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Post by shaxper on Nov 30, 2015 20:45:08 GMT -5
Superman #33  "Mindfield!" writer: Roger Stern pencils: Kerry Gammill inks: Dennis Janke letters: John Costanza colors: Glenn Whitmore assoc. editor: Jon Peterson (another new assoc. editor? Already??) editor: Mike Carlin grade: C- By this point, it's safe to say that Exile might be the longest stalling tactic ever executed in the history of comicdom; certainly in the history of Superman. We've now spent eight months more or less on standby as Carlin has transitioned the reigns from Byrne (who left unexpectedly) to three new creative teams that, even at this point, are still in transition. Dan Jurgens is about to become a regular penciler (Carlin knows this), Roger Stern is about to leave (Carlin knows this and is planning to replace him with Jerry Ordway), and George Perez's much hyped addition to the Superman office will be surprisingly short-lived. Oh, and that vision of having one title focus on Superman, one on Clark and the Daily Planet, and one on Superman's Kryptonian heritage? I'm wondering if the concept is dead in the water before it's even been attempted. We'll see next month when the relaunch of the franchise titles is complete. But, whatever the case, Exile has been far more of a stall than a storyline. In eight months, all we've really accomplished is watching Superman torture himself over killing the rogue Kryptonians, resolve the inner conflict, and then bring it up again and again, learn stuff about his Kryptonian past that was largely a series of unnecessary additions to the backstory, fight Mongul, and get the Eradicator Device. That last detail is the only part that really seems to matter in the long run. There are definite plans in place, there. Beyond that, the last few months have been generally well executed, and the B plots have remained in motion, continuity being lovingly adhered to, but this has been really and truly boring stuff. I've had absolutely no desire to come back to these reviews, even after five months off, except for the promise that I'd finally get this storyline over with. I'm not sure there's much worth discussing in this issue beyond that. We spend far too much time exploring Superman and Cleric's memories for no particular reason beyond Clark working through guilt he'd already worked through several issues back (in regard to killing the rogue Kryptonians in Superman #22). Cleric dies (as we knew he would), Superman has the Eradicator Device (as we knew he would), and yet there are STILL plot points left hanging in regard to Warworld. Fortunately, we seem to be leaving those behind for now. Superman finally returns to Earth in two more issues. I sincerely hope it's worth the wait. But this issue, it just felt like a lot more unnecessary filler. Minor Details: - Superman can hold his breath for two to three hours in space. Originally, it was one hour (Action Comics #588), and then "for several hours" (Superman: The Earth Stealers). Of course, he was doing some pretty intense physical labor in Action #588 that may have explained the shortened time span. - Pa Kent's brother, Harry, was killed by a thresher machine prior to World War II. We already knew how he died, but now we know that it occurred sometime prior to Pa Kent going off to war. - Stern and Gammill are apparently sick of drawing Superman with tattered capes. Byrne intentionally worked out an explanation of Superman's aura of invulnerability that would allow the cape to get beaten up specifically because he liked drawing it that way, but Stern and Gammill undo all of that here:  plot synopsis in one sentence: Cleric bonds with Superman via the Eradicator Device for a second time so that they can unnecessarily explore their past memories and work through Superman's guilt (which appears to have returned just to allow this storyline to continue for another issue), Draaga feels the need to have a rematch with Superman to defend his honor, but the masters of Warworld order him to wait while they attend to reconsolidating their power, Pa Kent is on his way to Metropolis to check on Matrix, Lex Luthor is still trying to harness a drugged and unconscious Brainiac's knowledge before killing him, Cleric dies, and Superman is ready to end his exile, now possessing the Eradicator Device. |
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Post by shaxper on Nov 30, 2015 22:00:18 GMT -5
Adventures of Superman #456  "Redemption!" plot: Jerry Ordway script and pencils: Dan Jurgens inks: Art Thibert letters: Albert DeGuzman colors: Glenn Whitmore assoc. editor: Jonathan Peterson editor: Mike Carlin Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster grade: B A very uneven issue as Dan Jurgens tackles regular art chores and script writing for the first time. On the one hand, there is so much unnecessary exposition in this issue, as characters spend multiple panels rehashing events that have occurred over the past eight months so that readers can be caught up. On the other, there are moments where the writing really connects. I particularly enjoyed Jurgens' characterization of Matrix. Others have tried to turn her playful naivete into comedy, but it never really worked for me until now. For example, Matrix (as Clark) is sent out to get food for everyone at The Planet:  I also really enjoyed Matrix surviving an epic destruction and, upon being told Lois is in danger, decides the thing to do is get a fresh set of clothes. Jurgens is really writing her well. But then we also get this moment, which really irked me. We've been waiting and waiting to find out what kind of danger Cat Grant would be in, first in dating in Morgan Edge and later in being Clark's contact for the expose that's destroying his criminal empire. So we've waited and waited for the other foot to drop, but now it's done so carelessly and conveniently when Darkseid brings in an enormous robot to solve a problem that had been hidden in subtle shadows up until now.  So Cat just outs herself? And Darkseid just conveniently decides not to kill her in order to preserve his own pride? And she never ever gives a thought to the idea that Intergang now knows what she did and might want to go after her son as payback? It's just all so carelessly concluded. But then, most of that likely falls on Ordway, who plotted this story. In terms of Jurgens' artwork, the above images are both great examples of the unevenness of his work here. Clark looks downright weird in that first image, but the second one is very visually striking. Jurgens is often really really on (moreso than Byrne, Ordway, and Gammill put together), but there are a few visually awkward panels as well, and usually the awkwardness is in Clark's face for some reason. Anyway, it's a better issue. Things are moving forward finally, even with Superman not returning to Earth until next issue, and Jurgens is mostly doing an excellent job in both the scripting and penciling departments. Things ARE improving. Important Details: Gangbuster can now utilize his armor without having Lex Luthor control him remotely thanks to Prof. Hamilton Minor Details: With all the basic aspects of society that Matrix struggles to understand, how the hell did she figure out how to tie a tie or even properly wear a suit without any help? plot synopsis in one sentence: Superman leaves for Earth, utilizing the Eradicator Device to wish himself home (so then why does he not just magically reappear on Earth?), Morgan Edge is beginning to fall apart, Darkseid decides to bring in an enormous robot from Apokolips to solve the issue of Clark Kent (and now Lois Lane writing the exposes on Intergang as well), Pa Kent is apparently no longer heading to Metropolis to help Matrix (oops? Editorial oversight??), the robot attacks and completely crushes Gangbuster, as well as Maggie Sawyer and her team, all while Brainiac awakes to announce that Superman has returned. |
