Green Lantern/Superman: Legend of the Green Flame, Part One
"Prologue: 1949"
"Chapter One: 1989"
Writer - Neil Gaiman
Pencils - Eddie Campbell, Mike Allred & Mark Buckingham
Inks - Terry Austin
Letters - Todd Klein
Colors - Matt Hollingsworth
Assistant Editor - Frank Berrios
Group Editor - Bob Schreck
Executive Editor - Mike Carlin
No time to bask in the celebratory glory of a job (well?) done. Even though there is no more Action Comics Weekly to look at... that doesn't mean our time together, or this project is over with!
Today, as promised, we're stepping through the looking glass into a reality where Neil Gaiman's original script for Action Comics Weekly #642 actually saw print back in ye old 1989. We'll be talking about the how's and why's as we go... but, for this pre-ramble portion, I just wanted to humbly and sincerely thank everyone for their support over this past 10-11 month long journey we've taken together. It hasn't always been easy... Lord knows with some of the content we had to trudge through, but I am pleased and proud to say, we've made it!
As with any "milestone" posting, I almost expect confetti and fireworks to rain down and the dancing girls to cha-cha through my kitchen once I hit the "Publish" button... but, as always... it was a bit more low-key than that. Just a deep breath... a tear in the eye... and preparing for what's next.
Speaking of which, let's get right to it! The REAL Action Comics Weekly #642!
--
Prologue: 1949 opens in... well, 1949... Berlin. Janos Prohaska and our main man, Weng Chan venture down a flight of stairs. At the bottom, they discover a bunch of Justice Society paraphernalia... including Wesley Dodd's Sandman costume. As they keep sifting through the wreckage, they happen across some feathers... and a certain old Lantern.
Chop-chop experiences something not unlike deja vu... he feels like he should recognize the Lantern... but, for whatever reason, he can't. Jan razzes him a bit before they head back up the stairs... passing by an hourglass as they go.
We shift into the "present"... which is to say, 1989... I guess, and we're at The Daily Planet. Hal Jordan pays a visit to Clark Kent, who he will refer to as "Big Fella" like a dozen times throughout this issue. So, here's the thing... in this version of 1989, Hal Jordan knows that Superman and Clark Kent are one and the same... which is why this story didn't see print until 2000! We'll talk more about that in the "down below". Anyhoo, Hal's just seeing if Clark's got any plans that evening... and besides "the usual" (ya know, patrols and such), he's free. They decide to grill some burgers and just hang out. Before the ink dries on their hang-out contract, however, Lois Lane pops in... and she wants a favor!
Ya see, she's supposed to go to a Museum Preview that evening for a Lifestyle Feature... but, she's otherwise engaged. If Clark could do this little thing for her, she would be most appreciative. Lucky for our heroes, the invitation to this event is for two! Hal looks to Clark, and is all "sounds good to me, Big Fella", and so... Clark agrees to the fill-in gig.
As they leave the Planet, Clark... get this... apologizes for how their last conversation went. Ya know, that scene from Action Comics Weekly #606 that I've referred to a whole bunch of times lately? Ya know... this one:
So yeah, ya see Gaiman did the research and read through ACW! Too bad Editorial changed their minds about the continuity without letting him know! Clark feels bad about how that all went down... and Hal gets it, he knows everyone has their bad days. Heck, he might know better than anybody. Clark asks how Arisia is doing... and learns that Hal and her had split by this point.
They cut through the Park on their way toward the Museum... and continue with the small-talk. Clark asks how Ollie's doing... because the two of them never really gelled that well. Hal says he misses the guy, but is willing to take a step-back as to not ruin the good thing he's got going with the "Bird Lady", which is to say, another ACW Alum, Black Canary.
They stop and chat a bit more... Hal appears to be having a bit of an existential crisis. He goes down his laundry list of loss... the Guardians are gone, the Corps is basically done-for, his love-life sucks... Mogo won't return his calls, ya know, the usual. Clark hates to interrupt, but he does... because, get this: they're in the process of getting mugged!
This doesn't work out so well for the would-be muggers.
We finally arrive at the Museum, where our heroes join the media tour. Among the group is a certain Selina, who was hoping to get a peek at the Catkin Pearl. Heyyy, it's another ACW Alum in Catwoman! Gaiman did a great job getting as many Action Comics Weekly characters a bit of panel-time (or at least a mention) here!
