WC #1 - Green Lantern

Wednesday Comics #1 (Green Lantern)

By Kurt Busiek & Joe Quinones

Edits - Mark Chiarello

It's time to check in on our Action Comics Weekly "leading man", Green Lantern!  I wonder if this first outing will end with someone being brutally murdered?

Ehh, probably not...

--

We open at the Orbit Lounge in Coast City where the gang from Ferris Airfield have decided to head for some after-work libations.  Hal isn't here... but, we're very much in the Hal-is-Poochy mode here, where everybody won't stop talking about him.  If Hal ain't on panel... make sure everyone wants to know where he is.  This is the Geoff Johns era, after all!

Carol is annoyed that Hal isn't here... and is also annoyed that, despite the fact that she turned down his advances, that he dares to date other women.  Remember, post-Rebirth (the first Rebirth) Hal Jordan is basically Fonzie.  Men wanna be him, women wanna be with him.

On the bar's television is an interview with Joe Dillon, an astronaut.  Naturally, everybody says "Ooh, Hal oughta be here to see this!" because, I mean... what else are these productive adult humans going to say?

We close out in true Poochy fashion, with someone just plain asking where Hal's at.  Turns out, duh, he's out Green Lanterning!

--

Was... this parody?

This is basically every criticism of the post-Johns Hal Jordan given four-color flesh!  Hal Jordan... even though he doesn't actually show up until the final panel... is the main topic of conversation.  How do these Ferris folks even function in their everyday lives?

Do they stand in the shower wondering what Hal's upto?  When they fix their morning coffee... are they thinking about the way Hal uses seventeen Splenda packets in his?  I mean, this is just plain sad.

I say this as an actual fan of the post-Johns Green Lantern too (though with the understanding that sometimes the "man-crush" Geoff had on Hal was a little too evident)!  Though, as folks who follow this blog know, I'm also a fan of pre-Johns Hal Jordan.  I like my Hal to be a bit flawed... and not viewed as an idol to his work peers.

I guess as an introduction to 2009-Hal Jordan... it's about as accurate as it's going to get though, so I can't hold it against our creative team.  It's just, for long-time readers of Green Lantern, it feels a bit on the nose with just how adored our Hal is.

The art is nice too.

Chris is on Infinite Earths, Episode 20: Justice League of America #224 (1984)

Chris is on Infinite Earths, Episode #20

Justice League of America #224 (March, 1984)

"The Supremacy Factor!"
Writer - Kurt Busiek
Penciller - Chuck Patton
Inker - Dick Giordano
Letterers - John Costanza & Todd Klein
Colorist - Gene D'Angelo
Editor - Len Wein
Cover Price: $0.75

Today I'm revisiting an episode wherein I discuss my last trip to a Comic Book Convention... along with my overall distaste for the "current year" Convention racket, and how I let me preciosity get in the way of a great friendship.  Oh, also heat-stroke... because I got it that weekend!

And heyyy, I just found out I can no longer drag inserted images where I'd like them to go!  Way to keep letting me down, Blogger!  Just when I think you're the worst thing ever, you make me pine for how lousy you were just yesterday!

And Ho-lee crap, now I can't toggle HTML without great swaths of my writing vanishing into the ether?  Are you kidding me?  This is a product from Google, right?  I can't be the only person having these problems, can I?

Welp, lemme jump through the hoops and try and revert back to "Legacy Blogger".

Action Comics #840 (2006)

Action Comics #840 (August, 2006)
"Up, Up, and Away! Finale: The Adventures of Superman"
Writers - Geoff Johns & Kurt Busiek
Artist - Pete Woods
Colorist - Brad Armstrong
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Associate Editor - Nachie Castro
Editor - Matt Idelson
Cover Price: $2.99

Is it finally over?  Lemme tell ya, "Up, Up, and Away!" sure felt like a never-ending battle.

--

Picking up where we left off yesterday, Superman and Lex are plummeting into the water.  They both emerge, with Lex noting that his arch-foe doesn't look all that hot... so, what follows is one of those classic depowered Superman vs. Lex Luthor fistfights.  It doesn't go terribly long, though Lex is able to get in a few good shots before ultimately being kayoed.  Superman passes out right after.

