Action Comics #560 (October, 1984)
"Meet John Doe"
"Police Blotter"
Writers - Paul Kupperberg & Robert Loren Fleming
Pencillers - Alex Saviuk & Keith Giffen
Inkers - Dave Hunt & Bob Oksner
Colorists - Gene D'Angelo & Anthony Tollin
Letterers - Ben Oda & John Costanza
Editor - Julius Schwartz
Cover Price: $0.75
Here's one I've been meaning to look at for awhile now. Semi-recently my buddy Mike Carlyle put together a great piece on Ambush Bug for DC in the 80s, and I was hoping to discuss this issue then... only, I couldn't find it. I had it, but for whatever reason, it wasn't in any of my Action Comics boxes... I didn't really look too hard for it, after all, there's a ton of stuff I want to discuss here... and I figured it'd eventually get its due.
Did a bit of digging through boxes today... looking for an unrelated book, and wouldn'tcha know it... I found this issue among a mish mash of other DC books. Figure, now's as good a time as any to give this one a peek.
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Our first story opens with a prisoner escaping from prison. He claims to have been "in" for 22 years, and has been planning to bust out for quite a while... loosening some bolts one turn a day for a month... now that's dedication.
From here, we shift scenes to Superman approaching the Fortress of Solitude. I gotta say, he seems to hit the Fortress in just about every pre-Crisis issue I've looked at lately. I never knew it was so ever-present during this era. Anyways... he's returned with a rock sample to add to his collection. He places it right next to his (prominently shown) sample of Anmesium... hmm....
Shortly, Clark Kent arrives for his gig at WGBS-TV. Upon arrival, he's informed that there's some goings-down at the Police Station in Carroll County, concerning a costumed villain. That's all Clark needs to hear, once his boss (?) Josh Coyle turns his back, he's out of his civvies and has taken to the skies.
Seconds later, he arrives in the 'burbs... and confronts the apparently super-powered John Doe. The villain's super-powered weapon seems really counter-intuitive... he appears to get his seismic power from a pair of cuffs he wears on his wrists... not like bracelets, mind you... like actual handcuffs. This dude just got outta prison, he's really gonna pursue a criminal career while wearing seismic handcuffs?
He tries to throw Superman off the chase by dropping some explosive charges on the crowd below... which, is also kind of odd... you'd figure the police (seeing as though this is occurring at the Police Station) would have maybe... cleared the area? It's a moot point, as Superman quickly catches the charges and crushes them in his hands... unfortunately, in the time it took him to do so, John Doe levels the station into a mass of rubble.
Doe turns his attention toward Superman, and suddenly Supes forgets how to fly! He plummets and smashes into the ground. He's not harmed, as he's still invulnerable... but for the moment, he's forgotten how to fly! It's almost as though he's got amnesia...
The moment is short-lived, as Superman remembers he can fly... he heads off in chase of John Doe... who is currently holed up in a cruddy warehouse talking to somebody he refers to as Monitor... wait... what year is this? Is this the Monitor? Like, Crisis on... holy cow, it is. Why in the world would the Monitor be wasting his time with a geek like John Doe? Wow... anyhoo... we learn that the Monitor is responsible for Doe's gimmicks.
The next day, Clark has a meeting with Perry White at the Daily. Planet. This is during a time in which Perry is separated from his wife. Following the meeting, Clark returns to his office and appears to forget his Clark Kent persona... he tears off his civvies and hits the sky.
That evening he runs into John Doe who is attempting to tear up the Metropolis Courthouse. During their brief skirmish, Superman forgets that he's invulnerable to Doe's attacks. In an insane scene, we watch Superman tuck his tail and run... get this, he seeks refuge under a nearby parked van. Friggin' nuts!
Moments later, he regains his memory... and tosses a manhole cover at Doe... damaging his vibro-cuffs. Doe flees, and Superman briefly forgets his Superman persona... and wonders why Clark Kent would be wearing such an outlandish outfit.
The next morning, John Doe is attempting to break back into prison (yeah, John Doe is the guy from the beginning...) in order to trash the place. Superman is there waiting for him, claiming that his recent appearances telegraphed where he would go next. Superman grabs Doe by the wrists and literally crushes the vibro-cuffs. The day is saved... but the mystery isn't quite solved!
Later Superman returns back to the Fortress... and uses his super-vision to notice a hairline crack in his rock collection case... the case that held the, say it with me... Amnesium. Wah wah wahhhh....
Now, with that out of the way... on to the main event.
Clark Kent enters A. Bug Enterprises, a detective agency in a bad part of town. Inside, he finds Ambush Bug mopping the floor. He thinks to himself how odd it is that Arkham Asylum would ever let this "fruit fly" out.
Ambush Bug dramatically gets into his detective gear... trench coat, fedora, and cigarette! He hops onto his side of the desk... and notices something. There's something sorta familiar about this Clark Kent. He bears a striking resemblance to... nah, couldn't be.
Following up on his hunch, he walks behind Clark and gives him the cape approximation of a wedgie... still uncertain, he licks his finger and adjusts Clark's spit curl. The jig is most definitely up. The Bug laughs at the feeble civilian disguise (perhaps some meta-commentary?) and Superman beats a hasty retreat.
We are then treated to Ambush Bug's secret origin. Irwin Schwab was just a normal man who was raised by television... it all gets twisted when he visits the Metropolis Library for the first time. He discovers that "real life" is just like a "movie of the week"... and vows to rid the world of social problems.
The next morning, Clark Kent wakes up from an Ambush Bug dream filled night... he just can't shake the Bug out of his head!
We shift scenes to Arkham Asy... State Hospital. Inside, Schwab's former clinician (Derwood) is lamenting the release of his most high profile client. Bud Lipschitz, the Director of Arkham promises him some very early 80's replacement clients to make up for it.
Later that day we watch as Ambush Bug takes the law into his own hands when he "arrests" a Buick whose meters had run out. The day is saved!
We wrap up with Bug visiting Clark at the Galaxy Building while dressed as a Samurai... Clark plays the perfect straight-man here for all of A.B.'s nuttiness. It's alluded that this is the Bug's "first episode" and he promises to commit hara-kiri at the end of his sixth.
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Well... the first story was kind of a slog. Not all that great, and the plot twist (as it were) was telegraphed a mile away. From the moment Superman dropped off that chunk of rock right next to his sample of Amnesium, it was pretty clear the way this story would go. The John Doe character was a decent enough villain of the month... but not a whole lot more. Him being connected with The Monitor of all people... that was quite interesting! I had to read those panels a few times... I thought there was no way that this was that Monitor. Like the Crisis on Infinite Earths Monitor... crazy stuff!
The back-up story... which, let's face it... was the selling point for this issue, was pretty neat. It's amazing to see a character not unlike the contemporary Deadpool in 1980's DC Comics. I like the idea of Ambush Bug being something of a comedic foil for Superman... I'm not used to seeing Superman (especially of this era) being so bothered/rubbed wrong by somebody. Seeing him in the position of the "straight" in a comedy duo was really a lot of fun.
I'm hoping that maybe Ambush Bug gets some love in the post-Rebirth DC Universe... The last thing I remember him being in was the Convergence: Supergirl/Matrix mini-series, which was decent if I recall correctly... and before that his stint as a news reporter for the Channel 52 bits that used to clog the back pages of the early New-52 era books. What's really sad is, if he were to come back... fans today would see him as nothing more than a Deadpool-ripoff.
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Letters Page:
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Superman (vol.4) #1 (August, 2016)
"Son of Superman, Part One"
Writer - Peter J. Tomasi
Penciller - Patrick Gleason
Inker - Mick Gray
Colorist - John Kalisz
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Assistant Editor - Andrew Marino
Group Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99
Okay, seems I've found the "right" Rebirth this time... let's see how everything old becomes new again as the post-Crisis/pre-Flashpoint Man of Steel reclaims his colors!
With this being a newer book, the synopsis will be far less in depth... don't wanna completely ruin the experience...
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We open with the... if you'll pardon the editorializing... real Superman standing at the grave of the fallen New-52 Man of Steel. He's thinking over recent events, and is trying to make sense of it all. He ultimately decides that he will reclaim the mantle of Superman.
The Smiths... formerly Whites... formerly (and really) Kents (or Lane-Kents?) have themselves a farm upstate from Metropolis. Their young son Jonathan watches his father attend to the laborious farm chores with ease... and appears to be rather in awe. They share a discussion about chores... and Clark makes Jon promise not to use his burgeoning powers when he's not around... or to take the easy way out of hard work.
Jonathan's cat Goldie spies a mouse, and beelines after it. Jon playfully gives chase, until a large bird of prey swoops down and scoops up the little feline. Jon loses his cool, and lets out a tremendous blast of heat vision in the direction of the bird... barbecuing it... and his cat in the process. We see a young blonde girl in the distance, who seems to have witnessed the entire event.
Later, the Smiths share a family dinner... when that same blonde girl should knock on their door. She introduces herself as Kathy Branden from the neighbor farm... and my Lana Lang senses are tingling. She comes bearing gifts of fresh milk, and li'l Jon is pretty tongue-tied the whole time she's there. Whether he's got himself a crush... or he recognizes her from the field, I dunno. Maybe both?
Once Kathy leaves, Clark and Jonathan get into an argument over the importance of secret identities. Jon calls it an excuse to lie... and Clark ain't hearing it. He sends his son to his room. Never thought I'd see Superman grounding his son... maybe in an "imaginary story", but never the real-steel-deal. This is fun (and different) stuff.
Later that night, Jonathan is looking out his bedroom window... and sees his father, in full Superman attire having a meeting on their lawn... with Batman and Wonder Woman. There is one panel here, where the heroes realize that Jon is listening in... and it's terrifying. They all (his dad included) glare up at him. Masterfully crafted by Gleason... as this can be taken as just Jon's interpretation of the scene, rather than what actually occurred. Like, why would the Trinity try and scare a young boy? Jon, however, could easily be scared by them... without them even trying.
Jon scrambles away from his window, knocking over a lamp... he sits in his darkened room, until his door swings open. What he sees is Superman... who says he's "coming with" him...
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I'm not gonna lie... when I started reading this one, I began getting flashbacks to the "resumed" era of Flash (volume 2) where Wally becomes the Flash post-Infinite Crisis... and has his twin children as sidekicks. I really didn't enjoy that... those kids annoyed me in just about every panel they were in. I didn't so much mind that Wally was a dad... it's just those kids... ugh.
Where this series differs from that is Jonathan isn't annoying... and he actually seems like a real kid. Like, check out the scene when Kathy shows up at dinner... the way he's wriggling uncomfortably in his clothes... that's perfect! His frustration(s) over having to keep secrets feels genuine as well. I will say that I was expecting/hoping for a Superman adventure here... but, seeing my Superman back in any form or fashion is enough for me. That having been said, it's pretty difficult for me to give an unbiased review here.
I'm hopeful that the Jonathan stuff will not overtake this title for the foreseeable future... and will hopefully just branch into the upcoming Super Sons title (and heck, maybe even into the next incarnation of the Teen Titans)... and this title will primarily feature Superman doing super-things... like in Action Comics.
This book does a great many things right... it shows the father-son dynamic between Clark and Jonathan. It adds a supporting character, who may wind up being a friend or foil to Jon. It shows how Jon is processing all of the new information he's been given over the past little while... just imagine waking up in the middle of the night and seeing your dad talking to Batman and Wonder Woman. That could be the most awesome... or most terrifying thing in the world, and this story captured that incredibly well!
Speaking of terrifying... man, did that Goldie scene really bug me! I mean, it definitely got the point across... and made total and complete sense, but... man, I hate seeing anything happen to somebody's pet. Seeing the just... assault of emotions on Jonathan's face really put the scene over though. Is he mad? Sad? Scared? Disappointed? All of the above??? Just a great (and awful) scene.
All told, I am very happy with the new status-quo on the Superman family of titles, and am hopeful that these books will march on with the high level of quality established in their opening chapters. Recommended for certain... if you're been away from DC for awhile (like say, since the Fall of 2011, hmm...), it's safe to come back... Welcome Home.
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Justice Society of America (vol.2) #1 (August, 1992)
"Home Again"
Writer - Len Strazewski
Penciller - Mike Parobeck
Inker - Mike Machlan
Letterer - Bob Pinaha
Colorist - Glenn Whitmore
Editor - Brian Augustyn
Cover Price: $1.25
You ever buy a comic book for the wrong reason? Let me qualify that... you ever buy a comic simply because you believed it was going to go up in value? Not because you cared about the story or the characters... just because you thought one day you'd be able to resell the thing at a profit? I'd love to be able to answer "no" to that question... but if I'm being honest, I was bit by the speculator bug a time or three myself.
It was the Summer of 1992 when that damned bug sunk its teeth into me... and the three books I specu-bought were Spawn #1... Robocop versus Terminator #1... and the book we're going to discuss today, Justice Society of America #1. Looking back... and hell, even at the time... I kinda felt gross about buying these books with no intention of reading them. My collection was quite slim... and consisted primarily of X-Men family books. To give you an idea... I kept my books in several short stacks on a shelf in my closet... when I came home with a Spawn... or Robocop/Terminator book... it just became its own pile. Almost like I didn't want these to intermingle with my "real" comics. Like they just didn't belong...
I mentioned Spawn #1 above... this was quite possibly the most uncomfortable purchase of my youth. I remember it just showing up at the shop... like, outta nowhere. When Youngblood hit, we knew it was coming... but Spawn just showed up. Not sure if it just wasn't on our radar, or what... I know I kinda talked myself out of caring about it... I was so fed up with not being able to afford the McFarlane Spider-Man back issues that I'm pretty sure I displaced my anger toward ol' Spawny.
Anyhoo... we show up at the shop at some point in the summer of '92... and find that we're not alone. Now, our comic shop was basically an unglorified utility closet built into the side of an old house. When me and my buddy were there alone it was cramped... on this day, we found ourselves sharing air with a heavyset dude in a suit jacket and tie... probably in his mid-late 40's. He was loud and obnoxious... and had every copy of Spawn #1 the store ordered on the counter. He and the shop owner were arguing... he wanted to buy out the entire stock... well over 100 copies. The owner, being surprisingly reasonable put a cap on his purchase... he could buy 20 copies, and no more.
The dude was being a jerk... said he'd just do a bunch of separate transactions. Said he'd just give his business to the other shops in the area. Just a real ass. He turned to my friend and me, and started bragging about flipping these books... I don't wanna use the old speculatory chestnut of "putting the kids through college", but I can't outright discount that it wasn't said.
Instead of kicking this jerk out, the owner kept trying to reason with him... and turned to us for help. He pointed out that we were likely there for a copy ourselves... and at this point, we were both really psyched to buy it! I'd hate to have met a snake oil salesman... I'd have been such an easy mark.
The dude hands both me and my friend a copy... laughs at us for "only buying one copy" (I mean, whattayagonnado with ONE copy of a comic book??)... and goes back to arguing with the shop owner.
Ultimately, we pay and leave. As we're getting on our bikes, the dude (I almost called him the "old dude" before realizing I'm gonna be pushing 40 pretty quick) comes out, and brags that he was able to wrangle 25 copies (at $1.95 per... so $48.75 before tax) out of the shop owner... and then... THEN... offers to sell some copies to us, at $10 a piece. You can't make this stuff up!
Okay, back to the JSA. This was advertised as being the "first ever" Justice Society of America #1... when, in actuality it wasn't even the first one that year. In 1991 there was a Justice Society of America 8-issue miniseries. Either way, we bought into the hype... Added bonus, this issue featured an appearance by the soon-to-be-dead Superman... so clearly, this book would eventually cover a down payment on a mansion... right?
Before moving on to my spoilery synopsis... just a check on the current "value" of my speculator books of 1992. From ComicsPriceGuide.com, I found the following for "(9.0) Very Fine/Near Mint":
Spawn #1 - $11.05
Robocop v Terminator #1 - $2.76
Justice Society of America #1 - $9.20
Not a bad haul... it's just too bad that these were all ridiculously overprinted and are quite often found (at least locally) in the cheap-o bins. In the past year I've seen multiple copies of all three of these in Half-Price Books quarter-bins. Twelve-year old Chris would've had a stroke!
It's funny to consider that all 25 copies of Spawn #1 that speculator bought (if we are to believe the "value" posted above) would barely cover one three-credit Community College class (textbook not included)... much less a full four-year tuition.
Wow, that went on far longer than I thought it would. If you're still with me, thank you... Now (finally) on to the book...
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We open as a crowd piles into Gotham Stadium. They are there to celebrate the the return... and subsequent retirement of the original superheroes, the Justice Society of America. We follow a young boy and his grandfather entering the stadium... and perhaps in an ironic commentary on the speculator market, the lad mentions that his gramps' JSA bubblegum cards are probably worth a fortune!
Among the spectators is Lois Lane and Clark Kent. Clark is mesmerized at the sight of the Society, and mentions that they've provided folks in "his line of work" with tremendous inspiration. Lois comments that she hopes they have as much time together as the JSA... hmm, well I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Lo... but come November... well, I don't wanna spoil it.
Gotham's Mayor does the honors of introducing the members of the JSA... Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, Flash, Doctor Midnight, Hourman, Starman,Wildcat, the Atom, Johnny Thunder, and the Sandman. We read the Society's thoughts as their roll is called... they all express a measure of melancholy, and embarrassment over the fuss being made.
Before the celebration gets going, the monster from the cover of Fantastic Four #1 burrows its way up from under the ground... right in the middle of the stadium.
The Society puts up a decent fight, however, this is a job for Superman! When the Man of Steel hits the field, all the JSA can do is watch in awe. Superman makes short work of the beast... and when the smoke clears, it appears that Sandman (Wesley Dodds) has had a(nother) stroke.
We jump several months into the future. It's Saturday morning at the Full Cup Diner, and Jay Garrick and Alan Scott are enjoying their weekly cup'a coffee (and doughnuts). We get an update on Wes, he's still in a wheelchair... but is once again able to speak.
The pair talk about just how much has changed... and all they'd been through. During the Armageddon: Inferno miniseries, the team members had some of their youth restored... and by this point, it's beginning to slip away again. Though they're both technically retired, Alan still wears his ring... and Jay is more than happy to run across the country for his morning paper.
A woman with a long blonde ponytail is watching from the bar... and when the waitress drops her tray, she exhibits some speed powers of her own.
Over the television, news of a paramilitary group taking over a nuclear power plant is reported. The fellas look knowingly at each other, and know their morning's just gotten a bit more interesting. Green Lantern lets out a raucous 90's "Not!" and they're off to the races.
Flash and GL arrive at the plant, and neutralize the threat... with ease. The pair share ridiculously fun banter as they wallop the geeks... puns, jokes... sarcastic remarks... just great fun!
With the day saved, one of the plant guards remark that this isn't the Green Lantern he's used to... after all, he doesn't have that terrible red bowl haircut. The older guard scoffs... and states that these aren't the heroes they've been "stuck with" lately... they're the real deal... they're the originals!
As the two old friends leave the scene, Jay turns to Alan and asks about retirement... Alan's reply is yet another "Not!"
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Man, this was a blast! Totally wasted on the 12 year-old me... that's for sure. I really couldn't appreciate this team when I was a kid... and if I'm being honest, I doubt I even tried! Looking back now, I'm glad there was a book like this for fans of the Golden Age characters... especially in seeing them interact with the contemporary (at the time) DC Universe heavy-hitters.
The Justice Society have always been the elder statesmen of the DC Universe to me... which is probably why I had such a difficult time with the New-52 Earth 2 characters. It just didn't feel right... wasn't quite sure who the audience was for young Jay Garrick, and young Alan Scott.
The scene with the pair having their Saturday morning coffee and doughnuts was wonderful. It's just as you would imagine... these two recounting old war stories, and talking about how much different things are "these days" really adds a level of scope to the overall DC landscape. Its history is rich... and wonderful. There is still room for a team of "codgers" in this world.
Seeing Alan and Jay in action at the nuclear facility was a hoot. This is purely an exhibition of what they can do... and I love that they actually appeared to be having fun while fighting crime. They were making jokes and puns while staring down a nutcase who had designs on causing a nuclear meltdown! You can tell that they've missed the crime-fighting lifestyle... it's just who they are at this point.
The writing was great... even with those ninetiesisms "Not!"... you really get a feel for these folks, though Flash and Green Lantern are most certainly the stars of this issue. What can be said about the art of the late Mike Parobeck? Phenomenal. I've said before that I'm not too keen on the DC animated universe style... but this is great stuff.
Give it a look should you get the opportunity... as I mentioned above, this is a cheap-o bin standby. Actually, the entire ten-issue series is pretty easy to come by on the cheap. I'm not entirely clear why/how this (ongoing) series only made it ten-issues... not sure how strong the sales were... either way, it's too bad this team didn't get a decent-sized run.
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Not really a Letters Page, but good enough for me:
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