Turns out Youtube has some of those Superman Animated Series episodes. I haven't seen them in years!

This isn't the origin story, mind you. I couldn't find that one.

Adventures of Superman #464



The Day of The Krypton Man, Part II: "Blood Brawl"

writer/pencils: Dan Jurgens
finished inks: Art Thibert
letters: Albert DeGuzman
colors: Glenn Whitmore
assoc. editor: Jon Peterson
editor: Mike Carlin
Superman created by: Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

grade: C


It would appear that, much like "The Brainiac Trilogy" before it, this is a multi-part story arc that has no real center. One third into the arc and we still have no idea what the title is referring to, plus Lobo (taking up the majority of the story up until now) is all too easily removed by the end of this issue with a series of conveniences that's almost insulting to the reader:



So his presence was nothing more than a cash-in -- Superman fights DC's hottest new antihero in a relatively uninteresting throwdown that took an entire issue to get to and then gets easily wrapped up/forgotten. That's it. All done. None of this had anything at all to do with wherever this storyline is supposed to be going.


And, of course, where it's going is The Eradicator Device. After nine months of this thing utterly screwing with Clark's life, we're finally going to get rid of it by the close of this storyline (we hope!). In the meantime, it's still screwing with Clark's life as Lois asks him out for the first time



and Clark's brainwashing conveniently blows the moment, Clark explaining that it isn't logical for them to maintain a friendship now that they no longer work together.

We saw the exact same kind of thing happen when Matrix was impersonating Clark. Between that and nine months of The Eradicator Device screwing things up, this just feels very "been there, done that" by this point. This storyline really needs to start speeding things up.

Fortunately, we at least get our first full look at the ultra-cool Kryptonian costume for Clark (designed by Perez?) which I've adored since I first saw it at the age of ten.



I bought my first Superman comic (Superman #42 -- coming up in three weeks) because of that costume and hoped against hope that Supes would keep it. I still like it better; it just needs a cape.


So beyond a sluggish multi-part storyline that's all detour and no development, this is really the first time since he took over writing that Jurgens has disappointed me with his writing, itself. I suspect the problem is that he's now writing for a storyline envisioned by others (remember that he's the low man on the totem pole at the Superman Office at this point) that forces him out of his comfort zone.

For example, he absolutely cannot mimic the kind of success Ordway found with playing the story for laughs last issue. Whereas Ordway was a master of understatement, Jurgens labors far too hard to get the gags across, and most of them are just "look how drunk these guys are," which gets old fast:




Additionally, when he randomly has Draaga stumble across the monument Superman erected for Cleric,



I can't tell if he's going for humor (probably in bad taste to make a joke out of a character's burial site) or foreshadowing something coming later in this storyline. It's an awkward moment, though certainly not the only one in the issue.


Finally, I was sick of Lana Lang being this franchise's resident sad sack as early as Man of Steel #6. I get it; she's supposed to be the Betty to Lois Lane's Veronica, but, in three years worth of stories by this point, all she's come across as is pathetic to the point of being outright unlikable. We really don't need more of her laying on the pity syrup here:



Reveal the damage Clark is causing to those who care about him through other characters; it's time to take Lana out back and put her down.



Important Details:

- Lois asks Clark out; he rejects her while under the spell of The Eradicator

- First meeting of/battle between Lobo and Superman. Lobo's memory of this event is erased by having drank too much Okarran Berry Juice (DC's convenient new means of getting aliens drunk without portraying alcohol).

- Lobo may still be in possession of the five shards of Kryptonite he stole from The Fortress of Solitude (unclear)



Minor Details:

- Bibbo is now the #1 fan of Lobo after believing he has seen Lobo defeat Superman. Unclear if Bibbo will remember any of this later (Okarran Berry Juice again)

- Thornton has had it with Clark's frequent absences at Newstime and is ready to fire him.

- Love the little nods to continuity throughout this issue, especially as Superman ends up fighting Lobo in one of the Kryptonian mecha suits from World of Krypton #2.


- Seriously, with all the detailed explanations we've been given for how Superman does so much of what he does, can't Jurgens teach me how he manages to pull this off without wrinkling his work clothes???






