Superman: The Man of Steel #75 (1998)

Superman: The Man of Steel #75 (January, 1998)
"The Death of Mr. Mxyzptlk"
Story & Pencils - Jon Bogdanove
Script - Louise Simonson
Inker - Dennis Janke
Letterer - Ken Lopez
Colorist - Glenn Whitmore
Computer Separations - Digital Chameleon
Assistant Editor - Maureen McTigue
Editor - Joey Cavalieri
Cover Price: $1.95

I was thinking about saving this one for April Fool's Day, considering the subject matter.  That just feels like a "Mxy kinda day" to me... but, I'm also sorta-kinda in a Mxy mood now (go figure, right?).  Plus with hundreds of Mxyzptlk appearances throughout the better part of the last century... I'm sure I'll be able to dig an appropriate one up for April 1.

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We open with Lois and Clark arriving at a surprisingly crowded funeral.  Of note, they haven't been sent to cover it by the Planet, they just happened to be passing by and decided such a crowd might warrant something newsworthy.  As they approach the casket they hear somebody crying... bawling, actually.  Must've been really close to the deceased, right?  Well, no... it's Mxy!

Lois and Clark grab the imp, and try to inform him as to the gravity of a funeral... his explosive and cartoonish bawling might be taken as somewhat rude by those who are actually grieving.  Mxy doesn't quite get it, however is all ears for the Kent's explanation... he even whips up a tub of popcorn to enjoy while they speak.  Clark impresses upon the imp that death is... ya know, final.  When someone dies... they do not come back.  Mxy ain't buyin' it... after all, didn't Superman come back from the dead?  Hmph... he's gotcha there, Clark.  What he's also got is six platinum copies of Superman (vol.2) #75... unopened!

This next bit is really funny.  Clark "supes" up, changing into his electric-blue duds.  Mxy can't stop laughing at the new costume... and even asks if the sh-- er, suit comes in red too.  I can't be the only one that had to read that a couple of times to make sure it it didn't say SH--... er, said "SUIT", right?

Mxy continues pondering the importance of death... and goes a bit meta on us.  He mentions that before Superman died he was an afterthought... taken for granted.  It wasn't until he was "offed" that the world took notice of him again.  Hmph... can't really argue with that.  And so, Mxy decides that if he wants to be a bigger deal, he too... must die!  Sounds legit...

While Mxy prepares to... well, die... Superman is alerted to an emergency he has to attend to.  Lois is left to deal with the menace from the fifth dimension... and she ain't buying his newfound death wish.  She plays along, suggesting that he get rid of all his powers if he's truly serious.  He considers it... but then has a better idea!  He constructs his own killing machine... Bada-Bing-Bada-Boomsday!  Yep.  Covers'em in bony protrusions too... and boy, do I mean "covers".

Superman returns and is shocked to see a reanimated Doomsday lurking about.  Even more surprisingly, Mxy challenges the beast to a fight... Doomsday doesn't seem to wanna waste his time with an imp where there's a Superman around!

And so, for the next few pages... Boomsday battles Superman while Mxy tries to get into the mix.  While he whines that he's being ignored, Lois suggests that the monster isn't paying him any mind because Mxy surely wouldn't create the instrument of his own demise, right?  Everybody's got a sense of self-preservation... even a seemingly-suicidal imp from the fifth dimension.  Mxy calls her bluff, and renounces his powers!  He then hands her his bucket of popcorn, complaining of a slight bellyache from his binge.  That's a call-forward, by the way...

With renewed ambition, Mxy hops into the fray... and wouldn'tcha know it, he's still being ignored.  He falls back and asks Lois for his popcorn back.  Unfortunately, she dropped it... meaning, it's gone forever... kinda like people who die.  Ohhhh... now he gets it!

Moments later, walking "Expositional Plot Device" Emil Hamilton (Hey, Mxy's words... not mine) arrives on the scene to... well, deliver a bit of juicy exposition.  He posits that the only way to stop Bada-Bing-Bada-Boomsday is for Superman to release 100% of his energy!  Mxy doesn't like the sound of that...

... and so, he heads back into battle... and, remember two paragraphs ago I mentioned a call-forward?  Well, his belly is'a gurgling.  He attempts to get Boomsday's attention, and when that doesn't work... he, um... breaks wind.

