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 (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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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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Superman #651 (June, 2006)
"Up, Up, and Away! Chapter Three: Bare Hands"
Writers - Kurt Busiek & Geoff Johns
Artist - Pete Woods
Colorist - Brad Anderson
Letterer - Jared K. Fletcher
Associate Editor - Nachie Castro
Editor - Matt Idelson
Cover Price: $2.50
Will Clark take the ring? Let's find out...
--
We open with Lois joining Hal, Kendra and Clark on the roof. This is just after Hal offers Clark his very own power ring, which he's decided to take for a spin. Interesting, Clark's "lantern form" is... still Clark Kent. Not a green variation on his Superman costume, or even a standard Lantern Corps uniform... he's just Clark.
Across the water at Stryker's Island Prison, some strange chittery insects arrive. I'm thinkin' there'll be more on them in a bit.
Back on the roof, Clark thanks Hal for the spin... and tells him he'll "think about it". Things seem to be "working" for now. The Justice Society is doing a lot of the heavy lifting in the northeast... also, Supergirl is around to answer signal-watch calls. Suddenly, the foursome hear some commotion coming from Metro Square. Hal and Kendra leave civilian-Kent to check it out. Turns out the Prankster is... well, pranking people. It's a neat bit, but goes on a little long.
Back at Stryker's, the chitterbugs (who are calling themselves the Flea Circus) have gotten inside and found their quarry... the Kryptonite Man!
In Metro Square, Green Lantern and Hawkgirl continue fighting oversized prank constructs while Lois and Clark look on and collect information for an article. They also talk a bit. Lois can tell that Clark misses being Superman, to which he tells her that he's not going to take the power ring. He knows it wouldn't be right, as when he slipped it on... he remained as Clark Kent. If his heart was still in the Superman-game, he would've changed to look like him.
Hal and Kendra are able to break away from the pranks... and head right for the Prankster. They burst the bubble he's floating around in, which unfortunately only releases a bunch of itching powder. I guess you don't mess with the classics, right? When the dust (and powder) settles, all that remains is a note. Lois learns that amid the panic, the Kryptonite Man has been broken out of Stryker's Island.
In fact, just a flip of the page and we learn that he's been taken to Lex Luthor's 'lliterative Lab. Also, a paralyzed Metallo. I should mention that throughout this issue we saw brief bits of Metallo being quite argumentative toward Lex... which really never works out for the arguer. Lex invoked a "jamming field", which froze him... but, and this will be important, allows him to "feel" everything that's about to happen. The Toyman contributes an oversized Operation table for Lex to work on.
Lex comments that Metallo's non-robotic clone body allows him to feel pain... right before plunging his hand through his chest and nyoinking out his Kryptonite Heart.
We wrap up with Toyman asking Lex if it's "finally enough". Together they walk into a room full of Kryptonite Karts (and a Kryptonite Man), and Lex replies that it'll "have to do."
--
Still really enjoying the overall story here... but this one felt a bit weak.
Feels like we're taking the scenic route here, in both narrative and structure. While previous chapters haven't necessarily been "chock full" of story, this was the first bit where it actually felt decompressed. Like we have a five or six-part story here, but we really need to get eight issues out of it. It's weird to say, because this issue might have more action than the previous two combined... but still.
Let's look at the Prankster. Really not sure what his purpose was here. Well that's not completely accurate, I know what his purpose was... I'm just not sure it was necessary. The Flea Circus could have easily broken the Kryptonite Man out... I mean, bad guys in the DC Universe break out of prison every day! So, why the smoke screen for this particular jailbreak? Feels like the Prankster was included just so we'd have a fight scene where Lois can project that Clark misses being Superman.
Then there's Metallo. Did we really read several Metallo scenes to build up to Lex stealing his heart? Okay, fair enough. However, when we see that Metallo's heart is just one of the thousands of Kryptonite Rocks Luthor has... it feels a bit less, I dunno... special? Unless we're about to learn that Lex has been beboppin' around the Multiverse collecting Metallo hearts... that would be pretty cool, I guess. I honestly don't remember... so, for all I know that might be a "self-spoiler". I will say though, the Operation table was all class!
The chat between Lois and Clark was probably the high-point of the issue. Clark feels like, because he didn't instantly change into Superman upon slipping on the power ring... that he doesn't really miss it. Lois tentatively agrees... and looks to feign comfort. It's pretty clear to me that if being Superman was completely off the table for Clark, he never would have taken the ring to begin with... but what do I know?
Overall, a bit of a lesser chapter in my opinion... however, one that's still worth checking out. There is a bit of bloat here, but at least it's still well-written and well-rendered bloat. I haven't commented on the art yet, but Pete Woods does some great work here. Also, the Dodson covers are really nice as well!
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