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                T H E    K R Y P T O N I A N    C Y B E R N E T
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                       http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/kc

                            Issue #25 -- May 1996

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CONTENTS
--------
Section 1:  Superscripts: Notes from the Editor
                Kicking Off Year Three!
            News and Notes
            Informed Choices
                Some information about the several new comic titles
                arriving in July

Section 2:  And Who Disguised As...
                Kryptonian Cybernet: Year Two
                by J.D. Rummel
            Metropolis Library
                Elliot S. Maggin's SUPERMAN: LAST SON OF KRYPTON
                by Isaiah J. Campbell
            Merchandise

Section 3:  Reviews
                The "Triangle" Titles
                    Superman #112, by Ken McKee
                    Adventures of Superman #535, by Anatole Wilson
                    Action Comics #722, by William J. Nixon
                    Superman: The Man of Steel #57, by Arthur LaMarche

Section 4:  Reviews
                Other Super-Titles
                    Superboy #28, by Arthur LaMarche
                    Steel #27, by Dick Sidbury
                    Showcase '96 #5, by Rene Gobeyn
                Specials
                    Supergirl Annual #1, by Rene' Gobeyn

Section 5:  After-Byrne
                Blackout: Part 2
                    Action Comics #671, by Mark Lamutt
                Manuscripts of Steel
                    Superman: Speeding Bullets, by Denes House
            The Phantom Zone
                Super Friends
                    Brave and the Bold #160, by Joe Crowe

Section 6:  The Phantom Zone (cont)
                Into the Archives
                    Superman #4, by Neil Ottenstein
                The Girl Friend and the Pal
                    Lois Lane #96 and #129, by Jon B. Knutson

Section 7:  TELEscopic VISION: Superman on the Small Screen
                "You Ruined My Life, Superman!"
                    by Zoomway
                Episode Reviews
                    #3-02: "Ordinary People", by Leigh Raglan

Section 8:  TELEscopic VISION (cont)
                Episode Reviews (cont)
                    #3-20: "It's A Small World After All", by Joe Jones
            The Mailbag

Section 9:  Coming Attractions



STAFF:
------
Jeffery D. Sykes, Editor-in-Chief
Arthur E. LaMarche, Executive Coordinator of Reviews
Nancy Jones, Executive Coordinator of Lois and Clark Section

Editors: Joe Crowe
         Curtis Herink
         Ken McKee
         Shane Travis
         Steven Younis



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 <address>
        end

in the body of an e-mail message to "majordomo@novia.net" (without
the quotation marks).  Replace the <address> 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).

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SUPERSCRIPTS:  Notes from the Editor
------------------------------------

KICKING OFF YEAR THREE!

As The Cybernet enters its third year of publication, I'd like to take a moment to stop and credit the many folks who have made the success of this magazine possible.  From what I've seen, many internet publications do not make it this far, especially not ones with such a narrow topic of interest.  The fact that we've made it this far suggests that we *must* be doing something right.

First and foremost, I want to remember once more the wonderful work of Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel, without whom Superman (and much of today's comic industry) would not exist.  As you're all aware, we lost Jerry Siegel this year, as he passed on to rejoin his partner in the beyond.  I'm sure they're keeping an eye on the Man of Steel from up there...

Second, more thanks than any of you can possibly imagine goes out to Art LaMarche.  Art's been in charge of the new comic reviews from the beginning.  The simple fact that this is consistently one of the largest parts of each new issue should indicate the importance of his work.

I also want to thank our regular columnists and reviewers, whom I won't attempt to identify -- I'd almost certainly leave someone out, and I don't want to offend my life blood!  Seriously, though we certainly have a comic
tilt to the magazine, the regular columnists continue to make certain that we have much more than just a collection of comic book reviews.  And with the upcoming addition of the new animated series, the non-comic aspect of the publication will continue to grow and improve.

Finally, I should thank each of you.  Publication without readership is rather self-gratuitous, and each of you help me to remember that this isn't just another internet ego trip.  Your opinions and wishes fuel my desire to continue bringing you these issues!

With the love-fest out of the way, I also thought it would be good to give you a taste of what you can expect.  First up will be some minor shake-ups in the new comic reviews.  With the debut of a few new books this summer, we'll be expanding, but we also plan to rearrange and try a few new things -- just to keep a fresh angle.  In the fall, we'll see the debut of the new Superman animated series, and we'll begin extensive coverage of this new incarnation of our favorite Kryptonian.  I've also got a few interviews in the planning stages, including some with members of the cast and crew of LOIS AND CLARK.  And beginning with this issue's METROPOLIS LIBRARY, we'll be experimenting with some new ideas and columns.

I've also got several plans for beefing up the World Wide Web presence of the Cybernet, both visually and content-wise.  I want to rearrange things for easier and more versatile navigation, and I'd like to provide more areas for reader participation.  Particularly, I want to set up a fan art area, to provide an easier method for contacting us with comments and suggestions, and -- beginning in late summer or early fall -- to introduce periodic surveys which will allow you to tell us what you do and don't like about the magazine.  Superman is much more than just a print medium, so it seems clear to me that we need to take full advantage of the capabilities of the web!

Again, thanks to everyone responsible for helping bring KC to you each month, and thanks again to all of you for giving us a reason for bringing it to you.
Enjoy this anniversary issue, and we'll see you again in June!

Jeff Sykes
Editor

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NEWS AND NOTES:
---------------

WHO'S WHERE WHEN

    Tom Grummett begins pencilling ACTION COMICS with issue #727, and
    Paul Ryan takes over MAN OF TOMORROW with issue #6.  A minor correction
    to last month's information about THE SUPERMAN ADVENTURES, the comic
    companion to the upcoming Superman animated series.  The first issue
    will be written by series co-creator Paul Dini and will ship in
    September.  Scott McCloud writes the following six issues.


MORE FROM KENNER

    Coming in August is the first wave of the Superman figures tying in
    to the animated series.  Also in August, two new playsets will begin
    being distributed.  See this month's Merchandise section for more
    information.


ELSEWHERE...

    Chris Claremont is working on a new Elseworlds series featuring
    the Man of Steel and the Amazon Princess.  WHOM GODS DESTROY, a
    four-issue prestige-format limited series, features art by Dusty
    Abell.  Superman and Wonder Woman star in a story set on an Earth
    where Nazi Germany rules half the planet and Superman is the only
    superhero the world knows.  I've heard conflicting reports on the
    scheduled release, but expect it late this year or in 1997.


SUPERMORPHOSIS?

    Could big changes be in store for the Man of Steel?  I've now seen
    rumors in several places, including the HYPE! Comics Cafe and the
    CSNsider from COMIC SHOP NEWS, indicating that Superman may be about
    to undergo some changes in his powers.  I brought up these rumors to
    Joey Cavalieri, the new editor of the Superman titles, but he neither
    confirmed nor denied them.  Comics Cafe reports that "strange changes
    in Superman's powers will begin to manifest" around the same time that
    the new Justice League series debuts.  The rumored changes include his
    becoming a more energy-based character and the possible introduction
    of a new costume.  At this point, we still have only rumor and
    speculation, but I'll keep you informed as more develops.


DARKEST NIGHT

    DC's big Fall crossover event is called DARKEST NIGHT, and is purported
    to focus on Hal Jordan, the Silver Age Green Lantern who became the
    villain Parallax a couple of years ago.  Rumors range from speculation
    that Hal will be restored to his former heroic role to the possibility
    of his death.  I've also heard another rumor that the crossover will
    involve the appearance of a suneater -- a classic Legion of Super-Heroes
    foe which devours stars.

    Speculation aside, we *do* know the following.  DARKEST NIGHT is a four-
    issue limited series released on a weekly basis beginning in September.
    It will be more like ZERO HOUR and UNDERWORLD UNLEASHED than DC's earlier
    crossovers, in that the various tie-ins will not be required to under-
    stand the event itself.  DARKEST NIGHT will be written, pencilled, and
    inked by the ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN team: Karl Kesel, Stuart Immonen, and
    Jose Marzan Jr, respectively.  Colors will be provided by WONDER WOMAN's
    Patricia Mulvihill.


SUPERMAN AND BATMAN ON CD-ROM

    Multimedia developer and publisher Inverse Ink and DC Comics announced
    today that they will bring famous comic book heroes to life in a series
    of CD-ROM comic books titles.  The first four titles will be shipped in
    midsummer 1996 with an expected retail price of $9.95 each.  The CD-ROMs
    will be hybrids, supporting both Windows and Macintosh formats on the
    same disc.

    The titles, which are based on source material from DC Comics classic
    1960s animated television shows, will feature famous DC Comics super
    heroes such as Superman, Batman, Aquaman and Superboy. Inverse Ink will
    use its graphic comic book engine to combine the original DC Comics
    video animation with comic style art, new animation, morphs and an
    original musical score. Updated for a multimedia nineties feel, these
    vintage stories will have wide appeal from kids to adult comic fans.

    Inverse Ink's President Dr. Lingtao Wang says, "We plan to use our
    technology to introduce comic books into the digital future. We are
    very excited to have Superman and Batman, the most universally
    recognized and loved comic book characters, in the launch of this new
    entertainment category."

    DC Comics' Vice President of Licensed Publishing Chantal d'Aulnis says,
    "It's a natural for Superman and Batman to thrive in the CD-ROM medium
    as they have in other innovations of the 20th century, from radio to TV
    to feature films. They themselves are showing us the way."

    Inverse Ink, a division of TAO Research Corporation, is a developer and
    publisher of multimedia comic books for Windows and Macintosh computers.
    The company brings comic books to life through a process that morphs
    comic art panels to live action video or animation. The products are
    available nationally through major distributors, retailers and mass
    merchants, as well as comic book stores.

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INFORMED CHOICES
----------------
    Reprinted from PREVIEWS, Vol. 6, #5  (May 1996)


July brings to the Superman fold two new ongoing series (SUPERGIRL and SUPERBOY
& THE RAVERS), a miniseries (JUSTICE LEAGUE: A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE) which
will lead into yet another ongoing series, and a special one-shot comic
featuring a recently prominent member of the supporting cast (ALPHA CENTURION
SPECIAL #1).  Given the current prices of comic books, these introductions make
it all the more difficult to keep up with the monthly adventures of the
Superman family.  Hopefully, the following articles, reprinted from the May
1996 issue of PREVIEWS can help you decide which, if any, of these new
offerings you will choose to try out!  I suggest you check out PREVIEWS for
further details -- there a few spotlights which are not included below, as well
as some stunning artwork!



SUPERGIRL

Writer Peter David (DC VERSUS MARVEL, AQUAMAN), penciller Gary Frank (BLACK
CANARY/ORACLE: BIRDS OF PREY), and inker Cam Smith (X-MEN, BISHOP) are reunited
for the first time since their best-selling run on THE INCREDIBLE HULK for the
all-new, all-different, all-cool adventures of SUPERGIRL!  And with a creative
team packing that kind of power, you know this new ongoing series will be
nothing short of *thermonuclear* in action, characterization, and intensity.

SUPERGIRL #1 will begin an exciting new direction for this classic DC hero,
taking her out of Metropolis and reestablishing her in a new locale with
family, friends, rivals ... and no shortage of trouble in what promises to be
one of the most exciting new series of the year.

Our tale begins mysteriously with the introduction of a college dropout named
Linda Danvers.  Linda has a void in her memory.  Her friends tell her she was
given up for dead after having disappeared, but here she is, alive and
unharmed.  Better than unharmed, in fact: She's manifesting strange new powers.
And in her seemingly normal home town of Leesburg, Linda discovers demonic
forces at work, forces that have brought her and the enigmatic Supergirl
together and, in the process, changed the destinies of both for all time.

A special prologue to the SUPERGIRL series appears in SHOWCASE '96 #8, also
offered [in July]!  This story is written by [Peter] David, with art by Terry
Dodson and Karl Story.

Tying in with the triumphant debut of SUPERGIRL, WIZARD: THE GUIDE TO COMICS is
holding a special "Win a Date with Supergirl Contest" in WIZARD #60 (August
1996 issue).  The Grand Prize winner will be drawn in an upcoming SUPERGIRL
issue, going on a date with the Girl of Steel ... with all the risks such a
date entails!

DC supports the launch of SUPERGIRL with a 4-color promotional poster, and
house and trade ads.

Artist Gary Frank and Editor Chris Duffy are tentatively scheduled to appear on
DC COMICS ONLINE [1] during the week of July 10 in support of SUPERGIRL.

SUPERGIRL is an ongoing monthly series in the Miraweb Format [2], edited by
Chris Duffy.  Issue #1 arrives in comic book stores July 10 with a cover price
of $1.95 US.



SUPERBOY & THE RAVERS

Superman may have to deal with the never-ending battle, but Superboy is about
to discover the never-ending *party* in the second ongoing series for the Kid
of Steel: SUPERBOY & THE RAVERS by SUPERBOY writers Karl Kesel and Steve
Mattsson, with art by Paul Pelletier (GREEN LANTERN) and Dan Davis (GUY
GARDNER: WARRIOR).

The bash in question is known as "The Event Horizon," a dimension-spanning,
ongoing party that appears and disappears at seemingly random points throughout
the cosmos, catering to a very exclusive clientele: young meta-beings!  But the
party itself is only a mobile meeting place from which these powerful youths
"jump into incredible adventures."  The bash has a universal rep for being the
ultimate hangout -- but that's nothing compared to the direction it takes when
Superboy joins the fun, sending the raving way out of control!

The core group of "Ravers" who share Superboy's new adventures include a number
of misfit metahumans from Earth: his occasional ally Sparx, the living
lightning bolt; Half-Life, a '50s teenager who got superpowers *after* he and
his family were killed by aliens; Hard Luck, a kid with an uncanny knack for
attracting the worst kind of trouble; and Aura, a beautiful sophisticate with a
vicious streak and awesome magnetic powers.  Last but not least is Kaliber, a
young Thunderer from the alien world of Qward whose first encounter with
Superboy almost crashes the party literally!

Writer Karl Kesel is tentatively scheduled to appear on DC COMICS ONLINE [1]
during the week of July 24 in support of SUPERBOY & THE RAVERS.

SUPERBOY & THE RAVERS is a monthly ongoing series in the Miraweb Format [2],
edited by Frank Pittarese.  Issue #1 arrives in comic book stores July 24 with
a cover price of $1.95 US.



JUSTICE LEAGUE: A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE

Something isn't right.  They aren't sure what, or how, but ordinary humans
Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Diana Prince, Wally West, Kyle Rayner, and many others
know that something strange has happened.  Each half-remembers another life --
one in which he or she wore a flamboyant costume and championed causes with
powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men.  Even stranger, people by
the hundreds are "going meta" throughout the world in an insidious plan to
cultivate Earth's population into a species of super-soldiers -- weapons ready
for use in a world without heroes!

JUSTICE LEAGUE: A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE is a 3-issue miniseries written by Mark
Waid (KINGDOM COME, FLASH) and first-time DC writer Fabian Nicieza (X-MEN, NEW
WARRIORS), with art by pencillers Jeff Johnson (SOVEREIGN SEVEN ANNUAL #1) and
Darick Robertson (JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA), and inkers Jon Holdredge (X-MEN) and
Hanibal Rodriguez (FLASH), delving into the relationships among Earth's
Greatest Heroes.  It's where friendships are formed and rivalries established
in a story that sets the stage for the upcoming new ongoing series, JLA!  This
miniseries features a triptych cover by Kevin Maguire and John Dell.  JUSTICE
LEAGUE: A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE is a 3-issue Miraweb Format [2] series edited
by Ruben Diaz.  Each issue is 48 pages.  Issue #1 arrives in comic-book stores
July 3 with a cover price of $2.95 US.



ALPHA CENTURION SPECIAL #1

Two thousand years ago, aliens with mysterious motives selected Marcus Aelius
of Ancient Rome to train and endow with awesome power.  He was returned in the
20th century, though scarcely a decade had elapsed for him, a shining knight
who gleamed like the sun, claiming the mantle of Earth's Protector.

>From the pages of the Superman books, Alpha Centurion stars in his first solo
story, ALPHA CENTURION SPECIAL #1.  The aliens who trained Marcus Aelius are
back, this time to warn him that a member of their kind has insinuated himself
at the highest levels of human society, posing a dire threat to the future of
the world.  Alpha Centurion is charged to eliminate the rogue alien, or
relinquish his role as Protector of Earth.  But all may not be as it seems.

Written by Barbara Kesel (SUPERBOY ANNUAL) and Stuart Immonen (ADVENTURES OF
SUPERMAN), ALPHA CENTURION SPECIAL #1 features art by Dean Zachary and Wade von
Grawbadger (STARMAN), with a cover by Immonen and von Grawbadger.

ALPHA CENTURION SPECIAL #1 is a 48-page Standard Format [2] one-shot, edited by
Mike McAvennie.  It arrives in comic book stores July 31 with a cover price of
$2.95 US.



Notes:
[1] DC COMICS ONLINE is a service available to America Online customers.  At
    this point, the only official DC material available to the general net
    public is at their fledgling web site:  http://www.dccomics.com/

[2] The Miraweb Format is the same glossy-paper format that the Superman
    titles, SUPERBOY, and STEEL are printed in.  The Standard Format is the
    the basic newsprint-similar format used on numerous titles such as FLASH,
    GREEN LANTERN, POWER OF SHAZAM, and SHOWCASE '96.

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*******************************************************************************
And Who Disguised As...
---------------------------------------------------
A Column of Opinion by J.D. Rummel (jrummel@vulture.creighton.edu)


Kryptonian Cybernet: Year Two.