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Post by shaxper on Dec 1, 2015 14:20:31 GMT -5
Action Comics #643  "Superman on Earth" writer and breakdowns: George Perez finished art: Brett Breeding letters: Bill Oakley colors: Glenn Whitmore assoc. editor: Jonathan Peterson editor: Mike Carlin Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster grade: B A major transition issue. Action Comics returns to monthly publication, is once again approved by the Comics Code, and (of course) features a full length Superman story for the first time in 42 issues. But even more than that, there's a major transition for Superman himself in this issue, and that seems to correspond to the arrival of George Perez on the book. DC's initial approach to the Post-Crisis Superman was to take one super high profile artist/writer and give him nearly complete control over the franchise. I get the sense that they're trying that approach once again with Perez, and Perez has a very different vision for Superman than Byrne did. I believe someone shared an anecdote much earlier in this thread of Byrne and Perez not getting along just before Byrne's departure, and that would help to explain why Perez's approach seems to hold no respect for what Byrne had spent two years doing with the franchise. This Superman hasn't just had his hope in himself replenished -- he's an outright hokey good guy for the first time in the Post-Crisis. Perez exhumes the classic "Look! Up in the sky!" quote to initiate Superman's return, and then just portrays the guy as so joyful, optimistic, and out-and-out goody goody for the rest of the issue. He's far more the outright hero I've missed than the moody former farm boy Byrne had been developing.  In addition to that, the major Intergang/Morgan Edge/Darkseid/Cat Grant story arc gets essentially tossed out the window here, easily solved by Superman throwing down with a giant robot, after which Morgan Edge conveniently has a heart attack and may be dying, Cat Grant's problems get solved and her career takes off, and we find out it was never Darkseid backing Edge -- just DeSaad playing games. Kind of a major F--- You to all that had been in the pipes in regard to this storyline for so long now. But, I have to admit, that brawl between Superman and the robot was epic.  In fact, this massive throwdown, devastating the ground around them to a battered pulp while two giants essentially wrestle as a helicopter zooms overhead, desperately attempting to capture it all, feels a bit prototypical of the epic battle between Superman and Doomsday a few years from now, penciled by Dan Jurgens. heck, if I was a penciler working in the Superman office when Perez did this, I'd want to steal from it too. Essentially, though, this issue feels very much like a #1, almost as if Perez is saying "Hey, if you never read Superman prior to this moment, that's okay. You're on the ground floor of what's to come, and what was before is ancient history." Heck, the cover paying homage to the original Superman #1 seems to confirm the idea. Of course, Matrix and Brainiac will require some explaining, but perhaps Perez is content to let someone else do that explaining in one of the other books. Minor Details: - "Eldon" is the best helicopter pilot employed by The Daily Planet - New Troy Hospital is a hospital in Metropolis - Perry sends Clark (Matrix) home because he's acting strange only hours after deciding that he, Lois, and Cat should stay at the Daily Planet because their lives may be in danger from Intergang? Guess Perez forgot that plot point from the previous issue. - So, a year ago, Superman was saving Metropolis from new superhuman threats three times a month. Then, suddenly, just when he leaves Earth, nothing happens for eight months. And now, within hours of his return...  Convenient much? - This page:  Where do I begin? So Superman's super hearing doesn't notice a whole bunch of non-stealthy people sneaking up behind him? And Byrne explained once that the reason no one can recognize that Superman's face looks like Clark Kent's when photographed is because he vibrates his head back and forth in order to distort the image, but he doesn't have time to do that here because they catch him by surprise (which still doesn't make sense considering his super speed). So didn't the Daily Planet just plaster a close-up image of Superman's face for all of Metropolis to see and take note of? Yup, lots of little logic flaws in this issue, but it's GREAT to see Superman acting like Superman for the first time in a LONG while. We've moved as far away from Byrne as possible here, and I welcome that, though I look forward to Ordway and Jurgens giving a little more attention to reconciling old Byrne continuity down the road. Perhaps that won't happen until Perez departs (as a kid, I began reading roughly a year from this point. The Perez Era is entirely unknown to me). plot synopsis in one sentence: Superman returns, Lois and Jose get rescued, Superman takes down Turmoil (the big robot from last issue), Superman goes to confront Edge, but Edge has a heart attack and is in critical condition, Jose will make a full recovery, it turns out that DeSaad was posing as Darkseid throughout this entire affair, and Clark returns to his apartment to discover Matrix (as Clark) blown up and knocked unconscious by the Eradicator Device. |
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Post by shaxper on Dec 1, 2015 15:19:50 GMT -5
Old Byrne Plot Points Still Left Unresolved
Perez is trying to wipe the slate clean, but we'll also see Ordway working to resolve old plot points as early as next issue. Thus, for our own convenience, I present my best off-the-top-of-my-head effort to catalog all past Byrne continuity that still remains unresolved. Chime in if you think of something I forgot:
Note: I'm not including villains that left and might show up again or who still have mysteries involved in their backstories. It goes without saying that we'll see more from Silver Banshee, Draaga, Mxyzptlk, and the like.
Needs to be resolved:
- There has now been a laboratory floating in orbit of Earth containing ALL of Superman's secret information since Superman #1, and yet no one has noticed it yet.
- Elinore Lane (Lois' mother) is still battling a deadly illness. Luthor is controlling Lois in exchange for treating her mom.
