Superman: War of the Supermen #0 (2010)

Superman: War of the Supermen #0 (June, 2010)
"War of the Supermen, Prologue"
"Filling in the Blanks"
Writers - James Robinson & Sterling Gates
Pencillers - Eddy Barrows, Julian Lopez, Aaron Lopresti, David Finch, Gary Frank, Cafu, Ethan Van Sciver & Diogenes Neves
Inkers - J.P. Mayer, Bit, Joe Weems & Vicente Cifuentes
Colorists - Rod Reis, Blond
Letterer - John J. Hill
Assistant Editor - Wil Moss
Editor - Matt Idelson
Free Comic Book Day

Today we're gonna look at one of my, relatively-recent Superman blind spots... and I'm going to complain about contemporary Free Comic Book Day offerings.

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We open with a rather peeved off Superman bursting through a wall.  He has arrived at a Kryptonian Military Installation located one mile below the surface of New Krypton.  He's there to... you guessed it, talk to Zod.  Can't have a Krypton story without him... unfortunately.  To fill us in a bit, Zod was made General of New Krypton's army (seems a stellar idea, don't it?)... and Superman had left Earth for a time to serve in that army... and make sure Zod doesn't act all Zoddy.

Speaking of acting "Zoddy", Superman is here to confront the big Z has because he's declared war on Earth.  The two exchange punches for a bit, until Ursa (who I initially mistook for Zaora) slashes Superman across the chest with a Kryptonite knife!  She claims it hurts to even hold the thing, but the satisfaction wielding it brings outweighs the pain.

Superman blasts the knife away with heat vision before once more, stepping to Zod.  Zod's having a grand old time, and brings Superman up to speed, advising him he was about to surrender... and I am pleasantly surprised and thankful Robinson and Gates didn't resort to using this to shoehorn a "hilarious" "Kneel before..." reference.  As Superman approaches, he is crushed from above by the body of Non (who I mistook as Quex-Ul).  Zod always seems to have one big dude and one lady as his seconds.

With Ursa and Non holding Superman at bay, Zod reminds him that on New Krypton, he's no "super" anything... he's simply one of one-hundred thousand... all with the same powers.

He continues running through his justification for the war declaration.  It appears General Sam Lane and his spies were responsible for the death of Supergirl's father, Zor-El.  Zod's own spies claimed to have uncovered Earth/Sam Lane's own plans to declare war on New Krypton... before they were killed.  It all feels very he said/he said... but whattayagonnado?  Zod does wrap up his monologue by ensuring Superman that this isn't just about New Krypton's safety/sovereignty... it's also personal.  He hates the House of El, and is still looking for revenge.  If he can destroy Kal-El's adoptive home, and kill everyone he holds dear... well, that's all the better.

Superman breaks free, swearing to stop Zod before he can initiate the plan.  As Ursa and Non tackle our man again, Zod just laughs and goes all Ozymandias on us... ya can't stop what's already happened, Clark... everybody knows that.

Our back-up is framed around Lois Lane writing a story for the Daily Planet... nothing we haven't seen before.  This is pretty good stuff though... it serves to fill all of us Johnny-DC-come-latelies (and, read-this-stuff-so-long-agos,-we-can't-remember-what-happeneds) in on the New Krypton clusterschmazz.  Of course, we open with a page telling us about that fateful day a rocket was sent from Krypton with a "baby on board" placard.  Seems we can't go more than an issue and a half anymore without reading about that.

We jump ahead years later to Superman and Supergirl rescuing the Bottle City of Kandor from Brainiac.  Upon enlarging it, they discovered 100,000 new Kryptonian brothers and sisters.  Humans would invade the city (Which apparently wasn't destroyed-to-dust upon enlargement like the first time this story happened) and Supergirl's father Zor-El would be killed.  This led to Zor-El's wife Alura creating a new planet for the Kryptonians... a New Krypton, if you weeeeell.

