Chris's Random Reviews (Action Comics 399)
Aug 1, 2017 0:57:40 GMT -5
Roquefort Raider, Confessor, and 1 more like this
Post by Chris on Aug 1, 2017 0:57:40 GMT -5
So I've been thinking for a while now about doing some reviews, or at least recaps with some commentary. I'm still pondering a "Trial of the Flash" review thread, but I primarily want to cover individual stories or short arcs. So I'm gonna use this thread to post random reviews. I'll edit the title of the thread each time I post a new one, changing the thread name to include the most recent review. [NOTE: I have discovered that thread titles have a limited maximum length, so I can't always include the title of the story, just the issue name and number. Bollocks.]
Kicking it off, I saw a comment by chadwilliams in the "Interesting Tidbits" thread that... well, here's what he wrote -
Though Superman did save the Lincoln of one parallel universe (Superman 146)he was unable to assist the Lincoln of another parallel universe who had been plucked from history moments before his death so he, along with Washington, Custer, and Superman himself, could be studied by a classroom of students in the 24th century (Action Comics 399).
I read that story in a digest reprint as a kid, and it always stuck with me. It's a short but powerful story (if you can overlook a few loopy plot bits. Then again, loopy plot bits in a Superman story is part of the charm). My first review is from Action Comics #399, a story titled "SUPERMAN, YOU'RE DEAD... DEAD...DEAD!"
The opening page should serve as a starter class on how to begin a story -
superman finds himself trapped in some crystalline holding cell with three famous figures from the past. He tries to break out but is unsuccessful. Turns out he was holding back some to avoid injuring the others. But Superman isn't finished yet...
Escaping the cell (come on, he's Superman after all), Superman confronts the person in charge -
The historian leads Superman to a cerebro-helmet containing history tapes of the events deleted from Superman's memory, starting with the explosion of Krypton and recounting his life up through his career as Superboy and Superman. But then...
The scientists managed to keep Superman alive long enough to create and empower a bio-copy of Superman -
The historian declares that he has final, absolute proof that his claims are true. He leads Superman to a crypt and shows him the very real dead bodies of the first two Supermen. And if Superman still isn't convinced -
Superman not only rescues the group, but uncovers the lost civilization. The students at the Historical Foundation realize just how incredible it must have been for those who lived in a time where Superman was the world's guardian.
Superman returns to the Foundation, and has deduced something. Each person in the cell, including him, were taken from the end of their careers. Washington is about to die of pneumonia, Lincoln about to be assassinated, and Custer about to face his last stand. Superman asks the historian a question...
Unexpected!
But completely understandable.
As the classroom begins dissolving into energy, Superman realizes he cannot be responsible for the deaths of billions and races back into the cell -
Superman uproots the reactor and flies it into space, realizing that the energy blasting out of it will destroy the protoplasm of his body, killing him. Until...
Superman also recalls the mixed up history the historian was rattling off, and reasons that the time-travel machine warped spacetime so terribly that it reached into another universe and pulled him into their future instead of their own Superman III. Very lucky for him, since he's alive and all, but...
A short but powerful story. There are a few odd things, however - The question of why Superman never heard any of this during his many other time trips is never answered. The idea that time dammed up in the past was, uh, like whatevs dude, and the ending was out of a parallel Earth's left field, but they were necessary to make this story happen. Still kinda wonky, though.
Superman's reactions to his "death," and his refusal to return to his own time, were spot-on. For all the rallying that the post-1986 Superman was "more about the man than the super," the stories from this era understood how a man, even a superman, would act in extreme situations.
The story didn't need a dozen pages of Superman angsting about his fate while the historian gave speeches about how important he is to history and the ethics of Superman not returning to his own time. If anything, these scenes have more impact by striking quick and hard, like bullets.
This story also has a slightly meta feel... it not only invokes tropes about Superman ("Up, up, and away!" for one), it consciously observes them while still being a part of the story instead of detached from it. A nice trick.
The art is, of course, excellent. Early 70s Swan & Anderson were just unstoppable.
I suppose I should give the story some kind of grade or rating, but I just don't care, heh. I'm just gonna say it's a great read.
Kicking it off, I saw a comment by chadwilliams in the "Interesting Tidbits" thread that... well, here's what he wrote -
I read that story in a digest reprint as a kid, and it always stuck with me. It's a short but powerful story (if you can overlook a few loopy plot bits. Then again, loopy plot bits in a Superman story is part of the charm). My first review is from Action Comics #399, a story titled "SUPERMAN, YOU'RE DEAD... DEAD...DEAD!"
The opening page should serve as a starter class on how to begin a story -
superman finds himself trapped in some crystalline holding cell with three famous figures from the past. He tries to break out but is unsuccessful. Turns out he was holding back some to avoid injuring the others. But Superman isn't finished yet...
Escaping the cell (come on, he's Superman after all), Superman confronts the person in charge -
The historian leads Superman to a cerebro-helmet containing history tapes of the events deleted from Superman's memory, starting with the explosion of Krypton and recounting his life up through his career as Superboy and Superman. But then...
The scientists managed to keep Superman alive long enough to create and empower a bio-copy of Superman -
The historian declares that he has final, absolute proof that his claims are true. He leads Superman to a crypt and shows him the very real dead bodies of the first two Supermen. And if Superman still isn't convinced -
Superman not only rescues the group, but uncovers the lost civilization. The students at the Historical Foundation realize just how incredible it must have been for those who lived in a time where Superman was the world's guardian.
Superman returns to the Foundation, and has deduced something. Each person in the cell, including him, were taken from the end of their careers. Washington is about to die of pneumonia, Lincoln about to be assassinated, and Custer about to face his last stand. Superman asks the historian a question...
Unexpected!
But completely understandable.
As the classroom begins dissolving into energy, Superman realizes he cannot be responsible for the deaths of billions and races back into the cell -
Superman uproots the reactor and flies it into space, realizing that the energy blasting out of it will destroy the protoplasm of his body, killing him. Until...
Superman also recalls the mixed up history the historian was rattling off, and reasons that the time-travel machine warped spacetime so terribly that it reached into another universe and pulled him into their future instead of their own Superman III. Very lucky for him, since he's alive and all, but...
A short but powerful story. There are a few odd things, however - The question of why Superman never heard any of this during his many other time trips is never answered. The idea that time dammed up in the past was, uh, like whatevs dude, and the ending was out of a parallel Earth's left field, but they were necessary to make this story happen. Still kinda wonky, though.
Superman's reactions to his "death," and his refusal to return to his own time, were spot-on. For all the rallying that the post-1986 Superman was "more about the man than the super," the stories from this era understood how a man, even a superman, would act in extreme situations.
The story didn't need a dozen pages of Superman angsting about his fate while the historian gave speeches about how important he is to history and the ethics of Superman not returning to his own time. If anything, these scenes have more impact by striking quick and hard, like bullets.
This story also has a slightly meta feel... it not only invokes tropes about Superman ("Up, up, and away!" for one), it consciously observes them while still being a part of the story instead of detached from it. A nice trick.
The art is, of course, excellent. Early 70s Swan & Anderson were just unstoppable.
I suppose I should give the story some kind of grade or rating, but I just don't care, heh. I'm just gonna say it's a great read.
