Superman #422 (1986)

Superman #422 (August, 1986)
"Dark Moon Rising!"
Writer - Marv Wolfman
Penciller - Curt Swan
Inkers - Larry Mahlstedt & Tom Yeates
Letterer - John Costanza
Colorist - Gene D'Angelo
Editor - Julius Schwartz
Cover Price: $0.75

While I'm still relatively new to the comics blogging world, it's not often I get a whole lot of feedback... much less that of the critical variety.  I have received a handful of critical messages... which really comes down to how it seems like I enjoy everything I discuss and review.  I'll admit to the fact that there are very few negative reviews here at the ol' blog... not due to my being a DC "homer" or anything... just for the fact that I'd much rather revisit and discuss stories that I enjoy.  There's plenty out there that I don't dig... as well as a bunch that I think is just plain lousy.

That brings us to today's Boo, Haunted Blog feature... a just barely pre-Crisis offering from the Super-folks.

--

We open with a man being chased down a back alley.  He is injured and bleeding, and the mob grows closer.  He cuts down into the subway tunnels and onto the tracks... the mob is still hot on his trail.  He suddenly undergoes a transformation... his teeth grow sharp, and the bottom half of his face forms into a monstrous lupine muzzle.  Our man is a werewolf.

He lashes out at his pursuers... but of particular interest, it does not appear as though he is trying to harm them (though the hunger is there)... he simply wishes to get away.  A train comes barreling down the track, and our werewolf friend leaps though the conductor's window to facilitate his escape.  Again... although his instinct is to feed on the poor conductor, he does not harm him.

The conductor radios for help... a call which is overheard by Superman.  He soars down to the subway, and before ya know it... he's standing before the werewolf... who promptly whups his big blue butt.  I've never been completely clear on Superman's magic weakness... with my admittedly-limited pre-Crisis knowledge, it always felt as though they used it in whatever way best served the story.  Anyhoo, during the fight, the werewolf scratches Superman's cheek... actually drawing blood.  With Superman down and out, the werewolf flees.

Superman pulls himself together just in time to realize that the train is a runaway... something he'll most certainly have to address.  In the periphery, he notices a woman about to be struck by a car... before he can decide which event to deal with first, the woman is rescued... by the werewolf.  Very curious... Anyhoo, Superman rights the train, setting it down gently without any injury or harm coming to the passengers.

Later, Superman takes some blood from his facial wound and tests it on the Super-Computer at the Fortress of Solitude.  He has a sneaking suspicion he just had a run-in with a werewolf... like, duh... but performs the analysis just to be certain.

Meanwhile in Metropolis... the werewolf attacks an armored car, stealing it's loot and murdering the driver.  We shift ahead a bit to find the werewolf huddled in a corner where he changes back to his human form... while at the same time, we get a glimpse of a crew of scientists who, fearing for their safety, are dead-set on tracking the werewolf down.

The following day we rejoin Clark at the Daily Planet.  Lois is getting ready for her big date with famous movie-star Jonathan J. Wyatt.  Jimmy's impressed... and calls J.J. a hunk.  Clark is... less impressed, and refers to J.J. as a "wolf"... and, no... spoiler alert... he ain't the werewolf.

Superman returns to the Fortress for his test results, and wouldn'tcha know it... he was in a tussle with a werewolf.  Before he can think on it much more, Inspector Henderson calls in a video S.O.S. directly to the Fortress.  Apparently, a group of scientists from... ahem... Lupus Labs have information on the werebeast.

Meanwhile in Metropolis... a jeweler leaves his store carrying $300,000 in jewels in a briefcase.  The werewolf is laying in wait... and when the time is right, springs into action... killing the man and stealing the loot.  Superman arrives just in time to "call it", and proceeds to pursue the werewolf thief.

In the chase, he just happens to run directly into the scientists from Lupus.  They are quick to spill the beans on our werewolf pal... ya see, they were trying to cure blood diseases and began experimenting with radiated blood.  They learned pretty quick that lycanthropy was a result.  One scientist, Lawrence, had just gone through a messy divorce and decided it would be a wonderful idea to steal the serum and use it himself!  As luck would have it, there is still time to cure him... just so long as they do so before tomorrow night's full moon.  Superman strokes his chin pensively... he appears to be on to something.