Clark and Hal break away from the tour group, and sneak down a little hallway to, I dunno, continue their chat from before perhaps? Whatever the case, they stroll down an aisle of the joint that kind of looks like it's comprised of flea market display cases. In one of those cases is... a certain Lantern that was recovered in Berlin in 1949. Hmm...
Hal stops in his tracks to get a better look at the thing. Clark even engages his x-ray vision to scan the Lantern... and it appears to give him rather a headache! Hal finds this curious... and even wonders aloud if this might have anything to do with Alan Scott. He continues along that line of thought, and wonders how it managed to survive the Main Power Battery going boom.
Hal wills up a "mental block" to stop the other Museum patrons from venturing down that particular hallway. Didn't know he could "will up" such a thing, but who am I to argue with Neil Gaiman? He gets into costume and decides to... recite his Oath, and attempt to charge his ring via this found-Lantern!
Then, everything goes a bit ca-ca...
--
Pretty good stuff here, right? I mean, it's Neil Gaiman, and I don't think I'm even allowed to criticize it even if I wanted to, am I? I'll have to check with the rest of the community, I guess. I kid, I kid... this is already so much better than the (for all intents and purposes) fill-in story we got instead back in 1989.
So you might be asking, what's the deal with this one? Why is it a thing... and why wasn't it a thing back in the long ago? Well... I've tiptoed around that scene in ACW #606. Heck, feels like I've posted that scene like a half-dozen times over the past couple weeks. Ya see, when Gaiman was approached with writing the final weekly issue of Action Comics, he did what all great writers ought to do when writing serialized fiction: he familiarized himself with what came before.
From his Introduction piece in this very Green Lantern/Superman: Legend of the Green Flame, he writes: "I even prided myself on using plot threads from ACTION COMICS WEEKLY - like the one where Green Lantern - who was then the Man Without Fear, Hal Jordan - undergoing an emotional crisis, telephones his oldest friends, and none of them want to speak with him - not even Superman, whom he phones at work at the Daily Planet."
All well and good, right? Here's a fella who did his due-diligence... something I wish more writers would actually do, especially today. What could possibly go wrong, right?
Well, that's the question, ain't it? From Neil's Intro: "There had been a continuity miscommunication discovered regarding DC's earlier reboot of Superman, in the week between my writing the story and its arriving on [Superman Editor] Mike Carlin's desk. The change-winds had blown, and the nature of reality had shifted."
Okay... so, what's the problem?
Well...
"It had been decided that too many people knew Superman's secret identity. It wasn't special anymore. So from now on, the only people who would know it would be Mr. and Mrs. Kent and Pete Ross, and maybe Mr. Mxyzptlk. Nobody else. Certainly not Green Lantern."
Neil was offered the opportunity to rewrite his story... but, let's be honest, by this point in time Gaiman was already ignoring his Miracleman scripting duties... there's no way he's going to rewrite something for Action Comics Weekly.
Now, the most surreal part of this is... just the fact that a Neil Gaiman superhero script was ever rejected... and for all things, continuity issues! This was most definitely a pre-Sandman world.
So, where do I stand on all this? Well, I'm of two minds. First, Editorial never should have been in such a state of disarray that the original scene in ACW #606 ever took place at all! They really should have had a firmer grasp on the new-look Superman... his trappings, and most importantly (at this juncture) who knew the secret!
On the other hand, I'll give it to DC for holding firm (once they figured out what it was they'd be "holding firm" to). It would have been easy to waver, and just run the story... not that any of the readers would have noticed anything "wrong" with it. Had this happened today, I'm sure the story would have run... and any fan who might've raised issue with it would've been mocked. I think that's what editors "these days" do, right? It sure isn't curating continuity!
But I digress.
Tomorrow we'll talk more about the actual story... but for today, I just wanted to set the table with they why's and how's of the situation. All I'll say for now is: So far, so good... Big Fella.
Tomorrow: To Hell Wit' Em... and, ugh... the Phantom Stranger
The Superman/Madman Hullabaloo! #1 (June, 1997)
"Man and Super-Madman!"
Story & Art - Mike Allred
Colors & Separations - Laura Allred
Lettering - Sean Konot
Editors - Bob Schreck, Mike Carlin & Jamie S. Rich
Special Thanks - Alyce Raeford & Jacqui Jones-Rozier
For - Christopher Reeve
Cover Price: $2.95
The word "Hullabaloo" doesn't get enough play anymore... same with "Ballyhoo". While we're at it... hubbub and brouhaha are good ones to.
What the hell am I talking about? I dunno... sometimes when I have trouble writing a preamble I just vamp for a bit in hopes that something worth reading will drip from my fingers into the keyboard.
Can't win 'em all! On to the book...
--
We open in Metropolis with Superman soaring through the sky carrying a cybernetic arm. From here we jump immediately to Snap City in an alternate reality... this is the home of Frank Einstein (say that real fast... you'll get it) otherwise known as Madman! We get a brief recap of Madman's origin... which, I gotta say, is welcome. I have a slight Madman collection in my library and always thought the character was cool, but I would never suggest that I'm anything akin to an expert.
For those in the same boat, lemme 'splain. He was once a "John Doe" delivered dead-on-arrival to a scientist named Dr. Udo. He, along with an associate Dr. Gillespie Flem were able to piece it all together and bring the corpse back to life... naming this fella after a pair of their heroes... Frank Sinatra and Albert Einstein... I'd have figured Mary Shelley'd be in there somewhere, but whattayagonnado? We see some (I assume) members of Madman's cast, including perhaps/likely a love interest named Joe.
One evening while watching television, Frank receives a call from Dr. Flem in Buzztown. He's got a job for him! He's been working on a rocket to bridge the gap between alternate realities and is hopeful that Madman will pilot the thing. Ya see where this is headed, right? Anyhoo, speaking of alternate realities, we rejoin Superman as he's headed to check on some outer space energy pulses for Dr. Emil Hamilton.
And so, they both do as they're asked... and bada bing bada boom, a reaction occurs which causes them to each pass through the spatial rift... resulting in two amalgamated version of the heroes, one for each reality!
The one with Superman's brain winds up in Madman's reality. It's pretty neat, he's in Dr. Flem's rocket... and it crashes in a field. Deja vu all over again! He's shocked to see that he's bleeding... and when he goes to fly, well... he can't! In Metropolis, the amalgamated hero with Einstein's brain crashes to the ground... and is shocked to see that he's suffered very little injury from the impact. He is soon overcome by his own potential... unknowingly having a whole lot of Superman's powers would probably be something you'd have to get used to! After seeing how fast he can run... and how high he can jump, Frank decides maybe he'd be better off walking... at a brisk pace.
Over the next few pages, our Super-Madmen become a bit more acclimated to their new surroundings. We'll refer to them by the brain they have... for my sanity and yours. Superman uses what remains of his telescopic vision to scan the horizon. Madman walks to a gas station and asks to use the bathroom. Superman is shortly joined by Dr. Flem, Joe, and Mott... and it's deduced that, er... a creature from another dimension has possessed their man Frank! Meanwhile, in the truck stop toilet, Madman washes up... and is pleasantly surprised to see how handsome he's become!
We meet up with Frank a bit later as he strolls through the streets of Metropolis. He attempts to try on a pair of sunglasses from a street vendor, and not knowing his own strength, pops the lenses right out of them... briefly giving him the ol' Clark Kent look. At this point, who should wander by but Lois Lane! She immediately recognizes her, I wanna say fiance... but might be husband at this point. Either way, he's wearing a gaudy Superman costume, so he's hard to miss.
Back in Buzztown, Superman is taken to Dr. Flem's secret underground lab... or, what's left of it. A helpful footnote informs us that it had been destroyed in Madman Comics #9.
In Metropolis, Lois tries to get to the bottom of why "Superman" is referring to himself as "Frank". She asks him to take her in his arms and fly them somewhere private to talk. Frank ain't so sure... he's not really good at this flying thing. He gives it the ol' college try, and manages to pull them both to a high landing. Crass though it may be, I think I'd be remiss not to mention that we see a, *ahem* bit more of Lois here than I was expecting.
Back in Buzztown, Superman and Dr. Flem crunch some data. They figure out pretty much exactly what happened. The way Superman sees it, he's currently at 1/8 his power level, so he assumes Frank's got the other 7/8.
Just then back in Metropolis, a robbery takes place! A suited man runs down the street, pursued by yet another. The first one is struck by a car... but shakes it off. He aims his gun at the second, however, before he can fire Super-Madman slides into panel to take the barrage to the belly.
The bad guy is annoyed by the sight of "Superman"... and Frank plucks the bullets from his torso (they didn't quite "bounce" off). The thief gets a better look at our (mad)man and is all "nah, this ain't Superman" and so, he presses his pistol into the base of his neck. The issue closes out with Lois running in to plead with him not to shoot.
--
I really had no idea what to expect here. I thought teaming Madman and Superman up would be a strange event... and hard to really conceptualize. What we get here, while perhaps not as novel as a "true" team-up was certainly a lot of fun... and, comic-bookily speaking, makes sense.
Like I said during the synopsis... I have very little "working knowledge" of Madman. I've grabbed the odd issue every now and again... I may even have a trade or two that I haven't gotten around to yet... but I've always thought he was one of the cooler looking characters to come out. His costume is minimalist and iconic all at once, and his colorful world and cast just begs to be enjoyed. Unfortunately, time is a premium and we don't always get to read everything we want. I'll refrain from referring to that tired old Burgess Meredith Twilight Zone meme... whoops, too late.
I think the backstory we get for Frank works fine for what the story is going for. This isn't meant to be Madman 101... but the bits and pieces do help familiarize us with one of our leading men. I'm just glad we didn't get the old "rocketed from the doomed planet Krypton" spiel again. I guess Allred figured folks might just know who Superman is at this point... and I'm thankful for that!
As for the story itself. An interesting premise with Superman and Madman kinda sklorping into one another... and popping out amalgamated versions. Show of hands, how many folks added the word "amalgam" to their vocabulary after the DC/Marvel event? I know I did! It was perhaps a bit convenient that both heroes almost immediately ran into the supporting cast of the other, but this is a three-issue series, we gotta get where we're going.
I thought it was pretty interesting that Lois was so chill with this odd version of her beau popping up. She took it all in stride. Not even having her panties flashed to the bustling Metropolis streets could slow her down. Also, the Allred's depiction of Lois was really very nice. I like this look for her a lot... and instantly identifiable. If this character had shown up in any comic, I gotta say, one of the first thoughts to pop into my head would be "that's Lois Lane".
While discussing art... hey, this issue's got a bunch of that... and damn is it nice! This is such a pretty book to behold, so bright and colorful... and the character designs look amazing. It's so vibrant... but at the same time, subtle. It took me until my second read-through to even realize that they amalgamated the Superman and Madman logos! If you look at Frank, he's got the classic "S"... but the shield is shaped like the Madman "lightning bolt exclamation point". Superman has the classic "shield", however, inside is the Madman "lightning bolt". So subtle... and so awesome! A detail that could have been left out, and not effected the story one bit... but it being there somehow adds a great deal to my enjoyment.
Overall, I had a blast with this. Wasn't sure what to expect, but was damn happy with what we got. The only negative I can raise is that... I've looked for the second and third issues of this for years... without any luck! So, in order to finish this... I gotta launch a hunt. For those who'd rather read this all in one go... DC/Dark Horse released a trade paperback wayyy back in 1998, which is available at a low price on Amazon. For this story, plus a few more Dark Horse/DC Comics crossovers, be sure to check out Dark Horse/DC Comics Crossovers: Superman (also available digitally). Definitely give this one a look if you come across it.
--
Back Cover (because it's awesome):
--
Interesting Ads:
544
iZombie #1 (July, 2010)
"Dead to the World"
Writer - Chris Roberson
Artist - Michael Allred
Letterer - Todd Klein
Colorist - Laura Allred
Associate Editor - Angela Rufino
Editor - Shelly Bond
Cover Price: $1.00
Well, it was bound to happen eventually... for the first time on the humble blog we're venturing into the world of Vertigo. While there's plenty under the Vertigo banner that would fit our Boo, Haunted Blog! October mandate... iFigure why not start with iZombie...
--
We're in Eugene, Oregon at the Green Pastures Cemetery where a casket containing a man is being lowered into the ground while surrounded by his loved ones... and a small crew of folks carrying shovels. Having recently attended a funeral... my first, actually... I was surprised to see that there actually is such a crew... standing right by the family. I mean, it's obvious... and necessary... just so weird, right? Anyhoo... ashes to ashes, funk to funky... bada-bing bada-boom... dude's in the ground. The crew finishes up, and the lone female member (Gwen) breaks off from the group claiming that she's forgotten her bag.
We follow the girl into a crypt where she is met by another young lady... one wearing fashions that are perhaps a bit passed their date. Her name is Ellie, and she is utterly bored. She's also quite dead... like 40 years dead. Did I mention that yet? She is Gwen's ghostly pal... and is in dire need of a "girls' night out". Gwen relents and offers to take her to "Dixie's".
We shift scenes to a paintball course, where a young man (Dave) loses his crew. He wanders through the woods a bit looking for his pals, but instead comes across the course's referee. The attractive young lady shines her flashlight in his face, and razzes him about not wearing his goggles... before informing him that she is "starving" while flashing the camera a pointy-toothed vampiric smile.
Back at Dixie's Firehouse Diner we meet... Dixie... and a fella called Spot... er, Scott. Gwen and Ellie enter and are invited to join Scott in his booth. He very clearly has a thing for Gwen, and tonight... is bearing gifts... well, gift. It's a vintage Dixie Mason Action Girl doll... the type of doll Gwen says Ellie reminds her of.
He continues to pathetically hit on Gwen, and we learn that he is some sort of were-creature when the full moon hits. I guess that explains the unibrow... or monobrow... or however you say "dude's only got one eyebrow".
Back on the paintball course, Dave's buddies are looking for their missing pal. Moments later he emerges from the woods arm in arm with the referee. He appears to be somewhat out of it... and she's wiping her lips. Hmm...
We head back to Dixie's, where Gwen and Ellie are leaving. Gwen believes she recognizes a man from her "previous life"... and runs past him to avoid making contact.
We follow the girls to a back alley where they pass a car with two men inside. From their point of view, they only see Gwen... which answers a question I was going to ask. Anyhoo... one of the men, Horatio, lost someone close to him called Bethany. The other fella, sigh, Diogenes notes that there has been an increase of "postmortem activity" in this town, and it's up to them to find out why.
The girls return to Green Pastures, and Gwen notes that it's time for her to eat. Ellie understands that Gwen is self-conscious about people watching her eat, so she floats away. Gwen grabs... not a knife and fork, but a pair of shovels... and proceeds over to the fresh grave, just dug earlier that day.
She opens the casket... and cleanly chops the inhabitant's head above the eyebrow. She reaches in, removes the brain... and, you know it... takes a big old bite. So yeah, spoiler alert... iZombie is about aZombie! Gwen is not your every day garden variety walking dead... if she eats a brain once a month she is able to stop herself from becoming your standard "mindless and shambling" sort of undead.
The thing of this is... and this is such an awesome idea... the memories of the brain she eats wind up inside her. This fella was murdered... and is crying for vengeance... and justice. It's gonna be up to Gwen to catch this guy's killer! So good.
--
I can't for the life of me understand why I never kept up with this book. The only thing I can figure is that it was a $1 impulse buy... and I somehow filed it away unread. Because, lemme tell ya... had I read this in 2010, there's no way this would be the only issue in my library.
Maybe it was just the zombie aspect of the thing. I never fell into the zombie craze of the past decade and change. I've always thought they were pretty lame... and still do. Close-minded? Perhaps... but I yam what I yam. Either way, I dug the hell out of this issue. Had a lot more fun with it than I ever expected when I plucked it outta the longbox.
I appreciate that this is a novel take on the zombie... er, mythology? Having our star as a zombie... who understands how to keep her baser zombie instincts at bay is quite an interesting wrinkle. Having her take the memories from her meals to find ways to exact vengeance is such an awesome storytelling device. It sets up a perfect arc-driven approach... which I gotta say, I'm now kicking myself for not following while it was on the shelves.
The writing was excellent. The character of Gwen is instantly likable... as is most of (if not all of) the cast (at least at this point)... The art? Whattaya want me to say? It's Mike Allred. If you like Mike Allred, you'll like this. I do like it... so, I think this is amazing. I'm always impressed with his cartoony style juxtaposed with his mastery of sequential storytelling. Just a marvel.
I understand there's a television adaptation of this show... which, if I'm being honest, I'm not going to watch. Not for any "headcanon" rationale, just that (silly as it sounds) I really don't have the time to invest in a TV show. Hell, the Flash is one of my favorite heroes/books, and I can't bring myself to care about his small-screen exploits... just ain't my thang. I will, however, be on the look out for single issues and collected editions of this book to follow it along.
Overall... snag this one if you see it. Watch the show if that's your thing. Either way, I believe this one is worth your time.
--
Interesting Ads:
