Monday, March 13, 2017

Review: Action Comics #975


Action Comics #975 was labeled a super-sized anniversary issue and certainly delivered a bombshell of a story, revealing at last who the 'new' Clark Kent actually was. I would have never thought this person could be Clark but he was on DC's short list of suspects in an ad from last week and, sadly, the identity was leaked a day before the issue dropped.

Still, even forearmed with the knowledge that Clark turned out to be Mr. Mxyzptlk, the issue read very well. The book is split into two sections. The first story is written by Dan Jurgens with art by Doug Mahnke and show how Clark and Lois learn that Mxy is Clark and has kidnapped Jon. The second half is written by Paul Dini with art by Ian Churchill and gives us Jon and Mxy interacting in some other dimension. The halves read as separate stories but both build on one another. The reveals of Mxy's escape in the second story inform some of what happens in the first and vice versa.

As a fan of Mxy, I liked how Dini really does a good job showing all the manifestations of Mxy as if he is bigger than any universal reboot. He certainly feels a bit more malevolent in this issue. But we see all the stuff Mxy fans want to see and more. We also get him impersonating all sorts of people in Superman's past, one of whom has me scratching my chin.

So we are halfway through Superman Reborn. We know who Clark is. But how does all this roll into the Super-men and who the Man of Steel really is? I have no idea yet.

One last intro comment. I wonder if Clark being Mxy makes my guess that Oz is Vyndktvyx have better odds. On to the book:



Superman and Lois are in Clark's apartment looking for clues. But there doesn't seem to be anything in the place except sugar cereals and a refrigerator filled with soda, ice cream, and other sundae toppings. Whoever Clark is, he likes sweets.

Suddenly Clark appears despite Superman not hearing any other heartbeat. And Clark isn't happy. He keeps complaining about Superman not saving him from a cell. And Clark can stand up against Superman's powers.

It is interesting to hear Clark talk about how he even helped Superman when he arrived. The appearance of Clark made the reveal of The Truth suddenly disappear. Not that anyone wants to remember The Truth ... do we? And I am certainly glad that this Clark did that.

But it was all a trick ... a spell ... hmmm ...


And with that proclamation we get a bunch of splash pages where Clark morphs into other villains, screaming at Superman to say his name. From Luthor to Bizarro to Brainiac to Mongul to Parasite ... he keeps yelling at Superman.

He even becomes the Cyborg Superman ... the Henshaw one! Even Superman is befuddle by this. How could this Cyborg be in the 'New 52 universe' where a different Cyborg existed.

This first half is predominantly these splashes and Mahnke does a great job with them.

But all the 'say my name' stuff gives Superman the answer.I

It's Mr. Mxyzptlk.

Boy, this two page splash gives him a very dark countenance. This isn't a whimsical imp. This is an angry god.

I don't recall Mxy being so obsessed with candy, toys, and nonsense. He might be sophomoric in his humor but I don't think him childish. Is this a new aspect to him? Or am I not remembering this correctly.

But despite the Candyland environment, Mxy is hardly sweet.

He keeps hitting on this idea that Superman forgot him. Superman didn't remember him. So as a result, Mxy will take Jon away so no one will remember him.

Everyone seems to love Jon and he has his own book. But if part of Superman Reborn is to streamline things, putting the two Supermen/two Loises multiple histories to bed, than Jon could be a casualty.

Since at this point we don't know why Mxy is so angry, this seems out of character. He usually isn't this evil.


But he means it.

Lois suddenly doesn't remember Jon, her son.

Now that's scary. This is a great cliffhanger. Both for next issue and this half issue. What could Superman have done to warrant this??


The second story is 'The Man in the Purple Hat' where Mxy tells Jon why he abducted the young hero.

We learn Clark's bedtime stories to Jon were his adventures and that Jon called Mxy 'Mr. Ruppletat'. Mxyzptlk was too tough to say. Ain't that the truth!!

But what I like about this is we see that this Mxy seems to exist throughout all of DC's times. We see a shot pulled right from his first appearance. And we see a more modern story when he turned the Daily Planet building into a living thing.

Multiple prior universes, one Mxyzptlk.

But the last time Mxyzptlk tried to head to Earth to bug Superman, he was teleported away by the blue energy that has been seen throughout Rebirth.

Mr. Oz kidnapped him! And in this 'negative space', Mxy's powers are nullified.

