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Post by SJNeal on Feb 6, 2021 19:23:30 GMT -5
^ ^ ^ So basically very little has changed... lol  |
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Post by badwolf on Apr 24, 2021 20:55:52 GMT -5
Superman #11 "The Name Game" writer/pencils: John Byrne inks: Karl Kesel colors: Tom Ziuko letters: John Costanza editor: Michael Carlin grade: C- I still don't get it. If Byrne was so committed to the idea of making Superman more real and of removing all the more outlandish aspects of the Superman mythos in order to support this concept (even going so far as to retcon Superboy into an artificially constructed "Pocket Universe" and then kill him off while de-powering Krypto into a normal dog), then what the hell is this issue all about? If the post-Crisis return of Titano back in Superman Annual #1 wasn't enough for us, we've got a post-Crisis Mr. Mxyzptlk making his first appearance here, and even the cover is a clear homage to those shockingly misleading covers of the Silver Age (and, incidentally, while the post-Crisis Superman covers have generally been awful, this is probably the first truly good one we've seen). Maybe the idea of making Superman more realistic was really Andy Helfer's brain-child, and thus his leaving the Superman office corresponds with a new emergence of sillier, more fanciful aspects of the Superman mythos. In fact, there's a bit of evidence to support this correlation, as Superman Annual #1 (The Titano story) was the first story not to credit Helfer as co-editor, and this happened at the exact same time as the Legion crossover that brought back and then obliterated both Superboy and Krypto. Seems likely to me that there was a difference of opinion between Byrne and Helfer as to whether or not these outlandish elements had a place in the post-Crisis Superman mythos, leading to Helfer's hasty and unannounced departure. So now Byrne is free of Helfer and just plain having fun. If you can let go of the idea that this comic franchise was only recently adamantly against having such fun, then this isn't a thoroughly bad issue, though, in typical Byrne style, it's far from well done. For one thing, it really bugs me that Byrne completely ignores the progression Wolfman has shown in Clark's relationship with Cat Grant. It's clear in that series that the two are informally dating and that Lois is out of the picture (having missed her chance for the moment), but this issue tries to play on the old love triangle as if none of this had already occurred. For another, Superman's method of defeating Mxyzptlk was every bit as arbitrary as the solutions to many of the Silver Age "silly" stories Byrne is making homage to here. I suppose I should find that endearing, but Byrne is still writing this like a more complex and realistic post-Crisis book, so I assumed he'd go for a more logical solution and found the end to be a bit of a cop-out as a result. And am I the only one who thinks "Ben DeRoy" (which, I believe, translates to "King of Kings") looks and acts a little too much like the Beyonder from Secret Wars II (published 1.5 years earlier)? Important details: (forgive me on these, but I'm woefully unfamiliar with the pre-Crisis Mxyzptlik and have no idea how much of this info is new for the character) - 1st post-Crisis appearance of Mr. Mxyzptlk - Mxyzptlk does not know that Clark Kent is Superman - From the Fifth Dimension - Real name is untranslatable (though what foreigner ever "translates" their name into the local language? Does he mean that it wouldn't translate to the sounds of the Third Dimension or something??) - Mxyzptlk is just the first thing he wrote on a magic typewriter to serve as a name. - Mxyzptlk set the criteria that saying the name backward sends him back to the Fifth Dimension. - Has a "superior 5-D brain" - Seeks games of chance with Superman - Should not be able to reappear for another 90 days (when the alignment between the 3rd and 5th dimensions is again optimal), according to theoretical physicians that Superman talks to, though it's unclear if this will be a consistent rule, or if it's just the case this time around (and how do you even ascertain such a thing? Theoretical physicists are aware of a Fifth Dimension, have an understanding that the Third somehow moves independently of the Fifth, and can track their movements in relation to one another? I know this is supposed to be a more futuristic modern day thanks to the contributions of Lex Luthor, but this seems a bit ridiculous). - Clark's being in the shower while Cat is over may be intended to imply that they are now sleeping together. Unsure if Byrne intended that since he'd set Clark and Cat's relationship back so far at the beginning of the issue. Minor details: - So Jimmy Olsen utilizes the secret signal watch to summon Superman just because some lady he's never met before told him