Chris and Reggie's TOTAL PACKAGE - The Death and Return of Superman

Chris and Reggie's TOTAL PACKAGE

The Death and Return of Superman (DC Comics, 1992-1993)

(00:00:00) Cosmic Treadmill, Episode 63: Doomsday!

(01:45:08) Cosmic Treadmill, Episode 64: Funeral For A Friend

(03:07:32) Cosmic Treadmill, Episode 65: Reign of the Supermen

(04:57:09) Cosmic Treadmill, Episode 66: The Return!

(06:33:58) Cosmic Treadmill, Episode 75: Grounded

Total Running Time: 8 Hours, 13 Minutes, 28 Seconds

Welcome, friends - to the collection of Cosmic Treadmill episodes wherein Reggie and I commemorated the 25th Anniversary of the landmark Doomsday storyline that shook the comics industry back in the Fall/Winter of 1992-93!  In these shows, we broke down what was going on in the world of Superman leading up to his final battle with Doomsday, the story itself... and all of the fallout in Funeral For A Friend and Reign of the Supermen.  If you weren't in the fandom (or perhaps even on the planet back then... you might enjoy hearing about what was going on in the biz and the world.  If you were, well - I hope this scratches a nostalgia itch!

Then, as a special bonus, I've decided to include events even more tragic for Superman than death itself... J. Michael Straczynski's opus Grounded from 2010-2011.  Sending the post-Crisis Superman shuffling outta continuity (at least for awhile) with a... thud.

Justice League America #70 (1993)

Justice League America #70 (January, 1993)
"Funeral For a Friend/Grieving"
Words/Layouts - Dan Jurgens
Finishes - Rick Burchett
Letterer - Willie Schubert
Colorist - Gene D'Angelo
Assistant Editor - Ruben Diaz
Editor - Brian Augustyn
Cover Price: $1.25

Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

I was wracking my brain trying to think up an appropriate Thanksgiving-themed review... but came up empty.  It doesn't help that my longboxes are still (mostly) in disarray.  For an actual Thanksgiving-themed discussion and review, check out last year's super-fun JSA #54.

So instead, we're going to discuss an issue that always reminds me of Thanksgiving... likely due to when it hit the stands.

I've told this story before, but these Doomsday-era issues of Justice League were my introduction to the team... and boy was I confused.  These didn't feel like the A-List of the DC Universe... and there was a good reason for that.  It was because of these issues that I decided to eventually start collecting the title, and really kicked off my affection for this "other" Universe of comic book heroes.

Let's check in with them during the "mourning after".

If you're interested, Reggie and I discussed this issue during a recent episode of the Cosmic Treadmill... part of our 25th Anniversary Celebration of The Death of Superman.




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We pick up right where we left off following Superman (vol.2) #75.  Ice and Bloodwynd have arrived just moments too late to help their teammate take down Doomsday.  Ice takes Superman's tattered cape off the post it's been swaying on, and lays it over her fallen comrade.

Meanwhile at the hospital, Booster Gold and Maxima have just gotten word of what has just gone down.  As you might imagine, they're pretty torn up over the whole thing.  Their pity party is interrupted, however, by the arrival of Guy Gardner.  We can see that he's pretty messed up himself by the fact that his bowl haircut has a band-aid on it.  He has a few choice words for Maxima about her would-be Super-mate.

Later, Booster heads into Ted Kord's room where he gets even more bad news.  His bosom buddy is in a coma... and the doctors can't promise that he'll ever come out of it.

Booster, Oberon, and Max exit the room and chat in the hallway.  It's here that we learn that the League isn't just down Superman and Beetle... it's also down Booster!  During the Doomsday Massacre, Booster's costume was shredded beyond repair.  Considering all of his powers derive from the costume, it looks like he's outta luck!

Elsewhere, Fire checks in on Ice... and they cry.

Outside, Flash is running through Metropolis on his way to the hospital.  I'm probably going to be saying this a lot but... where were ya a couple hours ago, Wally?  Anyhoo, he notices that all of the flags in the city are at half-mast... which is a great way to show what a huge deal this is to the universe.

