____________________________________________________________ T H E K R Y P T O N I A N C Y B E R N E T Issue #23 -- March 1996 ____________________________________________________________ Homepage: http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes ____________________________________________________________ CONTENTS -------- Section 1: Superscripts: Notes from the Editor News and Notes Even the best of intentions... Just the FAQs "Who is Supergirl?", Part 3: Matrix by David T. Chappell Section 2: Jerry Siegel A Word of Correction An Appreciation, by Rich Morrissey Section 3: Reviews The "Triangle" Titles Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #4, by Arthur LaMarche Action Comics #720, by William J. Nixon Superman: The Man of Steel #55, by Arthur LaMarche Other Super-Titles Superboy #26, by Arthur LaMarche Section 4: Reviews Specials Marvel Vs DC #3, by Rene' Gobeyn Spider-Boy #1, by Rene' Gobeyn Super Soldier #1, by Rene' Gobeyn Merchandise Section 5: After-Byrne Introducing the Mysterious Mister Z! Superman #51, by Mark Lamutt Manuscripts of Steel Superman For Earth, by Denes House The Phantom Zone Super Friends Superman meets the Flash in DC COMICS PRESENTS #1-2 by Joe Crowe Section 6: The Phantom Zone (cont) The Girl Friend and the Pal JIMMY OLSEN #132 and LOIS LANE #75 by Jon B. Knutson Into the Archives Superman #2, by Neil Ottenstein The Mailbag Section 7: TELEscopic VISION: Superman on the Small Screen Tick ... Tick ... Tick by Zoomway Episode Reviews #3-15: "I Now Pronounce You...", by Jeff Sykes #3-16: "Double Jeopardy", by Marta Olson Section 8: TELEscopic VISION (cont) Episode Reviews (cont) #3-17: "Seconds", by Shane Furlong Contest Results The winner of and answers to the pre-Crisis trivia contest! Coming Attractions EDITORIAL STAFF: --------------- Jeffery D. Sykes, Editor-in-Chief Arthur E. LaMarche, Executive Editor of Reviews LEGAL DISCLAIMERS: ----------------- Superman and all related characters, locations, and events are copyright and trademark DC Comics. Use of the aforementioned is not intended to challenge said ownership. We strongly suggest that each reader look to the media sources mentioned within for further 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 -- to subscribe, send the commands subscribe kc
end in the body of an e-mail message to "majordomo@novia.net" (without the quotation marks). Replace the
field with your INTERNET e-mail address. The program ignores the subject line of the message. Back issues are available via ftp at acm-ftp.creighton.edu and at ftp.hiof.no. Archives are also reachable via the Kryptonian Cybernet Homepage (http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/kc). ____________________________________________________________ SUPERSCRIPTS: Notes from the Editor ------------------------------------ NEWS AND NOTES: SUPERMAN REBORN UPDATE Trying to squelch a few rumors and answer the eternal "What have you heard about a new Superman movie?" questions I've seen recently on Usenet... Here's what we know. Apparently Jon Peters (the force responsible for initiating the BATMAN franchise) will be producing the new Superman movie. According to several sources, Jonathan Lemkin has been (and may well be done) working on the script. Also from several sources, the tentative title of the movie is SUPERMAN REBORN. Of course, titles are very subject to change. As for new information, all I have is a comment from a recent DC Online message (from AOL) which mentions that the movie is scheduled to begin production later this year. I imagine that this means the film would hit theaters in 1997, probably in the summer, but that's only my guess. More information as I find it! MIKE CARLIN ON S:TAS A couple of weeks ago, Mike Carlin (ex-Superman editor and the DC editor of DC VERSUS MARVEL) mentioned on AOL that he reviews all scripts for SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES. He indicated that he was thrilled with the scripts he has seen so far, calling the series "perfect!" He also indicated that the animation will be very reminiscent of that of the 1940s Fleischer cartoons! DAN JURGENS BITS Near the beginning of DC VERSUS MARVEL, Dan Jurgens was the guest at an online session on AOL, and he revealed a few interesting tidbits concerning the future of the Superman comics. First, he indicated that while he will not be returning to art duties on any of the main titles anytime soon, he will be providing artwork for some super-secret Superman projects! Second, he hinted at some plans on continuing the tale begun in SUPERMAN VERSUS ALIENS! Dark Horse Comics has asked him for a sequel to the wildly popular mini-series, but he did not indicate whether or not it would happen. However, he did reiterate the fact that SUPERMAN VS ALIENS took place inside current Superman continuity, and the story *will* have repercussions on the Superman titles in the future. In fact, he specifically mentioned that he has very special plans for Kara, the teenage girl introduced in the series! Finally, Dan also revealed that he wrote the original toy line proposal that was presented to Kenner! He also mentioned that his proposal included a playset which has not yet been implemented, but that he (and I) would love to see -- a Fortress of Solitude playset! NEW SUPERMAN FIGURES! Scott Gordon recently sent me a list of new Superman action figures which were shown at the recent Toy Fair (by way of a Usenet posting from Sean P. Aune of Combo Magazine). The current line of Superman: The Man of Steel figures will be gaining seven new regular five-inch figures: Lex Luthor Kryptonian Eradicator Metallo Street Guardian Superboy Street Guardian Superman Solar Suit Superman Ultra Shield Superman The line will also add two deluxe five-inch figures: Blast Hammer Superman Ultra Vision Superman Two new two-packs: Cyber-Link Superman and Cyber-Link Batman Superboy Vs. King Shark And: Kryptonian Battle Suit 10" Ultimate Superman In the fall, a new line of Superman figures will debut to coincide with the premiere of SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES. These "animated" figures will include nine regular five-inch figures: Brainiac Darkseid Lex Luthor Capture Net Superman Deep Dive Superman Krypton Shield Superman Neutron Star Superman Quick Change Superman Solar Energy Superman and three deluxe five-inch figures: Speeding Bullet Superman Techno Armor Superman Vision Blast Superman SECOND PRINTINGS DC has, for the first time in some while, that they and Marvel have had to go back to press for second printings on a few recent books. These can probably be attributed to attention given to the titles by media outside the comics world, as the three issues are DC VS MARVEL #1, MARVEL VS DC #2, and ACTION COMICS #720. THE DEATH OF LEX LUTHOR Jim Lesher forwarded me a brief obituary for Lyle Talbot, who died recently at the age of 94. Talbot, who played Lex Luthor in the 1950 serial, "Atom Man vs. Superman", appeared in more than 150 movies, including "Three on a Match", with Bette Davis, and "There's No Business Like Show Business." TV viewers may also remember him as the Nelson's neighbor, Joe Randolph, in "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet." Talbot died in his home in San Francisco. A private memorial will be held. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Even the best of intentions... ------------------------------ Before we get into the new issue, I want to take a moment and address the erroneous biography of Jerry Siegel which we ran last issue. It was never our intention to print false information, it just so happened that we finally ran across some information of which I had no knowledge. As I have mentioned several times, my experience with Superman comics began with the John Byrne era, and my knowledge of what came before is slim to none. As several of our columnists and reviewers can attest, I am quick to point out mistakes when I see them, and we do our best to make certain that such mistakes do not see print. However, for most of us involved in the production end of KC, the magazine is at best our second priority. I believe that we do a very good job at catching mistakes, and I hope that our readers can understand when something slips by. There are instances when we simply do not have the time or resources to factually check every article. However, I do not want this to seem as though I am making excuses. Believe me, nobody feels worse about this particular screw-up than I do. After all, this wasn't a review with a misattributed credit. This was meant to be a tribute to a man without whom there would be no Kryptonian Cybernet. This was a tribute to a man who has had one of the most profound impacts on the world. We wanted to do right by him, to honor his memory. And we blew it. No sugar-coating. We screwed up. The only way I know to make it right is with a public apology, and an attempt to get the facts straight. As I write this, we are working on a follow-up article to replace the one which we ran last month. It will present the facts in a more accurate manner. My deepest and sincerest apologies to each of you, and especially to Jerry Siegel. May your creation continue to represent the best in mankind. Jeff Sykes Editor, The Kryptonian Cybernet ____________________________________________________________ Just the FAQs More Details about Frequently-Asked Questions about the Man of Steel by David T. Chappell In the past two months, I have discussed two other incarnations of Supergirl. This month, I cover Matrix, the current Maid of Might. Moreover, I have decided to extend this series by combining two other, lesser versions of "Supergirl." Now it's time to describe one of the heroines that fans love and hate the most as I continue to ask, "Who is Supergirl?" Part III: Matrix Introduction To many super-fans, the one and only Supergirl is Kara Zor-El, the heroine who sacrificed her life to stop the Anti-Monitor in the Crisis on Infinite Earths (see my article from the January KC). Other, newer fans have come to know and love the Matrix of today. Whatever your opinion of her, however, today's Supergirl has been shaped by the same artful minds that have created the modern version of Superman. John Byrne introduced the new Supergirl in one of his last (and, IMHO, greatest) Superman stories; Jerry Ordway and George Perez handled Mae's next major appearance; and the entire Super-Team from the Death and Reign eras further developed the Girl of Steel. Thus, this quick tour of Matrix's story will also show us many of the highlights of modern Superman continuity An Alternate Supergirl from a Pocket Universe The full story of the Pocket Universe is rather complicated, but a brief summary is necessary to understand Matrix's origin. In order to preserve the existence of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the remade universe after Zero Hour, the original (i.e., pre-Zero Hour) Time Trapper stole an instant of time from the universe and fashioned from it a pocket universe. The Time Trapper fashioned this universe to his liking so that it bore subtle differences from its parent: life developed only on the planets Earth and Krypton, and the only super-hero on Earth was Superboy. The resulting Superboy, his adventures, and his powers were practically identical to those of the pre-Crisis Superboy. The first appearance of the pocket universe, and the noble death of Superboy, appeared in an epic cross- over with Superman that started in THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES (Vol.3, No.37) in August 1987. Following Superboy's death, the Lex Luthor of the pocket universe unwittingly released three powerful Kryptonian villains from the Phantom Zone. These criminals attempted to conquer the Earth and eventually killed billions of lives. A small band of rebels stood against them, but the humans fared poorly against the super-powered Kryptonians. After the death of Lana Lang, Lex Luthor created an artificial lifeform by creating protomatter using Lana's molecular matrix. Luthor endowed the resulting matrix with superpowers, modeled it after Superboy, and called it Supergirl. In a last-ditch effort to save Earth, Luthor sent Supergirl out of the pocket universe to Earth to recruit Superman to save them. The Supergirl Saga After failing to dupe Superman into a meeting by masquerading as Lana Lang, Supergirl chased after him in her super-costume. Superman was initially confused by this "flying woman in a variation of my costume," but after hearing her talk of the destruction of Metropolis and the kindness of Lex Luthor, Superman realized that she must be from the pocket universe. With her memory restored by Superman's explanation, Supergirl continued to carry out her duty by activating the device that returned both heroes to the pocket universe. (SUPERMAN #21, Sept 88) Within the pocket universe, Superman met Luthor and the other remaining human forces in Smallville. They fought valiantly against the Kryptonian villains, but even Superman's help could not save them all. As General Zod and Zaora picked off the humans' aircraft, Luthor whispered a secret plan to Superman. Luthor sacrificed himself to distract the villains while Superman rushed to the remains of Smallville, wherein he located Superboy's destroyed secret lab. As the brutal Quex-Ul threatened to kill him, Superman found and opened a container holding gold kryptonite--the form of kryptonite that permanently robs Kryptonians (in the pocket universe, not the real Kal-El) of their powers. After securing Quex-Ul, Superman chased after his remaining foes and quickly de-powered them as well. Though Superman had succeeded in defeating these ultra-powerful enemies, he did so only after they had destroyed all other life within their universe. Even without their powers, the Kryptonian survivors did not feel defeated. The murderers gloated that they would one day regain their powers, find a way to reach Superman's reality, and destroy his Earth. The Phantom Zone projector was destroyed, and Zod reveled that "You cherish life, even ours. And that is what makes you weak!" Kal-El realized that Zod still presented a true threat to Earth, but to stop the ruthless murders from carrying on further destruction, Superman chose to do something "harder than anything I have ever done before." He opened the canister of green kryptonite that slowly killed the three treacherous villains and ended their reign of terror. Before leaving the pocket universe, however, Superman saw the humanoid lump of protoplasm that had been Supergirl, and he carried it back to his Earth as the sole survivor of a dead world. (SUPERMAN #22, Oct 88) Superman's execution of the Phantom Zone villains soon came to haunt him, and a mental breakdown led to his exiling himself from Earth. It was on that trip into space that Superman found the Eradicator and fought Mongul, but that is another story. His guilt over the execution caused Superman to create a code against killing, and this code continues to play an important role in Superman's ongoing saga (e.g., ACTION #719, Mar 96). By the end of the Supergirl Saga, all of Supergirl's powers had been revealed, though it was not until her 1994 mini-series that her powers were thoroughly tested. Supergirl can turn invisible by warping light, though she is not super-silent when invisible. She is super-fast but noticeably slower than Superman. Supergirl is strong, but it is with her psychokinetic blasts that she can deliver her strongest blows. With her chameleon power, she can alter her appearance and change her physical form at will. She can fly and has a protective force field surrounding her. When faced with a fatal attack, the Matrix will revert to its protoplasmic state to regenerate. Identity Crisis When Superman returned from the pocket universe, he left "Supergirl" with his parents in Smallville. Though the creature was just a confused lump of protomatter when she came back to Earth, she slowly came to develop again in mind and body. Under the care of Jonathan and Martha Kent, as well as Lana Lang, the Matrix -- as she insisted on calling herself -- was like a child. Matrix was simple but kind, and the Kents taught her well, but her mind was still confused. As Mae lived with the Kents, Ma and Pa kept reminding her about Clark and repeated stories of their son's escapades. Faced with an identity crisis, Matrix finally took the physical form of Clark and set out for Metropolis to take over Clark's life (ADVENTURES #453, Apr 89). With the real Superman still in outer space, Clark's friends in Metropolis readily assumed that Matrix was the real Kent. Though Clark seemed a bit out-of-it, the Daily Planet staff tried to guide their confused friend. Kal-El soon returned to Earth, and Matrix seemed amazed to see Superman flying by, but a full day passed before the two Clarks got together. During his journey through the galaxy, Superman had obtained the Eradicator, an ancient, powerful Kryptonian artifact. When Matrix returned to Clark's apartment on the day of Superman's return, he found the Eradicator sitting on a shelf. A silent blast knocked Matrix unconscious and damaged Clark's apartment. Afterwards, Matrix confirmed his mental state: "Matrix is artificial protomatter. I am Clark Kent!" Jimmy Olsen reached the apartment in time to take a memorable picture of Superman with Clark Kent before Matrix returned to Smallville (SUPERMAN #34, Aug 89). Following his exposure to the Eradicator, Matrix regained a clear head, but he continued to think he was Clark. With Matrix in Smallville and Kal-El in Metropolis, the two Clarks started having flashes of sensing each other's experiences through a mental link. As Matrix's problem grew worse, he mimicked Superman's good deeds in a way that harmed innocent people (ADVENTURES #457, Aug 89). After Lana called the real Clark to tell him about the problem, Superman rushed to Smallville to face his doppleganger. Matrix's insanity reached its culmination when Superman appeared, and the two began to fight. Matrix used his shape-shifting ability to fashion a dark mockery of Superman's costume, and he charged after the real Man of Steel to protect the Kents and Lana. After reminding Matrix of his pocket universe origins and insisting that "A Superman must not kill," Kal-El finally forced Matrix to realize what he was. Rather than continue to endanger his loved ones, Matrix left the Earth and flew off into space, still bearing the form of Superman (ACTION #644, Aug 89). Back in a Panic Matrix's exploits in space went undocumented for years, and it seemed that he might never be seen again. Then, on the planet Kletus-4, he got into a fateful bar fight. Draaga and the Cellkeeper (both of whom Superman had encountered during his exile in space) recognized the famous "S" emblem on Matrix's costume, and they confronted the man they thought was Superman. Just as Draaga was about to deliver the death blow, Matrix slipped back to the form of Supergirl. Brainiac's Warworld revealed itself at that moment and teleported the three aliens onboard. After a reunion of several old characters, Warworld headed towards earth. Maxima had already aligned herself with Brainiac, and Draaga had been a former champion of Warworld. Brainiac used his mental powers to dominate the mind of Matrix, who remained in the form of Supergirl. With these allies plus the power of Warworld and its many alien warriors, Brainiac formed his strongest attack against the Man of Steel. In the eight-part "Panic in the Sky" story line, Superman led Earth's mightiest heroes in a desperate fight against Brainiac and his invasion forces. At the conclusion of the story, Matrix had been freed from Brainiac's control and had to decide where to go: "This 'skin' feels right, and the name 'Supergirl' does suit me." Thus, in the aftermath of disaster, Supergirl returned to Earth. (ADVENTURES #489, Apr 92) A Super-Heroine When Supergirl's rocket ship crashed on Earth, she was rescued by the man she recognized as her creator: Lex Luthor. The