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Post by mistermets on Jul 25, 2022 11:29:47 GMT -5
Superman #2
This Lex Luthor spotlight, where he tries to find out more about Superman, and puts poor Lana Lang in danger. is one of the most famous issues of John Byrne's run on the title. It builds on a silly point about Superman vibrating in a way that he can't be photographed, which I never really bought. Otherwise it's a vicious take on Lex Luthor, who seems to have a new woman to abuse every issue. The At some point, I may have thought that element of the character was over the top, but the metoo movement has revealed some major abuses from powerful men in the 1980s and later. He's callous for the sake of being callous. We get a sense that he is a guy who could defeat Superman, and it's interesting to see an issue where Superman doesn't realize that he's won. All he knows is that his loved ones were in danger, and even his power wasn't going to be enough to save them. Grade: A Action Comics #585It starts with Superman at the end of a fantasy adventure (a story that itself could've easily been a single issue) getting pulled into a team-up with Phantom Stranger, who needs help with help with something that is beyond Superman's comprehension both in terms of magic and evil. There's a subtext of the Phantom Stranger basically protecting Superman from learning more about the ghost of an evil man who raped a woman driving her to suicide, and whose casualties include a bystander killed by cops and an innocent man executed for his crimes (which seems a bit out of place given how well documented this crook's other casualties were. It's a dark standalone story that may seem out of place in a Superman ongoing. Perhaps it would've worked better as an issue of Phantom Stranger, though it is still quite decent. Grade: B+
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Post by badwolf on Jul 25, 2022 13:26:32 GMT -5
I remember being really thrown off by that opening to the issue. It's an interesting way to do it, though.
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Post by chadwilliam on Jul 25, 2022 18:27:08 GMT -5
Superman #2
This Lex Luthor spotlight, where he tries to find out more about Superman, and puts poor Lana Lang in danger. is one of the most famous issues of John Byrne's run on the title. It builds on a silly point about Superman vibrating in a way that he can't be photographed, which I never really bought.
Otherwise it's a vicious take on Lex Luthor, who seems to have a new woman to abuse every issue. The At some point, I may have thought that element of the character was over the top, but the metoo movement has revealed some major abuses from powerful men in the 1980s and later. He's callous for the sake of being callous. We get a sense that he is a guy who could defeat Superman, and it's interesting to see an issue where Superman doesn't realize that he's won. All he knows is that his loved ones were in danger, and even his power wasn't going to be enough to save them. That vibrating face trick had been previously employed by the Golden Age Flash presumably to explain how a maskless superhero could maintain a secret identity. A neat idea if you're being photographed from afar by Lex Luthor, but what if he's being recorded while getting the key to the city or something? Does he just stand there vibrating his face while being honored since cameras are present and hope that no one's impolite enough to ask him why he's doing that? Wouldn't the mayor get pissed off after about ten seconds of this? "We are here friends, to honor that man of might, that action ace, the man of steel himse- Could you just cut that out while I'm trying to make eye contact with you, Superman?!! Damn! That is distractingly irritating!! Are you making fun of me or something?" Luthor is vicious here - the sexual assaults aside, he also has Lana Lang beaten to a pulp. Not that one evil is less than the other, but given the connection we know Lana has with Superman - "Super-groupie" might be an exaggeration, but I don't think "Number One fan" is at this point - Superman had better damn well do something after her brutal torture. Next to Ma and Pa, I don't think anyone loves Superman more than Lana. I don't think anyone was closer to him growing up than Lana and for that reason I would also suspect that she is his number one fan. Unfortunately however, once Superman keels over from exposure to that kryptonite ring, I don't recall him using this monstrous attack on Lana as a reason to get serious about stopping Luthor which is pretty cold. No, he never asked for all this attention from Lana and even his pre-Crisis counterpart couldn't create an antidote for kryptonite, but given all of her devotion to him, the fact that she's his biggest fan, the woman who loves him most, nothing underscores Superman's ineptitude better than seeing him so incapable of coming to, of all people, Lana Lang's defense after this issue. And even if Superman can't go after Luthor because there isn't enough evidence of his wrongdoings, isn't he supposed to be a reporter when he's Clark Kent? Why don't we see Kent heading over to The Daily Planet going through every news clipping he can on Lex Luthor to uncover something that will expose him? That's a problem with Byrne - he'll up the ante and the viciousness with Luthor, but not increase Superman's resourcefulness or ingenuity so that