Action Comics #806 (October, 2003)
"Hungry Ghost, Part One: Blood, Broads and Bushido"
Writer - Joe Kelly
Penciller - Pascual Ferry
Inker - Cam Smith
Guest Art - Karl Kerschl
Colorist - Guy Major
Letters - Comicraft
Associate Editor - Tom Palmer, Jr.
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.25
You see that on the horizon?
That be the finish line for our #Action100 Endeavor, because, dear reader, we are in the "home stretch". Heck, we've already lapped the "home stretch" as today we are about to begin the, a-hem, penultimate installment!
That's right... this is our 99th discussion of Action Comics... and, perhaps most shockingly... we're right on time!
Barring my being hit by a bus, our 100th discussion will be this Wednesday... April 18th, the 80th Anniversary of Superman and the release date of Action Comics #1000!
Now let's learn some street magic, yo.
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We open in the gentrified Suicide Slum. Remember this is "City of Tomorrow/Y2K"Metropolis... so even the worst parts of town have a neat hi-tech sheen to 'em. In one of the apartments is Traci 13... or Girl 13... or Girl¹³... who knows. Anyhoo, she's chatting with, I wanna say her father, about what she's been up to since arriving in Metropolis. She's met Superboy... and, well, that's about it. Worth mentioning she has a large iguana named Leroy... and very odd undergarments. She is advised to ixnay her agicmay... and maybe get a job.
We follow her around town as she goes about her morning (I think it's morning) routine. While out she overhears a couple of passionate sports fans talking about their favorite team. This appears to annoy her greatly, so she wriggles her nose and forces them to kiss. That's pretty mature.
Suddenly screams fill the air... Traci turns around to see what's up and finds Superman splatted into the ground, with a spear run through his chest! She rushes over to check on him, and magicks up a green whirlwind to whisk them to the safety of the underground.
We shift scenes to Second-Lady Lana Lang... is that what we call the Vice-President's Wife? Second-Lady? I suppose I could Google it, but I don't want to find out that that's not what we call them. Anyhoo, she's hunting for an apartment in Metropolis... which she claims will be used for "retreats" for her "Foundation". Lois-on-the-spot smelled news, and so, she's there too. Worth noting, Lois looks like she miiiiight be 16 here.
Lois knows there must be more to this story than that, and decides to pry as best she can. Lana finally lets it slip that she and Pete are getting a divorce. She then requests that it be kept "off the record".
We shift scenes again... this time to John Henry Irons' Steelworks. This is post-"Our Worlds At War", so the man himself is dead... for now. We join his niece Natasha, who is chizzatting with her rewizzired rizzobot Kelex. It's pretty cringy stuff here... and since this was writting in the early 2000's, I'm not sure much of it is meant to be ironic.
Kelex rizzeccomends that Natasha try to pick up her Uncle's hammer... which she is surprised to learn she is able to do! The hammer than proceeds to speak... letting out a "Hammer Time", which makes her cringe just as hard as I've been cringing these last two pages!'
We shift scenes over to The Daily Planet where Jubilee considers hitting "send" on the Lana Lang/Pete Ross article. Wait... that's not Jubilee... that's Lois! I'm tellin' ya, this could be any high school intern! Anyhoo, she thinks back to a chat she had with Clark in bed... thankfully, she looks "of age" in the flashback... and decides that she's going to publish.
And so, we check back in with Lana... whose beans have just been spilled. She is greatly displeased, and is trying to spin the story best she can.
Suddenly, Traci 13 and Superman appear at her (Lana's) feet. Traci didn't know where else to go... and since she saw Superman and Lana on the news, figured this might be her best bet. She also needs nutmeg... and since Lana is in full Bree Vandecamp mode here, Traci figures she just might have some.
Back to the Steelworks, and the Hammer is still reading John Henry's recorded message to Natasha. He wants her to go to college, become a doctor or lawyer... anything but a superhero. He also knows her well enough that she'll probably try her hand at heroing anyway. And so, he's created something special for her.
Back at Lana's, Traci 13 is trying to get into Superman's head to see who or what put him in such a state. We hop into a flashback... Superman is taking care of a group of ninja-flavored nogoodniks. When the dust settles, he saves a woman who is about to be garroted... only for her to slump to the ground anyway. This distraction proves to be enough for Gaki, a "hungry ghost" to impale him with her staff.
