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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2015 17:46:02 GMT -5
Superman Family #176 - Is one of those fun stories of Jimmy Olsen and Superman. Thanks for sharing your thoughts; Scott Harris and your write up on this book is right on the $$$$$!
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Crimebuster
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Post by Crimebuster on Feb 14, 2015 21:45:59 GMT -5
Going forward, there's going to be a lack of images in these reviews, unless something really strikes me.
I've realized that even though it only takes me a few minutes, the little thumbnails I do for each month are discouraging me from continuing, because they are a drag to make. Every time I think about reading the next batch, I think, ah, but I gotta make that thumbnail first.
So to get things moving again, I'm just skipping the thumbnail part and getting right down to it.
Of course, it would also speed things up if these comics didn't suck so hard, but that, I can't fix.
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Post by Crimebuster on Feb 14, 2015 23:02:42 GMT -5
February, 1976
Superman #299: This gets confusing, so I'll try to keep it as simple as possible. Clark's neighbor/alien has set it up so that Superman has become a living bomb, and when he exerts enough energy, he'll blow up the whole planet. To get him to exert that much energy, the alien teleports his 9 deadliest villains into his apartment, then beams them around the world. Superman chases them down and defeats them all so easily you have to wonder what the big problem usually is. He figures out the alien's plot, too, and realizes that the whole "powerless as Clark Kent" thing is just because all of his business suits have been treated with an alien chemical. Well, that's pretty pedestrian. Superman captures the alien, and with the powerless thing no longer an issue, he decides to keep living his double life, because he is both Clark Kent - and Superman! THE END! My Grade: C. Kind of a boilerplate Superman adventure, which is a letdown, but not a surprise.
Action Comics #459: Blackrock, the new superhero in town, is bumbling things up in his search for glory, and Superman doesn't like it. Blackrock doesn't think much of Superman either, so he zaps Superman with some kind of TV signal that turns Superman's head into a satellite dish - he just keeps getting bombarded with TV programming beamed right into his head. Superman traces the signal to the boardroom of the TV exec who commissioned Blackrock's creation last issue in order to drum up ratings. What the exec doesn't know is that... he himself is Blackrock! Yes, it's some kind of split personality whatever. Superman manages to defeat him. THE END! Who, the backup is a new installment of the Private Life of Clark Kent! When did that move to Action?! Hey, I'm not complaining though - what a massive upgrade from The Atom. Anyway, someone kidnaps a guy who is a very thinly veiled version of Muhammad Ali. Clark accidentally discovers this, and the ransom money, and the location of the boxer, all entirely by sheer luck and total random coincidence. He frees the champ, who then composes a terrible poem about it. THE END!! My Grade: C.
Notes: The ending to this big three part Superman story was depressingly status quo. It started with so much promise, but they had to just go back to standard operating procedure. And the defeat of his 9 biggest enemies in about four minutes flat really made them all look like incompetent saps. And, by extension, Superman, given his usual struggles against each of them. I don't think this served anyone well.
Also... so, Clark's neighbor teleports 9 of Superman's deadliest archenemies, including Brainiac and Lex Luthor, into Clark Kent's apartment. And none of them are curious enough about this sudden kidnapping to even explore the room? And thereby learn Superman's secret identity? Is Terra Man really that enthralling of a conversationalist?
Action #459 had an odd subplot that didn't go anywhere - Lola Barnett, who left Morgan Edge's TV station and signed up with the competition last issue, is mentioned in every scene with Morgan Edge. Edge is really upset about her leaving the company, while Clark is defending her. Yet she doesn't actually show up in the story proper, and this goes nowhere. Building for a future issue I guess?
Sales figures! Yay!
Superman: 296,000
Action Comics: 229,000
What does this mean? Amazingly enough, for the first time since we started this back in 1970, sales have actually gone up on Superman! Last year, the average was at 285,684. So it looks as though consolidating the Superman line down to fewer titles might have actually had some small benefit.
Then again, maybe not: Action is down again, from 237,166. Still, that's a pretty small decline compared to last time, when it had lost 15% of its readers in one year.
