Action Comics #687 (1993)

Action Comics #687 (June, 1993)
"Born Again"
Writer - Roger Stern
Penciller - Jackson Guice
Inker - Denis Rodier
Letterer - Bill Oakley
Colorist - Glenn Whitmore
Assistant Editor - Jennifer Frank
Editor - Mike Carlin
Cover Price: $1.95/$1.50

Continuing our #Action100 endeavor... and doing so in my wheelhouse.

Today we're going to discuss one of the four Reign of the Supermen books... that were all released the same day!  I mean, could'ja imagine?  April 27, 1993 saw eight Superman books hit the shelves!  Eight!  Well, four really... but two versions of each (I included the "newsstand" cover below).  I was there for it... and boy howdy was it overwhelming... and spendy.

Of course, in 2018... it's not unusual to drop crazy amounts of dough every Wednesday (and only come away with the tiniest of reading piles), but for a kid in 1993... this was pretty intense.

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We open in Antarctica where a pair of researchers are looking on at the Aurora Australis while it's flaring up something fierce.  They wonder what might be causing this... little do they know that beneath the ice a crew of Kelex-y robots are pumping energy into a glowing red sphere.  From that sphere steps... a man?!

The man is intangible... and, as you might imagine, rather disoriented.  He isn't completely without memory, however... and finds a way to tap into recent satellite transmissions.  It's here that he's able to see Superman's death... his own death?!

The feed continues... showing a funeral, and the erecting of a memorial in Centennial Park.  In a panicked state, our new friend proclaims that he must get to the body... because that is where the power lay.

And so, we shift over to the crypt at Centennial Park in Metropolis... where he bonds with his (?) body.  He also takes the cape for good measure.  Upon stepping outside, he finds the Sun too strong for his eyes to take.

We pop over to join our old friend Bibbo!  Who is not in the best of spirits.  He can't shake the feeling that he let his fav'rit sooperhero down when he couldn't revive him with the shock-paddles.  In a pretty touching scene, our Mr. Bibbowski dedicates his life to filling Superman's shoes the best that he can.

Back in Antarctica, our new pal (now equipped with some fashionable shades) claims that his resurrection was the result of a Kryptonian Regeneration Matrix.  He also performs a bit of a power demonstration... which reveals that, in addition to his regular "powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men", he can now also shoot energy blasts from his hands!

On his monitor bank, he can see all of the turmoil going on around the world... including, that odd cult wearing Superman Snuggies.

And so, he suits up... and heads into action... complete with his cape and "S" shield.

Upon his arrival in Metropolis, it's made very clear that this fella ain't exactly our Daddy's Superman.  He has been affected by his death... and has returned far more ruthless than before.  He saves a woman from a masked creep... and does so using lethal force.

Shifting scenes over to LexCorp... Supergirl barges into Lex's office, and she's not happy that the news of her Cousin's body going missing hadn't been brought to her attention.  Lex does his best to convince her that this might just be a hoax.

Out on the street of Metropolis, a plane is about to crash into a crowd of Metropolitans.  Lucky for them, Superman just happened to be in the neighborhood.

Conveniently, Lois Lane pulls up in a cab at just the right moment.  She shouts over to Superman, and is swept away in his arms so they can chat.

We wrap up on a nearby roof (I feel like I type that an awful lot when we're discussing Superman), where Superman makes is rather clear that what he and Lois shared before his death can no longer be.  This is just Superman who returned... Clark Kent is still dead.

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I remember the first time I read this... way back a quarter-century ago.  Jeez.  I admit, I was almost hoping that the Cyborg would be the "Real Steel Deal", but figured... out of our four options, this would almost certainly be revealed as "the one".

It's a pretty big change to the Superman character... but, you gotta remember, this was 1993.  The times were very different, and the squeaky-clean superhero wasn't exactly in vogue.  This was the era of trenchcoats and permanent five o'clock shadow... heroes who had very little problem with killing.  Those were the comics on the Wizard "hot" list.  Superman, sadly... (Death excluded, natch) wasn't all that relevant.

It didn't feel outside the realm of possibility for Superman to return from a dead a bit... hardened.  What my 13 year old peanut brain didn't quite consider was that this Eradicator character might just be a commentary on all of that.  He looks like Superman... yeah... but, he sure doesn't feel like him.  The use of Lois toward the end of this issue was pretty perfect as well.  She notes his coldness... which, I mean, how could you miss it... but, it adds so much.  Kind of a monkey's paw wish come true here... "Superman" finally makes his return, but not the way she/we wanted it.