all the sheets at her store started moving around like ghosts? - Were all of Superman's transformations on page 14 intended to reference the Silver Age transformations of Jimmy Olsen? Two of them are clearly referencing "The Super Brain of Jimmy Olsen," and "The Fat Boy of Metropolis," a third might just be a reference to Alfred E. Newman, and I have no idea if the withered Superman with gray hair and a beard is a reference to anything. (EDIT: JKCarrier has since pointed out that these are all references to Silver Age Superman transformations. More evidence that Byrne is intentionally invoking the "silly" past that this franchise was once sworn against.) Plot synopsis in one long sentence: Lois Lane is approached by "Ben DelRoy," a mysterious and attractive stranger who invites her to cancel her plans with Clark in order to go to lunch with him, it becomes clear that DelRoy has fantastic powers and a mischievous sense of fun, he gets Lois to agree to marry her and then has her swap existences with a mannequin in order to marry the mannequin instead, Jimmy Olsen signals Superman for an incredibly stupid and arbitrary reason, Superman ends up running into DelRoy, who (it turns out) was just trying to draw Superman out, DelRoy turns out to be Mxyzptlk, who introduces himself and sets a wager for Superman (say his name backwards or Mxyzptlk will pretty much continue messing with everything), Superman outsmarts him in a completely absurd fashion by rewiring the keys on a typewriter at super fast speeds (but wait -- he can't move faster than light, so how come Mxyzptlk didn't see him do this??) sending Mxyzptlk back after causing immense damage, and Lois goes to Clark's apartment to try to make up for ditching him only to find Cat there for lunch and Clark in the shower. I'm rereading these in the new hardcover volumes so I thought I'd take a look back at this thread.
I found this issue highly amusing, partly due to a number of "Easter Eggs."
Yes, Ben DeRoy is an obvious poke at the Beyonder...it's an anagram! When Lois asks him where he is from, he says he is from "yonder." (Besides being part of his name, the Beyonder was always telling people he was from beyond.) The shop that experienced the paranormal activity has a sign announcing a "white event" - probably a reference to the creation of the New Universe. The shop's name is Sanderson's - not an unusual name, but knowing how writers and artists love to reference other comics folks this way, it might be a nod to comics researcher Peter Sanderson. (I think Marvel Age might have been coming out around this time?)
(My apologies if all of this was already pointed out; I went through a few more pages of the thread and didn't see any responses from anyone else.)
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Post by shaxper on Apr 28, 2021 9:03:52 GMT -5
Adventures of Superman #484 (November 1991)  "Blackout" Script: Dennis Janke (plot); Jerry Ordway (plot, script) Pencils: Tom Grummett Inks: Doug Hazlewood Colors: Glenn Whitmore Letters: Albert DeGuzman Grade: D+ It's been a haphazard year for the usually meticulously-planned Superman Office, but whether the craziness was due to the last minute introduction of a fourth title and new creative team, last minute involvement in the Armageddon 2001 event, last minute rewrites of the Armageddon 2001 event, creative team shuffling, or (likely) all of the above, Carlin's office is ready to bring it on home with a major event crossing over all four titles. So what do we know about "Blackout" after the initial chapter? Not much. Metropolis has been blacked out and (presumably) so has Superman. We've seen Superman forget who he is and become someone else twice now over the past three years (Gangbuster and The Krypton Man), so I sincerely hope Ordway, Stern, Jergens, and Simonson have something different planned for us this time around. I'm also hoping this mega event won't spend too much time on Mr. Z. The Superman Office seemed to have three major goals for 1991 (perhaps one pitched by each writer): Deal with the fallout from Luthor's death and set up the intoduction of Lex Luthor II, develop and complicate Clark and Lois' relationship as fiances, and introduce some new villains for Superman, most prominently Mr. Z. Mr. Z was introduced in the very first Superman comic of 1991, created by Ordway, and was intended to be a sort of enigma that would leave us craving more. He then showed up again three months later in 1940s Nazi Germany (another issue written by Ordway) during the Time and Time Again event which, again, was intended to make us crave more information. Personally, I was just annoyed to see a forgettable villain demanding more attention from us. He had a diamond that could trap people in it and, apparently, hadn't aged since at least the 1940s. That wasn't enough to entice me. And now, here he is again, eight months later, in another