At last it can be revealed … to me, at least

The Tick: The Naked City trade
New England Comics Press
Creator: Ben Edlund
Release date: July 1996, according to Wikipedia, but mine is the second edition version, dated May 1998

This trade was a very fun read, and I was glad to finally read the Tick’s “true” comic origins as this volume collects the first six issues of the Tick’s comic adventures.

Note, I did not say this volume includes the Tick’s first appearances.

According to Wikipedia, the Tick was created in 1986 by an 18-year-old cartoonist named Ben Edlund as a mascot of sorts for his local comic book shop, New England Comics of Brockton, Mass., to use in its newsletter. Edlund later expanded his use of the Tick, beginning with a three-page origin story in which the character escapes from a mental institution. Unfortunately, that three-page tale is not included in this trade.

I’ve never seen that three-page origin myself. I don’t now and have never lived anywhere near Massachusetts. But I was aware of the Tick’s existence even without reading any of his early adventures. The Tick was like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in that regard; if you were a comics fan in the late 1980s and early 1990s, even if you’d never read any of their comics, you were aware of the characters. They quickly became that popular.

The Tick is a parody of the superhero genre, but unlike other parodies that poke fun at the genre in what often seems to be a mean-spirited and denigrating fashion, the Tick seems to be poking fun in a more good-natured way. Plus, the comic is funny!

If you don’t know anything about the character, the Tick is a heavily-muscled powerhouse in an all-blue bodysuit with a pair of prehensile antenna on top of his head. While his heart is clearly in the right place, the Tick is not the smartest tool in the shed. Although he does have moments of very keen insight amid the nonsense he typically spouts.

But again, I was aware of the character’s existence while never having read any of his comic adventures for the first 15 years of his existence. That changed in 2001 when Fox produced a live-action television series based on the character starring Patrick Warburton as the Tick. An earlier animated series had been produced by Fox in 1994 and lasted for three seasons, but I never watched that program. Sadly, this live-action series only lasted for a handful of episodes, but I thoroughly enjoyed every one of them.

In the pilot episode of the Patrick Warburton series, the Tick has sworn to protect a bus station. In this incarnation, the Tick only changes his focus to protecting his unnamed city after he is tricked into leaving the bus station by the station employees, who he continuously annoys. The show also starred David Burke as the Tick’s reluctant sidekick, Arthur; Nestor Carbonell as Batmanuel; and Liz Vassey as Captain Liberty.

I enjoyed the series so much, my family bought me the DVD collection when it was released, and thankfully, this DVD collection featured all of the episodes of the show, even the unaired ones.

In 2016, Amazon produced another series based on the Tick, and my family and I have watched and enjoyed both seasons of this series as well. This version of the live-action Tick starred Peter Serafinowicz as the Tick. In this version, Arthur was traumatized as a child, along with most of the city, by a supervillain known as the Terror. When the Tick arrives in the city, he befriends the now adult Arthur, and along with the help of Arthur’s sister, Dot, and another hero named Overkill, they vow to fight crime and evil throughout the city. While this version still had its comedy moments and characters, the action was taken much more seriously.

All of that brings us to this trade, The Naked City. I enjoyed the Fox television series so much, I wanted to try out the comics that inspired the show. But in a story by now familiar to regular readers of this blog, I tracked down a copy of the first trade, bought it and tossed it on the pile of books to read when I had the time. That’s why I’m just now trying out the collection. And while it is very different from either television program, it was still very good.

In this trade, the Tick arrives in the City looking for crime to thwart and adventures to enjoy. What he finds are a group of slightly incompetent ninjas threatening a young woman. Through the course of this adventure, the Tick briefly joins the staff of the Weekly World Planet newspaper and comes into conflict with another hero named The Caped Wonder. After a few misadventures with the staff at the newspaper, the Tick joins forces with Paul the Samurai to defeat the ninja empire. Along the way, Jack and Tick are joined by Arthur, who Tick later decides to take on as his sidekick.

Some of the humor comes from the obvious parodies of Superman and his supporting cast and later parodies of Elektra Natchios and the Hand from Daredevil comics in this tale. But most of the humor, as it should, comes directly from the Tick himself, from his obvious delusions about crimefighting, and from his seemingly inexplicable success despite his lack of true understanding in most situations. If you have a sense of humor about your love of comics, I think you’ll find much to enjoy in this trade collection.

Bendis is hooking me again

Action Comics No. 1010
DC Comics
Creators: Brian Michael Bendis, Steve Epting, and Brad Anderson
Release date: April 2019

I wasn’t sure what to expect with Brian Michael Bendis taking over the Superman titles at DC, but I’ve enjoyed his writing in the past, be it in Avengers titles, Ultimate Spider-man, Powers or Daredevil. So I opted to give his runs a chance.

I very much like the dynamic stories he’s presenting in Superman, first taking us back to the Phantom Zone, then recounting Jon Kent’s adventures with his grandfather, Jor-El. The Ivan Reis and Joe Prado art certainly doesn’t hurt that title, either. I fell in love with these guys’ art when they helped relaunch the New 52 Aquaman title, and they are still at the top of their game.

But if I had to pick a current favorite Bendis Superman title, it would be the story arc going on in the pages of Action Comics, “Leviathan Rising.” Superman and his wife, Lois Lane, are both embroiled in an espionage tale that also involves all the clandestine groups from DC lore — A.R.G.U.S., the D.E.O., Checkmate, Spyral, Amanda Waller, Sam Lane, Mr. Bones. It’s all here, and I’m loving how Bendis is weaving it all together.

I’ve said before, here and in other forums, that Superman should be a light character. Superman represents the very best of what humanity can be. He is the shining light for which we strive. I believe Bendis gets that. And he’s wisely using the bright, shiny Superman sparingly in this story. Rather, he’s focusing on Clark Kent and Lois Lane, two investigative journalists who sometimes have to root around in the shadows to properly do their jobs and bring things to light. Take it another step darker, and even Lois and Clark are having to utilize assumed identities to go undercover. (That's them in the image above, if you didn't know.) Bendis' storytelling simply adds more and more layers to a mystery that desperately needs to be unraveled.

Getting Steve Epting for the art on this story was a great move, too. I have loved a lot of Epting’s past work, but he thrives illustrating this type of story, with shadows and subtle shifts, all the cloak and dagger stuff. He’s a brilliant choice for this arc.

It doesn’t hurt that this story is promising to explode out of Action Comics into other titles soon, either. Rather than feeling overwhelmed by that prospect, I’m looking forward to new titles like Event Leviathan and Lois’ solo title. That’s how good this story feels, and how excited I am to read each new piece of the puzzle.

I’m hooked, Mr. Bendis; please, don’t stop.

It was an electrifying debut

Black Lightning 1-11
DC Comics
Creators: Tony Isabella, Trevor Von Eeden, Frank Springer and Vince Coletta
Cover dates: April 1977 to October 1978

Longtime readers of this blog know I buy more comics than I read. Oh, I intend to read all of them eventually, and I've slowed down in my buying quite a bit in more recent years, but I still have a huge backlog of trades, hardcovers and even single-issue back issues that I have purchased over the years and haven't gotten around to reading yet.

I usually read comics from that backlog at random as time allows. Every now and then, though, something will prompt me to grab something from the middle of the stack and vow to read it next. The announcement some months back that Tony Isabella would be returning to write for DC Comics on his creation, Black Lightning, prompted such a move.

I know a little about Black Lightning, but I'm no expert. I've read the late 1970s issue of Justice League of America where Superman invites Black Lightning to join the League and the hero of Suicide Slum famously turns down the invitation. I've read several issues of the various iterations of the Outsiders (both with Batman and without). I've read more recent issues of Justice League where Black Lightning was a member. There have been many, many other stories that included Black Lightning — some even featuring him as the title character such as Black Lightning: Year One by Jen Van Meter and Cully Hamner from almost 10 years ago now — but I've never read any of the Black Lightning comics written by his creator, Tony Isabella, a writer whose work I enjoy.