new, young Luthor looked nothing at all like the bald man she met on her first visit to Earth, and she saw within Luthor, Jr. the same love she found in the Luthor of the pocket universe. Thus, through a twist of fate, Lex Luthor finally achieved his long-time dream of controlling a super-being (ACTION #675, Apr 92). Supergirl quickly fell in love with Lex and joined his Team Luthor in the fight against crime. She continued to do his bidding even as she helped make Metropolis safe. For a while, Supergirl was content in this state of affairs. She occasionally aided Superman and other heroes of Metropolis in major events such as the Blaze-Satanus War. Superman tried to warn Matrix about Lex Luthor, but she would hear nothing of his warnings. Supergirl became Luthor's girlfriend and bodyguard, and she often used her shape-shifting powers when accompanying him in trips around the world. Despite her strong association with Luthor, however, Supergirl remained good at heart and recalled the good lessens Ma and Pa Kent had taught her. Supergirl's next major role came in the Death of Superman Trilogy. Although she had established herself as a super-heroine in Metropolis, she was noticeably absent when Doomsday came. She wanted to rush to aid Superman, but Luthor kept his Supergirl at home in Metropolis until the monster came to them. When it became apparent that his home city was in danger, Luthor finally urged Supergirl to join in the fray. Though she managed to keep Doomsday off Superman for a few seconds to give him a breather, Supergirl quickly fell prey to Doomsday when a single, powerful blow from the creature returned Matrix to her protoplasmic state (S:MOS #19, Jan 93). Despite her intense pain, she crawled though the city rubble to reach the site of the final fight to assist Superman, but she was both too late and too weak to help. At Luthor's urging, Matrix managed to pull herself back to her Supergirl form, and she joined the world in mourning the death of its greatest hero. Supergirl fought to keep Superman's corpse from falling into the hands of Project Cadmus, and she later battled to recover his stolen body from the Project. Meanwhile, Supergirl began making a stronger effort to be visible in her fight for crime as she did all she could to fill the void left by the Man of Steel's death. She continued to work by the side of Team Luthor and even earned a co-starring role in the SUPERGIRL AND TEAM LUTHOR one-shot comic. When the false Supermen started to appear on the scene, Supergirl met Superboy and used her beauty to encourage him to join Lex's staff (ADVENTURES #502, July 93). She fought side-by-side with Superboy and later rushed to the harbor when Kal-El's Kryptonian battle-suit reached Metropolis. After being convinced that the true Superman had returned, she joined the assault team that headed to Engine City; as Superman's secret weapon, she flew invisibly and fought valiantly against Mongul and the Cyborg. Her presence was vital in the fight, but she also played two important roles in the aftermath of Superman's return. Matrix's telekinetic powers reconstructed Superman's costume at the battle's conclusion, and she later used her chameleon powers to make the world believe that Superman rescued Clark Kent from a storm shelter in Metropolis. Supergirl essentially returned to her role as a second-string player after Superman's return, but she soon earned her own four-issue mini-series. In the 1994 SUPERGIRL story, Matrix learned how Luthor planned to clone her to make an army of Supergirls, and she finally accepted that he was evil and malicious. After she confronted Luthor, Supergirl left him and joined one of his former wives to tour the world and learn from her (SUPERGIRL #4, May 94). Supergirl has made several sporadic appearances since she left Metropolis. She played a minor role in Zero Hour and most notably joined other heroes in a mad race through time to stop Parallax at Coast City (WARRIOR #24, Sep 94). Later, she briefly joined the New Titans on a few of their adventures. Supergirl had a few starring roles in SHOWCASE '95 when her travels took her through Charlotte, NC. When the Alpha Centurion told her about Superman's troubles with the Tribunal, Supergirl left the Titans to join his Superman Rescue Squad (ADVENTURES #529, Nov 95). After helping bring the Trial of Superman to a happy ending, Supergirl returned to Earth with the Squad and resumed her super-heroic duties. The Girl of Tomorrow Current plans by DC Comics will help further establish a permanent place for Matrix. The 1996 SUPERGIRL ANNUAL #1 will feature three stories set in the distant future. Furthermore, Supergirl will gain her own regular title starting later in 1996, with Peter David set as the writer. She came to Earth as the sole survivor of a dead world. For a brief time, she thought she was Earth's greatest hero. She joined an invasion force against Earth, only to turn around and join the ranks of our planet's heroes. She happily served the will of Superman's greatest enemy yet nearly killed him when she learned of his treachery. In times of need, she travels through time and space to save mankind and her friends. She is Supergirl, and she is here to stay. ____________________________________________________________ ********************************************************* End of Section 1 ____________________________________________________________ JERRY SIEGEL ------------ A Word of Correction: As I indicated in Superscripts, last month's Jerry Siegel bio contained a few factual errors. The most notable of these was the remark that Mr. Siegel never worked on another Superman comic after 1947. As several readers pointed out, Mr. Siegel did begin writing Superman stories for DC again in the late 1950s, and he continued to do so through the mid 1960s. In addition, it seems our sources were misinformed about the relationship between Mr. Siegel and DC Comics through recent years. In fact, as Dan Jurgens informed me, "To the best of my knowledge, the current relationship between the Siegels and DC was extremely good. I base this on first hand observations as well as comments made to me by both parties. The fact that Paul Levitz and Jenette Kahn managed to bridge what once seemed a very wide gap in relations is commendable considering the situation they inherited. It's good to know that despite the terrible treatment of Superman's creators in the past, all parties concerned managed to build a good relationship...as it should have always been." Again, we regret the errors printed last issue and hope that the following piece helps to set the record straight. ____________________________________________________________ Jerry Siegel: An Appreciation by Rich Morrissey The world knew Jerry Siegel, who died on January 29, 1996, as the co-creator of Superman, but his contributions to the field of comic books went well beyond that. It's literally true that superhero comics as we know them would never have existed if not for Siegel, and many other successful characters, some still running, emerged from his typewriter. Jerome Siegel was born in 1914 in Cleveland, Ohio. He grew up reading science fiction and the early comic strips, with his favorites including Wash Tubbs by Roy Crane and Flash Gordon by Alex Raymond. He dreamed of being a writer or a cartoonist, but his lack of artistic ability seemed to preclude the latter career. Then he met Joe Shuster, a Canadian-born classmate who also enjoyed science fiction, and who could draw with a simple but effective style. Shuster was enthusiastic about Siegel's ideas, and the two teamed up to produce an early science-fiction fanzine, and attempted to break into the field of comic strips. After unsuccessfully approaching a number of syndicates and individual newspapers, Siegel and Shuster sold several continuing features to one of the first comic book publishers to feature original material. National Allied Publications (which would later have a number of names including Detective Comics, Inc., Superman, Inc., and National Periodical Publications, Inc., but was best known over the years by its current name of DC Comics) was founded by Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, but soon taken over by publisher Harry Donenfeld and Jack Liebowitz. Since it wasn't able to afford the rates charged by the syndicates to reprint the famous newspaper strips, it survived by purchasing new material from writers and artists trying to break into the field, including Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Siegel and Shuster's early work for DC included Doctor Occult, featuring a sleuth of the supernatural, and various police features like Radio Squad and Federal Men. Their most successful early feature was Slam Bradley, whose title character was a hard-boiled private detective who plunged into adventure with both fists flying. Slam's sidekick was a diminutive comic-relief figure named Shorty Morgan who demonstrated the influence of Roy Crane, having been clearly inspired by the title character of Crane's influential strip Wash Tubbs. Slam himself owed a great deal to Wash's companion Captain Easy, introduced to the strip in 1929 and becoming its true lead long before the title of the strip was changed to match. Still, it was a cleverly written and drawn feature, headlining Detective Comics for 26 issues before Batman came along to displace him. By that time, however, Siegel and Shuster had finally sold their greatest creation. Siegel had had the idea of Superman as early as 1931, when his fanzine featured a text story called "The Reign of the Superman." The title character was a man named Dunn whose brain power had been artificially increased, and who almost succeeded in taking over the world before the effects wore off. Dunn ended the story bitterly regretting the fact that he hadn't used his powers for good instead of evil, and, in 1933, Siegel and Shuster came up with a new version of Superman who would do just that. What happened then is one of the best known stories in the history of comics. How Siegel and Shuster initially submitted Superman to the newspaper syndicates only to have him wind up at DC when the McClure syndicate passed them on; how M. C. Gaines, Sheldon Mayer, and DC editor Vincent Sullivan persuaded publisher Donenfeld to try out the character as the lead feature of the new title Action Comics, how DC published the character only by insisting on its standard practice of buying all rights to the character for $130, how from his first appearance in the June 1938 issue Superman brought the sales figures to phenomenal levels, and how Superman was tried out in an unprecedented solo title that became the field's top seller for several decades, are events that have been told and retold for decades. What is less well known is what Siegel and Shuster, suddenly finding themselves "the royalty of comicdom" in Joe Simon's words, did in the wake of their new-found success. Joe Shuster very quickly found himself overwhelmed with several continuing features to draw, plus a regular Superman title that quickly switched from reprints to new material and from quarterly to bimonthly, plus a newspaper strip that the McClure syndicate suddenly decided wasn't such a bad idea after all. He hired several other artists including Paul Cassidy, Wayne Boring, John Sikela, Ed Dobrotka, and Ira Yarbrough to help with the art and eventually draw entire stories, although Siegel and Shuster continued to be the only credited people. He gave up Slam Bradley, Radio Squad and the other features so he and his shop could concentrate on Superman. But Jerry Siegel continued to write his features until well into the 1940's, writing every Superman story (with one or two possible exceptions) until he was drafted in 1943. As other superhero features came to dominate comic books, Siegel found time to launch several new ones for DC with different artists. For More Fun Comics, Siegel and artist Bernard Baily (who, in a grim bit of irony, died within days of Siegel) created The Spectre. The Spectre was a ghost who carried Superman one step further, possessing near-omnipotent powers beyond even Superman's. Yet in several significant ways Siegel created him as the antithesis of Superman. Superman's powers were rooted in super-science, The Spectre's in the supernatural. Superman's civilian identity, reporter Clark Kent, was upper-middle- class, timid and shy, rejected by the woman he loved; The Spectre's civilian identity, police detective Jim Corrigan, was lower-middle-class, tough and domineering, forced by his ethereal status to reject the woman who loved him. Where Superman, barring a few very early stories in which he was seen to kill in the heat of battle, had pledged never to take a human life, The Spectre was literally the instrument of divine wrath, often killing criminals by such means as forcing him to look into his deadly eyes. The Spectre failed to win the success Superman had, but he appeared for several years in More Fun, and has been successfully revived a number of times right up to the present day. Siegel's next project was much more ambitious: a pair of patriotic heroes to compete with others in the field such as The Shield and Dusty at MLJ and Captain America and Bucky at Marvel. As usual, Siegel added his own unique twist to the idea: instead of a man with a boy sidekick like the others (an idea going back to Batman and Robin), The Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy were a teenage boy with an adult sidekick. Star-Spangled Comics took its name from the leader and brains of the team, but it wasn't a runaway success, possibly due to the less than spectacular art of co-creator Hal Sherman. The Kid and Stripesy were quickly displaced by the team who'd created their most successful rivals, Captain America and Bucky, when Joe Simon and Jack Kirby's Newsboy Legion took over the lead position with Star-Spangled Comics #7. But with the same issue, Jerry Siegel, this time reunited with Joe Shuster (or at least with his shop) introduced a more long-lived character, Robotman, a man whose brain was placed in a robot body. Although soon taken over by others (notably artist Jimmy Thompson and writer Joe Samachson), Robotman remained a successful backup feature well into the 1950's, and a revived version of the character was the star of DC's later team, the Doom Patrol, into the 1990's. Today the name of Robotman is carried on by another unrelated character, the title character of Jim Meddick's newspaper strip. In 1941, Siegel had suggested to DC a strip called Superboy, featuring Superman as a boy fond of practical jokes. DC trademarked the name but did nothing else with it until after Siegel had been drafted during World War II, perhaps considering practical jokes inappropriate even for the youth of their most famous and upright hero. When he had a chance to fit a story into his military schedule, Siegel instead applied the idea to Superman's villains, such as The Prankster and Mr. Mxyztplk. But in 1944, faced with the declining popularity of some of the superhero features, editor Jack Schiff took another look at the Superboy concept. He asked Don Cameron and Bill Finger, who had become the primary Superman writers after Siegel's enlistment, to provide stories of Superman's childhood, assigning Joe Shuster himself to draw. Although Schiff acknowledged the inspiration of Siegel and Shuster and credited the stories to the team (as Superman's continued to be), Siegel wasn't flattered by the unauthorized use of, and changes in, his original idea, especially since Superboy quickly usurped the position in More Fun Comics formerly held by The Spectre. After the war, Siegel's relationship with DC continued to become more and more strained. For years Siegel had seen DC make money off his character, not only in comics but in licensing. Paramount had done a very successful animated cartoon series with Superman, he'd appeared on a radio show and in several books, and now a live-action serial starring Kirk Alyn as Superman was in the works. DC's executives felt they'd treated both him and Shuster well, but there was a genuine case for both sides. Siegel and Shuster launched a lawsuit to attempt to recover the rights to the character, eventually accepting a cash settlement usually given as around $400,000, and set out to repeat their success with a new character. On the whole, the move made much more sense in the context of the times than it appears in retrospect. Creator's rights had long been a major issue in newspaper strips, with many early cartoonists like Richard Outcault (The Yellow Kid) and Bud Fisher (Mutt and Jeff) changing syndicates several times to gain control of their characters. Often in the early days, multiple versions of the same strip were the result, as when Rudolph Dirks lost control of The Katzenjammer Kids to King Features Syndicate but was able to launch a new strip, The Captain and the Kids, with a virtually identical cast. But syndicates were getting more and more careful, not only copyrighting strips but trademarking the names and likenesses of the characters, so the current generation of cartoonists was forced to resort to other tactics. And many creators had discovered that, even without their characters, their talents and track records were valuable in launching new properties. In the late '30's, Hal Foster had left Tarzan (owned by creator Edgar Rice Burroughs) to create Prince Valiant, which he owned. Siegel and Shuster's early influence, Roy Crane, had left Wash Tubbs, owned by NEA, in 1943 to create his own Buz Sawyer, and in 1946 Milton Caniff, creator of the Chicago Tribune Syndicate's Terry and the Pirates, had departed that strip and launched the creator-owned Steve Canyon. With the example of Siegel and Shuster in front of them, other comic book creators including Will Eisner, Walt Kelly, and the team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby had retained ownership of some of their characters. Even at DC Comics itself, Bob Kane and "Charles Moulton" (William Moulton Marston) had retained partial ownership of their characters, Batman and Wonder Woman. (It says a great deal for Jerry Siegel that, although he had originated the concept of Superman and had attempted to sell the character with at least two other artists, Mel Graff and Russell Keaton, he always insisted on listing Joe Shuster as Superman's co-creator, and entitled to a share of the profits. While Kane had developed Batman with writer Bill Finger, and Marston developed Wonder Woman with artist H. G. Peter, neither co-creator was given a share of the profits.) So Siegel and Shuster were taking a logical course of action when, following the lead of others in the field, they left Superman in 1947 and launched a new character, Funnyman. Very likely incorporating some of their original concept of Superboy, Funnyman was really comedian Larry Davis, who had no super-powers but used tricks and practical jokes to fight crime. Superman's original editor, Vincent Sullivan, was now the publisher of his own company, Magazine Enterprises, and had long felt his one-time proteges had deserved a better deal. He agreed to give the new character a try, but, despite sparkling scripts and art with a lighter touch, 1947 wasn't the ideal year to start up a new comic book, especially one that straddled the superhero, detective, and humor genres. Funnyman's comic book died after seven issues, around the time Siegel and Shuster sold the character's newspaper strip to the syndicates. As a newspaper strip, Funnyman was only slightly more successful. He had to compete with Superman's more polished strip (now produced largely by writer Alvin Schwartz and artist Wayne Boring, both of whom had been working under the names of Siegel and Shuster for years), and Shuster's art continued to decline due to the artist's ever-worsening vision. In a final attempt to save the strip, Siegel turned to pure comedy and retired Larry Davis in favor of his friend Reggie Van Twirp, who eventually