A while back Jerry Siegel died, and I didn't write anything on the subject.  It
wasn't that I didn't care, rather just bad timing and compromising circumstance
converging as they so often do.  Well, the world kept spinning despite my
reticence.  Certainly, no one wrote to complain or ask where my opinions were
that month.  Fact is, many people wrote some fine things about the man and the
artist, and mine would have been just one more entry in a collection of folks
paying homage to a man who didn't get enough in his lifetime (when honors
*really* need to be paid).

I never knew Jerry Siegel.  Never met him, and wouldn't have known him if we
had shared the same bench in the park.  No, I only knew about him, about his
work and the fact that he and his partner, Joe, changed the world.  Especially
mine.  I've written before in this space how Superman made my young life a
little easier, how his existence shaped mine for all time, but as I am so often
wont to do, I neglected to give thanks where thanks were due.  I often think of
Superman as a real guy, because to me, what he is, what he stands for, is real.
 The fact of the matter is, is that Superman is among the greatest of all
literary creations.  I justify that statement by reminding others that today,
Superman has taken on a life of his own, a life outside the one envisioned by
those who created him, and those who own him.  He lives in some form in the
heart of every superhero comic reader, even if that reader has never picked up
a Superman title.  That's power.

And remember, it was two geeks in Ohio who started it all.

Jerry and Joe, I want to publicly, albeit way too late, thank you both for the
joy your creation brought to me.  More than joy, he has influenced my life in
countless ways.  Without him, I would be a very different man.

For one thing, I wouldn't be working on the KC.  While I am doing public
acknowledgment, you know, this issue also marks the second full year the
Cybernet has been in existence.  Again, my hat is off, this time to Mr. Jeff
and all the folks who work very hard to bring this e-zine out.  What I do is
pretty simple -- just write whatever pops out of my fingertips -- but Jeff and
his people do a lot more.  They communicate and coordinate.  They do
consistently good work all because they love the offspring of Jerry Siegel and
Joe Shuster.

What does 96-97 hold for KC readers?  Beats me, except for the piece that I
compose.  I will be looking at Elliot Maggin's and William Kotzwinkle's
Superman novels that accompanied movies I-III.  I will be looking at the
current art-by-committee approach to Superman in the comics.  I will really and
truly get to the solicited opinions about directions for the new movie to take
(yes, before the movie comes out) that were mailed to me.  I will be looking
over Superman in super-size format, including the two Spider-Man/Superman
team-ups that came out years ago, presaging the current MARVEL VERSUS DC (the
conclusion of which did have some fine moments as I sped through it at the
comic shop this afternoon).  I will be looking at the new cartoon from Warner
Brothers, and I will take to heart the "column of opinion" part in the header.
Plus, I get lots of ideas from you folks when you drop me electronic messages
saying what you think about the Metropolis Marvel.  So, as my composition
teachers used to say: "keep reading and writing, kids!"

Away.

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                             THE METROPOLIS LIBRARY
                        --------------------------------
                by Isaiah J. Campbell  <icampbel@mail.orion.org>


SUPERMAN LAST SON OF KRYPTON
by Elliot S. Maggin

When I was told that this first report would be in our two-year anniversary
issue, I immediately decided to choose a book that had excellent potential,
good story, and thrilling plot.  I chose this book because the title has the
word "Krypton" in it.

Even before I started reading this book I noticed two bad points.  First, the
cover has a picture of Christopher Reeve as Superman.  This led me to believe
that the book would be about the movie, Superman.  Secondly, when I opened up
the book and read its flaps, I was more disdained because, well let me quote,
"It's a bird, a plane, a smash new movie -- and now, an exciting original
novel.  SUPERMAN LAST SON OF KRYPTON.  With 16 pages of photos from the current
film."  What was a guy like me supposed to think?  I had just about decided to
put it up when I read, quite a few lines down, that this book actually had
*nothing* to do with the movie.

The book begins with a delightful bit of history of Krypton, and then goes into
some of Jor-El's past.  Of course, you can't have a book about Superman that
starts on Krypton without the "Throw baby off of the planet" stuff, so we get
to see that too.  Although I had seen and heard many of these facts, the
author's representation of them were indeed slightly original, reading almost
like a history book.

After those proceedings, we visit an elderly male genius that likes to fiddle,
smoke, and work out math problems.  He speaks with a German accent and is
afraid that his wild hair will give him away.  I wonder who it could be?  (The
identity of this man is supposed to be a surprise that is told in the very last
chapter.  Unfortunately, the author gave away too many hints.)  This man is
visited by a navigational pod from Jor-El which instructs him to go to
Smallville and pick up an alien baby.  He, however, does not feel he would make
a very good parent, so he instead picks a couple from Smallville to adopt this
child.  That's right, Jonathan and Martha Kent.

We now jump up a few years to find Clark Kent the producer and anchor man of
the Galaxy Broadcasting Company's nightly news.  We see many aspects of his
strange life before we actually get to the main plot.  Lex Luthor has stolen
some of Albert Einstein's papers from Princeton!  While this is going on, Lex's
thugs are keeping Superman busy on the other side of town.  We then get to see
Superman trying to figure out how Lex did it.  He fails.

We are treated to more side line action, such as Smallville history and some
goings-on out in space, and then another tragedy happens.  The papers are
stolen from Lex!  Lex calls Clark telling him to get hold of Superman.  While
they are talking, Clark traces the call with his X-ray vision, makes a *really*
dumb excuse, and then shows up as Superman to capture Lex!

Now we are treated to some more off-track stuff, a Guardians of the Universe
meeting (one of the Guardians makes a funny), and a whole lot of Superman
action.  Clark is contacted by one of the Guardians and is told that the papers
were stolen by an alien and taken to another planet.  More Superman action, and
then Superman gets Lex out of Jail so that Lex can help him get the Einstein
papers.

Superman and Lex go to this alien planet.  Superman does some shopping for
friends. :-)  Lex gets captured by the aliens and put on trial, wearing only a
smile.  He tells them the bare facts (sorry about the pun) and is hired to work
for the head honcho of the planet.  (Yes he gets his clothes back.  I really
don't understand why he was stripped before the trial, who knows?)  He then
helps his boss capture Superman.

While Lex is doing some paper work, he discovers that the big boss of the
planet is planning on an act that is *really* mean and nasty.  (I don't know
why Lex cares.  If he had the chance, he'd probably do the same thing!)  To
stop this guy, Lex goes and saves Superman's life.

Lex and Superman team up to cause mass destruction on the planet.  (I can just
hear it now, "AUUUGH!  EARTHQUAKE!  OH NO!  TIDAL WAVE!  NO!  NOT THAT!  IT'S
COMING!  AUUUGH!  IT'S FOAM!")  But the big boss, called the Master, escapes to
Earth.

Will Superman and Lex uncover the stolen papers?  Will the Master destroy the
Universe?  And, most importantly, will Clark prove to his fellow worker that
the drink Clark's mom used to make is much better than a Bloody Mary?  Well, as
I say all the time in my book reports, you'll have to get the book and read it
to find out, won't you?

This book had many high points, including the reminiscing of Lex, Clark's very
cool personality, some excellent comedy (most provided by Lex), some excellent
pre-crisis history, and great examples of the Kents raising their son right.

When a book has high points, it has to have low points.  Some in this book
included Lex Luthor in skin-tight pajamas (I'm trying *very* hard not to
visualize),  Jimmy Olsen portrayed as a dunce, Luthor in his birthday suit
(Once again, I'm trying *very, very* hard not to visualize), and a conclusion
that didn't tie up *all* of the loose ends.

Overall Rating: 4.2/5.0 Shields

Overall Evaluation: If you are interested in the pre-crisis Superman, then I
would suggest that you definitely read this book.  If you aren't interested in
the pre-crisis Superman, then I suggest that you definitely read this book.
It's a great read with excellent humor and many points to ponder.  And don't
forget, if it's not at a bookstore, you can always rely on the Metropolis
Library, or your local library, whichever is closer.

_______________________________________________________________________________


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!

_______________________________________________________________________________

OFFERED AGAIN:
-------------
LOIS & CLARK: THE NEW ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN -- HEAT WAVE
    Harper Collins
    by M.J. Friedman
    Based on the hit ABC-TV series, this novel finds Lois and Clark involved
    with another hot news story and their ongoing, on-again off-again romance!
    Includes an eight-page photo insert.  Photo cover.
    PB, 128 pgs, $4.99

SUPERHERO COLLECTIBLES: AN ILLUSTRATED PRICE GUIDE
    Toy Scouts
    by Bill Bruegman
    Nearly 1000 vintage collectible superhero items from 1940-1970 are
    pictured, described (date, manufacturer, size, markings, etc.), and priced
    in this all-superhero price guide.  Chapters include: Superman, Batman,
    other DC Superheroes, Marvel Sueprheroes, Green Hornet, Captain Action,
    Captain Marvel, Phantom, miscellaneous Golden and Silver Age heroes,
    cartoon superheroes, comic strip superheroes, fandom related items, and
    more!
    SC, 8x11, 200 pgs, FC

SUPERBOY VTOL CYCLE
    Kenner/Hasbro
    This cycle transforms from flashy, powerful street bike to a jet-powered
    VTOL (Vertical Takeoff And Landing)!  The rear cycle wheels rotate out to
    become "jet thrusters."  Cycle features shooting "claw snare" missile
    launcher with tethered capture claw missile to capture and transport
    villains.  Seats one figure; seat harness features oxygen mask for
    extended "space travel."  Action figure not included.  NOTE: Not
    available outside of North America.
    CAUTION: Information is subject to change, should not ship later than
    90 days after scheduled date.
    PI
    
DC COMICS COLLECTIBLE EMBOSSED METAL SIGNS
    Tin Signs International
    If you've collected comics at anytime in your life, you are likely to
    know which comics are cool and which are not.  The folks at Tin Signs
    International know what's cool; in fact, they've taken the most
    significant comic book covers they could find and reproduced them on
    these incredible tin signs!  Each sign is an exact replica of the
    original, classic comic book covers.  Each measures 8" x 11" and features
    decorative, gold-beveled edges and a built-in easel/wall-mount hanger.
    ACTION COMICS #1, ACTION COMICS #41, SUPERMAN #1, SUPERMAN #24
    $14.95 each


JULY:
----
KINGDOM COME RETAIL POSTER
    Painted Art by Alex Ross
    The incredible art of Alex Ross bursts from the second KINGDOM COME retail
    poster, featuring a composite image of the first three covers from the
    explosive Elseworlds miniseries.
    Scheduled to arrive on July 10
    22" x 34", $5.95

SUPERMAN VS. MONGUL USA BOXING T-SHIRT
    No company indicated
    Celebrate the upcoming Olympic games in the mighty DC fashion!  This cool
    black shirt features Superman squaring off against the wicked Mongul and
    the phrase, "Pummeling the Competition."
    CAUTION: Information is subject to change, may ship late.
    L-XL, $14.50

DC HEROES PUSHING THE LIMIT T-SHIRT
    No company indicated
    An appropriately heroic tribute to the upcoming Games!  This shirt features
    Superman, Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash, and Green Lantern.
    How's that for an Olympic lineup!
    CAUTION: Information is subject to change, may ship late.
    L-XL, $14.50

DC HEROES/USA TRIATHLON FEDERATION T-SHIRT
    No company indicated
    This great black T-shirt features all of the heroes mentioned above, set
    against a backdrop of the Triathlon Federation Logo and flags from around
    the world.
    CAUTION: Information is subject to change, may ship late.
    L-XL, $14.50

SUPERMAN/USA BASEBALL T-SHIRT
    No company indicated
    The Man of Steel hits a homer on this white T-shirt, set against an image
    of the U.S. flag and the USA Baseball logo.
    CAUTION: Information is subject to change, may ship late.
    L-XL, $14.50


AUGUST:
------
SUPERMAN ANIMATION FIGURES
    Kenner/Hasbro
    Create incredible adventures and battles with Superman and villain figures
    based on the animated television series.  Each figure comes with fantastic
    action accessories.  There are six new figures scheduled for the animated
    series, including Quick Change Superman, Star Defender Superman, Brainiac,
    Capture Net Superman, Lex Luthor, and Deep Dive Superman.  NOTE: Not
    available outside of North America.  Due to high demand and lead-time for
    production, collector's should expect to see these items in "waves,"
    meaning your store may not receive this product all at once, but over a
    period of a few months.
    CAUTION: Information is subject to change, may ship late.
    PI

SUPERMAN ACTION PLAYSET
    Kenner/Hasbro
    From the Cloning Lab to the Metropolis Bank, Superman strikes out on
    high-flying adventure with these cool playsets.  The Cloning Lab features
    a capture-claw arm, a pump-action bellows for making bubbles with water
    (not included), and an opening hatch with two weapons.  The Metropolis
    Bank features smash-open doors, bendable lamppost and vault doors, and
    pretend money bags and gold.  NOTE: Not available outside of North
    America.
    CAUTION: Information is subject to change, should not ship later than
    90 days after scheduled date.
    PI
    

_______________________________________________________________________________
*******************************************************************************

REVIEWS
-------

Ratings Panelists:

  AL: Arthur LaMarche         JS: Jeff Sykes          SF: Shane Furlong
  AW: Anatole Wilson          KM: Ken McKee           VV: Vic Vitek
  DS: Dick Sidbury            MC: Matt Combes         WN: William J Nixon
                              RG: Rene' Gobeyn


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 Editor:  Mike McAvennie
    Editor:            KC Carlson


20. SUPERMAN #112, "Superman's Ex-Girl Friend Lois Lane"
    Writer:  Dan Jurgens
    Art:     Ron Frenz and Joe Rubinstein
    Letters: John Costanza
    Cover:   Dan Jurgens, Brett Breeding, and Patrick Martin
    June 1996
    $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 3.4/5.0 Shields

KM: 4.0 Shields
MC: 3.7 Shields - Well, in light of the fact that this ish featured my fourth
        letter printed in the Superman comics and my third Baldy-winner
        (two more to break the record!), this issue was pretty average.  The
        recap at Mt. Fuji and the cover was a nice little trip down memory
        lane, but the story wasn't overly exciting.  Frenz had very nice art
        as always.
DS: 2.5 Shields - The main plot here felt like an artificial barrier to Lois
        and Clark's ability to communicate.
JS: 3.5 Shields - Good artwork, especially nice splash page on (once again)
        page 18.  The writing was fairly good as well, down to the fairly
        reckless attitude Supes displayed in capturing Killgrave.  What I
        really hated was how suddenly this Mars mission was sprung upon us.
        Such an event would have been news for years before the actual
        landing...
VV: 2.5 Shields - Another villain of the week, and a plot from nowhere.  A
        bit of heart to heart talk salvages the issue a bit for me, however.
        But get real - "If Morgan Edge is free Metropolis may never be safe
        again!"  Yeah, right.  Like Luthor and Brainiac are part of the
        neighborhood watch program.


Superman and Lois decide to go somewhere private where they can talk and sort
out their relationship.  However, they are detained by a slight altercation at
Stryker's Island, where a group of inmates are trying to escape from the prison
island.  A huge two-legged war machine is causing massive chaos and confusion,
and Superman has his hands full trying to stop the thing and trying to keep
Lois from getting killed.

It turns out that Professor Thaddeus Killgrave has invented the robot and
programmed it through the prison's computers to invade the island.  He hopes
the distraction will be long enough for him to make good his escape.  Donning a
specially treated, flame-resistant suit and solar flight-pack, Killgrave takes
to the skies.

Now Superman has several problems on his hands -- the robot is launching
missiles, the inmates are all escaping in different directions, and Killgrave
is soaring off into the ozone.

Realizing the robot is loaded with nerve gas, he hurls it into space, knocking
Killgrave off balance.  Superman manages to catch Killgrave before he ends up
in a watery grave, and the robot explodes harmlessly above the atmosphere.

As Superman and Lois try to make good their own escape...

A representative of NASA stops Superman and gives him a communicator.  It will
alert him to any danger that a group of astronauts may encounter on their way
to Mars.

To make things worse, Morgan Edge is the only escapee to get off the island,
and he is headed towards Metropolis.  (Frankly I'm glad; Luthor has been a real
bore lately).

Finally, Lois and Superman get away to the place that holds special memories to
them -- Mt. Fuji, the *top* of Mt. Fuji.  I can't understand how freezing your
buns off in below 0 degree temperature can be very memorable.

Superman tells Lois that he would be willing to live a normal life if she will
become his wife.  She, on the other hand, will not be responsible for retiring
Superman.  Suddenly, the communicator breaks in, and Superman is summoned to
help the Mars astronauts out of an emergency.  Lois painfully reminds Superman,
"I know you want to be just plain Clark Kent from Smallville, Kansas.  I know
you want to be normal...but you can't.  You're Superman by choice and by
birth!"  That pretty well sums it up, don't you think?

Superman drops Lois off at a nearby village, where she finds a pilot to fly her
back home.  He then fixes a broken thermal cable on the astronaut's capsule and
they make a successful Mars landing.  Fixing a broken engine and stopping a
rampaging robot are things Superman can handle.  Finding a way to heal his
fractured relationship with Lois will not be as easy.

Okay, Superman, here is what you should do.  Take a long trip as Clark Kent
(surely you have some vacation time coming; or just take an extended leave of
absence) and get away from Lois.  Hang around Metropolis as Superman and do
your life-saving thing.  But just stay away from Lois for awhile.  Make *her*
come back to you.  You are driving yourself crazy trying to figure out how to
win her back.  She will come back, you know.

