Action Comics #836 (April, 2006)
"Superman This is your Life, Part Two"
Writer - Joe Kelly
Pencillers - Dan Jurgen, Dick Giordano, Ed Benes, Ian Churchill, Phil Jimenez, Tom Derenick, Renato Guedes, Lee Bermejo & Doug Mahnke
Inkers - Kevin Conrad, Jose Marzan, Norm Rapmund, Andy Lanning & Drew Geraci
Colorists - Guy Major, Dave Stewart Renato Guedes
Letterer - Nick J. Napolitano
Assistant Editor - Jeanine Schaefer
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.50
Sometimes we can get a little too "close" to our comics. For the longest time, this was a Superman story I couldn't bring myself to reread.
I mean, as comics readers (or fans of any consumable entertainment/media), I think we've all experienced that feeling where we have an idea where a story is headed... and knowing that we're powerless to stop it. That's how I felt reading this back in 2005-2006.
I remember the first time I heard (in comics) that a Crisis was on its way. It was an issue of Teen Titans by Geoff Johns... and from that point on, my DC-reading fell into sort of a fog. I wasn't around for the first Crisis... so this was really my first time not feeling "safe" as a DC Comics fan.
Of course, these days that almost seems quaint. DC is getting just as bad as Marvel when it comes to reboots/relaunches/re-whatevers... and the industry has become so knee-jerk reactionary that I can't even remember the last time I felt "safe".
Anyhoo... this issue (and the story it's a part of) comes from a very... shaky time in my (and likely some others') DC fandom. Things were weird... and nebulous at best.
Let's give it a look and see if time has soothed this fan's soul.
--
We open with three... kinda different tellings of Superman's origin story... it's a tale of three Kryptons... three families of El... three rockets, and three sets of Kents. Yeah, there's definitely something weird going on here. It's almost as though we're in the midst of experiencing a... Crisis of sorts. Hmm...
We jump ahead to the events(ish) of Man of Steel #1, where Lois and company are about to crash the "space plane". They find themselves saved by a strange flying man, who upon setting them down gives Lois a peck on the cheek and introduces himself to her as "Superman". Well, that's not right... right?
We briefly pop into the present, and find Superman in the heat of battle with... somebody. This somebody is commenting on the corruption in the world... and is wondering why Superman hasn't done more.
We hop back to the past... this time, it's the first meeting between Superman and Batman. This is a contentious meeting, so clearly post-Crisis. Batman tells Superman if he steps near him, it will set off a bomb that will kill an innocent. Superman calls his bluff, because he knows the bomb is on Batman's person. They agree to team up.
We briefly check in with the Earth-2 Superman, who is holding vigil over the ailing Earth-2 Lois Lane.
Back to the past! We relive an... altered version of Lex Luthor's Kryptonite Ring saga. It starts similarly enough, Lex taunts Superman with the one thing that appears to hurt him. He (Lex) then contracts cancer due to the Kryptonite exposure. Then, on his death-bed, Superman makes Lex an offer he can't refuse... he'll use Kryptonian technology in order to grant Lex a quarter-century of life. Lex accepts.
Then... a couple of versions of Lois Lane learning "the secret". They both end the same way.
Then... Doomsday! It's a greatest hits (pun!) from Superman (vol.2) #75... right up until the ending. Ya see, the titans both land their "finishing blow"... only, this time around Doomsday's punch isn't enough to keep the Man of Steel down.
We jump ahead... though, still in flashback... to the events of Identity Crisis. The satellite-era League is arguing about what they ought to do about Doctor Light. Just as in the original story, half of the team seems a-okay with the mindwipe... and the other half ain't exactly on board. Superman arrives to offer a third alternative. Well, he doesn't so much offer it as "invoke" it. He zaps Doctor Light... and banishes him to the Phantom Zone!
This, somehow, is viewed as the worst option by the League. Mindwiping is totally cool... but Phantom Zoning is "crossing the line". It's not that I disagree, but, c'mon... the League was acting a bit shady in the original Identity Crisis story. It's not like they have all that much room to talk. Anyhoo, the League holds an intervention with the Man of Steel... it seems as though the "Phantom Zone banishment" has become something of a go-to for him. Superman decides to disband the JLA... to which, Zatanna attempts to put Superman "to sleep"... but cannot seem to muster the words.
