Superman #69 (July 1992)



"-- Killing Is Serious Business"

Script: Dan Jurgens
Pencils: Peter Krause
Inks: Keith Williams
Colors: Glenn Whitmore
Letters: John Costanza

Grade: F


This may be the worst Post-Crisis Superman comic I've yet read; not the most upsetting, certainly not the most tacky nor offensive, but man does this one just fail on every possible level.

I've noted for a while now that Jurgens has seemed rushed/overworked/not giving things is best effort anymore, and that is nowhere more evident than in this issue, which is another shameless effort to sell the fanboys on his creation, Agent Liberty (who does not operate in Metropolis and has no particular reason to keep running into Superman beyond self-promotion). One would expect Jurgens to put more effort into such an issue, especially since we've been building towards this storyline for a while now, but Jurgens ends up having to call in guest artist Peter Krause, whose awkward style absolutely undermines this story at all its key moments:



and Jurgens' writing ends up being even worse.


The goal of this issue appears to be twofold: sell us on Agent Liberty, and show us that Pete Ross is a worthwhile supporting character in this universe worth caring about.

For Agent Liberty, I have to think Jurgens was beginning to notice how big antiheroes were getting. Deathstroke was dominating sales at DC at the time, so his boy, Agent Liberty (who didn't seem to have much of a personality before) is now a guy who can murder in cold blood and yet somehow also has a heart of gold.



Okay. Not a terrible new direction for the character, suddenly having to work against the very agency that made him. I just don't have any particular interest in this character, who has absolutely nothing to do with the Superman franchise beyond the name "Dan Jurgens".

As for Pete Ross and his moral dilemma of whether to kill another man in front of the entire nation or risk Lana Lang being killed...



so much of the problem here (Krause's art aside) is that, not only do we not have a firm grasp on who Pete Ross is and why we should care about him, but Jurgens doesn't seem to know either. A dilemma like this should reveal something meaningful within the character -- it should expose their hidden strengths and weaknesses, their values and character, but Jurgens just has Pete keep flipflopping in the most non-sensical of ways, even after the hit has occurred and Pete now has to decide whether or not to tell someone what's going on.

The answer SHOULD be clear. He's a dead man to these people at this point:





and yet...



"Superman, you've got to find Lana Lang...RIGHT NOW!" Say it, dammit. Say it.

I mean, clearly these guys were never going to let her live any more than they were going to let Pete live. This is just...stupid.

And then Superman lets a single unnamed police officer take Pete away, never once suspecting that it might be an attempt to kill him.




Usually, I save what I'm about to do next for the Minor Details section of my reviews, but this issue is just so completely full of idiotic moments, so let's nitpick, shall we?


1. Thanks for the excessive exposition for the reader's sake:



Even going so far as to address him by title ("JUDGE Kramer") so that everyone understands who that character is. It's hilarious, really.


2. More of this crap, AND they've decided to put this critical assassination attempt in the hands of the loveable boy next door, who has already stood up to them once, and who (for all we know) may not even know how to fire a gun!



Sure it'll work out fine!


3. Superman sure got dumber.



My 81 year old mother could get a clean shot at this guy with Superman guarding him like that.


4. Yeah, Supes. Don't take the one second to inspect Pete Ross' suitcase with your X-Ray vision because you know him so well.



Let's be clear that we're in the Post-Crisis. This Pete Ross was never Superboy's best friend. He and Clark grew up in the same town, and Superman respects him ever since the events of Superman #45, where Pete expressed true empathy for a wronged Native American tribe. That's the full extent of their relationship. They're not best friends, Pete played no role in the Man of Steel limited series that walked us through Clark's childhood and Smallville years, so Superman's trusting him so inherently doesn't make sense. And, even if it did, it takes one second to look at this suitcase with X-Ray vision. Superman trusts Lana, and yet she was a sleeper agent for the Manhunters, right?


5. So much wrong here.



Has Jurgens ever watched a televised session of congress? "Excuse me, I have to make an announcement" is not how you get the floor's attention. On top of that, after this moment, everyone watching decides that they saw Pete give the gun to Lockwood, but that clearly isn't what happened here. They were video recording these sessions in 1992. It wouldn't be hard to go back and see Pete clearly trying to stop him while exclaiming "Nooo!".


