_____________________________________________________

              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 #61 -- April 1999
_____________________________________________________


CONTENTS
--------
Section 1:  Superscripts: Notes from the Editor(s)
               In another guest editorial, Jon Knuton considers the
               question, "How do I get my spouse/significant other/friend
               interested in comics?"
            Ratings At A Glance
               Titles Shipped March 1999
            Batman: The Animated Series
               "Girls' Night Out"
               When Livewire joins up with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn
               to loot Gotham City in Batman's absence, it's up to Batgirl
               and Supergirl to rein in the terrible trio. Episode review
               by Karen Whitney.

Section 2:  The KC Newsroom
               News concerning the triangle system, big new promotional
               deals for Supes, comic industry awards for Big Blue, and
               teasers for upcoming comics and new episodes of the
               animated series!
            Web of Steel: The KC Guide to Superman on the WWW
               Jon Knutson continues his tour of web sites of interest
               to fans of the Man of Steel, this month bringing us a
               hodge-podge of sites, including his first "Site of the
               Month!"

Section 3:  The 1998 Kaycees!
               You placed the votes, and now the results are in -- see
               what KC readers picked as the best and worst in the world
               of Superman for 1998!
            
Section 4:  New Comic Reviews
               The Triangle Titles
                  Superman: The Man of Steel #88, by Mike Smith
                  Superman #144, by Thomas Deja
                  Adventures of Superman #567, by Enola Jones
                  Action Comics #754, by Edward Mathews

Section 5:  New Comic Reviews
               Super-Family Titles
                  Superboy #62, by Rene' Gobeyn
                  Supergirl #32, by Thomas Deja
                  Superman Adventures #31, by Cory Strode

Section 6:  New Comic Reviews
               Team Titles
                  JLA #29, by Anatole Wilson
                  Young Justice #8, by Gary Robinson
               Miniseries
                  Batman & Superman: World's Finest #2, by Simon DelMonte
                  Superman's Nemesis: Lex Luthor #3, by G.M. Nelson

Section 7:  New Comic Reviews
               Specials
                  Superman/Fantastic Four, by Edward Mathews
                  Superman Secret Files #2, by Rene' Gobeyn
                  Young Justice 80-Page Giant #1, by Rene' Gobeyn

Section 8:  The Phantom Zone
               Tales of Earth-One
               Episode #9: The Untold Secret History of the Phantom Zone!
               Bob Hughes gives us the low-down on Krypton's storage
               space/prison, featuring Superboy's and Superman's earliest
               encounters with the Phantom Zone.

Section 9:  Superman Stories
               Meanwhile In Hypertime...
               Sean Hogan looks at a variety of out-of-continuity stories,
               including some pre-Crisis imaginary tales and some post-
               Crisis Elseworlds.
            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 1999 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)
           --------------------------------------------------------
             Guest Editorial by Jon Knutson (waffyjon@execpc.com)


"How do I get my spouse/significant other/friend interested in comics?"

Yes, it's me again, with another KC editorial (got to do what I can to help
Jeff out!). This time around, I want to talk about something that
comic-book fans have had to deal with for some time... namely, how do you
get the special people in your lives interested in comic-books? I've been
in that boat myself -- they don't understand the appeal of them, they can't
suspend their disbelief, etc.

Excuse me? What's that? Oh, you want to know specifically what this has to
do with Superman and, therefore, why it has a place in the KC. An excellent
question. Of course, I could site that comic books probably wouldn't be
around if it weren't for the Man of Steel, the first comic-book superhero.
Or, I could state that he's been in more media more often than any other
superhero, which helps get people interested in comics. Or, I could just
say, "read on and see!"

Let me tell you about my wife, Barbara. We met through LOISCLA, one of the
internet "Lois and Clark" fan groups. While she'd enjoyed the Superman
movies, and loved L&C, she'd never (at least according to her) read any
comic books in her entire life. Before we got together, she'd joke, "Oh,
God, I'm getting involved with a comic book fan!" However, she never tried
to convince me to stop reading and collecting them, so I could take it as a
joke.

Well, guess what? Less than a year after we've been married, she's reading
comics. Or rather, she's reading a comic book. How did I do it? Let me tell
you the entire story.

We've both become fans of the Kids WB Saturday morning cartoons. I had been
a fan of the Batman animated series for some time, and we'd both been
Animaniacs fans. Well, as luck would have it, there were a few Saturday
mornings we'd woken up early enough to catch some of the other shows, like
"Men in Black," and liked those... plus, we'd seen commercials for Superman
and Batman. Unfortunately, the WB shows 'em way too early in the morning
for us, so finally, I talked Barbara into taping the whole line-up so I
could watch my two favorite comics-based animated shows.

Guess what? At first, she wasn't watching them with me, instead patiently
waiting for them to get over so she could watch MiB, Pinky and the Brain,
and Animaniacs (later, of course, replacing the latter two shows with "The
Big Cartoonie Show" and "Histeria"). However, I got her interested... "Hon,
you know who's doing the voice of the Joker? That's Mark Hamill!" "That's
Mark Hamill?!?" She started paying more attention, and began asking me
questions about the characters, and we began freeze-framing on the credits
to see who voiced whom. "Ed Asner was Granny Goodness?!?"

So what did it take to finally get her interested? "In Brightest Day" was
the episode title. If you don't watch Superman, you missed a good episode.
As you may have guessed, it guest-starred Green Lantern. Not Hal Jordan,
not Alan Scott, not even Guy Gardner or John Stewart... but Kyle Rayner.
Yecch, ptui, the annoying kid... the guy they replaced Hal with.

Uh-uh... she likes Kyle... she really likes him. Okay, I can deal with
that. "Do you want to read some of the comics he's in?" "Okay." I saw the
opportunity, and I took it. First thing I did was find her a Kyle action
figure at Kay-Bee Toys, which is even now standing guard over her computer.
Then, thanks to my local comic-book shop, I bought her the trade paperback
reprinting Kyle's first issues, and she read it and liked it. Now, I pick
up each issue of the comic for her as it comes out, and I've even picked up
the more recent trade paperback collection of Kyle's "baptism of fire."
I've got her interested!

I even had her checking out the DC Comics web site to read up on other
characters, and my next step is to go through the comics I've got here,
looking for other Kyle appearances, such as JLA... maybe that will even get
her reading that book! It could happen!

So, there's one way you can get someone interested. Heck, you might even
have it easier than I did... if you can get them interested in the animated
shows, you can pick up the comics based on them. But let's say that you
can't get them interested in Superman or Batman... what then?

Are they fans of classic Warner Brothers cartoons? You do know that DC's
got a Looney Tunes comic out, as well as an Animaniacs one, don't you? Come
on, that's a no-brainer! The same thing applies if they're a fan of Xena --
there's been the Topps series out already, and Dark Horse is coming out
with one, too. If this person is a fan of any television show or movie
that's become a comic-book series, there's your angle! Identify an area of
interest, and find a comic-book related to it they might like.

And here's a big tip: If you find something that's been collected in trade
paperback form, get them that... it doesn't have the "stigma" of being a
comic book.

Now, for my biggest tip of all: Don't go into information overload. In
other words, if the person asks you a question, don't tell too much! I was
guilty of that... any of you who have spoken to me online know that I'm a
font of useless comic book trivia, and it's relatively rare that I get a
chance to let loose with 30+ years of accumulated knowledge. We went to a
science-fiction convention with appearances by Harlan Ellison, Peter David
(writer of _Supergirl_... there's another tie-in there!) and Neil Gaiman.
On Saturday night, Barbara asked me about the difference between the Golden
Age and the Silver Age... and next thing I knew, I was going on about
Earth-1, Earth-2, etc... and that was too much. That set things back for a
few months right there, because I wasn't thinking about how this was all
new to her. Lesson learned.

So, I hope I've been some help to you readers... if you've got your own
tips, I'm sure Jeff will be interested in running them as either
editorials, or in the KC mailbag! Good luck, and don't give up too soon!

_____________________________________________________


               RATINGS AT A GLANCE:  Titles shipped March 1999
             ---------------------------------------------------
               Prepared by Shane Travis (travis@sedsystems.ca)


Two of the triangle titles in the top four... I don't mean to sound callous
or disrespectful to the departing creators, but if this month's Triangle
Titles are a good indicator of the level of quality of the new teams, bring
'em on!


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. (T) indicates a tie.
Average -- Average of the ratings for this title over the indicated number 
            of issues, based on the book's cumulative average. Each issue
            is weighted equally, regardless of the number of people rating
            the book that issue. If this book is averaged over fewer issues
            than the rest, the number of issues is displayed in ().


                            		Current    	          Previous         	   Avg (6Iss)
Title    	Issue	Rating	Rank 	Rating	Rank  	Rating	Rank
-----              	-----    	------	------  	------	------    	------	------
Superboy 	62	4.1(8)	1	4.0(8)	3	3.77	1
World's Finest        	2      	4.0(4) 	-       	3.0(4)   	-        	--    	-
YJ 80-Page Giant      	1      	3.9(3)   	-         	--     	-        	--      	-
Action Comics       	754    	3.8(7)   	2       	3.2(10) 	6       	3.17  	6
Superman Adv.        	31      	3.7(5)   	3       	4.2(3)   	2       	3.37  	4
Man of Steel         	88      	3.3(8)   	4       	3.2(10)  	6       	3.03  	7
Supergirl            	32      	3.3(6)   	5       	3.6(5)   	4       	3.40  	2
S/Fantastic Four      	1      	3.2(5)   	-         	--     	-        	--  	-
JLA                  	29      	3.2(7)   	6       	3.5(7)   	5       	3.33 	5
Superman            	144     	2.9(8)   	7       	3.0(7)   	7       	2.77  	8
Superman SF&O         	2      	2.9(7)   	-       	3.7(12)  	-        	--      	-
Adv. of Superman    	567      	2.8(7)   	8       	2.8(9)   	8       	2.72 	9
Young Justice         	8      	2.4(5)   	9   	4.2(5)   	1       	3.38 	3
Lex Luthor            	3      	1.6(5)   	-  	2.5(6)   	-     	2.33(3)	-


"A Merry Month for Millar"
SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #31
ACTION COMICS #754
 - While he wasn't able to knock _Superboy_ from its number one spot (that
title just keeps getting better and better...), Millar turned in a solid
second half of the story in _Superman Adventures_, capping what many are
calling his best work on the title. Better still, though, his new pairing
with Stuart Immonen on _Action Comics_ brought rave reviews, hope for
the future, and the highest average rating the title has had in almost two
years. You know, I'm *really* beginning to regret choosing him for the
Kaycees in the 'Worst Super-Family Writer' category....


"Now we know why PAD gets the big bucks..."
YOUNG JUSTICE #8
 - A fill-in story from Chuck Dixon and some guest art by Coy Turnbull and
Jaime Mendoza pleased almost no one, especially after the hugely strong
story we got last issue. So, guys, how does it feel to be responsible for
the lowest rating the book has earned to date?


"If he shoots himself, is it *finally* over?"
SUPERMAN'S NEMESIS: LEX LUTHOR #3
 - We finally learn the origin of the 'mysterious' Krisma, and guess what?
Nobody cares. Now, not only are we unable to root for the 'protagonist',
but the 'bad guy' of the piece is supposed to be sympathetic. This one
just keeps freefalling, spiralling down into a tie for the lowest rating
ever seen in this column; here's hoping it levels off before it crashes
even harder.


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 <travis@sedsystems.ca>
and will be added to the monthly mailing-list to receive a Ratings Form.

_____________________________________________________


                         BATMAN:  THE ANIMATED SERIES
                   ----------------------------------------

                       Episode #105: "Girls' Night Out"
            ------------------------------------------------------
              Reviewed by Karen Whitney (whitneyk@cadvision.com)


October 17, 1998
Written by Hilary J. Bader
Directed by Curt Geda

Guest-Starring: Nicholle Tom as Supergirl
                Tara Charendoff as Batgirl
                Kevin Conroy as Batman
                Lori Petty as Livewire
                Diane Pershing as Poison Ivy
                Arleen Sorkin as Harley Quinn
                Robert Costanzo as Det. Bullock


RATINGS:

Average: 3.6/5.0 Shields

Karen Whitney:
    4.0 Shields
Nathan Bredfeldt:
    4.1 Shields - I'm a sucker for a crossover. The end was just too cheez.
Roger Day:
    3.0 Shields
Scott Devarney:
    2.5 Shields - It was welcome to see Batgirl and Supergirl
        immediately like and respect each other, but neither heroine
        radiated much personality. The ending was unsatisfying with Ivy
        and Livewire defeating each other instead of being beaten by
        Supergirl and Batgirl.
Brad Ferguson:
    4.3 Shields - Interesting to see that the young ladies get along with
        each other far better than their elders do. This was a great story
        full of supporting characters, yet it remained well-paced through-
        out. These second-generation distaff heroes are utterly charming
        -- far more so than their comic-book counterparts. It almost makes
        me wish that ... nah. It'd never happen.
Curtis Herink:
    4.5 Shields - A great mix of action and humor. The interactions among
        the various characters were particularly enjoyable.
Neil Ottenstein:
    4.5 Shields - A fun episode. My favorite spots were the "Supergirl"
        saves Gotham drawing and the "grass is always greener scene."


REVIEW

The episode opens with Livewire being transferred to Gotham City for
treatment. She escapes the transfer vehicle by feeding off downed power
lines. Batgirl informs Batman, who is out of town, about the situation, and
he calls Superman for backup. Superman is also away, and it is Supergirl
who answers Clark's phone. Batman gives her a carefully worded message for
Clark. Supergirl realizes the message is really meant for Superman, but
instead of passing it on, she heads to Gotham City herself.

Supergirl arrives in Gotham City just as Batgirl is on the losing end of a
battle with Livewire, and together the two of them manage to hold off
Livewire until she runs out of power and leaves. Supergirl and Batgirl are
confident that they can defeat her when they meet again because they are
two against her one, but it is at this point that Livewire hooks up with
Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy.

Supergirl and Batgirl meet up with Livewire again at the mall, but after
they defeat her, they discover she has new teammates. After the ensuing
battle, the three villains make their escape while Supergirl rescues
Batgirl from a trap Poison Ivy has set.

Ivy, Harley, and Livewire head to the Iceberg nightclub to plan their next
move, and end up trashing the place. Supergirl and Batgirl track them down
to Ivy's hideout after speaking to the Penguin, Iceberg's owner. A
primarily two-on-two battle takes place at the hideout since Harley is
knocked out early in the confrontation. By the end, Supergirl and Batgirl
manage to capture all three and emerge victorious.

Overall, this was an enjoyable episode. It was fun to see the heroines
manage to come out on top, without needing to ask Superman or Batman (or
even Robin) for help. There's a very nice scene where Supergirl envies
Batgirl her life in the big city and Batgirl envies Supergirl her life on
the farm. There's also good contrast of the bonding between the "good
girls" and the "bad girls" as Livewire teams up with the Batman villains.

It is amusing that Harley's approach to every obstacle is to take a huge
sledgehammer to it, and even more so when her cohorts note that, "At least
she's consistent." Another nice touch comes at the end of the episode as
Det. Bullock, who had previously ridiculed the girls' efforts, admits to
the media that the couple of rookies who nabbed Livewire, Harley Quinn, and
Poison Ivy "have potential," while Kara (Supergirl) and Barbara (Batgirl)
watch on TV and high-five each other.

I would have preferred to see a little less of the battle scenes and a
little more of the character scenes, more of the "good girls" and "bad
girls" getting to know each other. But this is an action show, after all,
so I am not surprised that the battles got far more screen time.

_____________________________________________________

                               THE KC NEWSROOM
                      ---------------------------------
                      By Joshua Elder (j-elder@nwu.edu)


Welcome to this month's edition of the KC Newsroom. I've got some news
concerning the triangle system, comic industry awards for Big Blue, and
teasers for the final episodes of _Superman: TAS_. So read on Superman
fans. Who knows, you might just learn something.


THE END OF AN ERA

DC rep. David Vinson has recently confirmed that the triangle system will
be coming to an end when the new creative teams come on board later this
year. This is the ultimate outcome of the editorial plan to let the
creative teams tell their own, independent stories. I for one am sad to see
the triangles go. I don't think they should be used to make every issue run
into the next from week to week, but they would definitely help keep
continuity straight from one title to the next. The triangles could be used
to show the orders of the independent story arcs, something very necessary
for a character starring in four independent titles each month (five if you
count _JLA_).

[Update: The Comic Wire (at www.comicbookresources.com) is reporting that
DC has decided to retain the triangle numbering system after all, though
it's unclear whether or not they've changed their mind about moving away
from the serial nature of the books in use today. We'll let you know what
develops. --Jeff]


FASTER THAN A SPEEDING NASCAR

http://www.wizardworld.com/news/dailynews/news_04_21_99.html#2

According to Wizard News (at http://www.wizardworld.com), nine champion
drivers from four racing series on Tuesday unveiled Superman-themed race
cars at New York City's Tavern on the Green. The Superman Racing theme is a
yearlong collaborative program created by Action Performance Companies, DC
Comics, and Warner Bros. The paint schemes of the cars portray the Superman
shield and an image of Krypton's Last Son flying fist forward with a look
of steely determination upon his face.

The Superman Racing drivers include: NASCAR's Jeff Gordon; Busch Series'
Dale Earnhardt Jr; Craftsman Truck Series' Ron Hornaday; NHRA's John Force,
Jom Amato, and Warren Johnson; and Jimmy Vasser and Steve Kinser of the
World of Outlaws. Said Fred W. Wagenhals, Action chairman, president, and
chief executive officer, "Superman is the perfect icon for these champion
drivers because they are truly super-heroes in the motor sports industry
with as much strength, speed, energy, and excitement as the Man of Steel
himself. We are proud to continue our collaborative partnership with DC
Comics and Warner Bros. Consumer Products in this exciting program that is
sure to inspire race fans nationwide." 

To commemorate this event, DC Comics has created a custom comic book
featuring all nine drivers as characters in an action adventure story with
Superman. The limited-edition custom comic will be sold exclusively by
K-Mart in its mass retail stores. Action will design, market, and
distribute a variety of exclusively designed collectible die-cast replica
cars, adult and children's apparel items and other merchandise to fans and
collectors.


SUPERMAN STAYS AT BEST WESTERN

http://www.wizardworld.com/news/dailynews/news_04_21_99.html#2

Again according to Wizard News, DC Comics' Super-heroes Batman, Superman,
and Wonder Woman are coming to Best Western Hotels nationwide this summer
for an unprecedented fourth consecutive year in the Best Western's Summer
Adventures. The promotion, which runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day, gives
hotel guests the chance to win a grand prize $40,000 or first prize $20,000
four-year college scholarship, it was announced on April 12 by Wayne
Wielgus, Vice President, Worldwide Marketing and Sales and Joel Ehrlich,
Senior Vice President, Promotions for DC Comics and Warner Bros. Consumer
Products.

"We're proud that Best Western is collaborating with such great partners as
DC Comics to put together a program that continues to be an industry leader
and winner of five national awards for the quality of the promotion," said
Wielgus. "It is quite gratifying to be associated with a program that has
been a consistently successful promotion while offering prizes that can
actually enrich the lives of kids and an activity book that encourages them
to be a hero in their own lives," said Ehrlich.

Summer Adventures features Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman with a number
of fantastic partners including Visa, AT&T, FujiFilm, Crazy Dips candy,
Discovery Zone, and Warner Home Video. When guests book the Best Western
Fun Plan at any of the more than 2,200 Best Western hotels in the United
States, Canada or the Caribbean, kids 12 years of age and under stay free
and receive a bounty of giveaways including a customized DC Comics activity
book, a DC Comics-branded single-use FujiFilm camera with free film
processing, and a super-heroes cup. Youngsters seven and older can enter
the scholarship sweepstakes contest, "Who's the Hero In Your Life?", with a
grand prize $40,000 four-year college scholarship. First prize is a $20,000
four-year scholarship. Other great prizes include trips to SPACE CAMP (TM),
Discovery Zone birthday parties, Fuji digital cameras and desktop home
computers. More than 100 prizes will be awarded. Guests can make their
reservations by calling 800/528-1234.

Companies are finally beginning to rediscover the marketing appeal of the
Man of Steel. First Lotus, then NASCAR, and now Best Western. What will be
next? I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the second coming of Superman
peanut butter.


BIG BLUE GETS WHAT'S COMING TO HIM

DC has received 39 Eisner Awards for 1998. The awards will be presented in
August at the 1999 Comic Con in San Diego. Here are the following Superman
related awards.

Best Limited Series
  _Justice League of America: The Nail_ by Alan Davis and Mark Farmer
  _Superman For All Seasons_ by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale
Best Graphic Album -- New
  _Superman: Peace on Earth_ by Paul Dini and Alex Ross
Best Archival Collection/Project
  _Giant Superman Annual_ #1 by various
  _Superman: The Dailies_ by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (DC/Kitchen Sink)
Best Writer
  Jeph Loeb, _Superman For All Seasons_
Best Writer/Artist
  Alan Davis, _Justice League of America: The Nail_
Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team
  Tim Sale, _Superman For All Seasons_
Best Painter (Interior Art)
  Alex Ross, _Superman: Peace on Earth_
Best Coloring
  Bjarne Hansen, _Superman For All Seasons_
Best Comics-Related Book/Publication
  _Superman: The Complete History_, by Les Daniels (Chronicle Books)
Best Publication Design 
  _Superman: The Dailies_, designed by Chris Shadoian, art direction by
    Evan Metcalf (DC/Kitchen Sink) 
  _Superman: The Complete History_, designed by Chip Kidd (Chronicle Books)


TAYLOR TAKES WORLD'S FINEST BREAK 

Artist Dave Taylor told The Comic Book Continuum
(http://www.detnews.com/comicbooks) that he is taking time off the _Batman
& Superman: World's Finest_ maxi-series. He will be pencilling covers only
for _World's Finest_ #6-9 and resume interior art with _World's Finest_
#10.

