Superman #666 (October, 2007)
"The Beast From Krypton"
Writer - Kurt Busiek
Artist - Walter Simonson
Letterer - John Workman
Colorists - Alex Sinclair & Lee Loughridge
Associate Editor - Nachie Castro
Editor - Matt Idelson
Cover Price: $3.99
Hello friends! Welcome to the six-hundred sixty-sixth daily discussion and review. Figure we'll commemorate the beastly event by telling Superman to "Go to Hell!"
--
Six weeks ago, the crows began acting strangely... Hawkman knew he was coming for Superman. Six days ago, the animals followed... Animal Man then knew he was coming for Superman. Finally six hours ago, the fish... and Aquaman also knew. He's coming for Superman.
After that ominous open, we shift scenes to the Daily Planet Building. Jimmy and Clark are discussing whether or not to go see a Monarchs game, when... a Stranger approaches. The Phantom Stranger informs Clark that they have much to talk about... and the pair vanish. When the ethereal dust settles, nobody remembers that Clark even arrived that day.
After a brief aside about the destruction of Krypton, we rejoin Clark who is working late at home... on a typewriter! How 'bout that! He wraps up his story... or at least enough of it to keep Perry off his back for another day, and joins Lois in bed. There, he dreams of a world in which he rules with an iron fist.
It's a world where those who matter wear his "mark". It's also a world where the other heroes do his bidding.
Clark wakes up. Thinking that was a rather odd dream, he heads out for some (literal) air. Before he leaves, however, Lois asks him to bring back some pickles and ice cream. Hmm...
At the store, Superman lashes out... smashing the display of pickles! I mean, $2.98 for a jar of pickles isn't too unreasonable, right? He is joined by Zatanna in her astral form, and she's definitely concerned. Superman informs her that he's most certainly still dreaming. He cites Lois's request for "pickles and ice cream" to be too much of a cliche to be real.
He uses his super-breath to blow her away, before delivering a doozy of an insult. Might be the line of the issue!
He heads outside, where he finds himself surrounded by panicked Metropolitans. Turns out that Lex Luthor (in a giant mech-suit) is terrorizing the city. Superman, tired of this never-ending crap, simply spits through Luthor's head... killing him! Whew, finally.
Then... Brainiac arrives. Superman claps his hands, then runs them up and down to create super-friction, which in his words leads to "shakkaboom". Brainiac is toast.
If that's not enough... Superman's entire rogues gallery arrives on the scene next, including Doomsday (and frickin' Conduit)! The Man of Sleep makes short work of them.
When the dust and guts settle, he hears a familiar sound... the zeezeezeeezeezeezee of Jimmy Olsen's signal watch. So, off to Jimmy he goes... finding him pinned under some rubble. Rather than saving his pal, he lets him know just how annoying the signal watch is... before popping the poor boy's cranium with a high-pitch super-whistle! I mean, this is definitely a dream, but c'mon... who didn't wanna see this?
Perry White's the next to fall... then, Lois (and their unborn dream baby)!
Superman then flies to Washington, D.C. where he topples the Washington Monument and evicts Honest Abe from his own memorial! Crazy!
Much like his (initial) dream, Superman now lords over the Earth. The military launches missiles at him, but c'mon... that's not gonna do anything more than annoy him at this point. He is once more joined by Zatanna. He freezes her with his super-breath, then shatters her body on his way to... Smallville.
Now, he goes to Smallville in order to... ya know, destroy Smallville. Or at least punch a giant hole in it. While his friends and family call out to him, he enters into the lava pit and descends ever downward...
... all the way to Hell! Where he meets... the Demon!
Superman casually tosses ol' Etrigan out of his way. He's got bigger fish to fry, it seems. He approaches the throne of Hell, and tells its current occupant that he's in his chair.
This is Rakkar, and he shares a story. Ya see, when Krypton exploded, so too did Krypton's Hell. Rakkar was able to grab on to baby Kal-El's rocket and hitch a ride to Earth. Man, a devil and Beppo the Super Monkey! That was one crowded rocket! Rakkar continues, claiming that he is pressed with corrupting the Man of Steel... and he was able to take a foothold once Superman resorted to killing.
Superman claims to never have taken a life... so, I guess the whole Phantom Zone criminals thing never happened post-Infinite Crisis, huh? Rakkar's cool with that, however... because Superman didn't need to technically murder anybody for this to work. Just the fact that he dreamed it is enough! Rakkar lunges, transforming Superman into a Beast of Hell!
This victory, however, is short-lived. Superman punches right through the Hell Beast's chest. He reveals that the Phantom Stranger divided his soul... making one corruptible and the other clean. He flings Rakkar over his shoulder and delivers a stirring speech to the Hell Golems.
Back in Metropolis, Zatanna goes to high-five the Phantom Stranger for a job well done. As you might imagine, he leaves her hanging.
Clark returns home with some pickles and ice cream, prompting Lois to wonder if she's been somehow transported to a horrible sitcom. He asks her if he's ever killed before, and she says "of course not, don't be ree-deke-o-los". We wrap up, back in Hell... where Rakkar the Nothing still lives!
--
Had a lot of fun with this one... and I really didn't think I would!
Of course, it's a throwaway one-off issue just playing into the issue number. Then again, this is a throwaway one-off blog post doing the same thing! It was fun (and a little bit scary) to see what a Superman who "gives no effs" might be like. Dude was just ruthless, aloof, dismissive... sarcastic. Really made for an interesting read!
What's more, being as though this was a one-off, we didn't have to meander through a half-year's worth of stories to get here. This wasn't a Superman becoming slowly corrupted... or a Superman from another Earth invading, this was Superman taking advantage of the fact that he knew he was in a dream. And really... tell me you wouldn't kill Jimmy Olsen if you knew you were dreaming!
The idea that Krypton also had a Hell was an interesting one... one I hadn't even considered. If we look at "Hell" as being planet-specific, that opens up a whole lot of storytelling possibilities. Imagine hundreds of Hells joining forces to take on the Justice League!
It kinda sucks that the Phantom Zone Criminals bit appears to have been wiped away in Infinite Crisis. I feel like that was a defining story for the character... leading to an arc of self-discovery, penance, and Superman's acceptance that there are "no win" situations out there.
Some really powerful visuals here... including, perhaps especially, Superman sitting in Abraham Lincoln's chair lording over the Earth. Really enjoy Walt Simonson here, his rougher style really makes this story stand out.
Overall, I think there's a lot of fun to be had with this issue. It's well-written, and features several (no pun intended) dream scenarios. Well worth checking out... it's been collected in Superman: Redemption and is available digitally.
--
Interesting Ads:
666
Robin #1 (November, 1993)
"Outcast"
Writer - Chuck Dixon
Penciller - Tom Grummett
Inker - Scott Hanna
Colorist - Adrienne Roy
Letterer - Tim Harkins
Assistant Editor - Jordan B. Gorfinkel
Editor - Denny O'Neil
Cover Price: $2.95
Haven't checked in with our man Tim Drake in quite awhile. Considering he's currently in the midst of his comeback tour, figure now's as good a time as any.
--
We open with Robin being choked out by... Batman?! Well, this is Jean Paul Valley, the fella we affectionately know as Az-Bats... and he's more than a little bit troubled. His St. Dumas is showing in a big way. He tosses Robin to the side and apologizes for his outburst. Tim decides he's had quite enough of this crap, and tears off in the Redbird.
We jump uptown where a group of masked fools are stealing expensive cars from the country club... lettering features a rather unfortunate misspelling of Lamborghini's "Countach". The geeks are approached by the police... and they open fire. The officers return fire, but the thieves are able to get away.
Back with Robin, he stashes the Redbird in an old carriage house for safe-keeping, and prepares to return to his "real life" because the school year is just about to begin.
On the bus to school, Tim is approached by his nerdy pal Ives. He's invited to the new Stallone movie... which I'm assuming to be Demolition Man. He passes, because he's going to the school mixer with his girlfriend Ariana (who he met during the Robin III: Cry of the Huntress miniseries).
Elsewhere, the car thieves are giddy at the thought of Gotham Heights High School having a mixer... because of all of the rich kids and their rich cars. Well, and probably for some pervy reasons too.
At the dance, Tim and Ariana are greeted by B.M.O.C. (that's Big Man on Campus) Karl Ranck. Tim ain't Karl's biggest fan... and we get the impression that the feeling is mutual. Karl, being a jerk-ass, invites Ariana to an after party. She turns him down, saying that Tim doesn't have a car. The jocks all have a good laugh while Tim fumes. Tim snaps at Ari for revealing his secret shame... or something.
Karl heads outside, just as his whip's about to be stolen! Rather than give up his ride, he punches the gun-wielding car thief... well, we never claimed that Karl was the sharpest bulb in the shed. Luckily, Tim is nearby... and he tackles Karl before he can have another orifice added to his pointed-head.
You'd think Karl would be happy to... ya know, not be dead... but you'd think wrong! He's actually furious that Tim tackled him, allowing the thief to escape with his car. What a jackass! Ariana rushes to Tim's side and they embrace. Later on, at the crime scene we see Sheriff "Shotgun" Smith is on the case.
We shift over to Blackgate Penitentiary and join a group therapy session... already in progress. The baddies present are the Electrocutioner, Czonk, Cypher, and the brains of the operation... the Cluemaster. They make it very clear that the doctor is going to help them with... something. I'd wager it's escape-related.
Back on the mainland, Tim does some research. We learn that the car thieves are actually a gang called the... ahem... Speedboyz. And so, he suits up and goes on patrol to see what he can find. While out, he realizes he's being tailed by a very persistent traveler. So persistent in fact, that he's eventually run off the road!
The driver reveals himself to be... "Shotgun" Smith?! Ya see, he thinks Robin's one of the Speedboyz. To be continued...
--
A fine opening issue for this long-lasting series.
You get the impression that continuity really mattered here... which is something I go ga-ga for. I really appreciate that this issue opened with Tim leaving the Batcave. It really "places" the story in a time (and place) rather than just starting with him on his own. There's enough "connective tissue" here to keep in line with the Bat-Family of books, but not so much where it just feels like a spin-off.
I think back to the days where Wolverine would get a mini-series, and they would actually write him out of X-Men comics for a few months! Love stuff like that. Nowadays characters pop up in so many books in a given week that it's impossible to keep track. Unless we're expressly told, we never know the sequence of events... which happened first... who's coming or going... or came and gone. Guess I'm taking the scenic route here just to say... I like how this issue began.
The Speedboyz are as lame as their name makes them sound... but I understand that this really isn't about them... they just enable the story and facilitate the meeting of Robin and "Shotgun" Smith. Which is fair enough.
Enough of Tim's civilian cast was established here to make him come across as well-rounded, without overwhelming us with more names and faces than we could possibly care about.
Overall... I really enjoyed this. Chuck Dixon very rarely disappoints... and Tom Grummett is in top form! I definitely recommend this... and best of all, it's not just available digitally... it's available for FREE digitally! No reason not to give it a look.
--
Letters Page:
--
Interesting Ads:
665
Justice League: Generation Lost #2 (Late July, 2010)
"Max'ed Out"
Script - Judd Winick
Breakdowns - Keith Giffen
Penciller - Joe Bennett
Inker - Jack Jadson
Colors - Hi-Fi
Letterer - Pat Brosseau
Assistant Editor - Rex Ogle
Editor - Michael Siglain
Cover Price: $2.99
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Here's something to help you digest.
--
Picking up a little after last issue, the old JLIers are attempting to show Superman some pretty choice footage of Wonder Woman. Oddly, instead of seeing her snap Maxwell Lord's neck, he only sees her holding her sword aloft in a He-Man pose. Worth noting, Superman seems to have no time for our Bwah-ha-ha buddies... he's really rather short with them.
A bored and impatient Superman then takes his leave, but not before giving Captain Atom orders to "stand down". The Checkmate mix-up last issue along with this bit of "odd" behavior is a bit too much for him.
The Super-Buddies then look inward and start arguing among themselves. Booster's ticked that the rest of his "friends" took their sweet time responding to his signal... to which, Captain Atom attempts to put things in perspective by comparing a nuclear bomb exploding with being thwomped by a pipe. Skeets thankfully interrupts to give his (its?) two cents on the situation... and deduces that the assembled foursome might be the only people on the planet with any memory of Maxwell Lord.
We shift scenes to the Batcave where Booster Gold is visiting with new Batman, Dick Grayson. Dick, like Superman before him, has absolutely no recollection of Max Lord. It's here that we learn that in making the world forget about him, Max also made it so stories where he had been integral have been rewritten... at least mentally. Restarting the Justice League post-Crisis/Legends? Bruce Wayne did that. Hijacking the OMAC Project? That was Lex. Blue Beetles murder? Well, actually... Ted committed suicide! Really neat bits here. Maybe contemporary Marvel and DC should hire a fella like Max Lord to make things "fit".
Another scene shift, and this time it's Fire visiting with Wonder Woman. They have a terse exchange, wherein Diana takes great offense at the very thought that she'd break a man's neck. After running Fire down some, she dismisses her.
We next join Ice as she's chatting up her old beau, Guy Gardner. It... could've gone better.
More members of the hero community are called upon... and none of them have the foggiest idea what a Maxwell Lord is. Even Oracle is stumped!
Last stop on the "tour" takes us to Davis Mountain Air Force Base in Arizona. Captain Atom is there to brief a general and his staff... and is shocked to find that he's not the only Meta on the premises. Our old friend David Reid... Magog, is also there. What's more, he wants ol' Nate to turn himself in!
Making matter much worse, when Cap sees the General... he looks like Max! Atom lunges forward and chokes him out before realizing that... well, he's got the wrong guy. Magog declares him under arrest!
Realizing just how royally he just screwed up, Captain Atom attempts to turn himself in. Unfortunately, Magog's more in the mood for a fight. Reid charges in... and Nate goes atomic!
Back in New York, the four JLIers reconnoiter... and discuss the events of their pretty rotten day. They posit that Max kept them "in the know" only so he could ruin them. He's discredited and shamed them all... it'll take a lot of rehabbing for any of them to be taken seriously ever again. Well, maybe not Booster. Max hasn't done anything to him... which Skeets suggests is by design. Any slams against Booster's credibility would be... redundant.
Booster's had about enough. His friends are being dragged through the mud, and the world believes his best friend killed himself. He declares that they will find Max Lord!
We wrap up with Skeets reporting that a "flutter" from the ancient JLI computer systems just started up... and it's coming from El Paso, Texas. Not only that, but the signal belongs to... the Blue Beetle?!
--
I mentioned the last time that we discussed this series that this was part of my grand return to comics after a lengthy bout of unemployment. This really could have made or broke me... a poor showing here might've turned me away for an extended period... or perhaps (when The New-52! flushed everything a year later) I might've said "screw it" and been done for good!
I was a bit iffy back in ye old 2010 when I picked this up off the rack. The classic team is right in my wheelhouse as a fan... however, there was that one name in the credits that gave me a bit of agita. Judd Winick is responsible for quite a few comics that I have... disliked. He has many of the worst habits of contemporary writers... soapbox lectures, snark, writing like he's too cool for comics. There's also the fact that he's from The Real World. Fair or not, I think I always held that against him. As though his being from "the mainstream" afforded him certain opportunities that didn't quite jive with his level of talent.
In reading Generation Lost, however, I was pretty blown away. I was already bracing for social issues to be at the forefront... and for awful reaching snark. Everytime we were introduced to a new character here, I swear I clenched... because I was absolutely positive that the description following their name would be "cute" and "meta". Ya know, like "Aquaman: Talks to Fish" or "Batman: A Night Person"... stupid crap like that. Thankfully (and surprisingly) there was none of that!
Instead what we get is an interesting and tragic story of targeting and discredited superheroes. This iteration of the League has always been something of a joke to the community at-large, however, by this point it's clear that the joke's wearing a bit thin. Superman and Wonder Woman appear tired of humoring these lovable losers... which is almost painful to observe.
There comes that time when everyone has "enough". If you're a parent, the first time your kid brings you a (literal) mud pie... it's cute. Maybe the second and third time too. But the hundredth? The thousandth? What was once charming is now just a mess. We get the distinct impression that Superman and Wonder Woman are currently at that point. They see Booster and the Gang with a handful of mud... and are just annoyed that, ultimately, they're going to have to clean it up.
Overall... a surprisingly great issue (and series). My only complaint is that everybody is drawn with Batman's jawline. Well, that and the fact that this isn't leading anywhere. This is one of the skatey-eight hundred things DC flushed down the commode to make way for (the totally planned and well-thought-out) The New-52! Worth a read to be sure... expect a great story... with less-than-great followup.
--
Interesting Ads:
664