So where is this Negative Space? Is it like the Ghost Zone Prometheus utilized? Is Oz Prometheus??

Oz has plans for Superman and Mxyzptlk is too much of a wild card to be free. Oz had to jail him to keep him off the board.

Mxy assumed Superman would rescue him. But Superman never showed.

And he felt unloved and unwanted when Superman didn't show. Mxy had interacted with all the Supermen on all the worlds. From the animated series (we even saw his girlfriend from STAS here) to Super Powers to Lego, from cartoons to comics, Mxy had seen it all.

I guess in some weird way, he assumed Superman was his friend.

As I said before, I love this idea that as a 5th dimensional imp, he has been part of it all.


It doesn't seem lik Oz tortured Mxy. He just left him there. And when Mxy got crestfallen from being forgotten, he said Klptzyxm. That energy popped him back on Earth.

Fearing Oz would just recapture him, Mxy turned himself into Clark. And to make sure he didn't slip up, he brainwashed himself into playing the part.

Even Mxy has to admit he got confused at some parts. The history of these Supermen is a little confusing at time. Mxy is all of us ... there are some things that just don't fit together but he just rolled with it.

That is until he saw Clark and Lois together. Then it all snapped back. He remembered. And he's not happy.

I love how Jon rationalizes his father's lack of a rescue. Maybe he assumed Mxy grew up. For some reason, I love that wisdom from youth. It is perfect.

But I keep wondering when the kidnapping took place. Should this be a complaint against the dead New 52 Superman? Does the current Man of Steel even know there is a Mxy in this universe?



Even that wisdom doesn't change Mxy mind. He will stay with Jon in this place for eternity. This is what you get when you cross a god.

I can't help but see that first panel and see a riff on the Comedian's button.

Okay, what did I think. I think Mxy is a powerful and frightening menace. He is a threat to Superman. His powers could be used to explain all the things Clark has done. But this seems like a bit of an overreaction. There is a lot of anger here.

And how does this all lead to the origins of the Supermen? And who is Oz? Does Mxyzptlk being here make my guess of Vyndktyvx more likely? Will Mxy be the villain for the rest of this arc?

Good stuff all around. I liked the art throughout. Churchill doesn't seem as precise here but he does a good job aping others takes on Mxy.

Overall grade: B+

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I cannot tell I like "Clark" was Mxy, although I admit that, in hindsight, it makes sense. All that reality-warping stuff? Piece of cake.

Mxy is more sinister and more twisted than usual, nearly at "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?" levels... wait a minute, in that story Mxy also made Superman confront his worst enemies... and since it's implied Mxy is the same through all dimensions... Is this story implying he is THAT Mxyzptlk? He survived? Well, in his mind the Superman Family look like a Curt Swan drawing, so... Yes? Then Earth-One Superman renounced his powers for no reason? Or maybe that story happened in a very different way? Let's remember: During Convergence, Earth-One Superman and Supergirl were pulled from their dimension before the Crisis. And owing to Brainiac's interference, Supergirl survived. Her presence changed the outcome of "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?"?

Okay, now I'm rambling. Moving on. I'm almost sorry for Mxy. Almost. Apparently he actually thought Superman and he were pals, friendly enemies... and then he finds out the harshest possible way that Superman regarded him as a pest.

How ironic -or proper- that his "Clark" persona questioned why Superman would save his enemy (Luthor).

How cute. Mxyzptlk claims he lets Superman believe he tricks him into saying Kltpzyxm. Of course you do, Mxy, of course you do.

Nonetheless, Jon is right. Should his father have found about Mxy's imprisonment, he would have helped him.

Of course, Mxy doesn't want to listen, and his last lines suggest me that he spends too much time hanging out with the Joker.

I doubt Jon dies, though. But her own son's memory being erased from Lois mind... that's frightening stuff.

(And scarily familiar to Spidey fans)

"But I keep wondering when the kidnapping took place. Should this be a complaint against the dead New 52 Superman? Does the current Man of Steel even know there is a Mxy in this universe?"

Hmm... If I remember correctly, Mxy hadn't been seen since Countdown (I know, I know. I'm sorry for bringing Countdown up). Maybe he got kidnapped shortly after? Mr. Oz wanted him out of the metaphorical chessboard before the creation of the Prime Earth reality so that Mxy didn't disrupt the new universe? But it'd suggest Mr. Oz is responsible for the reality changing. Is he controlling or influencing Dr. Manhattan somehow?