For protection, these New Kryptonians would turn to... no, not Superman... General freaking Zod.  Ya kinda get what you deserve sometimes, right?  I don't understand the logic of grabbing a fella you imprisoned... for e-ter-ni-ty... and asking him to protect you.  Gotta figure there might be some sour grapes there, no?  Anyhoo, this is where Superman decides to move to the new planet, and join its army.

While away from Earth, Superman made arrangements for his adoptive home to be protected.  This crew includes, Kon-El, Mon-El (and, I just realized their names are only one letter apart!), Steel, Krypto, the Guardian, and Nightwing and Flamebird.

Lois next discusses Project 7734, which is a military black-ops organization focused on countering potential alien invasions.  It is being run by her father, ol' General Lane.  She talks about some of the operatives, which includes some 1st Issue Special love in Atlas... also, Lois' own sister Lucy Lane is now somehow a "Kryptonian killing machine" going by the name Superwoman.  I don't remember that at all.

She begins to wrap up her article, discussing the death of her pal and co-worker, Jimmy Olsen!  It appears he "got too close" while investigating Project 7734, and was found at the bottom of the harbor.  If only that were true... because a few panels later (a still wet?) Jimmy arrives with all the information Lois was looking for.  He claims that Natasha Irons rescued him and kept him out of sight (but not dry).  Now, Lois can learn the whole truth about her father.

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Man, whatever happened to DC Free Comic Book Day issues that meant a damn?  All we get these days are garbage reprints with zero context aimed at people who only go to the comic shops one day a year... if they remember "which Saturday in May" they get free crap handed to them.

This is how ya do it!  What a great way to kick off a story... a free issue front-loaded with prologue, and back-loaded with everything you might need to jump into the impending event.  Both stories promise "to be continued... in four days".  If you wanna get readers (new, old, lapsed, whatever) interested and excited, this is the way to go.  You don't promise something "in thirty days" or "Summer 2017" or with a nebulous "Next", you give them less than a week.  You remind some of them that comic book shops are open more than one day a year... and you also catch shop regulars who may not necessarily be into Superman... but decide to give him a go after checking this out.  It's crazy, it's almost as though DC thought this one out!

For the story itself... well, it's called a prologue and that's precisely what it is.  We learn of our threat... and it ramps up to the point where it's about to boil over.  A great bit of storytelling that sets the stage for whats to come.  I'm still no fan of Zod... I find him kind of a bore.  I'm just thankful there were no requisite cutesy "Kneel before..."s in here.

The backup was really well done, even if framing a story with "writer writing about something" is a bit tropey.  I suppose things become that way for a reason.  This worked well for me, as a lapsed reader... who, if I'm being honest, walked away from the Superman books early/mid-New Krypton... so a bunch of this was new to me.

The art throughout the issue was another high point.  Another really good use of the platform (and opportunity) that Free Comic Book Day can (and should) be.  I hope I'm not coming across too angry (or old-manny) sounding here, I just feel pretty strongly about using things like FCBD as ways to promote comics and comic shops... not whatever movie might be coming out.  Contemporary "throwaway" offerings, like an issue of Suicide Squad without context or a half-decade old (and no longer in continuity) issue of Action Comics are part of why I sometimes refer to the event as "Pretend you care about Comics Day".

Overall, if I were to have read this during that weekend in May, 2010... I'd be totally psyched to check out the War of the Supermen and the entire New Krypton schmazz.  Having read it in 2017... I only wish I had the time to!  If you're interested in checking this one out, you've got no excuse not to... it's available digitally FOR FREE!

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Batman #354 (1982)

Batman #354 (December, 1982)
"Showdown"
Writer - Gerry Conway
Penciller - Don Newton
Inker - Alfredo Alcala
Letterer - Ben Oda
Colorist - Adrienne Roy
Editor - Len Wein
Cover Price: $0.60

Sometimes the preamble is the hardest thing to write.  It's just a sentence/paragraph... or a few, but there are some days where, I dunno... I just don't have a whole lot to say about a particular issue other than, "hey, here's a book I really wanted to read and chat about"... and, er... here we are!