the two remain equals. In fact, Superman's "successes" against Luthor are never truly "successes" at all. Instead, Luthor only faces major defeats or set-backs when he himself screws up. Luthor's first visit to prison wasn't a 'Superman success' since all Superman did was take him in it at the Mayor's behest. Instead, it was a 'Luthor screw-up' since Luthor wasn't wise enough not to gloat about the crime had just committed in front of the Mayor and the press. Here, we have two major Luthor screw-ups in one issue. First, he has Superman's secret identity handed to him on a silver platter and dismisses it without hesitation. It would have been nice had Luthor at least entertained the possibility of a dual identity for his foe but been put off that scent by having Superman somehow outwit him as in days of old, but no, Luthor's an idiot and Superman is an impassive, oblivious player even at this significant juncture of his life. Second, Luthor starts wearing a radioactive ring which will eventually cost him his hand. Again, Superman doesn't come up with a plan for dealing with Luthor's ring - he just waits around and lets Luthor do something stupid which will resolve that problem for him. So to me, the significance of this issue is that it cements the rules of Superman's feud with Luthor. Superman isn't smart enough to do more than inconvenience Luthor while Luthor isn't smart enough to not hand Superman a victory by default. It's really disappointing.
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Post by wildfire2099 on Jul 26, 2022 7:55:20 GMT -5
I don't know if I asked this in Shax's thread, or maybe he didn't post a pick of her, but is that woman Mercy? I thought she was a Dini/Timm creation, but maybe not...
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Post by mistermets on Jul 26, 2022 9:43:08 GMT -5
I don't know if I asked this in Shax's thread, or maybe he didn't post a pick of her, but is that woman Mercy? I thought she was a Dini/Timm creation, but maybe not... The woman's name is Amanda McCoy. Lex seems to have a new girl in each appearance. In Superman #1, there was Pearl. In Adventures of Superman #424, it was Lilya.
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Post by mistermets on Jul 26, 2022 9:47:17 GMT -5
Superman #3/ Adventures of Superman #426/ Action Comics #586
I did suggest that during this stage of the books right after the relaunch Superman should be in longer stories, and perhaps there should be a story that goes across all three titles to show that there is a big challenge for the man of steel. This is what we get for the Legends tie-in, where DC gives us Superman VS Darkseid. In theory, this could work. Legends was an interesting crossover. There is a larger six issue Legends mini-series written by by Len Wein and John Ostrander, and illustrated by John Byrne. It ties into many books throughout the DC Universe, which can be used as a sampler of the new relaunched DC Universe. A reader interested in the big event can follow it without breaking the bank, and may find new titles that they like. Someone interested in superhero crossovers can just pick up Legends. And from the issues I've read, the tie-ins are accessible enough that it's not necessary to read Legends to understand what's going on in your favorite book. To get caught up, what you need to understand is that Darkseid is up to something, and it involves riling up the people of Earth against superheroes. I don't think it quite works given how unsettled the DC Universe is at this point. It begins with Batman #401, pitting Batman and the Jason Todd Robin against Magpie, with a John Byrne cover, but no John Byrne art. Jason Todd's origin would be reset a few years later, which would certainly muck up continuity. The crossover seems to be used as a clearing house for some titles, with the fall of the Justice League before the DeMatteis/ Giffen/ Maguire relaunch. The Legion of Superheroes is connected to it with a four issue Cosmic Boy mini-series. The Superman story kicks off with Superman #3. The plot's easy to follow, in a story where Byrne gets to channel Kirby by depicting Clark Kent on Apokolips. It works to have the Phantom Stranger back so soon. But since it's Superman on a different planet away from his supporting cast and typical rogues gallery, as well as the ongoing plot of Darkseid damaging the reputation of the DC Universe, it feels kinda irrelevant. It continues with Adventures of Superman #426 which puts Superman through the wringer. It makes sense for him to be terrified of being burnt, as that is an experience he usually doesn't have. I can understand that the stakes are high when a trap is so difficult for Superman that he forgets who he is when he gets out the other side. The amnesiac Superman becomes a rebel leader, but I'm not sold on it. The saga concludes with Action Comics #586, where we do actually see Superman take on Darkseid, although it is a bit brief. A cleaner fight would've been more effective, but Darkseid is depicted here as a clear A-list villain, and a legitimate challenge for Superman's code of honor. This crossover seems poorly timed. It doesn't further any subplots. It doesn't affect Superman. There are some new experiences for him, but we don't really get any sense of the impact given how suddenly it all ends. We get exposition about Darkseid and Apokolips, but we don't really have a sense of Superman's history with the fourth world. The lack of supporting characters means that possibly the biggest Superman story in the first year of the title just feels like filler. There is a lot of exposition, and some twists feel like retcons, even if it was intended. There's some good stuff here, but it's a real missed opportunity. Grade: C
