THE KRYPTONIAN CYBERNET - ISSUE #9 - JANUARY 1995

     AN ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE DEDICATED TO THE FAMILY OF SUPERMAN CHARACTERS

      All characters and locales are copyright and/or trademark DC Comics


CONTENTS
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Section 1: Superscripts: Notes from the Editor
                News from KC, the comics, and Hollywood
           The Kryptonian Cybernet ReadersÕ Choice Awards
                Results from your voting
           The State of Superman Comics
                Where weÕve been, where we are, and where weÕre headed.
                An essay by Jeffery D. Sykes

Section 2: The Fleischer Cartoons
                Episode #5, ÒThe BulleteersÓ,
                by Neil Ottenstein
           Reviews
                The Triangle Titles
                        Superman: The Man of Steel #41, by Anatole
                        Superman #97, by Jose R Galan
                        Adventures of Superman #520, by Patrick Stout
                        Action Comics #707, by Art LaMarche
                Other Super-Titles
                        Superboy #12, by Victor Chan

Section 3: Reviews
                Other Super-Titles (cont)
                        Steel #12, by Shawn Aeria
                        Showcase Ô95 #1, by ReneÕ Gobeyn
                Miniseries and Special Appearances
                        Guardians of Metropolis #4, by ReneÕ Gobeyn
                        Metropolis S.C.U. #3, by ReneÕ Gobeyn
                        Xenobrood #4, by ReneÕ Gobeyn
           Super-Crosswords
                Crossword #4 and Answers to Crossword #3


Section 4: Looking Back
                AfterByrne: Post-Crisis Reviews 
                        Panic In the Sky
                                Prologue and First Strike, by Jeff Sykes
                Legacies: Pre-Crisis Reviews
                        Action Comics #455, by Ken McKee
                        The Super-Kids of Superman!
                                Part 5 of a 5-part review of silver age
                                stories, by Jon Knutson
           
Section 5: Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
                Up, Up, and Coming
                        News and Notes, by Jeff Sykes
                Swapping the Witch for the Devil Under the Pale
                    Moonlighting Myth
                        Romance in L&C and avoiding the 
                        Moonlighting curse, by Zoomway
                Episode Review:
                        ÒSeasonÕs Greedings,Ó by Sriya Sampath
           And Who Disguised As...
                Shredded Cape Blues, by J.D. Rummel
     
Section 6: Coming Attractions
           Resources
           The Mailbag


EDITORIAL STAFF:
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Jeffery D. Sykes, Editor-in-chief
Arthur E. LaMarche, Reviews
Shawn Aeria                         Mark Lamutt
Victor Chan                         Ken McKee
Pat Gonzales                        Jennifer L. Traver
Curtis Herink                       Joel W. Tscherne
Lee Keels


LEGAL DISCLAIMERS:
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	Superman and all related characters, locations, and events are 
copyright and trademark DC Comics.  Use of the aforementioned is not
intended to challenge said ownership.  We strongly suggest that each
reader look to the media sources mentioned within for further infor-
mation.
	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 should be distributed freely via e-mail.  Should 
you desire to share this publication with other on-line services, please
contact me at sykes@ms.uky.edu for permission.  Feel free to advertise
subscription information on other on-line services which have internet 
mail availability.
	THE KRYPTONIAN CYBERNET is available by e-mail Ñ just send me a note
(sykes@ms.uky.edu) which includes the address to which you would like the
issues sent.  Back issues are available via ftp Ñ see the resources section.

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SUPERSCRIPTS:  Notes from the Editor
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KC News:  
    YouÕll notice a few changes in the next few months as KC continues
    to evolve to better serve our readers.  Beginning this month, the
    Resources section gets shortened Ñ see that section for more
    information.  Managing the mailing list for KC has become more of
    a hassle than I care to handle, so I am preparing to move it to an
    automated system.  This should go into effect next month.  In order
    to facilitate the switch, this month I will be dropping any 
    addresses which bounce for reasons other than full mailboxes.  
    When the new system is initiated, I will post a list of bounced
    addresses to the Usenet.  

    Our big news is next monthÕs installation of a classified section.
    Our readers will now be able to advertise Superman-related merchan-
    dise that is either wanted or for sale.  We have only three rules:
    1. No dealers or businesses.  This is meant to be more of a trading
       post for fans of the Man of Steel, not an outlet for people to
       operate a business.
    2. Superman merchandise only.  Anything not related to the Man of
       Steel will be edited out of the ad.
    3. Try to keep your ads short.  The ads are not the primary purpose
       of KC.  They are a small part of a larger publication.  We do not
       want the classified section to become overbearing.
    If you would like to advertise something wanted or something for
    sale in the next issue, send your ads to Art Lamarche at
    Arthur.E.LaMarche@Dartmouth.edu, the magazine at KryptonCN@aol.com,
    or me at sykes@ms.uky.edu.  Be certain to include your e-mail
    address in the ad.

Comics News:  
    Last month, I told you about Dan JurgensÕ forthcoming departure
    as the artist of Superman.  According to Anatole Wilson (our
    Man of Steel reviewer), Ron Frenz (Thunderstrike, Thor, Spider-
    Man) will be taking over as regular illustrator.  No word yet
    as to whether or not Jackson Guice will be leaving.

    Also, word has it that the Superman titles (along with many
    other DC books) will be getting an upgrade.  Because of paper
    shortages in the printing industry, DC must raise prices to
    $1.95 per issue.  To soften the impact, they will be moving
    to the glossy-stock paper popularized by Image and recently
    initiated into MarvelÕs X-Men books.  These changes are 
    reported to begin in books shipping in April, so we will be
    able to verify this in next monthÕs issue.

Hollywood News: 
    Rumors are escalating that WB has given the go-ahead for a new
    Superman animated series, to be made by the same people that
    brought us the fine Batman: The Animated Series.  And Jon Peters
    is the person interested in returning Superman to the silver screen.
    More on these as I learn them!

Jeff Sykes
sykes@ms.uky.edu

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THE KRYPTONIAN CYBERNET READERSÕ CHOICE AWARDS
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Well, IÕve learned a few things from running these awards, and hopefully
these things will make next yearÕs awards run smoother.  First, we will hold
the voting much earlier next year Ñ the books with cover dates of 1995 will
all have shipped by early to mid-November, so we can run a good three or four
weeks of voting before everyone gets too caught up in the holidays.  Also,
fewer of you had opinions on guest appearances than I thought, so I will
probably remove those categories from next yearÕs list.  Maybe next year, we
can have some kind of physical award (a certificate or something :) to hand
out to the winners!

Before we get to the awards themselves, let me go ahead and announce the
prize winners!  I had hoped to come up with a name for the awards which would
honor Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, but it simply didnÕt happen.  But thanks
to Shane H. W. Travis (sht123@herald.usask.ca) for pointing out the obvious
name for the awards run by KC: the Kaycees (pronounced Caseys)!  For naming
the awards, Shane receives a copy of Action Comics #700 which has been
autographed by Roger Stern!  Also, as promised, one voter was selected at
random to win a copy of Superman #1 autographed by John Byrne!  And that
lucky winner is Will Sudderth (WSudderth@aol.com)!  Congratulations to our
winners, and to those of you who are maybe a bit disappointed, youÕll get
your chance.  Future KC contests will award several nice prizes: a complete
90-card set of the collectorÕs edition Man of Steel cards from Skybox, a copy
of Man of Steel #1 (the miniseries that started it all) autographed by John
Byrne, a copy of Superman: The Man of Steel #1 autographed by Louise Simonson,
and Supergirl #1 (the 1993 miniseries) autographed by Roger Stern!  So keep
an eye out for those contests!

And now, the Kryptonian Cybernet presents the awarding of the Kaycees...

Including my own votes, 29 people submitted entries.  In the interest of
saving space, I will only be listing entries which received more than one
vote.  Number of votes will be given in parentheses.

S1: BEST STORY/STORY ARC IN A CONTINUOUS TITLE

    1. BIZARROÕS WORLD (11)
    2. The Zero Hour crossovers (3)
    3. The Battle for Metropolis, Cat GrantÕs revenge on the Toyman, Worlds
       Collide, and Peer Pressure (2)

       Me am runaway!

S2: WORST STORY/STORY ARC IN A CONTINUOUS TITLE

    1. DEAD AGAIN (13)
    2. The Fall of Metropolis (9)
    3. The Battle for Metropolis (3)

       Once again, the readers balk at drawn-out slugfests.

S3: BEST WRITER OF A CONTINUOUS TITLE

    1. KARL KESEL (17)
    2. Dan Jurgens (6)
    3. Roger Stern (5)
  
       Especially noted was his work on Superboy.

S4: WORST WRITER OF A CONTINUOUS TITLE

    1. David Michelinie (11)
    2. Louise Simonson (8)
    3. Dan Jurgens (4)

       The readers donÕt care for Mr. Michelinie.  Category S9 and the
       write-in awards below seem to support this further.  

S5: BEST ARTIST OF A CONTINUOUS TITLE

    1. TOM GRUMMETT & DOUG HAZLEWOOD (12)
    2. Dan Jurgens & Brett Breeding, Barry Kitson & Ray McCarthy (6)
    3. Stuart Immonen, John Bogdanove & Dennis Janke (2)

       Methinks the fans are gonna love MAN OF TOMORROW! :) 

S6: WORST ARTIST OF A CONTINUOUS TITLE

    1. JON BOGDANOVE & DENNIS JANKE (17)
    2. Jackson Guice & Denis Rodier (3)

       Subtle as a sledgehammer, no?

S7: BEST COVER OF A CONTINUOUS TITLE

    1. SUPERMAN #0, by Jurgens & Breeding (8)
       SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #37, by Bogdanove & Janke (8)
    2. Superman: The Man of Steel #30, with Lobo and vinyl clings (3)
    3. Adventures of Superman #514, by Kitson & McCarthy (2)
       Superman: The Man of Steel #0, by Bogdanove & Janke

       Hmmm.  We donÕt like BogÕs art, but we do like his covers...

S8: BEST SINGLE ISSUE OF A CONTINUOUS TITLE

    1. SUPERBOY #8 (8)
    2. Superman: The Man of Steel #37 (5)
    3. Action Comics #700 (3)

       Superboy vs. Superboy!  How could you possibly *not* like it! :)
       And another hmmm.  We donÕt like Simonson or Bog, but this one 
       wasnÕt bad...

S9: WORST SINGLE ISSUE OF A CONTINUOUS TITLE

    1. ACTION COMICS #705 (5)
    2. Action Comics #702, Action Comics #704 (4)
    3. Superman: The Man of Steel #29, Superman: The Man of Steel #39 (2)

       More proof that Michelinie, Guice, & Rodier are not too popular.

S10: BEST OVERALL CONTINUOUS TITLE
  
    1. SUPERBOY (15)
    2. Superman (6)
    3. Adventures of Superman (4)

       Kesel, Grummett, & Hazlewood.  Need I say more?

S11: WORST OVERALL CONTINUOUS TITLE

    1. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL (9)
    2. Action Comics, Steel (7)
    3. Superman (3)

       Consistent in what we donÕt like, arenÕt we?  Granted, IÕve only been
       reading Steel for a few months, but aside from the serial killer
       story, IÕve been rather impressed with this title.


L1: BEST WRITING IN A NON-CONTINUOUS TITLE
  
    1. DAN JURGENS, SUPERMAN/DOOMSDAY: HUNTER/PREY (10)
    2. J. F. Moore, Superman: Under a Yellow Sun (4)
    3. Roger Stern, Supergirl (3)
    4. Worlds Collide; Walt Simonson, Legends of the WorldÕs Finest; John
       Ostrander, The Spectre #22; Dan Jurgens, Zero Hour (2)

       Here begins our exploration of the fansÕ love-hate relationship with
       Dan Jurgens.  We like Hunter/Prey a lot....

L2: WORST WRITING IN A NON-CONTINUOUS TITLE

    1. DAN JURGENS, ZERO HOUR (8)
    2. Walt Simonson, Legends of the WorldÕs Finest (3)
    3. Worlds Collide (2)

       ...but we werenÕt too thrilled with Zero Hour.  (And I thought Legends
       of the WorldÕs Finest was excellent!  What do I know...:)

L3: BEST ART IN A NON-CONTINUOUS TITLE

    1. DAN JURGENS & BRETT BREEDING, SUPERMAN/DOOMSDAY: HUNTER/PREY (8)
    2. Dan Jurgens & Jerry Ordway, Zero Hour (7)
    3. Daniel Brereton, Legends of the WorldÕs Finest (3)
    4. June Brigman & Jackson Guice, Supergirl (2)

       No doubt about the fact that we *love* Dan JurgensÕ art!

L4: WORST ART IN A NON-CONTINUOUS TITLE

    1. FELCHLE & MACHLAN, S.T.A.R. CORPS (4)
    2. Brereton, Legends of the WorldÕs Finest (3)
    3. Brigman & Guice, Supergirl; Worlds Collide (2)

L5: BEST COVER OF A NON-CONTINUOUS TITLE

    1. THE SPECTRE #22, by Alex Ross (3)
       SUPERMAN/DOOMSDAY: HUNTER/PREY BOOK 1, by Jurgens & Breeding (3)
       SUPERMAN/DOOMSDAY: HUNTER/PREY BOOK 3, by Jurgens & Breeding (3)
    2. Legends of the WorldÕs Finest, by Daniel Brereton (2)
       The Batman Adventures #25, by Parobeck & Burchett (2)
       Zero Hour #0, by Jurgens & Ordway (2)

L6: BEST OVERALL LIMITED SERIES

    1. SUPERMAN/DOOMSDAY: HUNTER/PREY (9)
    2. Zero Hour (6)
    3. Supergirl (5)
    4. Legends of the WorldÕs Finest (3)

       Supergirl did a lot better here than I thought she would!  WhereÕs
       that ongoing series!?

L7: WORST OVERALL LIMITED SERIES

    1. ZERO HOUR (7)
    2. Metropolis S.C.U., S.T.A.R. Corps, Worlds Collide (3)
    3. Supergirl, Superman: Under A Yellow Sun (2)

       Pretty split over Zero Hour, werenÕt we? 

L8: BEST OVERALL GUEST APPEARANCE

    1. THE BATMAN ADVENTURES #25, THE SPECTRE #22 (6)
    2. Aquaman #3 (5)
    3. Green Lantern #53, Worlds Collide #1 (2)

       A quick apology here.  I meant guest appearance of a Superman
       character in another book, but I was obviously not clear enough.
       Several votes were received for the appearances of the many Batmen
       in Superman: The Man of Steel #37.  We also received votes for
       appearances of the Milestone characters during Worlds Collide, and
       even a vote for Superboy in Superboy #8!

L9: WORST OVERALL GUEST APPEARANCE

    1. L.E.G.I.O.N. Ô94 #63 (4)
    2. Justice League America #92, The Outsiders #13, The Ray #1-2,
       Zero Hour (2)

       Again, misunderstandings here.  People were not at all thrilled
       with the appearance of the Eradicator and the Outsiders in Action
       Comics #704.