A bit earlier, we saw the werewolf enter an electrical plant... we now check in with him again, only to find that he is trying to electrocute himself to rid himself of the wolven curse.  Before he can seal the deal, Superman swoops in and socks 'im in the jaw.  Well, this don't make ol' Lawrence happy... and so, he thrashes Superman again.  This time, however, he adds a bit of insult to injury in that he... get this... steals Superman's costume... leaving him completely naked!  Whaaaaaaaat?

The Superwerewolf takes his leave, and Nuderman bee-lines it to a sporting goods store where he... I'd have to assume... super-speed-steals a tracksuit.  The following morning, we get a bit of Lois drama.  She thinks she's been stood up by J.J., however receives two-dozen roses as an apology for his being "fogged in" in Los Angeles.  Lois is so excited she promises that she'll be "howling" that night.  A-hem.

Clark asks Jimmy to do some digging on Lawrence Thomas, and Jim is able to provide him with the new address for the ex-wife and their two kids out in Santa Monica, California.  Superman high-tails it west, and gets the deets on LT.  It isn't long before Superman tracks his man... who is really very apologetic for all he's done, and is ready and willing to spill the beans on everything.

We check in with the scientist again... and everything comes to a head.  We learn that the scientists are ALL werewolves, and Lawrence was the only one still with-conscience.  They wanted him "cured" so he would not be their equal.  It was they who murdered the armored car driver and jeweler.  Lawrence has not killed anyone.  Superman claims to have noticed that Lawrence is left-handed... while the murderers were right-handed.  Yeah, that's the ticket, Mr. stripped-naked.

And so, a battle rages.  Superman is overwhelmed by his magical foes... it is left to Lawrence to figure a way out of this one.  As luck would have it, Metropolis is in the midst of a lightning storm.  LT yanks an... antenna?  flagpole?  long metal pole out of the roof of the building and uses it as a makeshift lightning rod... taking out all the evil wolfmen, and curing himself in the process.  Superman informs him that he was the hero on this day... and we close out the pre-Crisis Superman with a corny "wolf" joke.  Which, I suppose may be apropos, considering the surname of the fella writing it...

--

Yeah... not Marv's best work.  This was kind of a dud.

I suppose this may be due to this being the, for all intents and purposes... final issue of this volume of Superman.  The following issue would be part one of Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? and the issue after that picks up with the Man of Steel continuity.  Maybe that's why this one is so weak... just filling time until the shift.

This story didn't even seem to need Superman in it.  The "good" werewolf neutralized the threat with his makeshift lightning rod... all Superman did was, um... get scratched in the face... and, uh... get stripped naked.  I mean really, the dude was stripped completely naked after a fight.  Definitely not his finest moment, right?

Not a whole lot more to say on this one.  It's got an amazing (and scary) Brian Bolland cover... which nothing on the inside has any hope of living up to... both written and drawn.  Again, it just feels like an inventory story that they had to roll out before Man of Steel... or hell, maybe Bolland just drew an awesome picture of a werewolf Superman that DC wanted to use, and had Marv write a story around that?  Who knows... I'd say sure-fire skippable if it wasn't for the cover.

--

Letters Page:

--

Interesting Ads:

Superman (vol.2) #180 (2002)

Superman (vol.2) #180 (May, 2002)

"The House of Dracula"

Writers - Jeph Loeb & Geoff Johns

Penciller - Ian Churchill

Inker - Norm Rapmund

Colorists - Tanya & Rich Horie

Letterer - Comicraft

Assistant Editor - Tom Palmer, Jr.

Editor - Eddie Berganza

Special Thanks - Joss Whedon

Cover Price: $2.25

Superman vs. Dracula?  Now how can that not be the best thing ever?  I mean... just check out that cover, how ya gonna resist that?

--

Welcome to the Castle Rominoff, home of the creepy ol' Count Rominoff.  Lois, Clark, and Jimmy are visiting in search of an interview.  We learn (or it is restated) that General Zod is now the ruler of Latveria... I mean Pokolistan, a small (but growing) country who shares a border with Rominoff...ia.  The Count calls for his busty concubine Elizabeth to show the three Metropolitans to their rooms.  She takes an immediate interest in our favorite ginger.