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Post by badwolf on Jul 26, 2022 10:09:11 GMT -5
I was glad to finally read the Adventures portion of this story in the new hardcover, as at the time I had only bought the Byrne books, so suddenly Superman was Darkseid's minion/"son" and I didn't know how.
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Post by mistermets on Aug 2, 2022 14:06:03 GMT -5
Superman #4
This one-off is a Jimmy Olsen spotlight, and Byrne has a decent take on him as a guy who sometimes screws up, but who has earned his position as Superman's friend. There's a reference to Jimmy dating Lois' sister for two years, which seems to be a bit of a continuity headache, considering what it means about how long Superman's been active, which largely defeats the purpose of the reboot.
In this story, Superman encounters a villain that he's not equipped for. Initially, he is distracted by the high body count. It's a bit similar to the Spider-Man story "The Death of Jean Dewolff" pitting a hero against a madman with a body count. Bloodsport is a really generic bad guy, but it works in the context of this story as he is a lunatic benefiting from assistance by Lex Luthor. However, the bad guy has abilities he didn't anticipate, which forces Jimmy to have to save Superman. That part of the narrative works really well.
This is a Superman story with a high body count, and continues a ruthless streak for Byrne on the title (as well as Action Comics.) I don't mind but I can see that being offputting for some readers who would rather see different challenges for Superman. A-
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Post by codystarbuck on Aug 3, 2022 11:22:27 GMT -5
I liked the Legends tie-in issues and felt they effectively used the 4th World setting and characters, while adding a new one, Amazing Grace. The whole point of Legends, aside from help preview the new Justice League and Suicide Squad (and Captain Marvel) , was to establish Darkseid as a major villain, post-Crisis. It accomplishes that.
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Post by mistermets on Aug 3, 2022 15:29:37 GMT -5
Adventures of Superman #427It starts with Superman invading the middle-eastern nation of Qurac (created by writer Marv Wolfman in his Teen Titans run) which creates an interesting dilemma for the man of steel. He has the power to take down governments, and in this case, the rest of the world is okay with it, since the corrupt regime in Qurac has earned a lot of enemies. But he is reluctant to use his power, and holds back when there's a possibility that he may make a mistake. Members of an organization called the Circle try to use their psychic powers to take over his mind, pushing him into an international conflict, playing up his fears of what his alien (in multiple senses of the word) parents wanted him to do with Earth. It's a new challenge for him where his power doesn't matter as much as strength of will. I'm noticing a trend of here of Superman in situations targeted by forces he can't understand, and it works here. A- Adventures of Superman #428
I was expecting this to follow up on the Circle, as the previous issue ended ambiguously in that it could've been a cliffhanger, and it could also be the set-up to a future return. I do like the focus on the aftermath of Superman's Qurac adventure, as it gives more weight to his experience when he's still dealing with it. This issue is more of a Perry White spotlight, when his delinquent son is taken hostage by gangsters who want him to retract a story. It's a tough situation for White, although it might be cramming too many moral questions into a story that's not even a full issue. The son is a prick, although it might be realistic. What I like about this issue is how Superman goes about tackling the underworld, and his realization that there are parts of Metropolis that he doesn't go to much. This series seems to be an influence on the types of challenges Superman and his supporting cast face in the 1990s TV show Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. B+
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Post by mistermets on Aug 4, 2022 15:45:51 GMT -5
Action Comics #587It's an interesting trap as Jason Blood accidentally unleashes a weird crystal city. This obviously fits John Byrne's artistic sensibilities, since he likes drawing that kind of stuff. We get pretty quickly into two superheroes fighting one another over a misunderstanding, but it works here when Superman is shocked at his mistake, and Jason Blood/ Etrigan has a good reason for trying to stop him. The story takes a turn to a new setting I'd rather not spoil (yeah the comic is 30+ years old, but there are some nice twists) with interesting solutions to the problem. This might be my favorite of John Byrne's team-up centric Action Comics run. A
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Post by badwolf on Aug 4, 2022 15:55:57 GMT -5
I didn't care for the storyline involving Perry's son. Did he exist before Crisis? I had never heard of him before I read these collections.