Ordway story, and I couldn't care less:  And some questions about him are finally answered: 1. Why does he trap people in his crystal? Because he gets lonely2. Why was he alive in the 1940s? Apparently, he is immortal, and this has nothing to do with the crystal and the people it captures.Both really disappointing answers for a character who was already pretty disappointing and only had mystery going for him. I guess we still don't know why he's immortal or how he got the crystal, but I can't say I care either. As for the story itself, it's pretty bad. Ordway is usually my favorite writer of the bunch; he captures the humanity of characters and juggles multiple plotlines so effortlessly (heck, he lays them all out for us on the front page of The Daily Star at the start of this issue:  but the plot of this issue is just so thoroughly idiotic. Professor Hamilton is preparing a helmet for Superman that will enable him to see what a satellite above his Fortress of Solitude sees via a video screen. It's probably "Ham"'s least impressive invention to date in that real technology in 1991 could have done this, and it's not even practical for Superman. Somehow, with Superman coming over to test it the next day, "Ham" was going to have it miniaturized into a headset by then. Instead, Mr. Z shows up, inexplicably brainwashes "Ham", and that's when things REALLY get screwy. Somehow, Mr. Z assumes that Ham can reprogram the thing to see into Superman's brain and show his thoughts through the view window of the helmet within 24 hours and while brainwashed, and (of course), "Ham" does.  This makes zero sense. We also learn that the reprogrammed helmet renders Superman helpless and obedient to the commands of whoever holds the remote control. Note that Mr. Z presses no buttons to make Superman do things. Simply holding the control is enough:  If a writer had tried this crap in the 1940s, I would have called b.s., and it stinks far worse in a Copper Age story. I at least give Ordway and Janke credit for once again considering the real-world toll that superhero shenanigans take on a city. This office has explored that many times throughout this year, and watching the entire city blackout in response to a daring gambit by "Ham" to stop Mr. Z feels almost authentic enough to make up for the nonsensical plot:  Of course, this reminds me that the early Byrne run depicted Metropolis as being technologically advanced to the point of seeming futuristic thanks to Lexcorp innovations. We've moved further and further from that vision, and so the idea of an aging power grid that can topple so easily seems accurate to the real world but divorced from the Metropolis Byrne initially gave us. It's a problematic story in most respects, but we still don't really know what the central focus of "Blackout" is going to be just yet, and, with four more chapters to go, it can certainly redeem itself after this rough start. Minor Details:- Ordway's means of further developing the Clark and Lois relationship in this issue consists of Lois constantly being reminded that Clark has super powers.  Scenes like this would have made perfect sense a few months ago, but Lois has known Clark's secret since February, and if one month in our world equals one week in Superman's world, then she's still known for nine weeks by this point. Sure seems like she'd be used to his abilities by now. - Ordway finally suggests that Professor Hamilton has a budget to consider when creating his wild inventions for Superman.  ...but this then begs the question: whose budget. Is STAR Labs funding this work, is Superman funding this work, or is Emil paying for it himself out of the kindness of his heart? In an office in which every minor character gets a backstory and the inner workings and labor relations of the Daily Planet are a central focus, an office in which we consider things like power supply and collateral damage, it sure seems that the question of how "Ham" funds these projects should have been answered by now. - We're not done running the Big Belly Burger gag into the ground yet:  In fact, a letter writer asks in this very issue if the Big Belly Burger mascot is supposed to be John Byrne. Dan Thorsland maintains it's Andy Helfer. I was ready to call foul on this as I was sure the resemblance between Byrne and the mascot was unmistakable John Byrne:  Big Belly Burger Mascot:  whereas Helfer looks like this:  but I was fortunate enough to find a younger picture of Helfer, circa 1980, via Todd Klein's blog, in which Helfer looks like this:  so I'll concede defeat on this one. |
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Post by zaku on Apr 28, 2021 9:30:50 GMT -5
It's my impression or the latest iteration of Superman is more technologically savvy than his 90s counterpart..? I mean, reading you reviews it seems he is not very comfortable with technology or science in general ...