He is awakened by the Coast Guard and informed that Luthor was on his way back to Stryker's Island.  Rather than be escorted back to the city, Superman decides to fly... passing over thousands of cheering fans as he heads back to his Sullivan Place apartment.

The next day we can see that the rebuilding has already begun.  Luthor's crystal chunks are being carried away to be divvied up between universities and shadowy government agencies for study.  At the Daily Planet, Clark receives a gift from his parents in Smallville.  His co-workers are disappointed that this isn't a box of oatmeal raisin cookies, and is instead... a typewriter.  Ya see, Clark's "power surges" have caused any electronics he comes around to go fritzy... remember?

Perry comes stomping in demanding an explanation for Clark's disappearance.  Clark claims that while he was bed-ridden he made some calls to follow up on the story, and hands over his notes.  Perry's pleased, but like any good editor, prefers dependability to flashes of brilliance.  If only he were an editor in comics!  Lois lays into the Chief... which causes a bit of rumbling in the bullpen.  Clark is referred to in hushed tones as "Mr. Lane".  Sick burn.

Jimmy wishes aloud that he could chat with Superman... and Clark "arranges" it.  Later that day, Superman and Jimmy head to a nearby roof (I feel like I'm typing "nearby roof" a lot lately).  While there, an exchange is made.  Jimmy hands over a shard of Sunstone he'd snagged during the fracas.  Superman hands back Jimmy's Signal-Watch.

Their "reunion" is interrupted by a brouhaha at the Avenue of Tomorrow.  Turns out some geek calling himself Dr. Virus has unleashed an "Omni-Germ" he calls Kryptococcus.  I almost gagged the last time I was tested for that.  Nothing quite like a q-tip tickling your uvula.  Superman takes him out in a single page... which is kind of what he does with villains for this story.

Doc Virus is hauled away by the police and Superman finds himself swarmed by his adoring public.  While he signs autographs (but not body parts) he overhears the news that Lex Luthor has already broken out of prison.  He sighs, knowing things are truly "back to normal".

He prepares to leave, but is stopped by Mahjoub... the pretzel vendor from allllll the way back in Chapter One (feels like it's been six years since we read that).  We shift scenes to Superman arriving at the Polar Icecaps in the Arctic.  He activates the Sunstone shard... and a new Fortress of Solitude raises from the ice.

We end the issue... and arc, with Superman ruining his soft pretzel by smearing mustard on it... and taking a bite.  We've come full-circle... or maybe, full-pretzel.

--

Whew... remind me never to cover an eight-parter all in a row ever again.

Not a whole lot to say about this issue... it's an epilogue.  Superman takes out Luthor... while having like the same exact argument they had last issue... and then acclimates back into his old role in Metropolis.  Could have been squeezed in as a five-page epilogue last issue... but, whattayagonnado?  Then we might not have gotten a whole page of Superman beating up an Omni-Germ or whatever!

Now... "Up, Up, and Away!" as a whole.  Was it a bad story?  Nah, not at all.  What it was, however, was an ambitious story desperately trying to be the next "Superman epic".  Unfortunately for us, many people conflate "epic" with "lonnnnnng".  This could've and should've (if you ask me) been told in four issues rather than eight.  Hell, even if we go with our standard "padded" trade paperback format and gave it six issues, I feel like it would have been better for it.

When I look back I can't help but feel that so much of this story was unnecessary.  Did we really need to see the Kryptonite Man get his powers?  Not only that, did we need a second issue just to break him out of jail?  Did we need the Metallo subplot... or did they really just want to "Hush" this storyline up by showing as many members of Superman's rogues gallery as possible?  Lex almost certainly didn't need that one extra rock of Green-K, right?

The wasting of Superman's B-Squad rogues about halfway through was also a bit unfortunate.  I'm not sure if this was a commentary on the era these baddies were born in, or if they just wanted "any half-dozen villains" for Superman to quickly beat up.  Feels like maybe a little bit of both, though I concede that I might be projecting.  I never like it when creators use meta-commentary to "judge" things that came before them.  I dunno... this just kinda feels like a dismissal of the post-Crisis era.  I mean, these villains had all taken Superman to the limit on their own... and here they are together... being taken out in a handful of pages.