As usual the artwork on this comic was spectacular.  The story opened with lots
of excitement and ended with a problem that Superman just cannot fix.  So how
long will this breakup between Superman and Lois last?  Probably until Lois and
Clark decide to *really* get married on the television show.  I think
Shakespeare would be particularly interested in the Superman mythos.  He is
everyone's hero, and he can have anything he wants, *anyone* he wants.  Anyone,
that is, except Lois.  He is truly a tragic hero, trapped in his own fate.

By the way, I really enjoyed MAN OF STEEL #56.  The artwork of Mxyzptlk was
perfect.  He has a great heart and you have to give him credit for that.  Let's
hope he doesn't stay away too long.

Ken McKee (stdkrm01@shsu.edu)

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

21. ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #535, "Love and War"
    Writer:    Karl Kesel
    Penciller: Stuart Immonen
    Inker:     Jose Marzan Jr
    Letterer:  Albert De Guzman
    Cover:     Stuart Immonen, Jose Marzan Jr, and Patrick Martin
    June 1996
    $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 3.8/5.0 Shields

AW: 4.5 Shields - Tightly-scripted story that made what was in reality very
        little action seem like a lot of story.
MC: 4.0 Shields - ADVENTURES is usually my second fave super-title (only to
        SUPERMAN), but this month it surpassed my usual fave and gained
        popularity with me.  I'm not an Immonen fan, but I do admit he did a
        great job with this ish.  I've always been interested in Lex and
        Contessa's relationship... this looks like a great event for future
        stories.  It'll be interesting to watch.
SF: 3.5 Shields - Lex is back as his old self and I love it.
JS: 4.2 Shields - Busy, busy issue!  We finally get Clark talking to his
        parents, and the Lex/Contessa relationship is getting quite
        complicated -- but *very* interesting!  The art was very good,
        a bit better than the minor funk it's been in of late.
VV: 3.5 Shields - Lots of good subplotting here, and the way the pages are
        laid out make for a really good contrast and comparison of what is
        happening.  So Luthor and the Contessa are engaged -- sort of like a
        rattlesnake engaged to a mongoose.  Lori's heart-to-heart with Lois
        rings true, as does Clark's talk with his parents.  Maybe at last
        some stuff is picking up steam.


Rarely has a comic had a more appropriate title.  Like love and war in the
"real" world, there are lots of twists and turns, new alliances and old
breakups, endings and beginnings.  Kesel, Immonen, and Marzan tell four stories
in this issue, with some tricky and very successful intertwining of plot and
dialogue.

As the issue begins, Lex Luthor and Contessa Erica Alexandra del Portenza seem
like they're happily headed for marital bliss. After all, they share many
interests; greed, power, money, and a desire to destroy Superman.  The perfect
recipe for a happy couple?  Well, maybe not...

Meanwhile, it's very apparent that Dana, Jimmy Olsen's date to the Mars Mission
Testimonial, is only using him to get to see Superman.  Unfortunately for
Jimmy, Superman doesn't show up; Alpha-Centurion fills in instead.  To make
matters worse for Jimmy, Lucy Lane is there on the arms of another reporter...

Meanwhile, Luthor's got more surprises in store.  He takes over the armor of
the Team Luthor centurions accompanying Alpha Centurion and has them run amok
at the dinner, battling AC and threatening the live of the dinner guests...

Meanwhile, Superman skips the Testimonial to visit his parents and work out
some of his feelings after his breakup with Lois...

Meanwhile, Lois and Lori are on better terms now, and they discuss whether or
not Lois and Clark can ever be friends again.  Whew!

Once the different plot lines are set up, Kesel skillfully interweaves the
action and dialogue -- A character in one scene finishes the sentence of a
person in another scene -- so we can see how all these stories are related,
literally and metaphorically.

As the issue ends, AC defeats the centurions, but loses his reputation in
Metropolis.  Dana dumps Jimmy.  The Contessa takes AC's turn of fortune
surprisingly calmly and does not seem to suspect that Luthor had a hand in the
mess.  And Lois and Superman are as far apart as ever.  Oh, and lookout,
Superman, there's a twister in Smallville...

While I still don't understand what Luthor hoped to gain by trashing AC's
reputation and wrecking the Contessa's carefully laid plans, it certainly makes
their relationship more interesting.  Perhaps it's his way of saying that there
can only be one "Number One" in Metropolis, and that it's going to be him, even
if that means walking over the Contessa to get there.  I'm not expecting her to
take this lying down, however, and though their wedding plans seem bright and
cheery now, things are going to get messy in the future.

As for Lois and Superman, well, a breakup in a relationship this intense is
going to take a long time to work out.  On one hand, I'm glad that the Superman
teams are taking the time to work out our characters' problems gradually and
realistically.  On the other hand, I'm also shelling out two bucks for each
comic, and I would kind of like to see them move on a little faster.  The title
of this comic wasn't "True Romance" the last time I looked.

It's a difficult balance to maintain, I must admit, and I'm not sure how I'd
pull it off, either.  While little actually happened in this issue, it sure
seemed like a lot of story.

In all, this was one of the best-scripted stories I've read in a while, and
Immonen and Marzan's artwork enhanced the story all the more.

Anatole Wilson (awilson@vnet.ibm.com)

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

22. ACTION COMICS #722, "Courageous Intent"
    Writer:          David Michelinie
    Guest Penciller: Darick Robertson
    Inker:           Denis Rodier
    Letterer:        Bill Oakley
    Cover:           Tom Grummett, Denis Rodier, and Patrick Martin
    June 1996
    $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 2.9/5.0 Shields

WN: 3.0 Shields - Tornadoes in Smallville, in a job up to Superman
MC: 1.5 Shields - Boring. I'm now convinced that it is Rodier's doing that
        makes the art on Action look the same. Guice, Dwyer, and now
        Robertson all look the same to me. I think the rest of you who
        disagree will become aware of this when Grummett hops on and
        suspiciously begins to look (if only a little bit -- Tom has a very
        individualistic style that might stand out) like his predecessors.
SF: 3.5 Shields - Nice story and art. This title is improving.
DS: 3.0 Shields - The breakup continues.  The main plot of this month's
        issues seems to be character oriented and has mostly been OK.
        Only a few places did the "action" plot seem to be stuck in to
        accentuate the *real* story.
AW: 3.0 Shields - Mostly an issue to progress other plots, but Superman's
        battles with the twisters were convincing and imaginative.


Superman is caught in the grip of a powerful tornado in the eye-catching
Grummett, Rodier, and Martin cover.

Home to talk to Ma and Pa Kent about his breakup with Lois, Superman discovers
that he's needed by Smallville.  A tornado is hurtling towards the town and
threatens to level it.

In Metropolis, Alpha Centurion has decided to leave the city in the wake of the
rampage by his Centurions.  He kisses Lois good-bye and she watches another man
in her life fly off.  His departure has piqued Lois' curiosity about Lexcorp
and she smells a story.

In Smallville, the twister has split in two.  After his recent experiences
Superman decides to stop both (and succeeds).

At Lexcorp Tower, the Contessa proves she is a match for Luthor.  The
Metropolis Special Crimes Unit received a tip about a secret room and arrives
to shut it down.  Lois uses her street smarts to infiltrate Lexcorp and
discovers hints of a secret wedding.

The weather continues to worsen in Smallville.  A series of lighting strikes
has started fires.  Superman sees the need to halt the lightning at its source
and uses chaff to neutralize the electrical field which is generating it.  His
plan works, but this issue ends with a series of tornadoes moving in on
Smallville.  Nice cliffhanger.

There was a feeling of normality about this issue (albeit with raging twisters
engulfing Smallville) compared to last month.  Lois and Clark's new
relationship has emerged into the new status quo and it's interesting to watch
the way each is moving on with their life.

The contrast of Pete and Lana's relationship with the fundamental differences
Clark and Lois had to reconcile was sharply realized.  Lana can be assured that
she doesn't need to share Pete with the world.

I liked the guest pencils by Darick Robertson, in particular his renderings of
Lois and Lex.

William J Nixon  (W.J.Nixon@lib.gla.ac.uk)

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

23. SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #57, "Blown Away!"
    Guest Writer:    Roger Stern
    Guest Penciller: Roger Robinson
    Inker:           Dennis Janke
    Letterers:       Ken Lopez and Albert De Guzman
    Cover:           Jon Bogdanove, Dennis Janke, and Patrick Martin
    Special thanks to Mark Wysocki -- Meteorologist
    June 1996
    $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 3.3/5.0 Shields

AL: 3.5 Shields
MC: 3.5 Shields - Nice to see a break from Bog's art for once. This puts me
        in high anticipation for the upcoming guest writer/artist work next
        month (Curt Swan! Mark Waid! Yay!).  I'm expecting Brainiac to be
        behind the freak weather (shyeah, like all that stuff happened by
        *accident*).
SF: 2.0 Shields - Fill-in art was bad, and why wasn't Jay on the cover?
JS: 3.7 Shields - Pretty good art by Robinson, though Janke's inks are still
        a bit heavy, but he drew the Garricks way too young...  Stern once
        again delivers a lot of subtle (and some glaring) parallels and
        lessons, and he introduces a new direction (?) for Lori in the
        titles!  And have I mentioned how interesting the Lex/Contessa
        relationship has become?
AW: 4.0 Shields - Great to see Jay Garrick in action, and the art was pretty
        good.


The twisters continue in this week's SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL.  There are
*many* of them and Superman is hard pressed to stop them all.  Luckily for the
Man of Steel, Jay Garrick has seen the news reports and speeds to Smallville to
help.  Superman rescues two children from one of the tornadoes, but is alarmed
when he sees an adult caught within another.  But the person is really the
Golden Age Flash!  Together they are able to contain the rest of the tornadoes.

The Flash leaves as quickly as he arrived.  He does not want to keep his wife
waiting any longer for their dinner date, and he tells Superman so.  This
causes Kal-El to think deeply.  He struggles with the thoughts that many people
my age are wrestling with.  How does one balance career and family?  Clark Kent
then returns to his parents' house and, hopefully, receives some much needed
support.

Back in Metropolis, other plots are progressed.  Lois gets the OK from Perry to
pursue the wedding story after he hangs up from a mysterious phone call.  After
meeting with Perry, Lois sees the news update on the tornadoes and thinks of
her fantasy of loving Superman and Clark Kent.

Also in Metropolis, Lex Luthor walks in on Contessa, who is posing nude for an
artist.  Lex is alarmed but takes no action.  Someone else besides Contessa
knows the location of Lex -- how long do you think the artist will last?  Only
as long as Lex wants him to live is my guess.  But Contessa will do her best to
protect him and manipulate him.  He could be very helpful with her further
dealings with Lex Luthor.

Also in Metropolis, Lori goes to a dealer of antiquities and asks him to set up
a sale of a very old statue she took from a shipwreck.  Why?  I do not know?
Maybe she feels she is overstaying her welcome and needs her own place.  I
guess she will be in Metropolis for a long while.  What else would a mermaid
need American currency for?

Lots of set up for further plot lines.  I hope Superman thinks deeply about the
question of balance.  I am faced with a very similar problem today.  I always
find parallels between my life and the Superman comics.  I also thought the
different relationships between couples were interesting, from the distrust of
Lex and Contessa to the stability of the Kents.  In between, we have Kal-El and
Lois and the relationship of Lana and Pete.

Arthur LaMarche (DrArt95@aol.com)

_______________________________________________________________________________
*******************************************************************************

OTHER SUPER-TITLES:
------------------

SUPERBOY #28, "Tough Love"  (Losin' It: Part 4)
    Writers:          Karl Kesel and Steve Mattsson
    Pencillers:       Chris Gardner and Jason Armstrong
    Inker:            Phyllis Novin
    Colorist:         Tom McCraw
    Lettering:        Richard Starkings and Comicraft
    Assistant Editor: Chris Duffy
    Editor:           Frank Pittarese
    Cover:            Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel
    June 1996
    $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 2.9/5.0 Shields

AL: 2.5 Shields
MC: 2.9 Shields - This is the first ish of Superboy I've picked up in quite
        awhile.  I've flipped through a few at the store to keep up a little
        with the current "Losin' It!" storyline, and this was a pretty good
        continuation. Liked the appearance of Supergirl. Bad art, though. I
        sincerely hope this isn't who they're getting to replace Grummett.
JS: 3.2 Shields - The cover was nice.  The interior art, however, needs help.
        The writing in this issue was much better than the past few.  Aside
        from Supergirl's overuse of the term "S-shield", she was written very
        well, Knockout suddenly starts to look like a *really* sick girl, and
        the supporting characters continue to develop (with a major new
        development for Dubbilex).
VV: 3.5 Shields - Did you ever go out with someone that everyone else said
        was wrong for you?  And did they make you change your mind?  *Of
        course not.*  That's where Superboy is now with Knockout.  When is
        Knockout going to get back to Darkseid and ask for forgiveness in
        person, and will S-Boy go with her?  The higher rating this month is
        for Supergirl's appearance and good mom-to-son talk with the kid.
AW: 2.5 Shields - Didn't quite understand SG's purpose there.  Since when
        is she guardian of the "S"?  Also, the art was erratic -- it looked
        great in some panels, rougher in others.


Superman is not the only one having with trouble with his Significant Other,
nor is Lex the only one to walk in on his SO during an intimate moment.
Knockout is communing with Darkseid and trying to atone for her sins.  The Kid
takes a hint from her shriek and goes off to rescue some beached whales on his
own.  Surprisingly, Supergirl is there to help.  Before she and the Kid can
have a real heart-to-heart, she is assaulted by Knockout.  A fight and various
insults are traded, and Superboy is in the middle, literally.  He takes a blow
from Supergirl and is sent spinning.  As he collects his thoughts, Sparx
arrives and gives a plug for the upcoming Superboy spin-off series, SUPERBOY
AND THE RAVERS.

She breaks up the fight between Supergirl and Knockout with her electric
personality 8 ).  Before Knockout can continue the brawl with both Supergirl
and Sparx, Superboy arrives and tries to calm her down.  Superboy tries to
defend knockout, but Supergirl defends the "S".  Supergirl does not do a good
job explaining why Knockout is bad news, and Superboy does a worse job
listening.  Supergirl strips the "S" emblem from Superboy and everyone flies
away, each convinced that they hold the moral high ground on this one.

We are also updated on Dubbilex's condition.  He is in the hospital and is
visited by Rex and a smuggled Krypto.  Most surprising is that Dubbilex reveals
that he has lost his Psi-powers.

That evening, Roxy finds the shields and hides them from her commanding officer
of the Special Crimes Unit.  I guess she still has a great deal of loyalty to
the Kid.  The last panel hints at the origin of the volcano forming in the
island chain.

The Kid needs some help.  He needs a good talking to, or some self discovery.
My guess is the wake up call will be action packed and not a simple trip to a
psychologist, so pick up next month's issue.

Arthur LaMarche (DrArt95@aol.com)

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

STEEL #27, "Fire Fight"  (Family Feud: Part 3)
    Writer:       Louise Simonson
    Penciller:    Phil Gosier
    Inkers:       Keith Champagne and Rich Faber
    Colorist:     Stu Chaifetz
    Letterer:     Pat Brosseau
    Asst. Editor: Chris Duffy
    Editor:       Frank Pittarese
    Cover:        Phil Gosier and Rich Faber
    June 1996
    $1.95 US/$2.75 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 2.75/5.0 Shields

DS: 2.5 Shields - There are too many strange things happening to people in
        the Irons household to suit me.
JS: 3.0 Shields - Sarcasm on.  Nice cover.  Me got big gun.  Sarcasm off.
        Aside from the fact that Steel goes gun happy, this was a pretty
        good issue, if solely from the fact that we see some emotional
        response out of Steel, as response to some of his extreme actions.
        But this title gets a *big* push in another direction now.


Family Feud (part 3 of 3)

Story:

When we left off last time, Steel had just picked up his BFG 9000 clone and
taken it on his search for Natasha, whom Hazard had kidnapped.  This weapon was
powerful.  [HOW POWERFUL WAS IT? you cry].  Well it was so powerful that when
John Henry previously invented it he hid it away rather than have it known to
the world.  He teleported to Hazard's headquarters and was surrounded by
baddies when the last episode came to an end.

Natasha breaks free, Steel grabs her and teleports.  Unfortunately, only he is
teleported away.  He apparently can't take other people with him when he
teleports.  So, he quickly returns and he and Natasha fight it out with Hazard
and his minions.  A mindless slugfest continues for too many pages in which
Steel uses his weapon on Hazard's computers and reduces the building to rubble,
after which he and Natasha can simply fly away.

Meanwhile, Tyke and Darlene are told that they have to go to new foster homes.
Apparently the DC (District of Columbia, not the comics company) social
services have a rule about foster homes being unsafe for children if they have
super-heroes or others who are likely to be involved in extreme violence.
Darlene is whining that she hates John Henry for revealing his secret identity
and causing her to be taken from the family who loves her.  Tyke is wallowing
in self-pity and angst over his betrayal of John Henry to the authorities, when
suddenly he sees the trouble that John Henry and Natasha are in now.
Apparently, he has developed some psychic ability to see things happening miles
away.  Maybe the Irons house is haunted.

Somehow Tyke has developed another superpower, as he appears at the scene
outside the Washington Monument in his wheel chair to see the final chapter of
Hazard Vs Steel.  No explanation is given as to how he went via his wheelchair
in the elevator of the hospital to the Washington Monument in a few seconds.