We wrap up with Natasha Irons in her brand new Steel costume arriving... and insisting that Traci 13 back the eff off.
--
Well... this was, uh, weird... right?
I suppose we should just addrizzess the elephizzant in the rizzoom right off the bizzat. There was some scarily-cringy dialogue in here... and the thing of it is, I'm not sure if it's meant to be! I mean, if this book were to come out today... then, yeah... this is definitely "for the laughs". Back in 2003, though? I'm not so sure. I really wish I could remember how I "received" this issue back when it first released.
Another thing worth mentioning (again)... man, did Lois look young here. I swear I thought that was Jubilee in the Daily Planet scene... complete with bubble gum! That's gotta be one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to shared-universe storytelling... lack of consistency in character appearance. Anything from hair length to body type... when the characters drastically change in appearance (and back again) from chapter-to-chapter, it just bugs the hell out of me. I know Lois didn't look like a teenager in all of the books at this time. Then again, by the turn of the century, character bibles and "style sheets" were probably already considered a passe relic.
It seems like this is kind of a throwaway story... doesn't quite feel like it belongs in Action Comics. Though, when I look at the last page of the book, there's an advertisement for the launch of Superman/Batman... which is clearly where all of the "important" things are going to be happening for the next little while. I suppose that allowed the regular "Super Team" to flex their storytelling muscles a bit... and explore not-so Super-centric story threads. That's fair enough, I suppose.
Overall... this is a weird one to recommend. Despite the characters not being completely "on model", the art here is pretty great. If you're in the mood for a Superman-flavored story that isn't necessarily about Superman, this might just be worth a shot.
That's it for today... but remember to check back Wednesday (4/18) when we finally cross the #Action100 finish line!
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Teen Titans: Year One #1 (March, 2008)
"In the Beginning... Part One"
Writer - Amy Wolfram
Penciller - Karl Kerschl
Inker - Serge LaPointe
Colorist - Steph Peru
Letterer - Nick J. Napolitano
Assistant Editor - Adam Schlagman
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99
Here's one that's been lingering in the library for a decade! For whatever reason, I bought... but never read Teen Titans: Year One. It's not unusual for me to buy something with the intent of reading it "eventually"... but, for me to leave a Titans book lay... that's kinda odd.
Maybe I was subconsciously trying to rob myself of reading a great story... or, maybe it was out of self-preservation. Guess we're about to find out which!
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We open in the Batcave, where young Dick Grayson is trying to get a hold of all the "teen superheroes" in an online chat room... hmm, that kinda thing might get you investigated, pal. Anyhoo, Batman arrives... and boy howdy, he's ticked off. He tells Robin that he's wasting his time... and that they need to go. Just as they do, we see that Kid Flash has responded to the call of duty.
And so, we shift scenes over to Wally's Blue Valley bedroom, where he's borrrrrrrred. So bored, that he decides to run to France for some French Fries (get it?).
Meanwhile, unduh-da-sea... Aqualad seems to be scared of just about everything. He also seems kinda sickly... which is likely just artistic license. Anyhoo, Aquaman clops up riding a seahorse... and gives Garth a disappointing look.
Then... to the Big City, where Donna Troy seems to be looking for Wonder Woman. In a neat nod to the past, we see that The Flips will be playing live that weekend. Not paying complete attention to her surroundings, Donna walks smack into the chest of a... I dunno, high school/college student (who appears to be dating his mother). She immediately expresses her love for him... which is, ya know... weird.
Back in Gotham, Batman and Robin have been surveilling an alley for several hours in search of a cat-burglar. Batman is depicted as... well, an ass. No nicer way to put it. Thinking he's found his baddie, he swoops into action... and beats the holy Hell out of a delivery guy.
The next day, Wally pays Dick a visit at his school... and they talk about how parents just don't understand. Robin gets a text on his bat-phone (it actually has a bat on it) about some trouble going down at a jewelry store... and he heads that way. He finds Batman getting pretty aggressive with a thief... and, of course... we get a reference to the pearl necklace (we tired of that imagery yet?).
Batman proceeds to pummel the perp... so much so that Robin intervenes to try and pull him back. Batman responds with a backhand to the Boy Wonder, and a warning that their "team" is no more.
We wrap up with the owners of the jewelry store tending to Dick's bloody lip.
In a strange epilogue piece, the fish around Atlantis are warned (via Morse Code) that they are under attack.
