shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 16, 2014 12:36:16 GMT -5
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shaxper
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Posts: 22,830
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Post by shaxper on Jun 16, 2014 12:37:09 GMT -5
Highlights Thus Far:
-Man of Steel #2: Quirky story that establishes the whimsical sides of both Lois and Superman's personas.
-Man of Steel #4: Establishes the post-Crisis sexually charged and competitive Clark and Lois relationship; 1st full post-Crisis appearance of Lex Luthor
-Adventures of Superman #425: 1st appearance of the endearing but misguided Professor Emil Hamilton. Additionally, Superman becomes disturbed by the moral dilemmas surrounding terrorism.
-Superman #4: Our first real quality time with the post-Crisis Jimmy Olsen, a surprisingly brutal portrayal of mass killings, and a touching message about healing in the wake of the Vietnam War.
-Superman #9: The lead story is a disaster, but the backup, in which Lex Luthor torments a small town woman by making her an indecent proposal, is well remembered by many.
-Adventures of Superman Annual #1: A solid sci-fi story by Jim Starlin with a surprisingly bitter ending for The Man of Steel.
-Adventures of Superman #432-434: Wolfman's "Gang War" storyline starts very strong but ends on a weak note. First appearance of Gangbuster.
- Adventures of Superman #437: A clever experiment in parallel perspective storytelling, as well as an important Jose DelGado/Gangbuster story.
- World of Krypton (1987): Not a consistently well done series, but Byrne's take on the history of Krypton is unique and occasionally exciting (especially in the second issue), and the Mike Mignola artwork (though often poorly inked) is worthwhile.
- Superman: The Earth Stealers: Highly uneven work, but it features the first post-Crisis kiss between Superman and Lois, and it also features the post-Crisis return of Curt Swan on pencils.
- World of Smallville #1-2: The touching and reasonably compelling story of how Jonathan Kent and Martha Clark got together.
- Superman Annual #2 -- resurrects the Newsboy Legion and several other classic Simon/Kirby properties into the Post-Crisis DCU in a compelling and enjoyable double-sized adventure.
- Adventures of Superman #444/Superman #22 -- Origin of the Post Crisis Supergirl (from the Pocket Universe) is revealed, and Superman makes a shocking decision at the close of the storyline.
- Adventures of Superman #445 -- Superman wrestles with guilt in the wake of Superman #22, Cat Grant begins to self-destruct in the most touching of ways. Really powerful character-driven stuff, as well as some dense plotting, and an early appearance from the Post-Crisis Brainiac.
- Superman #30 -- "King of All He Surveys" is a great 8 page crash-course on the Post-Crisis Lex Luthor, pretty much summarizing everything you need to know about the character from Man of Steel on.
- Superman #31 -- Lex Luthor vs. Mister Mxyzptlk. Every bit as awesome as it sounds.
- Adventures of Superman #455 -- Amazingy well paced, well-written semi-climax to the Warworld saga
- Action Comics Weekly #642 -- Elliot S. Maggins' weird and half awesome/half terrible swan song for the ACW format is more a Green Lantern story than a Superman one, but it's worth the read.
- Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography -- a brilliantly written story that truly showcases Luthor's cold-blooded instincts and resourcefulness, even while revealing key secrets from his past in a unique inversion of Citizen Kane.
- Action Comics # 643 -- A subtle reset on the franchise, returning Superman to his more classic characterization as a goody-goody upon his return from exile in space. Also ushers in the new creative teams on all three titles and wipes clean most of the unresolved story arcs in play prior to that moment.
- Adventures of Superman #457 -- Powerful issue as Matrix (formerly the Pocket Universe Supergirl) begins to grow tragically unstable.
- Action Comics #644 -- a brilliantly executed, action-intensive George Perez pencilled throwdown between Superman and Matrix (now functioning as his double). Concludes the Matrix story arc as well.
- Adventures of Superman #463 -- Superman races the Wally West Flash, and Mxyzptlk created Red Kryptonite. Exciting story.
- Action Comics #650 -- Established Superman's Post-Crisis history and relationship with The Justice League
- Adventures of Superman #465 -- First cameo appearance of Hank Henshaw
- Superman #43 -- Clark and Lois' relationship begins to progress for the first time with an affectionate hug and an agreement to try a first date.
- Adventures of Superman #466 -- First full appearance and origin of Hank Henshaw
- Action Comics #654 -- After two issues of working together, Batman and Superman arrive at a tenuous Post-Crisis friendship of sorts, Superman entrusting Batman with Lex Luthor's Kryptonite ring in case he ever becomes a danger to others and must be taken down. This event also knocks Dark Knight Returns out of possible future continuity.
- Superman #50 -- Clark proposes to Lois, and she accepts.
- Action Comics #660 -- The apparent death of Lex Luthor
- Action Comics #662 -- Clark reveals his dual identity to Lois.
- Action Comics #672 -- Lex Luthor II rises to power in one brief but well-done story.
- Superman #64 -- In his annual Dan Jurgens Christmas story, Superman answers letters written to him, and some of them prove supremely touching.
- Action Comics #674-675, Superman: The Man of Steel #-109, Superman #65-66, and Adventures of Superman #488-489: "Panic in the Sky," arguably DC's finest crossover event ever, but featured only in the Superman titles.
- Action Comics #676-677: Strong development of Lex Luthor II as an antagonist and fantastic Butch Guise work.
- Superman: The Man of Steel #11: Two small-time arsonists happen upon an extra-dimensional fire demon that wants to be their friend. Hilarity ensues.
- Superman: The Man of Steel #16 and Superman #72 -- "Crisis At Hand". A powerful and nuanced exploration of domestic abuse that also reveals key details about Superman's evolution as a character/hero in his first week on the job.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 16, 2014 12:37:42 GMT -5
Post-Crisis Superman's Powers/Abilities:- significantly less powerful than Pre-Crisis counterpart (stated in Superman #8, and implied elsewhere) - powers surfaced in adolescence (implied in Man of Steel #1 and elsewhere, stated in Adventures of Superman #436). - super strength (Man of Steel #1) - near invulnerability (Man of Steel #1) - flight (Man of Steel #1) - X-Ray Vision (Man of Steel #1), which is actually a combination of telescopic and microscopic vision, allowing Superman to see through the atomic structure of objects (Amazing Heroes #98) though it cannot see through lead (Superman #1). He cannot fine tune his X-Ray vision to the extent that he can see a face under a mask (World of Smallville #3) - super speed (implied in a limited capacity in Man of Steel #1, fully apparent in Man of Steel #2, can run up to "several times the speed of sound" according to Adventures of Superman #463) - heat vision (Man of Steel #2), is a manifestation of the solar radiation Superman absorbs (Amazing Heroes #98), can be used to ionize the air in order to prevent electronic transmissions (Superman #4), is invisible (Superman #10) - super hearing (Man of Steel #3), range extends to at least the full length of Smallville (Superman #8), though Superman usually "blocks out" anything beyond the normal range of human hearing for the sake of his sanity (Adventures of Superman #468) - microscopic vision (Man of Steel #5) - telescopic vision (Adventures of Superman #431) - infrared vision (Superman #4) - super breath: super inhalation and exhalation (Man of Steel #2 -- Thanks, dupersuper) - can see "beyond the spectrum" of visible light, allowing him (for example) to see in total darkness (Starman #14, Action Comics #646) - super sense of smell (Action Comics #593) - super fast thought processes (Man of Steel #6) - Incredibly powerful mind that is highly resistant to mind-reading but can still be mentally manipulated to some extent (Superman #25 and #27) - super intelligence/understanding of advanced technology (implied in Adventures of Superman #429) - implied to have a photographic memory (Superman #1) - "Aura of invulnerability". Any clothes held tightly against him do not tear or get dirty (Man of Steel #1). Face cannot even get dirty (Superman #3). Aura is electro-chemical in nature (Action Comics Annual #1), can be detected using advanced science (Superman #58) and changes when Superman uses his heat vision and possibly his other powers as well (Superman #58). - anything he lifts while flying gains his ability to defy gravity (Superman #1) - can fly/survive outside of Earth's atmosphere, but still needs to breathe occasionally (Man of Steel #3) - Can hold breath for about an hour, even when engaging in intense physical activity (Action Comics #588). Later revised: he can hold his breath "for several hours" in Superman: The Earth Stealers. Also explained there that this is a result of his super metabolism. Superman #33 later states that he can hold his breath "for two or three hours". - cells function as "living solar batteries" when absorbing the radiation of a yellow star (Man of Steel #1) - Super dense molecular structure (Man of Steel #2) - does not appear to be able to get sick (Superman #2) - Processes 100% of the food he eats so that he never gains excess weight (Action #590) - Doesn't get hungry (Superman #8) - Can be weakened and killed by Kryptonite (Superman #1) - Is vulnerable to magic (Action Comics #584) - Is vulnerable to electricity (Adventures of Superman #425) - Brainwaves are vulnerable to "zeta waves". Powers can be neutralized in this way (Adventures of Superman #436). - Cannot receive human donor blood (Superman #4) - Is vulnerable to Kryptonite because it replaces the solar radiation that gives him powers with Kryptonian radiation and then affects him as radioactive materials would affect a human (Amazing Heroes #98) - Implied that Superman cannot reproduce with human women (Action Comics #651) - Has a limited ability to tolerate and/or filter "bad air" (Adventures of Superman #477) - Super fast healing (Action Comics #667) Superman's rebooted powers, as explained by editor Andy Helfer: "One of the things we've decided to pay attention to with our handling of the Man of Steel is just that -- a sort of scientific approach to the character. Granted, we're still talking about a man who can fly, but given that, you won't be seeing any stories where Superman flies faster than the speed of light, or hears faster than the speed of sound. We've stated from the outset that Superman is just that -- a man who is better at practically everything than anyone else: he's stronger, faster, and can see better than a normal man, because his abilities are enhanced versions of human abilities. Just think of anything you can do. magnify it to the Nth degree -- and that's how well Superman does it. But the powers flow FROM Superman -- the world around him, and the laws of Physics that are a part of it, aren't themselves altered."