Then we meet Superman's new running buddies: The Elite. Well, the Justice League Elite.
We wrap up back in Metropolis where Jimmy Olsen and friends are having drinks and trying to ride out the apocalypse. Jimmy tells his pals that Superman has the situation under control... and there's nothing to worry about. Then... something happens.
--
Such an... uncomfortable read.
This entire issue just feels "off", which I suppose is the point. It's like the "fun-house mirror" version of the post-Crisis Superman story. Added the "jam" of artists here... I'm not entirely sure what to make of it.
I get that this is just running alongside the actual Infinite Crisis event book... so things are being left purposely nebulous, but today... just as over a dozen years ago... I really can't talk myself into liking this. Perhaps it is the years of hindsight we now have... or maybe I just never let go of my reboot-bitterness. We've definitely hit, at least in my opinion, the point where these sort of things have diminishing returns.
I think back to the early days of the "Berganza era" and the influx of, what many post-Crisis fans referred to as "S.A.S." (that's Silver Age Sh-tuff)... and how that didn't really bug me. I felt like that was adding something, where I feel like this is only taking away.
Overall... this is a difficult one for me to recommend. I will say, if you do decide to give this a whirl, read the entire three-part story... and not just the middle chapter like we're doing here. It's available digitally, and has been collected in the Superman: Infinite Crisis trade paperback.
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Action Comics #810 (February, 2004)
"Walking Midnight"
Writer - Joe Kelly
Pencillers - Pascual Ferry, Kano, Duncan Rouleau & Renato Guedes
Inkers - Marlo Alquiza, Keith Champagne, Jorge Correa, Jaime Mendoza & Cam Smith
Colorist - Guy Major
Letterer - Comiccraft
Associate Editor - Tom Palmer, Jr.
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.25
HAPPY NEW YEAR, friends! I hope everyone had a nice, safe, quiet? New Year's Eve... me and mine did for the most part. Hadda handful of neighbors acting like it was the Fourth of July... but nothing I couldn't (mostly) sleep through. Drove the dogs crazy though!
Anyhoo... today we're going to ring in the New Year several times over as we tag along on Superman's yearly ritual of visiting every time zone on the planet as the clock strikes twelve!
--
We open with Superman and Lois flying over London, just in time for the "ball to drop". Lois asks why Superman does this every year... and doesn't want to hear any "because I can" sorta stuff. She convinces him to let her tag along for some of the trip... and promises not to turn it into a story. He hands her a stack of letters... which tells me it's going to be one of those Superman stories.
Our next stop is... let's get a running start... Ittoqqortoormiit, Greenland... which, I'll be damned, is a real place! The letter is about a pregnant woman with no access to proper medical services. New arrivals are a pretty big deal in the Ittoq... because their population is only 500 (actually, 452 as of 2013). Superman delivers an ambulance full of medical support just in time for her Baby New Year.
Then, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This letter is from a man who is looking to propose to a woman who had one helluva year. She lost her family in a car accident... which tells me, this fella moves pretty quick... probably didn't need Superman for any of this. Anyhoo, Superman swoops the widow off her feet and delivers her to the foot of Christ the Redeemer so this dude can propose.
Next stop, Metropolis. Superman has... nothing planned. This affords he and Lois the opportunity to properly ring in their own New Year.
Then, off to Smallville. Inside, Ma and Lois eat pickled herring on swiss cheese crackers... a New Years tradition from Jonathan's side of the family. Lois deep-sixes her triscuit into a potted plant. Outside, Clark and Pa watch the snow fall while sipping a warm beverage out of their Totoro mugs.
Off to Sydney, Australia... where Superman answers the letter of a man who appears to be preparing to commit suicide by leaping off the Sydney Harbor Bridge. Superman swoops in and carries him off to watch the fireworks... and I suppose we can assume that he's no longer wanting to kill himself?
In Marioka, Japan... Superman ignites some trademarkable fireworks for a group of children.
In Hong Kong, an Aryan terrorist triggers some explosives. Why he'd write a letter to Superman telling him this really defies logic. Maybe he wanted to get caught? Maybe he's just an idiot. Either way, Superman arrives... and we can assume everything goes hunky dory after that.