took over the title. A rich, good-hearted, but very fluffyheaded bachelor who was always getting into trouble, Reggie was clearly inspired by Bertie Wooster, the narrator of a series of short stories and novels by the British humorist P. G. Wodehouse. Reggie's tyrannical Aunt Lucy and resourceful butler Higgins paralleled Bertie's overbearing Aunt Agatha and his brilliant valet Jeeves, but he was no more successful as a lead character than Funnyman had been, and marked the end of the long-standing Siegel/ Shuster collaboration. Joe Shuster went on to pencil a few stories for Charlton before his vision deteriorated to legal blindness, and Siegel spent the next several years on new projects for several other companies. At Toby he collaborated with Alex Schomburg, one of the most popular cover artists on pulps and comic books, to create Jon Juan, an immortal ladies' man born in ancient Atlantis and still alive today, whose romantic adventures could take place anywhere in history. Jon only lasted a single issue. Barely more successful was Lars of Mars, a Ziff-Davis comic book by Siegel and Murphy Anderson, about a TV star who, unknown to the world, was an actual Martian. Siegel also collaborated with John Buscema, who would one day be one of Marvel's top artists, to create a boy with powers taken from nature, appropriately called Nature Boy. In an unusual twist on his original Superman/Superboy concept, Siegel had occasional adventures of Nature Man, apparently Nature Boy in the future as an adult, but this too didn't last long. For these and many other publishers, Siegel produced a number of individual, non-series stories in the science-fiction, Western, horror and other genres. But as comic books continued to decline after the Wertham scares and the inception of the Comics Code, Siegel decided to let bygones be bygones and return to his original publisher and character. Editor Mort Weisinger had lost several regular writers and was delighted to have Superman's originator back, and, between 1959 and 1966, Jerry Siegel introduced a whole new generation to his unique blend of adventure, occasional tragedy, and sometimes very wacky humor. Working on Superman and his entire extended family, including the new Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen titles, Siegel could outdo even Otto Binder for wackiness, as Jimmy became a giant turtle man, Superman went through an entire story full of April Fool jokes, and Bizarro #1, created by Alvin Schwartz and Otto Binder (in the daily newspaper strip and comic book respectively) as a relatively tragic figure, turned into the leader of a completely outrageous square planet of people like himself who did everything backwards. Even the occasional tendency to bend, if not break, the law that Superman had shown in his earliest stories occasionally resurfaced. After his return, one of Siegel's first stories had Superman drafted through the machinations of an overbearing Army captain, and Superman used one of his frequent early tactics (obeying orders to the letter, but interpreting them in original ways) to make life so miserable for the officer that he was happy to discharge the Kryptonian soldier. The implied comment on the ethics of martial law and peacetime conscription that Siegel could never have gotten away with during or immediately after World War II was startling for 1950's DC, yet the story was not only published but successfully reprinted years later. But Siegel also had his serious side, revealing the repressed jealousy and deprived childhood that had turned Lex Luthor from a friend into Superman's greatest enemy, and scripting two of the all-time favorite Superman stories. "Superman's Return to Krypton" brought Superman through time and space to the planet of his birth before the explosion, prepared to die in it and enjoying a doomed romance with the lovely actress Lyla Lerrol. And "The Death of Superman," the Imaginary Story (which would now be termed an Elseworlds story) that showed what might happen if Luthor actually succeeded in killing Superman, won fandom's Alley Award for the best story of 1961. It was also Siegel who carried the Legion of Super-Heroes from the one-shot group of three that Binder had introduced through a number of guest appearances in various stories, eventually launching them into a regular series that he wrote regularly at first, and irregularly until 1966. His final two-part Legion story featured a renegade computer called Computo (contrary to occasional published credits, Edmond Hamilton had nothing to do with it), several years before the infamous HAL 9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Ironically enough, Jerry Siegel's second tenure at DC ended for the same reason as his first. The law then in effect required that all copyrights be renewed 28 years after publication, and that the originator of any work had the first right to do so even if he had sold the rights in the interim. In 1966, 28 years after 1938, Siegel filed such a renewal for the earliest Superman stories on behalf of himself and Joe Shuster, challenging DC's right to renew the copyright under its own name. The case dragged through the Federal courts for years, but once again led to the severance of relations between Siegel and DC. Even the Superman newspaper strip, which Siegel had taken over again upon his return to DC, was cancelled. Perhaps it was too much a memory of happier days for all parties, but Superman's strip was soon replaced by a new one featuring DC's latest TV star, Batman. Siegel again picked up work elsewhere, and wrote several stories for characters as diverse as the Angel at Marvel and the Junior Woodchucks at Gold Key. But the vast majority of his work was done for Archie Comics, which was trying to reenter the superhero field it had largely abandoned in favor of the redheaded teenager's comedy adventures. Expanding on its few superhero titles like The Fly, Archie brought back both old and new heroes from its line including The Web, The Black Hood, and The Hangman, bringing them all together as the Mighty Crusaders. Alas, editor Rick Goldwater seems to have instructed Siegel to attempt to blend several styles, ranging from the campiness of the phenomenally popular Batman TV show with Adam West, to a bad imitation of the angst-ridden conflict of the increasingly popular Marvel Comics line. All of this mixed with Siegel's own sense of tragedy and humor about as well as water with gasoline and mercury, and soon the "Mighty Comics Group," whose very name reflected the Marvel influence, was nothing but a memory. Jerry Siegel himself was reduced to getting work where he could find it, sometimes in comics and sometimes in obliquely related fields. I remember watching the live local host in Boston, dressed as Captain America, of the Marvel Super-Heroes cartoon series providing commentary for the series. His disdain for DC, "Brand Ecch" to Marvel editor Stan Lee, seemed far more sincere than Lee's tongue-in-cheek quips, but he'd flip 180 degrees at the end and praise Superman, whose show followed Marvel Super-Heroes on the schedule. His dialogue, it turned out, was written by the man with plenty of personal reasons to love Superman even as he disliked his publisher... The case of Siegel v. National Periodical Publications Inc. made it to the appellate level, and the Supreme Court declined to hear it. The Federal judges denied DC's contention that Superman qualified as "work for hire" (Siegel and Shuster having proved that the character had been conceived independently of DC), but held that the prior settlement in 1948 had precluded reopening the case. In despair, Siegel decided to appeal to the court of public opinion. He wrote impassioned letters stating his case to several trade publications, most of them failing to print them. But others in the field sympathized, most notably Neal Adams. A popular artist who had worked for DC on Deadman, Batman, Green Lantern, and briefly for Marvel on the X-Men and Avengers, Adams was struck by the tragedy of Siegel's situation and even more by the blind Joe Shuster's. Making use of his contacts in comics and other media, Adams got Siegel and Shuster onto The Today Show and enabled them to get attention from other high-profile media. The news was just beginning to break about the then-in-production series of Superman movies that would eventually star Christopher Reeve, and the millions of dollars spent on the project at the same time Superman's creators were in financial straits was a story worth telling. At first DC publisher Carmine Infantino took a hard line with Siegel and Shuster, insisting, not entirely incorrectly, that they'd always been treated fairly. But the publicity didn't reflect at all favorably on DC or its parent company, Warner Communications, and several people higher in the conglomerate became involved before a settlement was reached. According to some reports, the situation with Siegel and Shuster played a part in the replacement, soon after, of Carmine Infantino as publisher. The terms of the settlement were announced early in 1976 by Siegel, Shuster, Adams, and new DC publisher Jenette Kahn. They included a pension for each man with provisions for their survivors and certain other details that remained undisclosed by mutual consent, and also included restoration of the names of Siegel and Shuster on each Superman story, no longer an actual byline (writers and artists had been credited since 1970) but acknowledging them as creators. To top it off, Siegel and Shuster were invited by DC to be Guests of Honor at the one and only convention run by DC Comics itself in February 1976 (Marvel had had two, but would have no more). It remains their only joint convention appearance. There was even talk of DC's publishing further stories by Siegel. He sent them a plot, which E. Nelson Bridwell had to explain was slightly outdated at the time because of the changes made in Superman since Siegel's departure. He also scripted a story about his creation of Superman, on which Neal Adams would do layouts for Shuster to finish, but to the best of my knowledge it was never illustrated. Years later, Superman editor Julie Schwartz considered offering Siegel the chance to script the final Superman story before John Byrne rewrote the continuity in 1986, but the assignment ultimately went to Alan Moore. As a result, Siegel's last published work was at Eclipse Comics in the 1980's, on a revived Lars of Mars and his new creation, The Starling. Unfortunately, neither character took off, and some fans claimed that Siegel's style was no longer appropriate for the current market, however that was defined. A debatable point, to be sure, but it's indisputable that Jerry Siegel, together with Joe Shuster, created an important body of work, delighted several generations of children and many adults, and created one of the best-known fictional characters of all time. Very few other people accomplish as much in their lives. ____________________________________________________________ ********************************************************* End of Section 2 ____________________________________________________________ REVIEWS ------- Ratings Panelists: AL: Arthur LaMarche JS: Jeff Sykes RG: Rene' Gobeyn AW: Anatole Wilson MC: Matt Combes SF: Suzanne Fleischauer DS: Dick Sidbury WN: William J Nixon As always, the first rating given after the average is that of the reviewer. The average rating given for each book may correspond to a larger sample of ratings than what is printed following the average. THE "TRIANGLE" TITLES: --------------------- Uniform Credits: Colorist: Glenn Whitmore Separator: Digital Chameleon Assistant Editors: Mike McAvennie Editors: KC Carlson 13. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW #4, "...The World's Mightiest Mortals" Writer: Roger Stern Artists: Tom Grummett and Brett Breeding Letterer: John Costanza Cover: Grummett, Breeding, and Color Works Spring 1996 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN RATINGS: Average: 3.5/5.0 Shields AL: 2.5 Shields - Average. MC: 4.5 Shields - Loved it!!! Usually Cap appearances make me yawn, but Stern did a great job working Billy in, and the wizard Shazam toting along was a great added bonus. I'm glad we finally got to see more of Satanus, AKA Collin Thornton, as we haven't seen him since like way back in ACTION #700. The only downside of this issue is the fact that they didn't cover more of the relationship between Lois and Clark, seeing as how they ARE breaking up in the next issue right after. JS: 3.5 Shields - Since Grummett will soon no longer be drawing SUPERBOY, maybe Pete Krause (POWER OF SHAZAM!) could use a little vacation? Powerful art! However, while Stern writes a good Lex, this DMN thing *has* to go. The arrival of Captain Marvel and Shazam gives Collin Thornton a headache. As Shazam gets a pretzel, Billy Batson sees a crane break free of a skyscraper construction site. As it plummets towards the ground, he transforms into Captain Marvel and saves the day. To prevent detection, Satanus delivers more of the DMN drug to the patients still going through withdrawal symptoms from their last exposure. With the aid of the drug, they transform into Demons and begin to tear up the city. Lucky for Metropolis, Superman, Captain Marvel and Bibbo are on the scene! Captain Marvel and Superman contain the demons while Bibbo "rescues" Shazam. But Satanus feeds some of the drug to a kitten, which transforms into a huge flying cat. The Demoncat grabs Shazam and flies off as Bibbo grabs its tail. Once in the air, Bibbo looses his hold and falls to the Earth. But he is rescued by Captain Marvel. Then Shazam transforms the demon back to a kitten, and both are rescued by Captain Marvel. Superman and Captain Marvel eventually control the demons, and Shazam transforms them back to humans. In addition, they no longer suffer from the withdrawal symptoms. Seems that the DMN is not just a drug, it is a potion. As the comic ends, Superman and Captain Marvel engage in an arm wrestling contest for charity, and it appears that Bibbo will keep the kitten. Hmmm... More "superpets"? I was glad that they made DMN a potion rather than a drug. A drug should obey comic book biology, if there is such a thing. It is easier for me to suspend my disbelief for a magic potion than for a man-made drug which does all the things that DMN does to a human. The art was nice, but nothing really struck me. The friction Lois feels continues to build. I am not looking forward to the pending doom, but I am wondering how they are going to do it. Arthur LaMarche (DrArt95@aol.com) ========================================================= 14. ACTION COMICS #720, "Love Breaks" Writer: David Michelinie Artists: Kieron Dwyer and Denis Rodier Letterer: Bill Oakley Cover: Dwyer, Rodier, and Color Works April 1996 $1.95/$2.75 RATINGS: Average: 3.8/5.0 Shields WN: 4.5 Shields - Some great art, bad loss for the happy couple, and a welcome glimpse of Jonathan and Martha. SF: 4.0 Shields - Understated "event". The breakup makes sense even if it does break one's heart. AL: 3.5 Shields - But just because I think it was handled well does not mean I liked "IT". DS: 3.5 Shields - Striking cover. Actually considering that I'm predisposed to disliking the arc this issue covered it reasonably well. AW: 3.5 Shields - I give all the creative teams credit -- the breakup was handled with sensitivity, and it even made sense. But it would have been such a beautiful wedding...Sniff! Sniff! Well, here it is. After the hype, Letterman, and yellowing next issue boxes, Clark and Lois' engagement is off. We know it's off because the cover screams "The engagement is OFF!" on a striking white cover. The only cover image is a single ring whose diamond reflects Superman's shield in its many facets. Nice ring. This was a relationship issue: Clark and Lois, Lois and Superman, Ron and Lucy, Jonathan and Martha Kent. Michelinie deftly handles each. There was also some obligatory action, a retiring Admiral steals a high-tech cruiser to sell it to the highest bidder, but it was just backdrop for the main feature. The seeds of doubts in last month's ACTION COMICS #719 have grown and given Lois a lot to consider. The issue opens with an Admiral stealing the X-17 cruiser and moves to a Dwyer/Rodier splash page of Superman in flight over Metropolis. He's heading home for a date with Lois. Meanwhile, Lois loses her cool when Lori is again in Lois' bath as she gets ready for her date. Lori urges Lois to tell Clark how she feels. Ron and Lucy hook up outside the Planet building for a Pearl Jam concert. Jimmy is out with some 'Dana' person, and Lucy has won the concert tickets, which is odd because she doesn't remember entering it (the good luck plague begins in Metropolis?!) At a coffee shop, Lois and Clark have met up for what looks like a relationship summit. These scenes were done really well, with hints of impending doom etched in their faces. Lois has been thinking about the pre-Clark days, when she had a life and was happy. She is still happy, but delivers the line "it's only snatches of happiness... teases of what might be" as Clark looks on, unsure and serious. I loved the way she reached over and, without missing a breath, stubbed out the cigarette of the guy at the next table. The conversation peaks with the ring. Clark takes her hand, and as he talks about his responsibilities, she pulls away from him. He chose to let her die, but because saving her would have destroyed him [Superman] . 'Someone' else is taking him away from her, and they leave to go back to his apartment. I have to congratulate the Super-team for the way they blind-sided this reader. It's all so simple when you look back at it. Clark (and myself) thought that the 'someone else' was Lori -- after all, her arrival really turned on the heat in this story line. Lori was, if you will forgive the pun, a red herring (but a damn fine one), and the other person is Superman. Pretty obvious now, I guess. Unfortunately, this is a much less easy problem to solve. If it was Lori, she could kind of disappear and Clark could work really hard at dispelling Lois' doubts. Superman, though, is quite a different matter (especially with some of the excellent writing and life choices made in the following S:MOS). Back in his apartment, Clark realizes this and throws his arms in the air. In a scene reminiscent of L&C on TV, Clark is listening to Lois as he hears sirens. She tells him that they need to finish this, and he stands there, half Clark, half Superman, chastened by the woman he loves. She knows she can't stand in his way and tells him to go. The Dwyer and Rodier art this month really worked, from their details of holding each other's hands, to Clark changing. Good stuff. He defeats the missiles and heads home, and as he returns, the scene switches to Kansas, as Jonathan and Martha come home. Their dialogue plays over Superman's return. They acknowledge that they can't deny who they are at the core. The apartment is empty, Lois is long gone, and on the table by her photograph is the ring... This relationship just isn't big enough for the three of us. This is the ultimate dilemma for Lois and Clark (and Superman's) relationship, and it will be interesting to see how things move on from here. The introduction of Lori was a clever twist. It's taken five years to get here, and I think we can look forward to some serious depth and development in the next few months and years. These are great characters in escapist mass market fiction and it is a testament to the writers of these books that, month after month, they keep us entertained, interested, and coming back for more. I will be definitely be back for more. I thought this issue was well-handled and the Dwyer/Rodier art was great. There's an old romantic part of me that hopes that things are patched up between them. The engagement and Clark's admission about being Superman have been big events in current continuity. They have also provided us some great storylines. I don't believe that the 'Death of Superman' or 'Funeral' storylines would have been as compelling without Lois' loss. It is this humanity which is so compelling. William J Nixon (W.J.Nixon@lib.gla.ac.uk) ========================================================= 15. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #55, "Something Fishy" Story: Louise Simonson Penciller: Jon Bogdanove Inker: Dennis Janke Letterer: Ken Lopez Cover: Jon Bogdanove, Janke, and Color Works April 1996 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN RATINGS: Average: 3.4/5.0 Shields AL: 4.0 Shields - Powerful stuff here. L&C each have valid points. I hope they understand each other's soon. SF: 3.0 Shields - Would have been better if they gave Clark enough sense to figure out why for himself. DS: 2.5 Shields - Well, this issue just didn't do anything for me. The premise was weak and nothing much of importance really happened. I hate long story arcs that have too much filling. JS: 3.9 Shields - I've tried like crazy to hate this story, but the writers have done such a wonderful job of presenting it. While not quite as strong as last week's ACTION 720, Simonson does an excellent job of expanding on the ideas put forth therein. My only complaints are of the wild variations in Bog and Janke's art from page to page. This issue opens shortly after the close of last week's ACTION. Lois is trying to question a source on the commercial fishing docks while a couple of suspicious characters look on the meeting. Across town, Superman arrives at Lois' apartment only to find a towel-clad Lori. He goes out in search of Lois, but unbeknownst to him, he only rescues Lois' informant after a mob hit. He stops searching for Lois to bring the man to the hospital. Somewhere else, Lois breaks into the local labor union and makes off with a disk proving mob involvement. As she is making her get-away and thinking about Superman, she is approached by a dark-caped figure. Somehow, Alpha Centurion has stumbled across her when Superman couldn't find her, and he knows that her and Clark are no longer betrothed. If one suitor is not enough for you all, the very next day Jeb shows up with flowers in hand. Lois and Jeb mix business with pleasure as they discuss the recent break up and play the lottery, and Lois tries to pump Jeb for information on the Mob, since he was involved in the union since its inception. Jeb is unaware of the information that Lois has and lies to her. Later that night, the Mob gives Jeb the shakedown as Lois looks on from outside the window. Lois catches up with Jeb, and she finds out that Jeb's union joined the Mob to save the pension plan of the union. After that discussion, she meets up with her parents, who want to know the details of her engagement's demise. Lucy shows up, beaming a huge smile and raving about the concert and Ron Troupe. Soon, Lois continues her investigation and calls her informant, who is now in the hospital. Before Lois can get all the answers she wants, the Mob finishes what it started. Lois arrives at the hospital as the coroner's office is wheeling out the corpse. Lois attempts to put the mob out of business, to save Jeb, and to get her story. To do this, she has to bluff the mob. They call, and she loses. She is captured by thugs and hauled off to a large boat. Things heat up when Lori calls Clark. Meanwhile, Jeb also rushes to save Lois. Just before Lois is to be blown away, Jeb arrives with guns blazing. He rescues her but is shot. During the getaway, Jeb shields Lois and takes another bullet, square in the chest. The large boat catches up with the getaway boat and rams it. Superman arrives and snatches up Lois, but he is unable to find Jeb's body. In the final page, Superman tries to patch things up with Lois, but she will have nothing of it. She is still lamenting Jeb, how he would kill for her, and how he was willing to die for her. She says he loved her. When Superman tells her that he loves her, too, she tells him that he loves being Superman more, and it is still over. I do not know what is up with Lois. Things have been rough in her life and her relationship, but instead of talking about it, she just calls it quits. She has been through a lot, but this is not the way I picture her. Then, she goes gaga over Jeb. This upsets me even more. Here is a guy who lied to her because he did something he is ashamed of. He risks his life to save her, but he kills people in the process. Killing someone in a crisis situation is a lot easier than not taking a life. Then, OH BOY, he lays his own life down to save her. Again, this is much easier then what Superman had to choose. He chose to let Lois die, but HE would have to live with the consequences. Again, Jeb takes the easy way out. He is the one who got the Mob involved, which ultimately put Lois' life in danger. He quits, and Lois is forced to live with the thought that he died protecting her. Lois falls for this hook, line, and sinker (pun intended), rather than seeing that Jeb is just scum. I hope Lois clues in, and I hope Superman gets a clue too. He must put more time into their relationship. He can be Superman and a fiancee, but his role in the world will have to change somewhat. Arthur LaMarche (DrArt95@aol.com) ========================================================= OTHER SUPER-TITLES: ------------------ SUPERBOY #26, "Strange Bedfellows" (Losin' It: Part 2) Writers: Karl Kesel and Steve Mattsson Penciller: Staz Johnson Inkers: Dan Davis and Doug Hazlewood Colorist: Tom McCraw Letters: Richard Starkings and Comicraft Assistant Editor: Chris Duffy Editor: Frank Pittarese Cover: Tom Grummett and Doug Hazlewood April 1996 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN RATINGS: Average: 2.4/5.0 Shields AL: 3.0 Shields - Interesting developments, but why the B.E.M. Brawl? DS: 0.0 Shields - Already the clear winner in worst comic of the decade. JS: 3.0 Shields - Staz Johnson is no Tom Grummett, and B.E.M. is a rather dull villain/character. But at least there's some great characterization and some interesting "larger plot" developments. AW: 3.75 Shields - With most comics, I'd say that so many "smash'em up" issues would grow tiresome. While they're almost to that point, SUPERBOY still manages to keep plot development going enough to keep me enjoying every issue. Superboy and Knockout are at it again as the innuendo and the rubble flies. Before things really heat up, the two are reminded that this is a crime scene. In addition, Superboy is expelled from school, in the interest of protecting the public property. As Superboy and Knockout fly off, the innuendo intensifies, but is again interrupted, this time by a mechanical crab arriving on the beach. Across town, Dubbilex arrives at police headquarters. He scans the minds of all the officers involved to determine how the officer was killed in the battle with the Female Furies. What XX pieces together is that Knockout struck the officer and broke his back, which resulted in his death, while saying, "Out of my way, cannon fodder!" As the two battle the crab, it morphs into a flaming beast, and then many other substances. Superboy figures out that this is actually Bernie Morlock, a.k.a. B.E.M. Superboy overloads B.E.M.'s powers of transmutation in hopes that he will revert to his true form. It works, and Superboy introduces B.E.M. to knockout. As Tana Moon arrives, Knockout plants a huge kiss on Superboy and urges him to fly her out of there before Tana can get them on film. Superboy feels guilty about running out on Tana like that, but Knockout tells him that he has to figure out what he wants, Kindergarten (Tana) or College (her). Back at the police station, cadet Leech is being tested and recruited for a special assignment. She does not have the finesse of a martial artist, but by combining her street fighting tactics she learned in Metropolis and what she has learned so far at the academy, she impresses all concerned. The police department also attempts to recruit the services of Deathtrap, but the job is usurped by his daughter, who seems to have a deep-rooted hatred for Superboy.... I am not sure what to make of this issue. I think the idea of prosecuting Knockout has very interesting implications. Clearly this is not a simple case of Blue on Blue. There is evidence that Knockout showed malicious intent. This must be addressed. B.E.M. is an interesting character, but only served to fulfill the fight quotient. I think it would have been a better story without it. Also, this issue again opens with the ocean floor, which must have implications in the future story arc. [Check out Coming Attractions for a sneak peek at where these opening scenes may be leading... -- Jeff] Stay with us, it should get interesting. Will Superboy and Knockout be arrested? What is Deathtrap's daughter's motivations? What is the significance of the ocean floor? These and many more answers will be delivered in future issues of this arc. Arthur LaMarche (DrArt95@aol.com) ____________________________________________________________ ********************************************************* End of Section 3 ____________________________________________________________ SPECIALS/OTHER APPEARANCES: -------------------------- MARVEL VERSUS DC/DC VERSUS MARVEL #3 (of 4) Written by: Ron Marz (with thanks to Peter David) Pencilled by: Dan Jurgens and Claudio Castellini Inked by: Josef Rubinstein and Paul Neary (thanks to Sean Hardy) Lettered by: Bill Oakley Colored by: Gregory Wright Separated by: Digital Chameleon Assistant Edited by: Joe Andreani and Chris Duffy Edited by: Mark Gruenwald and Mike Carlin Cover by: Castellini and Neary $3.95 US/$5.55 CAN RATINGS: Average: 2.4/5.0 Shields RG: Story: 3.0 Shields - Mostly fights, little story development. Art: 4.5 Shields - Excellent work, the best yet. SF: 2.0 Shields - Predictable action. Art and panel flow made some of the fights very hard to follow. AL: 2.0 Shields - They should have made it bigger and given the duels more room. But, then again I'm surprised it took Superman as long as it did. JS: 1.8 Shields - And that's being a bit gracious because of the wonderful art. But not even the art saves this travesty. The "battles" are too short, and Marz simply blew two of the fights. Surely more believable victories could have been written for Storm and Wolverine. AW: 2.5 Shields - Three pages doesn't do justice to a Superman/Hulk battle. In fact, all the battles were rushed -- I felt a little cheated. One exception: I nominate the Robin/Jubilee "fight" as All-Time Cutest Confrontation. This was the big one. After all the hype of the last few months, I was more than a bit disappointed by this book. Sure, the votes are in and whether I agree with the outcomes of the battles doesn't matter. What caused my disappointment was the almost complete lack of continuing story. After all the hype, this book didn't do much to advance the plot of the mini-series. While the story in this book wasn't up to the standards that I use to judge such things, the artwork clearly was. The book was worth the cover price for the art alone. In some of the most dramatic visuals I've ever seen in comics, the story and battles almost came to life. The quality of the details, backgrounds, and perspectives added a great deal to the feel of the story. As the book opens, Jubilee and Robin are in a jungle setting, courtesy of one of the X-Men's danger rooms. Jubilee is updating her diary and recaps what has happened so far. They are transported to a warehouse full of parade balloons. This one was something of a walk for Robin. I really don't think that anyone actually expected Jubilee to win, but I did hope that the contest would be a bit more even. Robin wins in just seven panels. Meanwhile in "deep space", Green Lantern and Silver Surfer are going at it. After the crossover that started all this out, I was really hoping that this would be better than it turned out. Surfer takes out Green Lantern in another seven panels. It took Elektra nine panels to beat Catwoman. The story finally takes a few pages to advance the plot a bit, with an almost comical interlude where Peter Parker (Spider-man) asks Lois out on a date, only to have her flash her engagement ring at him as Clark comes up from behind. As Peter excuses himself to the dark-room, J. Jonah Jameson breaks in at this point to tell them that The Hulk and Metallo are trashing the harbor. A fast scene change to the alley, where the keeper of the gateway transforms young Axel Asher into Access, who learns that his mission is to bring the two universes back into balance. Back to one of the main bouts, between Wolverine and Lobo, taking place in some deep space bar (where else!) This one takes three full pages, but as with anything that Lobo is involved with, it is completely mindless. Too bad we don't get to see Wolverine win. The fight between Storm and Wonder Woman was a bit better, but still a walk-away for Storm, because WW gives up Thor's hammer (she picked it up in #2), thinking it would give her an unfair advantage. Considering that Storm uses lightning to defeat her, it would probably have made the difference. Next up came the fight between Superboy and Spider-Man. This one almost worked. Both characters were well handled, and (mostly) consistent with their abilities and personalities from their own books. Spider-Man took the contest, but it was mainly due to luck and his experience, and Superboy's lack thereof. This one (I believe) was well handled and could easily have gone the other way. The next one up was the contest between Superman and The Hulk. On a pure power rating, Hulk was obviously outclassed. Superman has a wide range of abilities (but didn't use them), while Hulk is limited to pure physical power. While I think Superman deserved to win, I didn't like the way the fight was handled. It should have been a walk-away, and Superman had to work way too hard. The last battle was really the one that I had been waiting for, that being the contest between Batman and Captain America. Neither of them clearly outclassed the other, and both are the epitome of the unpowered hero. While we were promised a definitive contest, I don't feel that we got it. Cap was beaten more by the flood, than Batman. This one was a cop out. This finished the contests between the two universes. In yet another non-decision, the two brothers combine both themselves as well as their respective universes. The resulting AMALGAM universe will be the subject of the next issue. Rene' Gobeyn (gobeyn@kodak.com) ========================================================= SUPER SOLDIER #1, "Secret of the K-Bombs" Script: Mark Waid Co-Plot: Mark Waid and Dave Gibbons Art: Dave Gibbons Colorist: Angus McKie Lettering: Dave Gibbons Editors: Mike McAvennie and KC Carlson Cover by: Dave Gibbons and Angus McKie April 1996 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN RATINGS: Average: 3.9/5.0 Shields RG: Story: 4.5 Shields - Nice background, complete in one book. Art: 4.5 Shields - Excellent details, textures, perspectives, and backgrounds. SF: 4.0 Shields - This was a good combination of two heroes with a nice story and fine art. This was the best of the Amalgam lot. DS: 4.5 Shields - I'd subscribe to this comic. Best comic in the Super Soldier continuity now. Highly recommended. JS: 4.0 Shields - Wonderful story overcomes sub-standard (for Gibbons) art. Sets up an interesting premise -- too bad we may not see it again. AW: 2.5 Shields - Lacklustre Gibbons art and bland merging of the Captain America and Superman legends made this just a so-so comic. Mark Waid has earned his position as one of my three favorite comic writers. His stories are solid and very well paced, and this book is no exception. Excellent use of story details to give hints into the characters, their backgrounds, and their emotions. Little to nothing in this story is wasted. Dave Gibbons outdid himself on the art, using shading and details to give rich textures to the robot and machinery that are about the best I've ever seen. Of all the AMALGAM books that came out, this one ties with LEGENDS OF THE DARK CLAW #1 as my favorite. The story was able to bring us up to speed, to tell us the necessary background of how Super Soldier is really different from Superman, and to tell a very satisfying story in the bargain. You could do a lot worse than buying this one. Like all the other Amalgam titles that came out this week, you don't really need this book for your collection. Your continuity won't suffer if you don't have it. However, if you decide to skip them, you will miss what may be a once in a lifetime chance to see these wonderful "What If" or "Elseworlds" stories. The story opens with a re-cap of the Super Soldier's origin, as told by Jimmy Olsen as he saw it unfold during the days of World War II. He has been captured by Lex Luthor (the Green Skull) and HYDRA. He manages to escape and works his way back to The Daily Planet, where he is managing editor. Before collapsing, he manages to pass on a message to Clark Kent (Super Soldier's secret identity) about where he had been held. Clark changes to Super Soldier, flies to Washington DC, and, following Jimmy's clues, bursts into Hydra's hideout, where he comes face to face with Lex and Ultra-Metallo -- the giant robot that he had been fighting at the end of W.W.II. Ultra-Metallo still has its original programming intact, which is to set off the K-Bomb hidden in its chest inside the White House. Super Soldier tries his best to stop the robot, but he grows steadily weaker. It turns out that the K-bombs that ended W.W.II and the one in Ultra-Metallo's chest were built out of Kryptonite! Clark does notice that he recovers his strength faster when he is behind some lead pipes at a construction site. He uses a pipe to contain the K-Bomb and defeat Ultra-Metallo, saving the White House and defeating Luthor. Rene' Gobeyn (gobeyn@kodak.com) ========================================================= SPIDER-BOY #1, "Big Trouble!" Writer: Karl Kesel Penciller: Mike Wieringo Inkers: Karl Kesel and Gary Martin Colorist: Joe Rosas Letterer: Bill Oakley Assistant Editor: Glenn Greenberg Editor: Tom Breevort Cover by: Wieringo and Kesel April 1996 $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN RATINGS: Average: 3.8/5.0 Shields RG: Story: 4.0 Shields - Mostly action, but not bad characterization. Art: 4.0 Shields - Very nice, but needed some detailing. SF: 3.0 Shields - Nice little asides. Keeps you working to try and figure out all of the references to Marvel and DC history. Loved the name Pete Ross. DS: 3.0 Shields - I bought 5 Amalgam comics. It's worth a read and the letters to the editor in all these books are very clever. JS: 4.5 Shields - While many of the Silver Age references slipped by me, I still found this to be a wonderful romp! AW: 4.5 Shields - As much fun as Superboy with Silly String! Definitely the most fun Amalgam book of the month! While the story in this book seemingly starts in the middle, goes in three different directions, and ends in a mild cliffhanger, it is strangely satisfying and complete. It's great fun to check who's in what panel and spot all the drifts between the two universes. Some supposedly throw-away lines are actually clever clues to backgrounds and happenings in other AMALGAM Universe titles appearing this week. All the clever by-play between the characters is entertaining to the max. It's amazing to see how much information the writers have been able to cram into the actual story without resorting to many pages of boring exposition. All-in-all this book is a romp and just plain fun. I started keeping a list of the crossover characters and bits that I was noticing in the book, but I gave up after I had three pages and the book wasn't half done yet. Do you *need* this book in your collection? Probably not. I suspect that there won't be too many issues of the Arach-Kid produced after this. However, you would miss a great ride. The art in the book is just short of awesome. Well designed and laid out, the