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 16, 2014 12:38:36 GMT -5
The Post-Crisis Superman Timeline(note: years are based upon the assumption that Superman #1 takes place in 1987. Comic writers generally avoid providing dates so that the present day remains timeless, but Wolfman outright dates Luthor's career as having begun to peak in the Late 1970s, Byrne has Jonathan Kent fight in World War II and Perry White fight in Vietnam, and we're even given the exact date that Superman made his first public appearance, so I'm accepting their invitations to apply real world dates/history to this continuity) Approximately 500000 BC: The earliest recorded history of Krypton. Their technology began "outpacing their mastery of social order," leading to an age of scientifically advanced barbarism (Action Comics #652). Approximately 199000 BC: Krypton has become far more civilized and devoted to logic. "Cleric," a missionary for the Holy Commune, arrives on Krypton and preaches against cloning, polarizing the Science Council in reaction and inspiring Sen-M to continue opposing cloning after his departure. Inadvertently, this sets into motion events that will result in Krypton's destruction two hundred thousand years later (Action Comics Annual #2, using dates from World of Krypton #2). In response to the threat posed by "Cleric," The Kryptonian Science Council orders Kem-L, an ancestor of Jor-El and Kal-El, to build a device that will silence all future heresy. Kem-L develops The Eradicator Device, which ensures that no Kryptonian can leave Krypton without dying, no non-Kryptonian may visit Krypton without dying, and it's ultimate mission is to ensure the survival of Krypton's heritage (Adventures of Superman #460). Cleric soon steals the device and leaves Krypton, ending up on Warworld, kept alive by the device for eons, and ultimately giving it to Superman before dying in 1989 (Action Comics Annual #2). Approximately 99000 BC: The Fifth Age of Krypton (Action Comics #652). The great war, fought over the ethics of cloning, begins on Krypton, the major factions being the Kryptonian government and the Black Zero terrorist organization. The capital city of Kandor is destroyed, and most of Kryptonian civilization is subsequently destroyed as the war continues for approximately a thousand years after (World of Krypton #1-4; this given date is based on World of Smallville #2's assertion that Kal-El arrived on Earth roughly 30 years after Krypton exploded). Approximately 98000 BC: The final confrontation occurs between the Kryptonian authorities (led by Van-L, great ancestor to Superman) and the Black Zero terrorist organization (led by Kan-Ze). Black Zero is defeated, but not before Kan-Ze sets in motion events that will cause the destruction of Krypton approximately one hundred thousand years later (World of Krypton #2-4). June 16, 1735: Metropolis is founded (Adventures of Superman #494 establishes that Superman's debut on June 15, 1985, happened one day before Metropolis' 250th anniversary) Approximately the 1780s: The Pocket Universe Supergirl arrives on Earth in stasis, only to be uncovered 200 years later. Prior to 1930: The Seventh Age of Krypton, "a world purged of emotional weakness...an age of reason. A smaller, more enlightened population dwelt in great towering complexes, many times larger than Earthly cities, leading lives of quiet contemplation". This was the world of Jor-El and Lara, and was considered to be the height of Kryptonian culture (Action Comics #652, using information provided in World of Smallville #2 to establish a time frame). Approximately 1922: Jonathan Kent and Martha Clark are born. This assumes they are approximately the same age (they were childhood friends, according to World of Smallville #1), that Jonathan was 18 when the draft began in 1940 and returned home from WWII in his early 20s (World of Smallville #1, he was away for 5 years, the war appears to be recently concluded), that they were in their late 30s in 1959 when, resolved that they would never be able to have their own children, they were still able to convince people that Clark was Martha's biological baby (Man of Steel #1), and in their mid 60s in 1987 (they now have gray/white hair and appear elderly but still self-sufficient in running their farm). 1920s and 1930s: Jonathan Kent and Martha Clark grow up together in Smallville as close friends and are expected by most to one day marry (World of Smallville #1). Jonathan's older brother is Harry Kent (Man of Steel #1). 1930 or 1931: Krypton explodes. Superman, son of Jor-El and Lara, is sent to Earth as an infant (MoS #1). Superman's Kryptonian name is "Kal-El" (Action Comics #597). The journey takes approximately 28 to 30 years, using warp drive engines travelling through hyperspace (World of Smallville #2) Approximately 1933: Perry White born (working math from World of Metropolis #1 and Adventures of Superman #433) (contradicted by Lex Luthor: the Unauthorized Biography) Prior to 1940: Jonathan Kent's older brother, Harry, falls under their father's thresher and dies (first mentioned in Man of Steel #1, indicated to have occurred prior to World War II in Superman #33) Presumably 1940 to 1945: Jonathan Kent is drafted, serves in the Pacific Theater during WWII from 1941 to 1944, is captured for the final year of the war, kept in a Japanese POW camp, considered missing in action, and ultimately returned after 5 years away (World of Smallville #1 and #2. We know the length of time he was gone and the length of time for which he was missing in action as a POW, but not when he went to war nor when he returned. We know the American draft started in 1940 and American soldiers joined the fighting in 1941, and it seems likely that Jonathan would have been returned by the Japanese government soon after the conclusion of the war in 1945). Approximately 1943: Perry White begins working at the Daily Planet as a copy boy at the age of ten (World of Metropolis #1) (contradicted by Lex Luthor: the Unauthorized Biography) 1943: Superman is thrown back in time, travels with Hale's circus as a strongman, saves FDR from German assassins, and meets The Spectre (Action Comics #663) September 30, 1944: Martha Clark marries Daniel Fordman, presuming Jonathan Kent is dead. Late 1945 or early 1946: The events of World of Smallville #1 and #2. Dan Fordman dies. 1946: Perry White born (Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography implies he is the same age as Lex Luthor, and Luthor is 13 in 1959). 1946: Lex Luthor born. Raised in Suicide Slum until the age of thirteen by implicitly abusive parents (Lex Luthor: the Unauthorized Biography, working back from Lex being 13 in 1959). 1946 or (more likely) 1947: Martha Clark remarries to Jonathan Kent (World of Smallville #2 indicates they married 12 months after the events of that issue) 1956: Perry White begins working at the Daily Planet as a copy boy at the age of ten (reconciling World of Metropolis #1 and Lex Luthor: the Unauthorized Biography) 1960: The Manhunters attempt to abduct the infant Superman on his way to Earth but are thwarted by members of the Green Lantern Corps (Adventures of Superman #436) February 29, 1960: Superman arrives on Earth in his birth matrix and is "born" when the Kents remove him from it (Man of Steel #1 and Action Comics #655). Jonathan and Martha Kent are 38 at the time (see my notes on "1922"), discover him, and pass him off as their own with the help of a five month blizzard during which no one sees Martha (MoS #1). The blizzard was created by The Manhunters in an attempt to keep humans from interfering with Clark while they pursued him, but once the Kents find him, the Manhunters give up, perceiving him as now tainted by human love and emotion (Adventures of Superman #436) 1960: The Manhunters enact a B plan, replacing Smallville's Dr. Whitney with an android double who puts implants in all newborns delivered between 1959 and 1987 in order to make them sleeper agents for the Manhunters (Adventures of Superman #436). 1960: At age 13, Lex Luthor attends the seventh grade and is best friends with Perry White. Around this time, he begins associating with adults in the neighborhood that he pays to rough people up for him, starting with two kids who had been picking on him (Edward Kelley and Richard McGuire). Luthor's teacher was Mrs. Anderson. Later that year, Luthor sabotages his parents' car after taking out a massive insurance policy on them. He uses his adult lackeys to intimidate a mechanic into issuing a false report about the cause of the accident. He acquires his first fortune from this (Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography). 1960 to 1978: Clark Kent grows up in Smallville, is best friends with Lana Lang, has a dog named Rusty, and becomes a high school football star, exhibiting limited enhanced speed, X-Ray vision, and possibly other early facets of his abilities (MoS #1, #6, Rusty first mentioned in Adventures of Superman #468). Prior to 1966: Perry White is the star reporter at The Daily Planet and adored by Metropolis (World of Metropolis #1) 1966: Six year old Clark Kent gets into a shoving match with Steve Davis, causing the Principal to get involved. It is the last (and possibly only) physical fight Clark ever engaged in. 1966 to 1968: Perry White fights in Vietnam from ages 33 to 35 20 to 22 (World of Metropolis #1, using some math from Adventures of Superman #433 Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography, which contradicts earlier references to Perry White's age) 1967: Year in which Lex Luthor II would have allegedly been born (he is 21 in Action Comics #677. That issue was published in 1992, but, recognizing that Superman's present day begins in 1987, and using the Superman Office's general guideline that 1 month in our time equals approximately 1 week in Superman's time, that issue would have occurred in 1988. 88-21=67. Note: this would make Lex Luthor I only twenty years old at the time. 1968: Clark develops invulnerability at age 8 (Amazing Heroes #98), though later flashbacks suggest he was unaware of this (see Adventures of Superman #474) Unspecificed time prior to 1969: The rise of Lexcorp. Luthor acquires the Daily Planet and uses it to embarrass companies that bid against him for government contracts, effectively destroying his enemies via the media (Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography). The Lex Wing aircraft design is the invention that "founded" Luthor's financial empire (Superman #13). 1968 or 1969: Perry White returns to Metropolis, discovers Lex Luthor has been sleeping with his wife (thus terminating their friendship) and assembles a team to buy the Daily Planet as a means of avoiding its shut-down. Part of the deal entails that he become Editor-in-Chief (World of Metropolis #1) 1969: Jerry White is born (Adventures of Superman #433) 1973: Clark develops X-Ray vision around the age of 13 (Amazing Heroes #98) Approximately 1972: In response to the dismantling of The French Connection, Lex Luthor creats a designer drug and distrubution system and sells it to the Mafia for two million dollars (Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography) Sometime between 1972 and 1978: Lex Luthor unveils the majority of his scientific breakthroughs, Lexcorp experiences tremendous growth, and Luthor amasses tremendous wealth and power (Adventures of Superman #425: Luthor's "discoveries in the mid-seventies were astounding."). Sometime between 1974 and 1978: Clark Kent wrestles in high school "before my powers fully developed" (Starman #14). He also plays football for an unspecified length of time (Man of Steel #1). Sometime prior to 1978: Clark, Lana Lang, and Pete Ross attend a high school party and end up in a car with Scott Brubaker. There is an accident and Brubaker remains on life support until Adventures of Superman #474, when his parents pull the plug. Clark states that this event helped inspire him to become a righter of injustice. This is also when Clark and the Kents begin to suspect that he has some form of invulnerability. 1976: Lois Lane gets her first serious job at the Daily Planet at the age of fifteen (World of Metropolis #2, previously indicated to be sixteen in Action Comics #594 and Adventures of Superman #1), (World of Metropolis established this occurred five years prior to Clark arriving in Metropolis, which is established to have occurred in 1981, working from the Man of Steel #1-2 timeline). 1978: Clark learns he can fly at age 18 (Amazing Heroes #98) 1978: Clark Kent learns he is an alien from another planet and decides to leave Smallville to use his powers for good; unknowingly breaks Lana Lang's heart in the process (MoS #1, #6). From 1978 thru 1985: Clark secretly uses his powers to prevent disasters and presumably discovers the full extent of his abilities (MoS #1). After 1981 and prior to Action Comics #597: Lois publishes at least one book (Action #597, World of Metropolis #3) 1981: Clark moves to Metropolis, continues to secretly use his powers to prevent disasters (MoS #1). He enrolls in Metropolis University (Superman #2) as a journalism major in order to become a journalist and "keep tabs on world events -- to have immediate knowledge of trouble that might need my special help." (all from Superman #12). Adventures of Superman #461 adds that Clark "wanted to become a journalist long before I became Superman," suggesting a deep-seeded desire beyond the practical explanation. 