Wally arrives at the hospital and chats up Booster for a bit, when suddenly they're joined by... Aquaman!  So Arthur, where were you while Doomsday was tearing up the United States?

As if that isn't enough, Batman and Robin swoop in next... well, Batman does... it looks like Robin's about to take a header into the concrete.

... followed by Hal Jordan and Hawkman...

... then Starfire, Nightwing, Jay Garrick, Alan Scott, Power Girl, and Elongated Man...

... Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Etrigan the freaking Demon!  Seriously now, where were you people a few hours ago???

Anyhoo... the heroes are greeted by Oberon who proceeds to hand out some (highly-collectible) black armbands.

The assembled heroes slip them on in tribute.

Ollie... being Ollie chides Bloodwynd about the League "crashing down".  Wow dude, bodies aren't even cold yet!  Bloodwynd is adamant that the League will live on... and in the background we can see Black Condor flying by... but that's a story for another time.

Ice decides to pay tribute to her fallen hero by creating a giant ice sculpture in his likeness.  Nearby, Guy Gardner looks on... and with a yellow construct snags an armband for himself out of respect for... well, a fella he didn't always get along with... but appreciated none the less.

We wrap up back in Beetle's room, where Booster is er... keeping him company?  He tells his best pal that he doesn't know what he'll do if one day he has to wear an armband with a beetle on it.

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You can almost feel that chill in the air.

I think many of us can kinda relate to having urgency thrust upon us.  Whether it's for a good reason or bad... we've all gotten that phone call... somebody's in the hospital.  Maybe they suffered a fall... maybe their water just broke.  Regardless, an otherwise normal morning becomes something more.

You bundle the kids and rush out the door.  You see your breath as you unlock the car... you breathe in that strange "too early for me" morning air... and you head out.  In such a big rush... just to sit around and wait.  Maybe a few hours later a familiar face arrives with some coffee... or, in the case of the book, black armbands.

Okay, maybe I should cut it out with the (very specific) analogies and just talk about the book.

This issue hit the stands the very same day as Superman #75... and, lemme tell ya... doing it this way was an awesome idea!  Superman #75, despite being a very definitive ending... was still something of a cliffhanger.  I doubt anyone could read that and not ask "Okay... what happens now?"

Thankfully, comics enthusiasts (and their mothers) were able to grab this issue and find out!

The League... and the hero community at large has taken the hardest hit they'll ever take!  Losing someone like Superman really puts into perspective how fragile they all are... and how dangerous the work they do really is.  That's an idea I wish they went a bit deeper into.

Let's talk absentee heroes.  We joked a bit about this during the podcast... but, c'mon... where was everybody while Doomsday was tearing up the United States?!  I'm sure they knew what was going down... did they just have that much faith that Superman would pull through?  Must've, right?  Otherwise, it makes them the worst friends ever.

Even though this is a Funeral For a Friend tie-in, it's still very much a League-centric story... which I definitely appreciate.  We see that they're down three members... Superman's dead, Beetles in a coma, and Booster is depowered.

The team members all deal with the loss in their own way.  I appreciated the brief scene between Fire and Ice.  Ice has fostered a crush on Superman for awhile by now... and while he never reciprocated, he was always kind and respectful.  I'd definitely imagine that out of the Leaguers, this loss would hit Ice worst of all.

Perhaps an even more powerful scene was Guy Gardner snagging an armband.  He and Superman got along like cats and dogs for the most part, however, at the end of the day... they were teammates and shared a begrudging respect for one another.

Overall... a wonderful issue, and well worth your time.  It's a difficult book to recommend, as if you're reading this blog... you've very likely already read this issue.  Even if that's the case, maybe pick it up again... it's been 25 years, right?  A great "bridge" from The Death of Superman and Funeral For a Friend.

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Adventures of Superman #498 (1993)

Adventures of Superman #498 (January, 1993)
"Funeral For a Friend/1: Death of a Legend"
Writer - Jerry Ordway
Penciller - Tom Grummett
Inker - Doug Hazelwood
Letterer - Albert DeGuzman
Colorist - Glenn Whitmore
Assistant Editor - Jennifer Frank
Editor - Mike Carlin
Cover Price: $1.25

Iconic cover... Iconic character... Iconic story... Iconic creators... I'yai yai!