Maybe in making the most "obvious" Superman hyper-violent, cold, and aloof... we'd realize just what we're missing.  There is a place for the blue Boy Scout.  Maybe we had taken him for granted... rushing to the shops for our foil-covered X-Men and Image books with the word "Blood" in the title.  It's an interesting byproduct of this whole Death and Return endeavor... it works both narratively and on a meta level.  If only I were bright enough to get that my first time through!

Can't end this without chatting up the Bibbo scene.  As I grow older, this scene resonates more and more with me.  I'm sure young teen Chris probably thought the scene was stoopid... er, stupid... but nowadays, it damn near chokes me up.  Maybe it's a result of seeing the years pile up in my rear-view... but, this was damned heartfelt... and if you pause to think about it... I'd bet it would have an emotional effect on you.

Overall... haven't cracked this old chestnut out in awhile, but... I'm guessing if you've somehow stumbled across a DC Comics review blog, there's a pretty good chance you've already read this.  On the off-chance that you haven't... I'd say you ought to.  You should probably read the entire Death and Return story... if'n that seems like too daunting a task, you can always listen to our four-part Cosmic Treadmill retrospective (cheap plug!).  This issue is covered in Part Three, by the way.







This issue has been collected several times over... and is available digitally.

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Letters Page (featuring Uncle Elvis!):

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Et-Cetera:

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Flash (vol.5) #1 (2016)

Flash (vol.5) #1 (August, 2016)
"Lightning Strikes Twice, Part One: Deus Ex Machina"
Writer - Joshua Williamson
Artist - Carmine Di Giandomenico
Colorist - Ivan Placsencia
Letterer - Steve Wands
Assistant Editor - Amedeo Turturro
Editor - Brian Cunningham
Cover Price: $2.99

We're on a bit of a roll with Flash #1's's's's... so, let's wrap it up with the fifth (and as of this writing) final Flash #1.  Man, I really hope this is the last one for awhile... but you can never be too sure.

Hell, we just learned that Superman is being relaunched... again.  Hopefully that isn't a sign of things to come for the rest of the DC line.  Hey, at least Action Comics is getting an issue #1001 though... I was pretty doubtful of that since Rebirth first hit!

Anyhoo... if you wanna check out my previous Flash #1 Discussion and and Reviews, click'em the covers below!

I don't see myself coming across a Flash Comics #1 anytime soon... so this'll have to suffice for now!

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We open with a quick and dirty retelling of Barry being hit by that fateful bolt of lightning.  There's a new wrinkle here, however... for this telling, he wasn't alone... there was another fella there, an officer named August.  The lightning strikes just as he leaves the room.  The sound, and likely the screams (though Barry doesn't get any dialogue) draw his attention... and he returns to find his buddy in a bad way.

Back in the present, Barry is racing through the streets of Central City... recounting some recent events.  He is happy to finally remember his old friend Wally West (ya know, the real one)... and misses him since he rejoined the Titans.  He saves a few lives on his way back to the office, where he finds a pretty brutal crime scene.

His new/old buddy August is there, along with a new face... CSI Kristen.  Barry examines the scene and rules out a botched robbery because nothing of value was taken.  He soon realizes that he has a lunch date with Iris and Wally (the, not real one)... and rushes off, leaving Kristen in charge.

Barry meets up with the Wests, though he isn't the best of company... his mind is very clearly elsewhere.  It's his refusal to ask for help that causes him to get overwhelmed.  Iris has some pretty sage words of wisdom... ones that I relate to in my own life, "some people try so hard to do everything that they end up doing nothing."  Yikes, tell me that doesn't hit kinda close to home for many of you.  Anyhoo, eventually police cars race by... and Wally (who has been on his tablet the entire time) informs Barry that there are currently two crises occurring.

Rather than choose which folks to help... Barry Flashes up and decides to try and save 'em all!  He decides to head to a burning building first, because the second crisis already has a police presence.  Barry winds up saving everyone from the inferno.

This, unfortunately, makes him literally seconds too late to arrive at the stand-off... and he is there just in time to see his buddy August get shot!

... Or not.  Just as the bullet is headed his way, August is blasted with a very familiar bolt of lightning.

We wrap up with August, Barry, and myself wondering just what in the hell is going on... 

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There's something called the "law of diminishing returns", right?  Usually discussed in an Economics class... but, I think we can apply it here.

Over the past three days we've discussed three different Flash #1's (all from this same decade, sadly)... and with each one, I find myself enjoying it less.  That's not really an indictment on the issues themselves... but the direction of the industry.