panels are a beautiful mix of the early Marvel style books, combined with the detail, inking, and coloring of today. My only complaint (and it's a small one) was the lack of detail and backgrounds in some of the panels. This book (as are all the others) is written as if the AMALGAM Universe has been around as long as DC/Marvel have. The book is full of throw-away references to things that happened in earlier books or other titles, much the way current continuity books do, to allow curious readers the ability to go back and find even more detail, should they want to do so. As this book opens, The Amalgam Universe continues to unfold in this new Spider-Boy title. Continuing the story from Spider-Boy #37, we find the Amazing Arach-Kid locked in battle with the D.N.Alien known as Bizarnage in the labs of Project Cadmus. Busy protecting the scientists Tom Harper, Reed Richards, Johnny Storm, and Dabney Donovan, as well as Senator Ben Grimm, he doesn't realize that damage has allowed the King Lizard to escape from his cell. Spider-Boy easily manages to corral Bizarnage. While assessing the damage, Sue Storm, agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., arrives on the scene with an injured Dr. Connors, letting them know that King Lizard has escaped from his cell, badly damaging Dr. Pym's lab as he broke out of the project. Spider-Boy charges off to save the city from King Lizard, getting some much needed help from Dr. Octopus , who reminds our hero that he is expected to meet his blind date back at the lab that evening. After a quick recap of our hero's origin in the cloning tanks of the project, and of how his Uncle Gen was killed, we get back to our story, where the Kid uses his catapult to get to his job at the Daily Bugle and his secret identity of Pete Ross. After learning the King Lizard is tearing up the docks, he webs back into action, where he takes on the King Lizard, who is growing to giant size. He is aided in his endeavor by the New York SCU, under the command of Captain Makoa and "Brooklyn" Barnes. The kid quickly realizes that the Lizard's growth is being caused by the Pym Particles that he absorbed while breaking out of the Cadmus Labs. He races back to his loft, where he grabs Dr. Palmer's prototype White Dwarf Ray. He gets the now gigantic King Lizard to swallow the device, and the Lizard shrinks down to sub-microscopic size. Spider-Boy barely makes it back to Cadmus in time to meet his date, Mary Jane Watson, the Insect Queen. Rene' Gobeyn (gobeyn@kodak.com) ____________________________________________________________ SUPER MERCHANDISE ----------------- Information on Forthcoming Superman Merchandise Assembled by Jeffery D. Sykes The information which follows is reprinted without permission from Diamond's PREVIEWS and is in no way meant to serve as a replacement for that magazine. For further information on (and in many cases, pictures of) the below merchandise, see recent issues of PREVIEWS! ABBREVIATIONS: ------------- FC: Full color HC: Hardcover PB: Paperback PI: Inquire about price SC: Softcover Unless otherwise indicated, the product is from DC Comics. Also keep in mind that dates listed are when Diamond will be able to distribute the product in question. For some merchandise (books and toys especially), you may be able to find the item at a retailer earlier than this given date. These monthly updates only list new merchandise solicited by PREVIEWS. For a full listing of Superman-related merchandise, visit the Kryptonian Cybernet Homepage! ____________________________________________________________ APRIL: ----- SUPERMAN VS THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Written by Gerry Conway Art by Ross Andru and Dick Giordano DC once again offers this DC/MARVEL CROSSOVER CLASSICS reprint, available only while supplies last, featuring a metallic gold fifth color framing the original cover art. This is the first DC/Marvel crossover, in which Marvel's Web-Slinger and DC's Man of Steel face the combined villainy of Lex Luthor and Dr. Octopus! Scheduled to arrive on April 17 FC, 96 pgs, no ads $5.95 SUPERMAN AND SPIDER-MAN Written by Jim Shooter Art by John Buscema, Bob McLeod, Al Milgrom, Steve Leialoha, Walter Simonson, Bob Layton, Joe Rubinstein, and Bob Wiacek DC once again offers this DC/MARVEL CROSSOVER CLASSICS reprint, available only while supplies last, featuring a metallic gold fifth color framing the original cover art. This is the second meeting between the DC and Marvel flagship characters, this time in battle against Dr. Doom and The Parasite! Scheduled to arrive on April 17 FC, 64 pgs, no ads $3.95 ____________________________________________________________ MAY: --- SUPERMAN/DOOMSDAY: HUNTER/PREY Collector's Set By Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding This set collects the explosive 3-issue mini-series by writer/penciller Dan Jurgens and inker Brett Breeding. The story of Superman's rematch with his monstrous killer, Doomsday, is told in three Prestige Format issues. This set also includes a free SkyBox DC trading card. Scheduled to arrive on May 1 Set, PI KINGDOM COME T-Shirt Painted by Alex Ross Tying in with the release of KINGDOM COME #1 is this beautiful T-shirt featuring a montage of 4-color art by Alex Ross, reproduced from the pages of the series and designed to evoke a stained-glass window. This black, %100 cotton T-shirt is available in Large and Extra-large sizes. (Design prominently features Superman.) Scheduled to arrive on May 8 L-XL, $15.95 Basic Superman (Symbol) T-Shirt Graphitti Designs Wear a symbol recognized world-wide. Features the colorful Superman "S" logo screenprinted in color on a navy blue 100% cotton shirt. L-XL, $14.95 XXL, $17.95 Complete Golden Anniversary Edition Superman Collection Videos Offered Again, Company Not Listed The complete, original SUPERMAN cartoons! Produced by the Fleischer Studios for Paramount in the 1940s, these unsurpassed superhero cartoons -- 17 in all, transferred from mint 35mm prints and negatives -- are presented in "letterbox" format to preserve the original image area. An outstanding value on outstanding animation! VHS, Two volumes $19.95 each ____________________________________________________________ JUNE: ---- SUPERMAN VERSUS ALIENS Trade Paperback Dark Horse Comics By Dan Jurgens and Kevin Nowlan He came to earth in a rocket, a strange visitor from another planet. Now, years later, signals from space could be the beginning of a trail to his home planet Krypton. Can anything stop a man of steel from discovering his long-lost heritage? Can anything stand between Superman and that which he longs for most? How about the most feared and deadly species in the galaxy? It's the ultimate hero against the ultimate horror in SUPERMAN VERSUS ALIENS, a 152-page spectacular by Dan Jurgens and Kevin Nowlan! All three issues of this best-selling crossover are included in this collection, a must for any fan of either side of the battle! Scheduled to arrive on June 25 SC, 152 pgs, FC $14.95 ____________________________________________________________ ********************************************************* End of Section 4 ____________________________________________________________ AFTER-BYRNE: Reviews of the post-Crisis Man of Steel ---------------------------------------------------- INTRODUCING THE MYSTERIOUS MISTER Z! ------------------------------------ by Mark Lamutt (markdl@netcom.com / mdlamut0@wcc.com) Title: SUPERMAN #51 Written by: Jerry Ordway Penciled by: Jerry Ordway Inked by: Dennis Janke Cover Date: January 1991 Cover Price: $1.00 US/$1.25 CAN/50p UK "Mr. Z!" Carrying two unconscious workers from the core of the nuclear reactor, Superman trudges through the radioactive cooling water towards the safety area where the coworkers are waiting. Dropping them off, Superman goes back into the core to repair the leak, preventing a nuclear meltdown in the heart of Metropolis. After going through decontamination, he tells the supervisor he is going to report the incident to the nuclear safety commission. Meanwhile, a plane lands at Metropolis International Airport, carrying an unusual visitor to the city. At customs, he mesmerizes the official into believing that he has nothing to declare and that he may proceed. He then approaches a group of waiting drivers, makes one of them believe he is the man the driver is waiting for, and exits the airport. During the drive to his airport, he ponders how long it has been since he has been in Metropolis -- fifty years, a hundred? Time loses all meaning after so long. Cat Grant and Jose Delgado walk hand-in-hand down the street. Cat tells Jose that her work will take most of the day to complete, and that she will meet him at a formal banquet later that night. As Cat walks off, Jose thinks about his growing need to find employment. Walking past a convenience store, he sees that the lotto jackpot is now 14 million. Feeling his luck is about to change, he buys a ticket. Passing Jose on the street, the strange visitor encounters a group of young street thugs. The leader steals the man's jewel-tipped cane and starts to run. Raising a hand in the air, the man visualizes the thug's heart beating in his chest and makes it stop. The gang leader falls to the ground, dead. The man retrieves his cane, and continues down the street. Jose comes down the street, and as he bends over the dead body, the lotto ticket he just bought blows out of his coat pocket and lands at the feet of Bibbo. Picking it up, Bibbo thinks that today just might be his lucky day. [Bibbo ends up winning the lotto jackpot, and he buys the Ace of Clubs with the winnings.] In the Daily Planet newsroom, Perry White gathers the crew together to make an announcement. He is taking a leave of absence to deal with the recent death of his son, Jerry, and with the problems he and his wife Alice are having. Leaving Sam Foswell in charge of the Planet, Perry takes his leave. As Perry leaves the room, Clark Kent receives a message from the mysterious stranger. "Welcome to the blackness, Superman. At long last we meet again. Meet me at the Museum of Natural History." Clark wakes up, realizing that he has passed out. Sam sees that Clark is not looking well, so he tells him to take the rest of the day off. Clark heads for the exit, but instead of taking the stairs down, he rushes to the roof, by which time he has become Superman, the Man of Steel. Arriving at the museum, Superman realizes that it is deserted inside. He calls out to the stranger, at which time pictures flash up on the wall. The stranger says that he has come to Metropolis to confront Superman, and that they had met previously during World War II in Germany. [Note - this is foreshadowing the "Time and Time Again" story arc that would be written later in 1991.] Appearing behind the Man of Steel, the stranger thrusts the jewel on the cane in Superman's face, and Superman is pulled from his body into the jewel. The man is a collector -- of the essences of great people. Inside the jewel, Superman meets people from all periods of time. They quickly realize that he is not from earth, and he confirms it. As they speak, the world inside the jewel begins to quake. Thinking that it cannot hold his alien essence, Superman begins speaking in Kryptonese, causing the jewel to shatter and the essences to be released. Superman returns to his own body. He tells the police that the stranger is a man named Mr. Z. Unfortunately when the jewel shattered, Mr. Z died from the shrapnel. The coroner takes the body away. At the morgue, a naked body crawls out of a coffin. Arriving at the airport, Mr. Z, now calling himself George Baily, boards a plane for Saudi Arabia. First, the writing. I liked the way that all of the supporting cast of characters was worked into the story. Jerry Ordway was always very good at using the supporting characters to fill in the gaps in the action in these stories. But, that's really all I liked about the story. It was choppy all the way through, and the scenes did not tie together very well. Jerry has done better work, but the purpose of this story is really just to introduce the character of Mr. Z, so looking at it as a transitional story, it serves its purpose. The artwork, however, is once again superb -- as it is most of the time with Mr. Ordway at the helm. The scenes where Mr. Z is mesmerizing people are both very funny and very creepy -- not an easy combination to draw. Once again, a well-done job. Out of 5 shields, this book gets 2 shields. Stay tuned next month when "Blackout" begins in THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #484. ____________________________________________________________ MANUSCRIPTS OF STEEL -------------------------------- Reviews of After-Byrne Superman special stories by Denes House (dhouse@itsmail1.hamilton.edu) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Superman For Earth Written by Roger Stern Art by Kerry Gammill and Dennis Janke Colored by Tom McCraw Painted Cover by Jerry Ordway 1991 Prestige Format, $4.95 US/$5.95 CAN Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 Shields --------------------------------------------------------- Great Lines: "There's no monopoly on stupidity around here, is there?" ------------------ In John Byrne's landmark miniseries MAN OF STEEL, Lana Lang confesses to Clark Kent why she had decided not to romantically pursue him after he resurfaced from a behind-the-scenes "guardian angel" role to appear as Superman. "Superman belongs to the world," she said. In SUPERMAN FOR EARTH, Superman takes that role very seriously. Ironically, the story starts with some musings by the recently-engaged Lois and Clark (interesting how in just three short years, I have gone from calling them "Clark and Lois" to "Lois and Clark") as they relax with a nice beverage in Clark's apartment. Lois is disturbed by the background research she's been doing to prepare for her coverage of the upcoming "World Environmental Congress." She is upset by the environmental devastation humans have inflicted on our planet, and at her perception that there seems to be no end in sight. Clark reminds her that her reporting will do much to focus attention on the problem and bring the issue close to home for her readers. "We all have to do our part," says Clark, "and as you well know ... I can do plenty." His overshirt discarded, Clark stands revealed as Superman. It is a brief scene, but one that sets up some of the most insightful moments of this book. Superman's thoughts echo the readers': "Nice promise, Clark...very reassuring. Now, how do you propose to keep it?" Superman keeps his promise by embarking on a series of initiatives to clean the air and water and preserve the land of his adopted homeworld. Along the way, some of the environmental problems confronting our planet become clear. The initiatives Superman takes flow logically out of the characterizations presented, and they show that even for a Superman, there is no quick fix. The story gives no easy answers. As Superman tracks down a source of Dioxin poisoning in Hob's River, he discovers it is a paper recycling center! As Superman stops illegal deforestation in Brazil, a workman forcefully interjects - "Yankee pig! You level your own forests and then preach to us to leave ours uncut! Do you expect us to starve to protect your world?" Even the invulnerable Man of Steel is cut to the quick. In the midst of it all, Lois wonders if they should even have children. There are so many unwanted children in the world, and a swelling population exacerbates many of the already staggering environmental concerns. It is clear that the issues the two are dealing with confront them on a very practical level, and a difficult one. The climax of the story takes place at the Environmental Congress itself. Mired in petty bureaucratic squabbling, some delegates prepare to storm out in frustration. It is the striking figure of the Man of Tomorrow who galvanizes the assembly with a rare public speech. Superman poignantly sums up his fears in a great paragraph of dialogue: "I am more fortunate than most of you. If present trends continue ... I could, with my powers and abilities, withstand worsening world conditions. But ... I do not wish to live alone on a poisoned, dying world. ... I have lost one world already, I don't want to lose another." Superman's speech not only challenges the Congress, but it influences the choices that Metropolitans make in the coming days -- and in that we see the real benefit of his actions, and the reasoning behind the creation of this book. Superman is an icon, a hero. What he does can have an influence on people. The story is a good one, which will come as no surprise considering its author, Roger Stern (see last month's Kaycees voting if you don't know what I mean). Stern highlights just a few concerns and ties them strongly into the Superman mythos and storyline. The actions and opinions expressed in this book are appropriate to the characters who voice them. Superman's motivations make sense, as do Lois' and everyone else's. But Stern does not spoon-feed easy answers. In fact, a highlight of the book is the complexity of the solutions that exist, and the difficulty in finding a purely good alternative. Environmental stories can often be preachy, but this one flows from the characters themselves and stands up as a solid story. There is plenty of crackling dialogue here (as evidenced by the many quotations in this review), and the resolution of the tale makes sense. There are great touches throughout, like TV directors being forced to use a medium shot of Superman because their close-ups are always out of focus (in MAN OF STEEL, Superman muses that he vibrates his head so that clear facial photographs of him are impossible). Gammill's pencils reminded me of something an actor friend of mine said while critiquing Jack Nicholson's performance as the Joker in the first Batman movie. He remarked that Nicholson was a master of acting "beats," or dramatic shifts that occur almost imperceptibly. Gammill uses "beats" to great effect here, like the Psalmist's "Selah," a place to pause, reflect, then plunge back in to the story. Gammill conveys much through facial expression, and his layouts are dynamic and dramatic. Janke's inks are acceptable, if uninspired, and the cover showcases Ordway's then-blossoming painting skills. The book is printed on recycled paper, resulting in a dark, gritty look to Tom McCraw's colors, which is very effective. Capsule review: Story: Well-written, touching on important issues without preaching or violating the characters' integrity. Snappy dialogue and well-constructed plot. 4 Shields out of 5. Art: Crisp and dynamic, with a keen sense of pacing. Janke's bland inks do little to enhance the artwork, but McCraw's moody colors more than make up for it. 4 Shields out of 5. Overall: A good read, with solid art and characterizations. Well worth the purchase price. 