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Um...
Well...
This is a very pretty book! The art is wonderful... really eye-catching and engaging.
Soooo, see ya tomorr-- oh, we probably ought to talk about the story, huh?
Uhh... not the best. This really wouldn't be the book I'd give to a new-to-the-Titans reader. I'm not sure if this is supposed to supplant the Titans original origin, or run alongside it... so, I really can't get mad at it for mucking with continuity... yet.
Still though, not a fan of some of the characterization here. Let's start with Batman... I gotta figure there's some sort of mind-control or a top-secret plan he's formulating in order for him to act the way he's acting here. I mean, he's hyper-violent, not acting very detective-like... and Hell, he backhanded Robin. There's gotta be something amiss here, right?
Then there's Wonder Girl. I mean, I get that we're seeing that she's never seen "a b-b-b-b-b-boy" growing up on Paradise Island... but her reaction here is a bit much. Here she is, walking through the "Big City", are we supposed to believe this is the first boy she's seen? Why isn't she running up to every fella on the street and pronouncing her love for them too? Just really off-putting... and seemed to only exist to facilitate the joke of the dude nervously telling his girlfriend that he'd never seen this girl before.
So... um, no bueno. The art, as mentioned, is fantastic... a real treat for the eyes. It's too bad that the story doesn't really live up to it. To be fair, I'm just one issue in... so, this might all come together beautifully at the end... but, after reading this... I really don't much care to stick it out til then. If you're interested, this is available digitally for only a buck!
Be sure to come back tomorrow, when we celebrate TWO-YEARS of DAILY posting at our humble blog-home.
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Superman (vol.2) #201 (March, 2004)
"Strange New Visitor, Part Three"
Writers - Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Artist - Karl Kerschl
Colorists - Tanya & Richard Horie
Letterer - Nick J. Leighpez
Associate Editor - Tom Palmer, Jr.
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.25
Whatever Happened to the City of Tomorrow?
Let's find out...
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We open with a bit of history for Mr. Majestic (Lord Majestros if you're nasty)... and, whoa... is that Grifter? And a Wildcats mention? Wow, wasn't expecting that. Not sure why I wasn't... considering our guest-star, but still! Back in the present, Majestic is cleaning house... seems he was rather peeved to have been exiled to the Phantom Zone. Kitty Faulkner runs in to try and keep the peace, and winds up going into full-on Rampage mode!
She bee-lines it to Majestic... and with a single left hook, is put down. John Henry and Lois are off to the side arguing... John's irritated that she let him out, however, she is still steadfast in her position that he is here to help. Majestic tells the former-Steel that the Emboitement bomb will actually embolden the Time Storm and trigger the collapse of Metropolis. Sooo, I guess it didn't go off last issue? Could'a fooled me! Anyhoo... he heads off to stop the Eradicator.
It isn't long before Majestic catches up. Natasha Irons attempts to stop him, and catches a bellyful of eye-beams before plummeting to the ground. Superboy has to chose whether or not he will stay and fight, or catch Steel before she goes splat. Majestic continues on and catches up with Eradicator, who has just released the C.V.E. bomb into the Time Storm's vortex.
Majestic attempts to head it off before it goes boom, but the Eradicator catches him in a headlock. After a brief skirmish, Majestic breaks free... and fires an eye-beam at the C.V.E. causing it to blow before reaching its intended target.
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, John and the white-coats are frantic. Their only hope of survival has just been yanked away. A guilt-striken (and oddly chubby-cheeked) Lois runs outside, just in time to see a giant explosion. Her City, Metropolis, has gone boom... and it's all because she let Mr. Majestic do his thing.
We bounce around Metropolis and see how the explosion has rocked the Daily Planet, Jimmy and Lena, and also Lana Lang. Lois, in tears, drops to her knees... the last thing she says is "Clark, I love you..."
Just then she is swept up by... Mr. Majestic!
He takes her high into the sky to show her... Metropolis?! Like, the old Metropolis... before the B-13 Virus stuff.
Ya see, Majestic was right all along! He realized that the Time Storm, though violent, just needed to pass. The B-13 Virus was a temporal anomaly... the technology wasn't for this world/time, and was being purged. The people of Metropolis celebrate the fact that, ya know, they're still alive... though the Eradicator still smells a rat. Majestic drops Lois off atop a building and gives her the old Superman speech of "If you ever need me, just look up" before abandoning her on some random building.
