Action Comics #654 (June, 1990)
"Dark Knight over Metropolis, Part Three: Deadly Covenant"
Writer - Roger Stern
Penciller - Bob McLeod
Inker - Brett Breeding
Letterer - Bill Oakley
Colorist - Glenn Whitmore
Associate Editor - Jon Peterson
Editor - Mike Carlin
Cover Price: (Still only) $0.75
Okey doke, let's wrap this one up!
--
We open on a pretty contentious scene in which Superman and Batman patrol the Metropolis skies. What's interesting is Superman is acting quite a bit standoffish... almost as though he's intimidated that Batman is on "his turf". Perhaps it's more him seeing Batman not returning his favor of staying out of "his" city. Either way, I really dig this.
They happen upon the building across from Cat Grant's apartment... ya know, the one where the roof caved in. Superman decides to investigate the scene, while Batman enters Ms. Grant's pad to search for clues. Superman is shocked when, digging through the rubble, he finds Gangbuster's helmet. He's even more surprised to hear Jose Delgado's familiar voice from above.
Jose shares what had happened that night... and mentions he might have imagined Chiller shape-shifting into his likeness. Moments later, Shockwave emerges from the rubble... and it appears as though like he's lookin' for a fight. Superman is happy to oblige... and the fight doesn't even occur on panel, so that oughta tell ya how it went.
We shift scenes to an industrial park where Cat Grant is being delivered to an Intergang-allied doctor. This is Doctor Moon, and he is interested in altering Ms. Grant's memories so that she will offer a more favorable testimony during Morgan Edge's pending trial. I'd forgotten that she was a key to all that.
It isn't long before the World's Finest arrive on the scene to dispatch some justice. Chiller immediately suggests that Shockwave sold them out. Yeah, prob'ly...
While the heroes tangle with the disposable armored folks, Doctor Moon decides to take advantage of the distraction by flipping the brain-drain switch on Ms. Grant. Before he can, however... Gangbuster launches into the scene and kayos the good doc.
The fight continues for a few pages, and wraps up the only way it can. As the dust settles, we can see that Intergang big-bad Mannheim has been watching the events transpire via video monitor. In a great bit, his "yes man" Gillespie asks what this means for Morgan Edge... and Mannheim's all, "Ehh, I guess this means he takes the rap." Cold-blooded.
Superman readies the baddies for arrest while chatting with Cat and Gangbuster. It's brought to his attention that nobody's seen Batman for a few moments. Well, of course not... because he split... that's kinda what he does. This time, however, he left a note! On his cute Bat-logo stationary to boot! He informs Superman that he'll "know where to find him."
Well, where can that be? Oh yeah, Amanda McCoy's apartment... it's awesome that so many loose ends are being tied up here. Such a "packed" issue, yet it's not overwritten and it's not an info-dump. Superman arrives, finding Batman sitting (sitting on a couch... which is funny to me for reasons I can't quite put into words) amid McCoy's wrecked and ransacked pad.
Superman first accuses Batman of the ransacking... which Bruce just brushes off. He hands over the book he's been reading... Amanda McCoy's diary. It would appear she was quite the prolific journal-writer... and boy howdy, she wrote about everything... which includes the fact that Superman and Clark Kent are one in the same!
From here, we get a bit of a guided tour regarding several key moments in Superman lore dating back from just following the John Byrne Man of Steel reimagining! Amanda being fired by Luthor for suggesting Superman is really Clark Kent, her hiring a P.I., who wound up dead in Clark's apartment (during the Exile story), up to and including her own demise... which, of course isn't written about in the diary, but I think we can take Batman's word for it. I would have to imagine that these two pages were mighty satisfying for long-time readers!
Superman realizes that the folks who killed Amanda were likely now in possession of the Kryptonite ring. Oh, not so... Batman reveals that he's had it the entire time. Superman is a bit off-put by this revelation... maybe he's a bit shaken to realize that at any point in their team-up, Batman could have actually killed him. Batman hands over the lead-ring-case, and suggests Superman take the diary, along with the Smallville High School Yearbook, and Kent family photo album he'd found in the McCoy abode. Wow, lady was a bit obsessed, no?