4 Shields out of 5. Along the same lines: The Concrete Earth Day Special, by Paul Chadwick, Moebius, and others. Denes House March, 1996 ____________________________________________________________ THE PHANTOM ZONE: Reviews of the pre-Crisis Man of Steel -------------------------------------------------------- SUPER FRIENDS ------------- by Joe Crowe (j.crowe4@genie.com) This month my review is hot off the request lines. I'm sending this one out to Calvin Hall in Raleigh, North Carolina. DC COMICS PRESENTS #1-2: Superman and the Flash Sept/Oct 1978 Story: Martin Pasko Art: Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez with Dan Adkins Cover Price: $0.50 Rating: 3.25 shields A small town was about to be destroyed by a beam from space -- Superman and Flash stop it, but are captured by two spacecraft. It's two alien races at war with each other, the Zelkot (purple with big pointy ears) and the Volkir (yellow with big pointy ears). They roamed the universe, settling on lots of planets, then they split in civil war. Their spaceships were living creatures, and in the waste matter left behind were microscopic organisms which evolved into humanoid life. So the Zelkots and Volkir planted life all over the universe, including on a planet which circled a red-sun called Krypton. The Volkir lived on Krypton for awhile, preventing it from exploding in the distant past. The Zelkot wanted to end the eons-long war and sent an agent through time to prevent the civil war from ever happening. But the Volkir don't want the war to end, so they planted booby traps throughout time to trip up the Zelkot agent. If Flash doesn't help the Volkir, they'll blow up Earth...and if Superman doesn't stop the Zelkot agent, then the Volkir will never have saved Krypton in the past, and Superman will cease to exist. The Zelkot and Volkir cannot travel into the past, only into the future, but at the end of time there's a Cosmic Curtain that separates the past from the future, and once through the curtain, you end up back at the beginning of time. Superman and Flash don't understand each other's motivations. Due to a malfunction of the alien communicators they wear, the heroes can only be seen by the aliens when they stop in a time period, but not while they travel--when they can only be heard. Along the way, Superman punches out the alien agent and writes a message for Flash saying "Trust me." Then Superman gets stuck in the 30th century. He identifies the time period by the presence of Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes. The alien communicator screwed things up so Superman and Superboy could physically coexist, so they decide to slam into each other at super-speed. It works, and both guys end up in their proper times. Then Superman catches up to Flash. Both of their communicators have been broken in their travels, so they freely compare notes. They reach the Cosmic Curtain, and the alien agent busts through ahead of them. The aliens have told Superman and Flash that only one person can go through the curtain once an opening has been made. They've missed their chance, Flash says. But Superman has an idea. Flash vibrates through the hole, becoming insubstantial, and Superman flies through him. Together they subdue the alien. But they can't reopen the hole in the Cosmic Curtain... So they have to run through the entire span of history to get back to where they started. When they arrive in the present, they zip into outer space on the tail of the aliens. Several severe thrashings later, Flash disables the beam that would've destroyed Earth, and Superman tosses the ship into the furthest depths of space. Then Flash invites Superman back to his place for some coffee. Superman says, "Why not? I have all the time in the world!" Man, what a story! I was a little disturbed, though, at the tossed-off explanation that all human life on Earth was begun by *waste matter* from the aliens' ships. In other words, we are all descended from spaceship poop? What the heck is up with that? I like Darwin's theory better. Heck, I like *any* other theory better than that. But I managed to get past that, somehow. Then Superman and Flash reach the end of time and start over at creation, then run through history to get back to the present. This all occurs in one page. Luckily this wasn't made a legitimate part of DC continuity, like such a thing would've been if it had appeared in that *other* company's books ... but then, there wasn't much of anything pertaining to continuity at DC back then. The stories were fun, and it didn't bother anybody. Eventually, of course, that would change. Ah, youth. :) Martin Pasko's heroes have always seemed to have an extra emotion or two than they did with other writers. Superman here is analytical, as you might expect someone with a super-brain to be, but he doesn't mind thumping a few aliens around, and he is desperate to prevent himself from ceasing to exist. Flash, on the other hand, has absolutely no clue why Superman is acting like a jerk. Their interplay was great. Another early favorite of mine was Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez. All the heroes were wiry and muscular, and their jaws were always clenched determinedly. When Flash finds Superman's message of "Trust me," he breaks into a wide grin. And when Superman and Flash decide to go for coffee after a job well done, they seem to be winking at each other, and at the reader. As a startup for DC COMICS PRESENTS, this story was pretty good. It had a grand scale, a race against time (literally), and two very popular characters of that time. I never really thought DC PRESENTS could hold a candle to BRAVE AND THE BOLD, though. Maybe it's because B&B was more consistent with writing and/or art, or maybe it's because Batman seemed to adapt to his guest stars, while most of Superman's allies were forced to fit into his style of story. But that's just my two cents. What do you think? Are there any Superman team-ups you want to see reviewed? The request lines are open at j.crowe4@genie.geis.com. Thank you and good morning. ____________________________________________________________ ********************************************************* End of Section 5 ____________________________________________________________ THE PHANTOM ZONE: (cont) ------------------------ THE GIRL FRIEND AND THE PAL: LOIS AND JIMMY IN THEIR OWN COMICS ---------------------------------------------------------------- By Jon B. Knutson (jonknut@eskimo.com) And here we are with the second installment of my reviews of SUPERMAN'S GIRL FRIEND, LOIS LANE and SUPERMAN'S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN. I'm going to try to keep the rest of my reviews a bit more succinct than the first one (in the Feb. KC)... The Jimmy Olsen story I picked to review this time around is from the same rough time period as the Lois issue reviewed last time. Issue #132, September 1970, has cover artwork that looks like Swan pencils with Murphy Anderson inks, and shows Jimmy with a tear in his eye, clutching a handful of money, while two criminals haul off Clark Kent, his shirt torn to reveal his Superman costume, his wrists bound in Kryptonite chains. Clark is calling Jimmy a rat and asking him why he betrayed him, but Jimmy doesn't know, and begs Superman's forgiveness. The cover is blurbed "When Olsen Sold Out Superman." Once again, the story has the same name. The interior artwork looks like Anderson inks, as well... but the pencils look to me like Costanza. Jimmy is investigating a crime wave at Metropolis Airport by the Mod Mob when he is captured, and his signal watch broken. The Mod Mob plans to force him to reveal Superman's secret identity, but Jimmy refuses, pointing out he doesn't know Superman's identity. After a threat to drop him out of a plan, Jimmy tells them that Superman's really his Boss at the Daily Planet to buy some time. The Mod Mob won't let Jimmy go, because they want to test him first, using artificial Kryptonite. The K is delivered to Perry in a package, and when it's revealed, Perry doesn't react. Clark, a few desks away, is affected. It takes a moment for them to notice this, but when they do, they open Clark's shirt and spot the Superman costume. It happens that Clark has been chosen to be editor-for-the-day for the Planet... and thus, today at least, he's Jimmy's boss. Taking Superman away, the crooks kayo Jimmy and leave him as payment fifty thousand dollars. Jimmy, naturally, is upset, and fears someone might discover the money has something to do with Superman's betrayal. The next day, the underground displays the captured Superman on TV, telling him that a friend of Superman's revealed his secret identity for fifty grand. In the headquarters of the Jimmy Olsen Fan Club, Jimmy's watching the telecast with his fans, stupidly keeping the money on him. Jimmy notices that the background on the telecast is of a log cabin wall, and he and his fans scour the hills. The next day, they return to the clubhouse, and Jimmy pulls out a handkerchief to wipe his brow... a handkerchief which is kept in the same pocket as the gangland's payoff -- Jimmy's fans realize where the money came from and quit the club. The final insult is when they throw Jimmy an assortment of dimes and quarters -- 30 altogether -- which Jimmy realizes symbolizes the 30 pieces of silver given to Judas. Jimmy wants to redeem himself, and gets an idea from the picture of George Washington on one of the quarters. Taking a plane to CIA headquarters, Jimmy tells them that the syndicate's headquarters must be in old Fort Washington, at the abandoned state fair grounds. The CIA, of course, owes Jimmy a favor it seems, and they help him out. At Fort Washington, Jimmy uses smoke grenades to mask his movements until he can find and release Superman. They help the CIA wrap up the syndicate, and Superman reveals that he's really a Superman robot, which was disguised as Clark to trap the syndicate. The real Superman flies in, and Jimmy is told that Superman baited his own trap. However, Superman's lied to his pal... it was really him all the time, until, using the cover of the smoke, he called a robot in via Super-Ventriloquism, programming him with the story. After Superman clears Jimmy in front of the members of his fan club, the kids are happy to learn Jimmy's no Judas. The second story in this book, "The Winner's Prize... The Loser's Grave!" is definitely Costanza artwork. Jimmy's on a yacht in a tropical sea as a guest of a rich man, when an undersea volcano creates a new island before their eyes. "Within a few days," according to one panel, plant life begins to sprout on the new island. In Washington, the President's worried that the Communists will claim it. In Russia, similar sentiments are felt. The President (obviously Nixon) calls the Premiere, and they agree to each send a champion to the island to fight a duel. Whichever champion wins the duel, his country gets the island. Jimmy gets to cover the event. Superman is disqualified because the Soviets have no match for him, however. Jimmy covers the selection process for the USA's champion, and sees the robot combat tester defeat Green Berets, FBI and CIA agents. Jimmy volunteers to try his skill against the robot... and defeats it! Shortly, Jimmy and the Soviet champion, equipped identically, are flown by Superman to the new island, where he drops them off. after a series of brief encounters between Jimmy and Bors, the Soviet champion, the two of them decide to play "chicken" to settle the match. Each of them holds a stick of lit dynamite, and they approach each other from opposite directions. Whichever one throws away his dynamite first will be the loser. At the very last second, both throw the dynamite away. The explosions cause the newly-formed island to sink, and Superman rescues the two, who reveal to each other that they respected the other too much to kill him. Superman moralizes, saying that perhaps both sides could learn something from the experience. While both stories in this issue were entertaining, they each had their faults. The first one relies overly much on coincidence, while the second one has bad science galore (plus, of course, Jimmy's amazing combat skills). I'd have to rate them both at two stars out of five. And for this month, I'm also reviewing LOIS LANE #75 (July, 1967), which features great Kurt Schaffenberger artwork throughout. "The Lady Dictator!" begins with Superman crashing into the famed Sun Springs winter resort, where Lois is ready to take a swim (and Schaffenberger gets to draw a lotta lovelies in swimsuits, to boot!). Superman flies Lois away from the resort, and he tells Lois he has amnesia, but he found a picture of Lois in his cape pouch. Lois tells him his name, and his powers, but that he's a champion of crime. Meanwhile, in a hidden criminal lair, the Maestro is watching all this on a viewscreen, where he's coaching Lois in her lines. It's revealed that Lucy, Lois' sister, has been captured by the Maestro, forcing Lois to do his will. Meanwhile, Lois has convinced Superman they're partners in crime and has him fly to the capital of Santoro, Manzilla, to meet with General Tigre, the dictator, the following day. The next day, at a bullfight in Manzilla, we see that Lois, herself, is General Tigre, and Superman flies in just in time to save a bullfighter. Lois/Tigre reveals that Superman is her secret weapon. At that moment, a gigantic statue of Lois is brought in, with her dressed like the Statue of Liberty, sitting on a chair. The citizens are presenting the statue as a "gift" to General Tigre. Lois/Tigre throws some coins to the crowd as some conspirators mention that there's a bomb in the statue. Superman spots it before it goes off, and flies it into the air. Superman flies Lois back to her headquarters, where she meets with the Maestro. She tries to tell the Maestro she won't cooperate any longer, but her parents have also been captured. The Maestro plays an organ which can force people to feel certain emotions, which he'll use to drive Lois' relatives mad. Lois is brought to where the real General Tiger lies in suspended animation, and is then shown a giant artificial jewel, which the Maestro wants Superman to x-ray. Moisture on the lens of an x-ray machine prevents him from demonstrating what will happen then, but after it's cleaned off, the jewel explodes with a violent fury. Lois is then told she has to execute the sculptor of the booby-trapped statue, as well as his family. Superman flies in as the execution is being readied, and Lois forces him to shoot the victims instead. The jewel is then brought out, and Superman is told to x-ray it when the Maestro says so. The rebel army approaches, and Superman x-rays the jewel on schedule, which causes the ammunition in the rebel guns and tanks to explode. The Maestro reveals that he's going to sell bases in Santoro to hostile foreign powers for an atomic attack against the US. Superman tries to stop him, but discovers that the jewel also changed into Gold Kryptonite, and he's powerless. Superman is bayoneted to death. Well... not really. Whoever wrote the story "cheated" us... by presenting a "flash-forward," revealing what *might* have happened. What *really* happened was that after Superman was told to x-ray the jewel at the right time, Lois went to the Maestro's emotion-altering organ, and caused Superman to feel unbearable grief by transmitting memories of how his parents died when Krypton exploded. This causes Superman to cry, and ruins the x-ray effect, so the jewel is powerless. Lois reveals that Superman's really a champion for good, and when Lois changes out of her dictator's uniform, she leads the rebels in an attack against the Maestro and his soldiers. Captured by Lois, the Maestro is compelled to feel remorse after exposure to the organ. The Maestro then reveals that he'd tried to take over Superman's brain by remote control, using a "tyranno-baton," which gave him amnesia. The General Tigre plot was his alternate plan. After Superman rescues Lois' family, Lois also reveals that Superman didn't kill the family and sculptor, but that they were protected by bags of jewels placed over their hearts (she knew she could trust Superman's super-aim). As crazy as it sounds, the story really worked for me on several levels... especially if one takes into account the time period it was written in, and what else DC was doing at the time (Deadman aside, of course...). Any issue of Lois Lane with Schaffenberger art is going to be at least visually pleasing... in fact, the main disappointment for me with this issue is that Lana Lang isn't around at all (Schaffenberger's Lana was one of the sexiest ever... often looking better than Lois herself!). I'll give this one 4 out of a possible 5 stars. If you have a particular issue of LOIS LANE or JIMMY OLSEN you want reviewed, e-mail me at jonknut@eskimo.com, and if I have it in my collection, or I can track it down, it'll be reviewed in a future issue. Next time... a review of a multi-part story from Superman Family... which will remind many readers of recent Lois and Clark episodes...! ____________________________________________________________ INTO THE ARCHIVES ----------------- by Neil A. Ottenstein (otten@gluon.umd.edu) SUPERMAN #2, Fall 1939 According to the Overstreet Price Guide, the three main stories were all reprints from the daily syndicated newspaper strip. The afterward in the Superman Archives gives the dates for two of the stories. 1) The first story is 16 pages long and concerns Superman's efforts to restore an ex-heavyweight champion boxer to his crown and also to oil the gamblers who caused his original fall from grace. He is once again a master of disguise in this story, similar to the third story in the first issue. The story originally appeared in newspaper strip form over the dates 2/20/39 through 3/18/39. 2) The second story bears the title "Superman champions universal peace" and is 24 pages long. Working for the Daily Star, Superman interviews a professor who has discovered a new deadly gas. Armament profiteers kill him and take the formula to the civil war in Boravia, and Superman follows along, putting an end to both the munitions men and the war. This story originally came from the newspapers of 5/1/39-6/10/39. 3) The third story is titled "Superman and the Skyscrapers" and is 16 pages long. Here Superman deals with the deadly rivalry between two construction companies. This story is discussed in greater depth below. Between the first and second stories, there are Superman's tips for super-health and an advertisement for the 96 page New York World's Fair Comics, featuring a Superman story. What is very amusing to this reader is the notice at the bottom of the advertisement: "Due to the unprecedented demand for this souvenir book and to our desire to show our appreciation to our readers for their loyalty, the price of this book on the newsstands will be 15c instead of 25c as formerly advertised in all our magazines. Those who have paid 25c will have, by this time, received their complimentary copy of the SUPERMAN book selling at 10c to make up the difference in price." Between the second and third stories is an advertisement for the Supermen of America club. After the third story is a two-page text story in which Superman convinces a racketeer to leave Metropolis. There is a great description of how Superman is looked at in Metropolis: "He's a will-of-the wisp...a phantom of the night. He preys on evil- doers who operate in Metropolis...and once that bozo's on your trail, brother, you're sunk!" "Superman and the Skyscrapers" starts with an article by Clark Kent about the death of a construction worker from Bruce Constructions, Inc. at the Atlas Building site -- the fifth consecutive day with such a death! Superman decides to investigate the matter personally and sees the night watchman there sawing through a girder. Superman advances on him wordlessly as he empties his revolver to no avail to Superman. The watchman retreats and falls with his own sabotaged girder. Superman catches up with him inches from the ground, throws him back into the air, while he himself lands, and then catches him. The watchman dies of a heart attack from the excitement after revealing that he works for the gang of Butch Grogan. Superman pays a visit to the residence of Butch Grogan to discern the motive behind the deaths. After the front door is slammed in his face, he breaks through it and inquires the whereabouts of Butch. After tossing the henchman in the air a few times, he is ready to talk, but Butch arrives. Before Butch can fire his gun at Superman, Superman relieves him of it and crushes it. Superman takes Butch to the Atlas Building. After having his arm threatened to be crushed as easily as the gun, Butch reveals that he was hired by Nat Grayson, the president of Akme Construction Company. Grayson wanted to prevent Bruce Constructions, Inc. from completing the building within the contracted time. When a policeman arrives on the scene, both Superman and Butch flee. Butch gets to a phone to warn Grayson of Superman's inquiries, and he is shot while fleeing when the policeman catches up to him. Upon arrival at Grayson's residence, Superman is warned to leave. Bombs have been planted at various spots and photoelectric cells keep him informed of Superman's exact position. Superman advances, avoiding the worst brunt of the explosions and breaks into Grayson's metal room. He forces Grayson to phone in a confession. Clark Kent's Daily Star headline tells of Grayson's conviction and sentence to the electric-chair. Once Grayson was arrested Superman proclaimed, "the dead men are avenged ... and so my work is done!" The Superman in this story is quite violent in how he deals with the criminals here and has no wish to encounter the police. He is not yet well known by the criminal element, as they express great surprise over his invulnerability to bullets. Early in the story, the night watchman thinks he is a detective and, after firing at him, exclaims, "Die! Die!