Meanwhile, out on the lawn of the Washington Monument, the Annihilator (Steel's
ultimate weapon) is being used to its fullest capacity.  We find out that it
shoots a stream of anti-particles which wreak havoc when they meet positive
particles.  I just wonder where Steel got the dilithium crystals to power the
darn thing.  Steel and Hazard are fighting over the Annihilator after all of
Hazard's troops have been immobilized.  The government agents are getting ready
to solve the problem by shooting Steel and Hazard, thus killing the bad guy
(Hazard) and getting rid of the witness to their nefarious plot (Steel).
Unfortunately for them, Tyke takes this opportunity to leap from his
wheelchair, twenty feet through the air and into a bunch of commandos, and
disable them, thus saving Steel's life and giving the commandos the opportunity
to shoot Tyke.  Then, Steel has to break off his fight to rescue Tyke.  Hazard
is shot by the agents and taken off to prison.  Natasha and Tyke have a
heartwarming talk about life, and the media interviews Steel about his armor,
his weapon, and the fact that he apparently fights for Truth and Justice, if
not the American way.

Steel goes back to Hazard's HQ and destroys what's left of it.  The story ends
with Tyke being given to the care of Manual Cabral [who looks remarkably like
Hazard!] as his foster father.

Artwork:

The artwork follows the usual style.  Oblique overlaying panels of various
designs, black gutters, white gutters, no gutters.  Splash pages with vibrant
colors and palette schemes for different areas of the story.  And Steel seems
to have caught Batman's disease -- when he wears his mask his eyes are nothing
but white openings.  When his mask is half blown off, you can see the iris of
his eyes.

Conclusions:

The conclusion of the story line leaves much unanswered and is taking this
title in a direction that I'm not sure I like.  Steel has a meta-gene which
allows him to control his armor and gives him the ability to teleport.  Tyke
now seems to have second sight for no apparent reason, and Natasha has just
used Tar (a dangerous Venom-like drug) to build her up to aid in the fight, and
it doesn't seem to have affected her in the least -- a wonderful message for
children.

Correction:

In the last issue of KC, Jeff apologized to the readers for listing my panelist
ratings incorrectly.  However, the way his explanation was written, it wasn't
clear that the fault was entirely mine.  I was (apparently) so underwhelmed by
DC VERSUS MARVEL #3 that I gave its ratings to SUPERBOY.  The Kid didn't
deserve it.  I want to be sure that everyone knows that Jeff and Art deserve
4.975 ratings as editors and that they are not mind readers.  The mistake was
entirely mine.

Dick Sidbury (sidbury@cs.uofs.edu)

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

SHOWCASE '96 #5, "Fathers and Other Strangers"
    Featuring Green Arrow and Thorn
    Writer:       Darren Vincenzo
    Penciller:    Steve Erwin
    Inker:        Gerry Fernandez
    Colorist:     Dave Grafe
    Letterer:     Ken Bruzenak
    Asst. Editor: Chris Duffy
    Editor:       Frank Pittarese
    Cover:        Mike Zeck
    June 1996
    $2.95 US/$4.25 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 2.75/5.0 Shields

RG: Story: 4.0 Shields - Solid story, good read.
    Art:   3.0 Shields - Good, needed more fine detail.
JS: 2.0 Shields - I liked the art by Erwin and Fernandez, but Vincenzo's story
        was bland.  This was not really a Thorn story, and I don't know enough
        about this Green Arrow to care -- and this story didn't entice me to
        learn about him.  Horrid art on the other two stories.


This book is starting to come around, finally.  While this story only
marginally concerned the Superman cast, I have always liked Thorn, and the new
Green Arrow is starting to grow on me.  I could do without a lot of the "I grew
up without a father" angst that seems to take up much of the story, but the
parallel that it draws with the kid in the airport seem to fit.  The characters
are very consistent.  Best of all, the story is complete in one issue without
feeling rushed.

The art is solid, a bit dark in places, but it worked well with the story.  My
only complaint with the art in this story is the same as most other Showcase
stories -- it really lacks the detail that many of the monthly DC books have.
I don't expect the same level of detail as is being put into the monthly books
on the better paper.  I just feel that more effort could be made to make the
characters stand out better.

As Connor Hawke (Green Arrow) arrives in Metropolis looking for Superman he is
met by a Jake Church, a young boy who has been separated from his father.
Jake's father, Frank Church, is in Metropolis to defend members of the 100,
Thorn's sworn enemy.

While Connor is talking to a security guard to get him to find Jake's father,
he is mistaken for Frank by a sniper.  Eddie Fries, Connor's sometime partner
catches up with him, so Connor goes to get the sniper leaving Eddie with Jake.
As Connor is climbing to the roof, Thorn catches him off guard, but they form
an uneasy partnership anyway.  They easily defeat the gunman, but when they get
back into the terminal Thorn turns on him and Eddie when they try to protect
Jake's father from her.  She backs down and everyone leaves.


    "Day & Night, Dark & Bright"  (Part 2 of 2)
        Starring The Shade and Dr. Fate
        Writer:    James Robinson
        Art:       Matt Smith
        Colorist:  Melissa Edwards
        Letterer:  Chris Eliopoulos
        Editor:    Chuck Kim

No "Super" content - not rated

Dr. Fate and The Shade take on some cultists who are trying to build an army
with the same powers as The Shade.  While Dr. Fate holds off the cultists, The
Shade takes on and defeats the Shadows that have been called.


    "Cages and Shadows"
        Starring Atinai and Lightray of The New Gods
        Writer:    Rachel Pollack
        Penciller: Jason Armstrong
        Inker:     Brian Garvey
        Letterer:  Ken Lopez
        Colorist:  Gene D'Angelo
        Editor:    Chris Eades

No "Super" content - not rated

Atinai meets and defeats her half-sister M'Duus.

Rene' Gobeyn (gobeyn@kodak.com)

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

SPECIALS:
--------

SUPERGIRL ANNUAL #1
    Letters:     Gaspar
    Colors:      Roberta Tewes
    Separations: Digital Chameleon
    Editor:      Chris Duffy
    Cover:       Ron Wagner and Bill Reinhold
    1996
    $2.95 US/$4.25 CAN


RATINGS:

Average: 2.4/5.0 Shields

RG: Story: 4.0 Shields - Well written fun stories.
    Art:   3.5 Shields - Nice, but a bit sketchy in spots.
DS: 2.0 Shields - None of the three stories was outstanding.  The Kesels'
        story was probably the best of an uneven lot.  This book has
        convinced me to skip almost all the annuals this season
JS: 3.0 Shields - Not good, not bad.  None of the stories were particularly
        compelling, but neither were they uninteresting.  The art was all
        fairly well-done -- especially that of Giordano and Perez.  Teranishi
        and Woch's art was very Sam Keith-ish.
AW: 1.0 Shield - The overall concept just didn't work with these three
        stories, and became quickly tiresome. The mediocre art didn't help.


As it has for the past several years, DC has again taken a slightly different
track on its annuals for 1996.  The theme that all of the annuals will take
this year is "Legends of the Dead Earth".  In the far distant future, Earth and
most everything known about it will have faded into vague legend.  How the
people of this time remember the heroes and use these legends in their lives
make up the stories.  The heroes we know and love don't necessarily show up at
all.

While I wasn't too sure how well I was going to like these stories, I decided
to at least give them the benefit of the doubt and try a few.  So far, so good.
 I wasn't expecting much, but I've been very pleasantly surprised so far.  Even
if the heroes of the stories are not the ones I was expecting, it's interesting
to see the heroes from a very different viewpoint than what we are used to.
The Supergirl annual consists of three stories that show how the Legend of
Supergirl has survived and how it comes to influence people there.


    "The Surrogate"
        Story:     Chuck Dixon
        Pencils:   Ron Wagner
        Inks:      Bill Reinhold

The longest story in the book, and a fine one to start off with.  A young girl,
who loved the legends of Supergirl, is forced into a machine where her mind is
used to control a mining robot on the surface of an inhospitable planet.  An
accident causes her mind to be transferred into the robot, instead of merely
controlling it.

The robot (like our Supergirl) is able to morph itself.  The girl's mind
changes the robot into an image of Supergirl.  She manages to fight her way to
the station and destroy it and all on board.


    "The Legend Lives On"
        Writers:   Barbara and Karl Kesel
        Penciller: Dick Giordano
        Inker:     George Perez

One of the interesting takes on the Supergirl Legend plot.  A crew of women
space pirate hunts for Supergirl among themselves.  The ending is interesting,
and not at all what I had first expected.


    "Shootout at Ice Flats"
        Story:     Joe Landsdale and Neal Barrett Jr
        Pencils:   Robert Teranishi
        Inks:      Stan Woch

Still another take on the Supergirl legend. It came the closest to what I had
expected when I first read of the Dead Earth Theme, but was interesting none
the less.  I loved the aliens, and some of the details in the art were great!
When it comes to stories of this type, Joe Landsdale is about the best there
is.

A young woman is the Sheriff of a distant planet.  She is forced by
circumstance to defend herself and the town in an "old west" style gun fight.

Rene' Gobeyn (gobeyn@kodak.com)

_______________________________________________________________________________
*******************************************************************************


AFTER-BYRNE: Reviews of the post-Crisis Man of Steel
----------------------------------------------------

BLACKOUT!
---------
    by Mark Lamutt (markdl@netcom.com / mdlamut0@wcc.com)


Title:        ACTION COMICS #671
Written by:   Roger Stern
Pencilled by: Kieron Dwyer
Inked by:     Brad Vancata
Cover Date:   November 1991
Cover Price:  $1.00 US/$1.25 CAN/60p UK


"Blackout 2"

The story thus far:  Mr. Z has returned.  Brainwashing Professor Hamilton into
creating a mind-controlling helmet, Mr. Z uses it on Superman to steal back the
jewel topping his cane.  After shaking off Mr. Z's hypnotic powers, the
professor attempts to regain control of the helmet by drawing a great amount of
power from Metropolis' electrical grid.  The city power supply shorts out,
plunging Metropolis into total darkness.  The power feedback in the helmet
electrocutes Superman and Mr. Z, who were flying back to Metropolis.  The last
we saw of our hero, he was laying scorched on the frozen wastes of Antarctica.

Standing at the doorway of a French research outpost, a lone figure wearing the
emblazoned S-Shield and carrying an unmoving, burned form pleads for help.  The
scientists take the still form of Mr. Z from Superman's arms and lay him down
on a couch.  After examining him, the doctor pronounces Mr. Z dead.  The
scientists ask Superman what has happened, but he can't remember -- anything at
all, including who he is.  The Man of Steel has completely lost his memory.

Back in Metropolis, as reports of rioting and looting increase, the city's
local heroes come out in force to stop the madness.  The Thorn and Gangbuster,
meeting for the first time, stop a group of kids from stealing a pile of shoes
from a local store.

Meanwhile, flying over the south Pacific, a French plane encounters a fierce
storm.  All of their instruments have failed.  Sitting in the back of the
plane, the lone passenger has just completed a test of himself, and is sitting,
wondering how he could have possible bent a steel bar in his bare hands.  The
plane crashes into the cold waters of the ocean.  The French scientists all
make it into a lifeboat, and Superman makes it to another.  He pulls the body
of Mr. Z from the water, thinking that the body is a link somehow to his memory
loss.

As Superman throws a rope to the scientists, it disappears beneath the surface,
and the raft that our hero is dragged under the water.  Swimming before the Man
of Steel is a large, green dinosaur -- what Superman calls a Plesiosaur.  It
closes fast on our hero.  The next panels show the empty raft rising to the
surface.  And then a blue-sleeved hand breaks the surface of the water.
Superman pulls himself into the raft, not sure how he was able to drive off the
creature.  As morning breaks, there is no sign of the French scientists.

Sitting in the Mayor's office in Metropolis, Lois and Professor Hamilton
explain to the mayor the situation and the cause of the power outage.  The
Professor explains he was attempting to help Superman, but that they lost
contact with him somewhere in the Antarctic.  Just as the Mayor has all but
given up hope, a fax arrives on his desk promising the aid that the city needs
-- from Lex Luthor II.   [Note - this is the first mention of Lex Luthor II.
Lex Luthor was killed in a mysterious plane crash a few months ago, and this is
the introduction of his "son."]

Sitting in the raft, Superman contemplates his situation and wishes he had
someone to talk to.  At that moment, the body bag sits up, and muffled sounds
come from inside it.  Startled, Superman rips the bag open.  The man inside is
very obviously alive.  Unfortunately, he also has no recollection of who he is.
 Ahead of them, they see an island.  The French scientists were flying them to
an island in Polynesia, so assuming that this is the island, the passengers
make for it.

They arrive at the island.  Superman pulls the raft up on the beach, while the
other man examines some of the wreckage of an old ship that is scattered about.
 Noticing that it is very hot, they shed unnecessary clothing.  Superman tears
the shirt from his own back, and before tossing it away, looks at the stylized
S.  It makes him wonder.  The Man of Steel tells the stranger that the French
doctor kept calling him Superman.  The stranger replies that the name doesn't
mean anything to him, except that it doesn't sound very much like a name.
Dealing with the hunger issue next, they find a coconut tree.  Climbing the
tree, our hero reaches for the coconuts.  He loses his balance and starts to
fall to the ground.  But he stops falling and just floats there in the air.
Then he begins flying.  The stranger is astonished.

That evening in Metropolis, Lex Luthor II arrives.  The city has rolled out the
red carpet for him, and celebrations are held throughout the city.  He tells
the gathered crowd that he has been raised in the sheep country of Australia.
He promises the people that he will use all the resources of LexCorp to bring
the city out of its current crisis.

Back on the island, Superman wraps the ankle of the stranger.  He had tried to
fly from the tree like Superman had, and had failed.  Our hero attempts to
cheer up the other man.  They have full stomachs, and his ankle will heal.
They are alive and safe.  And then the earth rumbles and shakes.  When the two
men look up, Superman realizes that he may have spoken too soon.  For rising
above them is the land that time forgot -- dinosaurs of every shape and size
fill the earth and sky.  And they don't look happy.

Roger Stern's writing once again takes the day.  The story is exciting from
start to finish.  Especially the introduction of Lex II -- bringing him into
the scene in the moment of greatest crisis for the city was brilliant.  He is
set up as a real hero figure to the people of Metropolis.  Of course, that
won't last, but for now they look to him as their savior.  Roger handles
Superman in a good way as well -- he is confused, but definitely not stupid.
He may not remember who or what he is, but he is determined to make the best of
the situation, no matter what happens.

Unfortunately, Kieron Dwyer's pencils don't work for this issue.  While the
writing does not make Superman look stupid, the expressions drawn on his face
do.  There are some scenes that are very well done and really work for the
story, but the majority of it just doesn't.

This book receives 3 shields out or a possible 5.  Stay tuned next month for
Blackout 3 in SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #6.

_______________________________________________________________________________


                             MANUSCRIPTS OF STEEL
                       --------------------------------

               Reviews of After-Byrne Superman special stories

                               by Denes House
                        (dhouse@itsmail1.hamilton.edu)

  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

                         SUPERMAN: SPEEDING BULLETS

                         Written by J.M. DeMatteis
                           Art by Eduardo Barreto
                          Colored by Les Dorscheid
                          Cover by Eduardo Barreto
                                   1993
                    Prestige Format, $4.95 US/$6.50 CAN

                                  Rating:

                              4.0/5.0 Shields

          ---------------------------------------------------------

"Sometimes I think of how differently it could have turned out ... I think of
how something as simple as a shifting wind current might have carried that
rocket anywhere in the world."

And so begins SUPERMAN: SPEEDING BULLETS, the first Elseworlds story to feature
Superman as its main character.  The shifting wind currents do indeed carry
that rocket far from the Kansas hay field Superman fans are used to reading
about.  The rocket instead sets down outside Gotham City, where Dr. Thomas
Wayne and his wife, Martha are passing by on their way to a fundraising dinner.

The two adopt the "star-child" as their own, and young Bruce is raised inside
the walls of stately Wayne Manor (sorry, couldn't help myself).  From his
mother, Bruce gained a full heart, open to all people, "regardless of social
class or race."  Martha shapes Bruce's soul, while Thomas trains his son's
intellect.  Emotionally reserved, though kind and compassionate, Thomas sensed
the growing power inside the boy but was far more interested in cultivating his
sharp mind.  But life inside the manor walls at times caused Bruce to grow
lonely, and at these times he turned to Alfred, the family butler/majordomo.
Alfred and Bruce formed a tight and abiding friendship that in turn shaped and
molded young Bruce's personality.  The four were, for lack of any other term, a
family.

Until the night the Waynes drove into Gotham to see the old Black-and-White
"Zorro."  Young Bruce giddily pranced about, proclaiming his desire to be like
Zorro, a righter of wrongs and a defender of the defenseless.  Thomas far
preferred Sherlock Holmes as a role model, though as Bruce observed, "Zorro's
clothes are cooler."

This happy scene was interrupted by a gun-toting mugger, who demanded their
goods.  When Martha and Thomas resisted, the mugger beat them both and shot
them dead.  Bruce slumped to the ground in tears.  The mugger leveled his
automatic at the boy, and fired three times.  Then, in stunned silence, Bruce
raised his head ... the bullets had bounced off his chest!  In deep wrath,
intense beams of heat shot out from the boy's eyes, charring the mugger almost
beyond recognition.

Bruce remembered nothing of that night, except for the bullets hanging in the
air like stars at night, but he felt a deep and abiding guilt and shame.  But
what could he have done to stop it?

The boy grew into a man, but the guilt remained.  Now twenty-one, Bruce never
left the confinement of Wayne Manor, living a purely nocturnal life.  Perhaps
as a means of atonement, perhaps as a way to keep sane, Bruce kept newspaper
clippings of every violent crime in Gotham pasted on the walls of one room.
But even so, he could not shut out the sounds of every crime in the city, which
assailed his ears.