"To cut a very long story short, I have taken time off _World's Finest_,
due to the fact that the deadlines set were stopping the creative team from
producing their _World's Finest_ work -- notably me," Taylor said. "My page
count, per week, went up 50 percent for three months, at the end of which
time I was almost at burn out!"

It is unknown who will be replacing Taylor for those issues.


UPCOMING SPECIALS

Thanks to the Another Universe for these spoilers
http://www.anotheruniverse.com/comics/features/dc99extra.html#superman

Superman Vs. Predator
(W) Michelinie (A) Maleev
Three issue Prestige miniseries
Early '00
Superman faces a strange -- and deadly -- visitor from another planet in a
3-issue miniseries that finds the Man of Steel laid low by an alien virus
from the Predators' homeworld. Weakened, he searches for a cure he believes
is hidden in the ship of the first Predator to ever land on Earth... a ship
that also is sought by another Predator looking to eradicate all traces of
their past visits to Earth. Co-published with Dark Horse Comics.

The Superman Monster
(W) Abnett/Lanning (P) A. Williams (I) Lanning (F)
Prestige One-shot
July '99
The team behind last year's _Batman: Two Faces_ returns for a Victorian
Elseworlds one-shot combining elements of Mary Shelley's classic,
_Frankenstein_, with the Superman mythos. Obsessed scientist Viktor Luthor
creates his own form of life -- one he believes will be a Superman, but
like plans of all mad scientists, plans quickly go awry.

Superman: End Of The Century
(W/P) Immonen (I) Marzan, Jr.
Hardcover graphic novel
December '99
Exploring the mystery that surrounds the Contessa, Stuart Immonen writes,
pencils, paints, and uses computer-generated collages to create a dazzling
hardcover graphic novel starring the Man of Steel. The truth behind the
mother of Luthor's child is revealed as the seemingly immortal Contessa
returns to Metropolis in a tale that finds Superman and Lois Lane embroiled
in breakneck adventure, racing against time to defeat the Contessa, learn
her secret, and keep an even deadlier secret from escaping into the world

I'm both excited and leary of these upcoming specials. The _Superman vs.
Predator_ premise seems too implausible, but I thought the same thing about
_Superman vs. Aliens_ and I was so completely wrong there. I am a fan of
Abnett and Lanning's writing so the _Superman Monster_ has potential, but I
have to say that I am most looking forward to Immonen's _Superman: End Of
The Century_. I love Immonen's art and I think he has been steadily
improving as a writer -- not to mention that a Superman hardcover would
look great on my bookshelf.


THE LAST DAYS OF SUPERMAN: TAS

As I'm sure most of you have already heard, there are no plans for new
episodes of _Superman: TAS_ next season. The success of _Batman Beyond_ has
prompted the _Superman_ production staff, including Dini and Timm, to move
over to the futuristic Bat-series. While I am a fan of _Batman Beyond_, I
don't think it's worth sacrificing _Superman_ over. At least there are
still a few episodes from this season that have yet to air. The following
info comes from Pop Rocket News (http://idt.net/~nexus1/comics.html):

Legacy
Darkseid strips Superman of his memory and adopts him as a son in an effort
to take over Earth. (A two-episode story.)

The Demon Reborn
Batman comes to Superman's rescue as Ra's Al Ghul attempts to steal
Superman's powers. (Note: "The Demon" is Ra's alias. Jack Kirby's Demon is
not featured.)

Unity
Superman teams up with Supergirl to save Ma and Pa Kent and the rest of
Smallville from an alien threat.

A Fish Story (airs 5/8)
When marine life in Metropolis threatens the city's citizens, Lois Lane
discovers it's because Lex Luthor has taken Aquaman as a prisoner.

_____________________________________________________


              WEB OF STEEL: THE KC GUIDE TO SUPERMAN ON THE WWW
              -------------------------------------------------
                   By Jon B. Knutson (waffyjon@execpc.com)


Greetings, fellow KC readers, and welcome to the second installment of my
new column which will point your way to the many Superman-related sites on
the web. As with the initial offering, I'll once again tell you that I've
got a page up on the web of my own with the guidelines I follow when
reviewing sites... it's at:

http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Capsule/7801/webofsteel.html

This time around, a bit of a variety as I feature a hodge-podge of sites!
Let's begin with something for KC fans to put on their computers!


SUPERMAN ON YOUR DESKTOP (via Softseek.com)
http://www.softseek.com

Well, you can have Superman on your desktop if you use Windows 95/98.
Softseek.com offers two different Superman themes you can download for free
and use on your computer. Of the two, the first one I've listed below looks
the best (in my opinion). Softseek has lots of other desktop themes you can
check out as well. Three out of five shields -- a couple of strikes against
them are 1) Windows only... this is the same for their entire site. But
hey, that's just me, Mac user that I am. Strike 2) You'll be downloading
the files from a link on their page, but the files are really on other
servers. Strike 3) A little more variety would be nice. Only two Superman
sets, and both of those modern-age? Still, I'm sure most Windows users will
enjoy either one of these.

http://www.softseek.com/Desktop_Enhancements/Desktop_Themes/Movies_TV_and_
Comics/Review_10334_index.html

http://www.softseek.com/Desktop_Enhancements/Desktop_Themes/Movies_TV_and_
Comics/Review_15326_index.html


SUPERMAN VS. BILL GATES
http://web1.gamesdomain.com/directd/mac/arcade/superman-vs-bill-gates-hc.html

This isn't really a web site review so much as pointing out to the
Mac-using KC readers out there a piece of freeware called "Superman Vs.
Bill Gates." You can download it from the link below. The game requires you
have Hypercard installed. It doesn't take long to play it, but it *is* fun
for Superman and Mac fans!


A LIFESIZE SUPERMAN OF YOUR OWN
http://cardboardpeople.com

This site won't be rated, as they only have one Superman item for sale...
but it's a neat one. You can get a life-sized cardboard standee of the
animated Superman for only $19.95 plus $3.00 for shipping from Cardboard
People. Very cool, and if I had space in my apartment, I'd get it!


THE STEEL HOMEPAGE
http://sac.uky.edu/~mpsmit0/steel/

This is the first website I've found devoted to John Henry Irons, and if
there's a better one on the WWW, I haven't found it yet. That's not to say
this is a perfect website -- there's room for improvement, but at least the
site admits it's a work in progress. There are sections devoted to Steel's
family tree, his JLA membership, Steel's appearances in other media (toys,
cartoon, the movie), and much more. The graphics are great here, and
download quickly. The only real complaints I have are that it's been a
while since it was last added to, and the links page (which is otherwise
excellent) has a couple of links listed in a bright yellow on a white
background. If some of the sections were more complete, this would easily
rate five shields, but for now, I'll give it four out of five. If you're a
Steel fan, check this site out, and bookmark it!


CHRIS' COMIC BOOK COLLECTION
http://angst.webserve.net/~arion/comics/

This is a nice start on a fan page. Chris shares his comics collection with
the surfer, providing details on who worked on each one, with cover
galleries, cross-indexing, and some other nice touches. While the site is
more of a general comics site than a Superman site, there's still plenty
there for the Superman fan. Unfortunately, some of the sections seem to be
under construction or missing. Some info is sparse in places, but points
are always earned with me when you've got thumbnails to click for larger
pictures. The Superman content appears to be only post-reboot era, but
anyone looking for general information on modern comics should check it
out. Three and a half out of five shields -- points lost for missing links
and placeholders for missing information. However, it won't take much work
to put this into the four- or five-shield category.


SUPERMAN CINEMA
http://members.aol.com/dsupermanc/index.htm

This is a well-laid-out site focusing on Superman in the movies, using
frames well. Unfortunately, there's a missing photo link right at the front
page. It's partitioned off into several areas: "The Daily Planet," offering
the latest Superman movie news, areas for all four of the Chris Reeve
movies, a soundtracks area, multimedia, collector's corner, and many other
features. The sections on the movies are particularly nice, with a summary
of the movie, reviews, behind-the-scenes info, and related articles. All
the departments are very nicely done (although I'd prefer a slightly larger
typeface). If you're a fan of the movies (and who isn't?), you should
really check this one out! Four and one-half out of five shields (losing
half a shield for some of the missing photos).


And now, it's time to award this issue's "KC Web of Steel Site of the
Month" award!

ZOOMWAY'S ULTIMATE LOIS & CLARK SITE
http://acreativetouch.simplenet.com/zoomway/

Okay, I might be biased here, given a rather long association with former
KC columnist Zoomie, but if this isn't the best L&C fan site out there,
then I haven't found it yet. Keeping the spirit of L&C fandom alive,
Zoomie's site offers probably the biggest archive of Lois & Clark fan
fiction (including all the stories written by yours truly), the latest news
she's been able to track down, a FAQ, trivia, a search engine, and lots
more! Five out of five shields -- L&C fans who haven't been here don't know
what they're missing.

This just in -- Zoomie's put up a tribute page to Kirk Alyn, the first man
to play Superman in the movies!

http://www.actwd.com/zoomway/comics/kirk_alyn.htm

Congratulations on winning the award, Zoom... keep up the good work!


That's it for this issue, super-surfers... join me back here next time for
my first "theme" column, focusing on fan sites dedicated to Christopher
Reeve and the Superman movies!

In the meantime, if you run or know of a Superman site you want to see
featured in "Web of Steel," e-mail me the URL at waffyjon@execpc.com and
I'll fit it in as soon as I can.

_____________________________________________________

                               THE 1998 KAYCEES
       ----------------------------------------------------------------
         The Fifth Annual Kryptonian Cybernet Readers' Choice Awards!


Welcome once again, Superman fans, to our annual awards for the best and
worst in the world of Superman. We received a total of 95 ballots this
year, and the new set of categories seems to have been fairly well
received. Next year, we'll be looking at a more efficient, computerized
vote-counting procedure, so maybe we'll be able to get the results back to
you more rapidly.

Before we jump into the winners and losers, let's take a moment to recall
that, as usual, we ran a little contest alongside the Kaycees. We have
drawn a name at random from the list of people who signed their ballots.
This person will be receiving a Superman prize package, including a set of
Kingdom Come trading cards, fully painted by Alex Ross and including the
special Superman sketchbook insert card; the oversized promotional poster
for _Superman: Peace on Earth_; and a copy of the hardcover edition of _The
Death and Life of Superman_, autographed by author Roger Stern!

Drumroll, please. And the winner is... Seth Isaacs! Congratulations Seth!

Finally, before we jump into the awards themselves, I want to pass along my
thanks to Jim Butler, Sean Hogan, and David Strahan, who helped me to count
the votes this year. Without them, you'd probably still be waiting for me
to finish.

Now, without further delay, the results...

In all awards, only those receiving two or more votes are listed.


TRIANGLE TITLE AWARDS
=====================
(Comments by Jeff Sykes)

TT1: Best Story/Story-arc in the Superman Triangle Titles
---------------------------------------------------------
[32] Golden Age Superman tribute, Superman: Man of Steel #80-81
[16] Superman Forever #1
[13] "Checkmate", Superman #131
[10] "The Death of Mr. Mxyzptlk", Superman: Man of Steel #75
[10] Silver Age Superman tribute, Adventures of Superman #558-560
[ 4] Superman 2999, Superman #136-137
[ 3] Superman: Save the Planet #1
[ 2] "Polyesteryear", Action Comics #745-746

TT2: Worst Story/Story-arc in the Superman Triangle Titles
----------------------------------------------------------
[41] Millennium Giants, Triangles 15-20
[16] Superman Red/Superman Blue arc, Triangles 6-20
[ 9] Crisis in Kandor arc, Triangles 41-44
[ 5] Dominus/Kismet Saga, Triangles 33-37
[ 4] "Devil May Care: A Thesis...", Action Comics #742  (Kirichitan)
[ 3] "A Matter of Time", Superman #139  (Conclusion of Dominus story)
[ 3] "Eye of the Storm", Action Comics #747  (Final issue of 1970s tribute)
[ 3] Superman Forever #1  (Powers restored, Superman searches for Lena)
[ 2] Superman Red/Superman Blue #1  (Toyman/Cyborg split Superman in two)

Not much to say here. At most, I'm a touch surprised that Superman Forever
#1 did as well as it did, but it's nothing shocking. I suppose the only
shocking thing here would be the fact that a Bogdanove story wins best
anything... <g>


TT3: Best Cover from a Superman Triangle Title
----------------------------------------------
[61] Superman Forever #1  (Alex Ross painting(s))
[ 9] Superman #131  (Lena Luthor's blood-covered birth announcement)
[ 7] Superman: Man of Steel #75  (Mxy parody of Superman #75 cover)
[ 5] Adventures of Superman #562  (Planet globe coming down)
[ 3] Superman: Man of Steel #81  (Golden Age Superman jumps train)
[ 2] Action Comics #745  (Superman Jigsaw puzzle)

TT4: Worst Cover from a Superman Triangle Title
-----------------------------------------------
[28] The Millennium Giants covers  (the 9-grid panel as a whole)
[15] Superman Red/Superman Blue #1  (Direct 3-D cover)
[ 8] Superman: Man of Steel #79  (Red and Blue in front of Cabracas' Head)
[ 6] Adventures of Superman #554  (Sewer monster strangles Superman blue)
[ 6] Adventures of Superman #558  (Child's Superman in crayon)
[ 6] Superman: Man of Steel #83  (Waverider, Dominus, Superman)
[ 4] Adventures of Superman #563  (Painted, Superman vs Cyborg in Kandor)
[ 3] Superman #140  (Painted, Superman in shackles in Kandor)

Heh. Maybe we should just forego voting on any category where Alex Ross is
competing. :) I don't recall any landslides on this order since _Kingdom
Come_. By the way, Shane -- you win. Nobody voted for the crayon cover to
_Adventures of Superman_ #558 in the best cover category...


TT5: Best Writing in the Superman Triangle Titles
-------------------------------------------------
[25] Karl Kesel and Jerry Ordway (Adventures of Superman)
[16] Karl Kesel (Adventures of Superman)
[14] Stuart Immonen (Action Comics)
[13] Jon Bogdanove and Louise Simonson (Man of Steel)
[11] Dan Jurgens (Superman)
[ 4] Ron Marz (Kandor saga)

TT6: Worst Writing in the Superman Triangle Titles
--------------------------------------------------
[23] Ron Marz (Kandor saga)
[20] Jon Bogdanove and Louise Simonson (Man of Steel)
[14] Stuart Immonen (Action Comics)
[10] Dan Jurgens (Superman)
[ 6] Louise Simonson (Man of Steel, Man of Tomorrow)

Hrmph. Even if I didn't care much for Kesel or Kesel/Ordway's work on
_Adventures of Superman_ this year, it seems they were the clear favorites.
In fact, in addition to receiving the bulk of the best writing votes, they
didn't receive any votes for worst writing. All the other writers faced
some level of split opinion.

Given my particular choice for best writing this year, I'm quite pleased
that Ron Marz managed to supplant the _Man of Steel_ team for the worst
writing award. It's going to be interesting to see who manages to take this
award next year, without Bog and Simonson or Marz to single out...


TT7: Best Art in the Superman Triangle Titles
---------------------------------------------
[32] Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr. (Action Comics)
[27] Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier (Adventures of Superman)
[ 9] Paul Ryan and Josef Rubinstein (Superman)
[ 7] Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke (Man of Steel)
[ 3] Paul Ryan and Dennis Janke (Man of Tomorrow, fill-ins)
[ 3] Tom Grindberg and Tom Palmer (Kandor saga)

TT8: Worst Art in the Superman Triangle Titles
----------------------------------------------
[28] Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke (Man of Steel)
[16] Ron Frenz and Josef Rubinstein (Superman)
[13] Tom Grindberg and Tom Palmer (Kandor saga)
[ 8] Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr. (Action Comics)
[ 3] Paul Ryan and Dennis Janke (Man of Tomorrow, fill-ins)
[ 3] Paul Ryan and Josef Rubinstein (Superman)
[ 2] Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier (Adventures of Superman)

A real dogfight for best art team, just as it was last year, and every art
team received at least one vote for best art. Extending their streak, Bog
and Janke once again are crowned worst art team -- as I mentioned above,
it's gonna be interesting seeing how this one comes out next year without
them to pick on...


TT9: Best Superman Triangle Title
---------------------------------
[29] Adventures of Superman
[24] Action Comics
[18] Superman
[ 7] Superman: The Man of Steel
[ 3] Superman: The Man of Tomorrow

TT10: Worst Superman Triangle Title
-----------------------------------
[30] Superman: The Man of Steel
[22] Superman: The Man of Tomorrow
[11] Action Comics
[ 8] Superman

Once again, not a surprising outcome here, especially when considering the
above awards. Guess I'll just shut up and move things along. :)


SUPERMAN FAMILY AWARDS
======================
(Comments by Sean Hogan)

SF1: Best Story/Story-arc in a Superman Family Title
----------------------------------------------------
[21] "The Last Boy on Earth", Superboy #50-53
[16] JLA and Sandman vs Star Conqueror, JLA #22-23
[13] "Double-Edged Sword", Supergirl #23
[ 9] "Last Daughter of Argo", Superman Adventures #21
[ 7] Supergirl gains wings of flame and battles Despero, Supergirl #17-18
[ 7] "Young, Just Us", Young Justice #1
[ 6] "Desperate Times", Supergirl #25
[ 5] "Invasion", Steel #48

SF2: Worst Story/Story-arc in a Superman Family Title
-----------------------------------------------------
[25] "When She Was Good...", Supergirl #1M
[23] "Love Is All That Anti-Matters", Superboy and the Ravers #17-19
[ 7] JLA battles Prometheus, JLA #16-17
[ 6] All Young Justice, #1-3,1M
[ 5] JLA and Sandman vs Star Conqueror, JLA #22-23
[ 5] "Hexed!", Superboy #55
[ 2] "OMAC: One Million and Counting!", Superboy #1M
[ 2] "Hide 'N' Seek", Superman Adventures #20

_Superboy_ (courtesy of Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett) returned with a bang,
beating last year's landslide winner, _JLA_. It's also worth noting that
the three _Supergirl_ entries garnered 26 votes between them -- perhaps
Peter David could have won for best story if his vote hadn't been split.

Then again, when Peter David writes a bad story, people sure notice. It's
saying something when his _Supergirl_ story for the DC One Million month
was more disliked than this year's stink winner, _Superboy and the Ravers_.
Last year this category was dominated by both _Superboy and the Ravers_
issues and the "Meltdown" arc in _Superboy_.


SF3: Best Cover from a Superman Family Title
--------------------------------------------
[26] JLA #24  (JLA stands against the rain at sunset)
[15] Superboy #50  (Shirtless long-haired Superboy firing gun)
[12] Young Justice #3  (YJ in their mentors' costumes at Mxy's door)
[ 8] Supergirl #25  (Supergirl and candidates for Comet's identity)
[ 7] Superman Adventures #25  (Superman and Batgirl)
[ 6] JLA #19  (Skeleton hand rolls dice with JLA on faces)
[ 6] Superman Adventures #21  (Supergirl in spotlight)
[ 3] Steel #48  (Steel wields hammer, Crash's forces fly overhead)
[ 2] Superboy #54  (Superboy and Guardian under barrage of flame)

SF4: Worst Cover from a Superman Family Title
---------------------------------------------
[30] Superboy and the Ravers #18  (Superboy between Kindred brothers)
[ 8] Steel #50  (Millennium Giants cover)
[ 6] Superman Adventures #22  (Superman under attack by Fortress)
[ 6] Supergirl #20  (Millennium Giants cover)
[ 5] JLA #17  (Prometheus stands over defeated league)
[ 4] JLA #22  (Sandman holds ball containing sleeping JLA members)
[ 4] Superboy #55  (Superboy battles Grok, Hex in shadows)
[ 3] Superman Adventures #20  (Superman blasted by energy beam)
[ 2] Supergirl #19  (Supergirl in a tornado of junk)

Remember the flack about Porter and Dell's art on _JLA_? Well their cover
of the _JLA_ standing against the rain was certainly a big hit this year.
They also came in first last year for _JLA_ #1, also with the original
seven standing in a group shot.

Looks like most people loathed the penultimate cover to _Superboy and the
Ravers_, which had Superboy standing between the feuding Kindred brothers,
drawn by Josh Hood and Dan Davis. Only the polite "No Vote" came close to
it.


SF5: Best Writing in a Superman Family Title
--------------------------------------------
[26] Grant Morrison (JLA)
[25] Peter David (Supergirl)
[14] Karl Kesel (Superboy)
[10] Mark Millar (Superman Adventures)
[ 7] Christopher Priest (Steel)
[ 5] Peter David (Young Justice)
[ 2] Mark Waid (JLA)

SF6: Worst Writing in a Superman Family Title
---------------------------------------------
[43] Steve Mattsson and Karl Kesel (Superboy and the Ravers)
[10] Christopher Priest (Steel)
[ 7] Peter David (Young Justice)
[ 6] Mark Waid (JLA)
[ 5] Karl Kesel (Superboy)
[ 2] Peter David (Supergirl)

Grant Morrison pulled in only one less vote than last year as his writing
on JLA continues to be popular. Peter David, who came second last year with
14 votes, came surging up the middle and almost knocked Morrison off his
hill.

As for worst writing, anyone starting to see a trend here? From a series
that started with such great promise with wonderful writing (Mattsson and
Kesel) and art (by Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis), this series went into a
quick tailspin starting with the Genesis tie-in (#14). Mattsson and Kesel,
knowing the end was near, valiantly tried to wrap up their storylines by
the final issue (#19), but only created a rushed and messy ending.