Speaking of things from the previous era being left out... there's no mention here of Lex ever having been President of the United States.  I mean, that would almost definitely come up in a fistfight where Lex is ranting about all the things Superman has taken from him, right?  I think it a damn shame as that arc and character progression was some of my very favorite things about turn of the century DC Comics.  I thought that was just so cool... but I suppose the new powers that be didn't quite agree.

Personally... there have been very few times in my Superman reading "career" where I haven't felt some sort of a connection to the character.  The New-52! is one... Grounded is another... and this story makes three.  There's just this odd aloofness to Superman here... that I can't quite explain.  He's not unlikable... but there's a coldness here.  Maybe I'm imagining it... but it sort of feels like we readers are being kept at "arm's length" here.  Know what I mean?  Ehh, maybe I'm just talking nonsense.

Anyhoo, if you're interested in this story... maybe the trade will prove to be a satisfying read.  I don't think this would make for a necessarily long (or as drawn out) of a read in one sitting.  If you've got the issues handy, I'd say you'd be fine reading the first two and the last two... just with the understanding that Superman gets his powers back in the middle.

Overall, "Up, Up, and Away!" was a decent enough story that, in my opinion, overstayed its welcome.  Still worth a read, especially given that... from what we understand, it's still (mostly) in continuity.  The entire run is available digitally, and has been collected in trade.

--

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Superman #653 (2006)

Superman #653 (August, 2006)
"Up, Up, and Away! Chapter Seven: Up in the Sky"
Writers - Kurt Busiek & Geoff Johns
Artist - Pete Woods
Colorist - Brad Anderson
Letterer - Nick J. Napolitano
Associate Editor - Nachie Castro
Editor - Matt Idelson
Cover Price: $2.99

Well, I sit corrected.  I complained a lot about how lame the Kryptonian ship looked yesterday... and right here on the cover we can infer that it can change shape.  I guess it blew its first impression... hopefully it'll do something cool enough to shake that off today.

--

We open with a bit of backstory on the Kryptonian artifact... turns out it was a battleship, formerly commanded by General Dru-Zod.  The ship was crafted from Sunstone... a piece of which Lex Luthor had procured at some point before this story began.  We get some Kryptonese between Zod and his crew... which (just like DC) I refuse to translate.  Long story short, this is a bad-ass craft, and it now hovers over Metropolis.  It's a great shot of the city here by Woods... looks completely hand-drawn too!

Lex and Superman share some contentious banter... which amounts to "if I can't have her, nobody can", with the "her" in question being Metropolis.  Lex fires some crystal missiles into the city, which morph into these bi-pedal mechs that raise a lotta hell.

As Superman wrestles with the battleship, he attempts to appeal to Lex's conscience.  He asks where his "cure for cancer" is... or what his "feed the world" strategy would be.  At this point, however, Lex is so far gone that Superman's words completely miss their intended mark.  We get some very familiar "before you arrived I was king" talk... which feels like one of those over-visited Luthor-wells.

Lex continues to bombard Superman and the city with crystal missiles.  Shockingly, the rest of the DC Universe realizes that they might want to get involved and lend a hand.  Unfortunately, Lex has accounted for such a possibility and covers Metropolis with a dome.

Back inside, Superman uses his x-ray vision to scan the battleship... and locates a tight knot of circuitry within.  Deducing that as the "nerve center", he uses his heat vision on it.

Blasting the circuitry doesn't destroy the battleship, however it does sever its link to the "crystal walkers" in Metropolis.  Lex responds by pulling a lever, revealing that the core of the battleship was full of... yeah, Kryptonite.  Betcha didn't see that coming.  Anytime Superman is fighting a machine, we (and he) should just assume that it's full of Kryptonite.

Lex continues to pummel Superman with the K-Cannon, driving him into the ground.  Jimmy Olsen rushes to Superman's aid, armed with a garbage can lid.  Well, at least his heart was in the right place.  He mistakenly believes that Kryptonite (no matter how hot) won't hurt him.  Well, an armful of third-degree burns later... he learns otherwise.  Superman's safe though, and that's really all that matters.

Well, safe for a moment anyway.  We now see that Lex has transformed the battleship into a Kryptonite infused Voltron-looking thing.  It looks pretty cool actually!