The news isn't all good, though. Though Superman's average was 296,000, the issue nearest to filing date only sold 221,000, which is a huge dip. And Action's nearest issue was only 197,000. Whether or not those numbers are a sign of what's to come, I'mnot sure - but, let's face it, they are. I think this year of holding steady is going to be an anomaly in an otherwise unbroken downward sales spiral.
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Post by JKCarrier on Feb 15, 2015 16:54:14 GMT -5
The ending to this big three part Superman story was depressingly status quo. It started with so much promise, but they had to just go back to standard operating procedure. And the defeat of his 9 biggest enemies in about four minutes flat really made them all look like incompetent saps. And, by extension, Superman, given his usual struggles against each of them. I don't think this served anyone well. I wonder if the storyline was originally intended to run through issue #300, but for some reason they changed their minds at the last minute? It would explain why #299 is so cramped and rushed. |
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Crimebuster
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Post by Crimebuster on Feb 16, 2015 11:40:38 GMT -5
The ending to this big three part Superman story was depressingly status quo. It started with so much promise, but they had to just go back to standard operating procedure. And the defeat of his 9 biggest enemies in about four minutes flat really made them all look like incompetent saps. And, by extension, Superman, given his usual struggles against each of them. I don't think this served anyone well. I wonder if the storyline was originally intended to run through issue #300, but for some reason they changed their minds at the last minute? It would explain why #299 is so cramped and rushed. it's possible. That had occurred to me as well. Having him face off against all his archenemies is a standard anniversary issue thing to do. As it is, though, the fights in #299 are just dumb. He defeats Mr. Mxyzptlk in one panel by dropping a rock on his head and knocking him out. With a thought balloon that says something like, "I'll get him to say his name backwards later, I don't have time to worry about it now." Well, geez, dude, why did you waste so much energy all the other times this guy showed up? Just clock him and be done with it! |
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Post by dbutler69 on Feb 16, 2015 12:20:56 GMT -5
Going forward, there's going to be a lack of images in these reviews, unless something really strikes me. I've realized that even though it only takes me a few minutes, the little thumbnails I do for each month are discouraging me from continuing, because they are a drag to make. Every time I think about reading the next batch, I think, ah, but I gotta make that thumbnail first. So to get things moving again, I'm just skipping the thumbnail part and getting right down to it. Of course, it would also speed things up if these comics didn't suck so hard, but that, I can't fix. That's fine. These reviews are still a lot of fun to read, even without pretty pictures. |
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Post by paulie on Feb 16, 2015 15:00:16 GMT -5
Feb '76 was a non World's Finest month? Too bad. H+ for Haney is always a good thing in my book.
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Post by Crimebuster on Feb 16, 2015 15:28:34 GMT -5
Yeah, only two books that month. I think World's Finest was on a 8 or 9 times a month schedule, while Superman Family was bi-monthly, and they both happened to have an off month at the same time.