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We open with Batman tearing down a wanted poster with his image on it.  This story is occurring during a time in which Peter Pauling, associate/puppet to "Boss" Rupert Thorne, is Commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department.  Under his watch, Batman has been not only stripped of his GCPD Special Deputy status... he's been outlawed!  Former Commissioner James Gordon was relieved of his duties by Mayor Hamilton Hill, who is also in Thorne's pocket.  We join these two discussing the "bedlam" making Batman "Public Enemy Number One" has wrought... and speak of the devil, Batman just happens to show up to chat'em both up.

Batman's not there to fight... he just wants to let them know that he knows they (and Boss Thorne) hired Deadshot to kill him.  Pauling pulls a gun, and Batman's all "Go ahead and shoot me", knowing full well he won't.  He warns them that justice will be done... and also suggests, should he return... he may not do so alone.  After Batman leaves, Pauling pushes the panic button on his desk (that every corporate baddie seems to have), exclaiming that Batman's gotta die... which begs the question, why didn't he just pull the trigger?  I mean under this regime, Batman's looked at as an outlaw... nobody would hold it against the office.

Outside, Batman is swinging away.  The Gotham City Officers refuse to shoot Batman without first giving him the opportunity to surrender.  I suppose when you work side by side with an organization long enough, brotherhoods are forged.  All but one of the officers agree... and he unloads his rifle in Batman's direction, hitting him right between his shoulder blades!  Our man plummets into the alley below, however, by the time the police arrive he's already gone.

We shift scenes to Gotham's "Doctor's Row" Greytowers, and the home of the late Dr. Hugo Strange.  "Boss" Thorne, who at present is being haunted by the spirit of Hugo Strange... the man he'd killed, is here to take a look around the facilities.  His tour guide is Doctor Thirteen.  Upon making their way through the building's false front and into the lab, Thorne is greeted by...

Hugo Strange's buffed-out ghost!  Or, is it?  Doctor Thirteen flips the lights on, causing the "apparition" to vanish.  He notices a loose panel in the wall... removing it reveals a portable hologram projector... inside which is a Hugo Strange-flavored prism.  They deduce that Thorne is certainly being messed with, however, not by a phantom.  Thirteen asks if there might be anyone "out to get him"... and the first names Rupert can think of are Commissioner Pauling and Mayor Hill!  This way they might keep their names and reputations clean.

We next shift to the Batcave, where Alfred is about to deliver Bat-Captive, Floyd Lawton his... I dunno, dinner, I suppose.  Either that or an early breakfast.  Lawton is wearing blinder goggles, and hasn't the foggiest idea where he might be.  He's in a cell, raving... open to the chance to cut a deal with whoever is holding him there.  Before Alfred can serve his meal, a bloody Batman drags himself in.

We now move to Vicki Vale's office where her private phone line begins to ring.  She knows there's only one person who has that number... and it's Bruce Wayne.  She answers and is surprised to hear a woman's voice on the other end.  Catw-- er, the caller threatens her to stay away from Mr. Wayne.

Back with the "Boss", he is lamenting the fact that his two confidants, who he helped put in high places, have turned against him... and bemoans his own naivety, for if the situations were reversed, he might have done the same thing to save his own skin.  His internal monologue is interrupted by... Batman?  Well, if we're using the captions to identify him, we could call him "the tall man".  He stands by silently while Thorne... pretty much confesses everything.

I should probably mention that upon seeing "the tall man", Thorne threw down his decanter of brandy... right in front of the roaring fireplace.  If you're thinking that was a stupid thing to do... you'd be right!  Before we know it, the room is engulfed in flames, and by the time "the tall man" gets his bearings, "Boss" Thorne's already flown the coop.

