Review: Superman The Wedding Album 30th Anniversary Special

As many people who read this blog are aware, I am old.

In the recent years, DC has recognized that there have been major events in their universe that have happened quite sometime ago.  And knowing perhaps that there are old timers like me who remember those days fondly, they have put out specials to commemorate them.  I suppose they hope that these events continue to have an impact on the universe today and that new fans therefore will be intrigued in reading these anniversary specials.

The latest book to "get the band back together" is Superman The Wedding Album 30th anniversary Special #1.  Much like prior issues looking back at "The Death of Superman" Special  and "The Return of Superman" Special, this book brings many of those classic creators back. Seeing Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove, Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett, and Dan Jurgens and Jerry Ordway back with Superman is always amazing. Throw in newbies Rainbow Rowell and Cian Tormey on the opening chapter adds some new blood. It all works, bringing back the feel of those halcyon days. We even get side plots!

Outside of the New 52, the Superman and Lois marriage has remained intact and a vital part of the mythology for these 30 years.  So being able to celebrate again made me smile.  Of course, there needs to be a story built around this and the creators do a good job working in a beloved villain who is desperately trying to celebrate but ends up reverting to his more mischievous ways.  Who better to bring some fun than Mr. Mxyzptlk. The story also does a great job bringing in Jon has a key part of the story.  Obviously children often want to know the history of their parents.  Having John attempting to help his parents celebrate was another nice touch.

I have enjoyed these specials immensely and I continue to hope that they put them out.  I do wonder how they sell.  Of course, that we will determine whether or not there are more in the future than anything else.

On to the book.

Review: Adventures of Superman #440

It is hard to believe that Sophie Campbell has somehow brought the concept of a Matrix Supergirl back into the mainstream continuity. One thing that I have loved about Campbell's run has been her respect and honoring of the Supergirl mythos. Matrix was Supergirl for almost a decade. I liked the Matrix Supergirl and the arc and growth she had. So I am thrilled to see what Campbell is going to do with her.

It's also hard to believe that it has been 7 years since I did a run on this site called 'Matrix Monday', a side project where I reviewed the history of the Matrix Supergirl. Kara Zor-El was gone from the DCU and in the post-Crisis Superman universe, just about three later, a new 'Supergirl' arrived. 

I recently realized I missed a couple of those early appearances when Supergirl had just been discovered in the Antarctica ice, didn't know who she was, and was trying to figure out her mission on this Earth. This was a true mystery! Who was this person? John Byrne and the super-creators were slowly leaking out information, one subplot page at a time.  It started in Superman #16. Here in Adventures of Superman #440 some very interesting clues are revealed.

We are also only about 18 months into the John Byrne reboot when Byrne was still rebuilding and modernizing so much of the Superman mythos. After spending some of those early issues doing reboot or homage issues, we were now into more original takes. In this issue, we get a very interesting early moment between Batman and Superman. This was still a sort of new relationship in this post-Crisis world.

I plan to do cover the Adventures of Superman lead-in pages, filling in the beginning of the Matrix story, before the Supergirl Saga.. I won't be covering this entire issue just some key moments. We'll see how the rest of the issues play out.

Jerry Ordway is on art and these issues remind me why he is called Extraordinary. Everything shines here. I also like this cover, drawn by Dave Gibbons with Ordway on inks! Superman smiling when shrugging off lightning is always a great image. We have seen it a million times.

Going all the way back to the first 'It tickles' cover from Superman #33. Amazing!

On to Adventures #440!

Terrificon Wrap-Up #2: Scott Kolins Commission And More Sigs

We are about 3 weeks past Terrificon, my primary comic convention and the best con I go to. As usual, this year had a great list of creators and celebrities. I was busy all three days, a sign that I had a lot to see and do.  You can read my first recap here.

Scott Kolins was one of the earlier guests announced and when I saw his name, I knew he would be at the top of my list of potential commissions. I really love Kolin's art style. It is very dynamic and energetic, packed with motion lines and energy crackle. It feels rough which adds to the that frenzy. His books really bring you into the action.  I loved his stuff on The Flash, a natural character for him to do given his style. But I also loved him on JL 3001, a sort of pastiche of DC's history written by the dream team of Giffen and DeMatteis. 

I reached out to Kolins on social media before the show asking if he sketches at the show, approximate prices, and availability. I told him he would be the first table I'd head to in order to get on the list and I meant it.

Check out the commission! I said Kolin's brings energy and this is one of the most action-oriented commissions I have. Supergirl smiling and diving out of the page, flying right at you. Love her smiling expression. Impressively, Kolins really filled the page of the sketch book. This is a great piece to add to the collection.

Amazing Heroes #136 And Jerry Ordway

Earlier this month, I reviewed Amazing Heroes #136, including some interesting comments from Jerry Ordway and Mike Carlin about the (then) upcoming Supergirl Saga, the ideas around the new Supergirl character and the Pocket Universe from where she came.

I had a few questions percolating in my brain, especially knowing how that whole storyline ultimately played out, with John Byrne leaving, Matrix going mad and eventually becoming Supergirl, and the utter destruction of the the Pocket Universe.

