______________________________________________________ T H E K R Y P T O N I A N C Y B E R N E T _______________________________________________ http://www.kryptonian-cybernet.com Issue #65 - Early September 1999 ______________________________________________________ CONTENTS -------- Section 0: Table of Contents Editorial Staff Disclaimers Subscription Information Section 1: Superscripts: Notes from the Editor(s) Growin' Up There are moments in one's life when it becomes suddenly apparent that a threshold has been crossed. Jeff shares his revelation and indicates what effects it will have on the Kryptonian Cybernet. Ratings At A Glance Titles Shipped July 1999 The KC Newsroom DC's latest copyright conundrum; anticipation builds for the debut of Superman's new creators; the Man of Steel returns to land mine duty; the menace of "Cashman"; the return to TV of George Reeves' Superman; the latest Superman story from Elliot S! Maggin; a few sneak peeks at upcoming Superman projects from DC; a new study on glasses as a method of disguise; and much, much more! Section 2: A Conversation with Elliot S! Maggin Anatole Wilson and Rich Morrissey sit down with one of Superman fandom's most beloved creators for a gem of a discussion of comics, the Man of Steel, and the Kingdom Come novel! Section 3: A Conversation with Elliot S! Maggin (cont) Section 4: Faster Than A Speeding Bullet In the first two episodes of Superman's now-classic radio serial, listeners are treated to the Man of Steel's origin and to the debut of his heroics on Earth. Article by Douglas M Tisdale Jr. Web of Steel: The KC Guide to Superman on the WWW Jon Knutson's column turns to sites dedicated to TV's _Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman_. The Phantom Zone: Superman #278 Superman travels "Around the World in 100 Pages", from the Old West to Atlantis, from seven remote locations to the four corners of the globe, all in this 1974 Superman Super Spectacular, reviewed by Scott Devarney. Section 5: New Comic Reviews The Triangle Titles Adventures of Superman #570, by Enola Jones Action Comics #757, by Gary D. Robinson Superman: The Man of Steel #92, by Mike Smith Section 6: New Comic Reviews The Triangle Titles (cont) Superman #148, by Thomas Deja Super-Family Titles Superboy #66, by Rene' Gobeyn Supergirl #36, by Thomas Deja Section 7: New Comic Reviews Super-Family Titles (cont) Superman Adventures #35, by Cory Strode Team Titles JLA #33, by Edward Mathews Young Justice #12, by Gary Robinson Section 8: New Comic Reviews Miniseries and Specials A. Bizarro #3, by G.M. Nelson Batman & Superman: World's Finest #6, by Simon DelMonte JLA Annual #3, by Ed Mathews Section 9: The One, True, Original Superman! Episode 11: Action Archives Volume II -- Empire and Growing Pains (Feb-May 1940) Bob Hughes sets the historical stage and then rounds off the first two years of Action Comics by looking at issues 21-24, including the final tale of the Ultra-Humanite and Superman's first encounter with Lex Luthor! Section 10: Superman Stories Demons Sean Hogan discusses the Man of Steel's dealings with the demonic brother and sister duo of Blaze and Satanus, including such classic tales as "Soul Search" and "The Blaze/Satanus War!" Section 11: The KC Mailbag More thoughts on Superman's execution of the Phantom Zone criminals, and some comments on the variety and tone of the magazine. EDITORIAL 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 DISCLAIMERS: ----------- Superman, Superboy, Supergirl, Steel, JLA, Young Justice, and all associated characters, locations, symbols, logos, and events are copyright and/or trademarks of DC Comics. This magazine, its publisher and contributors, and any content related to the Superman family of characters are not authorized by DC Comics. Use of these copyrighted and trademarked properties 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 by e-mail. Permission is also granted to advertise subscription information on other on-line services and/or websites. Should you desire to share this publication with other on-line services and/or web sites, please contact Jeff Sykes at sykes@kryptonian-cybernet.com for permission. SUBSCRIPTIONS: ------------- THE KRYPTONIAN CYBERNET is available by e-mail -- to subscribe, simply send an e-mail message with the word "subscribe" in the Subject: field to the following address: To: kc-request@kryptonian-cybernet.com Subject: subscribe This will subscribe the address from which the message was sent. If the address is successfully subscribed, you will receive a copy of the list's welcome message. If you have any problems, contact Jeff Sykes at sykes@kryptonian-cybernet.com. Back issues are available via ftp at ftp.kryptonian-cybernet.com. These archives can also be reached via the Kryptonian Cybernet Homepage: http://www.kryptonian-cybernet.com _____________________________________ End of Section 0 _____________________________________ SUPERSCRIPTS: NOTES FROM THE EDITOR(S) -------------------------------------------------- By Jeff Sykes (sykes@kryptonian-cybernet.com) GROWIN' UP Just to warn those of you who might want to know up front, this editorial's just not gonna have a lot to do with the Man of Steel. I'm currently standing at five weeks without having read a single comic, much less a Superman comic, for reasons which will be explained below. As such, I can't really offer much in that direction, though I will have a few words about KC towards the end of my rambling. August was an incredibly busy month for me and, to be quite honest, I'm a bit surprised we've managed to get this particular issue of the Kryptonian Cybernet to you as soon as we have. Let's see a show of hands here. How many of you have finished a doctoral degree (in mathematics or any other discipline)? How many of you have moved from one state to another? How many have had to buy a new car because your old one was on life support? How many have driven 1000 miles for a week-long family visit, and then another 1000 miles back home? How many have started a new job, complete with myriad meetings and orientation programs? Okay, that seems like quite a few of you, but please allow me one more question, if you will. How many of you have done all of the above in the span of a month? My hand is still up... See what I mean by busy? :) More importantly, though, all of these things have to do with my title for this column. Now I certainly realize that I'm thirty years old, and that I've been an adult for quite some time. But even though I've done them all before -- new college degree, new job, new state, new car -- they're (a) all happening at once and (b) a pretty big deal even if they're not new! For the first time since I left home for college (oh so many years ago), I'm living in a house instead of an apartment or dorm. I even had to buy a washer and dryer for the first time -- and it's pretty hard not to feel older when you buy your first appliances . At work (I'm now an Assistant Professor of Mathematics at West Virginia Wesleyan College, by the way), students are calling me "Doctor". I have my own office for the first time in my life. Last weekend, all the new freshmen arrived on campus (yet another nice little tie-in to my theme), and I wore my full academic regalia for the first time at our opening convocation. Oh, and I'm finally getting paid a reasonable salary for all the work I'll be doing. :) So I'm feeling kind of an overwhelming sense of adulthood right now, to a degree I never quite experienced while a student. Anyway, what does all of this mean for the Kryptonian Cybernet? Well, first of all, being so busy left me unable to provide much in the way of updates to our website in August. That, however, has now been corrected, and I expect to be able to regularly provide television air and comic shipping schedules just as soon as I find out what they are. Second of all, as I'm sure you all realize by now, it caused this issue to slip from an August publication to Early September. On the other hand, it did allow us to bring you the breaking news concerning the Superman copyright stunner, so maybe the delay wasn't an entirely bad thing. Regardless, Shane and I are now making an earlier publication date our immediate goal for KC, and we plan on having new issues out to you at least by mid-month, if not earlier. My new location is going to be a bit of a problem. WVWC is located in a small town in central West Virginia, and the closest comic book store is at least a 45 minute drive away. This has led me to begin using a mail order service for my comic books. As I mentioned above, it has been more than a month since I last read any Superman comics, and that's because my September order (for August shipping books) has yet to reach me. My orders are supposed to ship twice a month from now on, so I have some hope that I'll still be able to contribute in some limited fashion to our rating of new comics. The real problem, however, is that I will now be receiving _Previews_ well after it is released, and this will probably make it impossible for me to publish both Coming Attractions and Superman Merchandise in time for our readers to use that information by the ordering deadline. If this turns out to be the case, then we'll have to work out something else to get you that information in a timely manner. Well, I've rambled on quite enough, and I've still got a mess of things to do if you're gonna see this before Labor Day. In the meantime, best wishes to all of you plowing headlong into another school year, and let us all continue to do a little growin' up. __________________________________ RATINGS AT A GLANCE: Titles shipped July 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------- Prepared by Shane Travis 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 previous six issues, each of which is weighted equally, regardless of the number of people who assigned it ratings. If the average is for fewer than six issues, the number of issues is displayed in (). Current Previous Average Title Issue Rating Rank Rating Rank Rating Rank ----- ----- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ Supergirl 36 3.8(7) 1 3.8(8) 1 3.52 2 A. Bizarro 3 3.6(8) - 4.0(7) - 3.77(3) - World's Finest 6 3.6(8) - 3.3(7) - 3.23 - JLA 33 3.5(12) 2 3.2(11) 4 3.17 5 Superboy 66 3.5(7) 3 3.3(10) 3 3.80 1 Superman 148 3.2(11) 4 3.5(11) 2 3.15 6 Young Justice 12 3.1(9) 5 2.9(9) 5 3.30 3 JLA Annual 3 3.0(8) - 3.0(7) - -- - Man of Steel 92 3.0(12) 6 2.9(12) 6 3.07 7 Action Comics 757 2.7(12) 7 1.9(12) 8 3.02 8 Superman Adv. 35 2.6(5) 8 2.5(4) 7 3.20 4 Adv. of Superman 570 2.5(11) 9 2.4(11) 9 2.67 9 "Cogito 1, Cyborg 0" AOS #570, ACTION #757, MOS #92 - While none of the last three parts of Peyer, Grindberg, and Palmer's month-long fill-in quite lived up to the promise shown by part 1 (Superman as Green Lantern in last month's _Superman_ #147, 3.5 Shields), at least they didn't stink up the joint as the last outing of this sort was seen to do. Compare this arc's marks of 3.5, 2.5, 2.7 and 3.0 Shields with the rather poor showing of 2.6, 2.6, 2.1, and 2.4 Shields we saw for Kandor and the Cyborg. One can hope that the improvement means that if the team comes back for a third round, we might see something good, instead of just something that wasn't bad. "Where the Wild Things Are..." SUPERBOY #66 (3.5 Shields) - The return of the new cast to the Wild Lands wasn't greeted quite as enthusiastically as their original foray, but enough people thought that it was enough fun to put it in third place. The cumulative average of 3.80 Shields gave the title first place overall for an unprecedented seventh consecutive month. The only title that looks to have even a hope of catching it in the near future is _Supergirl_ (which finished #1 in the 'current issue' standings for the second straight month), but Misters David and Kirk have their work cut out for them if they hope to topple Kesel and (usually) Grummett from their perch. Information for 'Ratings at a Glance' and the ratings that accompany the monthly reviews of Superman comics are obtained from KC readers. To become a contributor, or to obtain information about what is required, contact Shane Travis at . __________________________________ THE KC NEWSROOM --------------------------------- By Joshua Elder (j-elder@nwu.edu) THIS IS BIG, REALLY BIG I'm sure you all already know about this since it's headlining every comic-related website and newsgroup in existence right now, but if for some reason you haven't heard: it appears that DC is going to have to give up 50% ownership of Superman to the heirs of Superman co-creator, Jerry Siegel. I said it was big. The story broke on August 31 thanks to Matt Brady at AnotherUniverse.com (http://www.anotheruniverse.com/comics/features/supermanrights.html). The basic gist of the article is this: in 1997, Joanne Siegel and Laura Siegel Larson, Jerry's wife and daughter, respectively, filed to revoke the transfer of copyright on the Superman character given to DC in 1938. This gives the Siegels 50% ownership of the character effective April 16, 1999. This 50% share of ownership entitles the Siegels to not only half of the profits on any Superman product (comic, toy, film, etc.) but also gives them the rights to produce their own Superman material. The ownership extends not only to Superman, but to all other derivative works, i.e. Supergirl, Superboy, Steel, the Legion of Superheroes, etc., as well. Recent changes in US Copyright law designed to bring it closer to International Copyright standards are what gave the Siegels the ability to accomplish this remarkable feat. These changes provide the original authors with an option to terminate any transfer of copyright (Siegel and Shuster "transferred" their copyright to Superman when they sold the character to DC for $130 in 1938) made prior to January 1, 1978. The termination may take place within a five year period beginning 56 years after the grant of the initial transfer. The parties requesting the termination of copyright must also file two years in advance, thereby explaining why the papers were filed in 1997. It is unknown at this point exactly what the Siegels plan to do with their copyright. They are still in negotiations with Warner Brothers and neither side has issued a statement. I don't know what to say about this. This could change everything about the way Superman books are published. The Siegels probably won't exercise their right to create their own Superman comics, but at the very least this means that DC will only make half as much profit on Superman as they used to. This could mean either an explosion in Superman product to make up for the loss or an implosion, as books that don't make as much money (_Supergirl_ and _Superboy_ being prime examples) might be forced to discontinue publishing. I doubt this will occur as the Siegel family will not intentionally put anyone out of work, nor will they do anything to cause irreparable harm to the character that was so near and dear to Jerry's heart. This is exactly what Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster spent much of the latter part of their lives fighting for, to be recognized and get their fair share of the character they created. It's too bad it took so long. THE MOMENTUM BUILDS With October just around the corner, everyone is getting revved up about the Man of Steel again. Even _Wizard_ has gotten in on the act, finally showing some interest in the Super-titles again. So lets hear what the plans are for Big Blue straight from the proverbial horses' mouths. Superman group editor Eddie Berganza recently shed some light on the overall structure of the titles in a Comic Book Continuum interview (http://detnews.com/metro/hobbies/comix/stories/9907/30/index.htm). "We are going to keep the triangle numbers, but that doesn't mean they're going to be an inter-connected as they have been in the past," Berganza said. "You will be able to read a single issue and enjoy it or you can read them all in a month and get a bigger story." He also stated that for the eight months they currently have planned, the books will interconnect three times, but only for a month each time. In yet another Continuum interview (http://detnews.com/metro/hobbies/comix/stories/9908/03/index.htm), Jeph Loeb revealed his plans for the adjectiveless _Superman_. Loeb will be joined by artist Mike McKone for three issues before Ed McGuinness takes over as the regular artist. I've seen some preview pages for both these guys' issues and lemme tell ya, they look great. Loeb wants to refocus things on the core cast, with an especially powerful focus on Lois Lane, considering that all of Loeb's issues will be narrated by Mrs. Superman. The other core cast members will be given plenty of development as well, with Jimmy Olsen returning to the Planet as a cub reporter/photographer and Perry taking over once again as Editor-in-Chief. Joe Kelly and Jeph Loeb both sounded off on their plans for Supes in _Wizard_ #98 (which sports a beautiful Shuster-esque cover by Ed McGuinness). Kelly said that he's been brought onto the book to "...throw a bit of humor and absurdity in, to bounce weird ideas off this very classic Superman concept and see what evolves out of that." If Kelly's humor can work as well for Superman as it did for _Deadpool_, I feel that we should have a winner here. Kelly also made clear the ultimate goal of the newly revitalized Superman team: "I'll be conservative. I'd say, in a year, the books are top-20 sellers and we're at another summit planning what will take us into the top 10. So within two years, we'll be top 10. That might be a little bit slow, but I'm being conservative." Amen to that, brother. SUPERMAN TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN KOSOVO A comic book featuring Superman will soon be distributed to about 500,000 children in and near Kosovo to help teach them to avoid land mines, first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton recently stated. "Now he will be both a hero and a guide to the children of Kosovo," Clinton said at a White House unveiling of the comic book, which aid groups have already begun distributing. The comic book features Superman swooping from the sky to stop two boys from disturbing a mine and offering lessons in spotting and avoiding the potentially deadly weapons. The book is aimed at ethnic Albanian refugees driven from their homes in Kosovo before and during the 78-day NATO air war, and the dialogue is in Albanian. A similar Superman comic book was distributed in Bosnia after the war ended there in 1995, and another version has been used in Central America. THOSE WACKY SUPERMAN WANNABES DC Comics has filed a $300,000 (Canadian) lawsuit against Russell Oliver, a jeweler out of Toronto for copyright and trademark violations of the Superman character. DC claims that Oliver's "Cashman" television ads, where he sports red and blue leotards and a cape and wears a large dollar sign on his chest, confuses the public and depreciates the value of Superman as a character. DC told him to stop the ads in a letter last summer, but Oliver has continued running them on late night Canadian television. Oliver answered the charges wearing his full costume, saying it was foolish to mistake him, an overweight Canadian jeweler, for the Last Son of Krypton. Oliver is currently filing a defense. ($1 US = $1.51 Canadian) YOU MUST SEE THE IRON GIANT!!! _The Iron Giant_, the latest release from Warner Bros. animation, is absolutely stunning. It's the story of massive metal robot from space who lands in a small Maine town in the 50's at the height of the Red Scare. It's warm, smart, and just plain fun. Of course the true reason I'm promoting this film to readers of KC is that it features an incredible number of Superman references both integral to the plot and emotionally resonant. I don't want to give too much away, but at the end (don't read this if you're a "no-spoiler" kind of individual) the Iron Giant must choose what he wants to be. He chooses to be a hero -- quite literally, he chooses to be Superman. It's a beautiful moment that actually got me more than a little choked up. This is a fantastic movie, and I recommend it to any fan of good cinema, and especially to fans of the first and greatest superhero of all. THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN FINDS A NEW HOME The classic "Adventures of Superman" TV series starring George Reeves has been picked up by Nickelodeon for use on Nick, Nick-at-Nite, and TV Land. Check this series out if you want to see the inspiration for a great deal of the Superman mythos we have today. THE NEW DC ROLEPLAYING GAME I was at GenCon, the world's largest gaming convention in Wisconsin, this year when I ran into the two principle designers of the new DC Roleplaying game from West End Games. I discussed Superman and the DCU with them, played a demo of the game, and even got a little hint about the Metropolis redesigns. The game, and its designers, are very faithful to the DCU. It's very easy to play, but can as complex as you want it to be. It has rules for every power under the sun and rules for creating new ones. It's a very fun game with a great deal of roleplaying potential. As I was talking with game designer Fred Jandt, he let it drop just how radical a redesign Metropolis would be getting come January. He said that they would be releasing a Metropolis sourcebook and a Metropolis travel guide in the upcoming months, but would have to do it all again for the "new" Metropolis because Immonen is making such sweeping changes. He said he'd seen a few pictures of the new City of Tomorrow and all he said was that everyone would be blown away. I would definitely suggest purchasing this game when it comes out in September, and I think any Superman fan worth his salt should pick up the two Metropolis sourcebooks. THE ORIGIN OF KRYPTO REVEALED! Elliot S! Maggin, principal Superman scribe for the mid-seventies to early eighties, has recently posted a short story detailing the origin of the Silver Age Superboy's best friend, Krypto. His short story, "Starwinds Howl: The Epic Story of Krypto the Superdog", is now available online (http://www.starwinds-howl.com/). I've read the first part and found it very enjoyable. Even for someone who wasn't even a gleam in my daddy's eye during the Silver Age, I still love that wacky Super-dog. WAID AND NEARY REVEAL PLANS AT SAN DIEGO Waid announced that fans wouldn't have to wait until their debut on the regular series to see the Waid/Hitch/Neary team on the JLA. The three are collaborating on a 64-page treasury-sized one-shot called _JLA: Heaven's Ladder_, due out early next year. Could this be the final Zauriel story? I guess we'll have to wait and find out. Waid also revealed at the San Diego con that following Grant Morrison on _JLA_ is a task that leaves him "sleepless at night." And while Waid said he plans on paring the team down to the core members (and Plastic Man), he also said there will be plenty of guest stars. Waid said, "I think Steel has a place on the team, and I think Atom has a place on the team." And the JLA/JSA crossover, set to occur around _JLA_ #45 and #46 and _JSA_ #15 and #16, will bring back Hawkman and iron out the continuity confusion that has been plaguing him for so long. NICIEZA BRINGS THE SUPERMEN OF AMERICA CENTER STAGE Writer Fabian Nicieza, best known for creating Marvel's excellent _New Warriors_ series, is taking another crack at the teenaged superhero. This time it's the Supermen of America in a 6-issue series debuting in January of 2000 and pencilled by Dougie Braithwaite (_Green Arrow_). In a recent interview with Newsarama (http://anotheruniverse.com/columns/newsarama/index.html), Nicieza explained the setup for the series: "Lex Luthor, in his quest to play both sides of the fence, has financed a 'Guardian Angels' type organization called 'The Supermen of America', and their goal is to protect the city streets of Metropolis, help people, etc... Mild-mannered vigilante justice. Out of all the applicants who joined the group, several were screened out for their metahuman abilities. This group became the 'Elite Brigade', or 'Mets', as they're nicknamed in the upcoming limited series (Mets being short for metahumans)." "Their goals are noble," explained the writer. "They're heroes in training. They care more about stopping the local mugger than Brainiac's latest invasion. But what happens when the situation they find themselves in begins to escalate beyond their ability to control it? When several parties are after a mysterious energy-containment device, who decides who should or shouldn't have access to the power inside the storage unit called Lockdown-6?" "The story starts out small and local, concerning someone shaking down Suicide Slum, and rapidly escalates, issue by issue, into a problem of monumental proportions! A problem the Supermen of America are not really emotionally or physically equipped to handle! The series is a non-stop roller-coaster ride that keeps the readers and the characters going up -- and when it all comes crashing down around them, a lot of what these kids thought was right and true -- about their calling and about the nature of good and evil -- will be called into question." Nicieza knows how to write teenaged superheroes and he has an excellent grasp on what makes Superman and his world tick. Sounds like a sure-fire combination for a good series to me. GAIMAN TAKES ON SUPERMAN Coming up in the spring of 2000 could be one of the most interesting Superman comics in a long time. Edited by Bob Schreck, this is a 38-page one-shot that was written by Gaiman years ago to serve as the last episode of the _Action Comics Weekly_ series from the late eighties. It was scrapped because of continuity issues but is now going to see the light of day. The story has Green Lantern and Superman going to hell and features cameos by almost all the characters featured in _Action Weekly_ during that time. Not only is the writer of top-notch caliber, but the issue will be illustrated by some of the best in the business as well, including John Totleben (the Deadman sequence), Eddie Campbell, Matt Wagner, Mike Allred (p) and Terry Austin (i), Eric Shanower (p) and Art Adams (i), Gil Kane (p) and Kevin Nowlan (i), and Jim Aparo (the Phantom Stranger sequence). Frank Miller will provide the cover. Oh yeah, this one will be a keeper. MAYBE IT'S NOT SUCH A BAD DISGUISE AFTER ALL Susanne Hiller of the _National Post_ recently reported on the interesting findings of a team of psychologists at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. They recently completed a study that helps explain how Superman could put on horn-rimmed glasses and fool Lois Lane for more than 60 years. Through a series of experiments, the study found that sunglasses -- and by extension regular eyeglasses -- actually do disguise people. "When we are studying a face, a normal face that is not disguised by eyewear, we spend a lot of time looking at the eyes because the eyes are a very rich source of information about a face," said Dr. William Hockley. "When the eyes of that face are covered up we have, in effect, less information with which to make a decision about the person." Dr. Hockley and two colleagues asked university students to look at a series of faces for about two seconds per face. They then asked them to try to recognize the same faces wearing sunglasses. The models wore white lab coats and did not sport any visual cues, such as facial hair. They did not wear makeup, hair adornments or jewelry. In most cases, people really were not sure if the face with sunglasses was the same one they had seen without sunglasses. On the other hand, if they studied the original faces wearing sunglasses, they felt uncertain if they saw the same face without sunglasses. "The question was: 'To what extent do sunglasses interfere with people's ability to remember faces they have already seen?'" Dr. Hockley said. "The answer is yes, sunglasses do interfere a great deal with memory." The findings are consistent with the "memory encoding specificity principle," which states that memory is best when the person you are trying to remember looks the same as when you originally met the person. The same principle can be applied to regular glasses and other eyewear, Dr. Hockley said. Therefore, the study "absolutely" explains why Lois Lane did not make the connection that Superman and Clark Kent were the same person. The bespectacled Clark Kent was a nerdy reporter at The Daily Planet. Without his glasses, awkward Clark suddenly transformed into a superhero. "Lois probably thought that Superman looked terribly familiar, but couldn't figure it out without the glasses." SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION I've recently written a Superman comic script called "When you're Older." It deals with Superman having to explain to a little girl dying of leukemia why she can't come back from the dead like he did. It can be found at: http://www.northwesternchronicle.org/~templar/whenyoureolder.htm _____________________________________ End of Section 1 _____________________________________ A CONVERSATION WITH ELLIOT S! MAGGIN ------------------------------------------------ By Anatole Wilson (anatolewilson@yahoo.com) and Rich Morrissey (RMorris306@aol.com) Beginning with "Must There Be a Superman?", Elliot S! Maggin (with Cary Bates) helped define the Superman of the '70s and early '80s. For fifteen years, he not only chronicled the adventures of Superman, but also the JLA, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Captain Marvel, and many more. He wrote the two best-selling novels, _Last Son of Krypton_ and _Miracle Monday_, as well as _Generation-X_ with Scott Lobdell. He was lured back into writing about the Man of Steel when Mark Waid both dedicated the mini-series to him and asked him to adapt _Kingdom Come_ in novel form. This August, _Kingdom Come_ the novel will be released in paperback. AW: I have the sense that many of our readers started reading Superman post-Crisis, and aren't very familiar with your body of work and how many of the themes you touched back then relate to your novelization of _Kingdom Come_. So it's probably a good idea to start at the beginning... ES!M: Well, let's make one contribution to popular culture by defining that hybrid term "novelization." It comes up as an error on my spelling checker and I haven't added it to my dictionary. "Novelization" is a process: the process of turning something that isn't a novel into a novel. So I expect that the proper term for the product of that process would be a "novel." It's a small point, but I like to think of what I wrote as a novel. AW: I've read that your first comic book story, "What Can One Man Do?", which appeared in _Green Lantern_ #86, was originally a term paper for a course in American Media. What point were you making in your term paper, and how did it relate to the theme of the story? ES!M: "What Can One Man Do?" was actually the largest part of that particular term paper. It was a course on American history, for a section on media. The point I was making was that a comic book story, effectively directed, could be not just an entertainment but an ideological tool as well. I wanted to illustrate that the comic book medium was effective in presenting a multi-layered point of view, and could do so effectively with a minimum of subtlety and a great deal of effectiveness. RM: According to past accounts, "What Can One Man Do" was originally written as a 19-page story. What was cut out and/or changed for publication, and what did you think of the changes? ES!M: I did the cutting and pasting myself, so I had no substantive objections to them. I welcomed the task, in fact, as a useful and entertaining exercise. There were portions of the story that wanted tightening, so I tightened them. I would have liked the phone scene in that story -- where Ollie called a succession of friends for advice -- to be a two-page spread as I originally wrote it, but Neal's execution made it quite effective, and I enjoyed the story in its final form quite a bit. You've got to remember that this was my first comics story, that I had only the vaguest notion that I might be able to do some more for publication, and I certainly had no idea that as a result I was going to get to ride Superman's cape for fifteen years. I was a junior in college. It was just a homework assignment for me; only more fun than most. AW: You've said that your first Superman story, "Must There Be a Superman?", was the foundation for the rest of your Superman stories. Could you elaborate on that? ES!M: It was a story in which I articulated to myself a number of the questions that eventually I tried to answer with the Superman series: What was Superman's relationship to his charges, the people of the Earth? To the authoritative functionaries of the rest of the Universe like the Guardians and, by extension, those who might be considered deities? What were the limits of Superman's responsibilities? Were there differences between the real limits of his responsibilities and his perception of those responsibilities? What role did his heritage, both on Earth and among the stars, play in the determination of his actions? What long-term effects were coming about as a result of his intercession? And so forth. These were all questions I mulled over, most of which I dismissed for a time, in the course of writing that story. It was my first Superman story, and Julie [Schwartz, longtime Superman editor], Denny [O'Neil, writer and editor], Neal [Adams, artist], Murphy [Anderson, artist and regular Superman inker at the time], Carmine [Infantino, artist and then DC publisher], and others made a point to me over and over -- as if they had rehearsed it together and all decided to impress me with it individually -- that it was the general belief that Superman was the hardest character to write. In fact, it took me about a month, maybe more, to write that one story. I believed them all for awhile, but I eventually realized I was not really struggling particularly with Superman at all. I was exulting in writing this series. It took me awhile to notice this, but it was true. And I think I managed to deal with what the others found so difficult, simply because I had started out by posing to myself what I considered to be these fundamental questions. I think many of my subsequent stories addressed individually most of the questions this first story posed. RM: Some people do find Superman easy to write, I've found. Others (including most of the people you mention, definitely including Denny, Neal, and Carmine) gravitate more easily to less powerful heroes like Batman, finding them inherently more plausible (since Batman theoretically could exist in the real world; Superman couldn't). Perhaps it's a matter of the level of their power fantasies, or the use of a hero's power and ability as a metaphor for the real world. Jenette Kahn herself tends to divide professionals into "Batman people" (like Bill Finger, Denny, Neal, Doug Moench, Chuck Dixon, Frank Miller, and Alan Grant, most of whose comics work has been on Batman and other characters with relatively limited powers), and "Superman people" (like Jerry Siegel, Cary Bates, John Byrne, Mike Carlin, Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, and Mark Waid) who tend to favor Superman and other super-powered heroes. Yet it's almost inevitable that people in the latter category seem more attracted to real-world power than those in the former category...which has applied perennially at DC; in the Silver Age Superman editor Mort Weisinger very definitely dominated Batman editor Jack Schiff, and Jenette Kahn herself, despite her expressed preference for "Batman people" promoted Superman's Mike Carlin over the (senior) head of Batman's Denny O'Neil. ES!M: Well I think your exception denies the rule. It's well and good to try and find patterns among the madness, but I think in this case the conflict is specious. Superman is no more fantastic than Batman. Batman is no more realistic than Superman. Both require a separate universe with suspended laws of physics, chemistry and biology to rationalize. It's just a matter of how effective the storyteller is at prompting the audience to suspend disbelief. The real question, I think, is what moral issues do you want to deal with in the stories to which the character lends itself. I guess you could call me a "Superman person" because I tend to see the more universal and enduring themes that a Superman story embraces as a better intellectual workout. This does not, however, make the themes to which a Batman story addresses itself either exclusionary or somehow less significant. The only recurring question of the Superman series, I realized in retrospect, that was missing from that story was the question of Superman's relationship with his disguise, Clark Kent. Who was real and who was the fiction? Was either real? Was either a fiction? This was the only Superman story I ever wrote, I believe, in which Clark Kent did not appear at all, and come to think of it, that is in some sense consistent with my eventual answer to the question -- an answer that is at odds with the approach being taken in the current series. I went back to the Homeric and mythological attitude toward the disguise. The disguise may be vivid and important -- even beloved to the hero -- but the hero's true nature is the heroic one. Check out the story of Odysseus' return to Penelope. Check out the story of Leda and the Swan. It makes more sense that way, and has more classical resonance, I think. AW: That story was only one of many you pitched to Julius Schwartz on that day. Were there any other ideas in there you would have liked to pursue, but couldn't because they were shot down, or you never had the opportunity to follow through? ES!M: I remember having presented a great many story ideas to Julie that day. I don't remember what any of them was specifically. I only recall a phrase Julie shot back at me that struck me funny at the time. "No elves," he said. "Don't want to hear anything about elves." For some reason he felt short people were being overused at the time. I think what I was trying to bring to Julie that day was stuff like what everyone else was doing, and what he pounced on was something like no one else was doing. The story idea, you may know, was out of a conversation I had had a few days earlier with Jeph Loeb, who was about 12 or 13 at the time. I forgot the conversation and remembered the story. I think it's a bit of attractive symmetry that Jeph is writing the series now. Cool, huh? Over and over since then I've been told by editors and agents that I have this difficult-to-market penchant for trying to go "off-model," for trying to press at the walls of what a series is doing at the time. Superman was in trouble in 1971 -- in enough trouble that the powers that be found it advisable to entrust him to the likes of a couple of kids like Cary Bates and me. I felt so empowered by the experience of pulling the character out of the clutches of innocuousness and oblivion in those days, that I've been trying to repeat the trick ever since. One of these days I'll find an editor or a producer who's courageous or desperate enough to walk that walk with me again, but not so far. AW: Why "not so far?" Many of DC's critical successes have been old characters (Swamp Thing, Sandman, Animal Man) whose traditional characterizations have been turned on their heads. (And, I might point out, they're doing lots of stories with elves.) Are there any characters other than Superman you might be tempted to revamp? ES!M: I don't know. My wife and my literary agent both say it might be my personality. I have this tendency toward aggressiveness when it comes to creative intention. Had a massive run-in with an editor and an artist not long ago because I spent a lot of energy presenting the reasons I chose to do one thing or another in a project, and I later found that they were just fed up with my approach. I thought we were having creative differences; they called it a personality conflict. Go figure. I'd be delighted to take a crack at virtually any established character and make the moribund dance and sing. I love to do that stuff. I'd much rather work on something I own myself, though. It's not the money -- one of my problems is that I've never been very good at following the money -- but there are just fewer people to account to in the latter case. RM: I actually thought you and Cary Bates went "off-model" quite a bit more than John Byrne and his successors, who often got credit for it but never seemed to me to be doing more than turning Superman into a generic Marvel (or, far worse, generic Image) character, neither of which he should be. ES!M: I'll agree with that, only because it sounds like you're boosting Cary Bates. Cary deserves a good boost, I think. He's a genuinely innovative thinker and has never gotten much recognition for that. RM: Paradoxically, it's usually the less successful characters and companies (EC in the '50's, Marvel in the '60's, DC in the '70's and early '80's) who try to do the most experimentation; more successful companies tend to stick with a successful formula. ES!M: I don't find that a paradox. Pushing at the dense wall separating convention from innovation is what creative people do. Did you know that small businesses, for example, fired by the enthusiasms and visions of their founders, generate jobs at a rate thirteen times greater than big established companies? That's an extraordinary number. The same holds true for any creative enterprise. That's why the music business gets shaken up by a fundamental change in the character of popular genres and Jefferson observed that Shay's Rebellion was overdue and indicated an inadequate penchant for the people of the young United States to commit insurrection against their government. Stories are dreams. They're supposed to force you into dealing with situations that have never confronted you, but ultimately might. They're supposed to shake up your consciousness and spiritual foundations, not lull them into complacency. Complacent, chronically "on-model" storytellers are doomed in the long term. AW: It seems to me that most writers consider Superman the hardest character to write for either because of his powers, his icon status, or his image as "the big blue boy scout." Does this seem like a fair analysis? If so, how do you get around this when writing about him, or do you try to get around this at all? ES!M: I found that this was true of Superman only when I got gun-shy as a result of the warnings of others. The way you get around his icon status is what I've said before: Love your characters and live with them, and don't try to freeze them in place and revere them to death. Talk to them. Listen to them. Ride along on their adventures and write down what you see. I've learned in adulthood what I never realized other than on a gut level as a young writer trying to resurrect an icon: Fantasy is real. Metaphor is real. Look at the opening page of Kingdom Come if you want to understand my approach to dreams versus reality. I do believe in Santa Claus. And I believe in flying dogs in capes. And separating your fantasy reality from your temporal reality is no more difficult than speaking two languages and keeping track of when you're speaking one or the other. One language is no "better" or more expressive than another. It's just that some ideas in some languages are untranslatable to some others. Without believing it yourself, I can't see how you can make a story work. As for the image of Superman as a boy scout, that's simply what he is. Do we have a problem with that? I'm a Boy Scout. I was Cubmaster of my son's pack for years. Never got to be an Eagle Scout but I've attended a load of Courts of Honor where people I was proud of got to be Eagles. There was an attitude in the Sixties and Seventies -- some of the best times of my life nonetheless -- that there was some kind of inconsistency between saluting the flag and voting Democratic; between having a point of view that is progressive and thoughtful, and experiencing the holy. I see no such dichotomy and I'm pleased to say I wasn't cowed by the thought, when I was a kid, that there might be some inconsistency there that I just wasn't understanding. AW: I think the connotation "Boy scout" is meant to imply naivete, or to suggest that an uncompromising moral code is somehow outdated, or something only an inhuman being could retain. There's also the issue of respect for the law in an age where authority is often questioned and our political and judicial systems are constantly ridiculed. The example in Kingdom Come would be when Superman had Magog prosecuted, when I think most people would have said the "human" response would be to take revenge, or "rightfully" execute a mass murderer. ES!M: Not something Superman does. Simply out of the question. Any example of a character taking that action is demonstrably not a Superman story. It's something else. That doesn't make the character naive. It makes him more effective. Which is not to say that in some way the character is not naive. That's simply not the manifestation of it. RM: You've said that Superman has always been your favorite character, both as an icon and as a human being. How do you see him as a character? ES!M: How do I see him as a character? I'm not sure what the answer to that is, other than to refer you to all the stuff I've written about him and let you figure it out from that. That's the easy way out. I think that Superman's place in contemporary American mythology is what attracts me to him. There are just so many things about him that qualify him to occupy a level comparable to that of Zeus or Odin or Arthur or Lincoln in predecessor cultures. I'd like to think that my years wrestling with Superman were the training I need to begin to map the path of Twenty-First Century mythology, however that shakes down. I'm working on it. AW: In what ways are you working on "mapping the path", and where do you see this path leading? ES!M: If you asked me that question about Superman in 1971, I wouldn't have had a clue what you were referring to, and might have given you a misleading answer that, in retrospect, would now make me look like a total washout. I'm just writing what I'm writing, trying to keep in touch with whatever muses cross my path, and being pleasantly surprised whenever it hangs together coherently. RM: How do you envision the distinction between Superman and Clark Kent? Do you agree with Jules Feiffer that Superman is the real identity and Clark the assumed one, with John Byrne that Clark is the real person and Superman only the costume, or do you consider them both real people, and different sides of the same man's personality? ES!M: I think Jules Feiffer got it on the head and John and those who continue to adhere to his interpretation are just wrongheaded about it. Certainly they're both "real" people -- but Clark is real to Superman in the sense that Superman is real to us. Clark has depth and preferences and structures of belief that grow as he grows older, but these are all constructs of Superman's obsession with him. Clark is a soul just as Superman is a soul. But in the same sense that Superman is a soul who is the product of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's souls -- and those of every creator through whose hands he has passed -- Clark is a soul who is most directly a construct of that of Superman. I refer you back to the use of disguise in mythology. Certainly, within the confines of the story of Apollo's conception, the Swan existed -- but Apollo was nonetheless Zeus' son. Would Jerry and Joe ever have sold -- or even cared about -- the epic comic book adventures of Clark Kent? I mean Clark's a nice guy and all, but it would be an irrelevancy. RM: As you put it in one of your novels, Superman's hobby was Clark Kent. ES!M: Exactly. His religion, too. RM: Follow-up question: It's been said that the Lois and Clark TV show essentially presented the John Byrne Superman, that being the version of Superman appearing in the comic books of the time. Would you say that the Christopher Reeve movies reflected the Maggin/Bates/Swan Superman, that being the Superman who appeared in comics when *they* appeared? Not in all ways of course (Clark wasn't a TV newscaster), but in others (like the characterization of Superman and Clark Kent; Reeve is said to have read a number of contemporary Superman comics for research) they seemed to reflect your own work. ES!M: I don't know. I know the people who put together the show did a lot of reference to my two novels. Other than the characterization of Luthor and of Clark as the "real" person rather than Superman -- which, I understand, the folks at DC specified -- the series was pretty consistent with my ideas of the character. I thought Dean Cain was terrific -- to my surprise and to that of the people who first cast him as a last resort. I even wrote an episode on spec one summer. Unfortunately, it was the summer before they did a story arc about Clark and Lois' engagement and Lois getting a long-term case of amnesia and some frog-eating illness -- and my script was inconsistent with their intended direction. The story editor I spoke with loved it and told me I'd given it to him about six months late. (Continued in Section 3) _____________________________________ End of Section 2 _____________________________________ A CONVERSATION WITH ELLIOT S! MAGGIN ------------------------------------------------ By Anatole Wilson (anatolewilson@yahoo.com) and Rich Morrissey (RMorris306@aol.com) (Continued from Section 2) RM: I've always thought you wrote one of the best versions of Lex Luthor ever (along with Edmond Hamilton and Jerry Siegel, both of whom seemed to influence your version). Like Marvel's Doctor Doom and _Star Wars_' Darth Vader, he's a fascinating villain because he's not so much an evil man as a good man who took a wrong turn due to his ego. How do you see him and his rivalry with Superman? EM: You've got it about right. What do I add to that? Luthor is me. On my best days. Not to say I'm some kind of super-genius, but on a really good heavy-duty writing day I can be really smart for about three or four hours. It's in those three or four hours -- totally obsessed and focused -- where I find Luthor. RM: You and Cary Bates were the main writers of Superman for a number of years, and collaborated on several stories. How did your views of the character compare? And how did you feel about the other Superman writers, from Denny O'Neil to Leo Dorfman to Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Gerry Conway, and Martin Pasko, during your tenure? ES!M: All of these guys are people with whom I have had some measure of friendship and whom I respect and admire a great deal. Leo Dorfman died not long after I met him, and I wished I had been able to know him better. Denny startled the bejeebers out of me last time I saw him when he told me that, as far as he can tell, he is now the senior editor in the field. I guess he is -- but I still think of myself as a kid, and I think of him as someone who ought to think of himself as a kid because I do. He remains, I believe, the finest and most skilled writer in the field -- without exception. Len, Marv, Marty, and Gerry have all been people with whom to break bread and share a joke, occasionally at my expense. These guys are signposts to me, and Cary is still my main man. To talk about them in other than personal terms is virtually impossible for me. RM: What do you think of the changes made, by John Byrne and others, to Superman since your departure... especially Lois Lane's learning Clark's identity and finally marrying him? ES!M: Ever hear of a girl named Joyce Maynard? She's this middle-aged housewife in New Hampshire somewhere with a talent for autobiography. She's made a career out of autobiography. She wrote the novel _To Die For_, and I hear she's got an unspeakably huge advance for a book on an old friend of mine who is in prison now and whose story ought to be told more sensitively than Joyce is capable of. Lately she's marketed a collection of love letters written to her long ago by the reclusive writer Jerry Salinger with whom she once had an affair. I don't approve. I first became aware of Joyce Maynard when she was 18 and I was 20 and she had written a series of three long articles for The New York Times Magazine on what it's like to be young and hip in America. At the time, I was likewise hip and almost as young and, I fancied, a significantly better writer. So I hated her. I don't still hate her. I just disapprove -- and only mildly, at that. Lately I had occasion to reread her series for the Times Magazine from back in the Pleistocene Epoch and grudgingly decided that after all it was quite well written, considering her age and cluelessness at the time. But I was likewise clueless and still managed to be hip (for the benefit of the currently young and clueless, they call that "fly" now, I believe) and still ought to have written the series, I thought. And sometimes I still think that. What was the question . ? RM: I know how you feel! There was a time when Nelson Bridwell (whom I knew quite well) was editing _Superman Family_, and the writer of the Jimmy Olsen stories (Gerry Conway, I think) had just left DC for Marvel. I tried to get the assignment, only to find out the front office had pushed a replacement on him... Tom DeFalco, who later got to be Editor-in-Chief at Marvel. I really resented him then; less so now. But I still think I should have got the Olsen assignment. ES!M: And in a parallel universe I'm the Senator from New Hampshire and Tom DeFalco is interviewing you for Kryptonian Cybernet. RM: Speaking of politics, It was also reported that you'd originally wanted Oliver Queen to run for mayor (which he finally did) and win (which he ultimately didn't). Is this so, and, if it was, what would you have done with him as mayor? ES!M: I don't know, but I'm sure it would have been fun. Frankly, I got a bit preoccupied with Superman after that. Julie just wasn't ready to have me take Green Arrow off in my own direction at that point. He had Denny with a kind of brotherly affinity for the character, and running for office was a notion quite alien to Denny. You'll remember that it was Denny who undid Ollie's fortune -- de-Batmanned Green Arrow in a sense -- and I think Denny did this in order to present a character whose ambitions and values mirrored his own to some extent. Ultimately, it's what I did with Superman -- albeit with similar values but a whole constellation of divergent ambitions. RM: Interestingly, I'm in the process of writing an article about Denny's JLA stories (which of course tie in with his Green Arrow; especially the development he gave the only JLA members not appearing in a solo strip that carried over to GL). Although having Oliver Queen go bankrupt might have been a bit excessive, I could see it as a case of Denny's attempt to move him as far from being a Batman clone as possible (which had gone pretty far by the '50's... I mean, an Arrowcave? Arrows and archers, unlike bats, aren't generally associated with caves...) and closer to his other main inspiration, Robin Hood. (It had to be pointed out to me that, as Robin Hood had been a nobleman who lost his title and land when Richard Coeur de Leon left for the Crusades and his brother John took the throne, so did Oliver Queen lose his fortune due to the schemes of John ...) ES!M: That's really cool. I never noticed that before. I think Julie, Denny, Mike [Grell] and the others who wrote Green Arrow at the time were really careful well into the Eighties not to use the Robin Hood analogy overtly, so I don't know how much of the parallel they executed consciously. I like to think that recurring patterns in popular culture recur because we have something going on in the collective consciousness that makes them bubble up -- like the creation myth or the flood story that appears in cultures all over the world without apparent cross-referencing. RM: Still, as a followup, I remember the _World's Finest_ story you wrote in which Ollie finally ran for office... only to fall victim to a last-minute fix. Why couldn't he have actually won then? Denny probably wouldn't have cared; he'd gone back to Marvel (at least for the time being) by then... ES!M: It was my last Green Arrow story. I hadn't written the character for a long time and knew I wouldn't likely be doing it again ever. I just wanted to tie up some strings. I wish I'd had him win. Then I might have done better when I ran for Congress not long afterward. RM: Whose idea was it to split up the Green Lantern/Green Arrow team, and give each hero a strip of his own, after the regular title was cancelled? ES!M: I think it was Carmine Infantino's. It could have been Julie's, though, with Carmine signing onto the idea and making it his own. Editors had a lot more autonomy in those days than they do now, but their actions were ultimately the responsibility of their publishers. The Green Lantern/Green Arrow series could have gone on much further, I believe, if DC had the kind of oversight in the marketplace that they have now. I'm convinced -- and I understand that there is significant evidence to support this -- that the series was selling far better than DC's numbers indicated. Retailers and distributors had enormous leverage in those days that allowed them to falsify sales figures and resell coverless comics for which they had already received a full refund. I walked into a 7-Eleven with Neal Adams and a bunch of guys around that time -- somewhere outside New York, I think it was on the way to Vermont one Halloween -- and somebody got it in his head to prove to Neal that he was more famous than he thought. So he walked up to a couple of kids looking through some comics, pointed at Neal and said, "You know who that is?" and when these strangers looked at Neal you'd have thought they'd seen Eric Clapton or something. I'm certain that series made a lot more wind in the countryside than was blowing around it back at the office. RM: Well, of course they could have recognized Adams from his Batman stories or even his Marvel work, but I'm inclined to agree that the series was a better seller than was realized at the time. I know that's the way it's said to have happened with