WRITE-IN CATEGORIES

Here are some of the better write-in awards.  First, a few more jabs were
taken at David Michelinie:

  Gee, I wish he would go back to Spider-Man award: David Micheline
    (from William Berkovitz <berkovw@alleg.edu>)

  The I guess it was due to him that the books were good award: Roger Stern
    (from oje2@aber.ac.uk)

  Worst Zero Hour Retcon: The rebuilding of Metropolis
    (from Air Jordan <dsilvers@chaph.usc.edu>)

  Copperfield ÒThey did it with mirrorsÓ award:  Rebirth of Metropolis
    (from Scott Keith <skeith@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca>)

  The Energizer Battery Award: Conduit (He keeps coming back, and back,
    and back...)  (from sei101@psu.edu (Seth Isaacs))

  Most pointless use of fight scenes - Dead Again
    (from carol@vega.sidefx.com (Carol Wang))

  Worst thinking by an editor: Almost every Superman isssue is part of a
    Òbig storyÓ
  Most needed change for 1995:  Individual issues that stand on their own
    (from tjarks@iesde.att.com

Now, now.  DonÕt get the idea that we thought *everything* was bad!

  Most chilling vision of Superman - Spectre #25
    (from gxla22@udcf.gla.ac.uk (William J Nixon))

  Best New Series: Superboy
    (added to several ballots)

  The Òstop teasing us and just give us the cartoon, alreadyÓ award:
    The Batman Adventures #25  (My own award :)

And of course I couldnÕt leave *this* one out! :)

  Hardest working Editor: Jeff Sykes
    (from sidbury@cs.uofs.edu  (Dick Sidbury))

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THE STATE OF SUPERMAN COMICS
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        by Jeffery D. Sykes

There has recently been a lot of grumbling about the family of Superman
comics.  In light of this growing attitude, I want to take a look at the
past, present, and future of the titles.  
 
Since John Byrne revamped the Superman titles, the comics have received
numerous accolades from fans and critics alike for the consistent writing
and art.  In particular, the titles hit a high point three or four years ago
with ClarkÕs engagement to Lois and subsequent revelation of his identity.
Be it the poignant stories such as ÒMetropolis MailbagÓ and ÒCrisis at Hand,Ó
the light-hearted shockers such as ÒThey Saved LuthorÕs Brain,Ó or the
sweeping multi-part stories such as ÒTime and Time Again,Ó ÒBlackout,Ó and
ÒPanic in the Sky,Ó the writers were consistently handing us tales that were
concise and well-told, yet they managed to keep us plenty aware of all the
background happenings in Metropolis.  But the titles werenÕt selling anywhere
near the levels one would expect from the icon of superheroes.

So in 1992, DC decided to kill Superman.

What followed was an incredible media blitz and an extreme shortage of the
ÒDeathÓ issues.  The writing might not have been quite as good during the
Doomsday showdown as in previous issues, but what do you expect out of a
slugfest.  (And the writing wasnÕt that bad anyway.)  Following the death of
Kal-El, the titles reached another new high with ÒFuneral for a Friend,Ó
incredible tales of life on a world suddenly without their champion.  And
then there was nothing. 

DC took a huge risk in not publishing any Superman titles for the next few
months.  Certainly, there were some decent fill-in issues, such as The Legacy
of Superman and Supergirl and Team Luthor, but we didnÕt see any of the
monthly titles at all.  But when they returned, did they make up for it!  
ÒThe Reign of the SupermenÓ was a grand, sweeping epic filled with exquisite
writing and beautiful art.  (Though I should note that Reign marked Jon
BogdanoveÕs change in art style, a change that has Superman fans split down
the middle.)

Perhaps the greatest thing to come out of ÒReign of the SupermanÓ was the
new monthly Superboy title.  Of course, it cost the four Superman titles one
of its most liked art teams.  But more on that later.  The big problem with
this whole death-to-rebirth saga was that it set a precedent.  Sales
skyrocketed throughout the story, and this seemed to have signaled the
demise of the single-issue story.  Since then, the titles have featured
ÒeventÓ after Òevent,Ó a series of multi-part stories which have not managed
to reach the quality of their predecessors.  

In DCÕs defense, todayÕs current market depends heavily on the younger
consumer, and these action-packed crossover stories attract their money more
than character-driven tales which spend a lot of time on the supporting cast.
And throughout the decline of quality, their sales have remained in the top
25 (cf. Diamond Previews).  Comics *are* a unique blend of business and the
arts, but without the income, we lose the art.

Briefly, I want to take a look at the individual titles.  Then I have some
general comments about where Superman appears to be headed.  (And just so
you know, I actually have a good feeling about them at the moment!)

ACTION COMICS
    Currently, Action Comics is written by David Michelinie.  Michelinie has
not been well received by the fans of ActionÕs previous scribe, Roger Stern.
The results of the Kaycees (above) bear this out.  My personal opinion is that
he is hot and cold, just like any other writer.  I enjoyed his Zero Hour story
(#703), and I thought his Supergirl (#706) and ShadowDragon (#707) stories
were decent.  But the other issues have been little worth mentioning. 
    The art on this title is by Jackson Guice and Denis Rodier.  When Guice
began his run on Action (after ÒPanic in the SkyÓ), it was very nice.  But
lately, his work has become almost unbearable.  I simple donÕt like looking
at his work any more.  Guice will begin working for Valiant shortly, so there
may be a new art team in store for Action.

SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL
    Louise SimonsonÕs writing has generally not impressed me over the course
of last few years.  However, I have been enjoying her work on Steel recently,
and I felt that her chapters in Dead Again were the best written.  Plus, it
seems that this title is the only one that even tries to focus on supporting
characters any more.  
    Jon Bogdanove alienated me when he changed his style beginning with ÒReign
of the Superman.Ó  However, some of his recent issues (especially the one
inked by Klaus Janson) have softened up, and IÕve begun to regain some of my
respect for him.  I think that if Dennis Janke could be replaced on a regular
basis by Mr. Janson, I would like his art even more.  And Bog does beautiful
painted work (see the Superman trading cards from Skybox).

SUPERMAN
    Dan Jurgens is capable of great writing.  Sometimes he writes to the best
of his ability, but at other times he doesnÕt.  He has written some of the
best post-Byrne stories and some of the worst.  (Again, the Kaycees above
show that I am not alone in this opinion.)  
    However, his art (with Brett Breeding, especially) is fabulous.  I am
never disappointed with the depiction of the Man of Steel given to us by
Dan Jurgens.  As most of you know by now, Dan will also be going to work for
Valiant.  He will not be drawing Superman past issue #100.  I will sorely
miss his beautiful art.  

ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN
    This may currently be the strongest of the Superman titles.  Karl Kesel
is simply the best writer working on Superman comics right now.  I almost
never hear any grumbling from the fans about KeselÕs writing.
    I was sad to see Kitson & McCarthy leave this title (just as I was even
more sad to see Grummett & Hazlewood leave it), as next to Dan Jurgens, I
liked their depiction of Superman most.  However, I am absolutely thrilled
to have Stuart Immonen working on the title now!  Stuart is one of the top
artists working at DC, and IÕm glad that the Superfolks grabbed him!

SUPERBOY
    ThereÕs really not much to say here.  Karl Kesel is writing.  Superboy
and all of his supporting characters are well written, and Kesel has made the
title an extremely fun read.  ItÕs been some time since I had so much *fun*
reading a superhero comic book.
    And the art is by fan favorites Tom Grummett & Doug Hazlewood!  In my
opinion, G&H are *the* top art team at DC, bar none.  I simply canÕt say
enough about how good this title is!

STEEL
    I wasnÕt too thrilled with the character Steel.  He just never did much
for me.  However, I picked up the Zero issue and was very impressed.  Louise
Simonson has developed a very good book here.  The characters are very well-
defined, and the stories (barring the serial killer episodes) have been fun
and interesting.
    Chris Batista and Rich Faber draw beautifully.  I have really been
impressed by their work.  And actually, to be a little bit greedy, I would
love to see them working on one of the four Superman titles!


As to the future of the Superman comics, I have only a few worries.  I am
terribly worried about Action Comics.  IÕm willing to give Michelinie some
more time, especially since his last two stories have been decent reads.
But IÕve given up on Guice.  His work has degraded each month since the
ÒSpilled BloodÓ story at the end of 1993.  My only hope here is that when
Guice begins working for Valiant, he will leave Action and we will get a
new artist.  IÕm also slightly worried about Superman.  I really love Dan
JurgensÕ art, and IÕm wary of any replacement.  According to Anatole Wilson
(our reviewer of Man of Steel) and word I saw on the Usenet, Ron Frenz
(recently of Thunderstrike, and previously having illustrated Thor and
Spider-Man) will be taking over as the new regular artist.  As I am
completely unfamiliar with his work, I guess IÕll just have to wait and see.

Other than these worries, I am extremely hopeful for the future of the
Superman family of comics.  Granted, the stories of the last few months have
been well short of the quality which kept me hooked on Superman comics for
these past eight years, and ÒDead AgainÓ was pretty bad.  IÕll admit that I
enjoyed a few of the chapters of the story Ñ especially a couple of the
early parts (the Deathtrap and Darkseid issues spring immediately to mind),
but on the whole, the tale dragged on entirely too long, and the ending was
completely unsatisfying.  

However, the issues since the end of Dead Again have me hopeful.  Of the six
issues which have come out since, the only real problems IÕve had were with
GuiceÕs art.  The stories have been good and most of the art has been
wonderful (especially that of our new member of the gang, Stuart Immonen).
And more importantly, weÕve seen the return of supporting characters (to an
extent), and weÕve seen the return of the self-contained issue.  The past
few issues have reminded me of stories from the days before Doomsday.

ThereÕs been a bit of grumbling about the ÒDeath of Clark KentÓ which is now
starting to flood the airwaves.  However, I myself suggested several months
ago that having a villain figure out ClarkÕs identity could be a particularly
interesting story.  I might not have gone the way of Clark faking his death,
but I have faith in the creative team.  We do know that they are capable of
great work!

Finally, in closing, I want to address the impending price increases.  Rumor
has it that because of the paper shortages in the printing industry, DC is
going to change the Superman books to the ÒglossyÓ paper (as the X-Men books
did a few months ago) and raise the price of each title to $1.95.  I have no
doubt that this is going to happen, but I havenÕt yet seen it in print.  Until
I do, IÕll cling to the hope that the price wonÕt change.  I have no problem
with the paper change, and I think that if the books are headed in the
direction IÕm hoping, they will be worth the $1.95.  It just hurts to think
that IÕm going to have to shell out that much more money each month.  It will
probably cause me to drop some other books that I had wanted to read.  

The fact is that price increases will happen, and the paper shortage has
apparently caused the increases to happen a bit sooner.  Hopefully, this
will mean that we wonÕt see another increase for some time.  But the
Superman books will still remain some of the most inexpensive books on the
market!

All things considered, the Superman books cycle through their ups and
downs.  Such is life.  While the books may have hit one of the valleys, I
am confident that we are beginning to rise up towards another hill.  There
are great stories out there about the Man of Steel, and I know that the
creative staff can find them!  As long as we continue to love the character,
the books will grow and improve, and weÕll one day be reading our new
Superman books with the next generation of fans. 


=======================================================
                               End of Section 1
=======================================================


THE FLEISCHER CARTOONS:
ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ
     by Neil A. Ottenstein

Episode 5:   ÒThe BulleteersÓ
Released:     3-27-42
Running Time: 8:02 minutes

Faster than a speeding bullet
More powerful than a locomotive
Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound

A clock tolls in the night.  A strange vehicle appears and rams through
the police headquarters.  Perry is looking at the Daily PlanetÕs story
on the destruction and calls for Lois and Clark.  He asks them to work
on a follow-up story when an announcement is heard all over the city. 
There will be further destruction unless the entire funds of the city
treasury are given over.

The picture shrinks then expands onto City Hall.  Lois asks the mayor
what they will do.  He replies that they ÒwonÕt be intimidated.Ó  Armed
forces stand guard at the treasury and Lois writes up the story of
defiance.  

The scene shifts to the Bulleteers crumpling up the Daily Planet with
LoisÕ story.  They get into their car and leave.  The car has expandable
wings.  The wings contract inside for the assault on the power plant. 
Power is shut down across the city.  Lois rushes off to get a scoop
leaving Clark by the side of the road.  ÒThis looks like a job for
Superman,Ó he says before changing clothes in a phone booth.  

The bullet plane comes in at the treasury and Superman deflects it away. 
It then goes through the top of a skyscraper.  The rubble falls on to
LoisÕ car.  Superman rescues her before leaping to the bullet plane.  
They maneuver to shake him off.  He jumps again, arriving at the
treasury just before they burst into it.  This time Superman is buried
under the rubble.

Lois walks through the rubble, spies down at the scene, and climbs inside
the bullet plane trying to sabotage it.  She hides when the Bulleteers
return and tries to climb out, but they pull her in before taking
off.  Superman frees himself, jumps onto the plane and damages one of
the wings.  He peels it open and pulls out Lois and the Bulleteers as
the plane crashes down to the ground.  

The story ends with the triumphant Daily Planet headline and Clark
congratulating Lois on another scoop.  Lois credits Superman.

It is another beautiful episode with some great flying sequences with
Superman trying to stop the bullet plane.  The BulleteersÕ hideout is
state of the art inside a mountain or something similar with a
drawbridge exit.  Segues are nicely done using the Daily Planet front
page headlines.  The one segue which shrunk the picture down and then
expanded on the new scene was the first I remember seeing that.  There
was all the usual use of shadows to heighten the effects.  Overall,
another great one.

The two Fleischer Superman cartoon volumes are available for $19.95 each
directly from Bosko Video or from anyone who carries high quality
animation.

A catalog is available from Bosko Video
                   3802 East Cudahy Ave.
                   Cudahy WI 53110-1234

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

REVIEWS
ÑÑÑ-

Ratings Panelists:

    AL: Art LaMarche                      PS: Patrick Stout
    AW: Anatole Wilson                    RG: ReneÕ Gobeyn
    JG: Jose R. Galan                     SA: Shawn Aeria
    JS: Jeff Sykes                        VC: Victor Chan
    KM: Ken McKee                         WN: William J Nixon

As always, the first panelist rating is that of the reviewer.


THE ÒTRIANGLEÓ TITLES:
ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ-

5.  SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #41, ÒBlood TiesÓ
    Writer: Louise Simonson
    Layouts: Jon Bogdanove
    Finished Art: Klaus Janson
    $1.50 US/$2.10 CAN/70p UK


RATINGS:

AW: 3 Shields
AL: 3.5 Shields
JS: 4 Shields   - An intriguing story, especially in the adoption subplot,
                  and very nice artwork from the Bog/Janson team.  Apologies
                  may be in order to Mr. Bogdanove Ñ see my editorial.
KM: 3.5 Shields - The only redeeming thing about this issue is the wonderful
                  continuing story about Perry and his wife adopting a black
                  boy.
PS: 3 Shields   - Good setup for LockÕs role in however the Babe story plays
                  out, and a great dialogue between Franklin and Perry on
                  Òtransracial adoptionÓ (page 12) Ñ but WHAT was with the
                  look on LoisÕ face on page 2?
WN: 4 Shields   - I like the way this title deftly interweaves the social
                  issues of KeithÕs adoption into the storyline. The
                  Bog/Janson art was strong.
    