SF7: Best Art in a Superman Family Title
----------------------------------------
[39] Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel (Superboy)
[14] Howard Porter and John Dell (JLA)
[10] Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs (Supergirl)
[ 6] Leonard Kirk and Cam Smith (Supergirl)
[ 6] Aluir Amancio and Terry Austin (Superman Adventures)
[ 4] Arnie Jorgensen and David Meikis (JLA)
[ 4] Todd Nauck and Lary Stucker (Young Justice)

SF8: Worst Art in a Superman Family Title
-----------------------------------------
[27] Josh Hood and Dan Davis (Superboy and the Ravers)
[17] Denys Cowan and Tom Palmer (Steel)
[10] Howard Porter and John Dell (JLA)
[ 8] Todd Nauck and Lary Stucker (Young Justice)
[ 5] Arnie Jorgensen and David Meikis (JLA)
[ 4] Georges Jeanty and Doug Hazlewood (Superboy)

Tom Grummett's pencils go well with almost anyone, but the combination with
Karl Kesel's inks proved to be a winning one. Second place Porter and Dell
had about the same votes as last year. Leonard Kirk may well have pulled
ahead if his vote hadn't been split between his two inkers.

My theory is that the people who didn't vote for Hood and Davis didn't see
any issues of _Superboy and the Ravers_! ;-)

Interesting how Porter and Dell got 14 votes for best art and 10 for worst
art. Opinion continues to be strongly divided. Them and Jon Bogdanove seem
to inspire "love 'em or hate 'em" feelings in we art critics.


SF9: Best Superman Family Title
-------------------------------
[37] JLA
[21] Supergirl
[11] Superboy
[10] Superman Adventures
[ 7] Young Justice
[ 3] Steel

SF10: Worst Superman Family Title
---------------------------------
[56] Superboy and the Ravers
[ 8] Steel
[ 6] Young Justice
[ 3] Supergirl
[ 2] Superboy

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Last year's winners
repeat with _JLA_ dropping two votes and _Supergirl_ picking up 9.

Is anyone really surprised about _Ravers_? The largest single voting block
for the Superman Family Title awards. Last year _Superboy and the Ravers_
topped this category with 26 votes. Then it got worse. I doubt we'll see
the likes of this in future Kaycees (at least I really, really hope not).


LIMITED SERIES AWARDS
=====================
(Comments by Jeff Sykes)

LS1: Best Writing in a Special or Limited Series
------------------------------------------------
[43] Jeph Loeb, Superman For All Seasons
[15] Grant Morrison, DC One Million
[ 7] B. Kesel/Haley/Simmons, Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl and Batgirl
[ 7] John Ostrander, The Kents #6-12
[ 5] John Francis Moore and Kieron Dwyer, Superman: The Dark Side
[ 4] Dan Jurgens, Origin story in Superman Secret Files #1
[ 4] Roy Thomas, Superman: War of the Worlds
[ 3] Mark Waid, New Year's Evil: Gog #1
[ 2] Kelley Puckett, Legends of the DC Universe #6

LS2: Worst Writing in a Special or Limited Series
-------------------------------------------------
[35] Louise Simonson, Superman 3-D #1
[14] Tom Peyer, JLA in Crisis Secret Files #1
[12] Howard Chaykin, Superman: Distant Fires
[12] Dan Jurgens, Superman Annual #10
[ 4] David Michelinie, Superman Adventures Special: Superman vs Lobo #1
[ 3] Grant Morrison, New Year's Evil: Prometheus #1

Not really much of a surprise here. _Superman For All Seasons_ was very
well-received, while _Superman 3-D_ #1 was fairly despised, though not
quite on the level of last year's _Genesis_ runaway. This is a pattern
which will repeat itself in the remaining limited series awards.


LS3: Best Art in a Special or Limited Series
--------------------------------------------
[39] Tim Sale, Superman For All Seasons
[12] Matt Haley and Tom Simmons, Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl and Batgirl
[11] Michael Lark, Superman: War of the Worlds
[ 8] Kieron Dwyer and Hilary Barta, Superman: The Dark Side
[ 8] Jerry Ordway and Dennis Janke, New Year's Evil: Gog #1
[ 7] Timothy Truman, Michael Bair, and Tom Mandrake, The Kents #6-12

LS4: Worst Art in a Special or Limited Series
---------------------------------------------
[34] Neil Vokes and Scott Koblish, Superman 3-D #1
[12] Tom Morgan and Scott Koblish, New Year's Evil: Mr. Mxyzptlk #1
[ 8] Arnie Jorgensen and David Meikis, New Year's Evil: Prometheus #1
[ 7] Paul Ryan and Chris Ivy, Superman Annual #10
[ 5] Gil Kane and Kevin Nowlan, Superman: Distant Fires
[ 2] Ariel Olivetti, JLA: Paradise Lost

Fairly strong and evenly distributed support for the artists finishing
behind Tim Sale. To be honest, I wasn't sure that Sale would win this one,
as the stylistic art was one of the few points of contention I can remember
arising when the series came out. As for the other end of the spectrum, I
wonder if the 3-D effect had anything to do with the worst art award, or if
people just generally did not like Vokes and Koblish's work.


LS5: Best Special or Limited Series
-----------------------------------
[49] Superman For All Seasons
[19] DC One Million
[ 8] Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl and Batgirl
[ 4] The Kents #6-12
[ 3] New Year's Evil: Gog #1
[ 3] Superman: The Dark Side
[ 3] Superman: War of the Worlds

LS6: Worst Special or Limited Series
------------------------------------
[33] Superman 3-D #1
[18] JLA in Crisis Secret Files #1
[ 8] Superman: Distant Fires
[ 6] Supergirl/Prysm Double-Shot #1
[ 6] Superman Annual #10
[ 5] New Year's Evil: Prometheus #1
[ 3] Superman Adventures Special: Superman vs Lobo #1

And yet again. Poor Grant Morrison -- he put together a pretty darn good
miniseries in _DC One Million_, with some great work on Superman, but the
odds of even that toppling something as popular as _Superman For All
Seasons_ were pretty long. I guess he can be consoled with his wins in the
Superman Family awards.


SUPERMAN ANIMATED AWARDS
========================
(Comments by Jeff Sykes)

SA1: Best Second Season Episode
-------------------------------
[21] Apokolips...Now!
[16] World's Finest
[ 9] Mxyzpixilated
[ 4] Speed Demons
[ 3] Brave New Metropolis
[ 3] Little Girl Lost
[ 2] The Late Mr. Kent

SA2: Worst Second Season Episode
--------------------------------
[11] Livewire
[10] The Prometheon
[ 6] Solar Power
[ 4] Action Figures
[ 3] The Hand of Fate
[ 3] Monkey Fun
[ 3] Warrior Queen
[ 2] Double Dose

A couple of dogfights here, with "Apokolips... Now!" just pulling ahead of
"World's Finest" in the final few ballots. There were several very good
episodes to choose from, so I'll forgive everyone for not agreeing with me
on "Mxyzpixilated." :)

The other tussle was between "Livewire" and "The Prometheon", two episodes
which apparently just did not connect with viewers. It would seem that many
of us could do without Livewire, even though I think she could have been an
interesting villainness. (Supes doesn't have enough women in his rogues
gallery, I think.)


KC WRITER AWARDS
================
(Comments by Jeff Sykes)

KC1: Best New Comic Reviewer
----------------------------
[11] Thomas Deja
[11] Jeff Sykes
[ 6] Shane Travis

KC2: Best Columnist
-------------------
[14] J.D. Rummel
[10] Bob Hughes
[ 6] Sean Hogan

Just a couple of comments here. First, everyone listed in these two awards
received at least one vote here, but I decided only to list those receiving
more than 5 votes. Writers wanting to know the exact totals can contact me
privately.

Second, I'm exceptionally proud of everyone who writes for us, and I think
they all deserve our praise and our gratitude for sharing their talents
with us each month. Next time you really enjoy a particular review or
column, drop the writer a line and let him or her know.


WRITE-IN AWARDS
===============
(Comments by Jeff Sykes)

For the write-in awards, you'll be happy to know that I'm once again going
to just get on with it and keep my mouth shut (for the most part anyway).
As we did last year, we'll begin with the expected:

The Worst Story Award Apparently Wasn't Enough
----------------------------------------------
Adam Mallinger  (mallin_a@denison.edu)
   The Bill Clinton Full Disclosure Award: To the entire Superteam for
   jerking around fans for over a year with the whole "New Powers"
   storyline and in the end resetting everything to normal with only a
   vague explanation which they expected us to swallow without question.

Jeremy Bleichman  (krytentoo@aol.com)
   The "WHY, LORD, WHY?" award for most pointless excersise in story-
   telling: to the entire Superman Red/Blue saga.

Chris Mullane  (cdm55@webtv.net)
   Tribute-in-hiding award: Superman Red/Blue -- the whole 'Man of Energy'
   thing stank, but I have to give credit for a resurrection of sorts,
   harkening back to the days of red kryptonite and its oft-goofy effects
   on the big 'S'. Turned a total tripe into a semi-palatable exercise in
   tributation.

Seth Isaacs  (sisaacs@goamerica.net)
   The "Dead Again" Award (named after quite possibly the worst Superman
   storyline ever) goes to: The 'Millennium Giants' crossover


Other Stories
-------------
Jeremy Bleichman  (krytentoo@aol.com)
   The O. Henry "I didn't see that one coming" award for most surprising
   plot twist: Comet's origin, _Supergirl_ #25-26

Thomas Deja  (tdj723@webtv.net)
   The "Hootie and the Blow Chunks" Award: for the preverse fascination
   the Superman Family titles had with the Spice girls -- whether being
   used for a billion gags in Dan Jurgens' dialogue or as a source of a
   story-filler parody in the should've-been-a-two-parter Apokolips arc
   in _Supergirl_, this band was as overexposed in the books as they were
   in real life.

Varjak  (rush-2112@rocketmail.com)
   The One Sentence That Sums Up This Entire Year Of Superman Comics:
   "Well, Paul, it had to happen eventually... We've finally run out of
   ideas." --David Letterman, "The Late Show" 

Victor Vitek  (70007.3673@compuserve.com)
   Worst idea gone right: Bringing back Doomsday (yet again) -- at least
   there was a reasonable explanation, and the end result is a robot
   Brainiac again like in pre-Crisis.

Benjamin Grose  (kryptonkid@bigfoot.com)
   The Superman-is-more-interesting-outside-his-"real"-timeline award to
   DC for DC1M, the Dominus/Kismet issues, and a handful of Elseworlds
   stories.

Ramsey Rusef  (jorel@flash.net)
   Kingdom Come with a Lobotomy: Superman marries Wonder Woman and fights
   obnoxiously insane Captain Marvel before everything blows up in
   _Superman: Distant Fires_. We've seen it before, and done right.


Creator/Editor Musings
----------------------
Danni Segal  (DSegal@London-Clubs.Co.UK)
   The "Who does he think he is?" award: Eddie Berganza, for firing
   Jerry Ordway

Nathan Bredfeldt  (DrNate@hotmail.com)
   Writer Who Needs To Be Given More Titles: Peter David

D. Jack Yerly  (djacky3@yahoo.com)
   Gutsiest Writing in a Superman Comic: Peter David (_Supergirl_)

Thomas Deja  (tdj723@webtv.net)
   The 'Wide-Open-Airs-Ville' Award: to Dan Jurgens and his cringeworthy
   hip dialogue. We usually only had to suffer it from Jimmy's mouth; but
   now Danny boy's got it coming out of Superman Red's and Outburst's
   mouth as well.....

Chris Mullane  (cdm55@webtv.net)
   Best all-around Superman artist: Alex Ross -- from the whole of _Kingdom
   Come_ to the _Superman Forever_ lenticular to the special 'revisions' of
   classic Superman images for _Superman: The Complete History_, this
   artist continues to present the most dignified, realistic, amazing
   representations of Superman I've ever seen. I had to commend him
   somehow, and I think this is it.


Concerning Characters
---------------------
Daniel Wahry  (daniel@ozlinx.com.au)
   Worst Superman Villains for 98: Simyan and Mokkari

Matthew Cummings (matthew@redi.net)
   Best waste of a potentially threatening bad-guy character: Dominus

Christopher O'Brien, Jr.  (mxyzptlk@afn.org)
   Silliest name of any Superman super-villain: Badabingbadaboomsday

Bushra Burney  (anomaly@spyring.com)
   Cutest couple: Scorn and Ashbury Armstrong

Brian Wilson  (kaleljr@flash.net)
   Most evil Lex Luthor (Superman For All Seasons #3)

Ramsey Rusef  (jorel@flash.net)
   The annual Monarch/Extant/loser award for ultra powered idiot: Gog


Outside the Comics
------------------
Christopher Gallagher  (cgallag520@aol.com)
   Coolest Superman Dust Collector Item: Hallmark's Special Edition
   Superman Lunchbox

Edward Mathews  (em11@is3.nyu.edu)
   USENET survival award for helping to get a Superman group successfully
   passed: KalElFan, Jeff Sykes, Shane Travis and the other guy.

   [Whew, glad that's over, aren't we? Also, for those who might be
   wondering, Ed was the other guy. :)  --Jeff]

Raymond Schaff  (rls2@ulster.net)
   The Petty Theft (for Stealing Our Time) Award: to Lori Petty, whose
   one-take voiceovers for Livewire on S:TAS made it sound like she'd
   rather deliver pizzas than puns, while making this viewer wonder,
   "What's on Cartoon Network?" CLICK!

Christopher Gallagher  (cgallag520@aol.com)
   Scariest Superman News Story of the Year: Nicolas Cage playing the
   role of Superman


Miscellaneous
-------------
Lee K. Seitz  (lkseitz@hiwaay.net)
   Best Art in a Special or Limited Series That I Nominated But Didn't
   Appear on the Ballot: _JLA: The Nail_

   [Just one personal note here. Ultimately, we decided not to include _The
   Nail_, not as a slight to an excellent series, but because we didn't
   think there was enough Superman content to warrant its being held up
   against the other books that were nominated.]

Mark A. Semich  (mas@world.std.com)
   Special recognition to Mark Waid and Grant Morrison for their never-
   ending battle with the Beast.

Nathan Bredfeldt  (DrNate@hotmail.com)
   Best Way to Save the Comics Industry: Someone who cares about licensing
   potential far less than Warner Brothers buys DC.

Sean Hogan  (shogan@intergate.bc.ca)
   Best Debate: Format of the Supertitles -- Inspired discussions on the
   interlocking storylines, quality of writing, story arcs etc.


Before closing, special thanks to Lee Seitz and Jim Butler for their praise
of the Kryptonian Cybernet. Speaking for every one of us that contributes
to the publication in some way shape or form, thanks to all of our readers
for reading and participating in KC!

Well, gang, that concludes yet another year of the Kryptonian Cybernet
Readers' Choice Awards. Thanks to all who voted, and I hope that you
enjoyed seeing the results. See you all again next year!

_____________________________________________________

                              NEW COMIC REVIEWS
                   ----------------------------------------
                     Comics Arriving In Stores March 1999


Believe it or not, I can't find a single March appearance by members of the
Superman family of characters for which we have not secured a review. Guess
that means a short intro this month...


Ratings Panelists:
-----------------
AW:  Anatole Wilson       GN:  G.M. Nelson          RG:  Rene' Gobeyn         
CoS: Cory Strode          GR:  Gary Robinson        SDM: Simon DelMonte       
DWd: Darrin Wood          JE:  Josh Elder           ST:  Shane Travis         
EJ:  Enola Jones          JSy: Jeff Sykes           SY:  Steven Younis        
EM:  Edward Mathews       MB:  Michael Bynum        TD:  Thomas Deja          
                          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:
-------------------
17. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #88           May 1999    $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN

    "A Kiss Before Dying"

    Writer:      Mark Schultz
    Penciller:   Doug Mahnke
    Inker:       Dennis Janke
    Letterer:    Ken Lopez
    Colorist:    Glenn Whitmore
    Separator:   Digital Chameleon
    Assoc. Ed.:  Maureen McTigue
    Editor:      Joey Cavalieri
    Cover:       Doug Mahnke, Dennis Janke, and Patrick Martin


RATINGS

Average: 3.3/5.0 Shields

MS:  4.1 Shields
EJ:  2.5 Shields - Finally an explanation! While I'm relieved that he's
        not insane, I'm disappointed this arc has lasted this long.
EM:  3.5 Shields - Is it hokey that Lois snaps Superman out of his
        control-freak mode? Probably, but I liked it nonetheless.
JE:  4.2 Shields - Another good issue, I'm having more and more hope for
        the future thanks to his creative team.
JSy: 3.4 Shields - What worked for me is that Dominus isn't responsible
        for Superman's actions -- he made Clark's dreams come true, but
        Clark's reactions were his own. As with "Death of Superman", the
        *really* good story may be in the aftermath.
SY:  3.0 Shields - Nice to see Lois doing something for a change, although
        you'd think after last time Dominus showed up that he'd know that
        Lois' love for Superman is a force to be reckoned with.
TD:  3.7 Shields - Schultz and Mahnke are continuing to impress. Schultz
        shows a knowledge of Supes and Co., and despite my reservations,
        Mahnke is turning out to be a *great* penciller. Is _Man of Steel_ 
        becoming... *gasp* readable???


I give this issue high marks for timing if nothing else. The week before
I read this, I groaned at Dominus' one-page posturings as he revealed
himself to be the mastermind behind all of this. I was sure that he'd be
grandstanding and bragging for the next six weeks while the plot plodded
along. Not so.

Now Mark Schultz has done what I never thought possible: he's made Dominus
and interesting and worthwhile villain. Besides that, he's summed up
Dominus' Evil Plan(tm) in one issue. (More on that later.)

Schultz' other grand achievement is that he finally gives us some insight
as to just what the heck was going on in _Superman_ #140. See, in order
to save Kismet from Dominus, Waverider transferred her essence into the
body of one of Clark Kent's classmates in the past. The girl fell of the
monkey bars at recess, but Waverider altered the timeline so Clark could
save her life and Kismet's as well. It was supposed to explain the weird
relationship between Kismet and Superman... except nobody quite understood
what was going on. Some seven months later, we finally get some answers.

OK, enough recaps, let's get to the matter at hand. The nations of the
world have devoted their military power to the destruction of one target:
the Fortress of Solitude. Now that Superman has stolen all the nuclear
weapons on Earth, they're down to tossing conventional artillery at him.
This has no effect on the Fortress (due to its shielding), but Superman
simulates damage so the world will be encouraged to keep shooting until
they simply run out of stuff to shoot. Not bad for a guy who's been
wearing a white hat for sixty years, huh?

Of course, Lois is inside the Fortress of Solitude too, and she's
determined to make a last-ditch effort to reach her husband. She pours her
heart out to him, lamenting what he's become, and Superman kisses her for
the first time in weeks. It's quite a kiss, because Superman has a Trippy
Flashback of Exposition! In high school, Clark Kent plays spin the bottle,
and he winds up with Sharon, the girl he saved on the monkey bars as a
kid. Instead of making out, Sharon tells Clark that he's got to use his
love for Lois to regain control, and that he's safe as long as he's
asleep. Then she makes out with him anyway. Hey, he _is_ Superman.

At long last, Clark returns to his senses! Of course he was wrong to try
to conquer the world! Of course he abusing his power! (Nice to see
Superman reassert his conscience after the last few months.) Out of the
shadows of the Fortress, Dominus reveals himself as the master manipulator
of the whole thing, and finally (!) lets us in on just what it is he's up
to.

Revelation #1: Dominus messes with Superman because his super-will is the
key to controlling reality. Dominus manipulates Superman into manipulating
the Earth, and that gives Dominus a stepping stone to take over everything
else. Dominus thinks universally, acts locally.

Revelation #2: Dominus wasn't giving Superman prophetic nightmares.  
Instead, he was making Superman's nightmares into reality. This is a lot
more elegant because not only does it explain how Superman wasn't being
mind-controlled, but it keeps Superman so obsessed with saving the world
that he doesn't sleep or kiss Lois, which are apparently Dominus' only
weaknesses.

Revelation #3: Since Superman has created an army of robots to enforce his
will, Dominus doesn't need him anymore. The world is already ripe for the
taking, and Dominus plans to use the Superman robots and the Fortress to
destroy Superman so he can finish the job himself! Of course, Superman is
no pushover, but Dominus finally gains the upper hand and begins to
un-create him.

Finally, Lois realizes what Kismet was trying to tell Clark -- that
Superman couldn't be affected by Dominus while sleeping -- so she hurls
an energy crystal into the fray. The resulting explosion knocks both
Superman and Lois safely unconscious, leaving Dominus to plan his next
move.

This was a real pleasure to read, simply because I didn't see any of this
coming. Superman snaps out of his trance a good two months before the King
of the World one-shot? Dominus actually _has_ a plan and he tells us what
it is? This is really great stuff, and it shows just how refreshing it is
to see the Super-books do something unexpected for once.

The art was once again incredible. Doug Mahnke's Superman is _not_ a guy
you want to run into in _any_ alley. I watched Superman learn that an
omnipotent cosmic tyrant has been manipulating him all along, and all I
could think was, "Dominus is _so_ dead." This is an important quality for
this story arc in particular. The audience has to be convinced that
Superman can compete in Dominus' league, or it just won't work. We saw the
result of a failed effort in _Superman_ #139 when Jurgens and Ryan gave us
a wise-cracking Superman who got beat silly.

It's good to see things finally turning around for this book. If Schultz
and Mahnke can keep up this kind of quality once all the new creative
teams are aboard, we should be doing all right.