Jack Kirby's contemporaneous Fourth World titles, which were cancelled around the same time. ES!M: Same story. Brilliant comics. Lousy feedback. Get a clue. RM: Denny O'Neil has always appeared to be, and has specifically said, that he's personally more in tune with "human" heroes with few if any powers. You, by contrast, seem to enjoy working with super-powered heroes like Superman. So why, when the team was split up, did he continue on the Green Lantern solo stories while you took over the Green Arrow feature, when each of you might have seemed more at home with the other character? ES!M: I wasn't in on that decision and I don't think Denny was either, but you're right about our preferences. I had this whole rebirth idea worked out for Green Lantern which didn't get any farther than my honors thesis at Brandeis. Eventually Denny and Green Arrow got back together -- and I still miss Hal Jordan. Maybe I've just got a penchant for boy scouts. RM: Actually, Denny didn't do a whole lot more with Green Arrow...just used him in the second GL/GA run which read like a pale imitation of the SF run (its worst sequence, I always thought; issues 80-84 or so) of the original go-round. Mike Grell (who illustrated a number of your backups; how did *that* collaboration go?) did most of his character development there. ES!M: I liked working with Mike Grell. Great guy. I really get along well with people who are outlandishly different from me. I don't think he's ever gone anywhere unarmed. RM: How did you see the relationship between Green Arrow and Black Canary? It always confused me that he seemed to take the lead, even though, at least by the continuity of the time, she was supposed to be at least a decade older than he was. Did you ever consider exploring this in a story? ES!M: Never thought about it. I think the way we got around it was the time dilation effect of passing between Earth-One and Earth-Two. Multi-dimensional rationales manage to explain away a lot of inconsistencies -- like spackling before you paint. So have you got a problem with older women or what? RM: Why did you take on the assignment of writing SHAZAM! ? ES!M: I loved Captain Marvel and lobbied for the job. I felt he was an important figure in the contemporary mythology and wanted to be the guy telling his stories. RM: What do you see as the main distinction between Captain Marvel and Superman ... especially since, for most of the time since DC took him over, he's had mostly editors (Julie Schwartz, Mike Carlin), artists (Kurt Schaffenberger, Bob Oksner), writers (Denny O'Neil, E. Nelson Bridwell, and yourself), not to mention writer/artists (Jerry Ordway, with a reported proposal by John Byrne as well) who've also handled Superman? Should he be done in the same style as Superman, or differently? ES!M: Differently. He's Jupiter to Superman's Zeus. Where Superman is serious Captain Marvel ought to be solemn. He's surrounded by talking tigers and malevolent worms, for heaven's sakes, and he goes about his life as though that's reasonable. He's Woody Allen to Superman's Clint Eastwood: a reasonable man in an insane world, as opposed to a man of values imposing those values on a world only partially able to incorporate them. Get it? I'm not sure any further analogies would be useful, but I can't quite bring myself to get the idea out the door any other way. RM: Could you tell us your side of the 1973 controversy leading to C.C. Beck's departure from the series? ES!M: Beck had this notion -- quite reasonable, I think, in retrospect -- that his interpretation of Captain Marvel was the definitive one, and that any other means of approach was invalid. His artistic style at the time was criticized as simplistic or out-of-date. I prefer to think of it as restrained. He put a lot of work into his pieces. Unfortunately, he took any measure of respect for his contribution as a license to ride roughshod on other people's likewise hard work. He took liberties with scripts and made unreasonable demands of editors, attempting to impose policies and procedures on people who were already comfortable working with one another with a previously defined set of boundaries. He took outlandish offense at little things like whether a writer capitalized or underlined material that was to be bold-faced in the lettering. He insisted, ultimately, on a de facto creative veto with regard to "his" character. I don't think his style or creative approach were out of date or no longer valid, but his interpersonal skills were negligible. His departure from the character was a classic case of the people in charge simply not wanting to work with him any longer -- a phenomenon with which I've been acquainted myself. RM: You briefly wrote the Justice League, both by yourself and with Cary Bates. Did you want to do more with the group? ES!M: I would have liked a freer hand for a longer time, but all of life's experiences are like that, I guess. I found Justice League probably the most difficult comics assignment I have had -- though, young and foolish, I approached the difficulty as a challenge. I enjoyed far more what little I was able to do with a later incarnation of the Justice League -- little stories I did with Fire and Ice, with Booster and Beetle. I would most have liked taking that kind of freewheeling storytelling approach with the traditional characters. That would have been fly. (See? I can do it sometimes.) RM: You wrote the story bringing Hawkman back to Earth, introducing the Equalizer's plague that exiled him from Thanagar. Jack C. Harris finally resolved this loose end, but did you have any plans of your own as to how to resolve it? ES!M: To tell you the truth, I don't remember. Jack's good. I appreciate his bailing out the loose end when he had the chance. AW: Let's talk about _Kingdom Come_. Your second novel, _Miracle Monday_, took a number of your comic book stories and wove them together into a coherent story. How did the experience of writing _Kingdom Come_, which was based on Mark Waid's story, differ from that? ES!M: I took the opportunity to do a good deal of weaving there too. Mark's story was strikingly consistent, especially with regard to sensibility, with the work I did in comics -- especially the Superman series -- for many years. Mark's sensibility was the reason I took the assignment. For the opportunity to work with characters in old age with whom I had worked in their youth (as well as mine) I felt able to purge a lot of long-unsatisfied demons from my system. Browse the book. You can't help but trip over an example of my filling in the blanks left in my own long-ago canon. I thank Mark all the time for that chance. AW: Did you find it constraining, or a greater challenge? ES!M: Actually it was a little easier having a story framework to start with. I started both earlier Superman books without much of an outline in mind. I didn't know you needed one. These days, I plan to a fault. I go out at night with a cigar and a beer and make diagrams. Writing _Kingdom Come_ was, compared with _Last Son_ and _Miracle Monday_, like an engineering job. I wrote it at pretty much the speed of light. Comes with experience, I guess. AW: One of my favorite parts of the book is when Jennifer Capper found herself elected President, without campaigning, solely on her merits and without really wanting the job. Is this a Utopian or dystopian fantasy of yours or is it the ideal outcome of your own run for Congress? ES!M: Yeah, I always wanted to get elected President by acclamation myself. There's a lot to be said for denying high office to anyone who actively seeks it, but not wanting it also licenses a person to fail. The attitude I like best was Clinton's when he first got elected. Someone asked him if he's intimidated by the sudden rush of authority and responsibility, and he said basically that he'd turned his skin inside out to get to be President, and to shrink before the task now would be altogether too self-important to be acceptable. AW: In your forward to _Kingdom Come_, you say that super-hero stories are not about gods, but about the way humans wish themselves to be. Yet so many of today's comic book "heroes" are nihilistic and amoral -- heroism is almost an accident. Aren't they more like the Greek gods of old than the super-heroes of the Golden and Silver Ages of comics? ES!M: I think a lot of current interpretation of "heroism" misses the point. Free-fall sales through this Dark Age of Comics bears that out. I think we're marking time until somebody wakes up and gets back in touch with the American character. Working on that one too. AW: How is each of these characters changed by the events of _Kingdom Come_: - Superman ES!M: He recognized and thus overcame the error of his desertion of the obligations that, until the death of Lois, defined his life and gave his days meaning. By finding himself again as a result of the love and tutelage of another great woman, he finally honored Lois. - Wonder Woman She suffered the wrath of her Fates that came as a result of the classic tragic flaw of each of her predecessor Greek heroes: hubris. She overcame these adversities through battle, lost some friends, and learned the lesson of humility of which she shows evidence by finally involving herself in the life of a worthy man as formidable as herself. - Norman McKay ES!M: As an old man, he is reminded of his childhood faith, wraps it up in his personal tradition and finds a way to give it as a gift to his community. - The Spectre ES!M: Finally, at great pain, he remembers his humanity and takes steps to begin to restore its core values within his soul. - Magog? ES!M: Redemption is possible. He allows others to take his hand and lead him. Absolutely classic. AW: You've written two original stories in the past couple of years, "Luthor's Gift" and "Starwinds Howl." Both stories deal largely with Superman's childhood -- with Superboy. How important would you say that being Superboy, with a full range of powers, is to Superman's character as an adult? ES!M: In my perception, Superman was at some point Superboy. Child is father to the man, we all know. If the character is going to be real, if he is ever going to be the great man beneath the glasses and the timid facade, then he has to have been such a person in his most formative years. Anyone who remembers his own childhood at all must know this. AW: One of the shortcomings of the comic form -- or any visual medium -- is that often a facial expression or pause in dialogue takes the place of a thousand words of introspection. Do you think that writing the novel gave you greater insight into the characters than was conveyed by the graphic novel? ES!M: I certainly hope so. I hope a wonderful graphic novel managed to inspire a comparably perceptive and viable novel. We'll see. I hope this novel is one that's not only read, but discussed. _____________________________________ End of Section 3 _____________________________________ FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET ----------------------------------------------------- By Douglas M Tisdale Jr (dmtisdale_jr@yahoo.com) THE BEGINNING "Boys and girls -- your attention, please. Presenting a new and exciting radio program featuring the thrilling adventures of an amazing personality. Faster than an airplane! More powerful than a locomotive! Impervious to bullets! 'Up in the sky -- look!' 'It's a giant bird!' 'It's a plane!' 'It's SUPERMAN!' And now, Superman: a being no larger than an ordinary man, but possessed of powers and abilities never before realized on Earth. Able to leap into the air an eighth of a mile at a single bound, hurdle a 20-story building with ease, race a high-powered bullet to its target, lift tremendous weights, and rend solid steel in his bare hands as though it were paper. Superman -- strange visitor from a distant planet, champion of the oppressed, physical marvel extraordinary who has sworn to devote his existence on Earth to helping those in need." With that startling proclamation, the adventures of radio's most exciting character took flight. And yet, interestingly enough, the very man whose skills these words outlined was nowhere to be seen in the entire episode! MILLIONS OF MILES FROM OUR OWN... Following that startling opening statement, the narrator takes us to the other side of our own yellow sun, to a planet called Krypton, whose population has evolved "into a race of Supermen -- men and women like ourselves but advanced to the peak of physical perfection." One of these that we quickly meet is Jor-L, who is addressing the ruling body of Krypton -- the Science Council. Jor-L (brought to life by radio's Dick Tracy -- Ned Wever, who would return in various roles throughout the run of the Superman series) pleads with the Council to listen to his findings -- that the planet Krypton is shifting its orbit, being drawn closer to the sun. When asked what his solution to the problem is, Jor-L replies that the people of Krypton could build a fleet of spacecraft similar to the prototype he is currently working on in his home laboratory, and migrate to another world. The Science Council laughs him out of their presence. Discouraged but by no means defeated, Jor-L returns to his lab and continues construction of his model spacecraft. While he does so, his wife, Lara, approaches. THE LOVELY MARGOT LANE The wife of Jor-L was voiced by Agnes Moorhead, one of the premiere radio actresses of the day. Ms. Moorhead originated the role of Margot Lane on "The Shadow" opposite Orson Welles; and in fact made her screen debut in Welles' classic "Citizen Kane." She also portrayed Elizabeth Montgomery's mother on the television sitcom "Bewitched." Her performance on "Superman" is brief but memorable as a loving and concerned wife and mother. She approaches her husband and asks what the Council had to say about his findings. Bravely, clearly ashamed to admit of his failure to his wife, he replies "I... I didn't mention it." Their conversation is suddenly interrupted by a violent quaking -- the planet Krypton beginning its final death throes. Reacting quickly, Jor-L and Lara place their sleeping infant son, Kal-L, into the ship, and send him to the safety of the planet Earth mere moments before Krypton's gravitational shift tears that planet apart. A JOB FOR SUPERMAN... The second episode of the series, which aired on February 14, 1940, found the baby Kal-L's journey complete. "During the voyage," says the narrator, "the child has become a man," and the long-awaited public debut of Superman can finally be heard. The producers of the show decided early on that they would need special talent to pull of the roles of Superman and his alter ego, Clark Kent. They were unsure at first whether they should go with one or two actors for the part; but that question was quickly settled when Clayton "Bud" Collyer stepped up to the microphone for his audition. Collyer, who had already made a name for himself as Pat Ryan on the adventure series "Terry and the Pirates," used a high tenor voice as Clark Kent, dropping down to a low baritone register for the Man of Steel. No matter how many times I listen to it, I still get shivers whenever he makes the transition from one to the other -- "This looks like a job FOR SUPERMAN." Great stuff. Although Superman himself was nowhere to be seen during his inaugural episode, the actor who brought him to life so wonderfully was heard as a mocking voice within the Science Council. Had Bud Collyer had his way, that would have been the end of it -- despite the fact that his talent was so perfectly suited for the role of Superman, "I really fought to unload it!" as he said during a 1966 interview. Bob Maxwell and Allen Ducovny, the show's producers, tricked Collyer into returning after his audition, and the actor finally relented to their pressure. He made his first appearance as Superman in events which I will describe after a brief word on details. THE STORY'S THE THING There are nine planets in our solar system, each with their own satellite moons, and an asteroid belt, all of which revolve around our yellow sun. Were any of these planets to "shift" in their orbit, the resultant gravitational disruption would affect all the others. Disastrously. But this scientific fact is conveniently ignored in the first episode of the radio series, which had Krypton -- a tenth planet, on the opposite side of our sun from the Earth -- doing precisely that. This was but the first of many small "trivial" details that were glossed over during the run of the "Superman" series. The reason for this score of omissions is simple enough -- the show was written for children; and kids weren't interested in fact, they wanted adventure and excitement. It may be -- indeed it *is* -- essential for the Superman myth that the planet Krypton orbited a red sun in a distant galaxy and it is because of the yellow solar radiation that Superman's physically perfect body is augmented with super powers; but for the radio audiences of 1940 it was sufficient to say that Kryptonians were all Supermen. Another vital "detail" to the Superman myth is that it was Jonathan and Martha Kent who found the Kryptonian babe, named him, and raised him with their own positive moral example. But, because the producers of the series wanted action and adventure over setup, that didn't happen. Instead, episode 2 found Superman, already a grownup, observing his new home in wonderment. Watching from afar, he notices than an elderly Professor and his young son, Jimmy, are in peril -- the trolley car that they were going to take into town has run out of control and threatens to smash itself to bits on a tree which has fallen across the tracks. Quick as lightning, Superman flies down, tears off the roof of the trolley car, and saves them just in the nick of time. The two survivors thank their mysterious benefactor, who they notice is clad in a "blue costume, with that cloak and shield on your breast" -- the "clothes of a Superman." Superman asks them to prove their gratitude by giving him some advice: Superman: "You know the people here. I have yet to find them out..." Professor: "You want to meet men, eh?" Superman: "Not 'meet' them, Professor: observe them. See them at their best and worst; to know who to help and when help is needed." Professor: "Well let's see... to see men at their best and worst... how about a newspaper? ... Yes, a great metropolitan daily!" Superman's civilian identity is established just as quickly and conveniently by the Professor's young son, Jimmy, who suggests excitedly, "How about... 'Clark Kent'? That sounds ordinary enough." Thanking the Professor and his son for their help, and extracting from them the promise never to reveal his existence or identity ("I want no one to know... except those I help"), Superman flies off, eager to join the staff of a major metropolitan newspaper in his secret identity of mild-mannered Clark Kent. A GREAT METROPOLITAN NEWSPAPER Clark Kent attempts to get a job with the Daily Planet, whose gruff editor Perry White (Julian Noa, who established the blustering editor and cemented that image in the public's mind's eye) takes a chance on the young reporter, sending him to Colorado to investigate the threat against the Western Limited. A mysterious figure called the Wolf has threatened to destroy that train. Can Kent, who is Superman, make the 200 mile journey in time to save the Limited, just out of Denver and on its way to Salt Lake? Tune in next time, same time, same station, to find out! "Up in the sky -- look!" "It's a bird!" "It's a plane!" "It's SUPERMAN!" [Quotations taken from the "Superman" radio series, episodes 1 and 2, released on cassette by Smithsonian Historical Performances.] __________________________________ 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 fifth installment of my column which will point your way to the many Superman-related sites on the web. As always, if you are interested in the guidelines I follow when reviewing sites, there's a page up at: http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Capsule/7801/webofsteel.html This time around, I'm covering websites for "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman," and there's a lot of them (so many, in fact, that I'll probably have a second one in a few more months, and probably a third after that). EPISODE GUIDE How can I do a column on L&C websites without mentioning our dear editor's own L&C episode guide? Jeff also keeps you up-to-date on Turner's rerun schedule for the series. You can find it at: http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/lc DOUBLE MEANINGS IN LOIS & CLARK Yes, it's another Lois & Clark fan site, this one focusing on sounds from the tv show. Right off the bat, there's an autoplaying sound, which is always annoying. Essentially, what this site offers are sound bites from the series which, when taken out of context, have a double entendre to them. Aside from the autoplaying sound, my biggest complaint is places where there is red text on the dark blue patterned background (which is impossible to read on my monitor). If you're a L&C completist, this is a site you'll want to hit. Four out of five shields (the site achieves the intent, but I hate autoplaying sounds, and the lack of contrast between background and text is also annoying). http://members.aol.com/BluJae/lcsounds.html CLAUDINE'S LOIS AND CLARK PAGE Yes, there are a lot of Lois and Clark fan sites out there... and this is another one. Unfortunately, it's another one with an autoplaying sound on the home page. The site also uses a bright red background with blue lettering... barely readable, but it can be read. So far as content goes, Claudine offers L&C web cards (the first I've seen so far), which earns points for uniqueness, links to two of the "fifth and sixth season" fan fiction sites, a place to nominate fan fiction for the current "Kerth" awards (named after a journalism award from the TV series), bio and photo pages of Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher, scans of a few articles about the show, a multimedia page with sounds, video, pictures and photos of fan gatherings, and a relatively up-to-date news section to let fans know what's happening with the stars of the show. Altogether a nice package, marred only by the autoplaying sound (can you tell how much these bother me?) and text/background choices. Four out of five shields. http://members.aol.com/cmassih/claudy.htm IN LOVING MEMORY OF LOIS & CLARK Andrea's L&C page commits what's fast becoming the "cardinal sin" of websurfing for me... having an autoplaying sound. Here's another bit of advice: If you're going to check out this site, grab yourself a bite to eat while you wait... there's one graphic that's about a megabyte in size alone! I don't mind a long download time when it's worth it, but this wait was painfully long. After nearly 20 minutes, I gave up and went to check out the multimedia area. While there are some nice downloads of promos for the show from the UK in that area, the blue background is much too dark compared to the text. Most of the videos are available as AVI files or in Real Video, which is a nice touch. There are also a good number of screen captures from the show, as well as photos of co-stars Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher. The most interesting area of the site is Andrea's creations inspired by the show, with stories and videos created by her. I didn't download any of the videos, as I'm not trying to spend *that* much time at each site I review, but if you're into fan-created videos, check them out. So, we have a lot of content balanced against an autoplaying sound and long download time... the content helps overcome those two points quite a bit, enough so that I can rate this site four shields out of five. http://www.annie.simplenet.com COOKIE'S LOIS & CLARK PAGE Cookie's got a nice little fan site here, although it's been nearly two years since she's done anything with it. Still... what's there is nice. There are a nice variety of photos (which aren't all the standard photos you see on nearly all L&C sites), and probably the biggest feature, a number of songs you can download that were featured on the show. There are also a number of scans of prizes Cookie's won on AOL chats for correctly answering trivia questions. Where this site really suffers is the number of "New!" bursts (rather unusual for a site that hasn't been updated since 1997) and the link to the FoLC (Fans/Friends of Lois & Clark) Ad (placed in USA Today in an attempt to get ABC to reconsider cancelling the show as well as attract more viewers), which when clicked tells you the ad "will be" appearing... Still, I won't count that against Cookie too badly, as she wasn't promising anything more than a tribute to her favorite show, which she's done. Four out of five shields. http://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~lienanhd/lc.html THE LOIS & CLARK FANFIC ARCHIVE Okay, let me begin this review with two disclaimers: 1) The site was actually reviewed by my wife Barbara, not I (she's much more into fan-fiction these days than I am) and 2) this archive has all of my own L&C fan fiction of several years ago (written during the third season of the show). Those disclaimers aside, let me tell you that this is probably the best site out there for fan-fiction, period. Want to find a particular story by title? You can do that. Want to find all stories by a particular writer? You can do that, too. It's extremely well organized, and I can easily award it five out of five shields, making it this month's KC Web of Steel Site of the Month! Highly recommended if you're into fan-fiction! http://lcfanfic.actwd.com That's it for this issue, super-surfers... join me back here next time for a column covering Superman merchandise on the web, plus next month's Site of the Month! 