- Amanda McCoy is trying to prove that Clark Kent is Superman and was inadvertently involved in the death of the private detective aiding her.
- When is Perry going to learn his "son" Jerry is the biological son of Lex Luthor?
- STAR Labs. Morgan Edge just bought the controlling stock in it, so what happens if he dies? What's up with the new director of STAR labs who was implied to be shady and have questioble motives several months back?
- Jimmy Olsen's mom is still trying to find his dad now that she has a photograph proving he is alive.
- Luthor and the Kryptonite radiation. I can't recall if it's been explained that he is dying from it yet.
Getting addressed right now:
Jose as Gangbuster. Will that continue to be a thing?
Morgan Edge
The Eradicator Device
Skyhook and (presumably) Maggie Sawyer's daughter next issue
Matrix
Probably should be revisited:
-Jimmy Olsen dating Lucy Lane (last mentioned in Superman #4)
-Cat Grant's son. We had some serious foreshadowing that things were going to go bad for that young man.
-Will there ever be a "real" Bizarro in the Post-Crisis, or are we stuck with the lame clone concept we got in Man of Steel #5?
-Will there ever be another Metallo beyond the one who got his butt handed to him in Superman #1 and then died in #2?
-Lois and Superman shared a kiss during The Earth Stealers
-Alice, the timid, mild-mannered staffer at the Daily Planet who kept getting mentioned and shown for no apparent reason over the course of several issues. Still wondering if that was an office in-joke and Alice was supposed to represent someone at DC.
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Post by Action Ace on Dec 1, 2015 19:49:46 GMT -5
Old Byrne Plot Points Still Left UnresolvedPerez is trying to wipe the slate clean, but we'll also see Ordway working to resolve old plot points as early as next issue. Thus, for our own convenience, I present my best off-the-top-of-my-head effort to catalog all past Byrne continuity that still remains unresolved. Chime in if you think of something I forgot: Note: I'm not including villains that left and might show up again or who still have mysteries involved in their backstories. It goes without saying that we'll see more from Silver Banshee, Draaga, Mxyzptlk, and the like. Needs to be resolved:- There has now been a laboratory floating in orbit of Earth containing ALL of Superman's secret information since Superman #1, and yet no one has noticed it yet. - Elinore Lane (Lois' mother) is still battling a deadly illness. Luthor is controlling Lois in exchange for treating her mom. - Amanda McCoy is trying to prove that Clark Kent is Superman and was inadvertently involved in the death of the private detective aiding her. - When is Perry going to learn his "son" Jerry is the biological son of Lex Luthor? - STAR Labs. Morgan Edge just bought the controlling stock in it, so what happens if he dies? What's up with the new director of STAR labs who was implied to be shady and have questioble motives several months back? - Jimmy Olsen's mom is still trying to find his dad now that she has a photograph proving he is alive. - Luthor and the Kryptonite radiation. I can't recall if it's been explained that he is dying from it yet. Getting addressed right now:Jose as Gangbuster. Will that continue to be a thing? Morgan Edge The Eradicator Device Skyhook and (presumably) Maggie Sawyer's daughter next issue Matrix Probably should be revisited:-Jimmy Olsen dating Lucy Lane (last mentioned in Superman #4) -Cat Grant's son. We had some serious foreshadowing that things were going to go bad for that young man. -Will there ever be a "real" Bizarro in the Post-Crisis, or are we stuck with the lame clone concept we got in Man of Steel #5? -Will there ever be another Metallo beyond the one who got his butt handed to him in Superman #1 and then died in #2? -Lois and Superman shared a kiss during The Earth Stealers all your answers can be found HERE |
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Post by shaxper on Dec 1, 2015 21:42:02 GMT -5
Adventures of Superman #457  "Echoes" plot: George Perez script: Roger Stern layouts: Dan Jurgens finishes: Ty Templeton letters: Albert De Guzman colors: Glenn Whitmore assoc. editor: Jon Peterson editor: Mike Carlin grade: A Wow. There really is a mad scramble going on at the Superman office. What's with all the shared art and writing chores in this issue and in Action #643? Seems like Ordway and Gammill are staying in their own neat little Byrne-inspired world while everyone else is hustling and bustling in beautiful chaos. And it is beautiful. Ordway and Gammill's story in Superman #34 may have been a sleeper, but this issue serves as a perfect compliment to Action #643. Whereas that issue served as an uncomplicated starting point for new readers, this one works hard to bring them up to speed on past events, first with Clark's presumed death nearly a year back:  And then with a pretty heavy recap on Matrix that doesn't even try to explain what Matrix is or where Matrix came from (I guess we're saving that for next issue?):  Heck, the second panel of the issue makes it clear that new readers are going to have to keep up if they want to appreciate all that's going on:  But it's also careful to show that the work involved pays off, as we watch the Matrix story arc finally approach its climax. Up to this point, I'm not sure Matrix even had a story arc; she was a supporting cast member who'd never really received any proper focus in the wake of the Supergirl/Pocket Universe storyline more than a year back. So it's truly both surprising and amazing to see what Perez and Jurgens do with her here, moving the character out of the realm of amusing/endearing and into something both disturbing and incredibly tragic. We first see it here, as we watch Matrix finally inexplicably attain what she'd always sought: oneness with Clark. Somehow, she is experiencing everything he is experiencing, much to both of their confusion, but Jurgens' layouts emphasize contrast as the two function in sync, and damn if it isn't depressing and disturbing as all hell:  Perez and Jurgens continue to emphasize this throughout the issue, as every sweet, endearing, amusing, or heroic thing Clark/Superman does is later echoed by Matrix in dark shadows and in the wrong contexts, especially as she punches out and nearly kills a police officer, believing him first to be an Intergang Agent and then an enormous gun. We end the issue so thoroughly disturbed by and concerned for Matrix, especially as she has no awareness that anything is wrong at all. Thus, when the final box announces that "the story of Matrix comes to a fateful conclusion next week" I'm already grabbing for the blasted tissue box:  Powerful powerful stuff. It's also worth noting that, amidst all this continuity building, new reader initiating, and tragedy building, Perez rekindles the old romantic tension between Clark and Lois that hadn't been seen in these pages in a VERY long time:  Really, this issue had it all, and I absolutely can't wait to read the next one. Important Details: - Matrix is becoming unstable and nearly kills a police officer - Introduction of Clark's neighbor, Andrea. A letter column from a few issues back indicated that a new love interest would soon be introduced. I'm assuming this is her. - The letter column explains that Jerry Ordway and Mike Machlan co-created Gangbuster. He never did seem to fit what Wolfman was trying to do in Adventures of Superman at the time. Speaking of which, with all the "credit where credit is due" that Carlin has been throwing around in regard to past creative teams lately, he never ever ever mentions Wolfman. Considering how much of the Post-Crisis