--I've shot you! Why don't you fall dead?" This story features many Super-deeds with Clark Kent appearing only in the last panel and by his byline in the Daily Star. ____________________________________________________________ THE MAILBAG ----------- KC Responses are indented and begun with **** ========================================================= From: Rich Morrissey (RMorris306@aol.com) Dear Jeff, Really liked the latest issue of KC! A lot of reviews of recent stories, but just enough of the older ones to keep the variety I like. It seems almost everyone liked SUPERMAN VS. ALIENS (I did) and hated SUPERMAN AT EARTH'S END (as I also did, changed from mediocrity to travesty by the Big Gun in Superman's hands). Has anyone noticed that Batman still seems to be the core character in the Elseworlds series, even those ostensibly starring Superman? Admittedly, this one wasn't quite as blatantly Batman-derived as SPEEDING BULLETS. (A series which messed up by avoiding the principle of an Elseworlds story...how would the same person be different in the same situation as another character? By his very nature, Superman was less obsessive than the real Bruce Wayne, so he should have become, if anything, a kinder, gentler Batman like his '60's incarnation.) But it took place in Gotham City (not, as one might think, Metropolis) and used Batman and his milieu as major elements. **** Aside from the 1994 annuals, there haven't been many Elseworlds tales which didn't involve Batman in some form. The only one I've read which comes to mind is SUPERMAN: KAL. I can only think of a handful of the Elseworlds stories that I didn't read -- THE GOLDEN AGE, KAMANDI: AT EARTH'S END. Wasn't there a GREEN LANTERN story? However, it seems to me that few characters (at least of those popular enough to support the additional project), none lend themselves to the alternate time/place idea like the Dark Knight. His being one of the few heroes without powers and his simple yet compelling origin make the translation or "What If?" process much easier. A couple of comments on the older reviews. "Why has Superman met the Joker, but Batman never met Luthor?" The two villains have joined forces several times against the heroes, originally in WORLD'S FINEST #88, and at least twice after the Crisis (in the Gibbons/Rude WORLD'S FINEST mini- series and in UNDERWORLD UNLEASHED). Indeed, Luthor was the villain in at least one Batman story without Superman: "The Hand from Nowhere," by Bill Finger and "Bob Kane" (ghosted by Shelly Moldoff) in BATMAN #130 (1960). **** My take on this question (and I'm sure Joe can correct me if I'm wrong) was that we've seen the Joker drop in on Superman without Batman showing up in the story on several occasions. Yet I can't recall a single instance where Batman had to deal with Lex Luthor -- and Superman didn't make an appearance. LOIS LANE #82's "The Tragic Fate of the Superman Sweethearts" was drawn by Irv Novick (not, as your reviewer said, Ross Andru). The writer was Leo Dorfman, who, like many in his generation, sometimes did have a tendency to make sexist slips like Superman's proposal. Though I always thought it was forgivable, perhaps even a clue to the fact that he was brainwashed at the time. ========================================================= From: KalElJr@aol.com I love the article called "JUST THE FAQs: "Who is Supergirl?"". I never realized how extensive and intricate her history was. I had thought of something, though. In part 1, you said that it was believed that Kara almost made an appearance during Zero Hour and that she did appear in CHRISTMAS WITH THE SUPER-HEROES #2. Well, either you forgot to put something in part 1, where I believe it would belong if it was mentioned, or you decided to dismiss it. Nothing has been said about the Kara and Argo City from SUPERMAN VS. ALIENS. I would think that you would have at least mentioned this. If I'm wrong or you just didn't want to use this, then forget about this e-mail. If I'm right and you did forget about it, then maybe you can put it in part 3 of the article in KC #23. Just a thought. **** I forwarded David a copy of your letter. His response: I originally planned to include Kara from SVA in Part III along with Matrix, as part III became "Post-Crisis Supergirls." However, when I saw just HOW MUCH I knew about Matrix (since I've read ALL her appearances and only SOME of Kara Zor-El and Power Girl), I decided to delay SVA for the new Part IV. Now, Part IV will include that Kara as well as the Superwoman from pre-Crisis days. In addition to David's remarks, I also want to point out that you should check this month's News and Notes, in Superscripts, for some teasers about the new Kara's future... ========================================================= Keep your letters and comments coming! We always welcome your feedback about how we can improve KC! -- Jeff Sykes ____________________________________________________________ ********************************************************* End of Section 6 ____________________________________________________________ TELEscopic VISION: ------------------ Superman on the Small Screen All three wedding/clone trilogy episodes are up this month, so I won't keep you long here. We've only had one new episode air since last month's issue, so I'll hold off on its credits until next month. The entire story arc (amnesia and all) is rumored to be resolved in March 24's "Oedipus Wrecks", so hang on FoLCs! And Teri's episode, in April, will involve Lois and Clark dressing as Barbie and GI Joe! Stew on that! More next month... Jeff Sykes ____________________________________________________________ TICK...TICK...TICK ------------------ By Zoomway (Zoomway@aol.com) Well, as of this writing, the rollercoaster ride of the Lois and Clark wedding arc continues. Since it has turned into a 'wave' that also encompasses episodes 18 and 19, the first of which will have aired by the time this article has been distributed, but not seen by me at this time, I will, as promised, talk about the reaction to the first three installments of the arc. There is no single word that would best describe fan reaction to the first three episodes of the arc, but there is one word that has no place here -- apathy. All of the responses have been passionate, in the extreme in some cases. What can you say about a trilogy that so upsets a cyberspace fan club president that she suspends the fan club pending the outcome of the entire arc? How about a number of fans threatening to quit watching if the traumatic events are not reconciled with Lois and Clark happily married? The comments have ranged from "Brilliant!" to "This sucks!" It seems the episodes have hit a nerve among fans, and for some, it's their last good nerve. When passion and frustration are mixed, the combination can become toxic, or in this case, explosive. Less than a year ago, fans were saying it was too early for Lois and Clark to get married, and then there were the doom and gloomers who predicted the show would end once they actually were married. Despite this, fans, and I would say easily the majority judging by the tons of posts I read, were bitterly disappointed with the wedding being tainted by Clark marrying a clone of Lois Lane (remember, at press time I have not seen the whole arc, and though it looks doubtful Clark married the real Lois, anything could happen). There were howls of protest everywhere that TPTB (the powers that be) had sold the fans out. They had promised the wedding of the century, and then took it all back. The PTB had to have a ratings grabber for February sweeps, and so starting with the wedding, hoping to draw in new viewers, and then making the wedding a fraud (or appearing to be one) to keep the old and new viewers hooked was the plan. As far as ratings go, the first three parts were a success. With the fans, the reaction was mixed. Some reacted purely on the basis of how the episode impacted them emotionally. That is, it did not matter how well written, directed, or otherwise executed, if their emotions were toyed with in a negative fashion, they reacted negatively. The younger fans were a bit more liberal with adjectives than the older fans, but the hurt and disappointment were fairly universal. One young fan commented that the writers had broken her heart. That of course was not their purpose, but it does not alter the fact that shattered aortas were strewn all over cyberspace. This speaks of a kind of mistrust of TPTB, and perhaps understandably so. In the first season, after strides had been made to move Lois and Clark closer and closer together, it was all erased and reset to friendship by the season finale. The disappointment was such that some fans did not come back. The friendship, though wonderful in first season, was becoming stale in second season, and with the 'been there done that' feel of everything, the fans started to depart in ever greater numbers, and the ratings were falling. With nothing to lose, the PTB decided to goose the show by starting a romance between Lois and Clark, and the number of fans, as well as the ratings, began to rise. The romance was a hit. When third season debuted, it became clear, almost instantly, that letting Lois in on Clark's secret, and having them in love was a ratings bonanza (to quote Tempus). When a wedding was announced for the February sweeps, the more TV savvy fans were already suspicious. Weddings are usually saved for the season finale and the big sweeps in May. Some already believed the wedding would be a fraud, but still managed to be disappointed when it appeared to be exactly that. It really didn't matter that the first three episodes contained some of the best acting of any season (particularly by Teri Hatcher) and some very inspired, albeit off-the-wall plots (frog-eating clones and amnesia), because the fans were upset, and that was that. What long term effect this will have, is yet to be seen. When the dust clears, and the fifth and final episode of the arc has aired, then the numbers, wounds, and reactions can all be tallied. Will it have put off some fans permanently? Will the warm and fuzzy feeling at the end of the arc make up for all the hurt and angst which preceded it? More importantly to the network's interest, will the gamble of stringing along the rabid fans with the newbies have a good payoff as far as overall and future ratings? That would be the hardest part to speculate on. The third part of the arc ended with Lois remembering who she was, but forgetting who Clark was, and there was no 'to be continued' printed across the screen. That would give the impression, at least to newbies, that the third installment was the end, and everything had been reset. That may have meant that a majority of the first-timers shrugged, felt they'd been taken for a looping buggy ride, and had been dumped right back where they had boarded. Deciding to bypass such a frustrating ride in the future, believing TPTB have no intention of letting Lois and Clark get married. The long time fans know this isn't true, well, most of them, but tricking the newbie viewer may have been a tactical error, as well as stringing the arc out so long. There is also the impact this all has on the characters. Clark has not looked his biggest, brightest or boldest in the first three parts of the arc. Though confused by the clone's behavior, it still took him, what some fans feel, way too long to realize she was an impostor, especially after the series seemed to have made a big deal about the 'bond' between the two of them. Lois, thus far, comes out of the first three parts of the arc unscathed, because she was not herself most of the time anyway. Having the characters separated so long is also a drain on the show's main draw of charm. The interaction, and chemistry between these two characters is what really drives the show, and having them torn from each other for an extended time means that peripheral elements (secondary cast members, plots, villains) have to carry the show, and that often is a weak link for the show to hold the chain together. Not to mention an unrelentingly downer storyline. The show has never really delved into something so heart-rending, and this is no doubt due to the fact that Lois and Clark have never been so romantically close to each other before. In the first season, when the stakes were not high, there was no urgency, and there were no expectations, really, that the characters would even start dating, much less fall in love. The angst level was kept fairly low until the season finale. Even here though, the finale was two episodes, and no cliffhanger. The stakes were raised in second season. Lois and Clark began dating, and then falling in love, with Clark's Superman job and secret getting in the way. To up the angst level a bit more, Dan Scardino was introduced to be competition for Clark. Fans got that creepy-crawly feeling and started getting antsy. One thing the second season had to its advantage was the ability to place a very warm and romantic episode, "Tempus Fugitive", in the middle of the Scardino storyline and kind of give fans a break from the frustration. This was not possible this year, lending to the unremitting nature of it all. I'll be back next month with my view of the complete storyline, and an assessment of damages or gains the story arc caused. Whatever the outcome, it seemed unusually gutsy (or foolish) for a show gaining in popularity to attempt. ========================================================= EPISODE REVIEWS: ---------------- Episode #3-15: "I Now Pronounce You..." --------------------------------------- by Jeff Sykes US Airdate: February 11, 1996 Guest Starring: Fred Willard, Beverly Garland, Harve Presnell, Brad Garrett, Wesley Mann, Oliver Muirhead, and Tony Curtis as "Dr. Mamba" Written by: Chris Ruppenthal Directed by: Jim Pohl Four days before their wedding, Lois has begun to panic. Her past history "assures" that something will have to go wrong! Clark rushes to reassure her, but even as he does, her fears are heightened when she receives a delivery of dead roses. Thus begins the "wedding episode". The main plot of the story involves Lois and Clark undertaking what is expected to be a minor investigation of an exotic pet store robbery. However, the incident turns out to be much more than the couple bargained for, as the stolen exotic frogs are mixed up in a plot to kidnap the President! This rare breed of frog is known for extremely fast growth and healing rates, and they have been used in the exploration of cloning techniques. As Lois and Clark eventually discover, Lex Luthor has orchestrated a plot to replace the President and the head of his Secret Service detail with clones. Controlling Dr. Mamba, the scientist whose techniques are used to produce the clones, from prison, Lex plans on obtaining a federal pardon and reuniting with Lois. However, a genetic flaw in the clones makes them ravenous for the frogs used in the cloning process, which leads to their eventual downfall and the foiling of Lex's plans. The real focus of the episode is on the impending wedding of Lois and Clark. The couple have to deal with jittery nerves, the arrival of their parents, and a slew of minor disasters. For example, Lois continues to receive tormenting gifts, such as the dead roses above, leading to much more paranoia on her part. Weather problems in Metropolis lead to the cancellation of their parents' room reservations. Lucy can't make it in to serve as Lois' Maid of Honor. The minister takes a job on a cruise ship at the last second, bailing out of their ceremony. The rehearsal dinner is cancelled, and Superman has to fly to India to combat a deadly typhoon. It's certainly a hectic four days given to us! But through everything, Lois and Clark's love for each other circumvents all of the disasters. There's a wonderful scene at the Daily Planet where Clark calls Lois "Honey" for the first time, calming her and bringing them closer together. Later, in lieu of the rehearsal dinner, Lois and Clark hold a private dinner for two, where they exchange the toasts they expected to hear from their parents. Several warm and romantic scenes such as these help to emphasize the fact that nothing will prevent their wedding. Finally, things seem to fall into order for the wedding, and with a few changes in their plans (Perry serves as minister via the First Church of Blue Suede Deliverance, Lois' cousin serves as Maid of Honor), the two are finally married! Or are they? As the ceremony ends, we discover, via the Limousine's television, that Lex Luthor was released from prison, by order of the fake president, and he remains at large. And later that night, as Lois prepares for their wedding night, we are stunned as she opens a small container and proceeds to eat its contents -- one of the exotic frogs! To be continued... I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. Aside from the "comic book" clone plot, the story was very well written, and the cast did a wonderful job of portraying the hectic emotions involved with an impending wedding. This idea of stringing along the viewers with continued plots has been met with a lot of negative reactions, but I must admit that it's been quite some time since the show has had me quite this interested in what's going to happen next. I can't wait to see the ultimate resolution! ========================================================= Episode #3-16: "Double Jeopardy" -------------------------------- by Marta Olson US Airdate: February 18, 1996 Guest Starring: Billy Dean, Troy Evans, and John Shea as "Lex Luthor" Written by: Brad Buckner and Eugenie Ross-Leming Directed by: Chris Long When I first saw the previews for the new Superman series three years ago, I almost didn't watch it. Dean Cain, who played Clark Kent, was very good looking, but with Teri Hatcher as Lois, well, I wasn't sure I wanted to see it. Keep in mind, my only reference for Ms. Hatcher at the time was her recurring role as the nasal, whiny Penny Parker on MACGYVER I tuned in to see what the show was like and have been hooked ever since. I really couldn't picture anyone else as Lois after that. There was no trace of Penny Parker, and now, after having seen the recent arc beginning with "I Now Pronounce You", I can fully appreciate her acting skill. Wow! The show opens with Lois coming into the bedroom and getting into bed with Clark. Clark says, "We have been through so much to get to this place." Little did he know, the worst was yet to come. Pleading tiredness, the clone turns her back to Clark and fakes going to sleep. When Clark tries to talk to her, she ignores him, leaving him no choice but to try to sleep. Lois is unconscious when she is brought to the hideout. The deacon from the wedding is there, and she is tied to a chair. As she watches, the deacon removes a mask, showing that he is really Lex. Lois is stunned. And so continues the emotional roller coaster we began last week. The ride continues for Lois, the Lois clone (named Clois by the LOISCLA mailing list), Clark, and even Lex. We see a side of Lois