Legion of Super-Heroes #306 (December, 1983)
"Born Under a Lucky Star"
Writer/Co-Plotter - Paul Levitz
Co-Penciller/Co-Plotter - Keith Giffen
Guest Co-Penciller - Curt Swan
Inker - Larry Mahlstedt
Letterer - John Costanza
Colorist - Carl Gafford
Editor - Karen Berger
Cover Price: $0.75
Time for a little Legion-Learning... and today we're going to meet Star Boy. I gotta say, it's weird referring to a fella in a full beard as Star Boy, but we'll go with it.
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We open with Star Boy and Wildfire discussing the ongoing election for the next leader for the Legion of Super-Heroes. Star Boy recognizes that his relationship with Dream Girl kinda hit the skids since she was elected last time around, and so he's hopeful that she won't get a second term. He plans to vote for Ultra Boy, and is displeased to hear that Wildfire intends to vote Dream Girl. Even worse, Thom suggests that Dream Girl would only run again if her precognitive powers made it clear that she would win.
From here, Thom goes on a bit about another reason he's sure Dream Girl will win... because of how unlucky he always has been. This leads us into a flashback wherein Star Boy shares the story where he first displayed his density-affecting powers... an event which cost his family their observatory!
Thom's mother noticed the odd gesture the lad made with his fingers before they began to plummet, and suggests he might have been the cause of the whole thing. From here, Thom's young life changed forever... he became something of a test subject, doctors poked, prodded, and studied him to see what made his powers "tick".
Wildfire comments that the power of increasing mass doesn't really lend itself to a career in superheroics... and so, Thom shifts his story ahead a few years to explain. Ya see, when he hit a certain age, and reached his fill of "living" in doctor offices and science labs, he made a run for it! He commandeered a spaceship, and as he fled... wound up in the tail of a comet. He managed to steer the ship back homeward, crashing it in front of his parents house! Due to the wonky effects of the comet, he would emerge from the smoldering wreckage without even a scratch. From here it's only natural that he'd apply for Legion membership.
Back in the present, some ballots have arrived. It's really cool how they do this... we can see the individual Legionnaire "logos" to signify who they cast their votes for. As it stands at this point, Ultra Boy has three votes, Dream Girl has one... and, most surprisingly, Element Lad has three write-in votes! Despite Nura's lack of votes, Star Boy is still convinced she'll win.
After the brief aside in the present, Thom continues his tale. He mentions that when he first joined, he was the most powerful member the Legion had... which is really saying something considering Superboy was there. He talks about a specific instance on the planet of Takron-Galtos where the Science Police were building their headquarters, and training facility... and also a prison. Not that great a prison either, because the prisoners managed to break out and take over the entire place! Star Boy was volunteered to serve as a one-man rescue squad... and he arrived with a(nother) crash!
In the present, more votes have been tabulated. As it stands, Ultra Boy is at four, Dream Girl has rallied up to four, and Element Lad remains with his three write-ins..
Thom sees Dream Girl's influx of votes as another example of his rotten luck, and returns to his story to share yet another. While he was on Takron-Galtos, his comet-granted invulnerability powers vanish! He is left with only his density/mass thang, and so in a last-ditch effort, he uses it to bring the roof down on the prisoners... and himself! He wakes up in a full body cast, and is greeted by then-leader of the Legion, Saturn Girl, who informs him that he still has a place on the team.
More votes have been cast... bringing our totals to six for Ultra Boy, and five apiece for Dream Girl and Element Lad... keeping in mind that Element Lad's votes are write-ins, he's looking pretty good!
From here, Thom shares the story of his first meeting with Dream Girl. She joined the Legion after having a dream of seven Legionnaires dying in an accident... which turned out to be seven android doubles instead. Man, everyone had a robot in their likeness back in the day! She also used "science" to alter Lightning Lass' powers to make her less redundant with her brother. She would become Light Lass, the Lass who can make things Light! Dream Girl then resigns as she feels she only became a member due to a trick.