Superman realizes he has no choice but to blitz the baddie.  He compares it to when he and the Superman of Earth-2 flew Superboy-Prime into the Red Sun of Krypton.  He spears the mech, and plucks the pilot right out its back.

We close with Superman grabbing Lex as they both begin to fall.  Did the Kryptonite cost Superman his powers?  Is his big return already over?  I guess we'll find out tomorrow... though, the short answer is... no.

--

Well... that was a fight scene.

Not a bad fight scene... but, ya know... still just a fight scene.

For all the build-up, it did feel a bit disappointing... and didn't really add anything.  Not that every confrontation needs to, but for this story... I was expecting something more.  We get the old chestnuts of Superman appealing to Lex's ego... and Luthor's usual remark of "she (Metropolis) was mine before she was yours".

We do get Jimmy having his arm burned... third-degree burned, at that!  I suppose that establishes that Kryptonite is not only dangerous to Superman... then again, heat anything up to a bajillion degrees and it's going to hurt!

I was happy to see the other DC heroes attempting to get involved... because, really... they should, right?  I mean, nobody bothered to check in during the Doomsday Massacre, and we all know how that ended up!

I'd say the highlight here was the art.  Not only did the characters and "mechs" look fantastic... there was also that awesome opening spread.  I gotta say, I've become accustomed to skimming over two-page spreads... so often these days it seems like they're at least 75% boring 3-D models.  Here however, it looked like Metropolis was completely hand-drawn... and it was amazing!

Overall... like I said, it was a fight scene.  This arc still feels enormously bloated... it really should have only gone four... mayyyybe six issues.  I guess we'll see how this all ends up tomorrow.

--

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Action Comics #839 (2006)

Action Comics #839 (July, 2006)
"Up, Up, and Away! Chapter Six: This Looks Like a Job..."
Writers - Geoff Johns & Kurt Busiek
Artist - Renato Guedes
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Associate Editor - Nachie Castro
Editor - Matt Idelson
Cover Price: $2.99

Well, there's a cover that spoils the ending.  Let's talk about it anyway...

--

We open on a flashback to the end of Infinite Crisis.  Superman and the Superman of Earth-2 have Superboy-Prime, and are bringing him to Eldirao, the Red Sun of Krypton.  In the ultimate suicide mission all three plunge into it... and are only saved by Mogo, the Planet Lantern.  Well, two of them are saved anyway.  Superboy-Prime was caught and imprisoned on Oa, Superman survived... but returned powerless.  Superman of Earth-2 wasn't quite so lucky.

Back in the present, Superman is facing off with the remaining members of the Revenge B-Team.  He's mobbed by Riot, and as he fights him/them off... he's suddenly overcome with very specific memories of his youth.  Smells, tastes, sounds... it's almost as though he's developed a... super-brain.

After not much more effort, he's able to take the baddies out.  We can see here that his super-hearing is not only back... but it's keener than ever.  Rather than soak in the adulation of the crowd, he heads for the skies instead.  Back at the Daily Planet, Clark shares these revelations with Lois while Perry rallies the troops.

During the Chief's impassioned rallying cry, Clark finds himself distracted by millions of disparate voices around the city.  He panics, and rushes out... excusing himself for feeling ill.  In reality, he's just trying to escape the onslaught of voices.  He flies above Metropolis... and blanks everything and everyone out.  He then slowly lets the voices and sounds back in... in a way that he can control.  It isn't long before he has brought the bombastic brouhaha down to a manageable hum.

He mentions that on his way out he scribbled something on Lois' notepad.  Flipping back a few pages and, yeah... looks like he did!  The note informs her that something big is about to go down, and tells her to head outside.  No sooner do she and Jimmy hit the street than odd Kryptonian crystals begin erupting from the ground below.

Superman swoops in and saves some civilians while Jimmy snaps some photos.  Perry calls Lois to find out what's up with Clark, and she has to make an excuse for his running off... blaming it on a bad burrito.  Perry appears to understand, but is disappointed that last year's best reporter appears to have fallen back to his old vanishing antics.  In the skies, Superman thinks to himself that the Clark Kent disappearing act is just part of who he is... and he realizes if given the choice, he could never give up being Superman.

