_______________________________________________________ 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 #53 - August 1998 _______________________________________________________ CONTENTS -------- Section 1: Superscripts: Notes from the Editor(s) Good Things for a Change! Ratings At A Glance Titles Shipped July 1998 The KC Newsroom Even more news on upcoming Superman comics projects, a ton of info on the new season of STAS, a L&C time change, some new toy news, and some teasers for next month's news! Section 2: And Who Disguised As... Superman - It's a Dirty Job, But Someone's Gotta Do It We've all dreamed about the plusses of being a Superman, but what about the negatives? By J.D. Rummel The Phantom Zone The One, True, Original Superman! Episode 6 - The Terrible Toyman, by Bob Hughes Section 3: New Comic Reviews The Triangle Titles Superman #138, by Thomas Deja Adventures of Superman #561, by Dan Radice Action Comics #748, by Shane Travis Section 4: New Comics Reviews The Triangle Titles (cont) Superman: The Man of Steel #83, by Mike Smith Super-Family Titles Superboy #55, by Rene' Gobeyn Supergirl #25, by Thomas Deja Section 5: New Comic Reviews Super-Family Titles (cont) Superman Adventures #23, by Cory Strode Team Titles JLA #22, by Anatole Wilson Young Justice #1, by Jeff Sykes Section 6: New Comic Reviews Specials and Guest Appearances Superman for all Seasons #1, by Douglas Wolk JLA: World Without Grown-Ups #2, by G.M. Nelson Resurrection Man #17, by Thomas Deja Section 7: After-Byrne Manuscripts of Steel It's Bloodlines month, as Denes House takes a look at Superman: Man of Steel Annual #2 and Superman Annual #5, from 1993's annuals event. Section 8: After-Byrne Superman Stories - Brainiac Sean Hogan recaps the post-Crisis appearances of one of Superman's deadliest of enemies! Section 9: The Mailbag STAFF: ------ Jeffery D. Sykes, Publisher and Co-Editor-in-Chief Shane Travis, Co-Editor-in-Chief and Executive Editor of Comic Reviews Neil Ottenstein, Executive Editor of STAS Reviews 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 1998 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 quotation marks). The program ignores the subject line of the message. 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(s) ----------------------------------------- By Jeff Sykes (sykes@ms.uky.edu) GOOD THINGS FOR A CHANGE! Howsabout we start things off with Jeff eating a little crow? Remember how I keep whining about there being too many of the high-priced specials, such as the prestige format books? Well, it would seem that DC's been taking the fans in mind a little bit. First of all, do you realize that there was only one Superman annual this year? Certainly, the 80-Page Giant could be considered to be a type of annual, but even if you throw that in, we're only talking eight bucks. Last year, there were four Superman annuals at three bucks a pop. I imagine that even if you add up the 8 "Ghosts" annuals and the once-a-month 80-Page Giants, there were fewer "annuals" than last year. Then let's look at a couple of miniseries. _Superman: Silver Banshee_ was originally solicited as a prestige format title. Depending on whether that was a 48-page story or a 64-page story, it would have run $4.95 or $5.95. Now, DC has resolicited the story as a two-issue miniseries, each issue with a $2.25 cover price, and with no reduction in story! Then there's another miniseries worth noting. I was certain that with the involvement of the JLA and the return of the original Titans, the 3-issue miniseries _JLA/Titans_ would be offered as a Prestige Format series. Instead, DC surprises me with a first issue of 48 pages and a price of $2.95. So there's at least *some* evidence that DC's beginning to realize how taxing their increasingly frequent prestige format specials were becoming. Now if we can just get them to cut back on the number of *Superman* specials in that particular format (four in September, if you count the Supergirl/Batgirl Elseworlds; four in October; and at least three in November -- see Coming Attractions in a week or two). I'd also like to add that I'm quite excited by the talk of a possible JLA animated series (see News and Notes) -- it's been well too long since the SuperFriends were on the air, and I think that it's about time that the DCU returned in force to the tube! Of course, it doesn't hurt that this would be produced by the same way-more-than-capable team who has brought us the magnificent Superman and Batman animated series. Something else I'd kind of like to see, even if the JLA animated series never comes to pass. DC should at least bribe those guys into fleshing out some character designs for other prominent DC heroes and villains -- they're already well on their way with all the guest heroes lined up for the Superman series. This would allow the creation of a DCU or JLA comic in the "Adventures" style, but which would actually be a part of the "Adventures" continuity. I firmly believe that the problem with _Adventures in the DC Universe_ was that it was simply tangential to the standard DCU -- the Batman and Superman characters were true to their animated designs, but this was clearly the actual DCU underneath the stories. For example, Superboy's appearance in last year's _Adventures in the DC Universe Annual_ #1 actually referred to events in his mainstream continuity title. Furthermore, the Aquaman and Green Lantern which have been seen in _Adventures in the DC Universe_ are obviously different characters than their counterparts which will be showing up on _Superman_ this year. Anyway, my main goal here is to get a fairly large animated version of the DC Universe created by Alan Burchett, Paul Dini, and Bruce Timm. They've certainly proven their ability with Superman and Batman. And, of course, if these multiverse rumors turn out to be true, we could probably just call it Earth-WB! :-) See ya next month! __________________________________________ RATINGS AT A GLANCE: Titles shipped July 1998 ---------------------------------------------------- Prepared by Shane Travis (travis@sedsystems.ca) Last month, everything was clumped together around 3.0 to 3.5 Shields. That meant that everything was decent, but nothing stood out. This month, things are a lot more spread out; what's good is *great*, but the low-points are... well... lower. As a pleasant change, _Action Comics_ clawed its way out of the bottom spot with a well-received tale by Immonen and actually tops the Triangle Titles this month. Will wonders never cease? Key: ---- Issue -- Issue for which 'Current' Rating and Rank are calculated. The 'Previous' columns refer to the issue immediately prior to this. Rating -- Average Rating, in Shields (maximum rating is 5.0). The number in () indicates how many people submitted ratings. Rank -- The relative ranking of the book among the regularly-published Superman titles. Average -- Average of the ratings for this title over the indicated number of months, based on the book's cumulative average. Each month is weighted equally, regardless of the number of people rating the book that month. If this book is averaged over fewer months than the rest, the number of months is displayed in (). Current Previous Avg (6Mth) Title Issue Rating Rank Rating Rank Rating Rank ----- ----- ------------ ------------ ------------ S. For All Seasons 1 4.6(7) - --- - -- - Supergirl 25 4.1(7) 1 3.4(6) 3 3.58 1 Young Justice 1 4.1(6) 2 --- - -- - JLA 22 3.7(7) 3 3.7(10) 1 3.48 3 JLA W/Grown-ups 2 3.5(7) - 3.5(7) - -- - Resurrection Man 17 3.3(3) - --- - -- - Superman Adv. 23 3.2(5) 4 3.3(6) 5(T) 3.47 4 Action Comics 748 3.2(10) 5 2.1(7) 8 2.73 7 Superman 138 3.0(9) 6 3.3(11) 5(T) 2.70 8 Man of Steel 83 3.0(7) 7 3.2(10) 7 3.20 5 Adv. of Superman 561 2.9(11) 8 3.6(12) 2 2.87 6 Superboy 55 2.5(7) 9 3.3(7) 4 3.55 2 "And the First shall become Last..." SUPERBOY #55 (2.5 Shields, -0.8 Shields, last place) - (Alright, it's second-place overall, not first, but it sounded better this way.) The absence of Grummett was at least partly responsible for the lackadaisical ratings, but the issue-long fight didn't help much either. Response to the 'Hex' character was also mixed. To be fair, this was the first clunker since Karl and Tom got back; things will likely get better next month when Grummett returns and the 'new direction' gels. "And the winner in the 'Never Saw It Coming' award is..." SUPERGIRL #25 (4.1 Shields, +0.7 Shields, 1st, 1st overall) - Two titles hit a milestone 25th issue this month -- this one, and _Nightwing_. In what I hope is the beginning of a trend, DC didn't gimmick or over-hype or cover-enhance either one. Instead, both had well-crafted stories with solid characterization, interesting plot developments, and only a token fight scene. Peter David threw everything into this one but the kitchen sink, and pulled a huge surprise out of his hat for the last page to boot. "Starting fast out of the gate..." SUPERMAN FOR ALL SEASONS #1 (4.6 Shields) YOUNG JUSTICE #1 (4.1 Shields) - Two number-one issues this month, and both of them well-received. _Young Justice_, the new team book starring Superboy, Robin, and Impulse brought much mirth. Written by Peter David (of _Supergirl_), people are expecting big things from this title. People also expected big things from Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale after their critically-acclaimed _Batman: The Long Halloween_, and they got 'em. _Superman For All Seasons_ received rave reviews from all comers in its first-issue recap of Clark's departure from Smallville. Keep an eye on this one during the Kaycee awards. Information for 'Ratings at a Glance' and the ratings accompanying the monthly reviews of Superman comics are obtained from KC readers. Anyone interested in contributing may contact Shane Travis and will be added to the monthly mailing-list to receive a Ratings Form. __________________________________________ THE KC NEWSROOM ------------------- UPCOMING IN COMICS ** Roger Stern continues to crank out the Superman projects, according to Michael Doran's Newsarama (http://www.mania.com/newsarama/index.html). In addition to _Superman: A Nation Divided_, the Elseworlds story we told you about last month, Stern is also writing the Man of Steel's next clash with Marvel's green behemoth. _Superman vs The Incredible Hulk: Double Lives_, a 48-page bookshelf format one-shot, takes place primarily in the early parts of both characters careers, roughly between issues 4 and 5 of John Byrne's _Man of Steel_ miniseries. The book will be pencilled by Steve Rude (_World's Finest_, _Nexus_), and has not yet been scheduled. ** Remember that _Team Superman_ project we told you about several months ago? Writer Mark Millar passed along a bit more information to Newsarama, including the fact that the book is a 48-page one-shot scheduled for late this year or early next year, and that it will be pencilled by Georges Jeanty (_Superboy_). The plot revolves around Superman *really* screwing up a rescue, resulting in the deaths of more than 200 people. The event leads to Superman's resignation of his "position" as Superman of Earth, and his requesting that Superboy, Supergirl, and Steel take over for him. Millar also claims that the story includes "the best plot twist I've ever come up with." ** Millar will also be turning the known Superman mythos on its ear in an upcoming two-part story in _Superman Adventures_ this winter. The tale features Darkseid, the brief return of Krypton, the revelation of Superman's secret identity, the death of all of Superman's villains, and an alien invasion led by Superman's Kryptonian half-brother! Sure you can fit it all into two issues, Mark? :-) ** So you're thinking about buying the big _Crisis on Infinite Earths_ hardcover collection this winter? You know which one I mean -- re- mastered art; a brand new cover featuring *every* character who appeared in the maxiseries, painted by Alex Ross over George Perez's pencils; probably gonna cost somewhere between fifty bucks and your first-born? Well, now there's a new twist. Marv Wolfman, who wrote the original maxiseries, has come up with a new 54-page "lost issue" of _Crisis_, which will give pre-Crisis fans one more chance to see the Earth-1 heroes in an all-new story. The new tale takes place between the fourth and fifth issues (leading fans to refer to it as _Crisis_ #4.5), and is pencilled by Paul Ryan (_Superman: Man of Tomorrow_). Look for it to hit stores at the same time as the hardcover collection (though not as part of the collection, as I understand it). ** WildStorm Productions (of Image Comics fame) has announced plans for a Superman/Gen13 crossover by Adam Hughes, due sometime next year. Supergirl will also appear in the one-shot. ** Writer Gerard Jones, penciller Chris Marrinan, and inker Al Gordon are working on a three-issue Superman story for _Legends of the DC Universe_. (Why aren't there any single-issue stories in that title?) The Year One-style story features a super-powered alien woman named Allura who arrives on Earth, warning the planet of impending doom in the form of a wormhole beast. Allura's attraction to Superman is a sub- plot, as well as how Lois Lane deals with her own feelings for the Man of Steel in the face of this super-woman. ** Walt Simonson is writing a new Superman tale, _Superman: The Last God of Krypton_, a one-shot special featuring fully-painted artwork by the Hildebrandt brothers. It is tentatively scheduled for early 1999 release. STAS: THE THIRD SEASON ** The new season of _Superman_ begins on September 19, and the schedule will change a bit. Kids' WB is still lumping Superman and Batman together as _The New Batman/Superman Adventures_, and this hour-long program will air weekday afternoons from 4:00 to 5:00 PM Eastern, presumably with one Superman and one Batman episode each day. The hour-long program also airs on Saturday mornings from 8:00 to 9:00 AM Eastern. (These may be shown at different times on different stations, so check your local listings for the exact day and time in your area.) Also, as was the practice this year, new episodes will debut on the weekend airing, while weekdays will feature reruns. ** Andy Mangels' Hollywood Heroes (part of Mania Magazine, located at http://www.mania.com) has also spilled a lot of information about the new season of _Superman_, as well as information about the new season of _Batman_ and the premiere season of _Batman Beyond_. 13 new Superman episodes are planned for the third season, and more new episodes have already been confirmed for the 1999-2000 season. Here's some info: ** "Knight Time," the "World's Finest" sequel teaming Superman and Batman against Ra's Al Ghul, is a multi-part episode which apparently doesn't count as part of Superman's 13 episodes. ** Melissa Joan Hart (_Sabrina the Teenage Witch_) will provide the voice of Saturn Girl in the Legion crossover, in which three members of the Legion of Super-Heroes travel back in time for an adventure with Superman. The other two Legion members are reportedly Cosmic Boy and Chameleon, but there will likely be a brief glimpse of the entire Legion (perhaps similar to how the New Gods were shown briefly during "Apokolips... Now!"). ** Supergirl and Steel will appear in more episodes, though it is unclear whether any of the episodes will feature either of the two. There is a rumor that a Supergirl/Batgirl team-up will occur on one of the two series. ** Green Lantern will team-up with Superman against Sinestro. GL will be Kyle Rayner, but he will have Hal Jordan's origin and costume. The producers say it took them this long to use GL because they had a hard time coming up with something that GL couldn't do but that Superman could... ** Aquaman shows up in the series finale, and will be voiced by Miguel Ferrer. Unlike his current DCU rendition, this King of the Seas will not sport a hook for a hand. ** Paul Dini has said that Captain Marvel may appear on the series, marking his first animated appearance as part of DC continuity. ** The introduction of the three characters above, in addition to the already seen Flash, and perhaps others is leading up to a large Superman/Batman crossover (probably not until the fourth season, though). The intention of this crossover is to help push Alan Burnett's proposal for a new JLA animated series to begin in 1999 or 2000! ** Darkseid will be featured in the third season premiere, as well as in another episode later in the season. Fans can also expect the return of Mr. Mxyzptlk, Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Metallo, Parasite, and Toyman, as well as the introduction of Volcana, a new fire-based villainess voiced by Peri Gilpin (_Frasier_). MISCELLANEOUS NEWS AND RUMORS ** TNT will be changing its Lois and Clark air times once again, due to the addition of E.R. to its schedule. Beginning Tuesday, September 8, weekday evening episodes of L&C will air at 5:00 PM Eastern, an hour earlier than their current slot. Sunday morning episodes are unaffected. ** Ain't It Cool News (http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com) reports several rumors that _Superman Lives_ is still on, that Nicolas Cage is still attached to the project, but that the participation of Tim Burton and Jon Peters is now up in the air. Warner Bros. last announcement about the movie was that production would be delayed until September, so perhaps we'll hear something in the next month or so. Keep your fingers crossed! ** In July we passed along word of an upcoming DCU role-playing game. Well, due to difficulties at West End Games, that project has now been cancelled. ** The Raving Toy Maniac (http://www.toymania.com) reports a new Superman figure that will be exclusive to Diamond Comics Distributors. This 12- inch animated-style figure comes with a newly-sculpted head to more accurately capture the feel of the animated series, features a cloth outfit and cape, and comes in collector's packaging. ** RTM also reports that the Kryptonian Eradicator, one of the unreleased figures from Kenner's Superman: Man of Steel line, will also be offered as an exclusive from Diamond. NEXT MONTH'S NEWS... ** Dan Jurgens has finally engineered a fantastic team-up for Superman and a certain foursome from Marvel Comics. ** Karl Kesel. World's Finest. Nuff said... for now :-) ** December's "Kingdom Event" picks up where last year's _Gog_ special left off, and writer Mark Waid is quoted by Newsarama as saying, "Gog seeks his vengeance on Superman, and it's maybe the single most cruel thing ever done to him." And that's just in the first issue! ** Not big enough news for you? How about "the return of the Multiverse"? __________________________________________ AND WHO DISGUISED AS... --------------------------------------------------------- A Column of Opinion by J.D. Rummel (rummel@creighton.edu) Superman -- It's a Dirty Job, But Someone's Gotta Do It. The other day I was at a friend's house. Adjacent to his backyard is a cornfield. For whatever reasons these things happen, I began to imagine a scene from a movie that hasn't been made: The camera sees from the perspective of young Clark Kent as he plunges down from the sky towards a corn crop. At the last second he straightens out and flies parallel to the top of the corn. His fingers dangle beneath him and lightly brush the tops of the cornrows as he hurtles forward. He arcs up toward a blue sky and rolls over toward the corn again. The camera cuts to a distant view of young Clark plunging in and out of the corn like a dolphin swimming in the sea. He is whooping and laughing. Geez, to be Superman, haven't we all thought about it? It would be great, right? To be able to soar up among the white, puffed clouds would be magnificent. And forget changing the course of rivers, just being able to change a tire without a jack, or stand up to some jerk on the street without fear of getting killed would be great. Certainly we've all seen the disasters on CNN and wanted to make a difference. Who hasn't wanted to whip off their glasses and become a blur as we lift out of the window and speed toward the sky (never questioning where Nairobi is, nor how exactly to get there)? It's a whole different world Superman lives in. Yes, it looks really great. No one would choose to have their parents murdered so the horror could make them Batman, but we'd all like to be Superman. As I sat there looking at the cornfield I began to question that. On many levels Superman is a tragic figure. You may wonder how a character that can do anything, go anywhere, accomplish any task could be tragic, but it's not that hard to see. Look at the facts: He is an orphan. He is the last of his kind -- some might argue a freak. He has no peers; there is no one to tell him that his pain is not unique; there are very few lessons that he can learn from us, and most of them he must filter for any application to his experience -- he is staggeringly alone. Did young Clark Kent have choices about who he was going to be? Not really. Remember in _Superman: The Movie_, how Glenn Ford as Jonathan Kent comforts young Clark? There is a scene where Clark is feeling tremendously frustrated about his abilities (I'm paraphrasing here): Young Clark: "Pa, if I get the ball I can get a touchdown every time, I mean every time." Pa Kent: "I know, you think about all these things you can do and you think you will just go bust if you can't tell someone. Well son there is one thing I do know, you are here for a reason, and it isn't to make touchdowns." That is a tremendous realization to bring to someone. We all like to believe we are here for a reason, but most of us come and go and don't leave a very big hole when we do. The implications for