Superman concept came from him (ESPECIALLY Lex Luthor as a business tycoon), I find the omission surprising. It's clear Carlin had an affection for and allegiance to Byrne. Did that mean that he had the same antagonism to Wolfman that Byrne seemed to have? - Several of the Byrne Era plot points I listed as still needing to be resolved do get alluded to in this issue: Neither of these yet. The death of the private investigator is mentioned. A clear nod to the reader that Perez and Jurgens do plan to return to this matter. Nope. Jimmy is clearly upset in this issue and indicates that part of that comes from him mother being away (presumably looking for his dad). Nope. Minor Details: - The gala event Clark, Lois, and Cat attend is the "Wonder Women of the Year, Sponsored by the Wonder Woman Foundation". It's been a few years since I read the Perez Wonder Woman run, but I don't recall this being mentioned there. Was the foundation something Myndi Mayer had put together before her death? - Also,  Actually, no. Sorry to be that nerd (well, not really) but Superman #8 informed us that Superman cannot get hungry. plot synopsis in one sentence: Clark and Matrix are both repeatedly reliving the moment that the Eradicator Device blew up (Action Comics #643) for some reason, the Kents and Lana are concerned about Matrix increasingly becoming more like Clark in her behavior, Clark, Lois, and Cat attend the Wonder Woman of the Year event, Lois lets Clark know she still has feelings for him, Intergang invades the affair, Superman goes into action, and (back in Smallville) Matrix enacts the same actions in parallel, only against police officers instead, with Cat barely able to stop Matrix from killing a police officer at the last second. |
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Post by sunofdarkchild on Dec 8, 2015 2:11:07 GMT -5
Looking back on the era the long-term development of Matrix/Supergirl was very good, but If I had been born and able to read those issues when they were coming out I would probably have been very disappointed. It wouldn't be till Panic in the Sky that she made another appearance, and then not until Funeral for a Friend that she began to come into her own. Reading it all at once the progression makes sense and is a good read, but the years it took would be completely unacceptable by today's standards. Except that there was no clear goal being worked towards, so it would have been hard to be impatient. Matrix just seemed like another supporting character on the Kent farm, providing a little more humor and pathos whenever the writers needed Clark to go there. There was no real sense that she was going to become much more than that until it happened. Maybe it's just because the writing for her was done really well, but I enjoyed her as she was and had no expectations for change. And honestly, until reading your post just now, I had no idea she was the same Supergirl who returned for Funeral for a Friend. I was content for this to be the end of her story. That's still something that's considered unacceptable today. DC's been taking a lot of flak for having no plan for what to do with Stephanie Brown post-Batman Eternal other than making her a supporting character for Catwoman and Harper Row. At least in this Matrix story there was a plotline. Recovering from severe trauma. Wants to help everyone. Influence of Eradicator causes breakdown. Recovers mental faculties and leaves earth to escape the Eradicator's influence. And her innocence is endearing and there is the tragic element of literally nothing about the fight with Superman being her fault.
I also love the idea of Superman having the Kents take care of her. That alone creates a family connection without needing to make them the same species.
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Post by shaxper on May 3, 2016 19:53:42 GMT -5
Adventures of Superman #459  "Solitude" plot: George Perez script: Dan Jurgens pencils: Dan Jurgens finisher: Tim Hula letters: Albert De Guzman colors: Glenn Whitmore associate editor: Jonathan Peterson editor: Mike Carlin grade: D It has now been a full year since Byrne abruptly left DC and the Superman office and, in all that time, Carlin, Jurgens, Ordway, Perez, and Stern still haven't managed to find a direction for the franchise. They've done an excellent job of maintaining an awareness of subplots and continuity but, Matrix aside (and that was pretty damned abrupt), nothing has actually happened. Superman went away; he came back. That's pretty much it. And this issue might be the worst offending one of the bunch yet. We spend eleven of the book's 22 pages rehashing old plot points for no apparent reason. Superman reflects that he's still not sure he won't become Gangbuster again (referencing an event that transpired ten months ago), rehashes how he managed to inflect Jimmy with an alien virus (three months ago) and its subsequent effect (one month ago),  and JUST when we think we're getting back up to speed with current events, we learn the true source of the infection was the Eradicator Device and then get a totally unnecessary three page rehash on its history (as first revealed four months ago):  Look, I get it. I'm a HUGE fan of continuity, but none of these flashbacks in any way serve a current developing plot nor suggest that they will be important again in the future. We're just rehashing stuff for the sake of rehashing stuff. Fortunately, the Eradicator Device does finally do something  but the six page crisis is quickly and arbitrarily averted, after which time we're told all that we really ever needed to know about the device at this point: it is from Krypton, and it may be intelligent and malevolent. Or, more simply:  There. That was a much better use of our time than a multi-page flashback. Because, God knows, when this thing comes back again, we're gonna get another multi-page explanation of what it is and where it came from anyway. We are thrown this confusing little bit of foreshadowing that I don't really understand.  Of course, I never really understood how cloning on Krypton necessitated a global civil war and planet-wide annihilation device as a reaction anyway. Honestly, I always thought Byrne's little ethics treatise on cloning in World of Krypton was incredibly childish and simplistic, so I can't say I'me excited about the prospect of the debate being resumed with Project Cadmus. Fortunately, if the rest of this story was a total waste (and, other than laying groundwork for a Post-Crisis Fortress of Solitude, it was), we still got this gorgeous final page out of Jurgens:  Now all we need is a new plot for Superman. Can we get a plot, please? plot synopsis: Not much. Superman visits Antartica and flashes back to his reason for doing so. In the flashback, he visits Professor Hamilton to check up on Jimmy and, while there, has multiple and prolonged flashbacks within this one giant flashback that don't really give us any vital information until the Eradicator Device goes off, blowing things up and transforming Jimmy into elastic again, but it suddenly stops when Superman approaches it. So he seals it in lead(?) and then hurls it into a frozen chasm in the antarctic, where it begins to glow ominously. |
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Post by Action Ace on May 3, 2016 20:36:32 GMT -5
Of note coming up is how the Superman team does things. Action will have Brainiac, Adventures will have the Eradicator, and Superman will have the Cadmus stuff. So they'll do the issue hand off to the other two, comeback and pick up the story from there with some time elapsed. It's a bit odd, but it will get replaced by the traditional planned out three in a row (or more) crossover in 1990.