Mike Smith
<mike_p_smith@hotmail.com>

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

18. SUPERMAN #144                            May 1999    $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN

    "Up in Smoke"

    Writer:       Dan Jurgens
    Penciller:    Steve Epting
    Inker:        Joe Rubinstein
    Letterer:     John Costanza
    Colorist:     Glenn Whitmore
    Separations:  Digital Chameleon
    Assoc. Ed.:   Maureen McTigue
    Editor:       Joey Cavalieri
    Cover:        Steve Epting, Joe Rubinstein, and Patrick Martin


RATINGS

Average: 2.9/5.0 Shields

TD:  2.0 Shields
DWd: 2.0 Shields - Lex drops a building on Supes. Hmm... I don't think so.
        A bit disappointing from a master criminal.
EJ:  2.3 Shields - A 'talk issue'...long on explanation and short on
        anything else. Loved the building falling though.
EM:  3.5 Shields - *giggle* Sorry, but I can't get the Kansas/Oz
        connection out of my mind when I think of Luthor dropping his
        "house" on Superman.  :)
JE:  4.1 Shields - Finally Dominus is being used in a good way. His
        powers are almost defined and they sort of make sense. Lex was
        very good in this issue as well.
JSy: 3.0 Shields - I just love what they're doing with the LexCorp
        building, and Epting's art is really impressing me so far. My
        one (big) complaint is that this story seems a bit out of
        joint with the previous one. Should Supes have fallen back under
        Dominus spell so quickly after last week?
MB:  3.5 Shields - How you challenge a character who has Super Powers?
        Answer: give him a foe whose powers negate his ability. By
        altering reality around Superman, Dominus speaks through family,
        friends and fellow warriors to convince Superman to "SEE" things
        his way. Story is fast-paced! A throwback to the days of movie
        serials; you can't wait till the next issue comes out.
SY:  2.8 Shields - Comments: Nice use of the Lex Tower wreckage, although
        I was disappointed the Outburst changed sides so quickly.


*Sigh*

Nothing lasts, huh?

I was really getting my hopes up that Jurgens was going to go out on a
high note now that his tenure as the Man of Steel's Go-To Guy is about
over. Hell, you've read my reviews of the last three months, where I've
given thumbs up to a couple of _Superman_ issues in a row, and expressed
surprise at how good the 'Superman Rex' storyline was shaping up to be.

This month, it all comes crashing down.  Everything -- EVERYTHING -- I
dislike about Jurgens comes through loud and clear, tumbling down upon me
like a avalanche until I'm buried in tatt.

Here's the plot: after last week's nuclear strike, The Tyrant of Steel --
now firmly under the control of ol' No Arms himself -- sends Supe-bots to
wreck all military facilities with first strike capabilities. This doesn't
deter Luthor from traveling to Texas with Lena and Outburst in tow, and
taking a space shuttle to retrieve the former Lexcorp Building (tossed
into orbit in last month's _Adventures of Superman_). Luthor's plan: use
Outburst's magnetic powers to hurl the building, complete with loads of
synthetic, DEO-created Kryptonite, at the Fortress of Solitude. That way,
Luthor is acclaimed as the man who stopped Superman, and tow world rallies
behind him. Three Supe-bots pursue our twosome, however, creating the
meaningless fight scene for this issue, and delaying Outburst for, like,
two pages. The final page shows ground zero, as the already wrecked
Fortress of Solitude goes up in green-colored light.

Why is this so bad? Well, for one thing, Superman (remember Superman?  
This is supposed to be a _book_ about Superman) does *absolutely nothing*
except jaw with Dominus, who spends the time masquerading as a passel of
Clark's friends. All that information we were given just recently about
Dominus not being able to control a sleeping subject, and the whole thing
with Supes resisting Dominus seems to have disappeared. Hell, we see Lois
kind of lurking in the wreckage, wondering what she can do without the
crystal and speculating on what Luthor is up to, yet she does nothing. You
would think she would at least try to free her husband, but no.

Look, guys. I like Superman. I buy this book for Superman, and this habit
of making Superman a guest star in his own book -- a figure that does
nothing while others around him act -- it *doesn't cut it*. It was okay
earlier in this arc, when there was a bit of leeway, but now, when we're
in climax mode (and a loooong climax it seems to be) it's annoying. The
fact that Clark just sits there are gets talked into using lethal force is
just plain aggravating.

Another character I like who ends up aggravating in this storyline is
Outburst, who suddenly finds himself without any form of personality
whatsoever.  The kid just lets himself be dragged around by the nose by
Luthor, doing almost nothing in the way of questioning his motivations
or his plan... damn, it's annoying.

Maybe I'm being a _little_ hard on Jurgens, but the fact is that this
story is built on _reams_ of dialogue, and Jurgens weakness in this area
is legendary. The arguments Dominus presents as justification for Superman
to take more control, and even to kill, are overobvious and clumsily made.  
Luthor's persuasive abilities are similarly cartoon-villain-esque. It's
sad, really.

Artwise, Epting is not as impressive as he was in his debut, but he still
manages to pull off some nice effects. Perhaps the best thing about him is
his reliance on simple solutions for certain problems. The Dominus/Superman
debates, for example, are simply set up. He alternates a scene of Superman
talking to one of his 'advisors' (Batman, the Kents and Lois) with another
scene, almost unchanged, of Superman and Dominus. He saves the interesting
camera angles for the big emotional moments, and doesn't waste lines. In a
way, he reminds me of Stuart Immonen in how he conveys a suppleness to his
figures. It's such a relief from the godawful Kirby-wanking of Frenz, and
the way he meshes with Rubinstein is a joy.

A few words about Epting's characters: as beautiful as his Lois is (and
she is strikingly gorgeous, with a definite intelligence around the eyes),
his Luthor is godawful ugly, facial features shifting from panel to panel
and looking for all the world like some escapee from a Saturday Morning
serial. On the other hand, I find his Dominus to be the most *solid* of
the regular artists. It's obvious Epting has put thought into the way this
villain moves, as there's a definite relation between the positions of the
disembodied portions of the character and the main body. It's sort of sad
that Epting has been pushed aside to make room for Ed McGuinness in
October, because I suspect that there are writers with whom he could pair
that would allow him to be even better than he is.

"Up in Smoke" brings the streak crashing to a halt at three. Were it not
for some intriguing artwork by Epting, I would have given this a lower
rating. As it is, I can only sigh, sit back and wait for the changeover.

Mr. Loeb, Mr. McGuinness... I'm waiting.

Thomas Deja
<tdj723@webtv.net>

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

19. ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #567              May 1999    $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN

    "The Pathway to Oblivion"

    Plot:                 Karl Kesel
    Dialogue:             Jerry Ordway
    Layouts:              Paul Ryan
    Finisher:             Denis Rodier
    Colorist:             Glenn Whitmore
    Computer Separations: Digital Chameleon
    Letterer:             Albert T. DeGuzman
    Associate Editor:     Maureen McTigue
    Stone Cold Editor:    Joey Cavalieri
    Cover:                Tom Grummett, Denis Rodier, and Patrick Martin


RATINGS

Average: 2.9/5.0 Shields

EJ:  2.5 Shields
EM:  3.5 Shields - Yipe! Things are looking grim. I hope Kal-El hires
        Booster Gold's PR manager after this is all said and done.
JE:  4.1 Shields - Dominus' powers are defined even more and his plan
        to take over the world in Superman's name is truly horrific. These
        are the plans villains should have.
JSy: 2.3 Shields - This issue really didn't accomplish anything -- it
        didn't move the story along. Most gallingly, this is Karl Kesel
        and Jerry Ordway's final issue, yet there's not even a hint of
        appreciation for their years on the books...
SDM: 3.0 Shields - Hey, what gives? I liked this issue! The "Superman Rex"
        story has finally begun to make sense and to be really interesting.
        A good script and strong art help a lot, but I don't quite buy
        dropping the Lexcorp Tower on Supes as a bomb.
SY:  2.5 Shields - The art let this issue down for me; Lex just looks too
        skinny and if the LexCorp Tower had so much synthetic kryptonite
        in it, why was there no green glow in the Fortress after it hit?
TD:  2.2 Shields - Another one of those issues that puts the storyline in
        a holding pattern. And why is it every time Luthor behaves like a
        super villain should, he comes off looking tacky?


PLOT

Superman awakens to find the Fortress so much useless rubble. Realising
his base has been destroyed by the ballistic re-entry of Lexcorp tower,
Superman himself is then felled by the synthetic Kryptonite housed within.
Superman battles Dominus, who destroys the robot Kelex. The JLA try to
puzzle out who destroyed the Fortress. Luthor tries to kill Outburst, then
finds himself in deadly danger. Lois 'bonds' with 'Rusty' -- the robot
assigned to protect her. Superman battles Dominus while asleep inside a
Kryptonian warsuit. Once he wakes, Dominus blasts him into the Phantom
Zone and becomes his double, "Superman Rex". Lois and Rusty arrive, and
"Superman Rex" reprograms Rusty to kill Lois.


REVIEW

Well, the storyline is winding down. The repercussions from it will be
felt for quite some time, the advertisement says, but "Superman Rex" is
finally winding down.

Thank God.

Superman has NOT gone mad, he is being controlled.

Thank God.

This storyline has gone on for FAR too long in my opinion. Also, I was
tremendously relieved to see Superman was not doing these atrocities of
his own free will.

The battles between Superman and Dominus were well-drawn and well-
plotted, but Dominus got a bit talky in the fight. Dominus wondered why
Superman kept sleeping so deeply -- perhaps his monotone droning PUT
Superman to sleep.

There were, however, two things in this issue that caught my 
attention and held it. First of all, Luthor's betrayal of Outburst 
was horrible, yet totally in character. His line about having perhaps 
terminated Outburst too soon was so ironic that it made me laugh out 
loud.

Also, a character was named in this issue, though he had been introduced
before. Lois named the robot assigned to her "Rusty".  Rusty made a good
impression on me; he struck me as a combination of Star Trek's Data and
the Clark part of Superman. I was truly saddened to see the last panel. I
hope Rusty can be salvaged from this situation, because I like him.

I also hope that once this is all over, Clark Kent will be back, because I
miss him. I'm glad this storyline is almost over. For my money, it is
about bloody time.

Enola Jones 
<jennytork@hotmail.com>

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

20. ACTION COMICS #754                       May 1999    $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN

    "The Aimless Blade of Science"

    Plot & Pencils:  Stuart Immonen
    Script:          Mark Millar
    Inker:           Jose Marzan Jr.
    Colorist:        Glenn Whitmore
    Separator:       Digital Chameleon
    Letterer:        Bill Oakley
    Associate:       Maureen McTigue
    Editor:          Joey Cavalieri
    Cover:           Stuart Immonen, Jose Marzan Jr., and Patrick Martin


RATINGS

Average: 3.8/5.0 Shields

EM:  4.0 Shields - This was needed. I'm so glad we know about Kismet and
        Dominus. Plus, they managed to bring back the Phantom Zone *and*
        make it spooky.
DWd: 3.0 Shields - Considering I hate Dominus I enjoyed this story the
        most. I think the Phantom Zone and Kem-L should be used more.
JE:  4.5 Shields - I can't believe it -- two of the most ambiguous
        characters in Superman history, Kismet and Dominus, actually have
        good origins. The art and the computer coloring effects in this
        issue were fantastic as well.
JSy: 4.3 Shields - What a difference a scripter makes. Immonen and Millar
        may rapidly become my favorite Superman writing team, thanks
        largely to one of the best super-villain origins in recent memory.
        However, I do question why Superman would refer to Kem-El as his
        old friend. They haven't had that much contact...
SDM: 3.2 Shields - I think things are going to be OK as soon as Millar
        and Immonen get to do stories that are their own and not a group
        effort. As it is, they do a bang-up job with Dominus's origin and
        with Superman's encounters in the Phantom Zone. Not only was I
        entertained by this but I also was surprised by some of the plot
        twists. Haven't seen that in a Super-book in ages.
SY:  3.8 Shields - While I wasn't too impressed with the back-pack thingy
        that was made for Supes to escape the Phantom Zone, the whole
        history between Dominus and Kismet made a lot of sense
TD:  4.0 Shields - Wow. An origin story that actually isn't as incoherent
        as it threatened to be, some credible dialogue (now *there's* a
        novelty) and a brill art job by Immonen made this worthwhile. Now
        if only Team Super can keep that fevered pitch....


Synopsis:

The plot thickens as Dominus sends Kal-El into the Phantom Zone. The
origins of Dominus and Kismet are finally revealed in full, members of the
Justice League continue protecting the supporting cast, and Kal-El meets
up with Kem-El in the Phantom Zone. In the end, Superman prepares to
leave the Phantom Zone with a little inspired help from Kem-El.


Review:

Millar is an incredible scripter and Immonen is an incredible plotter.  
Whoever thought to put them on the same book should be given a raise.  
This issue advances the plot, reveals some important facts about our
antagonist and makes Superman look like a hero again.

Until this story arc, Dominus just didn't seem like much of a villain, but
was more of a plot device with a name. In this story, Immonen and Millar
turn Dominus into a believable cosmic villain with an interesting
motivation. Unfortunately, it's been a long and painful journey to get to
this point.

The best part of this issue is a reintroduction of the Phantom Zone that
simultaneously keeps some Kryptonian connections while improving upon a
pre-Crisis concept in a number of ways. This is just one more of the
wonderful contributions to post-Crisis Superman's Kryptonian mythology to
come out of this long story arc. Even if you only pick this one up as an
individual issue, you can't go wrong. Highly Recommended.


Art:

Immonen and Marzan, Jr. do an incredible job. They are by far the best art
team on the regular Superman titles. In this issue they managed to make
the Phantom Zone really creepy-looking. I don't typically like lots of
black space on a page, but for the Phantom Zone, it works. Even the
coloring is great; it's dark where it needs to be, and when Wonder Woman
makes a cameo, Whitmore shows us the full extent of the pallet he is
using. That scene is bright and makes for a nice contrast to the rest of
the book.


Conclusion:

Every penny spent on this comic book was well worth it. This book gets 4
shields out of 5, but only because it is in the middle of one of the most
tedious story arcs we've had to endure in quite a long time. I'd like to
give it more, but I still can't forgive the number of mediocre issues that
led up to this one, and it lost about 1/3 of a Shield for being associated
with them.

Edward Mathews
<em11@is3.nyu.edu>

_____________________________________________________

SUPER-FAMILY TITLES:
-------------------
SUPERBOY #62                                 May 1999    $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN

    "Hypertension! Part Three: Divided by Zero"

    Storytellers:  Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett
    Inks:          Dan Davis (pp. 1-10)
    Colorist:      Buzz Setzer
    Letters:       Comicraft
    Ass't Editor:  Frank Berrios
    Editor:        Mike McAvennie
    Cover by:      Tom Grummett, Karl Kesel, and Patrick Martin


RATINGS

Average: 4.1/5.0 Shields

RG:  4.5 Shields 
DWd: 4.0 Shields - I liked Black Zero... he's nasty. I hope our superboy
        can develop these powers if he is allowed to get older. 
EM:  3.7 Shields - A fun read so far. I hope that there is a little
        Dabney Donovan in Black Zero. That would explain a lot.
GN:  3.6 Shields - The multiple Superboys makes travel between the
        dimensions look too easy.
JE:  4.5 Shields - Another great issue. I don't normally collect Superboy,
        but I think I may have to start if the stories stay this good.
JSy: 4.5 Shields - There are *so* many interesting things going on that I
        just don't know where to begin. I really want to know why Metron
        is helping Black Zero, but what I most want to see is the
        inevitable clash between the army of Doomsdays and the legion of
        Superboys!
SDM: 3.1 Shields - Fun, but not memorable. A lot of the elements here are
        good in theory but don't quite hold together. Still, Black Zero
        is an intriguing villain and Kesel plants the seeds of a bang-up
        finale for the Hypertime arc.


This book has been slowly working it's way up to become one of the best
books that DC is putting out today. Of course this hardly surprising
considering the talents involved. If you aren't reading it, you're missing
some of the best the industry has to offer. If you enjoy stories that mix
fun with the fantastic, this one is for you.

At the end of last issue we found `our' Superboy stranded on the Earth of
the teen-age Super powered Clark Kent [Earth-1 from pre-Crisis -- Shane]
when his Hyper Jacket self-destructed. I'm beginning to understand why DC
used to refer to the alternate worlds by numbers and letters. Trying to
describe what makes a world unique would cause problems.

Anyway, Kal-el and Superboy finally meet up with Black Zero and after a
mercifully short fight scene they are both captured. The scene breaks to
the DCU where the Cadmus folks are discussing what to do if the Kid never
comes back. Back to our hero again; he wakes to find himself more-or-less
free in Black Zero's Fortress Cadmus. Black Zero shows him where he is
keeping the Superboys from the realities that have already been conquered.
The implied threat is not lost on Superboy. We also get the obligatory
(but short!) origin of Black Zero.

What can I say? All the clues were there so it was almost no surprise to
find out that Black Zero is really just another version of our Superboy.
What was a slight surprise was that he came from a world where the
Superboy clone was allowed to finish growing into a true replacement for
Superman (who never did return from the dead). There were a few other
minor surprises, such as why he chose his name and what started him on the
road to conquest. The last panel of the book could spell Doomsday for the
DCU unless The Kid manages to stop him before he gets here.

OK, so the story was a bit short of real surprises, but that is more to
Kesel and Grummett's credit than a fault. If you hadn't been reading the
story closely for the past few months as the clues were dropped, then I
suspect the `surprise' origin would have worked. As it was, it worked well
as a story even without the surprise. I had expected the two Superboys to
put up a bit more of a fight when they first met Black Zero, but I think
the story read better without it. The panel where (our) Superboy looks
into the stasis chamber and sees all the others was very well handled. The
Kid really seems to be maturing, even if he can't grow up.

Black Zero himself is also being portrayed as a more complete person than
many of the `villains' of late. In reading his origin, he is given an
understandable (but not acceptable) background and motivation for his
actions. What doesn't quite ring true was his motivation for going into
Hypertime to carry his crusade to other realities, or how he discovered
that it even existed. I do hope these questions get answered along the
way. I mean... Hypertime can't have been easy to find; it has been pretty
well hidden from the mainstream DCU since Crisis. I suspect that the
Metron of this reality had something to do with it.

The art in the book is outstanding. The tribute to Kirby continues, but
you can see the styles of Kesel and Grummett styles underlying it. I
suspect one of the reasons that I like the book as much as I do is that
the story reads so much like Kirby's work. From me this is a high
compliment. Of all the things Jack Kirby did, his original work for DC has
always been my favorite. His legacy is in good hands.

Rene Gobeyn
<bedlam@frontiernet.net>

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

SUPERGIRL #32                                May 1999    $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN

    "The Quality of Mercy"

    Writer:        Peter David
    Guest Artist:  Sean Phillips
    Letterer:      Patricia Prentice
    Colorist:      Gene D'Angelo
    Separator:     Digital Chameleon
    Ass't Editor:  Frank Berrios
    Editor:        Mike McAvennie
    Cover:         Leonard Kirk and Robin Riggs


RATINGS

Average: 3.3/5.0 Shields

TD:  4.6 Shields
DWd: 1.0 Shields - PAD, what are you doing? This seemed well out of the
        norm for Supergirl and I hope things will return to normal again
        soon.
EM:  3.9 Shields - I had to take .1 off for the art; it just didn't work
        for me. I'm glad to see that Supergirl is trying to address real
        problems and that the problems do overwhelm her.
JSy: 3.5 Shields - Powerful but disturbing story, and the machinations
        of Carnivean practically scream that he's a criminal mastermind
        in the vein of Lex Luthor. Took away a full point for the
        wretched art, though...
SY:  4.0 Shields - Great story, very well thought out. Nice to see a
        Superhero take on this sort of injustice. I'm very eager to see
        how this works out for Supergirl.
ST:  2.3 Shields - SG seemed more naive and impetuous (and foolish) than 
        we've seen in the past. She gave the girls violent actions and
        soft words; why is she so surprised that the actions took and the
        words didn't? It's obvious PAD is starting a long-term project
        here, but I wish he had been less heavy-handed in doing so.


You know, I was a bit nervous about Sean Phillips guest penciling an issue
of _Supergirl_. Don't get me wrong; I'm a major fan of Phillips from as
far back as his work on _Kid Eternity_. Hell, as far as I'm concerned (and
this may be blasphemy to some), I consider Phillips to be _the_ John
Constantine artist for his work on _Hellblazer_, but I doubted he was
going to work well on _Supergirl_.  His style is just too dark, you know?

Silly, stupid, me. Peter David managed to craft a story that reflects
Phillips' darkness perfectly, and makes a commentary on 'short-term'
solutions to world problems.

You know, people always claim Peter David's strength is his humor, or his
characterization. I feel his humor is forced and overobvious, and I think
sometimes he goes for the easy characterization fix rather than working
slowly and making his character developments emerge organically. (Witness
the recent, ill-advised Maddie and Cutter development.) I think Peter
David's strength is in allowing his themes and concerns to flow naturally
from his characters, never getting heavy-handed and presenting _all_ sides
of a situation to allow the reader to come to his or her own conclusion.  
In this story, he seems to violate that strength, creating a heavy handed
story -- until the reader realizes what is going on is much deeper than
they thought.

It's Thailand. Supergirl has come to a child slavery camp to liberate the
friend of a child who approached her at one of her speaking engagements.
She applies the usual bull-in-a-china-shop tactics familiar to anyone who's
suffered through such lesser 'relevant' stories as that godawful "They Call
It Suicide Slum" from 1997's _Superman_. After the camp as been razed to
the ground, and Linda tells the children to go home to their parents, she
learns things aren't so easy. The children are afraid the parents will be
mad, and that they will be punished for escaping. "[We] are not strong like
you," says the girl the Maid of Might came to rescue says. "None of us
are...no powers."