In the late 1970s when this initial series debuted, I was 10 years old. There were no comics shops; instead we bought our comics at the grocery store or department stores. Limited availability, limited mobility and limited resources — even though this was a time when comics were a fraction of the cost they are now — all contributed to my being unaware of the new character or his title at the time. And honestly, even if I had known about Black Lightning in 1977, I likely wouldn't have cared to buy his comic when other names were more recognizable to me.

But as an adult collector, I've long been curious about the initial series and Black Lightning's mid-1990s second solo series, also written — at least initially — by Isabella. Over the years, I've managed to track them all down. Now a new, modern start for Black Lightning was being planned, and Isabella would again by writing Jefferson Pierce. I wanted to read all three series together. The fact that a new "Black Lightning" television adaptation was coming was also a factor, but less of one since it would debut on the CW before the new comic series and before I'd have a chance to read the back issues I owned.

I enjoyed watching the CW's debut season of "Black Lightning." While I'd heard names like Tobias Whale and Inspector Henderson from the comics before, watching this new television program told me a lot about these people I knew little about. It also introduced me to names I'd not heard before like Peter Gambi and The 100. While some of the relationships and interactions depicted in "Black Lightning" the television series were not exactly the same as those from the comics, the show served as a nice introduction prior to reading these earliest Black Lightning comics.

The first Black Lightning comics series ran for 11 issues before being caught up in the "DC Implosion," a name coined in jest mocking the line-wide expansion that had just been announced as the DC Explosion. I didn't know it at the time I bought these back issues, but the sudden cancellation of many titles at DC in 1978 left many story lines unresolved and several issues written and drawn without a title to publish them in. Black Lightning was no exception, and what would have been issue No. 12 later ran as a segment in an issue of World's Finest Comics. Sadly, I don't own that World’s Finest issue, but I found the previous 11 issues of Black Lightning quite enjoyable despite the abrupt ending.

Peter Gambi is still very much a father-figure and mentor to former Olympian Jefferson Pierce, who has returned to Suicide Slum to teach by day and clean up the streets by night. I was surprised to learn that initially Black Lightning did not have the metahuman powers he would later develop. Instead, he has an electromagnetic belt that gives him a protective force field and some limited ability to discharge electrical current in the form of lightning bolts. But the belt is the source of those abilities; they do not exist within Jefferson himself.

Primarily, Black Lightning battles The 100, a gang that controls much of the vice in Suicide Slum and keeps the populace in check by recruiting its young people and keeping people afraid, on drugs or both. Tobias Whale is one of the chief architects of The 100's activities, and very early on they recruit an archer/assassin named Merlyn to take out Black Lightning. I've always liked the character of Merlyn and did not know he was associated with Black Lightning at all. I was also pleased to find out after reading the early issues of Black Lightning with his involvement, that this is one of the earliest appearances of the character since his debut in the pages of Justice League of America.

For those who don't know, Suicide Slum is a subdivision of Metropolis in the comics. That's how a cop like Inspector Henderson, a frequent Superman supporting character in some eras, comes to play such a large role in early issues of Black Lightning. But also, being set within Metropolis, it would make sense that Superman might show up in some form in this first Black Lightning series. I was pleasantly surprised to see that he does appear in several issues, as does Jimmy Olsen. Nice continuity tie-ins there!

And then there's the title character, Black Lightning, a.k.a. Jefferson Pierce. Pierce is a likable, relatable character in these earliest issues. He has confidence, which he would need to play dress up and believe he has a chance against the thugs he fights. He is a skilled athlete as readers are reminded by references to his Olympics background, so his exploits are believable. And Pierce seems equally at ease in the classroom, teaching his students and being a role model for them as a citizen, even without his costume and flashy superhero identity. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I really enjoyed these early issues.

Be sure to come back next week and we’ll fast forward to the character’s mid-1990s relaunch.

More Superman. But well worth checking out!

Action Comics No. 999
DC Comics
Creators: Dan Jurgens, Will Conrad, Ivan Nunes and Rob Leigh
Cover date: March 2018

Most Superman fans are eagerly awaiting next month's Action Comics No. 1,000, a super-milestone, to be sure. But Dan Jurgens and crew made this preceding issue one not to be ignore.

Why?

Because Jurgens shows once again why Superman is the first and one of the greatest heroes ever: his genuine compassion and concern for others, even the villains he faces.

The most recent storyline in Action Comics involved some time travel, both backward and forward from the present. I won't spoil that story either, but information revealed to Superman during the course of that story made him question the humane-ness of sending villains into the Phantom Zone, a dimension discovered by his father, Jor-El. In the Phantom Zone, individuals exist only as disembodied wraiths who can still see and hear events in the real world but never interact or impact those events.

Superman's own experiences within the Phantom Zone have revealed that there is more to it than that, however. That plane of existence actively acts to overwhelm a person's hope and will. That aspect of the Phantom Zone makes exile there a cruel and unusual punishment, Superman decides, and he moves to find another solution for villains too powerful for earthly imprisonment, one that is less punitive, more humane, for the convicted.

Nice job, Superman. You are truly a shining example for us to follow. And kudos to Jurgens and the team for a fine issue!

Focusing on the backups

Superman Nos. 358 and 363
DC Comics
Creators: Bob Rozakis, Denys Cowan, Dick Giordano, Anthony Tollin and Shelly Leferman, Rich Buckler, Joe Giella, Milt Snapinn and Jerry Serpe
Release dates: April and September 1981

Last time, we spoke about a backup story in Superman No. 353 titled "The Secret Origin of Bruce (Superman) Wayne." I compared it to the 1990s Elseworlds one-shot Superman: Speeding Bullets.

It turns out there was a series of rotating backups in the Superman title in 1981-82, all written by Bob Rozakis, that looked at different eras and takes on the familiar Man of Steel mythos.

"Superman: The In-Between Years" looked at the time immediately after a young Clark Kent graduated from Smallville High School but before his move to Metropolis to attend college.

"The Fabulous World of Krypton" segment looked at life on Superman's native world before its destruction.

"The Adventures of Superman 2020" followed the adventures of the Superman we know, now aging and graying; his adult son, Superman Jr.; and his teenaged grandson, just starting in the hero business as Superman III or the Superman of 2020.

Later in 1982, "The Private Life of Clark Kent" series from several years prior was revived.

I'm sure each of these backup series have fans. But for my money, the best of them was the world imagined in "The Secret Origin of Bruce (Superman) Wayne." Two subsequent Superman issues returned to that world. The first, the backup story in Superman No. 358, asked readers to "Just imagine … 'A Day in the Life of Bruce (Superman) Wayne.'"

A brief, four-panel recap of the first tale from Superman No. 353 refreshes readers' memories of how baby Kal-el's rocket from Krypton lands on the outskirts of an early, smaller Gotham City. The infant is found by patrolman Jim Gordon and taken to the Waynes, who decide to adopt the child. The boy grows and begins exhibiting strange powers and abilities, which the Waynes disclose to Gordon. The three adults keep the secret and mentor the boy until his 21st birthday, when young Bruce saves his father from an assassination attempt by mobster Lew Moxon. Thus begins the career of Superman.

The "Day in the Life" story takes place an unspecified amount of time later, deals with Superman thwarting a group of terrorists trying to blow up a plane that his adoptive parents happen to be on, and discloses more information about the dual life led by Bruce Wayne after Superman's debut. For instance, when not wearing his Superman uniform, Bruce disguises himself in much the same way Clark Kent does in the traditional DC Universe, by wearing glasses and combing his spit curl back.

Jim Gordon is now police commissioner of Gotham and has a signal device — much like Jimmy Olsen's signal watch in regular continuity — that he uses to alert Superman to trouble. When Bruce receives such a signal, he simply focuses his super-hearing and super-vision on police headquarters so Gordon can talk directly to him. There's no real explanation of how Gordon knows Bruce is ready, but I imagine this wasn't meant for that kind of scrutiny.

The most interesting change for me, was seeing Bruce Wayne's day job, working in a book store named the Book Cellar with his girlfriend, Barbara Gordon. Despite being Jim Gordon's daughter, Barbara obviously knows nothing about her beau's secret identity. It is also pretty clear that she has little use for Superman.