"I can't help but see that first panel and see a riff on the Comedian's button."

Oh, great. Now I cannot unsee it.

"Does Mxyzptlk being here make my guess of Vyndktyvx more likely?"

Maybe. We'll see.

Martin Gray said...

Very insightful review, as ever, Anj, especially the button business. I'm with you on the candy, it seems more Toyman than Mxy, I can't remember kiddiness ever being a part of his character.

I thought Henshaw Cyborg Superman made sense as he was pulling from the old history this Superman knows.

Great comments from Anon, the WHTTMOT super-evil Mxy crossed my mind but I discounted him from the All-Mxy matrix because, 'Aren't They All' aside, he was from an imaginary story rather than an altered reality. Hey, comics, I get to choose!

Anonymous said...

Insightful review Anj, I do wonder whether your theory on Mr Oz being Vyndktvyx instead of Ozymandias will come true.

As for why there was a New 52 Mxy, Jurgens said in an interview with Newsarama that "I like to think of Mr. Mxyzptlk as a constant with different shades of possibilities. That isn’t an elusive answer so much as it is that with Mxy, all things are possible." Honestly that is an elusive answer Dan since the New 52 timeline wasn't exactly streamlined but I can forgive it.

I doubt Jon is on the chopping block or going anywhere any time soon. He's part of the reason why the Superman comics have a fresh feel to them and he's in the Super Sons comic which doesn't seem like it will be cancelled. Plus he's in the solicits for the post Reborn Superman comics. I predict Superman Reborn will be the anti One More Day where instead of erasing a marriage and family, Mxy will bring back Jon and integrate the older Superman and Lois into the current DCU. Mark my words.

Louis

Anonymous said...

"Hey, comics, I get to choose!"

The capability to make your own headcanon is practically a required super-power if you are a Marvel and/or DC fan.

"As for why there was a New 52 Mxy, Jurgens said in an interview with Newsarama that "I like to think of Mr. Mxyzptlk as a constant with different shades of possibilities. That isn’t an elusive answer so much as it is that with Mxy, all things are possible." Honestly that is an elusive answer Dan since the New 52 timeline wasn't exactly streamlined but I can forgive it."

That statement is definitely vague. Oh, man, the editors of the DC Comics Database Wiki are going to have a headache what with the necessity to change dozens of character pages if it's finally revealed that New Earth and Prime Earth (the Post-Crisis and Post-Flashpoint universes respectivelly) are one and the same.

"I predict Superman Reborn will be the anti One More Day where instead of erasing a marriage and family, Mxy will bring back Jon and integrate the older Superman and Lois into the current DCU."

I've been a Spider-Man fan for nearly so long as I've been a Superman fan. IF the Super-cousins are surely my favorite DC characters, Spidey is probably my favorite Marvel character. I've been a Peter/MJ shipper since the late 80's. I read and enjoyed Spider-Girl. And I hate "One More Day" and what came after.

My point is Superman Reborn being the anti-OMD would please me greatly. I've already seen Spidey fans pointing to Superman being a married man and a father and stating "See?".

Geez, I remember fondly the last panel of "Superman vs the Amazing Spider-Man": Clark, Lois, Peter and MJ going out to have dinner together. By the way, that particular universe is Earth-7642, and Spider-Man keeps married in that reality. Clearly, his Kryptonian pals took care of Mephisto when/if he attempted to approach Peter.

Nobile said...

I personally chose to accept WHTTMOT as the real epilogue of Silver/Bronze age Superman, not an imaginary story, but, alas, evidence is against me. In the final pages we get a spot of Wonder Woman among other JLA members mourning Superman, but WW had "died" during COIE, reverting to clay. So unless she was somehow revived in the meantime, we are on a yet different timeline.
Of course, Mxy is probably capable of crossing to imaginary universes as well, so it could still be him. Furthermore, as in dimensions above 4th time no longer follows the causality principle, you can not say if that happened before or after the events of AC#975: Mxy is all his versions at the same time, from his point of view.

And that's pretty much it for pseudoscience babbling...

(Or, Mxy could have been so disappointed by his demise in WHTTMOT, that he could have rebooted the short lived post-Crisis New Earth into the post-Legends one!)