However, that (obviously) wouldn't be the last time Star Boy and Dream Girl's paths would cross. On the planet of Karak, Star Boy would be attacked by Kenz Nuhor, Dream Girl's ex-boyfriend who refused to marry him due to her love for Thom. In an act of self defense, Thom winds up killing Kenz... an act which would get him kicked out of the Legion.
As he leaves the Super-Hero Clubhouse, he is approached by Dream Girl who suggests he join her in the Legion of Substitute Heroes... and so, he does!
He would remain a Sub until a crisis occurred wherein a planet was surrounded by the dust of Green Kryptonite. Superboy and Supergirl had to name a couple of replacements for the mission... and they would choose, ya ready for this... Sir Prize and Miss Terious! They would wind up being Star Boy and Dream Girl (duh) wearing lead suits. They would eventually reveal themselves and be granted membership once more.
Back in the present, the final votes are counted... and Thom is shocked to see that... Dream Girl lost! Element Lad would win with seven write-in votes! Star Boy celebrates feeling that perhaps his luck is starting to change.
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I think I might just be on the right track to Learning the Legion. Most of the Legion issues I've covered here were spotlight-style stories which feel so much less overwhelming and intimidating than I feared. These stories also "go down smoother", they're easier to follow and don't really leave me scratching my head.
So, let's talk Star Boy. My familiarity with the character comes from the post-Infinite Crisis Justice Society of America volume where he was... a bit off. He heard voices and whatnot... and from what I can recall, was used as a sort of tragic and humorous character. That's really not the fella we meet today. Here we meet a sort of "woe is me", self-loathing, kind of unpleasant fella.
My main takeaway from this issue is... why does Star Boy want so badly for his girlfriend to lose the election? Granted, I just pulled this issue, and read it without context... but, his attitude here makes him come off like a grade-A selfish jerk. I mean, Wildfire even says that she's been doing a good job in the role... it just really paints Thom poorly in my view. That very well could be the point, I can't say for sure. It's not a bad thing or anything... it doesn't make it a bad story, it just shows me that this fella might be a tad on the unlikable side.
It's funny... it feels like every third issue of Legion I check out features an election... or the results of an election. I'm not sure how often the elections occur, or if they're on an actual "schedule". It's just funny to me that I can't seem to escape them.
The art here was really neat... I enjoyed the use of Curt Swan for the flashbacks. I love when they do stuff like that... makes it feel like we're actually experiencing a flashback, rather than simply being told a story.
Overall, despite thinking Thom comes across like kinduva jerk here, I really enjoyed this one. These "spotlight" issues might just be the ticket to my finally Learning the Legion. This one is available digitally.
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Blackest Night: Superman #1 (October, 2009)
"A Sleepy Little Town"
Writer - James Robinson
Penciller - Eddy Barrows
Inkers - Ruy Jose & Julio Ferreira
Colorist - Rob Reis
Letterer - Steve Wands
Editors - Adam Schlagman & Eddie Berganza
Cover Price: $2.99
Was in the mood for something a bit "darker"... and didn't wanna wait until October for a little #boohauntedblog.
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We open cold on Kal-L from Earth-Two's hands jutting from his grave after being summoned to "Rise"... which, if you recall, was kinda the thing that gimmick of Blackest Night. From here we shift to Smallville, where it's really just another quiet day around town. We join (former President of the United States) Pete Ross sweeping outside his shop and chatting with the locals. It's a real illustration of the pleasant mundanity of small-town living. Their discussion is briefly interrupted by a shadow crossing overhead. Was it a bird? Nah, it was probably nothing.
We briefly visit with the Sheriff's office where a bored Smallville Officer claims to have applied for a position on the Metropolis Police Force. While the Sheriff tells him what a dumb idea that was, a black hole appears below him. The Sheriff plummets and the entire dealie results in elevated levels of fear.