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Post by shaxper on Apr 28, 2021 9:36:15 GMT -5
It's my impression or the latest iteration of Superman is more technologically savvy than his 90s counterpart..? I mean, reading you reviews it seems he is not very comfortable with technology or science in general ... Byrne established early in his Superman run that Superman had super-fast mental processes, was super-intelligent, and showed on several occasions a supreme mastery of technology, the first example being in Adventures of Superman #429, when he built a power-dampening containment cell for the police prior to Stryker's Island being established as a default drop-off point for captured metahumans. |
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Post by shaxper on Apr 30, 2021 17:31:05 GMT -5
Action Comics #671  "Missing In Action" (Blackout Part 2) Script: Roger Stern Pencils: Kieron Dwyer Inks: Brad Vancata Colors: Glenn Whitmore Letters: Bill Oakley Grade: B Last issue, we still weren't quite sure what the scope of Blackout would be. It seems more clear this time around: take Superman out of the picture so that other characters can develop in his wake. The riots give Gangbuster and Thorn a chance to take center stage while Superman is away and, most importantly, it gives Lex Luthor II the opportunity to sweep in as Metropolis' new savior:  Metropolis has had its roughest year yet, even topping the one where it got kidnapped by aliens, and the people sure know it:  (from Action Comics #670)and I wouldn't be surprised to later learn that Luthor's people orchestrated the blackout as a means of dramatizing his return. It's certainly suggested that someone at Lexcorp orchestrated every other crisis that has occurred since Luthor's death, often via Intergang. I'm hoping that this office will use the next three chapters to further explore the impact this blackout is having upon our ancillary cast. I fully expect a scene where Bibbo Bibbowski is handing out blankets and hot coffee at his bar, and does Stryker's Island have its own backup generators? One villain we should certainly be hearing from in this blackout is Parasite, as Prof. Hamilton foreshadowed back in Action #670:  Now one month in our time equals one week in Metropolis time, so that means the power on Parasite's containment cylinder should die out in about two more issues... As for Superman, I can't decide if I utterly respect or regret what Stern has decided to do with him. Supes has lost his memory/identity twice in the past three years, so Stern changes it up by having him lose his memory along with a "friend" this time. Instead of it being yet another dark and lonely quest for identity, it's an absurdist comedy with Mr. Z along for the ride:     If this were done with Bibbo and Lobo, I'd be laughing my butt off, but I struggle to enjoy it as much when Metropolis is in such dire straits without Superman, and especially in a scene in which Supes fails to save two scientists endangered in shark-infested waters (who were trying to save HIM) because he doesn't remember who he is or how to use his powers. Speaking of which, I don't totally buy this selective amnesia of Clark's. I can believe not remembering his name, but not forgetting how to use his powers. Do amnesia patients generally forget how to walk or hold a pen? Then why would Superman forget how to fly? It's an interesting way to culminate the year by pushing Superman out of the picture and making his plight light and silly when compared to what all of Metropolis is facing without him. Not sure how I feel about it yet. Minor Details:- Is Stern just going to skip over the enormous extinct dinosaur living in the ocean with no explanation offered?  Let's be clear that he was attacking rafts on the surface of the water. He's not exactly trying to evade detection. I suspect this has to do with pacing issues and the cover being completed way ahead of the script. The cover promises "The Isle That Time Forgot!" but Supes and Mr. Z have just arrived at that island by the end of this story and haven't discovered anything strange about it yet. Perhaps Stern had to insert the dinosaur here in order to make the cover not be a total lie, whereas we weren't supposed to encounter it until after discovering the oddities of the island. - I've had zero opinion of Thorn previously and felt she was being pushed on us with a heavy hand in her previous appearance. I truly like what Stern does to characterize her this time:   This is a character I would enjoy seeing more of in this office. |
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Post by chadwilliam on Apr 30, 2021 20:26:47 GMT -5
