Mild Mannered Reviews - Classic Post-Crisis Superman Comics


Man of Steel #4

Man of Steel 4 (Miniseries)

Cover date: August 1986

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

"Enemy Mine..."

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


A stunningly beautiful Lois Lane stands in Clark Kent's doorway for their date (well, actually they're going together for a story for the Daily Planet). She's early and Clark lets her in so he can get ready. As she enters, she compliments Clark on his apartment and sees a picture of him on the Smallville football team. Surprised that Clark played football, she searches for other pictures and finds one of his parents, she asks him how such nice folks ended up with such a swine. Clark sighs and asks her if she will ever forgive him for scooping her on the exclusive interview with Superman (see issue #2). Lois tells him she doesn't want to discuss it any further and asks him to get ready. So, Clark goes into the bathroom, turns on his electric razor (for the sound effects), gets a special piece of metal torn from the rocket-ship that brought him to Earth, and begins to shave by reflecting his heat-vision off the mirror and onto his face [VERY carefully].

Ten minutes later, Clark comes out of the bathroom (dressed in his tuxedo) and find Lois lifting weights (which he keeps in his apartment to explain how he has such a terrific physique). Lois asks him how, with the incredibly light weights, Clark keeps so well in shape. He stumbles over his words and tells her that they're "old weights." They exit the apartment and head to the roof, where a Lexcorp helicopter is waiting. Clark angrily asks Lois if something like this (landing on a roof without permission) is legal, and she tells him that anything with Luthor on it is pretty much above the law. On the way to Luthor's personal cruise-ship (where one of the biggest parties in Metropolis is being held) she explains to Clark that Luthor is the second or third richest man in the world and he owns virtually every business based in Metropolis. She also tells him that, despite his occasional flaunting of the rules, no one has been able to connect his name with anything remotely shady, but she has her doubts that Luthor is all good.

On their way inside the ship, they discuss Lois' "relationship" with Luthor (she denies having any and calls Luthor a collector who wants to own at least one of everything in the world, but he can't have her, which makes him want her more). Suddenly, a balding (he hasn't lost all his hair... yet) man comes up behind them... it's Lex Luthor! Luthor greets them and compliments Clark on getting the exclusive interview with Superman, as they chat about his story, a jealous Lois paces in the corner. While they're talking, one of Luthor's employees informs him that Mayor Berkowitz has arrived, he thanks her and then asks Clark for a moment in private with Lois. He agrees and exits the room. When he leaves, Lex asks Lois if she likes his present (the five-thousand dollar dress she's wearing). A fierce look enters her eyes and she tells him that she thought it was just to wear for the night, not to keep. Lois tells him she doesn't want any of his presents and that she's not interested in him. She then calls Clark in and asks for his jacket, he gives it to her and she undresses and gives the dress back to Luthor. She angrily runs out of the room with Clark trailing.

As she runs down the hall, she tells Clark that there isn't anything that could make the evening much worse. A few seconds later, a gun is being pointed at her head. A streak of gray moves in front of her and Clark tells her to get back. As she backs away she thinks to herself that she's never seen anything move as fast as that. One of the terrorists hits Clark with his gun (not shoots, just hits him) and then pushes him overboard. Another terrorist pushes Lois over with the other hostages. As the terrorists begins to tell them their demands, the boat lifts up into the air. This distracts the terrorists and gives Lois time to take the upper-hand. Superman flies the boat to Luthor's private island, Shangri-La, and then flies up to help Lois. He saves her from the last terrorist, dismantles the man's gun and then hands it back to him. As Lois and the Mayor thank Superman for his help Luthor comes out and hands Superman a check for $25,000 and tells Superman that he's on his payroll now. He refuses the check, but Luthor tells him everyone who's anyone in Metropolis works for him. He also tells Superman that he wasn't really needed because his security team could handle it. Lois furiously asks where the security team was when the terrorists attacked. Luthor tells them that they were waiting because the advance security team predicted something like this would happen and Luthor had his security team held back to see what Superman could really do. A Shocked Superman asks how he could let this go on when there were innocent lives at stake. Lois tells Luthor that he is an accessory to murder for Clark Kent, but Superman tells her that he saved him. The mayor charges Luthor for reckless endangerment and asks Superman to arrest him. Luthor tells the mayor that he can't arrest Lex Luthor, the most powerful man in Metropolis, but the mayor tells him that he's not anymore. Superman finally takes Luthor to the police station... Luthor is no longer smiling.

Three days later, as he walks out of the hospital after flying a pregnant woman inside, he is photographed. Superman looks around but cannot find any body with a camera. Just as Superman prepares to leave, Luthor shouts his name from behind him. Luthor tells him that he owns the city and he's going to prove to the people who their master is. He then tells him that one day very soon he (Superman) will die, and no-one will ever be able to prove that Lex Luthor did it. He also tells Superman that he is not going to be arrested ever again and to remember that he's a dead man. The only question is how soon...

5Story - 5: An amazing introduction to Lex Luthor, this is the kind of guy you love to hate and he is (in my opinion) the best interpretation of Lex Luthor, yet. Byrne's Luthor is just plain sinister and for the first 22 issues of Superman he'd stay that way, but then, like everything else, would just become decreasingly cooler (sometimes getting a nice story) until the original character is all but forgotten. This Luthor isn't afraid to tell Superman he will kill him, he takes pride in it. Luthor is definitely one of the biggest changes from the pre-crisis days, and again (I think) it's for the better. A scene that really "defines" the new Clark is on page 11 where he gets in front of Lois to protect her. The old Clark would never, ever do this. I really like the post-crisis Clark over the pre-crisis one. While this Clark still stumbles with his words (occasionally), he's not an all out klutz like the original. How does he do it? John Byrne's fantastic!

5Art - 5: I can't really say anything about this that I haven't already said in the previous reviews, but I'll say it again... this is fantastic art that's easy to follow. In page 17, panel 2, the expression Superman's making looks just like Christopher Reeve. What can't John do?

5Cover Art - 5: I've said it once and I'll say it again... nicely drawn and simple, nice cover.


Classic Post-Crisis Superman Comic Book Reviews

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