it goes on...
JS: 3.5 Shields - Things got a bit strange in this issue, but at least the
        overall plot finally started to make sense.  I have a feeling that
        this miniseries is going to be much better taken in whole than it
        is by individual issues.  Abell's art is good, but I don't think
        Geraci's inks compliment him very well.

======================================================

SPECIALS:
--------
SILVER SURFER/SUPERMAN #1
    Written by George Perez
    Pencils by Ron Lim
    Inks by Terry Austin
    Letters by John Costanza
    Colors by Tom Smith
    Computer Separations by Digital Chameleon
    Cover by Ron Lim and Terry Austin
    January 1997
    $5.95 US/$8.35 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 4.2/5.0 Shields

DC: 3.5 Shields - Surprisingly good; captured the feel of both imps.
MC: 4.5 Shields - I loved this! The only time I really enjoy anything by
        Marvel is when they cross with DC, and this was no exception. The
        highlight, of course, wasn't Superman meeting Silver Surfer, but Mxy
        and the Impossible Man. Lots of real fun dialogue and wacky scenes
        that could only take place between an imp and a green bean.
JS: 4.5 Shields - Wonderfully well-written, and you don't have to know a 
        thing about the Marvel characters (which I didn't) to fully enjoy
        the tale.  And unlike his work in MAN OF STEEL #64, Lim gets an
        excellent inking job from Terry Austin to produce some very nice
        art.

===============================================

SUPERBOY PLUS #1, "Junior Partners"
    Featuring Captain Marvel Junior
    Story by Ron Marz
    Art by Andy Smith
    Letters by Richard Starkings and Comicraft/AD
    Colors by Adrienne Roy
    Associate Editor Chris Duffy
    A Big Plus -- Frank Pittarese
    Cover by Gary Frank and Cam Smith
    January 1997
    $2.95 US/$4.25 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 3.3/5.0 Shields

RG: Story: 4.0 Shields - Strong story, good plot, well conceived.
    Art:   3.5 Shields - Perspectives off a bit, inks heavy in places.
DC: 3.0 Shields - Nice interaction between heroes, OK main plot.
JS: 3.0 Shields - Not a bad story by Marz, but it's incomplete.  It's
        painfully clear that this is a plot he plans to address at some
        point in the future.  Though the inklines are much too thick in
        places, Andy Smith's art is generally quite good.
VV: 3.5 Shields - I liked this story, although it does seem to be a prelude
        to other things. I think CM Jr has potential, especially with the
        regular CM writing team.


I usually put any book that starts out as a dream sequence down as soon as I
can. I usually don't pick it up again either. I have found that I rarely enjoy
them very much. As I knew I was going to be writing the review on this one, I
figured I had to read it anyway. As you can tell by the rating I gave it, I'm
glad I did.

The story was well-handled. I enjoyed the handling of Superboy and Cap. Marvel
Jr.(CMJ). I was expecting the usual forced interactions that have nothing to
do with any regular story lines. That this one had some relevance to the
ongoing stories in SUPERBOY and POWER OF SHAZAM! shouldn't have surprised me.
Ron Marz is the regular writer of Superboy.

I was a little disappointed in the art. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, it
was just a bit too stylized for my tastes. I found the perspectives and body
positions to be off just enough to be distracting. Also, I found the inking
was a bit too heavy in some places.

The interaction between Superboy and CMJ was well handled, though I must admit
that having someone actually show up to ask the kid's advice was a different
start. The foreshadowing in the story (as handled by Dubbilex) was pretty
weak, and struck me as a page filler. Though it did tie in well with the
regular, ongoing Superboy story line.

In my opinion, CMJ was handled even better here than he has been in Power of
Shazam of late. The whole reason he's in Hawaii (he's wondering if he should
go back to Fawcett City and make peace with Cap. Marvel) ties in with recent
happenings in the regular title. His lack of self-confidence (very much a part
of his persona) is a very much a plot element in this story.

The rest of the book is a fairly predictable collection of fight scenes with
villains, girl friends, and mentors of both Superboy and CMJ. They are rather
forgettable, and don't really add much to the story, but together they give
Superboy enough information to solve the mystery that was the real story. As I
said, it's predictable, but there are a few elements that I would like to see
taken further in the regular titles.

Rene' Gobeyn (gobeyn@kodak.com)

________________________________________________________


SPECIALS (cont):
---------------
SUPERGIRL PLUS #1, "Perceptions"
    Featuring Captain (Mary) Marvel
    Written by Peter David
    Art by Mike Manley, Bret Blevins, and John Nyberg
    Colors by Gene D'Angelo
    Separations by Digital Chameleon
    Letters by Albert De Guzman
    Edited by Chris Duffy
    Cover by Gary Frank and Cam Smith
    February 1997
    $2.95 US/$4.25 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 3.8/5.0 Shields

RG: Story: 4.5 Shields - This one's a keeper, very well done.
    Art:   3.5 Shields - Needed backgrounds and detailing.
DC: 3.0 Shields - Nice interaction between heroines but a forced meeting.
JS: 4.0 Shields - Strong writing by Mr. David in both the main story and
        backup feature.  These are two heroines that I think should be
        interacting on a more regular basis.  The Manley/Blevins/Nyberg
        art in the main story is very clean and detailed.
VV: 4.0 Shields - Mary seemed very much on target here, Supergirl maybe a
        little less so. But the story was good and addressed one very good
        issue -- why AREN'T super-heroes prosecuted a little more often in
        their worlds? Cop-out ending (sorry, didn't mean the pun) in the
        sense that nothing is resolved. Will Mary's trouble in Leesburg
        carry through to the Power of Shazam?


Wow! This book has just about everything I look for when I read a comic. In
the first of two stories, Peter David (one of my favorite writers) has
delivered a solid, well-written story that actually deals with real issues in
a world populated by super-powered individuals. That the issues dealt with
here are topical, and well handled, is an added plus.

Unlike many books, the title of this story actually tells you what you will be
reading about. It really is a story about perceptions, and how the exact same
reality is filtered and perceived so differently by different people. That at
least one of these people (Mary Marvel) is super-powered just adds to the
story, rather than being a central focus. It is left to Supergirl and the
police to try to sort through the different perspectives to try to get to the
underlying kernel of truth. That the story doesn't really end here just goes
on to underscore some of the realities of life that are addressed.

While the art in the story isn't the best I've ever seen, it is good enough
that I can recommend it. My only real complaint with it is that the story
suffered a little bit from the lack of backgrounds and detailing that adds
depth to the image.

Without going into so much detail that I give away the story what basically
happens is that Mary (Marvel) Fawcett has an argument with her parents that
causes her to run away from home. She ends up running to Leesburg. When she
gets there, she ends up meeting Linda Danvers and going to a local mall, where
a local policeman thinks she is a shoplifter he's been chasing. One thing
leads to another, and Mary Marvel is on the scene assaulting the cop. From
here things go downhill, to the point where Supergirl is forced to try to
bring Mary Marvel into custody for assault. When both Mary and Supergirl
discover each other's real identities, things calm down a bit, but are not
really resolved (much like real life).


    "A Life in the Day"
        Written by Peter David
        Art by Jennifer Graves and Chuck Drost
        Colors by Marie Severin
        Letters by Albert De Guzman
        Edited by Chris Duffy

RG: Story: 3.5 Shields - A hero's day off, very well done.
    Art:   4.0 Shields - Nicely detailed, good use of shading.

Ever wonder how Supergirl pays the rent? Well, we get to watch as she spends a
fairly quiet day with friends. That she misses some of the underlying
weird/evil stuff going on around her is par for the course.

It's the supporting cast's day to shine, and they make the most of it. A nice
quiet story where Linda gets to shine. I hope to see more of this in her
regular series.

Favorite quote: "Why can't this town be insane 24 hours a day. ... Like
Gotham"

Rene' Gobeyn (gobeyn@kodak.com)

===============================================

SUPERMAN PLUS #1, "Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow"
    Featuring The Legion of Super-Heroes
    Written by Tom Peyer
    Pencils by Bernard Chang
    Inks by Bob McLeod
    Colors by Patricia Mulvihill
    Separations by Digital Chameleon
    Letters by Chris Eliopoulos
    Edited by Mike McAvennie
    Cover by Chris Sprouse and Mark Farmer
    February 1997
    $2.95 US/$4.25 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 2.9/5.0 Shields

RG: Story: 2.0 Shields - In continuity and mostly in character.
    Art    1.5 Shields - Below average, lacked detail and depth.
DC: 4.0 Shields - Real good story with both LSH, S-man, and Krypton involved.
JS: 3.0 Shields - The more interesting parts of this story were the
        interactions of the characters and Superman's bringing up the
        happenings in SHOWCASE 96 #11-12.  But the Black Zero main plot
        was simply boring.  Bernard Chang's art wasn't bad, but cover
        artist Chris Sprouse would have been a better choice.


I have to hand it to DC for their handling of the 'plus' stories that they are
putting out. While DC is in business to make money, they seem to be honestly
trying to give the fans something in return.

One of the things they are constantly being asked for are team-ups of some of
the more popular heroes. The 'plus' story one-shots are the result of these
requests. I've made it a point (so far) of reading each of these that has come
out. While not all of them are up to the standards that I've come to expect of
the monthly titles, most of them come pretty close to the mark. The stories
all take place in DCU continuity, and most of them have references that help
to place them roughly in time with the regular books.

For those of you who may not be aware of it, a group of super-heroes from the
future arrived in Metropolis just before the FINAL NIGHT saga began. These
time-lost heroes were part of the 30th Century Legion of Super-Heroes.

Stranded in present day DCU continuity, they have been doing whatever they can
to try to get home. Their adventures (see the monthly LSH title) have had
several not-so-pleasant side effects. In one of the worst, they trashed
Metropolis' branch of STAR Labs and set Brainiac free (SHOWCASE '96 #11-12).
It seems that disaster follows them wherever they go. They don't even speak
the language, but instead must rely on translators. To top off the problems,
their information on the present day DCU is inadequate, and in some cases just
plain wrong.

This set-up makes for some of the more interesting (and fun) stories available
in the DCU today. While elements of these stories are present, this book just
doesn't manage to pull it together. It's close, but the story doesn't quite
jell. Each of the characters is well-handled, and each of them manages to get
a little bit of story time. What seems to be missing is the inter-personal
interaction that contributes so much to the monthly title.

Unfortunately, this book didn't make it for me. It wasn't bad, but I doubt
I'll go back and read it again. There are very few books I feel this way
about.

I think what bothered me most about the book was the art. To me it looked a
lot like full color Manga (I don't really like Manga). The lack of detail
bothered me, and in many cases the perspectives and figures were off just
enough that it detracted from my enjoyment of the story.