I reached out to Jerry Ordway who was kind enough to answer most of my questions and provide his recollections on things. 

As a long time fan, the peek into the creative process is always appreciated. So I can't thank Mr. Ordway enough for sharing! Here is the brief interview.

Anj: How far did this 'Power Girl' idea go? A mention? A deep discussion? Matrix IS found in the Arctic. Was that piece of your pitch kept? Or just coincidence?

Jerry Ordway: The Power Girl idea was likely only a brief paragraph I wrote out, to pitch as a story.
My Power Girl idea became Supergirl being found in the arctic. 

Amazing Heroes #136 - Superman at 50 and 'The Supergirl Saga'

One of the holiday presents I got this year was a copy of Amazing Heroes #136, a Superman-centric issue celebrating the Man of Steel's 50th birthday. 

I am a big fan of Amazing Heroes and definitely have been looking in back issue bins for ones that cover interesting topics for me so this was a gold mine. The issue includes a section where comic professionals give brief reflections on why they love Superman. There is a 'gallery' section of Superman pics from up-and-comers including one from a some guy named Adam Hughes who is about to break on the scene.

But for me, the article I found most interesting was an interview with Superman editor Mike Carlin and Superman creator Jerry Ordway about the state of Superman in the DCU and some upcoming storylines. The biggest one on the horizon at that point? The Supergirl Saga.

Remember, we were only about 2 years into the Byrne reboot so things were still a bit fresh. The Superman line was still settling in. Hearing Carlin and Ordway's thoughts, especially knowing where things end up going, was interesting. 

But far and away, the look back at the origin of the 'Supergirl Saga', the publicity for it, and how it seemed a bit still in flux is fascinating for this Supergirl fan. 

On to the details.

Review: Zero Hour 30th Anniversary Special

When you get to be as old a comic fan as I am, major comic events from the past become history and begin to celebrate pretty big anniversaries. 

I was already in my 20s when Zero Hour first hit the stands, DC's valiant effort to tidy up some of the timeline conundrums that spun out of the Crisis On Infinite Earths. So trust me, I felt pretty old when I saw the Zero Hour 30th Anniversary issue hit the stands. 

I wasn't sure how the story would play out. Would this be some side adventure within Zero Hour? Some untold tale? Or something Zero Hour adjacent, adding to the story.

Turns out it is the latter. Writer Ron Marz and Dan Jurgens bring us a Kyle Rayner story, set in an offshoot universe which is both familiar to the DC world of the 90s but also quite different. Do you want a world where Superman stayed dead, Batman stayed paralyzed, and Wonder Woman is missing? A world where Matrix, Donna Troy, and Barbara Gordon are the Trinity? Then this book is for you! Do you want to see Hal as Parallax? Jack Knight as Starman? A classic Fatal Five and Legion? Waverider? Then this book is for you. 

And I suppose for someone like me, this book is for me. It brought me back to that time, let me enjoy seeing these characters (in a way) again, and have some fun.

Add to that the incredible bevy of veteran artists on the book. Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, Paul Pelletier, Kelley Jones, Darryl Banks, Howard Porter, and Tom Grummett all are here. I got to see Grummett's Matrix Supergirl again. Ordway on Infinity Inc characters. Kelley Jones haunting Gotham, and Jurgens drawing a version of the JLA again. 

On to the book! Get ready for some Parallax-ction!

Brainiac Who's Who Pages

With House of Brainiac showcasing all the forms of Brainiac and with my recent review of Action Comics #544, I was struck with how much Brainiac has changed over time. One of the ways I sort of try to catalog the changes on this site is to look back at some of the official biographies of characters ... the Who's Who pages.

We'll start with the original, the mid-Crisis 1985 Who's Who. This issue was on the racks just 2 years after Action Comics #544 and the same month as Crisis on Infinite Earths #6.  So this version of Brainiac was relatively new. 

This is a nice page with art by Ed Hannigan, the designer of the new form. There is a nice retelling of his origin, a 12th level intelligence construct sent out by the Coluan computer tyrants to reconnoiter worlds for them to conquer. Given Vril Dox as a pseudo-son to cement the humanoid persona.  I forgot about that aspect of his origin to be honest.

But this catches us up to the recent change to this emotionless 'unique organic' life form with infinite technology at his disposal. 

While this version only was around for 5 years or so, it struck a chord. I am glad this design remains around today either in the Brainiac ship form or the drone soldiers look. 

But the changes didn't stop there.

Matrix Monday (On Wednesday): Jerry Ordway's Matrix Design

As a long time reader and a longtime Supergirl fan, I really enjoy peeking behind the curtain of the creative process. 

After the Crisis, we went a while without a Supergirl. And then Matrix came around, a sort of stand-in Supergirl. Matrix was the protoplasmic creation of Lex Luthor in the pocket universe, based on Lana Lang. I was a little skeptical of Matrix when she first arrived but her character journey was fantastic (one I chronicled about 4 years ago with Matrix Mondays).