But when burglars broke into his own house, his memories resurfaced, and he
lashed out at them, seeing his parents' murderer in their faces.  He regained
his senses in time to keep from killing them, but they are chased away into the
night.  Alfred revealed everything to the troubled young man, his discovery,
the rocket ship, his father's journals, everything.  And Bruce reveals the full
extent of his powers, of which he'd kept himself from being aware.

Bruce became a powerful avenger of the night ... Batman.

DeMatteis' story builds powerfully from there, introducing the Joker (Lex
Luthor), Lois Lane, Perry White, and other important Superman elements.  The
tale powerfully explores the Elseworlds' concept of familiar legends skewed
just a little.  What if Kal-El had been found by the Waynes instead of the
Kents?  This story shows very well how Kal-El's personality might react to the
events in Bruce Wayne's life.  What if Batman had Superman's power?  This story
suggests a gripping and terrifying answer to that question.

One criticism people have had about the Elseworlds tales is that Batman always
seems to be a part of them.  Even here, in Superman's debut Elseworlds story,
his legend is mixed with that of the Batman.  It is done well, even powerfully,
but when I first saw it, I groaned - "Not another Batman Elseworlds!"

DeMatteis skillfully uses Lois Lane as the narrator, and shows how integral she
is to this SPEEDING BULLETS mythos.  Lois really is the lynch-pin for this
entire tale, in ways I won't give away in this review.

The artwork is by Eduardo Barreto (LEX LUTHOR: THE UNAUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY) and
is sensational.  Check out LL:TUB to see Barreto inked by Andy Kubert, and
compare it to SPEEDING BULLETS which is inked by Barreto himself.  The man has
a smooth, soft touch to his inks, ably capturing the grim and gritty world of
Gotham.  Facially, Kal-El is perfect.  Even dressed as Bruce Wayne, the reader
can tell this is the man we would know as Clark Kent.  His Lois is gorgeous,
and his Luthor/Joker terrifying.  And the last two pages are triumphant,
elegant, ironic poetry of the first order.  The scene of young Bruce frying Joe
Chill is absolutely frightening, and Barreto makes everything believable and
moody.

Capsule review:

Story: Dark Superman, but without losing the essential core of the character we
care so much about.  Well-written characterizations and a compelling plot.  4
Shields out of 5.

Art: I love Barreto's work, though I prefer to see him inked by someone else.
He is a powerful storyteller, and crafts a gripping visual narrative.  4
Shields out of 5.

Overall: This is a story of intense personal growth - almost literally a
caterpillar to cocoon to butterfly transformation.  As such it is well written,
superbly illustrated, and a top-notch piece of work.  4 Shields out of 5.

Denes House

_______________________________________________________________________________


THE PHANTOM ZONE: Reviews of the pre-Crisis Man of Steel
--------------------------------------------------------

SUPER FRIENDS
-------------
    by Joe Crowe (j.crowe4@genie.com)


Two months in this column without an appearance by the popular male
Kryptonian...  This one is hot off the request lines, and goes out to Jim
Lesher.


BRAVE AND THE BOLD #160: Batman and Supergirl
 "The Brimstone Connection"
        March 1980
        Writer: Cary Burkett
        Artist: Jim Aparo

Rating: 3.25 shields

Batman zips through Gotham on patrol and sees somebody falling out of  a
window. He catches the unfortunate guy.  He's dying but tells Batman his
mission with his last breath.  He was a government agent, tracking down a
stolen rocket fuel formula in four parts being passed along a secret route.  He
says "brimstone" then expires.

Batman has no luck for several days, until Linda Lee Danvers, Supergirl to her
friends, shows up in his office.  Her foster father has been kidnapped.  She's
desperate, and believes it has something to do with his work at STAR Labs on a
secret rocket fuel.  Naturally, Batman's pointed ears prick up at that, and
they're off to the scene of the crime.

Batman investigates Mr. Danvers' home office.  Mr. Danvers is a neat freak --
but Batman finds a caramel apple core in his trash.  Dental imprints in the
apple are traceable in the crime files at the Batcave.  Meanwhile, Supergirl's
pop is being interrogated for the fourth and final part of the formula.

Back in the Batcave, the eater of the apple is revealed to be Jasper Casbeers,
abduction specialist.  Batman and Supergirl head for one of his known hangouts,
a video arcade.  Supergirl is instructed to stay outside and keep watch, and
she does so for a total of three seconds, then bursts in when Batman gets into
a fight.

Supergirl finds the abductor, who tries to burn some evidence.  Batman recovers
the burned note.  Supergirl got a glimpse of the note when she crashed through
the wall and reconstructs it using her total recall.  Turns out the note is a
map to one of the drop-off points on the secret route used by the bad guys.
Batman then remembers that "brimstone" is another name for sulphur, and reasons
that Col. Sulphur, an old foe, is behind everything.

Batman disguises himself as the abduction guy and starts passing the note along
the secret route, while Supergirl follows along with her super-vision.  All
roads lead to an abandoned arms factory.  A plane takes off from there, and
Supergirl follows.  Batman sneaks into the factory, but it's a trap (duh).  The
plane was a decoy to lure Supergirl away.  Naturally, Batman's utility belt has
been taken.  Bad guys always think that's a good idea, for some reason.
Anyway, Supergirl's dad is trapped on a bomb that will detonate if Batman
leaves his trap to rescue him.  Batman's escape and rescue is very nifty.  I'd
rather not spoil it for you.  I was very impressed.

Batman radios Supergirl, and she blows the plane out of the sky, literally,
with her super breath.  The villainous Sulphur makes his escape via submarine,
but Supergirl yanks it out of the water and beats the fool out of the bad guys.
 Batman takes Supergirl and her dad out for coffee.

Cary Burkett could really whip up a good Batman story.  I recall when Batman
was the "Darknight Detective" before the "Darknight" part became "Dark Knight."
 Batman uses detective work to solve the whole mess.  Supergirl did all the
heavy lifting.  Again, Supergirl falls into student mode, as Batman constantly
points out how he came across the clues.  More than once she breathlessly
exclaims, "I never thought of that!"

That was part of Supergirl's charm, though.  Even though she was around just as
long as the other DC heroes, she remained the "Maid of Steel," never even
hanging out with the other teen heroes her age, content to pal around with her
big cousin.  Or do things on her own, which is never any fun.  Superman
constantly said that someday she'd be called "Superwoman."  Sadly, that never
came to be.

In this issue, we are shown a different side of Supergirl.  Early on, she was
most concerned about keeping all her secrets from her foster parents.  Then
they never appeared when she flew solo in the 1970s.  This time, she's
portrayed as a genuine young adult who cares for her dad and would do anything
to help him.  This time, she flies into a rage when pursuing the bad guys,
bursting through walls and yanking submarines out of the water.  She even
punches out Col. Sulphur in the end.  I bet that left a mark.

There's a lot missing from the current Supergirl.  Her convoluted origin takes
away from any genuine appeal for me.  But that's just my opinion.

Next time, I'm going to round up all the pieces of, in my opinion, one of the
best story arcs in Superman history.  It's a 3-parter from DC PRESENTS which
features Martian Manhunter, Supergirl, the Spectre, and Mongul.  I've had
several requests for it.  For this story, I'd like to add your thoughts to my
review.

Thanks for reading me.

Joe Crowe (j.crowe4@genie.geis.com)

_______________________________________________________________________________
*******************************************************************************

INTO THE ARCHIVES
-----------------
    by Neil A. Ottenstein (otten@gluon.umd.edu)


SUPERMAN #4, Spring 1940

There are a number of notable events in the stories of this issue.  First off,
the name of the newspaper where Clark works is now identified as The Daily
Planet.  When named in previous issues, he was working at The Daily Star.
Second, Luthor, who first appeared in the April 1940 issue of ACTION COMICS,
makes his first appearance in this magazine.  Since both Overstreet and Gerber
acknowledge the ACTION issue as Luthor's first appearance, I presume that issue
preceded this one slightly.  There is a reference to the April comics in an
advertisement in this issue so they must have both overlapped in their times on
the newsstand.  Third, while previous issues had the art in three tiers of
panels, this issue features four tiers.  Furthermore, each story starts with a
small caption which describes many of Superman's powers.

1) A machine which causes earthquakes falls into Luthor's hands and he
challenges Superman to a series of tests.  Superman wins the tests, but they
were only to keep him occupied.  Superman finishes off the earthquake machine,
but Luthor escapes.  Luthor's first words to Superman are "We encounter each
other once more!" thus referring to the their previous meeting in the ACTION
story.  13 pages.

2) Superman once again faces Luthor, who has brought a city from the sunken
continent Pacifo to the surface of the ocean.  More details below on this
story.  13 pages.

3) Superman faces men who plan to "stave off the return of national prosperity"
by staging strikes in various industries, destroying an auto plant, derailing a
train, and panicking the stock exchange.  Superman stops them.  In stark
contrast to later in his life, Superman either allows many of the villains to
die or metes out the justice himself.  13 pages.

4) Superman stops racketeers from forcing their way into control of the Truck
Drivers' Union.  He accomplishes this by infiltrating their group, letting them
carry out their plans for awhile, and then delivering their leader to the
police.  13 pages.

Between the stories:  "Attaining Super-Strength" -- eating a good breakfast and
exercising allows young Tommy to fight back against the school bully;  "This
Doggone World" -- a hungry dog eats a painted turkey;  "From the 4 Corners" --
strange facts, with art from Sheldon Moldoff;  news about the Supermen of
America club; "Change of Destiny" by Hugh Langley -- a text story about a
person who sets out to make the world a better place by speeding his personal
time frame so one year passes for him while 1 second passes for the rest of
world;  "Superman Says" -- telling about "good standard accepted books for boys
and girls" to read, and a list of six of them which are reviewed in various
April comics;  "Fantastic Facts" -- more strange facts, with art by George
Papp; an advertisement for "the 'big six' comic magazines -- ACTION COMICS,
ADVENTURES COMICS, DETECTIVE COMICS, ALL-AMERICAN COMICS, MORE FUN COMICS, and
FLASH COMICS;  and "Pioneer into the Unknown" by Bert Lexington -- a text story
about the surprising pioneer of interstellar travel.

The second story begins in the editorial office of The Daily Planet.  Clark is
told to cover a story about oil wells that have stopped flowing.  Superman
heads out to investigate when a strange projectile appears.  He rides it to
discover it is radio controlled.  Luthor's face appears on the side of it and
warns him to "keep clear of the oil mystery."  Upon crashing on the ground, the
projectile explodes, but Superman is not fazed -- "it takes more than an
explosion to bother me!" he declares.

Superman goes to the Oklahoma oil fields and saves many of the derricks there
from destruction due to a strange earthquake.  Lois Lane arrives "just in time
to miss seeing Superman."  Later, Clark and Lois find out in the offices of the
Oklahoma Bulletin that the Pacific Coast is under two feet of water with the
ocean steadily rising.

Before they can head to the West Coast, two of Luthor's men take them for a
ride.  Luthor "hasn't forgotten how [they] interfered with his plans once
before!"  In order to be free to act, Clark presses a nerve in Lois' neck (the
good old Vulcan nerve pinch) so she will fall unconscious.  Clark then removes
the steering wheel, destroys the emergency brake, knocks the men's heads
together, and leaps away from the car with Lois as it falls to destruction.

He takes Lois to the flying field and lies that the "thugs released [them] with
a warning to abandon [their] investigation."  Lois is all for continuing the
investigation, and they hire a pilot to fly them to the flooded coast.  Clark
sees with his super-vision something further out in the water.  They soon
behold a glass-enclosed city rising from the water.

The glass cover folds back, and a pterodactyl is released from the city and
attacks the plane.  The plane is crumpled, killing the pilot.  Lois is
unconscious, so Clark leaps out in order to escape, but they are seized by the
pterodactyl.  He manages to free himself and Lois, and they fall to the jungle
below.

Now changed into Superman, he discovers a dazed Lois.  Superman gets some water
to try to revive her.  Seeing a giant rat leaping to devour Lois, he snags the
rodent in mid-flight and sends it out into the ocean.  To his horror, though,
while occupied with the rodent, Lois has been taken away.  He sees a strange
vessel flying away and follows in pursuit.

As Superman nears the city, Luthor's voice warns him to offer no resistance and
thus imperil Lois' life.  Luthor orders his men to take Lois to "the green
laboratory" while he gives Superman a tour of the city.  He explains that it is
the remains of the sunken continent, Pacifo, which he has salvaged.  Superman
deduces that it was Luthor who caused the ocean to overflow and who tapped the
oil-wells.  Luthor asks Superman for his assistance in bringing the world under
his domination, saying this would make him "inclined to be more merciful with
the world."

Superman asks for time to think it over and hears Luthor's men about to put
Lois in a chemical vat.  He breaks into the laboratory, throwing Luthor's men
away -- one into the vat meant for Lois' death.  Luthor now leads Superman and
Lois into an arena and gives Superman a chance to fight for his life against a
dinosaur.  If he wins he can "go free with the girl."  Despite Superman's
victory, Luthor goes against his word and orders his men to shoot them down
with their green rays.

Earlier a trawler had seen the strange city and sent news to the shore, and
American flyers were ordered to investigate and use lethal gas if needed.  The
flyers arrive just in time for Superman and Lois, and they use their lethal
gas.  Luthor leaps into a laboratory building while Superman chases after with
Lois in hand.  The glass cover closes over the city as it begins to submerge
beneath the ocean.

Luthor orders his creatures to attack Superman, but Superman leaps away and
they go after Luthor himself.  Superman breaks through the glass, allowing
water to enter and destroy the city.  He swims to shore, changes back into
Clark, and takes Lois to a doctor.  The doctor assures Clark that Lois is now
recovered.  The last thing Lois remembers is the pterodactyl attacking.  Clark
tells her they crashed near the shore and he reached the beach with her.

We see the headlines written by Clark telling about the sunken island menace
and the return to normalcy of the ocean and the oil wells. He is congratulated
for the sensational scoop, and Clark replies that he bets "even Superman
couldn't have done better!"

This is one of the more fantastic Superman stories that we have seen, with
loads of pulp science fiction and fantasy images.  It is quite a contrast to
the many stories of Superman going up against gangsters and racketeers.

_______________________________________________________________________________


THE GIRL FRIEND AND THE PAL:  LOIS AND JIMMY IN THEIR OWN COMICS
----------------------------------------------------------------
    By Jon B. Knutson (jonknut@eskimo.com)


*Sigh* I'm afraid, dear readers, that Dreaded Deadline Syndrome has stricken
again, and I still have to track down another issue or two of SUPERMAN FAMILY
to review the story I've been hinting about for the last few columns... so I'm
taking a different tack now... I won't promise what I'll be reviewing in future
columns unless I've actually 1) Got the book, and 2) Have already written the
review.

So, anyway, on to this issue's review... Since the last one was an all-JO
column, I figured I'd do an all Lois Lane column this time, and see if I can't
fit in two issues in one shot.

The first issue is SUPERMAN'S GIRLFRIEND, LOIS LANE #96, October 1969.  The
lead story is entitled "The Girl Who Died for Superman," and is also the cover
feature.  It begins with Lana Lang leaving the studios of WMET-TV, arriving at
her apartment, and seeing images of Superman with her rival, Lois, being "very
lovey-dovey" in her words.  The images vanish, and Mornu and Rini, a man and
woman with short black hair and futuristically-styled outfits, tell Lana that
she's confirmed their suspicions about her.  The other-dimensional couple tell
her that her reaction proves she still cares for Superman.  To explain why they
have an interest in her, they tell Lana that several months ago, while she was
in the WMET helicopter during a raging thunderstorm, she was inadvertently
responsible for preventing a dimensional gap from wreaking havoc in their home
dimension.  In gratitude, they want to help Lana become Superman's wife.

Meanwhile, at Lois' apartment, another person, dressed similar to Mornu, shows
Lois an image of Superman in Kryptonite chains, dying.  He tells Lois that this
is really happening, and that if Lois comes with him to the "Zena-Dimension,"
she can compete in a special contest to save his life.  Back to Lana:  She
agrees to go with them, but protests that if Lois is the right girl for
Superman, she wouldn't want to break them up... They respond that if Lois wins
the contest they arranged, that'll prove Lois is right for Supey... if Lana
wins... well, you can guess the rest.  The alien duo lead Lana to a
trans-dimensional bubble to take her to their dimension and indicate that a gas
will put them to sleep during the journey to protect them from turbulence.
Lois, meantime, has been taken to a similar bubble, and when the gas affects
her, the alien man with her isn't put to sleep.

Part two, "Battle of the Beauties," opens with the two trans-dimensional
bubbles in a large enclosed room.  Lois and Lana are the only occupants of
either bubble, and are just beginning to awaken... the cue for the three
accompanying them to separate them by raising up a partition.  We first follow
Lois, who exits the bubble and room through an open doorway, into a garden of
sorts, where she sees Superman, whose skin is green from K poisoning.  Supey
tells Lois that he was released when he came to his senses, realizing Lois
isn't good enough for him.  Lois refuses to believe him, no matter what he
says... and as he cruelly walks away from her, she's crumpled to the ground,
teary-eyed.  Despite the taunting by her hosts, she still loves the big lug.