When a burst water main threatens to flood a vertical mall in Metropolis,
Superman is hard-pressed to contain the disaster. That is until the LSH shows
up. Even after the problems are resolved, Superman seems less than delighted
to see them. He is honestly upset with the damage and trouble that they are
causing. The LSH on the other hand feel that Superman and the other heroes of
the era are not doing what they can to help them return home. When Brainiac 5
points out that they need access to better technology than they have been able
to obtain so far, Superman decides to take them to his Fortress and turn them
loose on the Kryptonian technology that he has stored there.

While they're there, Superman takes them on a tour, during which Apparition
gets drawn into the base of one of the history displays and discovers that a
virus routine (from Black Zero) has gotten loose. Unless Superman and the LSH
manage to break through its defenses in time, it will soon destroy Earth just
as Black Zero destroyed Krypton, .

I won't tell you how things end except to say that the ending is probably the
only reason I didn't rate the story lower.

Rene' Gobeyn (gobeyn@kodak.com)

===============================================

SUPERMAN'S METROPOLIS
    Cinematography by Ted McKeever
    Screenplay by R.J.M. Lofficier and Roy Thomas
    Titles by Bill Oakley
    Edited by Mike Carlin and Chris Duffy
    Cover by Ted McKeever
    January 1997
    $5.95 US/$8.50 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 2.6/5.0 Shields

MC: 1.5 Shields - I've never seen the film METROPOLIS, and I don't intend to
        after reading this.
JS: 3.7 Shields - Fairly strong storytelling, both in dialogue and art,
        and a pretty smooth meshing of the two original concepts (well,
        what I know of them).  The art, however, is highly stylized, and
        would possibly turn off many potential readers.

======================================================

GUEST APPEARANCES:
-----------------
THE BATMAN CHRONICLES #7, "World's Finest: Equal Justice"
    Written by Jerry Ordway
    Pencils by Lee Weeks
    Inks by Jesse Delperdang
    Colors by Greg Wright
    Letters by Ken Lopez
    Edited by Darren J. Vincenzo and Jordan B. Gorfinkel
    Cover by Lee Weeks, Jerry Ordway, and Gloria Vasquez
    Winter 1997
    $2.95 US/$4.25 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 3.8/5.0 Shields

DC: 4.0 Shields - Well-done World's Finest match with an oddly good ending.
JS: 3.6 Shields - Intriguing story, with both heroes' characterizations
        dead on.  Just wish Jerry Ordway had also drawn the tale.

===============================================

TEEN TITANS #5, "Coming Out"
    Story and Pencil Art by Dan Jurgens
    Finished Art by George Perez
    Colors by Gregory Wright
    Separations by Digital Chameleon
    Letters by Richard Starkings and Comicraft
    Edited by Eddie Berganza
    Cover by Dan Jurgens and George Perez
    February 1997
    $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN each


RATINGS:

Average: 3.7/5.0 Shields

RG: Story: 4.5 Shields - Tightly plotted, good use of characters.
    Art:   5.0 Shields - Excellent perspectives, characters, backgrounds.
DC: 3.8 Shields - The New Titans are surprisingly well-done; nice guest stars.
JS: 2.5 Shields - While I'm enjoying getting to know these new Titans,
        and while it was very nice seeing Jurgens draw Supergirl once
        more, I was very disappointed to see that Supergirl's only role
        in this story was "damsel in distress."


I'll keep this short since Supergirl's appearance is brief. This is mostly the
story of Nightwing finally letting go of his past and confirming that the new
group of Titans has his permission (not that it was really needed) to use the
name.

As team-up books go, this one really worked well. Jurgens managed to make use
of every one of the main characters. There was little to nothing wasted. He
even managed to introduce a new (actually very old) supporting character. He
and Perez seem to have a knack with drawing complex team action scenes that
are just beautiful. This book is rapidly becoming one of my favorites.

To make a long story short, Supergirl was captured last issue by a new
underground group know as the Veil. It is sponsored by an international cartel
of rich and influential businessmen with the goal of ridding the Earth of
aliens.

Meanwhile Nightwing, Cap. Marvel Jr., and Robin have stopped by the Titans'
base to find out who it is that has taken over the Titans' name. After a
(mercifully) short fight scene where Nightwing humiliates Risk, they find out
that Supergirl has been captured and team up to rescue her and (incidentally)
Fringe, who they suspect of being another of the H'san Natall cross breeds.

Rene' Gobeyn (gobeyn@kodak.com)

________________________________________________________


                             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 January 1997 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
    $5.95 US/$8.50 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/BATMAN: ALTERNATE HISTORIES
    Trade Paperback
    Written by various, Art by various
    $14.95 US/$20.95 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/WONDER WOMAN: WHOM GODS DESTROY #1-2
    Prestige Format
    Written by Chris Claremont, Art by Dusty Abell
    $4.95 US/$6.95 CAN (per issue)

SUPERMAN: AT EARTH'S END
    Prestige Format
    Written by Tom Veitch, Art by Frank Gomez
    $4.95 US/$6.95 CAN

SUPERMAN: BIZARRO'S WORLD
    Trade Paperback
    Written by various, Art by various
    $9.95 US/$13.95 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: ERADICATION!  THE ORIGIN OF THE ERADICATOR
    Trade Paperback
    Written by various, Art by various
    $12.95 US/$17.95 CAN

SUPERMAN: KRISIS OF THE KRIMSON KRYPTONITE
    Trade Paperback
    Written by various, Art by various
    $12.95 US/$17.95 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: THE WEDDING ALBUM
    Prestige Format
    Written by various, Art by various
    $4.95 US/$6.95 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 AMALGAM AGE OF COMICS: THE DC COMICS COLLECTION
    Trade Paperback
    Written by various, Art by various
    $12.95 US/$17.95 CAN

DC VERSUS MARVEL/MARVEL VERSUS DC
    Trade Paperback
    Written by various, Art by various
    $12.95 US/$17.95 CAN

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

JUSTICE LEAGUE: A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE
    Trade Paperback
    Written by Mark Waid and Fabian Nicieza, Art by various
    $8.95 US/$12.75 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

WORLD'S FINEST 3: SUPERBOY/ROBIN #1-2
    Prestige Format
    Written by Chuck Dixon and Karl Kesel, Art by Tom Grummett and Scott Hanna
    $4.95 US/$6.95 CAN (per issue)

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
-----------
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

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

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES ARCHIVES VOL 6
    Hardcover Book
    Written by Jim Shooter and various, Art by Curt Swan and various
    $49.95 US/$70.95 CAN

________________________________________________________

              AFTER-BYRNE: Reviews of the post-Crisis Man of Steel
              ----------------------------------------------------
                     LOST LOVE -- THE STORY OF LORI LEMARIS
              ----------------------------------------------------
              by Mark Lamutt  (markdl@netcom.com/mdlamut0@wcc.com)


                                  SUPERMAN #12

                      Written and Pencilled by John Byrne
                              Inked by Karl Kesel
                                 December 1987
                           $0.75 US/$1.00 CAN/40p UK


Landing on the rocky crag jutting into the sea, Superman bittersweetly greets
the figure waiting for him.  The figure, Ronal, and Superman speak of Lori, a
past love of Superman.  They have come together on this day, the anniversary
of her death to pay a last tribute to her -- the telling of the story so that
it can be translated into a song that will last forever.

A year before Clark Kent became the greatest hero the earth has ever known, he
was attending Metropolis University, preparing to become a journalist.  One
afternoon, while walking along a path, Clark hears a woman's cry for help. 
Careering out of control down a slope, the lady's wheelchair had gotten away
from her.  Thinking quickly, Clark uses his heat vision on the wheels of the
chair, causing them to melt away and grip the sidewalk.  As the wheelchair
comes to an abrupt halt, the woman is thrown from it into Clark's waiting
arms.  And the moment he looks into her deep, mysterious eyes he falls
hopelessly in love with her.  After making their introductions, they part
ways.

A week later, Clark is on a field trip to the Ark -- Metropolis' famous
floating aquarium.  Studying the aquatic life with the rest of his classmates,
he sees Lori Lemaris, also watching the fish.  As they talk with each other,
an out-of-control tanker crashes into the side of the Ark, causing it to
founder.  With water rushing in from all sides, Clark springs into action.  He
first helps Lori out of the ship, then diving under the surface of the water,
he pushes the Ark onto dry land just as the tanker explodes.  As he breaks the
surface of the water, gulping for air, he sees Lori diving off the pier behind
him.

Taking another breath, Clark immediately dives under the surface with the
expectation of saving Lori from a watery death, only to find her in the
clutches of an escaped octopus -- and apparently communicating with it.  The
octopus releases her and swims for the open ocean.  Clark carries Lori to the
surface, where she explains away the strange behavior.  As he carries her back
up to the dock and her waiting wheelchair, Lori makes Clark promise to never
try to see her legs.  She explains that they both have their secrets, and as
he promises to respect hers, their lips meet for the first time.

The next three months, the two lovers share a whirlwind affair.  Clark often
wonders why Lori has to be back in her trailer no later than eleven every
evening, but other than that slight worry, everything appears to be superb
between them.  One evening, Clark takes Lori to her favorite spot on the
seashore and tells her that he wants to ask her to marry him.  Before asking,
he tells her that he isn't like normal men, and she concludes his thought by
telling him that she knows that he has incredible powers that he wishes kept
secret from the world.  She explains to him that she can't tell him how she
knows his secret, and that she cannot reveal her secret to him even though she
loves him with all of her heart.  Nor can she ever marry him.

Later that evening, after taking her home, Clark falls prey to jealously,
thinking that she has another man in her life.  So, acting out of despair, he
uses his X-Ray vision to spy on her.  Through watching her, examining her
school files, and searching her trailer, Clark discovers that Lori isn't like
other women.  She sleeps in a saltwater tank.

Flying towards their favorite location on the beach, Clark sees Lori
struggling up the edge of a rock towards the ocean.  Swooping down beneath
her, he picks her up and offers her a lift to her destination.  She cries that
she wanted to leave before seeing him again, so as to cause him no more pain.

As they fly out to sea, Lori twists out of Clark's arms, and dives into the
water, finally revealing her true form -- a mermaid.  Under the water, she
communicates with Clark telepathically.  Her people originally came from the
lost continent of Atlantis.  Over the years, they moved outward from their
sunken kingdom, establishing colonies.  But, as the years passed, they lost
touch with Atlantis, to the point of not being able to find it again.  All
that remains of Lori's colony is her family.  So she came to America to
attempt to locate the lost continent.  Clark offers his powers to help in her
search, but she refuses.  She tells him that her world is beneath the sea and
his is above, and that makes their love impossible.  For the last time, they
kiss and bid each other farewell.