Since this is a Joe Kelly story from the early 2000's, we're going to need to get his thoughts on the Iraq War... so here we go. A Marine stationed in the Middle East writes to Superman expressing that the fighting forces have been forgotten. It isn't hard to discern which side of the aisle our writer sits... from this, and a lot of his writing at the time. Thankfully this is a bit more subtle than usual. Superman arrives to assure the Marines that they haven't been forgotten.
Toriano, Italy... a ninety-nine year old man refuses to die until he sees Superman with his own two eyes. He's very sick, and has been on death's door for a long time at this point. His doctors are baffled as to how he's made it this long. Superman flies up... and brings him peace.
We wrap up back in Metropolis... where Doctor Spectro has just finished building a "heavy photon distillation unit" with which he hopes to take over Metropolis. Superman dashes those dreams with the quickness... but doesn't take the baddie in. Guess he's still got a bit of the "holiday spirit" in 'im. We close with Spectro asking how it feels to be able to do "everything", to which our man says it's "the greatest".
--
This was okay... but kinda fell short for me.
It's like, you know that this is trying to be a heartwarming issue... and, I dunno... sometimes you just can't set out to do that. There's very little in the way of subtlety... it's just page after page of "Awww".
I mean, the scenes were decent... but didn't have the heart of previous Metropolis Mailbag type of stories. It just felt like it was trying too hard... which, I dunno... is something I also associate with Joe Kelly's writing. I get the feeling he believes he's far more profound than he actually is. Don't know the fella... and for the most part, really enjoy his stuff... but there's that air about his writing.
The issue is gimmicky, but it really is the perfect way for a Superman New Year's story to go. The "people in need" all requesting Superman's presence exactly at midnight is a bit "eh", but I like the idea of our man visiting every time zone... even if it is simply "because he can".
The Iraq War commentary... I could've done without. I'm guessing that bit was chock full of projection... which, ya know... is fine, I guess. It gets his point across... and, I'll hand it to Mr. Kelly... this was far more subtle than that hamfisted JLA story he cranked out on the subject. I'm very rarely happy to see real-world stuff in my comics... especially when it's the first war of the "Internet era". I mean, it was wall-to-wall Iraq War from 2003-2005.
You couldn't escape it! We had dozens of 24-hour news channels... every website giving their two cents. The last thing I wanted to see was comics giving a (highly politicized) view on the subject. Plus, there's that whole "Why wouldn't Superman get involved?" thing that we try to ignore. I'll tell ya what, it's far easier to ignore if we quit mentioning the War in comics.
The ending didn't quite work for me. More on my perception of Kelly's profundity... it's as though he knew the final line of the book (and, as it happens his run on Action Comics), and worked backwards. Leaving Doctor Spectro to stew on the roof feels completely wrong. Seconds earlier he built a doomsday device to take over the city... and now he's just free to go? Not buyin' it.
Overall... I don't know that this is an issue you need to rush out and grab... but if you come across it in the wild, I suppose you could do worse. It's really pretty to look at!
Before we go... I want to raise my rapidly-cooling cuppa coffee and wish everyone a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous 2018!
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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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Action Comics #838 (June, 2006)
"Up, Up, and Away! Chapter Four: Powers and Abilities"
Writers - Geoff Johns & Kurt Busiek
Artist - Renato Guedes
Colorist - Brad Anderson
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Associate Editor - Nachie Castro
Editor - Matt Idelson
Cover Price: $2.50
Okey dokey, we're just about at the halfway point... surely they can't keep Clark our of the duds much longer... right?
--
We open in flashback/dream mode. Superman is being examined by Mr. Terrific and some solar-powered heroes, and we learn that his cellular makeup has been altered not to absorb solar energy... which has led to his current state of de-power-ization. Clark wakes up and heads down to check on some Intergang activity he'd been following. It's been awhile since I heard "no-bid contracts" being used as a pejorative... kinda puts you into the gestalt of the issue, for better or worse.
The Intergangers overhear Clark and Jimmy creeping up, and draw their weapons. Quick-thinking Clark tells them that the entire exchange has already been uploaded to the Daily Planet via broadband connection... which shuts them down right away. They didn't realize that Kent was bluffing... and neither did we! Guess if Superman is no longer a "thing", Clark Kent no longer has to pretend to be a coward, right?