Switching over to Lana, we notice that the red-haired rival has also run into
Superman in a garden area, but he's not experiencing Green K poisoning.  When
Lana asks him if he knows anything about the "love contest," Supey replies that
he could care less, and that the Zenans have offered to make him their ruler,
with all the riches and power that come with it... and that he says he
deserves.  The capper is that "best of all, I never see *you* again!"  Lana
tries to get him to change his mind, but he refuses, saying he's realized that
he's wasted too many years being a super do-gooder... his parting line, years
before WAYNE'S WORLD, is "So long, Lana!  See you later... I hope *not*!"
Like with Lois, her hosts taunt her, but she still loves the guy.

Meanwhile, back with the three, observing all this from a glass booth, they
note that there's only one phase left in their test, and that things should get
even more interesting when they meet.

Moments later, Lana and Lois run into each other, and immediately get into a
catfight (yes, another example of how unenlightened DC's editors were in the
60's, eh?).  One of the Zenans appears, telling them that they can finish their
fight later, and directs their attention to Superman, who's once again in
Kryptonite shackles (and you thought Wonder Woman comics had a lot of bondage
in them).  Superman says he was forced to say and do what he did by the Zenans,
and that he didn't mean them.

The Zenan tells the two LL's that they can save Superman... if one of them dies
in his place by drinking poison... proving which of them loves him enough to
die for the Man of Steel.  Naturally, Lois volunteers... probably because it's
her comic.  Lana tells her not to do it, and that the Zenans will probably kill
Superman anyway.  In the control booth, the other two Zenans are amazed at Lois
and Lana's actions, and decide to take a closer look in person.

Lois chugs down the poison, to the Zenan's surprise.  The Zenan announces that
the experiment is over, explaining that none of them are really aliens, and
that "Superman" is just an actor... and the whole set-up is a set from a
science-fiction show filmed in a TV studio they rented... and that the poison
is simply colored water.

"Colored water, eh?" Lana counters, pointing. "Then why is Lois *dying*?" The
"Zenan" is caught off-guard at this, and explains that they're psychologists
who wanted to test how the love emotion can drive a person to fantastic
extremes.  Lois and Lana's reputation is well-known enough that they were the
perfect subjects.  Lois then gets up, saying that their little show has evened
up the score, explaining that they saw through the experiment some time ago
(Lois noticed Superman wasn't weak from his Green K poisoning, while Lana
noticed that a rock Superman had crushed was made of breakaway material).
While faking their catfight, they collaborated on a counter-experiment of their
own... certain the poison was as phony as their Superman.

Overall, this story, while interesting enough, does tend to give away the
denouement a bit early... throwing out more obvious clues than you could
possibly imagine.  While the writer was trying to make Lois and Lana look more
intelligent than they'd been portrayed in the first 3/4 of the decade, you
pretty much had to assume that the two were that shallow in order to buy into
the story in the first place.  Nice artwork by Irv Novick helps save this one,
though.

The second story in the issue is the second part of a two-part story, I
believe, so I'll review that at a later time when I can review it as one
continuous story.

Jumping ahead to LL #129, February 1973 issue, just for contrast, we have
"Serpent in Paradise," which was written by Maxine Fabe, with pencils by John
Rosenberger and inks by Vince Colletta.  (Thank goodness DC finally got around
to providing credits in their titles by then!)  It's an all-new, all-different
Lois Lane in this issue, which begins with Lois and Clark watching a guru
entreating the citizens of Metropolis to join him in his cave in Metropolis
Forest, to get back to paradise.  Clark's x-ray vision spots pickpockets at
work, and he slips off to change into Superman, telling Lois he has to see if
there's a story at the city desk for him, although Lois thinks the real story
is the guru.

Superman captures the pickpockets, taking them to jail, but a card falls out of
one of the pickpockets' pockets, which Lois finds, the business card of Gordon
Abbott III, a famous art collector whose apartment was recently burglarized.
Lois smells a story!  She turns down the guru's offer to visit his cave until
after she's checked out the story.  Visiting Abbott's apartment, Lois discovers
that the thieves were very discriminating, only taking the most valuable pieces
of art, as well as Abbott's best wines and caviar.  Lois rushes back to the
Planet to file the story, only to find that Clark's scooped her on the capture
of the pickpockets.

Later, Lois returns to her new apartment, which she shares with the typical
stereotypical roommates... Melba, who is a black fashion model, a blonde who
works in a pet store, and a redhead who's supposedly overweight (which of
course means that she's drawn like a normal woman, as opposed to the
fashion-model builds on Lois, Melba, and the other roommate. Interestingly, the
other two roommates are never mentioned by name!).  After listening to each of
them tell her about how rough their day was, Lois talks them into going with
her tomorrow to visit the guru in Metropolis Forest.

The next day, as the women hike to the guru's cave, a derailed freight train
carrying circus animals releases a "sinister fugitive"... one of those famous
boa constrictors with big fangs that you only find in comic stories and really
bad movies.  Meanwhile, a sudden flash fire surrounds the quartet (yes, these
things seem to happen quite often when a Kryptonian's in town... look at how
much havoc suddenly occurs in the first Superman movie, as well as the
Supergirl movie, as soon as one comes to town).  Superman, flying overhead to
search for the escaped snake, spots the trapped women, and instead of blowing
the fire out with super-breath or doing any of the other things that he's done
in the past to put the fire out, he flies to the nearby river (there's always a
river nearby fires, don't you know), and taking a hollow log, he dives under
the water, and... well, I'll let him speak for himself... "With my superbreath
I can maintain the water pressure necessary to put out the fire!" as we see
Superman apparently blowing air into the log underwater, forcing river water
through the log.

The quartet (who are identified as being three miles from Superman, although a
previous panel showed the river couldn't have been more than 30 feet away) gets
soaked by the water, which puts out the fire.  Superman apologizes for soaking
the four, but Lois calls him a super-meddler and says that he should leave them
alone.  The guru appears at that time, announcing that Superman is not needed
in paradise.  The guru then invites them to a feast of brown roots and other
"lowly plants."  Melba would like to take some of the roots back with them to
the city, and the guru says they only grow in one place... a ledge at the end
of the 15-mile trail.  Lois says they don't mind the hike, and he points them
to the trail.

As the four hike along the trail, Lois pulls out a pocket radio, just in time
to hear a newsflash that another robbery of art treasures has occurred.  Lois
recalls that the thieves are behind bars, so there must be a mastermind still
at large.  She's about to abandon her roommates to pursue the story, but they
talk her out of it.  Further along the trail, Melba stumbles into quicksand,
and when the others form a human chain to pull her out, Lois gets grabbed by
the escaped snake (remember it?).  Superman shows up, and he rescues Melba
first, getting stuck in the quicksand himself (!).  Not being able to pull
himself out, he uses his heat vision to get the snake to let Lois go.  Superman
decides to tunnel his way out through the bottom, and the girls continue their
hike... arriving at the ledge to find nothing growing there.

They go to the guru's cave, and find not the guru ... but instead empty cans of
caviar and truffles (the roots from before).  They figure the guru sent 'em on
the long and dangerous hike to get rid of them.  Further back in the cave, they
find the missing art treasures... just as the guru appears with a machine gun.
A helicopter arrives for his getaway, and he forces the quartet to load the
copter with the stolen art.  Superman shows up, and as he disables the
helicopter, the snake decides to grab the guru... but it's okay, because as
Superman says, "Don't worry about the boa, Lois! I found out it's
circus-trained!"  Lois tells Superman that this is one time she's going to
scoop Clark, unless... (obviously hinting she thinks Clark is Superman).  The
story closes as the Man of Steel flies the quartet back to their apartment
(apparently the four women have decided they can use Superman, after all).

Well, as you can imagine, I found this story rather laughable... in many ways,
while they were trying to show a more liberated Lois, the DC editors and
writers ended up making Lois look worse than before... but at least she wasn't
trying to get Superman to marry her every other issue.  Still, I would've
expected more from a female writer; although I can imagine that the editor
could've changed things to fit policy better.  Of course, "Maxine Fabe" could
have been a pseudonym for someone else (anybody out there know?)...

Of the two issues I reviewed, I'd have to give the nod to the previous one as
the better of the two... scoring higher on artwork.  Neither story, frankly,
was very well-plotted.  The first issue had too many clues... while the second
one had too few, plus an obvious Plot Device (the snake). And perhaps I'm
jaded, but when a crime wave of some kind is going on in a DC comic of this
time period, you just know that whatever the star of the comic does, and
whoever he or she meets, will end up being very involved with it.

Next month:  Something else... maybe an all-Jimmy column... a combined one...
or maybe even the promised tale mentioned two columns back.  Either way, if you
have any issues of Jimmy Olsen or Lois Lane you'd like to see me review, let me
know via e-mail at jonknut@aol.com.

_______________________________________________________________________________
*******************************************************************************

TELEscopic VISION:
------------------
    Superman on the Small Screen


Just to get it out of the way, LOIS AND CLARK *has* been renewed!  The show
will return in its usual timeslot in the fall, though it will be up against
almost entirely new competition.  CBS has given up on CYBILL, and has moved
its Saturday night smash, TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL, up against L&C.  NBC has also
cried mercy in moving MAD ABOUT YOU.  Now on Sundays from 8:00 to 9:00, the
peacock network will air THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN and BOSTON COMMON.  Finally,
Fox sticks with THE SIMPSONS at 8:00 but moves in NED AND STACEY at 8:30.
My personal opinion?  L&C continues to dominate the time slot, with problems
only from TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL.  We'll see!

The third season is over as of May 12, and once more we have a cliff-hanger.
But of course, we all know things will work out!  The powers that be at LOIS
AND CLARK have also gone "public" with the news that there *will* be a *real*
wedding for the couple before the end of the year!

This month, we have a review of Teri Hatcher's episode, "It's A Small World
After All."  We also have a catch-up review of the season's second episode,
"Ordinary People."  Next month we'll have the two episodes comprising the
season finale.  See you then!

Jeff Sykes

_______________________________________________________________________________


"YOU RUINED MY LIFE, SUPERMAN!"
-------------------------------
    by Zoomway (Zoomway@aol.com)


The title of this article comes courtesy of Calvin Dregg, the wannabe rock star
guitarist from "Whine, Whine, Whine."  This is one of the best LOIS AND CLARK
episodes of any season.  However, my article isn't about that episode, but
rather it explores a small group of fans (some ex-fans) who have taken their
disappointment in the show personally.  Actually, the only thing which seemed
to disappoint a large number of fans was the wedding arc, which never included
a wedding.  This was a fairly universal outcry.  However, it seems to have left
a bitter aftertaste with some fans, and they seem to still feel used,
pessimistic, unenthusiastic and are having a hard time getting past these
feelings.

This tainting the arc has given subsequent episodes ranges from fans feeling
that they'll never regain their anxious anticipation of new episodes, to some
who think Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher have lost their amazing on-screen
chemistry.  Fans who have been able to move on past the arc do not seem to
share the same feelings of 'loss'.  They acknowledge their disappointment, but
have been able to get past that aspect.  Why some fans can move on, while
others cannot is an interesting phenomenon, and one I don't think I've seen
addressed anywhere else.  Part of this can of course be attributed to the '3
Season Itch'.  Shows reaching their third season seem to be judged much more
harshly than the two preceding seasons.  The reason for this is also unknown,
but perhaps some fans form an idea of what the show's direction 'should' be as
opposed to what it actually becomes, and they cannot reconcile the two.  This
harsh criticism, however, also takes a toll on the fans who are still enjoying
the show.

I had made the following comment on the LOISCLA listserv: "I do hope though,
that those who reach a point of no longer liking LOIS AND CLARK will ... let it
go ... so to speak.  I don't mean that as a flame or insult to anyone, but I've
seen the trap of people who once loved a show fall into if their personal
expectations go unmet, their love turns to contempt, and they even sometimes
let that contempt spill over onto fans that still love the show."

As a result of this post, I received many 'thank you' e-mails.  All similar in
tone and sentiment to the one I'll quote from (I thank the author of the quote
for giving me permission to repost it here): "Thanks for saying that, Zoom.
I've really felt it reading some of the posts since I came on 2 1/2 months ago,
but I didn't like to say anything because I'm such a newbie.  But I've started
just deleting some people's messages because they're depressing and they make
me feel guilty or defensive about liking the show and liking the third season
and enjoying a gentle, funny episode like Teri's.

"Maybe I'm shallow, but I love WAFFs and the steady development of L&C's
relationship, even when that development is really small (as in the entire 1st
season).  I don't expect anything of the A-plot but a frame for the romance
that I love, and while I'm admittedly passionate and obsessive about the show
<g>, it isn't real, so I don't mind imperfections and inconsistencies.  If I
can rationalize CK's or LL's behavior, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt,
because even *real* people aren't consistent and rational. (For me, the main
problem with the arc was that L&C were *apart* and the only development in
their relationship was negative.)"

The above e-mail is not from a fan who cannot stand criticism, or reading
critical appraisals of the show or episodes, but rather a fan who has trouble
with a small group of fans who seem more like hecklers.  Their posts and
comments are often ninety percent negative, and that which they do praise
sounds more like a sneer, or backhanded compliment, than a pat on the back,
"Well, the untalented writers continue to write Clark as an idiot, but at least
Dean Cain looks cute."  Even here, Mr. Cain is not being complimented in an
effort to find wheat among the chaff, but rather an attempt to diminish the
show as merely a 'fluff' diversion with no other merit than the attractiveness
of the star.  The question then becomes 'why'?  Why do they continue to
participate in something that makes them so obviously miserable?

Perhaps they feel a bit like the character Albert Brooks played in LOST IN
AMERICA.  He worked at a large advertising agency and felt he was being groomed
to be the new senior vice president.  In reality no promise was made to him,
but he was so confident in this mind-set that he made humble acceptance
speeches in his bathroom mirror.  Then reality hit him between the eyes.  The
vice presidency was going to someone else.  When reality flew in the face of
his cherished fantasy, he became unglued.  He shouted, "I want my eight years
back!"  Well, I heard a fan say that she couldn't let go of the show even
though she no longer enjoyed it because she'd invested nearly three years in
the show.  Now for most, that would sound rather like baking a batch of cookies
that taste bad, but stubbornly eating them because money was invested in the
batter, and time invested in the baking.  However, despite how strange it might
sound to some, it makes perfect sense to them.  The big problem comes in when
these former, but 'staying', fans try to force feed the nasty cookies to
others.

The fans that enjoy the show have their own recipe, and maybe that explains why
they can't understand the disgruntled fans, and the disgruntled fans can't
understand them.  What tastes good to the fans who still love the show has
always tasted good to them, but for fans who hang on even though they no longer
like the flavor, they repeatedly try and explain that the raisins aren't as
good, or they're using almonds now instead of peanuts.  What they don't
understand, is that fans who still love the show, love the cookie 'despite' the
raisins and peanuts, and not 'because' of them.  Leaving the cookie metaphor
behind (thankfully :) this inability to understand each others' state of mind
makes for the conflict between the two.  It also leads to the fear, or
discomfort expressed by the fan who now deletes certain peoples' posts, because
she doesn't like to feel as if her enjoyment of the show is on some inferior,
or artificial plain.

As I said, this is not the regular, garden variety criticism, but rather
criticism that seems to issue up from some melancholy place and reveals itself
in ways ranging from a kind of forlorn longing to dwell on what they used to
love (and why all that follows can never measure up), to a biting sarcasm where
one fan was so angry she cheered on the competition.  Oddly enough, even those
who now seem consumed with contempt will say they are still 'fans'.  Not
necessarily of the show, but rather of the 'idea' of LOIS AND CLARK.  What that
'idea' is, seems to be a matter of personal taste, and those who still love the
show, find the 'idea' unfolding on the screen, and not just their memories.

Next month, I hope to have some kind of overview of season 3.

_______________________________________________________________________________


EPISODE REVIEWS:
----------------

Episode #3-02: "Ordinary People"
--------------------------------
    by Leigh Raglan (leigh4ck@aol.com)


US Airdate:      September 24, 1995
Guest Starring:  Carlos Lacamara, and David Leisure as "Spencer Spencer"

Written by:      Eugenie Ross-Leming and Brad Buckner
Directed by:     Michael Watkins


THE PLOT

The first of a series of articles -- "Love Fortress International Linked To
Organized Crime" -- by Lois Lane has been published by THE DAILY PLANET.  The
articles expose reclusive playboy Spencer Spencer and his
entertainment/publishing empire as a front for an organized crime syndicate.
Now, Spencer Spencer wants Lois killed.

Clark was supposed to have helped Lois with the story, but he backed off in an
attempt to give her some breathing space while she considers his marriage
proposal (made in the preceding episode "We Have A Lot To Talk About").  When
Lois tries to reassure him that just because she isn't talking about it, that
doesn't mean she is not thinking about it, he tells her, "Marriage is a very
big step.  I said I would wait and I *will* wait."  When she then abruptly
changes the topic and starts talking about how she would love to have some good
Camembert cheese from France, he says that if he "were the paranoid type, I
might think you were trying to avoid the whole thing."

Sensing something's up between the couple, Perry meets privately with Lois.
Upon learning about Clark's proposal, he advises her to "get out of town so you
can focus on what really counts," but Lois isn't very receptive to the idea.
She then gets a tip about some headless bodies having been found and runs off
to meet her source.  Before she leaves however, she stops by her desk and finds
a basket stacked with Camembert cheese and a little French flag.  A happy Clark
is standing nearby adjusting the knot in his tie.  She tells him they have to
talk, and they will, but not now.  Then she rushes off for her appointment.
Outside, the first assassination attempt on Lois is underway, when a flagpole
is pried loose.  She is only saved from being crushed at the last possible
instant before impact by a very panicky Superman.