1983: Clark's senior year at Metropolis University (1983-1984 school year?), falls in love for the first time with Lori Lemaris, proposes to her, and is rejected because they are from different worlds (Superman #12). World of Metropolis #3 will later undo the idea of Lori being his first love, having it be a waitress named Ruby two years prior to Clark's meeting Lori. Prior to June 15, 1985: Lois Lane rises to be a top reporter in her field (presumed from the events of MoS #1 and #2, as well as the fact that she always appears to be Perry White's #1 reporter in all stories after). Gets to know Lex Luthor quite well at this time (MoS #2 -- she is calling in favors from his helicopter pilot and knows the pilot by name). Prior to June 15, 1985: Clark publishes one book, and it becomes a best seller (Adventures of Superman #1, Amazing Heroes #98). It is entitled "The Janus Contract" (Superman #49). June 15, 1985: Clark is outed while forced to publicly use his powers to rescue an experimental spacecraft with Lois Lane onboard. First meeting with Lois Lane. She coins the name "Superman." Clark creates a costume and identity, publicly becoming Superman (Man of Steel #1, date provided in Superman #45) Immediately after June 15 1985: Clark starts to don the glasses in order to avoid recognition and gets a job at the Daily Planet by scooping Lois on the story of Superman (MoS #1, #2, date provided in Superman #45). Superman is either the first or one of the first superheroes since WWII, and Batman, the Hal Jordan Green Lantern, the Wally West Flash, and Hawkman soon follow (Action Comics #597, conflicted with Batman's post-Crisis timeline which indicated he'd been active for ten years as of 1988, as well as a reference in Man of Steel indicating that Batman was already active). Superman had also met and gotten to know the Barry Allen Flash in that time (Adventures of Superman #463). June 15 thru approximately June 22, 1985: Clark overextends himself as Superman, pushing himself relentlessly to help others at the cost of his own health and well-being, until Martha and Jonathan Kent convince him to start setting boundaries (Superman, The Man of Steel #16). He also meets Inspector Henderson for the first time, both as Clark and as Superman, during the Robyn McGill murder investigation, and Clark's internal journey in the wake of that murder leads him to realize that using his head is more important than using his fists, as well as the importance of putting the law above his own sense of right and wrong (Superman #72). Just prior to June 22, 1985: At least one of the events of Action Comics #1 take place (the abusive husband incident), though in a somewhat different way (Superman, The Man of Steel #16). Presumably beginning in 1985: Clark learns most of what he knows about fighting from covering boxing matches for the Daily Planet (Starman #14). Sometime after June 1985: Superman meets Aquaman for the first time and is briefly reunited with Lori Lemaris shortly after (Superman #12). Sometime after June 1985: Superman and Batman meet for the first time (Man of Steel #3, this technically could have occurred in 1986, but it seems unlikely Superman and Batman wouldn't have met during The Crisis on Infinite Earths). Sometime after June 1985: Superman meets several founding members of the Justice Society of America around this time (Action Comics #663). Later still in 1985: The Crisis on Infinite Earths occurs. Even though this event actually occurred in a differently configured "Pre-Crisis" timeline and its aftermath was responsible for the creation of this timeline, characters including Superman recall at least some aspects of the Crisis (Action Comics #591). Lorie Lemaris, though reconfigured into the Post-Crisis timeline along with everyone else, still died during this event (Superman #12). 1986: Superman's first meeting with Lex Luthor. Arrests Luthor by order of the mayor. Luthor swears revenge (MoS #4). 1986: Lucy Lane and Jimmy Olsen begin dating (Superman #4). 1986, but at least 3 months prior to Superman #1: Superman fights the first Bizarro (secretly created by Luthor), Luthor loses his remaining hair sometime after (MoS #5, Superman #1, and Amazing Heroes #96) Unspecified time after Man of Steel #1, but prior to Man of Steel #6: Superman assists the Justice League of America on at least three occasions, including facing Darkseid for the first time. He is offered membership in The League but declines due to time constraints (Action Comics #650) Three months prior to Superman #1: Superman learns about his Kryptonian heritage (MoS #6) Less than three months prior to Superman #1 Clark Kent is summoned by Abin Sur's power ring and initially chosen to replace him as the Green Lantern for his sector. The offer is revoked when Abin Sur realizes Clark is not a native of Earth, and Clark recommends Hal Jordan (a pilot he had recently interviewed and been impressed with) instead (Action Comics Weekly #642: Prior to Superman #1 since Hal Jordan was not yet Green Lantern, but after Clark learns about his Kryptonian heritage in Man of Steel #6). Unspecified, prior to Superman #1: Superman meets Hawkman and the Hal Jordan Green Lantern, and battles several supervillains (Superman #1), meets the Teen Titans on several occasions (Action Comics #584), and battles Booster Gold (Booster Gold #7 -- a pre-Crisis story, but Superman acknowledges it in Action #594) ----- 1987-1992: Superman's present day begins with Superman #1 (everything prior to this was told in flashback). According to my calculations, Superman is 27 years old. Lois Lane is 26, Perry White is 54 41 (contradicted by Lex Luthor: the Unauthorized Biography), Lex Luthor is likely the same age as Perry, and Ma and Pa Kent are 65. Action Comics #668 will ultimately demonstrate that 1 month in our world is roughly equal to a week in Superman's world, meaning that 1987-1991 accounts for roughly one year in this universe 1. (At this point in the timeline, our year is not necessarily the same as Superman's year. Thus, the year I am providing for each event going forward is the publication year.) 1988: Superman meets Hal Jordan for the first time. Superman #1 contradicts this, and Action Comics #606 portrayed them as being old acquaintances, with the two knowing their secret identities, but Action Comics #622 heavily revised this moment, making it their very first meeting. 1988: By this point, Superman is largely considered the greatest of the Superheroes (suggested in both Action Comics #623 and Adventures of Superman #449) 1990: Clark and Lois begin dating (Superman #43) and become engaged (Superman #50). After several uneasy encounters, Superman and Batman begin a sort of friendship, and Superman entrusts Batman with Lex Luthor's Kryptonite ring in case he ever needs to be taken down (Action Comics #654). Lex Luthor appears to commit suicide (Action Comics #660). 1991: Clark reveals his identity to Lois Lane (Action Comics #662). Lex Luthor II assumes control of Lexcorp (Action Comics #672) The 30th Century: Superman briefly meets several iterations of the Legion of Super-Heroes, including the founding members, and witnesses the destruction of Earth's moon. (Adventures of Superman #476-478). Note: there are several glitches in the continuity Byrne constructs, most notably Lois's comment in Man of Steel #5 that she has been dreaming of being kissed by Superman for five years. This event HAD to occur less than two years prior to current day, and Clark first became Superman 3 years prior to current day based upon the timeline offered in Man of Steel #1 and #6 (left Smallville ten years prior to current day, became Superman seven years later). An interview with Wolfman, Helfer, and Byrne in Amazing Heroes #98 backs up this timeline. A more minor problem is posed in Adventures of Superman #430, which indicates that Jonathan and Martha Kent had been married for 48 years in 1987. World of Smallville later clearly indicates that they had not yet married as of the mid 1940s, instead suggesting they married in 1946 or 1947. The most glaring error encountered yet occurs as a discrepancy between World of Metropolis #1 (having Perry White ten years old in 1943) and Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography (having Perry White 13 years old in 1959). Both works agree that Perry White and Lex Luthor are approximately the same age. I have gone with Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography's timeline because it makes more sense, especially in having Perry White fight in Korea when he is twenty instead of in his thirties. 1 Obviously there are some problems with making five years count as one, most notably the annual Christmas story in Adventures of Superman. How did they have five Christmases in one year?
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 17, 2014 9:43:39 GMT -5
The Man of Steel #1
writer/pencils: John Byrne inks: Dick Giordano colors: Tom Ziuko letters: John Costanza editor: Andy Helfer
grade: C
I find this maiden voyage for the Post-Crisis Superman...disappointing. The explanations aren't all that much more clever, the characterizations are generally poor, the changes made to the mythos feel merely adequate, and there are little nagging logic gaps as well. Really, the only thing about this issue I actually enjoyed was Byrne's usage of momentum to frame the story (first panel and last panel). Of course, I've always felt Byrne was more successful as an artist than a writer.
So -- What's new:
1. Krypton. Its destruction is made a tad bit more believable this time, with environmental chain reactions (most notably "The Green Death'") as the first signs of the larger problem that only Kal-El sees. Krypton is a highly repressed and prissy race, as embodied by Lara, who is startled by virtually everything to the point that it becomes quite obnoxious. Even physical contact is implied to be taboo, and Kal-El appears to be taking a tremendous risk when he dares to touch Kara's face and hold her hand at the very end. Byrne also adds a new visual look to Krypton, with no straight lines in any of the architecture, a particularly impressive alien fashion for Jor-El, and an unfortunate headdress for Lara. Worth noting, Superman is never referred to as Kal-El by his birth parents; he is merely "my son," and "my child."
2. Smallville. Clark grows up unhindered as a football star who carries the entire team (much to the other players' resentment). He doesn't wear the glasses until right before moving to Metropolis. How in the world is someone not going to look at the star football player's yearbook photo in a year's time and NOT see Superman? Actually, Byrne does later attempt to explain that Superman vibrates his head quickly at all times in order to prevent being photographed, but that's just plain stupid. I'm sorry. Anyway, Martha and Jonathan are now a bit younger when they find Clark (late 30s perhaps?) to the point that they convince others that he is theirs (and a five month blizzard keeping them away from home helps to explain this). Oddly though, only 18 years later, Martha and Jonathan look to be in their late sixties. I simply do not get this.
3. Metropolis. Clark attempts to begin his career anonymously, without others suspecting anyone did anything to save them. He ultimately has to make a very public rescue with Lois present, and there is an instant connection between them. He and Martha and Jonathan then decide to create two identities for him so that he can be a figurehead and a person at the same time, and they create his costume. Note that the outlandish costume design is entirely of their own invention and not based on any Kryptonian artifact found in the pod Superman came from. Also worth noting is that, while this retelling gives Superman a more humanizing backstory, it also further emphasizes the idea that Clark Kent is a false identity and not someone that Superman grew up as.
Superman's powers: his cells function as "living solar batteries" when absorbing the radiation of a yellow star. And how does this make him fly and see through walls? Also, any clothes held tightly against him do not tear or get dirty. Because, of course, that makes total sense. No mention of any other abilities yet.
What I liked: Superman's initial reaction to stardom. "They were all over me! Like wild animals. Like maggots. Clawing. Pulling. Screaming at me. And it was all demands! Everybody had something they wanted me to do, to say, to sell! It was as if my first public appearance had unleashed the worst, the greediest, the most covetous part of everyone." I also enjoyed Jor-El and Kara's final moment, though I could have done without everything else up to that point.
What I didn't like: Pretty much everything else, especially watching a character more like Superman grow up in Smallville instead of a familiar Clark Kent, the weird uncertainty regarding the age of the Kents, and how Superman's Kryptonian Legacy is more of an embarrassment than a destiny, especially in the ridiculous depiction of his mother.
Plot synopsis: Noted details aside, this is the same familiar origin story, just told through a different lens. Krypton blows up, baby Superman is rocketed to Smallville, Martha and Jonathan Kent raise Superman as their own, Jonathan explains where he came from when he's 18, he decides to go out into the world (Metropolis) to do something with his powers, and after rescuing a space jet with Lois Lane aboard, he gets outed and has to create a dual identity for himself. Note: Jonathan Kent is still alive.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 17, 2014 9:45:24 GMT -5
Man of Steel #2
writer/pencils: John Byrne inks: Dick Giordano letters: John Costanza colors: Ton Ziuko editor: Andrew Helfer
grade: A+
Well well, Mr. Byrne. You have it in you after all.
This is a darn good story, full of important continuity, dense characterization, and the kind of momentum only one artist/writer tightly controlling the marriage of words, plotting, and visuals can bring to a book. I am impressed.
This is really the tale of Lois Lane who, in a sense, spends the entire issue attempting to make up for the first panel, where Superman whizzes by without her seeing him. It becomes a very personal quest to get the story of Superman, with no real concern for personal attraction at this point, and it manages to make two adorable homages to past Superman continuity in the process (the interview she ultimately gets proceeds much like the 1978 film, and Clark scooping her at the end was straight out of the old 1940s dailies).
Beyond that though, there's tons of continuity to explore here:
1. Time has ceased to skip forward in this issue, and this now appears to be the modern day Metropolis/DCU, meaning Superman has just arrived in Metropolis in the present day. Batman has already been active for upwards of ten years at this point (that info kept changing in Batman continuity), and we're not clear yet on whether there are any other super-powered heroes out there, or if Superman is the first.
2. This is the first post-Crisis appearance of Perry White, Jimmy Olsen, Lex Luthor (in cameo), Guthrie (Lex's driver/assistant), Chuck (a helicoptor pilot for Lexcorp), and Captain Reagan of the Special Weapons and Tactics Squad.
