Mild Mannered Reviews - Classic Post-Crisis Superman Comics


Man of Steel #3

Man of Steel 3 (Miniseries)

Cover date: August 1986

Writer: John Byrne
Penciller: John Byrne
Inker: Dick Giordano

"One Night in Gotham City" or "Face to Face with the Dark Knight"

Reviewed by: Josh Gehling (rgehling@concentric.net)


A frightened criminal runs through an alley in Gotham City, hoping to escape his attacker, but it is useless, because his attacker is none other then... Batman! Batman kicks the man onto the ground and then questions him about where his boss will attack next. Butch (the criminal) tells Batman that his boss will kill him if he tells and then grabs a pile of garbage and throws it at Batman's face. Batman wipes the trash from his face and runs after Butch, but before he can catch him, Superman, who calls Batman an outlaw, grabs his rope. Superman tells Batman that he's taking him into police headquarters, Batman quickly lets go off the rope and drops from 20+ stories up. Superman races down to save Batman, but he is nowhere in sight. Suddenly, Batman speaks behind Superman. Confused, Superman flies over to capture him but the Dark Knight warns him to stop. A quick peek with Superman's infra-red vision reveals a force-field around Batman, which, when super-dense biological material enters it, triggers a bomb to explode somewhere in Gotham City (Batman had thought that he and the Man of Steel might have a run-in, and designed the force-field just for this purpose). Superman, who is shocked and amazed, backs away from Batman. Batman then explains to Superman about the robberies that have been happening over the last six days (a priceless artifact would be stolen and then replaced by a fatal device (bomb, a device that squirts acid, poison gas, etc.)) and how his investigations led him to Bull (the criminal he was chasing earlier), a small-time hood for a particularly fatal femme who calls herself... Magpie!

Across town, in Magpie's hideout, Butch is being screamed at by the legendary villainess herself. After the yelling is over, Magpie injects Butch with paralysis venom and then shoves a stick of dynamite in his mouth for a killing act she refers to as a "happy birthday."

While Batman continues his story, Superman looks distracted and tells Batman about the explosion he just heard followed by a woman's laughter. Superman quickly tracks down the sound and Batman follows. One minute later, they reach the location (the old Gotham museum of antiquities that's been abandoned for years). Superman busts through the wall, surprising Magpie, who (of course) orders her men to shoot him. Superman and Batman quickly take out her accomplices and head for Magpie. She takes a glass bottle from her purse and tosses it to the ground (this unleashes a gas, similar to acid (in that it eats everything it touches)) and then escapes. Superman quickly inhales all the gas and shoots up to space, where he blows it all out. Superman, now out of breath, streaks back down to Earth for oxygen, spots Batman and flies down to him. Batman tells him that he wants to get a look at the shards of glass from Magpie's gas vial before they're contaminated. He uses his portable crime-lab (located in the back of his automobile) to investigate. He finds that the piece of glass from the gas-vial has a tiny piece of thread on it that appears to be at least 5000 years old. He also tells Superman that there's only one place in Gotham City with five-thousand-year-old cloth and to follow him.

In the new Gotham Museum (remember, Magpie was in the old museum building earlier), Magpie paces from side to side in the room, talking to herself about how she didn't steal anything, but traded pretty things for dangerous things. As she screams in agony at her ruined plans, Superman and Batman arrive and tell her that they checked the employee records of the museum to find the name Margaret Pie (which explains how she got into the museum easily). Superman lifts off her wig and she lets out a piercing scream and starts to cry, "the pretty things... can't have the pretty... pretty... pretty...," she says and then collapses.

Twenty minutes later, on top of a nearby building, Superman and Batman are talking about Magpie. Batman tells Superman that, if she gets a hotshot lawyer, she'll be back on the streets before he's halfway back to Metropolis. Superman now understands that Gotham is a much different city than Metropolis and tells Batman that he seems well suited to the task. Before leaving, Superman asks Batman to disarm the bomb (remember, the one set to trigger if Superman entered his force-field) and Batman reaches into his belt to retrieve the bomb. Amazed that Batman had put his own life in danger, he takes the bomb. As he lifts off, he tells Batman that he'll be watching him, wishes him good luck and then heads back to Metropolis. Batman smiles at Superman and wonders if in a different reality he might've called him "friend."

4Story - 4: Although this is a good story, it doesn't seem to fit in the MOS miniseries. I mean, we have the origin, then the introduction of Lois Lane and then Superman's first meeting with Batman?! Sure, it's important, but not important enough to be in the same league with the previous two issues. Nevertheless, this was still a fun read and the first time I read this comic I never expected that Batman had put his own life in danger (I thought he was just lying about the whole force-field/bomb thing). The last page where Batman thinks about the alternate reality is (besides great writing) a nice nod to the pre-crisis days. Bottom Line: good, but Byrne could've done better.

5Art - 5: Again, nothing to complain about here. Byrne draws a great Superman (especially on page 14, panel three (Superman busting through the wall)), and shows that he also knows how to draw a dark, striking Batman! Credit should also be given to Giordano for his wonderful inking in the whole MOS miniseries.

5Cover Art - 5: Once more, a simple, nicely drawn cover... what else is there to say?!


Classic Post-Crisis Superman Comic Book Reviews

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