So Supergirl decides to teach them a lesson in empowerment. She leads an
ever-growing march of children throughout the area, shutting down slavery
camp after slavery camp. This time, Supergirl is there only to protect the
children, preaching compassion and hope while the girls do the shutting
down themselves. As this is going on, the mysterious Stubbs (last seen in
Comet's 'first' origin) refuses the help of Mr. Carnivean to the owner of
these camps, but offers them special weapons to defeat Supergirl. These
special weapons actually end up knocking Supergirl cold, during which time
the girls kill the camp owners... in the name of Supergirl.

When Supergirl comes to, she is told that she has taught the girls to be
strong, and that now they're going home to show their parents how strong
they are. The girl that started this all is confident that their parents
will respect and love them now... or else.

This does not sit well with Supergirl, who falls to her knees in despair
-- whereupon we learn this whole scenario has been orchestrated by
Carnivean to humble her. Without humbling her, says Carnivean, without
showing Supergirl how hopeless the situation is, she cannot be brought to
the depths of despair from which Carnivean wishes her to be plucked.

This is _great_ stuff. David pretends to doing another 'relevancy'
screed against child labor practices, when in fact he is showing up the
ridiculousness of these types of stories. David wants us to recognize what
Carnivean and Stubbs already know as we watch this whole passion play
unfold; these 'relevancy jags' happen every once in a while, but they are
bandages on a gaping chest wound in the DCU and are usually good only for
annoying us. Carnivean utilizes the super-hero's tendency to crusade for
his own gain. Right from the first sequence, which contrasts what is
happening to the girl to Linda's memories of _The King and I_, David is
reminding us that fantasies can never wipe away realities, no matter how
hard we wish it.

Which brings me back to Phillips again, and I couldn't be happier.
Phillips is a lot more impressionistic than the artists we've seen on
this book before. Some people might be turned off by that, but Phillips'
darkness reflects the tone of the story perfectly. From the title page
spread of an enraged Supergirl, her body mostly in shadow save for the
Shield, quoting the movie in a context that's almost horrifying (another
David strength -- the transposition of humor in a context that is
disquieting) to the coda in Carnivean's office, his work fits like a
glove. Sure, there might be a gawkiness to some of his figures, but the
power is still there. We can see just how determined Supergirl is to solve
this problem, which explains why she doesn't see the underlying problems
surfacing. It's a tour de force for Phillips, and I hope that he will be
allowed to visit these corners of the DCU when the story is fitting for
his style.

"The Quality of Mercy" is one of my favorite stories of the run, right up
there with "My Dinner with Buzz" and Comet 'revelations' in issues #25 and
#26. This Carnivore arc is shaping up to be David's best in a long, long
while, and I'm dying to see what's next.

Thomas Deja
<tdj723@webtv.net>

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

SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #31                      May 1999    $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN

    "Family Reunion, Part 2"

    Writer:    Mark Millar
    Penciller: Aluir Amancio
    Inker:     Terry Austin
    Letterer:  Phil Felix
    Colorist:  Marie Severin
    Seps:      Zylonol
    Asst. Ed.: Frank Berrios
    Editor:    Mike McAvennie
    Cover:     Mike Manley, Terry Austin, Marie Severin, and Lee Loughridge


RATINGS

Average: 3.7/5.0 Shields

CoS: 4.0 Shields
DWd: 3.5 Shields - Excellent. Nice to see the Cartoon version of S-man's
        parents. I also liked how it all wrapped up. Now lets hope the
        regular S-titles have been watching.
JE:  4.1 Shields - A really good issue all around. The scenes where the
        evil Superman and Supergirl destroy Metallo, Parasite, and Bizarro
        were truly horrific.
JSy: 4.0 Shields - Some positively chilling portrayals of the alternate
        Kara and Kal-El, and quite a tragic conclusion to the tale -- but
        riveting to the end. I loved the final splash page and the great
        cover.
SY:  3.0 Shields - Great ending to a great two-part saga. Mark's best work
        on this title since he took over.


A couple of quick things to write about before I get into this month's
review. First: DC has announced that Millar will be leaving the book later
this year, and called his run "critically acclaimed." As a critic I take
issue with that since it took Millar a while to hit his stride. He had a
few stinkers, a lot of OK issues and a few that rose about the regular
(the current one being one of those). I think he will be missed on the
book, but I wish his learning curve on how to handle the special format
the Adventures books needs would have been shorter. All that being said,
his tendency to go for a more Silver-Age, plot driven feel is sorely
needed on the core Superman books, and I wish him a lot of luck there.

Secondly, this issue drove home something about the Superman books that
has been lingering in my mind for a while. When John Byrne and Marv
Wolfman (everyone forgets he helped with it) revamped Superman in the
mid-1980's, there was a lot of hue and cry that he was stripping away the
things that made Superman great, and there would not be enough left of the
Superman Mythos to write about and care about. This issue proves that a
good creator can take the smallest of things in a previous issue and use
it to drive a good story.

What do I mean? In the first issue of Man Of Steel, Lara changed from a
generic "mother figure" to a product of the advanced society of Krypton.
She gasped in horror when Jor-El showed her that the planet to which her
child was going was populated by savages. Byrne used this to portray
Superman more as the greatest hero of Earth, and to put away the 'Last Son
Of Krypton' idea that had dulled reader identification (in my mind
anyway). In this issue, Millar uses it to weave a tense tale that is the
mark of a writer working on all cylinders.

When we left off last time (I miss the old boxes that comics used to have
with that information. Why did they have to put all of the exposition in
the story itself? It usually reads oddly when people who were together
only moments ago (story time) tell each other what they just did),
Superman had been blasted into a parallel universe where a city of Krypton
had survived. Lara, who was the city's leader, had found the Superman and
Supergirl of that Earth, brainwashing them into becoming the leaders of an
attack to wipe the humans from Earth so that the surviving Kryptonians
could make it their new home. Our Superman (who I will just call Superman;
the one from the other dimension will be called Kal-El so that it doesn't
get too confusing) had been duped by Lara into returning to Krypton, where
he was imprisoned with Jor-El while Kal-El, Supergirl and Professor Va-Kox
begin to destroy civilization.

Got all that?

The issue opens with the destruction of Metropolis, and the three
Kryptonians appear to be unstoppable. On Krypton, Lara gets caught up as
she explains her plans for Earth and Superman; Earth will crumble, and
Superman will be brainwashed. She also states that she would never kill
Superman, as it would be wrong to kill a Kryptonian. Killing humans, on
the other hand, means nothing to her since they are savages.

Back on Earth, Lex Luthor has released Superman's foes from prison to try
and stop the rampaging Kryptonians. Bizarro, Parasite and Metallo are all
cheered as heroes as they go to bat for their home planet, which is a
great surprise to Bizarro. (Shouldn't he like the fact that things are the
opposite of how they normally are, though?)

Back in the cell where Superman and Jor-El are being held, Jor-El explains
how the Kryptonians got to be so cold and heartless. When Superman asks
him, "How can you just stand there, Jor-El? You sound like you don't care
any more," he utters a great line, replying, "A scientist honors all forms
of life." When Lara leaves, they escape; since Jor-El designed the cell,
he also knows how to get out of it.

Meanwhile, the situation on Earth has turned grim. Bizarro and the
Parasite have been defeated, Metallo's kryptonite heart is torn from his
chest and tossed away by an immune Supergirl, and all that stands to stop
the end of the world is a rag-tag bunch of survivors with improvised
weapons. If this were going to be a series, it would last for years, but
since this is only a two parter, the famous words are uttered.

"Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's him, it's really
him, it's...."

... And if you don't know that the next page is Superman with his name
across the page, wading into battle, you haven't read enough comics yet.

He is able to keep them at bay until Jor-El is able to transport everyone
back to Krypton where Superman defeats them easily. Lara enters the room
with troops, and we have ourselves an old fashioned stand-off. Problem is,
Jor-El has stacked the deck. He has planned to destroy the last surviving
city of Krypton, since it is the only way to stop Lara from sacrificing
billions of human lives. When Lara asks if he is seriously considering
killing those who would be the Earthling's genetic masters, he sadly tells
her that the very fact that she even asked should be her answer.

Superman is placed in a teleportation beam at the moment of the
explosion, sending him back to his own Earth. No time has elapsed from
when he left, despite having spent a week in the parallel universe.


A lot goes on in this story, and all of it well done. More than just a
slug fest (which it could have easily been) the story turned on the fact
that Lara honestly felt that the Kryptonians should have Earth and
anything she did to further her aims was justified. Rather than making her
a raving villain, she was simply a person with a point of view that put
her into conflict with Superman and Jor-El -- a welcome change from the
standard revenge plot or unfocused attempt to take over the world.

The use of the villains and Lex Luthor -- putting them in the role of
protectors -- could have been trite, but since it was a minor plot point,
it worked.  The story also could have fallen into the old trap of making
it a struggle of people of Earth against overwhelming odds; instead, it
stuck with the higher plot line of Superman and Jor-El fighting Lara.  
The only complaints I have are minor, and were touched on in the plot
summary. It was a little too easy for Superman and Jor-El to get out of
their cell, and the exposition seemed forced and cliched. The good thing,
though, is that Millar has finally gotten over his tendency to damage his
stories with plot holes and by giving too much away. Jor-El's plan was
perfectly placed in the story, leading it to an intellectual and emotional
climax rather than a more typical,"Who does Superman have to punch?"

Amancio turned in a much better art job this issue as well, making me
think that the previous issue's below-average one was either a rushed job,
or a case of having too much story to show and not enough inspiration to
show it well. Here he handles a story that, while not bereft of fight
scenes, isn't dependent upon them. Instead, he makes the parts where
people plan and talk very interesting, giving it the needed impact with
great skill. The page where all hope seems lost is nicely laid out.  
Check page 13 of the story (the page before Superman arrives); the city
looks destroyed, the humans look as if they have nothing left, and the
villains remain a presence without overwhelming the story. Then, when you
turn the page for Superman's appearance, it's a page of pure Kirby power,
with bodies flying and a sense that Superman IS the strongest being in the
universe.

When I pick up a super-hero comic, I want to read something interesting
and entertaining. If the story makes me think, it's a bonus and I look for
more work by the creators. This issue was one where I was asked to think
as I went through the roller coaster or the plot. Good job by all involved
and highly recommended.

Cory Strode
<Solitaire.Rose@worldnet.att.net>

_____________________________________________________

TEAM TITLES:
-----------
JLA #29                                      May 1999    $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN

    "Crisis Times Five, Part 2: World Turned Upside Down..."

    Writer:       Grant Morrison
    Penciller:    Howard Porter
    Inker:        John Dell
    Letterer:     Ken Lopez
    Colorist:     Pat Garrahy
    Separations:  Heroic Age
    Assoc. Ed.:   Tony Bedard
    Editor:       Dan Raspler
    Cover:        Porter and Dell


RATINGS

Average: 3.2/5.0 Shields

AW:  4.0 Shields
EM:  3.5 Shields - Remember Rock of Ages, and how so many great ideas were
        thrown out to you at once and yet none was fully satisfying in
        the end? Please let this arc not be Rock of Ages II. 
JE:  3.8 Shields - Not a bad issue, but there is just so much *more* that
        could be done with this amazing concept. An invasion by the 5th
        dimension; now who hasn't wanted to see that for years?
JSy: 3.0 Shields - Better than the previous issue, but... Highfather's
        inclusion in the Quintessence may jive with _Kingdom Come_, but it
        runs contrary to what's happened with the New Gods in recent years.
ST:  2.1 Shields - Points to Morrison for inspiration, but poor editing, 
        bad proofreading, art that doesn't clearly convey the horror of
        the situation, writing that can't explain why the heroes are *so*
        freaked... ugh. A mixed-up, confusing, dog's breakfast of an issue.
SY:  2.5 Shields - Confusing; too much going on. I just hope we get some
        explanations in the next few issues.
TD:  3.4 Shields - Things fall apart, although there's enough fun stuff in
        it that I'm still wide eyed. My favorite bit: Wildcat, the Really,
        Really Old Guy Who Kicks Ass!!!!


If you were buying this magazine based on the cover and expecting a
knock-down drag-out fight between Superman and Captain Marvel, (or kicking
yourself because you somehow missed it), I'll save you the trouble of
reading it. Two punches are thrown, both by Captain Marvel, and Superman
doesn't get back up.

If, instead, you're buying this issue to see members of the old JSA and
JLA battle fifth-dimensional "genies" and reality turned on its ear in a
complex and interesting story, then go ahead and keep on reading.

So what happens this issue?

Well, the core of the JLA and JSA are busy trying to save people and
minimize the effects of LKZ' rampage. The fifth-dimensional Djinn is
animating every former inanimate object in Keystone City and using them to
attack the populace. Some of the heroes, like Plastic Man, Green Lantern
and the Huntress, have to fight just to keep their sanity. Luckily for the
Huntress, she's being mentored by Wildcat in some of the best scenes in
the comic. Hippolyta, the original Wonder Woman and Diana's mother, joins
the fray. At one point, she asks Wildcat how he can keep doing the hero
thing in his 70s. Hmmm. A plot element for the new JSA series?

Although surrealism isn't their strongest talent, Porter and Dell do an
imaginative job animating everything from buildings to umbrellas.

Up on the moon, in JLA headquarters, Superman monitors the situation and
waits for Steel to relieve him so he can go the fifth dimension and see if
he can either rustle up some help, or at least head off a full-scale
invasion.

Hourman is with him, but isn't much help. He babbles about this and that
being "scheduled," but of course when he needs to know something is going
to happen, his sight is "clouded." (The biggest problem with an all-seeing
hero like Hourman is that, to keep everything suspenseful, you have to
keep "blinding" him, essentially making him useless. Makes you wonder why
he's around at all.)

Capt. Marvel arrives on the moon, and knocks Superman out so he can go to
the fifth dimension instead. Marvel's reasoning is that Superman is much
more vulnerable to magic, and therefore it would be more dangerous for
Superman to go to a magic-based dimension. Hourman could probably have
saved Superman a headache by telling him that Marvel was going to go in
his place, but then, what fun would that be? The Quintessence (the most
useless organization of near-omnipotent beings I can think of) remarks
that Capt. Marvel is not traveling alone.

With Superman unconscious, JLA headquarters is open for takeover by
Triumph and his 'new JLA' -- Gypsy and Ray, whose minds he is controlling.
Apparently Triumph, who was caught in some sort of time anomaly for a
number of years, is the reason that Hourman can't predict everything that
happens. Steel arrives just in time to confront the intruders.

On yet another front, Zauriel and Sentinel go to rescue the Spectre, but
discover whoever has imprisoned him has created a living "micro-world"
around him; they can't free him without destroying all life on the planet!
(For those keeping score, Zauriel is once again useless.)

Finally, J.J. -- a foul-mouthed seventh son of a seventh son -- still has
Thunderbolt locked up in his pen, convinced that the thunderbolt is really
Satan. (One editorial slip; on page 11, he says "say you", but Thunderbolt
still can't get out of the pen.) By the end of the issue, J.J. consciously
summons the thunderbolt, and the mother of all battles is about to break
loose between LKZ and Thunderbolt -- a battle that could destroy the Earth.

Except for the gaffe with the misleading cover, Morrison, Dell and Porter
have created a compelling story here, and I'm looking forward not only to
next issue's conclusion, but the forthcoming JSA series as well.

In the meantime, I'm going to look up Justice League of America #137, one
of a three-part JLA/JSA/Earth-S heroes team-up masterfully written by
Elliot S! Maggin and Cary Bates (if memory serves me correctly), and watch
Superman and Captain Marvel clash for the first classic time.

Anatole Wilson
<awilson@us.oracle.com>

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

YOUNG JUSTICE #8                             May 1999    $2.50 US/$3.95 CAN

    "The Uninvited Geeks"

    Guest Writer:  Chuck Dixon
    Pencils:       Todd Nauck & Coy Turnbull
    Inks:          Lary Stucker & Jaime Mendoza
    Colors:        Jason Wright
    Letters:       Ken Lopez
    Ass't Ed.:     Frank Berrios
    Editor:        Eddie Berganza
    Cover:         Todd Nauck, Lary Stucker, and Patrick Martin


RATINGS

Average: 2.4/5.0 Shields

GR:  1.9 Shields
EJ:  4.3 Shields - This book is consistently good. This issue was dynamic.
        I was a little lost, not knowing who the Psyba-Rats were at first,
        but I was able to follow and catch up easily. Upon second reading,
        it made perfect sense. The last panel was hilarious!
EM:  2.0 Shields -  Chuck Dixon on writing chores; consider this a skip
        month. Buy this issue only if you are a completist.
JSy: 2.0 Shields - Ho-hum. Robin seemed to get angry a bit too easily.
        Then again, that had a lot to do with Superboy's behavior, which
        was well out of character. Furthermore, the page-to-page change
        in art styles was *very* jarring.
ST:  1.8 Shields - If you don't know who the Psyba-Rats are, Dixon doesn't
        bother to clue you in much. The art was grindingly inconsistent,
        (if not downright ugly in places) and the finale unrealistic and
        unnecessarily juvenile. That said, I think Blockbuster *might* be
        a decent repeat-foe, if we get more insight as to his rationale.


There's a girl with stiletto arms called Razorsharp, a computer hacker
called Hackman, and a comedian named Channelman who apparently only exists
on screen. These "Psyba-Rats" break into YJ headquarters and attempt to
transmit computer files to the people who hired them. Outside the cave,
Robin, Superboy, Impulse, and Secret struggle to get in. Inside the cave,
Arrowette and Razorsharp engage in standard costumed-battle. Finally, the
other kids get in and foil the scheme.

This issue's not particularly bad, just unimaginative -- an exercise in
Standard Operational Procedure. Take the cover, for example: it's simple
Good Guys vs. Bad Guys stuff. In other hands, the concept might be
compelling. Here it's just a bone tossed to appetites dulled by a thousand
previous servings in a little tenement in the comic book ghetto. What is
there to attract a non-reader in the sight of three super-types flailing
their arms in a cloud of... dust? Smoke? It's Secret's mist, of course,
but how's a non-fan supposed to know that? Shouldn't a cover do more than
wrap around a book? Shouldn't it beckon a buyer?

The story beneath the cover is okay, just nothing to write home about.
Arrowette and Razorsharp's fight is punctuated with the usual dissing
dialogue between comic book antagonists. (Can anybody remember a comic
book fight scene without dialogue?) Cute things are said there and
elsewhere. Guest-writer Chuck Dixon knows the characters he's been handed
for this issue. Robin, Impulse, and Superboy speak and act as regular
readers expect them to. The script is workmanlike; no gaping plot holes or
unintentional humor. I wish there had been! (I suppose there is a bit of
unintentional humor in Red Tornado's being short-circuited yet again. He
really should invest in some sort of personal surge-protector.)

What's jarring is the artwork. The pages Nauck and Stucker draw are fine,
but whenever Turnbull and Mendoza take over, look out! Impulse gains ten
pounds, Arrowette looks like Bette Midler, and Superboy turns into the
DeNiro version of the Frankenstein monster! This is the sort of innovation
I can do without.

I don't think I was in danger of taking Peter David for granted. He's a
wonderful writer. Nauck and Stucker are perfect artists for Young Justice.
If I hadn't appreciated the work of these people before, though, I
certainly do now. Hurry back, guys!

Gary D. Robinson
<robinfam@akron.infi.net>

_____________________________________________________


MINISERIES:
----------
BATMAN & SUPERMAN: WORLD'S FINEST #2         May 1999    $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN

    "World's Finest: Year Two - A Tale of Two Cities"

    Writer:     Karl Kesel
    Pencils:    Dave Taylor
    Inks:       Robert Campanella
    Colorist:   Alex Sinclair
    Letterer:   Bill Oakley
    Assoc. Ed.: Joseph Illidge
    Editor:     Darren Vincenzo
    Cover:      Dave Taylor and Robert Campanella


RATINGS

Average: 4.0/5.0 Shields

SDM: 3.4 Shields
EM:  4.0 Shields - Am I the only KCer here who likes the art? I think it
        fits the book. Anyhow, the contrast is nice between Gotham and
        Metropolis.
JSy: 4.5 Shields - Beautiful. *This* is what I was expecting from Mr.
        Kesel, as we finally get inside the heads of the two heroes.
        A big improvement over the first issue -- and hopefully this
        one will be more representative of the entire series.
SY:  4.0 Shields - Nice interaction between the two characters. I loved
        Superman's comment about the architects of Gotham. :)


One year after Harrison Grey's death, Superman and Batman coincidentally
meet at Grey's grave, then agree to spend the night with each seeing how
the other lives. After trips to Gotham and Metropolis, the two acknowledge
they can do this once a year and agree to meet again.


It's a simple plot, but one that allows Superman and Batman to compare
notes, and us to see Gotham and Metropolis through different eyes;  
Metropolis doesn't look so perfect to Batman. Furthermore, it gets us on
track as we get the interaction between our heroes we expect from this
series. It also doesn't hurt that at 22 pages we get none of the padding
that allowed Karl to fill a Prestige Format comic. The art is stronger
here than in the first issue, although I still don't like the Batman that
Taylor and Campanella draw. They do, however, do a great version of both
cities involved.

What makes the story is the character interplay.  First, of course, are
the heroes. Each claims he has it harder than the other, neither quite
realizing how silly he sounds. It's from this dispute as much as from a
lingering sense of guilt about Grey's death that the two agree to work
together. This dispute soon changes into an argument by Supes that Batman
should be a bit less terrifying, but Batman counters that Superman is just
as scary to the average citizen. Before the night is out, Bats admits that
he needs to be scary to overcome his limitations and lack of powers, and
Supes acknowledges that he works just as hard NOT to be scary. It's a very
interesting contrast, and that the two admit this to each other is pulled
off believably without making the heroes buddies.

