By Adam Hughes, Lee Bermejo & John Nyberg (WildStorm/DC Comics)
ISBN: 978-1-84023-328-5
The hoary old amnesia/mistaken identity plot gets a wonderfully tongue-in-cheek dusting off in this far, far above-average cross-company team-up when the highly proper Man of Steel meets the wild and wooly super-powered drop-outs of Gen 13.
Freefall, Burnout, Rainmaker and Grunge are pretty typical Generation X teens – apart from their superpowers – and they’re pretty bummed that the stiff and prissy Fairchild gets to choose their next vacation destination. But they’re frankly appalled when she decides to take them to Metropolis, home of the biggest boy-scout in the universe.
When the team stumbles upon a super-battle and the “nearly†invulnerable Fairchild gets a formidable shot to the head from a gigantic robot Gorilla, their troubles really begin. Confused, the pneumatic leader wanders off, and deducing that she’s actually Supergirl, causes swathes of destruction whilst trying to remember how to use her “other superpowers.†And then her friends realize with horror that she was holding all the spending money!
Unable to find her and getting pretty peckish, the team has to swallow their collective scorn and actually ask the Stiff of Steel for help, and the World’s Most Perfect Hero comes to realise that even he isn’t invulnerable to the mockery of the “Cool Kids†in this brilliantly funny generation gap comedy from scripter Adam Hughes and artists Bermejo and Nyberg.
Fast, funny, action-packed and loaded with brilliant one-liners that hark back to the glory-days of the Giffen/DeMatteis/Maguire Justice League International this slim tale is as fresh and delightful a confection as any jaded, angst-laden fan could wish for. Track it down and cleanse your palate before the next braided-mega-epic rumbles along.
When Superman was re-imagined after Crisis on Infinite Earths, many of his more omnipotent abilities were discarded. He was a limited hero, more in touch with humanity because he wasn’t so far above it. One thing that was abandoned was his casual ability to travel through time.
Indeed, rather than being able to navigate the chronal corridors with ease, in this splendid epic from 1991 (originally published as Action Comics #663-665, Adventures of Superman #476-478, and Superman volume 2 #54-55 plus epilogues from #61 and 73) he is trapped in a cataclysmic temporal warp, bounced around from era to era and unable to return to his home and loved ones.
When a rogue Linear Man, (self appointed guardians of the Time Stream) tries to return the hero Booster Gold to the 25th century he originated from, Superman intervenes, but a tremendous explosion sends him careening through time. Each “landing†leaves him in a significant period of Earth’s history and only gigantic explosions can launch him back into the time stream.
As well as the mandatory “walking with dinosaurs†the Man of Steel also meets the World War II Justice Society of America, fights Nazis in the Warsaw Ghetto, tussles with a mammoth, fights The Demon during the fall of Camelot and encounters the Legion of Super Heroes at three critical points of their career.
This hugely enjoyable epic is by Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Roger Stern, Bob McLeod, Brett Breeding, Dennis Janke, Tom Grummett, and Jose Marzan and is both highly readable and cheerfully accessible for both returning and first time fans.
When Superman was re-imagined after the epic Crisis on Infinite Earths, one of the major aims was to add drama and tension by reducing his god-like abilities. As well as making him more vulnerable, many of the more charming, but just plain daft stand-bys of the Man of Steel were abandoned. So goodbye flying off to the next galaxy and being back by lunch-time, and no more drop-kicking planets; Superman was now tough but still had the capacity to be shocked and awed by the very concept of deep space. He was also more human and flawed in his personality.
This collection is a superb slice of pure comic wonderment for fans of action and adventure and collects stories from a period when DC was trying to reach new readers with their oldest icon, so the material here can be enjoyed by anyone, and there’s no need for a vast and specific knowledge of the character.
When trapped in a pocket dimension he had been forced to execute three super-criminals who had killed every living thing on their Earth and were determined to do the same to ours. Although given no choice, Superman’s actions plagued him, and on his return his subconscious caused him to stalk the streets in a fugue-state dealing out brutal justice to criminals in the guise of Gangbuster. When he finally made aware of his schizophrenic condition Superman banished himself before he could do any lasting harm to Earth.
And thus the door to a fabulous saga of action and adventure opens. In the more than 300 pages here we see an endearingly human hero rediscover his purpose, revel in his sense of cosmic wonder and even discover some dark secrets about the lost planet Krypton. The epic concludes with a rapidly weakening hero (deprived of Sol’s rays his powers quickly fade) battling as a gladiator and overthrowing the monstrous Mongul and the hordes of the giant battle-planet Warworld, before returning to Earth with the most powerful device in Kryptonian history.