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 PHANTOM ZONE: Reviews of the pre-Crisis Man of Steel ------------------------------------------------------------------ SUPERMAN #278 ------------------------------------------- By Scott Devarney (devarney@ll.mit.edu) Back in the mid-70s, DC experimented with a format they called the 100-Page Super Spectacular. It usually had one new story, about five reprints from the Golden and Silver Ages, and some shorter features. Several titles converted exclusively to this format (the Batman titles, _Shazam_, and _Justice League of America_, to name a few), but just about every super-hero title published occasional issues in this format. When _Superman_ went to this format, the stories centered on a theme. The theme for issue #278 (August 1974) is "Around the World in 100 Pages". The new story features Superman in the Old West. SUPER-SHOWDOWN AT BUZZARD GULCH Writer: Cary Bates Art: Curt Swan and Bob Oksner Editor: Julius Schwartz Terra-Man kidnaps Lois, Jimmy, Perry, Clark, Morgan Edge, Steve Lombard, and Lola Barnett. All but Clark are hypnotized into believing that they are residents of the Old West town of Buzzard Gulch. Terra-Man challenges Superman to a series of seven fights; if Superman loses a fight, one of his friends dies. This is a fun story. Terra-Man concedes that he can't stop Superman directly, so he strikes at the Man of Steel through his friends. This plays on one of Superman's greatest fears and underscores just how low Terra-Man truly is. Terra-Man also gets the added "bonus" of humiliating Superman time and time again. Of course, he also runs the risk of being captured every time he stages a fight, but one gets the impression that that is part of the fun for Terra-Man. The story's pacing is a problem in that it seems rushed. Each confrontation lasts only a few panels and three of the fights aren't shown at all. Had each battle lasted for at least a page, tension could have been better built and there might have been room for more than a cursory look at Superman's emotions. LOLA BARNETT'S METROPOLIS GOSSIP This is one of the short features. It is just a collection of sight gags involving the cast and is just filler. The other features are a "Tricksy" comic strip and a "Superman vs. SHAZAM" letters page. THE MERMAID FROM ATLANTIS Art: Wayne Boring Reprinted from _Superman_ #138, July 1960 (All information regarding the original sources of the reprinted material comes from the main letter column in this issue.) While Lois and Clark are on assignment at sea, mermaid Lori Lemaris tries to trick Superman into proposing to Lois. This story has all of the trademark characterizations of the Silver Age Superman/Lois stories, namely insensitive Superman and desperate Lois. The latter is shown when Lois seriously considers a sudden marriage proposal from an amnesiac shipwreck survivor, for fear of becoming an old maid; the former is shown when Clark angrily snubs her when she goes to him for advice. Lori is well-intentioned, but her efforts are wasted on this clueless pair; after witnessing their behavior, one wonders why anyone would bother trying to get these two together. THE COMPASS POINTS TO MURDER Reprinted from _Superman_ #33, March-April 1945 A shipping magnate is murdered and implicates one of four captains in his employ. Superman must travel to the four ends of the Earth to solve this mystery. This story features the cocky Golden Age Superman and he is a joy to watch. The art is very dynamic; especially striking are the symbolic scenes of Superman flying literally to the four points of the compass. The story is epic yet doesn't feel rushed, although how Superman figures out the murderer's identity is confusing. Some of the story elements may be objectionable to today's readers, most notably the violent whaling scenes. THE SEVEN SECRETS OF SUPERMAN Reprinted from _World's Finest_ #62, January-February 1963 Professor Wilton has created a 4th-dimensional projector which can instantly send or retrieve any object to or from any place. To keep his machine from Luthor, Professor Wilton splits up its formula into seven capsules and uses his machine to send the capsules to seven inaccessible spots in the world. He then destroys his machine but leaves a list of clues as to the locations of the capsules. The seven spots are the highest place, the deepest place, the biggest crater, the hottest place, the coldest place, the most dangerous place, and the safest place. Luthor holds Lois hostage and forces Superman to decipher the clues and retrieve the formula. This story focuses on Superman using his brain. Superman quickly deciphers most of the clues and retrieves the capsules. There is not a lot of action, but there is suspense towards the end of the story as Superman tries to rescue Lois before Luthor can harm her. Regarding the clues, there are a couple of quibbles. They are supposed to be in Earth's most inaccessible places, yet the crater used isn't on Earth but on the moon; and the most dangerous place is an atomic energy plant but Superman finds the exact plant quickly. The artist (Al Plastino, maybe?) draws plenty of great scenes of Superman in flight, but his Luthor is extremely ugly, and in several close-ups, Superman looks like a Neanderthal. CLARK KENT, COWARD Art: Curt Swan and George Klein Reprinted from _Action Comics_ #298, March 1963 Clark, Jimmy, and Lois accidentally take a ride on a runaway balloon to the mysterious kingdom of Mistri-Lor. The ruler, Queen Lura, falls in love with meek Clark, who is unlike all of the other very masculine men in her kingdom. This doesn't sit well with Prince Vikar, her betrothed. Clark must find a way to dissuade Queen Lura's affections, save her from assassination attempts, get his friends home, attend to his Superman duties, and still protect his secret identity. This story demonstrates one of Superman's greatest powers, super-tolerance. The man puts up with a lot of grief to maintain his secret identity. Bruce Wayne, Hal Jordan, and Barry Allen have the respect of their peers. Clark's "friends" have no sympathy for the predicament he finds himself in, nor do they try to help him out of it. Instead they belittle him for showing fear when confronted by a roaring tiger and when forced into a life-or-death duel with explosive boomerangs. Had Jimmy been the one duelling, he'd have been pressing his signal watch so hard, the signal button would have gone through the other side of the watch! Lois and Jimmy also fair poorly in the intelligence category. Know how Clark routinely fools them using just a pair of glasses? Well, as part of his ruse to escape Queen Lura's advances, he pretends to break his glasses so that it appears that he can't see. He appears for two pages without his glasses -- and neither Lois nor Jimmy recognize that Clark is Superman! THE SUPERMAN SPECTACULARS Art: Wayne Boring Reprinted from _Action Comics_ #211, December 1955 Perry talks Superman into performing a series of stunts for the French, Greek, Italian, Dutch, and Japanese editions of the Daily Planet. Photos of those stunts will be published in those papers to celebrate their anniversaries. Unfortunately, none of the pictures are printed. Have Superman's super-feats become old news? This is a story which deftly mixes the super and the man. The super-feats are impressive with each successive feat becoming grander as Superman becomes increasingly frustrated. Superman's frustration is understandable. He's doing this as a favor to Perry; he's taking time out of his days to plan and execute the stunts; and he takes pride in his work. The excuses he gets from the various editors are very flimsy. The ultimate reason for the snubs is a heartwarming tribute to the Man of Tomorrow. Superman's doing the feats for the Planet is unsettling. It seems as if he's staging the news for the Planet's benefit. The papers' competitors in the various countries would not be happy with Superman's actions. Comments on this from people in journalism would be appreciated. All in all, this is a fun collection, as are most of the Super-Spectaculars. They are well worth seeking out, but they may be hard to find, and there may be a wide range of prices. For example, I picked up this issue in very good condition for $4.75, but I saw other Super-Spectacular issues going for $8.00-$12.00. _____________________________________ End of Section 4 _____________________________________ NEW COMIC REVIEWS --------------------------------------- Comics Arriving In Stores July 1999 We have twelve reviews for you this month, but there were a couple of guest appearances that completists will want to make note of. First, Superman and other members appear in _Hourman_ #6, but as androids, courtesy of the new-found powers of Amazo. Second, in a touch of set-up for their upcoming 2-part guest-starring stint, the Young Justice kids make a cameo appearance in the pages of _Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E._ #2. Ratings Panelists: ----------------- BS: Brian Seidman GD: Gavin Douglas SDM: Simon DelMonte CoS: Cory Strode GR: Gary Robinson SI: Seth Isaacs DWk: Douglas Wolk JB: Jeremy Bleichman SL: Sebastian Lecocq EJ: Enola Jones JSy: Jeff Sykes ST: Shane Travis EM: Edward Mathews MS: Mike Smith SY: Steven Younis GC: Glenn Crouch RG: Rene' Gobeyn TD: Thomas Deja As always, the first rating given after the average is that of the reviewer. The average rating given for each book may correspond to a larger sample of ratings than what is printed following the average. ================================================ THE TRIANGLE TITLES: ------------------- 33. THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #570 Sep 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN "Secret Origins, Part 2: The Invader From Earth!" Script: Tom Peyer Plot: Ron Marz (pages 1-6), Tom Peyer (pages 7-22) Pencils: Tom Grindberg Inks: Tom Palmer Lettering: Gaspar Saladino Colorist: Glenn Whitmore Separator: Digital Chameleon Associate: Maureen McTigue Editor: Joey Cavalieri Cover: Walt Simonson RATINGS Average: 2.5/5.0 Shields EJ: 4.5 Shields BS: 2.3 Shields - This issue wasn't bad, but it just didn't do anything for me. JLA guest-stars have become boring, and Adam Strange's appearance was so quick it was almost a cameo. All-in-all, it looks a lot like Team Superman again. DWk: 2.3 Shields - I've been reading Adam Strange stories for 15 years, and if this one baffled me, think what it must do for people who've never encountered him before. GC: 3.6 Shields - Good handling of Rann, and involvement of the "real" Adam Strange. Very reminiscent of pre-Crisis imaginary tales, and not as dark as some of the elseworlds, though I get a little tired of Superman's mind being damaged all the time. JB: 1.8 Shields - Suffers from Elseworld-itis; the compulsion to restore the status quo at the end. I expected better from Mr. Peyer. JSy: 2.0 Shields - Superman as near-despotic protector of his world? Didn't we just finish a whole arc about this? (Though I'll admit that the Adam Strange story has never done much for me anyway...) SL: 2.0 Shields - Grindberg and Palmer do an average job, but this second part is too linear and without surprises, making for a rather uninteresting story. SY: 2.5 Shields - Nothing very inspiring here. Would hate for this to be someone's first Superman comic. Review by: Enola Jones PLOT As J'onn J'onzz, Green Lantern, Steel, and the Flash scour the galaxy for Superman, he undergoes the second of four memory implants by Cogito. The purpose of these implants remains a mystery at this point. This time, Superman is Skyforce, a ruthless security agent who singlehandedly protects the planet Rann from both alien invaders and the citizens themselves. He is engaged to Alanna, the daughter of Rann's most eminent scientist Sardath, who is as headstrong and impulsive as Skyforce is rigid. Skyforce captures a band of aliens called the Eternal Ones just as a Zeta-beam yanks an Earthman named Adam Strange to Rann. Skyforce sees only another alien invader -- Alanna sees something more. Adam breaks through Skyforce's paranoia with a handshake, and the Zeta-beam draws him back to Earth. Soon thereafter, Skyforce dismantles his Fortress and turns the invaders over to other authorities. He himself leaves Rann for Earth after giving Adam Strange the Eternal Ones' ship so that he may fly to Rann and live there permanently. At that moment, however, the memory program seems to destroy Superman's brain. Cogito nonetheless begins a third scenario... to be continued in _Action Comics_. REVIEW I love "What If" stories. I always have. One could arguably say that all comic stories are "What If" stories, and be right in doing so, but what I call "What If" stories involve taking established fictional characters and *tweaking* them just a little. Red Kryptonite stories were and still are favourites because of the changes that would take place. Stories that took place on other worlds and in other times were and still are favourites because of the break from the 'routine' involved. Exotic locales were a plus, *if* something happened to change the main character (which is why the recent Wild Lands _Superboy_ stories were such a hit with me). My favourite of all favourites, and the type I write the most when I write my own stories, is the Alternate Universe story. One of Cogito's lines expresses perfectly why I write what I do; "Alternate histories must be pursued, embraced, studied and mastered... because TRUE history is always so TRAGIC." Amen. Also known in the past as Imaginary Stories, these tales would have one small detail 'tweaked' and everything else would change. Kal-El was found by the Waynes, for example; or the main characters were gender-reversed or age-altered. Perhaps Earth was destroyed and Jimmy Olsen was rocketed to Krypton where he became Superman. Perhaps the entire birth-family of Kal-El survived. Perhaps Kal-El's ship landed somewhere other than the United States -- Russia for example. Or perhaps it never landed on Earth at all. Perhaps it landed on another planet altogether. A planet like Rann. That's the premise behind _Adventures of Superman_ #570. While the opening and closing pages make it clear that Superman is in grave danger in reality, the middle pages -- Superman's dream -- are so plain and so solid they stand firmly on their own as a story. Before I get into the alternate reality, let me say that I find the idea of the JLA coming after one of their own as very empowering. If one is lucky enough to find friends that loyal, and that caring, one is truly blessed indeed. Contrary to popular opinion, that sort of friendship is not only found in stories. Even if it is confined to the printed page, it should be an ideal to aspire to. The art in the JLA sections does not variate from the animated cel-like views in the dream sequence (once or twice, I could *swear* I saw Alanna's hair actually move with the wind). This aspect of the art manages to communicate quite readily the depth of the feelings felt by the members. When J'onn J'onzz announces Superman's mind is gone, his grief shows on his face, its depth an almost palpable thing. I must confess, seeing Superman in Adam Strange's outfit with the 'S' shield on the cover of Adventures was a bit... jarring. Seeing him fly out of a Zeta-beam was even more so. Once again, however, the cover of Adventures was misleading. (What is this, three months in a row?) He was not from a Zeta-beam. He was raised on Rann, to be the ultimate security force. Sadly, however, this version of Superman was cold. Protecting Rann from alien invasions turned him into a pseudo-dictator who kept anyone who didn't agree with him locked away in his Fortress. Though he was to marry Alanna, it was plain from the way he talked about her and the way she talked about him that they did not love each other. It appeared merely to be a way of cementing Skyforce's power. When Adam Strange himself shows up, he finds himself at the mercy of a people so xenophobic they've forgotten what trust is. He also finds himself having made an enemy of the most powerful being on Rann simply because he exists. This Superman is one who is prejudiced, cruel, and hateful, and it shows most strongly in his actions toward Adam. "Swim and I will boil the river. Run and I will shatter the ground." I wanted to climb into the comic and slap his face. It would have been worth the broken hand. The resolution of the story was a bit abrupt for my tastes, though I did like Adam shattering Skyforce's preconceived notions with a simple handshake. That one action made me smile for hours. Adam's example led the cold, heartless man to discover the warmth that lay within, and freedom was the result. From the way the text is worded, I wonder if Rann was ever free before this -- if Skyforce wasn't simply the last in a long line of dictators? The last few panels of the imagination story, with Adam on Rann and Skyforce on Earth, leave one with an "all's right with the world" feeling -- a good feeling sadly missing from many stories lately. The last panel of the book left me with anticipation; Hawkman was one of my favourites in the seventies. Seeing Kal-El as Hawkman will be a trip and a half. That is, if the last panel's not as misleading as this issue's cover was. Looking forward to _Action Comics_ and more "What If" stories.... ================================================ 34. ACTION COMICS #757 Sep 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN "Secret Origins, Part 3: Eyes of the Hawk" Writer: Tom Peyer Penciller: Tom Grindberg Inker: Bill Anderson Letters: Gaspar Colorist: Glenn Whitmore Separator: Digital Chameleon Assoc. Ed.: Maureen McTigue Editor: Joey Cavalieri Cover: Walt Simonson RATINGS Average: 2.7/5.0 Shields GR: 2.4 Shields BS: 3.4 Shields - I'm not a big Hawkman fan, but the appearance of Paran and Byth served to remind us of the richness of the Hawkman legacy. This plot is starting to pick up. DWk: 2.0 Shields - It's kind of a mistake to use Hawkman for anything until someone figures out how to fix his continuity morass. EJ: 4.3 Shields - This is probably the ultimate misuse of Superman's powers I've yet to see. Katar as the hero of the book -- though a mistreated, misunderstood one -- I loved! EM: 2.5 Shields - Wow. Perhaps it was the "police state" tone of the book and perhaps it was revisiting Hawkman, a character that DC has managed to turn into a continuity mess, but whatever it was, this issue was the weakest of the arc. JB: 2.5 Shields - Peyer does better this week, but even his look at the society of the Hawkworld doesn't raise this Elseworld riff above the level of average. SI: 2.1 Shields - Yet another issue of Supes in slumber. This plot has lost its appeal. It's been a series of Elseworlds tales wrapped in a framing device. Maybe the conclusion will make it worthwhile. SL: 3.2 Shields - While the story is not very original, the whole episode is consistent. Katar Hol is used with far more subtlety than the latest personification of Superman. TD: 2.0 Shields - The lowest point of the story arc, with Peyer hitting all the dark, noir-ish Elseworlds cliches and a sloppy art job. Review by: Gary D. Robinson The more things change, the more they stay the same -- except they cost more. Back in the Silver Age, there was a story entitled, "The Day Superman Became The Flash" (_Action_ #314, July, 1964) that asked the question, "What if Jor-El had pointed his son's rocket at a planet other than Earth?" The scientist consulted a computer forecaster in order to determine what planet to send Kal-El. Before deciding on Earth, he discarded five other planets on which Kal would have battled crime under guises very similar to those of his Justice League cohorts -- but on which he would have been unhappy or alienated. Fast forward thirty-five years. Now we're reading a serial that asks the question, "What if Jor-El had pointed his son's rocket at a planet other than Earth?" So far, Kal-El has grown up on Oa and become a Green Lantern, and on Rann where he became a planetary protector, a la Adam Strange. The penultimate chapter explores Kal-El's destiny on the world of the hawkmen, Thanagar. Solomon had it right, didn't he? There's nothing new under the sun. Still, we can be thankful the modern writers have reduced the planetary options from five to four; it's less expensive that way! "Eyes Of The Hawk" begins with Green Lantern, Flash, Steel, and J'onn J'onzz searching through space for Superman. J'onn worries that Superman's brain has died. They re-experience an encounter with a great space octopus. (As Casey Stengel might've put it, they deja vu all over again.) Meanwhile, Superman hangs cruciform and unconscious before a villain named Cogito who, for reasons thus far known only to himself, is studying why Superman became the Supes we all know and love. The first part of the story (_Superman_ #147) depicted Jor-El as having created a "probability file" full of planetary prospects for his child. Mr. I Think has somehow -- Lord knows how! -- plugged this device into Superman. The process seems to be destroying Superman's mind. None of this gobbledygook is explained. Indeed, in this issue, there's not even a mention of Jor-El. Anyway, we somehow shift to Thanagar, a world under the pall of a police state. By order of the government, no private citizen may possess lead. Even the Thanagarian police aren't allowed to know why. Naturally, their superiors are protecting the secret of their Seer, Kal-El's projected identity in this world. He sees everything unshielded by lead, hears everything, but, strangely, is unable to fly or do much of anything else. Katar Hol, a chromosome level or two above the run-of-the-mill cop, delves into the mystery. He learns that his father had discovered the infant Superman in his fabled rocket. He wanted to study the baby, but made the mistake of obtaining funds for his research from the authorities, effectively putting the strange visitor from another planet into their hands. The dastards have inserted a power-robbing crab (yes, you read right -- a crab.) into Kal's neck to keep him in check. Since Seer can see and hear Katar wherever he goes, he learns the truth about himself. (Given his ability to overhear, if not see, practically everything on the planet, the question arises: why weren't the bad guys' plans thwarted years ago? It's a question we're apparently not to ask.) Kal commandeers some wings and rescues Katar before he can be silenced. In return, Katar performs a nauseating crab-ectomy on Kal, freeing him and, we suppose, Thanagar from oppression. The last pages of this issue return us to Cogito's lair, where we receive the mystifying revelation that he has Steel, Lantern, Flash, and JJ under mind-control as well. The Thanagarian sequence is unmemorable. I had to read the thing twice just to recall what happened. Tom Grindberg's pencils are sometimes good -- reminiscent of the great Gene Colan -- and sometimes sloppy. The layouts needed to be tighter. Maybe my mind is starting to totter along with my old eyes, but, sometimes, I couldn't tell which way to look. I was rather disgusted with the framing sequence involving Cogito. For reasons given above, I couldn't make head or tail of it. Maybe all will be made as clear and lucid as a cloudless moon in the last chapter, but since they have to make room for the Superman On Mars scenario, I doubt clarity will be forthcoming. The whole thing seems just an excuse to dress Superman in other garb and play with his powers and role. It's Blueperman revisited, King of the World revisited. In short, it seems less a story than a gimmick. So, it could be argued, was "The Day Superman Became The Flash," but, shoot! That one only cost twelve cents! ================================================ 35. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #92 Sep 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN "Secret Origins, Part 4: Cogito Ergo Doom!" Writer: Tom Peyer Penciller: Tom Grindberg Inker: Tom Palmer Letters: Gaspar Saladino Colorist: Glenn Whitmore Separator: Digital Chameleon Assoc. Ed.: Maureen McTigue Editor: Joey Cavalieri Cover: Walt Simonson RATINGS Average: 3.0/5.0 Shields MS: 3.0 Shields BS: 3.5 Shields - This issue was, at least, a change of pace. I liked the Vulcan mind-meld, as well as Superman being super and helping the civilization. On the other hand, the JLA has never been that chummy since Pre-Crisis. DWk: 1.4 Shields - The "merging identities" thing defies most of what we already know about J'onn, and makes for some really awful writing. Not as lame as the conclusion to the story, though, which requires everyone to act beyond credibility. GC: 2.2 Shields - I enjoyed the first 3 parts, then came this. The story seemed rushed and disjointed. Superman goes from having his mind completely gone to easily fixed. Seems like they had a good story and a good mystery but no real plan on how to conclude it. JB: 3.6 Shields - I'd love to toss out a one-liner like "cogito ergo sucks", but this actually ended well. It's always really cool to see Superman proving his heroism in new and different ways, and giving up his identity to save a world certainly qualifies. JSy: 3.5 Shields - A pretty good ending for a so-so story arc, though I have a hard time accepting Cogito's sudden attitude reversal in allowing the other leaguers to accompany him in the final pages. SI: 1.4 Shields - What a disappointment. As I read this I found myself saying "oh puhlease" just a few times to many. The mental wars and the solution Superman and J'onn come up with just didn't work. TD: 4.0 Shields - To my surprise, Peyer wrapped it up well, producing a clever little puzzle story reminiscent of the best of the early 70's stories. In its way, the wrap-up is more satisfying in its nostalgic power than the Elseworlds sections preceding it. Review by: Mike Smith I never cared much for Ron Marz and Tom Peyer. Until now. My problems with Peyer go back a ways. Mostly I'm just irritated that he couldn't keep his commitments on his _Marvel Team Up_ revival a couple of years ago. As for Marz, he wrote the four part Kandor story arc last year, and you can dig up my review in the KC archives to find out what I thought of that. This time, though, I find myself pleasantly surprised with their joint venture in this month's Superman books. "Secret Origins", or "The One-Man JLA" if you only read the covers, is a fun story arc that focuses on Superman and dissects the character to his very essence. I don't know how they did it, maybe it was their collaboration, but Marz and Peyer pulled it off, so I won't question it. Just to bring you up to speed: Superman has been abducted by the mysterious Cogito, who is forcing Superman's mind to relive artificial memories of what his life might have been like if he had been sent to other worlds -- Oa, Rann, Thanagar, specifically. A four-man JLA squad has gone off in search of Superman, but they've been captured as well, and are currently reliving a memory of battling an alien squid over and over again. Superman's mind is very nearly on the verge of collapse, but Cogito presses on with one final scenario where Kal-El grew up among Martians. Perhaps that thin connection is what helps the Martian Manhunter see through Cogito's illusion, and allows him to establish telepathic contact with Superman. J'onn mind-melds with the Man of Steel, and the two of them join not only brains but bodies; J'onn's body assumes Superman's features, and the melded pair wakes up, frees themselves and the others, and makes short work of Cogito's robots. Under interrogation, Cogito explains that he learned of Superman from a trader who sold him a Kryptonian data unit containing alternate-life projections Jor-El used to help to decide on a destination planet for the unborn Kal-El. Cogito realized that he could use those scenarios to help save his homeworld. That world, X'vyv'x, has been overrun by an invading force called the Sole Jurisdiction, and even though the JLA would be willing to help despite Cogito's actions, Cogito refuses to trust them with the location of his homeworld. After all, the last aliens X'vyv'x trusted were the Sole Jurisdiction, so they've naturally become a bit paranoid. Which brings us to Cogito's plan; he wanted to use the data-unit to re-write Superman's memories so he had grown up on X'vyv'x instead of Earth. Only then would Cogito have a hero X'vyv'x could trust. Fortunately, Superman has a solution to the deadlock. Voluntarily submitting to Cogito's memory probe, Superman becomes the champion and adoptive son of X'vyv'x, and repels the Sole Jurisdiction in a matter of minutes. Swayed by Superman's self-sacrifice and courage, Cogito takes the other Leaguers to Superman and restores his identity once and for all. Cogito promises that he'll ask for help the next time he needs it, and Superman at last returns home with his friends. Yesterday, I read the back of a macaroni box featuring various animated DC heroes. The entry for Superman said something like, "This is the hero that everyone looks up to -- even other heroes!" This issue is a testament to that reputation. With all of Cogito's power, you'd think he could have found a way to defeat the Sole Jurisdiction himself, or at least found a hero more susceptible to his memory probes. He didn't; he wanted the best. Similarly, after everything Superman went through at the hands of Cogito, it would have been very simple to leave him high and dry -- especially since he refused to even tell the JLA where his planet was -- but he doesn't. Superman put his very identity on the line, his only hope of getting it back being that Cogito would follow Superman's selfless example and allow the JLA to retrieve him. Of course, what does it say about a man that he has four friends who are willing to wander across the galaxy to save his neck? Quite a bit. That's what this story has done; it's shown just how much of an impact Superman can have on entire worlds, and perhaps it shows just how much impact this world has had on him. The line "Earth must be a paradise!" says it all. I was a little disappointed that we didn't see more of the Superman of Mars, but I suppose the story had to end somewhere. Beyond that, I only have three major complaints. First, I would have liked to have seen more attention on the JLA. Other than the Martian Manhunter, none of them got much characterization here; the fact that I could write the above synopsis without even mentioning Green Lantern, the Flash, or Steel makes my case for me. Second, I thought Tom Grindberg's design of the X'vyv'x Superman was lacking in originality. We had already seen five drastic variations on Superman's costume (all nicely done, by the way), so why not one more? I would have preferred something in the green and purple of the X'vyv'x culture, or perhaps even the red Kirbyesque suit Cogito was wearing. On the subject of Cogito, I found it mildly annoying that Steel unmasked him only to discover that he was a much smaller, frightened little alien. That irony was played out with the Anti-Hero in the Team Superman special a few months back. Here, it's just tedious, and it didn't really serve to further the plot. Big, mean-looking people need help too, sometimes. Nevertheless, this issue served as a satisfying conclusion to a strong story-arc, and it served to redeem Marz and Peyer in my eyes. This is definitely one of the better guest shots -- maybe even one of the better issues, period -- that I've seen come down the pike. _____________________________________ End of Section 5 _____________________________________ THE TRIANGLE TITLES (cont): -------------------------- 36. SUPERMAN #148 Sep 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN "Champions" Writer: Dan Jurgens Penciller: Steve Epting Inker: Joe Rubinstein Letterer: John Costanza Colorist: Glenn Whitmore Separator: Digital Chameleon Assoc. Ed.: Maureen McTigue Editor: Joey Cavalieri Cover: Epting and Rubinstein RATINGS Average: 3.2/5.0 Shields TD: 3.9 Shields BS: 3.6 Shields - Characterization of Superman was right on for a change. I'm glad to see a Lois plot, too, but she can't really be mad just because Lana named her child after Clark, can she? EM: 3.4 Shields - Oooh! A cliffhanger *and* a self-contained story -- be still my beating heart. This is an interesting take on Vartox and I can't wait to see who the mysterious figure is. GC: 3.1 Shields - Whilst the story by itself is quite good, and the re-introduction of Vartox is interesting, we have Superman just return from "One Man JLA" only to be "lost" in space again. The interesting ending saves it for me. JSy: 