We also meet a gang of former Gotham villain sidekicks calling themselves
the Henchmen. They are played partially for laughs -- a pair of twins who
finished each others' sentences, a former Joker goon hitting on a former
Riddler moll -- but we can also see that they want respect and that had
Bats and Supes not arrived, they would have succeeded with their robbery.  
Like many other Kesel villains, we feel just a bit of unexpected sympathy.  
By contrast, the threat in Metropolis -- an obscure Alan Scott foe named
Knodar -- is a bit of a lump. Since he's a time traveller, though, he gets
to rant that someday a president will be impeached over a sex scandal.  
Who would have believed that in 1990?

After a bad start last month, Kesel recovers and shows how much he
understands both heroes and the way they would behave in each other's
presence. Batman is still hyper-competent but is showing signs of being
human and even flawed after all. Superman, one year into his career, is
starting to understand what he's becoming to the world and to himself.  
It's this element of the series, of watching each act and react with the
other, that I expect will set it apart from other Batman/Superman team-ups
of the recent past.

Simon DelMonte
<sdelmonte@aol.com>

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

SUPERMAN'S NEMESIS: LEX LUTHOR #3            May 1999    $2.50 US/$3.95 CAN

    "Lex Luthor: Dark Victory -- Chapter Three: Coming Apart"

    Writer:            David Michelinie
    Penciler:          Val Semeiks
    Inker:             Dennis Janke
    Letterer:          Ken Bruzenak
    Colorist:          Joe Rosas
    Color Separations: Digital Chameleon
    Associate Editor:  Maureen McTigue
    Editor:            Joey Cavalieri
    Cover:             Semeiks and Janke


RATINGS

Average: 1.6/5.0 Shields

GN:  1.8 Shields
EM:  1.0 Shields - I must be a masochist; my comic shop owner offered to
        take it back, but I felt the need to own it so I could warn you.
        Makes even _Young Justice_ #8 look worthwhile, and it wasn't.
        Just say no.
JSy: 1.6 Shields - My completist's compulsion is the only reason I'll be
        picking up the final issue of this one. Geeze, it's bad enough
        that we don't have anyone to root for, but then to make the "bad
        guy" more sympathetic with such a lame origin? Who cares?
ST:  1.0 Shields - There are so many factual and characterization mistakes
        here that don't know where to start. Look at this, too; Lex now
        knows that Krisma caused all this. Krisma hands Luthor a gun. Who
        is Lex going to shoot? Better be Krisma, or next issue's rating
        goes down even more.
SY:  2.8 Shields - A pretty good issue for a poor mini-series. I thought
        this was called "Superman's Nemesis: Lex Luthor", why aren't we
        seeing Superman vs. Lex rather than Lex vs. Krisma?


The week this came out, I read it read over and over again because I
enjoyed the story and art so much. Jurgens really outdid himself... oh,
wait. That was _Superman/Fantastic Four_. This is _Superman's Nemesis:
Lex Luthor_. Mind you, I've read this story over and over too, but for
different reasons: 1) Because I agreed to review this mini-series, and
2) I kept hoping if I read it one more time some redeeming quality would
appear.

When I looked at how people were rating the first issue of this series and
saw how much higher theirs were than mine, I started to wonder if I was
really off base. With the second chapter, however, their ratings began to
fall to where I was ranking the book -- if not lower.

For all of us who were waiting for a motivation to come clear for Krisma,
here it is. For those of us waiting for this title to make sense -- well,
one for two isn't too bad.

I won't bore you with a play by play this time -- if you're reading the
mini-series, why torture you? And if you're not, just count yourselves
as lucky -- but instead I'll just share the chief revelation about the
current bane of Lex Luthor's existence, Krisma.

You see, Krisma is an extraterrestrial -- yup, that's right, of the 'E.T.
phone home' variety -- who is seeking revenge on Luthor because a Lexcorp
space probe mutated him. Krisma now emits "psychic pheromones" which
caused his people to focus on his happiness, "to the exclusion of all
else." In other words, he's like a lot of rock stars, only he doesn't
enjoy it. Tracing the probe to its origins on Earth, and specifically
Lexcorp, Krisma discovered that his power works differently on humans;
he has to consciously exert his will on people to make them love him.
Having learned this, he launched his campaign of building a power base and
manipulating people into betraying and hating Luthor -- even his infant
daughter, Lena.

Cut off from the official resources of Lexcorp and hated by the citizens
of Metropolis -- guess they didn't like hearing about his weapons sales to
America's enemies -- Luthor steals a car and heads to a suburban hideaway.  
Here, Luthor analyzes the results of the drug test he and Krisma both took
prior to their racquetball tournament and discovers Krisma is from *way*
out of town. (Why the doctors who went over Krisma's sample at the time
wouldn't have noticed something was different about him isn't explained.  
Maybe his people's DNA is just that close to humans. Maybe he used his
power on the doctors. Or maybe this is just the sloppiest writing of
Michelinie's career.)

If Michelinie strained credibility in the first two issues of this
four-part mini-series (It is only four parts, isn't it? I can't take much
more...), he pretty much stretches it beyond recognition in this chapter.
I realize we're talking about a Superman family book here, but Michelinie
treats the effects of radiation here with all the credibility of a '60s
Marvel comic. I could forgive it if the rest of the story were any better,
but it isn't. Making Krisma an alien doesn't help this series a bit; it
just further removes the story from any human level. (By the way, Luthor
must have some great tech if he can send probes which can reach other
solar systems -- inhabited ones at that.) The little hideaway in the
suburbs is a little too convenient as well, though somewhat in character
with Luthor's paranoia.

Michelinie's handling of the characters isn't any more capable. While
Krisma is being played as sympathetic, he just comes off as pathetic;  
why Michelinie is bothering in the first place is a mystery. If anything,
Michelinie should have tried to make Krisma a *less* sympathetic figure to
make this story work. (I'm not sure if anything really could, but for
argument's sake, let's suppose.) Even when Krisma reveals his ultimate
goal -- to force Lex to suicide -- it's hard to feel any real concern for
Luthor.  After all, here's a man who once killed his personal trainer with
his bare hands over a casual remark and deliberately poisoned Lois Lane's
mother to get Lois to fall in love with him. And those are just a couple
highlights of Luthor's career. If Krisma *really* wanted to make Luthor
suffer, he should have just waited another month and given him this
mini-series.

Usually, the art provides some sort of refuge, but that isn't the case
here.  Semeiks and Janke just don't seem to be meshing. It's like they're
thinking, "Maybe if I rush though this story it won't hurt as bad." And
somebody -- like, oh, I don't know, maybe an editor -- really should have
told them that Luthor 1) is more slender now and 2) doesn't wear a
kryptonite ring anymore since the old one cost him his hand and his old
body. If it's a replica, then why he would wear such a reminder is a
mystery. Oh well... at least it only shows up in some panels and not
others, so I can have *some* enjoyment playing 'spot the ring'. Of course,
an editor reading this story closely might have pulled the plug on the
mini-series.

It looks like we're building up to Superman having to fly in to save
Luthor's hide, but frankly, I don't think even the Man of Steel can save
this mini-series.

G.M. Nelson
<KALEL224@aol.com>

_____________________________________________________

SPECIALS:
--------
SUPERMAN/FANTASTIC FOUR                      May 1999   $9.95 US/$15.75 CAN

    "The Infinite Destruction"

    Story and Layout Art: Dan Jurgens
    Finished Art:         Art Thibert
    Colorist:             Greg Wright
    Letterer:             Bill Oakley
    Separators:           Digital Chameleon
    Assistant Editors:    L.A. Williams and Brian Smith
    Editors:              Mark Gruenwald and Bobbie Chase
    Executive Editor:     Mike Carlin
    Cover Pencil Art:     Dan Jurgens
    Cover Painting:       Alex Ross


RATINGS

Average: 3.2/5.0 Shields

EM:  3.0 Shields - The format doesn't work with the art and I expect a lot
        more of a story in 64 pages when picking up a tabloid sized comic
        book.
GN:  4.6 Shields - Jurgens brings a spirit of fun and wonder to what
        has to be one of the dream DC-Marvel crossovers, the teaming of
        comics' founding father and Marvel's first family. Franklin's hero
        worship was a well-considered -- and received -- touch.
JSy: 4.0 Shields - I liked the story, especially the strength of will
        exhibited by both Superman and Sue Storm. As usual, Dan's artwork
        is gorgeous, though I think the size tended to magnify inking
        flaws. A generally pleasant experience, but I still would have
        preferred the smaller, cheaper prestige format.
SY:  2.5 Shields - A let down. Most of Superman's appearances are as a
        Gold Statue-like being. Nice to see that Marvel also agrees that
        Superman is the best Superhero around. :)
ST:  2.2 Shields - This was a fun story that treated both universes well
        and actually made Cyborg *interesting* for the first time in a
        while. I couldn't even afford to buy it, though, and had to read a
        friend's copy. At half-price and/or half-size, I give it two more
        Shields, but in this format it's definitely sub-par.


Synopsis:

Superman receives a message from Jor-El that was recorded just before the
destruction of Krypton, and implicates Galactus -- a being of immense
power from the Marvel Universe who feeds on planets -- in its early
demise. Superman goes to the Marvel Universe by having Access bring him to
the headquarters of the Fantastic Four. Hank Henshaw, the evil Cyborg
Superman from the 'Reign of the Supermen' storyline is also involved.  
Superman confronts Galactus, but is turned into his herald. Wanting the
power for himself, Henshaw aids the Fantastic Four by bringing them to
Galactus while Reed Richards is trapped. Wacky hi-jinks ensue.

Review:

Every so often, a book comes out that is so grand, so awesome, that it
deserves to be put into the Treasury format.

This is not that book. 

Please don't read this the wrong way. The story is actually not that bad.
and has many nice touches, e.g. the idea that Superman is a fictional
character in the Marvel Universe and that Franklin Richards is a big fan
of the Animated Series. This is a nice nod to the Earth-1/Earth-2
crossover story, "The Flash of Two Worlds" in which the origin and
identity of the Golden Age Flash is known by the Silver Age Flash because
the adventures of Earth-2's Flash were fictional on Earth-1.

Dan Jurgens certainly shows his affinity for the characters, but as a
writer he makes an excellent penciler. Does anyone (besides Dan Jurgens
and Ron Marz) seriously want to see Cyborg Superman again? The lampooning
of the Fantastic Four's origin was funny when we first saw it in the
regular series years ago, but Jurgens only has 64 pages in a Treasury
format book and he chooses to waste a whole page on having Cyborg Superman
re-tell it to the Fantastic Four. It's just painful to watch. Repeat after
me, Dan: "Cyborg Superman is becoming the Kenny of DC/Marvel crossovers
and the joke is getting old." Superman under the control of Galactus
wielding the Power Cosmic should have been an epic story. This one falls
short.

Art:

Alex Ross painting over Dan Jurgens pencils made for a beautiful cover,
but when I'm paying $10 for an oversized comic book, the inside had better
be as good as the outside. Dan Jurgens is an excellent artist, and for
this project I wish one of two had things happened:

1) Jurgens had inked his own work. If you're going to do a vanity project,
   go all the way. You are a great artist and nothing short of getting
   Phil Jimenez or George Perez to do your finishing art will do if you
   won't.
2) Someone like Alex Ross or Jerry Ordway had painted over his pencils.

In other words, Art Thibert was just a bad choice for this book. This is a
sad statement to make since I typically love Thibert, but the styles of
Thibert and Jurgens just do not compliment one another as well as they
could. This is especially visible when they are placed under a microscope
as was done in this format.

Bigger is not always better. If you have 11" x 17" to play with in a page
layout, unless you are painting the entire book, how can you justify a
four panel page layout?  Some of the pin-up shots are inevitable in a book
like this, but a lot of the book could have been used to delve deeper into
the origins of Galactus or anything that could have clued a reader into
why Superman sought out Reed Richards.

Conclusion:

If this had been done as a regular comic book, or even a regular sized
deluxe format book, I would have given it 3.5 to 4.0 shields. Since it was
printed in the Treasury format, it must be subjected to the Alex Ross
criteria used in _Superman: Peace on Earth_. I bought 7 copies of that
comic to give to friends and relatives for the holidays last year because
the story was totally accessible to everyone. By choosing this format,
_Superman/FF_ subjected itself to that level of scrutiny, and it just
didn't cut it. Ultimately, this was a $3.00 story in a $10 book.

Edward Mathews
<em11@is3.nyu.edu>

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

SUPERMAN SECRET FILES #2                     May 1999    $4.95 US/$7.95 CAN

    Editors:      Maureen McTigue and Tony Bedard
    Separations:  Digital Chameleon
    Cover:        Doug Mahnke and Tom Nguyen


RATINGS

Average: 2.9/5.0 Shields

RG:  3.5 Shields
EJ:  5.0 Shields - The robot story was one of the best this month, if not
        THE best. The 'Lois and Clark at home' one was one me and my
        husband both enjoyed thoroughly, and it is SO good to see that
        'electric blue' will be back --- FEMALE! <G>
EM:  3.0 Shields - It's O.K. Buy if you haven't been buying the titles
        in a while and want a jumping on point, otherwise, save the money.
        Good things are coming soon.
JE:  3.1 Shields - Finally, Superman Blue explained. That alone made it
        worth buying in my book.
JSy: 1.5 Shields - The Contessa story was the only interesting thing in
        the whole book, which at least suggests that Stuart Immonen's
        upcoming solo project might be good. I also hope that the Misa
        entry means that we can expect to see more of her in the future.
        Still, DC should just put the Secret Files series to pasture.
SY:  2.5 Shields - Funny to see that DC is just as confused about the
        whole Energy-based Superman transformation as we are. Best use of
        the Superman Robots so far.
TD:  2.3 Shields - Fairly pointless follow-up, with a lead story that's
        the worst kind of info-dump. And God Help Us...Strange Visitor?
        Nice to see Team Super hasn't lost its talent to make me gack.


While not one of the best books I've read, this one was far better than I
expected. I liked the fact that none of the stories focused on Superman
himself. The two main stories, the 'lost pages' segment, and the Lois and
Clark marriage two pager all focused on the Superman cast instead. In fact
Superman never once makes an actual appearance in any of the stories. I
personally feel that the supporting cast gets far too little story time,
and I liked the change of focus.

I'm only going to cover the two main stories here, but rest assured, there
are the usual 'lost pages' (good side bar on the Contessa - and a little
more on her mysterious background), and also the usual Profile pages. All
of them are relevant to current story lines, all of them providing a quick
reference to the people and characters shown. They remind me a lot of the
old "Who's Who in the DCU" books that we used to see every few months.

++++++++

    "History of Change"

    Written by Ron Marz
    Pencilled by Paul Ryan
    Inked by Tom Simmons
    Lettered by Albert DeGuzman
    Colored by Tom McCraw

As Professor Hamilton sits fixing his robotic hand a Superman Robot that
had been damaged trying to stop Fatality (Ref. Green Lantern #111) asks
for help. The robot seems consumed with a feeling of failure. Professor
Hamilton tells of his experiences and all the adversities that Superman
had to overcome to show that the only real failure is giving up. The
still-damaged robot takes the lesson to heart <?> and goes on to save the
lives of many of the Supermen of America and civilians caught in a
bombing.

As with all the _Secret Files and Origin_ stories we've seen to date, this
is a basic jump-on story to bring people up to speed on the current state
of affairs. As such I don't usually expect much of a real effort to be
made to tell a story beyond the recap, and as such I was pleasantly
surprised with this one. Professor Hamilton was perfect to tell the story.
He is a long-time member of the supporting cast, but is usually just in
the background. We often forget how much of Superman's life he has
experienced.

His interaction with the robot is the primary focus of the story. The
recap of Superman's career is shown as series of collage pages that didn't
distract from the story being told. Instead they flow naturally and
actually bring a focus to main story. In the end, they even justify the
robot's almost human heroism as it willingly sacrifices itself for the
people caught in the explosion.  While it probably wouldn't have made it
as a stand-alone story in one of the main titles, it was a far better
story than I expected, and worth reading.

++++++++

    "Cause and Effect: A Story of Supermen of America"

    Written by Fabian Nicieza
    Pencilled by Phil Jimenez
    Inked by Andy Lanning
    Lettered by Pat Prentice
    Colored by Tom McCraw

This one is a slightly preachy story of a member of the Supermen of
America that joins to find his brother's killer but finds justice instead.

Preachy or not, I liked this one. While it wasn't the showpiece of the
book, nor would it justify more pages than it did, it reminded me of an
updated version of one of the old follow-up stories that DC used to put in
most of their books back in the seventies. It was a very simple story of a
young man learning the difference between revenge and justice. A very
common comic book plot, but a well done one that served as a vehicle for
showing the Supermen of America that have been playing a minor role in the
main titles.

While you won't miss anything critical to any of the current story lines
if you skip this one. The book could serve as a solid reference for anyone
just starting to get involved with Superman.

Rene Gobeyn
<bedlam@frontiernet.net>

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

YOUNG JUSTICE 80-PAGE GIANT #1               May 1999    $4.95 US/$7.95 CAN

    Writers:  Peter David, Beau Smith, Jay Faerber, Chuck Dixon,
              Lary Stucker, and Peter J. Tomasi
    Artists:  Justiniano, Cabin Boy, Andy Lanning, and Kevin Conrad; Sergio
              Cariello and Keith Champagne; Tommy Lee Edwards; Ryan Sook
              and Jeff Gan; Keron Grant and Lary Stucker; and Dietrich
              Smith, Jaime Mendoza, and Sean Parsons;
    Colors:   Jason Wright and Digital Chameleon, Pam Rambo, Melissa
              Edwards, Felix Serrano, and Matt Webb
    Letters:  Comicraft, Jack Morelli, John Workman, and Albert De Guzman
    Editors:  Eddie Berganza and Alisande Morales
    Cover:    Humberto Ramos, Wayne Faucher, and Richard and Tanya Horie


RATINGS

Average: 3.9/5.0 Shields

RG:  3.5 Shields - Hard to rate when the quality of the stories and art
        vary so greatly. Some things worked better than others.
EM:  4.2 Shields - I'm a sucker for the Red Tornado story. PAD gives us
        a great premise as the Genie from World Without Grown-ups returns.
JSy: 3.9 Shields - In general, these have been *so* much better than
        the Secret Files books. The best story takes place in the two
        bookends, but there are some very nice stories (the Nosferatu and
        WWII tales, for example) in between. But why on Earth did they
        have to let Tommy Lee Edwards draw a story? Yech.


Rather than trying to review each of the individual stories I'm going to
cheat a bit and try to review the book as a whole. I will discuss each
story briefly, but not in detail.

Remember that demon/genie that caused so much trouble back in _JLA: World
without Grownups_? Well, he never really left. It seems that he has
problems living outside of a host or containment vessel. Since he fed on
imagination, he somehow found that humans were too emotional for him and
caused him pain. Red Tornado is a robot, though -- sentient, but otherwise
empty. In other words a perfect hiding place. It has been the demon that
has been responsible for the multiple personalities that have been
plaguing the Red Tornado for the past few months.

When Secret discovers the demon lodged in RT's torso, he takes the
offensive by launching the members of Young Justice into a series of dream
worlds that make up the bulk of the story pages of this book. As with many
of the anthology specials that DC produces, some of the stories are better
than others. Unfortunately, as the demon uses the kids' imaginations
against them each of the stories seem to start in the middle with the
phrase, "And suddenly...."

Each of the individual stories had something to recommend it. "The Totally
O.K. Corral" was IMO the best story in the book. It may not have been the
most artistic, but it was more in character than any of the others. Seeing
Arrowette as a TV-style Indian and Secret as the town schoolteacher put it
well over the top. The thought balloons of the YJ as they said the
super-corny dialog was great.

My nomination for the best characterization in the book would have to go
to "My Gun is (Super) Quick". Impulse as an old tough-guy private eye and
Wonder girl as his secretary was priceless. I wasn't impressed by the art;  
a bit too dark for my taste.

My least favorite story was "Nosferatu To You Too". While well done, and I
enjoyed the silent movie sepia look to the art, I hated the way they ended
the story. It was very disappointing.

"Rock 'em, Sock 'em... Robot?" was just plain fun. The kids obviously know
that they are mixed up in some kind of dream, even if they can't wake up.
As a Star-Wars take off (or tribute?) it was good. Also, the YJ kids are
beginning to figure out how things work and start using the dream to their
advantage. The teamwork and by-play between the members worked well. It
wasn't quite up to the quality of the regular book, but it was close. The
artwork didn't do much for me at all, and took what might have been the
best story in the book and nearly ruined it.

"Our Justice at War" had a lot going for it. I'm a big fan of the old DC
war comics, and Weird War Stories was my favorite book of the time. The
only problem I had was that it was too short, and the super-powers just
didn't make it for me. I guess I'm too much of a purist. Also, the artwork
was a little uneven and looked rushed in places.

The main (real?) action of the book took place in the two-part bookend
piece called "First Memory" that framed the stories in the book. This was
more than a bit surreal and didn't quite make it for me. The story was
mostly narrative, and told from the demon's point of view, which was a
little different. Peter David can do some fine work when he's telling a
story like this. The action was plentiful, and the YJ team worked well
together and recovered from the dream sequences quickly. Unfortunately the
ending (while well done and appropriate) seemed almost an accident and
left me feeling a little disappointed.

Other than that, I loved it. The artwork was lush with lots of soft edges
that fit well with the dreamlike quality of the story. I don't think it
would work as well in a monthly book, as it could easily distract a reader
from a less intense plot and would probably cause problems long term, but
it sure worked nicely here.

Overall, this one was a keeper. While I liked some of the stories better
than others, I really enjoyed reading the slightly different takes each
creative team had on the YJ stories. A solid read, and worth the money
spent.