Several years later and after meeting Aquaman, Clark begins hearing rumors
from the docks about a beautiful mermaid having been seen on several
occasions.  One fisherman in particular seems to really hate her, and wants
her dead.  Afraid for Lori, Clark travels to the point off which she was most
recently seen, and calls out for her.  Breaking the surface of the water, Lori
leaps into his waiting arms.  And as their lips meet, the angry fisherman
throws a knife that lands squarely in the middle of Lori's back.  Screaming
with anguish, Superman leaps into the air with Lori, flying high across the
night sky and then deep into the sea, soon arriving at Atlantis.  The doctors
manage to stabilize her, but are unable to prevent paralysis.  Then Superman
meets a young doctor by the name of Ronal, who offers the risky possibility of
restoring Lori's full health.  Leaving her in his care, Superman departs.

Over the next several months, Superman checks in on her many times, until one
day, making a trip to see her, he finds her healed and at Ronal's side.  Lori
had fallen in love with Ronal, one of her own, and was gone from our hero's
life forever.

As Superman finishes the tale, a whale leaps from the surface of the sea,
beginning the long journey of the song that has been written here today.

This issue is absolutely one of my favorite that has ever been.  Of course,
I'm a sucker for lost love stories -- even ones that don't end happily.  John
Byrne has left us a story and artwork that has rarely been paralleled since in
the series.  The pain is incredibly evident in Clark's face, especially in his
eyes when Lori tells him that they can never be married.  The writing is
superb throughout, as is the artwork.

Because of the power of this issue, I was very disappointed when the Superman
team brought back Lori Lemaris a few months back.  She was an incredibly
powerful character in this story, and they really ruined that in the current
storylines.  She was brought back to add a bit of jealousy between Lois and
Clark, and bringing her back for that reason alone really degraded her
character.  She was a wonderful character that may never regain her charm. 
And that is a real shame.

This book gets 4.5 shields out of 5.

________________________________________________________


                              MANUSCRIPTS OF STEEL
                         ------------------------------

                Reviews of After-Byrne Superman Special Stories

                 by Denes House (dhouse@itsmail1.hamilton.edu)

   --------------------------------------------------------------------------

                            SUPERMAN: AT EARTH'S END

                             Written by Tom Veitch
                               Art by Frank Gomez
                             Colors by Angus McKie
                              Cover by Frank Gomez
                                      1995
                      Prestige Format, $4.95 US/$6.95 CAN

                                     Rating
                                     ------
                                0.5/5.0 Shields

           ---------------------------------------------------------


I have heard courage defined as "the strength to follow through on one's
principles no matter how steep the cost of doing so may be." If that is true,
then the fictional character of Superman is undoubtedly a character whose
essence is courage. Whether sacrificing his life fighting Doomsday, giving the
last of his power to help the helpless during THE FINAL NIGHT, or refusing to
kill even non-sentient Aliens in SUPERMAN VS. ALIENS, Superman has stood by
his beliefs to the bitter end.

Taking these comments as a given then, SUPERMAN: AT EARTH'S END is a confused,
dark, and ultimately character-defaming piece of the Superman mythos. It is a
wonder to me that the editors at DC ever felt that this story fit the
character of Superman, or that it deserved to be told at all. A plastic,
ready-made "soul-stirring speech" at the end only confuses the whole issue,
and feels like a badly-made bandage slapped onto a gaping open wound.

WARNING: In this summary, I'm going to tell the WHOLE STORY of this book. It
is necessary in order to do a competent review. If you plan to read this book,
then don't read the summary. Frankly, I strongly advise AGAINST reading this
story, but do as you will.

Presumably, this story takes place after the events chronicled in KAMANDI: AT
EARTH'S END, a mini-series that I remember vaguely, but never read. I remember
picking it up because it had Superman in it, glancing over a few pages, and
then putting it back. It really didn't interest me at all.

A caption-box on the inside cover summarizes the story told in KAMANDI,
informing the reader that this story takes place in 2102 A.D. Superman, now
150 years old (so Supes was born in 1952 in the chronology of this tale) has
spent a year in the orbiting city inhabited by Biomechs, "a race of biological
machines programmed to find the cause of the Second Apocalypse." (Superman has
lived through TWO apocalypses, apparently.) The caption ends with the
compelling sentence, "Now, the Biomechs have asked Superman to join them in
their efforts to cleanse the earth of subhuman scum."

Our first glimpse of Superman has him in his blue jumpsuit, wearing a wide
leather belt, and looking like an incredibly buff Moses (at the END of his 120
years). Superman is angry, being held back by two Biomechs (Biomechs are
red-jumpsuited guys with strange rooster-crest things on their heads). Ben
Boxer, the leader of the Biomechs, has scheduled Gotham City for nuclear
annihilation, "It's a cess-hole of genetic corruption! There's nothing there
to save!" Superman is extremely opposed to this action, being opposed first to
guns ("Curse your Prime Directive! Curse your guns! There's got to be a better
way!") and secondly to killing, to which Boxer replies, "Foolish old man ...
your refusal to kill got you nowhere in 1999 -- where do you think it will get
you now, in a world ruled by death? ... The Earth of 2102 is ruled by weapons,
friend. That's reality." Superman flies off angrily. The Biomechs stand around
discussing whether they should go after him. Boxer says no, that they have all
the time in the world to complete their mission, and that Superman will have
to come to the realization that "the only law is the power of the GUN!"

Okay, are you with me so far? Up until this point, there is nothing inherently
wrong with this story -- so long as Ben Boxer and the Biomechs are supposed to
be the BAD GUYS, the ones who are in the WRONG. The problem with this story is
that they are not. Boxer and the Biomechs are the ones who end up being proven
correct, and acknowledged as so by Superman himself. Let me continue, and
you'll see what I mean.

Superman heads for Earth, Gotham City to be precise, and wonders if Boxer
might not be right. "No! I can't believe that!"

As he flies through the great steel and brick canyons of Gotham, he reflects
on his friend, Bruce Wayne, and how much he misses him. A humanoid
bat-creature watches him from above, and leaps down on him. It is a "grotesque
animal MUTATION ... with a human face!" Bruce Wayne's face, in fact. A group
of mutants leaps upon the Man of Steel, only to be chased off by a band of
(snicker) motorbike riding, (snicker!) green-mohawk-sporting, (pffft!) Gatling
gun-packing eight-year-olds (Bwahahahahahaha!)!!! They fight off the
bat-creatures in a fierce gun battle, then mouth off at Superman. In the
ensuing conversation, we hear references to a group called the DNA Diktators,
whom the kids are apparently fighting. The kids accept Superman as a good guy,
and take him under their wings. They are headquartered in Wayne Manor, and
Superman discovers that the tomb he had built for Bruce Wayne has been robbed
-- the DNA Diktators have stolen the Batman's bones!

Apparently, after the Apocalypse, genetic scientists whom the kids call the
DNA Diktators took the surviving people (the kids' parents) and started
genetically manipulating them into "lotsa ugly freaks to help 'em TAKE OVER
THE WORLD!" (Oh, no! Hey -- from what we've seen so far, there is no world to
take over!) The Diktators made the bat-creatures from Bruce Wayne's DNA. The
kids lead Superman to the underground bunkers that they had escaped from,
through Wayne Manor, and past the gun that killed Wayne's parents. Again,
Superman reflects on whether the gun is the real power in this world or not.
Superman rips open the containment door on the bunker, noticing that his
regained strength is fading in the pollution-shrouded atmosphere of the earth.

They end up at the pen where the kids' parents, horribly and disgustingly
mutated, are kept. Superman has to fight off the twisted and diseased parents
as they try to attack their kids. Then the guards, giant Harvester robots
designed to mince people up to get at their genetic material, go for Superman,
commanded to bring in his Alien DNA. Superman's powers are fading, so he
borrows a gun to dispose of the robot.

Are you still with me? Not too many problems so far (other than a disgusting
and hideously weird plot). Superman has used weapons against robots before,
most notably in his assault against Engine City in the "Reign of the Supermen"
story arc.

Superman is knocked unconscious, and the kids drag him back to the Batcave.
There, in Batman's trophy room, is the weapon Batman captured in his final
case, the "Expunger," a massive bunch of Gatling guns, headlights, ammo belts,
and cables that makes the armory Stanley Ipkiss pulled out of his pockets at
the end of the movie THE MASK look like a water pistol. The kids suggest that
Superman, with his waning powers, bring the Expunger along in their assault on
the Diktators' headquarters. Superman refuses. "I do not kill! ... I'll deal
with them as I am."

Superman fights his way in to the Diktators' lair, alongside the machine
gun-wielding kids, through scores of mutated hellions, to the feet of the
Diktators themselves, two clones of Hitler created by Wayne Laboratories.
Superman is almost defeated, but the Diktators offer Superman the chance,
through his DNA, to rule the world with them. Superman, exhausted, returns
with the kids to the Batcave.

"In the Batcave, there is a GUN," the captions proclaim, "A very POWERFUL gun.
There is also a MAN ... a very POWERFUL man -- making the most critical
decision of his life." "Ben Boxer was RIGHT. It IS time to face REALITY!"
Superman straps on the Expunger, and goes looking for the Diktators.

The story goes on, but let's fast forward. Superman has fought the Diktators,
killing them and their legions of cloned troops, fighting and killing a
mutated clone of Batman, and in the process ending up shredded by bullets.
Superman finds Bruce's bones, and heads off to cremate Bruce as his last
action on Earth. Superman lights a bonfire on the lawn of Wayne Manor, and Ben
Boxer comes down to talk with Superman. The Man of Steel is critically
injured. Supes puts the now-orphaned kids under Ben's charge, and then walks
into the pyre, burning up along with Bruce, while the caption reads "Even a
Superman cannot live forever." The leader of the kids' gang throws his gun
into the fire. "I HATES these stupid guns! If it wasn't for GUNS, Superman
would still be alive!"

Ben Boxer answers, "Then in sacrificing what HE believed in most ... Superman
has showed us all ... there's a power that will rule the Earth long after the
last weapon turns to rust -- the power of human courage." And the story ends.

SO, the morals of this story --

1) Ben Boxer was right. The GUN is the ultimate power in the world, no matter
what his little speech at the end said. Superman could not conquer the
Diktators without the help of the big gun, and he got victory only when he
acknowledged the truth of Boxer's words in speech and in action.

2) Courage means sacrificing what you believe in most. Superman kills
rampantly, and uses a big gun to do it, both of which he had sworn not to do
at the beginning of the story, and has built a life around over the past
50-odd years. No Don Quixote tilting at windmills, no heroic ideal of fighting
for what you believe in, of dying and sacrificing for what you believe in --
no, in this story, GOING AGAINST your most deeply-held beliefs to accomplish
some end is the height of courage and heroism.

I feel dirty after reading this story, like there's a greasy film on my soul.
This story goes against everything I believe in, and uses Superman to do it.
An adult comic starring Superman teaching the values of atheism, adultery,
murder, and betrayal could hardly have disappointed me more.

Capsule Review:

Story: Violating Superman's character and going against all that is noble and
true, Tom Veitch creates a thoroughly despicable, dark, and muddled tale. 0
Shields out of 5.