We shift ahead in time and across the bridge to Gotham City, where Bruce Wayne is checking the morning news. The headlines indicate that Morgan Edge was found guilty... and, the Jane Doe at the morgue has been positively identified. As Alfred brings him his morning tea, the Batcave alarms go off!
He heads downstairs and throws on his costume to greet his "guest". Of course, it's Superman... and from the way he's talking, this is likely his first post-Crisis visit to the Batcave, which is pretty cool!
The two chat... and it's still pretty contentious. Superman even says that they are not friends. He tells Batman that he trusts him... he feels that he is a good person, who is working toward similar ends as himself. He proceeds to hand over the Kryptonite ring... explaining that, should he (Superman) ever become mind-controlled, or go rogue... to use it to put him down. Awesome scene, and amazing way to end this storyline!
--
Dark Knight over Metropolis ends on a high note! I think I'm so used to storylines petering out... or just plain not ending, that this really caught me off guard!
We had a few big moments here... so, let's unpack those first. Let's start with the ending... it's here that Superman gives Batman the Kryptonite ring, with the instructions to "end him" if he were ever to go rogue. It's funny to think about in retrospect... even if Superman and Batman didn't see eye-to-eye in the post-Crisis world, I always remember them knowing each other a bit better when Batman is given these instructions. Reading it back now, it's crazy to consider that the two were little more than strangers at this point!
Their standoffish nature and uneasy alliance is great. I really dig this version of the World's Finest... Superman telling Batman to get out of his city, Batman revealing that he had the Kryptonite ring the whole time... all great stuff!
The reveal of just how deep Amanda McCoy's Superman/Kent obsession runs was really cool as well. We readers knew a bit about it, from the events way back in Superman (vol.2) #2, Intergang killing the P.I. in Clark's apartment during the Exile storyline... just so many bits and pieces weaving together perfectly here. This truly feels like something that had been built toward since the Man of Steel reimagining. It's as though we can draw a line under this... with the next month's books being the start of a real and proper "next chapter".
The actual Cat Grant-Intergang story kind of pales when compared to all the rest of the stuff we just discussed, but it was handled quite well. I'd forgotten that she had vital testimony in the Morgan Edge case. I thought it was really cool how Mannheim just decided to cut his losses when things went sideways. He was cool with helping Edge... but, when push came to shove, he was fine with just walking away.
Overall... this entire storyline is most certainly recommended.
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Adventures of Superman #467 (June, 1990)
"Dark Knight over Metropolis, Part Two: Taken to the Grave"
Writer/Artist - Dan Jurgens
Ink Artist - Art Thibert
Letterer - Albert DeGuzman
Colorist - Glenn Whitmore
Associate Editor - Jonathan Peterson
Editor - Mike Carlin
Cover Price: (Still only) $0.75
Welcome back for part two of Dark Knight over Metropolis, where... I do believe our crossover heroes actually share some panels!
--
We open with Superman flying over the streets of Metropolis. It seems he's a bit off his game... perhaps preoccupied, because... he is in his city. We flashback to Clark Kent returning to his apartment after his date with Lois only to find his patio door open. He initially feared he'd been the victim of a robbery, until he saw a note from the Batman. How adorable is it that Batman signs his correspondence with the bat logo?
He shift scenes over to Batman as he performs some detective work at the morgue. He'd found some intel regarding a recent homicide victim who had traces of radioactivity on her person... we heard all about that in the first chapter, remember? It's really pretty neat that Batman's captions during this bit are designed to look like they are pieces of print-outs from a dot-matrix printer.
While he procures a set of prints from the cadaver in question, he is approached by a security officer with his gun drawn and pointed. Batman refuses to answer any of his questions, and leaves in spite of threats to sound the alarm.
As luck would have it, Superman hears the alarm and decides it would be in his best interest to head in its direction. Along the way, he believes he sees Batman running across a rooftop. Upon closer inspection, the roof dweller is our old friend, Gangbuster! Gotta wonder how Superman thought a dude with a round helmet and no cape might be Batman. I mean, I get that it's nighttime, but still... c'mon. The two briefly chat, and we learn that Jose is staked out on the roof to keep an eye on Intergang-target, Cat Grant. Moments later, Batman does join them... and pulls Superman away so that they might speak in private.