3.0 Shields - Several nice little touches such as Superman's wanting to help NASA, the set-up of the Man of Steel, and Epting's subtle hint on page four concerning the primary villain. The actual combat scenes left a little to be desired, but an interesting read overall. SL: 2.1 Shields - The two pages with Lois, Clark's parents and the Rosses were the only ones I was happy to read. Even the good art of Epting and Rubinstein can't save this boring episode. ST: 4.0 Shields - An excellent portrayal of Superman's leadership, heroism, and smarts. Bonus points for re-introducing Vartox, for a one-issue story, for an unexpected surprise ending. Points off for Lois' inexplicable reaction to Lana's baby. SY: 3.5 Shields - The twist at the end caught me by surprise. Although I spoilt the identity of the mystery villain at the end for myself by having read Previews first. Review by: Thomas Deja Of all the aspects of Superman, I really like the fact that the man is infused with an inherent human decency and the intelligence to use his powers wisely. Let's face it, Supes has the potential to be a blunt object, but here is a man so strong in his beliefs that he will always find a way to act *without* displaying sheer brute force. I bring this up because, in this final stretch of Dan Jurgens' lengthy run, he's produced a very satisfying story that contrasts him with three other 'world champions', and demonstrates why Superman is the best of them all. The Man of Steel is doing a favor for NASA, travelling to Mars and replacing the batteries on a stalled exploratory vehicle. Just as he's about to head home, he's transported to another world populated by a race of intelligent sand creatures -- and three similarly transported world champions: Vartox (possessed of 'hyperblasts'), Vestion (regulation 'woman warrior with a hot temper') and Paz (four-armed mystic-type with the ability to see through, and travel the expanse of, all space and time). The sand creatures inform this quartet that they are under siege by an alien race, and plead with the heroes to stop the invaders before they destroy the sand beings' potential. The other champions, heedless of Supes' desire for 'a plan,' rush into the fray -- and almost get their heads handed to them. This prompts them to devise a clever plan that stops the invasion and saves the sand creatures without any loss of life. In gratitude, the sand creature return the champions to their home world... Except Vartox, Vestion and Paz remain. It seems this whole scenario was the opening salvo of a plan from a mysterious mastermind to destroy the Man of Steel *and* the Earth... and if those other heroes are reluctant to destroy Supes, this mastermind is all too willing to torture these heroes into submission. I liked this story a lot precisely because it played to Superman's intelligence. The plan Jurgens devised is very characteristic of the Action Ace, making use of all of the heroes' powers and abilities. Jurgens also avoids the 'Let's You and Him Fight' cliche, with a series of very brief action sequences throughout which Supes is as rational as possible. In fact, Jurgens refreshingly dispenses with the attitudinal Superman that has from time to time slipped into the Triangle titles; this is a Man of Steel who utilizes his powers as tool, not a man who uses his powers as the be-all and end-all. Now, if you know anything about basic science, you can probably figure out who the mastermind behind this plot is and how he pulled it off. If you do that, it might make some of the elements of the scenario iffy -- most importantly, the nature of the invaders; for all we know, they may be quantity surveyors of some sort -- which serves to suck the reader in even more. The other champions are basic types, albeit with some interesting quirks... but wondering how the mastermind is going to use them makes them very interesting. Steve Epting bounces back from the unfortunate pencils of his last effort; I suspect that's because this is primarily a war story at heart. A lot of what Jurgens writes here is the super-heroic equivalent of 'the outcast patrol defending the tiny village from the mean soldiers,' so it gives Epting many opportunities to play to his strength as a choreographer, and he rises to the occasion, with several excellent and striking sequences. Hell, page 17 through 20 is a joyful tableau of movement and action with just the right touch of 'sensawonda' thrown in. (I particularly love page 19: four large panels showing the invader's slow realization that their starship isn't taking off, but that Superman is lifting it up with sheer brute force). One other thing I want to point out about Epting's work that I liked. I've commended him in the past for drawing a very beautiful yet down-to-Earth Lois. Here, in a brief scene that rings the only false note in Jurgens' script (Lois is at the Kents and discovers that Lana named her baby after Clark, which disturbs Lois for no readily apparent reason), there's a shot of Lois (p. 9, panel 2) that can best be described as dork. I loved this, because it made Lois seem even more human. Much like 60's JLA penciller Mike Sekowsky, Epting isn't afraid to show his characters in less than ideal postures. That makes them much more believable as characters, and I encourage him to continue doing this. Way back in my review of _Superman_ #141, I expressed a sincere desire that the upturn in quality of Jurgens' work signified that he was going to go out with head held high, presenting us with a story we can be proud of. "Champions" is a great read.... and it could be a sign that my wish will come true. __________________________________ SUPER-FAMILY TITLES: ------------------- SUPERBOY #66 Sep 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN "Wild Hunt!" Written (with a gazelle's grace): Karl Kesel Pencilled (with a panther's power): Aaron Lopresti Inked (with an eagle's eye): Tom Simmons Colored (with a toucan's tints): Buzz Setzer Lettered (with a lyrebird's lyricism): Comicraft Assisted (with an aardvark's astuteness): Frank Berrios Edited (with opposable thumbs): Mike McAvennie Cover: Grummett, Kesel, and Martin RATINGS Average: 3.5/5.0 Shields RG: 4.0 Shields BS: 3.8 Shields - Any appearance of the Wild Lands characters is good with me, and I liked their interaction with the Cadmus crew. Art on the Guardian was great. EM: 3.4 Shields - It had talking monkeys the way talking monkeys should be. I'm not the biggest fan of the Wild Lands, but the title remains Kesel-rific. GC: 3.4 Shields - The story was going a little slow until "Captain Kerk" was introduced; the laughs that he brought saved things. Starting to wonder if the "Kirby" side of things is being overdone in SB. JSy: 4.0 Shields - Lopestri and Simmons provide a passable fill-in job on the art, making the denizens of the Wild Lands a bit more menacing than did Grummett. The story recaptures a lot of the fun and adventure of the earlier stories in the Wild Lands. SDM: 3.0 Shields - I loved this when I was reading it, but quickly forgot everything except the ridiculous Captain Kerk joke. There wasn't much here we didn't see before, and while it was well done, it seems redundant. This series is not the fun it was six months ago. SI: 3.5 Shields - A solid issue that serves mainly to set up the next one. The cover gives away any shock value the final page might have had. Minor quibbles aside, this was a solid issue of Superboy, just not as good as other recent issues. ST: 2.8 Shields (Art: 2.2, Story: 3.2) - Grummett, we miss you. The art was easily the low-point of this issue; the humans all looked stiff and plastic, like poseable action figures. The story was decent but fairly forgettable, and the ending was totally spoiled by the cover. For shame! Reviewed by: Rene Gobeyn The story opens in the Wild Lands, where two of the citizens answer a call for help. Ratsputin seems to be trapped under a fallen tree. While helping him they are attacked. Superboy, Serling, Mickey, Col. Winterborne, and a new character, Dr. Forest, are on their way to the Wild Lands to ask if they can conduct some research. When they land, the Royal Guards, under the command of Captain Kerk (Kesel is having way too much fun with this book) attack them -- at least until Tuftan and Tawna show up. A brief party is held in honor of the visitors. Col. Winterborne learns that he was found outside an area called the Glowing Swamp, which, because of the danger, is largely unexplored. Serling talks to Dr. Canus and finds out that the experiments that led to the creation of the Wild Lands were older than anyone thought, going back to experiments on fish and fowl in the forties. There is a brief interlude back at Cadmus between Dubbilex, the Guardian, and Dr. Donovan. We find out a couple of interesting things about Dubbilex's powers, and he finally meets the Gene-Gnome, who may have something to do with the troublesome thoughts Dub's been having. The expedition to the Glowing Swamp arrives, and they find the scene from the beginning of the story. Tuftan recognizes Ratsputin's scent and they find a blockhouse where he might be hiding. As they approach the house, Kerk disappears; they do in fact find Ratsputin, but they also find King Shark. Wow. A great lead in to a new Wild Lands adventure. A great jumping-on point for anyone who isn't reading this title. For those readers who are not familiar with the old Kirby Kamandi stories, or the first Superboy adventure in the Wild Lands, Kesel provides a fair amount of background material to bring them up to speed while at the same time providing enough new material for long-time readers that the story doesn't drag too much. There were a (very) few slow spots, but with the amount of material that needed to be presented, I think I can forgive him. I'm a fervent fan of Jack Kirby's original pre-Crisis Kamandi/Wild Lands stories. I wasn't too sure that I was going to like DC trying to bring them into the existing DC universe. Kesel and Grummett did a wonderful job of integrating the original flavor of the Wild Lands with the new Superboy stories. When they integrated the original experiments that caused the creation of Cadmus with the Wild Lands it forged a solid link to the DCU. This book does more to integrate the Wild Lands into the current DCU and includes more of the Superboy cast. The bit at the Party where Superboy is getting Kerk to do James T. Kirk impressions was wonderful. I also loved the panel where Tawna is talking to Serling; her comment ("I hope that's not a real pelt you're wearing...") was priceless. For me, I enjoyed finding out that the experiments that created the Wild Lands also included fish and fowl (who still haven't made an appearance). I suspect that there are more than a few real surprises still to come while Superboy and company continue to explore the Wild Lands. The art was better than I had expected when I saw that Grummett wasn't going to pencil the story. Lopresti has an excellent sense of perspective. His backgrounds were very well done, though he had a bit too many panels with just solid colors. He was also able to display some wonderful emotions on the animal faces. Kerk's facial expressions while putting up with Superboy's antics were great. My only complaint was that some of his human faces were a bit too angular, and Mickey simply didn't look right; he was too thin. Otherwise, he did a great job. ================================================ SUPERGIRL #36 Sep 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN "Heck's Angels, Part 2: Justice Delayed" Writer: Peter David Penciller: Leonard Kirk Inker: Robin Riggs Colorist: Gene D'Angelo Seps: Digital Chameleon Letterer: Bill Oakley Asst. Ed.: Frank Berrios Editor: Mike McAvennie Cover: Kirk and Riggs RATINGS Average: 3.8/5.0 Shields TD: 3.5 Shields BS: 4.0 Shields - Character interaction was wonderful here, and I liked the banter between Supergirl and Superboy. I don't remember who Tammy Neil and Wanda Lee are, but at least this issue framed the situation and made me eager for more. EM: 4.1 Shields - Now we're talking! Flying monkeys! Supergirl! Comet! Young Justice! Did I mention flying monkeys? (Ok, they're supposed to be little demon looking things, but I'm on a monkey kick this month.) JSy: 4.1 Shields - This issue returns to the wonderful character vignettes which have made this title so interesting, though I'm a little bit apprehensive about the rest of the crossover -- will it be more like this issue, or more like _Young Justice_ #12? SI: 4.0 Shields - The supporting cast get some hilarious scenes in this issue, particularly Cutter and Mattie. While part of a crossover, the main story still gets advanced and it all feels natural. SY: 3.0 Shields - Nice character interaction. Interesting development in Cutter and Mattie's relationship, and finally the introduction of the third earthborn angel. Review by: Thomas Deja For about half of this issue, it's as good as it gets in this title. We get more creepiness involving Carnivean and Matrix, a truly eloquent discussion of what the creative process is like, a long-overdue crimp in David's Cutter/Mattie 180, a potential development in Linda's relationship with Dick Malverne, a revelation about why things continue to be screwed up in Leesburg, and the return of Comet. Then, literally, the book changes directions. All of a sudden Superboy is fighting a big monkey and the Maid of Might is wondering if she's wandered into someone else's adventure. Yep, it's the crossover I always dreaded. As you know, I don't care much for Peter David's sense of humor. I find that it is at times obvious, and usually used inappropriately. When David does humor correctly, it gives us a tremendous insight into his characters, and -- in those rare gems of moments -- gives us a somewhat disquieting sense of unease. Unfortunately, the man continues to toss out dumb puns and lame vaudeville jokes instead of playing to his true strengths, which in my opinion are a talent for making heavy issues palatable and for developing undeveloped characters. (For examples of why I feel this way, look at the way he grasped the tension between the street smart Rudy and the insufferably intellectual Doctor when writing the Parasite in issue #34.) With _Supergirl_, David has found an artist in Leonard Kirk who is perfectly capable of letting him play to these strength; one who, in fact, excels at character work like no one else working in comics this side of Brent Anderson or Terry Moore. One has just to look at the absolutely gorgeous way David's monologue about Linda's creative process melds with Kirk's succession of close-ups of Linda at work to realize what miracles this team can produce. David equates the process of creation with the process of making love, and Kirk's panels, very simply laid out in a 4-over-4 grid, seem slow and languid, verging on the erotic, the clay stains undefined in a way that allows us to interpret them as something else. It conveys a lot about how Linda has changed, as have her fortunes. But Peter David, for some reason, decided to crossover his two books, and the product is a very schizophrenic piece of work. _Young Justice_ is where his vaudevillian tendencies run wild, and rather than try to find a common ground, he tosses us casually into the middle of the plot from the previous book, confusing the Hell out of those of us who haven't read (or damn well don't want to read) _Young Justice_. For the first half of the book, we get a lot of little vignettes that definitely play to both David's and Kirk's strengths. Besides the scene referenced above, we start off with Carnivean checking in on the Matrix at Atlas industry. It seems Carnivean has plans for the Matrix -- plans that scare the Hell out of it -- but we don't find out much more as he's diverted by Stubbs into looking in on a situation involving 'Dante'... We'll return to Dante shortly. The essay on sculpture leads directly into a scene with Dick Malverne, who delivers a sizable check to Linda and gets a sizable kiss in return -- a kiss that, as the just-arriving Andy Jones points out, sends Linda, ummm, flying. This scene is cute in its way, and shows us how David can use humor to illuminate a character; the humor is woven into the scene and doesn't stop it like it does later. Then we get Cutter and Mattie, and we learn both why Cutter is throwing himself into this Supergirl gig so seriously, and what Mattie may have been thinking when she did that 180 a few issues back. (Personally, I would have preferred this development had been trotted out earlier....) Then it's super-heroics time when Supergirl and Comet defuse a purse snatching and start exchanging notes about their Corsican Brothers moment in #35. Suddenly, a flying monkey shows up out of nowhere and tries to attack Sylvia Danvers' minister. Here's where the schism starts, folks. The two known Earth angels disengage monkey from minister and chase the thing down the sewers where they discover that a new chaos stream has developed underneath Leesburg. Supergirl goes to investigate and finds Superboy fighting a really giant monkey. She helps the Boy of Steel defeat the creature before the flying-monkey-possessed other members of Young Justice set about whaling on The Maid of Might. Meanwhile, Comet discovers the final Earth Angel, who is probably connected with Tammy Neil (from the much better _Resurrection Man_ crossover of last year) presently serving time as flying-monkey-bait. The architect behind all this is Dante -- a very dull looking bad guy (oooh...he's real pale and wears leather and a bat-winged cape) who lacks anything in the way of real originality. He takes over people with his flying monkeys and runs a disco-themed Hell... excuse me while I yawn. The second that flying monkey shows up, the story falls apart, as the reader is dragged away from anything remotely involving Supergirl and forced into a Young Justice story. All the wonderful moments David and Kirk are developing, all the dramatic interplay between characters, goes out the window for the sake of David's extreme silliness. Worst of all, David seems to want to switch between the anything-for-a-gag tone of YJ and the more sober tome of this title, and it doesn't work; when Superboy rips the wings off an obviously-in-pain winged gorilla and then doesn't know what to say, it comes off decidedly odd. David does try to dangle enough elements before us to keep Supergirl fans interested -- Ember, the Chaos Stream, Carnivean's implied connection with this cardboard cut-out Dante -- but right now they're just window dressing, and that's sad. I recommend this issue for its first half, which features some truly great examples of David at his best. I advise you, however, to just shut the book after the flying monkey shows up. You'll only make your head hurt. _____________________________________ End of Section 6 _____________________________________ SUPER-FAMILY TITLES (cont): -------------------------- SUPERMAN ADVENTURES #35 Sep 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN "Never Play With The Toyman's Toys!" Writer: Mark Millar Penciller: Aluir Amancio Inker: Terry Austin Colorist: Marie Severin Separations: Zylonol Letterer: Phil Felix Asst. Ed.: Frank Berrios Editor: Mike McAvennie Cover: Mike Manley, Terry Austin, Marie Severin, and Zylonol RATINGS Average: 2.6/5.0 Shields CoS: 2.5 Shields GC: 2.8 Shields - The art wasn't as good as it usually is, plus I feel the stories seem to be losing some of the oomph. More work needed on developing Clark and Lois I think. Still Toyman was reasonably well handled. JSy: 2.8 Shields - Certainly not a bad story in its own rights, but it's just a bit too dark and violent for my tastes. I know that DC doesn't necessarily intend this to be a kids' book, but it *is* perceived that way. SY: 2.5 Shields - Villain vs. Villain with Superman in-between. Not one of Millar's best outings on this title. ST: 2.3 Shields - I don't get to see the cartoon much, but I'm certain that the Toyman on S:TAS is *not* 30 inches tall, as he is repeatedly portrayed here. All in all, a rather lackluster outing that would probably have worked better on the screen than on the page. Review by: Cory Strode I'm afraid I have to start this review the way I thought I never would. Must be my advancing age, I guess. I have heard for years how older fans don't like the darkening of super-heroes and super-villains. I never much thought about it, since Batman was always pretty dark, Swamp Thing was better after Moore made him scary instead of just a superhero fighting monsters, and Green Arrow needed Mike Grell to give him a new personality since he'd pretty much run out of things to be mad about in his Denny O'Neil personality. In the Superman books, however, I never liked what they did to the Toyman. Before the Crisis, Toyman was goofy, silly, and the kind of gimmick super-villain notorious in the 50s and 60s. There could have been a lot of ways to update the character to fit the more "Marvelized" version of the Superman Rogue's Gallery, but turning him into an insane, serial killing toy designer was a decision that made my stomach turn. The whole story of him killing Cat Grant's child rubbed me the wrong way, and every time he shows up in the Superman books, I feel like I should wash my hands with an SOS Pad and Borax to get clean again. The very poorly done "rehab" in recent months has done nothing to help with this, since now they seem to have made him a *benign* serial killer. It was with much dread, then, that I greeted the new issue of _Superman Adventures_, featuring Toyman. Having not seen the TV show that often, I had no idea of how they treated the villain. Thankfully, they totally reinvented the character, giving him little relation to any previous incarnation. The issue starts with a splash page of the new Toyman doll being delivered to a shop. This is one of the best openings I have ever seen -- not because of the art, but because the image of the Toyman encased in a package clearly identifies him without stupid expository dialogue that grates when read. Instead, we are sucked right in, given the info we need and primed with what to expect. The toy attacks with its clearly labeled "Poison Gas Gun," indicting to Clark that Toyman is back up to his old tricks, despite being in prison. Toyman denies this and other toy-related crimes, pointing out that he's *in prison*. A nice little page of exposition tells us that Toyman hates a mobster who was involved in the murder of his father. Lois speculates that the mobster might be doing the crimes to make money off of Toyman's old, abandoned robot controlled toys. Through the magic of cross cutting scenes, we learn that Lois is right, and that Toyman has figured it out as well. He escapes from prison by means of a wind-up, exploding duck. That's right; a wind-up exploding duck. Am I the only one who things that prison guards in Metropolis spend a lot of time on a therapists' couch? Superman then has his hands full in a battle between Toyman's toys and the gangster's men, which gives us a lot of pages of Superman fighting toy soldiers and giant mechanical dragons. While Supes is distracted, Toyman captures the gangster and ties him to railroad tracks, leading me to believe that Toyman's secret identity is Snidely Whiplash! Superman is, of course, able to defeat the giant mechanical dragon in time to save the gangster and fry the Toyman's remote control, rendering him powerless. Might this be a bit of inadvertent symbolism about how most of us would be powerless without our remote controls? OK. Maybe not. Maybe it just looked cool and was a quick way to finish the story. For a brief moment, Toyman is horribly upset that he will be alone again in prison without his toys. He perks up again, though, when he realizes that he and the gangster will be there together; now he will get his revenge, and he won't have to be alone in his cell any more. Millar doesn't go for much in this story. There are a couple of fun twists (one of the gangster's henchmen turns out to be one of Toyman's toys), and the way Superman defeats the robot dragon was amusing, but for the most part this is a stock super-hero story. The fact that it's Toyman doesn't much matter, and I could see a nearly exact same plot with any number of villains, such as the Joker or the Penguin. In my mind a story must flow from character in order to work, and Millar does tend to emphasize plot over character. Not that that is a bad way to do it, and in fact it has worked for him on a number of occasions... it just doesn't work here. It felt like a simple slugfest, and while it might be fine for younger audiences to see Superman just fight things once in a while, I have seen slugfests in this book that also have a strong plot and more originality. Amancio's art is well done, making the toys seem harmless on the surface, but menacing due to their appearance. The page with the wind-up duck is particularly well done, building suspense while still moving the story along. He pulls a couple other stylistic tricks to try and bring the story up a couple of notches (such as the page where Lois splits the page into two halves), but the problem is that the issue seems cluttered and a bit too busy. A prime example of this business is when Superman saves the gangster from the train. The actual rescue looks off, we don't get a feeling that Superman stopped the train, but just hit it. Then, the panels of Superman being attacked by the toys are too small for the effect they should have. When Toyman goes into attack mode, we should feel like they are after Superman, but instead there is a panel of Toyman surrounded by toys... and no sense of menace. I hate to keep going back to Jack Kirby when I go over art, but Kirby was a master of the fight scene. He knew when to have a background and when to just put force lines so that it didn't seem cluttered or distract the reader from the action. This issue is a mixed bag, with many good parts being dragged down by parts that are fairly indifferent. I imagine if I was a kid (and yes, I know that's who the book is aimed at) I would like the big fight scenes and Superman mixing it up with a mechanical dragon. Even as a kid, though, I would have read it once, tossed it aside, and forgotten it within an hour or so. As an adult, I just wish there would have been a more innovative or direct plot, and less clutter. __________________________________ TEAM TITLES: ----------- JLA #33 Sep 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN "Altered Egos" Guest Writer: Mark Waid Guest Penciller: Mark Pajarillo Guest Inker: Walden Wong Letterer: Ken Lopez Colorist: John Kalisz Separations: Heroic Age Associate Editor: Tony Bedard Editor: Dan Raspler Cover: Porter and Dell RATINGS Average: 3.5/5.0 Shields EM: 4.3 Shields DWk: 4.0 Shields - What does Waid have that Morrison doesn't? The ability to put together ingenious plots like this one. Throw in the fabulous gag about Barda's dress and a swell teaser for the Flash's own series, and this is a fine self-contained issue. GC: 3.5 Shields - Cover and story got me involved, and I didn't guess the ending. The epilogue spoiled an otherwise good story; why would Superman ever challenge Batman about keeping secrets? Only J'onn, Bruce and Diana know who he is in this post-crisis JLA... JSy: 4.2 Shields - Best issue of JLA in quite some time, highlighting the pedestal on which Waid places Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. Lovely that someone's keeping track of Morrison's throwaway ideas, and Waid's use of Plastic Man is priceless. SDM: 2.9 Shields - A bit of a letdown in terms of the Bruce Wayne story; maybe Waid's tired of NML. The Flash subplot was done well, but unless you're as big a Flash-junkie as I am, it meant little. SL: 3.0 Shields - Even if the art was great and the integration of the new Flash was very well done, the villain behind Bruce Wayne was confusing. Plastic Man is a great laugh and the discussion between the Dark Knight and Superman interesting. A good episode. ST: 2.3 Shields - Waid's Plastic Man acts how he's *supposed* to, but that's all I really enjoyed. I don't like being reminded that the heroes don't trust each other any more. Scratchy art didn't help. SY: 3.5 Shields - Very interesting use of the various JLA members with strong rationale for events. Loved the Plastic Man dress scene. TD: 3.4 Shields - Some good interaction between the characters and a really, really good denouement that touches on one of Morrison's loose ends. The art is cool, with a particularly hideous depiction of the threat's ultimate manifestation. Review by: Edward Mathews Synopsis: Batman announces to the assembled JLA (minus the Flash) that he has discovered who is behind the legal situation that Gotham City is in after the great earthquake hit. The person responsible is one of the JLA's most powerful villains to date: Bruce Wayne. While those in the JLA who don't know Batman's secret identity are sent into a covert operation to find Wayne, his most trusted companions are sent on an even more important mission which requires the help of the new Flash. As Team Wayne goes undercover, Team Flash winds up trying to save the people on a bridge between Central and Keystone City