I've mentioned before... likely during a rant against Marvel's constant relaunchings/renumberings.  The entire endeavor feels like a folly.  You can't launch a Fantastic Four #1 in 2013 (and 2014... and 2015)... and treat it like it's a brand new franchise.  There is still over sixty years of history there.

People know that.  Comic fans get a lot of guff (usually from comic pros and "journalists"), but we're not stupid.  There's a reason why these constant reboots aren't working as well today as they did five, ten years ago.

Let's take this issue of the Flash.  Here's a fella named August, who lost his partner during the previous volume of the title.  Now, if you came along for Rebirth... you wouldn't know (nor care) about any of that.  I mean, you buy a book called Flash, you probably wanna read about a guy in red who runs real fast.  This, as a #1 issue, should be as clean a start as possible.  That's not to say we can't address August a couple months down the line... but, this is supposed to be something of an "elevator pitch" for prospective new readers.

Just the other day, we discussed the Brightest Day volume... and it was wonderful.  Steeped in continuity, sure... but written in such a way that it would be difficult to find yourself lost.  Yesterday we chatted up The New-52! volume, and despite the fact that it didn't quite "grab" me, I can't say that I felt lost (well, maybe "lost" in the sense that I had no idea what DC Comics was thinking... but that's a whole 'nother kettle o' whatever).  This issue though?  There was no reason for this to have a #1 on its cover.

Which brings me to my next complaint (that has very little to do with this issue, but indulge me)... line-wide relaunches need to stop.  Granted, I'm no WB/Disney bean-counter... and honestly, don't care about how much money they're making on movies/tv/underoos/whatever... I'm just coming at this as a long-time reader and collector, and so, this is just a self-serving rant.

Narratively speaking, I feel that line-wide relaunches do not work unless you go full tabula rasa.  With Rebirth, we got a whole slew of new #1's... which were mostly just continuations of their New-52! predecessors.  Sure, there were new books... and things like Superman (which, hell... new guy in the suit... new #1, I get that)... but for books like Flash (and many others), it was completely unnecessary.

This issue... wasn't a bad one... but did not warrant a new #1.  The cliffhanger here... I dunno, I don't know this August guy... and really can't say that I care about what happened/happens to him.  The highlight for me was the brief scene between Barry and Iris, where Wally calls them out for flirting.  That felt real... that felt comfortable.

The art.  Ehhhhhhh... it's not bad, but I don't like it at all.  My first exposure to Di Giandomenico's work was on All-New X-Factor... and I found it completely off-putting.  I will say he's improved from there... even though the runs weren't all that far apart time-wise.  Either way, it's not for me... and, I don't feel like it fit the Flash in the slightest.

Overall... here's another Flash #1 that I don't feel is "must reading".  My reading of this volume has been spotty at best... just can't "get into it".  It's a shame really, as prior to Flashpoint... the Flash books were always toward the top of my stack.  Well, maybe that's not entirely fair... before Flashpoint most of the DC books I read were toward the top.

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Flash (vol.4) #1 (2011)

Flash (vol.4) #1 (November, 2011)
"The Flash"
Story/Art - Francis Manapul
Story/Colors - Brian Buccellato
Letterer - Sal Cipriano
Assistant Editor - Darren Shan
Editor - Brian Cunningham
Cover Price: $2.99

Had such a good time discussing a Flash #1 yesterday... decided why not go for another?  Waitasec... there was a Flash #1 in 2010... and 2011?  Did it somehow become a Marvel book?!

Well, no silly... today we're going to be looking into that cosmic blindspot called The New-52!  Everything got relaunched, regardless of pedigree... so, let's see how much can change in Barry Allen's world in a single year!

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We open in Central City... so far, so good.  We're at a Tech Symposium, and see that Barry Allen is in attendance... with his date, Patty Spivot.  They are approached by the man of the hour, Dr. Elias... and they talk about stuff.  They don't talk long, however... as the place is attacked and robbed by some masked baddies, and so... Barry "Flashes up" and bursts into action.

He makes quick work of the group... chasing them back to their escape aircraft to reclaim the tech they'd stolen.  He manages to grab the widget just in the nick of time.

Then he, and one of the gang-members plummet from the craft!  Before he hits the ground, Barry makes sure to toss the fella through a window of a nearby window.  This page is laid out in a really cool way, check it out...

Anyhoo, Barry lands in the sewer below the street... and it's at this point we get our first look at Iris West, reporter for the Central City Citizen.