This offends Boomsday's sensibilities... something fierce.  Mxy finally gets his wish, when the monster slams him into the pavement!

Our imp then proceeds through the darkness into a white light... before arriving on editor, Mike Carlin's desk!  Whoops.

We wrap up with a call-back to the closing pages of Superman (vol.2) #75... fold-out and all!  Don't worry yourselves none, Mxy still lives!

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Welp... that was a ton of fun, wasn't it?

I think I can safely say that this is the kind of Mxy that I dig the most.  I like him more as a thorn in the side and annoyance than an actual threat... though, I am open to the possibility that my mind may change.  I should admit that have precious little experience with pre-Crisis Mxy, so my frame of reference might be considered a tad narrow.

This was a silly little story, which as luck would have it... is something I was totally in the mood for.  I'm not sure I'd be so gushy and glowing if I were looking for something a bit more serious.  Though, one look at the (absolutely awesome) cover would give you a pretty good idea of what's underneath.  You know what you're in for when you crack this one open.  While on the subject, I really can't say it enough... this is one helluva cover.  Bog does incredible work all throughout this issue (story and pencils), but dammit... this cover needs to be blown up, framed, and on my wall ASAP.

The interaction between Mxy and the Kents was great... like, all of it.  You gotta figure that Clark is breaking out something akin to a "teacher's voice" trying to explain mortality to the imp... while trying his hardest not to just lose it!  Lois being a bit of an agitator, convincing Mxy to actually renounce his powers was an entertaining bit too!

The ending... while low-brow, isn't totally offensive.  I'm not much of a fan of toilet humor... especially in my comics, but when an issue builds up to... what it built up to, I can hardly fault it for crossing the finish line.  I will say, they managed to take a pretty crude subject and actually make it organically fit into a Superman book.  I certainly wasn't expecting it!

Overall... great little issue.  One that Superman fans really owe it to themselves to check out if they haven't already.  In light of current events, Rebirth-Supes fans might wanna see the softer-sillier side of Mr. Mxyzptlk.  As luck would have it, this issue (and series) has been made available digitally.

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Letters Page:

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Superman: The Man of Steel #37 (1994)

Superman: The Man of Steel #37 (September, 1994)
"Countdown to Zero"
Story - Louise Simonson
Penciller - Jon Bogdanove
Inker - Dennis Janke
Letterer - Ken Lopez
Colorist - Glenn Whitmore
Assistant Editor - Chris Duffy
Associate Editor - Frank Pittarese
Editor - Mike Carlin
Cover Price: $1.50

I'm not sure where in the timestream I'm transmitting from... but we've got a really fun issue to discuss today.  Working on an upcoming Cosmic Treadmill... which may have birthed an additional episode of Weird Comics History, all about Zero Hour!  Having more fun with our "research" than I thought we would.  

Anyhoo, we start the (doomed to be retconned out of continuity) Chris is on Infinite Earths: Year Two with an amazingly fun issue of Man of Steel.

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It's the day of a big "Children of the Night" benefit concert in Metropolis... featuring the rock songstress Babe.  Jeb Friedman wearing both a bitchen "Shredding Metal" jacket and a wild mullet seems to be organizing the affair.  Speaking of affairs, he appears to be quite keen on Lois, who is currently going steady with our main man.  Not to be left out of this early-90's insanity, this is around the time ol' CK had himself quite the mane.  Sometimes a mullet... sometimes just long hair.  Either way, I'm blaming it on the time anomalies.

Lois and Clark take their leave.  As they walk down the street, Clark notices a familiar signal... morse code being reflected in the light... which can only mean one... well, I suppose it could mean many things, but this time it means that Batman is trying to get a hold of him.  But then, is this Batman?

Superman tells his World's Finest pal that he looks pretty good for a fella getting over a broken back... which is a reference lost on the Dark Knight.  Also, Batman is quite confused about the length of Superman's hair... that makes two of us, pal.  This Batman is depicted as though Neal Adams drew him, and it looks really cool.  Anyhoo, Batman informs Superman that there's something strange happening in Gotham... something having to do with time anomalies.