Maybe itÕs time for a New YearÕs resolution.  Maybe I should resolve to
finally accept that MAN OF STEEL is a placeholder comicÑa place where new
plotlines start but never advance; a place where weÕre expected to take a
rest from unfolding story arcs and re-focus on events happening *around*
Superman; a place where the supporting characters dominate the comic and we
paradoxically see little of the Man of Steel

This issue of MAN OF STEEL is basically a set-up issue for future story
lines.  [Uncharacteristically, this story seems to be primarily centered in
MAN OF STEEL and will conclude, at least temporarily, in issue #42. As you
will see below, the other titles had little to do with this story. Ñ Jeff]
We meet Lock, who is linked to a dimension he canÕt control, Babe goes on a
rampage and finally kills someone, and Perry debates the issue of transracial
adoption.  Lock suspects that Babe is the key to controlling the swirling
void.  WhereÕs the Steel?  HeÕs an observer as Clark Kent, and then helps
clear a multi-vehicle pile-up and gets slapped around by Babe for a panel at
the end of the story.

ThereÕs not much to say about Babe and Lock.  I canÕt say I see much promise
in the their interwoven storyline.  Vampires and out-of-control dimensional
vortexes are standard comic fare, and it wasnÕt worth a whole comic just to
set up a future storyline.  [A prime example of a story which would have been
told in a single issue just a few years ago. Ñ Jeff]  I can only hope when
they finally draw us through a four-issue story arc to deal with the Babe/Lock
crisis, the ending isnÕt as clicheÕd as I expect it to be.  I do like the nod
towards Nosferatu (the figure that emerges from Babe whenever the vampire
urges take over).  [For more about Babe and her vampirism, see SUPERMAN #70
and MAN OF STEEL #14 Ñ ART]

In the spirit of my new resolution, I wonÕt comment further on the cameo
appearance by Superman in his own comic.  Instead, IÕll focus on the highlight
of the story, the Perry White/Franklin Stern debate on transracial adoption.
Once again, MOS takes a lead in at least touching on controversial subjects.
I hope itÕs a trend that continues.  If MOS is going to become the sounding
board for societal issues, however, IÕd like to see them carried farther, as
with the death of KeithÕs mother.  ThereÕs an opportunity for some good,
meaningful writing and future discussions here.  If MOS would do more than
just take a short swipe at societal issues, IÕd feel I was getting my moneyÕs
worth, even if Kal-El wasnÕt always in the limelight.

As for the art, Klaus JansonÕs finishing adds a lot to BogdanoveÕs dynamic
layouts.  The artwork looked more finished than it has in a long time.  Janson
is a consistently strong talent.  It would be nice if he stayed around for a
while, though I doubt thatÕs in the cards.

Anatole

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

6.  SUPERMAN #97, ÒShadowsÓ
    Story and Pencil Art: Dan Jurgens
    Ink Art: Brett Breeding
    $1.50 US/$2.10 CAN/70p UK


RATINGS:

JG: 1 Shield
AL: 4 Shields   - Amazing Artwork.  Superman helps to deliver a child on this
                  holy day, and interesting parallels between the Hero and
                  the Antagonist.
AW: 3 Shields   - Average story, nice art.
KM: 4 Shields   - Great cover and superb artwork
PS: 4 Shields   - Superman delivers a babyÑwhat a wonderful scene!  This
                  issue delivers primarily a good Christmas story, but also
                  intros the Shadow Dragon and sets up the thieves tale in
                  AOSÑwith three short panels of Lock to keep the Babe
                  story alive.
WN: 4 Shields   - Heartwarming tale for Christmas Eve with good art from
                  Jurgens/Breeding.


A big storm over Metropolis: wind and snow, and Superman is the best help you
can dream of for clearing the roads.  A new emergency takes him to the 53rd
floor of a building, where a woman is about to give birth and the elevators
are out.  Superman arrives too late to take her to the hospital, but in time
to help her give birth.

Meanwhile, a mysterious figure enters S.T.A.R. Labs, cheating all security
equipment.  An alarm sets off, and Superman goes to S.T.A.R. Labs just in
time to find the mysterious figure has gotten the Superman files from the
central computer.

The mysterious figure happens to be Savitor Bandu, a powerful man from the
Far East, son of the King of Bhutran, the person whom Clark Kent is going to
interview in a few minutes.

It is just before ChristmasÕ eve.  And in the Ace of Clubs, a bunch of 
costumed men are waiting to hit Metropolis tonight. 

This chapter in the life of Superman is one of those to be forgotten.  Indeed,
it is a meaningless one.  OK, Superman helps a woman to give birth, and this
shouldnÕt be meaningless, but it is, because good things are not usually in
the story youÕre telling, but in the story-telling, and what a poor result we
got this time.

The Superman saga lately is a bit out-of-focus.  ItÕs loosing itself, from
Òdeath of anything sagaÓ to Òdeath of anything else sagaÓ, just looking to
shock the audience.  But in the day by day work it is a failure.

Great books are based on characterization and storytelling, and nothing like
that this time.  We need a miracle, or Mr. PAD [Peter David, of Aquaman, 
Spider-Man 2099, and Hulk fame. Ñ Jeff] around here.  And no good art
anymore.  After Jackson GuiceÕs fall, Jurgens is, as well, getting worse.  
Can anyone stop this super-virus?

Jose R. Galan

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

7.  ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #520, ÒChristmas ThievesÓ 
    Writer:  Karl Kesel 
    Artists:  Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan 
    $1.50 US/$2.10 CAN/70p UK


RATINGS:

PS: 4 Shields
AL: 3.5 Shields - Nice art, fun story.
AW: 1 Shield    - Throwaway Christmas story with stupid villains and weak
                  art.  Bah Humbug!
JS: 3 Shields   - A decent story, but MarzanÕs inks hurt ImmonenÕs pencils.
                  For a better example of Stuart ImmonenÕs art, check out
                  Showcase Ô95 #1 and #2.
KM: 3.5 Shields - Loved the babe in white, but the vampire story has to go!
WN: 3.5 Shields - Nice balance to the Superman #97 tale with support from
                  Dan and Maggie.


Superman flies above Metropolis at top speed, searching for a last-minute
Christmas gift for LoisÑa limited edition ÒDate with DebbiÓ doll reissue.
But the alarm inside the Jurgens Department Store is triggered by two super-
powered thieves attempting to crack the safe.  ÒAt this precise moment, one
hundred thieves are robbing various establishments across Metropolis,Ó the
leader gloats.  Superman suddenly appears inside the room, using his heat
vision to foil the attempted getaway.
	
As the clock tolls midnight, Superman heads off to round up the other 98
thieves.  Three of them looting a jewelry store are quickly snatched away
by the Man of Steel, as he asks the store owner to alert the SCU to back
him up in the dragnet.

Two penthouse burglars are overlooked by Superman, but they meet up with
Babe.  Her move for the jugular is interrupted by a Metropolis police
cruiser, and the vampiric rock star disappears into the night as the crooks
are taken into custody.

Three bandits looting the gold reserve are relieved of their loot by Captain
Boomerang, who later tries to tell Superman that he was trying to return the
loot.  ÒTell it to the judge,Ó says Supes, dropping the digger into a trash can
near a waiting police patrol.

The Royal Flush Gang is attempting to make a comeback in Metropolis but is
thwarted in an epic battle with Superman and the SCU.  Superman tells Maggie
Sawyer that 60 of the 100 thieves have been rounded up.  He requests that all
squad cars form a perimeter and tighten the circle around the remaining
thieves as he continues fly above them.

Spooked by the police sirens and flashing lightsÑand by the sight of
Superman flying above the areaÑall the remaining thieves run from their
various locations into a large warehouse.  As they see each other there,
one bad guy blurts out, ÒWe was herded here.  This was a trap!Ó

ÒStill is!Ó says Superman, literally wrapping them all up in a large net,
which he ties off with a Christmas bow.  He uses his super-vision to see if
any of the crooks in the area have been overlooked, and finds just two Ñ
holding the manager at the J.L.E. Schwartz toy store.  After theyÕve been
captured, the store manager tells Superman that they were after the rare Debbi
doll.  From the caped crusaderÕs surprised gasp, the man knows he wants it.
ÒWho doesnÕt want a Debbi doll this year!Ó he exclaims as he presses it to
SupermanÕs chest.

Lois wakes on Christmas morning.  The Debbi doll and a single rose are on her
pillow.  Clark is in the kitchen making breakfast.  They exchange a Christmas
kiss.
	
I really liked ALL the Superman stories this month, this one and Superman #97
in particular.  Why?  Because they told great storiesÑno padding, no forced
crossovers, necessary story continuations kept brief in relation to the main
plot.  This is an everyhero story plot:  ______ (fill in the blank) must
capture 100 thieves who invade the city on Christmas Eve.  But then you fill
in SupermanÕs name and let him get the job done in his own special way, and
you get some choice moments and some memorable dialogue.
	
KeselÕs story is supported by some nice Immonen and Marzan artwork.  The
splash page is particularly strikingÑa night scene with Superman front-lit
by the lights of the city on Christmas Eve.  The outdoor panels in the snow
are all well done, and SupermanÕs net capture of the crooks in the warehouse
looks just hilarious.
	
ÒDead AgainÓ had my faith in the Superman books wavering, but this monthÕs
stories were so good that IÕm happy about my hobby again.  To close this
review on a personal note, IÕd like to thank Art for assigning me this title
as I have at least 420 of its 520 issues in my collection [I would like to
thank Patrick for bringing his extensive experience to KC.  Patrick and I are
collaborating on an essay you can look forward to seeing in the upcoming
months Ñ ART].  IÕve been having fun like this since 1957, and the February
stories are as fun as itÕs been in a while.

Patrick Stout

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

8.  ACTION COMICS #707, ÒLike Fire from the DarkÓ
    Writer: David Michelinie
    Art:  Jackson Guice & Denis Rodier
    $1.50 US/$2.10 CAN/70p UK
    

RATINGS:

AL: 4 Shields
AW: 2 Shields   - Mediocre story, lackluster art.  Shadow Dragon is a cliche.
JS: 3 Shields   - The story was okay Ñ Shadow Dragon will probably play a
                  role in the upcoming Superman Òevent.Ó  I wonder if this
                  issue is a decoy Ñ remember that he was *hired* to steal
                  the Superman data, but here he steals for a different
                  purpose altogether.  GuiceÕs art was inconsistent.  
PS: 4 Shields   - The Shadow Dragon story kicks into high gear, but itÕs a good
                  blend of action and characterization; the final page is
                  absolutely sweet with Lois and Clark celebrating the New
                  Year, and isnÕt that Mike CarlinÕs face on the TV screen at
                  the stroke of midnight? 
WN: 2.5 Shields - The Slasher plot rumbles on and I hope this is solved soon.
                  The Shadow Dragon scenes and his development looked
                  interesting, though.


December 31st, 2AM.  Metropolis sleeps, but the Shadow Dragon is on the prowl.
His target, a new circuit design by Science Concepts.  When he arrives, other
burglars are on the scene.  The Shadow Dragon quickly dispatches them, but
security alarms are triggered in the process.  The Dragon flees, knowing he
will try again, soon.  Back at Price Tower, Savitar Bandu meets with his
entourage and we find that he desires the circuit design to aid the
development of his country of Bhutran.

At the Planet building, Jimmy is preparing to go to the ÒNew YouÓ New Years
Gala to take photographs of the multitude of celebrities that will be present.
Lois is putting the finishing touches on a story on the morningÕs break-in at
Science Concepts.  In passing, she mentions the ninja that will be detailed
in the story and Clark sees the similarity between this ninja and the villain
who broke into STAR Labs last week. [See Superman 97 Ñ ART]  

As night falls, Clark says good-bye to Lois and hopes to be back for New 
Years, but he must go to Science Concepts where he hopes to apprehend Shadow
Dragon.  Elsewhere in Metropolis, Jimmy sees Babe at the gala, but she
disappears before he is able to speak with her.  Also at the gala is
everyoneÕs favorite serial killer.  He is hold up in the menÕs room waiting
for the Senator to arrive, all the while complaining to himself about the
pain within his head.  The Senator arrives and the Slasher completes his task,
calling the Senator a deceiver and claiming to work for ÒTruth,Ó and he 
escapes before the SenatorÕs security can arrive.  

Just as the Senator had the Slasher waiting for him, the Shadow Dragon has
Superman waiting for him at Science Concepts, but the Dragon is better
prepared to deal with Superman.  Superman asks the thief to give himself up,
but he refuses.  Superman tries to apprehend the intruder, but he is too
quick.  After a deceptive explosion, the Shadow Dragon tries to hide from
Superman in the glass ceiling, but Superman locates the ex-prince with his
super-hearing and collapses the glass with a sonic concussion caused by a
mighty clap of his hands.  When the ninja falls to the floor he, performs a
similar trick with his sword.  He breaks open the floor and falls to the
movie theater below Ñ currently showing ÒItÕs a Wonderful LifeÓ.  Superman
is then forced to save the innocents below from the falling rubble and then
a small fire.  The Dragon uses this to his advantage and makes his escape.

Having saved the innocents, losing his target, and being ensured that nothing
was stolen, Superman returns to Lois in time for New Years, and they greet it
with champagne, laughs, and a kiss.  The Shadow Dragon returns to Price Tower
to rest, to recover from his battle with Superman, and to pass the stolen
design to someone who can get it to Bhutran.   

I found this to be a very interesting story Ñ especially between the Shadow
Dragon and Kal-El.  The prince gave up his heritage to, apparently, help his
people to a greater extent; Clark Kent gave up Smallville to help humanity.
Where the similarity starts to break down is in the evolution we have seen in
Clark Kent for the last few years.  He is Clark first and Superman second, and
these priorities are shown in this issue.  While Shadow Dragon is preparing
for battle with Superman, Clark Kent is having dinner with Lois and speaking
to Ma and Pa.  As the Shadow Dragon makes his escape, Superman returns to
Lois.  Then, the Dragon helps his people by delivering the disk.  Clark Kent
celebrates New Years with Lois.  The writers have gone to great lengths to
stress that Clark Kent is the real persona and Superman is the secret
identity.  This will make the apparent death of Clark Kent all the more
devastating.

Another interesting facet of the story was revealed in the Slasher subplot.
The symptoms of his pain seem to me to be those of some sort of demonic
possession.  I am sure this will be developed into the full plot in the near
future.  I also found the word ÒtruthÓ interesting.  I wonder if the next
murder will have something to do with ÒjusticeÓ. 

I enjoyed the artwork of the story, and with the psychological parallels and
the development of subplots, I was very satisfied with this issue.  If you
havenÕt read it, do!  

Arthur LaMarche

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

OTHER SUPER-TITLES:
ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ

SUPERBOY #12, ÒCompound TroublesÓ
    Writer: Karl Kesel
    Artist: Tom Grummett
    Inker: Doug Hazlewood
    $1.50 US/$2.10 CAN/70p UK


RATINGS:

VC: 4 Shields
AL: 4 Shields   - Strong issue, as I have come to expect from this title.
JS: 4.5 Shields - Great writing, especially in the characterizations Ñ 
                  which seems to be KeselÕs strongest point.  (Looks like
                  girl troubles ahead for the Kid!)  And of course, Grummett
                  & Hazlewood are as good as ever.


