The Big Belly Burger became an easily quick identifiable landmark in Metropolis like the Daily Planet, so you knew immediately what city the story was taking place in.

And David, who stayed on Incredible Hulk until 1998.

I like the layout, but I think Janke's inks are doing an outstanding job covering for Bogdovan's pencils.

One also wonders why the DC logo is different colors.

Ron is definitely important later, but I don't remember why, so maybe he's not so important. I can't remember the horned guy's name, but he went on to be a major supporting character in Superboy.

Action Comics #667 (July 1991)



"The Final Chapter"
Script: Roger Stern
Pencils: Jerry Ordway (pages 1-4, 8-9); Jim Mooney (pages 5, 10-11, 14-15); Tom Grummett (layouts, pages 6-7, 12-13, 19); Denis Rodier (finishes, pages 6-7, 12-13, 19); Art Thibert (pages 16-18, 28-29); Jon Bogdanove (pages 20-23, 38); Curt Swan (pages 24-27, 30); Dan Jurgens (layouts, pages 31-37); Brett Breeding (finishes, pages 31-37)
Inks: Dennis Janke (pages 1-4, 8-9, 20-23, 38); Jerry Ordway (pages 5, 10-11, 14-15); Denis Rodier (pages 6-7, 12-13, 19, 24-27, 30); Art Thibert (pages 16-18, 28-29); Brett Breeding (pages 31-37)
Colors: Glenn Whitmore
Letters: Bill Oakley

Grade: B-


I've given a lot of focus as of late to the fact that DC, and the Superman Office in particular, is beginning to lose significant ground to Marvel. The Superman Office is doing its best to react, launching a new Superman title and a high profile #1 issue, bringing on Jon Bogdanove as someone who draws more in the Liefeld/Lee/McFarlane style, changing up the cover logo for Action Comics, even changing up the letter column title and logo this issue -- Carlin and DC are really trying to make the Superman titles look visually new and improved.

But then we have this cover.

Let's ignore the fact that it's impossible to tell what Superman is even punching on that cover (and seriously, the Eradicator is an AWESOME looking bad guy who has gotten zero cover presence across this four part story arc), let's ignore that the composition/pose isn't all that dynamic for such an explosive punch, let's ignore the fact that the Superman Office declined to name this major event nor give it a catchy logo on the cover, and instead just savor one of the final times in comic book history that a cover would use a speech bubble un-ironically.



Even if Jurgens was going for kitsch here, it's simply the wrong time to try this.

We needed a cover like this:



along with a flashy logo advertising "Revenge of the Krypton Man: Final Chapter".

We've seen so many iconic covers from this office as of late -- covers that made adolescent me almost salivate to open them up and read them:



...but those were all Kerry Gammill covers, and now, when image matters most, Gammill doesn't seem to be doing covers for this office anymore.


Well that was a particularly long rant. Hope I didn't startle any of you into exclaiming your inner thoughts aloud with accompanying exaggerated poses.





So let's talk about the conclusion of this Eradicator storyline, if you can even call it a storyline. So the Eradicator shows up with a plan to transform Earth's sun into Krypton's sun and also change Earth and its people/culture into Krypton's people/culture. He does this by standing around, speaking his thoughts aloud a lot, and making two statues look more Kryptonese.

That's...all he accomplishes in four 48 page issues, even with Clark mostly ignoring the problem and going about his life throughout this storyline.

And if you were expecting Superman to have some big, meaningful victory -- one that validates the qualities that make him a hero and also distinguishes him from Krypton's troubled past -- it ain't coming. Instead, it's a deus et machina last-minute victory that doesn't even end up being Superman's idea.



and the ultimate explanation makes no more sense than the explanation we got for the Eradicator's transformation into an energy being in the first place:



Sure. Okay.

And, of course, Superman just assumes at the end that, with his energy dispersed, The Eradicator won't be coming back again. Because this is somehow a more final solution than launching him into the sun?

And, speaking of the sun, I guess that's just going to get better on its own now? No explanation needed, apparently.


I think the only thing I enjoyed about the central plot in this final issue is this minor scene with Pete Ross and Lana Lang (did I really just admit I enjoyed a scene focused on Lana Lang??).

Whereas Superman didn't appear to be taking this threat very seriously, nor did Lois, nor Jimmy, nor really any of the central characters of these books, the scene with Pete and Lana made it feel so much more real and terrifying from the ground level:



I felt the anxiety here.



And, of course, there were the B plots in this issue. It was interesting to see Ma and Pa Kent playing hero (a nice contrast to the Eradicator, representing Clark's Kryptonian legacy. Stern is ensuring we make no mistake where Superman's heroism came from):



but Perry White's contribution felt silly and tacked on. How many average joes out there know a newspaper editor in chief by name, or are familiar with his/her temperment and personality? In the end, this little team-up between the Whites and the Kents was never earned. Would have been nice to at least have this moment provide a transformative impact for Perry and Alice, who took this cruise in order to escape from troubles threatening to tear their marriage apart. Yet Alice White isn't even IN this scene.

Oh, and what crowd did those kids lose their parents in, exactly? This giant cruise ship looks surprisingly under-populated and quite spaced-out just a few panels earlier:




I also always love being reminded that the Post-Crisis Lois is no damsel in distress:




The teaming up of Bibbo Bibowski and Adam Grant strikes me as the best thing since Powerman met Ironfist:




and I positively cannot wait to see where this is going:




There is so much this office is still doing right, but they're bungling their big (maybe final) opportunity to win readers away from Marvel this month with this plot and these covers, and it hurts to watch.



Important Details:

- Never mind. Superman restored the Lincoln Monument.


- New power: Superman has super-fast healing


- Jose Delgado is back as gangbuster (at least on an "as needed" basis):





Minor Details:

- Where the heck is this?



It's not the Fortress of Solitude, and I can't imagine Superman is sitting around like that at the Daily Planet, so either Superman has a secret Metropolis loft where he tracks crime (I can't imagine Clark can afford rent on two spacious apartments in Metropolis), this is part of Clark's apartment (with lockers built into the walls and enormous computer display screens??), or the artist got very confused about what he was drawing here. The coffee suggests to me that this is Clark's place.


- LOVED the opening of this issue





...even if SUperman flies off a moment later and just sort of gets better on his own.