Plot synopsis: Clark is not himself, brushing off Lois as she asks him out on a date for the first time. We're given increasing signs that The Eradicator device is messing with his mind as Maxima's ship overruns Draaga's on its way to Earth (also) in search of Superman. Meanwhile, Clark is telepathically made aware that Lobo and friends have invaded his Fortress of Solitude and feels an intense desire to stop them. He and Lobo end up fighting, Lobo discovers the five shard of Kryptonite hidden there and uses them against Superman, and he determines that the only way to get rid of Lobo is to use a holographic projector in the Fortress to make Lobo believe he has killed Superman. Meanwhile, Lana Lang is feeling sorry for herself on her birthday because Clark doesn't care, Thornton over at Newstime is ready to fire Clark over his frequent absences, and Lobo returns to the guys who hired him to kill Superman, his mind wiped from excessive drinking of Okarran Berry Juice, and his video of the encounter screwed up by Bibbo.

And the villainous Eradicator in a humanoid form appears in Superman: Rebirth #1.

The concept lives on.

Ouch, only a C+?  This was one of those books that made me hear the Williams theme in my head as I read it...

Adventures of Superman #466



"The Limits of Power"

writer and layouts: Dan Jurgens
finishes: Dick Giordano
letters: Albert Deguzman
colors; Glenn Whitmore
assoc. editor: Jon Peterson
editor: Mike Carlin

grade: B-


I'm seeing a trend in this month's Superman titles. Both Ordway's Kryptonite Man story in Superman and this story here had a lot of buildup but ultimately concluded far too quickly with very little accomplished. Considering that it's huge news and yet only first being mentioned this month, I'm guessing next month's Dark Knight Over Metropolis storyline was a last minute addition, forcing Ordway, Jurgens, and Stern to immediately wrap up the storylines they'd planned to tell once Day of the Krypton Man resolved itself.

As a result, there isn't much to this story beyond it being Hank Henshaw's first full appearance (he made a cameo last month) and origin story. Essentially, it's a clear nod to Marvel's Fantastic Four



with a more thought-out Modern Age explanation for their powers. We have a guy made of pure radiation who looks like The Human Torch, an unspeaking mass that was once their quick-to-anger pilot who comes across as a more tragic Thing, the wife of the leader/scientist who is fading into another dimension, giving her the basic powers of The Invisible Girl, and the leader/scientist himself, Hank Henshaw, who is the only one not to receive a power that coincides with the original Fantastic Four. In fact, we're never told what his power is beyond watching his skin peel off



and watching him slowly lose his mind




These two factors provide Jurgens with an out for bringing Henshaw back after Dark Knight Over Metropolis (though no suggestion is offered anywhere in this issue that the story isn't over)



He could still be alive (though wouldn't Superman be able to hear his heart beating?) and he might be deranged enough to want to fake his death.



Jurgens' treatment of two of the astronauts is remarkably endearing and tragic:





but the whole thing just comes off as rushed and a tad pointless. What was the purpose of introducing a team that Superman fails to save from death by the close? The title of the story would suggest Superman should somehow be affected by this, but he isn't. He goes right back to Lois' apartment and does this without batting an eye:




which is hugely important, in and of itself, but comes off as a serious FU to the A storyline of this issue. Again, Hank is coming back in two issues, but nothing about this one suggests the story will continue. It just appears to resolve itself completely unsatisfactorily.

I have to admit the kiss caught me off-guard. I'd always thought that Superman #46 had been Clark and Lois' first kiss. This one seems...rushed. Keep in mind that, while fans of the classic Superman have always wanted to see these two get together, we haven't seen them spend all that much time together in the Post-Crisis. There have been a few striking moments of romantic tension, but there was no natural progression to this specific point. With all the inward reflection Superman has done as of late, we've never once seen him thinking of this, or even considering the point Maxima made just recently in Action Comics that she was the only woman around who was genetically capable of procreating with him. I suppose the implicit point is that seeing Henshaw and his crew die made him decide that life is short, but that still makes this moment pretty abrupt. It feels imposed instead of the culmination of careful long-term development, something this office is usually quite good at.

Who knows though? We haven't seen Lois' reaction to this kiss yet.