6. Back to Superman utterly sucking at his job.



How is he the LAST to know what's going on? Seriously. Even if he was dumb enough not to be in the same room, carefully watching, he has super hearing.


7. ...and super speed.

.

Jurgens keeps conveniently forgetting this. Superman magically kept forgetting to use his powers last issue too.


8. More with the super speed. This conversation takes multiple pages and a lot of dialogue, implying a long flight from the Capitol Building to the nearest hospital.



so that the dude can conveniently die RIGHT before naming his accomplices.

I'm guessing Jurgens did zero research for this story though, because the nearest hospital to the Capitol Building, (then known as Riverdale Hospital, now known as Bridgepoint Health) is 4 minutes away by car during light traffic.





You'd think there'd need to be a hospital nearby specifically for a situation like this. Flying without having to follow roads and slow down for traffic should have had the senator there in, what, sixty seconds?


9. How the hell did an unlicensed military aircraft owned by a secret group get this far into Capitol Hill airspace without detection??




10. Wouldn't this mystery have been a little more captivating if we hadn't been given the answers right upfront?




11. More unnecessary explanations for the sake of the reader. Why the hell would you explain your entire plan to the woman you are holding against her will?




And, seriously, can we stop writing stories in which Lana's life gets turned inside out, already?


12. Show me a Federal Penetentiary where the prison cells look like they're from 12th Century Europe:




13. Okay, you're a judge who also co-runs a shadowy paramilitary agency, and you need to kill a guy who has valuable info on you. You can just hire an assassin:



but why be that efficient when you are f**king JUDGE KRAMER? Let's throw some totally unnecessary and damn risky pagentry into the mix!:



Because killing Ross quickly, quietly, and arousing as little suspicion as possible about his movements just before his death certainly aren't a priority here.


14. Deathstroke didn't shoot Lucy last issue.



He doesn't even use a gun. Why does no one seem to understand this?


15. Last week, Louise Simonson forced a new conflict for Jimmy Olsen and Lucy Lane that seemed totally arbitrary and artificial.



But, somehow, it isn't an issue now, and they're totally fine.



See, Jimmy? Lucy is totally fine. No need to further extend this conflict that no one is asking for by suddenly actually having feelings for the other girl, right?



Right?


16. I'm so utterly confused by this scene.



Beyond the question of what the hell is happening with Lex's characterization here, I'd like to think I'm pretty knowledgeable about this franchise and its characters by this point, and yet, when I consider this large cast of characters and ask myself who is strong, civic-minded, and a great choice to head a committee devoted to improving Metropolis, Collin Thornton wasn't even on my list. Heck, it took me half a second to even remember who that was. Funny how it was so obvious to everyone else in this scene, though!

And, really, why do we care about this committee and who is placed on it, anyway? Should we discuss who will head the city Refuse Department next?



In the end, this was just a very very bad issue. The plot is entirely forgettable, and the execution is even worse. No one needs this comic.


Imporant Details:

1. Pete Ross is suspected of attempting to murder an informant in the middle of a congressional investigation.

Adventures of Superman #492 (July 1992)



"... And Justice for All!"
Script: Jerry Ordway
Pencils: Peter Krause
Inks: Keith Williams
Colors: Glenn Whitmore
Letters: Albert DeGuzman

Grade: C+


Oh good. More Agent Liberty, more Peter Krause, and more of this storyline. Fortunately, all of it is handled much better this time around, and we finally get a conclusion to this tiring storyline as well, even if Pete Ross is just a little too casual about aiding and abetting in someone's murder.



"It'll Haunt me to my dying day...and hey, isn't my fiancée awesome? Check her out, Everyone!"

We also have no idea how he posted the three million dollar bail (or did I miss something?), and I guess we're just assuming that all the evidence on the Sons of Liberty that Agent Liberty mailed to Clark Kent so that he could write an exposé will be enough to clear Pete Ross of all charges.

Sure. Fine. I'm so ready to be done with this storyline.