- Ordway's means of further developing the Clark and Lois relationship in this issue consists of Lois constantly being reminded that Clark has super powers. Scenes like this would have made perfect sense a few months ago, but Lois has known Clark's secret since February, and if one month in our world equals one week in Superman's world, then she's still known for nine weeks by this point. Sure seems like she'd be used to his abilities by now. I wonder if Mr. Z was an attempt to recapture some of what was lost with Brainiac during the Crisis in a way that I suspect that Thaddeus Killgrave was intended to provide Superman with a scientific foe when Luthor became a businessman. Not that Killgrave was at all like Luthor (more like Dr. Sivana) and Mr. Z is a far cry from Brainiac, but: - "Cities in a bottle"/"Souls in a Crystal" - Mr. Z/Brainiac's biggest interest seeming to be the reclamation of those cities/souls he believes Superman stole from him and now keeps in his Fortress. - Mr. Z/Brainiac's whole "The effrontery of Superman to steal what I stole first!" giving you a pretty good idea of their ego and hubris. - They've both been involved in a lot of chicanery over a wide swath of time and/or space. Not that Mr. Z is meant to be a Post-Crisis Brainiac, but more of "hey, you know all those cool things we lost with Brainiac during Crisis? Let's put some of them in this guy so we can tell those kinds of stories if we choose". So I thought the guy had potential which makes his J Wellington Wimpy routine in the following issue sort of perplexing. Yeah, it doesn't make sense for Superman to revert to this sort of "people can't fly and bend steel - that's ridiculous" mindset when he's been doing it his whole adult life (it'd make more sense for Clark Kent to get amnesia and constantly think "what do you mean people can't fly and knock down walls? It seems perfectly natural to me") but there's story potential there even if you are trading off some logic to achieve it. Mr. Z however... We know that he's a bad guy - rotten to the core - so where does this whole "Pleasure to meet you, my friend" personality come from? Despite not knowing that he can do all those things which come naturally to him, Superman still reverts to his default personality when he's stricken with amnesia - he's still a good person. Why does Z "seem a bit pleasant, if bossy" all of a sudden? I guess it's kind of fun to see two enemies/newfound friends all of a sudden not know they're only in this mess because one was attempting to kill the other and I suspect that I'm more tolerant of this idea than some people, but it's strange that we finally get a full-on Mr. Z story but it's designed to showcase him like this. He's way too new of a foe to be playing around with in this way. And "Superman and foe find themselves stranded on an island with dinosaurs" kind of reminiscent of Time and Time Again? I'd think that even with amnesia, Superman should be thinking "this seems really familiar". I wonder if Ordway's above interplay between Clark and Lois ("Gee, Lois, why don't you just fly? hee hee") was written to be juxtaposed against Stern having Superman later climb that tree to get those coconuts not knowing that his actions are as redundant as Lois' earlier attempts to jump up and switch off the fire alarm? It does seem like there's a little bit of "Look who's acting silly now, Superman" going on there. |
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Post by shaxper on May 1, 2021 6:15:20 GMT -5
I wonder if Mr. Z was an attempt to recapture some of what was lost with Brainiac during the Crisis in a way that I suspect that Thaddeus Killgrave was intended to provide Superman with a scientific foe when Luthor became a businessman. Not that Killgrave was at all like Luthor (more like Dr. Sivana) and Mr. Z is a far cry from Brainiac, but: - "Cities in a bottle"/"Souls in a Crystal" - Mr. Z/Brainiac's biggest interest seeming to be the reclamation of those cities/souls he believes Superman stole from him and now keeps in his Fortress. - Mr. Z/Brainiac's whole "The effrontery of Superman to steal what I stole first!" giving you a pretty good idea of their ego and hubris. - They've both been involved in a lot of chicanery over a wide swath of time and/or space. Not that Mr. Z is meant to be a Post-Crisis Brainiac, but more of "hey, you know all those cool things we lost with Brainiac during Crisis? Let's put some of them in this guy so we can tell those kinds of stories if we choose". I can see that. The Thaddeus Killgrave theory is particularly brilliant, and this may hold water as well. Could also be that, in the Superman Office's desperate gambit to find a fill-in villain for Luthor, they correctly determined that the most important quality of the Post-Crisis Luthor is his ability to remain composed while standing toe-to-toe with Superman and sure that he is still the one