Action Comics Weekly #622
This issue, Deadman gets subbed out for a Starman promo. It's a useless 7 page one-shot plugging the new ongoing by harping on the cliche of interspersing the action with a commentator on a talk show denouncing the megalomania and danger of super-heroes. A few lines felt almost directly lifted from DKR.
Also, Secret Six has now plummeted to the #6 spot from fan responses this time around, with Superman at #5 and Black Canary somehow crawling back up to the #4 spot. We'll see if that lasts.
Green Lantern: "The Edge of Forever"
writer: James C. Owsley (Christopher Priest)
pencils/co-plotter: Mark Bright
inks: Jose Marzan, Jr.
letters: Albert DeGuzman
colors: Tony Tollins
asst. editor: Dan Raspler
editor: Dennis O'Neil
grade: C+
We have to do a full review on this one because, beginning with this installment, Superman becomes a part of the feature (at least until the culmination of this storyline which, I believe, marks the end of Action Comics Weekly). Clearly, DC is going to great lengths to respond to fan feedback by, first, getting rid of Peter David and, now, giving Superman more than two pages a week in Action Comics. The question is, had ACW continued (and DC clearly still had plans for it to continue as of last issue), would Superman have remained teamed up with GL in the lead feature, would the lead feature instead become a rotating team-up title (just like Byrne's Action Comics was), would Supes team up with other ACW features (the letter column this issue states that Blackhawk, Deadman, and Wilddog "of course, are fixtures," after all), or would he get his own ongoing extended feature in the title? I'm curious what DC was thinking here, especially since Mike Carlin's Superman office isn't even editing the GL feature. When it comes to continuity, you guys know my opinion on Denny O'Neil as editor. Frankly, it now makes sense how Neil Gaiman got hired to write the conclusion of this story arc, pitched his story, completed the script, and THEN was told it didn't line up with existing continuity. Really, it all makes sense now.
In regard to that, though, Gaiman's last word on the matter made out O'Neil's demand that Hal Jordan and Superman not know each other sound ludicrous, but this very chapter goes to great lengths to emphasize that point, so really it had to be adhered to or the storyline would have massively contradicted itself (even though it's already contradicting Action Comics Weekly #606, but we'll get into that in a moment). Still, O'Neil could have saved Gaiman a lot of aggravation by, ya know, paying attention to what was being done by his creative teams. Inexcusable to have done this so many times to so many creative teams -- Barr and Davis writing Batman's origin story AND doing a story on Catwoman while Miller was writing Year One, Grant and Breyfogle setting Anarky up to be the next Robin while Wolfman was introducing Tim Drake, and now this. Inexcusable.
As for the significance of the story, itself, it establishes three key things about Superman:
1. He still has that squeaky clean boy scout image Post-Crisis
2. He is still a sort of role model to other superheroes. This bit was particularly surprising, though. Looking at the
Superman timeline, he's only been an active superhero for four to five years by this point. Are we to assume that most other superheroes came on the scene after that time? Batman's been active for at least ten years by this point (see my Batman reviews thread for this, once I get it restored).
3. Superman and Hal Jordan do NOT know each other. Action Comics #606 portrayed the two as being old acquaintances who know each other's secret identities, but this issue completely revises that moment, making them utter strangers meeting as colleagues for the first time. ONE issue touching Superman, and Denny O'Neil has already allowed the continuity to get screwed up.
plot synopsis in one sentence (and, no, the cover has nothing to do with what occurs within): Some yellow energy has destroyed Hal's power battery and fled into deep space; Hal has attempted to pursue but, coming to a sector of space for which his ring is not programmed to operate, Hal realizes he needs the help of Superman, even while realizing how badly their first meeting went and how much Hal worries what Superman thinks of him.
So how much of what follows can I count towards official continuity? I started this review thread partially as a break from the continuity nightmare that was Denny O'Neil's Batman because I knew how carefully crafted this continuity was. Now Denny O'Neil is part of this one too, and we already know he's going to make at least one careless oversight before this run is concluded.
Wild Dog: Another story arc concluded. The ending was actually slightly touching, if not completely forced, as the villainess Wild Dog has been hunting finds a sort of redemption that ties into Wild Pup getting stabbed in the chest by her. Not a good story, but likely the best Wild Dog will ever get. Considering that the feature is getting luke-warm reviews from the fans, why is DC so hell-bent on keeping this feature in ACW?
Starman: As discussed above, this is a completely unimpressive one-shot taking the place of Deadman this week to plug the new Starman ongoing. Lackluster and derivative.
Secret Six: The plot advances in the sense that the team finally gets a cooperative informant they need, but somehow I found this chapter a lot less interesting than those previous. Part of it is that they moved away from the exposing Mockingbird subplot this time around, and part was the focus on characters I have no interest in so that the story could advance while plot and intrigue took a back seat. Secret Six continues to maintain my attention with most chapters, but this is not a comic I would ever choose to check out on its own. Really, all of ACW has grown stale at this point. This, being the title's strongest feature, just makes me realize that most clearly.
Blackhawk ran out of steam long ago. This plot line wraps up and hints at a next one, but I just don't care. Once again, Pasko and Burchett tempt the limits of their freedom in these pages, this time by having two characters clearly having sex and the guy then spending two pages running around naked with shots of his butt in primary focus. Juvenile, but not even all that humorous while being juvenile.
And then there was Superman...
"Seeds of Doubt"
writer: Roger Stern
pencils: Curt Swan
inks: Murphy Anderson
letters: Bill Oakley
colors: Tom Ziuko
editor: Mike Carlin
grade: C
Oh my God.
I could cry.
The plot is actually...advancing.
Important Details:
- The Consortium looking to wipe out the Fellowship's main goal is to kill Superman.
- The Consortium's front company is Sequoia Techtronics
So it's not much, but at least we're back to the main plot and not wasting chapter upon chapter watching Bob get into danger.
plot synopsis in one sentence: Clark convinces Bob that Superman can't be everywhere at once, Bob mentions the "elders" who taught him all that he believes and agrees to introduce Clark to them, and the Consortium worries that Superman will figure out the assassin he foiled several chapters back worked for their front company.