We shift over to a diner where more folks are going about their mundane Smallville lives. "Regulars" are enjoying their "usuals", we learn that poor Tom Hardy lost his thumb in an accident... stuff like that. A man enters in shadow... resulting in even more elevated fear-levels.
Across town at the drive-in, a couple enjoys a Friday the 13th-esque horror flick. Guess what? Elevated levels of feeeeear (and love, cuz they're making out).
After our Smallville tour, we finally arrive at the Kent farm where Ma, Clark, and Ma's new housemate Conner Kent are sitting down to dinner. While they discuss how well Kon is adjusting to his new digs, one of Krypto's ears perk up... there's something sinister in Smallville. Superman and Superboy "supe-up" and head out to see what might be lurking.
They arrive at the graveyard where they discover... Black Lantern Superman (of Earth-Two), and it would appear that he just finished... digging up Pa Kent's body. Yikes. I suppose I oughtta mention that he appears to have used a shovel... which is a very silly visual in my head.
It should go without saying... a fight is on. Kal-L lunges at Superboy, and mentions that he was just recently dead... and with L's help, he could be dead again! As Black Lantern Superman and Superboy soar across the sky, real-deal Superman (though, I suppose in a situation like this, your mileage may vary) gives chase, with heightened levels of Fear, Hope, Will, Rage, and Love!
Back at the Kent farm, Ma is attending to the dishes. Upon first blush, it seems kinda silly, doesn't it? Then I remember that Clark being out dealing with dangerous situations is nothing new to her. Suddenly, one wall of her home is demolished and Krypto goes flying... when the dust settles, she finds herself stood before Black Lantern... Lois Lane (of Earth-Two).
Back at the Super-Fight, Kal-L really starts getting his digs in on Kal-El. He suggests that he is no Superman, as he couldn't even save his own father. Instead of reminding the baddie about Kal-L losing both parents to a silly tropical disease, he just seethes then socks him so hard his anatomy goes wonky (see below). Though, to be fair, he probably doesn't know about that.
L continues, comparing and contrasting their disparate upbringings. L claims that he was never scared of his powers... even as a child he would "leap tall buildings" and whatnot as Superboy. Speaking of Superboy, Kal-L just hurled him toward the ground... I may not have made it clear, this battle has been happening in the sky.
We take a brief detour to... New Krypton. It's been a long time since I tried reading through the New Krypton saga, so I'll leave my pithiness out of it. By the way, "Krypton" has gotta be one of the least typing-friendly words known to man. I never backspace more than when I'm trying to type that word. Anyhoo, Supergirl and her mother are paying their respects to her fallen father Zor-El... when he is fitted with a new piece of jewelry and summoned to "Rise!"
Back on Earth, Superman and Superboy return to the Kent farm. They find it in all sorts of disarray... the front porch is completely destroyed and Krypto has been wounded. A quick scan tells them that Ma is no longer there. They head down Main Street, and note that things have grown even more ominous... nobody is around. It's silent, not even the crickets remain. They do eventually find Ma... unfortunately, she's being held captive by Black Lantern Mr. and Mrs. Superman!
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I'm not sure if it's because I've been reading (and covering) so much 1970's material lately, but... boy did this feel decompressed.
These quick little vignettes... shots of the town, and the townsfolk interacting with small talk took up far too much of this issue. I mean, I get why they did it... but I feel like too much time was spent on it. Much of it could have been summed up in a single page. Instead, we get a full page of a couple at the drive-in movie. Seems wasteful to me. It reminds me of a Vince McMahon quote I see bandied about when folks get annoyed at the current state of Professional Wrestling, "We're makin' movies, pal!" This feels more like it's playing toward a cinematic feel rather than just being a comic book.
Blackest Night was one of my blindspots in DC history, as it landed smack-dab in the middle of a really rough financial patch in my life. It was an event that felt as though most of its tie-in miniseries' were actually warranted. I remember being excited about this one in particular, as I wasn't sure if they were going to revisit Clark's own death, or if we were going to see more of the Earth-Two folks, who made their return a few years earlier during Infinite Crisis.