While the fire department is dealing with the raging inferno, we shift scenes back to our pals Pauling and Hill.  The Commish is reading Officer McClosky (the one that told the officers to stand down earlier) the riot act.  Mayor Hill, it would appear, is starting to regret getting wrapped up in this mess.  Suddenly, a soaking wet (it is a rainy Gotham night) "Boss" Thorne arrives, and he's pointing his piece right at the perceived turncoats.  The Mayor pleads with him to calm down... but Thorne just ain't having none'a that.

And so, Thorne shoots Commissioner Peter Pauling... in the face!  Mayor Hill dives to the floor, and Officer McClosky fires a defensive round into the Boss's gut.  Thorne collapses to the floor just as "the tall man" arrives on the scene.

McClosky takes aim at "the tall man", but is kayoed for his troubles.  Mayor Hill pleads innocence in this whole mess... because, hell... it's not like Pauling's in the mood to dispute that, being dead and all.  Gotta say, for a dude who was shot in the face, he leaves a rather handsome (and clean) corpse!  The Mayor informs "the tall man" that he will reinstate his deputy status and drop all charges against him... further pinning the whole shebang on perforated Peter.

We wrap up with an epilogue.  "The tall man" calls in to Wayne Manor, and unmasks revealing himself to be... ya know, Robin... duh.  Not sure if unmasking in public is all that great an idea... but whattayagonnado?  It's also revealed that he was wearing a "bat wire" hoping to catch the corruptees in some self-incriminating chatter.

Dick: "Did I make a good stand-in for the Batman, Bruce?"
Bruce: "D-Did you... just take the cowl off in public?"

The epilogue, and the issue, concludes with the revelation that the person behind Thorne's descent into paranoia and mental-collapse was, in fact... the not-so-late (well, maybe late to dinner), Dr. Hugo Strange!

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I always enjoy a good "Batman vs. the Police" type story.  It's weird to see the Gotham City Police depicted as being corrupt (at least the Commish, anyway).  I'd always attributed GCPD corruption as a post-Crisis concept... like, Year One and beyond type'a thing.  It's always fun make new discoveries and come to the realization that my perceptions may have been clouded by a narrative rather than content.

I've read a few Batman stories from this time period, and am always impressed with their quality.  I've said it before (and, knowing me... I'll say it many more times) but in my younger days, I always discounted pre-Crisis DC (outside of New Teen Titans) as being interchangeable one-off stories with nebulous-at-best continuity between 'em.  Seeing the Batbooks as being so tightly knit really exemplifies to me how wrong I was.  This is a good thing in that it makes me really wanna "go deep" and read a whole lot more.

Now the issue itself... my Rupert Thorne experience was all based on the Animated Series.  If I recall, those were some of the less-fun episodes for me growing up, as they didn't normally feature any of the "big" bad guys.  I think Thorne works a whole lot better in the comics... and I really appreciate the way he was depicted in this story.  An illustration that someone so powerful can also be so fragile.  The more people you "use", the more you fear you yourself are being used.  Hugo Strange "apparitions" aside, this was a really neat study in paranoia... and, best of all... it didn't overstay its welcome.

I'd figure if this story was written today, we'd get three issues of Thorne standing by a window, looking into the rainy Gotham night... pondering.  We'd get skatey-eight hundred flashbacks to learn what makes him "tick"... we'd see that his father was mean to him growing up... told him he'd never amount to anything... maybe even took the belt to him a time or two.  By the end of it, we'd be sympathizing with the "Boss", and feel kinda gutted when he gets arrested.  The writer would fall in love with the character, and six months later he'd become a trusted confidant to the Batman.

Well, that paragraph kinda got away from me... ahem.  Like I said, the depiction of paranoia here was neat.  Now, let's add the "prism" of Hugo Strange.  This was skillfully done too... as it, in essence, removed Strange from the list of folks out to get Thorne.  Thorne was so tunnel-visioned on Hugo, that when he learned that he was being "haunted" by a hologram, his mind began racing.  He now needed to know who was not only behind the "hauntings", but also why anyone would be messing with him so.  Really nice bit of storytelling there, if not a touch convenient.