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We open in the immediate wake of Superman (vol.2) #75 (wow, it's been awhile since we discussed that one!).  Lois is on her knees, holding Superman's body.  Before them, there's another body... Doomsday lay face down, surrounded by terrified members of the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit.  One tentatively pokes the beast with his gun... but nobody can agree on whether or not it causes the monster to twitch.

Luckily for them, Dubbilex is present... and he can attempt to read Doomsday's mind.  After doing so, he proclaims that while earlier it was full of rage and anger... now, there's nothing.  Similarly, he was able to get a reading on Superman earlier... and now, nothing.

Lois isn't willing to accept this... Cat Grant and Jimmy run to her side to comfort her.  Maggie Sawyer and the Guardian walk up... with the latter doing his best to perform mouth-to-mouth on a man who's lungs are akin to steel drums!

Sawyer calls over some EMTs... who fire up the defibrillator.  Terrible Dan Turpin watches on from the sidelines... he compares Superman's passing to losing a fellow officer in the line of duty.  He makes his way through the wreckage, and (almost literally) stumbles upon the protoplasmic bod of Matrix.  Lex Luthor pops in to take her away.

Back at the body... the EMT's are getting ready to give up their shock-paddle endeavor, for fear that they're going to melt their tools.  The Guardian grabs him by the collar, and tells him if he's gotta melt 'em to bring Superman back, then they're damn sure gonna melt 'em.  Jimmy and Cat pull Lois away... Lois has not relaxed her grip on Superman's shredded cape.

Lois suggests they contact Dr. Sanchez at S.T.A.R. Labs... and then, it happens.  Cat asks Jimmy to call Clark to come and get Lois.  It's now that it finally hits Lois that not only is Superman dead... so is Clark Kent!  What does this mean?  Did Ma and Pa see their only son die on television?

A WBGS van pulls up, and Cat prepares for her live breaking news broadcast.  When it cuts into "regularly scheduled programming", we hop to Cat's own apartment where her son Adam and main-squeeze Jose Delgado hear the news.  Adam's never been a big Superman fan... so, he switches the channel to cartoons.  Jose snaps at him, and grabs the remote control.  Adam runs off crying.  Jose heads to the closet and pulls out his old Gangbuster costume.  In the background, a particularly snotty newscaster say that he guesses "Superman wasn't so Super after all".  Jose hurls his helmet through the set.

In Smallville, Ma and Pa are watching the news roll out on television.  Pa thinks they're all being dumb... after all, Superman's come back from worse... right?  Ma wonders aloud if they might be right.  The Kents hug and pray for their son's safety.

At LexCorp, Lex and Supergirl discuss what had just gone down.  Supergirl regrets that there wasn't more she could've done to help... Lex feels similarly, buuuut for different reasons.  He'd had liked to save Superman, if only to never let him forget that he'd done so.  The Protoplasmic Matrix performs her most difficult and painful transformation... and we can see that her Supergirl bod is covered in bruises from the battle.

Back at the bodies... the head of Cadmus arrives, and claims to have been given the authorization to take both Superman and Doomsday's bodies.  Dan Turpin doesn't seem to have any problem with them hauling Doomsday away... but, he won't let him take Superman.  Head of Cadmus is a jerk... a loudmouthed homophobic jerk at that.  Terrible Turpin hauls off and punches him in the gut.

Dubbilex reveals that he reached out to some friends for help... and so, Emil Hamilton and Bibbo (!) saunter up with an energy-collecting unit to soup-up the defibrillators.

Bibbo has volunteered to be the guy to press the paddles into the Man of Steel's chest... it's pretty heartbreaking, he says if anything goes wrong, "no one's gonna miss a pug like me".  They load up the unit... and Bibbo pumps the power, which causes a terrific elec-splosion.  Superman's body actually jumps... however, Dubbilex confirms that his condition is unchanged.  A nearly-kayoed Bibbo asks for another go-round.  As you might assume... none of this actually brings Superman back to life.