Important Details:

- Clark and Lois' first kiss (note: Superman and Lois' first kiss was way back during Superman and The Earth Stealers)

- Some early Byrne stories suggested that Superman had an advanced understanding of technology and sciences, but that is either not the case or it has significant limitations, as he has no idea how to help the astronauts in this story, stating that, "if only I knew more about Krypton's advanced sciences, I might be able to cure him."



Minor Details:

- I generally love Dick Giordano's inking, but Jurgens' faces look SO MUCH better when finished by Art Thibert.

- FINALLY we have acknowledgement that Jimmy Olsen and Lucy Lane's having previously dated is still in continuity:




- Jurgens isn't letting Clark off the hook as easily as Ordway did. He's still going to face some consequences for leaving The Planet the way that he did while under the influence of The Eradicator Device:







Plot synopsis: Hank Henshaw's spaceship crashes on Earth and the four astronauts begin to gain fantastic powers akin to The Fantastic Four. They head to Metropolis and Lexcorp for help. Clark and Lois begin their date, but Perry interrupts with an urgent assignment for Lois, leaving Clark behind since he's only freelance now. Meanwhile, Mannheim makes it clear to Morgan Edge that Intergang will still help him but is no longer under his control. We also learn that Jose Delgado's bodyguard job is protecting Cat Grant during the Morgan Edge trial. Soon after, Superman arrives at Lexcorp to figure out what is happening with the super-powered astronauts attacking there. He hears their story and attempts to help, but he is too late to save all but one of them (Hank Henshaw's wife). One loses his mind and flies into the sun, another commits suicide via Magnetic Resonance Imaging Booth, and Hank Henshaw simply appears to die naturally. Clark then returns to Lois' apartment and, upon her return, he tells her he wants things to move forward and kisses her, all while Jose Delgado watches from the hallway.

Action Comics #654



(Dark Knight over Metropolis) "Part Three:"

writer: Roger Stern
breakdowns: Bob McLeod
finishes: Brett Breeding
letters: Bill Oakley
colors: Glenn Whitmore
assoc editor: Jon Peterson
editor: Mike Carlin

grade: A-


The final installment of the big comic book event designed to attract new readers to Superman, and they leave Bob McLeod on the art? If I were Mike Carlin, I would have sat on Kerry Gammill's front stoop until he agreed to do this issue. How do we go from two issues of outstanding, top notch art to panels like these:



Still, I guess they figured that anyone who'd already stuck around for Parts I and II were going to read this one all the same. And, to be fair, there was something a lot more memorable about this issue than McLeod's awkward artwork...


The Batman / Superman Relationship

Here's the crux of this issue and, in a sense, of Dark Knight over Metropolis all along. When John Byrne first rebooted Superman, he went out of his way to take the antagonistic relationship between Superman and Batman that Frank Miller introduced in Dark Knight Returns and cement it into Post-Crisis continuity in Man of Steel #3. Byrne enjoyed having the two form uncomfortable team-ups again in Action Comics Annual #1 and Adventures of Superman #440, but that level of tension never eased.

A short time after, almost immediately following Byrne's departure from the Superman Office, Roger Stern and Jerry Ordway began subtly undoing a lot of the characterization Byrne had given to Superman, even while doing their best to respect his continuity. Once George Perez came aboard, that shift became even more pronounced, with Superman feeling very much like his Pre-Crisis goody-goody counterpart instead of the regular guy from Kansas Byrne had been going for.

It therefore makes sense that, given the opportunity, they'd want to reverse the Post-Crisis characterization of Batman and Superman's relationship as well, returning them to the friendship and mutual respect they enjoyed in the Pre-Crisis.



In fact, in some ways, the ending of this issue feels reminiscent of the beginning of their original friendship way back in Superman (volume 1) #76:



In that story, it's both their shared dedication to justice AND the mutual vulnerability they share after having their identities revealed to one another that compels them to forge a close working relationship and, ultimately, a great friendship. And we see the Post-Crisis Superman address that shared dedication to justice in this story:



But it's the second element, that shared vulnerability, that ends up playing an even larger role here. While Stern couldn't use the "Oops! You know my secret identity!" trick here (they've known each other's identities since Adventures of Superman #440), Batman and Superman do each experience a moment of tremendous vulnerability at the hands of the other in this story, and its the other's unwillingness to take advantage of that vulnerability that ultimately steers them towards a kind of mutual respect and hesitant friendship:






and all of this culminates with Superman deciding to entrust Batman with the Kryptonite ring that Batman already passed up the opportunity to take from him during that earlier moment of vulnerability:



While this was definitely a fan-boy cheer moment back in the day, as well as a clear nod to Dark Knight Returns (where Batman DID have to take Superman down because he had become corrupted), it's actually so much more important when you look deeper: this is the moment that undoes Dark Knight Returns. In that storyline, Superman and Batman's relationship was based upon mistrust. Batman spent years synthesizing kryptonite in order to take Superman down. Here, Superman gives the Kryptonite to him and asks Batman to be his check and balance. This pair can't end up going down Frank Miller's dark road now. Instead, the Superman Office has put them on track to become something different and a little closer to their Pre-Crisis counterparts.

But nostalgia and good feelings aren't The Superman Office's only motivation in doing this. The jaded Batman/Superman relationship was bad for Superman sales. Both DKR and Man of Steel #3 made Superman look like an utter chump; a character so lame and out of touch with the world that reading him would seem almost uncool. The very focus of DKoM has been to get Superman back in the limelight along with Batman -- they're different, but (in the spirit of every superhero crossover since the dawn of time) if the popular character approves of the less popular character, then don't his fans have to approve as well?


Important Details:

- Superman gives Luthor's Kryptonite ring to Batman, instructing Batman to take him down if he should ever lose control of himself and become a threat. Incidentally, considering the three examples of mind control Superman recently experienced (Sleez, Brainiac, and The Eradicator Device), this is hardly an out-of-left-field concern.

- Cat Grant is beginning to fall for Jose Delgado. Enter a romantic foil for the newly emerging Clark and Lois relationship.



Minor Details:

- I love this recap on the story of Amanda McCoy (largely recounting events from Superman #2 and Adventures of Superman #440).



I love it because of why it's there. Anyone who's been reading the Superman books for a while now (even just going back to Action Comics #653 last month) knows this story; this thorough recap isn't written for them. Instead, it's clearly there for the sake of new readers just entering, letting them know there's a rich backstory at work here while also making it thoroughly accessible to them.

And, with so few Byrne plot points still left unresolved, it reiterates the idea that Dark Knight over Metropolis is the perfect entrypoint for new Superman readers.

And don't forget the ad placed at the back of each chapter of Dark Knight over Metropolis, further echoing this point:




- Batman never did end up having a good reason for sticking around for this storyline.



It seems that the mystery surrounding the Kryptonite ring was always far more critical to Superman than to Batman. I'm still at a loss as to why it warranted Batman leaving Gotham to investigate in the first place. Granted, this entire storyline takes under 24 hours to resolve, but that's still a night in which Batman isn't patrolling Gotham's streets, all because he wanted to know why a hobo had a mildly radioactive ring that wasn't even entirely responsible for his death.


- While I love the continuing theme of the first page being the exact same file, only littered with more content each time, suggesting a greater sense of urgency and panic, I'm confused by this one:



Is Manheim trying to get Edge "fried"? I mean, that would make complete sense, but he's never said as much and, at the end of the story, when everything has gone to heck, the idea seems to first occur to him that they can no longer protect Edge:



What the heck?


- McLoud may generally suck, but I was impressed by this one page, in which Superman enters the ransacked apartment only to find Batman casually reading through evidence on the couch:



(well, I loved everything but that last panel)


- This is truly nitpicky, but how is it that Gangbuster takes an energy blast directly to the back



and can walk away saying this:



when the exact same weapon does this to Superman:



Even Batman watches and reflects, "Don't know how these things work, but if they can hurt Superman, I don't want to find out!"



Overall, while the basic premise of this story never made any sense, and McLoud's art is truly disappointing, what this issue ultimately does for the Batman/Superman relationship more than offsets the bad. This was an important move for the Superman Office, both in terms of boosting sales and in making Superman appealing to a wider audience once more.


Plot synopsis: Batman and Superman rescue Gangbuster and Cat Grant from Intergang, Batman learns the story of Amanda McCoy and explains it to Superman (and to all the new readers), Batman reveals that he has the Kryptonite ring and returns it to Superman, and a short time later, Superman surprises Batman in his cave, clearing the air and entrusting Batman with the ring in case Superman ever needs to be taken down.