I still think it was kinda weird that Pauling didn't just kill Batman in the office... or, ya know... try to, and get socked in the face for his troubles.  Especially when just three panels after lowering his gun, he presses the "kill" button on his desk.  So weird.

Speaking of weird... Robin, baby... don't remove the cowl in public.  What are you thinking?  I know "we" (readers) needed the reveal... but c'mon, if there was anybody reading this who didn't figure it out, you really didn't deserve a reveal.  I mean, the captions were careful not to refer to him as "Batman" a single time... he was just "the tall man".

The art here is unbelievable.  Don Newton is an artist I've somehow slept on... but, damn I really enjoy his take on everything here.  He's just a great "Gotham" artist... hell, just a great artist, period.  This was a beautiful book... and it's added another line of "grab whatever you can by this artist" to my ever-growing list.

Overall... I had a lot of fun with this one, and I'm sure most Batfans would too.  For your convenience, this issue is available digitally... and if they ever get around to a Tales of the Batman: Don Newton, Volume 2 it might show up there too!

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All-Star Comics #62 (1976)

All-Star Comics #62 (September-October, 1976)
"When Fall the Mighty"
Plot - Gerry Conway
Script - Paul Levitz
Art - Keith Giffen & Wally Wood
Colors - Carl Gafford
Letters - Ben Oda
Cover Price: $0.30

Strangest thing... remember last week when we discussed Justice League of America #124?  It ended with a blurb introducing an ongoing series starring the "Super Squad"... which I had absolutely no knowledge of.  I thought perhaps it was something DC had planned, and just never followed through on...

It was brought to my attention that the Super Squad would appear in All-Star Comics for a short time, and would be comprised of the younger Earth-2 heroes.  Fair enough... maybe I'll have to keep an eye out for those, I sez to myself.

Fast-forward a couple days, and I'm in the middle of my resorting and filing project before we move house this Fall, and as I'm flipping through my JSA box, whattayaknow... I find a few issues of All-Star Comics... featuring the Super Squad!

Let's check one out!

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We open with the members of the Justice Society gathered around the body of Dr. Fate.  He is hooked up to, and being kept alive by some sort of massive contraption.  Turns out he's been (mortally?) wounded by the villainous Vulcan.  Dr. Mid-Nite has located the damage with an infra-red scope, and the Star-Spangled Kid is "willing" the cosmic rod to... do something to help keep Fate going, it isn't quite clear.  Power Girl is (wo)manning the console, and sees an ankh appear in Dr. Fate's mind.

Hawkman and Green Lantern approach, and take a few panels to discuss Dr. Fate's origin.  Alan suggests that perhaps if they were to go to Egypt, they might find some "hidden knowledge" with which they might save Kent.  Hawkman thinks it's a... decent idea, but he has other things he needs to attend to.  Wildcat jokes that he's off to "feed his widdle parakeet"... he's kind of a jerk in this story.  Anyhoo, as Lantern and Hawkman head out, they run into Flash and (the retired) Hourman.  The concoct a plan, Alan and Jay are Egypt-bound, Rex is going to remain with Dr. Fate, and Hawkman's... gonna head home to feed his widdle parakeet.

We shift to the private museum of Shiera and Carter Hall, where there appears to be an intruder lurking about.  After a brief look at Wildcat being sexist toward Power Girl, we return to the museum... the intruder comes across a crate... surrounded by a puddle of melted amber.

Turns out this crate housed the man-monster Zanadu!  It wraps his red-hot hands around the intruder, Dr. Arthur Kliburn's throat.  The resulting scream wakes Shiera Hall a few rooms over.  She rushes in, however, upon seeing the threat, decides discretion might be the better part of valor.  Unfortunately, Zanadu nabs her before she can escape... and the pair vanish!

We pop back in on Jay and Alan as they are traveling over the water.  Alan is especially bloodthirsty at this juncture, stating that he needs "something to fight... something to kill!".  Back with the Society, Wildcat is still being sexist... it's kinda his thing.  Power Girl breaks a vase, which transitions us to Hawkman discovering the crate of melty-amber.  