Superboy is ÒapprehendedÓ by Mack Harlin, HawaiiÕs self-styled top truant
officer.  HeÕs faced with questions from the school board about his origins
and level of education.  To determine his placement, heÕll have to take a
special exam, later.
 
That evening, after a sumptuous dinner out, Rex and Roxie return to their
apartment only to discover everything missing.  Superboy is on hand and asks
them to follow him to a new address.
 
Meanwhile, Gamboli, RexÕs money-lender, has sent out Copperhead, an assassin,
to dispatch Rex.  He arrives innocuously in Honolulu and ultimately hitches a
ride with Rex to the new address, a la Cape Fear.
 
Rex arrives at the location just before Roxie can complete any overtures on
Superboy.  The Kid turns on the power from a nearby power box to light up
ÒThe CompoundÓ.  It seems that Superboy has sunk all of RexÕs money into this
venture.  The Compound, unfortunately, appears to be a dilapidated beach
house.  Rex is sunk.
 
As Superboy takes Roxie for a tour, Rex is beset by Copperhead, who makes
him a deal: Rex will be offered another chance to pay Gamboli back, and in
exchange, Copperhead will kill Roxie instead.  Some hot and heavy fighting
ensues with Superboy going all out.
 
In the meantime, Sam Makoa indicates to his boss, who just flew in from
Washington, that he intends to take out the Silicon Dragons with military
personnel.  Her boss indicates a negative on that suggestion and tells him
that they need a suicide squad: he must call ÒThe WallÓ.
 
Back to light-hearted fun and adventure, I see.  Karl KeselÕs back and so
are Grummett & Hazlewood (the gangÕs all here).  I, for one, am glad to see
some more frivolity of SuperboyÕs personality.  The expression on RexÕs face
is great when he finds out that all his money (that was supposed to pay
Gamboli) was used to purchase a rattrap of a ÒcompoundÓ.  I wonder if Kesel
has a thing with Avengers...When Superboy tested out Emil HamiltonÕs shades,
there were a few Marvel-inferences and now ÒThe CompoundÓ seems to be a
direct parody of one of MarvelÕs high-tech, squeaky-clean, mansion-like
bases. :)  Ah, well.  ThatÕs what I like about KeselÕs writing.  To what
Grummett is to clean lines in his art, Kesel is to his script.  I was happy
to see KeselÕs sabbatical last only one issue, and as usual, thereÕs been
some more development in our heroÕs situation in Hawaii to go along with the
top-notch art.
 
Victor


=======================================================
                               End of Section 2
=======================================================


OTHER SUPER-TITLES (cont):
ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ-

STEEL #12, ÒShowdownÓ  (Maximum Orbit: Part 2 of 3)
    Story: Louise Simonson
    Pencils: Chris Batista
    Inks: Rich Faber
    $1.50 US/$2.10 CAN/70p UK


RATINGS:

SA: 4 Shields   - I am really starting to enjoy this story!
AL: 3 Shields   - Interesting.  IÕve always liked Maxima
JS: 3.5 Shields - Good characterizations in a well-written story.  Batista
                  & Faber form a great art team.


SYNOPSIS:

DeÕCine and BaÕad are leaving Earth orbit with their captives, Steel and
Maxima.  Maxima blames their capture on Steel, who should never have claimed
to be Superman (See ÒThe Reign of the SupermenÓ storyline).  Steel blames her
lack of foresight.  DeÕCine gives us a quick synopsis of the story so farÑhe
intends to marry Maxima, while Steel will become a present for his mother, who
is a collector of cyborgs.  BaÕad adds a little dramatic tension by adding
that he is the favorite cyborg of DeÕCineÕs mother and he does not appreciate
rivals.  DeÕCine demonstrates his bloodthirstiness by destroying a patrol
vessel that questions the presence of DeÕCineÕs space yacht within their
territory.

We next switch to Earth where the Justice League [the Extreme Justice team,
see Extreme Justice #0, #1 and the soon to be released #2.  I think it is
worth the price. Ñ Art]  received an alarm when DeÕCine warped out of Earth
orbit.  They canÕt locate or contact Maxima, so they decide to get another
ship ready.

Back in DeÕCineÕs ship, Steel was gassed and removed from his armor in order
to determine whether or not he is a proper gift for DeÕCineÕs mother.  They
become confused because Steel still registers as a cyborg when he is removed
from his armor, and yet there are no physical connections between him and his
armor.  They revive him and question him.  The gas acts as a truth serum and
when Steel admits that he is not a cyborg, BaÕad suggests that they vivisect
him in order to understand why he registers as a cyborg.  Maxima saves Steel
by suggesting that he might not be aware of being a cyborg.  She asks Steel
about how his armor has re-appeared when he was in danger.  DeÕCine agrees
that there may be a mind/machine interface that reacts to outside stimulus
and threatens to kill Steel unless he can call his armor to him.  Just as
DeÕCine was about to tear his heart out, his mother, Queen TechÕTra arrives.
She mentions that DeÕCineÕs marriage to Maxima is part of a plan to gain
control over her home planet, Almerac.  The marriage is to occur on her
battleship.

DeÕCine leaves to prepare for the ceremony.  Steel tries thinking as ÒloudÓ
as he can in order to get MaximaÕs attention.  She canÕt free him from his
bonds but does try to use her telekinesis to threaten BaÕad with one of his
guns.  Unfortunately DeÕCineÕs trap is too strong and she cannot steady the
gun aloft.

DeÕCine returns to take Maxima to his motherÕs ship and tells BaÕad to test
Steel.  If he is a cyborg, he will become a gift.  If he is not, he is to be
killed.  Aboard Queen TechÕTraÕs ship the ceremony is about to begin.  The
audio from MaximaÕs Inhibitor Tube is turned off and she is told that video
technicians will make it appear that her marriage was voluntary.

Back on DeÕCineÕs ship, BaÕad is watching the events on the queenÕs ship.  He
is pleased to hear the Queen ask about him.  He knows that his position as
favorite is not secure, and wishes he was beside her to maintain his position.
Steel is trying to ÒwishÓ his armor on, but cannot do it.  BaÕadÕs screen
shows the Queen claiming that after Almerac is conquered, she might want to
conquer the Earth.  Steel comes to realize that his armor returns to him when
he is in mortal danger.  He uses Òold WesternÓ slang insults to goad BaÕad
into attacking him.  The insults work on the intergalactic cowboy.  BaÕad
decides to tell DeÕCine that Steel wasnÕt a cyborg and shoots him.  Just as
the blast is going to hit, SteelÕs armor forms around him.  BaÕadÕs guns are
useless against Steel now, so he tries to shoot the ceiling to bring it
crashing down onto him.  Steel flies up and catches the ceiling before it
hits him.  He throws it at BaÕad, who simply flies out of the way.  Steel
pauses to look at the vid screen which displays the wedding ceremony between
Maxima and DeÕCine.  When he does, BaÕad takes advantage and brings the huge
screen down on Steel, knocking him unconscious.

ÑTo Be ContinuedÑ  ;)

ARTWORK:

The art was very well done.  The artists did a great job distinguishing people
and machinery.  This is especially appreciated in a sci-fi type of storyline
dealing with cyborgs.  Machinery was complex enough to look functional, while
the people maintained a softer, slicker look.  I was especially taken with the
portrayal of Maxima.  She was sexy without being Òtop heavyÓ.  Many comic book
artists today could take a lesson from this.  My only criticism on Maxima was
that her legs were a *little* too long to be proportionate.

COMPLAINTS:

Fashion-wiseÑBooster Gold was shown without his helmet.  I dunno, maybe itÕs
just me, but anyone who wears armor without covering the top of his head is
asking for trouble.  I guess the whole bare-headed costumes started getting
popular when Cyclops (of the X-Men) did it.  The trend followed and looks
good on many characters.  But in armor???  Sorry, I ainÕt buying into that
one, force-field or not!

. . .and yes, this issue confirmed itÑBaÕad is a space cowboyÑno doubt
about it.  Old West insults work against him and everything.  Wow, America
is the cultural center of the whole DC universe!  Sorry, that one was 
unfair ;) .

Shawn Aeria

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

SHOWCASE Ô95 #1, ÒPerfect FormÓ 
    Written by Charles Moore
    Pencils by Stuart Immonen
    Inks by Wade Von Grawbadger
    $2.50 US/$3.50 Can./L1.5 UK


RATINGS:

RG: Story - 3 Shields - good, but not really special.
    Art - 3 Shields - plain, with very little detail.
AL: 2.5 Shields - average story for the Superman mythos Ñ Bonus!
JS: 3 Shields   - The Supergirl story isnÕt much to speak of, but Stuart
                  ImmonenÕs art is beautiful.  The Argus tale is written
                  and drawn poorly, and the Alan Scott tale is fairly
                  good.  Great Grummett & Hazlewood cover!


Supergirl is escorting Liz Perske (Lex LuthorÕs ex wife) as a secretary in
Charlotte when laser beams erupt from underground.  Supergirl investigates
to find a group of scientists from Bonedagger Labs are responsible.  She
shuts down the laser and rescues the scientists from a cave-in.  The
scientists had been digging under the city looking for a new type of crystal.
When their laser powered digger hit the crystals, the beam was reflected,
causing the destruction.

Meanwhile the crystalsÕ unique makeup has attracted an artificial life form
that is inhabiting a Khundian mining ship.  The entity needs the crystals to
build itself a better body.  It attacks using mining tools that it had
modified, and Supergirl fights back.  During the battle it decides that
Supergirl would make an even better host than the one it was going to build.

The second story, ÒDo the Clothes Make the Man?Ó stars Argus, one of the New
Blood heroes from the Ô93 annuals.  No Superman Family appearances.  Story
was OK, art was a little rough.

The third and last story starred Alan Scott, the Golden Age Green Lantern.
He is visiting the grave of Atom, Hourman, and Dr. Midnight, the three
Justice Society heroes who died in the Zero Hour crossover.  Alan is attacked
by the animated corpses and accused of cowardice.  Alan gave up his ring
during Zero Hour #3, and seems powerless to stop them from killing him.
During the battle, he somehow summons some of the Green Lantern energy that
had powered his ring.  He decides to start over again, rejecting the name
Green Lantern, and takes the name Sentinel.  Again, the story wasnÕt bad, it
just wasnÕt as good as it could be.

Overall the entire book was just average. If it wasnÕt for the Supergirl
story, I probably would have skipped it.

ReneÕ Gobeyn

___________________________________________________________
*************************************************************

MINISERIES AND SPECIAL APPEARANCES:
ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ
    
GUARDIANS OF METROPOLIS #4 (of 4), ÒRace the DevilÓ
    Written by Karl Kesel
    Pencils by Kieron Dwyer
    Inking by Mike Manley
    $1.50 US/$2.10 Can/.70p UK 


RATINGS:

RG: Story - 5 Shields - a fine ending, or is it a good beginning?
    Art - 5 Shields - a fitting tribute to Kirby and his creations.
AL: 4 Shields   - good stuff.  I hope we can see more of these types of
                  miniseries from DC on the Superman mythos.
JS: 4.5 Shields - A great finish to a fantastic story with solid art.


Following closely on the action from last issue, we find Bobby Harper
(GuardianÕs grand-niece), Flip (one of the Newsboy Legion clones) and Yango
(last of the Wild-Ones) hot on the trail of the Wiz-wagon and the other
kidnapped Newsboy Legion clones.  The kidnapped clones are in the power of
Female Furies and Boss Moxie, who are taking the Zoomway back to project
Cadmus.  Big Words has figured out a way to warn Cadmus that trouble is
heading their way and the Guardian has scrambled the troops.

Yango has taken a shortcut to get in front of the Wiz-Wagon, and Big Words
has managed to ÒloseÓ most of the Furies by taking the wagon under water.
Yango crashes into the Wiz-Wagon while still on the Zoomway, destroying both
it and his cycle.  After the crash, the Furies catch up with the Legion and
Yango just as the Guardian and the Cadmus troops arrive.  After a brief fight
scene, Gilotina turns to the side of the Newsboys and stops the battle.  The
Furies boom-tube out and Boss Moxie falls into a chasm in the road.

Bobby Harper is finally united with her Uncle, who has been appointed her
legal guardian.  The Legion, Bobby, et.al. have been moved to a building in
Hobbs Bay, where Clark Kent offers them paper routes.  This would be the end
of the story, except the scene changes to the caverns under Project Cadmus,
where Dabney Donovan, who is looking for living tissue to use as starter
stock for more clones, finds a barely alive Boss Moxie.  The End?  I hope not.

As IÕve said before, itÕs great to see these terrific old Kirby characters
up and active again.  While this issue marks the end of the limited series,
I canÕt help but believe that there is another series in the works.  Maybe
itÕs just wishful thinking, but there is the making of another limited series
or even an on-going series dealing with these and other Superman supporting
characters.  I hope that the series did well enough in sales to encourage DC
in this direction.

Kesel, Dwyer, and Manley deserve a standing ovation for this fine tribute to
Jack Kirby.  The feel of this series has been so Kirby-like that IÕve checked
the credits each issue expecting to see his name as a contributor, not a
tribute.  Just seeing the Newsboys, The Female Furies, The Guardian, and
Yango makes me remember how much FUN the DC/Kirby universe was.  The art in
the issue was full of tributes to Kirby and Simon with their names appearing
on signs, trucks, etc.  With the King gone now, itÕs good to know that his
creations are in such good hands.

ReneÕ Gobeyn

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

METROPOLIS S.C.U. #3 (of 4), ÒArk EnemyÓ
    Written by Cindy Goff
    Pencils by Pete Krause
    Inks by Jose Marzan Jr.
    $1.50 US/$2.10 Can./70p UK


RATINGS:

RG: Story - 5 Shields - what else can I say, buy this one!
    Art Rating - 4.5 Shields - could use more background detail.
AL: 4 Shields   - Strong story, good art.  I said it before, but I will say it
                  again Ñ Bonus!
JS: 2.5 Shields - This issue was a bit better than the first two, but still
                  not what I was expecting from this series.  It seems to
                  have little focus on the SCU as a whole.  Instead, it focuses
                  almost exclusively on Maggie Sawyer.  I really donÕt care for
                  the art Ñ but this issue seemed a bit cleaner than the first
                  two.


After a brief look at Maggie SawyerÕs home life, she is paged to return to
SCU headquarters, where she finds that Terra-man has turned himself in.  He
claims that he is not responsible for the fires that have been plaguing the
world of late, but he thinks he knows who is.  For some reason, Maggie,
Superman, and the other SCU cops donÕt believe him.

Later, Terra-man stages a breakout from the jail.  After being stopped by
Superman, he finally decides to tell them about Dr. Noah Webster, the man he
feels, and we know, is responsible for the fires.  It appears that Webster is
not just a noted biologist, he is also the father of satellite technology.
Terra-man goes on to tell them why Webster is setting the fires and how he
plans to kill off every breathing animal on earth.  Russ Tenclouds, one of
the SCU and an American Indian, deciphers a rather cryptic message to tell
them where Webster and his Arc are most likely located.  Superman races into
space to stop the satellites that are causing the fires.

While this is happening, Maggie is attending the Metropolis PolicemanÕs ball
with her ex-husband James.  James has just begun his speech when MaggieÕs
pager goes off, calling her to the airport where the SCU is boarding a flight
to Arizona, where the Tucson Police have located Dr. WebsterÕs Biosphere.

This book continues with the excellent treatment of Maggie Sawyer and the
SCU.  Superman has more of a presence here than in last issue, but it is not
overdone.  He doesnÕt become the focus.  Instead, most of his appearances are
handled from some other characterÕs point of view.  It is, in my opinion
anyway, the best handling of the Superman supporting cast that DC has done.

What we have here is an exceptional story dealing with the police procedures
in a superhero world.  It deals with the cops that will be needed to deal
with the villains when the costumed heroes arenÕt around.  It makes painful
sense that procedures would be slightly different in a world of costume-
wearing vigilantes.  Most police procedure stories act like there are no
differences between their world and ours.  This series does an excellent job
of pointing out what these differences are, but does it in a way that feels
natural.

This mini-series has my highest possible recommendation.  It is exactly the
kind of story DC should be producing.  If you are a Superman fan and have
been missing the interaction with the supporting cast, this series is what
youÕve been waiting for.  IÕm hoping that if this series does well, DC will
be encouraged to do more of them. 

ReneÕ Gobeyn

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

XENOBROOD #4, ÒCreatures of CrystalÓ
    Written by: Doug Moench
    Pencils by: Chris Hunter
    Inks by: John Lone
    $1.50 US/$2.10 Can./70p UK


RATINGS:

RG: Story - 4 Shields - well done plot, has a lot of promise.
    Art - 3.5 Shields - still a little rough, improving.
JS: 4 Shields - This book features consistently good writing and decent
                art.  The entire miniseries has been thoroughly enjoyable,
                and I highly recommend it.


It appears that the crystals stolen last issue have gone bad.  The creatures
grown from them do not have the same powers or human looks of the Xenobrood.

Superman and the Ôbrood are attacked, first by Iraqi soldiers and then by the
beings that were grown from the stolen crystals.  Superman works on holding
off the soldiers while the brood take on the crystalline creatures.  After a
too-long fight scene, Superman defeats the villains who are controlling the
creatures, and they destroy themselves and the creatures rather than risk
capture and questioning.

Working together, Superman and the Ôbrood seal the cavern where the crystals
were found last issue.  Superman leaves the Ôbrood with the hope that they
will eventually find a place in the world for themselves.

So far, IÕve really been enjoying the story in this series.  The Ôbrood are
really being shown as being innocents in our world, and I can see some very
humorous story lines that could develop.  If it goes the route of character-
driven stories, with a lot of interaction and humor, it could very easily
become one of my favorite DC titles.  If it goes the route of the Big-Fight,
IÕll drop it fast.

If you are a real Superman completist, you will probably enjoy this one.  On
the other hand, I suspect that it wonÕt impact SupermanÕs continuity much,
so it can probably be skipped.

ReneÕ Gobeyn

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

SUPER-CROSSWORD #3 ANSWERS
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|C|I|R|C|E| |K|E|N|T|O| |
|H| |I|M|A|G|I|N|A|R|Y| |
|I|M|P| |R|E|D|S|U|N| |B|
|E| | | |T|A|D| |G| |K|A|
|F|L|A|S|H|R|E|D|H|E|A|T|
|P|A| |I| | |R|A|T|I|N|G|
|A|N|O|G|R|E| |T| | |D|I|
|R|E|I|N| |B|E|E| |Z|O|R|
|K| |L|A|T|E| | |G|I|R|L|
|E|V|I|L| |N| |C|O|P| | |
|R|A|E| |E| | | |A| |O| |
| |M|R|M|X|Y|Z|P|T|L|K| |


SUPER-CROSSWORD #4
ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ
By Jon Knutson (jonknutson@aol.com)

For best results, print this out in a monospaced typeface.

ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ-
|1  |   |2  |3  |   |4  |XXX|5  |XXX|6  |7  |   |
|   |   |   |   |   |   |XXX|   |XXX|   |   |   |
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|   |XXX|8  |   |XXX|9  |   |   |   |   |   |XXX|
|   |XXX|   |   |XXX|   |   |   |   |   |   |XXX|
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|10 |   |   |   |11 |   |XXX|   |XXX|12 |   |XXX|
|   |   |   |   |   |   |XXX|   |XXX|   |   |XXX|
ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ-
|   |XXX|XXX|13 |   |   |   |   |14 |XXX|15 |16 |
|   |XXX|XXX|   |   |   |   |   |   |XXX|   |   |
ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ-
|   |XXX|17 |   |   |   |XXX|XXX|18 |   |   |   |
|   |XXX|   |   |   |   |XXX|XXX|   |   |   |   |
ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ-
|   |XXX|XXX|19 |   |   |   |XXX|   |XXX|20 |   |
|   |XXX|XXX|   |   |   |   |XXX|   |XXX|   |   |
ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ-
|21 |22 |XXX|XXX|23 |   |XXX|24 |XXX|25 |   |   |
|   |   |XXX|XXX|   |   |XXX|   |XXX|   |   |   |
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|26 |   |   |27 |   |   |28 |   |XXX|29 |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |XXX|   |   |   |
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|XXX|XXX|XXX|   |XXX|XXX|30 |   |   |   |   |   |
|XXX|XXX|XXX|   |XXX|XXX|   |   |   |   |   |   |
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|XXX|31 |   |   |   |32 |XXX|   |XXX|33 |   |   |
|XXX|   |   |   |   |   |XXX|   |XXX|   |   |   |
ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ-
|XXX|   |XXX|   |XXX|   |XXX|XXX|XXX|   |XXX|   |
|XXX|   |XXX|   |XXX|   |XXX|XXX|XXX|   |XXX|   |
ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ-
|XXX|34 |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |XXX|
|XXX|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |XXX|
ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ-

ACROSS:
1  LexÕs wife on Lexor
6  HalÕs first name in the future
9  Mr. Edge
10 Group Superboy and Supergirl belong to
12 Military rank (abbr.)
13 It was all turned to iron in the early 70Õs
15 Male pronoun
17 Lois & Clark episode: _______ Kids
18 Chameleon BoyÕs first name
19 Hitler says no
20 Comic title adapting literature (init.)
21 Creature in ÒForbidden PlanetÓ
23 A measurement in space (abbr.)
25 Vegas or Angeles
26 A superhero who helps you write wrongs?
29 JLA foe
30 What you get when Medusa looks at you
31 Second word of ÒHeartbreak HotelÓ
33 Musical Doctor, used his name in a song
34 Jimmy used items from his trunk to do this

DOWN:
1  LoriÕs hometown
2  Krypto, for example
3  Who he is and how he got that way
4  This caused a loss of memory
5  Timber WolfÕs first name
6  What Jimmy is to Superman
7  Where the triangle number appears
11 Running the gauntlet
14 Phantom Zone villain ____-El
16 Units of a TV show
22 Metro paper, or the ChiefÕs group (init.)
24 ______-Superman Squad
25 Clark K.Õs cousin
27 Belongs to Ms. Lang
28 Preposition
31 Anti-Superman device
33 Mammal


=======================================================
                               End of Section 3
=======================================================


LOOKING BACK
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  AFTER-BYRNE: Reviews of the Post-Crisis Man of Steel
  ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ

PANIC IN THE SKY!
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    Reviewed by Jeffery D. Sykes (sykes@ms.uky.edu)


This month, I begin reviewing the 1992 Superman epic, ÒPanic in the Sky!Ó
In addition to giving us the return of Brainiac and the reintroduction of
Supergirl, this story showed us the kind of quality material that the
Superman staff is capable of.  Bringing us this two-month-long tale were
perhaps the greatest collective of creative talent on the Superman family
since the days following John ByrneÕs revamp.  More importantly, ÒPanic in
the Sky!Ó showed us that not every DC book is needed to tell a multi-hero
story.  It also showed us that action-packed, multi-part dramas can mean
more than a mindless, poorly-written slugfest!

ÒPanic in the Sky!Ó spanned eight issues (when including the Prologue and
Epilogue issues), but I donÕt want to stretch this review over eight months.
Instead, I plan to review two episodes each month, thereby concluding the
story in the April issue.  I hope you all enjoy remembering!


PROLOGUE
ÑÑÑÑ
ACTION COMICS #674, ÒThe Past is PrologueÓ
    February 1992
    Written by Roger Stern
    Art by Bob McLeod & Denis Rodier
    Cover art by Dan Jurgens & Bob McLeod

Cover Price:      $1.00 US/$1.25 CAN/60p UK
Overstreet Price: $1.00 US


Kletus-4.  All is normal at the local bar until a man with a familiar visage
enters and attempts to protect the ÒhonorÓ of a barmaid.  A fight ensues, and
the manÕs outer garments are burned away to reveal the strange colors of a
famous costume.  A newcomer, recognizing the costume as that of Superman, leads
the seeming Man of Steel from the bar at the conclusion of the altercation.
Later, the tale of this altercation is related to the noted space-warrior
Draaga, who thrills at the thought of completing the Death-Rite.  As he leaves
to seek out Superman, he is joined by Maxima, yet another powerful foe of
Kal-El with a score to settle.

Suicide Slum.  Jimmy Olsen, who had been laid off by the Daily Planet in the
midst of widespread cutbacks, works shoveling the snow in front of BibboÕs
tavern, the Ace of Clubs.  As he works, the postman delivers a package of
photos that Jimmy had taken of a recent Superman battle.  Overjoyed with the
prospect of working again as a photographer, Jimmy begins to celebrate in the
streets, attracting the attention of Superman, returning from a minor encounter
with some fugitive Intergangsters.  

Deep Space.  The newcomer who pulled ÒSupermanÓ from the bar is, in fact,
Cellkeeper, the alien who helped Superman in his previous encounter with
Mongul and Warworld.  ÒSupermanÓ tries to explain that he is not who he
appears to be, but before he can convince his new friend, an Almeracian
ship arises from behind the asteroid and deposits a landing capsule on its
surface.  From the capsule emerges Draaga, who wastes no time in reinitiating
the Death-Rite.  As the fight progresses, ÒSupermanÓ gives up on trying to
explain who he really is and simply disappears, much to the shock of Draaga
and Maxima, who watches from her ship.  When Draaga threatens Cellkeeper, his
foe reappears and attacks with what Maxima reports to some unknown leader as
a psychokinetic force beam.  Meanwhile, Draaga catches his foe with a thrown
boulder, but when he goes in for the kill, he finds that the foe has changed
her appearance Ñ it is Supergirl!  As he doubts his sanity, Warworld appears
in front of him.

Warworld.  Suddenly, Draaga and Supergirl find themselves in the battle arena
in front of the mysterious figure who has assumed control of Warworld.  This
hooded figure proceeds to demand DraagaÕs pledge of fealty, but Draaga will
concede.  Matrix/Supergirl, apparently revived by the hooded one, leaps to the
attack and quickly dispatches Draaga.  As Maxima appears beside the mysterious
figure, he takes the moment to remind her that it was he who had conquered
Almerac and that her service is what keeps her from suffering the fate of her
people.  Reasserting his control over Supergirl, he convinces her that Superman
is her greatest enemy and that he, Brainiac, is her lord and master!

As usual, Roger Stern writes a compelling story, even though the issue
contains quite a bit of battle.  Given the battle stories we have seen
recently, this would seem to be no small task.  In addition, we see major
storylines continuing underneath the main story Ñ Jimmy OlsenÕs unemployment,
the aftermath of the fall of Intergang, and Hellgrammite planning his attempt
on Lex Luthor IIÕs life.  There is effective recap of past events and how
they relate to the current tale, but it done so that the reader never feels
as if he is being talked down to.

In addition to the beautiful Jurgens & McLeod cover, the book features the
wonderful art of Bob McLeod and Denis Rodier.  The artwork is very clean, and
many details are present.  And hereÕs one of the reasons that todayÕs stories
seem to take longer: the book contained only one splash page!  Though this
meant smaller panels, there was little or no loss of detail, and there was
much more story than current issues.  I canÕt imagine this much being fit
into one issue of todayÕs Superman titles.

An excellent reintroduction to Supergirl and a fantastic kick-off to ÒPanic
in the Sky!Ó  For the beautiful art and wonderful storytelling, I rate this
comic a total of 4.5 Shields!

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

FIRST STRIKE
ÑÑÑÑÑÑ
SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #9, ÒPower BreakfastÓ
    March 1992
    Written by Louise Simonson
    Art by Jon Bogdanove & Dennis Janke

Cover Price:      $1.00 US/$1.25 CAN/60p UK
Overstreet Price: $1.00 US


Clark and Lois are enjoying an early morning breakfast when Superman is jarred
by a powerful mental warning from Dubbilex of immense danger to the city.  The
two run out into the street, where Clark quickly changes into his Òwork
clothes,Ó and Lois borrows a camera from the broken window of a camera shop.

Racing to the skies above Metropolis, Superman discovers BrainiacÕs headship
pummeling the city with some type of ray.  As he approaches, the ship swings
around and blasts the Man of Steel, flinging him into the side of a nearby
building.

Meanwhile, at the HobbÕs Bay Grille, Emil HamiltonÕs breakfast with Mildred
is also interrupted by the blasts.  Recognizing the head ship from SupermanÕs
description, he realizes that he may be needed.  As he runs toward his lab,
he comes across Jimmy and Bibbo.  Jimmy convinces Bibbo to help Professor
Hamilton to his lab, and then he hurries off to check on his mother.

The skies of Metropolis are filled with deadly energy beams, as the headship
continues to pummel Superman with its death rays, and as Superman retaliates
against its constricting tentacles with his own heat vision.  Eventually, the
Man of Steel breaks free, and uses one of the tentacles to break into the
ship.  Once inside, he is blindsided by defense robots as the ship floats
towards the fairgrounds.

In a tower-top restaurant at the fairgrounds, Perry is meeting with the owners
of the Daily Planet to negotiate his new contract.  An errant blast from the
headship plows through the side of the restaurant, sending the diners into a
frenzy.  PerryÕs calm demeanor and leadership during the danger greatly
impresses the brass.

Inside the ship, Superman shrugs off the robots, accidentally blowing the
stabilizers.  As the ship tilts to one side, the energy beams slice down into
the Coates ChildrenÕs Center.  Myra begins evacuation, but she is caught under
a falling door with two of the children.  Suddenly, Gangbuster leaps from
nowhere and pulls them to safety.

In LexCorpÕs tower, Lex Luthor II, Collin Thornton (managing editor of
Newstime), and Mayor Berkowitz are meeting to discuss how to handle cleanup
of the damage caused by the ship.  When the Newstime building takes a direct
hit, Thornton leaves.  As he strides absent-mindedly past the SCU (furiously
at work rescuing people from the crumbling buildings), he and Jimmy plow head
first into each other.  Jimmy loses his grip on his photos (see the Prologue),
but Thornton saves them from the sewer.  Taking a look at them, he recognizes
JimmyÕs talent and offers him a chance at a job.

Inside the ship, Superman has finally defeated the robots and made his way
onto the bridge.  But he is greeted by a devastating psychic attack from
Brainiac.  Crippled by the attack, Superman seems to be defeated until he is
contacted by Dubbilex and Bibbo (through HamiltonÕs devices).  Their pleading
invigorates the Man of Steel, and he rises to finish off the ship.  He grabs
the crippled ship and flings it into the bay.  