If he had only known how much trouble The Eradicator would cause he would have left it where it was, but since he didn’t we get to enjoy even more thrills and chills in subsequent collections as brilliant and engrossing as this one…
By John Francis Moore, Kieron Dwyer & Hilary Barta (DC Comics)
ISBN: 1-56389-526-9
I’ll make this short and sweet. This book collects a three part miniseries from the Elseworlds imprint, wherein DC properties are extracted from regular continuity for radical and extraordinary tales. The basic premise is simple.
When baby Kal-El’s rocket is sent to Earth from doomed Krypton it is intercepted before arrival and lands on Apokolips, the world of Evil New Gods. The Last Son of Krypton is personally raised by the ultimate dictator Darkseid, and on reaching his majority, irrevocably changes the universe. And then he reaches Earth and meets a reporter named Lois Lane…
For any fan of Jack Kirby’s Fourth World, and the original Superman, this is a loving and powerful homage to magnificent concepts, mercifully free to reach a natural conclusion, unencumbered by the publisher’s need to keep all commercially viable characters alive and adventuring forevermore.
Written with wit and enthusiasm and magnificently illustrated Superman: The Dark Side packs an epic punch for all fans of high fantasy.
By Alan Moore, Curt Swan, George Perez & Kurt Schaffenberger (DC Comics)
ISBN: 1-56389-315-0
Superman first appeared in Action Comics #1, sometime in April 1938 (the date on the cover was June, but that was, by custom, the date by which unsold copies had to be returned – and hard it is to imagine that there were any!). An instant sensation, the Man of Steel promptly spawned a veritable infinitude of imitators, and gave birth to a genre, if not an industry. The Original outlived most of them, growing and adapting, creating a pantheon and a mythology, delighting millions of readers over the generations.
In the 50th anniversary year of DC Comics, editors decided that modern readers had moved beyond the old style and continuity, and consequently re-imagined the DC universe and everything in it. Crisis on Infinite Earths unmade that universe, and remade the greatest heroes in it. The editors have spent the intervening years since trying to change it all back again.
None of which is particularly relevant, except that in the lead-up to the big change, departing Editor Julius Schwartz turned his last issues of Superman and Action Comics (#423 and #583 respectively) into a gift of closure for the devoted fans who had followed Superman for all their lives – if not his. With them all concerned said goodbye to a certain kind of hero and a particular type of story. They made way for a tougher, harder universe with less time for charm or fun.
This slim tome collects the contents of those two issues, and was released to commemorate the passing of artist Curt Swan, who had drawn the vast majority of Superman family tales for more than three decades.
‘Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?’ is a glorious ending to an era and a sensibility, written by Alan Moore, stunningly drawn by Swan, and inked by George Perez and the hugely underrated Kurt Schaffenberger. In it, Moore parades for one last time the characters and concepts that made Superman special, and shows the reader just how much will be lost when the World changes.
He manages to instil modern narrative values into the most comfortably traditional scenarios, making the tale work in modern terms whilst keeping the charm, whimsy and inherent decency of the characters. It is a magical feat, a genuine Gotterdammerung; full of tragedy, nobility and heroism but with a happy ending nonetheless. I’m not going to tell you the plot, other than to say it details the last days of the World’s Greatest Superhero. Be prepared to cry when you read it.
This is a story every comic fan, let alone DC reader, should know, and even works as an introduction as well as a grand farewell.
This outrageous pastiche of B-Movie shockers is in actual fact a selective collection of tales that highlight a period of superb creativity from the post Crisis on Infinite Earths Superman reboot. If you’re counting, they first appeared in Man of Steel #4, Superman #2, 19, 21 and Action Comics #600, 660, 668, 670-73, 676-678.
‘The Secret Revealed’ saw Luthor with a ring made from Kryptonite that kept Superman literally at arms length. Subsequent stories revealed that the alien radiation of the element slowly poisoned Luthor, firstly causing the loss of his hand and eventually fatally irradiating his entire body. As his power waned and his condition became public, the evil billionaire seemed to commit suicide in a spectacular manner.
The resulting financial chaos threatened to destroy the economy of Metropolis, but at the last moment a young, vigorous heir was found living secretly in the Australian Outback. Apparently Luthor had been keeping him hidden to safeguard the lad, but now he was grown and ready to take over his father’s empire…
If you’re any kind of fantasy fan then this book’s title is all the clue you’ll need before engaging in a splendidly paranoid romp of clones and monsters, intrigue and suspense and guest-starring the synthetic Supergirl called Matrix.