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Post by Crimebuster on Feb 19, 2015 1:08:14 GMT -5
March 1976
Superman #300: Cary Bates and Elliott S! Maggin end their Superman run with a bang (they're still on Action, though, so don't get too verklempt). The high concept of this anniversary issue: Superman's rocket lands "today" - 1976 - and thus he becomes an adult in the distant world of 2001. Actually, most of the story happens in 1990. Superman's rocket is found by the Americans, who secretly raise him as "Skyboy." Some dastardly Soviets decide to start World War III just because, but Skyboy stops them. He then comes to the weird decision that he has to stop using his powers, because if he keeps using them... what, humanity won't succeed in destroying themselves? I don't know. Anyway, fast forward to 2001, these same villains send a robot to America, claiming the robot is "Skyboy." The real Skyboy shows up, now calling himself Superman, and he wrecks the robot. THE END! My Grade: B-. Great concept, great cover, typical execution. Action Comics #460: An alien secretly lives on Earth because he's deathly allergic to superpowered spacemen. Unfortunately, he moves to Metropolis. WHOOPS! He and Superman have a fight, but he affects Superman just as Superman affects him. So it's a draw. The alien deduces Superman's secret identity, so he goes to kill Superman. Unfortunately, he gets the wrong man: Stave Lombard! TO BE CONTINUED!!! In the backup, Mr. Myxztplk decides to pick on Pete Ross's son while Superman is off in space. Pete's son, who knows Superman's secret identity from a previous issue (Action #457 I think? The pedo-Superman cover?), decides to save Superman some time and tricks Myxztplk into saying his name backwards. Of course, he could have just beaned Myxztplk with a rock, that works too. THE END!! My Grade: B. Interesting setup in the main story. We'll see if they manage a decent payoff. Superman Family #177: An enormous jackass - not literally - comes to Earth. According to his people's star charts, which they use like a ouija board, if he marries Supergirl, he will gain such power that he conquer the universe. And since he sucks, he decides to just pummel her until she submits. Luckily, he's also a moron, so Supergirl tricks him by messing up his star chart so he believes the initial prophecy was wrong. THE END! My Grade: C. How many utter jerks are there in the universe who want to force Supergirl to marry them? This is like the 10,000th guy. World's Finest #238: The Super-Sexism of the Haneyverse is on full display right from the get go here, as Batman Jr. and Superman Jr. save a girl from getting beat up, only to demand payment in the form of kisses. The girl, of course, immediately falls for Superman Jr., so Batman Jr. spends just about every panel making comments and innuendo until finally she manages to get away from them. Turns out she's playing along with their bullcrap because she's Lex Luthor's daughter and she's using them as patsies to spring Lex from prison. Which she does. because they are total patsies. Anyway, Lex is like, "daughter? Wha-huh?!" Turns out she's from Lexor. They have problems, there - a mystery virus turning people into bumbling giants. Lex, of course, planted this virus as part of a daft plan to force the people of Lexor to free him from prison, so he's fine with going back. Once he gets there, though, he realizes everyone is boned, because a metiorite has unfortunately just happened to land on his laboratory, so he can't make an antidote. He rails against the whims of fate; sadly, he does it out loud for some reason, so his daughter overhears his accidental confession that he planted the virus. This matters, because the Super-Sons stowed away on the rocket to Lexor and have been captured by the cops. Superman Jr. is still jonesing for a little bit of action from Lex's daughter, while she pines for his sweet, forceful and unwanted sexual advances. She convinces Lex to get Superman Jr. to help by flying into the "Lost Zone" to get venom from a Lexorian dinosaur. This venom will counteract the gigatism virus, because: Science. Superman Jr. and Batman Jr. head intot he zone and Superman defeats a dinosaur after briefly turning into a giant. Batman Jr. contributes absolutely nothing other than some bad quips; he's basically live blogging Superman Jr.'s heroics. In the end, Lexor is saved and Lex's daughter forces Lex to return to Earth to finish out his prison sentence. THE END!!! My Grade: H+. It's fantastic what a totally useless jerk Batman Jr. is throughout this entire issue. Notes: The depiction of the "future" in Superman #300 is kind of hilarious. There are all the flying cars and 3D TV projectors and force bubbles and everything from sci-fi depictions of the future, yet somehow this stuff is supposed to happen all in the 14 years between 1976 and 1990. Sure. They also give America a female president in 1990, which is pretty forward thinking. And the fashions are as silly as the floating easy chairs; c'mon, guys, men have been wearing suits for well over 150 years now. Is fashion really going to change so drastically in 14 years that everyone is wearing space onesies? More sales figures! Comparing last year to this year: Superman Family #171- 221,429 Superman Family #177- 170,000 Ouch! World's Finest #230 - 242,726 World's Finest #238 - 186,000 Holy nut punch!  Wow. After Haney started so strong with the introduction of the Super-Sons, this title suddenly went straight into the dumper. I'm going to call this the "Metamorpho Effect." I don't really know why sales took such a massive nosedive, but the writing is clearly on the wall for Haney and company. Combined with the arrival of Jenette Kahn as head honcho, we're in line for a major editorial shakeup on this title very, very soon. And Superman Family is doing just as bad. It took will have some format changes, which thankfully will result in more original content and less dirty reprints. A strange year; the two main titles pretty much held steady, with Superman going up slightly and Action going down slightly, but the other books in the Superman family of comics both took a complete header. Yet neither book ends up getting cancelled, and within two years, the franchise adds another title in the form of DC Comics Presents. Are sales going to rebound? Or are DC's sales so bad overall that even massive losses like these are still considered solid by comparison? We'll see, but I'm guessing the latter.