Rene Gobeyn
<bedlam@frontiernet.net>

_____________________________________________________

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


                             TALES OF EARTH-ONE
                   --------------------------------------
                   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 #9
The Untold Secret History of the Phantom Zone!

(So I missed a month. So sue me. This is harder to do than you realize.)

The official beginning of the history of the Phantom Zone is in _Adventure
Comics_ #283 from April 1961. However, like many other Mort
Weisinger-edited stories of this era, it combined elements and recycled
ideas from previous stories going back over a decade. So let's start at the
beginning and go backwards, shall we? (Warning: I don't usually like to
give away the endings of stories I review, but in this case it can't be
helped.)

"The Phantom Superboy" by Robert Bernstein and George Papp.

On Curt Swan's cover a ghostly Superboy image puts his hand right through
Jonathan Kent. "GASP!" They don't see me or feel me! How can I tell them I
no longer exist on Earth!"

"Don't worry about Superboy, Martha." Jonathan is saying. "Our son must be
safe wherever he is! Not even these forbidden weapons from Krypton could
have had any effect on him."

Forbidden weapons from Krypton? Where have we heard that before? Four
"forbidden weapons" are pictured in lower right hand corner: a gun, a
helmet, a camera-looking thing on a tripod, and the TV set-looking Phantom
Zone Projector.

The splash page shows a phantom Superboy trying to tell a Clark Kent robot
to stop lifting a truck with a flat tire right in front of Lana. "His
imperfect construction is giving away my secret identity right in front of
Lana... and I can't stop him!"

Right away we can tell that the emphasis of this story isn't going to be on
the Phantom Zone villains that populated so many stories in the Sixties and
Seventies, and even appeared in the first two Christopher Reeve movies. The
emphasis is going to be on the Superboy series' main themes: Mom and Dad,
Clark and Lana, secret identities and robots.

The story begins with Clark churning butter at super-speed, because the
dairy sent Dad Kent's general store twice as much milk as he wanted. (I've
never actually churned butter, but I suspect this is impossible, even for
Superboy.) Then Lana drops in to the store to buy some baking pans and
spots Clark tinkering with some new-fangled contraption.

"I'm trying out the first electric typewriter on the market! It just
arrived today. It does everything but the brainwork," brags Clark.

Lana opines that, since brainwaves are composed of electricity, maybe
someone could get the typewriter to work just by thinking at it -- but only
if that someone had a super powerful brain, which leaves Clark out. Lana
never missed a chance to get in a dig about Clark and Superboy if the
writers could help it.

As Clark gives Lana a lift home, she tells him her Dad has taken leave from
Smallville High School to go on an archaeological expedition in the
southwest. (Why would an archeology professor teach at Smallville High
School?) Of course, wouldn't you know it, right at that moment in the
southwest, a large metal container falls out of the sky and lands right in
front of Prof. Lang's expedition. They can't open the box or read the
inscription on it, so they fly it back to Smallville to get Superboy's
assistance. According to Superboy, the inscription indicates it was made on
Krypton and fired into space 20 years ago! The inscription warns any one
finding it against opening the box.

"I'd better fly it to some secluded spot where it can be opened in safety."
(But it said don't open it at all. Will Superboy's chutzpah get him into
trouble? Of course it will!)

Inside Superboy finds a scroll which states: "Warning! The contents of this
box are weapons developed by advanced Kryptonian science! We consider them
too dangerous to keep. We have therefore sealed them into a container,
placed the container in a satellite rocket and launched it into outer
space, where the weapons can never menace our planet. Signed Jor-El." (Gee,
this is the same plot as the story from _Superman_ #74 that I reviewed last
time.)

The first weapon turns out to be a disintegrator ray, and the second is an
enlarger -- which turns a lizard accidentally caught in its ray into a
dinosaur. "Grrroowrr" says the dinosaur -- proof that this story was
written by Robert Bernstein, despite published claims to the contrary. The
third is a strange helmet which Superboy puts on. The helmet projects
thought images directly into the brain of the wearer, so Superboy actually
sees the history of the Phantom Zone projector, beginning with the trial of
Dr. Xadu, who conducted forbidden experiments with suspended animation.
Then, there was the case of General Zod, who created an army of bizarro
duplicates of himself with which to take over Krypton.

As Superboy takes off the helmet, another lizard accidentally crawls across
the button on the Phantom Zone projector and activates it, projecting
Superboy into the Zone. Frantically he tries to push the other button to
reverse the process, but -- as he is a phantom -- nothing happens. No one
on Earth can see or hear him! The phantom Superboy wanders through
Smallville unable to reach any one around him, unable to stop crime, or
even play with his dog! Equal weight is given to these two problems,
because, unlike the current Superman, the sixties version realized that
friends and family were of equal importance to super heroics.

Unable to find his son, Dad Kent activates a Clark Kent robot to cover for
Clark, so that no one will notice he and Superboy are missing at the same
time. The phantom Superboy groans ("GROAN!"). The robot is one he was
tinkering with yesterday and is not working correctly. Sure enough, the
Clark Kent robot is soon trying to help two men with a flat (the splash
page). Frantically, Superboy concentrates his super-thoughts on the robot,
hoping their electrical energy will cause it to stop. Amazingly, it works!
And that gives Superboy another idea. Back at the general store, he
concentrates his brain waves on the electric typewriter and succeeds in
sending a message to Dad Kent. Dad quickly frees Superboy from the Phantom
Zone. Wisely, Superboy seals up the crate of forbidden weapons and dumps it
into the ocean.

"Maybe some day when I grow up, I'll re-visit the Phantom Zone and meet all
the criminals from Krypton who are still there."

Yes, in the first Phantom Zone story Superboy never even met any of the
Zone's inhabitants! Bernstein knew how to milk an idea for its sequel
potential. As a freelancer who competed with other writers for Weisinger's
attention, it paid to initiate a thematic series which could guarantee
future sales.

Before we find out if there ever was an epic confrontation between Superboy
(or man) and the Phantom Zoners, let's look into the origins of this tale a
little deeper. Anybody who'd been reading comics for a little while in 1961
might've noticed an eerie resemblance between the "Phantom Superboy" and a
tale published only a couple of years earlier called "The Ghost of Lois
Lane!" (_Superman_ #129, May 1959, by Jerry Coleman, Wayne Boring, and Stan
Kaye).

The splash page shows Superman in his Fortress, confronted by a ghostly
figure of Lois Lane. He moans, "Lois ... why don't you stop haunting me?
You know I didn't mean to kill you... that it was all an accident!"

At the Daily Planet office one day, a glib salesman tries to sell Jimmy an
electric typewriter. "It's so sensitive I can move the keys just by blowing
on them!" says Jimmy.

Lois then goes to return a briefcase to a Professor Grail, hoping, of
course, for an interview. The Professor needs the case for a conference
he's leaving to attend soon, but Lois (who has been associating with Jimmy
too much, apparently) has forgotten to bring it with her. The Professor
forgives her and gives her a tour of his lab, where he's conducting
teleportation experiments. Meanwhile, Perry has asked Superman to deliver
the briefcase. Using his X-ray and telescopic vision, Superman spots Lois
just as she sits in the Professor's teleport chair. But something in
Superman's powers interacts with the machine -- there's an explosion -- and
Lois disappears!

Grief-stricken, Superman searches the wreckage only to be confronted by a
mute spectral image of Lois. Then, she's gone. Thinking it was a
hallucination, Superman returns to Metropolis. But everywhere Superman
goes, no matter what feat he tries to perform, the spectral image of Lois
keeps appearing and disappearing before his eyes. Convinced Lois blames him
for her death, Superman flies off into space hoping to escape from the
earth-bound apparition, but to no avail. Desperately he switches to Clark
Kent and returns to the Daily Planet, hoping Lois still doesn't know his
secret identity. But she appears there also. Clark blurts out to Perry and
Jimmy that Lois is there, but they see nothing. Just as Perry is counseling
Clark to take a vacation, Jimmy's typewriter starts typing by itself. Lois
is using her brainwaves to make the super-sensitive typewriter work. She
tells Clark that she's stuck in the fourth dimension and that Superman can
rescue her by reversing the Professor's machine. (There is no explanation
as to how Lois knew it was the fourth dimension. Obviously it wasn't the
fifth, but why not some other number?) It turns out that when Superman used
his X-ray vision he was able to peer into the fourth dimension and see
Lois's spectre. Fortunately, Lois couldn't see back very clearly, so she
never saw Clark change to Superman.

Readers who had been around even a little longer than that might have
remembered _Jimmy Olsen_ #12 back in April, 1956. I've never read this
issue, but the cover depicts an invisible Jimmy Olsen pleading with
Superman that he's trapped in the fourth dimension and that no one can see
or hear him. How much would you bet he used an electric typewriter to
escape?

But wait, there's more! In 1950, the movie serial "Superman vs. the Atom
Man" featured a sequence in which Luthor teleported Superman into another
dimension he called "The Empty Doom". Superman sent a message to Lois Lane
via an electric typewriter which told her how to rescue him. Writers George
Plympton and Royal Cole apparently got the idea from a recent _Action
Comics_ (#131, April 1949) in which Luthor used a ray to transport Superman
into the fourth dimension. The story, "The Scrambled Superman," was written
by Joe Samachson and drawn by Al Plastino. I haven't read it, but Rich
Morrissey has, and he says Superman used the same electric typewriter
gimmick to tell Lois Lane how to rescue him from his disembodied state.
When editor Mort Weisinger found a gimmick he liked he used it over and
over (and over and over).

The concept goes back even further than that, however. In his 1942 story
"Beyond the Farthest Star", Edgar Rice Burroughs used the thought-powered
typewriter to explain how he learned of the adventures of his interstellar
traveling hero. I can't swear this is the first time the idea was used.
It's probably as old as electric typewriters themselves.

So -- back to 1961 and _Adventure Comics_. Hey! We got a letters page in
this issue in which it is revealed that Smallville is a suburb in an
Eastern State of the United States. "We have never established definitely
which state it is." But definitely not Kansas.

Weisinger also announces that a Lana Lang comic book "is on our agenda for
the future." Weisinger also states that the Congorilla series would not be
continued because Congo Bill was eaten by a lion and that the recent issue
in which Superman met Superboy sold two million copies.

Two months later in _Superboy_ #89, the Boy of Steel had to retrieve that
Phantom Zone projector. His friend Mon-El was dying from lead poisoning and
only being projected into the Phantom Zone would keep him alive long enough
for Superboy to discover a cure. "I'll free you someday when I grow up to
be Superman! I swear it!" The caption reads "watch _Superman_ comics for a
3-part novel featuring Superman's return to the Phantom Zone!"

But September 1961 brought the next appearance of the Phantom Zone -- and
it was still in _Adventure_. An evil youth from Krypton named Dev-Em, who
plotted his own escape from the planet using Jor-El's stolen notebooks,
projects Superboy into the Phantom Zone, using a punishment ray he'd stolen
back on Krypton. This time Superboy is forced to watch the evil Dev-Em
masquerade as him, performing evil deeds to ruin Superboy's reputation.
Still no Kryptonian villains, however. But the letters page touts that
_Superman_ three-parter again.

The Dev-Em story was written by Jerry Siegel, but Bernstein got control of
his own idea back in the next issue, featuring "Clark Kent's Super Father"
with art by George Papp. The cover shows Dad Kent dressed in a Superman
costume flying off to patrol Smallville, while he tells Clark to stay home
and do his homework. The splash shows Super-Dad smashing all of Clark's
Superboy robots. "For years I've worried about you every time you went out
on emergencies and took deadly risks! Now you'll stay home and I'll go
out!"

Dad Kent decides to dust Superboy's trophy room, but his hand begins to
tingle after dusting a weird space jewel. Dad starts to feel strange. Clark
suggests he lie down, but Dad says, "You don't understand! I don't feel
week. I feel strong!"

To prove it, he lifts a piano over his head, and then he lights his cigar
using heat vision. Next, he discovers he can fly! He tests for
invulnerability by sticking his hand into a table saw. Superboy is
overjoyed and tells his Dad they could have great times together, but Dad
says no. Being a super-hero is a man's job. From now on he'll do the super
deeds and Superboy will stay home and mow the grass, the hard way. Then Dad
smashes all Superboy's robots and leaves on patrol.

Clark remembers a job he promised to do for the State Park Commission and
decides one last super-feat won't hurt. But Dad intercepts him and sends
him home. He bores a tunnel through the mountain for the new highway. In
order to stop Superboy from using his powers, Dad paints the entire house
and General Store with an invisible coat of lead paint so that Clark can't
use his super-vision to see any emergencies and be tempted to interfere.

A few days later, three rangers are trapped in a forest fire. Dad Kent is
busy checking an order in at the General store. Clark begs to help the
firefighters, but Dad says he'll do it, quickly signs the receipt and takes
off. Clark looks at Dad's signature and is shocked. ("Gasp! .....Wow!").

Clark runs outside to track Dad with his super vision ("To blazes with his
orders! I must see where he goes!") To his amazement, Dad is using a
Superboy robot to gather a huge supply of Kryptonite. Clark switches to
Superboy and heads for the ocean floor where he left the Phantom Zone
projector. Armed with the projector, he confronts his father and rips off
Dad's plastic mask, to reveal the face of Phantom Zone convict Jax-Ur.
Jax-Ur was imprisoned in the Phantom Zone for blowing up one of Krypton's
inhabited moons. He had escaped from the Phantom Zone through a temporary
warp created by a passing comet.

Superboy had finally met a Phantom Zone criminal, but there was no battle,
no confrontation of Kryptonian equals. Instead we got a tale of parental
displeasure and domestic disharmony, staples of the Weisinger oeuvre at
this time.

Bernstein's great cosmic confrontation between Superman and the Phantom
Zone villains finally arrived in _Action Comics_ #284, but it was only 14
pages long. What happened? I have no idea.

"We defy you to guess the reason why the mighty Superman transforms himself
into the Babe of Steel!" read the January 1962 cover blurb. I'm still not
sure, but the cover illustration of Superbaby hammering the police chief's
desk with his super-fist must have made quite an impression on Mort
Weisinger the first time it was used back in _Superman_ #66.

The story begins with Clark Kent attending a seance, of all things. Clark,
of course, can see through the medium's phony tricks with his x-ray vision,
but the other reporters are not fooled either. But as Clark goes back into
the room to retrieve his hat, he is startled to see a disembodied hand pick
up the medium's chalk and begin writing on the black board. This time it's
not a trick that Superman's vision can see through. It's a real hand,
writing a message to Superman!

"Attention Superman, you are in great peril," it begins, but the rest is
obscured by Clark's thought balloon. "There's only one way to handle this
emergency! I've got to turn myself into a baby!"

To set his plan into motion, Clark applies for a two week vacation from the
Planet, telling Perry he's going hunting! Then he flies to his Fortress of
Solitude where he keeps a special stash of red Kryptonite meteors,
categorized by the effects they once had on either Supergirl or Krypto.
(Each red K meteor can only affect a Kryptonian once, after which they
become immune to its effects. I suppose someday I'll have to write an
article about red Kryptonite. Don't wait for it.) The red K reduces
Superman to baby form but he retains his full adult mental capabilities. On
the way to face his big emergency, the Tyke of Steel stops to punish a
crooked carnival operator and then breaks up a bank robbery, all the while
indulging himself in patented DC pseudo baby talk. But when he drags the
crooks into the police station and the cops don't believe he's really
Superman, he gets mad and smashes the police chief's desk. After that he
rescues a sinking battleship. Then he rescues a baby whose father believes
Earth is soon to blow up and who wants to launch him into space!

Finally we get to the point. Super"baby" reaches the Aurora Borealis and
finds a hole in it which goes into the Phantom Zone. With his new super
small body he's small enough to pass through the hole and into the Zone
itself. There he meets Jax-Ur, Professor Vakox (whose mad experiments
filled Great Krypton Lake with sea monsters), and Mon-El -- still trapped
there from his lead poisoning inflicted when Superboy was still a teenager!
It was Mon-El's disembodied hand which sent the secret message warning
Superman about the hole into the Phantom Zone. Superman states that he
couldn't use the projector because it had been corroded by the sea water
over the years, so he had to resort to the baby trick in order to get into
the Zone.

The hole however is getting wider. Soon the prisoners will be able to
escape. Superman decides the only way to seal the hole is from the outside,
so with the help of Supergirl and Krypto, he trains X-ray vision on the
aurora borealis until it breaks up. So Superman doesn't destroy the hole
from the inside at all, thus negating any reason for entering the zone
other than to visit Mon-El for a short time. Alan Moore once wrote a story
about Supreme (his ersatz Superman character published by Rob Liefeld) in
which an alternate world version of Supreme is revealed to be a purple
Supremium addict, getting a secret rush from every wild transformation the
stuff induced in him. It's stories like these that make you see where he
got the idea.

"But (GULP!) what will we do if the criminals DO manage to escape one day?"
wonders Superman.

He's got a point. We've got a whole alternate dimension full of Kryptonian
criminals to worry about (well, only four so far) but not one punch has
been thrown so far. These mysterious creepos are pretty much of a let-down
compared to Mala, U-ban, and Kizo, the Kryptonian criminals of the early
Fifties!

The next series of stories didn't change anything very much, either.
Supergirl visits an empty Phantom Zone in the Thirtieth century in _Action_
#287, theorizing that all the criminals must have been released over the
years. Lois and Jimmy both visited the Phantom Zone in 1962 stories that
did not serve to advance the plot line any further. In _Superman_ #153,
Superman faced down six nameless Kryptonian villains from the Zone who have
never appeared again anywhere.

Mon-El was, of course, rescued from the Phantom Zone, at least temporarily
by Saturn Girl in _Adventure Comics_ #300 and permanently by Brainiac 5 in
_Adventure_ #305. So why was Superman still trying to come up with a way to
free Mon-El when he knew that he would never succeed and Mon-El would be
stuck in the Zone for a thousand years? Time travel is soooo confusing.

But the real question that has probably been bothering you since you
started reading this is, if the Phantom Zone projector was Krypton's
standard method of punishing criminals, what was it doing in a box of
forbidden weapons? What had happened to change the Kryptonians minds about
using the Zone as a place of punishment?

That secret history was revealed in a book-length story in _Superboy_ #104,
April 1963, by Robert Bernstein and George Papp. The story begins on
Krypton where scientist Jor-El not only invented the robots which make
housework a thing of the past, but the weather satellite which controls the
planetary climate and a special suspended animation gas which allows
criminals to be put to sleep and launched into orbit for the duration of
their sentences. Since Jor-El invented the gas, it's his responsibility to
administer it. Jor-El hates the job because Kryptonian science hasn't come
up with any way to bring the criminals back to Krypton again. He wants to
invent a way to free Kryptonians when their sentences are up. (Why couldn't
they just use prisons?) So Jor-El invents the Phantom Zone projector and
brings the machine to a Science Council invention contest, where he is to
compete against Gra-Mo.

Gra-Mo, besides being a respected scientist, is secretly the head of
Krypton's crime ring. The winner will get a seat on the Science Council
itself. Gra-Mo has invented an android which he claims is superior to the
robots which do Krypton's manual labor, but his android malfunctions.
Jealously, he claims Jor-El has sabotaged it.

To get revenge, Gra-Mo uses a telepathic helmet to take over every robot on
Krypton and causes them to riot in the streets. Jor-El defeats Gra-Mo's
evil rampage with the help of his weather satellite. Gra-Mo becomes the
last criminal to be sent into orbit before the introduction of the more
humane Phantom Zone banishment.

But unknown to Jor-El, Zoners develop telepathic abilities. One day when
he's sick with fever, the Zoners try to telepathically force Jor-El to
release them. Only Lara stops him. The Council decides Jor-El must place
his projector in with a load of forbidden weapons and blast it into space
so the criminals cannot use it to free themselves. (Once again the
criminals are condemned to an eternal punishment since there's no way to
get them back out of the Zone when their sentences are up.)

But Gra-Mo and his evil assistants were blasted into orbit and eventually,
many years later, crash on Earth. Meeting Superboy, they tell him they were
Jor-El's best friends. Superboy knows they're not criminals because all of
Krypton's criminals are in the Phantom Zone. Secretly, Gra-Mo uses his
telepathic helmet to contact Jax-Ur in the Zone. Jax-Ur tells him
Superboy's secret identity but cannot tell him where the Zone projector is
because the Zoners did not see Superboy hide it. (They can't be everywhere
after all.)

Gra-Mo comes up with a clever plan to get rid of Superboy. Using one of his
androids he creates a rival Superboy. In the ensuing altercation, the real
Superboy socks the android and knocks it high into the atmosphere where it
bursts into flames. Thinking he's taken a human life, Superboy vows to
leave Earth forever. But Superboy is not fooled for long, and soon he
returns to stop Gra-Mo's crime wave.

Still no war between Superboy and the Zoners, just a collection of petty
annoyances, tricks, and subterfuges designed to prey upon him
psychologically. Fist fights were for lesser companies, like those upstarts
at Marvel. DC was the company of clever plot gimmicks.

But it I ran a scientific laboratory, I would no more allow Jor-El to work
in it than I would Brainiac Five..

_____________________________________________________

                               SUPERMAN STORIES
                  ------------------------------------------
                    By Sean Hogan (shogan@intergate.bc.ca)


Meanwhile, In Hypertime...

Since everything we have ever read in a DC comic is now true, somewhere in
Hypertime, I thought I'd review some of out continuity stories. In the
Silver Age, they were called Imaginary Novels. Post-Crisis, they've been
known as Elseworlds stories. We also have the animated cartoon versions of
DC heroes, which have stories in their own continuity. Whatever their name
and form, they were a writer's way of telling stories that could not be
told in regular continuity. As the Elseworlds blurb says: "In Elseworlds,
heroes are taken from their usual settings and put into strange times and
places -- some that have existed, or might have existed, and others that
can't, couldn't, or shouldn't exist."