as they explain their real mission to the new Flash. Wacky hi-jinks ensue. Review: Last month, I noted that it had been a long time since I was thrilled to read a story by Mark Waid. I also attributed that to his writing partner for that issue. I am happy to say, Mark Waid delivers again this month, and while flying strictly solo. Waid manages to continue with the large-scale threat theme that has been running in Morrison's JLA while also handling wonderful little bits of characterization and keeping the tale self-contained. That's no small feat and one that needs to be applauded given the last set of huge arcs we've endured in JLA. The best part of the issue, however, was that there was indeed a Bruce Wayne and a Batman. One of the White Martians, who were collectively mind wiped into believing that they were human beings during Morrison's first story arc (_JLA_ #1-4), was jarred out of his human identity -- that of one of Bruce Wayne's secretaries -- and assumed Wayne's identity as a defense mechanism. Eventually, the White Martian realized who he really was; his inherent telepathic powers (on par with Green Martians) coupled with his sudden recollection could send a psychic shock to all the others, leaving the world to face 80 beings as powerful as Martian Manhunter. It was up to Team Flash (Flash, Superman and Wonder Woman) to make sure that none of the others snapped out of their mental prisons while Team Wayne wrestled this one into submission. Now I've been calling the team with Superman on it Team Flash for a reason. This new Flash reveals his identity to Superman and Superman vouches for him without reservation. We are not let in on the identity of the new Flash and neither is the rest of the JLA. Flash is the subplot here, and besides, there already is a Team Superman. ;-) Since all this ties in with the current events in _Flash_ -- a title Waid also writes -- it all fits together quite well. There is genuine shock in Superman's face when sees the new Flash's face, and we are led to believe it is not Wally West. While Batman, Superman and the other big guns shine well under Morrison, I have to admit a dirty little secret: I love Waid's Plastic Man. Oh, my. I was rolling on the floor when Barda realized her choice of attire. Art: Pajarillo and Wong do another fine issue. Pajarillo's White Martian is a mean looking creature that I sure wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley. The facial expressions on Plastic Man are priceless. I would be content if these guys were the regular fill-in artists for the next JLA run under Waid, too. Conclusion: It had Martians and a funny Plastic Man. What's not to like? I must admit that Waid got his groove back with JLA and I'm hoping this foreshadows his own run on the book after Morrison leaves. ================================================ YOUNG JUSTICE #12 Sep 1999 $2.50 US/$3.95 CAN "Heck's Angels, Part 1: Dante's Disco Inferno" Writer: Peter David Pencils: Todd Nauck Inks: Lary Stucker and Jaime Mendoza Colors: Jason Wright Letters: Ken Lopez Assoc. Ed: Maureen McTigue Editor: Eddie Berganza Cover: Nauck and Stucker RATINGS Average: 3.1/5.0 Shields GR: 2.8 Shields BS: 2.8 Shields - Red Tornado's family relations are refreshing as compared to, say, Man-Bat's. At least Tornado's daughter loves him, and I'm looking forward to seeing him get a break. The villain was so weird that I had trouble finding him dangerous. EM: 3.9 Shields - Disco wasn't that bad, PAD. Some people might consider this particular fate a pleasant one, if you removed the flying monkey demons and the molten lava... GC: 3.0 Shields - While I enjoyed the story and art, the number of darker adversaries YJ faces is getting out of hand. There's not enough of the fun that I'm used to in this book. GD: 2.0 Shields - The basic premise of this crossover is interesting enough, and the first half of the issue is great, as is Todd Nauck's art. Sadly the plot goes to heck in the second half. JSy: 2.0 Shields - Give me more of pages three and five; the core of this title is how the team interacts with each other outside of battle. The rest of this particular issue just wasn't as satisfying as I usually find _Young Justice_ to be. SI: 3.8 Shields - This issue was fun, pure and simple. I'm looking forward to seeing more of the Disco Inferno, and the Red Tornado plot remains interesting. SL: 3.5 Shields - The story is a little slow and the action not very impressive, but all is well constructed. The changes in our heroes, Red Tornado, and his family are very well done, giving us a well written (if a bit simplistic) episode with some good art. Review by: Gary D. Robinson The kids have helped Red Tornado and Traya escape the heartless clutches of the law, but Fite 'n Madd are closing in. Thanks to Impulse's ability to vibrate the entire crew through the floor and the timely appearance of the Super-Cycle, YJ escapes. Inexplicably, the S-C carries them down, down through the earth until, eventually, the startled kids survey a fiery vision of... Disco Hell? Amen, Brethren! It's a true inferno run by a guy named -- what else? -- Dante. Having discovered the subterranean lair of tiny, demonic-looking beasts that feed on pain and misery, this former theology student has agreed to provide what the nasty creatures want. Dante finds people who "deserve a little punishment", drugs them, and when they awake in "Hell," he convinces them they are but serving out the fate they deserve. Even though Robin recognizes a murderer and an embezzler among the "damned," the group can't allow such goings-on. The inevitable clash begins. Meanwhile, Secret has literally gotten inside the head of Traya's comatose mother and convinced her that dying would not be such a hot idea right now. RT and Traya need her. This leads to an amusing bit wherein Secret flies out of Kathy in ghostly fashion, convincing the terrified medical staff that they've seen the passing of a soul -- until Kathy herself sits up and asks to see her daughter! Soon RT and Traya receive a message from Mom: "All's well, come home." Complications ensue, however, and Tornado is led away in handcuffs. The vision of the 70s inferno is frustratingly banal. Hell as Disco? It's not a particularly gruesome, or funny, notion. Why should "Dante" choose such a motif? Who is he anyway? A theology student, we're told; one with a rather disturbing proclivity toward torture and pain. Here are the makings of true and memorable villainy, but aside from calling Wonder Girl a "frump" and conjuring up the usual scaly monsters, Dante weighs very lightly on the "Heavy"-scale. The side-plot, involving RT's domestic troubles remains predictable and rather boring. It isn't that PAD doesn't strike all the right notes, it's that this piece has been played too many times before -- on soaps and Afterschool Specials, if not in funnybooks. So much of the territory we tread in this issue seems to have been imported from elsewhere and laid down here like pre-made turf -- everything from Traya's mother's "going toward the light" to the police captain's lying promise about RT, from the Gawd-Weren't-The-70s-Awful posturing to the standard run-at-the-mouth villain. The artwork is the usual good job. I almost wish it weren't. Everything in this issue seems to be "the usual." PAD can do better. In a recent Supergirl, he launched the Maid of Might (or whatever they call her these days) against Parasite not because of the usual "I've got to save these people!" altruism, but because the big, purple idiot trashed her artwork! Now, as a motivation for a super-type, you gotta believe that's New and Different, a novel twist from a Novel Twister. We all know PAD can take the hackneyed and -- whuf! -- blow the dust off it. I hope he does next time. _____________________________________ End of Section 7 _____________________________________ MINISERIES AND SPECIALS: ----------------------- A. BIZARRO #3 Sep 1999 $2.50 US/$3.25 CAN "Nine-Inch Sonic Pumpkins" Writer: Steve Gerber Penciller: M. D. Bright Inker: Greg Adams Letterer: Steve Dutro Colorist: Tom Ziuko Separator: Digital Chameleon Assistant: Frank Berrios Editor: Joey Cavalieri Cover: Bright and Adams RATINGS Average: 3.6/5.0 Shields GN: 2.8 Shields BS: 3.9 Shields - While this mini-series still shines as a beacon to comics everywhere, I much prefer to see Al facing "normal" problems than Para-Demons, what's a story about a naive character without a trip to Apokolips? JSy: 4.1 Shields - One of the reasons that this book has worked so well is that it's using a completely irrational character and completely dehumanizing events to tell a wonderfully human tale. As evidence, I present the warm friendship which develops between a bizarro clone and a female fury amidst the hell of Apokolips... SI: 4.8 Shields - DC should get Steve Gerber to write an ongoing Bizarro series; I'd certainly buy it. This issue's trip to Apokolips was uproarious. Unlike most humor series, this one fits seamlessly into the existing DC Universe. SL: 3.6 Shields - This time around the focus is less on Al and more on the other participants, and it's very frustrating. The art and script are great but after the first two parts I was hoping for another grandiose episode. ST: 2.5 Shields - The least enjoyable issue to date. Al was still great, but the plot was too incredible, too contrived and filled with Deus ex Machina (literally). Also, I don't see why Apokolips/ Darkseid/New Gods have to be dragged into every damn thing. The art of M.D. Bright, however, continues to please. SY: 2.8 Shields - I don't know why, but I just can't get into this title, although putting Al on Apokolips and seeing how he handles himself was a masterstroke. TD: 4.3 Shields - The Apokolips scenes do feel a bit unsteady, but Gerber's sense of the grotesque and the luridly absurd still shines through. Review by: G.M. Nelson And it was going so well... After establishing a pretty entertaining character with a thoughtful (if moderately recycled) storyline, Gerber inexplicably takes a left turn into the fantastic with a side trip to Apokolips -- apparently so our pal Al Bizarro, now set on pursuing the music career that "Perfect Al" (aka Al Beezer, the human used for Bizarro's template) never had, could pick up an accompanist. But I'm getting ahead of myself. First, we find Bizarro in the custody, at last, of Lex Luthor, who is contemplating the prospect of interbreeding the creature with human females -- a notion that doesn't sit real well with his lady assistants, or with Bizarro, for that matter. (Why Luthor wants to breed a subclass of brain-damaged, chalk-skinned morons is anybody's guess at this point -- aren't there enough regular brain-damaged morons walking around on the street, or serving in public office?) It's while trying to escape from Luthor's headquarters that Bizarro comes across a Mother Box that Luthor says he acquired during an altercation with Intergang. None of Luthor's people could get it to work, but pretty much as soon as Bizarro stumbles upon it, it opens a boom tube and sends him to Apokolips. Riddle me this, Boy Wonder: Isn't a Mother Box New Genesis technology, not Apokolipsian? And even if it does have "boom tube" capability, why would it send Bizarro to Apokolips? In this story, it serves to hook up Bizarro with Seera, a young trainee for Darkseid's Female Furies -- complete with her own version of Big Barda's armor -- who plays a musical instrument called an apokolute. Bizarro ultimately convinces Seera to escape to Earth with him and join in his music career. They hook up -- again courtesy of Mother Box -- with Bizarro's buddy, E. Wilbur Wolfingham. Within six months, the first CD by Al Pokolips, "To Am or Not to Am," is on the shelves. Now, of all DC characters, Kirby's Fourth World characters probably fit best in Superman's universe, just because of their sheer cosmic scope and power levels. Their inclusion here, however, comes off as a pointless, using them just for the sake of using them. Worse is the fact that characters like Granny Goodness are so badly mishandled. Does anyone find it at all believable that Granny would sit down to tea with a disobedient student? Or that future Female furies would be receiving music lessons, as well as instruction in literature and science? (Can you imagine Big Barda, let alone Stompa or Mad Harriet, taking this kind of training?) Or has Granny just changed the curriculum in recent years? As in the recent and horrible _Lex Luthor_ mini-series, a "cosmic" element is tossed into the mix to no real good effect. I'm not saying that this story is anywhere near as bad as that was, but it's just an unnecessarily intrusive element into a story that was working well on a very simple, human level. I mean, I'm sure that Bizarro could have picked up a guitar player somewhere on Earth -- those guys from Roy Harper's old band, Great Frog, are probably looking for work, right? Even the art is off this issue. Oh, overall Bright and Adams do a capable job, but there are spots. Darkseid, in a tiny one-panel shot, looks anorexic. Bizarro, stretched out on Desaad's rack, looks to be about eight feet tall. (Gee, maybe he should forget the music and go into the NBA. He'd make Dennis Rodman look normal.) This mini-series -- and even this issue -- isn't a bad read overall. Gerber's handle on Bizarro and Luthor is still solid, and the dialogue remains a highlight. (The animosity between Desaad and Granny was well played.) There just seemed no reason for the story to take this turn this issue. Maybe "Apokolips... Why?" might have been a better title. ================================================ BATMAN AND SUPERMAN: WORLD'S FINEST #6 Sep 1999 $1.99 US/$3.25 CAN "Year Six: The Imp-possible Dream" Words: Karl Kesel Pencils: Peter Doherty Inks: Robert Campanella Colors: Alex Sinclair Letters: Clem Robins Assoc. Ed.: Joseph Illidge Editor: Darren Vincenzo Cover: Dave Taylor and Robert Campanella RATINGS Average: 3.6/5.0 Shields SDM: 2.7 Shields GC: 4.0 Shields - This issue does suffer from numerous minor continuity problems, since DC seems committed into squeezing all of its modern history into a 10 year period, but good insights into Superman and Batman, and a good, fun story, manage to overcome these. JSy: 4.0 Shields - Maybe the best issue of this series so far, as Kesel presents a wonderful tale of the World's Finest imps. If only the art hadn't been so terrible... SI: 3.2 Shields - This series gets better as it goes along. Kesel does a fun job of getting years worth of Superman and Batman commentary into the story. It was also good to see Mxy and Bat-Mite again. SL: 3.9 Shields - The association of Mr. M and Bat-Mite is pure fun, and even if the art depicted our heroes as uncertain at times, this union of our Heroes with Lois and Robin was splendid. SY: 3.5 Shields - Storyline was quite good, art was fairly lackluster. Lois, Batman, and Robin seemed right in character, but I felt the "Superman just wants to be like a normal person" angle was a bit too strong. ST: 3.0 Shields - The story was too similar to that of _Generations_ #2, but it was decent for all that. The art showed a nice dichotomy between the real and the unreal. Review by: Simon DelMonte Superman's favorite imp, Mr. Mxyzptlk, recruits (or creates) Bat-Mite to join him for some mayhem on what happens to be the fifth anniversary of Harrison Grey's death. The duo journeys to Metropolis, where Bruce Wayne has come to see Clark Kent -- they'd revealed their other identities to each other off-screen -- and concocts a challenge to see which imp's heroic foil is the better man. Just to make things interesting, Mxy puts Lois in danger -- and in a revealing circus outfit -- and Bat-Mite throws Dick Grayson into the mix. Hi-jinks ensue as our heroes and friends run the gauntlet. To slow down the imps, Batman works with Lois and Supes with Robin. This allows Robin to lament to Big Blue on how Bats sees him as a kid, and Lois to complain that Bats knows how to treat Robin like an equal instead of a helpless bystander. Naturally, the imps overhear and keep messing with the rules and with the good guys; by the time they're done, Robin is an adult (in a costume vaguely like that of the adult Earth-2 Robin) and Lois and Batman have super-powers. Why? Because that's what they want to be, an idea which Mxy finds silly, and which gets even sillier to him when he figures out that Superman wants to be normal. The whole bunch seems pathetic to him, but even Bat-Mite understands that everyone -- even imps -- wish for something more than they have, or else why would Mxy keep coming back to bother Supes? Mxy gets fed up with the whole thing and leaves. Finally, Clark and Bruce say goodbye to each other, commenting they get along better out of costume, and that Mxy has reminded them that the most powerful wish is the one that hasn't yet come to be, Given his track record with whimsical troublemakers, Karl Kesel could have done much more with the idea of Mxy and Bat-Mite vs. Batman and Superman. Sadly, he continues his trend of starting out with a good idea and then not doing much with it, much as he's been doing of late in _Superboy_. The end result is a by-the-numbers Superman comic, with Lois showing up to whine about being protected by Superman and with a lot of talk in place of solid action. This wasn't a bad comic, but it's tepid compared to the uproarious "Death of Mxyzptlk" story. Granted that Mxy is a very hard character to do right by, but he's little more than a conversation motivator here. The biggest flaws are one big thing we don't see and one (more) bit of broken continuity. We are told that Superman and Batman now know each other's real name... but this happens off-screen! A huge event in both heroes lives -- a rare moment when the game of pretend is put on hold -- and it happens when no one is watching. Does this refer to a story I missed, or did Kesel lightly skip over what should have been a dramatic moment? Such an event should have been played up, not down. The big continuity glitch is that Mxy knows Superman is Clark Kent too soon. Mxy didn't figure it out until the Superman Wedding Special, and his ignorance was a key part of the now-classic "Krisis of the Krimson Kryptonite" story from nine years ago. Again, this by itself doesn't ruin the tale, but it makes me wonder if Karl is paying any attention to detail, or even if this series is in continuity. As for the art, given that the faces looked just as out of focus this month as last, it's clear that Robert Campanella's ink are as much to blame for the quality of the pictures as the pencils. Furthermore, Peter Doherty -- an unknown to me -- drew a too-old looking Robin and a rather dumpy-looking Lois. I'm all for women in comics who look like real women, but Lois has never looked like that. I wonder why DC didn't get a better artist for such a high-profile series? Or is this a hint that this comic just isn't that important? ================================================ JLA ANNUAL #3 Sep 1999 $2.95 US/$4.50 CAN "Gorilla Warfare" Writer: Len Kaminski Penciller: Jason Orfalas Inker: Jordi Ensign Letterer: Kurt Hathaway Colorist: Jason Wright Separations: Heroic Age Assoc. Ed.: Tony Bedard Editor: Dan Raspler Cover: Art Adams RATINGS Average: 3.0/5.0 Shields EM: 3.5 Shields GC: 2.6 Shields - The JLA turned into Gorillas is a bit much in our post-crisis universe. Art was good and the story fair, though if Annuals are going to be crossover events a more plausible "Crisis" would be nice. JB: 4.8 Shields - This is what we need: more gorillas. If the Marx Brothers' cameo doesn't make you laugh, wait till Green Lantern starts doing Heston. JSy: 3.0 Shields - Monkeys *everywhere*, a completely silly plot line, and I'm miffed that Batman was excluded from the transformation. But, you know, it's still a pretty engaging read, and how can you say no to a cover which features gorillas by Art Adams!? SI: 2.9 Shields - The basic premise seems cool, and the story itself started off with a bang (literally), but it degenerated (just like the JLA) as it went along. By the end it was obvious this would be another fairly standard summer crossover event. SL: 2.4 Shields - The concept is interesting, but the execution fell short; the script was sometimes hard to follow and the art was only average. TD: 2.5 Shields - Feh. The idea is inherently silly, but Kaminski almost pulls it off. Pity he keeps indulging over and over again in silly 'Planet of the Apes' in-jokes. Review by: Edward Mathews Synopsis: After years of isolationism, Gorilla City (a city populated by super- intelligent gorillas) has petitioned the United Nations for membership as a sovereign nation. Things go sour when their leader, Solovar, is assassinated by a terrorist car bomb attack while on a goodwill tour of man's world. A secret cabal of gorillas, secretly manipulated by Gorilla Grodd, takes advantage of the political turmoil to decry the incident as an act of war. When the JLA is called in to try and convince Gorilla City that this is a mistake, the Gorilla army hits them with a gorilla bomb and turns the core seven JLA members (minus Batman) into gorillas. Wacky hi-jinks ensue. Review: If there is one thing that can get me to buy a comic book, buy a video game, or watch a cartoon, it's monkeys. I am not going to apologize; monkeys amuse me. Apes, on the other hand... apes can be amusing, or they can be tedious. In this particular annual, they are amusing. Len Kaminski does a great job of playing up the joke that we are supposed to take this gorilla threat seriously within the context of the story. I know I was supposed to take the threat seriously, but come on, they're apes. Bonus points are awarded to Kaminski for the cameo appearance by Animal Man. In Grant Morrison's run of Animal Man, Buddy Baker went on an adventure that ran from issue #8 to #26 that, for lack of better words, introduced the foundations for Hypertime in 1990.[1] The re-introduction of Buddy Baker into the pages of JLA is a welcomed sight since it can only mean that Morrison will probably be using him in his final story arc. The JLA, as apes, must try and stop the transformation of the world into apes. Unfortunately, we don't get to see it here. That is my only gripe with this book; it is part one of eight "JLApe: Gorilla Warfare!" annuals, and since it is not a self-contained story I must take off points for that. What we do get in this book is a good read with lots of interesting bits that stand up on their own. If you want a resolution to the story, you will probably have to pick up Martian Manhunter's Annual (also by Kaminski) at the very least. Art: Jason Orfalas has the distinctive honor of being able to draw gorillas really well. He draws people well, too. The page layout is dynamic and, well, Superman as a gorilla just looks like Titano in Beppo's suit. I wouldn't mind seeing Orfalas on another book in the immediate future. Bonus points are awarded for the excellent Art Adams cover. Conclusion: In spite of the fact that I personally like Kaminski's writing, I have to warn you again that this is not a complete story. If you are on a budget and don't want to pick up a bunch of JLA annuals featuring monkeys, then avoid this book since you will be lulled into a false sense that the rest of the annuals are likely to be enjoyable. So far, they are not, and at $2.95 US a shot, that's a lot of (ahem) chimp change to throw at an incomplete story. [1] Animal Man actually met Grant Morrison in the pages of the comic book to discover from Morrison that he was nothing more than a comic book character and that the reason he was in turmoil was because "the creator," Grant Morrison, thought it would entertain. If you can find them, pick up issues #23-26 of the Animal Man run. Issues #23 and 24 are known as "Second Crisis" and it actually resolves a lot of lingering post/pre-Crisis details, while #25 and 26 describe Hypertime in a way that should have been done in _Kingdom_ #2. _____________________________________ End of Section 8 _____________________________________ THE ONE, TRUE, ORIGINAL SUPERMAN! --------------------------------------- by Bob Hughes (bobhughes@ttlc.net) (or see Bob's web page, "Who's Whose in The DC Universe" at http://members.ttlc.net/~bobhughes/whoswho.htm) Episode 11: Action Archives Volume II -- Empire and Growing Pains (Feb-May 1940) Before I get started, I'd just like to mention the fact that the Superman adventure I plugged some months back as "The Greatest Superman Story Ever Told" is now available. "Superman vs. Atom Man" has been released on CD and Cassette by Radio Spirits and the Smithsonian Institution and is available at larger book stores everywhere. I also think I saw it in a Diamond Previews recently. This is great stuff and I strongly recommend it. Now back to our regularly scheduled feature. When we left the _Action Comics Archives_ series at the end of Volume 1, we'd covered the adventures of Siegel and Shuster from June 1938 through February 1940. We saw how the boys had found work from Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson and hung on as the Major sold out to the slightly more reputable Harry Donnenfeld. They'd pedaled their comic strip Superman to every syndicate in America, only to end up back where they started when Detective Comics purchased it for their new title _Action Comics_, which was released in June 1938. From there on, the momentum kept building. A daily newspaper strip was added starting in January 1939. In April, Superman appeared in a special New York World's Fair comic book. Then in May, all the earliest Superman stories were reprinted in a special comic book album, one of the earliest comics ever to feature a single character from cover to cover. In November, a Sunday page, was added to the daily strip. Joe Shuster was able to handle this increased workload by cutting back on his other strips and hiring assistants, notably Paul Cassidy, who had been inking and finishing Superman for about a year, and Wayne Boring, who had been doing Federal Men, Slam Bradley and Spy pretty much solo, working through the mail from his home in Virginia. The workload was about to increase again, however, as Vin Sullivan informed the boys, that beginning with issue #4, they would be expected to furnish 52 pages of new material for each issue of _Superman_ comics. Perhaps this is the reason that Dennis Neville did the inks and finishes on the story in _Action_ #21. Neville's ink line is much thinner than Cassidy's, and the "S" on Superman's cape disappears. Often referred to as "The Atomic Disintegrator" (Siegel didn't bother to title most of the early stories) the adventure wound up the adventure of the Ultra-Humanite, which had begun way back in _Action_ #13. As he walks towards the Daily Star, Clark Kent is startled when a building he passes suddenly begins to collapse. Swiftly, Kent tosses pedestrians aside, out of the way of the falling masonry "but is buried beneath the debris himself!" A doctor (we know he's a doctor because he's wearing a perfectly white lab coat despite having just walked through an explosion) pulls Kent from the wreckage and drags him inside for an examination. Not particularly wishing to be examined, Clark quickly changes the subject and asks the man if he had anything to do with the disaster. Terry Curtis immediately breaks down and confesses. He was working on harnessing atomic energy and is on the verge of discovering a weapon that could destroy any matter. Of course, he's doing this in the heart of Metropolis within walking distance of the Daily Star. Kent suggests he be more careful in the future. Maybe Curtis should be more careful, but Kent is a reporter and his job is to sell newspapers, so he immediately writes up the whole story and submits it to his editor. It is duly published and, as should have been expected, immediately attracts the attention of the wrong kind of people. The Ultra-Humanite, who's mind is now contained in the body of Dolores Winters, actress (see _Action_ #20) believes that an atomic disintegrator ray is just the thing she (he?) needs to conquer the world. Becoming a beautiful woman certainly increases Ultra's persuasive powers. Soon she and Terry are the best of friends. Terry isn't totally blinded by love, however. Once he catches Dolores trying to lift papers from his laboratory, the romance is over. Unfortunately for Terry, Ultra has a gun. Clark is a little slow on the uptake (that super brain really doesn't start to kick in for another 20 years or so), but it finally dawns on him that the new girl Terry mentioned he was seeing, who resembled Dolores Winters, might very well really be Dolores (Ultra) Winters. He returns to Terry's laboratory only to find the place ransacked and deserted. Nothing to get excited about however. A week elapses in which Clark lolls around his apartment smoking a pipe! Then, Ultra is demanding two million dollars over the radio or she'll destroy the Wentworth tower. Time to put that pipe away and get down to Action! Superman is able to hold off the Wentworth's collapse long enough for the streets to be cleared. Then he allows the building to fall into rubble. Up he leaps into the air, to chase Ultra's fantastic air-vessel (looks like a standard 4 engine plane to me). The disintegrator ray blasts at Superman, but he twists and avoids it. Back on the ground, he hurls a boulder at the plane, destroying the weapon. Leaping back into the air, Superman sits on the plane's tail and hitches a ride back to Ultra's headquarters, a glass-sheathed city inside an extinct volcano. Superman smashes a couple of robots and breaks into a laboratory where Terry Smith and Dolores are working. Terry tells him that if he comes any closer, a photo-electric beam will be tripped and Metropolis destroyed. Ultra tells Superman she'll release Terry if Superman brings her the crown jewels which are being guarded within the Reynolds building (they must be on tour or something). But as Superman leaves, she calls the police and warns them that he's coming to steal them. The police don't take kindly to Superman's appearance and blow him out of the sky with a cannon. But Superman twists the top off a hydrant and washes them away with the water inside. Then he climbs up the outside wall of the building (like an anthropoid). But a man opens a window above him and whacks Superman with an ax, causing him to lose his grip and fall. Superman seizes a ledge on the way down and "draws himself up to safety". Army troops then push a safe out the window at him. Superman catches it with one hand. "They must think it's Christmas the way they toss gifts around." With one heave of his wrist, the safe is airborne. Finally, Superman reaches the roof, where he dangles the army commander over the edge, threatening to drop him if everyone doesn't back off. Inside, Superman rips open another safe and departs with the jewels amidst a hail of gunfire. Ultra isn't really happy to see Superman return. She greets him with diamond drills. While Superman brushes them away, Terry turns on Dolores and stops her from throwing the switch which will destroy Metropolis. Ultra then escapes by leaping into the volcano crater! Superman destroys the laboratory and fills the crater with huge boulders, awakening the volcano's slumbering fires. Superman leaves Curtis in Metropolis and tells him to forget he ever succeeded in disrupting the atom. This story provides a pretty good snapshot of the style into which Superman had settled down. Each adventure was liberally dollopped with action sequences, usually involving great explosions, weapons and projectiles. Superman routinely got involved in battles with the police and the military and didn't seem too concerned about causing destruction every where he went. Since Superman wasn't able to fly, this made battles with airplanes even more spectacular, since it required him to go to extraordinary lengths to even get near them. The formula was apparently very successful. The last panel of the story is filled by an ad for the Spectre by Jerry Siegel (author of Superman) and Bernard Bailey, which began its run in _More Fun Comics_ #52 that month. Perhaps even more significantly, a new publisher entered the comics market with _Whiz Comics_ #1 that very same month, featuring a character who also bent a lot of steel with his bare hands -- Captain Marvel! Being buried at the bottom of an erupting volcano was a finish that Siegel apparently thought he couldn't top. Either that or editor Vin Sullivan really didn't like the idea of a villain who was a man in a woman's body. Now that Superman was in the newspapers and attracting national attention, they would have to be more careful in the type of ideas espoused in the strip. It wasn't until _All Star Squadron_ #21-26 in 1983 that we found out what happened next. Roy Thomas wrote a sequel, ostensibly set in 1942, in which Terry Curtis, now known as Cyclotron, and Ultra, still Dolores Winters, attempt to steal the Powerstone (a magic jewel which had once given Luthor super-strength) and transfer Ultra's brain into Robotman's body. (Robotman was another one of Jerry Siegel's creations, which began its run in _Star-Spangled Comics_ #7 in April 1942). Superman, the Justice Society of America, and the All Star Squadron are able to defeat the two of them, however. Curtis eventually becomes the grandfather of current Justice Society member Atom Smasher. By the time _Action_ #22 came out in January of 1940, it was important for the publisher to put a blurb on the cover that said "World's largest selling comics magazine!" Jerry Bails's database covering all known comic books (www.nostromo.no/whoswho) shows that the number of different comics published went from 82 in 1939 to 151 different comics titles available at some point during 1940.) The headlines screamed "Europe At War!" as Paul Cassidy (and the "S" on Superman's cape) returned as Joe Shuster's assistant. When "The armed battalions of Toran unexpectedly swoop down upon a lesser nation, Galonia," the editor of the Daily Star sends Clark and Lois to Luxor to act as war correspondents. "Swell, I've hoped for a vacation for a long time!" says Lois, much to Clark's disgust. The two reporters embark upon an ocean liner voyage aboard the Baronta. Once at sea, the international intrigue begins immediately. Clark notices an exotic looking beauty, Lita Laverne, a famous foreign actress who travels frequently. Lita ignores Clark until he chances upon a man attempting to kill her and subdues him with a belaying pin! Gratefully, Lita invites him to her home in Toran. But later, he spies her rummaging through the captain's cabin. Plainly there is more to Lita than meets even the super eye! Finally, they dock in Toran. Lita has invited Clark to a big party at her house, but it is plainly evident she's only trying to pump him for information about America's attitude towards the war. It doesn't stop Lois from acting jealous, however. The party is interrupted by a Galonian air raid, which introduces some wonderful pages of Superman battling airplanes again. (Remember, he won't be able to fly for another two years!) Superman soon eavesdrops on Lita's conversations and discovers she is arranging to have a neutral ship sunk by a submarine disguised to look like it's from Galonia, in order to swing the democracies' sympathies towards Toran. But Superman reverses the direction of the torpedo and that plan backfires. Then Superman drops in on a Toranian war council and forces a confession of under-handed tactics from the general. His superiors are shocked to hear of such dastardly deeds done in wartime, and there is an immediate shake-up in the Toranian high command. February 1940 was a big month for Superman. On February 12, the Adventures of Superman debuted on the radio and introduced a new member of the Superman cast, editor Perry White. White would not appear in the comic for many months yet. On February 14, _Superman_ #4 came out, the first issue devoted to all new material, mostly provided by Shuster and Cassidy. Then on February 23, _Action_ #23 was published, featuring the first appearance of Luthor, Superman's arch enemy. (Luthor also appears in two stories in _Superman_ #4, but the _Action_ #23 adventure is chronologically the earliest. Even back then, DC editors couldn't keep their continuity straight.) This is the first issue to feature the DC bullet up in the top right corner of the cover. Superman's picture is on the left. From now on, the company that produced Superman can legitimately be referred to as "DC Comics" although it wouldn't officially change its name to that until the mid 1970's. (_Action Comics_ was published by Detective Comics, Inc. up until 1947, while _Superman Comics_ was published by Superman, Inc. Donnenfeld used many other publisher names for his other titles. Maybe this is where the idea for secret identities really came from?) "Clark Kent and Lois Lane, war correspondents for the Daily Planet are covering the conflict between Toran and Galonia." Daily Planet! Where did that come from? When they left home last issue, it was the Daily Star! Actually, the name Daily Planet first appeared in the December 10, 1939 Sunday page, where it also took over in the middle of a story line. Given the different lead times for preparing stories for publication in the two media, it's probable that both changes were made simultaneously, without fanfare or explanation. Perhaps the Toronto Daily Star objected to the use of its name (although it did carry the comic strip). In any case, there was no real newspaper called the Daily Planet, so it was a much safer name to use. Despite Superman's intervention and the reorganization of the Toranian high command last issue, the war continues. Now in Galonia, Clark and Lois experience bombardment from Toranian shells. Superman is opposed to the bombing of civilians and seizes the shells, hurling them back at the artillery batteries from which they came. Toran and Galonia are supposed to be discussing a cease-fire in a couple of hours, so Superman zips out to the battlefield with his camera to get some spectacular aerial shots for the Planet, just in time to see the Toranian peace delegation be blown to bits. General Lupo denies any involvement, but he reckons without Clark's super-hearing. Overhearing Lupo give suspicious orders, he follows him out into the country side. There Lupo vanishes into a cliffside! Superman can't figure out where he went, so he digs right through the rock until he finds a secret passage. Inside, Lupo is staring at a display of flashing lights. A giant floating head appears in front of the rock and Lupo gives a report. "Your plans have been carried out. The war will be prolonged." Superman confronts Lupo on the way out and forces a confession out of him. "Momentarily a squadron of unidentified planes are to invade and bombard a neutral country. Luthor's plan is to engulf the entire continent in bloody warfare!" "Who is Luthor?" Superman asks, but Lupo is cut down by a mysterious green death ray before he can answer. Then, the entire cavern collapses over Superman, forcing him to dig his way out. (Well, he dug his way in, didn't he?) Quickly, Superman must defeat another squadron of airplanes before the war can be expanded. Then Clark Kent tries to convince the two sides they are only fighting because Luthor wants them to, without much luck. Luthor makes his first appearance on page 7, a short, stocky, fellow with a shock of red hair, sticking out at all angles, wearing the traditional mad-scientist monk's robe. Angry at Kent's interference, he tells his henchmen to eliminate the reporter. Of course they grab Lois by mistake. Irritated, Luthor has her tossed in a dungeon. There, she entices one of Luthor's guards to send a message to Clark to come and rescue her. Superman eventually tracks her down to Luthor's new secret headquarters -- in a giant dirigible high in the stratosphere. This is quite the wacky dirigible. From it is suspended a flat platform on which a stone castle complete with towers and turrets has been built. (As we've seen, it even has a dungeon!) There Superman's X-ray vision shows him Lois being tortured by a guard. He smashes through a stone wall to rescue her, but Luthor's floating head reappears and tells Superman to surrender or Lois will die. "What sort of creature are you?" demands Superman. "Just an ordinary man -- but with th' brain of a super-genius! With scientific miracles at my finger tips, I'm preparing to make myself supreme master of th' world!" Luthor is trying to start a war between the nations of Earth so that he can step in afterwards and pick up the pieces. Superman, to save Lois, agrees to submit to Luthor's ray machine. Luthor believes that eventually the rays will destroy Superman, no matter how strong he is. He may be right, as Superman feels his strength ebbing away. But Luthor is impatient. As his mind wanders, Superman seizes the moment and lunges at the ray machine, whipping it around and blasting Luthor's guards. Luthor trains one of the other rays at Superman but -- "summoning up the last bits of his energy" -- Superman leaps across the room and destroys the machine. "Don't harm me!" pleads Luthor. "And I'll give you unlimited riches!" "I thought you'd prove yellow," responds Superman. Superman destroys the dirigible's control mechanisms and leaps to the ground, carrying Lois in his arms. He and Lois watch as the dirigible crashes in flames. Thus begins a pattern, of Luthor seemingly perishing in flames at the end of every appearance. Back at the peace conference, Clark Kent explains how the generals have been manipulated for Luthor's own ends. Freed from Luthor's outside agitation, peace is soon declared. Clark and Lois pack and return to Metropolis, where Lois hopes that once again she will see Superman. The mystery men market continues to get more crowded as an ad for the Sandman appears in the last panel. Although the real war in Europe had been under way since August of 1939, Siegel had apparently not chosen sides yet. He clung to his belief that wars were fostered by evil capitalists out for profit and that sides were pretty much interchangeable. How very different from the attitude on many other comic creators who were using Hitler as a villain long before America officially entered the war. (To be fair to Siegel, though, Germany did not begin its invasion of France until May of 1940. So little had gone on in Europe since the conquest of Poland that the press was calling it "The Phoney War".) The story known as "Carnahan's Heir" in _Action_ #24 was quite a change of pace. Superman had to do something much harder than bending steel, this time. He had to bend an entire life! Rufus Carnahan, retired industrialist, puts an ad in all Metropolis newspapers, requesting Superman's aid. Kent's editor sends him to get the story, but the butler tosses him out. He returns as Superman but the butler still won't let him in. Superman tosses him aside and marches up the stairs. Soon he's at Carnahan's bedside and we can get on with the plot. Rufus is dying, and his only heir, his son Peter, is a "weak-kneed sop and spendthrift" and a gambler. Carnahan wants Superman to straighten out his son's character and make him a man. Just then, Peter, dressed in top hat and tails, wanders in, presumably from last night's partying. Jenkins, the butler, wants Peter to go upstairs and throw the madman in blue tights out, but Peter is too scared. The police arrive, and Superman leaves via the window, much to Peter's relief. But Peter's troubles are just beginning, as Superman follows him to the Purple Oar, a notorious gambling joint where he finds that Peter owes $10,000 to gambler Jake Brent. Dad's will states that Peter will get nothing if he is found to be involved in gambling, so Jake ups the ante and demands $100,000 to keep quiet about Peter's debts. An argument ensues -- a shot is fired -- and Peter takes off in his roadster. Distraught, Peter tries to drive over a cliff, but Superman grabs the rear bumper and pulls him back. Peter insists he's innocent and that the gun went off accidentally. To make matters worse, old Mr. Carnahan has just died. In those days justice moved swiftly. The circumstantial evidence is overwhelming and Peter Carnahan is sentenced to the chair. Kent has his doubts however. A quick trip to the scene of the crime by Superman soon uncovers new evidence that more than one shot had been fired. It's time for another of those last-minute confrontations at the state prison, as Superman races the deadline, with rival gambler Benny Farrel tucked under his arm. It's a bit too close for explanations this time though, so Superman stops at the dynamo room and rips the flywheel off. Then Superman delivers Farrel to the governor's mansion. "Go ahead -- confess, or I'll shake your teeth loose!" demands Superman. "This is MOST irregular!" says the Governor. Carnahan's life is saved, but he can't inherit his father's money. Instead, he has it put in a trust to establish a home for wayward underprivileged youths and appoints himself as director. Perhaps in those halcyon days before the Miranda decision, such a confession would stand up in court. I have my doubts, however. It would still be many months before Superman began working within the confines of the judicial system. _Action_ #24 was the end of the first era in the history of Superman. There was now too much work to do for Shuster to be personally involved in every aspect of art production, even with an assistant. The call went out to Wayne Boring to move to Cleveland and join the Superman production team. From now on, stories would be parcelled out to several different artists at once. Layouts, details, backgrounds, supporting characters -- all might be handled by different people, often switching roles between pages. Joe gamely tried to make sure he at least did the heads of Superman, Clark, and Lois, but often he couldn't even keep up with that. Eventually, he would lose control all together. But that's a story for next time. _____________________________________ End of Section 9 _____________________________________ SUPERMAN STORIES ------------------------------------------ By Sean Hogan (shogan@intergate.bc.ca) DEMONS Last time, I reviewed stories where Superman wrestled with his inner demons and traveled through a personal hell, dealing with the consequences of his execution of the Phantom Zone criminals. This time, I'll review some stories where Superman literally goes to hell, as he battles the demons Blaze and Satanus. Superman's first encounter with Blaze and her domain is in the three part "Soul Search", which begins in _Action Comics_ #656 (written by Roger Stern, with art by Bob McLeod and Brett Breeding). The issue begins with the bloody and unconscious bodies of Jimmy Olsen and Jerry White being wheeled into the Emergency Room on stretchers. This story arc was the culmination of a number of sub-plots involving Jerry's problems with the law, his friend, Jose Delgado (Gangbuster), and a church turned nightclub owned by a mysterious socialite named Blaze. The first issue of this arc nicely explains the necessary background, so readers don't need to have read the earlier issues. We learn that Jerry and Jimmy were shot by drug dealers outside Blaze's nightclub. Although the boys should be recovering from their wounds, they continue to decline. Clark learns of the shooting and goes to the hospital where he meets Perry and Alice White. As Clark stands by the boys' beds, he sees the Black Racer enter the room. For those who aren't familiar with this character, the Black Racer (created by Jack Kirby, and part of his New Gods mythology) collects dying souls to deliver them to their afterlife destiny. He describes himself as a messenger, "When there is an imbalance of forces in the cosmos, it is my lot to deliver the correcting factor." The Black Racer recruits Superman as the correcting factor in this instance, to save the injured youths and to deal with an entity which "has gained a foothold on this mortal plain". The Black Racer creates a Boom Tube over Blaze's converted church saying, "This once hallowed hall has become a focus of infernal forces. But it shall be the nexus by which we continue our journey!" Superman is deposited in Blaze's infernal realm, where he sees the tortured figures of Jimmy and Jerry. While Superman is distracted, Blaze blasts him into a molten pit telling him that these are the boys' souls, "and they are mine -- as are you, Superman!" _Superman_ #47 (written and drawn by Jerry Ordway, with inks by Dennis Janke) is a big all-out, knock down, drag 'em out fight on several levels. Superman battles an onslaught of demons in the underworld, while Gangbuster is recruited by the Black Racer to fight Intergang arsonists who set fire to the packed nightclub. Blaze takes part in both battles -- in human guise on Earth and in her demonic guise in her own realm. In the hospital, quieter but no less desperate battles are fought. Jimmy and Jerry's bodies continue to decline, and bloody writing appears on Jerry's chest as Blaze marks her name on his soul below. Lex Luthor also chooses this time to appear and tell Perry that Jerry White is Luthor's biological son (another story for another time). This only confirms Perry's long-held suspicions, but he acts true to character when Luthor threatens Alice. Perry takes Luthor out with one punch, telling him to leave Jerry's room. "Alice and I raised that boy. He's still our son!" "Soul Search" concludes in _Adventures of Superman_ #470 (Dan Jurgens with finished art by Art Thibert), as Blaze possesses Jerry's soul to better attack and demoralize Superman. Superman refuses to give in, but he is clearly having difficulty with the continual attacks. Blaze's attention is sufficiently diverted that Jerry is able to fight off her control and he heroically throws himself at Blaze to save Jimmy. Blaze welcomes Jerry, "to the eternal damnation of my after-life" and literally sucks the life out of him, body and soul. In the hospital, Jerry's body stiffens, arches and dies. Superman, horrified by Jerry's sacrifice and death, renews his efforts and blindsides Blaze with another attack, allowing him to speed away from Blaze's domain. Jimmy's soul returns to his body and Superman finds himself bursting through a volcano, returned to Earth. The ending is somber as Alice, Perry, and the other characters (including Luthor) quietly mourn Jerry's passing. However, on the final page, the Black Racer appears in the morgue and summons Jerry's soul. He comforts Jerry by telling him that he has one final journey awaiting him, but, "Have no fear, you have been deemed worthy ... relax and enjoy your just rewards," as they disappear into the light. Superman's initial encounter with Blaze is mostly a physical one, but when they next meet (two years later in real world time), the battle is both physical and spiritual, as Superman has begun to question his morality and worthiness following his execution of the Phantom Zone criminals. He is more vulnerable to attack because of this, and the unwavering determination and self-confidence that served him so well in "Soul Search" is missing during his rematch. Superman's second descent to Blaze's netherworld begins with "Night of the Bat!" a two part team-up with Robin (Tim Drake) in _Superman: The Man Of Steel_ #14 and _Superman_ #70. Robin has been investigating a "vampire plague" that started in Gotham and appears to have moved to Metropolis. The vampire, having previously bitten Lucy Lane, returns to her bedroom window to reclaim her. Jimmy Olsen saves her and then, arming himself with holy water, a garlic necklace, a cross, and a stake, goes vampire hunting. With Superman busy out of town, the two vampire hunters meet in the usual fight and team-up scene. Louise Simonson (with art by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke) has some fun with their introductions as the two pause during their fight and see each other face to face. Jimmy starts: "Hey! You're not the vampire! You're . ." "Robin. As in 'Batman and . . !' Who are you?" "Jimmy Olsen." "Who?" "As in 'Superman's pal . . !'" Unfortunately, when they do team up to tackle the vampire, they find their holy water and crosses useless. Canines exposed, the vampire grins, "I may be a creature of the darkness, but not the Dark Ages! Modern technology has neutralized your danger to my kind." Jimmy finally uses his signal watch to call Superman, who arrives and flies the vampire up, up and away to greet the rising sun. The vampire seems to disintegrate, but as Superman returns to pick up Robin and the injured Jimmy, they hear the vampire's mocking laughter, threatening to return. _Superman_ #70 (Dan Jurgens with finishes by Brett Breeding) opens with some banter between Superman and Robin until Jimmy insists on turning matters serious, stressing his concern for Lucy. While they talk, we cut to a corner of hell, where Blaze is advised by her demonic accountant that the soul count is short. Some dead souls due from Metropolis have failed to arrive. Blaze believes that her (so far unnamed) brother is behind these events. Gazing upon Metropolis, she sees a human leaping from a bridge to commit suicide. The man is Sam Foswell, a recently fired editor at the Daily Planet. Blaze decides that she can use this human as her agent. She appears in the form of a ghostly, angelic and scantily clad female and halts Foswell's fall. She tells Foswell that he must pledge his life to her, then disappears and leaves him to fall again -- only to arrange for him to be rescued by Superman. Meanwhile, the vampire has returned to gather Lucy Lane in his arms, bringing her and a host of his nearly-dead victims to a local cemetery. Robin and Jimmy manage to follow and cause an explosion to get Superman's attention. Superman is ill-prepared for the vampire and the three heroes appear close to defeat until Blaze intervenes. Still watching from her kingdom, Blaze has learned of the vampire's interference with the fate of souls that should have been hers. She decides that she will be the one to claim Superman's soul, not this "insignificant little vampire". As Lucy Lane's fangs touch Superman's neck, Blaze lets loose a "burst of earthly hellfire" that cleanses the vampire's dark bite from his victims, curing them, "so that I, one day, may claim their souls!" The vampire tries to flee, but Superman restrains him and the vampire impales himself on a statue of a soldier with a bayonet, dissolves, and vanishes. Blaze muses that, "This puny distraction was not my brother. No ... my brother wields far more power and cunning than this specimen ... My brother is the accursed Satanus -- and I now fear he desires Superman's soul -- and has taken root in Metropolis to ensnare it!" The issue ends as a reinvigorated Sam Foswell meets Colin Thornton, owner of Newstime Magazine. Thornton needs a new managing editor since his previous editor, Clark Kent, recently quit. Thornton offers the job to Foswell who thinks, "The angel was right! She's -- changed everything for me!" The "Blaze/Satanus War!" begins in _Adventures of Superman_ #493 (written by Jerry Ordway, with Tom Grummett on pencils and Doug Hazlewood on inks). Blaze gloats over the fate of her pawn, Foswell. As Foswell enters the Newstime building, an unearthly blue glow suddenly surrounds the building, the lights inside dim and computer screens go blank. Foswell's handshake delivers an electric shock to Thornton, surprising both men. Later, when Foswell visits the men's room, demons stare back at him from the mirror. The demons begin to emerge from every mirror Foswell passes, and he is oblivious to the havoc they begin to wreak on his fellow employees. A new player emerges from a mirror near Thornton's office -- Lord Satanus. The majestic, horned and helmeted purple demon reassures a secretary, "Fear me not, human. No misery awaits you -- this day. These mirrored portals spew forth demons from a dank place." Meanwhile, Jimmy Olsen, knocked unconscious in an unrelated incident, sees a vision of the Newstime building and is warned by his dead pal, Jerry White, that Blaze has returned. He and Lois Lane head to the building, while Clark slips away to fly there as Superman. Demonic fights ensue. Jimmy and Lois enter the building, only to become trapped as a mysterious force seals it off from the outside world. When Satanus tells Superman that it may require Foswell's death to shut the gates to the Netherworld, Superman replies, "That puts us at odds, mister!" As the issue ends, Blaze gloats that, "The pawns are in place, dear brother, and my knight has made his move!" The battle continues in _Action Comics_ #680 (written by Roger Stern, with art by Jackson Guice and Denis Rodier). Blaze, in angelic guise, removes Foswell from the fight and convinces him that Superman, Jimmy, and Lois are his enemies. Foswell tells her, "Help me, angel! Help me get back at them! I'll do anything you ask!" Blaze seals the pact with Foswell's blood and welcomes him to "--MY HELLISH HOST!" as she transforms him into a fierce, winged gargoyle (inelegantly called "Fosgoyle"). Meanwhile, Superman, Satanus, Lois, and Jimmy continue to battle the other demons. When Superman comments that Satanus seems to take great enjoyment from dispatching his opponents, Satanus replies, "Perhaps, one takes brief pleasures where one may." (Personally, I prefer bad guys to have a good sense of humour and irony). Fosgoyle attacks, taking Superman and Satanus cannoning through several floors of the building. Outside, Supergirl is using her powers to breach the barrier that surrounds the building. Satanus feels the barrier weakening and worries that a breach would draw the physical world into Blaze's domain. To prevent that, he adds his powers to the barrier and transports the entire building away, directly into Blaze's hellish home. The next issue in the saga is an interesting one. _Superman: The Man of Steel_ #15 is written by Louise Simonson, but the art chores are divided. The team of Kerry Gammill and Dennis Janke handle the normal scenes inside the building and in Metropolis, while Keith Giffen and Trevor Scott draw all the scenes in the underworld. Giffen's art is surrealistic and garish -- emphasizing strange vistas, weird shadowing and unusual 'camera' angles. It makes a nice contrast between the real world and the netherworld scenes. Superman's struggles send him and Satanus