We close out the story with an epilogue... revealing that Mr. Majestic wasn't the only being that popped through from the WildStorm Universe...
--
Well, there we have it... after about four-years (our time), Metropolis is no longer a literal "City of Tomorrow". While I definitely enjoyed the futuristic aesthetic, and sorta miss having it in the background, it was was probably about time for it to go.
This issue really illustrated the use of "inaction" as a means of getting something done. I think that so often in superhero comics, the characters are preoccupied with "being the change" that they sometimes lose sight of the potentially detrimental result of their actions. Bringing in an outsider like Mr. Majestic is a really good way of playing with that notion.
An outsider who nobody can truly vouch for suggests the heroes do... nothing... while a horrendous Time Storm rages above the city. You can see how "off" that sounds. Would it make any sense to simply trust Mr. Majestic and take him at his word? Probably not. Just because he sorta sounds like Superman, doesn't mean that he's got the same moral code. Hell, he doesn't even really explain his theory either... not in any fleshed-out kinda way, anyway.
It's hard to imagine the white-coats at S.T.A.R. just standing back and letting this "happen". It's like, streets, overpasses, buildings, and tram stations are just vanishing... how much sense does it make to just let this go down? That's probably the key strength of this arc. Nobody is "wrong" in their position... except maybe Lois, who is basing Mr. Majestic's "goodness" on a severe bout of projection. Luckily it all works out... but, consider this... it just as easily might not have. What if Majestic was a terrible villain? What if he was a messenger from the WildStorm Universe with designs on/orders to destroying the DC Universe?
I know we have him acting heroically when we meet him... but it could be argued (or at least posited) that, at that point, Majestic didn't realize he was on an alternate Earth. It isn't until he notices the "smell" of the air halfway through the story that he realizes he's not "home" anymore. All's I'm saying is... this could've gone badly, and all because he reminded Lois of her husband.
At our conclusion, I thought it was pretty cool that Majestic would be remaining in the "real" DC Universe for a spell. I pictured him joining up with a team or something... but it really wasn't to be. This came out in 2004, not too far before Infinite Crisis which reestablished the Multiverse, where WildStorm would be designated as Earth-50. By then, Majestic would have already had his miniseries and had made his return "home".
The art here is still kind of a mixed bag. I really don't like the way many of the characters look... like, especially Lois... however, I will say that as far as backgrounds and architecture are concerned, they knocked it out of the park! We get several one-and-two page spreads here, however unlike Part One, they actually felt necessary here... and they were great!
Overall, this was a really good little three-parter, and a fun month of Superman comics (which don't actually feature Superman!). Well worth a read, especially if you were turned off by the "City of Tomorrow" era of Metropolis and wanted to know how and when that all went away!
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Homage "Lenticular":
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Adventures of Superman #624 (March, 2004)
"Strange New Visitor, Part Two"
Writers - Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Pencillers - Karl Kerschl & Renato Guedes
Inker - Oclair Albert
Colors - Tanya & Richard Horie
Letterer - Nick J. Napolitano
Associate Editor - Tom Palmer, Jr.
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.25
After all that build up yesterday, we get one page of Mr. Majestic? C'mon, we can do better than that!
By the way, how 'bout that cover? If this story happened today... you can bet that between this and Action #811 there'd be a lenticular variant (see below for my sad attempt)!
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Picking up where we left off, Majestic is carrying Lois to safety... and rather than being, ya know, thankful... she's got questions. He notes a vaguely different smell in the air and deduces that he is on a different Earth... likely a result of the Time Storm. Before he can go much further, he hears people screaming and speeds off to help them. Lois 'lone, heads to a phone booth and calls into the Planet, reporting to Perry on this strange new visitor.
The Chief tells her to stay away from Uptown, ya know for her safety... and so, we know exactly where she's about to head. We rejoin Majestic... Uptown, where he's holding up buildings!
After getting one securely stood up, instead of being thanked... he gets another "who the hell are you?" Man, Metropolitans are jerks. Finally some emergency service folks arrive and do thank "Superman" for the assist.
We shift over to S.T.A.R. Labs where John Henry is a bit incredulous that the Eradicator is there to help. Natasha and Kon vouch for the Artifact, claiming that hes provided access to Kryptonian Technology... which appears to be the only tech not affected by the Time Storm. We again hear that the B-13 tech (and it's rejection) is at the bottom of this... and they concoct a plan to create a way to "blow out" the storm before it destroys Metropolis.