But before he has time to do anything else, he receives yet another psychic
assault, wherein Brainiac gloatingly informs Superman of his plan to invade
Earth with Warworld.  The attack having caused him to fall into the bay,
after Superman recovers, he crawls up onto the dock to find Lois has followed
him there.  He tells her BrainiacÕs plans and decides that he is going to
need help!

This is an example of some of Louise SimonsonÕs best writing.  The pacing of
the story is frantic.  Each page seems to shift to another place in Metropolis,
as she focuses on yet another aspect of the attackÕs effects.  And we see yet
again how the supporting cast takes a hefty piece of the spotlight.  The art
is also very well done.  Jon BogdanoveÕs drawings are very dynamic.  There
are fewer panels than in the previous episode of this story, but the larger
art suits BogÕs style to a tee.  (Note that this was BogÕs Òpre-ReignÓ
style.)

Everything about this issue shows that Simonson, Bog, & Janke are capable of
some incredible work!  This issue rates a fantastic 4.5 Shields as well!

See you next month, as the panic escalates!
Jeff

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

  LEGACIES: Reviews of the pre-Crisis Man of Steel
  ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ

ACTION COMICS #455, ÒJunkmanÑthe Recycled Superstar!Ó
     January, 1976 
     Story by Elliot S! Maggin
     Art by Curt Swan and Tex Blaisdell
     $.25

Rating: 4 Shields. Cheesy story, but great cast of characters.

The really great points about this comic are that it features Atom, Green
Arrow, a jealous Clark Kent, the Fortress of Solitude, and the bottled city
of Kandor.  I really miss Kandor and would love to see it brought back into
existence.

The story opens up with a comedian named Morty Rivers thinking up a new idea
for his next movie.  He passes the idea on to his publicity agent from Star
City, Oliver Queen.  Rivers wants Queen to contact a reporter in order to
publicize the event.  Queen tells Rivers he will get in touch with Clark Kent.

At the same time, Superman is at the Fortress of Solitude helping Atom prepare
for his journey into Kandor.  ÒWant me to shoot you into Kandor with my micro-
wave tunnel...?Ó asks Superman.  Atom declines the offer and jumps into the
bottled city.  Suddenly Superman gets a distress call for Clark Kent and
rushes 3,000 miles back to his Metropolis office to answer it.  He is
perturbed to find out it is Ollie Queen and reluctantly agrees to interview
Morty Rivers.  Cut to Kandor where Atom, otherwise known as Dr. Palmer, is
about to do a little research on size-control with the cityÕs scientists.

At the same time we see Rivers creating some sort of mechanical robot which
he hopes to use in his next movie (Does the film _Short Circuit_ come to mind
at this point?).  Enter Clark and Oliver Queen.  Amazingly, the Kandorian
scientists, along with Atom, are able to see what is going on between the
three men and the robot.  Unfortunately there are a few bugs that still need
to be worked out with the unique Kandorian viewer.  It cannot be operated
where electrical equipment is being used.  Unfortunately the room that Clark,
Queen, and Rivers are occupying is full of TV monitors and a camera which
Clark will use to interview Rivers about his robot.  At the same instant that
the Kandorian scientists turn off their viewer, Clark turns on his camera.
This results in a surge of electrical energy exploding all the monitors and
sending sharp pieces of glass throughout the room.  Clark distracts Rivers
long enough to change into Superman and to allow Queen to change into Green
Arrow.  After Rivers is safely removed, Superman tries to use the robot to
safely discharge all the electricity from the monitors.

To make a long story short the robot comes alive and has the same incredible
strength as Superman.  The Kandorian scientists become aware of the situation
because Kryptonian energy was released on earth during the explosion; they
warn Superman that the robot will be attracted to anything of Kryptonian
origin.  If it doesnÕt get to Kandor first, it will attack Superman.  There
is a brief battle scene between the robot and Superman, and they eventually
end up at the Fortress of Solitude.  Green Arrow is also there to help out
the Man of Steel.  The robot locates Kandor and picks up the bottle.  Just as
he is about to drop it, Green Arrow shoots an arrow and hits SupermanÕs micro-
wave machine.  The robot is standing directly in front of it, shrinks down to
size and falls into the bottled city.  According to Atom, the robot lost his
strength in KandorÕs Kryptonian environment, and the story ends on a happy
note.

Like I said, the story isnÕt all that great,  But it was nice to have an
issue with Kandor in it.  There was an interesting scene where Clark is
seen getting jealous over an encounter between Lois and Oliver Queen.

Ken McKee
stdkrm01@shsu.edu

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

THE SUPER-KIDS OF SUPERMAN!
    by Jon Knutson (jonknutson@aol.com)

Part 5 (of 5)

     In WF 238 (Jun 76) we are treated to ÒThe Angel With A Dirty Name.Ó  In 
costume, the Super-Sons encounter a girl being attacked by two men in 
strange clown-like costumes.  The two men give up, find that the girl is 
Dora Redson, who had hired the two men as entertainers, but when her van 
broke down, they quit and demanded their money.  Superman Jr. fixes the 
van, and he volunteers the super-sons to take the place of the hitchhikers.  
The show is to be held in Kingman Maximum Security Prison.  After their 
performance, theyÕre supposed to meet Dora at the WardenÕs office, but 
discover sheÕs gone, as well as their most dangerous prisoner Ñ Lex 
Luthor.   Since the warden wants them held as accomplices, they decide to 
escape.  

     They find DoraÕs truck next to a space ship, and overhearing Dora and 
Luthor, they discover that Dora is really Ardora, LexÕs daughter from the 
planet Lexor.  The two enter the rocket and leave for Lexor.  The Super-
Sons managed to sneak onto the ship before they left..  Lex is needed there 
to cure a plague that turns its natives into monsterous giants, their 
bodies grotesquely bloated.  Only Luthor can cure them, but it turns out 
Luthor created the menace himself as a safeguard that if he was 
imprisoned again, they would have to rescue him.  Arriving on Lexor, 
Luthor finds that his wife has been infected with the virus, too.  

     Meanwhile, the Super-Sons leave the ship, but are soon spotted and 
captured (Lexor has a red sun, so Superman, Jr. has no powers).  They are 
imprisoned in a force field.  Ardora tells them theyÕll stay trapped until 
Luthor returns to decide their fate.  Superman Jr. tries to use psychology 
on Ardora to get her to release them without success.  Meanwhile, Luthor 
canÕt make the antidote to the virus without an element from the venom of 
the terror lizard, which lives in the lost zone, from which no one returns.  
Ardora points out that Superman Jr. could get it, if Luthor can filter out 
the red sun effects.  The super-sons agree to help, and Luthor bathes Supes 
Jr. in a yellow solex light.  Proceeding into the lost zone, the two heroes 
face several threats, but when they find a terror lizard, Superman Jr. 
starts to exhibit the effects of the virus.  The lizard attacks and bites 
Superman Jr., which cures him.  Returning to the city, Luthor extracts a 
pint of Superman Jr.Õs blood to create the antidote.  Luthor is forced by his
daughter to return to earth with the super-sons.

     The last Super-Sons story IÕve been able to track down is in WF 242, 
Dec 76.  In ÒTown of the Timeless Killers,Ó Clark Jr. and Bruce Jr. are 
traveling the American west in an ATV.  They get into an accident, and 
Clark Jr. finds heÕs somehow lost his powers.  The two of them walk to a 
nearby ghost town, Dry Gulch, where they meet a man who calls himself 
Kid Bowie, who attacks them.  Clark and Bruce escape, but encounter 
another man, Jack Slade, who challenges them to a quick-draw match.  No 
sooner are they away from Slade when they are shot at by ÒLeverÓ Monroe.  
The super-sons hide in an abandoned water tower.  

     Later, as Clark Jr. sleeps, Bruce Jr. searches the town, finding an 
invisible wall surrounding the town.  Bruce comes back and tells Clark 
that the killers theyÕve faced are 100 years old or older.  The force field 
around the town kept everyone young, but the killers wiped out the 
townspeople.  The two decide they have to fight the killers.  Suddenly, 
they hear a cry for help, and spot a girl being pursued by the killers.  The 
next morning, Batman, Jr. challenges Kid Bowie to a knife fight, but 
although Bowie hits, him, the knife doesnÕt penetrate due to a minerÕs 
blasting vest underneath Batman Jr.Õs costume.  Batman Jr. dispatches 
Bowie with a judo throw.  Later, Superman Jr. is ready to draw against 
Jack Slade.  Slade gets his guns out and shoots faster, but discovers that 
the Superman, Jr. he was facing was a reflected image.  Superman, Jr. 
shoots Slade (with wax bullets).  Then, the super-sons go after Lever 
Monroe.  Since Monroe has them pinned down, Batman Jr. challenges Monroe 
to shoot out all the spades of a deck of cards heÕs holding.  Monroe 
succeeds, and as he shouts about his victory, Batman Jr. sneaks up behind 
him and clobbers him.  

     However, the girl is now missing, and when they search for her, they 
find sheÕs Belle Dubois, the Bullwhip Queen.  Somehow, while fighting her, 
Superman, Jr. gets his powers back long enough to knock her out.  They 
discover that he has his powers while standing on a particular grave, 
which had dirt in it from back east.  ItÕs only the soil from the town that 
strips Superman, Jr.Õs powers from him.  The super-sons take their 
prisoners out of the town through the same opening they found when they 
arrived, but the prisoners turn to aged skeletons outside of the field.

     I know there were at least a few other super-sons stories IÕm missing 
from my collection, including the final story that reveals that the entire 
Super-Sons Saga was a computer simulation (similar to those in several 
other stories of the past, such as one that shows what Kal-ElÕs life would 
have been like if Krypton hadnÕt exploded).  If anyone has this or any other 
super-sons issues of WorldÕs Finest and is willing to part with them, 
please e-mail me at jonknutson@aol.com, and IÕll do a follow-up to this 
posting.

     Overall, my personal preferences are for the two earlier sons of 
Superman and Batman over the 70Õs stories, which were marred by weak 
characterization, some of the worst ÒhipÓ dialogue since the late 
60Õs/early 70Õs ÒTeen TitansÓ stories, and the overall lack of direction (in 
some stories, they seem to be doing the GL/GA ÒDiscover AmericaÓ bit, but 
in others, they arenÕt.  Perhaps with todayÕs Superman and Batman actually 
progressing in their lives (weÕve been promised the Clark-Lois wedding in 
the next year, and Bruce Wayne seems interested in retiring as Batman 
anyway), perhaps eventually weÕll see a super-sons story for real in the 
early part of the next century!  WeÕll just have to wait and see...

Jon Knutson
jonknutson@aol.com


=======================================================
                               End of Section 4
=======================================================


LOIS AND CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN
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UP, UP, AND COMING:
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Guess whoÕs back!  ThatÕs right, Lex Luthor will be returning in February
for the sweeps period.  And heÕs none too happy with Lois Clark.  Hey,
whatÕs with the new (lack-of-) hairdo?  According to Hero (IÕve not seen
any numbers here, but I donÕt doubt the statement), L&C has a strong second-
place showing so far for this season.  (Die Fish, Die! :)

Coming episodes include the return of Farrah Forke as Mayson Drake in
ÒThe Eyes Have ItÓ (Jan. 22), John Shea and Denise Crosby as Lex Luthor
and Gretchen Kelly in ÒThe PhoenixÓ (Feb. 5), Raquel Welch as an ambitious
reporter in ÒTop CopyÓ (Feb. 19), and Bronson Pinchot as the Prankster in
ÒReturn of the PranksterÓ (Feb. 26).  FebruaryÕs episodes also begin a
heating-up in the romance between Lois & Clark.  (You should definitely
check out ZoomwayÕs article below!)  

Jeff

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

SWAPPING THE WITCH FOR THE DEVIL UNDER THE PALE MOONLIGHTING MYTH
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By Zoomway

Now that Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman has reached the
midpoint of its second season, it is possible to assess where it has been
and where it is heading.  Where it has been is stagnation; villains of the
week who are there and gone so rapidly we can put no real emotional investment
in them.  Diluting of the main characters, i.e. Perry White no longer seems
enamored of Elvis Presley, Clark Kent no longer brings up obscure references
to his renowned world travels, Lois has become less intense and more neurotic,
and the writerÕs are still trying to find out what Jimmy Olsen does for a
living.  Most important to the fans, the Lois and Clark relationship has only
recently begun to advance.  The scripts largely have been unsatisfying.  The
new stable of producers has tried to take a character-driven show and turn it
into a plot-driven one.  This, perhaps, has been their most grave error.

Last year, it seemed, the writers and producers were driven by a situational
premise style of writing wherein they asked themselves what they wanted the
characters to experience, and then wrote a plot to accommodate that desire.
For example, they may have decided they wanted Lois and Clark in a situation
of forced intimacy (the couple placed in close quarters for an extended period
having only each other to interact with).  Their solution?ÑHoneymoon in
Metropolis, one of the more popular episodes from first season.  The plot of
the episode about a crooked senator and a sabotaged weapon test was of no real
importance to the fans and was quite forgettable, but the interaction between
Lois and Clark in that episode is still talked about by fans even well into
this season.

This season has reversed priorities.  The plot, Lois and ClarkÕs weakest
point, has become the showcase, which only serves to highlight the poverty in
the plotting.  The characterization has been twisted to fit the plot, which
sometimes causes more of a caricature than character development.  This
emphasis of plot over character coupled with extremely poor attention to
continuity from episode to episode, and more importantly, from first season to
the present, has caused a Ôdumbing downÕ and ÔkidificationÕ of the show.  So,
whither Lois and Clark?  Well, after a bloodcurdling howl of protest rose up
from the fans in the direction of the executive offices of Warner Brothers
lamenting the fact that Lois and ClarkÕs romantic relationship had become non-
existent, and that ninety percent of the reason they tuned in was to see the
advancement of said romance, a strange thing happened.  The producers seemed
to notice, and are now willing to give the notion a shot.

Lois and Clark, if their romance is handled correctly, may become the first
television show in history to successfully swap the witch for the devil, the
witch being the tired old plot device of Ôsexual tensionÕ (keeping a couple
apart through a variety of contrivances to keep the audience guessing will
they or wonÕt they).  The devil is a genuine romantic relationship based on
respect, friendship, trust and loveÑwhat a concept!  Why has this so seldom
been tried in Hollywood?  Fear.  Producers bought into the Moonlighting myth
a long time ago, and still tend to believe the myth to this very day.

Moonlighting was almost synonymous with Ôsexual tensionÕ.  The couple of David
and Maddie were forever being drawn Ôoh so close, but not quiteÕ together.
Though this ploy was successful during the first season and a half, it quickly
became frustrating for the fans.  They began to tune out in significant
numbers.  Why watch a show just to be frustrated?  Buying a lottery ticket can
be just as frustrating, but the emotional investment in pain isnÕt quite as
long lasting.  The solution?  Panic.  The producers saw their audience bailing
and discovered it was because of the tired old sexual tension that had been so
good to them in the past.  They decided to bring David and Maddie together.
The ÔunionÕ of Maddie and David was highly publicized, and so that episode
garnered big numbers.  Unfortunately, the producers had misinterpreted the
fans.  The fans had wanted a relationship to start between Maddie and David,
something that would end the frustration factor.  The producers, on the other
hand, had assumed the fans wanted the couple to leap into bed together, and
thatÕs what the producers gave them.