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Post by shaxper on May 3, 2016 20:42:05 GMT -5
Of note coming up is how the Superman team does things. Action will have Brainiac, Adventures will have the Eradicator, and Superman will have the Cadmus stuff. So they'll do the issue hand off to the other two, comeback and pick up the story from there with some time elapsed. It's a bit odd, but it will get replaced by the traditional planned out three in a row (or more) crossover in 1990. At least some stuff will be happening. I'm still wondering exactly what's going on with Perez. He was supposed to be the big mover and shaker of the reconfigured creative teams, but he's yet to take on a single issue by himself. Someone mentioned earlier on that he was dealing with health issues. All I know is that he won't be on the books much longer. |
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Post by shaxper on Jun 8, 2016 8:45:44 GMT -5
Action Comics #646  "Burial Ground" script: Roger Stern guest plot/pencils: Keith Giffen inks: Dennis Janke letters: Bill Oakley colors: Glenn Whitmore assoc. editor: Jon Peterson editor: Mike Carlin grade: B While once intended to be the creative anchor behind a new direction for the Superman franchise, we've seen less and less from Perez in recent issues, and in this one he is totally absent, Keith Giffen filling in instead. We've debated in this thread whether Perez's failure to launch was due to health issues or overcommitment to other projects, and the explanation given in the letter column of this issue is pneumonia. Whatever the case, when Perez returns next month, it's in a far more limited capacity, no longer plotting for any of the titles and only providing the layouts for Action Comics while Kerry Gammil and Brett Breeding do the rest for him. Even his covers during this time are less than inspiring. And, eight months from now, he waves goodbye. I wonder how fundamentally different the "Triangle Era" of Superman would have been had Perez stuck around. Whatever the case, the team that ends up staying will go on to do a bangup job once they aren't waiting for someone else to lead them anymore. Up until now, Ordway, Jurgens, and Stern have been living in the shadows of first Byrne and now Perez. Right around the time Perez finally leaves, the Post-Crisis Superman franchise finally begins to hit its stride after four years of rough starts. Coincidence? I'm not blaming Perez, mind you. I'm arguing that the creative teams in place couldn't truly shine while they were trying to follow someone else's vision, especially when that person was severely midguided (Byrne) or not a regular presence (Perez). Anyway, on to the story itself. We have a page of flashbacks catching us up on much of what has transpired in the title over the past few months (Cleric, The Eradicator Device, Matrix, and Jimmy's elasticity), a page recapping what's been going on with Brainiac and setting up the forthcoming Brainiac Trilogy, and the rest is space for Giffen to tell whatever story he wants in this guest outing. He has fun.  It's a totally brainless "action comic" in which Superman battles a giant space worm, but Giffen really brings his best to the fight. Just check out this page:  He also has fun with light symbolism, as when the creature first arrives on our planet 300 million years earlier, the passing of time and its enduring presence are marked by a single stone (that somehow never erodes):  and, when Superman goes to town on the creature  he destroys what time and nature could not  Don't look for any deeper meaning than that. This was a very surface story where Giffen just seemed to have a lot of fun with the art. Considering his work on Justice League right now, where he plots and does breakdowns, it must have been a satisfying change of pace to get to actually finish the art on this story. Minor details: - Though Superman originally checked to ensure that The Eradicator Device was safely encased before abandoning it in the Arctic, his fight with the space worm causes the casing to get damaged, and Superman does not go back to check again. - Stern and/or Giffen are very meticulous with their details in this story. The space worm doesn't come out JUST when Superman happens to be there. It had destroyed an automated research station and gone underground, so there's no telling how long it had been active before Superman stumbled upon it. Also, when Superman tells the officials who arrive that he wants to be briefed on what they learn from the monster's autopsy, he also explicitly tells them how to reach him (via The Daily Planet). It's a minor thing to most, but I really respect when writers don't rely upon lazy conveniences in their stories. - It's also important to note that Superman gets to end this story as an untarnished hero once again. He recognizes that the worm cannot be allowed to continue to exist on Earth but, with no other options available to him, accidentally destroys it in self defence before he can decide what else to do with it. This team, Post-Byrne, is being very careful to keep Superman unfailingly upstanding. plot synopsis: 300 million years earlier, an alien race dumps something on Earth that has been eating up all their nitrogen, explaining that it has entered a dormant stage. Fast forward to the present where Superman has just buried the Eradicator Device, he discovers a large ditch in the ground and, ultimately, the space worm that was dumped 300 million years earlier. After a long slugfest, Superman accidentally blows it up when he uses his heat vision to irritate it from the inside, and (unbeknownst to him) the Eradicator Device is freed from its protective casing during the explosion.Simple story that delivers on the promise of the title "Action Comics," and while I'm generally not someone who craves slugfests, this one was remarkably well done, and I respect the pains the creative team went to in order to avoid conveniences and deliver a character who behaves like the Superman I've always known and believed in. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 8, 2016 11:05:15 GMT -5