Art: I have a little bit of admiration for Gomez's dramatic artwork, though
his storytelling seems muddled. Or is it just that his work is in service to
such a muddled story? 0.5 Shields out of 5.

Overall: Without a doubt one of the LEAST pleasant experiences I've ever had
reading a comic book. 0.5 Shields out of 5.

Next Month: Oh, how about A World Without a Superman?

________________________________________________________

            THE PHANTOM ZONE: Reviews of the pre-Crisis Man of Steel
       ------------------------------------------------------------------


                                 SUPER FRIENDS
                       ---------------------------------
                       by Joe Crowe (j.crowe4@genie.com)


This month I take a look at the second threat of Mongul and the resolution of
a storyline involving an interesting character who was destined to be a
footnote.


DC COMICS PRESENTS #36
    Superman and Starman in "Whatever Happened to Starman?"
    Storytellers: Paul Levitz and Jim Starlin
    August 1981

Rating: 4.0 Shields


"A full-length novel!" "The Ultimate Cosmic Conflict!" "A Universe Torn
Asunder!" And this was just the cover. A few months after the great trilogy I
reviewed in October, Jim Starlin was back in DC PRESENTS. He brought along
Mongul and threw in the third Starman (not counting the Adult Legion version
of Star Boy -- don't get me started).

This Starman's only connection to the previous incarnation of Starman was that
his series replaced the Justice Society's in the pages of ADVENTURE COMICS.
This did not sit well with eleven-year-old Joe Crowe. The Steve-Ditko drawn
space swashbuckler grew on me, though. I really came to like him after this
story. Too bad it was his last.

To make a long backstory short, Starman was the prodigal prince of a galactic
empire. His sister ruled and he became a masked guy to secretly help her. A
better replay, complete with pictures, is found in this past summer's STARMAN
ANNUAL.

Jim Starlin picks the story up with Starman at his sister's funeral. She was
murdered, and his girlfriend felt that telling the empire his secret ID was
the right thing to do. So now he's the emperor, and along comes Mongul, out of
the clear blue sky, ready to take over everything. Starman objects, needless
to say. This does a fat lot of good as Mongul imprisons him and makes off with
the princess. As the emperor, Mongul will automatically control the weapons of
the whole empire. An empire held, it is revealed, by force of a doomsday
device that destroys any planets that don't toe the line.

The situation is pretty hopeless at this point. Starman's alien drill sergeant
Mn'Torr reappears from the void to give Starman some advice, and tells him
that help is on its way. Just in time, too, in the form of Mongul's old
wrestling partner Superman. Very nice heroes' first meeting segment here.
Superman and Starman sit under a shade tree and a caption reads "two lengthy
explanations later."

Apparently during this involved sharing of origins and explanations of powers
and abilities between our two heroes, Mongul has usurped the throne. As
emperor he has psychic control of the doomsday device, and can blow up planets
with a thought.  Starman discovers that it's inside their sun. Using his solar
powers, he'll have to take care of it. Meanwhile, Superman has to distract
Mongul the only way he knows how -- by beating the ungodly crap out of him.

It works, too. Katie, bar the door, because Superman and Mongul get into a
pier six brawl. Starman takes care of the device just as Mongul gets the upper
hand. The big yellow tyrant goes to command his empire to go to war. They turn
him down flat after discovering the weapon is gone. As it turns out, they're
all mobile planets, so they jet away from Mongul, leaving him an emperor
without an empire. Then the two S-Men team up on him, but the big bully shows
his yellow belly and runs away.

Turns out Mn'Torr meant for this to happen all along, as his race gave the
doomsday device to the first emperor way back when. So Starman fulfills his
destiny and gets his sweetie pie in a big liplock as Superman looks on. But he
doesn't want to cramp Starman's style, so he flies back home.

The Ditko Starman was a really intriguing character already, and Starlin did
him justice by tying up the unresolved issues from his series and ending on an
up. Mongul was quite a bit like Marvel's Thanos, which Starlin also worked on.
Thanos' enemy, of course, was Captain Marvel, a blond guy with solar powers
and cosmic wristbands. Much like Starman in this issue, but I digress.

Superman carried on here much like in the previous trilogy. He was brash, but
more confident than arrogant. Looks like he learned his lesson. Starman
expresses uncertainty about their plan, recalling that Mongul beat Superman
before. Superman intones, "That was before."  By the way, is it "Mongol" or
"Mon-Ghoul"? I say Mon-Ghoul. Superman finally has an enemy he can, and must,
cut loose on. During their fight, Superman fireballs him with heat vision,
burning Mongul down to his boxers.

This is an example of Starlin in his element. Space action, as we saw in
CAPTAIN MARVEL, and as we would see in DREADSTAR is definitely Starlin's
forte. One caveat: I disapproved of his simplification of Starman's costume
from a red-and-yellow vested outfit to a blue body stocking. But his
sequential art was great here. When Superman goes after Mongul, he strides
toward him across a row of panels, getting closer each panel, before he pops
him with a big super punch in a splash along the middle of the page.

Remember when I mentioned this Starman's future as a footnote? Well, he died
in a single panel in CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS. James Robinson has mentioned
him in letter columns in his excellent STARMAN series, though. In fact,
Robinson expands that CRISIS panel to a full story in the current STARMAN
ANNUAL. I just got it myself. No third-stringer from a canceled backup series
has been treated as well as this guy, in my opinion. That's rare, but this
Starman deserved it. Dig up those old ADVENTURE issues if you can.

Thanks for your continued support, by the way. I love hearing from you guys
about my little team-up reviews. If you have a particular favorite Superman
team-up story you'd like to tell me about, or would like to have me tell
everybody else about, drop me a line at j.crowe4@genie.geis.com.

________________________________________________________


                              COMING ATTRACTIONS!
     ---------------------------------------------------------------------
     A List of Upcoming Comics Featuring The Superman Family of Characters


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.

Descriptions courtesy of PREVIEWS catalog, copyright 1997, Diamond Comic
Distributors.  Diamond is the exclusive distributor of DC Comics!


                                     NOTES
                                ---------------

   SOVEREIGN SEVEN issues #19-23 contain a five-part backup story in
   which Clark Kent (and probably Superman) interacts with S7's Cascade.
   The backup story is written by series writer Chris Claremont and
   pencilled by Dave Cockrum.  (None of these issues appears in the list
   below.)

   Capitalizing on the success of BATMAN AND ROBIN ADVENTURES and 
   SUPERMAN ADVENTURES, DC is now offering ADVENTURES IN THE DC UNIVERSE,
   another "animated style" comic focusing on the DC Universe in whole.
   The first issue has been retrosolicited for February 12 and features
   the Justice League, including Superman.  As the book will not regularly
   feature the Man of Steel, it will be listed in COMING ATTRACTIONS only
   when he does so.  (Note March's issue #2 does not appear.)

   March's AZTEK: THE ULTIMATE MAN #10 guest-stars the Justice League, 
   which presumably will include Superman, though this is not stated
   explicitly.

   March brings the beginning of an extended story-line in the Superman
   titles, in which the Man of Steel finds himself transformed.  His powers
   have changed and so will his life.  For further information on the
   changes, see the feature article in the January 1997 PREVIEWS.


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


                    LIST OF TITLES BY EXPECTED ARRIVAL DATE
                 ---------------------------------------------


Arrival Date:   Comic title and information:
------------    ---------------------------
January 3:      JLA #3
                   Written by Grant Morrison
                   Art and Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
                   $1.95

                Steel #36
                   Written by Christopher Priest
                   Art by Denys Cowan and Tom Palmer
                   Cover by Dave Johnson
                   $1.95

                Superman Adventures #5
                   Written by Scott McCloud
                   Art by Bret Blevins and Terry Austin
                   Cover by Rick Burchett and Terry Austin
                   $1.75

                Superman: The Man of Steel #65
                   Written by Louise Simonson
                   Art by Sal Buscema and Dennis Janke
                   Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke
                   $1.95

January 8:      Supergirl #7
                   Written by Peter David
                   Art and Cover by Gary Frank and Cam Smith
                   $1.95

                Superman #121
                   Written by Dan Jurgens
                   Art and Cover by Dan Jurgens and Josef Rubinstein
                   $1.95

                Superman/Wonder Woman: Whom Gods Destroy #4 (of 4)
                   Written by Chris Claremont
                   Art and Cover by Dusty Abell and Drew Geraci
                   48 pgs, Prestige Format, $4.95

January 15:     Adventures of Superman #544
                   Written by Karl Kesel
                   Art and Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr.
                   $1.95

                Superboy #37
                   Written by Ron Marz
                   Art by Sal Buscema
                   Cover by Ramon Bernado and Doug Hazlewood
                   $1.95

January 22:     Action Comics #731
                   Written by David Michelinie
                   Art and Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
                   $1.95

January 29:     Superboy and the Ravers #7
                   Written by Karl Kesel and Steve Mattsson
                   Art and Cover by Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis
                   $1.95

                Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #8
                   Written by Roger Stern
                   Art by Paul Ryan and Brett Breeding
                   Cover by Paul Ryan
                   $1.95


February 5:     JLA #4
                   Written by Grant Morrison
                   Art and Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
                   $1.95

                Steel #37
                   Written by Christopher Priest
                   Art by Denys Cowan and Tom Palmer
                   Cover by Dave Johnson
                   $1.95

                Superman Adventures #6
                   Written by Scott McCloud
                   Art and Cover by Rick Burchett and Terry Austin
                   $1.75

                Superman: The Man of Steel #66
                   Written by Louise Simonson
                   Art and Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke
                   $1.95

February 12:    Adventures in the DC Universe #1
                   Featuring Superman and the JLA!
                   Written by Steve Vance
                   Art and Cover by John Delaney and Ron Boyd
                   $1.75

                Supergirl #8
                   Written by Peter David
                   Art and Cover by Gary Frank and Cam Smith
                   $1.95

                Superman #122
                   Written by Dan Jurgens
                   Art and Cover by Ron Frenz and Josef Rubinstein
                   $1.95

February 19:    Adventures of Superman #545
                   Written by Karl Kesel
                   Art by Scot Eaton and Jose Marzan, Jr.
                   Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr.
                   $1.95

                Aztek: The Ultimate Man #9  (Superman guest-stars)
                   Written by Grant Morrison and Mark Millar
                   Art by N. Steven Harris and Keith Champagne
                   Cover by Steve Lightle
                   $1.75

                Superboy #38
                   Written by Ron Marz
                   Art and Cover by Ramon Bernado and Doug Hazlewood
                   $1.95

February 26:    Action Comics #732
                   Written by David Michelinie
                   Art and Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
                   $1.95

                Superboy and the Ravers #8
                   Written by Karl Kesel and Steve Mattsson
                   Art and Cover by Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis
                   $1.95