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Crimebuster
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Post by Crimebuster on Feb 20, 2015 0:04:00 GMT -5
April, 1976
Superman #301: Meanwhile, on Earth-2, Solomon Grundy suddenly has an idea: If there are two Green Lanterns, there might be two Solomon Grundys! So he.. uh... walks to Earth-1... and goes on a rampage trying to find his double. Superman spends a few pages getting his butt handed to hi in spectacular fashion, before he comes up with the meanest trick in history: He dresses up as "Solomon Grundy," pretends to be friends with the Earth-2 Grundy, flies him to the moon and dumps him there! Grundy is left wondering why his only friend just abandoned him forever in space. Wow. The super return of Superdickery! My Grade: B. More below.
Action Comics #461: The alien, whose name is Karb-Brak, attacks Steve Lombard, mistaking him for Superman. The real Superman shows up and saves Steve, then gets away before another fight busts loose. Karb-Brak figures out - using his Psi-Machine - that Superman is actually Clark Kent. He uses the machine to cause everyone in Metropolis to love Clark Kent. They follow him everywhere, making it impossible for him to become Superman without being seen, Karb_brak attacks at this point, and Clark has no choice but to reveal his identity. He fights off Karb-Brak, who flees. Superman follows him, and uses the Psi-Machine to cause everyone in Metropolis to forget that he's Superman. Karb-Brak then surrenders and says that Superman can either leave the planet, or be responsible for Karb-Brak's death due to his allergic reaction to other aliens. TO BE CONTINUED!! Hey Superman, how about you just dump him on the moon. That should work. Anyway. In the backup, Perry White tells his grandchildren a story of the days when he was an enterprising newsboy during the depression and managed to save a guy from being shot. He doesn't seem to realize it, but the story reads exactly like an issue of Jimmy Olsen, only without the cross-dressing. THE END!! My Grade: B-. The backup was decent.
World's Finest #239: A farm blows up. Superman and Batman investigate and discover that the seemingly deranged old couple who survived the farmplosion are actually giving clues to an alien invasion! This is helped when a local kid reveals that he found some debris from an alien spaceship that just happens to be a map of Earth showing they are about to target Gotham City. That's a pretty fortuitous find, kid! What are the odds. Superman, naturally, decides the best way to figure this out is to personally visit every planet in the entire universe one at a time to see if any of them have metals matching the debris. Good thinking. That is an efficient way to do things.
While Superman is screwing around in some distant galaxy, Batman gets creamed by an UFO. Gold of the Metal Men, who is there for just such an occasion, responds by sending a radio signal into space to tell Superman to come back.
14 million years later, the radio signal reaches Superman and... no, wait, somehow he gets it immediately. What the hell kind of radio is Gold using?! Superman returns and implements a truly ridiculous plan that involves tossing Gold into space, replacing the comatose Batman with a lifelike Batman dummy, and hiding in the Fortress of Solitude. This basically accomplishes nothing, except while floating in space, Gold notices the alien ship.
Superman follows it back to its homeworld. Once again, though, Gold and Batman decide they really need to chat with Superman right away. Instead of using their magic radio, Gold turns himself into a wire and stretches himself untold billions of miles through space, whereupon Batman uses the wire to transmit Morse code. All of this happening more or less instantaneously, because Gold can stretch himself at faster than light speeds.