We shift scenes to check in on Jimmy Olsen and Ron Troupe as they celebrate their having backstage passes for the Children of the Night concert.  They share a high-five so powerful windows shatter for a five-block radius.

We rejoin Jeb Friedman as he walks down an alley of sorts.  Seasoned DC Comics fans will notice some pretty familiar visors watching him from a darkened nook.  Why, it's the Mutants... from Dark Knight Returns!  They grab the goof and demand he call off the concert because they're not for anything that would help rebuild the City.  Well, where the Mutants go, a certain someone can't be far behind... and so, it isn't long before Batman (that Batman) is on the scene.

The Dark Knight Returns Batman proceeds to pummel the hell out of the Mutants... and does so until he is joined by Superman and the Neal Adams Batman.

The trio confer and discuss what's going on.  DKR Batman brings similar tidings to the Adams variation... there's some crazy stuff going down in Gotham... due to some time anomalies (no matter how many times I type that word, I still misspell it at least twice!).

Superman decides it might be a good idea at this point to chat up his Physicist friend Emil Hamilton.  Before he can, however, our threesome becomes a quartet... we got ourselves another Batman, this time from the Golden Age!  C'mon now... how awesome is all this?

Golden Age Batman has the same message as the two before him... Gotham City-weird, time-anomalous.  And speaking of time anomalies, it's at this point that the Neal Adams Batman shifts into the form of the more recent Kelley Jones-looking one... ya know, with the really pointy ears.

We shift scenes to the Whites settling in on a picnic blanket in preparation of the Children of the Night concert.  They are currently in custody of a young boy named Keith.  We met him a long while back drawing arrows with glow-in-the-dark spray paint.  He's happy that the Whites have taken him in, though he still misses his mother... who, it just so happens might just be at the concert.  We watch as he wanders off.

The concert is about to begin, and we get a pretty awesome panel featuring Superman and the three Batmen looking on... which I would love to see without the word balloons!

Although the "music" is messing with Superman's super-hearing, he is still able to parse a rifle bolt being pulled back.  One of the Mutants is in the crowd, ready to take aim.  Superman tackles the creep, however not before he can squeeze off a shot... which appears to hit Babe dead center!

The Batmen spring into action... and suddenly the Mutants emerge, in a freaking tank!  The heroes unload on it, with DKR Batman taking an especially proactive approach, via thermite bomb... which isn't terribly effective.  Superman decides to stop the tank with his form of offense... his body.

Back on stage, Babe is... well, still alive... and what's worse, still singing!  Her set ends and she transforms into a bat and flies away.  I think I might need to share photo evidence of that so you don't think I'm making that up.

We rejoin Jimmy and Ron as they flash their backstage passes... and hoo boy is Jimmy a smug little jerk.  I hope he gets bit by a vampire...

We rejoin Superman and the Bats as they meet up with Hamilton.  Here's where it gets weird... the Bats start time-shifting like it's going out of style.  Really great work here by Bog.  It's deduced that none of these Batmen are the one from the DCU "proper"... and suddenly Superman hears a high pitched signal that tells him where he might just be able to find the real-bat-deal.

Outside of town is... Batman, ya know... the real one.  Superman mentions the "broken back"... which is a reference that this Batman does understand.  You'll never guess, but Batman is here to inform Superman about some strange goings-on round Gotham way... before they can go too far, however, they are interrupted by Metron... who warns that these anomalies are badder news than we might have thought.

We wrap up with a craft landing in Smallville.  A pair of figures wander up to a well-lit dwelling and knock on the door.  Why it's the Kent farm... and our guests are Superman's parents, Jor-El and Lara.  They mistake the door-answering senior citizen for their son... something tells me this is only going to get more confusing.

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Well, that was a lot of fun, right?

Jeez, no matter how many times I read this one, I always get giddy seeing Superman hanging around these iconic versions of Batman.  I mean, ya just don't see the Dark Knight Returns Batman out of that particular world.  Not only was the art incredible, but Simonson actually wrote them with the proper voices and behavioral patterns... just so much fun!

Check out that cover.  I mean, really now.  We've got Batmen from all over the map, including the Animated Series, and if I'm not mistaken, the 1966 Adam West show.  I remember folks not really cottoning (is that a word?) to Bogdanove's work early on... but if this issue alone didn't tell ya that he's got chops, then I don't think you'll ever be convinced.