We shift over to Lex's Lab, where the artifact has come through the floor.  In the middle of all the crystal, we can see a glowing core.  From it, comes some Kryptonese blibbah-blabbah... unfortunately without a translation.  Thanks guys!  I really wanted to read this next to my laptop.  "Awaiting Authorization Voiceprint.  Override Accepted.  Welcome Commander." That was worth it...

Back on the street, Superman brings more civilians to safety... and realizes that everything that has gone down so far has been part of the same plan... concocted by the same man.  The issue ends with Superman facing off against... Lex Luthor and his (lame-looking) crystal craft.

--

Remember a few days ago where I said it feels like they're stretching four issues worth of story into eight?  That's all I could think of while reading this one.

It's not that nothing happens here... it's just what does happen could have been condensed into a solid ten pages.  Speaking completely out of my ass here, it almost feels like so many of these "Superman saves civilians" scenes were added after the fact simply to pad these issues out.

Let's talk Clark's note to Lois.  Seems kinda strange for him to put her right in the middle of a very dangerous situation, doesn't it?  It's like, if I knew a tornado was going to whip down a certain street, I sure wouldn't tell my wife to head there right away... no matter how much she might want to see a tornado.  Jimmy?  Sure... Lois, not buyin' it.

We get a lot of introspection here... perhaps too much, because it really says so little.  Upon taking up the tights again, Superman realizes he can never give them up.  That's about all we need.  This "struggle" really should have come from Lois' point of view... seems like her life is the most altered one here.  But, nahhh... she was just immediately cool with it.

The development of a "super brain" here... I'm not sure if this was supposed to illustrate Superman's having to rebuild a tolerance to all the stimuli, or signal a return to a more Silver-Age/pre-Crisis level of super-intellect.  I suppose either way works... and I thought it was pretty neat.

The Kryptonese not having a translation was pretty annoying.  I mean, how hard would it be to include one?  I can't speak for everyone, but I do a lot of my comic reading in bed... not the best place to have to try and translate gobbledygook.  Sure, I could use my phone... if I wanted to zoom in and squint.  But, then... I'd need a pad and pencil too... so nevermind.  This isn't anything Earth-shattering... and there really isn't any pay-off to translating it, so just include a footnote... please.

Lex Luthor's crystal craft... looks really lame.  I mean, it could've looked like anything... and this is what they chose?  It could've been a giant crystal Kryptonian "S"... it could've resembled a Warsuit... anything!  Instead we get a pointy flower... or dried up starfish.

Despite that lame-o design, the art here is quite good.  Guedes is a great artist, and seems to be using some John Locke from LOST as photo-reference for Luthor.  My one complaint about his work here would be the opening flashback to Infinite Crisis.  The Supermen all look to be the same age.  Superman-2 doesn't look older... Prime doesn't look younger.  They all look to be around 30.  Minor quibble, but whattayagonnado?

This story is becoming harder and harder to recommend... though, that's not entirely fair.  I think I'm probably experiencing this in the worst way possible... a single issue per day.  I feel like that could lead to burn out, whereas, if you were to read this in trade (or even biweekly as it was originally run) you'd be far more satisfied with what you'd get.

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Superman #652 (2006)

Superman #652 (July, 2006)
"Up, Up, and Away! Chapter Five: Speeding Bullet"
Writers - Kurt Busiek & Geoff Johns
Artist - Pete Woods
Colorist - Brad Anderson
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Associate Editor - Nachie Castro
Editor - Matt Idelson
Cover Price: $2.99

Does that say...? Yeah, it does... $2.99.  Kind of a jerk move to hike the price in the middle of a storyline, ain't it?  Ahh, whattayagonnado, right?  Least it was only 49-cents... these days it'd be at least a buck.

--

We open two days after the events of the previous chapter.  Clark might have his powers back... well, I mean, it's clear that they're back... we just don't know the extent.  Soooo, why not test 'em?  Clark decides to attempt to leap a tall building in a single bound... and for the most part, he's successful!  He gets all the height he needs, buuuuut doesn't quite stick the landing.  Thankfully, he's back to being invulnerable, so it's an inconvenience more than anything.  Worth mentioning, he's wearing a very Kingdom Come Planet Krypton t-shirt.