This kind of close-plotted continuity was a hallmark of the 1980s and 1990s Superman, and that such a strong tale could be constituted from the bits around the main story is a lasting tribute to the efficacy and power of the technique.
By Kurt Busiek & various (DC Comics)
ISBN13: 978-1-84576-744-0
This slim volume collects three Superman adventures linked by a spiritual theme. ‘Angel’ (from Superman #659) is by Kurt Busiek, Fabian Nicieza, Peter Vale, Carlos Pacheco and Jesus Merino. Set in the early days of the Man of Tomorrow’s career it tells the tragic tale of devout Christian Barbara Johnson who confuses Superman with an actual heavenly messenger, and begins a crusade to remove sin from her neighbourhood, armed with the knowledge that God’s red caped Angel will keep her from harm.
‘Redemption’ (Action Comics #848-849) tells a much darker story about faith. Fabian Nicieza, Allan Goldman and Ron Randall introduce an awesomely powerful young hero who acts as protector for missionaries of the proselytising First Church of Redemption, but whose uncontrolled might causes a disaster. Superman must determine if faith indeed has removed mountains, or if a darker force is behind the slaughter.
Finally from Superman #666 Busiek and Walter Simonson reveal ‘The Beast from Krypton’, a macabre chiller guest-starring The Phantom Stranger, wherein the Man of Steel is possessed by the last surviving demon from his home planet.
Superman has often been likened to Judaeo-Christian figures such as Christ and Moses, and many writers have dabbled with interpretations of his “God-like abilitiesâ€. It is most welcome to find writers prepared to broach, however timidly, some of the more contentious issues surrounding modern religion as well as the Champion/Deity archetypes. It also doesn’t hurt when the stories are thoughtful, well-paced, exciting and very good to look at.
By Bob Haney & Dick Dillin (DC Comics)
ISBN13: 978-1-84576-672-6
Are you old enough to yearn for simpler times?
The brilliant expediency of the 52 concept lends the daftest tale from DC’s back catalogue credibility and contemporary resonance since there’s now a chance that even the hippest and most happening of the modern pantheon can visit/interact with the most outrageous world or concept in DC’s long history. So this collection of well told tales from the 1970s, supplemented by tales from more self-conscious times, can be reprinted with a clear continuity-conscience without even the most strident fan complaining.
Written by Bob Haney and drawn mostly by Dick Dillin, the Super-Sons appeared with no fanfare in World’s Finest Comics #215, 1972; a bad time for superhero comics, but a great era for teen rebels. The free-wheeling, easy-rider, end of the flower-power days saw a huge focus on “teen consciousness†and the “Generation Gap†was a phrase on many lips. The editors clearly saw a way to make arch-establishment characters instantly pertinent and relevant, and being mercifully oblivious to the constraints of continuity (some would say logic) simply produced tales of the rebellious teen sons of the World’s Greatest Heroes out of whole cloth.
And well constructed, well told tales they are. In “Saga of the Super Sons†(inked by Henry Scarpelli) the young heroes run away from home – on the inevitable motorcycle, natch! – and encounter a scurrilous gang-lord. But worry not, the paternalistic parents are keeping a wary eye on the lads! Speaking as someone who was the target market for this experiment, I can admit that the parental overview grated then and still does, but as there were so many sequels somebody must have liked it.
“Little Town With a Big Secret†appeared in the very next issue, another human-scale human interest tale, but with a science-fiction twist and the superb inking of Murphy Anderson. WF # 221 featured “Cry Not For My Forsaken Son!†by the same team, which showed a troubled son the difference between value and worth, and the value of a father as opposed to a biological parent. Issue #222 “Evil in Paradise†(inked by Vince Colletta) took the young heroes to an undiscovered Eden to resolve the ancient question of whether Man was intrinsically Good or Evil.
“The Shocking Switch of the Super-Sons†(WF #224, and also inked by Colletta) took teen rebellion to its most logical conclusion as a psychologist convinces the boys to trade fathers! “Crown For a New Batman!†is a definite change of pace as Bruce Jr. inherits the Mantle and the Mission when his father is murdered! But never fear, all was not as it seemed, fans! This thriller first appeared in WF #228, and was inked by Tex Blaisdell, who also inked Curt Swan, artist for the more traditional Lost Civilisation yarn “The Girl That Time Forgotâ€, from WF #230.