That night, Lois is awoken by a calling of her name.  She gets out of bed and walks, as though in a trance, toward the window where she is met by a thick fog... which she steps out into... and which brings her safely to the ground.  Clark wakes up as she leaves.

Outside, Lois continues walking through the castle grounds as pairs of glowing red eyes follow her every step.  She is suddenly snapped back to reality, just in time to be jumped by a pack of werewolves.  Luckily for her, Superman just happens to be in the neighborhood.

He makes short work of the wolves, while Count Rominoff reveals himself (not like that, pervs) to Lois.  He asks if she brought "him", as his bared fangs approach her supple neck.  Again... luckily for her, Superman is nearby.  He swoops in and nabs her, while the Count expresses pleasure that the Man of Steel is in "his land".

Superman brings Lois back to their room... and it seems as though she is back in her trance.  She appears to not know that Superman and Clark are one in the same.  She tells Superman to let her go... which, lemme tell ya, ain't all that smart when you're a few stories up.  She unleashes some pent-up frustration with big blue over some goings down during Our Worlds At War, when Superman chose to save Wonder Woman's life rather than her father Sam Lane's.

The following morning, Lois has no recollection of what happened the night prior.  There is also no physical evidence of Lois' trudge through the moors.  Maybe Clark's crackin' up... but we've got no time to address that, there's an interview to conduct!

We meet with the Count in the wine cellar and Lois does her gig.  Rominoff expresses frustration and anxiety over a pending border dispute with General Zod.  While this is going on Clark peruses the bottles.  He finds that rather than having brand or vineyard names... they all appear to have formal personal names and years of birth and death, for example... Clark grabs one that reads "Greenwalt, Mr. David - 1949-1999".  Very curious...

We check in on Jimmy and Elizabeth... and she's really putting the moves on everybody's pal.  She calls him cute... so cute, she could eat him up!  Hey, guess what... she's a vampire too...

Lois and Clark get dressed for dinner, and Clark reveals that the wine bottles are actually full of... to nobody's surprise... blood!  Well, she ain't buying it... and even gives her husband the dreaded "Whatever".  C'mon, Lo... your man can tell the difference between blood and wine.  Lois heads to the dining hall and talks aloud to herself about her dopey husband's blood-wine-theory.  She just happens to say this within earshot of the Count... who finally reveals himself to be Dracula!

Well... ahem... luckily for her, aw forget it... Superman bursts into the room for the big rescue.  Unfortunately, he makes eye-contact with big Drac and falls into a trance.  The Count beckons him to come forward... and so he does.  He reveals that he only allowed Lois to conduct the interview because he knew that where she goes... Superman follows.  Ya see, he wants a vampiric Superman to lead his army in his skirmish with Zod... and so, he sinks his teeth into our Man of Steel.

This doesn't work all that well for Dracula.  If he'd have done his homework, he'd know that biting into Superman is akin to taking a bite out of the Sun... ya know, with Supes' being a living solar battery and all.  Got a joke for ya... whattaya call a bus-full of vampires biting Superman?  A good start.  B'dmtish.  

Dracula turns to dust... as he does, and moments later scared-rabbit James Olsen bursts into the room.  He's freaking out about almost being bit himself... I'd figure young Olsen would take any action he could get...  The trio hop the next plane outta town, and we see that the army Superman would have been leading was the Creature Commandos.

--

Ya know... one day, probably after contracting mono and breaking both of my legs, I want to actually re-read this entire era of Superman.  It may be a somewhat unpopular opinion, but this was the stuff that brought me back to the character after a fairly long layoff.  I'm only remembering bits and pieces of it, and in reading this issue I became more and more interested in filling in some of the blanks in my Swiss cheese memory.

This issue itself didn't really rock my socks, but I gotta say that I'm still a sucker for this time in Superman's history.  The whole post-Y2K and through the Our Worlds At War story was, in my opinion, a pretty neat time for the Super-books.

This issue was a bit of a throwaway... but did play into some of the subplots of the time.  General Zod was something of a Dr. Doom figure... if I'm remembering correctly.  He had his own eastern European country... which, was evidently a point of contention for our ol' pal Dracula.  