March 5:        JLA #5  (Supergirl guest-stars)
                   Written by Grant Morrison
                   Art and Cover by Howard Porter and John Dell
                   $1.95

                Steel #38
                   Written by Christopher Priest
                   Art by Denys Cowan and Tom Palmer
                   Cover by Dave Johnson
                   $1.95

                Superman Adventures #7
                   Written by Scott McCloud
                   Art and Cover by Rick Burchett and Terry Austin
                   $1.75

                Superman: The Man of Steel #67
                   Written by Louise Simonson
                   Art and Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke
                   $1.95

March 12:       Supergirl #9
                   Written by Peter David
                   Art and Cover by Gary Frank and Cam Smith
                   $1.95

                Superman #123
                   Written by Dan Jurgens
                   Art and Cover by Ron Frenz and Josef Rubinstein
                   Standard and Collector's Editions, each $1.95

March 19:       Adventures of Superman #546
                   Written by Karl Kesel
                   Art and Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr.
                   $1.95

                Aztek: The Ultimate Man #10  (JLA guest-stars)
                   Written by Grant Morrison and Mark Millar
                   Art by N. Steven Harris and Keith Champagne
                   Cover by Steve Lightle
                   $1.75

                Superboy #39
                   Written by Ron Marz
                   Art and Cover by Ramon Bernado and Doug Hazlewood
                   $1.95

March 26:       Action Comics #733
                   Written by David Michelinie
                   Art and Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
                   $1.95

                Superboy and The Ravers #9  (Superman guest-stars)
                   Written by Karl Kesel and Steve Mattsson
                   Art and Cover by Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis
                   $1.95


  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                    SPOILERS
                               ------------------

February 12:
-----------
Adventures in the DC Universe #1
   Following on the heels of the popular and critically acclaimed BATMAN AND
   ROBIN ADVENTURES and SUPERMAN ADVENTURES, DC's "animated universe" opens up
   to the entire DC Universe!  Each month in ADVENTURES IN THE DC UNIVERSE,
   the World's Mightiest Heroes explode from the pages of this new title!  In
   the first issue, the new JLA line-up (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The
   Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and J'Onn J'Onzz, the Martian Manhunter)
   come together to battle a mysterious new criminal mastermind who seemingly
   controls many of the DCU's top villains, including Gorilla Grodd,
   Blockbuster, Major Disaster, The Parasite, The Cheetah, the Scarecrow, and
   Dr. Light!  Steve Vance (THE SIMPSONS) is joined by animation artist John
   Delaney and Ron Boyd (LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES) for this newest title
   designed to be an ideal introduction to the DC Universe as well as a treat
   for fans of clear, concise comic book storytelling, now made popular in the
   "DC Adventures" style.  Beginning with issue #2, the book moves to its
   regular format -- one 15-page story featuring a DCU "top gun," backed up by
   a 7-page story featuring virtually any DCU character.


March 5:
-------
JLA #5
   In "Woman of Tomorrow," the beginning of JLA's second story arc, a
   recruitment drive is called and the JLA invites a troupe of heroes for
   potential membership.  Supergirl, Hitman, Aztek, and even Max Mercury are
   possible candidates until she shows up -- Tomorrow Woman!  Superman offers
   her membership despite her mysterious background.  But when the JLA goes
   up against a rampaging energy creature, Tomorrow Woman's true colors come
   forth!

Steel #38
   The Question guest-stars this issue.  Steel's search for his kidnapped
   boss takes him to Africa, where only one man can help him pull off a
   dangerous rescue... the man called The Question!  But to save the victim,
   Steel must be willing to gamble for his own life.

Superman Adventures #7
   Despite being shrunk down to two inches tall by Professor Hamilton's
   molecular scaling generator, the Phantom Zone villains Jax-Ur and Mala are
   at large again, ready to wreak havoc on Superman, Metropolis, and the
   world.  It's an even bigger problem for all concerned when the Man of
   Steel is also shrunk down, and his Kryptonian enemies stand ready to cut
   him further down to size!  Break out the magnifying glass, gang!  The
   cover features an actual background from Kids WB's SUPERMAN.

Superman: The Man of Steel #67
   In the prequel to the New Powers storyline, Superman is manifesting bizarre
   new abilities!  An emissary from Kandor arrives and causes chaos throughout
   Metropolis, and Superman must stop him.  But how can Superman hide the fact
   that his new powers are uncontrollable, especially when a publicity-seeking
   Jimmy Olsen is ready to spill the beans on "The Whitty Banter Show"?


March 12:
--------
Supergirl #9
   Concluding Supergirl's showdown with the mysterious Buzz!  Supergirl must
   battle Tempus, a creature that distorts time and space, as Buzz goads her
   toward the darkness that destroyed Linda Danvers.  It's the finale to the
   series' first storyline as Supergirl reconciles her stolen life and cuts
   loose!

Superman #123
   A glow-in-the-dark cover highlights the collector's edition of this special
   issue as Superman receives a new costume with a new symbol on his chest to
   go along with his strange new powers.  But the costume comes from more than
   one source.  Who has contributed to the suit that helps Superman adjust to
   his new powers?  The answers will surprise and astound you in this event
   that deeply affects the lives of Superman and those around him.  Also
   available is a standard edition with a non-enhanced cover.


March 19:
--------
Adventures of Superman #546
   Superman's new powers provide a tempting target for the villain who craves
   an upgrade to his own malevolent might -- Metallo!  Although Superman has
   defeated him before, now he must beat Metallo with his new powers -- the
   very thing that Metallo is using to boost his own abilities to the max!

Aztek: The Ultimate Man #10
   This issue guest-stars the Justice League as Aztek and the League check
   each other out to possibly join forces.  But will they be coming together
   of their own initiative... or because of the manipulation of the mysterious
   Q-society?

Superboy #39
   In Part 2 of the 3-part "Meltdown": Superboy's skin condition is more
   serious than he thought, and he learns just how bad things are.  With his
   body degenerating, the cute Hero of Hawaii is fast becoming the malformed
   Hawaiian Horror.  And there is no cure.


March 26:
--------
Action Comics #733
   Metallo is far from easy to vanquish thanks to Superman's unfamiliarity
   with his newfound abilities.  The only person sympathetic to the Man of
   Energy's plight is the Ray, who's been through it all before.  So Superman
   consults the younger hero for advice on his strange new powers.

Superboy and the Ravers #9
   In the conclusion to the 3-part "Road Trip," the gang pays a visit to
   Metropolis, where they encounter the all new Man of Tomorrow.  Now that
   Superman has a new look, does that mean that Superboy gets to wear his old
   costume?  The Kid sure thinks so!  Plus, Aura reaches a turning point in
   her feelings about the Ravers.

________________________________________________________

                 LOIS AND CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN
             ------------------------------------------------------


Ratings Panelists:

  DEM: Demi                 JJO: Joe Jones            NOT: Neil Ottenstein
  DSB: Dick Sidbury         LKF: Lee K. Fink          SDM: Simon Del Monte
  DST: Debby Stark                                    SDV: Scott Devarney

The first rating given after the average is that of the reviewer, if one was
submitted.  The average rating given for a particular episode may correspond
to
a larger sample of ratings than what is printed following the average.  Given
airdates correspond to the date of first US airing.

======================================================


                    Episode #4-06: "The People V. Lois Lane"
              ----------------------------------------------------
                Reviewed by Scott Devarney (devarney@ll.mit.edu)


October 27, 1996
Written by Grant Rosenberg
Directed by Robert Ginty

Guest Starring: Jasmine Guy as Angela Winters
                Alan Rachins as Professor Jefferson Cole
                Granville Van Dusen as D.A. Clemmons
                Maryedith Burrell as Veronica Stewart
                David Kriegel as Wolcott
                Kim Tavares as Sheila Danko
                Julie Payne as Wanda
                Jim Jansen as Judge Samuelson
                Marianne Muellerleile as matron
                Peter Spellos as Elroy Sikes
                Norman Large as the detective
                Eric Fleeks as the bailiff
                Brad Heller as the reporter
                Anthony Embeck as Bobby

RATINGS:

Average: 3.2/5.0 Shields

SDV: 4.2 Shields
DEM: 3.4 Shields - "The People vs. Lois Lane" was very obviously a setup
         episode for "Dead Lois Walking" and was neither particularly
         thrilling nor exceptionally disappointing as such. It simply was;
         existing on that so-so line of mediocrity which seems to define many
         of Grant Rosenberg's scripts. "Guilty!" Yawn.  Well, we KNEW that.
         We cared because it was thankfully well directed.  Hopefully, "Dead
         Lois Walking" will shock and amaze with somewhat more success.
LKF: 4.0 Shields - One of the better episodes in a while.  No hokey off-planet
         or other-dimensional adventure.  Just Lois working out a little snag,
         Superman having to use his brain as much as his brawn, and Clark
         wall-papering at super-speed.
NOT: 1.0 Shields - Lois convicted on no hard evidence.  A one day high
         profile trial?  Was the gun even examined to see how it worked?
         Why didn't Lois' lawyer mention the shell casing?  The DA's people
         were following Lois all over, but not by her home.  And so on....
DST: 2.0 Shields - Funny one-liners but poor story-telling. Trite villains
         and unbelievable "science" in yet another "let's avenge ourselves on
         Lois" story. Even the attempt at continuity in mentioning Lois' past
         story efforts in conjunction with Sikes was incredible to me. I did
         like the football/wallpaper bit in the beginning, CK's cheerleading
         for LL throughout the story, and the crowd and the judge's clear awe
         and admiration for Superman.


Despite the title, this episode had surprisingly little to do with the trial
of Lois Lane.  Lois is framed and put on trial for the murder of an informant.
The framer, Professor Jefferson Cole, is someone whom Lois was instrumental
in convicting several years ago.  Most of the episode deals with Lois' and
Clark's attempts to exonerate her and Professor Cole's attempts to implicate
her further using a device, the hallucinator, which generates realistic
images.

This episode is the first part of a two-parter.  As such, its job is to set up
the problem, which it does beautifully.  Grant Rosenberg shows clearly how
Lois is framed and then frustrates attempts to vindicate her.  The frustration
level is built along steadily from the initial murder set up, to use of the
hallucinator to make it appear as if Lois were trying to murder a key witness,
to another use of the hallucinator to make it appear that Perry is giving
damaging testimony at Lois' trial.

Teri and Dean give wonderful performances.  In the beginning, their faith in
the system is great, but it steadily erodes as Professor Cole succeeds in
further implicating Lois.  This progression logically flows to the point where
Clark is seriously considering breaking Lois out of jail and going on the run.
This is consistent with Dean's portrayal of Clark throughout the series. 
Clark is willing to do just about anything to get Lois out of jail, as I think
most husbands in this situation would do for their wives. However, unlike most
men, Clark is ABLE to instigate a jailbreak.