Later, Clark, dressed as Superman, visits Lois and they have a serious
discussion about their relationship.  She is dismayed he keeps bringing her
gifts from around the world -- "Making you happy makes me happy," he says.  She
then explains why she gave up her Superman infatuation.  "Because he is a
fantasy.  And did I tell you why I fell in love with Clark?  Because he's got
problems and insecurities."  Lois, however, is having problems with the idea of
sharing Clark with the rest of the world because she wants stability in her
life and the need to know he will be there for her.  Even as she is telling him
this, he hears a cry for help and has to fly off.

Spencer's playboy image turns out to be just a mirage.  The man's body is so
hideously deformed that he keeps it hidden from the world in a box, with only
his head exposed at the top.  He is searching for a new body and his doctor,
Dr. Pescado, is experimenting on male bodies, decapitating them in his search
for a method of successfully transferring the head of one person to the body of
another.  The headless bodies are the ones now turning up in Metropolis.
Spencer Spencer has decided the ideal body would be Superman's and indicates
that he can obtain Kryptonite to render Superman's body vulnerable, so that the
surgery can transpire.

Perry gets a travel promotion to send someone from the paper to check out a
tropical resort.  He wants Lois and Clark to go.  Lois is reluctant to go until
Clark makes a bet that he can go away for the entire weekend and not be
Superman, if *she* can go the entire weekend without working.  She agrees.
>From the moment they arrive by boat, however, there is trouble in paradise.
The entire thing is an elaborate ruse staged by Spencer Spencer to get the
couple into jeopardy so that they'll call on their friend Superman for
assistance.

When, after two hours, no one has come to meet them at the landing dock to take
them to the hotel, Lois wants Clark to use his powers to check out the island
and even fly them somewhere else.  But Clark cheerfully sticks to his side of
the bet -- "No scooping, no flying." -- upsetting her.  A series of near
misfortunes befalls them, designed at luring Superman to their rescue.  All of
them fail due to Clark's interception: a tiger approaches the couple while Lois
is sleeping, but Clark uses his heat vision to drive the cat away; Lois nearly
drinks contaminated water designed to make them both deathly ill, but Clark
spots the contamination and surreptitiously creates a natural spring providing
her with fresh water.  When night falls and it is clear they are stranded, they
decide to spend the night romantically roughing it.  The entire situation
brings the couple closer together.  Lois confesses her fears about marriage due
to her own family.  "Your parents made marriage look like fun, mine made it
look like a root canal."  Clark reassures her that she is not her parents and
explains his feelings for her.  "This thing between us, whatever it is, it's
stronger than me.  Being with you is stronger than me alone."

When Superman never arrives to rescue the couple, Spencer Spencer has them
brought in.  After he puts Lois' life into jeopardy, Clark confesses he's
Superman.  But not until Spencer produces Kryptonite and Clark collapses does
he believe him.  Clark is wheeled off to the operating room, while Lois is put
back in a cell.  She manages to escape and gets the Kryptonite away from Clark
before the operation begins.  Though very weak, Clark manages to break out of
his bonds and fight off Dr. Pescado before he can make the incision.  He blows
cold air onto the liquid nitrogen that has just been released, freezing Spencer
Spencer, Pescado, and Heidi, the nurse, inside a nitrogen block of ice.
However, when Spencer's henchmen arrive and begin shooting, the bullets
ricochet off the ice, shattering it and the three people trapped inside.  Clark
then knocks out the two henchmen.

Back at Lois' apartment, she is on the phone with Perry talking about her story
that she is about to e-mail.  She also tells him she has decided that she can
put up with those things with Clark that were troubling her.  Clark, hovering
outside in the suit, overhears and is clearly elated.  He then comes inside and
presents her with a bouquet of flowers he insists he's bought.  The couple
share a fairly deep kiss before he flies off.


OPINION

There is no question that Spencer Spencer is a very campy villain and some of
the scenes with him seem overlong.  But his diabolical plot to decapitate
Superman in order to have his head transplanted onto it is so very sinister, it
offsets this.  Spencer's plot also serves the purpose of getting Lois and Clark
alone together on the paradise island.

"Ordinary People" is first and foremost a relationship episode, and perhaps the
only episode in the entire series that gives the couple so much quality time to
discuss their problems while also having a bit of fun together.  All the scenes
between the couple are quite emotional.  When Lois is nearly killed by the
flagpole, Superman is clearly shaken by it, as is Lois.  There is a lot of
humor, too, throughout the episode, as in one scene when Clark talks about
acting "just like a regular guy" before using his powers to compress a huge
presentation basket into a wad the size of a baseball.  Another scene has Lois
and Clark building themselves a hut from palm leaves for shelter.  Clark
romantically declares it "our first house" and carries her over the threshold,
then the hut collapses.

Although Lois' distancing in the beginning of the episode may seem a bit
annoying -- after all, this is the woman who adored Superman for two years and
now doesn't seem to want Clark to be Superman *at all* (until they're in
trouble on the island, of course) -- it is characteristic Lois behavior and
fairly short-lived.  Fortunately, we do find out why she is distancing when an
inordinate amount of screen time is given to the relationship.  Much of the
dialogue throughout the episode is quite witty.

I found the action portion of the story, when Clark nearly got decapitated,
quite suspenseful.  It was not clear until the last minute how Lois would be
able to save him.  His powers returned slowly enough that it was quite a
struggle for him to fight off Dr. Pescado and his deadly scalpel.  If there is
any complaint I have, it is that the way the end of this scene was filmed.  I
got the impression that the two henchmen, Belzer and Klavel, knew that Clark
was Superman.

For fans who want lots of romance, "Ordinary People" really delivers in this
department.  There are several very nice kissing sequences, the chemistry
between the couple is undeniably there, and they most decidedly come across as
being very much in love.  The end of the episode is extremely sweet, filled
with lots of promise of things to come.  I would have to say that "Ordinary
People" now ranks in my book as among the most romantic and fun episodes in the
series.

As a footnote: this is the last episode in the third season we see Lois with
her long hair.

_______________________________________________________________________________
*******************************************************************************

Episode #3-20: "It's A Small World After All"
---------------------------------------------
    by Joe Jones <jones_jl@egr.mercer.peachnet.edu>


US Airdate:      April 28, 1996
Guest Starring:  Elizabeth Anne Smith, Steve Young, and Kenneth Kimmins

Teleplay by:     Teri Hatcher and Pat Hazell
Story by:        Teri Hatcher
Directed by:     Philip J. Sgriccia


Remember the days of being in high school?  Going to football games, being in
the right crowd, wearing just the right clothes,  having the best of times?
Well, all of that comes back seeing the Metropolis High School year book.  Lois
and Clark are preparing to attend Lois' high school reunion.  Going to meet all
the people that you have not seen since high school.  Lois was picked "Least
likely to get married," and she was also the student class President.  Someone
very popular, you wouldn't expect anything less from Lois Lane.  She seems a
little apprehensive about Clark going, but he is persistent in wanting to meet
all the people that Lois grew up with.  Especially Joe, who wrote this neat
little phrase in Lois yearbook.  "You're in my dreams, like a touchdown pass.
I can't help noticing, you've got a great ----!"

So Lois and Clark proceed out the door to attend the Metropolis High School
Class Reunion.  Meanwhile, who is this weird person singing the old alma mater?
 Claiming that she is beautiful, successful, and claiming that she will *never*
be the wallflower again.  It is none other than the class nerd, Annette.  Okay
folks, we all had one or two of these folks in our own classes, you know the
type that no one will talk to or become friends with.  Well, Annette was that
person at Metropolis High.  But who are the little people that she has locked
up in a house built out of legos?  We don't know who they are yet, but I am
sure we are about to find out.  And by the way, how did they get so small?  Oh
the drama and suspense.  Glued to find out what happens next?  I was.

Lois and Clark arrive at the reunion and I think that Lois asks Clark a pretty
good question.  "Are you a mingler or a clinger?  Do you hang on the hip all
night or do you like to split up and circulate?"  I guess that is spawned from
Clark telling her before they left the apartment "You just got your memory
back, I just got you back, and I may never let you out of my sight again."  We
never get an answer, because before he could say anything, someone is yelling
"LoLo!"  Clark's reaction was mine.  "LoLo?"  Lois says that her good friends
called her that (I think Teri could have picked a better nickname, don't you?)
Well, Annette walks up and introduces herself to Clark, and Clark asks if she
and Lolo were good friends, but Annette says that they barely spoke.  So why is
this nerd woman talking to people she barely knew in high school?  Ah, the plot
thickens a little.  Just then another "Lolo" is heard from across the room.
Lois hears it and notices that it is Julie, her best friend.  Lois and Clark go
and meet Julie and Dick.  I think the funny thing here was the introduction,
see if you catch what I mean.  "Clark, Dick, Dick, Clark" says Lois.  See what
I was talking about?

Then we see Annette talking to her *flowers*!?!  Okay what is going on?  But
then we find that Hans has shown up in a waiter's outfit.  Annette tells him to
move into position.  Then we meet Joe Malloy (Steve Young).  He has just lost
his wife, literally.  She is missing and he believes that she has left him.
Hummmm, is that Debbie, one of the little people?  Yes!  But why?  Also note
that this is the same "Joe" from the yearbook.  Anyway, Annette greets Joe
while Lois is talking to him, and Joe states that he and Annette have not
talked since high school.  She has come around at the right time, even though
she has been busy with her cosmetics company.  Now we find out that Annette is
a millionaire.  In cosmetics, wow, Fortune 500, and the New York Stock
exchange.  This woman has definitely made some changes in her life since high
school.  Joe and Lois begin to go dance and talk about the disappearance of
Joe's wife Debbie, and about that time, Hans misinterprets the information from
Annette.  Evidently, Annette was suppose to be dancing with Joe when the ball
falls from the ceiling, but instead, it is Lois dancing with Joe when the ball
comes crashing down.  Before it can hit Lois, it suddenly stops.  Who stopped
it?  None other than Superman.  Annette is so angry she mutters to herself,
"Well, Lois, you're happy now, but all of that is about to change."

Back at the Planet the next day, Lois and Clark are discussing looking into why
two of her high school friends are missing.

Clarks says "Lois, I know you want a Pulitzer, I just don't think that this
reunion story is it."

"Clark, two of my high school classmates' spouses have disappeared in the past
few weeks, without a trace."

Clark says, "Do you know the divorce rate in this country?"

"I know these people, and they're just not the vanishing without a trace type."

Just then Perry walks up and says, "Clark, when a pit bull gets a hold of a
bone, he just ain't gonna let it go."

Clark looks at Lois and says, "Tell me about it."

Lois turns to Perry to explain, "There's a connection between some no-shows at
my reunion."

"Now what makes you think that?"  Perry asks.

"Well, they weren't there."

"What makes them connected?"

"They weren't there!"

"Why weren't they there?"

"I don't know!  They weren't there!!"

"Oh boy, this sounds like a story just crying to be told!"  Not too sound there
if you ask me; seems as if Lois has nothing to work from.  Lois begins by
asking Jimmy to run some names and to find a phone number for Peggy Barrish.
Jimmy begins to go crazy.  "Peggy Barrish?  The model Peggy Barrish?  The
lingerie ads?  The legs, the stockings..."  Lois interrupts his fantasy by
saying that her husband Lee is missing (the other small person in Annette's
lego house).

Then we see Annette in a fit, "I was supposed to get the sympathy!  Not Lolo!
Lolo and Clark.  Lolo and Superman.  Lolo and the football team.  Whatever Lolo
wants, Lolo gets.  Well, not for long."  Annette gives Hans two bags, one for
Clark and the other for Julie's husband Dick.  Clark comes home to find his
little bag of free shampoo.  More suspense and drama, what is about to happen
next?

We find Julie leaving and Dick runs out to say good-bye.  And after Julie
leaves, he suddenly begins to shrink into a little person.  Then Hans, dressed
as a Snoil exterminator, picks him up.  Next we see Clark about to take a
shower and wash his hair with his free shampoo when he is interrupted with a
news break on the radio about an erupting volcano.  Superman to the rescue!  In
a matter of seconds, he is back to his shower and washing his hair.  When he
gets out, there is Hans again, crawling around on the floor looking for a
little Clark.  Boy, is he surprised to see Clark at his normal size.  Oh no, I
must have the wrong apartment number, bye.  And he disappears before Clark
could ask any questions.

Back at the Planet, Lois and Clark begin a discussion about Lois changing her
name, but they are interrupted by a loud noise coming from near the elevators.
It's Joe and it looks as though the candy machine has taken his money and given
no product.  Been in that situation myself.  Anyway, Lois runs up to see what
is going on, and while Lois is talking to Joe, Clark lifts the machine with his
foot and causes the candy bar to fall.  Notice that it is a "Clark Bar."  Clark
hands the bar to Joe and introduces himself.  Lois and Clark talk about the
disappearance of Debbie.  Then we find out that Joe was the quarterback (Duh!),
Julie was the Cheerleader, and Peggy was the homecoming queen.  Now the tie is
made.  All four of these classmates where "big deals" in high school.  Joe gets
up to leave, making a comment about Lois' perfume, but she is not wearing any
-- then we find out that it is Clark's cologne.  Clark tells Lois after Joe
leaves that he is not wearing cologne.  Lois says that he smells good, leans
over and straightens up his tie saying, "You are getting sloppy in your rushes
to save the day."  Clark looks down and his glasses fall off.  Lois sees this
and tells him in a hurried manner, "Clark, your glasses!"  Clark puts them on
and then notices that his jacket and shirt now seem to be too large.

Then we see Lois and Clark at his apartment about to eat.  He goes over to get
the bottle of wine that he put away earlier to find that he can no longer reach
it.  He tiptoes into another area, where Lois can not see him, and takes off
his sweater to see that the sleeves of his shirt are way too long.  Lois walks
up and Clark asks Lois if shirts stretch.  Lois and Clark then begin discussing
this thing that is happening.  Clark states that it started the day before.
Well, Lois has a fit claiming that they are supposed to be in this together and
whatever happens to him affects her as well.

We then see Superman at STAR Labs talking to Dr. Klein.  Dr. Klein comes up
with this idea the yellow sun of this planet is affecting Superman and the
effects may be permanent.  Then Dr. Klein explains the snowman principle.  Was
he too blunt?  I don't think so, after all, Superman did say he could be blunt
in his explanation of what is going on.  Then we see Lois talking to Julie
whose husband has now disappeared.  Coincidence?  We know where he is, don't
we?  At any rate, Lois finds out that some neighbors saw an exterminator at the
location before Julie's husband disappears.  Just then the phone rings and it
is Annette.  She asks Lois if she is free for lunch and Lois states that she is
talking to Julie.  Annette hangs up and Clark calls, asking Lois to meet him
later that night in the newsroom.  Well later that night, she meets Clark, but
Clark won't let her see him.  He has shrunk just like the other three "missing"
persons.  But Lois doesn't know about that yet.  Clark tells Lois that he must
face this thing that is going on himself and asks her not to get involved.  But
Lois states "Ask me to scour the earth, wake up every cop, knock on every door,
but please ... don't ask me to walk away from you, I can not do that."  Clark
says he knows that and that he'll keep in touch and flies away.  Lois then goes
to Clark's apartment.  She finds Hans trying to find the little Clark.  Hans
also has the bottle of shampoo in his hand.  Hearing Lois, he begins to head
out, he runs into Lois, literally, dropping the bottle of shampoo on a plant;
he gets up and runs out.  Lois, seeing the bottle, watches in amazement as the
plant shrinks into almost nothing.

Then next day, Lois is on the phone, frantically talking to Dr. Klein as
Superman flies in and places an article about "Chemist Shrinks Cells" next to
Lois' yearbook.  Lois and Clark get into a heated argument about Clark's
condition, and it ends with both of them saying to one another "you are so
stubborn" and Superman flies away.   Lois takes the article about shrinking
cells to Dr. Klein.  Dr. Klein states that Dr. Graham found the way to shrink
living cells.  Lois asks Dr. Klein if he has finished analyzing the shampoo.
Dr. Klein states that he needs Dr. Graham's notes in order to come up with an
antidote.  Then he notices that Dr. Graham's work was funded by a large
cosmetics company.  Bingo!  Light bulb just went on in Lois' head (About time?
I thought so).

"She runs a cosmetics company, none of us were friends with her in high school,
and suddenly she's comforting Julie and Joe, and calling me.  And Snoil Pest
Control.  Snoil spelled backwards is Lions."  Yes!!!!  Lois figures out how to
get Dr. Graham's research notes.  Just then Superman flies by, dropping off a
note.  Dr. Klein reads the note out loud.  "Lois, its too dangerous.  Stay put
until you hear from me."  Lois, looking sentimental, says "Oh, he always says
that.  And I never listen," she turns and walked out the door.

Now we see Superman break into the Lego house while the occupants are asleep,
jump into the closet, and put on some scuba gear and mask.  The others wake up
and pointing toy guns at Clark ask who he is.  Clark states that he is a ... uh
... "Navy seal."  Good answer!  Debbie states that she is not leaving because
of the cat.  Clark then states that he will take care of the cat because he is
a ... uh ... Navy seal.  Clark persuades the folks to leave and then the door
bell rings.  Lois comes walking in, and through some conversation, we find out
that Annette lost the election of class president to Lois.  Lois finds the
little people, and at about this time, Annette has a gun in her hand ready to
shoot Lois.  She shoots and Lois falls to the ground.  Oh no, is she really
shot?  The camera zooms in on the bullet hole in Lois' blouse to see Superman
come crawling out of the hole with the bullet.  About this time, Annette is
walking over to Lois with a bottle of her shampoo, saying "Honey, I Shrunk the
Reporter."  Lois opens her eyes just as Annette is about to empty the bottle on
Lois.  Superman, pushing the couch, catches Annette off guard, causing her to
lose her balance, crashing into a cabinet and breaking the bottle of shampoo on
herself.  She begins screaming like the Wicked Witch of the West when she got
wet.  Annette begins to shrink into nothing.  One for Superman, zero for the
villainess.