I appreciate the ideas presented here... Kal-L appears to be going around Smallville killing Smallvillians. At least that's what I think it occurring at the end of the vignettes. That's all well and good, but again, I think far too many pages were spent on this. I'm intrigued to see what Kal-L and Kal-Lois are planning to do. Not a bad start here, just took a bit long to "get there" for my liking.
The art here is rather good, if not a bit inconsistent at times. Being pretty familiar with Eddy Barrows' work, I'm gonna blame most of that on the inking. Some of the Smallvillians here look positively ghoulish... even moreso than the Black Lanterns. I'm looking at Pete Ross' evil-looking mug expecting him to sprout horns and a tail and be revealed as the devil or something. Kinda off-putting, and something I'd have imagined they'd work hard to avoid. I'd assume they'd want the "mundane" scenes to appear to be as clean and un-scary as possible to contrast with the Lantern threat.
Overall, I really want to recommend this... however, with a caveat. I'd say if you haven't read this, and want to... maybe grab the trade. After reading just the first issue, I'm left a bit cold... it doesn't feel like enough has happened. Feels like I got the same amount of story from this that I would have if I read 3-5 pages of a Bronze Age comic.
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Justice League of America #124 (November, 1975)
"Avenging Ghosts of the Justice Society!"
Writers - Elliot S! Maggin & Cary Bates
Penciller - Dick Dillin
Inker - Frank McLaughlin
Editor - Julius Schwartz
Cover Price: $0.25
Now here's a strange little ditty from the mid-70's. It's not every issue where we see the Justice League standing on the mass grave of the Justice Society... who they just killed.
Wha--?!
Let's jump right in to my beat-ta-hell copy of Justice League of America #124.
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We open on a scene not unlike our cover. The League, who consists of Batman, Black Canary, Aquaman, Hawkman, Green Arrow and the Flash are paying their respects at the mass-grave of the fallen Justice Society... who are, er... were, Robin, Wildcat, Wonder Woman, Johnny Thunder, Hourman and Dr. Mid-Nite. Isn't that nice of them? Well, yes and no... it's always a nice thing to show respect to the deceased, but you may think it's a bit less touching when you learn that the League is responsible for the deaths of the Society! Use of illusions made it so the members of the Justice Society appeared to the League as members of the Injustice Society! All this tells me is... the League was willing to use lethal force on the Injustice Society.
So let's set the table, we've got Earth-One heroes in the Justice League on Earth-Two of the Justice Society. Alongside the heroes is a mysterious individual, from neither Earth! He is actually from Earth-Prime (hey, we live there!). This is the Earth where the exploits of the superheroes exist only in comic books. From here we pop in on DC Comics Editor Julius Schwartz, who is hard at work crafting a story about two of his writer pals... Cary Bates and Elliot S! Maggin. The jist is, Maggin has found the real-deal Cosmic Treadmill... which Bates used to send himself to an Alternate Earth. Maggin follows.
At this point, Schwartz considers tossing the story he's got into the fire... and, that might not be the worst idea in the world. Despite his reservations, he continues. We rejoin Cary Bates who is dressed quite garishly. He is in the middle of a gold heist, and when the citizens of Earth-Two see him, he is referred to as an "archfiend".
He returns to his masters... the Injustice Society! They consist of the Wizard, the Huntress (not that one), the Shade, the Gambler, the Sportsmaster, and the Icicle... so many "The's". They are quite pleased with Cary's haul. These geeks aren't alone, however... a wispy entity is also present, and it swears that the Injustice Society will not go unpublished.
We shift to the guilt-ridden Justice League... who are still on Earth-Two. They're lingering on this parallel Earth to make sure the pick up the slack for the Justice Society, who they... ya know, killed. Green Arrow and Hawkman are doing their bickering thang.