After the World's Finest leave, Jose is joined on the roof by... Cat Grant! He insists she return home, as it's far too dangerous for her to remain. At that very moment, the roof gives way, and Gangbuster falls to the floor below... where he gets kayoed by Mannheim freelancer, Shockwave. It is here we learn that the Cat Grant on the roof was just a shape-shifted Chiller. The baddies chat, with Chiller then taking the form of Jose Delgado himself!
Shortly the heroes arrive at a car that Alfred has fitted with computer equipment. They scan the photo Batman took of the corpse at the morgue so it might be reconstructed to give them a better lead. When the corrected-photo pops out, Superman immediately recognizes the face of the woman who had recently approached him with not only his secret identity... but a Kryptonite ring!
Superman spills all the details of the event and Batman remains tight-lipped about his being in possession of the ring. Superman posits that the ring is likely somehow connected to Luthor, and so the pair decide to head to LexCorp to begin their investigation. Once they arrive, Superman shorts out the surveillance equipment... which, one would imagine would be a big help. Unfortunately, the security detail can still track them by body heat. Anyhoo, they head deep into "Sector Lex" and come across the podium which held the ring. Batman taps into the computer to check on their Jane Doe... and is able to deduce that the body belongs to an Amanda Marie McCoy. They escape before security arrives.
We shift scenes to Cat Grant's apartment. She is getting ready to attend the big Zenith Awards Banquet... and her "scrumptious" date/bodyguard Jose Delgado has just arrived.
We then jump ahead to that very same banquet. It's certainly a who's who of Metropolis, with a focus on the journalism elite. Lois and Clark attend as a couple, and before they can get too comfortable they are approached by... Bruce Wayne! It appears as though this scene is the first (post-Crisis) meeting between Lois and Bruce, though I might be mistaken.
Moments later we observe another important first (post-Crisis) meeting. This time it's Bruce Wayne meeting Lex Luthor! Lex is particularly jovial on this night... which Clark immediately attributes to Lex knowing that he and Superman are one in the same... because, ya know... Amanda McCoy knew, so why not her boss? Turns out, however, Lex might just be in a good mood... and happy to see the fella (Clark) who saved his life a little while back.
Moments later a platoon of Intergang baddies descend from the sky above. Johnny-on-the-Spot Steve Lombard decides to capture the entire event on camera... much to (television viewer) Morgan Edge's aggravation. Gotta say, it's funny to see Edge eating a can of beans for dinner!
Clark heads off to change into his "work clothes" when a beam is fired at him. Luthor dives on Clark to save him from the blast. Not only did Lex "save Clark's life" he illustrated to Clark that he hasn't the foggiest clue that he's really Superman.
Lex and Clark share a "now we're even" moment before Clark brings Lois to safety. He then uses his heat vision to heat up the water in a nearby pool to create a wall of steam, in which he can change clothes. Batman is holding his own against the ground forces, and so Superman flies up to the craft that brought them in... well, he flies through it, actually. No worries though, he first used his x-ray vision to ensure there would be no casualties.
After the fracas, Superman notices that Cat Grant is missing. We then shift to Shockwave... who has Gangbuster hung up on a wall. B-b-but, if Gangbuster's there... how could Jose Delgado be with Cat?! Well, I'm glad you asked... because we now learn that Cat's on a date with a shape-shifted Chiller... and she is just ripe for an abduction.
--
Now it feels like we're getting somewhere!
I enjoyed this chapter a whole lot more than the previous. Not to say that was a bad issue, because it wasn't... it was just so heavy with sub-plots. This installment truly felt like it was part of this story, where part one felt like a bridge between a previous story and this one. Can't fault it, it's just the way the system was designed.
Anyhoo... yeah, thought this was pretty great. I'm a sucker for important moments, and (if I'm not mistaken) this issue had a couple. We got Bruce Wayne meeting Lois Lane and Lex Luthor. Both introductions felt completely organic... and not at all forced. It would stand to reason that Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor would eventually meet, being as though they are both big in business. I'm actually surprised there was no mention of them having met before this. I guess this issue had the benefit of happening before "the 90's" fully set in, and everybody had to have a nebulous and unspoken connection with everyone else.