The next day, the headlines of the Daily Planet reads "Couple United: Size
Restored!"  Perry claims that they have done it again, great team work.  Later
that night, Lois asks Clark not to push her away again in a problem, and Clark
asks Lois not to put herself in danger again.  They try to get each other to
promise but neither of them will.  So Lois asks Clark for his pinkie finger and
on the count of 3, they will promise together.

They count together, "1...2..."

Clark says, "I promise ... Lois!?"

She kisses him in response and walks away.

"Lois!  Lo-is...." So much for her keeping her promise, just like herself.
Hope you guys have as much fun with this episode as I have.

_______________________________________________________________________________


THE MAILBAG
-----------

KC Responses are indented and begun with ****

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

From: Jack Grimes (LBMGMD@aol.com)

[Regarding Zoomway's comments about coordinating things to have the LOIS AND
 CLARK and comic weddings coincide...]

Actually, I've "sorta-kinda-almost-maybe" figured it out.  10 months from now
is SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW #10, a landmark issue, if you used your
imagination.  This also puts the show in a sweeps position.  12 months from now
is SUPERMAN #125, another landmark issue, albeit a "wimpy" one.  This also puts
the show only one month off of season finale sweeps.  14 months from now is
ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #550, a "nicer" landmark.  And again, it puts the show
only one month off of season finale sweeps (this time in June).  A wedding in
AOS #550 would also make a good "summer event" for the comics industry.

Since MAN OF STEEL #75 is in the middle of the summer, and ACTION COMICS #750
is more than two years away, my best (and favorite) bets would be either MOT
#10, or, the more likely, AOS #550 (not only because of the above reasons, but
becasue it's the second longest running Supes title *AND* has the best creative
team, my favorites, Kesel and Immonen).  Of course, this goes against L&C's
"wedding in '96" promise, but I wouldn't mind waiting a little longer for a
better story (IF the book writers and the show writers STOP dreaming up ways to
delay or stop the wedding and just wait it out, something any normal couple
could do).

Comments?

**** Assuming that LOIS AND CLARK *does* go ahead with a wedding in 1996, then
     I honestly don't think we're going to get that coordinating done.  Keep
     in mind that Lois and Clark are barely speaking in the comics, and those
     solicited through July don't seem to indicate any progress.  That only
     leaves five months left in 1996, IMO much too short of a time to enact
     a palatable reconciliation and complete wedding preparations.  While I
     certainly think it could be done, I just don't think it can be done well.

     Besides, the closest we have to an anniversary issue in 1996 is
     SUPERMAN #119, which should be out in November.  This issue is only
     significant because it has a cover date of January 1997, which would
     make it the tenth anniversary of the Byrne relaunch -- SUPERMAN #1
     sported a cover date of January 1987...

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

From: takana@freespace.net

Hi! I stopped by the Kryptonian Cybernet on a recommendation at a different
site and read through you mention of the various different "other" Supergirls.
Unfortunately, your information on Laurel Kent is in error...

She originally appeared around SUPERBOY AND THE LEGION #230 (I don't have the
issue at hand...) in a backup story.  She was a trainee at their Academy when
Superboy meets her.  She mentions (eventually) that she is his descendant and
that she looks very much like the girl he'll eventually marry (i.e. Lois Lane).
 Laurel became a regular fixture in the Legion until the Millenium crossover.
Since that crossover required that a character be a Manhunter, it was Laurel
who got the shaft.  Laurel is *not* a future Supergirl clone but more
accurately a descendant of Superman.

**** First, a few readers mentioned that Laurel Kent appeared before CRISIS,
     as did you.  I can't verify this myself (not having the issue in
     question), but I'll accept the numbers here as proof that the correction
     is valid.

     However, your letter contradicts itself.  While Laurel may have been
     originally meant to be a descendent of Superman, the fact that she was
     a Manhunter nullifies that intention.  Since she was a Manhunter, she
     was clearly *not* a descendent of Superman.  Besides, David never
     stated or implied that she was a "future Supergirl clone," but rather
     that she was used to fill the gap left by CRISIS.

As for Laurel Gand (the other 30th Century character), she first appeared at
the start of the 4th volume of the LSH.  Among the various retcons that occured
with this is that she was the character who did all of Supergirl's stuff ...
note that according to my memory, Laurel Gand's early costume resembled
Mon-El's costume more than Supergirl's (red bulky jacket like Mon-el with a
short blue cheerleader-type skirt and boots).

**** While this is certainly true, you can't deny that there are similarities
     between her costume and Supergirl's.  Reverse the roles of red and blue
     and the remaining differences are very minor.  The point was that she
     was used to fill in the Supergirl gap, and the similarities were very
     obvious -- read her origin in LEGION #9 (Vol. IV) for details.

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

From: "Michael S. Schiffer" <mss2@huitzilo.tezcat.com>

[Also regarding David Chappell's Supergirl article.]

It may be worth noting that [Superwoman], Kristin Wells, first appeared in the second of Elliot S. Maggin's Superman novels, MIRACLE MONDAY (though she didn't adopt the Superwoman identity in the novel).

I'm pretty certain that Laurel Kent's first appearance was a while before the Crisis, probably in the late 70's or very early 80's. As a tease, she told Superboy that she looked very much like the girl he was going to marry.  (She didn't say who that was, but of course Laurel certainly looked more like Lois Lane than Lana Lang or Lori Lemaris.)

And the name Leala Linder [the name Laurel Gand used while in an orphanage, before joining the Legion] is a fairly transparent scrambling of "Linda Lee" with a few extra letters.

These are minor points at best, though.  (I'd also quibble that Superwoman and Laurel Kent aren't really "incarnations" of Supergirl the way Super-Girl, Power Girl, Matrix, Kara of Argo and the Laurel Gands are, but I've always been sorry Kristin Wells got such short shrift and I'm glad to see her get mentioned.  :-) ) Otherwise, this is an excellent summary of the various Supergirl incarnations.  (Of course, the fact that after deliberately deep-sixing Kara Zor-El DC has released four echoes of her suggests that her death may not have been DC's wisest editorial decision. :-) )

**** The fact is that regardless of how well or poorly her titles sold, Kara
     Zor-El was clearly one of the most-loved characters in the DCU.  Her
     death only seemed to increase the number of her fans.  Whether or not
     the decision was wise is not for us to decide, but we can at least
     appreciate the fact that her passing was so courageous and heroic.

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

Keep your letters and comments coming!  We always welcome your feedback
about how we can improve KC!

                                                    -- Jeff Sykes

_______________________________________________________________________________
*******************************************************************************

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
                                ---------------

    Wallet crunch time, as July brings no fewer than 14 Superman and
    related titles to the fans.  (When you have to take out a loan...)
    July is one of those months with five shipping dates, so we've got
    five Superman titles to watch for.  In these issues, look for the
    return of an interesting player from "The Trial of Superman" and a
    major announcement from Perry White!  Then in addition to new issues
    of STEEL and SUPERBOY, we have the continuations of the KINGDOM COME
    and ERADICATOR miniseries.  (And boy are things getting weird for the
    Eradicator!)

    SHOWCASE '96 brings two Superman family stories, and both lead into the
    debuts of new ongoing series!  Superman and Superboy team up against a
    metahuman teen in Metropolis, and then Superboy's new title, SUPERBOY
    & THE RAVERS, debuts a few weeks later.  Also in SHOWCASE is a
    Supergirl story by Peter David which serves as a prologue to SUPERGIRL,
    beginning the following week!  And if all this wasn't enough for you,
    the Alpha Centurion takes the spotlight in the one-shot ALPHA CENTURION
    SPECIAL!  And to drain even more money from your wallet, check out
    JUSTICE LEAGUE: A MIDSUMMER'S NIGHTMARE, a three-issue miniseries which
    will lead in to the debut of the revamped Justice League in the fall --
    of which Superman will be a prominent member.  Check out our feature
    article on these new titles for more information!


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                    LIST OF TITLES BY EXPECTED ARRIVAL DATE
                 ---------------------------------------------


Arrival Date:   Comic title and information:
------------    ---------------------------
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


June 5:         Showcase '96 #7
                   Mary Marvel and Gangbuster
                      Written by Jerry Ordway
                      Art by John Statema and Mike DeCarlo
                   Cover by William Rosado and Klaus Janson
                   48 pgs, $2.95

                Steel #29
                   Written by Louise Simonson
                   Art and Cover by Phil Gosier and Rich Faber
                   $1.95

                Superman #114
                   Written by Mark Waid and Tom Peyer
                   Art by Curt Swan and various
                   Cover by Kieron Dwyer
                   $1.95

June 12:        Adventures of Superman #537
                   Written by Karl Kesel
                   Art and Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr.
                   $1.95

                Kingdome Come #2 (of 4)
                   Written by Mark Waid
                   Painted art and Cover by Alex Ross
                   48 pgs, Prestige Format, $4.95

                New Gods #10  (Superman)
                   Written by Rachel Pollack
                   Art by Stefano Raffaele and Brian Garvey
                   Cover by Stefano Raffaele
                   $1.95

                Superman Annual #8
                   Written by David Michelinie
                   Art by Scot Eaton and Pam Eklund
                   Cover by Jerry Ordway
                   48 pgs, $2.95

June 19:        Action Comics #724
                   Written by David Michelinie
                   Art by Tom Morgan and Denis Rodier
                   Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
                   $1.95

                Superboy #30
                   Written by Karl Kesel
                   Art by Tom Grummett and Doug Hazlewood
                   Cover by Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel
                   LOSIN' IT: Part 6 (of 6)
                   $1.95

June 26:        Eradicator #1 (of 3)
                   Written by Ivan Velez, Jr.
                   Art and Cover by Roger Robinson and John Lowe
                   $1.75

                Superboy Annual #3
                   Written by Barbara Kesel
                   Art and Cover by Anthony Williams and Andrew Lanning
                   48 pgs, $2.95

                Superman: The Man of Steel #59
                   Written by Louise Simonson
                   Art and Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke
                   $1.95


July 3:         Justice League: A Midsummer's Nightmare #1 (of 3)
                   Written by Mark Waid and Fabian Nicieza
                   Art by Jeff Johnson, Darrick Robertson, Jon Holdredge,
                      and Hanibal Rodriguez
                   Cover by Kevin Maguire and John Dell
                   48 pgs, $2.95

                Showcase '96 #8
                   Superman and Superboy
                      Written by Karl Kesel
                      Art by Tom Grummett and Josef Rubinstein
                   Supergirl
                      Written by Peter David
                      Art by Terry Dodson and Karl Story
                   Cover by Tom Grummett and Doug Hazlewood
                   48 pgs, $2.95

                Steel #30
                   Written by Louise Simonson
                   Art by Phil Gosier and Rich Faber
                   Cover by Howard Porter
                   $1.95

                Superman #115
                   Written by Dan Jurgens
                   Art and Cover by Ron Frenz and Josef Rubinstein
                   $1.95

July 10:        Adventures of Superman #538
                   Written by Karl Kesel
                   Art and Cover by Stuart Immonen and Jose Marzan, Jr.
                   $1.95

                Kingdom Come #3 (of 4)
                   Written by Mark Waid
                   Painted Art and Cover by Alex Ross
                   48 pgs, Prestige Format, $4.95

                Supergirl #1
                   Written by Peter David
                   Art and Cover by Gary Frank and Cam Smith
                   $1.95

July 17:        Action Comics #725
                   Written by David Michelinie
                   Art by Tom Morgan and Denis Rodier
                   Cover by Tom Grummett and Denis Rodier
                   $1.95

                Superboy #31
                   Written by Eddie Berganza
                   Art by Kris Renkewitz and Brad Vancata
                   Cover by Tom Grummett and Karl Kesel
                   $1.95

July 24:        Superboy & The Ravers #1
                   Written by Karl Kesel and Steve Mattsson
                   Art and Cover by Paul Pelletier and Dan Davis
                   $1.95

                Superman: The Man of Steel #60
                   Written by Louise Simonson
                   Art and Cover by Jon Bogdanove and Dennis Janke
                   $1.95

July 31:        Alpha Centurion Special #1
                   Written by Barbara Kesel and Stuart Immonen
                   Art by Dean Zachary and Wade von Grawbadger
                   Cover by Stuart Immonen and Wade von Grawbadger
                   48 pgs, $2.95

                Eradicator #2 (of 3)
                   Written by Ivan Velez, Jr.
                   Art and Cover by Roger Robinson and John Lowe
                   $1.75

                Superman #116 (to be retrosolicited - info next month)


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------


                                  SPOILERS
                             ------------------

July 3:
------
Justice League: A Midsummer's Nightmare #1 (of 3)
    Clark Kent, Bruce Wayne, Diana Prince, and every other hero in the DC
    Universe suddenly face a world in which *they* are the "normals," utterly
    devoid of special powers.  At the same time, throughout the world, people
    by the hundreds are "going meta" spontaneously.  Writers Mark Waid (KINGDOM
    COME, FLASH) and Fabian Nicieza (X-MEN) pose the question, "In a world full
    of metahumans, is there any room for heroes?"  Helping them find the
    answers are artists Jeff Johnson (SOVEREIGN SEVEN ANNUAL #1) and Darrick
    Robertson (JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA), Jon Holdredge (X-MEN) and Hanibal
    Rodriguez (FLASH).  A triptych cover for this miniseries is illustrated by
    Kevin Maguire and John Dell.

Showcase  '96 #8
    Superman summons Superboy to Metropolis to stop another metapowered teen's
    rampage in a story by Karl Kesel, with art by Tom Grummett and Josef
    Rubinstein.  In the midst of a devastating hurricane, Supergirl is haunted
    by the memories of lives she couldn't save.  This story by Peter David,
    with art by Terry Dodson and Karl Story, serves as a prologue to the new
    SUPERGIRL ongoing series!  Third story features the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Steel #30
    Steel relocates to his new hi-tech headquarters and is confronted by three
    foes he believed dead ... enemies who want revenge on Steel for "killing"
    them.

Superman #115
    Still reeling from his breakup with Lois, Superman faces a new encounter
    with the Metropolis biker gang, the Outsiders of the Wild Area, and
    encounters the awesome Mountain of Judgement.


July 10:
-------
Adventures of Superman #538
    When Jimmy Olsen's ex-girlfriend Dana accidentally develops deadly
    super-powers, her crush on Superman becomes an "Obsession" that could
    crush the Man of Steel!  Plus, Perry White makes a startling announcement
    to the Daily Planet staff, one that will have a profound impact on Clark
    Kent.

Kingdom Come #3 (of 4)
    As McCay learns more about the Spectre's mysterious mission, he watches the
    Justice League struggle to rein in the metahuman activity on Earth, finding
    even more resistance to their efforts than they feared.  Forced to
    construct a massive gulag to keep the darker, more volatile heroes under
    control, Superman and Wonder Woman begin to debate the ethical implications
    of their actions, while Batman marshals forces of his own.  And as the
    gulag erupts into a full-scale riot, armies converge for the War to end all
    wars.  Elsewhere... a long-absent power suddenly awakens to tip the scales.

Supergirl #1
    Weird things are happening in Leesburg, USA:  Sometime after vanishing
    without a trace, college dropout Linda Danvers has reappeared miraculously,
    without memory of what happened to her, and manifesting strange new powers.
    If that weren't enough, Linda finds evidence of demonic forces at work,
    forces that have brought her and Supergirl together ... and changed the
    lives of both for all time!


July 17:
-------
Action Comics #725
    One by one, alien beings are popping up all over Metropolis, and each of
    them wants a piece of Superman!  The man responsible is Tolos, a wizard
    Superman faced during his trial, and he's brought with him a city in a
    bottle...

Superboy #31
    An alien entity has possessed a Hawaiian teen who has a vendetta with
    Superboy, but the fate of the youth rests with the Kid when an
    intergalactic bounty hunter comes looking for the entity -- determined
    to bring him in dead or alive.


July 24:
-------
Superboy & The Ravers #1
    You've got VIP passes to "The Event Horizon," a dimension-spanning, ongoing
    bash that teleports throughout the cosmos, catering to a very exclusive
    clientele: young metabeings!  The party has a universal rep for being the
    ultimate hangout -- but that's nothing compared to the direction it takes
    when Superboy joins the fun, sending the festivities raving *way* out of
    control!

Superman: The Man of Steel #60
    An all-out battle ensues between Superman and Tolos the Wizard, who is the
    inhabitants of his bottle city to break the Man of Tomorrow.  And one of
    Tolos's pawns is a Daxamite whose powers rival Superman's!  Meanwhile,
    Perry White struggles to tell his bad news to his family.


July 31:
-------
Alpha Centurion Special #1
    Reestablishing himself in Washington, D.C., the Centurion receives word
    that a member of the alien race who empowered him has insinuated himself
    at the highest levels of human society.  Alpha Centurion is charged to
    execute him, or Earth may be forfeit.

Eradicator #2 (of 3)
    Finding himself on ancient Krypton, the Eradciator faces the powerful
    remnant of Kem-L -- a Kryptonian scientist responsible for that planet's
    most evil hour.  But in defeating the genocidal monster, the Eradicator
    learns his own true, shocking nature.

_______________________________________________________________________________
*******************************************************************************
End of Section 9/Issue #25