The Silver Age stories (mostly from the late 50s to the 70s) often told
their tales in a single comic as a three part novel. According to the
Superman Homepage by Steven Younis (http://come.to/Superman), it was
_Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane_ (published from 1958 until 1974) that
introduced the concept of alternate reality "imaginary" stories. (By the
way -- the Superman Homepage, originally created by Andrew Gould and now
run by Steven Younis, is an excellent site that anyone interested in
Superman will enjoy browsing -- after finishing the Kryptonian Cybernet, of
course.)

One of the most famous imaginary stories is "The Amazing Story of
Superman-Red & Superman-Blue" from _Superman_ #162 (1st series, 1963).
Superman is divided into two colour-coded heroes that quickly solve all of
Superman's problems, including restoring the bottle city of Kandor, finding
an antidote to Green Kryptonite, eliminating crime and evil, and resolving
the Superman, Clark, Lois, and Lana love quadrangle.

Sometimes these stories were presented as straight imaginary tales and were
announced as such either on the cover or on the inside splash page. In
other stories, Superman used a computer to create predictions -- as in
"Superman's Other Life!" in _Superman_ #132 (1st series, 1959). In that
story, Batman and Robin decide to make a gift to Superman by feeding
information into Superman's 'Super Univac' computer to predict what would
have happened if Krypton had never exploded.

Most of the imaginary stories are light hearted and feature 'incredible
coincidences'. "Superman's Other Life!" has these coincidences by the
bucket. Superman goes to a masquerade party dressed as an Earthman ("By
sheer chance, Kal-El made himself look like Clark Kent"). A professor
accidentally gains super-powers to become the hero Futuro and makes Kal his
sidekick, complete with an "ultrasonic signal-watch". Added to the
coincidences are that Krypton's spaceman uniform is the Superman outfit and
Lois Lane manages to stow away on a rocket that ends up on Krypton. While
these plot elements would cause groans and even jeers if they were included
in a modern story, the tale is a fun read.

Not all of the stories were light hearted, as seen in "The Death of
Superman" from _Superman_ #149 (1st series, 1961). In this tale, Luthor
creates a cure for cancer and convinces Superman that he has reformed.
Readers expecting the usual happy ending to follow were undoubtedly
surprised when Luthor captures and kills Superman. Superman's death by
Kryptonite poisoning is slow and painful as Luthor gloats and Perry, Jimmy,
and Lois watch helplessly. Mourners at his funeral include almost all of
the supporting characters from the Superman mythos (such as the Legion,
Krypto, Superman robots, Lori Lemaris, and the people of Kandor). Since we
all know evil can never win in a comic book, Supergirl (who at the time had
not revealed herself to the public) captures Luthor and continues
Superman's never ending battle.

Anyone interested in these and other terrific pre-Crisis stories, can find
them reprinted in the trade paperback, _The Greatest Superman Stories Ever
Told_.

Following the _Crisis On Infinite Earths_ maxi-series in 1986, DC continued
to publish imaginary stories, calling them Elseworlds. Rather than have
them in the regular comic titles, these were normally published as
specials, often in the more expensive prestige format. Batman was the most
popular Elseworlds character until the recent explosion of Superman-related
Elseworlds stories. These stories were often darker than the Imaginary
Novels, but continued the same trend.

My favorite Elseworlds story is _Superman: Speeding Bullets_, written by
J.M. DeMatteis with stunning art by Eduardo Barreto. In this story, baby
Kal-El's rocket is found by Thomas and Martha Wayne, who name the child
Bruce and raise him until they are brutally murdered before the eyes of the
young boy. As young Bruce's tear-filled eyes stare at the murderer, beams
suddenly blast from those eyes, incinerating the killer. Bruce becomes a
traumatized recluse, hiding his powers and abilities even from himself,
until burglars break into Wayne Manor and the adult Bruce is forced to
confront them and himself. Bruce becomes a super-powered Batman whose mask
fully covers his face.

Without Superman to protect Metropolis, Luthor has taken it over. Perry
White and Lois Lane have moved to Gotham City, where Bruce hires them for
his paper, the Gotham Gazette. Luthor follows Lois to Gotham, and we learn
that he has been horribly transformed by an accident in a chemical factory.
In the end, Bruce Wayne is also transformed by Lois' love. Another story
with a similar theme is the prestige format _Batman: In Darkest Knight_,
where Bruce Wayne is chosen to become a Green Lantern. Superman, Flash, and
Wonder Woman have a small part in the ending, and the story (written by
Mike Barr with art by Jerry Bingham) makes a nice companion piece to
_Superman: Speeding Bullets_.

_Superman: Kal_ (written by Dave Gibbons with art by Jose Luis
Garcia-Lopez) has Kal's rocket landing in medieval England. Kal becomes a
blacksmith, hiding his abilities at the urging of his father. He
impulsively enters a tournament to impress the Lady Loisse, who is being
held captive the Baron Luthor. Mighty Kal weakens when he meets Luthor, who
wears a glowing green gem on a necklace. Luthor also discovers the rocket
ship and has Kal work it into a suit of armour and a sword. Gibbons nicely
mixes a tale of good versus evil and triumph alongside tragedy as the story
builds toward a deadly, violent confrontation. Garcia-Lopez' art is well
suited to the setting with lots of depth and detail. There is also an
unrelated Batman Elseworld that goes well with this story -- _Batman: Dark
Knight of the Round Table_, a two volume prestige series published
recently. While Superman doesn't feature in that story, it is well worth
your money and could even be set in the same Elseworlds universe as
_Superman: Kal_.

Elseworlds stories took over the 1994 Annuals with several stories
featuring Superman. My favorite was the two part story by Karl Kesel, "The
Super Seven" in _Adventures of Superman Annual_ #6 and _Superboy Annual_
#1. The story takes place nine years after the invasion and defeat of Earth
by the Malazza-Rem. The aliens turn the planet's population against its
super-heroes by threatening to exterminate 5,000 humans whenever a
meta-human opposed them. The heroic opposition fades after the slaughter of
Coast City and the death of Lois Lane.

Lana Lang and Jimmy Olsen find Clark Kent and convince him to make one last
attempt to defeat the aliens. They gather other heroes from the old Justice
League and are joined by one other -- a youth calling himself Superboy. The
super-heroes join the human resistance led by Lex Luthor as they plan the
final assault against the alien conquerors. Kesel is able to write a big
story with heroes trying to face up to their failures and fears and with
several major characters dying. The story isn't all dark, however, as Kesel
injects humour and hope in the two issues. There is a nice balance between
characterization and action, with a particularly dramatic battle scene as
the tale climaxes.

The last two years have seen several Superman Elseworlds stories, in large
part to celebrate Superman's 60th anniversary. I won't review those in
detail (you can find more detailed reviews in the Kryptonian Cybernet
archives), but several of them are worth commenting on.

1997's two issue, prestige format _Elseworlds' Finest_ by J.F. Moore has
art by Kieron Dwyer and Hilary Barta. Set in 1928, it features an innocent
Clark Kent (in Cary Grant mode) and a roguish Bruce Wayne (in Clark Gable
mode) teaming up against Ra's Al Ghul and Alexei Luthor. During the story,
Clark and Bruce go from ordinary to hero and from antagonism to best
friends. Story and art complement each other to produce a great read,
evoking the spirit of _Raiders of the Lost Ark_.

_Superman: War of the Worlds_ honours the anniversary of Orson Welles'
radio broadcast (based, of course, on H.G. Wells wonderful story) and
Superman's debut, both from 1939. Roy Thomas weaves an interesting tale,
combining the broadcast narration with scenes from _Action Comics_ #1 and
_Superman_ #1 to open the book, and going on to create a unique story. The
art by Michael Lark is good at evoking the period. I would have preferred a
cleaner linework to make it more similar to Joe Shuster's art, although I
can understand why Lark used a style which places more emphasis on the dark
theme of the Martian invasion.

As a side note, Superman did meet Orson Welles once upon a time and helped
him defeat the Martian Invasion. I'll review that story at the end of this
article.

_Superman's Metropolis_ was inspired by Fritz Lang's classic film,
_Metropolis_. The artwork by Ted McKeever is unusual for a superhero comic.
The story, by R.J.M. Lofficier and Roy Thomas, might have had more
resonance for me had I seen the film. I was not impressed with the story on
my first reading, but I found that the more I re-read it, the more I began
to enjoy and appreciate both story and art. If you've seen _Metropolis_, or
if you enjoy German cinema, you will probably like this story. This version
of Superman appears in the recent _Batman: Nosferatu_, and the linked
homages to German films will conclude with a Wonder Woman tale set in the
same universe.

Barbara Kesel honours the Superman legend in a modern setting in the recent
_Elseworld's Finest: Supergirl & Batgirl_. Kal-El's fate is an important
element in this wonderfully written story, with eye catching art by Matt
Haley and Tom Simmons. I can only hope this team will be given the
opportunity to tell more stories about these characters.

The animated versions of Superman and Batman meet in _The Batman
Adventures_ #25. The story, titled "Super Friends", has Bruce Wayne and Lex
Luthor II bidding for a military contract, while Batman and the long-haired
Superman stop a villain named Maxie Zeus. The story by Kelley Puckett is
straightforward, and the art by Mike Parobeck and Rick Burchett is a
wonderful example of the animated style. Superman and Batman are portrayed
as good friends who know each other's identities, yet they are not best
friends, as in Silver Age versions, nor do they fully trust each other.

The animated heroes meet again, for the first time, in the prestige format
_Batman & Superman Adventures: World's Finest_. In the time between _Batman
Adventures_ #25 and this book, Superman received his own animated series,
and this story is an adaptation of a 1997 television special to promote
both shows. It has Superman and Batman discovering each other's identities
and teaming up against the Joker and Luthor. Everyone is in early animated
continuity, with the 'no chest oval' Batman, short-haired 'classic'
Superman, and bald Luthor.

Finally, as promised, the tale of Superman and Orson Welles defeating the
Martian Invasion in "Black Magic On Mars!" The story is reprinted in the
collection _Superman: From the 30s to the 70s_. The original issue is not
identified, although the story has a 1949 copyright. The writer is not
identified, but the artist is either Wayne Boring or someone imitating his
style.

The famed actor unwittingly walks inside an unmanned rocket ship just
before the director of the International Rocket Society launches it to
Mars. (Don't you hate it when that happens?). Welles muses, "When I fooled
the world with my Martian invasion broadcast, I never dreamed I would
invade Mars myself!"

They built rockets real good in those days -- Welles lands on Mars two
hours later. When Welles leaves the rocket, he is met by the Martians --
dwarfish humanoids with big, flat-topped heads. Turns out these Martians
have been observing Earth, learning to speak English and to admire Nazis
(you'd think they would have preferred to speak German). Their leader,
calling himself Martler (after Hitler -- get it?) is planning to blitzkrieg
Earth.

Fortunately Welles is still in a swashbuckler's costume and is able to use
his sword to capture Martler and to barricade himself in the Martian
broadcasting studio. He broadcasts a warning to Superman and the people of
Earth that the Martians are invading! No one on Earth will believe Welles,
but fortunately Superman's telescopic vision tells him that this is a job
for Superman. He bridges the astronomical distance between Earth and Mars
at comet speed and saves Welles from the deadly blast of ray guns.

While Superman heads off to stop the Martian rocket fleet, Welles uses
stage magic to defeat the villains. Welles uses smoke from a magic wand,
and even a rabbit to drive fear into this cowardly and superstitious lot.
Oops, wrong hero. Anyway, as Welles puts it, "Amazing! These Martians are
far ahead of us scientifically, yet simple magic makes them react like
superstitious savages!" Whew! Lucky for us Earthlings!

Meanwhile, Superman uses the rocket ship runway as a sling to send one of
the Martian moons after the fleet. The fleet is trapped by gravity,
becoming satellites of the moon, which Superman then tosses back into
place. As the coup de grace, Superman uses the Martian television system,
"Scan Mars," while Welles uses the unconscious Martler's body like a
ventriloquist's dummy to announce that the invasion is off and everyone
should go home. Fortunately, the typical Martian reaction is, "Great news
... I never did want to fight anyway!"

Ironically, when Clark Kent tries to write about his exclusive interview
with Superman on the thwarted invasion, Perry White trashes the story
saying, "This is a newspaper -- not a science-fiction magazine!" And, as
the narration says, "the entire adventure has taken less than eight hours!"
And it was all told in just 12 pages!

See you back in this reality next month!

_____________________________________________________


                                 THE MAILBAG
                    -------------------------------------
                    (sykes@ms.uky.edu, KryptonCN@aol.com)


                KC Responses are indented and begun with ****

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


From: Neil Hansen (Neil4161@aol.com)

Hi. As usual, another great KC came into my e-mail. This time around I
wanted to comment on two things sort of interrelated.

First of all, I wanted to thank you for that Australian Comics information.
I never knew the history of those things, and have just now started
collecting them. While the conditions of these things are at best crappy,
it's great to see some of these things in black and white to really enjoy
the quality of linework of those old DC classics.

This leads to my thoughts on Essential DC type books. I agree with the
theme idea for black and white material, though I'd really love to see
reprints of DC Comics Presents to go ga-ga over art by the likes of Jose
Luis Garcia-Lopez, Curt Swan, Murphy Anderson, Jim Starlin, Dick Dillin,
George Perez, and Joe Staton. I'd like to see themes more by artists
combined with some anthology concepts. For instance, an all Jose Luis
Garcia-Lopez Superman theme issue would be a blast along with DC Style
Guide art and maybe a background on this guy. I'd also like to see the
Denny O'Neil/Curt Swan Superman reprinted with comments from people like
George Perez, Denny himself, Julie Schwartz, etc. In that Swan Superman
issue, you could throw in his Superman model sheets reprinted in _The
Amazing World of Metropolis_. (I know Titan Books did some all-Neal Adams
black and white Batman volumes not available in the US)

I'd love to hear your thoughts and other readers thoughts on these ideas.

**** I'd love to see some artist-themed Superman collections, especially
     one featuring Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, who just may be my favorite
     Superman artist of all. (In fact, I bought a set of three Superman
     prints a few years back, just so I could get the Garcia-Lopez print
     included. Of course, the Swan and Perez prints are nothing to sneeze
     at. <g>)

     That said, I'd still prefer color over black and white, since it
     more easily allows painted art -- such as that in these Garcia-Lopez
     and Perez prints, or such as a few classic images by Jerry Ordway or
     Alex Ross...

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

From: Steve Kaplan (phoenix@netactive.co.za)

The guy who manages the store where I buy my comics has begun laughing at
me whenever he sees me buy the, as he calls them, latest offering from
Stupidman. And I wish I could disagree, but I can't. I feel like a Superman
junkie who can't stop, even though he knows they're bad for him. Can't we
do something?

**** Yeah. You could find a comic shop whose employees respect their
     customers, for one. But more to the point...

     As I recall (and as your address indicates), you're in South Africa,
     right? I can't recall, however, how far behind us you are in the
     publication schedule, if at all. If you're a few months behind us,
     keep the faith, because the recently ended "King of the World" arc
     was fairly well-received over here (much more so than any other arc
     in recent years). There's also some anticipation building concerning
     the changes due to begin this fall, including new creators and the
     dumping of the triangle continuity format.

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

From: Benjamin Grose (kryptonkid@bigfoot.com)

In his review of _Man of Tomorrow_ #13, Mike Smith says:

"Later, Green Lantern replicates Kryptonite with his ring (because Batman
lost his supply) using the JLA's knowledge of its composition. Excuse me? I
thought Kryptonite was notoriously impossible to fabricate. Nobody even
knows what it is, let alone how to make more."

Actually, this was Superman's knowledge. J'onn J'onzz read Superman's mind
and transferred the information to Green Lantern. I'm sure Superman has
studied it's composition thoroughly. And if Lex Luthor can come this close
to duplicating it, I'm sure the "most powerful weapon in the universe"
could do it.

**** Look at the dialogue again. Batman asks if J'onn has the formula, to
     which J'onn replies, "Yes. It is in your memory... from your analysis
     of the sample you had!" Since he's addressing Batman in this dialogue,
     it seems to me that the formula was Batman's knowledge.

     I agree with you that the ring is capable of duplicating it. However,
     I don't know that I buy Batman's having been able to come up with a
     precise formula (with all of his other distractions) -- Bats is a
     detective, not a scientist.

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

From: David Young (young_d1@popmail.firn.edu)

I just wanted to send a couple of notes to the Mailbag.

First, I can't remember if any word was given about the _Batman: Nosferatu_
Elseworlds one-shot in KC. Anyone who enjoyed _Superman's Metropolis_
should go out and pick up this Batman book because it is not just some
spin-off of the earlier Superman title, but a sequel, and the "Super-Man"
plays a major part in _Nosferatu_. It's almost like the "World's Finest"
team of that "Earth" (except they fight more than they team-up).

Second, I've had an update ready for my "Golden Age Superman Index" (which
I plugged in the KC Mailbag before) for a while now, but now I'm having
trouble accessing my AOL website to update it. I hate for it to just sit on
my computer hard drive where no one else can see it, so if any of you are
interested, just e-mail me at young_d1@popmail.firn.edu and request one of
the following files. I'll attach it to a response e-mail message. The files
were created on Microsoft Works for Windows 3.0.

"Golden Age Superman Index" -- Still based primarily on what DC has
collected in their "Archives" editions and what I've gathered from _The
Great Superman Book_, this index now covers original material from June
1938 (_Action Comics_ #1) through November-December 1942 (_Superman_ #19).
The index also includes such "retro-continuity" stories involving the
Golden Age/"Earth-2" Superman as _DC Special_ #29 (origin of the JSA),
_Justice League of America_ #193 ("All-Star Squadron" preview), and issues
of _All-Star Squadron_ (1981-1986). Also includes a rough listing of Golden
Age/"Earth-2" Superman appearances from 1942 until _Crisis on Infinite
Earths_ (1986) and _The Kingdom_ #2 (1999).

"Golden Age Batman Index" -- New addition (not currently on my website).
Based primarily on DC "Archives" and Batman volume of _The Encyclopedia of
Comic Book Heroes_. Covers original material from May 1939 (_Detective
Comics_ #27) through December 1942 (_Detective Comics_ #70). Also includes
"retro-continuity" Justice Society and All-Star Squadron issues as
mentioned above in the Superman index, and a rough listing of appearances
of the Golden Age/"Earth-2" Batman from 1942 until 1955 (last regular
appearances in Batman titles...I haven't put together the 1970s/1980s list
yet).

"Golden Age Wonder Woman Index" -- New addition (not currently on my
website). Based primarily on DC "Archives" and Wonder Woman volume of _The
Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes_. Covers original material from December
1941-January 1942 (_All-Star Comics_ #8) through December 1942 (_Sensation
Comics_ #12). Also includes the aforementioned JSA and All-Star Squadron
issues, and a rough listing of appearances of the Golden Age/"Earth-2"
Wonder Woman from 1942 until 1959 (last regular appearance in _Wonder
Woman_), plus a few of her later appearances.

**** We chose not to review _Batman: Nosferatu_ because it wasn't clear how
     much of a role the Superman counterpart would play. Not currently
     reading any Batman comics, and not a fan of German cinema, I didn't
     pick up the book, so I wasn't aware until recently of that extent. The
     book will show up in our year-end index in November.

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

From: Brian Seidman (bhs210@is8.nyu.edu)

The latest issue of _Action Comics_ gets points for the portrayals of Lois
Lane, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, and, finally, a scary looking
Dominus. I will even buy Dominus' Kryptonian origin as slightly
interesting. But someone tell me the issue where Superman first encountered
(A) the Phantom Zone and (B) Kem-El, enough so that he can address Kem-El
as "Kem-El, my old friend?" My initial thought is that it isn't there at
all.

**** I don't believe, upon re-reading the issue, that Dominus' origin has
     any connection to Krypton other than access to the Phantom Zone. That
     is, I don't think Dominus, Kismet, or the other aliens were implied
     to be Kryptonian.

     Superman first learned of Kem-L in _Adventures of Superman_ #460, when
     the Eradicator was first trying to turn Earth into a new Krypton. He
     then entered the Phantom Zone and encountered a holographic projection
     of Kem-L in the following issue. I don't know why the spelling changed
     for the story in _Action Comics_ #754, and I certainly don't know how
     that single encounter would qualify them as old friends.

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

From: Bob Madison (BMadison@porternovelli.com)

And thanks for the wonderful Superman Web site. I just discovered it today,
and I've made an effort to read through most of it. It is quite a delight!

[D]o you know where I could get a copy (xerox is more than fine) of the
Mort Weisinger article in a past issue of _Comics Scene_ (Teri Hatcher was
on the cover)? If you have a source for that, please let me know.

Congratulations on your fine on-line pub, and continued success!

**** As I indicated privately, I don't know of any such source, but maybe
     one of our readers will be able to help.

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

From: Bud Mayes (budmayes@aol.com)

Did you know that Old Time Radio shows can be found at a number of places
on the web? I have found a number of episodes from the Superman radio show
in alt.binaries.sounds.radio.oldtime. So far I've collected about 130
episodes. Warning: Each one takes about 11 to 13 minutes to download an
eleven minutes episode with a 56K modem. You would need an MP3 sound
player, which you can find as freeware. There are also several ftp and web
sites, but the newsgroup usually has more.

**** I assume these aren't pirated recordings of the sort the music
     industry has been so vocal about lately? At least, I can imagine that
     many old-time radio programs are in the public domain, as are the
     Fleischer cartoons (and it's a shame that those aren't available
     somewhere on the net). Thanks for the heads-up, Bud!

     -- Jeff Sykes

_____________________________________________________
*******************************************************
End of Section 9/Issue #61