Superman #45



"Native Sons"

artist/writer: Jerry Ordway
inks: Dennis Janke
colors: Glenn Whitmore
letters: John Costanza
assoc. editor: Jon Peterson
editor: Mike Carlin

grade: B


You've just launched an ambitious event to attract new readers to the three Superman titles. Now that you have their attention, what do you do next?

...a full month of filler stories and uninteresting covers, apparently.

Don't get me wrong; there's a lot to love about this issue, but with all the exciting threads and developments weaving throughout the Superman franchise right now, stories about Native American social justice and (gasp!) Lana Lang's feelings probably aren't the best way to sell this franchise to new readers.

Still, the one aspect of this issue that positively shines is the time Ordway gives to The Kents. The concept behind the Superman relaunch all along was supposed to be that Superman was an ordinary farm boy from Kansas, and that his inherent goodness came from the qualities instilled upon him there. Yet, outside of their origin in World of Smallville, the Kents never had a true presence in this franchise up to this point, serving as little more than uni-dimensional cheerleaders that worried appropriately when something was wrong with Clark.

But, here, Ordway takes the time to give this family a SOUL, and Janke's inks are there right along with him, helping to paint some of the warmest, life-like images we've yet seen in these pages. These people end up feeling thoroughly real, and you can't help loving them as a result:







There's some subtlety at play too. I like that Ordway gives Ma Kent a feminist slant that breaks from the default homemaker tradition:



And there's even a playful (if not creepy) reminder that this Pa Kent hasn't died in the way that the Pre-Crisis and movie one did:



Foreshadowing?


However, though Ordway and Janke are positively on fire throughout most of this issue, they do have their misses. We get a couple of truly weird looking faces from time to time that really kill the momentum of an otherwise powerful story:




As for the central conflict of this issue, it's impressive to see both Superman and this book concerned with the plight of Native Americans:



and I give extra credit for the level of complexity Ordway gives to this piece. It's not a simple lecture about how the White man has wronged the Red man. Careful attention is given to portray multiple voices and interests within a Native American community, each with their own perspectives and concerns.

Of course, Ordway just has to give us an actual fight and a super-powered stranger



but if tribal elders could really project astral fire monsters, levitate on air, heal bullet wounds, and pass bullets through them, the Native Americans probably wouldn't have to worry about the white man to begin with.

Superman always requires a certain level of disbelief, but somehow expecting us to believe that real-world Native Americans could possess the ability to do these things (and, therefore, simply allowed what occurred to their people, only now taking action over a much smaller matter for some reason) just maxed out that disbelief for me.

Really though, the entire purpose of that altercation is to reintroduce us to Pete Ross



who we have not seen since Adventures of Superman #436. His handling of the situation shows us that he is a Superman in his own rite, more successful here, in fact, than the super-powered original with his bravery, selflessness, and knack for diplomacy. There's a clear implication that Lana Lang will now be moving on to Pete Ross and will be happy with him.

So maybe...just maybe we're done with sad-sack Lana Lang now?





Important Details:

- The 8 page insert (Jimmy Olsen's Diary) provides an actual date for Superman's first public appearance: June 15, 1985. I'll be updating The Post-Crisis Superman Timeline to reflect this.



Minor Details:

- Lois gets a page to randomly reflect on her progressing relationship with Clark. It seems included just to remind us this is still happening, but it doesn't go anywhere interesting.




- Jimmy Olsen's mom has gone into shock as a result of her experiences with The Evil Factory and learning of her husband's death:




- Any previous attempt to mature Jerry White and make him into a sympathetic character is now out the window as Ordway begins setting him up for his final fate:





Plot synopsis: Clark returns home to the Kents, now fully free of self-doubt in the wake of The Eradicator storyline. Conveniently enough, a hostage situation breaks out in Smallville at exactly this time, desperate Native Americans feeling they have not been treated fairly by the mining company looking to acquire their land, and taking Pete Ross hostage as a result. A tribal elder shows up to try to save the day, as does Superman, but it soon becomes evident that different tribal members have very different views on this land purchase, most willing to sell in exchange for jobs and fair compensation. Meanwhile, Superman makes it clear to Lana that they will never be romantically involved.