Back Issue Box: Action Comics #548

Sometimes you find your joy in the bargain bins. 

Action Comics #548 was sitting in my local comic shop's buck box. There was a whole brick of Superman books from just before the Crisis reset. This was a time when I wasn't reading the Superman books. So these were new to me and that meant I bought a bunch.

But of the ones I have read, Action Comics #548, the first part of a two part story, is my favorite. As a Supergirl mythos fan, as a Superman amateur historian, and as a reverb to the ongoing Kneel Before Zod book, this one just hit me. Too much fun.

Where else will you get a story with Phantom Zone Villains, Jewel Kryptonite, Argo City, the Colossus of Hadrad, and Vrangs? Break out the Superman encyclopedia! Luckily, legendary writer Cary Bates gives us a bit of primer on all these things in this story, filling in gaps for people who aren't as invested in lore as me. 

Surprisingly, despite all those things being in this book, the issue is incredibly padded with Superman stopping muggers, Superman saving people from a scientific experiment gone awry, and the Daily Planet staff getting seemingly random stories to investigate.

Artist Alex Saviuk brings a sort of stiff, old school feel to the proceedings. The usual complaint of this era of Superman books is that it feels antiquated. Indeed, the Byrne reboot injected some life in the Man of Steel. Unfortunately, Saviuk's art is a throwback and definitely added to that sort of dusty feel.

Still, for me, this one is a huge win. Even if Kara isn't exactly in this story, as a Supergirl fan and a Superman fan, this was a find.

The issue opens with a spaceship discovering something interesting floating in space - a city. Before we see the pilots, we hear them talk about how this chunk of planet they have stumbled upon has the same composition of their hated enemies.

Landing on the world, the space crew discover lead sheeting covering radioactive soil. They discover a broken dome, evidence of a meteoroid strike. And then they discover a monument that says that this was Argo City!

ARGO CITY!!! 

Yes, that Argo City! 

Supergirl's birth place! And this is pre-Crisis history! The green Kryptonite soil (actually anti-Kryptonite), the broken dome ... it all jibes with Supergirl's origin.

But let's make things crazier! The alien crew are Vrangs!

Yes ... those Vrangs! The alien invaders that hundreds of years (maybe thousand of years) earlier had conquered Krypton and enslaved the Kryptonians. It was Val-Lor who raised a rebellion to oust the Vrangs!

Insanity! For people like me, this opening scene was a just nirvana!

Superman does something super which really has nothing to do with the story.

Then we head out to deep space where the Phantom Zone villains discover a chunk of Jewel Kryptonite.

And we are talking about the big hitters of the time stumble upon it: General Zod, Jax-Ur, Faora Hu-ul, and Professor Va-Kox.

Now even I didn't know what Jewel Kryptonite did.

Thankfully, Cary Bates knows that. So we get a primer on it. Jax-Ur created it. It can concentrate the mental energy of the Phantom Zone villains from within their prison and convert it to deadly energy. Luckily, Superman was able to destroy the chunk. 

I wish that Bates put in editorial notes to point me in the right direction of the issue these stories appeared in. I know, I can google. Or even go to the Superman Encyclopedia. But I'd love for references for not only this but all the other historical points in this story. 

Now Bates gives us a new wrinkle to Jewel Kryptonite. If the villains concentrate their mind powers, they will use the Kryptonite to open up a portal out of the Phantom Zone.

They vow to free themselves to destroy their most hated foe. And to make sure everyone means business, Zod makes them all take the Sacred Oath of Hadrad, meaning they would die before giving up the battle.

Nice work here by Saviuk showing Zod taking a ceremonial posture as he takes the oath. Nice panel at the bottom showing all the villains concentrating.

But here is the thing. I don't think I have ever heard of Hadrad. A quick search shows it was a Colossus on Krypton and the oath was discussed in Superman #205.

Shades of E. Nelson Bridwell! Bates is pulling out all the stops!

Superman stops some muggers which really has nothing to do with the story.

But we head back to Argo City where the Vrangs have discovered a visual record of the end of Argo City.

We get a quick version of Supergirl's origin including us seeing her rocket fly off.

The Vrangs did not know any Kryptonians survived. They carry a deep hatred of Kryptonians because of their historical loss. And now ... finally ... they can have their revenge. They are able to find an ion trail from Kara's rocket and head to Earth. 

A retelling of Supergirl's origin viewed by Vrangs!!! I tell you, I am giddy!

Four Phantom Zone villains were able to make their way through the portal opened by their concentration and make their way to Earth. 

General Zod and Faora Hu-Ul are there.

But instead of other, more well-known villains, they are joined by Tyb-Ol and Murkk. 

Tyb-Ol and Murkk??  I know cannon fodder when I see it. If these two were in Star Trek, they'd be wearing red shirts.

But it makes sense that the villains would head to Earth to fight their most hated foe. It's Superman, right?

Meanwhile, back in Metropolis ...

Perry White meets with his crack team of reporters and sends them out on what seems like random assignments. 

Jimmy will meet with a politician to talk about budget cuts.

Clark will meet with Sonny Chilwa, the leader of the White Wildcats, a sort of Guardian Angels group that does neighborhood watch in the slums.

And Lois will head to a new upstart company that teaches women self-defense. She'll infiltrate Strike Back!

Give Bates some credit. These side plots are a little wonky but certainly add length to the proceedings. If you take out the pages that don't impact the Vrang/Phantom Zone story at all, you are looking at about 12 pages of story.

Because we get Clark using his powers sneakily to avoid being mugged. And we get a couple of pages of Lois in a martial arts class.

I found it a little interesting that Lois, a master of Klukor, was so easily tossed about by the teacher. 

Of course, it shouldn't be that big a mystery given that we know Faora is on Earth and a master of Horu-Kanu.

And Clark finds out that the White Wildcats are now being helped by a new recruit, 'The Commandant'. And 'The Commandant' has helped them with military tactics as well as supplying them with rocket packs, flight engines of a definitively Kryptonian design. 

The Commandant? Kryptonian rocket packs? And Zod on Earth? No big surprise here either.

But the bigger mystery is why come to Earth and go into hiding? There are 4 super-powered Kryptonians on Earth. Why aren't they destroying everything? Or fighting Kal-El?

You'll have to wait for the explanation, as nutty as it is. 

So yes, this is a very padded story with some rather stiff art. But it is so chock-a-block full of Kryptonian history, including an honest to goodness retelling of Supergirl's origins that I can't help but love it. 

A true dollar box joy.

Overall grade: B+ (but your mileage may vary greatly)