Superman #37  writer/pencils: Jerry Ordway inks: Dennis Janke letters: John Costanza assoc. editor: Jon Peterson editor: Mike Carlin grade: C- Once again, the Superman franchise feels like it's stuck in neutral, working furiously to rehash old continuity without really getting anything new and exciting started in contrast. Worse yet, this issue goes beyond the need of reminding us of all the loose continuity points still out there and being addressed (at the speed of an inebriated turtle) and dredges up some old resolved plot points that no one really needed to see the return of. I could care less about Jose Delgado at this point, about Project Cadmus and the Newsboy Legion (the least interesting element of Kirby's Fourth World, in my opinion), and we even got this little bit of foreshadowing:  I had to go back and look it up. With all the plot points Byrne left unresolved after his abrupt departure, Ordway wants to go back and dredge up a plot point from a totally forgettable filler story that was published over a year ago? In short, absolutely nothing that occurs in this issue or that is suggested to be coming up in future issues interests me in the slightest. It's a good thing I know that these titles start to pick up in a major way less than a year from now. Important Details: - Jimmy Olsen is from "Bakerline". We're told that he has a driver's permit. The writers have been evasive about Jimmy's age all along, but we can surmise here that he's at least sixteen (the minimum age for earning a learner's permit in New York, both the city that Metropolis is based upon and the home of DC Comics and its staff at the time). - Jimmy is told the cure that he is administered for his elasticity will take a few years to run its course. Looks like Ordway's leaving the door open for Jimmy to learn some control over his slowly diminishing condition and make a few Elastic Lad appearances. Fortunately, I don't think that ever got revisited. Minor Details:- The cover is an homage to Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133:  but, more than that, it's an homage to the entire storyline contained in that issue, as it revisits The Wild Area from that storyline and references many of the visuals and facts pertaining to that region that we first encountered in that story. - It's also interesting that, for once, a cover in which Jimmy or Superman turns on the other was not a trick/gimmick. Jimmy really does try to gun down Superman in this story:  - I was incredibly displeased with Ordway's handling of Lois Lane. She's supposed to be strong, independent, and unflappable except in the most dire of circumstances. So it's troubling to see her reduced to an emotional wreck just because she broke things off with Jose Delgado (who we haven't even been thinking about since before the Exile storyline nearly a year ago!):  She spent most of the scene crying, and that final panel just took the cake. This is not Lois; this is a bad female stereotype. - Dennis Janke really gave it his all on that title page. Easily the best part of the issue (actually, it was probably the only good part):  Plot synopsis: Superman takes Jimmy to Project Cadmus against his will in order to get cured, Jimmy is resenting Superman for infecting him with the Eradicator Device in the first place, Lois breaks up with Jose DelGado and he tries to stop an armed bank heist in order to redeem himself, later resenting being rescued by Superman, Jimmy is having hallucinations in which he is being called back to the Middle East in order to revisit the entirely forgettable events of Adventures of Superman #443, the Newsboy Legion is feeling cooped up at Cadmus and decides to break out with Jimmy Olsen so that he can drive the Whiz Wagon and buy them movie tickets, Guardian allows them to go for unexplained reasons, and Superman stops them, but not before Jimmy orders the Whiz Wagon to attack him, making for an awkward/unsettling reunion by the close. So what was the point of this issue? Your guess is as good as mine. |
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Post by shaxper on Jun 8, 2016 13:41:38 GMT -5
The Adventures of Superman #460  "Be It Ever So Deadly" writer/pencils: Dan Jurgens finished inks: Andy Kubert (does that mean Jurgens did some inking?) letters: Albert Deguzman colors: Glenn Whitmore assoc. editor: Jonathan Peterson editor: Mike Carlin grade: B+ Not too long ago in Action Comics Annual #2, Perez laid out a plan for the three Superman titles in which Adventures of Superman would focus on Clark and the Daily Planet, and Action Comics would focus on Clark's Kryptonian heritage. Instead, this issue does an impressive job of tackling both, with Clark heavily considering the repercussions of his Kryptonian heritage on his human life:  Note Lois, of all people, second guessing Superman. The issue goes on to spend a lot of time having Clark reflect on the two worlds he is a part of, and it also watches those two worlds both putting plans in place for him. Rival publisher Collin Thornton has big plans for Clark, but beyond even the welcome new plot point (we're not just rehashing old storylines for once!) I like how his interest in Clark allows Jurgens to define his persona a bit better. Clark isn't just a second identity. While Carlin/Wolfman/Byrne's original concept of Clark being the real person and Superman being the facade has largely gone by the wayside at this point, we clearly see in this story that BOTH personas are real in some sense. Clark and Superman are both true, authentic dimensions of one thinking/feeling being. Anyway, here's the insight we get about Clark's character from Thornton:  It's nice to know that he isn't just a big time journalist because he gets the scoop on Superman; his personality comes across in his writing and truly makes him something unique. And, of course, Clark's Kryptonian world has plans for him too. This new (I presume) Fortress of Solitude built by The Eradicator is visually quite interesting:   and The Eradicator's plans to remake Earth in Krypton's image sets another compelling new plot in motion. I'm still a bit surprised at how fast The Eradicator turned "bad" after Cleric spent so long convincing Superman and us that this former weapon had evolved into something more spiritual and meaningful, but it still makes for a good story. Important Details:- 1st appearance of rival publisher Collin Thornton. He met Lois Lane at a party "several years ago" and something bad went down between Thornton and Perry White in 1977, leaving Perry to assume that Thornton's going after Clark is a means of enacting revenge. - We're given the full origin of The Eradicator Device, which I have now added to The Post Crisis Superman Timeline: Minor Details:- Waaaaay back in Adventures of Superman #429, Superman installed an energy dampener in a prison cell on the fly in order to keep a super powered villain in check. I'd always inferred from this that, in addition to having enhanced versions of most physical human abilities, Superman was also super smart and had a natural talent for advanced technology. That was certainly true in the Pre-Crisis. Well, upon finding The Eradicator's fortress in the Antarctic, he's able to surmise that part of it is a solar energy collector but is at a total loss for the rest. Hard to determine whether this means the technology is so advanced that it's beyond even Superman or that Jurgens is unaware that Superman is supposed to be super technologically advanced. - Early on in the Post-Crisis relaunch, there was a conscious effort made to only have Mike Mignola draw scenes that took place on Krypton. That eventually fell by the wayside, but Jurgens and Kubert look like they're trying to invoke Mignola's style