3. This is clearly a different Lois Lane who is perhaps more gutsy than ever (jumps out of a helicopter to get a story), competent (only a damsel in distress as a means of purposefully attracting Superman's behavior), connected (she knows how to get a helicopter on the fly), independent (Luthor wants her, but she doesn't want him), and extremely fashionable (hair and clothing change constantly and noticeably) -- A true icon of the 1980s feminist ideal.
4. Lex Luthor is now a business tycoon and desires Lois Lane. The idea of Superman's greatest villain being a capitalist is still probably the most brilliant contribution made to the franchise as, in the 1980s and beyond, uninhibited big business became a more palpable evil in the world than uninhibited scientific progress.
5. Lois coined the name "Superman," though he clearly chose to own that name by putting two giant "S"s on his costume last issue.
6. Superman has super speed and heat ray vision, in addition to all that we saw last issue.
7. Jimmy Olsen and Perry White are briefly introduced.
8. Clark Kent gets a job at the daily planet by scooping Lois on the exclusive Superman story.
What's working: Both Superman and Lois are extremely charming -- Lois in her persistence and frustrations, Superman in his Christopher Reeve boy-scout approach to the character.
What's not: Really just two things: Superman's confrontation with the armed criminals is pretty illogical and should have gotten the hostages killed, and we aren't given a motivation for Clark becoming a reporter. Is it to keep up on the news so that he can save the world, is it to get closer to Lois, or is it to control his own PR? We don't know, nor are we given any indication that he has ANY background in journalism nor writing of any kind. Is this former football star and farmboy going to get by on poorly written exclusives with Superman?
minor detail: WHY doesn't Superman drink wine? Surely, he'd be immune to the effects and could just enjoy the taste. I suspect it's entirely out of homage to the Christopher Reeves depiction, which was highly conscious of children viewing the 1978 film.
All in all, though, this was a GREAT Superman story, encapsulating all the best of the character while raising Lois Lane and Lex Luthor (even in cameo) to new levels of excellence.
plot synopsis: Lois keeps trying to get an interview with Superman but keeps missing him at the scene of the crime (he arrives and flies off before she can get there), she spurns Luthor's advances in pursuit of Superman, Superman takes down a mugger and criminals holding hostages, Lois decides to drive her car into the the river to get Superman's attention, she gets an interview, and Clark Kent arrives at the Daily Planet, scooping her and getting a job on the staff.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 17, 2014 10:09:18 GMT -5
Man of Steel #3
writer/pencils: John Byrne inks: Dick Giordano colors: Tom Zuiko letters: John Costanza editor: ANdrew Helfer
grade: D-
What an odd choice of a third issue. It became clear in the first two issues that Byrne was consciously avoiding putting Superman in the spotlight, instead building up his supporting cast. But, this time around, the focus is on Batman (not generally considered a supporting Superman character), and it's done at Superman's expense.
It's true that, at this time, the comic book world was still reeling from Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns," released only a few months prior, in which a rougher, tougher Batman finds himself ideologically at intractable odds against Superman, depicted there as a "boyscout" with a hopelessly tragic allegiance to the rule of law, no matter how misguided. It's thus totally understandable that every attempt was made to continue that characterization for Batman, but I find it incredibly odd for Byrne to choose to continue that characterization of Superman here. Essentially, we're given only our second prolonged look at Superman and watch him hopelessly misjudge Batman and ultimately come off less wise and far less likable than his Dark Knight counterpart.
Again, it makes sense to want to keep the momentum going on the coattails of that enormously successful series, but not at the cost of the protagonist of this series. There's no denying that Superman was the ANTAGONIST of that story, and he comes off much in the same way here -- a misguided obstacle who will inevitably get in Batman's way and end up on the wrong side of justice. Meanwhile, this isn't even conveyed with any sense of cosmic tragedy that somehow deepens our appreciation for Superman; he's just a chump. Batman, in contrast, comes off as complicated, intriguing, and downright likable.
Going further, this entire issue feels far more like a Batman story than a Superman one. It begins from Batman's perspective, sympathizes with Batman's point of view, and features a new villain who was clearly intended for the Batman rogues gallery. This is not a Superman story, so why is it featured in this volume and not in Batman #401?
And, for what it's worth, this could probably count as Batman's first true post-Crisis appearance. His depictions in Batman and Detective at this point are quickly discarded and forgotten while the character we see here remains relatively true to what follows. Even his characterization in the very next issue of Batman (which continues from this story) depicts him as a very different character. Of course, as I've discussed endlessly in my Batman reviews thread, writers keep messing with Batman's characterization and ignoring each other's work for three years after the Crisis until Wolfman comes on in the wake of "A Death in the Family" and stabilizes the character a bit.
Anyway, another important point to notice in this issue is the time period. Last issue seemed to imply that we were now in the current day, but Batman's costume in this issue is clearly from Year One, he doesn't have a batmobile yet, and Batman #401 will go on to heavily imply that the events of this issue occurred some time ago as Magpie has since been on multiple crime waves (Gordon refers to previous "cases," and Batman remarks that "she's pulled this kind of stunt before.") Though no time frame is offered, it's clear the previous run in with Magpie did not occur last month, nor was it the first encounter. Thus, MoS #3 is not in the present day. In fact, if we were to trust the rough timeline established in the Batman continuity after the crisis, this meeting would have occurred 8 to 10 years prior to the present day of the DCU (the uncertainty is due to the fact that, for the first year or so of post-Crisis Batman stories, 2.5 years worth of events are covered in confusing flashbacks, so no present day is firmly established). That would make Superman 36 to 38 years old by the time of the present day of Superman #1.
Note how nearly all of this review has been about Batman?
Worth noting about Superman in this issue is our first reference to his super hearing, though, oddly enough, he doesn't seem to have any such hearing when Batman eludes him towards the beginning of the issue. Surely he's not so stealthy as to prevent his cape from making any noise whatsoever as he swings outside of Superman's peripheral vision and winds up behind him.
We also learn that Superman can fly outside of the Earth's atmosphere, but still needs to breathe. So Krypton, a planet orbiting an entirely different class of star, has the same atmospheric composition as Earth???
Finally, Batman makes reference to Superman's denser molecular structure, which is new. Previously, the only biological explanation offered for his powers was that his cells functioned like solar batteries. Of course, this still doesn't explain anything beyond the super strength and invulnerability.
Regarding the end of the issue, Batman's little thought about "In a different reality, I might have called him 'friend'" was both cute and upsetting. Superman (1st series) #76, the first meeting of Batman and Superman in the pre-Crisis continuity, is still a favorite story of mine. Nobody did "buddy-buddy" as well as Batman and Superman, and it truly saddens me to see the greatest friendship in all of comicdom retconned for the sake of maintaining the momentum stirred up by DKR -- an original, but also flawed and (I believe) highly overrated story. Putting what's popular and commercial over integrity and a sense of legacy -- yeah, I guess the very concept of the Crisis invited that.
minor details:
-- Magpie was a terrible, terrible concept for a villain. I'm glad this heavy handed attempt to infuse her into the Batman mythos failed so badly.
-- Why is Superman in Gotham, anyway? And, for that matter, why has he set up base in Metropolis rather than using his abilities to protect people in areas of greater need? By his own admission, Metropolis is faring far better than Gotham, and what about war torn or famine infested countries? I can rationalize the decision (after all, Clark needs to have a life too), but shouldn't this at least get explained?
plot synopsis: Superman runs into Batman and tries to arrest him for vigilantism, Batman threatens to remote blow up an innocent person if Superman touches him, they work together to take down a villain named Magpie, Batman reveals that he was the innocent person, and he and Superman come to an uneasy truce, over-acknowledging the differences in their approaches to fighting crime and suggesting that this will one day come to blows (as in Dark Knight Returns).
A barely adequate early post-Crisis Batman story, and a terrible terrible Superman story.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 17, 2014 10:27:02 GMT -5
The Man of Steel #4
writer/pencils: John Byrne inks: Dick Giordano colors: Tom Ziuko letters: John Costanza editor: Andrew Helfer special thanks to: Marv Wolfman
grade: B
Thus far, Man of Steel has felt like a particularly confused series, never quite sure what its scope should be. The first issue was an origin story, the second a cute Lois and Superman interplay, the third a Batman story, and now we're back to exploring the Clark and Lois dynamic, as well as adding Lex Luthor to the mix. Truly, this is what I'd been waiting for. In my mind, the adventures of Clark and Lois was always a more compelling focus than those of the unbeatable and morally unquestionable Superman. I prefer stories where he functions as a deus et machina to the exploits of the Daily Planet's star reporters.
It's easy to see in an issue like this one how these early Byrne stories were the basis for the later Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman television series. The sexy interplay between Clark and Lois, with big business tycoon Lex Luthor as a complication, is positively robust here, from the very first panel with a half dressed Clark and a scantily, yet elaborately, dressed Lois Lane standing dominantly in the doorway, intruding into Clark's life without a second thought. Then there's the rich powerplay that makes the relationship so fun. This is not a Lois Lane who will play second fiddle to Clark Kent. She's fierce, brilliant, independent, and will not be outdone by anyone. Her resentment and rivalry with Clark seems to define their relationship until the end of the issue, when she believes Clark has been killed and reveals a compassion and respect for him; a promise that there may be potential in their relationship after all, whether as colleagues, friends, or (of course) romantic partners. Lois was always strong-willed in the original comics and newspaper strips, but this time she truly holds all the cards -- not likely to be anyone's damsel in distress nor misguided fool that needs to be taught a lesson by the end of the issue. Clark will have to work to earn her respect over a long and tumultuous road, and darn if that doesn't make us care.
Then there's Lex Luthor. The business tycoon concept, apparently introduced by Elliot Maggin pre-Crisis (thanks, Chad), and then further developed by Marv Wolfman (presumably the reason he's thanked in the credits for this issue), is fully introduced here, and he's not quite what I expected. What I like about this approach is that this Lex Luthor is totally legitimate in the public eye. He has his hands in absolutely everything and is therefore far more powerful and dangerous than his pre-Crisis counterpart had ever been, and yet his record is clean. Thus the pure brawn of Superman will never be enough to defeat him. Instead, it will take the careful investigative work of reporters Clark Kent and Lois Lane to do the bulk of the work, with Superman functioning as the last minute enforcer needed in tough situations. Again, this is the kind of Superman story I like best.
And yet, I don't care for how Byrne handles Lex at all. Yes, a character like this would necessarily be arrogant, but Luthor comes off like a true fool in this issue, flaunting his evil plan for all to see and essentially undoing himself when there was absolutely no reason to do so. Even his threatening Superman at the end lacks any sense of tact nor subtlety. How in the world could a man this careless have risen as far as Luthor has? I don't fear a man who can so foolishly undo himself in his very first appearance.
Perhaps it's unfair to be judging this character through the lens of the Lois & Clark television series, but I did grow up on that show, and it is carefully embedded in this characterization of Lex. Yet the Lex Luthor on that show (as depicted masterfully by John Shea) was far more meticulous, thorough, and always in total control, even when Superman is in his face, physically threatening him. Add to that a flawless physique, further giving the sense of total control, whereas this Luthor is fat and ugly. Again, not really fair to compare this depiction with a later incarnation that was based upon this one, but I definitely think the show handled Lex better. I expected more from this character and hope he'll come off as a more compelling antagonist in later stories.
Continuity points in this issue:
1. Time is jumping around again. Whereas the second issue gave the sense that we were now in the present day, this issue takes place one to one and a half years later (Lex claims it's been a year, Lois claims it's been "seventeen months, two weeks, four days, and an odd number of hours...").