We wrap up at the Daily Planet, where Jimmy is annoyed at all of the sensationalism... even more annoyed that Cat Grant is part of the deluge.  Meanwhile, Lois is working on her article... Jimmy's instantly-iconic snap of Superman's body will run alongside it.  Jimmy feels as though publishing this photo is in someways a violation of his friendship with him.  Jimmy offers to walk Lois home... and Perry assures her that if the worst should be confirmed about Clark, they will do whatever they can to keep his memory alive.

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Alrighty, we got quite a bit to unpack here...

Let's first discuss the fact that this story actually happened in the first place.  I remember when we first learned that this entire event was going down, I wasn't sure how this whole Funeral For A Friend leg of the journey was going to work.  Normally, you'd figure the death of an iconic comic book character might require an issue (mayyyybe two) devoted to the fallout and funeral.  Certainly not two-months... and nine (counting Justice League America) issues!

Gotta say, in hindsight this might be my favorite bit of the Doomsday "three-act play".  This is an extended post-credits scene, where we're actually afforded the opportunity to see how everything rolls out.  This issue (and story) picks up immediately following the last page of Superman #75.  There's no jump to "days later"... or "the morning of the funeral"... this is, for all intents and purposes, the second chapter of Superman #75.  The credits rolled... but the curtain never went down.

Let's talk Lois.  The way she was depicted here was perfect.  To her mind, Superman and Clark Kent are the same fella... because, well, ya know... he is.  She doesn't immediately consider the ramifications of losing both of them individually.  When Jimmy and Cat ask about Clark... it hits her like a ton of bricks.  Superman's dead... but so is Clark.  How does this effect those who called Clark "friend" or "son"?  How does this effect her own life going forward... her fiance is gone!  Her refusal to let the cape go... her insistence that the EMT's continue pumping electricity into Superman's body... all very touching... and amazingly "real".

The Kents in Smallville... their scenes during this arc are particularly painful to get through.  They may have lost the most during this event, however, they are so far removed from Superman, so far as the general public is concerned, that their grieving is... I dunno... unrequited?  I know that's the wrong word for it... but it feels like their mourning isn't quite as "real" as it could be.  Part of the grieving process for many is being able to talk to others about their loss.  Here the Kents are... alone in Smallville, having lost their son.  The rest of the world might've lost it's greatest hero... but they lost their only child... 

Bibbo is another heavy-hitter for me during this era.  He sees himself as disposable in his attempts to help shock Superman back to life... which is very touching.  A later scene with Mr. Bibbowski is particularly difficult to get through.  I'm sure we'll cover that book sometime soon.  Suffice it to say, Bibbo is depicted as having perhaps the purest "heart" here... and I love that Ordway included him.

Without going too deep here... because many of the cameo characters will get more fleshed-out scenes during this arc, and we'll eventually discuss them at length... I really appreciate the way in which so many characters from the Super-cast are included.  Transitioning from Cat Grant's "breaking news" to Jose and Adam hearing the news was perfect.  All of Metropolis's "Science" gangs all being interested in conducting studies... even before the bodies are cold is a nice touch as well.  Lex and Matrix both wishing things could've gone down differently... but for very different reasons... all fantastic stuff!

Overall... if you're a Superman fan, let's face it... you've already read this issue.  It's a wonderful (and terrible!) look at the fallout of a horrible disaster, and we get to experience the reactions first hand.  There was no time to digest what had just happened... every reaction here is determined by "gut" and "heart".  This is before anyone can reflect... or utilize critical thinking, and with that in mind... is scripted as perfectly as I would hope.  Tom Grummett is able to convey so much emotion in these characters... it's almost as though you can guess, at a glance, which step on the Kubler-Ross scale each person is currently on.

A pair'a masters (and team) working their magic on an amazing book.  If somehow you haven't read this... rectify that at your earliest possible convenience.  The entire Doomsday arc is available in a number of ways... and while I always recommend single-issues (not floppies!), you can get this in several flavors of trade paperback, omnibus, and of course... digitally.