We return to Majestic as he rescues a boy and his (horny) grandmother. Everybody is still referring to him as Superman... just thinking he's had a change in costume. I will say, at a glance, dude could very well be the Man of Steel. Anyhoo, it's now that a trio of baddies decide to strike. It's the Masters of Disaster, Shakedown, Heatstroke, and Coldsnap... ay yai yai. Majestic drops them with ease.
Lois returns to the Daily Planet where Lena Luthor reveals that she lost all connection to the B-13 technology. Now, I suppose it's worth mentioning that "Lena Luthor" is an artificial intelligence. Jimmy decides it'd be best to get her to S.T.A.R. Labs... I dunno, Jim... they might have their hands full already!
The Daily Planet building is hit by lightning, and as it begins to crumble Mr. Majestic swoops in. He orders an evacuation, however, the staffers are far too enamored with him to do much. He can tell that Perry is the man in charge, and asks him to take over giving orders. While the gang evacuates, Lois and Majestic continue their chat from earlier. He covers his Supermanly origin, and describes his Earth as only being slightly different... comparing their Earths to Pepsi and Coke. Hmm, those can be quite different... I mean, just looking at a can of Pepsi will give me a day's worth of heartburn! As they walk and talk they wander past some Superman newspaper clippings... and things being to make a bit more sense to Mr. M.
Lois takes Majestic to S.T.A.R. Labs so he can help the super-brains. Some lab grunts run up to him with tachyonmeters, finding that he is off the charts with chronal energy. John Henry shares their plan... they have assembled a Charged-Vacuum Emboitement using some Imperiex (from Our Worlds at War) tech along with a Phantom Zone Projector. Majestic's all... Cool story, what's your Plan-B? Ya see, he doesn't think this is going to work all that well.
This really seems to irk the Eradicator, who isn't used to being second-guessed. And so, he... exiles Mr. Majestic to the Phantom Zone?! Wow, talk about an overreaction.
John Henry appears annoyed at the Eradicator's antics, but realizes now's not the time for infighting. Lois, on the other hand, is ready to throw down. Irons then turns to her... and suggests she might be projecting a bit of Clark on Majestic, which... as you might imagine, she resents. The All-S.T.A.R. Squadron then decides to move forward with their Emboitement-bomb plan.
The Eradicator, Superboy, and Steel head out with the bomb... and wouldn'tcha know it... it doesn't work! Instead of blowing out the storm, Metropolis itself begins to collapse into itself! Amid the madness, Lois is able to free Majestic... who, with a scowl on his face, informs her that they're all going to die!
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A very good middle chapter to the Time Storm story.
I feel like Abnett and Lanning really captured the feeling of Crisis for the Metropolitans... from the folks on the street, to the Daily Planet staffers, to the whitecoats at S.T.A.R. Labs. Hell, even the frickin' Masters of Disaster, who I probably could've done without, picked the right time to strike... or so they thought.
I appreciated Mr. Majestic's presence. He was depicted as having a similar soothing and calming aura as Superman. I think his being there added some hope to a hopeless situation... and made people feel safe. He clearly wasn't there to loiter... he really made a difference in his short time in Metropolis. As someone with very little Mr. Majestic experience, I gotta say, I really liked him here.
I really liked John Henry's accusation that Lois might be projecting a bit of her husband onto this Strange New Visitor. I mean, it stands to reason... and projection is one of those things that we don't always know we're engaging in... until it's pointed out. I really dug how quick Lois was to take offense... it was a knee-jerk reaction... she didn't allow herself to think about it. Fitting in times of crisis... compounded with the idea that it might not be something she wants to consider in the first place.
The art for this chapter sees some improvement. Early on Lois still looks "bubbly"... almost a cartoony "fetal" look. Around midway through, however, it really tightens up.
Overall... I'm having a pretty good time with this story, though I might guess that it's not going to be everybody's cup of tea. I will say, if you're buying a Superman title to see, ya know, Superman... you might be disappointed.
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My Sad Attempt at a Morphing Cover!
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That be the finish line for our #Action100 Endeavor, because, dear reader, we are in the "home stretch". Heck, we've already lapped the "home stretch" as today we are about to begin the, a-hem, penultimate installment!