I admit this choice on Rozakis' part regarding a day job for Bruce Wayne seems an odd one to me. As the adopted son of millionaire parents, I wouldn't think Bruce would need to work at all. But let's say that his parents and their friend Jim Gordon have instilled a sense of civic responsibility in young Bruce, which is obvious from these stories. How else do you explain Bruce's ultimate decision to adopt the guise of Superman to help people unless that is the case? But then why work in a book store? I'm guessing the decision was made simply to work Bruce's closeness to Barbara into the stories, but wouldn't their growing up together accomplish that? Really, I'm not complaining or trying to belittle the work; I love these stories. This just struck me as an odd choice within the stories.

Getting back to the narrative at hand, when the commissioner alerts Bruce to the terrorist danger, the Kryptonian creates a rather elaborate ruse to leave the Book Cellar and go into action as Superman. After thwarting the terrorists, Bruce returns to the Book Cellar only to have Barbara challenge his reasons for leaving.

"No hold on, Barbara … you may think that's a reason to suspect I'm Superman … ," Bruce begins. But Barbara cuts him off with a different accusation.

"What on earth are you talking about?" she asks. "You're meeting another woman behind my back … ."

Way to almost blow your own secret identity, Clark — er, Bruce! This was a nice callback to regular continuity where Lois Lane is always trying to prove that Superman and Clark Kent are the same person. But in this case, we are given no real reason other than regular continuity to explain why Bruce makes that leap in logic. But again, this is a minor quibble.

Next, in Superman No. 363, the backup tale is a story called "A Night in the Life of Bruce (Superman) Wayne." Oddly enough, both covers from these two issues show Superman flying over the skyline with a Bat-signal-like "S" light shining in the sky, but such a device is never used in any of these stories.

The splash page for this tale includes another four-panel recap, then a large single panel showing the wedding of Bruce Wayne and Barbara Gordon. A turn of the page reveals that one year has passed since that wedding, and the now Mrs. Bruce Wayne is watching a videotape of the ceremony and reflecting back on her wedding day. Her musings lead her to recall how Bruce finally revealed his secret to her at the start of their honeymoon.

Bruce telling Barbara that he is Superman does not go as he expected. Barbara tells her new husband that she expects him to retire from his costumed exploits now that he is married. Bruce is shocked until Barbara explains her reasons, that while he might save a life here and there thwarting crime on the streets, he could better serve humanity by using his super-intellect to create a cure for deadly diseases. Hearing her rationale, Bruce agrees and announces Superman's retirement to the world.

Back in the present, Barbara is regretting her decision for a number of reasons. While Bruce has succeeded in curing a number of common human ailments, he spends nearly all of his time in his basement lab working, to name just one reason. Things get worse when Barbara's private thoughts are interrupted by a phone call from Police Chief O'Hara. Commissioner Gordon has been shot and killed.

Barbara cries out in shock and pain, and Bruce rushes to her side. When she fills him in on what has happened, Bruce quickly dons his Superman outift and explains that he will fly back in time and prevent the tragedy. Superman's attempt to change events fails when he emerges in the past as only a ghostly image — a fact that is explained using great comic-book science — but he does manage to learn the identity of Gordon's killer — Lew Moxon.

Back in the present once again, Superman tells his wife the news and promises to at least catch Moxon and bring him to justice. Barbara stops him, telling him that she realizes now that Superman was a symbol Gotham needs to keep criminals at bay. She says that she has decided to be that symbol now, and she will catch her father's killer — as Batwoman. Thus, out of tragedy, a new World's Finest team is born.

These three little tales were a great, fun diversion, a glimpse into how things might have been, and I wouldn't have minded reading a few more of them. Alas, as far as I know, these were the only three such Bruce (Superman) Wayne stories from this era. While the other backup features continued on from this point, it seems like the return of "The Private Life of Clark Kent" replaced this one. At least until Speeding Bullets came along.

Everything old is new again Vol. 2

Superman No. 353
DC Comics
Creators: Bob Rozakis, Curt Swan, Frank Chiaramonte, Milt Snapinn, Gene D'Angelo and Julius Schwartz
Cover Date: November 1980

I'm still making my way through that large purchase of old Superman comics from the 1970s and early 1980s as I have time. But I came across one story the other day that proved to be very serendipitous timing.

Let's back up. About three weeks before, I was talking comics with a co-worker who shares an interest in the hobby. I honestly don't remember how the topic came up, but I was asking him if he'd read an Elseworlds one-shot from 1993 titled Superman: Speeding Bullets by J.M. Dematteis and Eduardo Barreto. The vast majority of the Elseworlds titles from the 1990s were Batman-centric comics with a few Superman and Justice League titles thrown in here and there. This one had Superman right in the title, but seemed to depict Batman right there on the cover.

The story posits that the rocket from Krypton lands not in Kansas, but on the outskirts of a much smaller Gotham City. And instead of Jonathan and Martha Kent finding the rocket's sole occupant, young couple Thomas and Martha Wayne happen upon the child. Being wealthy and childless, they decide to keep the child and raise him in the seclusion Wayne Manor provides. Martha teaches the young boy about compassion and the need for those who are able to help those who are less fortunate. Thomas teaches the boy to care about the law and doing what is right. And they are a happy family until one night when the boy, named Bruce Wayne by his adoptive parents, is 9 years old. The family is leaving the theater when they are mugged by a small-time hood named Joe Chill.

The parents are killed, and the anger, hurt and pain that Bruce feels explode out of him in the form of hot death from his eyes, something that traumatizes the child even more. Guilt and shame consume the boy to the point that he forgets the details of what happened, and he lives in seclusion until he reaches the age of 21. More powers and abilities have developed in the meantime, but it is at this point that the Wayne's butler, and Bruce's surrogate father, Alfred, tries to help the young man by revealing what is known about his origins. The shock of seeing the rocket brings back the traumatic memories of the night Thomas and Martha Wayne were killed, and Bruce swears to take out his anger and loathing on the lawless as a creature of the night named Batman.

Bruce pursues that mission in the daytime by buying the Gotham Gazette and serving as its crusading publisher and in the night by brutally punishing all who would prey on others as the Baman. Only by making a new friend does Bruce come to realize that his brutal nighttime methods make him little better than the criminals he opposes, and he chooses to follow a different path.

Of course, I didn't recall all of those details in the conversation with my co-worker. It had been several years since I last read Speeding Bullets. But about a week after that conversation, I came across the book while going through part of my collection looking for something else. I re-read the issue, then took it to work to let my co-worker borrow it since he seemed interested and hadn't previously read the story. Then, just a few days later, I sat down to read Superman No. 353, the next in my stack.

Those familiar with the nearly 40-year-old comic might recognize that the page pictured at the top of this post is not from the main story. Rather it is an eight-page backup story from the issue titled "The Secret Origin of Bruce (Superman) Wayne," and I was happy to read a very similar — but also very different — story to Superman: Speeding Bullets.

In the 1980 tale, as in the 1993 one, the rocket from Krypton again (or previously) crashes on the then-outskirts of a smaller Gotham City. In this instance, however, the young baby Kal-El breaks out of the rocket on his own and begins to crawl toward town when he is spotted by a young Gotham City patrolman named James W. Gordon. Gordon makes a report to his desk sergeant, asking if anyone has reported a missing baby. Finding no such reports, he decides to take the child to his friend, Dr. Thomas Wayne, to ensure the child is uninjured. Dr. Wayne and his wife, Martha, decide to keep the baby until his real parents can be located rather than having the infant sent to an orphanage, and Gordon agrees. When no one comes forward, the Waynes adopt the child and name him Bruce.

True to Superman's earlier origins, this child from Krypton already has most of his future powers even as an infant rather than developing them over time and exposure to earth's yellow sun. The Waynes notice evidence of Bruce's unusual abilities right away — his impervious skin, his ability to fly and his X-ray vision — but keep quiet about them until the fateful encounter with Joe Chill.