I dug seeing Batman use some detective skill here. Scenes like the one in the morgue truly illustrate why Batman is always a step or two ahead of everyone else. From what we see here, he is a research machine, and follows up on his findings and hunches. This is the kind of Batman I love... it's not an arrogant "smartest guy in the room" type of thing like we get so often, instead it's an obsessed "need to solve this" kinda thing. That fits my view of what Batman is (and should be). Makes me sad that we never got a long Dan Jurgens run on the Dark Knight. I think he would have done a phenomenal job with the character.
I've long said that one of the things that kept me away from DC Comics as a kid was that I thought the villains were, by and large, pretty lame. Outside of some of the biggies, I thought they were really lacking when compared to what Marvel was offering. When I saw Chiller and Shockwave in the earlier chapter, those feelings flooded my head. Lame villains. Here, however, Jurgens was able to make them work... and work amazingly well!
The scene with Chiller and Cat... is truly horrifying. When I read this the first time, I'd somehow forgotten about the scene where Jose gets kayoed. So, when he arrived to escort Cat to the banquet a few pages later, I thought nothing of it. Reading it back, however... that's a (no pun intended) chilling scene!
Overall, a great issue... and one that I'd definitely recommend. Like we discussed yesterday, it's available digitally, and for your convenience, has been collected in trade paperback.
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Superman (vol.2) #44 (June, 1990)
"Dark Knight Over Metropolis, Part One: Green Death in Crime Alley"
Writer/Artist - Jerry Ordway
Inker - Dennis Janke
Colorist - Glenn Whitmore
Letterer - John Costanza
Associate Editor - Jon Peterson
Editor - Mike Carlin
Cover Price: (Still only) $0.75
When I first decided I wanted to hunt down all of the "From Crisis to Crisis" issues of the Superman books, I remember taking a look at some of the "holes" in my collection on sites like ComicVine, to see which covers I'd need to look out for.
The set of covers which immediately jumped out at me were part of the Dark Knight Over Metropolis arc. I mean, let's be honest, the Super-books are often quarter bin-to-dollar bin filler, with a few exceptions... one of those exceptions is... whenever Batman's involved... those usually get an inflated price tag and are among the more difficult to track down "in the wild".
I managed to luck out and found the first two parts of this story pretty quick (and on the cheap)... it was the conclusion in Action Comics that eluded me for a rather long time. I did eventually snag it though... better yet, it was in a dollar bin.
--
After a shot of a confidential file, we open with Jose "Gangbuster" Delgado escorting Cat Grant and her son Adam home from a showing of Gone With the Wind. In the background, we see Superman crouched on a building, watching... in the foreground, we can see they are also being watched by Detective Slam Bradley. I always dig it when Slam's included in a story... I mean, dude first appeared in Detective Comics #1! Anyhoo, in spite of Jose's reservations, the trio head into an alley because Cat's Jag is parked in a garage that-a-way.
As they continue down the alley way, Jose gets socked in the mush by... a brick wall? The wall then grabs Cat and Adam yanking them in. Adam is able to shake loose, and so he heads to Delgado's side. Slam Bradley shows up... and also gets socked for his troubles.
Jose stirs back to consciousness and decides that it may be advantageous to toss the contents of a bucket of popcorn at the strange moving wall. He is hoping the popcorn might help outline Cat's body... and, it does! He yanks her away from the wall-man and nails him with an almost impossible kick before he and the Grants take off.
Once Jose is out of sight, Superman descends on the scene. Slam instinctively fires a shot... which Superman catches without much effort. Bradley is confused as to what's going on with this crazy wall... and so, Superman uses his x-ray vision to see the invisible man's organs.
The wall-man knows the jig is up, and pleads with Superman not to hurt him... after all, he "don't know nothing". Our man warns the baddie not to mess with Cat Grant... and then yanks out the geek's power pack. Slam Bradley cuffs him, while Superman is alerted by the intense squeal of Emil Hamilton's signal device.
Moments later, Superman arrives at Hamilton's. Emil is working with a rock sample believed to be Kryptonite. At this point, the Prof concludes that the rock might be a by-product of the Kryptonian artifact, the Eradicator's attempt at recreating Krypton's fate on Earth. The discussion shifts to discussing Superman's very-real vulnerability to the very-real Kryptonite. This leads into a flashback wherein Amanda McCoy confronted him with Lex Luthor's Kryptonite ring.