during the Krypton flashback:  It looks more like Mignola's Post-DC style as opposed to anything he drew for the Superman books, but it's a nice nod all the same. Plot synopsis in one sentence: Collin Thornton is headhunting Clark while Clark deals with the guilt of what has happened to Jimmy, and he starts to hallucinate images of The Eradicator Device and realizes it is still a threat, heading to the Antarctic to see what has happened (and briefly stopping to neutralize an illegal whaling ship), while Thornton and Perry have it out about Thornton wanting Clark. Superman gets to Antarctica to discover an elaborate fortress built by The Eradicator Device, pulling equipment through some sort of portal to another dimension, and the Eradicator Device reveals its partial origin to Superman, having been built by his ancestor. However, it will not listen to Superman and, when he tries to stop it, it neutralizes him. He then appears back at The Daily Planet as Clark Kent, seemingly with no memory of having been in Antarctica trying to stop The Eradicator Device. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 9, 2016 9:31:19 GMT -5
Superman #38  "Unnatural Disasters!" writer/pencils: Jerry Ordway inks: Dennis Janke colors: Glenn Whitmore letters: John Costanza assoc. editor: Jon Peterson editor: Mike Carlin Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster grade: B- Whereas Adventures of Superman and Action Comics are now finally and clearly headed in new directions, this title is still scurrying around, trying to pick up tons of old continuity, and its attempt to find a new direction with this issue fails as a consequence. We've got Superman revisiting Milton Fine's old travelling circus, which does nothing to further any plot points. Sure it makes sense that Superman would check this out, but with ALL the plot points still left hanging in the air, did we really need to spend five pages on a fruitless search? Admittedly, the run-in with Milton Fine's replacement was endearing  and there's a conscious effort to address animal rights once again. Last time around, Superman took on illegal whalers, and this time its animal cruelty at circuses, but we also get this little moment that irks me:  Ordway is expecting us to recall a minor exchange with a bit character that occurred over two years ago; that's far too much to ask of any reader. Even Chris Claremont would never try a thing like that (and, if he did, he'd at least give us an issue number to reference!). But this is the crux of the problem I see with Ordway's work right now -- priorities. We can't move forward when Ordway keeps reopening minor past conflicts that were better left forgotten. Speaking of which, we've still got this reopened can of worms going on (referencing back to the events of Adventures of Superman #443), and it is progressing at a snail's pace:  I was, however, glad to see the return of Alice, a supporting character who was given a small amount of attention across several issues of the Byrne run (beginning with Superman #7) -- just enough to make us wonder why attention was being called to her. Here she is, resurfacing in this issue:  I've been intrigued all along, and I know something big is coming up for her in next month's Adventures of Superman. I really like the idea of giving importance to characters who aren't super powered and aren't going to end up in a throwdown with Superman or one of Superman's villain. Alice feels very real, and I'm intrigued both by the depth of character I sense she has the potential for and the repercussions her story might hold for Clark and the Daily Planet crew. But, with all this going on, plus Jimmy Olsen still working out his trust issues with Superman:  This issue takes forever to get where it's actually trying to go and, while powerful, that story comes out of absolutely nowhere:  and gets cut short really abruptly:  And it's weird watching Superman just flying around, catching individual people while a major disaster is threatening the lives of hundreds. Considering both his heightened intelligence and heightened senses, how did he NOT see that tsunami coming until it was too late? Why wasn't this story about him using his brains and powers to try to stop or reroute the tsunami, or even just to evacuate people? And surely he wasn't able to save everyone -- are we going to get the story of the folks he didn't manage to save in time? This could have been a powerful story (and maybe it will still continue into next issue??), but it was a wasted effort here, cut short so that too many other unimportant side plots could be (barely) further developed. For what it's worth, on the letters page Carlin acknowledges the slowness with which the Superman office has been revisiting these old plot points throughout 1989: Okay, so maybe I'm reading this wrong, but wouldn't "last summer" mean a year ago and not two months back (this issue was published in October of '89)? If I'm right, why no mention of a Super Summit '90? Perez's ailing health? Clearly, these guys hadn't planned out any of the best stuff coming up in 1990 yet (Day of the Krypton Man, Dark Knight Over Metropolis, Clark and Lois beginning to date, the deaths of Jerry White and Lex Luthor, etc) or Carlin would have been dropping hints about them the way he's been talking about Superman racing the Flash (coming up in two more months) for several issues now. Clearly though, with The Brainiac Trilogy and The Eradicator, stuff is beginning to happen, but this is not the first time I've noted that Ordway often feels like he's in his own world, not quite onboard with Stern and Jurgens (and sometimes Perez). Maybe it's the fact that he was here first and, for a while, had total creative control over one title, but this is the one place where I still feel the Superman Office is languishing. Minor Details:- Did The Eradicator Device (coming back next week in Adventures of Superman) cause the earthquake that caused the tsunami? Superman had noted with concern that its fortress in the Antarctic was burrowed deep into the Earth's surface. The title of this story would suggest that something caused the earthquake. - Despite everything I don't like about what Ordway's doing in this issue, I loved his characterization of Professor Hamilton:  Characterization and art are the two things he's getting right in a big way; we just need him to get better at plotting -- and soon! plot synopsis: Superman tracks down Milton Fine's old traveling circus in search of him and ends up rescuing abused circus animals in the wake of an earthquake, Jimmy Olsen is suffering symptoms from his treatment at Project Cadmus and has Professor Hamilton run some tests on him, he ends up merging with a character he last saw in Adventures of Superman #443, Professor Hamilton doesn't know what happened to Jimmy and tries repeatedly to contact Superman, torrential rain hits Metropolis, Superman ends up rescuing some boaters and completely misses a Tsunami heading for Metropolis until it's already too late, and so he saves a bunch of people but has to brush off Professor Hamilton while he is doing so. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 9, 2016 11:55:53 GMT -5