The Lois-Clark relationship has been written as pretty strong... outside of that whole Superman was sleeping with the Parasite thing from a bit earlier.  Here we learn that Lois has some pent up feelings in regard to her husband choosing to save Wonder Woman during the war rather than her father.  I believe Sam Lane actually died in Our Worlds... but, I'll concede it's been ages since I'd last read it.  All I know is that he is part of Lex Luthor's cabinet... and I don't remember seeing much of him in the later 2000's.

The art here is a lot better than I'd remembered.  I recall not really digging Churchill's Marvel work... I felt it was overly-lined, and often fell prey to the Liefeldian "scowl of the seven-hundred teeth" syndrome.  While this is awfully line-y, it's nowhere near as offensive as I thought it would be.  Over the years, Churchill's art has really grown on me, I believe he recently wrapped up on the New-52 Teen Titans... though, again... I'll concede that it's been quite awhile since I've checked out his earlier-Marvel stuff.  It's definitely possible that I may find myself digging that nowadays too.

Overall, a neat little one-off... we get to witness a pretty clever way for Superman to take down a vampire.  It's totally a comicky gimmick, but I liked it.  It's so obvious, while at the same time, really outside the box, ya know?  This one's worth checking out... 

--

Letters Page:

--

Interesting Ads:

Scratch #1 (2004)

Scratch #1 (August, 2004)

"Scratch"

Writer & Artist - Sam Kieth

Letterer - Phil Balsman

Colorist & Separator - Alex Sinclair

Assistant Editor - Harvey Richards

Editor - Joey Cavalieri

Cover Price: $2.50

Here's one I'd never even heard of until I found it in the cheap-o bin.  I love that this kind of thing still happens from time to time... and lucky for me, it was just in time for our Boo, Haunted Blog series!

--

We open with Batman as he provides an introduction narrative for the story of a sixteen-year-old boy named Zack... a boy we will soon know much better as Scratch.  He continues... explaining that when Zack turned fifteen one of his fingers grew deformed... and ultimately exploded.  What remained was a gnarled claw... a shameful secret he kept, literally and figuratively tightly under wraps.  Eventually, his entire right hand took the form of a clawed paw.

One night... likely one with a full moon... Zack was beckoned into the woods by an internal urge.  He feels sick... nauseous... suddenly, the transformation begins... his mouth juts out... his teeth grow pointy and large.  Smells grow more vibrant... a deer is on the horizon... instinct kicks in... the poor deer never had a chance.  In case I'm being a bit too obtuse, what I'm tryin' to say is the kid turned into a werewolf.

He wakes up in his human state the following morning.  He is laying next to the eviscerated deer, and tries to come to grips with his actions of the night before.  He feels an itch in his malformed right "paw", and wanders further into the woods.  What he wasn't prepared for was how tired his body would be from last night's activity... and so he slumps over... passing out in sight of a tiny cabin.

A woman and two children discover Zack's body, and after noticing his deformity, decide to take him in.  This is an interesting scene, as we don't get all that good a look at the boy's saviors.  We mostly see them from behind... and while we do kinda get to see the woman's face, it is mostly covered by her hair.  Zack wakes up and he and we get an eyeful of his rescue party.  It's a pretty staggering sight... they are all physically deformed.  Zack feels comfortable... and hopeful, for the first time in a long while.

Morning comes, well two-days later... and with it, a whole bunch of backwoods yokels.  The creepy sheriff and a bunch of hillbillies are outside of the cabin, accusing the woman (Miss Sage) of abducting a young girl who had recently gone missing.  Sage is steadfast in her innocence, and we learn that at one point in the past, she herself had lost a daughter.  This ain't good enough for the yokels, as one of them chucks a rock at her big-headed "son's" big-head.

The sheriff is done negotiating and prepares to storm the cabin in search of the missing girl.  By this point, Zack is up and stirring again... and he's not too keen on the small-towners invading his newly-found safe place.  He puffs out his (bare) chest and tells them to beat it.  They notice his hand-paw, and decide that discretion is the better part of valor.  As they depart, the sheriff posts a notice for the missing girl to a nearby tree.

We now shift to a brief cameo of a hulking monster with a bunch of eyes.  It carries a sack... presumably one that contains a living human... perhaps even the missing girl.  It walks past a tree with the missing girl poster, and tears it down.  The poster, that is... the tree is fine.