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Superman (vol.2) #76 (1993)

Superman (vol.2) #76 (February, 1993)
"Funeral For a Friend/4: Metropolis Mailbag II"
Story & Art - Dan Jurgens
Finished Art - Brett Breeding
Letterer - John Costanza
Colors - Glenn Whitmore
Assistant Editor - Jennifer Frank
Editor - Mike Carlin
Cover Price: $1.25

Welcome to day three of the Twelve Days of Christmas on Infinite Earths.  Today we're going to discuss a very special issue.  This is actually the issue in which I was introduced to many of the DC Universe mainstays and heavy-hitters.  I don't think I've made it any secret that my introduction to DC was through the Death of Superman storyline... sure, I had assorted issues in my collection before that, but I never actually cared until the tail-end of 1992.

I've been looking forward to rereading this one just to imagine myself checking out so many of these characters for the first time.  It feels like a lifetime ago... and I guess an argument can be made that it was!

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It's a rainy Metropolis Christmas Eve as many of DC's heavy-hitters organize atop The Daily Planet building.  Captain Marvel is the last to arrive.  The heroes have a brief rain-soaked discussion about the death of their friend... and loss in general.  Tonight is not all about talk, however, they are all there for a purpose... to fill in for Superman on the night that he tries to grant some wishes.  Of particular interest here is Robin, who is the relatively newly-minted Tim Drake at this point.  He has his own feeling about the loss of the Man of Steel, yet feels foolish sharing them.  Such a human reaction... really like it.

Meanwhile, across town... we meet up with our old friend Mitch.  You remember Mitch, right?  The punk kid from Ohio who got lippy with his mother until Doomsday and the Justice League destroyed his house... yeah, him.  Anyhoo, he feels responsible for the death of Superman, and ran off to Metropolis in order to apologize to... Mrs. Superman?

On an outdoor stage some nutjob has orchestrated a press conference so that she may tell the world about her super-secret affair with Superman.  Among the press is the Daily Planet's own, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen.  As you might imagine, this is all quite difficult for Lois to digest... it's not long before she walks off.

Jimmy notices the odd looking Mitch and asks him if there's anything he might do for him.  Mitch spills the beans about wanting to apologize to Mrs. Supes, but Jimmy drops the proper knowledge on him.  Mitch decides it might just help him to talk to anyone who was close with Superman... well, I guess Superman's Pal might fit the bill!  Jimmy offers to buy Mitch a meal with Bibbo at Hobb's Bay Grille.

We rejoin Lois as she visits Clark's apartment for the first time since his passing.  The panel layout here is truly wonderful... long, thin, uncomfortable panels... we can actually feel Lois' dread as she enters.  It's at this point that Clark/Superman's death is becoming "real".  Not that his actual death and funeral weren't... but this signifies the fact that life will have to go on without him.

She enters and begins to cry... fearing that she is now all alone.  Lois' internal monologue is interrupted by a friendly voice... Ma and Pa Kent have arrived.  This is a particularly difficult scene for me, though it wasn't always.  I'm not sure if I've just grown sappy in my old age, or it's that I've become so much more familiar with these folks... but the scenes with the Kents are always the ones that "get" me.  The Lois and Kents reunion is interrupted by (a very blonde) Lana Lang.  This is a wonderful little "support group"... I mean, who else could any of these four go to in order to talk about this?  Not like Ma is going to ring up Batman.

We shift back to the Daily Planet where several heroes are rooting through the mail room... a mail room filled with letters to Superman.  Guy Gardner has some choice sarcasm for the entire endeavor... which I like to think is his defense mechanism.  He comments that all of these letters signify just another person that wants something.  Wonder Woman scolds him and they continue looking through for some wishes to grant.

Gardner winds up finding a letter from an older woman who has a terminal disease.  Her request for Superman is to find her son who ran off some three decades earlier.  He figures this is just the wish for him to grant... but he hopes there will be some need to "bust some heads" along the way.

Flash and Wonder Woman find a letter from... well, lookit this, a woman whose house was destroyed during the battle with Doomsday!  What the heroes notice is that the letter is primarily a thank you for saving the lives of her children.  Wonder Woman decides that they will do whatever they can for this family.

At Hobbs Bay Grille, Mitch dines with Jimmy and Bibbo.  He shares his story with them... telling them that if Superman hadn't come back to save them he would probably still be alive.  Bibbo talks him down and tries to put the entire event into perspective.  We learn that some/most of Mitch's guilt is due to making fun of Superman before everything went down.  He thought Superman was lame... and it's only because of Superman that he and his family are alive today.  Not even his own father cared enough... but Superman came back.