However, while in character for Clark, it is very jarring to hear Superman
hinting that he might be willing to break the law.  This is Superman, who
holds high principles and can be counted on to do the right thing.  It is
interesting to contrast Lois' speech to Superman about why he can't break Lois
out of jail with the scene in ACTION COMICS #719 where Superman explains why
he chose to let Lois die rather than kill the Joker for an antidote that would
save her.  In the comic, Lois doesn't really understand the reasoning, but in
this episode, Lois understands very well what the effect of Superman's
violation of the law and his principles would mean to the world.

As to the adversaries, Alan Rachins was enjoyable as Professor Cole.  He was
embittered and egotistic and took delight in his revenge without gloating or
getting too campy.  He also had some witty lines: (speaking into his tape
recorder) "Memo to self: cut Sikes in for a bigger piece" when setting up the
doomed informant; and "Memo to self: ignore last memo" after Sikes was shot. 
This makes three weeks in a row that the villain is fun to watch.  The writers
are getting better at providing interesting bad guys.

Unfortunately, Professor Cole's conspirator, D.A. Clemmons is a cliche.  He is
an unprincipled, ambitious, smarmy stereotype of a politician.  It was almost
immediately obvious that he would be in collusion with Cole.  It would have
been better if the D. A. was motivated to prosecute Lois vigorously because of
the strong evidence instead of using the trial to further his gubernatorial
campaign.

Finally, a few short comments:
- Jasmine Guy was wasted as Lois' defense attorney; the character had hardly
anything to do.

- How long, in Metropolis time, did this episode take? The time it took to get
from crime to verdict seemed absurdly short, even if Clemmons tried to rush
the proceedings for political gain.

- The villain's name is Professor JEFFerson Cole and the victim's name is
Elroy SIKES; is this perhaps a tribute to our editor-in-chief?

In conclusion, this is a great set up episode that is darker than most of the
previous episodes.  Lois is in a lot of trouble with no end in sight; the same
could be said for whomever must write part 2.

________________________________________________________


                  CRASHING IN THE RATINGS IS AS SIMPLE AS ABC
                  -------------------------------------------
                         by Zoomway  (Zoomway@aol.com)


In truth, crashing period is as simple as ABC. The alphabet network is in big
trouble. Its problems started in 1994 when it first achieved the status of
"The most watched network". With a combination of traditionally
well-performing sitcoms, Friday's TGIF lineup of pre-pubescent favorites, and
NYPD BLUE, arguably ABC's true showpiece drama, the network was doing well,
and it was also in that year that the producers of LOIS AND CLARK: THE NEW
ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN plotted a shift from a losing formula, to a magical
one.

The young adult Sunday audience that had become embarrassed to admit to
watching the Superman heroics on ABC or the "monster of the week" schlock on
NBC's SEAQUEST DSV began switching to FOX when the number four network moved
THE SIMPSONS to that time slot. The coveted 18-49 year old demographic began
watching the well-written family parody and thus FOX was able to outshine both
NBC and ABC in the ratings. CBS, with the high ranking but demographically
anemic MURDER SHE WROTE, was winning Sunday but losing the ad revenue battle
to FOX. In early '95, by switching focus from the tired formula of Lois
chasing Superman while Clark suffered in noble silence for the attractive ace
reporter to a genuine romance between Lois and Clark, the show finally pulled
away from the competition and never looked back. This formula was so
successfully that reruns of LOIS AND CLARK began beating first-run episodes of
SEAQUEST DSV and the handwriting was on the wall for the submarine adventure
series.

ABC, winning the demographics on Sunday, and having programming throughout the
week winning the other nights (aside from Saturdays, which belonged to CBS,
and Thursdays, which belonged to NBC), became a bit drunk with a sense of
power and its own invincibility. ABC no longer wanted just to win, it wanted
to dominate. This lust for domination of the airwaves became ABC's undoing,
and thus far, this unraveling entropy effect shows no signs of slowing down.
The network wanted everything, and wanted it immediately, and any program that
showed no instant ratings gratification was put into ABC's tinkering tool
shed.  Some shows, like HUDSON STREET, were literally re-tooled into oblivion.
No longer patient enough to let good programming attract an audience, ABC
began committee banging shows with middling ratings in order to hit key
demographics, literally treating their shows like paint-by-numbers kits, and
falsely believing that the American viewing audience was nothing more than
mindless clones who all had a specific thing they tuned into television for,
and could be assorted by age, gender, and economic status in order to push the
right buttons and attract them to programs they might not normally watch.

LOIS AND CLARK, unfortunately, was not immune to ABC's bloodlust either.
Though winning Sunday for the network, LOIS AND CLARK was not doing so as a
top 10 or 20 show, and so just "winning" was not good enough -- it had to
crush the competition. This was a fatal appraisal of the gentle romantic
fantasy. Always requiring a somewhat esoteric viewership willing to suspend
disbelief and grudgingly accept a comic book superhero in a mainstream fashion
made LOIS AND CLARK a show that had to struggle a year and a half to achieve
any ratings respect whatsoever, and so when ABC tried to push the show
artificially in a direction it was already headed toward slowly, but
naturally, the false step dropped Superman out of the sky faster than
Kryptonite.

Not one fan has to be reminded of the wedding fake-out of last season.
However, the truth is the show wanted a real wedding, but the network did not.
This clash of creative versus management always leads to a lose/lose scenario,
but what is unclear, and will probably remain unanswered, is *when* did the
producers of LOIS AND CLARK know that ABC would not permit a wedding? If they
knew from the inception of 3rd season, then the blame, mistrust and
frustration all falls squarely on their shoulders. On the other hand, if ABC
"pulled the plug" on the wedding after it had already gotten underway, then
the network is solely responsible. This is not just a question of "laying
blame" however, because if the show decided to foist a fake wedding on its
fans and viewers with no remorse, then the value of the leadership at December
3rd Productions is called into question. How could they *not* know how
upsetting a fake wedding would be? More embarrassing and infuriating than that
was having Lois fall in love with her doctor near the last dregs of the
endless arc. This not only seemed to drive a coffin nail in the show for the
casual viewer, but drove away some loyal fans as well -- it tore at the very
heart of the mythic "bond" the legendary lovers allegedly share. Those who
remained were treated to the atrocious final installment of the arc serving
only to reset things to where they had been when the whole nightmare began.

Limping toward the finale, still bleeding from its nasty wound, LOIS AND CLARK
found salt instead of suture. Kryptonians, thought long dead, made a surprise
appearance, and not only further chilled the remaining audience by introducing
an alien fiancee for Clark, but crushed some more life out of the legend by
taking away Clark's unique aloneness. He was no longer "the last son of
Krypton." A show that seemed to do nothing wrong at the beginning of 3rd
season, suddenly could do nothing right. This downward spiral made the timing
perfect for the vulture squad to make an entrance and fade LOIS AND CLARK into
the background, giving it an invisible status and loss of respect it had not
experienced since the early months of 2nd season.

Two of CBS and NBC's heavy hitters were brought in during the summer rerun
period. TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL and 3rd ROCK FROM THE SUN proved to be a tonic for
the angst-weary viewership on Sunday night. The first, a fantasy vehicle
always promising a happy ending, and the second, a "fish out of water" sitcom
that didn't require a viewer to think, worry, or second guess motives, became
viable and welcome alternatives. LOIS AND CLARK now found that it was not only
fighting its own self-destructive folly, but two top-ranked shows that were
already charming away its audience.

The producers of LOIS AND CLARK wisely hit the ground running 4th season, and
opted to quickly tie up loose ends from 3rd season. In that spirit they
returned humor, sent the Kryptonians back to Krypton, and married off the
famous couple. Unfortunately, a heavy indulgence in fantasy settings started
bogging down the series. Having some mysterious "angelic" character perform
the "wedding of the century" just made it surreal, and continued to perpetuate
a sense of loss that anything in Metropolis mirrors the reality of our world
through its slightly skewed looking glass. Now the show seems trapped on the
other side of the looking glass with aliens, angels, disembodied souls, magnet
men, ghosts, and imps. Also, out of the first half of the entire 4th season,
only one episode did not have Lois or Clark/Superman as the villain's primary
target. This lessens the importance and identity of the supporting cast.
What's going on in Jimmy's life? We saw the disintegration of Perry's marriage
last year as a continuing sub-arc, but what is he doing now? The Kents have
been reduced to very transient characters. I don't believe major surgery is
necessary for the show, but a mild prescription wouldn't hurt.

This season has not really been bad at all, but some ideas that could have
been treated cleverly were treated more pedestrian and turned out simply
"workman-like". ABC is also at fault to a large extent by stubbornly
continuing to promote the show (all of their shows for that matter) only on
their own network. When NBC was in identical trouble, they knew they could not
throw money into an investment of diminishing returns and ever hope to make a
profit, and so opted to advertise on radio, in print, on cable channels, and
on billboards in large cities. With fewer and fewer people tuning in ABC,
there naturally are fewer and fewer potential viewers to attract. This is a
problem only ABC can address, and hopefully will. In the meantime there are a
few minor problems the producers of LOIS AND CLARK should address.

There is no "place" for Superman in 4th season. That is, in 1st season he had
the traditional function as the object of Lois Lane's affection, in 2nd season
he functioned as a real complication to Lois and Clark's budding romance, and
in 3rd season, with Lois being in on the secret, it was a matter of easing her
into the Superman franchise as a full partner. This year, nothing. There is
also a loss of "impending" danger. Intergang is gone, and so some continuing
menace is absent. I would like to see a lurking menace just watching and
studying Superman from a distance. Perhaps being so good at their observations
that they even know his big secret. However, unlike others who would use such
information as blackmail, to discredit, etc., this organization has some
greater goal in mind. Perhaps wondering if Lois and Clark can produce
offspring.

Lois and Clark having a pregnancy to deal with should not be limited to the
goal of a ratings-grabber. It should function to uncover new information about
our heroes, and perhaps bring Dr. Klein in on the secret since his knowledge
and help would not only be valuable to Lois and Clark, it would provide the
series with a real revelation. Some fans balk at the idea of a pregnancy/baby
because they can't see past the gimmick of a "super baby" and thus fear
something along the lines of BEWITCHED, or they make the mistake of treating a
pregnant woman as an invalid who cannot continue to function at her career
during the pregnancy. If there is one character in television where this
stereotype would be non-applicable, it would be Lois Lane. LOIS AND CLARK
received an accolade for its positive depiction of marriage. I believe they
could achieve the same kudos during a pregnancy arc as well. This might also
be an opportunity to bring the Kents back into focus with a clearer function
and expanded role. A pregnancy and child simply brings Clark's goals and
desires, stated four years ago in the pilot, full circle. It is a not a whim,
nor a gimmick, it is the natural closing chapter to a book that was opened in
1993.

If just a few of these issues are tackled, the show might find itself on more
solid ground with an audience that has learned to trust it again, and with new
viewers being won over by its charm. The show, having already been renewed for
a 5th season, has an opportunity that very few shows get, and so they should
take advantage of their early notice, and go for the magic LOIS AND CLARK has
proved capable of producing in each and every season.