In terms of plot, there isn't anything all that surprising this time around. While the cover boldly promises a "Civil War" within, no such thing ever occurs. All we get is the obligatory wrap-up to last issue: Agent Liberty deciding to turn on the two guys (yes, somehow only two guys) running the Sons of Liberty, Lana Lang is rescued, and Pete Ross is saved and vindicated. They give all the best moments to Agent Liberty, while Superman is useful for nothing more than rescuing Lana Lang, even though this is his book (grumblegrumblerumble).

Still, Agent Liberty's executions are actually pretty sweet.






Peter Krause's art is far less awkward and distracting this time, perhaps because of Keith Williams' inking:




and Glen Whitmore really turns it up a few notches as well, coloring shadows and night skies like he's frickin' Adrienne Roy:




So, all in all, it was a simplistic conclusion that any chump could have written, but it was competent and far less painful this time around.



Important Details:
1. Pete Ross expects to be censured and removed from the Senate for his role in the assassination of Major Holcraft.

2. Deaths of Judge Kramer and Harriman, effectively ending the Sons of Liberty. Who's going to maintain Agent Liberty's tech now?

3. Superman is still jealous that someone else has Lana Lang.



I am so goddamn sick of this tired recurring complication. Let Clark and Lois be happy, dammit.




Minor Details:

1. So the assassination of Major Holcraft's death was recorded (as I presumed last issue), showing that Pete did not willingly assist beyond bringing a gun into the Senate chambers.


2. Okay, I'm going to ask again: why the hell would Judge Kramer purposefully arrange for Pete Ross to be assassinated in his presence when it could have been done quietly without Kramer seeming to be involved at all?



Was he trying to establish an alibi for himself? Because it just seems so much more suspicious. He ordered the courtroom cleared, he chose to hold a secret trial (the press seems to have no awareness of it even while following the story carefully) and hold it at an unusual hour (it's clearly pitch dark outside); it just doesn't make sense to me.


3. I get the idea of having the Sons of Liberty fire on National Monuments in order to distract Superman. It symbolically shows which side actually cares about America. Still, it's so blatant and silly.



And, once again, where the hell is the US airforce while this unregistered military chopper (now tied to an assassination that took place on the Senate floor only a few hours earlier) has been flying through DC airspace for the entire afternoon? Heck, shouldn't they need to refuel at some point??


4. This little nod to continuity was the high point of this issue:



I love being rewarded for having stuck around and paid attention for all this time!


5. Okay, I know Supes explains how he discovered the farmhouse where Lana was being held, but even still, there should have been some sort of significant time delay between him taking down the copter/deciding to go look for Lana, and his having found Lana after a search of all large structures in the general area.



Like, why does the guy in the first panel have reason to believe Superman is coming for him...and immediately? Was the pilot stupid enough to fly directly towards their secret headquarters with Superman pursuing?


6. Uhhh...did Superman just make fun of that dude's d**k??





Thank God this storyline is over. Between this and Cerberus (not to mention the totally unimpressive origin of Lex Luthor II), I really feel like 1992 is headed in the wrong direction. At least we had Panic in The Sky, and (of course) we'll be ending with the Death of Superman. Still, as someone who always remembed 1990 fondly and had always been curious where it went after that, it's been a pretty disappointing ride. Very little good has happened since the launching of Superman: The Man of Steel more than a year ago. This office has felt like it's been playing catch-up ever since.

Out of curiosity I googled Agent Liberty and, well, let's just say he hasn't had the greatest successful career.

Apparently, he becomes a member of the Justice League at some point, so that's at least something, right?

According to Comichron.com, Deathstroke was slightly outselling Superman, but was still only 88th in their chart for May 1992.  Another DC anti-hero, Lobo, was at #19, selling more than twice as many copies as Deathstroke.

Justice League was pretty dire at this point as I recall.

Good to know. Looking at what DC was focusing on at the time and who was getting the guest appearances and spotlights in major stories like Panic in the Sky, I would have assumed Lobo was past his prime and Deathstroke was all the rage. After all, Lobo used to appear in Superman semi-regularly, and yet we haven't seen him since late 1990, whereas Deathstroke just keeps showing up (whether we want him to or not).