Flash returns the stolen tech to Dr. Elias... and returns to Patty's side.  They are alerted to the fact that they've "got a body" at the crime scene... and wouldn'tcha know it, it's that dude Barry tossed through the window.  Upon unmasking, we learn that this fella was once a classmate to our Mr. Allen named Manuel.

Now fearing the worst (that he killed this guy), Barry is ambushed by Iris... who's really after this story.  She twists his words in an attempt to confirm that the Flash is responsible for this death.  It's alluded to here that Barry and Iris at least have each others phone numbers... so, they've chatted a time or two.  It isn't made clear however, if it was business or social.  Either way, Ms. Spivot ain't keen on Iris' persistence.

After a brief office scene, we rejoin the Flash atop a building.  He is joined by Dr. Elias who assures him that he was not responsible for the death of Manuel.

Later that night, we join Barry at his apartment where he is trying to get to the bottom of things.  He soon realizes he's not alone... a hooded figure is lurking in the corner... Bah God, it's Vandal Savage!  No, no it's not... it's actually... Manuel?!

Barry's apartment is then invaded by (presumably) some baddies... and so, he and Manuel flee down the fire escape.  They share some idle chit chat on their run... including a mention of Barry "still" being single... so, that clears up any potential ex-wife Iris confusion.

They run along the riverside for a bit while a couple of men give chase.  Barry uses this opportunity to hop into the drink and "Flash up".  When he surfaces, he rejoins his buddy Manuel...s.

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A bit disappointing when you compare it to the pure candy we discussed yesterday... but, not really a bad issue.

The way I look at it, Manapul and Buccellato were tasked with only one thing here... unmarry Barry.  Which they do.  We see that he's no longer with Iris... he's instead dating Patty Spivot.  During a conversation, Barry's referred to as "still single"... implying that he and Iris were never married.  It really feels like Barry Allen's "Brand New Day"... and, I'm sorry... just not my cup'a tea.

I'll be honest... I bought this issue off the rack, and didn't come back for the next issue.  My completist nature forced me to eventually back-fill my collection of course... however, in October of 2011, I did not buy Flash (vol.4) #2.

This issue really gave me "Brand New Day" vibes... especially with what was going on in Amazing Spider-Man at the time.  Peter was dating a Patty Spivot-esque girl in the form of Carlie Cooper... which felt almost like a passive-aggressive "eff you" to the fans.  Not saying that's what's going on here... I mean, if you ask me, The New-52! in and of itself was a gigantic "eff you" to fans... no need to single this issue out.

With this, I got the feeling they split Barry and Iris up just so they could have them find their way to one another.  Not a story I feel like we need.  This is just like Marvel's Ultimate line... started off doing kind of its own thing... then settled in on retelling stories we'd already read with a "modern twist".  The entire endeavor feels like a giant waste of time.  By the time we get where we're going... it'll be time to reboot the line again!  That might've worked back when comics were affordable... and aimed at a younger audience... but that train's long left the station.

Perhaps I'm being unfair... I dunno.  For the issue itself... well, it's freaking gorgeous, but with the team in play here, that was never in question.  The Flash costume... ehh, Manapul did the best with what he was given.  I really hate that little "chin-piece"... looks horrible!

The cliffhanger we get here... ehh... It's hard to invest in one of Barry's never-before-mentioned classmates.  Why should I care?  I feel like they should have given us a more familiar "threat" for this initial outing.  Even reading this back today... I have no interest in even picking up and flipping through the second issue... and it's literally within my arm's reach right now.  Again... no fault of the creators... this is more DC not really having a clue what to do with their relaunched and rebooted universe.  I'm not sure they had any clue how they wanted to introduce the Rogues at this point.

Overall... I hate to say it (honest!), but if you ask me... this isn't something you need to rush out and grab.  It's a shame, because the creative team is amazing... and Barry Allen as the Flash really grew on me during his Brightest Day volume.  If you are interested, this has been collected in Flash: Move Forward, and is available digitally (for only a buck!).

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Flash (vol.3) #1 (2010)

Flash (vol.3) #1 (June, 2010)
"Case One: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues"
Writer - Geoff Johns
Artist - Francis Manapul
Colorist - Brian Buccellato
Letterer - Nick J. Napolitano
Associate Editor - Adam Schlagman
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $3.99

Today we're going to talk about a book that I... wasn't really looking forward to when it was announced.  Ya see, Wally West is my Flash... and he always will be.  When it became clear that he was being shifted into the background to make way for the return of Saint Barry... I wasn't terribly pleased.

I wasn't even sure I was going to follow this volume!