outside the building into the hellish realm. As demons spew forth to attack them, Superman finds that his powers behave unpredictably. Meanwhile, back on Earth, Perry and Alice White are standing near the police cordon when they see what appears to be the ghost of their son, Jerry, beckoning them from the abandoned church that had been converted to Blaze's nightclub. As they enter, Blaze removes the building to her domain, gloating that they have been "caught like mice in a trap." Her reason is that to neutralize Superman, "one must simply endanger his friends." Perry sees the demon-filled Newstime building and, noting that the church seems free of demons, rings the church bells to signal those trapped in the other building. Lois, Jimmy, and the rest are fighting a losing battle when they hear the bells and decide to cross over to the church. Superman is diverted from his battle to help the humans cross safely. As his attention is turned, Blaze strikes her brother. She gloats that although it was virtually impossible to defeat Satanus while Superman aided him, "separated, each of you is pathetically easy to defeat!" Indeed, Superman also soon falls to the demon horde. As Satanus finally manages to get a stranglehold on Fosgoyle, Blaze reveals her trap to Superman: killing Foswell (her "living portal") will return the demons to her pits, but saving Foswell will trap Superman and his friends in her realm for eternity. Superman must choose to fight Satanus to save Foswell, or allow Foswell to die to save his friends. The Blaze/Satanus War ends in _Superman_ #71. While Blaze's hell no longer has that Giffen look, the lovely Jurgens/Breeding art is a pleasure to look at, in any dimension. The fight intensifies on all fronts as Superman attacks Satanus and the humans fend off attacking demons. Superman refuses to accept either Blaze or Satanus' rules, vowing that he will "get all of them out of here! Just watch me!" Satanus tells Superman, "You would do well to recognize that you are naught but a weapon in the Blaze - Satanus war!". Satanus preys on Superman's fears to convince the hero to ally with the devil, "Think, Kryptonian! Are you truly prepared to pay over one thousand souls -- to save just one?" Finally, Satanus succeeds in trapping Superman, advising him, "It is time you realize you have no choice or independence here, mortal ... choose now! Do you serve Blaze or Satanus!" Blaze merges her demons into one monstrous hellspawn, intent on demolishing the church and the humans inside. Superman's convictions and self-confidence begin to erode as he watches the destruction of the church and the helpless victims inside. He begins to doubt his ability to win both wars. Satanus tells Superman that Blaze will "feast on your friends ... their flesh ... their souls! Is this what you want? Is your independence worth so much?" Superman desperately thinks, "how do I give in to an evil like Satanus?" Unable to free himself, and with Blaze moments away from destroying his friends, Superman finally gives in to Satanus' goading and says, "You WIN! Let me LOOSE!" Suddenly, Fosgoyle intervenes and frees Superman, saying "You made the right choice, Superman. I'm not worth all those lives." Together, the three unite against Blaze. Blaze has allowed herself to be distracted, entering the church to taunt Alice and Perry with more visions of their son (mass mayhem always tastes better with a pinch of mischief to flavour it). She tells them Jerry is "mine, body and soul" and gloats that she conjured visions of Jerry to lure them. Suddenly, the church bells peal again, reminding Blaze of her other prey. She realizes that Satanus has directed Superman to ring the bells allowing the vibrations to be channeled as a sonic weapon. As Blaze appears and attacks Superman, Perry White replaces him on the bellrope, vowing to continue for the sake of his deceased son. Perry struggles, despite the serious injuries he receives from Blaze, to continue ringing the bells. Satanus' attack, fueled by Perry's efforts, succeeds in opening a portal, allowing both buildings to return to their proper places in Metropolis. An explosion tears through the netherworld, blasting Superman and Blaze elsewhere. Back on Earth, Lois confronts Satanus, but the demon lord tells her that the missing Superman, "is no longer my concern. He will have to survive on his own." Satanus also answers the Whites' questions, telling them, "Rest assured. Neither I nor my sister claim your son. His soul lives in a place you would undoubtedly favor." Finally, in private, Satanus returns Foswell to normal saying, "Now that your soul is mine I grant you your true form ... I do this for my own benefit. Someday I may have need of your earthly form. For now -- BE GONE!" As Foswell scurries away, Satanus transforms, revealing his mortal disguise for the first time: "Though victory is mine, the war between my sister and me continues. Nevertheless, I have gained a loyal servant this day and protected the greatest secret of all. Not Superman or Foswell, or any of the rest suspect that Satanus -- walks the Earth as Colin Thornton!" While Blaze and Satanus go their separate ways (for now), Superman still has to find a way home, and to find a way to reconcile his actions in allying with Satanus and therefore putting Foswell's life at risk. _Adventures of Superman_ #494 (by Ordway, Grummett, and Hazlewood) examines morality and choices as Superman confronts some of his most significant failures and fears. Superman awakens in yet another dimension -- the home of Kismet (her first appearance). She is aware of Superman's moral dilemma, telling him, "Kismet exists between dark and light, illuminating the pathways to both. The choice belongs to those at the crossroads." When Superman complains that not all choices are black and white and that there are shades of grey everywhere, Kismet replies, "I do not judge -- I merely offer the choice." Superman reflects, "I was taught by the tenets of religion by my adoptive parents, as a child ... that is where much of my concepts of right and wrong were formed. Those concepts are shaken with every encounter I have with a so-called greater being!" Kismet reshapes her dimension to review some of these significant incidents. Superman recounts what is still the heaviest of his burdens, his execution of the Phantom Zone criminals. Yet this time, Kismet alters the ending and, as the criminals plead for mercy, has Superman relent and seal the kryptonite in it's canister. Kismet shows Superman how this might have ended with his own death at the hands of the Kryptonians. Superman asks himself, "Was I wrong to kill those villains? Was I right for the wrong reasons or wrong for the right reasons? Either way -- I tried to grow from the experience." As Kismet continues to probe, Superman retorts, "Look, I'm not stupid -- I've heard your message! I'm sick of this 'soul-search' Kismet. Let me go, to rejoin my friends and loved ones!" Kismet refuses, "You cried out for help, and there is much more to be done ... many significant events left to review ... you pondered 'what might have been' and I am obliged to show you." She returns him to his youth, when a friend, Scott Brubaker, crashed while drinking and driving (from _Adventures of Superman_ #474). Clark, Lana, and Pete were in the car with Scott, yet failed to stop him from driving. Scott spent the next 10 years in a coma, before dying. Superman argues that Scott's life would have been changed if they had only called for a ride from his parents instead of driving. Kismet points out that Scott may have taken the same risk on another day, without the lesson on responsibility given to Clark by his parents. She asks, "Would their words have had the same weight without Scott Brubaker's tragic example?" They discuss other risks and possibilities -- the possibility of harm to Superman's loved ones by his enemies, the chance that Superman might one day decide to rule the world in order to better control its violence (to which Superman replies, "That could never happen, Kismet!"). As Kismet ends the conversation, a frustrated Superman cries out that he still has doubts about himself and his mission, "What if I hesitate the next time I come across a drowning man? A suicide? An accident about to happen? Do I think about Sam Foswell, and wonder if some OTHER omnipotent being is pulling my strings?" Kismet, realizing that this question cannot be answered by words, returns Superman to Earth, just in time for him to save a family from danger. This, more than any of Kismet's lessons, assures Superman that he will not be paralyzed by indecision. Superman appears to realize from his instinctive action that he will have to accept that he is not perfect, and that he will continue his never-ending battle to help as best he can whenever he sees danger or injustice. While Superman's adventures have led him to face many other challenges, decisions, and even demons, he has not yet had to deal directly with either Blaze or Satanus again (although Blaze does manipulate Superman and Captain Marvel into fighting each other in _Superman_ #102). While Blaze moved on to other battles, Satanus remains in Metropolis disguised as Colin Thornton. While we occasionally see him step out of his role as Thornton (such as his protection of the Newstime building from Luthor's missiles during the "Fall Of Metropolis" story arc), his master plan has never been fully explained. To paraphrase George Costanza pitching a Seinfeld show, 'See! There's a story'. Let's hope someone gets around to it someday. For those interested in further stories featuring Blaze, Jerry Ordway featured her in the first year of his wonderful Captain Marvel series, _The Power of Shazam_, especially issues #8-12. Blaze's manipulations peak in a climactic battle with the entire Marvel Family. That storyline also examines the history of the wizard Shazam and, in a brilliant linking of the Superman and Captain Marvel legends, Ordway reveals Shazam as the father of Blaze and Satanus. Satanus has only one other significant story, when the wizard and Captain Marvel visit Metropolis in _Superman: The Man Of Tomorrow_ #4. Satanus recognizes his father's presence and releases a demonic drug which turns its victims into monsters. Satanus' plan is to create havoc and distract Shazam from learning of Satanus' hidden presence. The story doesn't spend much time on the father/son dynamics, but focuses on the two heroes as they fight the victims of the drug. Well, this article has run on long enough. Time to get the heck out of here and into the hot weather! _____________________________________ End of Section 10 _____________________________________ THE MAILBAG ------------------------------------- (mailbag@kryptonian-cybernet.com) KC Responses are indented and begun with **** =========================================== From: Chris Mullane (cdm55@webtv.net) Byrne's plan for Superman's execution of the Phantom Zone Criminals (PZCs) was flawed in that it was a conscious decision on Superman's part. It isn't necessary for someone to murder before they know for sure that it's wrong, and Superman of all people should have had this moral virtually encoded in his DNA by his now-living-in-new-continuity parents. It would have been more believable if Superman had been placed into a position where killing was the absolutely last, only, and final option, all other practical outlets failed. This situation could have been easily implemented because the three alternate Kryptonians were much more powerful than he was. If it had happened this way, Superman's moral dilemma would have been in the tear between vowing to never kill and being forced to in self-defense. Let's say it went something like this: the PZCs beat Superman to near-death, then Supergirl shows up and occupies them long enough for him to retreat. He goes to Pocket-Superboy's lab and snatches the Gold K in a lead shield. He flies out to save Supergirl, who is taking a serious beating as per the original comic. Superman orders the PZCs to stop or else he'll be forced to expose the power-draining ore; because they're still in the poisoned atmosphere, it would mean certain death. They don't believe him, citing that if such a substance exists the rebels would have certainly attempted to use it. They call his bluff and he has no choice but to open the container, lest he himself die at their hands. They're stricken with the kryptonite radiation and fall to their deaths at the barren wastes below. Now, with the above scenario Superman still has a moral dilemma (Was there another option besides the Gold K? Was he too distraught/hurried to grab another ore or subconsciously wanting them to die?) without him actually "pulling the trigger" on completely defenseless beings. This leaves the *possibility* that he killed them on purpose, but leaves him free to sort it out during his exile. Perhaps my setup isn't perfect, but I'm positive that there were other options for having Superman kill without making him a murderer. (Even Batman doesn't kill the Joker, and he's left with a near-identical moral dilemma every time Joker escapes Arkham for another killing spree.) **** As I understood it, the purpose of this story was not to show us how Superman learned that murder is wrong -- it's clear from his internal debate that Superman had already learned that lesson. I believe the point was to eventually provide us with a reason why Superman never kills under *any* circumstance. After all, many people think killing is justified when done in self-defense. Some think killing is justified when done in punishment for numerous and heinous crimes against humanity. Yet Superman's code is *never* to kill, not even in circumstances where many, or even all, others think that he would be justified in doing so. Ultimately, I think your basic premise is correct, though. Byrne didn't do a good enough job of presenting a situation where killing truly *was* the only option, and that's probably the main reason that fans have been debating this story ever since. (Though others may question whether or not Superman's code against killing actually needed to be explained in such a manner.) =========================================== From: David Young (young_d1@popmail.firn.edu) There are a couple of issues within the newest KC which I felt I had to comment on. Words of wisdom? Nope, just my two cents worth. First (since it came up first) is the infamous "Superman executes the Phantom Zone villains" story. I've heard a lot of different views on this story (all the way from mild remarks to "it ruined Superman for me!"). I don't like to overanalyze a story, especially one that I liked. I've found that if I sit here and really try to pick apart why I liked something then it usually loses something for me. Now, I was an English major, so I think I have the ability to do so and to support my arguments, but it is not something I enjoy doing. (For instance, I could never be a critic, because I rarely have a strong negative reaction to something... at worst I usually say "It's not my kind of thing" because I know that somewhere out there in the world is someone who liked it.) So for this now-classic John Byrne story all I can say is that, when it came out, I liked it. I felt Byrne's story held together very well. Now, I wasn't sitting there trying to take it apart. If someone decides to be the "devil's advocate" then they can almost always find problems with something. I didn't have a problem with the "Superman's always had a 'no-killing' creed", because I had already become accustomed to the "break" between the Pre-Crisis Superman and the Post-Crisis Superman. I saw the new Superman more-or-less as a blank slate, and the only events/ideas from Pre-Crisis which mattered were the ones they took the time to re-establish. Therefore, I believe I saw Byrne's Superman as always knowing right from wrong, but not necessarily swearing "I will not take a life under any circumstance." (And now that I've said that, someone will probably find a Byrne issue where he did. He may have even said it in the story in question. If he did have the "creed" established, I simply saw it as the realistic truism that we can never truthfully say what we would do in a certain traumatic situation until we are in that situation, or as one is not able to truly predict all potential situations when one makes such a pledge.) That said, when Superman said that he was the sole remaining person on this "Earth" to judge them, and fearing that these mass-murderers would one day recover their powers and find their ways to his Earth (and by this time Superman had seen far more far-fetched events happen... to that person who wrote in about this, how would the Post-Crisis/John Byrne Superman know that this Pocket-Earth's Gold Kryptonite was one hundred percent absolutely permanent? Was he supposed to have kept up with Pre-Crisis comic books?) ... well, I believed him. Case closed. And when Byrne's successors decided to use his decisions in this case to further develop his character with the Gangbuster/"sleepwalking" story, I thought they did a great job. I hesitate to make a broad statement like "a personal code is much stronger when one has experienced what they are denouncing", but I think it did strengthen Superman's will not to kill in the future. While I know that some people think that the character of Superman should never be effected or "tainted" by what other modern comics characters have become over the years (or by the world at large), I do think Superman has to be seen in a different light by each new generation. In a world where characters who are considered the "better" and "more positive" ones (I'm not talking Punisher and Wolverine, here, but the "good" ones) have a very difficult time swearing that they would never take a life (even in self-defense), it's difficult to see Superman taking that line without some strong personal reasons (besides simply knowing "killing is wrong"). The traumatic lessons Superman learned from the Phantom Zone criminals and the following tales made that creed stronger in my eyes in regards to the "modern" version of Superman. Ok, there are my two-cents on that issue, and I gabbed a lot more than I thought I would about it, so I'll try to sum up issue #2 quickly. The irate Superman writer who quit his KC subscription because a reviewer went too far (in his or her eyes). I'm not really addressing this directly because I can see both sides. I've seen times when reviewers seemed to be on a vendetta to return things to a time or style which he or she preferred, or who seemed to just have been in a bad mood the day he or she wrote the review. On the other hand, a professional should be made of pretty sturdy stuff. They must have to put up with negative reviews all the time. (Not everybody is Frank Miller, George Perez, or Alex Ross, ya know!) What I wanted to say was that I don't read KC's current comics reviews at all. I mean, occasionally I'll skim them. But usually I avoid them altogether. I figure, I already purchase all of the Superman titles, so the reviews won't serve the purpose of guiding my buying. And I'm going to read them myself anyway, so I don't need these other people shading my opinions of the books. I mean, if you liked a book (or a movie or whatever) and then see this review where four or five people all unanimously hated it, what reactions do you have? My first reaction is usually a defensive "Hey, I liked that book!", and my second one is a more tentative, "Well, if all these people didn't like it, maybe there really was something wrong with it and I just didn't see it." See how it can taint one's opinions? I have an example from this very issue. I just now got off the exercise bike reading three issues of _Batman and Superman: World's Finest_ in a row (#3-5), and I loved them. This has got to be my favorite Superman-related series or mini-series so far this year (excluding one-shots/graphic novels). Yet what do I see when I scan the reviews for issue #5? Complaints over repeated themes (people, that is a common convention of comic books... how many times have Spider-Man fans had to rehash the "with great power..." theme?). Complaints over how Batgirl and Thorn were characterized (remember this is basically "Year One" for Batgirl... she's supposed to be somewhat perky and inexperienced here). "This whole mini-series is a gigantic continuity error" (um, I could probably find a few small continuity inconsistencies, but this is one of those retroactive stories where we are supposed to believe these events "happened" in these characters' pasts all the time... I think they've done a superb job so far of dealing with these two characters' very complicated histories). After reading the reviews, what did I come away with? Some people didn't like the story. I would have predicted that even without reading the reviews (it's impossible to get *everyone* to like one particular thing). And it didn't change my opinion of the stories a bit (I still love this series). **** I'm going to interrupt here for just a moment. Enjoyment of a title is a very personal thing and generally has nothing at all to do with what others think of the book. The purpose of our new comic reviews is the *sharing* of opinions, not the *changing* of opinions. I encourage anyone who believes that their opinions are not being represented to participate by submitting ratings and comments, editorials, or letters to the mailbag. To be fair, I realize that the reviewers go to a lot of work of reviewing each issue, and I appreciate that sense of loyalty to both KC and the Superman titles and fans. I also realize that a critical voice is needed to let the DC people know when the fans are dissatisfied, so I know these reviews have merit (however I think individual letters to DC and fans abstaining from buying an unwanted product makes more of an impact than organized critics/reviewers panels). I just wanted to let you know my opinion of the whole matter. (My only other problem with the way reviews are done here in KC, is that each reviewer has a different concept of how the "Shields" work. "JE's" summary was for the most part negative, yet he gave the story a higher ranking then "JSy's" 3.5 rating, and "JSy" seemed to enjoy the story much more from his summary. A little more consistency would be nice.) **** Another possibility is that some people tailor their comments to their ratings, while others do not. I'm not averse to using my limited comment space to praising some aspect of a book which really caught my eye, even if I didn't care for the book over all. I've also submitted negative comments for books that I mostly enjoyed -- sometimes it's easier to point out the flaws than the merits. If there was something about the issue that irked me, it might take my entire allotted space to explain what it was that elicited that reaction from me, but if that's what I feel I need to comment on, then that's what I'll comment on. The rating can then express my overall opinion of the book. I should probably say what things I *do* look forward to in each issue (since I've let it be known that the current issue reviews are not one of them). I look forward to the "News" announcements for the Superman/DC line. I enjoy Jeff's editorials (and other "guest" editorials too sometimes). I particularly like reviews of older comics, particularly ones that I don't already have (kudos to the writer of the "Earth-1"/"Earth-2" Superman articles... my favorite KC stories this year!) or reviews of general Superman/comic book history. So please don't take this as an overly negative letter. **** Of course not. Different readers prefer different flavors, and I don't expect that *any* of our pieces are read by *every* KC reader. This is one of the reasons that I encourage pieces focusing on media other than comics, and that I encourage participation in the Mailbag. The better variety of topics we can provide, the better chance we have of having *something* for every reader to enjoy. =========================================== From: Jon Knutson (waffyjon@execpc.com) Got a question/favor to ask you... I don't recall if you are still placing "classified ads" in the KC anymore, but just in case you do, would you mind putting in a little notice for me? I'm auctioning off a lot of my Superman collection via Yahoo! Auctions (http://auctions.yahoo.com) as well as a lot of other comics. My bidder name is waffyjon, which you can search for. Starting bids for each lot of comics is usually 1/4 to 1/2 of Overstreet, and bidding's been slow so far... it'd be a big help if you could point some of the KC readers that way. These are books I used to have in Washington, left behind when I moved... it was too expensive to ship them all to Milwaukee, so I just shipped back the 70s comics for my website, as well as a couple hundred comics I thought I'd be able to sell over the web (most of my Silver Age stuff got sold off to a dealer when we were visiting Washington in July, the rest are going to be quarter boxes at my parents' garage sale this summer unless I get lots of responses to the auctions I have so far). Any pointing out of these auctions to the KC readership would be greatly appreciated (and make it easier to treat my wife to a real nice birthday this year, to say nothing of Christmas). **** Jon sent me this a couple of weeks ago, and I haven't had a chance to contact him to see if the auctions are still going on, but I thought I'd pass the information along, anyway. I do have an alterior motive, though, in that it allows me to ask our readership about a return of KC Classifieds. A few years ago, we ran a classified section in each issue of KC, in which readers could list Superman-related items they had for sale which might be of interest to their fellow fans. It was intended only for personal sales, and not for any type of commercial offering. If there's enough interest, I'd be willing to start the classifieds back up again -- just give me a sign. :) =========================================== From: Name Withheld First of all, let me *thank* you for your marvelous newsletter. I've had no access to the comics in almost a decade and have gotten re-hooked to Superman through the 'net. KC has been invaluable in actually bringing me up to date about what's happening to Superman in the DCU. I've never been much for sending feedback; a pity, I know, and not what you and your excellent staff deserve. I did want to comment, though, about a letter in your mailbag from Johanna Draper Carlson. Mrs. Carlson draws parallels between a specific comic (_Superman: The Last God of Krypton_) and sexual conflict. For all the formality of her language, the letter is pretty explicit -- enough to make me, a married woman close to thirty, rather uncomfortable. Now this is, of course, a matter of subjective opinion, and I'm sure there are many people out there who would disagree. Still, I can't help feeling that the "adult" nature of that particular letter was out of place in your newsletter, which (while you may have never specified it to be as such) has always seemed to me to be a family newsletter. **** In all honesty, that particular letter has turned out to be more of a headache for us than you can know, but I do not regret running it, and I'd like to address that. Yes, I have always intended KC to be a magazine which most parents would feel comfortable allowing their children to read. After all, Superman always has appealed to and always will appeal to the younger set, and *all* Superman fans should have the opportunity to share their love of the character. On the other hand, Superman also has a very diverse group of fans spanning all ages, beliefs, and backgrounds, and sometimes people with a different point of view can see things in a story that some of the rest of us can not. Even if I did not agree with all of her observations, Johanna's view of _Last God of Krypton_ was well thought-out and well backed-up. For that reason, I think that her opinions deserved to be heard. So now I find myself wedged into a bit of a corner. Some of our readers don't think the letter was appropriate for KC, and some of our readers thought that I treated the letter poorly in my response to it. It would be very easy for me to respond by deciding not to publish any such opinions anymore, but I'm not one to believe that there are many good absolutes in this world, and I also don't think I want the responsibility of deciding for *all* of our readers what is or is not appropriate for all ages. In the end, I can't promise anyone who is reading this magazine that they will never read anything with which they might take offense or which might make them uncomfortable. I try my best to strike a balance between providing something everyone can read and providing something in which differing viewpoints and opinions are welcome. On some occasions, that means that we run pieces that fall outside of people's comfort zones. However, I think that over our more than five years, those instances have been few and far between. I hope that our record bears that out. -- Jeff Sykes __________________________________ ************************************************************** End of Section 11/Issue #65