in control. Whereas Lex comes from a scientific and business background and represents the modern world, Mr. Z is the Lex Luthor of the old world (Europe, as well as the mystical and unexplained). Except that he ends up going down way too easily. It might make more sense when considering that this is the first Mr. Z appearance not written by Ordway, perhaps. Maybe Stern was as sick of Ordway thrusting this guy on us as we were. Exactly. The only way I can find to justify it is that Mr. Z outright stated in the previous issue that the reason he captured souls was out of loneliness. Perhaps this is how he interacted with the souls he'd imprisoned. That would make beautiful sense if the two scenes had occurred in the same issue. Extended over two issues, it's far easier to forget the first scene, and you have to wonder if Ordway and Stern were going to purposefully coordinate such a thing across their two books, why not make it more obvious/deliberate? |
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Post by shaxper on May 1, 2021 7:21:31 GMT -5
Superman: The Man of Steel #6 (December 1991)  "Mismatch" (Blackout Part 3) Script: Louise Simonson Pencils: Jon Bogdanove Inks: Dennis Janke Colors: Glenn Whitmore Letters: Bill Oakley Grade: C+ Check out that cover one more time. No. Not that part. I mean, if you don't look too carefully, which title is this? For the past five issues, "The Man of Steel" has been almost as large as the Superman logo itself. Now, suddenly, it's utterly tiny. My guess is that the lack of quality in this title has begun to catch up with its reputation. While some folks were still doing home subscriptions, pull lists at local comic shops had mostly taken over by this point, and so a title like this one likely couldn't coast on the hype of its first issue for eleven subsequent months. So what does the Superman Office do in response to rapidly sliding sales? Try to trick the casual reader into thinking this is a different title and offer up a ton of t&a to boot. Can I point out the uncomfortable irony that the only Superman title blatantly using a mostly naked woman to sell a comic is also the only one written by a woman? I guess the cover has a bit of a Harlequin Romance feel to it, but there's no question of which character gets more hyperssexualized within the book:   I wonder if Bogdanove is a fan of Frank Frazetta, as Lola-Le bears a strong resemblance to Luana, perhaps the one film in all of history that (thanks to Frazetta) is better remembered for its movie poster than for the movie itself:  Anyway, there is a definite sense of desperation in this issue. Whereas Ordway, Stern, and presumably Jurgens (we'll find out next issue) are working hard to explore the complexities of Metropolis in Crisis, Simonson and Bogdonove get the far simpler and less consequential chore of depicting what happens to an amnesia-plagued Superman in the meanwhile. It's a simple tale that requires no real understanding of what is happening in the other titles, and whereas Stern depicted Superman and Mr. Z's journey with an absurdist humor, Simonson and Bogdonove dumb it down to the level of a Looney Tune:     Sex and elementary school humor; I have to wonder whether this is a reflection of Simonson and Bogdonove's limited tastes or (more likely) a desperate appeal to win new readers to the Superman titles. Make a cover that will draw in Superman fans who have stopped following this title, and make an interior that will draw folks only reading Man of Steel into reading the other Superman titles. Not a bad idea. Still, this fourth title has been a thorn in my side for six issues now, and this issue continues to feel like an aberration -- it just doesn't match what's happening in the other three meticulously aligned titles. Take this panel, for example:  It's actually likely the finest panel Bogdanove has yet drawn for this office. It's well composed and tells a clear story, Lex Luthor II's domineering image attempting to impose order over Metropolis, while the powerful figure standing on the lamppost below tells us its not working, and Lois and Prof. Hamilton flee below all this, apart from the madness. Here's the problem: That's NOT the situation in Metropolis at all. All of Metropolis came out to greet Lex Luthor II, who is presented as a benign benefactor and not some maniacal domineering madman. While Metropolis is still in chaos, people ARE listening to him and awaiting his help. Bogdanove doesn't seem to know that, working only from Simonson's script with seemingly no knowledge of how this story is being depicted across the other three sister titles. And while Simonson and Bogdanove do get the opportunity to check in on two more Metropolis residents in this issue, it's hardly the worthwhile experience Stern gave us with Gangbuster and Thorn last time around. I'd been really looking forward to seeing what Bibbo's up to, and the answer is apparently "Not much". He's sitting around in his bar, entirely unaware of and unconcerned with the chaos outside, and does nothing to earn the two pages he is given in this issue:  The Guardian shows up and does even less, crashing through Bibbo's window, articulating a need for Superman, and then leaving. It seems like Carlin assigned these two characters to Simonson and she just did as little with them as possible: "Let's get back to the t&a!" It does seem like Carlin is beginning to understand that this title isn't working. I sincerely appreciate that it got pushed off to the side in this event, tackling none of the main plot in its twenty two pages beyond a brief recap, but that's not a lasting solution. Simonson and Bogdanove still feel like square pegs in a round office six months into this experiment, and that's a major disruption in an office that prides itself on inter-title alignment. |
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Post by shaxper on May 1, 2021 8:54:27 GMT -5
Apologies if jumping from zero reviews in three months to three reviews in 24 hours is a little jarring. I have extremely limited time to myself these days, and so I review when I can! Superman #62 (December 1991)  "Wedding Daze" (Blackout Part 4) Script: Dan Jurgens Pencils: Dan Jurgens Inks: Brett Breeding Colors: Glenn Whitmore Letters: John Costanza Grade: C+ I'm really getting tired of Jurgens' lazy covers. Explain to me exactly what Superman is standing on. And, if he's levitating, why are his feet flat against a surface that isn't present? It's the exact same thing he did with last issue's cover, and it drives me crazy. Well, I'm surprised to see the focus remaining on Superman and his office's take on the old Land-That-Time-Forgot schtick this issue, instead of on Metropolis and its many characters in crisis. We do get five seconds of Agent Liberty showing up to help an overwhelmed Gangbuster and Thorn, but then Lex Luthor II gets the power turned back on, makes best friends with Perry White awfully quick, and confesses some of his inner motives for any reader that was too dumb to suspect something was up:  Is that what's happening? Is Carlin asking all of his writers and artists to dumb down the plots and amp up the sexuality in order to sell more books to the snot-nosed kids that are currently enamored by Marvel and X-titles? After all, I don't recall Lois being a D cup prior to this issue:   and the fight that made the cover of this issue just feels like a very low form of pandering to an immature male audience:  However, Breeding's finishes on Jurgens' art often seems to result in pretty ugly women, so it doesn't work very well. At least the comedy between Superman and Mr. Z is funnier in this issue:  though the art sometimes gets in the way:  Speaking of which, when did Mr. Z get fat?  Grummet, Dwyer, and Bogdanove had him looking a little chunky in the previous chapters, but not huge like this. As for the story itself, it felt every bit as generic as an episode of Gilligan's Island, which is referenced in this issue for no apparent reason:  Lois finds an amnesia-ridden Clark in a land that time forgot with dinosaurs and stuff, and Clark has been betrothed to the chief's daughter. They fight for his love, but only Lois' kiss can restore his memory for good. It's sooooo simplistic and predictable, but at least this climactic moment was hilarious:  Though it's also a bit lazy to reproduce the same panel four times. Have Hamilton move his head or something. I have to say that Blackout is beginning to feel like a wasted opportunity, and when Simonson's writing is no longer CLEARLY the worst across four titles and Bogdanove's art isn't either, it's time to start wondering if this office has veered off the rails. Whatever the case, I'm sticking around at least for the death and return of Superman (only a little more than fifty reviews away), but I really needed Blackout to make up for the awkward and uninspiring year that 1991 has proven to be, and I'm not convinced it's going to be. Minor Details:- Dan Thorsland promises an onslaught of specials and limited series exploring minor characters in the Superman franchise. Did any of these other than Agent Liberty actually come to pass?  If so, I may have even more reviewing to do. |
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Post by profh0011 on May 1, 2021 9:26:38 GMT -5
Whatever the case, I'm sticking around at least for the death and return of Superman (only a little more than fifty reviews away)
I would have sworn this was from sometime AFTER I got fed up and stopped buying Superman comics entirely. I have NO memory of this at all.
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Post by shaxper on May 1, 2021 9:49:48 GMT -5
Whatever the case, I'm sticking around at least for the death and return of Superman (only a little more than fifty reviews away)
I would have sworn this was from sometime AFTER I got fed up and stopped buying Superman comics entirely. I have NO memory of this at all. A good indication of just how memorable it was. Whereas I would argue 1990 may have consisted of the finest Superman storytelling ever, my average grade for the stories of 1991 is roughly a C-. I can only hope 1992 gets better, maybe with Panic In The Sky. |
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Post by chaykinstevens on May 1, 2021 12:40:15 GMT -5
Fortunately, Breeding draws pretty ugly women, so it doesn't work very well. At least the comedy between Superman and Mr. Z is funnier in this issue: though Breeding's art sometimes gets in the way: Isn't Breeding just the inker? - Dan Thorsland promises an onslaught of specials and limited series exploring minor characters in the Superman franchise. Did any of these other than Agent Liberty actually come to pass? I think Agent Liberty was the only one published immediately, but Gangbuster stories written by Jerry Ordway turned up later in Showcase '95 #10 and Showcase '96 #7, and there was a Guardians of Metropolis mini featuring Guardian and the Newsboy Legion by Karl Kesel and Kieron Dwyer in 1994, Thorn written by Roger Stern in Showcase '95 #4 & 5 and a Bibbo story by Mike Carlin and Denis Rodier in Showcase '95 #6. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on May 1, 2021 13:59:19 GMT -5
Isn't Breeding just the inker? Good question, and something I probably should have explained better in the review. Jurgens has been providing layouts only for the better part of 1991, and his art hasn't looked the same since. This is the first issue in a long while where he gets full penciler credits, but I'm not convinced. I'm certainly not enjoying his art the way I used to. Thanks so much for this! |
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Post by codystarbuck on May 1, 2021 14:48:52 GMT -5
I haven't read this stuff since it originally came out and my memory is non-existent on this stuff; but, did want to comment on one thing. Rose & Thorn. Thorn, in and of herself may not feel like much of a character; but, as you seem to indicate, when you meet Rose, you understand what the hook of this character was, when she appeared in the 70s (as opposed tot he original Rose & Thorn, from the Golden Age). My cousin had one of the Lois Lane issues, where Rose &Thorn acted as a back-up feature and it grabbed me immediately. There was a real hook to the Multiple Personality Disorder, which was given an organic and believable motivation. Then, you saw it in action as the meek little Rose gives way to the assertive and dangerous Thorn, who goes out and busts heads, fighting the hoods of the 100. She was beautiful, dressed like a stripper and she busts heads; and adolescent male dream! There was something that could get a guy to read a Lois Lane comic, aside from Superman or the seemingly endless bondage covers that permeated the series, at one stage (there is about a year in there where that was a constant cover feature). The feature got some mileage beyond that, but it got pushed into the background more and more. They were trying to revive it again; but, I think DC had the wrong people handling the feature to have made it more than just a storyline or a supporting character. I think Matt Wagner showed the kind of thing that could have been done, with Grendel, as did sister-in-law Diana Schutz, in the Grendel mini, Devil's Child. John Ostrander and Kim Yale would have done something interesting with it, as they did with Enchantress, in Suicide Squad.
Re: the unproduced specials; DC, around this time frame, was announcing all kinds of projects that never saw fruition or ended up being seen, in another form, later. I went to a Heroes Con, in 1991 or 1992 and about every other artist was going to be working on a Lobo project and I don't believe a single one was ever published. Around that same time, at the Atlanta Fantasy Fair, I met Matt Wagner and John K Snyder III and they were working on a Doctor Mid-Nite mini-series, and had some promotional art on display, as well as the un-released Batman/Grendel. The latter was held up due to legalities with Comico's bankruptcy that interfered with Wagner's ownership; but, the former was a DC project. It didn't get published until 1999. Snyder wasn't Kirby fast; but, he wasn't that slow, even with the techniques he was using (it was all painted art).
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