The message? Please don't blow up the alien planet. Does Superman really need to be reminded not to commit genocide? Superman discovers the aliens were just testing some gizmos. he tells them to knock it off, and goes home. THE END!!! My Grade: What the actual screw?
Notes: Talk about a shock to the system. Superman #301 rolls in and all of a sudden, we've lost Bates+Maggin - and more importantly, long time Superman legend Curt Swan. He's gone, replaced by Jose Garcia Lopez, while Gerry Conway takes over the writing.
The book instantly looks and feels more modern. And Conway brings Superman into line with the rest of the DCU by immediately dragging in continuity elements from other titles, something we have seen very little of; besides references to both his own JSA title on Earth-2 and the current adventures of the JLA, Conway bases the whole plot on an old Green Lantern team-up. Heck, he even drops an Inter-Gang reference for the first time in years. It's a very, very Marvel issue in many ways.
In others, no so much. Superman gets his disguise plan because earlier, he pulls off something similar, but much dumber, when he uses super speed, super hypnotism and super whatever the plot calls for, to somehow switch places with an unwitting Steve Lombard, who temporarily thinks he's Clark Kent. Some classic Superman secret identity idiocy. This issue is a step in the right direction, as much as I love Swan. But it needs less of these kinds of hijinx. Please. 38 years worth of that stuff should have been enough by now.
Don't worry, though, Bates and Swan are still doing their thing in Action Comics for now. And Haney is still being Haney. Bit of dialogue from this issue. Batman: "You mean, it had to come from outer space? Hmm. Hard to believe!" He says to Superman.
Finally, this month "DC Salutes the Bicentennial" with a banner across the top of all their comics. Of course, these issues came out in April, making it the bicentennial of nothing. But, details, I guess. Each cover is numbered 1 through 33 so you can collect them all. 33 is a lot considering they were down to just 23 titles a couple years earlier. I'd be curious to know if this bicentennial cover gimmick led to any increase in sales, but I don't think there's any way of knowing. It wouldn't surprise me if at least a few people got 1776 fever and bought them all.
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Post by Action Ace on Feb 20, 2015 0:17:27 GMT -5
Wow. After Haney started so strong with the introduction of the Super-Sons, this title suddenly went straight into the dumper. I'm going to call this the "Metamorpho Effect." I don't really know why sales took such a massive nosedive, but the writing is clearly on the wall for Haney and company. Combined with the arrival of Karen Berger as head honcho, we're in line for a major editorial shakeup on this title very, very soon. I think you were going for Jenette Khan. Karen Berger would have been in high school in 1976. |
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Crimebuster
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Post by Crimebuster on Feb 20, 2015 1:11:49 GMT -5
Wow. After Haney started so strong with the introduction of the Super-Sons, this title suddenly went straight into the dumper. I'm going to call this the "Metamorpho Effect." I don't really know why sales took such a massive nosedive, but the writing is clearly on the wall for Haney and company. Combined with the arrival of Karen Berger as head honcho, we're in line for a major editorial shakeup on this title very, very soon. I think you were going for Jenette Khan. Karen Berger would have been in high school in 1976. She was very precocious. But you're right. |
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Post by Rob Allen on Feb 20, 2015 15:32:15 GMT -5
The Bicentennial was huge - people talked about it and had events of various kinds for months in advance of July 4. The banner on DC comics didn't seem incongruous at the time.
I'm looking forward to the Tricentennial in 2076. July 4 that year will be about six months before my 120th birthday.
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Post by Crimebuster on Feb 22, 2015 12:39:06 GMT -5
I'm just old enough to almost remember bicentennial fever, so I know what a big deal it was. I'm just skeptical that it led to more sales. But it might have; I am kind of interested myself in maybe putting together a set of these just because. There were probably at least a few fans at the time that felt the same.
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Post by Calamas on Feb 22, 2015 14:42:53 GMT -5
I vaguely remember the Freedom Train. In comics, Bob Haney did something with this in Brave & Bold, #121 with the Metal Men. I read it as a back issue. He called it The Liberty Train. It appeared, however, well before the bi-centennial banner issue, which was #128.
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