In this instance, the quick-thinking young Bruce uses his super speed to reach out and grab the bullets before they can strike either of his adoptive parents. Chill, spooked by the turn of events, tries to shoot the boy directly and is instead hit by a ricochet off the boy's invulnerable chest. Patrolman Gordon, alerted by the sound of the gunshots, arrives on the scene in time to hear Chill's dying words, a confession that he was hired to kill the Waynes by mobster Lew Moxon.

Moxon is jailed. Gordon is promoted to sergeant for his part in the case. And the Waynes finally decide to confide in someone — their friend, Gordon — about young Bruce's abilities. The three adults continue to be a guiding influence in shaping the man young Bruce will grow into. Then, on Bruce's 21st birthday, at a party thrown for him by his parents, the recently paroled Lew Moxon shows up to take his revenge. Bruce quickly disguises himself and thwarts the mob boss, thus beginning his career as Superman, aided by his parents and their friend, now Commissioner Gordon.

I know a lot of stories and ideas get recycled in comics, and the longer a reader is involved in the hobby, the more instances you will find. But it was particularly fun and timely to discover this version of Superman being Bruce Wayne so soon after talking about and re-discovering a later story that starts in the same place but takes a much different route to get to a similar ending. The simple germ of an idea can go in many different directions depending on the creators and the time in which it is developed. 

And Happy New Year's, too

Wishing everyone a safe and happy New Year's celebration and many more comic. And in the spirit of starting the year off right, here's another comic-themed happy New Year's illustration for your enjoyment. Come back next week for more comics talk!

Merry Christmas, everybody!

No new post this week. Just wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday. Read some comics; you'll be glad you did!

Anticipation is making me wait ... for years!

Superman No. 299
DC Comics
Creators: Cary Bates, Elliot S! Maggin, Curt Swan, Bob Oksner and Julius Schwartz
Cover date: May 1976

Who knew? Multi-part stories are nothing new! (Actually I did, but I didn't realize they were quite so prevalent this far back.)

While he isn't one of my top three favorite characters, I've always had a fondness for Superman.

Even before I'd read many comics, he was one of the "Super Friends" on television every Saturday morning during almost all of my cartoon-watching years (OK, so I still watch a lot of cartoons, but they are no longer confined to Saturday mornings and the odd 30-minute weekday program after school.). I came along too late for the "Superman/Aquaman" show that preceded it, but the "Super Friends" in one iteration or another were as regular on Saturday mornings as "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?" during those days. And the Man of Steel was one of only five regular heroes on most episodes of the "Super Friends." Superman was even my very first Mego action figure as a kid. So, I was definitely aware of him as a child.

Making the Kryptonian even more a central figure in my young mind were monthly (or so) trips to the barbershop. The barbershop my mom most often took me to when I was a child had two large baskets of magazines — mostly sports or hunting mags — placed on either end of a row of chairs where people would sit and wait their turn in the cutting chair. Scattered among the other magazines, there were almost always two or three coverless comic books. Sometimes you'd dig through those magazines and find a comic you'd read on a previous visit, which was usually fun to re-read because back then they were all great reads, even if you'd already read them before. Once in a while, you'd come across one that hadn't been there the last time. But always, every single issue, featured Superman, sometimes Superboy or sometimes alongside the Legion of Super-Heroes. Once or twice maybe alongside Batman. But Superman was always in those barbershop comics.

I developed a fondness for late 1960s and 1970s Superman comics that way. That led me to recently indulge when I came across an online auction selling several early Bronze age Superman comics, some of which I've finally had time to begin reading.

If you had asked me before this purchase, I'd have told you with almost certainty that one hallmark of Superman books from the time was that they were almost always self-contained stories. Done in one. Very few "to be continued"s to be found. That assumption is based on the many Superman books I read at that barbershop. After reading about a dozen of the books I recently purchased, however, I've found that is not the case. At least not with this batch.

Superman No. 254 sets up a situation where the Man of Steel must transfer his powers and abilities into the body of a crippled boy, only summoning each power back to himself one at a time as he needs them. An immediate problem gets resolved in this fashion, but at the end of the story, all of Superman's powers still reside in the boy's body. Did the writers just forget to resolve that plot point? No, they call attention to it at the end of the story with a note saying that plot point will be resolved in a future issue. Not the next issue, but an unnamed future issue at an unspecified time. That would drive fans crazy these days.

So what's all that got to do with Superman No. 299, the comic pictured above? That comic is part of a really long story arc, as you'll soon see.

Superman No. 296 begins by explaining that it was going to tell a tale of Superman that couldn't be contained in a single issue. It then gives a brief two-panel recap of how baby Kal-El came to Earth and was found by the Kents. The rest of the page is devoted to scenes of a second craft from the stars landing on Earth at the same time, but far from Smallville, Kansas. This craft dislodges a far more deadly occupant. The next page gives a glimpse of Superman's early career as Superboy and the second alien watching the young Kryptonian until he receives orders to go to Metropolis and wait for the boy to grow into Superman. The following pages of that issue reveal that this second alien has been sent to destroy Earth, using Superman to do it. The alien, named Xviar, sets his plan in motion by sabotaging the Man of Steel's powers — making it so that when he is dressed in his familiar red-and-blue costume, Superman is mighty as ever, but when dressed in his Clark Kent clothes, Superman is human, losing all of his Kryptonian abilities.

Superman, not knowing Xviar's plan, believes that the change is brought about by the stress of his having lived a double life for so long. He decides he must choose between being Superman full time and saying goodbye to his Clark Kent identity, or the opposite, forsaking his powers forever to live only as a human. Superman No. 297, which I do not own and have never read, apparently details the next week as Clark tries living only as a normal human. Flashbacks in the next issue show he is saddened by — but begins to accept — the tragedies he can no longer do anything about. Instead, he begins to actively pursue Lois Lane and stand up to the constant harassment of bullies like Morgan Edge and Steve Lombard. Then in Superman No. 298 — which I do have and read — Superman goes back into action full time, forgetting about Clark Kent for a week. The Man of Steel is able to prevent a great many disasters and crimes, but never taking off the costume means never having any downtime, something which begins to take a toll.

All of that culminates in Superman No. 299, which interrupts Superman's difficult decision by introducing nine of the Man of Steel's most infamous rogue's gallery members, brings about the final part of Xviar's plan to use Superman to destroy Earth and brings the plot to a satisfying conclusion. Why satisfying? Superman uses his brains just as much, if not moreso, than his brawn to defeat Luthor, Brainiac, the Prankster, Toyman, Parasite, Mr. Mxyzptlk, Terra-Man, Amalak and the Kryptonite Man. Plus, when Superman tumbles to Xviar's plan and manages to thwart it, it is only because of his strong sense of what is right and his sense of honor. I like that the entire plot revolves around Superman being so good that he has to do the right thing, even if it's difficult for him personally, and that is exactly what leads him to figure Xviar's plan out.

Who knew I was going to come across a four-part epic in what I expected to be a collection of fun, standalone stories? And this really is a pretty complete tale in these four issues. But that's really not the end of the story. It is never explained in these four issues what race or planet Xviar belongs to or why they wanted to use Superman to destroy Earth, a plan set in motion before baby Kal-El even arrived on Earth. A teaser at the end of Superman No. 299 again promises that story at another time in a future issue.

And the beginnings of the story stretch back further than Superman No. 296, too. More than three years earlier, in Superman No. 258, the book's main feature has Superman facing a hulking bruiser named the Galactic Golem for the second time. In a backup "Private Life of Clark Kent" story, Clark decides to play amateur detective. He has a neighbor about whom the Man of Steel and his other fellow tenants at 344 Clinton Avenue know nothing. The man keeps to himself, is rarely seen outside his apartment and just presents a bit of a mystery. The only thing anyone knows about him is the name on his mailbox, Mr. Xavier. I don't know if the mysterious Mr. Xavier had appeared before Superman No. 258 or if he ever appeared again between then and No. 296, but the name and the appearance lead me to believe he has to be the same character. Now that's a long wait for a plot thread to pay off!

Do You Ever Get That Sinking Feeling?