I liked that Action issue a lot too. It's obvious Byrne loves the Demon (even long before he did his own series) and his milieu. He used him quite a lot in the books he wrote, though perhaps not quite as much as he used Darkseid and the New Gods.
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Post by zaku on Aug 5, 2022 1:44:37 GMT -5
I didn't care for the storyline involving Perry's son. Did he exist before Crisis? According to the DC wiki, he had 3 sons and various grandchildren.
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Post by mistermets on Aug 5, 2022 15:17:58 GMT -5
Superman #5-6
This two parter features Lois and Clark uncovering the secrets of a lost civilization and its connection to an advanced race. It's certainly not rushed. The first few pages have Superman dreaming about Wonder Woman, a set-up to a big moment in Action Comics #600, and a weird experience for me reading this in a trade paperback immediately after another John Byrne story. It's a different experience when I have no idea what the hell I'm reading, although I suspect it was a similar surprise for anyone picking up a comic that had Superman VS a really wide mummy on the cover.
I like seeing little details like Superman being so rushed he forgets to shave, and how he figures out how to most efficiently travel to the other side of the world. Lois and Clark's interactions are fun, and I like the care Byrne puts into figuring what Lois thinks is going on. The giant mummy is a solid threat in the first half of the story, although we get some new twists in the second half. The enemy has a decent mythos, and Byrne uses the story to say something about Superman and humanity. The resolution is clever. This is a solid story. B+
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Post by mistermets on Aug 9, 2022 10:40:20 GMT -5
Adventures of Superman #429The Circle, from Issue 427, return, although it's mainly a set-up for the introduction of a generic new supervillain rather than anything unique about this secret society. The highlights of the issue are revelations about Cat Grant's personal life, and Superman wondering whether he's making the wrong decisions in situations that involve the people in Clark Kent's life. The story opens with an excellent rescue sequence that shows that when Superman has to prevent a plane from crashing, he has some difficult decisions to make, which fits into the larger message. B+
Action Comics #588 Superman teams up with Hawkman and Hawkwoman to stop an alien invasion. There are some decent sequences, but I'm just not invested in the story at all. There's no moral dilemma or uniquely difficult task for Superman, and I don't have a sense of why I should care about Hawkman and Hawkgirl, what it makes them special and interesting, and the extent to which this Hawkman is the same version as the one I like from another comics. It's the second part of a storyline that kicked off in Hawkman #10, which seemed to be tying up several years worth of loose ends, so this may read differently to someone who was a fan of that title and had a better context for what's going on here. C
Action Comics #589 Superman's still in space after the last adventure, and encounters the Green Lantern corps. Initially, he's worried about events from the previous issue, because he doesn't realize he won. I like that twist. They still have an enemy to face, which ends up connected to a previous Action Comics adventure. There are some decent moments in the team-up and we get a bit of a sense of how the Green Lanterns differ from one another. B
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