Gotta say... I don't remember the early 90's being so ugly... like, fashion-wise.  I was there, and I'm old enough to remember... and I don't recall such ugly clothes and hairstyles.  Oh so many mullets... including, arguably our star.  I know the super-mullet is a divisive subject... kinda... but, whether it's a mullet or just overgrown hair... it's rather unpleasant either way.  I used to complain that the artists couldn't agree on it's length or shape... however in this issue alone, it's all over the place.  I think we can just write it off and say that Superman's hair is a victim of time anomalies...

My only complaint about this issue is how hard it was for me to decide which pictures to include.  I really wanted to include just about every page!  There's just so much cool stuff here to share.  So many awesome panels... too many!  I guess when your biggest gripe is that something is TOO good, you're doing alright... right?

Overall... yes, this is a comic book you should read.  It's available digitally, so if you're down for it... give it a go.  Also, check out the DC UNIVERSE page in the "Ads" section... DC does a bit of teasing and trolling to give readers an idea of what might follow Zero Hour.  Some came to pass... while others were actual theories we'd heard at the shops.  Give it a look, it's a fun piece of ephemera.

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Letters Page:

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Superman: The Man of Steel #18 (1992)

Superman: The Man of Steel #18 (December, 1992)
"Doomsday, Part 1"
Louise Simonson - Story
Jon Bogdanove - Penciller
Dennis Janke - Inker
Bill Oakley - Letterer
Glenn Whitmore - Colorist
Jennifer Frank - Assistant
Mike Carlin - Editor
Jerry Siegel & Joe Schuster - Creators
Cover Price: $1.25

This was the very first issue of Superman I ever bought.  I'm guessing I'm not alone in that, though I would never assume.  Never really had any interest in Superman before this arc... same old reasons that you hear from critiques of the Man of Steel... he's too powerful, he's boring, yadda yadda yadda.  This is the opening part of the Death of Superman story line, though its focus is more on wrapping up what went down before.

This is a very special issue to me, and is something of a personal collecting touchstone.  The Death of Superman has meant so many things to so many people... for me it makes me recall a very bright and wonderful time during my childhood.  I was 12 years old when this issue (and story line) arrived.

Earlier in 1992 I was a paperboy for New York Newsday, which if I am not mistaken was the newspaper that "broke" the story of Superman's pending demise.  I remember opening my bundle of papers to be delivered, and seeing the headline under the fold... something along the lines of "Great Caesar's Ghost, They've Killed Superman" and featured an image of Superman battling the monster we would soon refer to as Doomsday.  I felt as though I had privileged information, and quickly spread it around my small cluster of friends (those who would care anyway).  I kept the clipping of the article; however, after a handful of moves (including one across country) I seem to have lost it... though I still have my newspaper clippings from the 1986 Mets Playoffs and World Series, go figure.  I have scoured Newsdays archives from 1992, and have been unable to locate the headline/article.

This was toward the end of my stint as a paperboy, as the "boys" were being phased out and replaced with adults.  It makes sense, as adults could deliver more papers faster, and could do so early in the day.  The problem this created for me, however, is that I would no longer be able to afford these issues.  You see, I was (and am) a big fan of Marvel's X-Men.  I often say that while initially Elfquest made me go to the comic shop, the X-Men made me stay.

Running concurrently (or thereabouts) with the Death of Superman was X-Men crossover "X-Cutioner's Song" that would run 12 parts across four titles over three months.  The prices of the X-Books would increase by a quarter (to an unwieldy $1.50) to accommodate polybagging and adding a trading card to each issue.  I would have some tough decisions to make if I were to collect both story lines... after all, I only received so much lunch money each week that I could put toward comics.

A buddy and I decided to pursue gainful employment in attempt to cover our inflated comics expenses.  We went into the flyer business.  Several local shops used our services to pass out promotional flyers throughout the community, and we charged them $10 for our work (which we would split, and put toward our books).

Our final flyer gig occurred on the day before Thanksgiving, and was for the local TCBY yogurt shop.  We were in a rush to wrap up and get home, we both had out of town family visiting for the holiday.  After several weeks of marching up and down every street in our Long Island town, we finally realized that we could expedite our endeavors by absolutely carpet bombing a couple of local apartment complexes.  Upon finishing up, with the knowledge that I would be able to afford the post-death "Funeral for a Friend" story line (along with my regular must-buy X-titles), we retired.