________________________________________________________

                         SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES
                    ---------------------------------------


Ratings Panelists:

  CH: Curtis Herink         JS: Jimmy Stewart         NB: Nathan Bredfeldt
  DH: Denes House           LF: Lee K. Fink           NO: Neil Ottenstein
  DS: Dick Sidbury          MC: Matt Combes           SD: Scott Devarney
                            MD: Mark Dooley
                            
                            
The first rating given after the average is that of the reviewer.  The average
rating given for a particular episode may correspond to a larger sample of
ratings than what is printed following the average.  Given airdates correspond
to the date of first US airing as regularly scheduled on the Warner Brothers
Television Network.

======================================================


                         Episode #8: "Stolen Memories"
              ---------------------------------------------------
                Reviewed by Nathan Bredfeldt (hal@seas.smu.edu)


November 2, 1996
Written by Rich Fogel
Directed by Curt Geda

Featuring: Clark Kent/Superman  --  Tim Daly
           Lois Lane            --  Dana Delany
           Lex Luthor           --  Clancy Brown
           Jor-El               --  Christopher McDonald
           Jimmy Olsen          --  David Kaufman
           Angela Chen          --  Lauren Tom
           Brainiac             --  Corey Burton
           Professor Hamilton   --  Victor Brandt
           Programmer           --  Townsend Coleman
           

RATINGS:

Average: 4.0/5.0 Shields

CH: 3.9 Shields - This one grabbed me from the beginning. Even the title was
        intriguing. I thought that all of the characters appearing were used
        well, but it's a little hard to believe that even Luthor would have
        a nuclear arsenal.
DH: 3.5 Shields - A decent episode: I enjoyed the bristling between Superman
        and Luthor, as well as the "Close Encounters" setup of Luthor's first
        meeting with Brainiac, but I didn't completely buy Brainiac's
        reasoning in destroying the planets he studied, and the ending seemed
        tacked-on.
NO: 4.5 Shields - It was a nice episode with plenty of surprises.  Good to
        see Jimmy and Lois working undercover.  Good interaction between all
        the three main principles: Superman, Luthor, and Brainiac. Again
        there was an ominous ending.


At long last it has come to pass; we get to see the continuation of the
Brainiac subplot started in the show's pilot episode!

The show starts with Jimmy and Lois (who get less airtime these days than I
expect them to; I've been spoiled by LOIS AND CLARK) sneaking into a LexCorp
testing area and witnessing Luthor making contact with Brainiac. It seems
Brainiac has been doing well since we last saw it. It now has a massive
spaceship and a body.

Meanwhile, our hero is out in space, testing his Kryptonian escape pod. One of
the scientists monitoring Superman's progress informs him that the Pentagon
wishes to see him. Superman returns to Earth. It is interesting to note that
the scientist refers to Luthor as Superman's "old nemesis." This bewilders me.
Just how well known is the Superman/Luthor rivalry? I didn't think it was that
public. The most important part of this scene is that FINALLY, a toy variation
of a character appears in the actual cartoon show! I must run out and purchase
the "Space Suit" Superman toy soon!

At the Pentagon, Luthor defends himself against the brass's verbal attacks
regarding Lex's contact with Brainiac, made public by the Daily Planet. Even
if Jimmy and Lois aren't getting a lot of airtime, they at least play an
important part in the progression of the show. Lex offers to let Superman meet
with Brainiac, to prove that everything is on the level.

Superman makes the rendezvous with Brainiac's rather sizable spaceship, and is
attacked by robots almost immediately upon entrance. He destroys several of
them, causing the last few to retreat. Of course, it was just a test. I, like
Brainiac, learned something from the fight. Superman isn't a very skilled
fighter, he can just take a lot of punishment while he thinks up a clever
method of wasting his adversaries (in this case, heat vision). It's nice to
see the show's writers maintaining the 'still new at this' aspect of
Superman's career.

Brainiac and Superman talk, and Brainiac reveals its knowledge of Superman's
origins, and its own Kryptonian heritage, even going so far as to misrepresent
Kal-El's actions in the pilot episode as helping it to also escape Krypton's
fate.

Brainiac also shows Superman some glowing yellow-orange orbs. "Each," Brainiac
says, "represents all the recorded information from a single planet." Brainiac
lets Superman touch the one containing Krypton's memories. Having given him a
taste, Brainiac offers Superman a deal: travel the universe with it, assisting
in the assimilation of knowledge in exchange for memories from Krypton.
Superman needs time to consider the offer.

That night, Clark has a dream, apparently inspired by touching the orb. In the
dream, he sees the destruction of Krypton and the betrayal of its people by
Brainiac.

Rather than confronting Brainiac directly, out hero first tries to talk
LexCorp out of making the information exchange. Luthor doesn't trust Brainiac
either, and has taken precautions to the tune of several megatons worth of
warheads aimed at Brainiac's ship.

Superman confronts Brainiac, who is busy with LexCorp's download. Superman
takes the opportunity to try out a few more of the orbs. All of them show
scenes of carnage and/or destruction. It turns out that Brainiac killed all
the worlds he collected knowledge from. Information is more valuable when
you're the only person who has it, Brainiac explains.

Brainiac takes over Luthor's computers, effectively betraying Luthor and
cutting off his ability to retaliate. Meanwhile, Superman rumbles with
Brainiac's ship, then Brainiac itself. At this point, I'd like to point out
that no matter who you are, even if you are Superman, you CANNOT punch laser
beams. That part detracted from this episode.

Superman disconnects Brainiac from its ship, and Luthor regains control of his
missiles, immediately turning them on Brainiac's ship. He has all that
technology, and no shields; what a shame.

Superman escapes, taking the Kryptonian history orb with him. I am impressed
that he was able to distinguish it from all those other orangeish spheres,
what with a nuclear blast bearing down on him, and all.

The show then wraps itself up. A technician notices some alien script on one
of LexCorp's computers, and Superman leaves the liberated orb in the safety of
the Fortress of Solitude.

One of the most important aspects of this episode, at least for me, was the
emotional involvement. Having seen Brainiac in the pilot, we know full well
how downright evil he is. The characters in this episode (most notably Lex and
Superman) don't. Having this advantage puts an emotional twist on the first
half of the episode, making it somewhat like a horror movie. The standard
"Don't go into the basement!" that would be shouted at the screen during a
horror flick (back when people shouted stuff at movie screens) became "Don't
trust him! He's evil!" for this episode.

Also worthy of note is this new rendition of Brainiac. Whereas the Batman
cartoon show tends to portray villains much they way they appear in the
comics, the Superman cartoon show has some interesting twists on the villains
(well, only Toyman and Brainiac, that I have seen). This Brainiac still has
the lust for knowledge that the one from the comics does, but is not as
intelligent. It is, on the other hand, far more ruthless. As for the new look,
I like it, but is a body really necessary? I have never been a sentient
Kryptonian super-computer, but it seems as if a body, even one as versatile as
Brainiac's, would be more of a hindrance than an advantage.

The big mystery left by this episode is its position in continuity, compared
to "The Main Man." When Superman leaves the orb in the Fortress of Solitude,
you get the idea that he is only just getting the idea to leave stuff there,
implying that he has not yet transplanted all of the Preserver's aliens. On
the other hand, at the beginning of "The Main Man," the scientists were wowed
by Superman's space ship. In this supposedly previous episode, they seem to
have already adjusted to its existence.

One final note: For those of you who really enjoyed this episode and didn't
want it to end, there is something of a continuation of it in issue 3 of DC's
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES comic book. I just recently picked it up, so it should
still be readily available.

________________________________________________________


                       Episode #9: "The Main Man", Part 1
             ------------------------------------------------------
               Reviewed by Mark C. Dooley (mdooley1@hsonline.net)


November 9, 1996
Written by Paul Dini
Directed by Dan Riba

Featuring: Clark Kent/Superman  --  Tim Daly
           Lois Lane            --  Dana Delany
           Lobo                 --  Brad Garrett
           Lex Luthor           --  Clancy Brown
           Angela Chen          --  Lauren Tom
           Professor Hamilton   --  Victor Brandt
           Preserver            --  Sherman Howard
           Sqweek               --  David L. Lander
           Gnaww                --  Don Harvey
           

RATINGS:

Average: 4.1/5.0 Shields

MD: 5.0 Shields
MC: 4.9 Shields - This was *so* great. Some of the best writing I've seen!
        The lines between Lobo and Superman kept getting better. It was nice
        to see that they kept Lobo true to character, including his origin.
        The action was intense, seeing as how Lobo is supposed to be on par
        with Superman's strength, and the premise of the episode was
        intriguing. Can't wait for the conclusion!
SD: 2.0 Shields - Ugh!  This episode was just a series of fight scenes
        (although the fight between Lobo and Superman in Metropolis was
        well choreographed).  The actor who played Lobo displayed no depth
        whatsoever and the betrayal of Lobo by his employer was too
        predictable.
LF: 4.5 Shields - Another winner for THE ANIMATED SERIES.  Kudos to the
        musical director; the hard-edged rock music that was in the
        background throughout most of the episode gave it extra tension.
        In the end, this episode was almost Lobo: guest-starring Superman,
        but the change of pace was well worth it.
DS: 3.5 Shields - I'm not a fan of Lobo and thought most of the episode was
        silly.  I did enjoy the ending and look forward to the conclusion
        next week.


On a desert plain near a S.T.A.R. Labs base, Professor Emil Hamilton and a
S.T.A.R. technical crew observe the test flight of the newly refitted
Kryptonian rocketship, being piloted by Superman himself. It's their hope that
the ship will be used for space-travel, to observe and visit "civilizations on
other worlds, their great achievements, their brilliant minds..."

CUT TO: Lobo belching.

In a remote part of the galaxy, at the Steaming Load tavern, the psychotic,
pathological Czarnian bounty hunter is "fraggin' everything in sight" unless
he's given a lead to his quarry -- Sqweek, a rodent-like thief wanted by
Emperor Spooj for pilfering his treasury. After a VERY brief tussle with his
bigger brother Gnaww (and totally laying waste to the tavern), Lobo finds
Sqweek, who is trying to make his way out of the tavern under cover of the
destruction. Lobo grabs Sqweek, hops on his space-faring rocket cycle, and
heads out into the cosmos ... where he's immediately shanghaied aboard a huge
spacecraft captained by a floating entity who calls himself the Preserver.

Lobo acts purely on instinct and tries to put his crowbar across the being's
noggin, but he is immediately subdued by an energy field charge. Now willing
to listen (for a change), Lobo hears that the Preserver knows of Lobo's
reputation as the most ruthless bounty hunter in the galaxy, and he has a
mission for him ... to bring back the last living Kryptonian, now living on
Earth, to take his place amongst the Preserver's menagerie of endangered
species, each one the last survivor of their various worlds.

Lobo is ready to walk with his prisoner, when the Preserver materializes a
chest filled to the brim with precious jewels. "Hose down the cage, boss.
You're gettin' a new monkey..."

Days later, Lobo arrives at a local Metropolis police precinct, looking for
Superman. The officer at the desk says that he only shows up when there's
trouble. Lobo readies his blaster. "I can do trouble...."

The explosions coming from the station as Lobo starts his rampage immediately
attract Superman's attention ... as well as Lois Lane's curiosity when Clark
Kent ducks out of the Planet office mysteriously. Upon arrival, he finds Lobo
tinkering with what is obviously a jet-powered missile. Superman immediately
disarms it, but soon finds himself at the end of Lobo's fists. The Man of
Steel has his hands full ... Lobo is nearly as strong as he is, and nigh
invulnerable. With a single punch the fight moved out of the station, and
carried on through downtown Metropolis. Their battle practically takes out the
top floors of the LexCorp building (much to Luthor's dismay) when Lobo manages
to summon his chopper and fires a missile from its underbelly.

Acting quickly to prevent the projectile from hitting a passing monorail
filled with passengers, Superman diverts the rocket, taking the full brunt of
the explosion. He's sent crashing into the pavement of downtown Metropolis,
where Lobo lands his bike. He's impressed that Superman "didn't want no one
else gettin' hurt, even if you had to take the fraggin' yourself. You actually
care about them geeks!"

As Lobo approaches the fallen hero to finish him off, an iron bar swats him in
the back, which he brushes off like less than a mosquito bite. He turns and
finds Lois waving the bar, warning him to back off. Lois tries another swat,
but the bounty hunter merely grabs the bar, tosses her aside, then consumes
the weapon like a Clark bar.

Lobo is attracted to Lois and makes a pass at her. Lois slaps him, and Lobo
laughs, "I like a babe who plays rough! Come on, let me have another ...
(pointing to his chin) right here!"

A revived Superman obliges, sending the cursing Lobo soaring straight back
into the penthouse floor of LexCorp.

Lobo lands on the docks of the waterfront. Superman follows, but after a brief
tussle, Lobo makes an escape on his cycle, promising to come back and "frag
you and everyone else on this dung heap."

Realizing that another battle with Lobo could level Metropolis, Superman
returns to S.T.A.R. Labs, dons the environment suit created by Hamilton, and
borrows the Kryptonian rocketship, taking it into space. No sooner does he
reach Earth orbit than Lobo appears, obviously impervious to the vacuum of
space, and tries smashing the glass of the ship. Superman activates an
electrical charge to fry the Czarnian, but without much effect. Lobo floats to
his cycle and launches an outer space dogfight.

As the battle finally goes hand-to-hand with Superman ejecting from the pod,
the Preserver's ship intervenes, firing an energy beam directly at Superman,
stunning him long enough to allow Lobo a fight-ending punch...

Sometime afterward, Superman awakens to find himself in a glass cage,
furnished with chairs, plants, and artifacts resembling Kryptonian design, and
he himself dressed in the garments of his dead father Jor-El. The Preserver
appears and explains that he must do what he can to preserve the last specimen
of all dead races he can. Superman immediately tries to punch his way through
the glass, but his strength has been neutralized by an overhead globe which
simulates the Kryptonian red sun.

Minutes later, Lobo prepares to leave with his treasure and his prisoner
Sqweek. He tells the Preserver, "If you want any more dorks snagged, you got
my number."

"Actually, there is one other being I need for my collection: the last
Czarnian." Lobo laughs it off, as he knows he's the last Czarnian. "I fragged
the rest of the planet for my high school science project. Gave myself an A."

Suddenly, Lobo finds himself encased in a plastic shaft, filling quickly with
gas. As he and Sqweek lose consciousness, Lobo declares, "No one double-
crosses the Main Man!"

To be continued...

And so we get the first of the many appearances on this series by other DC
characters, beginning with the ruthless Lobo. If this is a small sample of
what we can expect, then we're in for some exciting episodes in the near
future.

Brad Garrett is the perfect choice for the voice of Lobo: wit and grunge mixed
perfectly. I hope this isn't the last we'll see of our beloved bounty hunter.

As for the arrival of Lobo on a kid's show ... well, of course he can't say
"bastich" and he can't actually kill anyone on camera (although he can talk
about it, which he does ... a LOT), but within the parameters of the WB S&P,
Lobo has made it to Saturday mornings pretty much intact.

My only disappointment is the choice of the wonderful Sherman Howard, who as
most of you will recall played an excellent Lex Luthor on the SUPERBOY
syndicated series, as the voice of the Preserver. His voice is totally garbled
by an annoying electronic distorter and unrecognizable. Sherman, who has been
appearing for years in a variety of bad guy roles, most of them in sci-fi
series, certainly deserved better than that.

Otherwise, another terrific entry in the series, and I have no idea how I'm
going to live until next Sunday.

________________________________________________________


                      Episode #10: "The Main Man", Part 2
              ---------------------------------------------------
                Reviewed by Nathan Bredfeldt (hal@seas.smu.edu)


November 16, 1996
Written by Paul Dini
Directed by Dan Riba

Featuring: Clark Kent/Superman  --  Tim Daly
           Lobo                 --  Brad Garrett
           Preserver            --  Sherman Howard
           Sqweek               --  David L. Lander
           Gnaww                --  Don Harvey
           Emperor Spooj        --  Richard Moll
           Serpent              --  Frank Welker
           Alien Girls          --  Lara Cody
           

RATINGS:

Average: 3.6/5.0 Shields

NB: 3.7 Shields
SD: 2.0 Shields - Disappointing conclusion to a lackluster story, although
        Lobo did have better lines in this one.  The chase through the
        spaceship was very confusing, especially as Superman's and Lobo's
        power levels varied throughout the chase.  Also, if the Preserver
        could change into that monstrous form, why the heck did he need to
        hire Lobo in the first place?
CH: 4.2 Shields - Every time this episode seemed to be falling into a
        predictable rut, there was a new turn of events.
DH: 4.6 Shields - A good second part to a good story. True to character,
        Lobo was angry, untrustworthy, and motivated only by self-interest.
        The "Briar Patch" scene was a good one, and made a great deal of
        sense. Did Superman really leave the Preserver floating helplessly
        in space?
JS: 3.5 Shields - It's a shame this creative team hasn't the budget or drive
        for Superman that they had for Batman Adventures. This episode had a
        lot of potential that was never realized. Lots of plot holes filled
        with convenient plugs. The only reason to watch this episode at all
        was that Superman appeared in it.


Let me start by saying that I have this sort of loathing of multi-part
episodes, of any television show. This is simply because the second part never
lives up to the expectations I set for it in a frenzy of anticipation over the
week between the two parts.

That being said, I get to try to be unbiased while reviewing Lobo's second
appearance in the Superman animated series, part two of "The Main Man." First,
a quick review of part one: I loved it. I laughed nonstop, and was surprised
by the twist at the end. Now, let's move on to this episode.

The episode starts with Superman and Lobo as prisoners of the Preserver, a
nasty little floating alien who likes to collect the last member of otherwise
extinct species. Superman is held captive with the aid of a simulated red sun,
and Lobo is kept gassed and docile by two robo-bimbos.

Superman isn't one to take his imprisonment lightly, and uses a reflective
crystal to aggravate a triceratops (how thoughtless of the Preserver to keep
such a potentially destructive creature in such minimal restraints) into
ramming his cell. Still nowhere near full strength, Superman makes a deal with
Lobo: his freedom in exchange for leaving Earth alone. Lobo comes across as a
very smooth operator in this scene.

A fight with some robots ensues, and the differences in Lobo's and Superman's
fighting styles becomes apparent. Lobo's style is dirtier, and he shows more
signs of experience in this sort of thing. Superman comes across more as a
play-it-by-ear type.

Our heroes fall into a snake pit, pick up Sqweek (the bounty Lobo didn't have
time to cash in on before going after Superman), and run into three bounty
hunters who also want to cash in on poor Sqweek.

This should be a big, exciting battle, but I had a hard time taking the threat
of these bounty hunters seriously, when compared to two big bruisers like
Superman and Lobo. And those three were NOT very good shots, either. In fact,
that scene reminded me of Star Wars, with all those missed shots.

Superman and Lobo take cover. Superman scans the area and devises a plan. He
and Lobo split up, and Supes uses reverse psychology to trick the dimwitted
hunters into throwing him into a cell designed to contain the last dodo bird,
complete with simulated yellow sun. Seeing that they have been tricked, the
Bounty hunters panic, and Superman takes them down with ease. I wouldn't have
suspected Superman's yellow sun advantage to be such common knowledge that
three aliens would know about it; perhaps they just saw that he was feeling
better.

Lobo almost gets away, but the Preserver morphs (more like sheds his skin)
into a big, ugly, red monster. Finally, we get a real threat to our heroes!
Superman appears and spars with the beast, while Lobo opens the hangar's
doors, flushing the Preserver monster into space.

Cut to a scene of Lobo relaxing and drinking from an Easter Island Head
replica cup, served to him by one of the robo-bims. I didn't notice the cup
until the second time I watched; same thing with the Kizz poster in Lobo's
cell. These add-ons (I'm sure there must be more) make the show worth watching
more than once!

Finally, we see Superman in the Fortress of Solitude (which is starting to
become a pretty neat place). He has moved all of the Preserver's specimens to
his arctic home, for safekeeping. No mention is made of the morality of the
action; is Superman any better than the Preserver?

I should comment on the theme song. When I first heard it, I was none too
impressed. "It isn't as good as the Batman song." I'd say. Now it must be
growing on me, because I keep catching myself humming it, most notably at
work. It, like the Batman theme song, is a good representation of the psyche
of the show's protagonist.

Next, I need to point out that the big yellow S that should be on the back of
Superman's cape is usually absent, but not always. It did appear for a second
when the bounty hunters threw him into the Dodo's cage, so I know it is there
sometimes. This is really a pesky inconsistency.

Was there anyone out there who didn't at least suspect that the two men would
be teaming up in this episode? I am sure that more than a few of us saw this
team-up plot coming at the end of part one.

I, like many people, feel that Lobo is no longer funny in the comic books he
appears in. All of his material over the past two-and-a-half years has the
feeling of 'been there, done that'. These two episodes represent the most
creative, hilarious new Lobo offering from DC since UNAMERICAN GLADIATORS.
Just look at his facial expression as the two gas-wielding robots are about to
explode! Admittedly, he was just a little annoying with his seemingly endless
series of one-liners. At least those slowed down near the end of the episode.
And his voice (played by Brad Garrett) is just as I imagined it would be!

If Lobo is any indication of what I can expect from super-hero guest stars, I
want more!

________________________________________________________
***********************************************************
End of Section 10/Issue #34