Back at the Planet, Clark is approached by Lois... who is surprised to see him wearing a t-shirt because the air-conditioner is on the fritz. He claims to be comfortable (hmm...), anyhoo... his computer locks up costing him the better part of three articles he'd been working on. Perry walks up and tells him not to sweat it... he can break as many computers as he'd like if he keeps turning in excellent headlines. The entire office claps... yeah, /r/thatHappened.
Over at Lex Luthor's 'lliterative lab, we find out a bit more about just what he's up to. He has the Kryptonite Man hooked up to an apparatus, attached to a vat of Kryptonite. He calls it the "K-Cannon"... didn't she play Clark's mother on Lois & Clark?
The plan is... the power of the Kryptonite will be amplified through the K-Man, and down though the Sunstone Control Unit... more on that in a bit.
We rejoin Lois and Clark at... a monster truck show? Okay. Lois, it turns out, is really into watching cars get crushed... while Clark, is just trying to read his book. Gotta say, if I ever find myself hornswoggled into seeing a Monster Truck show, and see some goofball trying to read a book, I might have to say something. He's reading Jennifer Government by Max Barry by the way, which seems kind of in the vain of Infinite Jest. Ya know, corporations controlling the world... ooga booga. Anyhoo, he claims that the noise isn't bothering him (hmm...). Lois insists he leave anyway, they can catch up afterwards.
Outside Clark finds himself attacked by... Neutron and Radion on behalf of Intergang. Oddly, when he sees them he thinks to himself "I've pissed off Intergang". Pissed off? C'mon Clark. This is like when Hulk Hogan would say "ass" instead of "butt" in his promos... just doesn't feel right. He tries to contact Supergirl via signal-watch, but no dice.
Back at Lex's, we learn a little bit more about the opening beat of this story arc. Remember how we started with "68 Years Ago"? Well, turns out we weren't talking about Superman's arrival from Krypton... but the arrival of something else. A Kryptonian artifact which resembles an arrowhead landed in Texas, 1938. It then burrowed into the ground, eventually reaching the center of the Earth. Lex is trying to use the hopped-up Sunstone as a means of "connecting" with this... whatever it is. And, it looks like it's working!
Back on the street, Clark is fleeing from the radioactive baddies... and actually gets blasted in the arm by one of them. He expresses relief that they "missed", because he didn't actually feel the hit. Hmm...
Neutron and Radion chase Clark into a tunnel... and right into the path of an oncoming train! Considering it a "done deal", they leave their quarry to die. That's always a good idea, right?
Well, of course it's not. We see here that not only did Clark survive... but also, he's ba-ack.
--
After a slower third chapter, it feels like we're back on track with this entry.
The powers are back... or are at least coming back, and I think it's pretty good timing. So far we've read two months worth of stories... 60 days without a powered Superman is long enough. Not sure if it's tied to that Kryptonian artifact that Luthor is seeking... or just his body composition returning to normal... I guess we'll find out soon enough.
Clark becoming something of a badass here is an interesting take. We know that it won't stick... and really, it probably shouldn't. Though, it feels like we're going to extremes at this point. Here he's staring down Intergang without his powers... in a few months he'll be a goober who can't keep the mustard on his hot dog. The post-Crisis (first one) felt like the best Clark. A nice balance between scaredy-cat Kent and Superman. He felt real and not so much like a caricature.
We get a bit of political commentary here... but only a bit (though the Jennifer Government drop was a tad precious). I shudder to think how it would go if this were written today. Probably best not to even let our minds go there. I've mentioned before that Johns has a certain tact to his writing. He can brush up against political and social commentary without really "taking a side" or turning a story into a lecture. It's there if you want it to be... but can easily be ignored as well. I certainly continue to appreciate that.
Overall, this feels like a perfect end to the first "act" of Up, Up, and Away! and I'm looking forward to re-experiencing what's to come. Ending on such an iconic shot... Clark seeing his own handprint on the front of the train is really cool as well!
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I mean, as comics readers (or fans of any consumable entertainment/media), I think we've all experienced that feeling where we have an idea where a story is headed... and knowing that we're powerless to stop it. That's how I felt reading this back in 2005-2006.