I still remember walking home that evening.  Seeing my house in the distance, and the warm yellowish light spilling out of its windows.  There were more cars than usual in our driveway, our guests had arrived.  It was so cold outside, yet I felt warm.  It was as close to a perfect moment I can remember from my childhood, and I always subconsciously tie it to the Superman books of this era.  I cannot think of the Death of Superman without thinking of Thanksgiving Eve, 1992... and vice versa.

Anyways, where was I?  Oh, yes.  Man of Steel #18.

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We open on Doomsday breaking out of containment.    Throughout the issue, we are treated to scenes of Doomsday's rampage including crushing a small bird, destroying a tree with but a punch, demolishing a highway overpass and stopping an 18-wheeler with his shoulder.

The actual story of this issue is about the Underworlders.  A young boy named Keith is trying to both locate his mother, and get a message to Superman.  Lois finds a note intended for Clark (who was supposed to alert Superman).  The note gives the location of the Underworlders.  Lois leaves a message for Clark on his computer, and naturally, decides to go to the location on the note.

Before Clark can check his computer, there is a power outage.  Superman is able to find Keith through the young boy's use of glow in the dark spray paint on a local basketball court.  Keith paints Superman's shield on the ground.  Superman is guided to the tunnels below Metropolis, and is told that a "reporter lady" down there to boot.

Superman arrives... fights... and defeats the Underworlders.  The issue closes with The Justice League's Oberon listening in on a call to the state troopers about a big monster, who just flipped a rig... with one hand tied behind its back.  Oberon says that this sounds like a job for the Justice League, and we are [to be continued...]

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I remember being quite disappointed the first time I read this.  As this was the first part of the Doomsday story line, I suppose I may have been expecting more Doomsday... maybe even the first confrontation.  I was bummed out being dropped into an Underworlders story... I had so little in the way of experience with Superman (and DC Comics at large, really) that I didn't know who any of these characters were.

I also had a real problem with the art.  Judging by much of the reader mail around the time, I was not alone in that.  Jon Bogdanove's art stood out as different than much of the superhero output at the time, and I saw that as an indictment of its lack of quality rather than it simply being a unique take.  All of the characters were easily identifiable, so it wasn't as though Bogdanove was a bad artist by any stretch.

I have since evolved on both of these stances.  Any time I reread the Death of Superman, I enjoy the slow-burn storytelling during this opening act.  We would see Doomsday in action a week later in Justice League America #69 and Superman (vol.2) #74, so it isn't a terribly long wait.  Having Doomsday exploring his newly-found freedom unhindered, all the while Superman is going on with his normal hero-ing illustrates that Doomsday is not (or wasn't at the time) a Superman villain... he is a force of nature.  All he ever knew was containment, now he is free... pray for who or whatever gets in his way.  Bogdanove's art has grown on me as well.  It is different, certainly.  The characters are big.  This works for a title such as this.

Louise Simonson has been a favorite of mine going back to her time on the New Mutants.  She brings with her so much heart.  The characters are real, and her portrayal of the Lois and Clark relationship is excellent.

It feels weird telling people to grab this issue... as I would imagine most people reading DC Comics review blogs are familiar with the Death of Superman, and probably own this issue, be it in single format or collected.  If somehow you have not... Yes.  Grab this book.  Pick up one of the many collected editions of the Death of Superman, and enjoy a story that... well, may have still actually (sorta) happened.

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Trivia:

This issue has "Triangle Number" 1992-45

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Interesting Ads:

Robin III: Cry of the Huntress featured lenticular covers.
You had to pull a tab and it would make the image inside appear to move.
These are kind of proto-Villain's Month/Futures End covers... just really ugly. 

A Rock the Vote ad in a comic book...
Who says comics are for kids? (who, ya know... can't vote)

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Quotes:

Nothing really stood out...

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I remember being so annoyed when they stopped recognizing this issue as Doomsday's first appearance... and instead gave that distinction to Man of Steel #17, where we see Doomsday's... hand.  I still haven't gotten my hands on a copy of MoS #17.