Hawkman opens his little "chest compact" to alert the Justice Society of the situation... we see Power Girl, Hourman, and Wildcat receiving the call... we also see another person getting the call.  It's a man with graying hair sitting at his desk at the Daily Star newspaper.  Hmm...

In a brief aside, we meet a cloaked man in an Egyptian bazaar.  He is looking to buy a gourd full of some sorta mystical fluid, however, the vendor isn't looking to sell... he's more in the mood for a trade.  The vendor wants the cloaked man's white horse... and so, there's no deal.  I'm gonna assume that this fella is the Shining Knight, but I can't say for sure.

Back at the brownstone, Hawkman is filling the folks in on the amber menace and the disappearance of his wife.  From here we get one of those awesome cross-section pictures of the brownstone itself!  It's always great to see these... wish they'd do them more nowadays.  Anyhoo, as Hawkman blibba-blabbahs, (the Golden Age) Superman arrives!

There's a bit of an awkward confrontation between Superman and Power Girl.  She joined up with the Justice Society "against his orders".  Seems Power Girl's "thing" right now is arguing with everybody.  Fair enough, I guess.  Hawkman grows irritated at the bickering... and suggests they cut it out and follow him, if they're "still interested in justice, that is".  Poor Hourman is told to stay back on guard duty... which leads Rex to reconsidering whether or not he made the right call deciding to don the costume once more.

We shift half a world away... Tokyo, Japan.  We rejoin Zanadu and an entranced Shiera Hall, as the former pontificates his plan to "loose the forces of chaos" and destroy Japan!  As the Society arrives, they find that the people of Tokyo have all been paralyzed.  Superman and Power Girl leap into action.

The Kryptonian cousins confront Zanadu... which the man-beast thinks is pretty laughable.  He draws a wave of lava from a nearby volcano (I'm not sure which one)... and bathes the Man of Steel in it.  The lava hardens... and an inert Superman falls to the ground.

Power Girl don't take too kindly to that... unfortunately, she finds herself sinking into the ground below.  The issue ends with Zanadu possessing Wildcat with a strange tune... which turns him against Hawkman!

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Decent enough issue.  Nothing mind-blowing, but good fun.

It's strange, it kinda feels like they're going for the complete opposite of what folks think of when thinking about the Justice Society.  Early on in the issue there is a caption (of Hourman's thoughts) which reads "The JSA you remember was quieter, more professional".  That's kinda what I always think too, especially for a Society of this vintage.  It seems to me that they went out of their way to make this feel as different as possible from expectations.  I am still something of an All-Star neophyte, so this might be old hat (or complete bunk) to many reading.

In the "not so quiet" "not so professional" department... boy, there was a lot of bickering here.  If it wasn't Wildcat being a boilerplate sexist, it was Power Girl complaining picking fights with everybody about not being taken seriously.  I actually sympathized with Hawkman when he was fed up and all "alright, already... let's go do Justice-y things!"

It was neat to see the Golden-Age Superman... a Superman who couldn't fly, but instead leaps!  So cool to see that.  I'm not sure if I'm just seeing things here, but it also felt like he was drawn in a more Golden Age style... eyes closed when speaking and whatnot.  Actually, I noticed the "closed eyes" thing for several characters during this story.  Neat callback, if in fact it was!

The threat of Zanadu seems kinda "monster of the week" to me.  I always have a difficult time getting invested in baddies like this... as I've mentioned a bunch of times already, it's generic "one off" villains that kept me from really getting into DC Comics when I was a kid.  Not sure why, but it hurt my level of investment.

Overall, a fun enough issue... and despite my minor quibbles, one I'd recommend tracking down (if you're interested in the JSA or Golden Age).  As luck would have it, this adventure is included in SHOWCASE Presents: All-Star Comics, Volume 1 and is also available digitally.

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