Adventures of Superman #461  "Home" writer and layouts: Dan Jurgens finishing and inks(?): George Perez letters: Albert Deguzman colors; Glenn Whitmore assoc. editor: Jonathan Peterson editor: Mike Carlin Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster grade: B While not as pronounced as with Ordway, Jurgens is struggling with his pacing at this point too. The Eradicator Device, which has been an ongoing plot point for more than half a year now, was first introduced as the greatest threat ever created on Krypton, then revised to be something that was mysterious but certainly not a threat, then revised again to be (once more) the greatest threat ever created on Krypton, now made into something benign and mysterious, and yet I just know this thing is coming back as a threat again later on. But even more than that, the story itself seems to jump back and forth in arbitrary directions rather than progressing along a linear path. What was the point in Clark having his memories erased if he was just going to get them back this issue? Seems the only point was to allow Superman to engage in two other adventures in Superman and Action Comics without being too preoccupied with this one ( Action Ace did point out that juggling three simultaneous story arcs around this time was going to get weird), and the whole thing with travelling through time to Krypton in order to super quickly go through a rite of passage just so that the Eradicator Device would now listen to him whereas it didn't last issue just felt rushed, abrupt, and thus semi-pointless. The visit to Krypton, in particular, could have made an amazing multi-part story in and of itself, but it gets compressed into three pages instead. I mean really -- Superman's first and only visit with his long-dead biological parents gets shoved aside so that we can get more time with The Eradicator Device. And, thus, everything about that reunion comes off weird, from the rushed and highly anticlimactic rite of passage he undergoes, to Jor-El instantaneously believing that his son is from the future because time is fluid and weirdly accepting the fate of his planet without even considering trying to save it:  (note: Superman never once told him Krypton ended up blowing up. For all Jor-El knew, this reunion has always happened, and Krypton has always been saved at the last moment as a result) to Lara's abrupt rejection of her son which, while in keeping with Byrne's obnoxious depiction of her way back in Man of Steel #1, is delivered here without furthering any dramatic purpose nor plot point; it just happens and sucks.  We've also got to talk about the logic lapses in this story. We begin the issue being told that We then have an emergency crew worker comment that Superman then concurs with this sentiment, but, four panels later, we get this:  I...I'm sorry. What?? The city that is underwater and without power can handle things itself now because suddenly you have an impulse to go back to work? I'm sure the emergency crew working around the clock that we just saw desperately try to stop a floating oil tanker from colliding with a building would like to get home to their families too, Supes. So there goes any hope of anyone making a compelling story out of the random Tsunami that hit Metropolis. But the logic lapses continue when Clark gets to work in the next panel, and Alice (she's back again) tells Clark that Colin Thornton has been looking for him.  So, let's be clear -- Clark hasn't been at work for a week now?? How does that not raise alarms, especially with Jimmy Olsen missing? Also worth noting, one month in real-time equals one week in the comic (at least in this issue). We end up getting an action-packed story that makes a lot of big contributions to the Post-Crisis Superman franchise, and it definitely held my interest, but it was also rushed and poorly planned. Important Details:- 1st appearance of the Post-Crisis Phantom Zone (called as much by the recording of Kem-L):  but it is now a conduit that lies "between Krypton's past and [Superman's] present". Has Jurgens created a way for Superman to later revisit Krypton again, or to encounter other Kryptonians? - 1st appearance of the Post-Crisis Fortress of Solitude, created once Superman gets control of The Eradicator Device:  (is that Kandor under the glass?? And maybe a Phantom Zone projector beside it?) - Superman actually travels back in time to meet Jor-El and Lara just prior to the destruction of Krypton. - We learn that journalism isn't just what Clark does to make money and stay on top of the news; it was his dream long before he became Superman:  - The Superboy television series is now airing, and a comic book series based upon it is being published by DC.  (incidentally, I sent in that coupon and had that poster hanging over my bed as a kid) Carlin is careful to explain in the letter column that there are now two Superman continuities -- one that incorporates the three Superman titles and his appearances in other books, and one based upon the Chris Reeve movies and Superboy television series (which the Superboy comic is a part of). Minor Details:- If the Phantom Zone allows Superman to travel back in time to Krypton's past, why show up minutes before Krypton's destruction? Why not go back six months before the destruction in order to get to know his parents better, spend some time there, and maybe help to avert the planet's destruction? Sure, you could choose the absolute last moment precisely so as to pollute the time stream as little as possible, but Superman clearly wasn't thinking of that, as he immediately starts talking about saving Krypton from destruction once he arrives. - We're finally getting somewhere with Alice:  Plot synopsis: Superman is helping Metropolis in the wake of the Tsunami (Metropolis is partially underwater and without power), Clark is offered a job by Colin Thornton and is conflicted, Jimmy Olsen is still missing, Superman visits professor Hamilton, realizes his memory was wiped last issue, and decides to go after The Eradicator once and for all, he travels through the inter-dimensional portal it has been using in search of a way to stop it, meets a recording of Kem-L (which the Eradicator has created to run The Phantom Zone for it) and learns from it that he can use the Phantom Zone to travel back to Krypton and undergo the Kryptonian rite of passage so that The Eradicator will listen to him, and it does, undoing all the harm it wrecked and building Superman an underground Fortress of Solitude in place of the structure it had there previously that was re-geoengineering the planet. |
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