Back at Clark's apartment, the gang is discussing how they are going to go about explaining Clark's disappearance... and Lana wonders if it might be time that the secret comes out.  Ma and Pa give that thought the ol' nuh-uh... and the foursome agree that the secret stays between them.

We shift to Wonder Woman standing in front of an apartment door.  Inside is... Mitch's dad!  He first thinks she's there as a gag, or a singing telegram.  She informs him that she is quite real, and fills him in on what just went down with his children and ex-wife.

We next see some cameos... Nightwing and Maxima are delivering gifts to a homeless shelter, and Guy Gardner shanghais the old woman's son and facilitates a mother and child reunion.  I like to think that Guy didn't even talk to the guy... just zapped him with his ring and brought him home.

We join Flash and Green Lantern as they help a team of construction workers building a house for a certain Ohioan family.  We jump back and forth between scenes of Mitch paying his respects at Superman's tomb and his family home being rebuilt.  Of particular note, Jimmy swears he hears the faint sound of drilling at the tomb... hmm...

As construction nears completion Mitch's father, Roger reunites with his mother, Claire.  We find out that Claire never told Roger what went down with Doomsday... and right then and there, they decide they want to give being a family one more try.  Yeah, a bit too sappy and convenient... but, whattayagonnado... it's Christmas.

We wrap up with Jimmy and Mitch leaving the tomb... just as Cadmus is making off with the coffin!  To be continued...

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Well, what can I say about this one?  As I mentioned above, this issue really was my introduction to the non-Super non-Bat DC Universe.  This was my first time really seeing Green Lantern, the Flash, and Wonder Woman in the comics.  Such a strange time to see them too, right?  Just as the biggest gun of them all is out of commission... 

I was pretty disappointed both then and now by Captain Marvel only showing up for a panel or two.  I thought I'd forgotten him playing a bigger role here, but... nope.  Guess it's really neither here nor there... just would've been cool to see him do more here.

The Mitch scenes bugged me as a kid... I'm not sure if I had the desired reaction to the lad... but I thought he was the worst back then.  In my current more *ahem* mature state, I can see the merit in him showing up... still think he's kind of a jerk though.  Boy he really let it all out during his dinner with Bibbo, right?  Issues with guilt... abandonment... guilt... death... guilt... loss.  Mitch got some stuff to work out, eh?

I mentioned in the synopsis... Mitch's folks reconciling, expecially under the circumstances, seems really "easy".  It neglects to take into account the prior complexities of their relationship in an attempt to give us something of a "love conquers all" bit... which, if it were in any different book, I might be a bit more upset... but it's Superman... during the death... at Christmas.  Any complaints that I have can't measure up to all of that.  I think Mitch shows up several years later... with powers (seriously)... maybe then we'll find out how his folks made out.

The scenes that most stuck with me... were really a very small part of this issue.  They were the scenes with the Kents.  When I was a kid, I saw Ma and Pa as Superman's "Aunt May"... and I didn't see that as a good thing.  I really didn't like having them around... can't put my finger on why I felt that way... but, what can I tell ya, I was 12.  In the years that followed, I grew to appreciate them... even really like them.  It soon became that the only way I could see Superman was as Ma and Pa's son.  The New-52 Superman always felt wrong to me due to their absense.  Of course they still raised him... but, I felt as though they should still be around.

As I stated above... these scenes have become particularly difficult for me in more recent rereadings.  I always think back to Louise Simonson describing these scenes during the documentary that came with the Superman: Doomsday animated feature.  She actually struggles to get through her statement... almost choking on her words as she fights back tears.  Ever since then, I have a similar problem getting through these scenes.  If you haven't seen that doc... it's highly recommended... and is legally available on YouTube uploaded by Warner Bros.  Actually... I'll just include it here:

Overall... if you're a fan of Superman or DC Comics, there's a very good chance you've already read this... it would be silly for me to type "recommended"... because, of course it is.

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On the third day of Christmas on Infinite Earths, I gave to you... Superman (vol. 2) #76, JSA #55, and a Batman and the Outsiders #19 Review