With all the excitement having died down, we get a quiet moment between Zack and Miss Sage.  She reveals that she came to town as a physical therapist... sent by the government as a public relations ploy... because this area had suffered a Chernobyl-style radiation bath, which led to a bunch of deformities and what-not.  When the funding dried up, she stayed out of moral obligation.  She shares that her deformity was with her since birth, and not a result of radiation.

Outside, the children see the eyeball monster chowing down on some livestock.  Zack "Scratches" up and lunges into action.  He yells at the beast to let the girl in the bag out... to which, the voice from the bag agrees... but, not with much of a sense of urgency.  She also calls the grotesque critter "Gloop-Gloop"... so, we will too.

So... Gloop-Gloop, he ain't all that impressed with our teenage werewolf... He grabs him by his teeth, and slams him into the ground... at which point, he returns to his boyish figure.

In the distraction, Miss Sage tries to rescue sack girl... but gets a whack for her troubles.  Zack tells Gloop-Gloop "hands off"... but appears not to be able to change back in his werewolf form to punctuate his statement.  We are... [to be continued...]

--

Ya know, when I chose this book to review I would'a bet money that I was going to hate it.  I'm not sure what I thought we'd be getting here... but I was sure I wouldn't like it.  After actually reading it, however, I thought it was pretty good.  Not much for werewolf stories myself, but in the context of the greater DC Universe, this could be quite fun.

The non-Scratch characters were neat... at least those who weren't written and illustrated as the stereotypical small town yokel.  The Miss Sage house o' misfit toys was a nice touch.  I like knowing that this little cabin might still be standing in some corner of the DC landscape... keeping in mind, I haven't read past this issue...

I did have some reservations in regard to the art.  Sam Kieth is pretty hot and cold with me.  I really enjoy his humanoid monster type of work, but found his "straight" humans as almost nightmarish.  Not that they are scary, or ugly... they just don't feel "real".  They feel "off" in a way that makes me feel a bit uncomfortable.  Can't really explain it.  With all that said, his style fits this story to perfection... and I don't think it would have been nearly as effective with anyone else on art chores.

Overall... a good first issue, and introduction to this Scratch fella.  I'm glad Batman didn't loom quite as large as I feared he might... and I'm quite interested in seeing how this all turns out.  This isn't a series that I see too often in the wild... in fact, when I grabbed this one... it was the first time I'd ever heard of it... so, it may be a bit of a challenge tracking down the remaining chapters.

--

Interesting Ads:

Superman (vol.2) #130 (1997)

Superman (vol.2) #130 (December, 1997)

"The Longest Halloween"

Writer - Dan Jurgens

Guest Penciller - Norm Breyfogle

Inker - Joe Rubenstein

Letterer - John Costanza

Separators - Digital Chameleon

Colorist - Glenn Whitmore

Assistant Editor - Maureen McTigue

Doomsayer - Joey Cavalieri

Cover Price: $1.95

Ya know, it's actually more difficult than I imagined to find all the Halloween-themed books in my collection.  They're not as easy to pick out as the Christmas ones... plus, any Google searches I do about Halloween-themed DC Comics directs me to a list of frickin' variant covers!

I was surprised to find that this issue of Superman, during the electric-blue era was, in fact, Halloween-themed!  I've been meaning to better acquaint myself with this era of Superman anyway... so, guess this is a good one to check out.

--

It's Halloween night, and Lois has given Clark his costume for the big party they'll be attending.  We don't get a good look at the outfit, however, Clark is none to pleased with it.  He mentions to Lois that if "he" were to find out about this, "he" would kill him.  Sorry Clark, you all waited too long to order... you're lucky to have the costume you've got!  When we find out what kind of costume this is, we might just be surprised that this one lasted so long on the shelf.

Lois and Clark hop into a cab, when Clark's cell phone rings.  It's his informant at S.T.A.R. Labs who tells him that there's something big going on.  The Kents ask the cabbie to make a detour.  Upon arrival, Lois and Clark are stopped at the door by Dr. Kitty Faulkner.  She's usually cool with the Kents, however, today she just ain't having it.  She physically pushes them out of the building, though, as soon as she's outta sight, Clark electrisupes up, and heads inside.