Then... well, ya see that banner atop the cover?  Ya know, the one that reads "Brightest Day"?  Yeah... I bought every single comic with that on the cover.  After all, DC all but promised that our patience would be rewarded... and it was leading to something big!  Cue toilet flush...

It's been... oof, nearly a decade since I last looked at this... so, it's high time we get around to it.  How did it age?  Are my feelings on Barry any different?  What the hell is this Flashpoint thing they're talking about at the end?  Let's all find out together!

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We open with a beautiful shot of Central City... I'm going to do my best not to gush too much about the art here... but it's going to be difficult.  Iris is getting her skatey-eighth cup of coffee this morning as the Flash zips by in high-speed chase of the Trickster.

The Trickster winds up driving off an overpass... and falls toward a construction site down below.  What follows is an amazing scene of Barry dismantling the entire automobile before it can make impact.

I mean... this is one hell of a scene.  He grabs the steering wheel as it's an inch away from hitting a little boy in the face.  Such a dynamic scene... and really, such an amazing way to open this volume.  This is how you introduce a superhero!

We shift scenes to the police station where Barry (in his civvies, natch) arrives for his first day back at work.  It's confirmed here that the world believes that Barry was in witness relocation... which is as good an excuse as any to explain away his absence.

He's brought up to speed (pun!) on the Rogues... they've become far nastier since he'd last been around.  Cleverly, the Weather Wizard is messing with the weather... not because he wants anything... just because he's a jerk.

After rubbing up against the cold case involving Barry's mother... he is introduced to his team of forensic scientists.  He's introduced as having "more talent in his pinky than this entire room", which is sure to endear him to his new work family.

Meanwhile, at a nearby urban park... a ball of electric blue light appears.  Inside it is a humanoid shape who apologizes before dropping the dead body of the Mirror Master to the ground.

Back at the Precinct, Barry reacquaints with an old friend who's looking forward to retiring in the near future... well, pal... I hope they don't reboot your reality in the meantime!  When the news of the Mirror Master murder hits, Barry is sent out to investigate the crime scene.  He unmasks the baddie... and realizes that it's neither Sam Scudder nor Evan McCulloch.

Iris is also there reporting on the event.  She pulls Barry aside to see if he'll give her any information for her story... and we get a flashback scene where Barry and Iris promised that anything Barry told her about a case would be strictly "off-the-record".  In the present, Iris is annoyed that she ever made that deal.  It's far cuter a scene than I just described, trust me.

We wrap up with the Flash suiting up and running around a bit.  He notices some more blue-lightning atop a nearby building and heads up to check it out.  What he finds is... the Rogues?!  But... they're all wearing police badges?!  Anyhoo... they inform Barry that he's under arrest for the murder of Mirror Master... a crime he hasn't yet committed, but... according to Commander Cold, he will!

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Not gonna mince words here... this was great!

This is how you (re)introduce a superhero... I gotta say, I'm never going to be completely "okay" with Barry as the Flash... but, this was definitely a good "first step".

Let's get it out of the way... the art here is ridiculous.  I mean, how amazing did this book look?  Francis Manapul is phenomenal... I could stare at these pages all day.  I'm a fella who normally gets a bit irked when I see multiple two-page spreads in a given issue... but ho-lee cow, when they look as good as they do here?  Gimme more!

Our cliffhanger here is pretty great as well.  We're definitely dealing with some sort of futuristic threat... and we're rubbing up against some "thought crime" or "preventative arrests" concepts in an interesting way.  This is a very "iffy" subject... should you detain someone for something you think they're going to do?  Well, that's a big moral question in our world... however, in the DC Universe where folks are always beboppin' and scattin' through the timestream, it's a little bit different, ain't it?

It was interesting that the book ended with a (perhaps the first?) mention of Flashpoint.  It was definitely on the docket... though, I still doubt it was supposed to lead to The New-52!  Still... it's really interesting to see it here.

I think if I had to pick any nits... I'd have to go with Barry and Iris having been de-aged.  I first "met" Iris when she'd pop up from time to time in Wally's Flash or Impulse.  I was used to her being depicted a certain way... and now, it looks as though she's Wally's contemporary.  Hell, she might be younger than him here!

Overall though... I wholeheartedly recommend this issue, and am personally looking forward to revisiting the rest of this volume in the not-so-distant future (as if my "nightstand reads" pile is getting any smalled).  This issue is available digitally (for just a buck!), and has been collected in the The Dastardly Death of the Rogues trade paperback.

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(Not the) Letters Page... something far more sinister!:

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