2. Superman's heat vision is mentioned for the second time, and now shown to be Clark's method of shaving (since a conventional razor blade or shaver could never break one of his hairs). Funny that Superman IV, released in this same year, similarly addresses the point that Superman's hair has the same super density as the rest of his body. I wonder which was copying the other.
3. First full post-Crisis appearance of Lex Luthor.
4. This is the first brief reference made to the post-Crisis past history between Lex Luthor and Perry White. All we learn from Lois is that Perry has a strong and well acknowledged hatred for Luthor; no reason is given.
5. This is the second brief reference made to Lois' father and the impact he has had on her life (the first was in MoS #2). This time, we are told that Lois was an "army brat" and that she gained much of her toughness from that.
6. Superman is photographed for the first time, but we do not learn who did it.
Minor details:
1. This is the first issue to show Clark/Superman's point of view, though it doesn't add much to the issue, as Byrne uses this more to provide excessive explanations as opposed to conveying any kind of personality. All that makes the character compelling for us at this point is his desire to win Lois' approval and affection.
2. Lois is ever the investigative reporter, scrutinizing every detail in Clark's apartment at the beginning of the issue, and yet she clearly sees pictures of him as a high school football star with no glasses, and doesn't notice any similarity with Superman.
3. MoS #2 left me wondering how many times we were going to see spontaneous extreme crimes pop up in an otherwise healthy city in order to keep providing Superman with crimes to stop. I'm glad that, in this issue, the spontaneous crime we see ends up having been orchestrated by Luthor as a means of testing Superman.
4. What was the point of Superman lifting Lex's ship and moving it? Shouldn't he have tried to stop the gunmen first???
5. The return to focusing on Clark and Lois leaves me wondering if MoS #3 wasn't a last minute addition created to cash in on the DKR phenomenon. As Polar Bear has pointed out, a philosophical tension between Superman and Batman had been established prior to DKR (I had not been aware of this), but MoS #3 felt so closely aligned with DKR #4, plus it felt like a totally arbitrary disruption in the flow of this series.
Plot synopsis in one ridiculously long sentence: Lex Luthor has returned from a year abroad, Clark and Lois have been invited on a cruise to Lex's private island, Lois still holds a grudge for Clark scooping her on the first real Superman story, Clark is attracted to her nonetheless, Luthor is trying to get Lois to marry him but she'll have none of it, the ship is hijacked by guerilla militants, they throw Clark overboard and appear to kill him, Lex watches approvingly from the sidelines, Superman lifts the ship while Lois uses the distraction to grab an uzi and start fighting back, Superman jumps in and saves the day, Luthor reveals he allowed it to happen in order to test Superman's skills and offer him a job as his private security guard, Superman declines and the mayor orders Superman to arrest Luthor for reckless endangerment, Luthor evades the charges and threatens to get Superman back for this embarrassment.
Exactly the kind of Superman story I was looking for, though I was a bit disappointed by how unintimidating Luthor proved to be, and I could have done without the excessive explanations offered intermittently via Clark's thought bubbles.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 17, 2014 10:27:30 GMT -5
The Man of Steel #5
writer/pencils: John Byrne inks: Dick Giordano letters: John Costanza colors: Tom Ziuko editor: Andrew Helfer with special acknowledgment to the work of: Otto Binder
grade: C+
How does an issue start this strong and end so badly? We begin with a masterful misdirect as Superman is presumably lifting Luthor in his pre-Crisis battlesuit and warning that, "You're getting sloppy, Luthor," only to reveal on the next page that he is holding another man in the battlesuit with our post-Crisis Luthor casually sitting at his desk in his office, explaining how Superman cannot prove he had anything to do with the now unconscious assailant. Lex still isn't as dangerous of a mastermind as I would have hoped, but his ability to think one step ahead of Superman and comfortably hide behind the law is still impressive here and contrasted nicely against his pre-Crisis counterpart's approach. As an added twist, we learn that this entire meeting was orchestrated so that Lex could surreptitiously scan Superman and create a copy of him.
That copy turns out to be Bizarro, and while tying Bizarro's creation into Lex's quest to undermine Superman is a nice touch, everything else about the story seems to go wrong from here.
I'm not particularly interested in Lucy Lane nor the inordinate amount of time given to her introduction in this issue. We learn she was turned blind as the result of a hijacking that occurred a year earlier that we're never going to get to see, watch her ready to kill herself over it, and arbitrarily have the final battle between Superman and Bizarro end up exactly where she is, have the material Bizarro is made of inexplicably be the cure to Lucy's blindness and (of course) have him blow up and somehow get pieces of himself blown into Lucy's eyes without harming her in any way. Add to this the facts that we never actually SEE the climactic moment, that we're never given any explanation as to why Bizarro didn't survive a head on collision while Superman came out unscathed, and Superman's random belief at the end that Bizarro knew he could cure Lucy and so set it up that he'd be blown to bits at the end, and you have yourself one sincerely lame ending. And, by the way, even if Bizarro somehow had figured all this out, why not just wipe Lucy's eye with the back of his hand or something???
I suppose the battle royal between Superman and Bizarro in the middle was somewhat amusing (Superman's first REAL fight), but that ending just absolutely killed me.
Again, I'm confused by the scope of this series. Are we merely fast-forwarding through Superman's early career and stopping at totally random points along the way? Is this confrontation with Bizarro truly the most interesting thing that occurred in the two years since the previous issue? Are we to infer that the first five or so years of Superman's career were pretty boring/uneventful aside from these sprinkled incidents, and yet his life suddenly became so exhilarating after this time frame that it would take three titles to chronicle all his real-time adventures at the close of this series? My thoughts go back to Jon Clark's point about how Byrne wanted to chronicle Superman's early years in his series while DC wanted him to be an already established character. I guess the weird scope of this series is Byrne's attempt to compromise those two visions, capturing some of the early adventures while fast-forwarding faster than a speeding bullet to get us to a point where Superman is an established hero by the conclusion. I don't think the approach is working.
Continuity points:
1. 1st Lucy Lane in the post-Crisis 2. 1st Bizarro (though unnamed in this issue). Created by Luthor as an imperfect copy of Superman. 3. Presumed death/destruction of Bizarro 4. Superman has microscopic vision 5. Luthor learns that Superman is an alien, having previously assumed he was a mutant. 6. Two years have passed since the previous issue, and yet five years have passed since Lois first met Superman at the end of Man of Steel #1. This second time reference requires some justification/working out. We know 1 to 1.5 years passed between Man of Steel #2 and Man of Steel #4, and another two years have passed between Man of Steel #4 and Man of Steel #5, but Man of Steel #2 occurred very shortly after Man of Steel #1 since we know the beginning of Man of Steel #2 marked only Superman's second appearance in Metropolis. In order to make the five year timetable work, there would need to be a several month lag between Superman first being seen in Metropolis and then returning in full costume, and Lois would have had to have spent several months tracking Superman down before getting his story. Even then, we have to assume Lois was rounding up when she made the comment about having known Superman for five years.
Minor details:
1. Forget the need for a phone booth. Clark can change at super speed down a stairwell 2. If Bizarro's heat vision is strong enough to hurt Superman, why doesn’t it burn through his costume? Sure enough, Superman is also able to burn off Bizarro's Clark Kent outfit, but not the Superman costume underneath. We learned in MoS #1 that tight clothing against Superman's body gains his invulnerability, but Superman and Bizarro AREN'T invulnerable to each other's heat vision. 3. If superman instinctively pulls his punches, and if Bizarro has Superman's basic memories and instincts, why wouldn’t Bizarro pull his punches against Superman?
plot synopsis in one ridiculously long sentence: Superman confronts Luthor about his latest attempt on Superman's life, Luthor secretly records Superman's biological information in order to create a duplicate, the replication process is complicated by the fact that Superman isn't human, Luthor learns this fact, the imperfect duplicate is the post-Crisis Bizarro (though never named in this issue), we meet Lucy Lane and learn she is blind and miserable due to the actions of a hijacker a year earlier, Bizarro saves Lucy from attempting to kill herslef, Bizarro attempts to go to work as Clark Kent, Superman confronts it and is attacked, the two battle it out, and Superman's defeating it at the end somehow miraculously cures Lucy and leaves Superman believing that Bizarro planned to be killed so that Lucy could see again.
What began as an A issue ended in the total dumps. Oh well. I know Bizarro comes back later. I'm left to wonder if it's this same character or a second attempt to resurrect the character in the post-Crisis (technically, this character was never called Bizarro and never spoke, so another character could come along and pull off the "Me am Bizarro" bit without being redundant).
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 17, 2014 10:29:15 GMT -5
Man of Steel #6 writer/pencils: John Byrne inks: Dick Giordano colors: Tom Ziuko letters: John Costanza editor: Andrew Helfer grade: D+ Another awkwardly arranged issue. Okay, so it was inevitable that Clark would have to learn his true legacy and piece together who he really is in contrast, but what was that whole Lana Lang subplot doing in there? It was abrupt and went absolutely nowhere. I know Byrne is an artist first and a writer second, but someone needs to take this man back to seventh grade and show him a plot diagram. I'll readily confess that I've never read a good Lana Lang story, so I have no idea what standard of expectation I should hold for the character, but she just comes off as pathetic here -- the woman whose future and very identity was shattered by the high school boy she loved not requiting her affections. Maybe there's an attempt to draw a contrast here -- Lois as the progressive and independent city woman, and Lana as the hitch-your-life-to-a-MAN-and-raise-some-kids farm girl, but I'm not feeling it. I hate this Lana for the very same reasons I love this Lois -- no self respect, no life of her own; just a regretful and formerly love sick puppy dog. Lois could not be farther from any of these generic female romantic interest tropes, and that's ALL Lana Lang is in contrast. Am I being too harsh? After six issues, we finally spend time getting a sense of who Clark is. Perhaps Byrne's purpose in avoiding providing any true characterization for Clark before was that Clark, himself, didn't know who he was, but I'm not buying it. The very act of becoming Superman speaks of strong moral convications that come from a solid sense of self, so this introspective view of Superman comes five issues too late for me, and it truly isn't half as deep or rewarding as it attempts to be. Superman arrives at answers mere seconds after posing big questions. There's no true inner conflict at all. He remains pretty one dimensional beyond the implied question (or maybe I'm inferring something that isn't there) as to whether Clark Kent or Superman is his true identity. He feels he's really Clark when speaking with Ma and Pa Kent on page 4, but seems to see himself more as Superman when off on his own. In the end, he's comfortable balancing the dual worlds of Krypton and Earth, but he hasn't really addressed the dual worlds of Clark and Superman, nor Smallville and Metropolis. Was Byrne intending to leave these matters unresolved, or am I projecting concepts and questions onto the story that Byrne never intended? Either way, Clark/Superman still feels disappointingly dull and uncomplicated by the close. How does Byrne put forth a proposal to totally revamp Superman and neglect to consider his characterization? Certainly, the Superman playing on movie screens at the time was more complicated and human than this, especially in Superman II (a seven year old movie at this point, but still getting re-run on network television during prime time at least once a year). Additionally, there are some major unanswered questions left about this character's motivations: What prompted him to become a reporter right after donning the Superman costume when it's implied he'd already been living in Metropolis for some time by this point? What about the fact that, as Superman, he was flying across the world to witness events like the revolution in Zimbabwe? Where was that critical debate about whether or not Superman should interfere in war and foreign politics? How does he stand witness to such events and then satisfy himself picking up muggers and the occasional bank robber? Isn't that a more important story to show than his awkward reunion with Lana Lang? Continuity points: 1. Superman has "super fast thought processes." Is this a new power? 2. Lana Lang knows Superman's identity. Was this true in the pre-Crisis as well? 3. Superman is 28 at this point, indicating that it has now been 10 years since Clark left Smallville to start saving the world. Still shaky is the question of how long he spent secretly saving people before he was outed at the end of MoS #1 and forced to take on the Superman persona. Since five years passed between MoS #2 and #5, the time frame in question couldn't have been more than five years, but then Clark was only 23 at the time and, assuming Lois is close to his age, she had already become a top reporter in Metropolis at the age of 23? ? This timeline isn't entirely working for me. 4. The reference to the revolution in Zimbabwe dates this story as having occurred at the end of the 1970s, at least 7 years prior to the current day at the time. So, essentially, the post-Crisis Superman is at least 35 years old and has been operating in Metropolis for at least 12 years. Of course, Lois was dressed in the trendiest late '80s fashions in MoS #2, so either I'm confused or Byrne is. Minor details: Why doesn't Clark get home to visit his family more often when he can fly faster than a speeding bullet? What's stopping him from flying home for dinner every night? plot synopsis: Clark returns to Smallville, his parents are keeping a secret from him, he is haunted by a holographic image that we know to be his real father, he runs into Lana Lang and is told he ruined her life by not marrying her and showing her his powers, he goes looking for answers in regard to the hologram at the birth matrix he arrived in only to discover a heavy truck carted it off in recent months, the hologram appears again and instills in him all the collected knowledge of Krypton as well as the nature of his true identity, and he decides that "It was Krypton that made me Superman...but it is the Earth that makes me human!!". I respect the concept for this issue, but the execution was disappointing. I still care nothing for the character of Superman at this point.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 17, 2014 10:47:09 GMT -5
Superman (vol. 2) #1
"Heart of Stone" writer/pencils: John Byrne (guest) inks: Terry Austin letters: John Costanza editor: Andrew Helfer
grade: B
I suppose this is pretty much what you'd expect to get in a first issue after the six issue Man of Steel build-up. We learn when the present day is (though there are some continuity problems here), get some more important continuity-related info delivered in a relatively subtle way, watch Clark and Lois' relationship begin to progress, get Kryptonite reintroduced via Metallo (a logical method of doing so, though Byrne's Metallo seriously underimpressed me), and finally see Luthor make his first serious move against Superman, ironically choosing to save The Man of Steel in order to do so. Truthfully, a poorly done Metallo and some less than stunning art aside (Supes looks like an ape in that first panel!), this issue did pretty much everything it should have.