we haven't really seen before. Throughout the episode, her conversations with Lex are full of sarcastic wit. At one point Lois asks Lex, "Why do you want me? I was going to marry someone else." Lex replies, "You almost married me, so obviously you are flexible." When Lex kisses her, she spits in his face, "Don't ever do that again." Lex replies, "Have I been away so long that people tied up in chairs have room to negotiate?" Later, when he is talking to her and comments on her beauty -- "the fire in your eye, color in your cheek, the sultry curl of your lip" -- Lois replies, "It's nausea." At the same time, we see several sides of Clois. At first she is upset when, their first morning together, she is going to make coffee for Clark but can't find the coffee cups. He reminds her they changed them around two weeks ago. Later she goes shopping and buys lots of new clothes. When Clark comes home, he kisses her, picks her up and carries her into the bedroom. Trying to distract him, she says she feels it would be a perfect evening if Superman were there. Clark is surprised, but decides to play along with her. He steps back and spins into Superman, and gets a different reaction than he is planning on. "You're Superman? Want some dinner?" and she leaves the bedroom. When she is out of earshot she says, "I'm Mrs. Superman! I can have anything I want. Cool!" This leads to a funny scene later when Superman is trying to save some people in an accident in the subway, Clois runs up to him saying "Honey, honey!" He is shocked and tells her she can't call him honey in public. He leaves then to save two more people in the subway. Afterwards we see the petulant side of Clois. "You're ignoring me and I don't like it." "I'm not ignoring you, I just had some lives to save." "You never have time for me. Maybe I should just move to LA and become a Super Model." Clois later decides that in order to have Superman, she must eliminate the real Lois, so she decides to kill her, but lets her get away. She also makes a pass a Jimmy, stunning him. It's shortly after this that we meet Wanda Detroit. Wanda is the main character in a novel that Lois wrote two years before. Wanda is a lounge singer, who has a jerk after her named Clark, who had a secret. She'd be ready to pour her heart out to him and he'd take off. She found out later he was knocking off gas stations. He left her with the loot surrounded by cops. Not only is he after her, but there's a crazy woman who looks like her who is trying to kill her. Some of Wanda's dialog is great. "My life reads like a bad novel." When asked to describe Clark, she replies, "All I can see in my head are a bunch of words." My favorite scene in this episode is between Lex and Clark. Lex is waiting in Clark's apartment after Clois has thrown a temper tantrum and trashed the place. They decide to work together to find Lois before Clois. They finish each other's sentences. Clark starts, "Fearless." Then Lex, "Stupidly so." Then Clark, "I try to get her to take it easy," then Lex, "but she won't listen." Lex continues, "When she's sad, she cries." Then Clark, "You want to die." Then Lex, "Tell me about it." Another one of my favorite scenes is when Clark finds out that Lois is pretending to be Wanda and he goes to the bar to find her. When he comes in, Red and Bibbo confront him when they find out his name is Clark. Red hits him. Clark reacts slow -- "uh ... ow." They continue to punch him while he tries to convince them he just wants some information. Finally he says he gives and leaves. I have to mention the metaphor scene. Martha and Jonathan come in to Lois and Clark's apartment with the intention of straightening up the wedding presents and find Superman there. "Christmas tree lights. You're all excited, you want your house to explode with warmth and love, so you go out and buy a new box of lights and hang them on the tree. You wait for the warmth and love, and then you plug in the lights and nothing happens." Jonathan asks, "No sparks? No flickering? No electricity at all?" Clark replies, "The power is out." There is also a wonderful montage of scenes that showed Superman flying, Lois singing, both thinking, Lex sitting, Clois eating frogs while looking through the yellow pages, Superman sitting on a ledge, and ending with Wanda singing. I really can't say enough about Teri in this episode. Each character was portrayed so differently and so well that it is hard to believe they were played by the same person. If you haven't seen this episode, it's worth watching. ____________________________________________________________ ********************************************************* End of Section 7 ____________________________________________________________ EPISODE REVIEWS: (cont) ----------------------- Episode #3-17: "Seconds" ------------------------ by Shane Furlong US Airdate: February 25, 1996 Guest Starring: Kenneth Kimmins, and John Shea as "Lex Luthor" Teleplay by: John McNamara Story by: Corey Miller and Philip W. Chung Directed by: Alan J. Levi This episode was the third part of the Clone/Wedding saga. It opens with Lex and Lois/Wanda still together, while Clark is stuck with Lois/Clone. One hanging plot point from a previous episode is dealt with quickly as Clark tells his parents, "I shouldn't have just let Luthor go!" Well, yea, that's what I thought too, but at least they sort of explained Clark's inaction as sort of from shock. Superman meets Lex at the corner of Kirby and Steranko. Great little nod to the comic fans there. The speech from Luthor here is quite good as he explains that he and Superman need each other. I agree wholeheartedly. The villains on this show are sometimes very lame, and having John Shea appear several times a season helps the show tremendously. Luthor tells him he has planted bombs all over the city, and as Superman flies away he lets Superman know this is war. While the folks at STAR Labs try to figure out the clone, Lois/Wanda is starting to have dreams of her real life as Lois Lane. An informant at STAR Labs alerts Luthor that Clark has taken the Lois/Clone out of the lab, and Lex needs her to get some money that he placed in the bank in Lois' name prior to their aborted marriage two seasons ago. Lois/Wanda and Lex break into STAR Labs to steal 2 clone fetuses. Lex intends on growing them into new bodies for he and Lois to move their souls into. He has a guy that can do this. It reminded me of that movie with Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin where her soul was moved into him. We start to see that Lex in his own way does really love Lois, even if it is not all that healthy of a love. The clone withdrew the money in an attempt to draw out Lex for Clark, but then in a turn-about for her, she lets Lex know that Clark is Superman. Lex lets her know that she will not live more than two more days, and then he leaves to prepare to kill Clark. He buys a secret weapon stolen from the government in a scene meant to be funny, but it was really pretty stupid. Comedy is not the strong point of this show. Lex uses this weapon to kidnap Clark's mother and set up the final showdown, where he plans to kill Clark. Lex's plan is to have Lois/Wanda kill Clark with the stolen weapon. He hopes that by killing him, she will be able to expunge Clark's memory from her mind and give herself over to him completely. When the climatic scene happens, Lois is unable to kill him, but she does cause Lex's secret hideaway to cave in. Lex is injured by his weapon and the clone is also killed. As the ceiling crashes down around them, Clark saves Lois and his Mom, but Lois is hit on the head again. Luthor is presumably dead, but remember, no body = no death, so expect to see Lex again. (I hope) In the final scene, Lois now knows who she is, but she doesn't know anyone else. I guess the wedding will have to wait a little longer. This was a good ending to the Clone Saga, especially with the performance of John Shea and the real emotion showed by Dean Cain over the loss of Lois. Teri Hatcher also shines as she plays two characters here, and neither are her regular self. I just hope this current amnesia storyline doesn't stretch out very long. This waiting for the wedding is getting frustrating, but if the episodes can be this good maybe it will be worth the wait. ____________________________________________________________ PRE-CRISIS TRIVIA CONTEST RESULTS! ---------------------------------- Several readers responded with entries to our trivia questions about pre-Crisis Krypton. And of all the entries, only three managed to get every single question correct. These were Andrew Gould, Jeff Metzner, and Bill Hoppe (in order the entries were received)! Because I'm in a good mood, I've decided that each of these three will win a prize! As promised, one name of these three has been drawn at random to receive a set of DC VERSUS MARVEL trading cards and the limited edition, oversized Superman vs Hulk trading card. As consolation prizes, the other two "perfect score" entrants will receive a set of DC VERSUS MARVEL trading cards (but not the oversize card). And the winner, by random drawing, is Bill Hoppe! I'll be contacting each of you personally at the beginning of next week (after I return from Spring Break) about how to send you your prizes! Congratulations to our winners, and to everyone else, keep an eye out for our next contest! And now, for the answers to the questions... 1. What was the oldest city on Krypton? Erkol 2. What was the highest peak on Krypton? Mt. Mundru 3. What was the most precious metal on Krypton? Boradium 4. What was the strongest metal on Krypton? Kryptium 5. What was the most commonly spoken language on Krypton? Kryptonese 6. What metal, common on Krypton, was erupted by a volcano of the same name? Gold (Volcano) 7. What Kryptonian jungle's name had a hue to it? Scarlet Jungle 8. How many moons did Krypton originally have? Four. 9. What was the capital city of Krypton before Kryptonopolis? Kandor 10. What was the independent island of thieves on Krypton? Bokos 11. What was the main defense center on Krypton? Fort Rozz 12. What was the "ghost city" of Krypton? Jerat 13. What city was Supergirl (Kara Zor-El) born in? Argo City 14. Name two Kryptonian oceans. Morstil, Dandahu, Gorv, Red 15. Name two seas on Krypton. Sea of Banzt, Cogo Sea, Sea of Olo, Eiu Sea, Boiling Sea ____________________________________________________________ COMING ATTRACTIONS ------------------ 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. 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. I strongly recommend that each reader find his or her own copy for additional detailed information on the entire DC Universe! Note that Diamond is the exclusive distributor of DC Comics! NOTES --------------- Before we get to the new comics for May, you should know that in April, DC is reoffering the four DC/MARVEL CROSSOVER CLASSICS reprints, previously packaged in pairs and now available individually. These include SUPERMAN VS THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN and SUPERMAN AND SPIDER-MAN. See our Merchandise section for more information on these books. May is a *massive* month for the Man of Steel! First, in the Superman titles, it's the wedding you've all been asking for!!! ... No, not that one -- the other one! Lex and the Contessa wed, but not without some strong objections. Then beginning with ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #536, the super-team gets some much-deserved time off as Tom (LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES) Peyer and Mark (FLASH, IMPULSE, SUPER-SOLDIER) Waid take over for at least three weeks (and probably more -- we'll see next month). With the help of legendary guest-artists Dick Giordano and Curt Swan, they spin a tale of Brainiac's return! The "Losin' It" storyline reaches its penultimate chapter this month in SUPERBOY, and STEEL begins to face life without a secret identity. Catch a new episode of SUPERBOY: THE ANIMATED SERIES in SHOWCASE '96, and read a new "Legend of the Dead Earth" in the ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN ANNUAL #8. On top of these, Superman is a focal character in DC's new landmark Elseworlds tale, KINGDOM COME. Written by Mark Waid, with painted art and covers by Alex (MARVELS, KURT BUSIEK'S ASTRO CITY) Ross, KINGDOM COME is already being hailed as the next BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, the next WATCHMEN. This promises to be one of the best comics of the decade, folks! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LIST OF TITLES BY EXPECTED ARRIVAL DATE --------------------------------------------- Arrival Date: Comic title and information: ------------ --------------------------- March 6: DC Versus Marvel #4 (of 4) Written by Peter David Art by Dan Jurgens, Claudio Castellini, Josef Rubinstein, and Paul Neary Cover by Jurgens and Rubinstein 48 pgs, $3.95 Showcase '96 #4 Firebrand and Guardian Written by Brian Augustyn Art by Scot Eaton Cover by Lee Weeks 48 pgs, $2.95 Superman #111 Written by Dan Jurgens Art and Cover by Ron Frenz and Josef Rubinstein $1.95 March 13: Adventures of Superman #534 Written by Stuart Immonen and Karl Kesel Art and Cover by Immonen and Jose Marzan Jr $1.95 Steel #26 Written by Louise Simonson Art and Cover by Phil Gosier and Rich Faber $1.95 March 20: Action Comics #721 Written by David Michelinie Art and Cover by Kieron Dwyer and Denis Rodier $1.95 March 27: Superboy #27 Written by Karl Kesel Art by Staz Johnson and Doug Hazlewood Cover by Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel LOSIN' IT: Part 3 (of 6) $1.95 Superman: The Man of Steel #56 Written by Louise Simonson Art and Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke $1.95 April 3: Showcase '96 #5 Green Arrow and Thorn Written by Darren Vincenzo Art by Steve Erwin and Gerry Fernandez Cover by Ty Templeton 48 pgs, $2.95 Steel #27 Written by Louise Simonson Art and Cover by Phil Gosier and Rich Faber $1.95 Superman #112 Written by Dan Jurgens Art and Cover by Ron Frenz and Josef Rubinstein $1.95 April 10: Adventures of Superman #535 Written by Karl Kesel Art and Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan Jr $1.95 Supergirl Annual #1 Written by Chuck Dixon/various Art by Ron Wagner/various and Bill Reinhold/various Cover by Ron Wagner and Bill Reinhold 48 pgs, $2.95 April 17: Action Comics #722 Written by David Michelinie Pencils by Darick Robertson Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier $1.95 Superboy #28 Written by Karl Kesel Art by Staz Johnson and Doug Hazlewood Cover by Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel LOSIN' IT: Part 4 (of 6) $1.95 April 24: Superman: The Man of Steel #57 Written by Roger Stern Art and Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke $1.95 May 1: Steel #28 Written by Peter J. Tomasi Art by Andrew Robinson and Jim Royle Cover by Phil Gosier and Keith Champagne $1.95 Superman #113 Written by Dan Jurgens Art and Cover by Ron Frenz and Josef Rubinstein $1.95 May 8: Adventures of Superman Annual #8 Written by Tom Peyer Art by Derec Aucoin and Jason Martin Cover by Jerry Ordway 48 pgs, $2.95 Kingdom Come #1 (of 4) Written by Mark Waid Painted art and Cover by Alex Ross 48 pgs, Prestige Format, $4.95 Showcase '96 #6 Superboy: The Animated Series Written by Kelley Puckett Art by Mike Parobeck and Ande Parks Cover by Mike Parobeck and Howard Porter 48 pgs, $2.95 Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #5 Written by Roger Stern Art and Cover by Tom Grummett and Brett Breeding $1.95 May 15: Adventures of Superman #536 Written by Tom Peyer and Mark Waid Art by Dick Giordano, Curt Swan, and various Cover by Alan Davis and Mark Farmer $1.95 Superboy #29 Written by Karl Kesel and Steve Mattsson Art by Staz Johnson and Doug Hazlewood Cover by Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel LOSIN' IT: Part 5 (of 6) $1.95 May 22: Action Comics #723 Written by Tom Peyer and Mark Waid Art by Dick Giordano, Curt Swan, and various Cover by Dave Johnson $1.95 May 29: Superman: The Man of Steel #58 Written by Tom Peyer and Mark Waid Art by Dick Giordano, Curt Swan, and various Cover by Howard Chaykin $1.95 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SPOILERS ------------------ May 1: ----- Steel #28 With his secret identity exposed, Steel has become more of a target than ever -- with nowhere to hide. First to come gunning for him is Plasmus, who burns his way through Washington with plans to make Steel's armor his own. Superman #113 Wedding plans continue apace as Superman returns to Metropolis and finds himself caught in the middle of a conflict between Lex Luthor and the Contessa. Meanwhile, Jimmy Olsen faces an ethical choice when he comes across some hot news uncovered by Lois Lane. Plus... it's feeding time for the monsters at S.T.A.R. Labs! May 8: ----- Adventures of Superman Annual #8 The "Legends of the Dead Earth" Annuals continue: Near the beginning of Superman's career, a holographic program of his father, Jor-El, revealed to the Man of Steel his Kryptonian heritage. Half a million years in the future and half a galaxy away, the hologram of Jor-El reactivates... convincing an unlikely witness that he is the Last Son of Krypton. Kingdom Come #1 (of 4) ELSEWORLDS. First there was BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS. Then WATCHMEN. Now DC electrifies the comics community yet again with the eagerly awaited 4-issue Prestige mini-series from the creative dream-team of writer Mark (FLASH, IMPULSE, SUPER-SOLDIER) Waid and artist Alex (MARVELS) Ross. Featuring one of the most astounding visions of the DC Universe ever presented, KINGDOM COME is an ELSEWORLDS story set in an apocalyptic near future. In issue #1, the proliferation of reckless, volatile new metahumans has brought the world to the brink of chaos and destruction, forcing the previous generation of heroes to make terrifying choices. Readers hungry for a gripping story fraught with tension, intrigue, action, and staggering characterization will get their money's worth and more in a powerful story that unfolds with art so breathtakingly vivid it's almost as if it reaches out to touch you! Showcase '96 #6 In the latest episode of SUPERBOY: THE ANIMATED SERIES, the cartoon Kid of Steel visits Project Cadmus, where all hell breaks loose when he's tricked into summoning The Demon Etrigan! Backup stories feature Firestorm and The Atom. Superman: The Man of Tomorrow #5 It's the wedding of Lex Luthor and the Contessa -- and Superman objects in a *big way* as Metropolis becomes a battleground when Jimmy Olsen crashes the secret ceremony in a GBS chopper. May 15: ------ Adventures of Superman #536 A scrawny teenage boy in a psychiatric hospital just outside of Metropolis is convinced he's Superman. But his pleas for truth and justice fall on deaf ears, especially after the youth suffers a debilitating psychotic episode. But the awful truth is that the boy really is the Man of Steel -- the victim of Brainiac's latest mind-swapping scheme. Superboy #29 LOSIN' IT: Part 5 (of 6) - It may be the end of the fugitive road for Superboy and Knockout when Victor Volcanum causes an eruption of lava off the coast of Hawaii -- creating a major disaster and setting the stage for a big change in the Kid's life. May 22: ------ Action Comics #723 Victim of Brainiac's latest mind-swapping plot, Superman, trapped in the frail human body of a teenaged boy, struggles to free himself from a psychiatric institution. Meanwhile, Brainiac revels in his own new body -- that of the Man of Steel! May 29: ------ Superman: The Man of Steel Powerless and trapped in the body of a teenager, Superman escapes from the psychiatric hospital only to be pursued for a murder he didn't commit. Meanwhile, in the body of Superman, Brainiac takes to the air-waves and electronically seals Metropolis from the rest of the world. ____________________________________________________________ ********************************************************* End of Section 8/Issue #23