Superman phases through the wall of the building to enter the lab... I'd forgotten he could do that.  Inside he sees a large artifact known as the Dragon's Tooth.  It's a strange rock that is shaped kind of like a DNA helix that swirls around and comes to a point.

Superman is hardly able to get a good look at the piece before Faulkner and a Doctor Swanson enter the room.  Clark returns to Lois and shares the news of his findings.  They decide to head to the Halloween party... and in the cab, Lois comments that it looks like Clark's packin' on the pounds of late.  That's not very nice.

As the Kents drive away, the Dragon's Claw shatters in the S.T.A.R. Lab, sending both Faulkner and Swanson flying.  A man casts his shadow over the fallen Docs.

We now arrive at the Halloween party in the park.  We've got Metropolis' Mayor Berkowitz chatting up Lex Luthor, who looks like he's buying some favors... Perry and Alice White are having a grand ol' time as well.  Suddenly Cat Grant notices something in the distance... Why it's Lois and Clark... dressed like Batman and Robin!

Perry kids Clark about his costume... then mentions that it looks as though he's gained weight.  Damn y'all... gonna give the poor guy a complex.  We also see columnist Dirk Armstrong, who dressed as Abraham Lincoln, tells Mayor Berkowitz he's going to use his journalistic clout to tear him down.  At first the Mayor acts unimpressed... however, he can't keep the aloofness up.

We get a break in the frivolity with an appearance from the fella who made the Dragon's Tooth go boom.  He's on the streets of Metropolis seeking the "being of energy" who caused his release from the Tooth... oh, so he was inside it!  

Back at the party, we get Cat Grant mistaking Scorn for a person in a Scorn costume.  For her misjudgment, the big blue guy belches in her face.  Good form, old chum.

Meanwhile, Honest Abe is getting reamed out by his daughter for his harsh words toward Mayor Berkowitz.  The daughter, Ashbury, apparently came to the costume party as Gwen Stacy.  Scorn arrives, scoops her up and leaps her away.  They land in front of a strange Fourth World looking flying motorcycle thingie... being driven by a metal-masked Jimmy Olsen... o-kayyy.

Our new villain finally hones in on his electric savior, and arrives at the party.  He abducts our cape and cowled hero and flies off.  Clark sheds his bat for an electric-S, and it looks like a battle is about to rage.  They go back and forth for a time, before the baddie reveals that his was not the only Dragon's Tooth... and so, he calls forth his brothers.  Oh boy...

--

Man, this era of Superman is foreign to me.  This is my big "blind spot" for the Crisis-to-Crisis era.  I dropped off the title around Reign of the Supermen, and came back post Y2K.  The Wedding/Electric Blue era is more or less new to me.  Not that that's a good or bad thing... it's just a thing that is.

This is a decent enough story.  Fun for what it is, even though it's clearly just one of how-ever-many chapters.  Can't say I'm terribly interested in the Dragon's Tooth... or the glowing fella who seeks it... but, otherwise I really dug it.  I particularly enjoyed the Lois and Clark banter.  They have a really fun back and forth, that I have missed ever since the New-52.  Of course, that's kind of a moot statement by now, but still worth mentioning... cuz I just can't let things go.

It was interesting hearing that Superman lost some of his super-powers in the electric-transformation.  That isn't something I thought all that much about.  I figured he had the same powers, just coming about a different way.  It's cool knowing that there were powers both lost and gained in the evolution.

Seeing Superman wearing a Batman costume is something that made me chuckle perhaps a bit more than it should have.  Clark's comments in regard to Bruce's lack of a sense of humor were a nice touch as well.  Almost makes me wish Bruce was at the Halloween soiree.

Now it wouldn't be a late-90's comic on that fangled glossy paper if I didn't mention how much I dislike the color process of this era.  It looks kinda flat and muddy... and really does not do the art any favors.  I never thought I'd say that a Norm Breyfogle issue of a comic book looked "bland", but here we are.  I gotta figure this is due to the coloring.

Overall, it was pretty good.  Not must reading, but a good fun issue from a weird era for the Man of Steel.

--

Letters Page:

 

--

Interesting Ads: