ACW #622 - Superman

Action Comics Weekly #622 (Superman)
"Seeds of Doubt"
Writer - Roger Stern
Pencils - Curt Swan
Inks - Murphy Anderson
Letters - Bill Oakley
Colors - Tom Ziuko
Editor - Mike Carlin

Welcome friends, to Superman Day... which is (evidently) everybody's favorite!

--

We pick up where we left off last week, and it looks as though Clark Kent just saved Bob Galt's bacon in that back alley.  This is to illustrate that, although Bob worships the Man of Steel, that doesn't mean he can be everywhere at all times.  After all, if that were the case, the Fellowship wouldn't have been wiped out by those Laser-Taggers.  It would seem that Bob finally trusts Kent enough... and he will introduce him to the "Elders" of the Fellowship of Superman.

We shift scenes three-thousand miles west, where the Consortium (held up in the Sequoia Techtronics Building) lament the fact that Superman stopped that assassin from snuffing out Charles Culpepper.  Due to this, they must now kill Superman.  Yeah, good luck, boys.

--

Alright, it's like we're finally (about to be) getting somewhere with this one.  Seems all well and good, until we stop to realize that there are still many parts of this serial left to tell.  We'll leave that to complain about another day though... today, we'll just celebrate the fact that this plodding and meandering story seems to have found the plot.

I appreciate Superman jumping back into the Clark Kent duds as a way to show Galt that he can be trusted... with an eye toward being invited to meet the Elders.  I'm sure they're going to be quite the characters.

Still not sure what to think of the Consortium.  Seems like just some more dudes in suits for Superman to be paired up against.  They've got a laser cannon that can destroy statues though... so there's that to consider... I guess.  Oh well, hopefully we'll find out their motivations before long.

Overall, not a bad installment.

Tomorrow: LaDonna has a face-off.

ACW #621 - Superman

Action Comics Weekly #621 (Superman)
"Let the Punishment Fit the Crime"
Writer - Roger Stern
Pencils - Curt Swan
Inks - Murphy Anderson
Letters - Bill Oakley
Colors - Tom Ziuko
Editor - Mike Carlin

It's Superman Day!  Judging from our recent polling endeavors, this two-pager has become a fan-favorite... or, just a way to really mess with our numbers.  While on the subject, it's been brought to my attention that I may be judging this one a bit unfairly.

Well... I'll concede that this feature isn't delivering the kind of story (or format) that I wanted.  Is that skewing the way I discuss it?  Perhaps.  I understand that this is a take on the "Sunday Strip", and isn't the same kind of animal as our other features.  I've been reading comic strips my whole life... and, while they're never quite as satisfying than an actual long-form "novel length epic", I gotta imagine they're more satisfying than this Superman feature has been.

As such, because I want you all to know that I take criticism seriously, I went back and reread the past twenty weeks' worth of Superman strips.  I gotta say, I maintain my stance that this just hasn't been very good (in my opinion).  Way I look at it, there are better (and more entertaining) ways this could have been done.  That said, if it rocks your socks, I'll respect that.  If you wanna tell me how wrongheaded I am, or just thumb your nose at me because you're skewing the polls, my comments section is always open.  The only reasons I'll delete your message are if you use racist language... or try and sell the readers discount Viagra.

--

Bob Galt is kayoed by the gangbangers, and Superman arrives on the scene.  He makes short work of the baddies, and manages to change back into his Clark Kent duds before Galt comes around.

That's it!

--

I'm going to try and be positive about this one.

First: We actually get some action... and Superman!  That's a good thing.

Second: Bob Galt didn't get to see Superman... and might now believe that Clark Kent was his savior.  This calls back to Superman's "message" to Galt to "Trust Kent".  It's a callback, and I like that.  So, two good things!

Really and truly, there isn't much to dislike here... the story is advanced, and we got to see Superman flex his muscle a bit.  This is probably as close to the way I wanted these strips to go from the start.

Is this something I'd recommend?  Probably not... but, having "assigned" myself this entire run, I will admit that this chapter was far more enjoyable than most have been.

Tomorrow: Twin Nellie Olesons command the undead!

ACW #620 - Superman

Action Comics Weekly #620 (Superman)
"Too Late, the Hero?"
Writer - Roger Stern
Pencils - Curt Swan
Inks - Murphy Anderson
Letters - Bill Oakley
Colors - Tom Ziuko
Editor - Mike Carlin

Have I done the gag where I just yawn a whole lot before we discuss Superman?

--

So, Bob Galt gets nyoinked into an alley... not by Vartox... but by just some random punks.  Well, that sorta sucks, doesn't it?  Anyhoo, since he's wearing the "S", they call him both "Super-Waste" and "Superboy"... considering the year this came out, the latter of which makes me wonder if these geeks know about the pocket universe.  They absolutely must, right?

Okay, probably not.  One of the punks spits on Galt... which almost makes this "chapter" worth reading.  Bob counters with an emotionless uppercut, which might have cost the baddie a tooth.  Just as the rest of the gang-bangers proceed to pound the super-loving hell out of Galt, the Man of Steel arrives on the scene.

--

Welp... I've tip-toed around it for, sheesh, twenty-weeks now, but... I think I gotta just come out and say it.  This feature sucks.  It's dull, there are no stakes, and Superman has only appeared in two panels over the past two weeks.  I thought covering this would give me a bit of a "breather" every week... just a quick two-page romp, where Superman does something... ya know, super.

Instead, this has become the day every week that I dread the most!  I mean, since Black Canary ended, anyway.  There just feels like no reason to even bother covering this anymore.  Hopefully it turns around... but, it's like I say that every week.

Oh well, at least we got this panel (and your next screen-saver) out of it:

Tomorrow: Meet the Twins!

ACW #619 - Superman

Action Comics Weekly #619 (Superman)
"Protective Shield?"
Writer - Roger Stern
Pencils - Curt Swan
Inks - Murphy Anderson
Letters - Bill Oakley
Colors - Tom Ziuko
Editor - Mike Carlin

Yawn.  Howsitgoin' everybody... it's Superman Day.  It's not a particularly special Superman Day... heck, the Man himself is barely going to grace us with his presence.

Let's just do this...

--

We open with our lone shot of Superman... who, you might recall is looking for Fellowship member, Bob Galt... who he'd left at Clinton Street for "safe-keeping".  Being a jerk, Galt decided to "take in the sights" of Metropolis... and has, naturally gotten himself into a little bit of trouble.

You also might recall that Bob found his way into a t-shirt shop, and has taken umbrage at the fact that they're selling wares with Superman's "S" shield on them.  To Galt's mind this is sacrilege... because, duh, the Fellowship worships Superman.  The more I type, the dumber this whole thing sounds... also, the more I type, the more I realize that recapping is like the only thing I can do here... since not much happens in the actual strip!

Here goes: Galt's being a jerk, a Policeman enters the t-shirt shop... Galt learns that Superman's a-okay with the shirts being sold (all of the proceeds go to charity), he apologizes... and leaves!

But... but... on his way out, he is nyoinked into an alley by... hmm, just where might we have seen that arm before?

--

Well, well, well... Bob Galt gets himself a gear t-shirt, and gets yanked into an alley by... what struck me as a very familiar arm?  Despite the fact that he never wore brown wristbands... just from that arm alone, I felt pangs of Vartox.  I momentarily lost myself, and thought we might be in store for a Vartox Week Miracle to save us from this dreadful strip... if only for a week or two.

Just think of the possibilities:  Bob Galt, devout Supermanist... faced with all of the offerings of Vartoxism.  Having to weigh which Super-Hyper Hero he'd rather follow with his faith.  I tell ya, that's some deep storytelling there... deeper than anything we've gotten from this strip so far, that's for dang sure.

Of course, that would be predicated on Roger Stern travelling thirty years into the future, checking out our Vartox Week coverage, returning to 1988 and canonizing the whole thing.  Welp, stranger things have happened, right?

So yeah, this story is so dull that I'm left concocting ways in which literal time-travel might make it better.  I'm sorry, I have no other ways to amuse myself with this strip anymore!  Maybe I need to start writing my own "B-Plot" to this... it'll almost certainly be terrible, but things would actually happen!

Oh well... I've already said more than I should have for this one.  We'll check back on this one next week, and we can all be disappointed to learn that arm doesn't belong to Vartox.

Tomorrow: Secret Six... back in Action!

ACW #618 - Superman

Action Comics Weekly #618 (Superman)
"Out on the Town"
Writer - Roger Stern
Pencils - Curt Swan
Inks - Murphy Anderson
Letters - Bill Oakley
Colors - Tom Ziuko
Editor - Mike Carlin

It's Superman Day... which, as the Action Comics Daily faithful know, means: There ain't nothin' to talk about.

And so, I'll share a few pictures I took this morning.  I'm currently doing a re-bagging, re-boarding, re-boxing of parts of the collection, and decided to start with the Action Comics boxes... so, here's a look at how my entire AC collection (minus the issue we're currently discussing) looks... "naked":

That thick bunch of un-bagged books about halfway thu is... Action Comics Weekly!

I'm up to around 600 issues, plus all the Annuals.  I don't ever see myself getting a complete run of the title... buuuut, that's okay.

--

Picking up where we left off last week, Superman returns back to Clinton Street to check in on Bob Galt.  Turns out, he's gone... but, we already knew that.  He did, however, leave a note... explaining that he's out "seeing the sights".  Considering that Metropolis is, ya know... a huge city... Superman isn't quite sure where to even begin looking for him.

We shift scenes and find Bob Galt... reading a t-shirt purveyor the riot at for selling Superman t-shirts.  Ya see, in The Fellowship, something like that would be viewed as "sacrilege".  Bob threatens the dude with "punishment", which prompts the shopkeeper to, get this... pull a gun!

--

Wow, how scary is it to be a militant religious zealot in Metropolis?  I mean, you tip over just one t-shirt rack in a fit of rage, and find yourself staring down the barrel of a shop owner's pistol?  C'mon...

As usual, not a whole lawt to say about this installment.  The story continues to slowly lumber along... and does so in a most unsatisfying way.  I'm really losing my patience with Bob Galt... and wouldn't hold it against Superman if he didn't prove himself to be "faster than a speeding bullet" should this scene escalate further.  Though, I suppose if he did that, he wouldn't really be Superman, right?  Oh well.

Overall... yawn.

Tomorrow: The Return of... Deadman!

ACW #617 - Superman

Action Comics Weekly #617 (Superman)
"Missing Person"
Writer - Roger Stern
Pencils - Curt Swan
Inks - Murphy Anderson
Letters - Bill Oakley
Colors - Tom Ziuko
Editor - Mike Carlin

If you look at the cover for this issue, you'll notice that Superman's head cuts into the Action Comics Weekly banner.  Initially, I was going to just half-ass it... not really worry about the overlap.

That would'a looked like this (and I doubt anyone would have minded/noticed):

But, I just couldn't leave well enough alone... and, a couple weeks back, I decided to try my hand at whatever non-Photoshop image manipulator I have on my laptop, and "cut out" the top portion of Superman's head... with an eye toward layering that bit on top of the banner... like so:

Now, do your humble host a favor and, uh... don't look too closely at the head edit (headit?), because the closer you look, the sloppier it gets!

Anyhoo, I thank you for indulging me in sharing this wildly interesting tale, and without further ado... here's something even less interesting!

--

We open with... well, a recap of what happened over the past couple of weeks.  Dude who was supposed to kill Culpepper had a little bomb in his head, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Superman then takes off... and, are you kidding me... we get a recap of everything else that's happened up to this point?!

We wrap up with Superman using his telescopic vision to scan for Galt... and, get this... he's nowhere to be found!

And that's it!

--

I... I dunno, you guys.  I'm really trying here with this Superman strip... but, there's just nothing going on!  I mean, do we really need all of these recaps?  I could swear we've already had two or three recap strips already!

Not much more to say about this one... actually, I'm sure I've spent more time thinking about what to say that Mr. Stern spent writing the script for it!

Tomorrow: We get Strange(r)

ACW #616 - Superman

Action Comics Weekly #616 (Superman)
"Dead Men Tell No Tales"
Writer - Roger Stern
Pencils - Curt Swan
Inks - Murphy Anderson
Letters - Bill Oakley
Colors - Petra Scotese
Editor - Mike Carlin

Since it's Superman Day (aka. Notta Lotta to Talk Abouta Day) I figured I'd share the latest piece in my Action Comics Weekly collection.

If you're a listener to the Chris is on Infinite Earths Podcast (every other Wednesday at chrisandreggie.com), you'll know that I've been reading some Action Comics Weekly Letters Pages as part of my "Hot Takes" Segment.  Those earliest letters came from letterhacks and retailers who didn't have to wait for ACW #601 to hit the stands.  Indeed, they actually received an advance photostat copy of #601!

Well, upon realizing that was a thing, I decided to scour the internet in hopes of finding more information, or at least a scan or two from it... annnnnd, I couldn't find diddly squat.

Until!  I came across a dealer on Amazon who just so happened to have a copy for sale!  Bada-Bing, Bada-Boom... fifteen bucks (and a week) later, and it's now in my hot little hands.

Below you can check out the cover, and the first four pages... including notes from both Senior Editor Bob Wayne and ACW Editor Mike Gold!

I haven't decided whether or not I'll do a "full" review of this... maybe using that wacky juxtapose vision like we did for Hardcover/Softcover Weekend last Fall.

Considering that this is Superman Day, that kinda assures me that even fewer people than usual are tuning in today... so, I'll share these pics (and solicit ideas) again during our full-blown Action Comics Weekly #616 Discussion in a few days.

--

When last we left the Man of Steel, he had unwittingly killed a dude!  It was a dude with bad intentions, but a dude nonetheless.  Superman is incredulous, claiming that he barely pushed him at all.  A dubious claim to be sure, considering the velocity he smashed into the wall with.  The Doctors aren't so sure... but, in any case, don't hold it against him.

Superman engages in some X-Ray vision, which reveals a little doohickey lodged in the dead guy's brain.  He assumes that when the heat got turned up, whoever this fella was working for decided to "shut him down".  As he explains this theory to the doctors, the dead guy... explodes!

The Docs are shocked, wondering who could've done this.  Superman smirks (yes, really...) and assures them he'll find out.

--

Well, stuff actually happens... which is more than we can say for most "chapters" of Superman.

Naturally, Superman is off-the-hook for murder... that was never really in doubt.  I do appreciate the doctors not holding it against him in the first place though.  It just illustrates the amount of trust they place in him... which, feels right to me.  I mean, even if the would-be smotherer did die... Superman was only trying to save Culpepper's life.

The brain doo-dad is, well, unimaginative... but, it works for what it is.  I mean, what else could it have been?  The baddie going boom at the end also works... especially when we consider that the very same thing "happened" to Culpepper earlier on.

I think my only real complaint here would be... Superman's odd smirk in the final panel.  I mean, this is a morbid scene, Superman really shouldn't be smiling.

Overall, a step in the right direction for this serial... though, we've said that before!

Tomorrow: Roy makes a house-call.

ACW #615 - Superman

Action Comics Weekly #615 (Superman)
"Fatal Flaw?"
Writer - Roger Stern
Pencils - Curt Swan
Inks - Murphy Anderson
Letters - Bill Oakley
Colors - Tom Ziuko
Editor - Mike Carlin

It's Superman Day... which means there's next to nothing to actually talk about.  And so, I've decided that maybe during each of our "Superman Days", I'll start sharing with you all some of my Action Comics collection.

I recently started bagging-and-boarding my Action-run... something I'd kinda neglected to do over the past several decades.  Part of that reason, at least of late, had to do with ease in flipping through when deciding which books I wanted to review... as well as photo-ability of the books.  As you'll see when we get into the pics, polybags sometimes refuse to cooperate with the camera.  Any time of day, any amount of light... I have a heckuva time snapping pics of bagged books!

Now collecting Action Comics is... I'm not gonna lie... probably the easiest thing you can do as a comic collector.  For whatever reason, they just aren't perceived as having much value (at least in my neck of the woods... and, it should go without saying, excluding a couple'a hundred "key" issues).  If you're ever thinking about having a "go" at collecting a decent-sized run, Action might just be the way to go.  As it stands now, my uninterrupted-run of Action Comics begins with issue #530 (April, 1982) and continues on to today.  As of this writing, the most recent issue is (I believe) #1010.

Today, I'll share with you all my relatively-meager pre-400 issues of Action Comics... in wonderful/awful glare-o-vision.

Of course, I included issue #0 (the first one) and the LootCrate reprint of Action Comics #1 that I found in a quarter-bin a couple years back.  From there, my (legit) earliest issue is #207 (August, 1955), which we discussed on the blog some time ago.  From this picture, we also covered issues #319, #329, and the (relatively) iconic #345 (featuring Candid Camera's Allen Funt).  You can see here that a few of these are in pretty shoddy condition... which, is to be expected with their age (and the fact that I found them in buck-and-below bins).

Rounding out the sub-400 collection are these issues... of which, we've only discussed one here at the blog: #371 (1969).  I'll try and include this sort of thing during these nothin'-happenin' ACW Superman Days... I'll also try and find a better place to snap pics!  I've tried in three rooms already, and it's like they just refuse to be photographed!

Anyhoo, I've vamped long enough.  Let's see what happens after Superman... opens a door!

--

Superman manages to stop the orderly from smothering Culpepper with a pillow, and in so doing, pushes the fella into a conveniently-placed wheelchair... and into the wall.

A Doctor rushes in and confirms that Culpepper survived the attack... unfortunately, a Security Guard also enters... and confirms that the fella Superman hurled into the wall is dead!  Uh-oh.

--

So... involuntary manslaughter, eh?  Well, this might not be the first time Superman can be charged with such a thing during this slog of a serial.  If you recall, he nearly destroyed a train back in the second "chapter" of this thing... I don't doubt there could've been a casualty or two during that mess.

I guess the "good news" is that Culpepper survived... and, maybe... just maybe... we'll eventually start getting some answers, and maybe... just maybe... actually finally flex the gearshift outta neutral.  Then again... at this point... fifteen weeks in... I honestly don't care either way.

Tomorrow: Nightwing checks in with his Titanic Pals!

ACW #614 - Superman

Action Comics Weekly #614 (Superman)
"Death Comes Calling..."
Writer - Roger Stern
Pencils - Curt Swan
Inks - Murphy Anderson
Letters - Bill Oakley
Colors - Tom Ziuko
Editor - Mike Carlin

When we closed out last week, I was hopeful that maybe this time out we'd start to get some answers.  Let's find out if all that hopin' was in vain!

Before we get into it, however, I wanna share a recent discovery.  Generally speaking, I consider myself a detail oriented fella... somehow, I missed the fact that something happens between issues #618 and #619 of Action Comics Weekly.  Here, take a look:

So, yeah... the logo scoots over to the left, the issue number and price pops over to the right, and the DC "Bullet" is now partially under the logo itself!

Figure I could half-ass the "branding", or go back to the original "Full Banner" (that is, without transparency) look, buuuuuuut, well... have a look:

Those don't look pretty at all, do they?

So... I had to start at ground-zero, and make up a whole 'nother grip of "branded" trade-dresses.  Took me the better part of an afternoon (and one massive slip up I might talk about another time), but here's what we've got:

And yeah, I created one for Catwoman, even though she won't be seeing her again after this week.  Call me sentimental, call me stupid... just didn't feel right to leave her out.

Here's a look at the first issue with the updated header (which we'll be seeing in around a month:

Hope this was at least a little bit interesting... It's gotta be better than this Superman chapter!

--

Superman flies to the Hospital where Culpepper is laid up... and catches a dude about to smother him with a pillow.

That's... it?

--

I've often joked that Superman-day is kinda like my "day off".  I've also joked that I almost feel guilty doing such "light duty" every Monday... but, this?  I mean... this could have been done in two panels, much less two pages.  What an absolute waste!

I've got nothing more to say... I'm sorry!

Tomorrow: The Final Catwomaning!

ACW #613 - Superman

Action Comics Weekly #613 (Superman)
"Wicked Business!"
Writer - Roger Stern
Pencils - Curt Swan
Inks - Murphy Anderson
Letters - Bill Oakley
Colors - Petra Scotese
Editor - Mike Carlin

It's Superman time... and, uh... I don't really have much more to say.

--

We open in that Illuminati Board Room... we learn that these evil men in suits are calling themselves "The Consortium"... so, we've got "The Fellowship" on one side, and "The Consortium" on the other.  Fair enough.  It's confirmed here that they are very much anti-Superman... and they discuss both discrediting and eliminating him to continue their "way of life".

Also confirmed is that one getaway driver (from like eight weeks ago) engaged his "experimental mass teleporter" in order to evade capture.  It's that Culpepper guy... the one who was thought to have been in "an accident" on the West Coast.  You remember him, doncha?

Back in Metropolis, Clark brings Galt to his apartment for safe-keeping, before ducking out, Suping up... and flying over to a California Burn Center in order to attempt to get some answers from that Culpepper.

Only... someone might've beaten him to it!

--

Well, not a whole lot of forward momentum here... but we did manage to get a few of our lingering questions answered.  I mean, we're not dumb people, are we?  I think we've already put two and two together, and figured out that Culpepper was one of the "bad guys"... and, I'm pretty sure it was already confirmed that he used a teleportation device... which gave the impression that he "went boom", when in actuality, he body-slid across the country.

We do actually learn that the "bad guys" are called The Consortium... which, I guess is something.  It's also hinted that they have a "different" way of life that Superman's very existence poses a threat to?  Okay.

Hopefully next week will give us a little bit more "meat".  The visitor to Mr. Culpepper... I couldn't tell ya if it were a "bad guy" or Superman... though, Stern and Co. seem to want us to think it's a bad guy.  Who knows?  And... unfortunately, who cares?

Tomorrow: After the Blast!

ACW #612 - Superman

Action Comics Weekly #612 (Superman)
"Where Lurks the Evil?"
Writer - Roger Stern
Pencils - Curt Swan
Inks - John Beatty
Letters - Bill Oakley
Colors - Tom Ziuko
Editor - Mike Carlin

A few weeks ago, I shared a most depressing story about the awful truth I learned when I last bought a pack of Bazooka Gum.  Gone were the classic comics, replaced with some trash "codes" to type into their website, and receive Lord knows what (the code from my piece was invalid).

Not content to let this go, and being a bit of an obsessive fella myself, I've taken to the streets in search... of Bazooka Joe.  Way I figured, "retro" is kind of a thing right now, and I assumed (emphasis on that first syllable) that there might be some "real" Bazooka at one of the many Retro Candy stores around town.  I mean, it stands to reason, don't it?

Well, every now and again I'll share my "journey" with you in this here pre-ramble... starting, right this second!

I popped into the Retro Candy Shop by Arizona State University in Tempe about a week ago... from the looks of the photos online, this seemed like as good a place as any to start my search.  Wasn't happy having to pay for parking... but, the things we do for obsession.  While I was there, I figured I might as well try a Zagnut Bar as well.  Never had one, and I'm a pretty big coconut fan.

It was rather underwhelming... and I actually feared it would turn to powder as soon as I opened the wrapper.  It tasted okay, but it's a very poorly "put together" candy bar.  Then again, I live in Arizona.  A great place for comics, but an awful place for candy.

Anyhoo, as I scanned the area, I found... NuZooka.  The same sorta "hip" "with-it" pack I grabbed at the gas station.  And so, I went up to the register to inquire about real Bazooka... and the poor teen-aged cashier hadn't the foggiest idea what I was talking about.  To be honest, at this point I wasn't entirely sure what I was talking about.

She eventually gets the jist of what I'm saying, and points me over to a less-traveled corner of the store... right around where the meager selection of Sugar-Free stuff sits.  She tells me that's where the individual pieces of Bazooka are.  Could this really be it?  Could our journey have already come to a conclusion?

No.  No it didn't.  More friggin' NuZooka.

Welp.  We mustn't let this deter us... and so, the search continues.  We will find you, Bazooka Joe.

--

Galt's mental transmission continues to play, which really freaks Perry White out.  He doesn't seem to understand that none of what's before him is actually playing out.  Galt ends the transmission before Perry can start wildly swiping at thin air.

White inquires as to why Galt never contacted the authorities about this apparent massacre, to which he claims that the surviving members feared that somehow going to the authorities would cause reprisal from their attackers... and, the only person who can be trusted is, naturally, Superman.

Clark wonders aloud who might be behind all of this... which facilitates a segue to the West Coast, where a boardroom full of... I dunno, business-illuminati folks (?) are discussing current events.  They are wildly displeased that one of the Fellowship members has "made contact" with Superman... and they realize that, from here, they can only do one thing to "save the world": Kill Superman?!

--

So, we trudge ahead a good minute, minute-and-a-half this week.

Not gonna lie, this is pretty dull stuff.  While it's difficult to tell too much of a story in only two pages, this is just dreadfully slow.  Almost painfully slow... especially if you are a person who tasked himself with writing about it!

Not much to see here.  The Cadre of "Men in Suits" on the other coast ain't pleased... and maybe they're about to do something about it?  I dunno.  Honestly, I'm pretty sure I don't even care.

Tomorrow: Is Selina down to Eight Lives?!

ACW #611 - Superman

Action Comics Weekly #611 (Superman)
"... Beyond Mortal Men!"
Writer - Roger Stern
Pencils - Curt Swan
Inks - John Beatty
Letters - Bill Oakley
Colors - Tom Ziuko
Editor - Mike Carlin

What lingers inside the head of Mr. Galt?  Let's find out...

--

We pick up inside of Galt's mental projection.  He, Clark, and the Chief are observing "The Fellowship", a California-based Collective that worships Superman.  Clark gives Galt the ol' x-ray once over to ensure he's not wearing a projection device... meaning, as far as we can tell... these powers are "natural".

So, The Fellowship is bowed before Superman in a sort of ritualistic state.  They are hoping to be gifted with superpowers... and, check it out, some of 'em are!

Then, a Laser Tag Club shows up and starts blasting away at Fellowship members.  They fight back, but lose half of their number.  Clark looks on, and begins to fume at the carnage... he wonders just who was behind this attack!

--

Well, it looks like the ante has just been "upped".

Before getting into the carnage, I wanna address one thing that jumped out at me.  Superman waited until right now to give Galt the x-ray once over?  I mean, he didn't check him out before bailing him out of police custody?  You'd figure that'd be the first thing he'd do?  Then again, this story also featured him destroying a train instead of just swooping a fella off the tracks... so it seems, he's not thinking too clearly.

The attack on the Fellowship?  It's... interesting.  Galt claims that this all went down a month ago, which kinda begs the question as to how zero members of the superhero community had any idea... but, we'll allow it.  The geeks who committed the act though?  Ay yai yai, I've seen less nerdy looking outfits in Laser Tag commercials!

I guess we'll see where this is headed.  I will say, though silly, this Superman feature is improving by the week!

Tomorrow: Welcome to the lineup... Catwoman!

ACW #610 - Superman

Action Comics Weekly #610 (Superman)
"Show & Tell"
Writer - Roger Stern
Pencils - Curt Swan
Inks - John Beatty
Letters - Bill Oakley
Colors - Tom Ziuko
Editor - Mike Carlin

Heyyy, it's Superman Day!  Otherwise known as Chris's Day Off.  Last time out, our man exploited the faith of a "believer"... let's see how that pays off!

--

Having "seen the sign"... which opened up his eyes, Mr. Galt decides to TRUST KENT.  Clark tells him that anything he says will be heard by Superman, because, ya know, they're "real close".

He takes Galt to the Daily Planet so he can share his story with Perry White... who, believing Kent just put a crazy person in front of him, doesn't appear to appreciate the visit.

Galt then uses his... Power of Projection to make it appear as though the trio are... elsewhere.  He claims that he discovered these powers through "learning the way of the one, true Superman"!

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Well, that was unexpected... and, by "unexpected" I mean... yeah, something like this was bound to happen, wasn't it?

I mean, believing in Superman as a God isn't the most outlandish thing for a denizen of the DC Universe.  I mean, I feel like when we all reach that age of "enlightenment" and realize and notice some of the parallels between the stories of Superman and Jesus Christ (ya know, when we become teen-agers, and know everything)... so, again, not the most outlandish thing.

However, comics are a visual medium... and so, there are going to have to be some more "visual" story beats in order to really hammer the point home.  Hence, a believer of Superman as God... gets an incredible power!  It was decently done... and is actually making me look forward to what's next.

That's about as much of a victory we can hope for!

Tomorrow: Meat-Week!

ACW #609 - Superman

Action Comics Weekly #609 (Superman)
"And There Will Be a Sign!"
Writer - Roger Stern
Pencils - Curt Swan
Inks - John Beatty
Letters - Bill Oakley
Colors - Tom Ziuko
Editor - Mike Gold

Yesterday I bored you all wrote about how some old commercials kinda creep me out.  Got me to thinking about other silly stuff that creeped me out as a kid... or things that didn't then, but kinda do now.

Did a bit of digging online... and found out there's like this whole "cottage industry" based on like "nostalgic scares".  It's pretty strange how generationally-relatable all of this creepiness is!

People were creeped out about TV logos and stuff, which... I think I "get", though I wasn't really as affected.  Least I don't remember myself being all that affected.  I'll probably have to do some more digging.

Made me think of "scares" I was immune to as a kid, that bother me today... and I came up with, of all things, my phone ringing... and not knowing who the caller is.  I remember growing up, we never had Caller ID or anything... and anytime the phone rang, we'd rush over to answer it without a care.

Now?  If I get a call from a weird number (or God forbid, one'a then "No Caller ID" numbers), I'm worrying about it all damn day!  Especially when they don't leave a message.  Creeps me out for awhile.

Anyhoo... enough of that nonsense... on to some Super-nonsense.

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Picking up right where we left off last week... Galt is being interrogated, and is very likely about to be committed, when... Clark Kent arrives!

The Officer is happy to see him, as he's a pretty big fan of his writing.  Clark (somehow) convinces him to let Galt go.  I'm not so sure I'd let a random reporter "vouch" for a man I thought might be a dangerous loon, but there ya go.

On the street, Kent asks Galt about his beliefs... and also if he recognizes the man, Culpepper, who he believes was trying to have him killed.  Galt grows more and more squirrely... and so, Clark's gotta figure out a way to gain his confidence.

He decides to... well, exploit the poor sap's beliefs by heat-visioning a message that Kent is to be trusted.

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Well, this wasn't so bad.  Didn't make a heckuva lot of sense to just let Galt walk... but, I suppose the things we do to facilitate story-progression don't always need to.

Clark exploiting the dude's beliefs was... I dunno, morally gray?  I get why he did it, and, in fairness, he seemed to be pretty conflicted about it himself... it's just kinda strange.

Overall... I'm hoping, now that Galt knows he can "TRUST KENT" that maybe, just maybe, we'll be getting a decently-sized expositional dump next time out.

Tomorrow: The Final Wild Dogging.