The Relevancy Era was well over by the time Haney, Dillin and Blaisdell crafted “Hero is a Dirty Name†(WF #231), wherein the Sons question the motivation for heroism, and in #233’s “World Without Men†(inked by John Calnan) they tackle sexual equality and unravelled a plot to supplant human males. “The Angel With a Dirty Nameâ€, by the same team (WF #238) is a villains ‘n’ monsters slug-fest indistinguishable from any other super tale, and the original series ends with WF #242’s “Town of the Timeless Killersâ€, illustrated by Ernie Chua and John Calnan, wherein the kids are trapped in a haunted ghost-town and stalked by immortal gunslingers; an ignominious close to a bold experiment.
The kids made a one-stop return in “Final Secret of the Super-Sons†by Denny O’Neil, Rich Buckler and Dick Giordano (WF #263) when it was revealed that they were a simulation running on Superman’s giant Computer. In a grim indication of how much of a chokehold shared continuity had grown into, they then escaped into “reality†anyway…
The collection concludes with a short tale by Haney and Kieron Dwyer that appeared in Elseworlds 80-Page Giant. “Superman Jr. is No More!†is a charming and fitting conclusion to this odd, charming and idiosyncratic mini-saga.
If you’re not chained to continuity why not take a look at a few gems (and one or two duds) from a era where everybody read comics and nobody took them too seriously?
By Greg Rucka, Karl Kerschl & others (DC Comics)
ISBN 1-84576-244-4
Collecting Adventures of Superman issues #640-641 and #644-647, this slim volume reprints the final stages in the meandering, angst and testosterone cocktail of the revenge obsessed villain Ruin who had waged a campaign of hate and destruction against the Man of Steel and his closest friends.
With inelegant haste – presumably to clear the decks for the looming Infinite Crisis storylines – Superman, with guest-stars Zatanna and Steel, plough their way through a veritable rogue’s gallery comprising the Toyman, OMACs, the new Parasites, Lex Luthor and even Mr. Mxyzptlk, before the final confrontation with the vengeance-crazed Ruin, who is promptly defeated and revealed to be just who you expected him to be.
Although rushed and disappointingly written by Greg Rucka, Nunzio Defilippis and Christina Weir – through, I’m sure, no fault of their own – the art by Karl Kerschl, Renato Guedes, Darryl Banks, Adam Dekraker, Wayne Faucher, Cam Smith and Robin Riggs, and vibrant colouring of Guedes and Tanya & Richard Horie is varied and wonderfully effective. Illustration fans will at least have something to applaud in this otherwise shiny pretty, vapid pot-boiler that can only satisfy the completist fan.
By Kurt Busiek, Carlos Pacheco & Jesus Merino (DC Comics)
ISBN 1-84576-434-X
After the never-ending calamity of DC Comics’Â Infinite Crisis event, the company re-set the time line of all their publications to begin one year later. This enabled them to refit their characters as they saw fit, provide a jumping on point for new converts and also give themselves some narrative wiggle-room.
The first major story-line for the Man of Steel (collecting Superman #654-658) in the post-Infinite Crisis world has him confronted by the morally ambivalent magician Arion, survivor of Ancient Atlantis (when it was above the waves and not filled with mermaids). The mighty mage informs him that his never-ending battle for Truth and Justice will incontrovertibly lead to the destruction of the Earth, and that he should cease his hero-ing immediately. And all this whilst the Man of Tomorrow has to sort out high-tech mobsters Intergang, a Soviet Superman-analogue called Subjekt 17 and brewing domestic strife with wife Lois and childhood sweetheart Lana Lang.
The “Superman is bad for Humanity†plot is one that older fans have lived through before, although the mechanics of it this time does offer a few little twists; but it still devolves into another yet “last-stand†in a dystopian alternate future, with lots of heroic noble deaths that haven’t really happened and never will.
I loathe this narrative trick. Whether it’s on Star Trek, or X-Men or where-ever, if you haven’t got the guts or the clout to actually kill off important characters, stop playing stupid, lazy mind-games with your audience. You insult our intelligence with glorious demises that are purely for show and can be unmade with a handy application of “And then we woke upâ€.
Beautifully illustrated, this is nevertheless a disappointing adventure, all style but displaying very little content. It also ends mid-story, which does nothing to sweeten the distaste. Surely the editors could have waited for the complete package before rushing out these slim 128 pages?