The following morning he considers how he should "break the news" to Lois... which turns out to be a moot point, as he absent-mindedly rests his hand on a lit burner.  That's... er... kinda dumb, right?  Like... really dumb.

They chat about the hows and whys... and finally the "what now?".  Lois heads through their bedroom and into their closet... and gives Clark her blessing to be Superman again.

Meanwhile, at the Daily Planet... Intergang have sent the Puzzler to take out that meddlesome Clark Kent, and is making quite the mess of the newsroom while she's at it.  She (and the rest of the office) is surprised by the arrival of... Superman.  There's a good trivia question... Who was the first villain Superman fought post-Infinite Crisis?  The freaking Puzzler!

The pair fight onto the street, and it looks like for a moment the baddie is getting the better of the exchange.  Turns out that wasn't the case (it so rarely is!).  Superman traps all of the Puzzler's pieces in his cape and traps her face in a garbage can.

It's not long before the news hits the airwaves... reaching our favorite TV junkie Lex Luthor just seconds after that.  He's not pleased to hear that Superman is back... so he cranks up the K-Cannon to expedite retrieval on that Kryptonian artifact.  Toyman expresses concern that the amount of "green energy" being pumped through the K-Man might be too much for him to handle... but Lex doesn't have time to sweat it.

Back on the street, Superman enjoys the fact that his powers are returning... his super-hearing is the next to come back.  Unfortunately, amid the mini-celebration he finds himself attacked by... well, a lot of his b-tier rogues gallery.  They're all pleased to see the Man of Steel, because the price on his head is so much higher than the price on Kent's.  Clark Kent's only worth a million... Superman's worth thirty!

They fight for awhile.  During the battle, Superman's ability to fly returns.  He takes Hellgrammite, Livewire, and Silver Banshee out of the fight by flying them to the dam.  Back in the city however, Bloodsport and Riot are still lingering... and the former takes aim at Superman's Pal.  The trigger is pulled, and we close out this chapter by learning that Superman is once more faster than a speeding bullet.

--

Alrighty, we're back in the duds... but we're not sure quite how yet.

I thought this was a decent chapter... with a couple of reservations.  I think we had a near-miss on what could've been a pretty powerful scene with Clark breaking the news to Lois.  Throughout the first half of this story so much of our internal monologue has been focused on how much Lois and Clark have been enjoying their year without Superman.  It feels like by having Clark just leave his hand on a lit burner for Lois to see, we were robbed of a great scene.

Lois' response... or lack of a response feels both right and wrong here.  It's kind of in line with her character that she would give him her blessing... however, it also feels like it ignores the ways she might have changed this past year.  I mean, even after a long courtship and marriage... this was the first year she could actually say she had a "full-time" partner.  Her reaction feels a bit cold... and aloof.  Not that I wanted her to forbid him his return to the tights, but maybe struggle with it for a moment.

The fight with the Puzzler was pretty neat... in fact, I think I'd have preferred that be the only action this issue.  It's a good way for Superman to knock off some rust... get in a few quips... and figure out a clever way to win the day.  Fair play here.

The other fight... oi.  We take a whole bunch of baddies who have given Superman a run for his money individually... then have him, over the course of four pages, take most of them out.  Feels like a waste.  I mean, they could've brought back that fake Fantastic Four that he fought when he came back from the dead in 1993... if not just for the synergy, but they were already losers... so, beating them wouldn't have been a big deal.

Then there's the price on Clark Kent's head.  A million dollars.  You mean to tell me that no "plain clothes" hood wouldn't have tried to get a piece of that?  It's hard to swallow that Kent isn't dodging bullets all day with a number on his head that big.  Also, everybody knows he's married to Lois... you tellin' me nobody's gone after her to get to him?  Man, Intergang is sloppy as hell.

I mean, Clark's a public figure... just a minute's worth of research for any would-be nogoodnik would reveal that his folks live in Smallville.  I'd figure there'd have been at least a "tractor accident" by now.

Now, in spite of the past several paragraphs... I did have a bit of fun with most of this issue.  I was happy to see Clark back in the suit... and back in action.  I'm also looking forward to the next chapter... which, I mean... if that doesn't say that an issue was a success, I don't know what does.

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