As they wrap up the gig, Aquaman notices that Earth-Prime's Maggin has gone missing. Black Canary suggests he just spirited himself away amid the confusion. At that very moment, the Injustice Society and the most evil Cary Bates are tracking Maggin's every move, hopeful they might use him to lure the League... so they might join their pals, six feet under!
Bates approaches Maggin, and after some contentious tete-a-tete, Bates uses Maggin's own bubble gum to trap him inside the sticky stuff. As he flies away, we again see the wisp... who is struggling with how (and if) they should intervene.
Back with the League, Green Arrow and Hawkman are still bickering. They are interrupted by the arrival of a black disc, which speaks with Maggin's voice. They decide to follow him, er, it. Meanwhile at the mass-grave, that wisp materializes into... the Spectre!
The League is still following the disc... until it stops, and changes into the bubble gum ball from earlier. At this point, the League is in position for an ambush by the dread Cary Bates and the Injustice Society! The League is overcome by feelings of guilt over killing the Justice Society, making them easy pickins for the baddies.
Elsewhere, the Spectre is speaking to... I think we're supposed to think it's God... or maybe he's talking to Julie Schwartz... I guess, at this juncture, it's just about the same thing. He, with almost painfully purple dialogue, asks that the Society be brought back to life. I think the neatest bit about this scene is a footnote dating back to More Fun Comics #75 from January, 1942!
The Injustice Society continues to pummel the (literally) haunted members of the Justice League. The trapped Maggin realizes that the appearing apparitions are the result of the dire Cary Bates. He decides to attempt to get under his skin to make him lose his concentration... and wouldn'tcha know it, it works!
At this point, not only do the apparitions disappear... the members of the Justice Society reappear! From here, it's pretty academic... the combined forces of the Justice League of America and Justice Society of America make short work of the baddies.
When the dust settles, the mind control over Cary Bates is broken by Johnny Thunder's Thunderbolt, and he returns to being one heckuva guy. The two writers are then sent back to Earth-Prime so they can complete a "story" for "Julie". Back in the "real world", Bates and Maggin are seen pitching endings to Schwartz, who appears to be more interested in slurping his pea soup. Gotta mention, we get a blurb here announcing the all-new Super Squad book... which, is pretty interesting!
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Well, that's not anything like I was expecting. Such crazy fun.
I'm about to speak out of both sides of my mouth here... this is a gimmick, the creative-team-insert, that would make my skin crawl if I were to see it in a contemporary release... however, here I find it endearing. There's a sort of innocence here... just fun. It's not trying to make a statement or show us how clever it is. I can't help shake that if this came out in 2017, it would be an exercise in "inside baseball", "biting" meta-commentary, and winks-and-nudges.
For the story itself... well, there really isn't much of one. It's a few action scenes, wonderfully crafted by Dick Dillin, which only serve to move things along. It was so weird seeing a mass-grave in this story... and on the cover! Not something you see every day... probably not something we'd ever see today.
I do wanna expand on something I mentioned during the synopsis. We've got the League, right? They're fighting the members of the Justice Society... who appeared to them as being members of the Injustice Society thanks to a spell from the Wizard, right? And... they killed them?! I mean, I get that the Injustice Society are bad folks... it's kinda in their name, but... I just don't see the League using lethal force for any reason. Perhaps I missed something, but the impression I get here is the League kills the bad guys... who, post-death return to their original heroic forms. So weird.
I guess anytime Earth-Prime gets involved, we gotta question whether or not a story actually happened. Maybe this is just a case of that. I guess maybe I don't have enough experience with some aspects of the pre-Crisis to say one way or another.
Overall... a weird and wacky story that I gotta recommend for the sheer novelty of the thing. Rather surprisingly, at least to me, this bugger is available digitally. For a strange Earth-Two romp, this is well worth your time checking out.
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Superman (vol.2) #166 (March, 2001)
"Fathers"
Writer - Jeph Loeb
Penciller - Ed McGuinness
Inker - Cam Smith
Colors - Tanya & Richard Horie
Letterer - Richard Starkings
Assistant Editor - Tom Palmer, Jr.
Editor - Eddie Berganza
Inspiration - Walt Simonson
Cover Price: $2.25
This one's been a long time coming. This issue marks a mighty dramatic shift in the post-Crisis Superman's origin story... and came at a time when I'd only been back reading the character for like three months after being gone a few years, and at that point in my life I doubt I seriously read any pre-Crisis DC. It should go without saying that I was completely lost...
This issue also marks a rare turn of the century gimmick cover from DC Comics. If you notice, the cover price remained $2.25... I mean, that's really cool! This enhanced cover wasn't actually the version I bought "off the rack"... instead, I had the newsstand version, a gift from my then-local comic shop owner... given to me from his preview copies a few days before release. That never happened to me before (or since)!
I recall him being really excited about what this issue meant to Superman's past and future... and, even though I hadn't the foggiest idea what he was talking about... I shared in his excitement. I lacked the context for what the story meant, which is why it remained in a longbox ever since.
At this point in my blogging "career" we've already discussed a few of Superman origins... in particular John Byrne's Man of Steel #1 from 1986, the Golden-Age Superman's in Secret Origins #1 (also from 1986), and (quite recently) the pre-Crisis take from Action Comics #500 from 1979. I feel like I'm finally ready to revisit this issue, which promises to give us the skinny on Krypton... again, for real this time you guys... we're serious.
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It's nighttime in Smallville, and the Kents are awakened by an eerily familiar sound. As Pa shuffles around for his glasses, Ma suggests they call Clark and let him attend to... whatever that was. Jonathan makes his way outside anyway, and finds himself stood before a crashed something-or-other bathed in green light. Luckily, in the time it took for him to make it outside, Martha had already called Clark... so he's already there. Upon closer inspection, it is revealed that the crashed something-or-other is actually a Kryptonian ship... from it pops a projection of Clark's birth father Jor-El in all his fringe-armed sterility. He says something in Kryptonese... then perishes, leaving only a glowing green rod in its place.
We jump ahead to Metropolis, where Superman hands the rod over to Professor Emil Hamilton so it might be tested. Emil suggests it's a sort of recording device, as it's giving off a bit of a signal. John Henry Irons, who is also present, confirms this and compares them to the readings they'd been receiving from the Phantom Zone. Superman's all "Yeah, we're gonna come back around to THAT later...", but for now the rod is his priority. Hamilton suggests that if Superman takes a seat in his thought-projection device, he may be able to beam the recording right into his dome. Now, if there's one thing we know about Superman, it's that he loves to sit in these weird seats.
After a rocky bit of transference, Superman finds himself in a sort of otherworldly miasma of nothingness. Before him stands Jor-El. He asks his son for his forgiveness... for hiding the truth from him. I'm guessing this is about the time when folks who came in under Byrne's Man of Steel's spider-senses began tingling like mad... for, as we turn the page... Jor-El transforms from the one we met in Man of Steel #1... into the more familiar to many, pre-Crisis/Silver Age costume!
He says the memory implants from the "birthing matrix" (note the quotes) only showed him the Krypton he wanted him to see... uh-oh. As his story continues, the miasmatic clouds part revealing... Kryptonopolis!
From here, we get a bit of a retelling of the origin from Action Comics #500 (and Secret Origins #1). Lara and baby Kal are at home, while papa Jor tries to convince the committee that Krypton is doomed... headed into the path of a Red Sun. We know the drill, they ain't buyin' what he's sellin', and we even go so far as to have General Zod accuse him of using this fear mongering as a way of seizing power... which, wouldn't have been a bad idea if it were true!
From here, the landquakes start up... and it's only a matter of time before Krypton goes to bits. Jor brings Lara and Kal over to the model rocket, and says there's room enough for two. Lara chooses to remain by her man, but sends baby Kal off so he might live his life. In he goes... off he goes, bada bing bada BOOM.
The information being too much for Superman to bear, his reaction causes Emil Hamilton's magical chair of whoziwatsits to explode. It's revealed that he'd only been sitting in it for 20 seconds... man, talk about decompressed storytelling. Superman thinks to himself how so many of the Kryptonian artifacts he's run into over the years all agree on this "lie" of an origin before revealing some of what he'd just learned, and much to his surprise, Hamilton suggests that there might just be a way for him to "go home again".
Next we shift to a White House Press Briefing where new President (perhaps still President-Elect at this point) Lex Luthor is stood before the media to introduce his cabinet. I gotta say, I love the idea of using a fictional President of the United States in stories... wish that would happen again. Anyhoo, his cabinet includes: General Rock as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Amanda Waller as Secretary of Meta-Human Affairs, Lois' dad Major Frank Lane as Secretary of Defense, Black Lightning Jefferson Pierce as Secretary of Education, and Cat Grant as White House Press Secretary. In the crowd, Lois asks some "tough questions"... which annoys and embarrasses everyone around her... except Lex, who appears to find her humorous.
The issue wraps up with Lois returning home to find her husband brooding on the patio. She asks what's up, and he tells her about his Kryptonian experience. She's positively tickled pink, and thinks it would be great for them... both... to see what Krypton is really like!
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Well, damn.
I'm so happy I waited almost... twenty years (you kidding me... where did my life go?) to revisit this issue. When it first hit, I had so little context of what's what when it came to Superman. I was familiar with the Death-and-Return era, and not a whole lot more. You could've told me that John Byrne had a Kryptonian stork drop baby Kal into Ma Kent's arms via parachute and... well, I'd have thought that was dumb, but I wouldn't dismiss it as a possibility.
I recall being very active... or at least actively lurking, on forums back in the day... kinda social media before the term was mainstreamed... and I remember the uproar from fans over this issue... from both sides. Many, like the owner of my LCS, were pleased as punch... while many others, felt betrayed. "SAS" was a term bandied about a lot. Stands for Silver-Age S***, by the by.
But for me, concepts like the "birthing matrix" were just as foreign... perhaps moreso, than baby Kal being loaded into the rocket. So, I really didn't mourn the loss of it from the lore/canon. In the years that followed, and as I honed my Superman fandom into the, well, rounded point that it is today, I can sympathize with them. The idea of a birthing matrix is intriguing. After all, it makes it so Clark could've technically been born on Earth. To this point, if I'm not mistaken, this is the biggest change made to the post-Crisis origin here.
Now, as post-Crisis-y a guy I am overall... I think I'm okay with this. Perhaps I've just been beaten into submission with all the changes to the origin that occurred since this big adjustment (with the most recent having a cover-date of June, 2017), or maybe since broadening my Super-horizons, I've become a fan of the character overall, without a particular preference in era. I can completely understand how a fan of the day would have responded to this sort of addendum... and in hindsight, I kinda wish I was a part of that movement... on one side or another. Instead, I was just left scratching my head... though, dazzled by the beautiful art.
I'm pretty sure my first time through, the page I got the most out of was President Luthor's press conference... though, I'm sure at the time I hadn't the foggiest idea who Amanda Waller or Jefferson Pierce were or what their significance to the DC Universe was. I'll say it again though... fictional Presidents... if you ask me, that's the way to go!
Overall... this is a toughie. A hugely significant story for the time, and for maybe a couple of years after... until 2003's Superman: Birthright, anyway. I'd still say it's worth checking out. I love the team of Loeb and McGuinness, and credit them with easing my back into the Superman world after a prolonged absence. I can't say for sure how long this "go round" would have lasted for me without the talents of those folks. This bugger is available digitally, though obviously without the foil enhancement. It has also been collected in the Superman: Return to Krypton trade paperback.
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