Continuity Points:
- Superman cannot see through lead
- Three months have passed since Man of Steel #6, making it still 10 years since he left Smallville (MoS #6) and at least 5 years since he became Superman (MoS #5). This also makes him 28 years old since he was 18 when he left Smallville in MoS #1. However, there are some major problems with this timeline:
1) Though I missed it in my earlier reviews, I went back and discovered that Clark spent 7 years saving people in secret before he was exposed as Superman (MoS #1), and we already know that he's been Superman for at least 5 years at this point (MoS #5), yet it's only been ten years since he left Smallville to start saving people (Man of Steel #6). The timeline does not work here.
2) Lex still had hair in Man of Steel #5, yet he is bald here. That would mean a significant amount of time passed between MoS #5 and MoS #6, meaning Clark had been Superman for even more than five years at this point, even further screwing up the idea of it having only been 10 years since Clark left Metropolis. Either that, of Luthor lost all his hair in the three months that passed between MoS#5/6 and Superman #1.
3) The Zimbabwe revolution Clark had just covered in Man Of Steel #6 was over by 1980, so unless he's referring to a seven year old government as a "revolution," that story could not have taken place only three months earlier.
4) If only ten years have passed, making Superman 28, if he and Lois met at least five years earlier in MoS #2 (when he therefore would have been 23), and if he and Lois are similar in age (I think this is a fair assumption), then (once again) Lois was already at the peak of her journalistic career in her early 20s. This just doesn't make sense. She should have been just out of college, not getting taken out to lunch by the editor, being given the prime assignments, and writing articles that have all other media outlets take notice and start using the "Superman" name she coined.
So there are already significant problems with the continuity, and we're only in issue #1.
- Hawkman and Green Lantern are already active and presumably in contact with Superman.
- Implied (perhaps unintentionally) that Superman has a photographic memory. He recognizes a specific fingerprint he saw at least 3.5 years earlier (MoS #4, which occurred between 1 and 1.5 years after MoS#2, which occurred at least five years ago).
- Superman is a "special operative" of the Metropolis Police Force.
- Superman causes objects he lifts to defy gravity in the same way that he does
- Superman places the laboratory containing all his personal information gathered by the scientist that created Metallo in orbit around the Earth so that he can go back and decide what to do with it later.
- Superman now sees Clark Kent as his "true" identity
- Lois informs Clark that he is "hard enough to resist," clearly indicating a romantic interest in him, though she promises to play hard to get for some time to come. This is a surprising approach to their developing relationship, perhaps taking away too much of the struggle too early on.
- First time it's implied that Lois is attracted to Superman. Apparently, Clark has been aware of this for some time.
- A minor detail, but Lois' hair goes from very dark brown to light brown as of this issue and keeps that look for the rest of the Post-Crisis. I like it better that way.
- Not new, but worth noting -- Byrne makes no attempt to conceal Clark's hulking physique while in his secret identity. This Clark is not awkward, nerdy, or weak at all. As Clark himself says, "Clark Kent 'keeps in shape'".
- Superman has fought other super villains prior to this point. What, then, was the big deal about including Bizarro in MoS #5? Apparently he wasn't Superman's first super villain (unless Byrne's timeline is even screwed up and a LOT of time passed between MoS #5 and MoS #6, which occurred only three months ago).
- Kryptonite is introduced. It is more powerful than uranium, is a piece of the planet Krypton (the scientist who discovered it attempts to explain that all of Krypton was radiating power and that's what caused its destruction, but this requires a lot more explaining). According to Metallo, "the radiation from Kryptonite drives the solar radiation out of your alien cells, Superman. It drives out the source of your strength, your powers. And in its place, it fills you with green, glowing death." So that was the "Green Death" referenced in MoS #1, but it's still not clear how the planet suddenly became radioactive and lethal to all Kryptonians.
- Implied that Luthor gets his hands on the kryptonite, and on Metallo.
- Lois learns Superman is not from Earth.
- 1st appearance of Metallo in Post-Crisis
- 1st appearance of Pearl, an assistant to Lex Luthor
Other Details
- Was this the first ever modern-day reboot of a comic book title? I know Four Color rebooted back in the 1930s or 1940s, but I assume that was not for sales purposes since they rarely even featured issue numbers on their covers, nor do I assume it was in order to conceptually or thematically reset the book since both series changed focus from issue to issue. I also know there was an earlier Superman issue with a "1st issue" on the cover in order to indicate some change in direction for the book, but it wasn't an actual renumbering.
- Interesting that DC's three core characters demonstrate three different approaches to reboots in the post-Crisis, and I would argue that each approach to rebooting the titles reflects the different approaches taken to reboot the character: * Batman: Reboot is incredibly subtle. Numbering continues from pre-Crisis volume. * Superman: Reboot is obvious, but is "not so much a renovation, as a reaffirmation" (Byrne, letter col to this issue). Numbering is rebooted, but Pre-Crisis numbering continues in Adventures of Superman volume, and Action Comics continues uninterrupted. * Wonder Woman: Total reboot/new approach to the character. Title is rebooted, old numbering is not continued anywhere.
- Byrne acknowledges in this issue that the corporate Lex Luthor concept came from Wolfman.
- Byrne refers to MoS #3 as a "new angle on Superman's relationship with Batman," acknowledging neither what had apparently been tried earlier in Batman and the Outsiders, nor what had just occurred in Dark Knight Returns, and yet Byrne references and praises DKR only three paragraphs later. Seems to me that this implies he was conscious of DKR (though possibly not Batman and the Outsiders) in writing MoS #3.
- This brings me back to the bigger question of what MoS's scope was supposed to be. Byrne admits in the back of this issue that he regretted including details about Krypton in Mos #1 and #6, and if we also assume that #3 was written to ride the coattails of DKR, then the real heart of the series was supposed to be in the relationships amongst Lois, Clark, Lex Luthor, and Superman depicted in MoS #2, 4, and 5, as well as a random Bizarro story inserted into MoS #5 that clearly didn't belong. Something apparently got in the way of that vision, whether editorial or managerial involvement, or Byrne simply not knowing what he wanted to do. I really do feel that Man of Steel was a clusterf*ck of a series, and Byrne's regrets about the scope of series in this column, even while relishing in its overall success, are validating.
Minor details:
- What are the chances that Metallo would show up literally less than an hour after Superman discovered the lab in which he was created?
Plot synopsis in one ridiculously long sentence: Superman traces the person who took his birth matrix to a secret laboratory where information about him has been gathered, coincidentally, Metallo, a cyborg created in that very lab, shows up to wreak havoc less than an hour later, he kicks Superman's butt while also providing his origin in flashback and explaining the nature and properties of Kryptonite to Superman, and Luthor intervenes at the last moment, both to obtain the Kryptonite for himself and to ensure that he is the one who finally kills Superman.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 17, 2014 10:50:04 GMT -5
Adventures of Superman #424
"Man O' War!" writer: Marv Wolfman pencils: Jerry Ordway inks: Mike Machlan letters: John Costanza colors: Tom Ziuko editor: Andy Helfer
grade: B
Marv Wolfman and Jerry Ordway jump onboard to bring their own talents to the new Superman mythos. Few overt attempts are made to reference Byrne's specific continuity (aside from the further development of Lucy Lane after MoS #5), but Helfer seems to keep the story well aligned with what's happening on Byrne's watch in Superman. Still, there's a subtly different flavor that the Wolfman/Ordway pair brings to this new Superman mythology.
On the surface level, the differences are obviously in art and writing style. I definitely prefer Ordway's leaner/less apish depictions of Superman and his far out sci-fi gadgetry and dynamic panel arrangements. Meanwhile, while I'm generally a big fan of Wolfman, I find his writing problematic here as the momentum he strives for via overlapping narration is jarring, and his need to have characters over-explain themselves is quite annoying, especially when Luthor's motivations had already been subtly implied prior to the long debriefing he provides for our sake at the end of this issue.
But, on a deeper level, we also see slight differences in how this creative team perceives their characters. Much attention is given to portraying how much more limited the post-Crisis Superman's powers are as we get six panels of extensive internal monologue as Superman attempts to pep talk himself into finding the strength to climb out of rubble that he's been crushed under. It's certainly the most dramatically powerful moment in the issue.
Additionally, this Luthor is more clever and subtle than Byrne's brazen and foolish antagonist, actually managing to confuse Lois as to whether he's truly a villain or not after she was dead set against him following Byrne's Man of Steel series. Luthor as business tycoon was Wolfman's pitch in the post Crisis, and so it's no surprise to find Wolfman depicting him better than Byrne did.
Wolfman and Ordway also spend more time at the Daily Planet, concocting soap opera style complications for the characters (Lois' mother dying, Cat Grant as vixen rival for Lois, Lex Luthor as the dark suitor rival for Clark), and depicting Clark as a true klutz even while strong, confident, and attractive.
Finally, the team also gives an exciting and advanced sci-fi feel to Metropolis, in which villains utilize super advanced robot technology, and even nutty professors can concoct magnetic repulsor fields. Perhaps this is largely due to the advances made by Luthor and his company.
In contrast, the actual conflict of this story isn't all that interesting to me -- a terrorist organization implied to be backed by Luthor and inevitably being used as a front to eliminate his own enemies without getting his hands dirty. I find what Luthor is doing with Lois far more interesting than the main conflict, though I do applaud Wolfman for doing a bit of universe building here by bringing back the terrorist nation of Qurac (first introduced by him in Teen Titans Spotlight 3-6, a non-Superman story). Qurac surfaces again in some later non-Wolfman, non-Superman stories, most notably including Starlin and Aparo's Batman: A Death in the Family.
Important details:
-1st post-Crisis appearance of Sam Lane (Lois' father) and the revelation that he and Lois are not on speaking terms. This comes as a surprise since, in Man of Steel #2, while praising her own strength, Lois identifies herself with her father. We can also deduce that Sam Lane was in the military since Man of Steel #4 refers to Lois having been an army brat.
-1st post-Crisis appearance of Elinore Lane (Lois' mother) in a coma. Works at a chemical plant owned by Luthor.
-1st appearance Cat Grant. Gossip columnist from LA hired by Perry White. Reputation for promiscuity.
-1st appearance of Professor Emil Hamilton
-Clark Kent has published more than one novel, and it is implied that they are widely read. Perhaps this is what he was doing prior to working for the Daily Planet.
-The Daily Planet was Lois' first serious job.
-1st appearance of The Freedom League (though I do not suspect they'll show up again)
- 1st post-Crisis appearance of Bill Henderson, Superman's equivalent of Commissioner Gordon. I was not aware of this character previously, though wikipedia indicates he has a long history in the Superman mythos, stemming back to the 1940s radio show and 1950s television series.
- 1st appearance of Lilya. Is Wolfman conflicting Byrne in giving Luthor a second female assistant/implied sexual partner that isn't Pearl (from Superman #1), or are we instead meant to infer that Luthor has an endless supply of such trusted assistants/sexual partners with whom he enjoys discussing his most intimate thoughts and intricate plans?
- post-Crisis re-introduction of Suicide Slum, Metropolis' crime-infested section. I suspect this was done to give Superman more crime to fight and Clark more victims of social injustice to champion. Meanwhile, Man of Steel #3 implied that Metropolis was relatively crime-free compared to Gotham.
- Luthor is still a scientist, though he has largely moved away from this in order to run his empire. So, essentially, the concept is not that Luthor is now a business tycoon instead of a scientist, but rather that a scientist with Luthor's hunger for power operating in the 1980s would inevitably utilize his gifts to further his own quest for power via the business world, the easiest and most admired way to legitimately amass power in such a time period.
- Luthor views everything in terms of winners and losers, even counting Lois the loser to his victory as he begins to succeed in wooing her.
- Wolfman attempts to create a return to the foundational Superman concept of news reporters as agents of social justice. People call the Planet for help when they have no other recourse, and we also see a "Mr. Gunderson" contact Clark in the hopes that he can reach Superman.
- The professor that Clark and Cat are assigned to help is not given a name in this issue. Is this a purposeful omission? Will he turn out to be a famous villain or supporting character in the Superman mythos?
- When responding to the Qurac terrorists' assertion that they are entitled to their course of action because they are taking a war that America started in their land back to the West, Superman responds by saying “Not in my town. In fact, not in my country.” I find this surprising in that it shows Superman having a greater allegiance to America than to justice. As I discussed in my review of Man of Steel #6, I find it disconcerting that Byrne never had Superman reflect on whether or not to get involved in international justice before deciding to settle for a life of stopping petty criminals in Metropolis and saving the average citizen from occasional disaster. Now, I find it further disturbing that, when confronted with such injustice in this context, his rationale for continuing to fight the terrorists is not that two wrongs don't make a right, but rather that they should not bring this battle to his territory, entirely ignoring the injustice of which they speak.
This is further exacerbated by the fact that Superman earlier asks “What’s this war they keep talking about?” implying he's not even aware of what has been happening in Qurac. Surely, as a news reporter, he'd be up on current events, wouldn't he? Certainly, the terrorist acts of the Freedom League should not be condoned, but to totally ignore the initial injustice that has bred their hatred seems irresponsible, especially for a writer like Wolfman who has proven to be conscious of international affairs and injustices in several other stories he has written.
So is Superman a blind patriot who defends America simply because his rocket fell there? The Superman I've always believed in supported America because he generally felt it was an agent of justice in the world. Maybe it's just me, but I've always felt that a true patriot questions his country when it commits acts that conflict with the basic ideals upon which it was founded -- basic ideals that any true patriot is passionate about defending. I therefore find Superman's blind patriotism here disturbing.
Minor details:
- Where did these enormous robots/vehicles come from that they weren’t noticed until the last moment? Certainly, someone would have noticed their rolling down the streets of Metropolis, descending from an aircraft, or rising from beneath the Earth, yet no one seems to see them until a moment before they begin destroying things.
- Why would Clark attempt to punch the professor’s magnetic defense system with full strength? If he succeeded in breaking it with his super strength, wouldn't he have a few questions to answer for the professor?
- Robot vehicles that combine together at the last moment to create a super robot creature? Seriously? Even Superman acknowledges how ridiculously they resemble children's toys of the time period (Voltron, Transformers, etc).
- No letter column to address the renaming of this title nor the introduction of the Wolfman/Ordway creative team?
plot synopsis in one long sentence:
Lois' mother is in a coma and dying after an explosion at a chemical factory she was unexpectedly sent to, Lucy Lane is falling apart as a result of this, a terrorist group using advanced robot vehicles begins attacking various corporate and government targets, Cat Grant joins the Daily Planet staff and she and Clark begin flirting, they meet an unnamed professor who wants their help because the government has shut down his work on a magnetic defense shielf, Superman fights the terrorists' robot vehicles and loses, Luthor gains Lois' cooperation and (he utimately hopes) her affection by finding a cure for her mother that must be administered once a month for the rest of her life, we learn that he was responsible for Lois' mother's accident and could have cured her permanently if he wanted to.
Not a great story, but I respect Wolfman's efforts to create compelling conflicts in Clark's personal life, developed in parallel to the conflicts he faces as Superman. I also much prefer his depiction of Luthor to Byrne's and respect the attempt at inter-title/inter-office continuity with the re-emergence of terrorists from Qurac.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 17, 2014 10:56:33 GMT -5
Action Comics #584
"Squater!" writer/penciler: John Byrne inks: Dick Giordano colors: Tony Ziuko letters: John Costanza editor: Andrew Helfer created by: Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster
grade: D-
"You stupid FREAK! Did you really think your weak...body could stand up against Superman's!"
...fantasized no handicapped person ever.
This issue marks a severely misguided attempt to acknowledge the handicapped community, and yet it ends up being a crippled man who takes over Superman's body, uses it to degrade all who are weaker than him, and ends with Superman calling him "a cripple," and putting him in his place while lecturing him about useful handicapped persons throughout history (he comes up with three) and how it's truly his mind that cripples him.
The issue seems to work under two disturbing assumptions:
1. There are crippled people out there who, given the opportunity, would act like this. And lets be clear, we're given absolutely no character-developing information about this character. His only motive for being so awful is his handicap. Therefore, Byrne seems to be implying that disability = fantasies of being a societal menace.
2. Superman understands what it's like to be crippled. Yeah, he whined a few times about how hard it was while switched into the handicapped villain's body, but who the heck is he to tell him how he should feel about his own handicap.
And really, let's get to the point: Shouldn't Superman's final lecture been something to the extent of "How dare you utilize my powers to terrorize others?" rather than somehow making this about being handicapped in modern society? How many cops, arresting a black criminal, decide to lecture him/her on what it means to be black? If they do, they're certainly not heroes in my book. In fact, the first word that would pop into my head would be "a$$hole."
Anyway, the one credit I would give this book is the inter-title/inter-creative team continuity. Clark got that phone call from Mr. Gunderson in last week's Adventures of Superman story, written by Marv Wolfman, which initiated the sequence of events now playing out here. Additionally, Cyborg offers a reference to an upgrade he is looking forward to that has apparently been the focus of a recent New Teen Titans story. Wow. Extra-office continuity. Impressive start to the franchise.
In the letter column, Byrne also finally takes the time to explain the genesis of the three new Superman titles. Most worthy of note here are two facts: 1. It was Wolfman's idea to carry the old Superman numbering over to Adventure (out of respect for the past). DC was going to do a cold reboot, much as they did for Wonder Woman. 2. Action Comics is intended to serve as a team-up titles for Superman, this time teaming Supes with the New Teen Titans, possibly DC's hottest franchise at the time.
Important details:
- Metropolis is the largest city in America
- Superman has already met the Titans several times previously
- The post-Crisis Superman is still vulnerable to magic
Minor details:
- There is so much wrong and condescending about Jericho's visit to the school for deaf kids, the crowning moment being when the staff that works there with those kids every day decides to put a radio to Jericho's ear and demand that he listen to the breaking news in front of all the deaf kids instead of just signing the info to him (which would have taken six words to convey). And then you've got to love Jericho going off, signing "I'm going to help -- or die trying," which I could see a hero thoughtlessly saying to themselves in the moment but not taking the time to sign to others. And, of course, there's the one employee at the deaf school at the end who has to ask another employee "What did he sign?" so that the other can say it for us. Uhhh...doesn't this lady work with DEAF kids? How can she not read sign language??
- How does a one legged Cyborg thrust himself at Superman powerfully enough to knock him over?
- Why is no one concerned about the inherent risks of having Jericho possess Superman's body WHILE the mind transfer device is transferring the dominant mind out of that body and putting another mind in?
- Why not bring in any of the other Titans? I suppose Nightwing wouldn't have been much help, and Raven would have won too easily, but what about Starfire?
- This would have been the Titans' first crossover into a post-Crisis DC title. Were they the only title untouched by the Crisis reboot? Perhaps Byrne's reason for leaving Nightwing out of this story was to avoid raising too many questions about such a thing since Nightwing was Batman's first Robin. Of course, he puts Wonder Girl there in the forefront, never once worried about the fact that Wonder Woman's sidekick is alive and well while Wonder Woman hasn't even come to America nor are the superheroes aware of her at this time.
- How do you give a harsh, demeaning lecture to a man capable of building cutting edge scientific gadgetry for maniacal purposes, and then assume we'll never hear from him again? In fact, the story cuts away before we learn what is done with Gunderson.
Plot synopsis in one ridiculously long sentence:
Superman is wrecking havoc on Metropolis, Cyborg of the New Teen Titans attempts to stop him and gets beaten badly, he contacts Titans Tower and get Changeling and Wonder Girl out to help him, a battle ensues, they learn that Superman's mind is in the body of a crippled man, Jericho shows up and manages to possess Superman's body, they learn that the crippled man (Gunderson) transferred bodies with Superman, the process is undone, Superman lectures him, and we cut to Lex Luthor, first beginning to figure out that it's odd how Clark Kent always gets the big Superman stories.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 17, 2014 10:57:06 GMT -5
Superman #2
"The Secret Revealed" writer/penciler: John Byrne inks: Terry Austin letters: John Costanza colors: Tom Ziuko editor: Andrew Helfer special thanks to: Keith Williams for background inks
grade: B-
Seems a bit odd to me that, while it's publicly acknowledged that the post-Crisis Lex Luthor was Marv Wolfman's idea (we're even told so again in Dick Giordano's "Meanwhile..." column this issue), Wolfman barely got an opportunity to touch him last issue while Byrne is spending tons of time on the character.
And, here's the thing -- Byrne writes him terribly.
I get the idea behind this issue. I see all that Byrne was trying to do, but his Luthor is brazen and foolish to the extreme that I'm constantly left wondering how he ever rose to the position of power he now occupies. To start with, we have to discuss his grand moment of foolishness at the end of this issue, in which he refuses to consider that Superman could be Clark Kent because someone with Superman's power would never lower himself to such a standing when he could be out exploiting his gifts. Sure, a more subtle writer could have made me understand how a man who has the shrewd brilliance to build and run a multi-national empire makes such a foolish error, but Byrne didnt.
And I'm not clear on why Luthor allows Superman to go free towards the end when he could easily kill him. What does he have to gain by making Superman sweat it out? Byrne's writing really doesn't provide a convincing motivation for me here at all. Byrne easily could have had Luthor reflect back on the insult he felt when Superman arrested him in MoS #4, discuss his jealousy over Superman's natural power and how he chooses to use it, etc., but we get none of that. Wolfman absolutely would have handled this moment better.
Still, worse than all of this is the idea Byrne forces down our throats throughout this issue that Luthor's underlings are all disposable to him. As was hinted at in earlier stories, ALL of his first ring subordinates are attractive young women that he candidly discusses his plans with, uses sexually, and then discards and financially/socially destroys when he is done. How in the world can you run an effective organization with that kind of turn around rate? There must be a steep learning curve when walking into one of those positions, but Amanda (the underling focused on in this issue) lasts a total of two days in her position, and that's without making any unusual errors or missteps. One has to assume her experience working under (and perhaps on top of) Lex is the norm and not the exception.
Luthor does the same with his hitmen (dispose of them, not sleep with them), as if quality assassins grow on trees. Eventually, you think he'd get a reputation in the underworld, and established criminals would stop working for him.
And seriously, why are these employees constantly surprised by Luthor's actions? All companies spread gossip about the boss, and I have to imagine a company with a boss that regularly flies into rages, seduces underlings, and fires people on a daily basis, would generate a TON of gossip, so how the heck is Happersen surprised that Luthor sees no moral dilemma in pulling the Kryptonite out of Metallo's body (last seen in Superman #1) when doing so will cause him to die?
Again, stupid.
Then we've got Lana Lang, back by lack of demand, who should probably impress us with her strength in never giving in to torture in order to protect Superman's identity, but it still comes off as the actions of "a super-groupie" (sadly, these are Luthor's words, not even mine), and so she remains pathetic to us.
Fortunately, the one moment in this issue that did impress me enough to send a shiver down my spine is the neat little foreshadowing that occurs in the following discourse between Luthor and Happersen:
Happersen: S-sir--You shouldn't be here without a protective suit. The radiation levels...
Luthor: ...are quite within acceptable tolerances, Happersen. One of the first things we determined was that this so-called Kryptonite could not harm human beings.
Of course, this is the very same issue in which Luthor makes his Kryptonite ring, a brilliant idea in its own right, but my knowledge of what will happen several years down the road with Luthor and the radiation from that ring makes this moment so much more enjoyable. Impressive that Byrne was plotting that far out as he's clearly hinting at such a turn of events here, especially as Luthor waves that over-confident hand to dismiss Happersen's warning.
Important details:
- Death of Metallo (I have to assume he, or another like him, is coming back. Considering this in the context of the Bizarro we met in MoS #5, it sure seems like Byrne is breezing through these classic villains the way Luthor breezes through underlings).
- Byrne works hard to offer two explanations as to why everyone in Superman's world is too stupid to figure out that he's Clark Kent without glasses, but neither really works. The first is that, as Superman, he vibrates his head super fast when he is having his picture taken. First off, how can he always be sure of when his picture is being taken or when he is being video recorded? Secondly, in a world of futuristic technology including camera eyes that fly through the air without wings or exhaust, turn on a dime, and carry enough explosives in a six inch diameter body to level a city block, no one has developed software that can correct for such vibrations?
- The second explanation is that Luthor's hubris won't allow him to accept that Superman would condescend to go about as an average human, but what's to stop someone else from drawing this logical conclusion, especially since Amanda now has this information and will no longer be employed by Luthor. Certainly, Lois sees Superman up close regularly, has seen Clark's high school photos as a football star (sans glasses), and has a reporter's intuition to connect the two. It just seems inevitable that numerous people would put these things together.
- Four years passed between Clark leaving Smallville and enrolling in Metropolis University
Minor details:
- So, wait. How is Lana Lang getting to the scene of every major Superman appearance?? And why does that make her suspicious to Luthor??
- The shooting of Pa Kent. This drawn out, ambiguous moment seems like it was designed to tease old time readers expecting Pa Kent to die (as he had done in the Pre-Crisis era). Sure enough, it's just a drugged dart.
- What were the chances of Lana showing up just when Luthor's men were there, especially since Luthor is conveniently looking for her but doesn't know who she is or where to find her?
- Page 14, panel 2: either Lana has disjointed her right arm and tucked it awkwardly into her shirt or her boob is hanging out.
- So why should we be concerned that Luthor has Ma Kent's photo album? Clearly, he won't accept that Clark and Superman are the same no matter what evidence he's given, and clearly he already has the means to kill Superman, so why should we be further worried here?
plot synopsis in one ridiculously long sentence:
- We watch the quick rise and fall of Amanda, a subordinate to Luthor who is forced to become his unwilling concubine as she moves up to the #2 rank in his company, all before being dismissed by him at the close of the issue; meanwhile Luthor's underlings identify Lana Lang as having been at the scene for every major Superman sighting up to six months ago and also decides to have his people learn all they can about Clark Kent and his connection to Superman, he takes the Kryptonite from Metallo (killing him in the process), and has his men knock out Ma and Pa Kent in order to search their home for information, but they are accidentally discovered by Lana Lang and take her with them (which proves to be a benefit to Luthor since he has been looking for her but did not know her name), we see Luthor's people try to track Superman with a flying camera eye, but he outsmarts it, Clark discovers a beaten and tortured Lana left to bait him towards getting Superman to walk into a trap, the trap only manages to annoy Superman, he confronts Luthor, Luthor reveals his new Kryptonite ring and decides to let Superman escape/live so that he can savor torturing him, Superman discovers that Luthor's men stole his personal items from the Kent farm and wonders what he'll do with them, and Amanda presents her final findings to Luthor -- that Superman is Clark Kent, and he is so enraged by her "foolish" assertion that he fires her.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
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Post by shaxper on Jun 17, 2014 11:02:59 GMT -5
Adventures of Superman #425
"Going the Gauntlet" writer: Marv Wolfman art: Jerry Ordway letters: John Costanza colors: Tom Ziuko editor: Andy Helfer
grade: B+
As I alternate between my post-Crisis Batman and Superman reviews thread, it seems that a constant theme running across them is that Wolfman is a once great writer who, at least in this era, rarely fully delivers. I actually like this issue a whole lot (certainly more than the previous issue, as well as New Titans #65, which I just reviewed in the Bat thread), but it has its share of problems.
The strength of this issue is absolutely the narration, delivered via Professor Emil Hamilton, who both Wolfman's words/plotting and Ordway's artwork absolutely succeed at making thoroughly endearing. Similarly, his magnetic deflection field is a seriously visually cool invention. Had the Superman movie franchise continued beyond 1987, I'd like to imagine Professor Hamilton might have made it as a serious film antagonist, both because of his endearing qualities and of the spectacle that such an invention could have created on the big screen if handled correctly.
However, the problem with this issue is how abruptly this endearing character turns into an evil mastermind, bent on endangering the life of an innocent and killing Superman in order to attain his own glory. Considering the meticulous pacing and continuity Wolfman, Byrne, and Helfer are working to cultivate in this franchise, I think it would have been a better choice to develop the Professor's story gradually in the background over the course of many months, depicting a slow and believable evolution of character and motivations until he reached the breaking point. Instead, the guy literally changes his personality overnight and manages to build an armada of death machines with no money and a ransacked home in that same amount of time.
In short, this was ALMOST a great story, but it all happened far too quickly.
Important details:
- Lex Luthor's scientific breakthroughs were made largely in the 1970s. He explains in this issue that "I no longer toil in the laboratory...I have others who do my research for me," begging the question of how such a gifted and innovative scientist could simply stop working on science. More likely, I suspect Wolfman means to imply that Luthor never was a true scientist and has been ruthlessly stealing from others all along.
- Superman is now apparently vulnerable to electricity in addition to Kryptonite and magic, and, in a technologically super advanced city like Metropolis, it stands to reason that just about every other criminal he meets is going to have an energy weapon. So, essentially, Superman is vulnerable to any high tech criminal, as well as any given Luthor lackey.
- Superman can be outflown by an advanced heat seeking missile. The letter column even explains that the post-Crisis Superman does not move anywhere near at the speed of light. So then how does he have a prayer in his race against Wally West occurring at this time in the pages of The Flash?
- More on Superman's powers from Andy Helfer:
"One of the things we've decided to pay attention to with our handling of the Man of Steel is just that -- a sort of scientific approach to the character. Granted, we're still talking about a man who can fly, but given that, you won't be seeing any stories where Superman flies faster than the speed of light, or hears faster than the speed of sound. We've stated from the outset that Superman is just that -- a man who is better at practically everything than anyone else: he's stronger, faster, and can see better than a normal man, because his abilities are enhanced versions of human abilities. Just think of anything you can do. magnify it to the Nth degree -- and that's how well Superman does it. But the powers flow FROM Superman -- the world around him, and the laws of Physics that are a part of it, aren't themselves altered."
- Does the end of this issue suggest that Superman is finally beginning to question the whole terrorism thing? He seems genuinely stunned that the terrorists were willing to die for their cause, and the cheers offered in support of Superman killing the terrorists at the end (though he didn't) seem to be offered in stark contrast to what he is feeling. Odd then that there appeared to be no irony in portraying Superman's Jengoist attitude towards the terrorists last issue. Still, I'm glad to see Wolfman having Superman begin to come around on this issue and recognize that the problem is far larger than simple good and bad. Perhaps he'll finally question whether he should be involving himself in international affairs.
- Luthor has now amassed Kryptonite, a Kryptonite ring, Clark Kent's high school photo albums, Ma Kent's Superman scrap book, and Professor Hamilton's magnetic deflector shield. The Kryptonite ring will clearly be used on an ongoing basis, but what about the rest? Is Byrne going to have Luthor use these all at one time, or are we merely supposed to keep track and watch these things gradually show up again in later issues?
Minor details:
- I'm still lost on Luthor's legal claim to Hamilton's invention. Did Hamilton develop it under contract by Luthor's company (in which case, he can't be making deals with the government and with other companies, and he shouldn't be surprised that Luthor owns it), or did he merely test it at Luthor's company, utilizing its computers for six days (in which case, more explanation is needed. Was there fine print in the contract that utilizing these resources somehow made the project the company's property?). Also, is Luthor coercing the Department of Defense and the US Patent Office to decline the project? Does he truly have that much reach?? All of this requires more explanation.
- How come the thug enforcers who came after Hamilton didn't just take the invention? Does Luthor need Hamilton to sign something (isn't the whole point that Luthor already legally owns it?), did he hide it (this isn't hinted at), or what?
- Okay, okay. Luthor owns everything and everyone, and somehow manages to convince everyone he's an upstanding citizen while doing any and every thing he pleases AND leaving witnesses. Seems a tad unbelievable, but only a tad.
- So construction workers are still happily working on the top of a skyscraper while Superman battles an enormous robot right next door? Look again at that panel on page 10. There's a guy still drilling studs in the background while this is occurring.
- In sharp contrast, Hamilton sets up his enormous machine that looks like a death ray right out on the streets without anyone seeming to notice. I suppose they're all watching the battle.
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