Speaking of Amanda McCoy... just where in the world could she be? Oh yeah... dead. We shift to the Coroner's office where Inspector Henderson is getting the low-down on a recent murder victim who was found with a glove that had traces of radioactivity on it! Henderson's ticked off at the state of Metropolis... and exclaims that this is the sort of thing that might happen in Gotham.
Speaking of Gotham... let's go there next. In an alley a homeless man is being robbed of a cigar box by a vagrant. Luckily, Batman is perched atop an overlooking building. He hops down and proceeds to tie down the would-be thief before checking on the victim... who is now dead. He checks the cigar box, and sees a green ring which appears to be glowing from within. There is also a recent bus ticket from Metropolis. He snags the goodies and takes off, leaving the thief tied up on enemy turf.
We shift scenes to the LexCorp building, where Mr. Luthor is changing into his radiation suit. He discusses how he'd recently lost his hand (and nearly died) due to radiation from wearing his Kryptonite ring. He heads deep into a vault... and is shocked to find his prized ring is missing! He calls out to his assistant, Jennifer to start an investigation. She asks if he wants her to call off the Zenith Awards Banquet... he says no.
Zenith Banquet? What's that? Well, it's an Awards banquet to celebrate "Integrity in Journalism"... and ya know who wants to go? Morgan Edge! We shift to him meeting with his lawyer regarding his impending racketeering trial. His lawyer, Morty, recommends he not attend the banquet.
We shift to Intergang boss, Bruno Mannheim who is receiving word from his underling, Gillespie in regard to the "freelancer" (the invisible brick wall dude) from earlier winding up arrested. Disappointed, Mannheim turns to assassins Chiller and Shockwave to "take care of things".
At the Batcave, Batman is putting the green ring through a battery of tests. He deduces that this glowing stone was not man-made, yet shows all the polish of one that was. He cannot understand why anyone would produce or own a radioactive ring... and remembers that the poor homeless fella had a Greyhound ticket from Metropolis. He also remembers that Bruce Wayne might have some business in the Big Apricot... and so, he has Alfred prepare for the two of them to take a trip. And, heck... long as he's out that way, he may as well meet up with Superman.
Speaking of Superman, we now catch up with him as he checks in on the Fortress. He sees everything is as he left it... pretty much destroyed. He spends a little time rebuilding a statue of his blood-parents, Jor-El and Lara.... before it's time for a very important date...
... with Lois Lane. He arrives just in the nick of time, and the two share a bit of playful banter. They head out on the town just as Batman arrives... and lurks.
--
It's strange when I chat with fans who are a bit older than me... those who grew up with Superman and Batman being (literally) Super Friends. Having grown up very-much post-Crisis (I was 5 in 1985), I was more accustomed to the World's Finest team being sorta-kinda "at odds" more often then not. I mean, there's clearly a (begrudging?) respect between the two... but they ain't about to have a sleepover and dish about the other superheroes. I like the idea of Batman checking in with Superman... pretty much as a last ditch. A "might as well"... rather than just ringing him up, or flipping a Superman-Alarm switch in the Batcave.
I gotta say... it's been a long time since I've read a lot of this era of the Superbooks... and, it was a bit difficult finding my footing here. Don't get me wrong, I love how connected the Super-titles were during this time... but it's not easy to just pick an issue and jump in. There is plenty of exposition and sub-plot advancement here... which, again... I love! It's just that when reading this issue in a vacuum, it's a bit tough. I gotta wonder if they included the full uncut issues in the (relatively) recent trade paperback collection.
If I had to pick any nits... which I don't, but I will anyway... the cover is a bit... okay, almost completely deceiving. Superman and Batman have no interaction throughout this issue... a kid in 1990 who just dropped three shiny quarters for this mag might be a bit miffed that the World's Finest share exactly zero panels.
The writing here was great... Ordway has a great "voice" for each and every member of the cast. Plots advance, and pieces are put in place. The entire triangle-numbering era (of which this issue is a precursor) feels to me like a sort of masterful game of writing-chess. It's almost a lost art to produce this sort of serialized storytelling, much less with such precision and attention to detail. The art throughout this issue is also great... with one exception. Lois looks a bit rough. I hate using terms like "fivehead"... but, golly... there were a few sketchy panels here.
Overall, I really enjoyed this... and I think we'll see this story through to its conclusion over the next couple of days. I think I can safely recommend this to any fans of either (or both) character. Even though the heroes don't have any interaction here, it's still a good time. Available digitally, and (as mentioned) has been collected in trade paperback.
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Super Sons #1 (April, 2017)
"When I Grow Up..., Part One"
Writer - Peter J. Tomasi
Artist - Jorge Jimenez
Colorist - Alejandro Sanchez
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Associate Editor - Paul Kaminski
Group Editor - Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99
When DC Comics' Rebirth initiative was first announced... yeesh, over a year ago (where does the time go, anyway?), one of the books many of us were most excited for was, well... the one we're going to discuss today, Super Sons.
I know there was a bit of disappointment when the title was not among the initial wave of books... however, I gotta say, I think waiting to release this was the right move. When I think back to The New-52! I can't help but think that books like Teen Titans would have been best served to be part of the second (or third) wave of books released. DC could have used the first several months to introduce the new versions of the characters... establish them in the new landscape... then organically assemble them into a team.
Well, was Super Sons worth the wait? Let's find out...
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We open with a strange prologue involving a family on a film set. After some chatter, one of the children forcefully calls for a group hug. Kind of reminds me of that episode of the Twilight Zone where Billy Mumy sent his poor terrified family members to the cornfield... though, I'll concede I might be reaching here. We immediately shift to the present where Superboy and Robin... or is that Robin and Superboy, are dashing through a jungle infested with robot simulacrums in their likeness.
Two days earlier, we join Jon Kent as he hops on the school bus for his morning ride in. He notices that his normal bus driver is out today. During the ride, Jon witnesses a bit of bullying and when he attempts to quell the event, he receives a face-full of spitwads for his troubles.
Upon arrival to the school, the kids decide to take advantage of the snow-covered ground and settle their differences with a snowball fight. One of Jon's friends gets whacked in the side of his head with a whopper... it seems the other team is packin' their balls with rocks!
Jon considers using his heat-vision to even the odds, however, before he can... a giant snowball falls from above and clobbers the competition. Jon looks up to see the substitute school bus driver was the culprit of the packed-flurry. Of course it wasn't really some mild-mannered older fella... it's actually revealed to be Damian Wayne in disguise!
After a bit of witty chatter, we shift scenes to later that evening at the Batcave. Damian is preparing to head out for the evening with his father... but it's not to be. Papa Batman calls him on blowing off his studies... and until that's settled, he's staying home.
Next stop the Kent... White... Smith... farm, where the Super-family is playing cards and chatting about their day. Lois and Clark express pride in their boy for not letting loose with his powers during the snowball fight. After Lois wins yet another hand, Clark gets called off on some Justice League business.
Jon is sent to bed for the night, however, just as soon as he puts his head down he is interrupted by... Damian! After some good-natured boyish ribbing, Robin tells Superboy about some hacking occurring at Lexcorp that he'd like for the two of them to look into.
And so, they head out. It looks like these two might just be in over their heads...
--
I think the word most reviewers are using when they discuss this book is "fun"... and ya know, there's a pretty good reason for that.
This book is, so far, everything I would've hoped for... even (silly as it may sound) down to the return of the Superman/Batman logo from the pre-Flashpoint DCU. Love it!
Now, we've already seen the first meeting between the Super Sons, so we get to skip the normal "heroes fight before teaming up" trope. I appreciate that we open this series with the kids already being acquainted. Their banter is humorous, without feeling forced. This isn't that rapid-fire Bendis-esque dialogue... this feels more natural, and innocent.
The inclusion of at least a little bit of their disparate family lives was great to see. I dig how we can see that the Kents and the Waynes can be so similar... and so different... in their goals, methods, and perspective on justice... which, is probably the point of it all, right?
Jorge Jimenez's art here feels completely appropriate for a book of this type. It's got a bit of a manga feel, however, keeps enough "western" sensibilities as to not completely cross into that style. This is a clean, and vibrantly colorful book... kinda the way comic books ought to be, right?
Overall... well worth your time. Being a new book, it's obviously available digitally... and is very likely still on the shelves at your local shop. Super Sons is a bright point in an already stacked DC Rebirth line-up.
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