Well, after the dust cleared, the fans expressed their disappointment in the
approach.  The couple did not make love so much as they entered into a
furniture-wrecking wrestling match of sex.  They were not drawn together by
love or a mutual respect, and certainly not friendship (the couple had become
more and more antagonistic with each other in order to insure a safe distance
from that old devil romance).  They were a pair of hormones that passed in the
night.  But, even at this, the fans were hopeful now that the romance would
actually begin.  They were wrong, and had to endure frustration again for what
turned out to be the final time.

The producers and writers (almost always one and the same in TV shows today)
felt they had thrown a scrap of satisfaction to their fans and so decided it
was now safe to go back to the only thing the writers knew.  Yep, tearing the
couple apart.  The last coffin nail driven through the fansÕ loyalty was
Maddie coupling with some stranger on a train.  The fans tuned out after that
insult and the show died a quick death thereafter.  But the myth was born from
the ashes.  Put a couple together and it means the show will be canceled.
This of course was not true since the ratings were plummeting long before the
sex match.  FansÕ dissatisfaction with the frustration factor had sealed the
showÕs fate, but the myth persists and is hard to overcome.

I call trading sexual tension for romance swapping the witch for the devil
because they are both tricky and dangerous.  The show cannot maintain an
audience more than two seasons with sexual tension, in fact some fans have
tuned out already due to the frustration factor.  Can a show make the devil
(romance) work after the witch has lost her magic?  I believe that the
Superman legend has enough ÔmuscleÕ to pull it off.  We are not talking about
the average man and woman falling in love here.  Once Lois and Clark become
closer, will Lois become suspicious of his quick exits and lame excuses?  What
happens when Lois finds out the truth about ClarkÕs greatest secret?  After
that is all settled, then we have Lois literally thrown into a unique exile
with Clark where she will be forced to lie and make excuses just as he has
done for so long, and given Teri HatcherÕs flair for verbal and physical
humor, this could be hilarious.  ThereÕs also the fact that now Lois will know
that whenever Superman is hurt, Clark is hurt, but aside from ClarkÕs parents,
she will have to suffer this in silence alone.  She will also have to deal
with the fact that as Superman, Clark belongs to the world, and unlike a
doctor or fire fighter who might be frequently called off on emergencies,
there is no stand-in for Clark if he cannot show up.  He is the one and only
Superman and has to be where he is needed even if it means abandoning Lois at
restaurants, theaters, or even their own honeymoon.  This show can even break
ground sexually.  Unlike Moonlighting where the couple gave in to their
hormones, Lois and Clark could actually discuss their feelings on the subject.
This may sound funny, but given that impromptu sex has become the norm, and
therefore boring, having a couple consider each otherÕs feelings on the matter
might be a welcome change.  What if Clark were depicted as a virgin?  Okay,
this might be asking too much, but in the age of AIDS and fourteen-year-old
moms, maybe some thought might be given to this premise.  Who better than
Superman as a role model?  At least the possibilities are not limited to Lois
and Clark giving in during a fit of passion.

This could be television at its best, because there is literally no other
show remotely like this one on the air anywhere.  The question becomes can
the staff of Lois and Clark pull it off?  So far they have not demonstrated
that they pack the gear necessary for such an imaginative leap from the
mundane to the fantastic.  They may suffer under the false assumption that
romance means an endless parade of Ôkissy faceÕ and treacly dialog with no
opportunity for conflict, drama or humor.  If this is their supposition, then
it must be assumed that they have never ever truly been in love before, and
have never seen programs such as Mad About You, or Hart to Hart, which belie
this myth.  Romance does not have to be a steamroller flattening everything
in its path.  It should be an undercurrent flowing through the two characters,
binding them together and enhancing what the show already has going for it.
How many flat episodes could have used a little sizzling banter and action
from the worldÕs most famous couple?  Lots of them!

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

EPISODE REVIEW:
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Episode #9: ÒSeasonÕs GreedingsÓ
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        By Sriya Sampath

US Airdate:     December 4, 1994
Guest Starring: Isabel Sanford, Dick Van Patten, Denise Richards,
                Dom Irrera, Sandee Van Dyke, and 
                Sherman Hemsley as ÒMr. SchottÓ
Written by:     Dean Cain
Directed by:    Randall Zisk


     The ninth episode this season, _SeasonÕs Greedings_, carried a lot of
expectations from us, the fans of the show, being the first (and only) episode
written by Dean Cain (aka Clark Kent/Superman) and a Christmas episode.  I
kept wondering how good the writing was going to be and if the show was going
to be a piece of holiday fluff or something more substantial.
     The episode opens on Lois and Clark walking down the street discussing
Christmas, and why Lois isnÕt excited about it.  We soon discover that a toy-
maker named Mr. Winslow Schott, along with his secretary Ms. Duffy (both fired
from Metropolis Toys last Christmas), plans to ruin Christmas in Metropolis
by selling an Òatomic space ratÓ that sprays a chemical which makes children
greedy and adults into greedy children.  Meanwhile, the employees at the
Planet are busy getting ready for Christmas: Perry making plans with Alice,
Jimmy running the office Òsecret SantaÓ (and being smitten with the newest
member of the Planet, Angela), Lois trying to get her family together for
Christmas (a foreseeably doomed attempt), and Clark planning to make rounds of
Metropolis toy stores (as Superman) to convince the owners to donate toys to
the local orphanage.
     While trying to get a story on the space rats, which are by now the rage
in Metropolis, Lois (and eventually Clark, Jimmy, and Perry) gets sprayed with
the chemical concoction.  A hilarious scene follows, with Clark, Lois, and
Jimmy all acting like greedy little children.  When Ma Kent (who came with Pa
Kent to Metropolis to do Christmas shopping) catches Clark burning through
LoisÕ heel using his heat vision, she gives him a scolding which would do any
mother proud.  During this conversation, the chemical wears off and begins
losing effect on Clark.  Superman takes Lois Òand ClarkÓ home.  After Lois has
sufficiently recovered, Lois and Clark begin investigating the space rats,
find out who the distributor is, and find an invoice at his warehouse with
SchottÕs name on it as the supplier.  They begin to do a background check on
Schott and a lab analysis of the chemicals in the space rat.
     Lois asks Clark to her party, but he has plans to go home to Smallville
for Christmas.  Angela is mad at Jimmy because she found out he rigged the
secret Santa with his name (while under the influence of the chemical), and
Alice is upset with Perry because of his conduct to her as a result of the
Ògoo.Ó  Lois invites Perry and Jimmy to her party since they both have no
plans now, and buys a small, scraggly tree because she feels sorry for it.
The lab results reveal the psychotropic and mind-altering nature of the drug,
which becomes harmless when boiled.  When SchottÕs background check shows a
warehouse rented in Ms. DuffyÕs name, Lois and Clark decide to visit this
warehouse.  Meanwhile, they reveal the true component of the rats to the
media.
     Schott, faced with the failure of his plan, dumps the remaining chemicals
in the Metropolis water supply.  When Lois and Clark arrive at the warehouse,
they find a ÒDear JohnÓ letter from Ms. Duffy to Schott.  Clark recognizes Ms.
Duffy as the woman he saw passing out teddy bears at the orphanage.  When
Schott returns, they corner him with knowledge of his crimes and show him Ms.
DuffyÕs letter.  Clark agrees to take him to Ms. Duffy in exchange for
information on where he dumped the rest of the chemicals.  They walk outside
(Lois holding a teddy bear Schott created) and as they near the orphanage, a
little orphan girl (who hasnÕt spoken in 3 years) sees the bear Lois is
holding and runs into the street toward Lois, right into the path of a
carriage and horses.  Schott runs out into the street to save her and slips,
but Superman saves them both.  The ÒmiracleÓ occurs when the girl talks to
the teddy bear.  Superman finds out where the chemicals are and boils them so
that they become harmless.
     Later that night, Superman flies a sleigh with Lois, Jimmy, Perry, and
toys to the orphanage.  Perry finds out where Alice is, and Lois gets Angela
to forgive Jimmy, so she is left alone for Christmas.  She cooks an enormous
dinner for herself and gets all dressed up, but looks very lonely and sad
standing in her apartment alone.  Clark arrives with a very obviously phony
excuse about why he didnÕt go to Smallville, and gives Lois a ÒheavenlyÓ gift
from him and Superman.  There is a beautifully romantic scene where they hold
hands in front of the Christmas tree and then watch some carolers from the
window.
     I thoroughly enjoyed this episode.  At first, I thought LoisÕ Ògrinch-
likeÓ attitude was very predictable, but as the show developed, I really
liked her reason for not enjoying Christmas.  She wanted to be surprised by
it and not have it shoved down her throat.  She and her ÒCharlie Brown
complexÓ were overwhelmed in a big, cumbersome holiday which didnÕt hold any
really good memories for her, anyway.  This was a wonderful twist on a very
hackneyed theme.
     It was great to see all of the Daily Planet staff, as well as Ma and Pa
Kent (who liven up any episode theyÕre in).  The humorous moments gave the
whole show a warmth, besides being hilarious (I especially loved the bit with
Ma Kent).  It really seemed like all of the actors were having a ball, not
just acting.  It made the show very fun to watch.
     For the first time in a while, I really noticed a lot of background
music in this episode.  This may sound nitpicky, but the lack of it was
starting to bother me a little.  However, the music was very well done and
added considerably to my enjoyment of the show, as well as to the festive
atmosphere of everything.
     There is almost always a downside, and this episode is no exception.
My particular gripe against this episode is with the casting.  While Isabel
SanfordÕs Ms. Duffy was tolerable, Sherman Hemsley as Winslow P. Schott, the
temporarily evil toymaker, was unbearable.  Everything he said or did seemed
unnatural, cheesy, and overacted.  He did not convince me as bitter in the
beginning, and his supposedly contrite apologies at the end rang hollow.
The two people put together seemed to be caricatures, rather than real people
who were upset at what life had dealt them.  And even as caricatures, they
were not funny or even amusing.
      Finally, I thought the ending was a bit too heavy on holiday sentiment.
The little girl ÒsuddenlyÓ talking was slightly sappy and the aforementioned
redemption of Schott was too complete, and too quick.  Besides being
sentimental, the ending was very predictable.  Which of us did not know that
the solution to dumping the chemicals in the reservoir was going to be boiling
them?  My heart did not leap into my throat in suspense when Schott dumped the
stuff because I knew what the answer was going to be.  And I was not at all
surprised that the girl talked because it was obvious from the get-go that she
would.  The argument could be made that the point of the episode was not the
actual crime, and that the crime was just the background for the real story:
namely Lois and Clark.  But, it detracts from a very good episode when instead
of being inventive and original, the subplot or background plot is trite or
cliche.  I think that the same subplot (or main plot, depending on how you
look at it) could have been utilized better.  Put in some real danger, make us
afraid, and donÕt give us the answers before the problem is even introduced.
     In glaring contrast to these parts of the ending, the scenes with Clark
and Lois during the final moments were, simply put, exquisite.  With all of us
clamoring for more romance, we finally found a writer who could give it to us:
beautifully, naturally, and above all else, romantically.  I had seen the
teaser for the episode, but nothing prepared me for a Lois sweeter than I
could imagine and a Clark more romantic than I dreamed.  I loved his Christmas
present for her (can you imagine something more special or unique?).  I
reveled in the openness and caring that they were unafraid to exhibit to each
other: ClarkÕs obviously phony excuse to be there for Lois, and LoisÕ show of
affection and trust when she takes ClarkÕs hand.  I was very happy with the
open-window-but-no-Superman scene.  I was getting so tired of Superman getting
the romance, and of Clark being just LoisÕ trash can to get dumped on.  I
_was_ disappointed that they did not kiss, but I can definitely wait for that,
as long as their relationship continues to grow and move forward from here.
I can only hope that the next episode doesnÕt take us back to square one.
     Overall, this episode surpassed all of my expectations.  Dean Cain can
not only write well, he writes what the fans want to see in these characters:
funny, sophisticated, and warm people that we would all love to know.  I give
the episode a 9.85 overall.  This would have been a 10 had the toymaker and
the ending been more believable.  What balanced this, though, was enough to
make this episode one of the better ones of the last 1 1/2 seasons.

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

AND WHO DISGUISED AS...:
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        by J.D. Rummel (rummel@phoenix.creighton.edu)
 
Shredded Cape Blues.

A friend read my column last month and asked, ÒSo, you donÕt think
Superman has ever been done well?Ó  At that moment I didnÕt remember the
exact words I had written, but the gist of my thinking when writing, and
as I responded to the question was, Superman, as a fictional character has
powerful dramatic potential and with only a few exceptions, that potential
has never been tapped (some of these exceptions would be the stories
written by Alan Moore in the late eighties). 

So, I have been thinking about my general negativity regarding my favorite
hero. Where heÕs at, and how far across the room it is from where I am. 

I was firmly behind John ByrneÕs revamping, believing that the original
had gone as far as it could, and that it was so baggage-heavy that it
couldnÕt move very easily. So I was glad to see
Superboy/girl/dog/cat/horse/monkey and the spectrum of kryptonite go away.
Except that Byrne over extended himself, he did some very fine things with
the Greatest American Hero.  The folks who have followed behind him have
generally failed to explore the world Byrne postulated, turning Superman
into perhaps the most fantastic soap opera since _Dark Shadows_.  A major
difference being that the Super soap opera is populated by a dismal array
of uninteresting charactersÑflavorless ciphers like Professor Hamilton,
Jose Delgado, Jerry White, Cat Grant, the egregious Bibbo and some Kirby
retreads (the King was just that, but his creativity was justly famous for
_breadth_ not depth).  The super titles, ground out at a rate of four a
month, are uninteresting, written by committee, and usually drawn
Òprofessionally.Ó  (Jeff, Bogdanove isnÕt badÑif you like Superman drawn
as LilÕ Abner)  IÕll miss Dan Jurgens, I liked his artwork, and he was the
best since Gammill left.  The comics suffer from the profit motivation that
haunts so many art forms run as a business.  We donÕt need it good, we need
it Tuesday. 

One example is Action 700, which came and went with some ho-hum
destruction of Metropolis thing going on.  I read it once, because I bought
it, but I didnÕt reread it.  If you canÕt make people care about your
characters, then make lots of noise was apparently the attitude of those
who are steering our heroÕs careerÑsort of a Òdeath sellsÓ variation.
Imagine, the first comic to reach such a number (okay, maybe some other
comic somewhere has, but how important could it be?), and there is no
reason to remember it.  You can indeed see the influence of Marvel on all
the Super titles (those starring the Man, I donÕt read the others, and
have no idea as to their quality). 

SupermanÕs appearances in most media have been pretty lame.  SupermanÕs
t.v. show is like one of those pot pies in the freezer section, it looks
good, but once you sit down with it, there is very little inside.  Superman
hasnÕt appeared in a movie in some time, although _Superman V_ is
sometimes mentioned in the trade journals.  I havenÕt read the novel by
Stern, but the whole death of... seemed to me to be just a step above the
kind of scam that usually puts its creators on _AmericaÕs Most Wanted_. 

Is it just me?  Am I mistaken in believing that the story of an alien being
sent to earth as an infant, raised by decent loving folks, and developing
powers beyond those of ordinary mortals could be the source of remarkable
fiction?  Not amusing fairy stories, not just entertainment, but true art,
with the potential of affecting peopleÕs lives in some way. 

