Action Comics (vol.2) #52 (July, 2016)
"The Final Days of Superman, Part 6: The Great Pretender"
Writer - Peter J. Tomasi
Pencillers - Dale Eaglesham & Scot Eaton
Inkers - Dale Eaglesham & Wayne Faucher
Colors - Tomeu Morey
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Assistant Editor - Andrew Merino
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $3.99
Here's a sorta-kinda important issue of Action Comics, from the tail end of its days as a "Volume 2". Today we're going to usher out the New-52! and revisit how they tied this one off.
Spoiler Alert: It ends on a... to be continued to an issue of Superman/Wonder Woman. Which... eh, I dunno... feels like a cheap way to go out.
Anyhoo... before I convince everyone to stop reading here, let's get into it!
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We open with Superman (52) in a pretty bad way. He and Wonder Woman join with Batman so that they might track down this weird "double". Suddenly, his ability to fly sorta gives out... and he splats onto the window of the batwing. They load him inside, and continue their search.
Speaking of that weird double... we shift scenes to Metropolis, where it is chatting up Lois Lane (52). I think the last time we discussed "The Final Days of Superman" on the blog (all them years back) I assumed that this solar-powered double was going to tie in, in some way with Kenan Kong/New Super-Man. I guess that's why I don't make many predictions! Anyhoo, the dupe (Denny Swan) tells Lois that he has something secret he'd like to show her.
This takes us to Salinas, California... where Clark and Jonathan White are making some good ol' Breakfast-for-Dinner. I used to love having that every now and again... until I'd go to lay down a few hours later and be hit with some of the worst heartburn ever. Anyhoo, before they/we know it, they have been joined by Lois and Denny.
There's a pretty uncomfortable scene where Clark invites Denny to have some pancakes with them. They sit across the table from one another, while Denny prods at Clark about thinking he's really Superman. Lois immediately runs to Jon to keep him safe.
Then, Denny loses his mind... and attacks! Well, Clark doesn't take kindly to anyone coming into his home and putting the lives of the ones he loves at risk... so, it's fight time!
Back in the batwing, Batman informs Superman and Wonder Woman that their next stop is Gotham City... so they might use some bat-tech to get a better bead on the phony Superman. Just then, there's an energy signal on the batwing's radar that syncs up to Superman's new Solar Flare dealie... and it's coming from Salinas, California. Batman agrees to land.
Back on the ground, Lois-52 rushes Jon away from the house and to safety. Clark and Denny continue their fight... just as the Trinity lands nearby. Then we have the long-awaited... and pretty underwhelming meeting of the New-52! Superman... and the real one.
Lois (the real one) returns home to find the place... well, destroyed. Clark then rushes over and pulls Lois, Jon and their pets far away from the battleground.
We wrap up with Denny trying to make nice with the Trinity... and even going so far as to suggest they team up to get rid of "that imposter".
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Not a bad issue... though a bit disappointing for the "big meeting" between Superman and... the uh, other Superman.
When I see this cover, I see so many possibilities... especially considering they were originally going to use it a few months earlier... very likely to tell a very different story. I kept remembering this as being the cover for Action Comics (vol.2) #50... which is incorrect. A check of a handy-dandy Previews catalog (pack-ratting *sometimes* has its perks) shows that this was actually supposed to be the cover to Superman (vol.3) #50. In a story by Gene Luen Yang and Howard Porter, the pre-Flashpoint and the New-52! Supermen were to meet.
Why this was scrapped? Well, probably Rebirth... even though DC will tell ya they had that "in the works" forever. Hell, they said the same thing in 2011 about The New-52!, when I think hindsight shows us they were fulluvit. This is just more evidence that the "current year" comics industry is a rudderless ship. They can stop on a dime and change direction at a moments notice. Which is why I think so many of us have a difficult time getting "comfortable" these days. Though, maybe I'm just projecting.
I know I have a problem getting comfortable... because I know we're only one batch of solicits away from yet another reboot/relaunch/rewhatever. I mean, just look at Marvel! Their "cycle" is almost to the point of self-parody. Big new #1... then 2-3 months of stories... then, an announcement of next big "event"/relaunch... followed by 6 months of "lame duck" stories to get us there... then we start the cycle all over again, only with diminishing returns!
Anyhoo... back to this issue of Action Comics. First, it looks pretty great. In my grand DC reread over the past few years, Dale Eaglesham has worked his way toward the top on my list of "best artists". Was happy to see his name in the credits.
The story? It's a means to an end. Really not much more to say. They need the new Superman "out of the way" so they can replace him with the original. It's an event that needs a story, rather than the other way around. Instead of this happening organically... it's being rushed to get us to Rebirth. Now, I think Rebirth was a great idea... especially when compared to the cosmic toilet flush of 2011, but I still feel like it deserved to go out on less of a rushed "throwaway-ish" story.
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Action Comics #801 (May, 2003)
"Seeds"
Writer - Joe Kelly
Guest Penciller - Tom Raney
Inker - Walden Wong
Colorist - Gina Going
Letters - Comicraft
Associate Editor - Tom Palmer, Jr.
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.25
Man, we're just truckin' along to April 18th, ain't we?
When I first decided to try this #Action100 thing, it felt like I had all the time in the world to get it done. Now I look at the calendar (which I seem to have a hard time understanding at the best of times) and see just how close we are getting to Action Comics #1000.
Looks like we need to kick it into high gear... and so, random issue of Action Comics, ahoy!
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We open in Little Falls, Colorado where a child is excitingly telling their mother about their day at school. The chat is interrupted by the arrival of... well, neither bird nor plane... but also not... well, you know. Meanwhile in Metropolis, Lois is exhausted after a long night's work... but is still up for some "action" with her (currently unemployed) husband.
Elsewhere, young sorceress... ninja... lizard-wrangler, Traci Thirteen is being treated in a hospital. She is awakened from a nightmare.
Back to Little Falls, where a ski salesman and his daughter are having a contentious little back and forth about some lousy customers they just dealt with. Their chat is also interrupted by... neither bird nor plane, but also not... well, you know.
Back in Metropolis, Lois and Clark are stopped on the street by one of those "The End is Nigh" kooks. This really seems to bug Clark... leaving Lois to wonder aloud, "how long have you lived in a city?"... and, she's totally got a point.
In Bialya, a shadowy man in a shadowy room watches a bank of monitors... and waits. I hate scenes like this... I mean, this dude must've dropped out after only taking Super-Villainry 101.
Back to Little Falls... where inside a car, a young boy plays with the World's Finest action figures. Meanwhile outside, an unhappy couple (probably the tot's parents) argue about his upcoming birthday party. Their argument is interrupted by neither bird nor plane, but also not... well, you know. This time, however, it's clear whatever it is... it's deadly.
Then, we're off to Pokolistan where Avruiskin (Zod) hovers... and waits. He must've gone as far as Super Villainry 202.
Back in Metropolis, Clark makes Lois coffee... before, I dunno, hearing something weird coming out of Colorado? I mean, he bursts through their window, shattering it, without even a word! At the same time, back in Little Falls... a glowing man hovers in the fetal position above a massacre.
Superman arrives on the scene immediately and tries to stop the glowing fella. This whole thing is being watched by some kids from a classroom window. They turn to address their teacher, who has undergone a rather horrifying metamorphosis herself!
Superman rushes into the classroom to try and get control over the situation. Seems as though the teacher is conflicted... she still seems to know who she really is, and wants not to give in to her new baser insectoid instincts. They are then joined by... the daughter of the ski salesman... and, there's definitely something not right about her! She sneezes... causing a very green explosion.
Next stop, Washington D.C.... where (hell yeah) President Lex Luthor is being given intel from DEO Agent Cameron Chase. She advises him that there has been a sudden boom in Metagene triggering... registering between a four and an eight on the "P.M. Scale". Between a four and an eight? That's a pretty wide margin.
Back in Little Falls, it's revealed that Superman was able to save all the tots, however not the Sara the Sickly Sneezing Ski Salesgirl. No word on the teacher either. One of the kids goes into Aerobic Arrest... and Superman goes to rush him off to the hospital. He is stopped, however, by an officer "pulling rank" (yeah, right). They are then approached by some goofy slacker kid... who just sprouted wings! He tells Superman that he'd like to take the boy to the hospital for him... and so, he does.
That evening, after all the dust has settled, this group of new-Metas is corralled into a place for safe-keeping. They're all freaked out (duh), and wonder if there might be a cure for their new "conditions". Superman has no answers at this point.
Back in Washington, Agent Chase (and Secretary of Metahuman Affairs, Amanda Waller) continue to fill President Lex in on the day's events. He learns of the Little Falls incident, and dismissively compliments Superman for his work their.
We wrap up with Chase directing Lex's attention to the latest... the Metagene "boom" has exploded, leaving 1:1000 Americans with strange powers beyond those of mortal men!
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Seems to be a trend these days... so much of what I'm reading, old or new, can be described as "Not bad... but boring". That, unfortunately leaves a goofball like me with precious little to say about it. Maybe that was their plan all along?!
In revisiting this issue, I can recall that this was where I started to fall off a bit with Superman. I kept buying it for a couple more years (I think I finally "tapped out" when Chuck Austen was writing it under a pen-name (do I have that right? That was the popular opinion back in the day))... but at this point, I kinda stopped caring.
I guess it's natural to have a bit of a malaise after a "big" issue (Action Comics #800)... but, I'd assume they'd want to come out of the gate with a bang... if only to hold on to some of the "looky-loos" who might've picked up #800 on a whim, and came back for more. Though, to be fair... this was during comics self-loathing period where "milestone" issues weren't really hyped up anymore. Another example of over-correcting.
What we get instead is... a whole lot of table-setting, and a fairly uninteresting/uninspired story... complete with shadowy man in a shadowy room watching a bank of monitors. Was this already played out by 2003? I can't remember. Bendis hadn't yet foisted Maria Hill on us by this point, right? Because that's when every single Marvel comic started having a scene of a darkened room and a bank of monitors in it (because she seemed to "guest-star" in every single Marvel comic). Man, what a horrible time.
Back to this issue. It's good... not great. The cover is pretty cool... but has nothing to do with what's going on inside. Tom Raney's "guest" art is really good... and I enjoyed the scenes with President Lex (as I always do!). Worth tracking down? Well, that's a toughie. You won't get any sort of resolution here... and since the story hasn't been collected, you'll have to buy a few issues to get the full story. It is available digitally though... at $1.99, which in my mind, is a bit steep.
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America's Best Comics Preview (March, 1999)
Story - Alan Moore
Pencils - Chris Sprouse
Inks - Al Gordon
Colors - Tad Ehrlich of WildStorm FX
Letters - Todd Klein
Editor - Scott Dunbier
Editorial Director - Jim Lee
Yesterday we discussed the Divine Right Preview... and I thought it was a pretty fun time. So I decided to (in between bouts of back spasms) rummage through the longbox maze I laughingly call my "front room" and look for some similar "ephemera".
What I found was... well, if the title of this blog post didn't spoil it already, the America's Best Comics Preview that came packed with Wizard: The Comics Magazine #91 (March, 1999).
Feel like this one is actually somewhat topical... what with the relatively recent additions of Promethea and Tom Strong to the DC Universe proper.
So, join me as we meet them all again... for the first time.
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We open with our main man Timmy Turbo delivering a news report about... America's Best Comics. He introduces us to America's Best Letterer, the mighty Todd Klein. He then takes us inside the offices, where we meet... a living carpet made up of beautiful women! It's not what it sounds like... okay, maybe it is. They're apparently part of Alex Ross' contract. He is America's Best Cover Artist, after all.
Timmy takes us into the make-up room, and we meet Future American and his partner the U.S. Angel, who will have a strip in Tomorrow Stories. Future American feels like he looks "too retro" and asks the make-up artist to remove the "Kirby squiggle" from his chin. When they see Terrible Timmy lurking nearby they give him the boot.
Next stop, Set Design... where we can see Gene Ha and Emil Castenada putting together the set for the City of Neopolis from Top 10. Mr. Ha is rather stressed, and Timmy decides this might not be the nook of the building to linger in.
We are next introduced to Timmy's favorite superhero, Tom Strong! Tom has his own dressing room, and is chatting up his gorilla pal, King Solomon. Tom immediately recognizes Timmy as "Strongmen of America Member #2059", which is pretty cool.
Outside in casting, editorial is looking to fill the role of Cobweb for Tomorrow Stories. Timmy's excited to report that he doesn't think she has underwear.
Off to the garage, where Timmy meets up with un- er, subconscious artist Rick Veitch. He is going to be working on the Greyshirt feature in Tomorrow Stories. He reveals himself to be... well, rather banged and bandaged up. He's been hard at work world building the gas-powered Indigo City... which has led to rather a few explosions! Tentative Timmy... slinks away.
Next, Timmy actually takes us on set... where Jack B. Quick is "filming" a scene from his Tomorrow Stories strip. This is a pretty fun bit... Jack delivers his lines perfectly, but they need to "redraw" the scene because the boom mic got into the shot. Then, an irritated Jack lights a cigarette and complains that he's losing his motivation (and patience with director, Kevin Nowlan).
Then, the Sound Stage... where they're hard at work "dubbing" an issue of Promethea. It's another pretty fun scene... and the look on Timmy's face is really something else.
Finally... a visit to the office of the man himself, Alan Moore. Timmy makes his way through the creepy door (with smoke pouring out from beneath it) to find... a couple of monks?! They appear to be praying to Alan Moore... which is pretty funny. They explain to Timmy that "The Perfected One" has moved to a plane beyond that of the material world. On the nose, but still pretty funny. Especially considering Alan Moore is actually writing this.
Terrified Timmy feigns that he hears his mom calling, and beats a hasty retreat. We wrap up our visit to the America's Best Offices with (talkative) Timmy closing out his news report.
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Another really fun "time capsule" type piece.
Ya know, I've heard a little bit of hooting and hollering online about DC deciding to bring some of these characters into the "mainstream" fold. I guess it's cool to feel however you want... but I'm actually pretty excited about the idea. You know me, I'm a fan of the "everything matters" approach to comics. I feel like, the more the merrier. Whether it's pulp heroes like Doc Savage in that FirstWave line a few years back, the Watchmen characters... or the ABC crew! Hell, even over at Marvel... I can't say I'd be too torn up if they cross Miracleman over for a spell.
I think we've got some cool characters here, though I'll concede many of them are completely new to me. Back around the turn of the century, my comics buying habits were... well, out of control. I was spending upwards of a hundred bucks... a week. I actually received a Christmas gift from my local shop one year, he told me I alone paid about four-months worth of his rent.
So, I had plenty of stuff (and crap) to read every week... and just didn't have the time nor budget to fit in the America's Best line. I picked up a handful here and there... and I've got a few Tom Strong trades... but that's about it. I probably ought to prioritize them as a target in my cheap-o bin dives!
With all of that out of the way... the issue itself? Fun! It doesn't really do much insofar as "previewing" the kind of stories we're in store for, but it was a decent enough introduction to the "heavy hitters" of the line... at least visually. Some of the gags were a bit on the nose, but if nothing else, shows that Alan Moore has a sense of humor about how folks in (and out of) the biz might view him.
Ya know, of late I've really been diving into old comics news mags... Wizard, Amazing Heroes, Heroes Illustrated... even Diamond Previews! Just about anything I can get my hands on. While my motivations were initially podcast-research related, I couldn't help but to get lost in them. A lot of folks (myself included) give Wizard a lot of crap for the way they delivered news... the way they depicted their audience... the way they'd repeatedly attempt to steer the marketplace... ya know, all that stuff.
But, then I think about the fun things they did. I think of the pack-ins like this (and skatey-eight hundred AOL discs) and realize that so much was lost in the industry shift to digital. Today this "issue" would almost certainly just be something on the DC Comics web-site. I feel like it loses something that way. It becomes "just another preview" or "just another news item" rather than something that is sitting in somebodies longbox just waiting to be rediscovered.
I feel like it being physical gives it a measure of "value"... it's somewhat less "disposable". The digital shift in entertainment, and the "blink and you miss it" world we live in now really doesn't lend to little pieces of ephemera such as this. So, hey Wizard... Thanks!
Now... would I recommend tracking this down? Yeah maybe. It's really fun... and I have come across it many times in my bin-trawls, so I know it's out there. This story has been reprinted in America's Best Comics Special (64-Page Special) #1 from 2001, so you might be better served grabbing it there. All's I know is reading this made me add the ABC's to my "looky list".
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Et-Cetera:
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Here's a sorta-kinda important issue of Action Comics, from the tail end of its days as a "Volume 2". Today we're going to usher out the New-52! and revisit how they tied this one off.