young Clark are enormous: you aren't one of us, you are above us. Clark had three real options: he could be a major slacker and do nothing, he could rule us and abuse us, or he could strive to help us all. As Lois points out in the second movie, he belongs to the whole world. What a terrible price he has to pay for all his abilities; he can never really have many of the things we all take for granted: a wife, a family a safe home (Don't be fooled by the comics. Within those fantastic pages Superman is married, but anyone today who is really married knows that his marriage is a major crock. How many wives would tolerate the pitiful amount of time he parcels out to Lois? Most of us who have careers must make choices on our usage of time. Superman is not above us in this, and his career is a mama jama of commitment. If he is going to work on a relationship, he has to be there and Superman cannot be. Lois might be very special, but being married to Superman is probably one of the loneliest places to be. Probably only being Superman is worse). So, the next time you are imagining flying somewhere, even doing some wonderful deed for the betterment of mankind, remember, there is a price for even the most noble acts. Away! And Who Disguised As... is copyright 1998 by J. D. Rummel. Its contents may not be reproduced in any format without the written permission of the author. __________________________________________ THE PHANTOM ZONE: Reviews of the pre-Crisis Man of Steel ------------------------------------------------------------------ THE ONE, TRUE, ORIGINAL SUPERMAN! --------------------------------------- by Bob Hughes (rhughes3@ix.netcom.com) (or see my web page, "Who's Whose in The DC Universe" at pw2.netcom.com/~rhughes3/whoswho.htm) Episode 6 - The Terrible Toyman (Before we get too deep into this month's column, I would like to acknowledge one mistake which crept into my "Superman vs the Atom Man" articles. The part of Batman was played by Matt Crowley at that time. Gary Merrill took over the role in 1948.) The last of Superman's major villains of the 1940's was also the only one not to be created by Jerry Siegel himself. The Terrible Toyman debuted in _Action Comics_ #64 in a story by Don Cameron and artist Ed Dobrotka in September 1943 after Siegel had left for military service. Possibly taking a lead from the already existing Prankster, Cameron fashioned a character whose seeming innocuousness made him all the more deadly. The cover itself (one of the few of that era which actually had something to do with the story) showed the Toyman hopping over a startled Superman with his pogo stick. How deadly could that be? Lois and Clark are about to find out as their stroll in the park is interrupted -- a runaway miniature Superman figure zips by. Startled, Clark reaches out and catches it. "I've never seen you move so fast!" remarks Lois. The owner turns out to be a sweet old man with long blond hair, dressed in a green baggy suit with a florid red Oscar Wilde type tie and a black and white striped shirt. Making toys is his hobby, he tells them, and he gives them away to children when he's done. The Toyman appears to be sweet and generous, but once back in his underground hideaway, the real Toyman emerges: "Riches and power shall be mine because of my ingenious toys! Then it will be my turn to laugh at the world! HA-HA-HA-HA- HA-HA!" Soon the Toyman 's army of toy soldiers is marching through Metropolis to the amusement of its citizens, an amusement which ceases when the toy soldiers hold up a bank! After his toy firing squad gasses the bank employees, Toyman bounces in on his pogo stick and begins looting the teller cages. Superman arrives, but his concern for the injured gives the Toyman the diversion he needs to get away, a ploy that will soon become his trademark. Superman is frustrated time and time again as the Toyman once again escapes while the Man of Steel has to perform one rescue after another. However, success goes to the Toyman's head and the publicity-mad criminal begins issuing direct challenges to Superman via Lois Lane. He boasts he can make an armored car disappear in the middle of East Bridge! Though prepared, the Metropolis police and Superman are unable to handle the Toyman's double diversion! Just as Superman stops one toy armored truck from totaling the bridge, another one appears! To keep the shattered bridge from falling, Superman knots the girders together! "Not very fancy, but it will hold!" Lois meanwhile, has discovered the Toyman's hide-out. Unfortunately, the Toyman has discovered her! But, no matter, he gives her some dolls to play with. "The only unpleasant thing about them is that their fingers are sharpened to needle points and dipped in poison! The effect is swift once the skin is pierced!" The Toyman, however, has reckoned without Superman's uncanny powers and soon he is spirited off to prison, where he threatens to be back soon and make Superman into a laughing stock. Meanwhile, poor Lois pleads with Clark to untie her. "Superman left me this way and everybody seems to think it's funny!" "I'll untie you in a jiffy, Lois. Just as soon as I finish writing the big story Superman gave me about the end of the Toyman! "Why, you--- you-- you-- I'll fix you! Wait and see if I don't!" (Clark and Lois had such a mature and adult relationship back then.) Not much is known about Ed Dobrotka. He apparently worked for Lloyd Jacquet's Funnies, Inc. (the shop that packaged the first issue of _Marvel Comics_) for a while and then became an assistant to Joe Shuster. He worked closely with John Sikela, with the result that some of their early stories are hard to tell apart. I've always assumed the ones with the wilder panel layouts were penciled by Dobrotka and inked by Sikela, and the other ones were the other way around. Dobrotka specialized in the kind of unorthodox page layouts that were generally frowned upon at DC. There would be six panels to the page as the script called for, but one of them would be round, or the right side panels wouldn't line up exactly with the left side ones causing a kind of step effect so that the reader was reading down the page rather than across. Ed did about half of the four page Lois Lane strips that were used as fillers about this time, as his style was deemed more appropriate to the sillier stories. I've always thought I've seen a touch of Basil Wolverton in his faces, particularly the villains. He also drew a few "Starman" stories and worked on "Captain Triumph" for Quality before leaving comics shortly after the war ended. Until then, Dobrotka did all the Toyman stories, including "The Palace of Perilous Play" in _Superman_ #27 in March 1944. True to his word, the Toyman uses his seeming innocence and childish nature to escape from prison. Given the run of the prison workshop, he fashions toys for orphan children -- and one Superman glider for himself that wafts him over the prison walls. Clark and Lois get right on the story. "Hurry, Clark! This is a daily paper, not a year book!" "Forgot my hat, Lois! I'll catch up to you!" The Toyman disguises himself with a black wig and van dyke and dumps the Oscar Wilde get-up for an outfit that looks more like Disraelli. Thus disguised (?!) he seeks new worlds to conquer. The scheme this time -- build the world's most expensive penny arcade! "Diversions that attract those of modest means will also attract the elite if only they are made expensive enough!" (Remember this was way before the days of Las Vegas and Atlantic City.) The Toyman is raking in the dough legitimately, but he can't resist a little blackmail on the side and soon Lois Lane shows up, just in time to be captured and used as bait to trap Superman! Toyman sticks her in a sealed, air-tight glass tube and drops it into a vat of acid! And Superman can't pull the tube out, because it's rigged to a gas bomb that will kill Lois if it's disturbed. Plus! (Plus!?) the floor around the acid vat is mined with electrical contacts that will set off the bomb if anyone goes near it. Why, the only way to approach Lois safely, the Toyman tells Superman, is go down one particular passage! "It's only fair to warn you that you will meet with certain -er-obstacles!" Superman has to battle needle-sharp spikes, high tension current, flame throwers, and dynamite before he finally reaches Lois's side. Surprised at Superman's capacity to take punishment, the Toyman tries to escape by putting all the patrons in his arcade into jeopardy... Still, Clark gets to write up another Superman story, much to Lois's chagrin. "I suppose he's sorry for you, because you're so colorless compared to him!" "I wouldn't be surprised if you've got something there!" replies the Man of Meek. Speaking of color, this is one of many early tales in which the S on Superman's cape is blue. (Right next to this is a full page ad for a Baby Ruth bar. Baby Ruth is high in food-energy that guards against fatigue, provides extra stamina to our troops and raises their spirits. "If you cannot find Baby Ruth on the candy counter, remember Uncle Sam's needs come first with us as with you." The ads in these old comics are almost as interesting as the stories.) One of the strangest battles between the Toyman and Superman is one in which the mischievous miscreant does not even appear! The Superman radio show almost certainly had a wider audience than did the comic series. After all, it was on every day and it was free! The publishers always tried to capitalize on this free publicity with ads in the comics pointing out the existence of the radio program (and vice versa) but in _Superman_ #39 in March, 1946, they took the readers into the radio studio itself for "the amazing story of the radio debut of the Man of Tomorrow! The Big Superman Broadcast!" They even went so far as to feature the story on the cover, as Superman hides behind a giant console radio and "broadcasts" his adventures to a group of excited youngsters. (Jack Burnley, noted Starman creator and Batman artist, contributed this and many other covers around this time.) As Lois and Clark read the Planet headlines, a new radio show is announced in which Superman and Lois will play themselves! Clark is, of course, skeptical. "I'll bet Superman gets mike fright!" The criminals of Metropolis, meanwhile, are ecstatic. While Superman is on the radio every day at 5:15 they'll have free rein over the city. Superman, of course, has thought of this and has a plan. While Lois and Clark wait in the broadcast booth, a very late Superman finally shows up! How can this be? Clark has cleverly hired an actor to take his place, but is on the scene to make sure the fellow doesn't "ham it up" too badly. The show runs smoothly and Clark soon gets bored listening to himself battle the Toyman (Thus, Toyman became the only comic book villain to ever "appear" on the Superman radio show) and changes to another station. Sure enough, Boss Biggins is robbing the subway! A job for Superman! A short one, but long enough for the public to notice he's been in two places at once! "That program is a phoney!" a disgruntled police officer tells Superman. The public is now aware that while he was supposedly on the radio saving a little girl from Toyman's tiny cannon, he was actually stopping the subway thieves. The next day the Planet headlines trumpet the Superman radio program as a hoax. Superman's veracity and honor is now in jeopardy! The only way to get it back is to vows to Lois that he really will do the next episode himself, no matter what happens! How can he do this and stop crime too? The answer is revealed as he stops at the studio and drops off the script (which he wrote himself). He then puts on a wireless mike and takes off to resume his patrol. "I'll ad lib my lines from wherever I may be -- and radio them here for rebroadcasting!" So Boss Biggins's gang is surely surprised to find themselves starring live in "The Adventure of the Auto Show Bandits!" as Superman narrates their capture live on the air. The audience in Metropolis is riveted to their seats, including Lois and a very underworked radio director. "This is the most realistic program I've ever heard!" he says. "If only it were television!" Lois responds. The gang is quickly rounded up, but Boss Biggins escapes in a helicopter and is soon back in his penthouse. Superman shortly catches up to him, but the Boss brags and boasts that Superman can't lay a finger on him. Unfortunately for him Superman is still wired and the Boss's confession goes out over the airwaves to all of Metropolis! Next day even Clark praises the broadcast. "You were so enthusiastic you might almost have been writing about yourself!" says Lois. "You think so?" is Clark's witty rejoinder. The story ends with an admonishment to readers to tune in to the Mutual radio network every day for more exciting adventures of Superman. This particular Don Cameron yarn featured the artwork of Ira Yarbrough, the original artist of Mxyztplk. He drew Superman with a Li'l Abner pompadour, very prominent spit curl and a lantern jaw, a la Jerry Ordway, years later. Yarbrough left the book with Siegel and Shuster and went on to his own newspaper strip, Tallulah. The Toyman went on to plague Superman a number of times throughout the Forties, but after Don Cameron left the strip in 1948, other writers just couldn't seem to work up the same level of enthusiasm. His last big splash was in _Superman_ #88 in March 1954, when he joined Luthor and the Prankster as "The Terrible Trio". After a cameo in _Jimmy Olsen_ #9 he was gone, phased out in favor of the space aliens, monsters, and "imaginary stories" that formed the staples of the Weisinger era. He did try for a comeback in _Superman_ #182 in January 1966, in a Leo Dorfman scripted 8-pager with art by Curt Swan, done probably to promote the _Superman Giant_ released the same month in which Golden Age stories were reprinted for the very first time. Toyman uses a Superman toy to foil a jail break and win his parole. He claims that he's gone straight and Superman is now his hero. Soon Superman finds himself imitating the actions of Toyman's action figures -- ripping up bridges, dragging ocean liners onto dry land -- that sort of thing. Toyman claims innocence, and since the figures upon examination are exactly what they appear to be, no one can prove otherwise. It's all part of a grand scheme, of course, involving a life-size toy, but when the real Superman breaks it up, this tired Toyman has no back-up plan and falls to pieces, crying over his lost toys. Rallying, he vows revenge in the last panel. And the last caption warns the readers to watch for Toyman's "Doom-Toy" in the near-future, but the story must not have gone over very well, for there were no further appearances. Eight pages really just isn't enough room for a Superman story. And the Comics Code probably frowned on the Toyman's tried-and-true plan of putting innocents in mortal jeopardy in order to distract Superman. Without that he just couldn't hold the readers' attention. Back to the space aliens. Still in all, the era when Superman's brain was challenged as often as his brawn required the writers to think of clever conundrums to keep both Superman and the reader engaged. I'm sure the Toyman has appeared in more Superman stories and entertained more Superman readers than Doomsday ever will. __________________________________________ NEW COMIC REVIEWS ----------------------------------------- Comics Arriving In Stores July 1998 "So," you find yourself wondering, "what could they *possibly* have chosen not to review this month?" Wonder no more! In _Adventures in the DC Universe_ #19, Superman and the rest of the JLA battle Amazo 2000, the android creation of Professor Ivo. Superman and the JLA make guest appearances in _Green Lantern_ #103, as Kyle Rayner re-introduces them to the time-displaced Hal Jordan. Finally, Superman provides a small assist to the Titans in _Teen Titans_ #24, the final issue of that series. Ratings Panelists: ----------------- AW: Anatole Wilson ES: Emmanuel Soupidis RG: Rene' Gobeyn CoS: Cory Strode GS: Gabe Smith ST: Shane Travis DC: David Chappell GN: G.M. Nelson SDM: Simon DelMonte DR: Daniel Radice JO: Joey Ochoa TD: Thomas Deja DWd: Darrin Wood JSy: Jeff Sykes VV: Vic Vitek DWk: Douglas Wolk MS: Mike Smith As always, the first rating given after the average is that of the reviewer. The average rating given for each book may correspond to a larger sample of ratings than what is printed following the average. =============================================== THE TRIANGLE TITLES: ------------------- 33. SUPERMAN #138 Sep 1998 $1.99 US/$2.85 CAN "Dominus" Writer: Dan Jurgens Artists: Paul Ryan and Joe Rubinstein Letterer: John Costanza Colorist: Glenn Whitmore Separator: Digital Chameleon Assistant: Maureen McTigue Futurist: Joey Cavalieri Cover: Dan Jurgens, Joe Rubinstein, and Patrick Martin RATINGS Average: 3.0/5.0 Shields TD: 2.8 Shields DWd: 2.0 Shields - What a letdown from the earlier storyline. Something had better happen soon or they might lose a fan. ES: 2.5 Shields - This feels more like a turf war than a battle on a cosmic scale. Ryan's art was weak on _Flash_ and it is weak here; how anyone can like this guy over Bogdanove is beyond me. GS: 2.9 Shields - I really enjoyed Paul Ryan's artwork in this issue. One complaint: The dialogue of the couple from Idaho who were explaining what happened to Superman was just *horrible!* JO: 4.0 Shields - Finally, normal continuity returns! I enjoyed the trips into different times, but it's nice to be home. MS: 3.0 Shields - Nice to finally get an explanation (although they still owe us one for _Superman Forever_), but the 'future Superman' storyline ended pretty abruptly. I thought these were three-issue tributes, not two-and-a-quarter. VV: 3.5 Shields - Despite the hokey name ("Dominus" for someone who wants ultimate power? Why not Fred?), this has the makings of a great arc. *sigh* I honest to God thought this silly 'blood and thunder style' had disappeared. It's not that I don't like this issue; I do (although I think I preferred the stuff leading up to the issue better than the issue itself). It's just that the villain has been revealed -- a world-shaking menace supposedly on par with Doomsday -- yet now that we know his plan, we find out not only that Supes was incidental to it, but that it's a pretty hazy plan to begin with. In fact, Dominus himself is a pretty hazy character, indistinct and without much except a bit of bluster.... Sorry. Got ahead of myself. As you know, for the last three months, Superman has been trapped in four separate eras. This has resulted in stories that ranged from the brilliant (the Simonson and Bogdanove 30's sequence) to the amusing (Hey, I *liked* JLA 2999...) to the fun (Immonen's very precise 70's spoof) to the confused (I'm sorry, but Kesel's Weisinger take was all over the place). Now, in the flagship book, we learn that this schism was all because of Dominus, who has been playing with Superman in order to attract the attention of Kismet -- a being last seen in _Superman Forever_. In fact, thanks to more of Jurgens' patented expositionary bystanders, we learn that Supes never really left one city block of Metropolis -- he's been tearing it up thinking he's been in all of these parallel worlds. So Kismet takes Superman to her home plane to explain Dominus' plan. Okay, the plan is this: Dominus aspires to be a 'cosmic entity,' and to do that he must kill Kismet. He screwed with Superman, warping reality into various 'tests' for him, so that Kismet would come out of hiding and try to re-establish her bond with the Man of Steel. Before she can go further and actually -- *gasp* -- explain things to us readers, Dominus shows up, blasts Kismet and backhands Supes into a mountain. Luckily, Superman's distraction is enough to allow Kismet to go into hiding, which means there *will* be another 'to be continued' box at the end of this story. I guess we're supposed to be really impressed with Dominus because he bitch slaps Big Blue, but the fact is his 'plan' is so ill-defined I don't have a handle on what he actually *does*. On top of that, the boy is so generic in his language and posturing, I can't imagine why Team Superman thought he was going to be the 'next Doomsday.' We learn nothing about what he's like or his motivations -- in fact, we learned more about his thought processes in one page of _Man of Steel_ #82 than we do in this whole issue. The story reads as if rushed -- a five-page sequence stretched out with splash pages (2), double page spreads (1), extra-large figures a la _Infinity Inc._-era McFarlane (4), 'duplicate panels' to reflect reality shifts (3) and special computer effects (2). I would have much rather gotten something more substantial than super-villain posturing. That being said, I have to admit the book's opening sequence, announcing Superman 2999's founding of the Justice Alliance was pretty neat. Ryan has a lot of fun cramming these eight pages with future versions of DC Universe heroes -- including a Martian Captain Marvel (!), a female Robin, and a gray-haired wonder Woman. Ryan also sneaks in a nice visual clue of Dominus' presence on a telescreen that looks perfectly at home in the context of the panel in which it appears. Of course, since three of those pages are a splash panel and a double-page spread, it only proves my earlier point. If this is what we have to look forward to post-Sparky the Wonder Kryptonian(**), I am not exactly heartened. Bland, generic villains are bland, generic villains whether on a cosmic scale or not, vague plotlines do not gain any clarity from fancy pencilling effects, and stories that are so thin they seem to be inspired by Rob Liefeld aren't gonna cut it. Unless Jurgens and company realize that, the sales spike this recent 'tribute phase' engendered will quickly be lost. Considering the work Jurgens has been doing of late, with its hints of greatness, that would be too damn bad. Like I said earlier, it's not like I dislike this issue... or maybe I did... I just wanted a real story, not an excuse for a series of pin-up pages. *sigh* (**) This final usage of the phrase 'Sparky the Wonder Kryptonian' is dedicated to Shane Travis, who found the initial coining of the title so funny. Thanks, Shane. Thomas Deja =============================================== 34. THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #561 Sep 1998 $1.99 US/$2.85 CAN "Waves of Deception" Plot: Kesel Script: Ordway Pencils: Grummett Finishes: Rodier Letters: DeGuzman Colors: Whitmore Separations: DigiCham Intrigue: McTigue Danger: Cavalieri Cover: Tom Grummett, Denis Rodier, and Patrick Martin RATINGS Average: 2.9/5.0 Shields DR: 2.8 Shields (Story) 3.1 Shields (Art) DC: 2.6 Shields - Interesting masquerade by Dominus, though I wish he had turned out to be Extant. Nice to see the subplots advancing. ES: 2.7 Shields - Waverider is a dull character, and having Dominus masquerade as him didn't help. Thank goodness for Grummett! GS: 4.5 Shields - Ordway did a fine job of threading the story together; This issue didn't skip a beat. Grummett's pencils weren't too shabby, either! JSy: 2.4 Shields - Just didn't do much for me. Grummett's art seemed a bit rushed, and Superman felt out of character in the alley scene. On the other hand, Kesel and Ordway have Clark and Lois' married life down to a tee. MS: 3.0 Shields - Nice story, but Dominus has been wasting time since last issue. If this guy's so powerful, what's the holdup? Fortunately, the Planet plot makes up for it. ST: 2.7 Shields - (Story: 2.1, Art: 3.5) Nice scenes with L&C, and good- but-not-great art from Grummett, but things just didn't gel. The Planet sub-plot has been bubbling a while and builds well, but too much re-cap, and too much whining from Jimmy weakened things. Hot on the heels of the recent time-slip stories, Superman finds himself dealing with the dilemma that is Dominus and his ever-important quest for God-hood. In this issue, the Man of Steel is confronted by Waverider, in an effort to get down to the bottom of the recent time anomalies. All is not as it seems, however, and to top it off, the Daily Planet goes up for sale! Hoo boy. There goes *my* chance at an internship... Our story opens with Lois Lane berating Superman for his haphazard handling of their Super-children, while their Super-son and Super-daughter burst through the side of their obviously not-super-reinforced house. Another fake reality? Just a dream, actually. Superman is woken up by his dear wife, and he quickly dresses and rushes off to work. First, however, a disaster awaits him: a crane in the hypersector has collapsed! As the Man of Steel approaches two falling men, the girders and workers freeze in mid-air. Enter Waverider! He and the other Linear Men seek Kismet in an effort to restore her to her proper position in the Universe. Superman promises to do everything in his power to find her, and the two part ways. The scene shifts to the Daily Planet. Perry White and Franklin Stern call an impromptu meeting of the entire Planet staff. The news is as bad as people feared: The Daily Planet is up for sale. After the news, while Lois, Clark, and Jimmy Olsen all grab a bite at the local "Big Belly Burger", a very familiar girl runs by, shouting a very familiar statement. Clark runs off to investigate. The girl turns out to be just that: A girl. She is merely a pawn in a scheme to rob people, set up by her father. Waverider turns up and 'reads' her, learning her identity and history, and establishing that she is not Kismet. Superman flies off with the father and the girl to deliver them to the authorities and her mother, respectively. Waverider stays behind, and reveals a secret. If I have to tell you what it is, I'm going to be very disappointed in you, oh faithful Super-reader! So how was this story, you ask? It was okay. Nothing special, and I'll tell you why. The plot is simple: Waverider appears to enlist Superman's help in finding Kismet, and the Daily Planet goes up for sale. The subplot, about the Planet, is actually more interesting than the actual main story. To top it off, I have a problem with the scripting. "What problem?", you say? Why, not much, really. Just that Superman comes off sounding like Captain Marvel. Oh, it's slight, and I probably only noticed because I pick up both books, but Jerry Ordway scripts the Man of Steel like the World's Mightiest Mortal. Thing is, they're two *very* different characters, and should be treated as such. The Superman here sounds a little more like a teenager, more prone to sarcasm and the odd statement like "Yep" and "I'll bet!" Just not Superman, to me. That's my only characterization gripe, however, as Ordway pulls off many excellent depictions, and even a few gems. Lois' explanation as to why Clark ditched after seeing 'Kismet', was quite humorous. Moreso was Jimmy's offhanded remark, "Sure, go. Distance yourself from the guy with no future." It is his Superman errors that stand out in my mind, though, as he tends to sound too expositional. Heck, even the opening few pages, though trying to continue a nice splash page gag, seemed forced. I hope he tightens up on his Supes. Looking at the art, well, it's fine. While I admit that I really miss Doug Hazlewood's tight inks over Tom Grummett's tight pencils, I'm starting to ... tolerate ... Denis Rodier's interpretations of Tom's layouts. Their combined work still seems too loose, and as such, is missing that Grummett-quality that the books should have. Check, oh, 50 or so issues ago, and you'll see the difference. I can't sell them short, though; the opening splash page was well-done, and the backgrounds are getting sharper and more detailed. I'm a Super-phile, my friends. As such, I'll never stop reading the Man of Steel (unless it's a life-or-death situation, and even *then*, I'm not sure...), but I can't assume the same of you. The Superman books, in all honesty, haven't been horribly exciting since, oh, the end of "Reign of the Supermen". Since then, barring the random diamond in the rough, the gems have been too few and far between. The books need some life injected into them, and how. New creators -- big name creators -- could do the trick, but until that day comes, we've got average tales about a Super guy. And that just ain't right. Dan Radice =============================================== 35. ACTION COMICS #748 Sep 1998 $1.99 US/$2.85 CAN "Chasing the Ancient of Days" Writer/Penciller: Stuart Immonen Inker: Jose Marzan Jr. Letterer: Bill Oakley Colorist: Glenn Whitmore Separations: Digital Chameleon Assistant: Maureen McTigue Ancient: Joey Cavalieri Cover: Stuart Immonen, Jose Marzan Jr., and Patrick Martin RATINGS Average: 3.2/5.0 Shields ST: 3.8 Shields DC: 2.6 Shields - Nice to see the real Linear Men joining in. It will be interesting to see if the subplot merges with the main plot. ES: 2.2 Shields - Oh, yea, here come The Linear Men. Yawn! Please end this storyline! GS: 4.8 Shields - Without a doubt, the best artwork I have yet seen from Immonen. He continues to come up with innovative ideas for storytelling, but unlike last issue, this method worked well. JSy: 4.1 Shields - Gorgeous artwork, as always, but I bet it took Stuart forever to draw this one. His experimentation works well this issue, and the supporting stories are all very well told. MS: 1.6 Shields - We ended the "tribute story arcs" for this? Cosmic double-talk and panels too small to look at? Stu's art is good, but not at 1/16 scale. SDM: 3.6 Shields - It's ironic that the Superman writer who has failed to engage me more than twice since taking over Action is the first writer to bring Dominus to life. Maybe there *is* a method to his maddening efforts at experimentation. His art is stellar! VV: 2.9 Shields - I can't imagine that the "oldest house in Metropolis" wasn't put on the historical register for the city years ago, but any plot with Luthor involved is loaded with potential. Is 128 panels on a page a record? Greetings all! I'm back from my review-writing hiatus. My son, Samuel Richard Doran Travis, (the reason I took the break) is almost 12 weeks old now, and doing just great. A happier baby is hard to find -- or a bigger one! At 2 months, he was already nearing 15 lbs... Guess he's gonna be a linebacker or sumthin. :-) Anyway, on to what you all _really_ came to hear about -- Immonen's best outing as a writer on _Action Comics_! Synopsis: After posing as Waverider to fool Superman in _Adventures of Superman_ #561, Dominus continues to go with what works and poses as Superman to get near Jonathan Kent and question him about the one time he met Kismet. Learning nothing, he wipes Pa's memory and leaves. Back in Metropolis, Lex Luthor pays a concerned visit to Jerome Odetts, the lone holdout slowing down progress of his Hypersector. Despite Luthor's more-than-generous offers, Odetts has refused to sell his home and make way for the Hypersector expansion. Always the concerned citizen, Lex cautions the old man about how 'accidents' can happen in such a busy neighborhood. Odetts still refuses to sell, though, mostly because of his new houseguest. Seems there's a lady swimming in a ball of green energy tucked in Odetts' basement... Now that the Planet is up for sale, Clark reminds the younger staff that everyone's job is on the line. Unfortunately, his point is lost when Stern reprimands him for not showing up until mid-afternoon! He is only to happy to escape the office when Waverider contacts him -- the *real* Waverider -- and Clark soon learns of Dominus' deception. Lois, meanwhile, is tootling around the Hypersector in her Lambourghini, looking for Odetts and his little lost farmhouse so she can write a human-interest piece, when she runs into Lex. Gloating about the paper's troubles, he offers her a job, but it ain't cue-ball's day and he gets rejected for a second time. >From here, we focus on Superman and his attempt to find Kismet with the help of Waverider. Err... I mean, of Matthew Ryder. No, wait, it's Hunter -- or is it another of the linear men, Liri Lee? The panels get smaller and smaller and Superman's companion changes faster than you can blink. The only thing that remains constant is the speech the companion is giving about not being able to trust your senses. As this finally gets through to him, Superman realizes that his companion is really Dominus, and exposes him. The panels continue to shrink in size as Dominus, sick of subtlety, now tries beating the location of Kismet out of Superman. Superman bears everything no-neck can throw at him, though, and refuses to help; "I know you will never hold ultimate power while Kismet lives, and you'll never find her while *I* live... You'll have to kill me first." Dominus throws a hissy-fit at this, and traps Superman's mind inside a web of alternate and parallel worlds in an attempt to drive him mad... Opinions: This issue marks another of Immonen's attempts at experimentation, only this time, instead of playing with the writing -- a skill at which he is still a Journeyman at best -- he has fun with the art, which is where his talents truly lie. Don't get me wrong; I'm not implying that Stuart can't write, only that he is still new at it, and should stick to straight fare until he is more adept. It takes skill to write comics -- but it takes even more skill to write in a non-standard way and have things work out. As "Chanticleer's Tale" in _Action #741_ and last issue's wordless story both demonstrate, Stuart is long on ideas but short on experience. By way of analogy, I think of Bill Sienkiewicz' work on _New Mutants_. I'm willing to bet that Bill didn't start out drawing that way. At the same time, I'd also bet that he had a *damn* good grasp of the fundamentals of art before settling on such an out-there and unusual style. Having said all that, let's get back to the task at hand. Stuart's writing in this issue is, for the most part, quite solid. Stuart does a great job of moving all the sub-plots along, introducing new ones (Odetts) and making everyone seem *real*. Furthermore, he does things with a subtlety we don't often see. Example: long-time readers know that Mayor Sackett is firmly in Luthor's pocket. His reasons for trying to get Lois to write a piece against Odetts is obviously an attempt to curry favour with Lex. His transparent attempt at manipulation -- which produces a result opposite to the one desired -- tells us more about the man in a single page than some writers could express in three. It is when I see scenes like this, the two-page scene in the Planet's newsroom that immediately follows, and his characterization of Dominus (i.e. he gives him some, for the first time) that I understand why DC has given him a chance to write. The only place where the writing really breaks down is on page 18. Superman has just spent 4 pages in the presence of an ever-changing companion. Said companion (whatever his or her identity) has been talking to Superman -- cautioning him, and trying to get him to open his eyes. As late as that same page, panel 5, Waverider warns that keeping away from Kismet may be the best thing in the long run. Imagine my surprise, then, when it is revealed that Superman's companion is really Dominus! Maybe I missed something, but... Huh? Why was Dominus (as Waverider) advising Superman *not* to find Kismet? Unless he really *was* Waverider just then, and only became Dominus four panels later, but why would Dominus show up just then? Unless it was Superman's *belief* that his companion was Dominus that turned him *into* Dominus... my head hurts... To be fair, I never really noticed this inconsistency until I was re-reading the comic closely for this review, so it wasn't too glaring. Stuart nicely balanced my throbbing temples by turning in art that was easy on the eyes. Throughout this book, the art really complemented the writing. Evidence of this can be seen in small things, like the scene shift between Pa Kent and Jerome Odetts as they both chop wood, and the body language of everyone in the newsroom scene. Also, as I mentioned, his experiment with the art worked really well; starting on page 14, which was a full-page shot of Superman and Waverider, each successive page had double the number of panels as the previous page. This means that by the time we reached page 21, Stuart had squeezed in an amazing 128 panels on a single page! All these panels meant more work for Jose Marzan Jr. and Glenn Whitmore as well, and they both covered admirably. In fact, this issue is one of the better colouring jobs I've seen from Glenn in quite some time. All in all, a pretty darn good issue. Keep up the solid work, Stuart, and the upcoming change in writers on all the triangle titles will have a lot of people clamoring for your return. Final Thought: Did anyone else notice that Mercy (Luthor's female chauffeur/bodyguard from S:TAS) seems to have made it into mainstream continuity? Although she is never named, she appears on the cover and again inside on pages 4, 5, and 11. Lest you think that she was merely easter-egged in by Stuart, a similar-looking character makes an appearance in issue #1 and #2 of _Superman for all Seasons_. It's nice to see that the same cross-pollination of ideas across media that brought us Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, and kryptonite may be showing its head again. Shane Travis __________________________________________ THE TRIANGLE TITLES (cont): -------------------------- 36. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #83 Sep 1998 $1.99 US/$2.85 CAN "Shattered Illusions" Writer: Louise Simonson Penciller: Scot Eaton Inker: Dennis Janke Letterer: Lois Buhalis Colorist: Glenn Whitmore Separations: Digital Chameleon Asst. Ed.: Maureen McTigue Editor: Joey Cavalieri Cover: Jon Bogdanove, Dennis Janke, and Patrick Martin RATINGS Average: 3.0/5.0 Shields MS: 4.0 Shields DC: 2.5 Shields - Nice to have the Linear Men, although it's sad that they're of such little use. ES: 2.4 Shields - I don't really care what this guy's got in the basement; just quit dragging out transparent plot threads. JO: 4.0 Shields - You don't know what you have till it's gone. Superman fighting for the universe used to be stale; now that big blue is back I realize how much I missed it. JSy: 3.0 Shields - Some interesting bits with the confused realities, and Janke even turns in some nice inkwork this issue, but let's get one thing straight; there's no way an *infinity* of linear men could fit in a finite space, so something more needed to be explained there. VV: 2.8 Shields - Waverider has faced Parallax, yet says Dominus has more power? Why is Odetts guarding Kismet? And where is Luthor when Dominus is in his office holding Lena? (Unless, of course, the whole thing was an illusion...) A treadmill issue. Well, back to the present. Not that I didn't like the World War II story going on in _Man of Steel_ for the last few months, but it's good to move on to something a little lighter -- maybe a nonsensical romp with the Linear Men. Yes, that would cleanse the palate. A side note on the Linear Men for the uninitiated. Back in 1991, Dan Jurgens created these time-traveling guys to pop up and annoy Superman. "We can't interfere, but always wind up interfering anyway" is their credo. The gold shiny one is Waverider, an energy being who can see your past, present, and future with physical contact. Two of their ranks, Matt Ryder and Rip Hunter, died during 1994's Zero Hour crossover. Now, just to set things up, Dominus has been torturing Superman to get him to find Kismet for him. Since neither Dominus nor Stuart Immonen can do something simple like a chunk of Kryptonite, Dommy impersonates the Linear Men and gets Superman stuck in a "web of alternate timelines". Or something. Well, I was in pain, anyway. So now Louise "Got to explain my silly powers to you as I use them!" Simonson takes over the story. I like Weezie. I know a lot of people don't, but it's times like these when she stands out among the other writers. This chapter opens with the Linear Men finding Supes trapped in the "timeline cage" Immonen spent six pages trying to explain -- and they shoot it. Waverider just blasts it and it's gone. Ah, clarity. Waverider tries to help Superman up, but Superman lashes out at him. See, Superman thinks that these guys might just be Dominus in disguise again. Even if they're the real thing, Waverider's touch would reveal Kismet's whereabouts. Either way, Superman's finally showing some brains here. Oh yeah, and those two dead Linear Men I mentioned? They're suddenly alive. I don't know who goofed this up, but Simonson is quick to point out that they only died in one possible timeline. Yeah, it's dumb, but Jurgens would have wasted three pages on it. Better to get it over with and move on, I say. That's about it for the Linear Men. They try to help Superman fight Dominus, but there isn't a whole lot they can do except distract him. Perhaps the most confusing guest stars of all time, but Weezie manages to utilize them quickly and simply. OK, that's covered, now for Mr. Odetts! Quit groaning, this will only take a minute. See, Luthor is building this swell Epcot Center lookalike called Hypersector in downtown Metropolis. Odetts is the lone holdout who refuses to sell his property and make way for the Captain Eo theater. Lois Lane is doing a story on the situation, and conveniently enough, some kids on a field trip find a bomb in the cellar of Odetts' house. Superman races in to save the day, and one of the kids turns out to be Dominus. He makes his usual threats about controlling reality and killing Kismet. Of course as powerful as this guy is, I don't see why he can't find Kismet himself, but that's for next week, I guess. Meanwhile, Lucy Lane is pregnant. See, when Dominus escaped Waverider's causality loop it -- oh, wait. Leave it to Simonson to floor us with something perfectly normal. Lucy runs through all the typical thoughts (i.e. "We only did it once," "Mom will kill me", etc.) It's all very routine, and somehow that's what makes it even more surprising. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Lucy and Ron have been getting so little attention in the Superman books that I nearly forgot about their relationship and all the implications. A few things came to mind: 1) Uncle Superman. We were so busy thinking about Lois having kids someday that nobody even considered Lucy. Of course, even if she decides to keep the baby, it'll be three years before it's born. I'm willing to wait. 2) Ron's sister will freak. Lenda objected to Ron dating a white woman, what's she going to think about kids? Handled carefully, this could make an interesting story. 3) Ron's job is in trouble. The Daily Planet's up for sale, remember? One page after Lucy we find the father-to-be wondering if he'll still be employed when all this is over. Vintage Simonson. 4) Where's Ashbury and Scorn? Remember them? It's getting so you have to marry, start a family, or change powers just to get noticed in Metropolis. So let's see, what else? Dominus tries to torture Superman with Kryptonite. (See, Stuart? It's easy when you know how.) to lure Kismet out of hiding. Oh, and Odetts is keeping Kismet in his closet. She's recuperating quite nicely. There you have it. "Shattered Illusions" successfully continues the Dominus storyline while seamlessly leading into the _Save the Planet_ one-shot, plus at no extra cost, Weezie ties both storylines into the Hypersector subplot and drops a bombshell into the supporting cast. My only beef with this intricate plot is that it makes it harder to recap for this review. Small price to pay, I guess. This issue also features the return of guest-penciller Scot Eaton, and Lois Buhalis pinch-lettering for Ken Lopez. I admit that I was uneasy about Eaton coming back for this fill-in issue. Scot's pencils and Janke's inks were at war for most of Jon Bogdanove's sabbatical (issues #69-74). Things finally improved in #74, but now they've really got their act together! I don't know how they fixed it, but suddenly I'm looking forward to Eaton and Rodier on the _Save the Planet_ special. As for Buhalis, I found her letters noteworthy just because they were so different from the norm. It seemed bolder somehow, grittier, and it was enough to make me go back and check the credits. I thought it was appropriate with Janke's thick inks, and I suggest that her talents could also be useful with some of the Batbooks, where dark and gritty is always in style. This a fun issue all around, and that's good because it'll have to last you for a while. Say... 83,273 years! Or two months. Something like that. Mike Smith __________________________________________ SUPER-FAMILY TITLES: ------------------- SUPERBOY #55 Sep 1998 $1.99 US/$2.85 CAN "Hexed" Words: Karl Kesel Guest Pencils: Scott Kolins Guest Inks: Norm Rapmund Colors: Buzz Setzer Letters: Comicraft Assistant: Frank Berrios Editor: Mike McAvennie Legend: Jack Kirby Cover: Tom Grummett, Karl Kesel, and Patrick Martin RATINGS Average: 2.5/5.0 Shields RG: 3.0 Shields (Story) 2.5 Shields (Art) DWd: 2.5 Shields - Another letdown in the Super-camp. From the Wild Lands to some pointless fight with a rock monster and a reincarnated Jonah Hex. Poohey! ES: 2.0 Shields - Hex reincarnated as an Elle MacPherson wannabe? Kooky, but considering the lack of plot in the regular titles, it was offbeat enough. Now if only Grummett had drawn it; Norm Rapmund is a brutal inker, here and on 'Titans'! JO: 4.0 Shields - Hex and the Contessa; two reasons why women in the DC Universe kick butt! JSy: 3.6 Shields - Interesting twist, having a supermodel channeling an old west sharpshooter, but I've seen stranger things in the DCU. All together, not a bad book, especially considering it was just an issue-long fight scene... SDM: 3.0 Shields - Cute, and a good set-up for the upcoming new direction, but not much of a story under all the fighting. The Hex bit is also cute, but James Robinson did the "old western hero reincarnated" bit a lot better in Starman. ST: 1.9 Shields - An issue long fight-scene, art without Grummett, Jonah Hex reincarnated as a supermodel, The Guardian condoning wanton violence and destruction, and Contessa as head of the Agenda. Nope... not much here to like... While Superboy and Hex -- and Grokk -- break free of the rubble that buried them at the close of last issue, the mystery-man Alpha learns the hard way how the Agenda deals with failures. Beta takes over using a squad of soldier clones whose orders are simple: deal with Grokk, and kill Superboy. As the soldiers position themselves, one has a run-in with Superboy, slashing him across the face. Superboy's telepathic cry of pain alerts Dubbilex and brings Guardian to the scene, but it seems that it was Hex, not Superboy who was injured? Meanwhile Hex is finding that Grokk may not be all that bad -- at least by comparison to the Agenda soldiers. Too bad she doesn't get to tell Superboy or The Guardian before they start pounding on the dragon again. This is when things get strange, even for Superboy. Hex undergoes a possession, where-in she is taken over by (you guessed it) Jonah Hex! Just in time too, as Superboy and Guardian are about to be bushwhacked by a group of the clones. She manages to save them, and Superboy subdues Grokk (with a little help from Dubbilex). The story ends as Dubbilex and Guardian offer Superboy a job of investigating "genetic anomalies" for Cadmus. The panel showing the destruction from the battle was probably a preview of things to come. The book closes with a look at The Agenda Headquarters, where a surprise villain (from the Superman books) makes an appearance. We also find that Cadmus has a few unexpected problems in the works that will certainly spell trouble for our hero. After five months of superlative issues, this one was something of a let down. What we have here is pretty much your standard super-hero fight book -- maybe a bit better than most, but still just one long fight scene. Little is done in the way of characterization, though we do find out some very interesting things about the Agenda organization. All-in-all, even with the non-guest appearance of Jonah Hex (my favorite DC western hero) this book fell short of the mark for me. That's too bad, because I was really enjoying the characterization and by-play of the past few months. It seems that Kesel is gearing up to take Superboy in a new, and hopefully interesting direction. As a monster hunter for Cadmus, Superboy should be in his element. As a bonus it will give him some much-needed focus that should keep him from his whining, and going all angsty over Tana leaving him. Still, I hope that he doesn't get too far from his base in Hawaii, and further away from his friends and existing supporting cast. I miss Roxy, Tana, Rex, and even Krypto. We've gone six issues with little more than a glimpse of his old life. While I like the direction that the book is taking, I hope that events will allow him to get back to the islands. One thing I really missed was the Wild Men. I hope that next issue will at least give us a look at what they are up to. They've only been around for five issues, but they are some of the most fun characters in the book. The art in the book was a bit sketchy and over-inked for my taste. While the perspectives were excellent, there were far too many panels with little to no background to establish settings. Tom should be back again next issue; none too soon for me. Overall, while there were some interesting developments and a lot of sub-plots started, this one didn't make it. Rene Gobeyn =============================================== SUPERGIRL #25 Sep 1998 $1.99 US/$2.85 CAN "Desperate Times" Writer: Peter David Pencils: Leonard Kirk Inks: Robin Riggs Letters: Pat Prentice Colors: Gene D'Angelo Seps: Digital Chameleon Asst. Ed: Frank Berrios Editor: Mike McAvennie Cover: Leonard Kirk, Robin Riggs, and Patrick Martin RATINGS Average: 4.1/5.0 Shields ===TEXT TD: 4.5 Shields DWd: 3.0 Shields - I'll be interested to see the next issue, so I gather this one has done its job. ES: 4.0 Shields - Wally bless PAD for this great tale! Not only was the theological angle thought-provoking enough for a re-read, but the final panel has my vote for 'Best Last Page Of The Year'! JSy: 4.0 Shields - Since this issue likely exhausted his supply, I think it must be time for PAD to buy some new cans of worms. Racism, free speech, religion, homosexuality, alcoholism, divorce; what could he *possibly* throw at us next? And, no, that's not a challenge! :-) ST: 4.4 Shields - One of the most meaty issues of this comic (or any other Super-family comic) in a long time. Theology, philosophy, ideology, subplots, relationships, and even a belly laugh. ("Your prayer technique needs a lot of work." Hah!) What more could you ask for? VV: 4.3 Shields - Nice to see the "Issue of the Day" issue isn't going away, at least not yet. So many nice little touches; Linda's "prayer", Cutter's resignation, The Garden of Eden, Wally's exit, Dick's answered question... ===WWW TD: 4.5 Shields DWd: 3.0 Shields - I'll be interested to see the next issue, so I gather this one has done the it's job. ES: 4.0 Shields - Wally bless PAD for this great tale! Not only was the theological angle thought-provoking enough for a re-read, but the final panel has my vote for 'Best Last Page Of The Year'! JO: 4.5 Shields - The Gospel according to David is a big hit with me. As for Comet, she can't be a bad guy if she ain't a guy at all :-) JSy: 4.0 Shields - Since this issue likely exhausted his supply, I think it must be time for PAD to buy some new cans of worms. Racism, free speech, religion, homosexuality, alcoholism, divorce; what could he *possibly* throw at us next? And, no, that's not a challenge! :-) ST: 4.4 Shields - One of the most meaty issues of this comic (or any other Super-family comic) in a long time. Theology, philosophy, ideology, subplots, relationships, and even a belly laugh. ("Your prayer technique needs a lot of work." Hah!) What more could you ask for? VV: 4.3 Shields - Nice to see the "Issue of the Day" issue isn't going away, at least not yet. So many nice little touches; Linda's "prayer", Cutter's resignation, The Garden of Eden, Wally's exit, Dick's answered question... Is Andy *really* Comet? And does she know more about Linda than we suspect? Okay, before we begin: raise your hands if you saw this issue's ending coming. Thought not. This may very well be my favorite issue of _Supergirl_ since the incredible "My Dinner With Buzz" way back when. David does a lot to tamp Supergirl down here, forcing her to make a decision that isn't going to bode well in the greater scheme of things. David also gives us copious amounts of Wally (says the man who bemoaned his lack of appearance in the last few issues), and throws us a curveball or two that I didn't see coming. As if that wasn't enough, he gives us a monologue ala' Buzz's discussion on his origins... but I'm getting ahead of myself. The story begins with Supergirl at her wits end. Due to her actions in issue #23, the media is branding her a racist (to the point that the Klu Klux Klan have endorsed her actions!). Mattie is angry at her not only for defending the views of the racist professor (#23), but for helping Wanda Lee's caretaker to get out of assault charges (issue #24's crossover with _Resurrection Man_). In spite of Linda's pleas, Fred is still going through with his divorce of Sylvia, and Sylvia is still viciously, willfully afraid of her daughter. Even John and Martha Kent are at a loss for words. Enter Wally. Seeing the child-who-says-he's-God walk by, Linda runs off in pursuit -- ignoring Dick Malverne, who just got a friendly warning from Andy Jones to stay away from Linda -- and tracks Wally down. Before Wally can feed her any of the standard lines he's been spouting earlier in the book's run, Linda picks him up, slams him against the wall of a batting cage, and demands help. After Wally demonstrates his authority (and power!) by batting Linda clear out of the park, he agrees to help her in two ways: by solving Sylvia's spiritual crisis and by revealing what Comet has been hiding from her. In doing so, however, Wally cryptically points out that since he's agreed to help her now, he won't help her when The Carnivore comes, but Linda is too worried about the measures she's taken to dwell on that little hint of trouble to come. Sure enough, Wally comes to Sylvia's door and talks with her. Their conversation involves the concept of 'Why do bad things happen to good people', and is some of David's most succinct writing in a while. When Sylvia balks at reconciling with Linda and her husband, though, Wally does a little trick he last did, "...for an artist thirty years ago." Which is where he leaves *that* scene... ...and switches to Wally's other promise, namely, Supergirl meeting Comet. Comet refuses to reveal any secrets, and the speedster takes off. Supergirl follows the creature to a motel room and discovers.... ...well, that would be telling. Needless to say, I didn't see it as obvious, even with David all-but-trumpeting it earlier on. Let's leave it at noting that Comet's outfit conceals more than identity. This is a great work; no fights (save a batting swing and Cutter throwing a monitor at his boss as a notification of resignation), no evil villains, just good clean character interaction -- and David knows his character interaction. Even with some pretty lame jokes (one a tip of the that to Jim Croce), even with the way David stops a story cold for a gag, the tale he's telling *works*. I would rather read a David philosophical discussion than the biggest action sequence from the other Team Super scribes any day -- his contentions, while maybe not always agreeable, are always well thought-out and excellently written. Kirk does his usual superb job, although an attempt to do a goofy, cartoony style for a story about the Garden of Eden falls flat. I also have to wonder if he's getting pressure to mimic Gary Frank -- some shots seem a bit too Frank-ish, and they're quite frankly lacking. "Desperate Times" works because it lets the characters be themselves, and ends up setting up a plotline that is bound to be interesting in the future. In a market where the 25th issue of most books herald a goofy, blood-and-thunder fight scene that lasts forever, this is refreshing. Tom Deja __________________________________________ SUPER-FAMILY TITLES (cont): -------------------------- SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #23 Sep 1998 $1.99 US/$2.85 CAN "War Games, Part 2" Writer: Mark Millar Penciller: Aluir Amancio Inker: Terry Austin Colorist: Marie Severin Letterer: Lois Buhalis Asst. Ed.: Frank Berrios Editor: Mike McAvennie Cover: Rick Burchett and Terry Austin RATINGS Average: 3.2/5.0 Shields CoS: 2.0 Shields DWd: 4.0 Shields - Time and time again this comic outdoes the regular titles. I might drop the regulars and just read this if things don't improve. ES: 3.5 Shields - This one finished up a lot better than it started! Nice one, Millar! Once again, the artwork is every bit as tight as Burchett's. ST: 2.8 Shields - The individual elements were often excellent -- Lois reaming out Livewire, Hamilton's ingenuity, Luthor's character -- but somehow the whole didn't add up to the sum of its parts. Superman's brutality with Brainiac and his casual murder of a sentient being really jarred me. All good stories come down to a choice. In the creation and resolution of this choice, the writer defines and gives us insight into the character. Some of the most memorable post-Crisis Superman stories all come down to a simple decision. Does Superman save Lois or does he stop the Joker from killing thousands? Stripped of his powers, does Clark Kent finally propose to Lois Lane? Left with no other options, does Superman kill? This issue of _Superman Adventures_ shows us two choices, but it ultimately fails because of the clumsy set-up of one choice and the resolution of the other in such a way that it reveals nothing about how the choice was made. Last issue, Brainiac caused a power outage all over Earth, trapped Superman in the Phantom Zone and rigged the world's nuclear arsenal to go off in thirty minutes. The only person with a chance to stop Brainiac was Professor Hamilton, who held Brainiac's globe containing all of Earth's accumulated information. Things don't look good for our side. Opening this issue, Hamilton uses the resources of the Fortress of Solitude to evade Brainiac, knowing Brainiac won't allow Earth to be destroyed without the globe of information in his possession. Meanwhile, in Metropolis, rescue crews are overwhelmed with emergency calls. As Jimmy Olsen is pulled from the rubble caused by an explosion in the Daily Planet building, Livewire appears from a rescue worker's radio. For unknown reasons, she agrees to go to the Fortress to attempt to stop the nuclear missiles from being launched. Just as Professor Hamilton runs out of places to hide from Brainiac, Livewire comes to his rescue. She momentarily disables Brainiac, but he is contemptuous of her and her abilities. "Oh, I didn't come here for a head-to-head," she quips; "I just dropped by to free the boy scout." Enter Superman with a resounding Thwaakk!, punching Brainy out of the Fortress for their Big Battle Scene. As Superman fights Brainiac, Livewire fries all the computer systems controlling the missile-launches -- but only at the cost of sacrificing herself. All the warheads are stopped; all but one. Superman must make a choice: defeat Brainiac or stop the missile from destroying Metropolis. Oddly, the story allows him to do both; he grab the missile and hurls it skyward, atomizing both Brainiac and his spaceship, and saves the day. Clark discusses Livewire's sacrifice with a recuperating Jimmy, and we learn that even if her body survives, her memory has been wiped clean. Finally, we see that Luthor has somehow been able to capture Brainiac's computer core. He begins dissecting it with malicious glee to learn what made the computer program tick. When I first read this story, what immediately struck me was Superman throwing a nuclear bomb at one of his foes, blowing him up with a smile on his face. I had to check with a couple of avid fans of the animated series to see if I was missing something, and was informed that it has been firmly established that Brainiac isn't a life form at all, but a rogue computer program. Still, as I read the story in detail for this review, the scene seems out of character for Superman. It feels more like a Sylvester Stallone movie hero, blowing away bad guys with big guns and wise guy lines. Superman is supposed to be the Best of us, not someone who would casually nuke an opponent. Even without that scene, this issue fails due to poor story construction and missed opportunities. The first third of the book shows Brainiac trying to reclaim the globe from Professor Hamilton without damaging it, yet when Hamilton destroys it in an attempt to make Brainiac stop the missiles, he pauses for a panel and goes on with his plan. Livewire chooses to help not due to any discernible change of heart, but because it fits the story. Superman's choice -- stop the missile or the bad guy -- was a throw away. He was able to do both, which makes the dramatic choice no choice at all, and undercuts the suspense. There were other flaws too that should have been cleaned up, the most glaring of which was the dialogue between Livewire and Lois Lane. "Do you really think these people care what a high-voltage former shock jock has to say?" is a good example of how not to write expository dialogue. It gives us unnecessary information (former shock jock? is that needed in the story?) and information we need (her powers) in an unrealistic way. I almost prefer the caption boxes from the Golden Age that gave us the history and powers of each character as they made an appearance. The one saving grace of this issue was the artwork. Last issue it seemed that Amancio was having trouble with the characters and their posing. This issue, other than a poor outfit choice for Lois Lane (wearing some kind of lingerie top with the straps falling down is not what I expect for a professional reporter), the art was dead on here. The splash page is Kirby-inspired without being an obvious swipe. Throughout the issue, he uses Kirby-esque dynamic layouts and poses, giving the battle scenes an immense amount of power in each punch and explosion. Especially impressive is the three-panel sequence on page 12 where Superman loses his temper while fighting Brainiac. Amancio shows Superman's rage and power so well that the final panel of Superman punching Brainiac into the ice nearly jumps off the page. Sadly, good art isn't enough if the story flaws keep the reader from enjoying it. This is a mixed bag of an issue which makes me wonder about Millar's story construction abilities. A good tale could have been told here, showing how Livewire came to her decision to sacrifice herself to save the Earth. Instead, Millar chose to keep her reason a secret, marring a powerfully- and dynamically-drawn story. Cory Strode __________________________________________ TEAM TITLES: ----------- JLA #22 Sep 1998 $1.99 US/$2.85 CAN "IT" Writer: Grant Morrison Penciller: Howard Porter Inker: John Dell Letterer: Kenny Lopez Colorist: Pat Garrahy Separator: Heroic Age Asst. Editor: L.A. Williams Editor: Dan Raspler Cover: Howard Porter and John Dell RATINGS Average: 3.7/5.0 Shields AW: 4.8 Shields DWd: 3.5 Shields - Enjoyable yet reminiscent of the Starro story (in places). Those who never read Sandman will know nothing about Daniel. ES: 3.6 Shields - _Nightmare On Elm Street_ meets the Sandman? Okay, it'll keep me interested. My eyes are just thankful that Porter and Dell are back. JO: 4.5 Shields - Leave it to the JLA creative team to take a stale idea and make it into a great book. MS: 3.9 Shields - Why does the Star Conqueror use completely different methods from its first appearance in Secret Files? And why didn't Daniel just explain that he's too popular a guest star to kill off? Good story despite a few quirks. ST: 2.8 Shields - Pardon my ignorance, but who the heck is Daniel, what is this 'Dreaming', and why should I care? No intro or history, just stop the story dead in its tracks and expect me to know. Also, I find it totally unrealistic that there have been no fatalities from the mass-sleep and the visuals were less-than-smooth in places. Superman as Messiah? What else am I to believe when Daniel, also known as "The Sandman," appears to a boy and says, "Believe [in Superman] and you shall be saved"? In the past, Grant Morrison has elevated Superman's status to what many (including myself) consider his rightful place: number one among heroes. Unlike the Superman titles, the JLA Superman is decisive, charismatic, empathic, and powerful -- a hero's hero. But with this issue, I do have to ask, has Morrison crossed a fine line? And what is the cost to the rest of the JLA, as a team and as a comic? The action of this comic takes place in the dreams of a boy, Michael Haney. In this dream, he struggles against the mind control of "The Conqueror." While everyone about him fails to notice the difference, he somehow remembers that the Conqueror wasn't always the ruler of the planet, and deep in his subconscious he remembers heroes -- Green Lantern, Flash, and Superman. (Notice that his pictures of Green Lantern and Flash are unaltered--Starro only prevents Michael from drawing the "S" symbol.) At the same time, on our physical Earth, everyone in North America outside the town of Blue Valley has fallen into a deep sleep, and the JLA members who have managed to stay awake are kept busy attempting to avert as many accidents as possible. There are two keys to this mysterious wave of narcolepsy: A starfish-like creature that was part of an earlier invasion of Blue Valley, and the mysterious Daniel, one of the Endless, the Imminent Ones. (With two editors, you'd think they'd catch the misspelling of "Imminent.") Daniel, of course, is no stranger to fans of the late, lamented _Sandman_ comic. In the final issues of that series, Daniel succeeded his father, Morpheus, as liege of "the Dreaming." His appearance in JLA is rather surprising, though, since we caught only a few glimpses of the character in _Sandman_, and saw only veiled references to him in _The Dreaming_, the Sandman spin-off comic. Daniel is (or pretends to be) as indifferent to the fate of humans as his father was, yet he has taken pity on the boy, and wants to help the JLAers battle "It" -- a creature that "conquers first in dreams, then in reality." (This raises several questions about the nature of the Dreaming. Has Starro conquered other races through the Dreaming? If so, why hasn't Morpheus or Daniel ever interfered before? Do they only care about humans? Or is the Dreaming as we know it only available to humans?) While the other JLAers attempt to find an earthly solution to the catastrophe, Superman and the heroes he selects -- Green Lantern and Wonder Woman -- follow Daniel into the Dreaming. Superman and Wonder Woman find their powers waning, but Daniel suggests that Green Lantern's "wishing ring" may prove the most powerful weapon of all. (Daniel also goes on to tell Kyle that he will surpass Hal Jordan as a Green Lantern. Sorry, they can keep saying that through the Trilennium, and it still won't make it true.) Meanwhile, a giant starfish (presumably "It") has arrived on Earth, and is taking up most of the space in Hudson's Bay. This doesn't look good. Daniel appears to the boy, exhorting him to believe in Superman. As the boy is about to be covered by a starfish creature (shades of the Body Snatcher pods), Superman sums up the final situation quite well: "We have no powers, there are millions of them, and there's a child in there who needs us to save the world. Let's go." Yes, Superman is going to save the world against impossible odds because one boy believes in him. I know Morrison probably wasn't intending to bestow godhood upon Superman; he was trying to make us suck in our breaths in wonder, in awe. And it worked. But did he go too far? And what does this cost the rest of the JLA? I'll explain: When I look back at the original Justice League of America (early '60s to early '80s), two themes ring throughout the collected work regardless of the individual stories: the themes of teamwork and equality. If I were to boil down the basic plot of a Justice League story (and this is a very simple generalization), it would be: 1) Villain strikes; 2) Individual heroes are defeated as they try and resist villainous plot; 3) Heroes regroup; 4) Heroes defeat villains using teamwork in mass battle scene. The mass battle scene is key to understanding the original JLA. Often, especially in the early Mike Sekowsky days, these final scenes showed the JLA striking in unison. It didn't matter who was in the scene; they all struck with the same force and all contributed equally to the villains' downfall. Superman, Batman, Green Arrow, the Atom, and Black Canary fought alongside each other as equals whether they fought earthly criminals or space invaders. By comparison, today's JLA is a much more fractious, individualistic group, with clearly defined leaders and followers. Superman and Batman are the driving force behind the League, with J'onn J'onzz and Wonder Woman as Second Lieutenants. Green Lantern and the Flash follow closely behind while the others -- Zauriel, Aquaman, Steel, Plastic Man, et al. -- are peripheral characters, adding flavor to scenes but rarely making a substantial contribution. Barda and Orion are completely outside the loop, and act as divisive elements. Green Arrow dropped out because he perceived he didn't have enough "power" to fit in with this group. The teamwork we see is not an instinctive complement of strengths, but the result of carefully thought out strategies. I'm not pointing this out to suggest that one approach is better than another. What I would like to suggest, though, is that we can see how the former homogeneity of the group has been traded, for better or worse, for a stronger focus on individual characterization. Superman, Batman, and J'onn J'onzz have benefited the most from this approach, while secondary characters such as Zauriel have fared worse, almost to the point of being ignored as heroic entities. This point was brought home to me by the splash page of the current issue. While the boy attempts to draw and remember Superman, it is clear that Superman surpasses mere heroic status; he is an icon, and one that dwarfs the other members of the JLA. I've enjoyed Morrison's focus on Superman's power, charisma, and empathy because I think these qualities are often ignored or taken for granted in Superman's own comics. In the Superman titles, Superman is often weaker than his foes, indecisive, and quite frankly bland in his role as "boy scout." It's as if being good is a result of a lack of character. Morrison elevates Superman far beyond his current portrayal in other comics. I can't, however, see Superman as the god he appears to be in this issue. He has always represented, to me, what is best in all humankind. He is us, one step farther on the moral and physical ladder. We can learn from him. We can emulate him. We can even believe in the Superman within us all. We don't look to big red "S" to save us, though; that's a power no human (or Kryptonian) has. So what about the other heroes in our drama? This is, after all, a team comic. Morrison's interplay between characters is, as always, adept and interesting, as when the Flash asks Batman if he's stepping on the detective's toes by making some assumptions himself. Once again, though, we see the hierarchy enforced, and are reminded that today's JLA is not a team of equals. We also take time to see Zauriel's aerie. (Porter and Dell's heavy framing bars, however, obscure their fine art and our view.) While Zauriel is an interesting character, I still have to note that he has yet to prove himself valuable as a team member. I do have to applaud, for the most part, Morrison's writing and Porter and Dell's art for this issue. Starro the Conqueror is a truly frightening foe. Morrison made me want to stand up and cheer for Superman. And despite the similarities to _Invasion of the Body Snatchers_, I found this to be a compelling story. (That's why I've given this comic such a high rating.) Sad as I am to say it, though, it's time to give the other JLAers their due. I'm sure Green Lantern will play a pivotal role in the next issue. I'm just as sure, however, that he won't be any more confident afterwards. I'm also confident that Zauriel will do little or nothing to help the team. The strength of the individual characters and their relationships with each other is one of the great assets of this comic. In any team dynamic, there will be leaders and followers. I call on Mr. Morrison, now, to show that being a follower doesn't mean bowing down to the leader, and that being a good leader doesn't mean being a god to the followers. Let's make everyone in the JLA worthy of the title of hero. Anatole Wilson =============================================== YOUNG JUSTICE #1 Sep 1998 $2.50 US/$3.50 CAN "Young, Just Us" Writer: Peter David Penciller: Todd Nauck Inker: Lary Stucker Colors: Jason Wright Separations: Digital Chameleon Letters: Ken Lopez Editor: Eddie Berganza Cover: Nauck and Stucker RATINGS Average: 4.1/5.0 Shields JSy: 4.2 Shields DWd: 4.0 Shields - Laugh, Laugh. Laugh! Now if this keeps up I will look forward to chuckling through each title. Red T's urge to smack them was hilarious! ES: 4.1 Shields - I laughed out loud several times; that alone is a big gold star in my books! The art by Nauck is appropriate and easy to look at, and PAD has fun at a lot of people's expense, even his own previous work. JO: 4.8 Shields - Just seeing Impulse drawn well makes me happy. Add two more of my favorite heroes and a writer who understands all three of them and I'm in Heaven! SDM: 3.5 Shields - At last - the silliest man in comics writes an entirely silly comic! Jalapeno! PAD gets all the characters right and has a lot of fun doing so. This is what a team book should be; now if they'd only lose Nauck. ST: 3.9 Shields - The first three pages didn't do it for me, and Fite 'n' Madd got old as soon as I heard it, but the rest of this had me falling out of my chair laughing. So many good quotes... BWAH-HAHAHAHAHAHA! Thank you Peter David! I can't remember the last time that I laughed so hard at a comic book. Sharp dialogue, *wonderful* characterization, and tons of fun; this is what comics should be about. And it all begins with PAD taking a hilarious shot at himself. For those unfamiliar with his work, let's just say that PAD has a reputation for introducing radical changes to the characters in any series he writes. Most of us know how drastically he changed the title character for his work on _Supergirl_, and he's also the man responsible for the spear where Aquaman's hand used to be. Perhaps his signature work, though, has been on _Incredible Hulk_, a book whose character has seen many, many alterations over PAD's run. So what does this have to do with _Young Justice_? Well, over the course of the first few issues of the book, PAD intends to "take potshots and snipes at assorted conventions of comics, ranging from writing style and editorial mandates (Robin, for instance, can only come out at night, so in issue #4 the sun vanishes and the moon comes out in half a second's time to accommodate Robin's entrance) to company-wide crossovers (beware the wrath of the Millennium Chicken.)" [Posted to rec.arts.comics.dc.universe, shortly after the first issue's release.] What better place to begin than with making fun of himself? In the first three-pages (it was the idea for these three pages which convinced PAD to take the title), the core members of Young Justice experience pizza-induced nightmares which seem oddly familiar: Poor Robin's hand has been eaten by killer cockroaches... and replaced with a batarang! Batman assures him that no one will notice, but asks if Robin has ever considered growing a beard... Poor Superboy has sprouted wings of flame, which Superman attributes to the Kid's "holier-than-thou" attitude... Poor Impulse is experiencing high-speed changes in clothes and personality, including a blue, hulking incarnation who promises, "Puny humans... Impulse... will FLASH!" The boys have set up shop in the old Justice League cave, where they discover that they can get bored rather quickly. Fortunately, a can of spray paint and the revival of Red Tornado gathers their interest equally as quickly. Tornado is apparently going to play the mentor/teacher/father figure in this title, but his first duty is to relate PAD's take on the three characters -- Impulse as Id, Superboy as Ego, and Robin as Superego. (If you want more than that, read the issue -- this is a review, not a psychoanalysis. ) Anyway, the plot device down the road provides yet another diversion for Impulse's short attention span. It seems that archaeologist Nina Dowd (N. Dowd -- read it aloud and guess what's coming) and cohorts have unearthed what appears to be a massive tire, but touching it has left her cocooned in some sort of crystalline structure. While Robin, Superboy, and Tornado deal with the DEO operatives on the scene, Impulse behaves... well... impulsively, and sticks his head into the structure, releasing its captive. Except that she's no longer Nina Dowd, archaeologist. She's now Mighty Endowed, enhanced with, as Robin puts it, "huge... tracts of land." Though Superboy drools over the possibility of combat, the battle is not to be, as PAD carries the scene to its *realistic* conclusion. Let's just say that breasts as large as they tend to be drawn these days could cause *quite* a problem with balance -- and leave it at that... After an on-hand reporter inadvertently provides the group's name, the Kid completes the excavation to discover a massive motorcycle. Robin accidentally activates the cycle, and the three go flying off into the second issue... At times, PAD goes *way* too far for a joke, a tendency he's shown in _Supergirl_ (anyone remember "Show me the Monet"?). Here we have such gems as Superboy calling contact with the cycle a "booby trap", DEO agents named Fite 'n' Madd, and, of course, Mighty Endowed herself -- but at least these elicited "good" groans. I'm also not convinced that either PAD or Nauck really know how to use Impulse's picto-thoughts, as the two instances which appear here just didn't feel quite right. On the positive side, PAD has the best characterization of Impulse that I've seen since Waid stopped writing Bart's own title. Sticking his head into the crystal structure, painting graphitti all over the cave, enjoying the ride on the cycle at the end -- these are all perfectly in character for Impulse, and exactly the aspect of Bart Allen that Messner-Loebs hasn't got the hang of on _Impulse_. As for the Super-aspect of the book, what we have here is Karl Kesel's Superboy: fun-loving, eager, brash, and chock-full of attitude, but supremely heroic on a moment's notice. Most importantly (and proving that his break-up with Tana was a good move), he's a hormone-driven babe-hound again. His reaction to Mighty Endowed is a bit less subtle than what Kesel would have done, but it makes for hilarious dialogue. For my cursory take on the art, I'll first note that my prior experience with the art of Todd Nauck had me a bit worried about how this book would look. Fortunately, I've seen a *lot* of improvement in his work over the past year or so, and his style works very well for this title. The boys might be a little too muscular for their age, but that's a minor complaint. On the whole, I was very pleased with this first issue, and I look forward to seeing what PAD has in store for the kids. (Oh, and if you're not into comedies, just hold on for a few months. PAD's been talking about some dramatic surprises down the road...) Jeff Sykes __________________________________________ SPECIALS AND GUEST APPEARANCES: ------------------------------ SUPERMAN FOR ALL SEASONS #1 Sep 1998 $4.95 US/$6.95 CAN "Book One: Spring" Words: Jeph Loeb Pictures: Tim Sale Color: Bjarne Hansen Letters: Richard Starkings Cover: Tim Sale and Bjarne Hansen RATING Average: 4.6/5.0 Shields DWk: 4.7 Shields ES: 4.9 Shields - This book got flavour; this book got style; this book got nostalgia; this book got warmth... If you're a Superman fan, YOU NEED THIS BOOK!!! If you're not, it's good enough to turn you into one. JO: 4.9 Shields - This is proof that you can hear the same story a million times over if it's told well. Not _Kingdom Come_ or _The Dark Knight Returns_, but darn close. JSy: 4.8 Shields - I know that some people will have a problem with the stylized art and/or the lack of action in this book, but this is exactly what I look for in a Superman story. Beautifully written and illustrated. SDM: 3.9 Shields - A positively wonderful story, hurt only slightly by Sale's over-iconic Clark. Loeb does justice to the man for whom Justice is such an intrinsic part, and everything is right again. Brilliant! ST: 4.9 Shields - Nothing here is new, and yet it is told with such love and reverence and honesty that it reverberates within your soul. Majestic, detailed, and awe-inspiring. VV: 4.0 Shields - I really don't like the general appearance of this book -- too out of proportion -- but I LOVE the story, told by Pa Kent. Pa's perspective is unique, and one that we see too infrequently; what do others think about Superman? How do others see him? There's not much to the plot of the best Superman comic published so far this year: a reminiscence by Jonathan Kent of the last spring before his son Clark left Smallville. Clark, here, is a senior in high school -- a big, sweet, strong kid. The Kents know that he's different, and they're not sure what the right thing to do is, but they love him, and they've brought him up right in a little town where everybody knows everybody else. Clark and Lana Lang have a sweet little high-school romance going on, though he's not sure if he should tell her his secret. It's clear, though, that things are about to change. When a tornado hits Smallville, Clark uses his powers to rescue a gas- station attendant; he goes back home to his parents, and tells them "I can't help thinking I could have done more." (He subsequently talks to his pastor, who's friendly but isn't much help.) Finally, as spring turns to summer, Clark impulsively reveals his powers to Lana, taking her flying over the town. She tells him what he already knows -- that he'll have to leave Smallville to do good in the world -- and kisses him. Martha and Jonathan spend a few more precious days with their son before he heads off. The scene shifts to Metropolis, where Superman has just made his first public appearance and Clark's got a job at the Daily Planet. Lois Lane says good night to her date, Lex Luthor, just as his hat is blown off by a faster-than-a-speeding-bullet streak; it's Superman, rescuing a kid who has fallen off a building. He flies off into the distance as Luthor considers what's to come. It's simple, lovely, and head and shoulders above every other Super-title around right now. This isn't Loeb and Sale's first collaborative miniseries. _Batman: The Long Halloween_ had miles of style, but a convoluted mystery plot that never quite made sense. That miniseries was Loeb's game. This one is Sale's, an excuse for him to show off his scene-setting prowess. (He gets extra points for coming up with a Metropolis that looks like Metropolis -- a little ultra-modern, a little retro-ultra-modern -- rather than like a thinly disguised New York City.) Of the book's 48 pages, two are full-page images and 10 are devoted to double-page spreads. Normally, this would seem like padding, or like an artist trying to come up with pages that he can sell at conventions for a bundle. The point of "Spring," though, is to show the environment where Clark Kent grew up: the big, wide-open countryside of Kansas, and the soda shops and general stores of a small town. It's an idyllic, Norman Rockwell-ish scenario, right down to Clark sneaking his dog table scraps. And why shouldn't it be? That's exactly the fantasy of Superman's upbringing, after all -- the iconic American childhood -- and _Superman For All Seasons_ is devoted to the iconography of Superman. (Note too the influence of _Superman Adventures_; the way that Lois calls Clark "Smallville," and what looks like Mercy in the background of Lex's office.) The line-work, in particular, is a tour de force of style. Clark/Superman is drawn in a very simple, C.C. Beck-ish style, with a few clean lines for his face. We see one archetypal image of Superman after another as he outruns a locomotive and scissors break on his hair, but Sale balances the iconic visual elements with more realistic ones; contrast the kids' faces with crinkled, age-weathered features on the senior Kents. (For a long, interesting discussion of why this is a good idea, see Scott McCloud's _Understanding Comics_.) Though the basic elements of the story are utterly straightforward, Loeb and Sale pull off subtler storytelling tricks than we've seen in the Super-books lately. Look at pages 10 and 11: we see Jonathan and Martha's conversation by way of a super-close-up shot of their hands, with their liver spots slightly visible and their wedding bands prominent. That tells us something about their relationship right there, and the rest of the spread tells us more about Clark's relationship with them and with his home, as the camera pulls around, up and in through the window, then doubles back to give us a beautiful, contextually ironic shot of Clark in his room. Bjarne Hansen, it should also be noted, is a spectacular colorist. He gets a lot of set-pieces here to show off, chiefly the Smallville skies (sunsets, a clear starry night, a storm, an uncloudy day at the church) as well as that two-page spread of the more citified sky over Metropolis, and he nails them all--the sky behind the Kents as they embrace after the storm is _exactly_ what a Midwestern sky looks like as the sun sets after a storm. As well as the grandeur, he gets all the little details right too: the burnished metal of a train engine, the way the light falls in a barber shop. The one thing that's frustrating about this issue is that there's no reason all the Superman titles couldn't be this good. Loeb and Sale aren't berserk individualists. They aren't making significant changes to the Superman legend; in fact, there's basically nothing in this issue that we haven't seen on-panel before. They've just worked out a specific aesthetic for the miniseries--a particular way of presenting their story and making it attractive and interesting. It'd be great to see more Superman stories this distinctively told. Douglas Wolk =============================================== JLA: WORLD WITHOUT GROWN-UPS #2 Sep 1998 $4.95 US/$6.95 CAN Writer: Todd Dezago Kid Pencils: Humberto Ramos Grown-up Pencils: Mike McKone Kid Inks: Paul Neary Grown-up Inks: Mark McKenna Colorist: Jason Wright Separator: Digital Chameleon Letterer: John Workman Editor: Eddie Berganza Cover: Humberto Ramos & Wayne Faucher, Mike McKone & Mark McKenna Cover Separator: Heroic Age Special thanks to Grant Morrison RATINGS Average: 3.5/5.0 Shields GN: 3.4 Shields DC: 2.6 Shields - Fun, but it seems too oriented around teens. ES: 4.0 Shields - Great finish to a good book. The artwork from both teams rocked my world several times. Easily, the best part was Impulse's reaction to seeing a portrait of Barry Allen... JO: 4.5 Shields - This book would have got a few more points out of me if I didn't have problems with the art. It's still well worth the price of admission. JSy: 4.0 Shields - I'm not exactly sure how Bedlam knew that Captain Marvel is actually a child, but that question doesn't erase the many good parts of this book. Really smooth scene with Batman and Robin at the end. "Reset!" Heh. :-) MS: 2.0 Shields - Where was Natasha Irons? Is it that much trouble to incorporate Steel into a JLA story? Admit it DC -- this was a Young Justice story titled "JLA" by mistake. ST: 3.7 Shields (Kidworld: 4.8, Adultworld: 2.7) - The story and visuals in Kidworld were about as perfect as can be, but the adults were quite blah. As an issue of _Young Justice_, I'd have given this a near-perfect score, but a $7 price-tag makes me expect more. Picking up where Part One left off, young Billy Batson utters the rest of his magic word "Shazam" -- but instead of being transformed into Captain Marvel, the unchanged Batson finds himself flung into a space-like limbo where he sees a pair of Earths. Batson deduces that one Earth must be the KidWorld (where he had been previously) while the other must contain the absent adults. Somehow retaining a portion of his power even in this state, he heads off to find help on Adultworld. On KidWorld, the united Robin, Superboy and Impulse are imperiled outside the lair of the being responsible for the twin Earths; the youth Matt Stuart, now calling himself "Bedlam," and the mystic being linked with him. Impulse notes that the hostile environment reminds him of the video game 'Nazi Dinosaurs from Venus'. As though on cue, a dinosaur wearing a jacket emblazoned with a Nazi swastika appears. Robin co-ordinates the efforts of Impulse and Superboy in dispatching the dinosaur. Superboy and Impulse congratulate each other, but Robin directs their attention to a newly created passageway leading them to Bedlam. Inside the grotto, Bedlam basks in his new-found power.... Adultworld, JLA Watchtower: As Superman relays Batman's findings that this earth is a duplicate, Billy Batson materializes among them and tells those JLAers who know his dual identity about KidWorld, his visit by Superboy, Impulse and Robin, and his attempt to change into Captain Marvel. He also details the purple energy trail he saw while between the two Earths that led to the East Coast, near where Robin, Impulse and Superboy were going to investigate -- someplace called Happy Harbor. Superman and the veteran JLAers recognize the significance of the location as the JLA's original cavern HQ and head toward their former base of operations. KidWorld: Robin, Superboy, and Impulse cannot make any progress due to Bedlam's reality-warping powers. An encounter with a 'funny animal' version of the Justice League and a remark from Impulse on how he had just been thinking of the JLA and cartoons, leads the heroes to conclude that their foe must be tapping into their minds. An unfortunate utterance by Superboy leads Bedlam to separate the three heroes, pitting each against a "kid" version of their worst enemies -- Superboy against a kryptonite Metallo, Impulse pursued by Grodd, and Robin facing the mind games of a Joker. Robin, realizing that his thoughts are controlling the scenario decides to exert some control. He switches places with Superboy and makes short work of the young Metallo. As the now-gigantic Grodd pursues Impulse to the top of a building a la King Kong, Superboy trades places with the speedster and dispatches the super-gorilla, leaving Impulse to match wits with Li'l Joker. By the time Impulse is done incessantly asking questions, the young Clown Prince of Crime is more than ready for the peace and quite of a jail cell. The JLA arrives at Happy Harbor on Adultworld. Batson can feel the magic emanating from the JLA's former cavern HQ and the ground erupts to attack. Meanwhile, on KidWorld, the three teen heroes finally reach the main part of the JLA headquarters, where Impulse stares at the portrait of the JLA founders, including his grandfather Barry Allen -- the Silver Age Flash. Superboy and Robin figure Bedlam has been stalling them because he isn't ready for them yet, so they have to find him now. Batson slips away from the JLA's fight and discovers the form of Captain Marvel floating in some form of suspended animation. The Martian Manhunter uses Batson as a conduit to tap into the catatonic mind of Captain Marvel, and discovers Bedlam's involvement. After breaking the link, J'onn explains how Bedlam warped CM's mind to create this world. Plastic man wonders: if the world they are on now is all Captain Marvel's dream, what happens if they wake him up? On KidWorld, the young heroes come face-to-face with Bedlam. Not confident in his own ability to come up with a way to defeat the trio, he taps the minds of Impulse, Robin and Superboy to find ways each would use to defeat the other. Robin orders his colleagues to clear their minds -- easy enough for the Boys Wonder and Steel, but a little tougher for Impulse, and the heroes find themselves up against the Nazi dinosaurs and killer clowns. Adultworld: Batman theorizes that if the JLAers were to link with Captain Marvel via J'onn's telepathy, they might be able to influence his dream and merge the realities again. Kidworld: Bedlam gloats as Superboy and Robin fight for their lives, while Impulse tries (without success) to clear his thoughts and thus eliminate the conjured foes. He is inspired, though, when Superboy yells at him about his obsession with video games; Just as Bedlam turns his attention to him, Impulse focuses his thoughts and shouts "Reset!" -- causing the creatures to vanish. Bedlam cannot recreate the foes in the face of Bart continually "reset"ing him. As Bedlam tries to regain control, Robin erodes his confidence; the purple being fades away while the JLA, Billy Batson, and Captain Marvel phase back into the real Earth. As the depowered, now-catatonic Matt Stuart is taken into custody, the Leaguers congratulate the young heroes. Batman, proud of Tim Drake and his accomplishments, leaves him to hang out with Superboy and Impulse. I can't say I enjoyed this installment as much as the first chapter. The plot seemed a little muddy; the whole Bedlam-Captain Marvel business came out of nowhere. Given the kids-adults theme of the story, it would have been a natural development had it been alluded to in the first chapter; as it was, it seemed like a forced plot element that didn't add much to the overall story. It was also disappointing not to see any more of the twin worlds than we did last issue; it might have been nice to see what the heroes were fighting for, as well as more of the consequences of the splitting of the worlds, which were only hinted at last issue. While everyone was in character during the story, we didn't get much depth on either Robin or Superboy this time out (other than when Li'l Joker tried to play on Robin's insecurities). On the other hand, Dezago gave Impulse better treatment than he sometimes receives in his own book. Especially touching was Bart focusing on his "Grampa," Barry Allen, in the portrait of the original JLA -- in fact, it's the first time I can really recall Bart thinking much about Barry Allen. The "Li'l" villains were a clever invention. I was initially puzzled that Superboy would have "chosen" Metallo to go up against; both Robin and Impulse faced villains who have been called their mentor's deadliest foes, and Superboy has had personal experience with Superman's arch enemy, Lex Luthor. Even in a dream, however, Superboy would be more likely to see Luthor as a behind-the-scenes manipulator and is probably more inclined to go up against a "cool-looking robot guy". Impulse came off particularly good in this installment, not only with his clever defeat of "Li'l Joker," but in his role in the ultimate victory over Bedlam. It should be interesting to see how these three get along on a long-term basis in the "Young Justice" series under Peter David's guidance. The adults pretty much got short shrift in this story, though the JLA played as crucial a role as their young counterparts in solving the crisis. Dezago -- perhaps because of space -- missed the opportunity to explore the reactions of the adults; Steel in particular, as guardian of his niece Natasha, would have been a good character to give this crisis a 'personal' face. Also, the threats facing the JLA seemed rather unimaginative, especially when contrasted with Kidworld. The art team (or teams, rather) pulled off another solid job this installment, with Paul Neary taking over seamlessly for Wayne Faucher in inking Ramos' pencils. The "kid" art was light without being silly; I got a kick out of the animal JLA, especially the Snoopy/Nightwing. I wasn't as impressed with McKone and McKenna on the adult art this time, though it seemed to improve once the JLA got out of the Watchtower and the shadows. All the colors had a nice, textured feel throughout. G.M. Nelson =============================================== RESURRECTION MAN #17 Sep 1998 $2.50 US/$3.50 CAN "Avenging Angels Part Three: Body and Soul" Story: Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning Art: Butch Guice Additional Inks: John Stanisci Letters: Clem Robins Editor: Eddie Berganza Cover: Guice Thanks to Peter David and Mike McAvennie RATINGS Average: 3.3/5.0 Shields TD: 4.0 Shields JO: 3.0 Shields - Nothing special here, but you know it's been a good month when this is the lowest rating you give. JSy: 2.9 Shields - They really should have just ended this crossover with last month's _Supergirl_. Instead, Lament is introduced as an unnecessary plot device towards that end, and his tussle with Supergirl features some horrible dialogue. This is the last part of a crossover with _Supergirl_. (How else did you expect it to end up in the Kryptonian Cybernet?) Considering how part 2 ended, with the threat of the Rider apparently gone and the heroes all smiles, I wondered why there was a need for a third part. I now know that it's because writers Lanning and Abnett want to show they can out-David Peter David, and do so with style. The only real confusion in this tale comes from the opening scene: Supergirl bursting into Leesburg General, demanding that Mattie revive the obviously dead Mitch Shelley. We get a very brief recap of the _Supergirl_ leg of the crossover (Mitch is possessed by Leesburg founder Wanda Lee's alter-ego The Rider; the Rider wanted to flood the town with the Chaos Stream and take over the town; Supergirl and Mitch made it go boom) before Mitch is revived with a 'danger sense.' As Mitch discusses heroism with Supergirl, it starts tingling, and with good reason: not only has The Rider taken control of Wanda Lee's corpse in an effort to repossess Mitch, but Lament (an angel charged with helping reluctant spirits into Heaven) has also located this Resurrection Man. What follows is a wild and wooly chase. The rider runs after Mitch (if it doesn't repossess him, the spirit will die), Lament confronts Mitch, Supergirl mixes it up with Lament, and Mitch comes up with a clever way to get both of his problems off his back. The writing here is sharp and quick; just as David preserved the feel of _Resurrection Man_ in _Supergirl_, so do Abnett and Lanning preserve the feel of _Supergirl_ in this book. The benefit is that the vaudeville aspects that sometimes annoy me in _Supergirl_ go down smoothly here; these fellows know when to use comedy as a grace note. Of course, the fact that they have an artist who knows how to lay out a page helps; Guice's set-up of a hilarious gag involving Supergirl trying to contact Mitch's friend as the Rider-possessed body of Wanda Lee subtly shambles by is choice. Oddly enough, Abnett and Lanning even get around to discussing and advancing some of David's subplots. One of the biggest dramatic moments come when Lament and Supergirl bust into Sylvia Danvers' hospital room. Sylvia starts panicking, and Supergirl tries to comfort her -- until Lament points out that the monster Sylvia is afraid of is her, not him. Even Cutter is used well, in a hilarious moment that reads like "Abbott and Costello meet the Body Possessing She-Demon." Now I'm not one of those people who think Butch Guice is the definitive Supergirl artist (she always comes off as too gawky to me), but he does a great job at creating some nice dynamic visuals. He also comes across good in the atmosphere department; the single panel alerting us to Lament's presence is creepy as all hell. Guice also creates what has to be some of the most singularly ugly and nasty looking monstrosities on the face of the planet: his Wanda Lee/Rider is so wizened, so decayed that you can't help *but* shudder. Judging from both this crossover and the upcoming SUPERMAN/DC 1 MILLION dealie, it seems like Team Super is getting behind this book. The nice thing is, unlike with crossovers, 'Avenging Angels' is faithful in tone to both books, and generates a desire in the reader of one to read the other. If that gets the adventures of Mitch Shelley new readers, I'm happy. One last note: I wanted to draw attention to the covers for _Resurrection Man_, which are some of the best in the business right now. They appear to be fully painted and are laid out like they were covers to Gold Medal novels we will never see. They're always eyecatchers; this one features Supergirl and Lament fighting over Mitch Shelley's departing soul. Sweet. Tom Deja __________________________________________ AFTER-BYRNE: Reviews of the post-Crisis Man of Steel ------------------------------------------------------------ MANUSCRIPTS OF STEEL ------------------------------ Reviews of After-Byrne Superman Special Stories by Denes House (househld@borg.com) -------------------------------------------------------------------- SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL ANNUAL #2 "Cutting Edge" Written by Louise Simonson Art by Eddy Newell and Mike Barreiro Colored by Glenn Whitmore 1993 Squarebound Format, $2.50 US/$3.25 CAN Rating: 1.8/5.0 Shields -and- SUPERMAN ANNUAL #5 "Myriad" Written by Dan Jurgens Art by David Lapham and Mike Machlan Colored by Glenn Whitmore 1993 Squarebound Format, $2.50 US/$3.25 CAN Rating: 3.0/5.0 Shields -------------------------------------------------------- "BLOODLINES: New Heroes. New Villains. New Blood." That's how the house ads touted DC's 1993 summer Annuals tie-in. Well, one out of three ain't bad. DC Comics were at an all-time high in visibility. They had just killed Superman, after all. With the whole world watching, DC wanted to introduce a whole slew of new characters, to bring a new breed of the DC Universe to the fore. Instead, what readers got was a bloodbath of epic proportions and characters that were easily forgotten. I have to confess that I've not read all of the Bloodlines annuals. In fact, the two I am reviewing here are the only ones I own and have read. I have no clue how the story eventually turned out (if anyone wants to send me a synopsis, I'd love to read it) basically because I lost interest. This was a time when the Superman comics were as a whole *very* interesting, and anything less bored me. Does it say anything about where we've been lately that I found some elements of these Annuals creative this time around? The Bloodlines storyline, as far as I can tell, involves six strange aliens crash-landing on Earth to accomplish some mission, along the way feeding on the spinal fluids of human beings. Some of the humans on which they feed mysteriously rise from the dead with strange powers and no memory of who they once were. _Man of Steel Annual_ #2 jumps right in there, showing the aliens' ship crashing, and the giant monsters feeding on a group of bikers who happen by. The aliens are giant, scaly monsters in different colors. They are, unfortunately, difficult to tell apart until they shape-shift into vaguely human forms. One alien, named Angon, shape-shifts into a good-looking armored woman, hops on an abandoned motorcycle, and heads off for Metropolis to suck the vital fluids of as many inhabitants as she can. The five others criticize her rashness, muttering that she will jeopardize their mission... The scene shifts to The Iron Factory, a Metropolis gym where John Henry Irons, the Man of Steel, is working out alongside his friend Tom O'Brien, who works at the gym. Tom is the older brother in a fatherless family, and is in many ways that family's hero. He works multiple jobs, provides for the family's needs, and is widely respected throughout the neighborhood. He tries hard to keep his brother Petey in school and away from the gangs that are getting ever bolder since the death of Superman. Petey has taken work as a paperboy, learning the importance of work from his brother. John Henry and Petey walk along together, John showing Petey how school knowledge can help in the real world by delivering Petey's papers via accurate trajectories across the street. Suddenly, Petey is almost run down by Angon, who rides her bike into an alley. Encountering a wino, she transforms into her true shape, and graphically devours his spinal fluid. Angon tosses the body down under a sewer grate to hide it, and walks away, a woman once again. It turns out Tom's family lives in the same building as John Henry and Rosie the fortune teller, a supporting character for the Man of Steel. Rosie invites Mary O'Brien, Tom and Petey's mom, inside her apartment for a practice Tarot reading. Mary is uncertain, her Priest having told her Tarot cards aren't Christian. Brushing her reservations aside, Rosie reads Mary's fortune. In the cards, she sees catastrophic death for Tom. Stunned, she doesn't tell Mary, but goes looking for John Henry Irons. Leaving work, Tom sees a man attacking a woman down the alley. He charges to her rescue, only to discover that the man is one of the guys who works at the gym, and that it's the woman who is attacking *him*. She is Angon, and she repays Tom's concern by killing him and draining his juices, remarking that he was the tastiest morsel she had yet found in her smorgasbord of death. Obviously, Tom does not return home that night, so Petey sneaks out to look for him. Also on guard is the Man of Steel, alerted by Rosie's concerns. Meanwhile, Metropolis' underground denizens, the Underworlders, discover Angon's body disposal site. One of the bodies begins to move -- it is Tom! Suddenly, jagged-edged knives sprout from Tom's body, shards replacing his hair and fingernails, and poking out from every inch of skin. Frightened at the appearance of the Underworlders, Tom flings scores of blades at them, fortunately inflicting only minor injuries. Realizing that they are scared of him, that they think he killed the other bodies, Tom runs away, terrified, amnesiac, and alone. Enter the Man of Steel, who discovers the remains of Tom's shirt. Suddenly, another body drops from above. the Man of Steel charges out, discovering Angon's monstrous form. They do battle, and Angon escapes. Steel begins to search for the transformed Tom. Maggie Sawyer and the SCU are also on the case, pursuing Tom as a suspect in the weird murders perpetuated by Angon. Will Steel find Tom in time? Can they defeat Angon? Louise Simonson specializes in stories that touch on the importance of family, and it is easy to see where she was going with the O'Brien family in this story. A group of people, held together by the faithfulness of a loving provider is a great hook for an emotionally-charged story. The only thing that ruins it, and it does ruin it, is a tremendous level of brutal, bloody, graphic violence that, while intended to show the pain when such a provider is taken away, instead pummels the reader so that no empathy can be felt. This comic is horrific, and appropriately does not sport the Comics Code Approval on the cover. Whatever you may think about the relative value or lack of value of the Code, for it not to appear on a Superman comic says a lot. The dialogue is good, and the characters strong -- especially the Man of Steel himself. The only character that stands out as awkward is Rosie. What is Simonson saying through her? Does she really tell the future, or not? Does she know John Henry is the Man of Steel, or not? It is ambiguous, but not mysterious. The reader frankly does not care, and is rather annoyed by her presence. The solution is a clever but open-ended one, leaving room for the rest of the Annuals while coming to a satisfactory end as a story. The art is not all that impressive. I've heard of Eddy Newell, though I can't put my finger on where, and his layouts are decent. He struggles with faces, poses, and anatomy, but draws some scary monsters, and some fast-paced death scenes. Inker Mike Barreiro is a mystery name to me, however, and his work here is truly sub-par. "Edge," Tom O'Brien's mutated form, is an ugly, badly designed character, and one that as an artist, I'd dread having to draw on a regular basis. The aliens as a group are also not well designed, scary looking but too similar to each other to be easily distinguished. The big difference between them is color, and that is not an easy delineator in many of the opening scenes. On the bright side, artwise -- both of these Annuals sport fine covers. I have no clue who did them -- he or she signs their work "CAJ" -- but the exterior art outshines the innards, especially for _MOS Annual_ #2. Capsule review: Gory and awkward, with sub-par artwork. Story: You can see where Simonson was going, but the way is obscured by blood. 1.7 Shields out of 5. Art: Good layouts, but not much else worth looking at. 2.0 Shields out of 5. Overall: 1.8 Shields out of 5. The _Superman Annual_, however, is more interesting. A lower violence level makes room for the Comics Code shield on the cover, and strong connections with the rest of the Superman mythos makes room for a more intriguing story. After the death of Superman, Lex Luthor II, the clone of the original Lex masquerading as his own son, declared his victory over Superman in a violent but appropriate way. He brutally murdered a young woman, Sasha Green, who had beaten him while running him through his martial arts training. He then had her body dumped in a Lexcorp-owned landfill. Weeks later, the Cyborg Superman attempts to help Commissioner Henderson with his investigation of the brutal murders perpetuated by Angon and her cronies. The Commissioner doesn't want him around. He doesn't trust the Cyborg, doesn't believe that he is Superman, and isn't even sure the Cyborg didn't commit the murders! Each victim has puncture wounds at the top of their spinal column. At the landfill that night, two of the Bloodlines aliens, Venev and Gemir are startled by a guard, who rapidly becomes food for Gemir's hunger. As they turn to leave, Gemir smells another human underneath the garbage. Gemir digs down and discovers the body of Sasha Green, and consumes her spinal fluids. They leave the scene, and so do not observe that after her body is discarded, Sasha Green rises, and awkwardly heads for town. At the Lexcorp building the next day, Commissioner Henderson is asking for Luthor's help in tracking down the unknown killers besieging the city. Suddenly, Sasha Green's father bursts in, berating Henderson for not finding his missing daughter. Luthor pledges the resources of Lexcorp to track her down, putting the old man at ease. Meanwhile, the zombie Sasha Green wanders into a suburban athletic club, showers off the garbage smell, and looks for fresh clothes. She is confronted by Muriel Rabinovitch, a patron of the club, and as soon as Muriel touches her, Green steals Muriel's memories. She opens Rabinovitch's locker, dresses in her clothes, and heads off to complete her day, leaving the unconscious Muriel behind in the locker room. The Cyborg Superman uses his vision and hearing powers to discover that Henderson, while spurning his help, has pursued Luthor's aid. Breaking in to Lexcorp, the Cyborg interfaces with Lexcorp computers, and learns the results of tests Lexcorp has done on the murdered bodies. Alien chemicals were found in the bloodstreams of the bodies. While Henderson is at Lexcorp, he receives a call from officers in the field, which the Cyborg intercepts. They have found the bodies at the landfill. The Cyborg impersonates Henderson's voice, orders them to secure the crime scene, and instructs them to work with the Cyborg Superman. In the course of the rest of the story, Sasha absorbs the personalities and memories of several other people, realizing that she needs to kill them if she is to keep them. Afraid of the emptiness of her amnesia, Green becomes Myriad, one of the New Breed. But is she a hero or a villain? What will Luthor do with the body of Sasha Green running around? This story proceeds far more sedately than the _Man of Steel Annual_, and pacing is its main problem. The tale doesn't feel like it has a beginning, middle, and end but rather a beginning and four or five middles. Still, finding out the fate of Sasha Green, connecting her with Commissioner Henderson, and advancing the struggle of the Cyborg Superman for acceptance all make for an interesting read. While Edge in the _MOS Annual_ was poorly designed, Myriad is simply an attractive woman in a jumpsuit, a cliched comics staple. The art by David Lapham and Mike Machlan is far simpler than the frenetic work of Newell and Barreiro, but also far more satisfying. Layouts are clear, characters are consistently drawn, and the action is exciting. All that, plus about a quart less of blood per page, and you've got an okay comic here. Capsule review: Fits in with the Superman continuity, and advances a few interesting subplots. Satisfying artwork and a good story. Story: Dan Jurgens creates a solid, if poorly-paced tale. 3.0 Shields out of 5. Art: Satisfying and simple, with a third less blood than the leading brand. 3.0 Shields out of 5. Overall: 3.0 Shields out of 5. __________________________________________ SUPERMAN STORIES ------------------------------------------ By Sean Hogan (shogan@intergate.bc.ca) Brainiac General Introduction: The purpose of these articles is to give readers pointers for hunting through the back-bins in search of good stories. I'll try to keep spoiler to a minimum, so you can enjoy the issues when you find them. If you have suggestions for villains, pals, heroes or other characters, or just some notable issues, drop me a line at shogan@intergate.bc.ca. Brainiac is introduced to the re-booted Superman in _Adventures of Superman_ #438, (penned by John Byrne with art by Jerry Ordway and John Beatty). Clark Kent, Jimmy Olsen and Cat Grant are visiting a circus that has a mentalist named The Amazing Brainiac. Jimmy and Cat learn that Brainiac is really a middle-aged man named Milton Moses Fine who has a drinking problem and who suffers from bad headaches. Fine's common-law wife and assistant, Janet Jones, has little sympathy for him. She wants him to use his powers to make money in the stock market. Fine tells her that would be wrong. "I shouldn't even have these powers. No human being should! That's why I get these awful headaches ... why my poor pitiful hours of sleep are filled with such nightmares! I've been given the power to probe into the minds of men, and the things I've seen there ... the awful things..." To Cat and Jimmy, Fine relates his dreams of a mind that has touched his. This mind claims to be Vril Dox, a scientist and humanitarian from the distant planet Colu. Dox tells Fine that his body (greened skinned and blond haired) was accidentally destroyed. Only his mind has survived. Suddenly, Fine collapses, grabbing his head and yelling, "It's DOX!! He's close! He's trying to ... enter my mind..." In another part of the circus, Clark also reels in pain. Switching to Superman, he follows the source of the pain -- to Brainiac's tent. The reader immediately knows something serious has happened to Fine. While he looks the same, his word balloons are black, with white lettering. That, and he pounds Superman with psychic blasts. When Superman calls the mentalist by his stage name, Fine's possessor decides that he likes the name and will use it when he becomes master of the world (begin ominous soundtrack!). Brainiac (Vril Dox) is surprised by the latent power in Fine's body. Even after blasting Superman several times, he says he has been using but a tiny portion of the untapped power within this pathetic body, and that, "Locked within this mortal brain are powers such as we of Colu could only have dreamed!" With help from Janet, Superman is able to knock Fine unconscious -- ending the attack. Fine is hospitalized in a psychiatric ward. Neither Superman nor the doctors seem to believe him when he warns that Vril Dox is real -- and he will be back. In _Superman_ #20, Fine loses control of his body after learning of Janet's death, and Brainiac is able to escape during the funeral service. In _Adventures of Superman_ #445 (written by Ordway), we learn that Fine's body is rejecting Dox's alien life-force, and that Brainiac is trying to find an organic serum to cure himself. Brainiac murders vagrants for their spinal fluid and, later, for their brains (anybody else having images of old horror movies?). When he captures Cat and Jimmy, he decides to lure Superman to his hideout. While Brainiac's body is still that of Fine's overweight, middle-aged Caucasian frame, he wears a snazzy pink and black one-piece garment. The goatee survives, but the hair has been shaved off, except for a long tuft of hair on the crown of his head. Fine's skin is peeling away, revealing green skin underneath. Unknown to Brainiac, Fine's body has a brain tumor. It is never made clear how Fine's brain tumor may be connected to his body's rejection of Dox. Similarly, the connection between Fine's mental powers and Vril Dox's own abilities is never clearly explained. Although later stories imply Dox was highly intelligent on Colu (a trait also seen in his descendants), there is no indication that he possessed mental or psychic powers before his discorporation. That he had some such abilities is evident from the fact that his spirit survives the destruction of his original body somehow and is able to possess Fine's body on distant Earth. Apart from the reference by Fine that he can read minds and to Brainiac's comments about his possessed body's untapped powers, we don't know much about Fine's powers, either as an individual or as contributor to Brainiac's powers. We later see that Brainiac will complain about the body's limited data storage abilities. Despite the apparent power of Fine's mind, too often, Brainiac will 'short circuit' during critical confrontations. And speaking of confrontations, back to the story in progress... When Superman arrives, Brainiac decides to probe Superman's mind to find out his secrets and fears. What Brainiac doesn't know is that this just isn't a good time to tick Superman off. Superman has recently returned from a "pocket" universe, where three madmen (Kryptonians from that universe) have killed everyone on their Earth. Superman felt that he had no choice but to execute them, and he is struggling to come to terms with his actions (all recounted in _Superman_ #21, _Adventures of Superman_ #444, and _Superman_ #22). Superman allows Brainiac to see his anger -- and the resulting mental battle causes a huge explosion that leaves Brainiac unconscious and in custody. Brainiac's tampering has important consequences to Superman -- leading to Superman's self-exile in space (that arc has recently been released in trade paperback). But that's another story. Luthor, ever resourceful, is able to gain possession of Brainiac's body. He has the brain tumor removed and inserts a special device to control Brainiac. Luthor also provides Brainiac with a psi-amplifier, to better mentally attack Superman. Brainiac is shaved bald so that the circuitry can be connected to his head, and the mechanical frame becomes a permanent feature on Brainiac's cranium. Superman recognizes the source of the attacks on him and confronts Brainiac, but Brainiac manages to both fake his own death and turn the tables on Luthor. Brainiac gains control only briefly, for in _Superman_ #27, the new "Gangbuster" invades LexCorp to attack Luthor. Brainiac intervenes with a mental attack, but "Gangbuster" repulses the attack, and Brainiac collapses, allowing Luthor to regain control. Luthor arranges to keep Brainiac sedated, but in _Superman_ #28, when Superman leaves for space, Brainiac is instantly aware and tells Luthor, "I can't feel his mind anymore! He's gone!" This mental connection or awareness between Brainiac and Superman surfaces in other stories also. Brainiac remains as a backstory until _Superman_ #35, in which Ordway writes of the comatose Brainiac and his dreams alongside a story of the also comatose Morgan Edge, who fights off death in the form of the Black Racer. There's lots of fun for Silver Age fans, as we see homages to classic stories (Superman trapped in the birdcage, the living Brainiac-ship, shrinking a city into a bottle). The major advancement of the story is that Brainiac learns to free his astral form from his trapped body. In "The Brainiac Trilogy" (penned by Roger Stern and George Perez) in _Action Comics_ #647-649, Superman reviews recent events and realizes that Luthor and Brainiac must be working together. Brainiac, who seems to have some mental connection to Superman, knows that Superman is aware of him. He acts quickly, taking mental control over Luthor's aide, Happersen, and eventually the other LexCorp employees. He uses mechanical devices to strengthen his control. In _Action Comics_ #649, Brainiac tells Luthor that he worked for the Computer Tyrants on his home planet, Colu. When he failed them, his body was disintegrated. Somehow, his mind survived and was drawn across space to the brain of Milton Moses Fine. Meanwhile, Brainiac's body is submerged in a biochemical bath while it is treated with recombinant DNA and bionic enhancements. Superman arrives just as Brainiac emerges from the tank, now green skinned, with a fit, trim and muscular body. His mustache and beard are yellow, and he has metallic devices attached to his skull and back. Brainiac launches a mental attack on Superman, but once again is defeated by the power of Superman's mind. Brainiac manages to escape in a star-ship (later called his "head-ship"), designed as a robotic face. He promises to return, and Superman promises to be waiting for him. Meanwhile, in the L.E.G.I.O.N. comic book, we learn that Brainiac has a son. Before his body was destroyed by the Computer Tyrants, Vril Dox created a fully grown clone -- Vril Dox II (the lineage eventually, somehow, leading to Brainiac 5 of the Legion of Super-Heroes). Father and son meet in the 1990 Annuals, beginning in the _Adventures of Superman Annual_ #2 and concluding in _L.E.G.I.O.N. '90 Annual_ #1. Vril Dox II (call him Dox) has learned that his father has survived and is on Earth as Brainiac. On Earth, a brawl ensues between Superman, Cadmus, and the L.E.G.I.O.N. team. While everyone is distracted, Brainiac takes telepathic control of Cadmus' Dubbilex and uses him to try and destroy the facility. Brainiac reveals that he has conquered Colu and is using a thought amplification machine to contact them. Dox returns to Colu, where Brainiac attempts to recruit him and, when refused, then to kill him. Brainiac's mental attack on Dox fails. Brainiac temporarily has the upper hand by controlling Dox's teammates, but Superman's arrival leads to Brainiac's defeat. Eventually, Brainiac escapes in his head-ship. We learn some of Brainiac's background -- but not much on the character's motivations or powers (or the limitations on those powers). Brainiac willingly served the Computer Tyrants until his execution. Through mechanical augmentation, Brainiac can reach across space to control Dubbilex and to communicate with people, but exactly how he was able to conquer Colu is not revealed. Dox reveals that one of his father's specialties (presumably developed while serving the Computer Tyrants) is "advanced bio-mutational control" (turning people into were-beasts). Brainiac can create mental blasts that can kill or control people and can create mental projections. He has difficulty continuing to control the 7 L.E.G.I.O.N.-aires when Superman leaps into battle with them. Dox's strength of will is Brainiac's equal, if not more. Dox adds, "We are too close ... our minds too similar ... for you ever to control me!" Dox is similar to his father in other ways -- as we later discover how Dox has been controlling the planet's population. However, where Dox is brilliantly manipulative, Brainiac seemingly prefers using brute strength to oppress and defeat. He uses behind-the-scene manipulation only briefly, as a prelude to an outright attack. He may have been brilliant before his body was destroyed, but he shows few signs of it now. His focus is narrow. He is motivated almost completely by revenge. His tendency to collapse on meeting determined resistance would seem to be due to his mental instability. Brainiac next appears at the head of a full invasion force on the mobile planet, Warworld. The story is collected in trade paperback as the "Panic In The Sky" (triangle numbers 1992: 8 to 15; _Action Comics_ #674-675, _Superman: The Man Of Steel_ #9-10, _Superman_ #65-66, _Adventures of Superman_ #488-489). Warworld was previously led by Mongul, who was defeated by Superman. Brainiac has taken control and is heading to Earth for revenge on Superman. He has recruited Maxima and, through mind control, Supergirl and several of the New Gods. Brainiac sends his head-ship to Earth where it attacks Superman. Brainiac boasts that this is only a diversion in the game, to soften up Superman and to let him know that Brainiac remembers. As before, Superman is able to withstand Brainiac's mental attack (with help from some friends), but not before learning that Warworld is coming. Superman recruits the world's heroes to assist him. The fight continues on two fronts. Superman leads a team to Warworld. Batman leads the defense of Earth against warriors transported to it by Brainiac. Slugfests galore ensue -- including heroes against each other as Brainiac gains control over some of them, but the invasion ends when Maxima uses her mental powers to blast Brainiac, making him comatose. She says, "Consider him lobotomized. In any case, that which constituted Brainiac, his very mind ... is gone forever." Not. Throughout the story arc, we are not given any significant insight into the mind of Brainiac. The story is a great action/adventure read, but the purpose is not to explore or offer insight into or development of Brainiac. There isn't even a recap of Brainiac's origin, let alone any sign of Milton Fine. Brainiac's role is that of the generic alien conqueror (albeit with powers of mental domination). Since the body shows no sign of life, Metron of the New Gods offers to take it back to New Genesis for study. Unknown to anyone, Brainiac had sent out a small probe at the last moment. While its purpose is not stated, it seems that Brainiac has a fall back plan. Despite the teaser, the writers have never referred to the probe again. [I believe that the probe was a signal to attract the swarm, which appeared in an issue soon thereafter. --Jeff] Brainiac next appears in the 10-issue "Dead Again!" story arc (triangle numbers 1994: 41 to 1995: 3; I'm not listing all the issues). Workers fixing the Superman statue (where Superman's body was laid to rest following the Death Of Superman arc) discover that there is still a body in the tomb -- Superman's body. Speculation goes wild as to whether the living long-haired Superman is the real one or another false Superman. Superman investigates his enemies to try and discover who is responsible for the body. Tests prove that the dead body exactly matches Prof. Hamilton's original examination of Superman before his death. The living Superman's does not. Superman becomes increasingly frustrated, angry, and violent as he tries to prove that he is the real Superman. In _Superman_ #95, Superman travels to New Genesis to check on Brainiac. Metron assures Superman that Brainiac is constantly monitored by a Mother Box and that he is confident that Brainiac will never function again. Superman's further investigations prove fruitless. In anger, he steals the corpse and battles the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit, almost delivering a killing blow to Maggie Sawyer (_Action Comics_ #705). He believes that he is trapped in an illusion -- he can't trust his senses. His outcry that "I'M GOING OUT OF MY MIIIIIND!!" (yes, I counted the I's) reverberates all the way to New Genesis where . . . We learn that Brainiac is responsible. Brainiac easily defeats the New Gods with mental blasts and teleports his body to Earth. Before he leaves, Brainiac mutates himself -- his head growing large, with the exterior showing the contours of his brain. Brainiac claims that he only appeared to be in a coma -- he was actually in a trance to grow and change; to become stronger and more powerful. He says Superman's madness was the first step, to break his will. Brainiac continues his indirect attack, using agents and illusions to madden and confuse Superman. He reveals himself when Superman figures out that it must be Brainiac (_Superman: The Man Of Steel_ #40 and _Superman_ #96). The storyline concludes in _Adventures of Superman_ #513. Brainiac reanimates "dead Superman" saying, "unlike some of my other attacks, this one does not depend on your belief for its success". Brainiac's power drives this one. Brainiac also attacks Superman personally. But when Superman tells Brainiac that he is only Milton Fine and smashes Brainiac's forcefield, the villain, looking disoriented, collapses, mumbling that no one defeats Brainiac. When Brainiac regains consciousness, it is a confused Milton Fine in control of the body. He has no recollection of past events and believes that he has had too much drink again. When he looks in a window's reflection, he sees Milton's original body, rather than Brainiac's. Prof. Hamilton theorizes that when Brainiac realized that he was about to be defeated, his mind convinced itself that he was not Brainiac, and he became Milton Fine again. Despite some interesting concepts, I just cannot recommend the "Dead Again!" storyline. It didn't get any better on re-reading either. First, I just can't accept that Superman would lose it so thoroughly -- even to the point of almost killing both Maggie Sawyer and Lois. I might have been grudgingly accepting if there had been a suggestion that Brainiac was influencing Superman by reducing his inhibitions and telepathically enhancing his anger. There isn't. Brainiac's plan is to put Superman in circumstances designed to confuse, frustrate or anger him. This should not have worked -- Superman has been in uncountable situations where, despite enormous pressures, he manages to maintain his calm. Second, Brainiac's power levels and his sudden collapse at the end are just inconsistent. While in a coma/trance, his subconscious influenced everyone on distant Earth into believing there was a corpse (after he is defeated, all the pictures of the coffin show it empty); he completely fools the New Gods and the Mother Box; he defeats them with a thought; he wields tremendous powers without any sign of weakness or exhaustion -- until Superman comes at him personally and starts calling him names. Feh. Brainiac gets better treatment in Tom Peyer and Mark Waid's four issue run (_Adventures of Superman_ #536, _Action Comics_ #723, _Superman: The Man Of Steel_ #58 and _Superman_ #114). Not to mention that it has art by the late, lamented Curt Swan. We learn that Brainiac is in the Lovelace Psychiatric Hospital. Yah, that'll hold him. Brainiac's personality re-emerges and takes control of the hospital. When he learns that one of the patients is a boy who believes he is Superman, Brainiac lures Superman to the hospital. He transfers Superman's mind into young Chas Cassidy's body and takes control of Superman's body. It's lots of fun seeing Superman cope in the powerless, young body (one scene in particular, where "Chas" disguises himself by slicking back his hair and borrowing some eye-glasses, is hilarious). Just as fun is seeing Brainiac explore Superman's body and powers. We learn that Brainiac is suffering because Fine's brain has no further storage. However, Superman's Kryptonian physiology prevents Brainiac from using his mental powers. Through use of a television broadcast, he gains control over the people of Metropolis, turning them into mindless data storage units. In the end, Chas manages to save the day -- proving you don't need super powers to be a hero. Brainiac's next appearance was a family affair in Showcase '96 #11-12, courtesy of Tom Peyer. Brainiac's descendant, Brainiac 5, and other members of the Legion of Super-Heroes are stranded in the present. B5 (trust me, it's less confusing if I use B5) stumbles across the comatose Brainiac in a STAR Labs facility. Saturn Girl's mental probe awakens Brainiac, who mentally rearranges the lab into his "head-ship". He has no difficulty controlling the six heroes, and so he heads off to Colu, to conquer it again and use it for his power base. The family reunion continues as Vril Dox II also returns to Colu (we also briefly see Dox's son, Lyrl). Together, Dox and B5 defeat Brainiac. The method of Brainiac's defeat is ironic and certainly not the "battle of wits" as Dox tells everyone later. Brainiac is apparently placed in a spaceship, which is sent into space (whether into orbit or to deepest space is not revealed). Unlike Brainiac's previous appearance, we don't have Brainiac defeated merely because someone stands up to him mentally. And, at least no one here pretends that 'Brainiac will never trouble anyone ever again!' Since Brainiac seems to appear every couple of years, he should be back again next year. When he does appear, it would be nice to see more complex characterization and motivation -- as well as some consistency in his mental powers. Or at least to deal with his tendency to collapse when Superman stares at him and says "Boo!" Next time: Mxyzptlk! __________________________________________ THE MAILBAG ------------------------------------- (sykes@ms.uky.edu, KryptonCN@aol.com) KC Responses are indented and begun with **** ========================================= From: Lee K. Seitz (lkseitz@hiwaay.net) Dear Kryptonian Cybernet & DC Comics, I'm sending this note to explain why, after 12 years, I've stopped reading the Superman titles. Yes, I've been reading since John Byrne recreated Superman with the _Man of Steel_ limited series in 1986. (I was 15.) Before that time, I'd been primarily a Marvel reader. I don't remember exactly what prompted me to start reading Superman, but I've faithfully bought every issue of the three, then four, and finally five Superman titles since, plus the majority of the specials and limited series, until recently. It was a gradual thing at first. Due to the increasing costs of comic books, I decided to shy away from the inter-company crossovers starring Superman, such as _Superman/Aliens_ and _Superman/Madman_. Then I started being more selective of which one-shots and limited series I bought. Finally, I kept started telling myself, "I'll stop after Clark and Lois get married." But I remained just intrigued enough to keep going and telling myself I'd stop at the end of the next major plotline. "I'll stop when Superman gets his powers back," "I'll stop when Superman gets his original powers back." The "Superman Red/Superman Blue" arc looked very promising, and I enjoyed it at first, but it quickly became tiresome. Finally, after the "Millennium Giants" fiasco, I decided enough was enough. I used the four separate storylines over the next three months to drop two titles immediately. Then, when it was obvious that the Dominus arc was going to be another bad one, I finally dropped all Superman comics off my pull list at my local comic book shop. I enjoyed the weekly continuity at first, but now it's gotten old. It seems to be keeping some talented writers and artists away from the world's premiere superhero. I think the creators that have stuck with it this far have been burnt out for a while. The truth is that I have not really enjoyed the Superman titles since "Reign of the Supermen," but I didn't really notice the downturn in quality until "Dead Again." As I think back to what I enjoyed most about the earlier issues, it's the subplots that come to mind. Byrne and his immediate followers didn't generally hit the reader over the head with major, gotta-buy-it story arcs. They wove the plots together, selecting one to bring to the forefront while others continued in the background. It also wasn't necessary for major events to have a special, five buck issue to be told in (e.g. Clark and Lois's hastily thrown together wedding, _Superman Red/Superman Blue_, _Superman Forever_). Compare that to the cost of standard edition of the issue where Superman died! Superman's execution of the pocket universe Kryptonians, his subsequent exile in space, his death, and his return all were told in the pages of his regular comics. And it seems to me, it was only when he "died" that these began being hyped as "events." Before, Superman's life simply proceeded along naturally (so to speak). Stop trying to top "Funeral for a Friend," probably the best Superman story arc ever, and just let the writers tell some good stories without having to worry about the next big event. If you have to drop the weekly format and "triangle numbers" to do it, then do it! It's not easy for me to quit reading Superman, but until things begin to turn around, I'm going to satisfy myself with flipping through each week, only buying an occasional issue, and reading the _Kryptonian Cybernet_. It's been a fun ride, but I should have gotten off sooner. Here's hoping I'll be back on board again in the future. Please return the world's greatest superhero to his former glory. **** Disillusioned readers, long-time fans of Superman dropping the books essentially because of the event-driven mentality driving the industry in general, and the super-titles in particular. And in a way, it's all because of the success of the death and return of Superman. That's *not* the legacy I would have envisioned for the Man of Steel. You know, in 1991 and 1992, creators, readers, and trade publications alike were all calling the Superman books some of the best work on the market. Has anyone been saying that recently? ========================================= From: James Brendan McAndrew (macandrew@geocities.com) I'm sorry. I'll always be a Superman fan. I'll read Kryptonian Cybernet to find out what I'm missing, and you folks do a great job. I'll pick up an issue every once in a while and look at it, then sadly put it back on the shelf. But I have dropped Superman and his books from my comics list. Why? After three years of subscriptions, and countless other years of scrounging convenience and grocery stores to find every issue? Even though I have a complete run of books from May of 1990 to 1997 with only 45 issues missing (and not in a row)? Even though I liked the idea of Superman Blue as a new trial for the Clark mythos, even though I'm thrilled they finally got married, even though I have an S shield tattooed on my left arm (I'm not kidding either), I have to say stop. The reason? $1.95 - $2.95 an issue. I'm not going to live through another sales hike. I was there for the $0.75 to $1.00 hike. To be honest, the stories were better and so was the art. The triangles ought to be on every comic (for simple continuity reasons) in the DCU, but I can't handle doing 7 or more a month. I look back at the last few years of storyline, what do I see? A great plot device touted as his new look, forever, but when the writers can't agree on his new powers, we split em and make him normal again, except we screw with reality enough that I can't get back on the train until I know which is what. "The Death of Clark Kent", "The Trial of Superman", the art in S:MOS, the relegation of Lois to Prop (GirlFrenzy, the Australia thing in Superman Blue, the lack of their even discussing the blue event), Jimmy's dive into pathetic loserness, and what the heck happened to Perry? It isn't worth the raise in prices. I love Superman. I love the fact that he is the modern day proof of the Chivalric code in today's culture. I love each and every character that makes up the sub-plots of Superman's reality. I'll always be reading Supergirl, and looking in on Superboy once in a while, but until they make a simple Metropolis Monthly where we see Lois, Clark, Jimmy, Perry, Ron, Martha and John, and Bibbo living and learning and coping with the events in the DCU, then I'm not buying anymore. That is until I read that the stories are worth the price from you guys at KC. PS, I'm cc ing this message to the DC e-mail address, I hope they listen or at least notice. **** Another disillusioned reader. It's sad, really, and I hope that someone at DC *does* take notice. I'm seeing these types of letters more and more lately, and it should be pointed out that these are *fans* of Superman. They're not casual readers picking these up for all the special events and big changes in Superman's life. These are the folks who've been around for several years. Is it worth a temporary sales spike to keep losing established readers? For those of you who share James' and Lee's views, might I offer a suggestion? Give _Superman Adventures_ a read. It's self-contained, enjoyable by readers of *all* ages, and doesn't suffer from the event-driven mentality of the mainstream DCU continuity. And as a glimmer of hope, keep up with the KC Newsroom. There are some interesting rumors and speculation floating about, and I've got an eerie feeling that the super-books, and perhaps the entire line of DCU titles, are about to receive a makeover. ========================================= From: Jim Lesher (jlesher@npr.org) I don't know if anyone else has mentioned this, but your recounting of Superman's battles with Atoman [in Bob Hughes' three-part review of the Superman radio serial] rang a bell in my memory. I went back to my collection and, sure enough, the story of Atoman was told (in an abbreviated fashion) in _World's Finest_ #271, which I think was published in 1981 or 1982. It was an anniversary issue, commemorating the Superman-Batman team, and it recounted Batman and Superman's histories together. I think that they must have met "for the first time" over half-a-dozen times! Anyway, the story also involves the return of Atoman, after his defeat in the 1940's. The story was much the same as the one you related, and it puts Atoman squarely into both Golden Age and Pre-Crisis continuity. Roy Thomas, the writer, specializes in stories like that. WF #271 also recounts one of the "first meetings" between Batman and Superman, and I think it is the story referred to as "The Mystery of the Wax Men." In the text portion of WF #271, Roy Thomas acknowledges the same radio stories *you* mentioned, so I think you would enjoy this comic, if you have not seen it already. **** For our readers, I would also like to add some information about how you can obtain your own copies of recordings of at least some of the serial that Bob Hughes shared with us. Late last year, Smithsonian Historical Performances released two audio collections of digitally remastered recordings of the Superman radio drama. The first was packaged as "Superman on Radio" and contains the first 27 episodes of the serial. The second was packaged as "World's Finest Classics: Superman with Batman & Robin On Radio". The latter contains two distinct stories -- the first tells of Superman, Batman, and Robin's effort to rescue Lois from a murder frame-up, and the second is exactly the Scarlet Widow portion of the Kryptonite saga which Bob has discussed in recent months. You should be able to buy or order these collections (on CD or cassette) from any book store. ========================================= From: Doug Randolph (dvncrandolph@earthlink.net) In talking with other superfans about the hard times this franchise has had in recent years, the inability to do a successful Superman TV/film adaption seems to have been especially damaging. This decline started with Superman IV -- a disappointing end to the Chris Reeve movie series. It continued with ABC's disastrous _Lois & Clark_. Finally, WB's decision to not relaunch the super-movie franchise seems to be the final nail in the coffin of live-action Superman incarnations. There have been but two bright spots in recent years. The animated Superman Adventures, and the Adventures of Superboy TV series. This latter show was quite good, yet is unknown to many superfans. The status of the Superboy series remains a mystery. It was suddenly canceled in its 4th season despite the fact it was a top ten syndicated show, and was garnering its best ratings ever. Early that season, word was the show would run for two more years. Both Gerard Christopher and Stacy Haiduk had agreed to stay on for the 5th/6th seasons. Then, out of nowhere, the show was canceled with never an explanation offered. A bigger mystery is that Superboy has never aired in rerun syndication. Every syndicated series from the early 90's (most quite inferior to Superboy) is in rerun syndication, except for Superboy. Makes absolutely no sense. The whole point (from a financial perspective) in making a TV series is to do 100 episodes, then place the series in rerun syndication. This is when the studios make the big money. At this point distribution and promotional expenses are the only costs they incur. >From the franchise's perspective, reairing Superboy would give a much needed boost to this fading icon. The show was a big hit a decade ago, and would undoubtedly be one again. Best of all, unlike L&C's producers, the producers of Superboy showed a respect for the then 50-year tradition, and made sure their series remained true to/was informed by that tradition. One example, they got the super-costume right from day one -- quite a feat when you consider L&C never got it right. It remains a creative and financial mystery as to why Superboy is not being aired today. Its as if it's been purposely deep-sixed. Do you have any information on what has gone on with this series? Have there been efforts to bring it back into rerun syndication? **** Before I talk about the Superboy series, I'm going to take exception to your comments about _Lois & Clark_. (Hey, I do this with everyone, so don't feel singled out.) L&C was *far* from a disaster -- at its most popular, it was a top 30 show, and it was primarily ABC's fault that the show's popularity dwindled towards the end. Those people who have had the harshest words about L&C have been comic book fans, and I simply think that they just never understood that the show was not meant for them. This was, from the start, meant to be a romance which just happened to feature the Man of Steel. Perhaps the worst part of the show was early in the second season when they made a conscious effort to try and be more like a comic book. It was only when they returned to romance that the show flourished, not only in quality, but in ratings. This was certainly not a disrespect of the 50-year tradition, but an attempt to tell the story from a different point of view. _L&C_ was faithful to the characters and their motivations, so I don't care if they didn't get the costume quite right. As for the Superboy series, I was in another town at that time, and we only got to see the first couple of seasons before it went off the air in our area. What I *did* see was a good series, but I don't know about any of the background information dealing with the latter years of the show or its eventual demise. Readers? ========================================= From: Christopher O'Brien Jr. (mxyzptlk@afn.org) In the letters column of _Superman: The Man of Tomorrow_ #11, DC says, "If DC decides to do another fifth-week-event line of books, we'll adjust the schedules so that _Man of Tomorrow_ will replace one of the four monthly titles for a month. Good idea, huh?" Bad idea. By definition, monthly is once a month, 12 times a year, 1200 times a century. If they absolutely must give us fifth-week-events *and* _Man of Tomorrow_, they need to publish MOT along with one of the monthly titles in the fourth week of that month. _Showcase_ '93 #7 and 8 were published the same week, so there should be no problem. Otherwise, drop MOT and leave the monthly titles (which all came first) alone. A monthly title shouldn't take over 1,000,000 months to reach #1,000,000. **** What strikes me about their statement is the "If". We already *know* that September's fifth-week is being used by the DC One Million event, December's fifth-week looks to be co-opted by Mark Waid's Kingdom event, and a fifth-week in the spring is going to be dedicated to a JSA event, according to word from San Diego. *If* there's another? Please... I think you're absolutely right about using MOT as a replacement. Especially when it comes to subscriptions, I should think that DC has a (perhaps contractual) obligation to make certain that they publish twelve issues of each of the four monthlies each year. MOT was created to fill the skip weeks. If something else has co-opted that role, then MOT should either be cancelled or turned into a quarterly. For me, it's a matter of semantics -- I really don't care what the title is called, as long as I get that Superman story each week. There are others, however, who don't buy every title, and these folks are getting short-changed by this constant shifting of books due to fifth- week events, Superman specials, and shoe-horning of MOT. The problem is that DC doesn't see the Superman group of titles as a group of titles at all. Instead, _Superman_, _Man of Steel_, _Action_, _Adventures of Superman_, _Man of Tomorrow_, and any specials like _Save the Planet_ are all seen as the same title shipped on a weekly schedule. Quite frankly, I don't know why they even bother to call them separate names any more. ========================================= From: Thomas Myers (TRMyers54@aol.com) I just found your web site and read your comments about comic sales. I agree that something has to be done,but I don't like the idea of changing the paper. I'm really used to the Miraweb format and would hate to see it go. I think the main problem is comics used to be written by adults for young people. Now they are written by adults for adults. Most kids just can't afford to buy them. Unfortunately, I think a lot of people like it that way. I think you hit that nail right on the head. Maybe the solution is for the major co. to put out a very low price line of books and make them available outside the direct market. Maybe even reprints, how expensive would that be? **** Have you also noticed that some creators will actually get a bit riled up if they're "accused" of writing a book for younger readers? I've seen Ty Templeton (writer of the Batman "Adventures" title) bristle at just that on Usenet in the past week or two. I have seen a noticeable trend in recent years, though, to return some fun to comics, predominately in the form of books focusing on teen heroes. In the end, however, I don't think that this is enough. What good is an effort to aim your product at kids if they still can't afford to buy the product? And for the record, I think that anyone who prefers to keep kids away from the industry is an idiot. Without fostering future generations of comic book readers, this industry *will* die, plain and simple. -- Jeff Sykes __________________________________________ ************************************************************ End of Section 9/Issue #53