No, I know I`m right.  It will happen someday, when readers and viewers
demand better, the creators will have to give us what we want. 

Away.


=======================================================
                               End of Section 5
=======================================================


COMING ATTRACTIONS
ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ
	A List of Upcoming Comics Featuring The Superman Family of Characters
	Assembled by Jeffery D. Sykes

This monthly section is dedicated to giving you official information
concerning which comics you should watch for in the near future in order
to keep up with Superman, Superboy, Supergirl, and all the rest of the
Superman family of characters.

March Highlights:
    *THE* big event all starts here!  IÕm sure youÕve all heard by now (IÕve
already seen it on the news!), so I wonÕt bother with spoiler warnings.  In
March, DC begins a major storyline featuring ÒThe Death of Clark Kent!Ó  After
a quick prologue in MAN OF STEEL, SUPERMAN #100 and ADVENTURES #523 begin the
story which will lead to (hopefully temporary) new identities in the Superman
titles.  The ÒWatery GraveÓ story concludes in SUPERBOY, and the White Rabbit
shifts into overdrive in STEEL.  In addition, the 1995 DC annuals begin this
month with SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL Annual #4.  All DC annuals will feature
Year One stories Ñ this particular tale deals with SupermanÕs first meetings
with other heroes and the creation of the original Justice League.  Supergirl
Òguest-starsÓ (see below) once again in NEW TITANS, and Superman makes an
appearance in PRIMAL FORCE (a very minor one).

(Note that DC did not solicit ACTION or SHOWCASE in this issue in an attempt
to ÒrealignÓ their advertising.  Next month will feature all titles with
April shipping dates.)

Rumors:
    Not too much from the rumor mill this month.  It does appear that
Supergirl may be moving (at least temporarily) to NEW TITANS.  More on
this once I can verify it.  (I have *major* reservations about Wolfman
handling SG!)


The information which follows is reprinted without permission from Diamond
Previews and is in no way meant to serve as a replacement for that magazine.
In fact, I strongly recommend that each reader find his or her own copy for
additional detailed information on the entire DC Universe! 


1. List of Titles by Shipping Date:
ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ-

Shipping date:  Comic title and information:
ÑÑÑÑÑÑ-   ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ-
January 3:      Action Comics #707
                        Michelinie, Guice, & Rodier
                        $1.50
                Showcase Ô95 #2 (of 12)
                        Supergirl Story
                                C. Moore, Immonen, & von Grawbadger
                        48 pgs, $2.50

January 10:     Metropolis S.C.U. #4 (of 4)
                        Goff, Krause, & Marzan, Jr.
                        Cover by Abell & Guice
                        $1.50

January 17:     Superboy #13
                        WATERY GRAVE: Part 1 (of 3)
                        K. Kesel, Grummett, & Hazlewood
                        $1.50
                Superman: Kal
                        Gibbons & Garcia-Lopez
                        Prestige Format
                        64 pgs, $5.95
                Superman: The Man of Steel #42
                        L. Simonson, Bogdanove, & Janke
                        $1.50

January 24:     Superman #98
                        Jurgens & Breeding
                        $1.50

January 31:     Adventures of Superman #521
                        K. Kesel, Immonen, & Marzan Jr.
                        $1.50
                Steel #13
                        L. Simonson, Batista, & Faber
                        $1.50

February 7:     Action Comics #708
                        Michelinie, Guice, & Rodier
                        $1.50
                Showcase Ô95 #3 (of 12)
                        Eradicator Story
                                K. Kesel (no info on art)
                        48 pgs, $2.50

February 14:    Blood Pack #2   (Superboy)
                        C. Moore, C. Taylor, & Lanning
                        $1.50
                Legends of the WorldÕs Finest Trade Paperback
                        Walt Simonson & Dan Brereton
                        160 pgs, $14.95
                Superboy #14
                        WATERY GRAVE: Part 2 (of 3)
                        K. Kesel, Grummett, & Hazlewood
                        $1.50
                Superman: The Man of Steel #43
                        L. Simonson, Bogdanove, & Janke
                        $1.50

February 21:    The New Titans #120   (Supergirl)
                        FOREVER EVIL: Part 2 (of 3)
                        Wolfman, Rosado, & Champagne
                        $1.95
                Superman #99
                        Jurgens, G. Kane, & Rubinstein
                        Cover by Jurgens & Breeding
                        $1.50

February 28:    Adventures of Superman #522
                        K. Kesel, Immonen, & Marzan Jr.
                        $1.50
                Steel #14
                        L. Simonson, Batista, & Faber
                        $1.50

March 7:        Action Comics #709
                        Michelinie, Guice, & Rodier
                        $1.50
                Guy Gardner: Warrior #30   (Superman, Supergirl)
                        Beau Smith, Byrd, & Davis
                        $1.50
                Showcase Ô95 #4 (of 12)
                        Thorn story (Part 1 of 2)
                                Stern, Simpson, & Stegbauer
                        48 pgs, $2.50

March 14:       Primal Force #7   (Superman)
                        Seagle, Choles & Larocque, & Kaalberg
                        $1.95
                Superboy #15
                        WATERY GRAVE: Part 3 (of 3)
                        K. Kesel, Grummett, & Hazlewood
                        $1.50
                Superman: The Man of Steel #44
                        THE DEATH OF CLARK KENT: Prologue
                        L. Simonson, Bogdanove, & Janke
                        $1.50

March 21:       The New Titans #121   (Supergirl)
                        FOREVER EVIL: Part 3 (of 3)
                        Wolfman, Rosado, & Champagne
                        $1.95
                SUPERMAN #100
                        THE DEATH OF CLARK KENT: Part 1 (of 7)
                        Jurgens, with Breeding & Rubinstein
                        64 pgs
                        CollectorÕs Edition $3.95
                        Standard Edition $2.95
                Superman: The Man of Steel Annual #4
                        L. Simonson, Leon, & Janke
                        Cover by Walt Simonson
                        56 pgs, $2.95

March 28:       Adventures of Superman #523
                        THE DEATH OF CLARK KENT: Part 2 (of 7)
                        K. Kesel, Immonen, & Marzan Jr.
                        $1.50
                Steel #15
                        L. Simonson, Batista, & Faber
                        $1.50


2. Merchandise:
ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ-

    For more information on how to find these items, consult your local comic
shop dealer.

The Death of Clark Kent T-Shirt
        DC Comics
        Tying in with the excitement in Superman #100, DC offers this
        cool white, 100% cotton T-shirt with color art by Dan Jurgens and
        Brett Breeding from the cover of the Standard Edition, depicting
        the shattered glasses of Clark Kent with the Superman S-shield
        reflected in the broken lenses!
        M-XL, $15.95

Clark Kent/Superman Stand-Up
        Advanced Graphics
        This all-new, cardstock stand-up features (the soon-to-be-ÓlateÓ)
        Clark Kent ripping open his coat and shirt to reveal the familiar
        Superman ÒSÓ beneath.
        $25.00

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Cards
        Skybox
        Skybox presents the premier edition of collectible cards based on
        the first season of ABC-TVÕs ÒLois & Clark: The New Adventures of
        Superman!Ó  Included in this 90-card series is a special bonus set
        sure to attract Superman comic fans: six randomly inserted original
        painted portraits, printed on holographic foil, by the comic
        industryÕs own love story Ñ top artists Boris Vallejo and Julie
        Bell (packed 1:15 packs)!  Also included is a randomly inserted 
        series of nine Lois & Clark prism cards (packed 1:7 packs).  8 cards
        per pack.  36 packs per box.
        PRICE INQUIRE

Superman Shield T-Shirt
        Changes
        Now you too can pull open your shirt to reveal the familiar Superman
        ÒSÓ beneath your ÒcivilianÓ togs.  This blue t-shirt features the
        Superman insignia in red and yellow.
        L-XL, $13.50

Superman Fist T-Shirt
        Graphitti Designs
        White tee features a full-color collage of Superman images.
        L-XL, $17.95

DiamondÕs STAR SYSTEM each month lists *many* graphic novels, trade
paperbacks, etc which are in-stock and currently available from Diamond
Comic Distributors.  I am unclear as to whether you may order directly
or must order through your local comic store, but the following numbers
are given for placing orders: 1-800-45-COMIC (or fax at 1-800-329-2878).
The following Superman-related items are available:

        Death of Superman (Trade Paperback - TP), $4.95
        Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told (TP), $15.95
        Justice League Archives Vol. 1 (Hardcover - HC), $39.95
        Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (TP), $9.95
        Superman Archives #1 (HC), $49.95
        Superman Archives #2 (HC), $39.95
        Superman Archives #3 (HC), $39.95
        Superman Archives #4 (HC), $49.95
        Superman: Man of Steel (TP), $7.50
        Superman: Man of Steel Collectors Ed. Trading Cards (Box), PI
        Superman: Man of Steel Premium Ed. Trading Cards (Box), PI
        Superman: Panic in the Sky (TP), $9.95
        Superman: Return of Superman (TP), $14.95
        Superman: Speeding Bullets (TP), $4.95
        Superman: Time and Time Again (TP), $7.50
        Superman: Under a Yellow Sun (TP), $5.95
        Superman Vinyl Kit, $55.00
        Superman ÒSÓ T-Shirt (Large or X-Large), $14.95
        World Without a Superman (TP), $7.50
        Zero Hour: Crisis in Time (TP), $9.95

For more information, see the latest issue of Previews or your local 
comic store.


3. Spoilers:
ÑÑÑÑÑÑ

March 14:
ÑÑÑÑ
Primal Force #7
        Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Hawkman, and the ÒAzraelÓ 
        version of Batman make special appearances as Jack OÕLantern embarks
        on a vision quest across the tumultuous recent history of the DC
        Universe.

Superboy #15
        WATERY GRAVE: Part 3 (of 3) - Superboy learns the price of justice
        when StingerÕs alliance with the Silicon Dragons leads to disaster
        for the KidÕs mercenary strike-team... as one team-member dies.

Superman: The Man of Steel #44
        THE DEATH OF CLARK KENT: Prologue - In this lead-in to the 7-part
        storyline beginning in SUPERMAN #100, attempts are made upon Clark
        KentÕs life, leaving no doubt that one of SupermanÕs deadliest
        enemies has learned the truth of his dual identity!  The consequences
        mean trouble for KentÕs family and friends, and set the stage for
        the events in this monthÕs SUPERMAN #100.


March 21:
ÑÑÑÑ
The New Titans #121
        FOREVER EVIL: Part 3 (of 3) - ItÕs the New Titans versus the possessed
        Titans of old: Changeling, Francis Kane, Thunder and Lightning, 
        Supergirl, Crystallex, Deathwing, Trog, and Raven! 

SUPERMAN #100
        THE DEATH OF CLARK KENT: Part 1 (of 7) - The DC Universe 100Õs
        continue with the double-sized centennial issue of EarthÕs Greatest
        Hero, featuring a holographic foil-enhanced cover (CollectorÕs
        Edition)!  Writer/Penciller Dan Jurgens and inkers Brett Breeding
        and Josef Rubinstein deliver Part One of this suspense-filled seven-
        part storyline!  The villain who has learned of SupermanÕs true 
        identity ambushes the Man of SteelÕs parents in Smallville, forcing
        Clark Kent to choose between stopping the mastermind behind his
        latest troubles in Metropolis or saving his mother and father.
        SupermanÕs decision will mean the end of Clark Kent.

Superman: The Man of Steel Annual #4
        In this landmark story set during the earliest days of SupermanÕs
        career, the Man of Steel meets other heroes for the first time,
        among them Batman, Green Lantern, and Flash.  This story reveals
        how Superman affected the creation of what was to become the original
        Justice League of America.


March 28:
ÑÑÑÑ
Adventures of Superman #523
        THE DEATH OF CLARK KENT: Part 2 (of 7) - With all those close to
        Clark Kent in mortal danger from the villain whoÕs discovered his
        double identity, Superman becomes torn between protecting his
        parents and checking on his fiancee, Lois Lane.  And when the Man
        of Steel tries to contact her in Metropolis... thereÕs no answer.

Steel #15
        The White RabbitÕs plans shift into high gear when she sends her
        super-powered agents after Steel, who still doesnÕt know sheÕs alive.
        Meanwhile, the mysterious Double prepares his own agenda for Steel.

=======================================================
RESOURCES
ÑÑÑÑ-

This month marks the shortening of the Resources Section.  Since the index
was starting to get long enough to be its own section, I have decided to make
it an updatable archive.  Each month, I will include in the new issue a list
of new files available for ftp/mailing lists/etc. Ñ any information added
to the Resources file in the last month.  I will also include ftp site
information about how to retrieve the complete Resources file.

This monthÕs new information:

FTP Availability:
ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ
Site:      phoenix.creighton.edu
Directory: /pub/zines/kc
Files:     KC.All.94.zip   (423222) - a zipped file containing all 1994 issues
           KC.December1.94 (79219)  - Issue #8a, Early December 1994
           KC.December2.94 (116711) - Issue #8b, Late December 1994

Site:      ftp.hyperion.com    
Directory: /pub/TV/Lois-and-Clark
Files:     
Text:      IRCplayReadMe.txt (971) - readme file to accompany L&CIRCplay
           L&CIRCplay      (42417) - an original play based on L&C and
                                     performed by LOISCLA members on IRC
Pictures:  lccdcol.gif  (55707)  - a 348x247 colorized (?) photo of Dean
                                   Cain in Superman costume
           listsrv1.jpg (209757) - a 800x600 color graphic featuring the L&C
                                   logo and cast, and the names of the LOISCLA
                                   listserv members (Victor Chan - very nice)

How to obtain the complete Resources file:
ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ-
Note that the file also contains information about how to use ftp and
ftp e-mail.  The file will be located at phoenix.creighton.edu in the 
directory /pub/zines/kc and at ftp.dhhalden.no in the directory 
/pub/Comics/Fanzines.  For those of you who do not know how to use ftp
or donÕt have ftp access, e-mail a message to either of the addresses 
given below.  For the body of your message include only the lines 
between the dashes below.

Addresses: ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com  or  ftpmail@sunsite.unc.edu
Body:
ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ-
connect phoenix.creighton.edu
chdir /pub/zines/kc
get KC.Resources
ÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑÑ-

Do not include the lines of dashes, and do not include anything else 
in the body of the message.  You will receive a message telling you
that your request has been queued.  Then, about a day later, you will
receive the file itself.

=======================================================
THE MAILBAG
ÑÑÑÑÑ-

Not much came this month, but we did get one more comment about the
information about Power Girl:

From:  HFORTUIN@stellbos.csir.co.za

I would just like to point something out in issue no.8 in THE MAILBAG column.

Jeff said that he wasnÕt sure if the original Supergirl ever met Power Girl.
I remember a pre-crisis issue of Wonder Woman which had a storyline which
had Starfire, Supergirl, Power Girl and some other female-supers who fought
these four horse-riders of Apocolypse(from the bible)and they actually talked
to each other and fought together.

I am not sure of the issue number because I donÕt have the comic any more, but
I do remember the story though! Congratualations on another good issue and
I hope that there will always be more to come!

the ALFster

Thanks once again for keeping us informed readers!  And be sure to let us 
know what you think of our efforts!

Jeff
*************************************************************
End of Issue #9