Lois & Clark: A Superman Novel
Prima Publishing
C.J. Cherryh, writer

I was a fan of the Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman television program in the 90s. It isn't the best example of superheroes being done in a live-action format, and the show seemed somewhat dated when I re-watched the first season a few years ago. But it was an interesting prime-time glimpse into the relationship between these two iconic characters, and it was a fun — albeit down-to-earth — portrayal of the Superman mythos.

I say down-to-earth because the budget constraints of a weekly network television program from 20ish years ago didn't allow for a lot of powerful adversaries for Superman to face. Other than Superman's own, I don't think a single other costume appeared in the series. While a few names of super-powered rogues were re-imagined in the series, no costumed villains were in evidence in that version of Metropolis. In fact, I think the only time Superman faced a powered threat in the series was in the fourth season when some other Kryptonians showed up on earth. But all of that grounded adventure helped keep the show's focus on the relationship between Lois Lane and Clark Kent, Superman's alter ego. That's who the show was named for, and those two were the show's stated focus.

This novel, based of the television show's continuity and published in 1996, follows the same formula of no super-powered threats for the Man of Steel, taking the main focus off superheroics and placing it on the relationship between The Daily Planet's two star reporters. That being said, this is a very well-done original Superman novel that also gives some nice insights into the Man of Steel, his powers, his goals and his limitations.

The big threat facing Superman in the book is an earthquake which causes a poorly-constructed dam to fail, threatening several villages and rural farmers in one of the former Soviet republics. I can't tell you the number of times I've seen Superman tackle a natural disaster in a mere matter of moments in comic stories and animation. A volcano is threatening a Pacific island population? A giant boulder quickly caps the threat or a blast of super-cooled breath hardens the boiling lava. An earthquake shakes a major city somewhere? Superman just burrows underground at super-speed, relieving the pressures. Dam breaks? A quick shot of heat vision welds it back into one piece.

Not so in this book. Modern technology has indicated the likely threat of an impending earthquake somewhere in the region. Learning of this, Clark Kent has been keeping an eye on The Daily Planet's wire services reports coming out of the area for signs of danger for the past week. That's one of the reasons the young Clark Kent decided to become a reporter — to have news resources and be able to monitor situations around the globe.

Even Superman can't be an expert on everything. So Clark has spent some of his downtime during that previous week, studying maps of the area, familiarizing himself with locations of towns and villages, lakes and rivers that might be affected if a quake should happen. He also studies up on the politics of the region so he will better be prepared to work with whatever local governments and/or relief agencies might be involved wherever disaster might strike. But also, this advance research helps Superman know where he is going. Flying across Metropolis, a city he is already familiar with, might not be much of a challenge; but flying from the eastern United States to a country on the other side of the globe that he's never been to before might present some difficulties if Superman weren't prepared. Borders and landmarks clearly detailed on a map don't show up on real terrain.

All of this is a nice touch in the book to keep things a little more grounded, again, like the show, and unlike a more traditional Superman story. It's to the point where even in a few instances where Superman can fall back on some of those more familiar remedies, there's a complicated real-world twist I've never thought of before. For instance, at one point Superman is able to use his heat vision to weld back together the fracturing support on a bridge damaged in the quake. But he must use a delicate balance of his heat vision with his super breath because the damage is underwater. Using his heat vision alone would also boil the surrounding water, destroying much of the fish and plant life in the river. He must use extra care to heat up the damaged bridge support, yet keep the surrounding water temperature normal. It makes him more of a thinking character than one of sheer brute force, and I like that.

So Superman sets about trying to minimize the damage from the quake and the failing dam, flying trapped residents to safety, protecting the survivors from nearby guerrilla fighters, and coordinating efforts between governments and relief agencies, all while maintaining his secret identity and trying to restore things to their previous condition where possible after the quake.

Of course, Clark/Superman is only half the subject of this book. After the Man of Steel flies off to help with the quake, disaster also strikes in Metropolis. The residents of the city, including those in The Daily Planet building, are shocked when a downtown hotel collapses. The hotel happens to be only a few blocks away, so reporters and staffers from The Planet are some of the first on the scene, including Lois Lane, who quickly sets about trying to help people caught in the collapse while also trying to determine what has happened to cause the tragedy.

Lois, every bit as resourceful and heroic as her fiance, helps a number of people to safety before becoming a central figure in the rescue efforts of a young boy trapped in an underground parking garage below the hotel. Of course, Lois has to accomplish all she can without the benefit of superpowers, and her efforts take more of a physical toll on her all-too-human body.

Despite her own injuries, once all of the victims who can be saved are rescued from the collapsed hotel, there are still a great many questions to answer about what exactly caused the collapse. Blame begins to center on the contractor who designed the building, but Lois begins to suspect there is more to the story, and proceeds to uncover details which tie into previous continuity of the show going back to the earliest episodes.

While Clark pursues his Superman duties, Lois must act, largely alone, to expose the real threat to Metropolis. But the pair have brief moments here and there to come back together, encouraging and supporting each other through the twin emergencies. That all serves to further showcase the partnership between these two individuals who manage to combine to be a true dynamic duo stronger than either is separately.

Ms. Cherryh has crafted an engaging story that explores these two famous characters in fresh ways while remaining true to the core traits a reader would expect from a Superman and Lois Lane story. If you are a fan of Superman, I encourage you to give this novel a try. And even though the story she presents ties closely into the continuity of the television series, Cherryh provides all of the information necessary to follow and enjoy this self-contained narrative, keeping it accessible to readers not already familiar with the series.

They're Making Me Do It Again

Superman: Lois Lane one shot
DC Comics
Marguerite Bennett, writer
Emanuela Lupacchino, Meghan Hetrick, Ig Guara and Diogenes Neves, artists

I wasn't going to talk about this book. Like I said last time, I want to spread the word about books I enjoy, not bash the ones that don't measure up to my expectations. But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to weigh in on this book because I believe it could have been so much more than it was.

I wanted to be fair. I sat down and read the issue through a second time after leaving it sit a few days. And on the second read, the story isn't a bad one. It's still not what I'd hoped for, not what I think a book featuring Lois Lane could be, but it's not bad.

The headshot of Lois on the cover by artist Kenneth Rocafort is what I hope for in a Lois Lane book. That headshot is of a woman who is beautiful and confident, smart and resourceful, a working girl who's not afraid to get her hands dirty in pursuit of her goals. Yes, all of that is conveyed in this simple head and shoulders shot.

But many of the things I didn't care for in this book are also right there on the cover, if I'd only paid attention. There's a fearsome-looking alien creature indicating an otherworldly slant to this tale. And there's also the name Superman, right there in the title. He gets top billing on a book starring her, but why? I'd be willing to bet that she carries just as much name recognition as he does. And since he's hardly in this issue at all, his name on the cover is almost false advertising. But the powers that be felt they needed to include him to the extent that they did and that they had to slap his name on the cover so the book would sell. But I disagree with that premise; tell a good Lois Lane solo story and there's an audience for that book.

Before we talk too many specifics about this book, full disclosure: I haven't been following the monthly Superman titles, so I'm not up on the current status quo of Lois Lane in those titles. But then, I shouldn't have to be following some other book to understand what is going on in a one-shot. References are made to a Jonathan, and Lois seems to be wearing an engagement ring. There's also mention early on of a coma that someone, presumably Lois, suffered not long ago. No idea what any of that is about.

This story is about a current mystery involving Lois' sister, Lucy. Interspersed with the current plot are flashbacks to Lois and Lucy's childhood. Both the current events and the flashbacks seem to drastically change Lois' family history from her pre-New 52 origins. But the big constant is that Lois is a reporter and is called upon to use her investigative skills to help her little sister. Except all of the parts of the story that would show Lois using those skills to dig for answers — what I want to read in a Lois Lane comic — those parts are glossed over, unimportant. Worse, constant references are made to Lois being unable to spell. And what words is she having trouble spelling correctly? Words like "nostalgia" and "emergency" — not too terribly difficult. So, gloss over her skills, and worse, imply she's not very smart to begin with.

What that leaves us with is this: Lucy shows up at Lois' apartment in the middle of the night. She's just escaped from a group of military-style kidnappers who succeeded in taking Lucy's roommate, Amanda. Drugs are likely involved, so Lucy forbids Lois from going to the police or contacting Superman, but wants her sister's help tracking down and rescuing Amanda. In the process, Lois stumbles onto something involving an alien life form; strange, unpredictable mutations; and said quasi-military group who may or may not be responsible.

At the end of the tale, many answers and connections are provided, but the masked leader of the quasi-military group, "the Agent," is never given another name or other purpose or explanation. Maybe he'll show up again, but just as likely he won't. Will Lois expose the dark secrets she has uncovered? Who knows. There is no information at the end of the issue to indicate the one-shot is continued somewhere else. And the issue ends with "the Agent" and Lucy both urging Lois not to as no good will come of the expose.

Give me a Lois Lane title that features what we know best about the character: her being a no-nonsense, never back down, get to the truth however possible investigative reporter. Sure, she lives in the same city as Superman, an alien being with fantastic powers and abilities. But keep Lois' solo stories more grounded, at least at first, to re-establish her own character and let that stand on its own. Then later, Superman and other-worldly, more fantastic elements can be slowly, occasionally introduced to the title. But definitely don't gloss over what makes the character unique and special.

It's Really Not Bad; I'm Just Not Feeling It

Superman: Earth One tpb
DC Comics
J. Michael Straczynski, writer
Shane Davis, artist

A couple weeks ago, I talked about finally giving Batman: Earth One a try after finding the hardcover for a price I couldn't pass up. The Earth One original graphic novel concept is to re-tell origins of iconic DC characters as if the events were happening today, in the modern era, instead of 20, 30 or 75 years ago. If done well, it's not a terrible concept, and in my opinion, Batman: Earth One was done exceptionally well.

Enjoying that story prompted me to try the first such Earth One OGN re-imagining Superman for the modern era. The trade version of that book is available now, so I picked it up and gave it a whirl. I'm not sure what went wrong, but the experience was definitely not the same.

I didn't hate the story or the re-imagining that these two creators came up with. I really just had trouble getting into the story.

I have friends who will see a movie in the theater, and if they like it, I mean really like it, they will swear that to fully appreciate the film, one has to see it on the big screen. I never quite understand that caveat. For me, it truly doesn't matter if I'm in a large theater with a giant screen or simply sitting in my own living room watching something on our modest-sized TV. If I'm into what I'm watching, really enjoying it, I am immersed in the experience to the point that the size of the screen doesn't matter; my surroundings kind of vanish to the background, and I'm "in" the film or program.

It's the same with a really great read. I literally lost myself in the pages of Batman: Earth One while I was exploring that reality. But with Superman: Earth One, I was very aware of the fact that I was sitting in the breakroom on my dinner break at work reading this book. Several times I looked up noticing the time so I wouldn't be late getting back; the narrative just wasn't holding my interest as well. Several times some action by a character seemed just a bit off, taking me out of the story, puzzling over the perceived inconsistency. And a few times, my focus actually wandered a bit, forcing me to back up and re-read something I'd "missed."

The charge that a character's action seemed off might seem odd when applied to an Elseworlds-style story where the characters are not exactly the ones we know. I'll admit, seeing characters changed or altered is part of the draw of an Elseworlds story. But even in that type of setting, you expect certain things to be constants. Maybe it's just a matter of personal taste. For instance, this version of Jimmy Olsen is a take-charge daredevil willing to do whatever it takes to get the best photos possible. That's a little more devil-may-care than Jimmy is usually portrayed, but it works here. I like it. But Lois Lane's character is just the opposite. In every iteration of the character I have ever seen she is a gutsy, barge-right-in kind of reporter. In some ways, she still is that in this story. But she also tries several times early on in the story to pull Jimmy back from danger, not so much out of concern for his safety although I'm sure that was a factor, but because she seemed to be afraid for herself. And she wasn't obviously doing any reporting or observing, really, during the action of the story.

Another major problem here, for me at least, was the villain of the piece. I can buy into the history that pits this villain against the last surviving son of Krypton. But I never completely got the threat this guy posed or understood how he operated. There is an entire armada of ships, but we only ever see one guy. Is this just the leader or is this one person in control of all these ships? He refers to a collective "we" at times, while also seeming to challenge Superman one-on-one a lot. I have no problem with creating an entirely new villain, but it seems odd in a one-shot like this not to use an established character. This Tyrell's appearance is very similar, though, to Silver Banshee's in the regular Superman books. Is that coincidence, which seems odd, or is there a reason for that similarity because none is given? If you're going to use an original character, make it a completely original one.

Even Clark's action and motivations seem inconsistent. He comes to Metropolis not sure what he wants to do with his life and abilities or how best to use them to benefit mankind. He applies to a number of sports teams and companies, quickly impressing almost all of them with his prowess at whatever skills they need from him. First off, that seems like a huge secret identity risk as all of these firms have Clark Kent's name and address on resumes; it doesn't seem like it would take a genius to figure out when Superman shows up shortly after this wunderkind impresses the hell out of you and several other leaders of the community that they might be connected. They even look alike. Then, Clark's rationale for joining the Planet staff at the end seems a bit contrived, based on the actions of only three people at two of the many, many places to which Clark applied for work.

I admit, this is a minor quibble, but another point that bothered me about Superman: Earth One was the inclusion at the end of Clark Kent's and Lois Lane's Daily Planet articles concerning the debut of Superman. I'm a journalist. I work for a newspaper. That doesn't make me an infallible authority, by any means, but whenever a Superman story includes "actual" articles written by Daily Planet reporters, they always yank me out of the story because they are seldom ever written like real news stories turned in by actual reporters. Typically, these devices are used to convey additional story points, I know, but it bugs me nonetheless.

Bottom line, I was pretty underwhelmed by this tale.

I Was On A Roll And Then I Ruined It

Panic In the Sky trade paperback collection (1993)
DC Comics
Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Louise Simonson and Roger Stern, writers
Jon Bogdanove, Tom Grummett, Dan Jurgens, Bob McLeod, Brett Breeding, Doug Hazlewood, Dennis Janke and Denis Rodier, artists

Last time, we talked about the Superman: Exile trade collection -- one I read recently for the first time and very much enjoyed. A large part of that story involves Superman running into Warworld, being forced to take part in its gladiatorial-style contests to the death, and the Man of Steel's attempts to change that system. In Exile, Warworld is under the control of the Post-Crisis on Infinite Earths version of Mongul.

In this trade collection from a few years later, Warworld, now under the control of Brainiac, is headed for Earth  to enslave the populace. Unlike Exile, I read this story arc in the Superman titles of the time -- Action Comics, Adventures of Superman, Superman and Superman: The Man of Steel. I was drawn to "Panic In the Sky" because Superman assembles a large team of heroes to assist him in fighting off the Warworld invasion. Several of my favorites at the time play roles in the story. The group Superman assembles is a hodge-podge of heroes and anti-heroes because there is no current Justice League team in DC continuity at the time of this story.

One of the nicer things about this trade collection, which I purchased along with the Exile trade, is the inclusion before each chapter of the various writers' and the editor's thoughts on the story and how it came about. Turns out "Panic In the Sky" was initially envisioned as one of those all-consuming crossover stories DC did every year at that time. Only later was that notion turned down and the story moved to being told solely in the various Superman titles for a few months.

I very much enjoyed "Panic In the Sky" when it first appeared in single issues, and it isn't a bad story as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Guy Gardner, Kilowog, Fire, Ice, Flash, Captain Marvel, Booster Gold, several of the New Gods and more battle to save Earth from the schemes of Brainiac and the forces of Warworld. But honestly, rereading it now in trade format 20 years after I first experienced it, the story doesn't hold up quite as well as I remembered.

In one of his text pieces, writer Dan Jurgens wrote about superheroes -- especially Superman -- merely reacting to threats after someone has been hurt or some crime has been committed. One of the goals of this story was to depict the heroes -- again, especially Superman -- being more proactive. But the Superman depicted here is just as reactive as usual. Sure he assembles a team of heroes to come together and go into space to fight Warworld before it reaches Earth, but only after Brainiac sends his robotic Head-Ship to attack Metropolis, wreaking a great deal of destruction, and announcing to the Man of Steel that Brainiac is now in control of Warworld and bringing the artificial planet to Earth. Superman has no knowledge of the threat before this initial attack, so he's still reacting. To make matters worse, some of the character interaction among the many heroes in this story makes Superman seem like kind of a weak leader. He's constantly being challenged by Guy Gardner and Orion, to name just two examples, and he's also shown as uncertain several times and uneasy leading all of these various heroes.

Another problem in hindsight is the inclusion of Deathstroke the Terminator among Superman's assembled team. Deathstroke had his own comic in the mid-1990s, and while he was still an anti-hero, his strong moral code was emphasized in his own title. The character became a bit more heroic than he was initially depicted and would be written in later comics. In another text piece by Jurgens, the writer expressed his initial concern about including Deathstroke; why would someone like Superman seek out such an individual for help? But Jurgens said he later came to see the value of Deathstroke's tactical contributions. Except, wasn't Batman known as the master strategist of the DCU heroes? With some of the things the character has been used for since "Panic In the Sky," Deathstroke really seems out of place in this story now.

Several other characters are barely used. Wonder Woman is among the heroes Superman assembles, but her role is limited to appearing in a few backgrounds and exposition scenes. She plays no real role in the battle against Warworld. Other heroes get the same treatment, showing up but contributing little. I was happy when these books debuted to see two of my favorites, Aquaman and Nightwing, included in the story. Happily, they get much more panel time and much more dialogue than Wonder Woman in the story, but sadly, neither contributes a vital role to the proceedings, I discovered upon rereading these issues.

That isn't to say that there is nothing of value here; Draaga's story in this trade continues from what was begun for him in Exile. His is a pretty compelling story and easily provides much of the heart of these issues. Supergirl/Matrix also has some interesting developments in this arc. And finally, events at the end of "Panic In the Sky" were directly used to help re-launch the Justice League title for this era. But all of these things also seem to make Superman a supporting character in his own titles for two months. That's really kind of sad for the hero known for inspiring all others.

Based On Recommendations From "Friends"

Superman: Exile trade paperback collection (1998)
DC Comics
Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, George Perez and Roger Stern, writers
Kerry Gammill, Dan Jurgens, Mike Mignola, Jerry Ordway, George Perez and Curt Swan, artists

This Superman collection is one that was never really on my radar before.

I tried a lot of the new books that started up in the wake of DC's Crisis On Infinite Earths in 1986. The revamped Wonder Woman by George Perez drew my attention when it debuted in 1987, and I enjoyed it for a couple years before moving on. I followed the Bat-books -- still just Batman and Detective Comics at that time -- following the Dark Knight's soft reboot that same year. There were many others, including The Man of Steel miniseries wherein John Byrne rewrote Superman's history.

I thought that six-issue miniseries was great at the time -- still do except for Byrne's sterile interpretation of Krypton -- and followed Superman's adventures into the relaunched Superman, the renamed Adventures of Superman and the retooled Action Comics. But my interest waned after only a few months of following the Superman titles.

I've still never read the three part "Supergirl Saga" that led into the "Exile" story line, although I have long been mildly curious about it. In Byrne's reboot, Superman is truly the last son of Krypton; there were no other surviving Kryptonians in a bottle city of Kandor, no Supergirl, not even Krypto, Superman's dog. But in this arc, a mysterious female version of Superman shows up and leads the Man of Steel back to the pocket universe where she came from. She is an artificial being sent to seek out Superman to help save this pocket reality in which three Kryptonian criminals are wreaking havoc. The criminals manage to wipe out all life in that pocket dimension before Superman stops them. Then they threaten to find a way to travel to Superman's reality and repeat their heinous acts. Superman sees no alternative but to rob them of their superpowers and then execute them.

For months after this tale, Superman suffers mental anguish over taking these three lives. The emotional and psychological toll is so great, that Superman begins dressing up as another hero and apprehending criminals in much more brutal fashion than usual. He finally decides that he can no longer safely stay among humans and takes off, exiling himself to space.

"How do you know all of that lead-up if you've never read those issues?" you might be wondering. "From listening to podcasts," I would answer. To be specific, by listening to a podcast named From Crisis To Crisis, a podcast by Michael Bailey and Jeffrey Taylor. Part of the content offered through the Superman Homepage, this podcast concentrates on Superman comics published between 1985-1986's Crisis On Infinite Earths to 2005-2006's Infinite Crisis. That would include everything from Man of Steel No. 1 to Adventures of Superman No. 649. Each episode, these two gentlemen look at a month's worth of Superman issues from this period, taking them in chronological order. They provide a synopsis of the issues and then their own brand of commentary, and the show is very well-done and quite entertaining.

Through listening to this podcast, I have relived some great Superman stories I haven't read in quite a while and gotten to get a taste of the many stories that I've never read. Listening to this podcast has spurred me to buy a few single issues here and there because I want to read them for myself after hearing Michael and Jeffrey talk about them. Their description of the "Supergirl Saga" has made me curious to finally buy and read that tale, but so far I haven't found that it has ever been collected in trade format, the way I would prefer to find it. DC's Superman: The Man of Steel series of trades collecting the 1980s and 1990s Superman stories in chronological order might be my best bet, but so far that series hasn't quite gotten to the "Supergirl Saga" yet.

However, the aftermath of that "Supergirl Saga" -- Superman's self-imposed exile into outer space -- was collected shortly after its initial publication, and I managed to find a copy of that trade in great shape for a not terribly steep price for sale online. Now that I've finally read the issues collected in Exile (and listened to the corresponding episodes of From Crisis To Crisis), I'm surprised I didn't know more about this story line before. This collection introduces characters and concepts that were used again and proved very important to the 1990s and early 2000s Superman mythology. Much of what is explored here would be built upon for a number of stories and developments. If you're a Superman fan, these are pretty key stories introducing the Kryptonian Eradicator, various historical elements from Krypton's past, Warworld and recurring characters like Draaga and Mongul. In fact, Draaga, Mongul and Warworld were such popular concepts, they were adapted into the DC Animated Universe in episodes of "Justice League" and "Justice League Unlimited."

I'm sorry I missed these comics the first time around, but I'm very proud to have this volume in my collection now. In case you couldn't guess this on your own, I recommend checking this trade out!

On A Bit Of An Unintended Roll

Superman 654-667 and Annual 13
DC Comics
Kurt Busiek, writer
Carlos Pacheco, Jesus Merino, Peter Vale, Mike Manley, Bret Blevins, Rick Leonardi and Eduardo Barreto, artists

Been examining a number of older books of late. That, of course, is due to me trying to winnow down my collection by a considerable amount for space reasons. But also, both posts this week seem to be about books I found a little disappointing. Not because they are bad, exactly, but more because they didn't quite live up to the hopes I had for them when they came out.

Kurt Busiek's run on Superman between 2006 and 2007 definitely fits into this category. There were a few one-off issues in the run that involved a fun little diversion with the Prankster (Superman No. 660), a guest appearance by Wonder Woman and a villainess named Khyrana (Superman No. 661) and a spooky little tale for issue No. 666, but otherwise, the majority of the books in this run centered on two running plots.

The first involves an old friend of Clark Kent's seeking the reporter out as a means of contacting Superman. An alien life form is found in an abandoned Soviet research facility, and Superman's help is needed to contain the being known only as Subjekt 17. This is the plot I had the highest hopes for as numerous parallels are drawn between this creature's life and Superman's. Both came to Earth as infants and grew to adulthood here. But whereas Superman was discovered by Jonathan and Martha Kent, raised as their own child and nurtured into being a great hero and inspiration to many, Subjekt 17 knew a life of only pain and cruel experimentation. Even Subjekt 17 sees how easily things could have been different for each of them as he learns more and more about humanity after his escape. But that only fuels his hatred of humanity, and sense of betrayal when Superman opposes him. I was really looking forward to how Superman would resolve this conflict with Subjekt 17 in a way that stayed true to the best elements of his character.

Unfortunately, that resolution was never allowed to occur. Interspersed with the issues that dealt with Subjekt 17 was the other major plot, during the course of which, Subjekt 17 is magically sent away in one issue and as far as I know, never was seen again. Busiek left the book shortly after these issues, and I don't believe either he or any other writer has ever picked up the plot threads started with Subjekt 17.

That other major plot involves the idea that superheroes, and Superman and other alien heroes in particular, are doing mankind no favors each time they stop some planet-wide crisis. The Atlantean magician Arion travels forward in time from the 14th century to warn Superman to stop fighting because each time he stops some global threat, it only delays the inevitable, and the threat will be that much stronger when it ultimately returns. Basically, Arion is arguing that a large portion of humanity must die off in some cataclysm periodically for the human race to survive and grow. But by stopping said cataclysm, Superman is only stalling. At some point, the threat will grow so big that Superman will ultimately fail, and when that happens, the cataclysm will be so big that the human race will be wiped out entirely. Basically, Arion is urging Superman to let thousands die in order to save the entire human race.

So Arion comes forward in time and gives Superman and some of his friends a vision of the very bleak future Arion foresees. Using this, Arion tries to guilt Superman into giving up and letting a lot of people die, by Arion's own hands, if necessary. If you don't already know, Arion was the star of his own comic title in the 1980s. He was a powerful magician from ancient Atlantis (before the sinking) and his adventures were of the sword and sorcery variety. I'll be honest, my exposure to Arion stories is very, very limited, but I don't see him being the hero of his own book and having the type of characterization we see in this story. The glimpse of the bleak future he provides is interesting, as is the moral dilemma he presents Superman with, but this entire plot was off for me because I didn't buy the characterization of the main antagonist. It didn't help that the Subjekt 17 plot I was more interested in got derailed by the Arion plot.

Feel free to leave a comment defending this storyline if it was one of your favorites. Who knows, if someone can help me like this version of Arion more, or let me know if the Subjekt 17 plot was ever resolved somewhere I missed, there might be some free comics from the stuff I'm selling in it for you. Thanks for stopping by and happy collecting!

Sabotaged

The Adventures of Superman 627-647
DC Comics
Greg Rucka (mostly), writer
Matthew Clark, Renato Guedes, Paul Pelletier, Karl Kerschl, Carlos D'Anda and Rags Morales, artists

Greg Rucka is a phenomenal writer, and he "gets" Superman and his supporting cast. The bulk of these issues, representing almost two years' worth of stories, detail a single, massive epic that stands up to repeated readings. Unfortunately, Rucka's narrative is also riddled with crossover interruptions that drag his work down.

Crossovers are a staple of the comics business built out of fan wish-fulfillment. What reader hasn't dreamed of favorite characters meeting and teaming up? And, when done right, they can be a true joy to read. But other times, they just seem to run off the rails leaving poor stories in their wake.

Rucka is a novelist and comics writer who had done a number of projects before 2000, but that was about the time he came to the attention of DC Comics and started leaving his mark on their Big Three and laying the groundwork for some of the major points in the DC Universe crossover Infinite Crisis. Rucka wrote a handful of issues of Batman and the majority of the issues of Detective Comics (Nos. 739-753 and 755-775) between 1999 and 2002. Following that work, Rucka was the writer of Wonder Woman (Volume 2, Nos. 195-226) from 2003-2006. One of the hallmarks of Rucka's runs on both Detective Comics and Wonder Woman was his focus on and additions to each character's supporting cast. No mere superhero-supervillain mashups, Rucka's stories focused on characterization, depth and involved long-term storytelling. His arcs built on each other allowing an overall narrative to emerge from his runs on a title.

The same goes for his time writing Superman in The Adventures of Superman from 2004-2006. One of the best things Rucka did with his run on this Superman title was to not forget Clark Kent. That might seem pretty basic, but a lot of writers who can turn out a very nice Superman story have no idea what to do with Kent. Rucka made Kent a very important part of his run on the title, and it made for better stories.

Rucka also added, once again, to Superman's -- or rather Kent's -- supporting cast. Kent is newly assigned to cover the police beat in Metropolis, and we meet two other reporters from rival publications also covering the Metropolis cops -- Bernie Carver with the Daily Star and Geraldine "Gerry" Frank with the Weekly. It is clear from the comfortable way they talk to each other that Carver and Kent are familiar with each other. Gerry is much younger, just out of journalism school, and has a bit of a chip on her shoulder when she and Kent first meet, but that eases with time and familiarity.

Another new character Rucka introduced is Lt. Lupe Leocadio, the new head of the Metropolis Major Crimes Unit. Lt. Leocadio makes it clear from her first encounter with Kent that she does not much like him. By contrast, she seems quite interested in Superman and is not at all shy about letting him know that. On the job, she is no-nonsense and also makes it very clear that even though she is attracted to Superman, she expects him to follow her lead at all times out in the field.

Rucka's first issue, No. 627, introduces these characters along with establishing Kent's current status quo. The action centers around the return of a villain Superman has fought previously, Replikon, who can imitate the powers of the entire Justice League. But it becomes clear from this first issue that something about Replikon's attack is not quite right. Leocadio is quick to dismiss his concerns, but Superman suspects someone else is directing Replikon's actions.

In the very next issue, Superman's suspicions are confirmed, when the name Ruin comes to Superman's attention. This is the mastermind behind Replikon's attack, but who is Ruin, how does he (or she) know so much about Superman and what is the final goal? Along the way, Rucka creates a few other new villains, including two new Parasites. And there is also an ongoing subplot involving Mr. Mxyzptlk. Believe it or not, Rucka treats the character seriously, and weaves Mxy's visits into the overall Ruin story to wonderful effect.

Rucka doesn't forget Superman's better half, either. Remember, back in the 2000s, Clark Kent and Lois Lane are married. Lois gets an interesting subplot involving war brewing in a fictitious Middle Eastern country named Umec. She convinces Perry White to send her there to dig up what she can, and Lois winds up embedded with a group of soldiers in the thick of the shooting!

All in all, this run adds up to brilliant writing through several interesting story arcs which can all be viewed as one massive epic. And the art! I wish Matthew Clark, who started out penciling the issues, could have stayed on for Rucka's entire run. His art at the beginning gives us a dynamic Superman, a sexy Leocadio and a truly horrifying Ruin, but he also does a masterful job on making all of the characters look distinct and real. There are a variety of body types and faces in his characters -- something comics, especially superhero comics, are not always known for. I'm not sure why Clark didn't stay with the book, and the art was still good when the others filled in and eventually took over, but its always nice to have a consistent look throughout an arc, especially when the artist is so good at his craft.

Alas, several other storylines involving crossovers big and small intrude on this excellent run, occassionally derailing Rucka's narrative. Rucka has almost the first entire year to himself, but then a Superman-centric crossover causes the first hiccup in Adventures No. 639. This is the second part of a three-part story called "Lightning Strikes Twice" featuring the evil Eclipso pitting Superman against Captain Marvel. The issue is written by Judd Winick, with Ian Churchill and Norm Rapmund on art chores. The entire issue has nothing whatsoever to do with Rucka's ongoing story; I don't think it even mentions a single subplot. Yet there it is, smack in the middle of Rucka's run.

By Adventures No. 641, stirrings of both OMAC Project -- another Rucka book -- and Infinite Crisis -- a DC linewide crossover -- begin to make their presence known. Rucka is still writing Adventures for No. 641, but the inclusion of the OMACs is so heavy in this issue, and it comes just two issue's after Winick's interruption, that the OMACs still feel out of place in the Ruin story. Then, Nos. 642 and 643 are part of the "Sacrifice" storyline that ran through all of the Superman titles that month and serves as a prologue to Infinite Crisis. Rucka wrote all of the "Sacrifice" issues, they do include subplot developments from the Ruin story, and "Sacrifice" is a good story on its own, but it still serves to once again interrupt and sideline the Ruin story progress.

And then finally, Adventures No. 648, Rucka's last, is a full-on Infinite Crisis tie-in which has little to do with the Ruin story that precedes it.

Despite the flaws and interruptions, I still highly recommend the full Ruin epic by Rucka and Co.; it is a truly inspiring Superman story. But it could have been so much better without the distractions created by the crossovers and interruptions from the main story.