I assumed that the plan was always to have Matrix become Supergirl (even though she pretended to be Clark and sort of disappeared for a while). 

But over on X/Twitter, I read this Jerry Ordway tweet and his ideas about Matrix. I figured this was Supergirl adjacent and therefore worth re-posting here. See the pic above and then his thoughts on this 'new character'. 

Review: Return Of Superman 30th Anniversary Special

Last week, the Return of Superman 30th Anniversary Special came out, a square bound, ten dollar tome looking back at the Reign of the Superman story. DC did a good job getting the band back together. Dan Jurgens, Louise Simonson, Karl Kesel are back writing. Ordway, Jurgens, Jon Bogdanove, and Tom Grummett are on art chores for the flashbacks with Travis Moore doing the framework story. Only Roger Stern and Jackson Guice are missing.

I suppose this book was written for people like me who lived through the 'Reign of' and the 'Return of' Superman. This book looks back at the time when the real Superman was dead, there were 4 Supermen running around, and readers were wondering if any of them were the Superman.

Jurgens handles the framework story of Lois reading from Perry White's journal from that time period and his reactions to the different Supermen. It was quite fun to look back at then the Cyborg Superman, Steel, Superboy, and the Eradicator were relatively unknown. Seeing Perry fall for the Cyborg's pretending to be Superman brought back memories of buddies who thought so too. (I had my money on the Eradicator ... as usual I was wrong.)

But it is the flashback stories where we see those characters in the early stages of their careers that was the most fun. I loved all the Superman books then. I loved the Kesel/Grummett Superboy. So the nostalgia engine was cranked up reading these books.

When it all is said and done, there is a nice sentiment to the story, a reminder that the real Superman is the standard other try to live up to. 

This was pretty pricey but I gobbled it up. 

On to some details.

Crisis On Infinite Earths #7 Fallout: Back Issue #147

I'm a giant fan of Back Issue magazine and how it looks back at the Silver and Bronze Age of comics. The Bronze Age was my formative era for comics so reading in depth articles on characters, runs, and creators is like comfort food. I consider myself an amateur comic historian so this book only adds to my knowledge.

This month is Back Issue's 20th anniversary and they celebrated with a George Perez Tribute issue. This was a great look back at Perez's career from his time at Marvel through his Wonder Woman reboot and everywhere in between.

For me, I had a particular interest and hope. Surely Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 was going to be discussed somewhere in the book. I didn't agree back then that Supergirl needed to die. But I can't deny that COIE #7 is an incredible and historic issue. It showcased Supergirl as the hero she was. And it cemented her place in the annals of comics. 

Part of the magazine was a look at 20 of Perez's most memorable issues. I really liked this section because mixed in with the historic books (like Crisis or JLA #200) were random issues of Marvel Two-In-One and the Flash, picked because the author recognized Perez's brilliance in some way. 

This piece, written by Dan Johnson, was a nice look at the double sized issue. But there were some things in here that stuck out to me as a Supergirl fan.

Review: The Death Of Superman 30th Anniversary Special, Pt 2

The Death of Superman 30th Anniversary Special came out last week and it was chock full of great stuff. I covered the Dan Jurgens story earlier this week. That was a solid tale, a flashback to a time when Jon was still a tweener and learning about the famous Death story. Baked within that was a bunch of homage panels as Jurgens introduces the story to a whole new generation of fans.

What I love about the rest of this book is that it also looks backwards but now to the actual time of the Death of Superman. And it also brings back a bunch of the major creators of the time, allowing them another swing. Even better, it has those creators once more writing some of the characters they are best known for. As an old time fan, and in particular a fan of this classic arc, this was just wonderful.

Jerry Ordway and Tom Grummett give us a story focusing on the Kents. Ma and Pa are witnessing the Doomsday fight and reminisce on a little known aspect of Clark's heroism.

Roger Stern and Jackson Guice give us a Guardian, Dubbilex, and Metropolis SCU story. I didn't know I needed another Guardian and Dubbilex story. I did know I needed to see more Guice art.

Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove give us a deeper look into John Henry Irons origin and how he always has had the art of the hero. 

And if that wasn't enough, we get a bunch of pin-ups, including one I'll highlight below. 

It is a hefty $10.99. But you know what? It was worth it.

On to the book. 

Review: Death Metal: The Secret Origin

I say it often but I'll say it again. I am very thankful for the community of comic fans that I call friends. Often times, they will tell me about books I should be getting and reading.

For the umpteenth time, I have to thank blog friend Martin Gray for tell me that I shouldn't pass on Death Metal: The Secret Origin. I have, for the most part, been avoiding the Metal event. When I saw this was a Superboy Prime book, a character I never thought I would want to see again, I figured this would definitely be a book to keep on the shelves. 

Instead, what we get is the redemption story this character needed. 

As someone old enough to have bought the DC Comics Presents issue which introduced Prime, I liked his innocence and his role in Crisis on Infinite Earths. So I definitely was miffed when he was turned into a sadistic monster in Infinite Crisis and beyond. (Don't get me started on the tarnishing of the Earth-2 Superman.)

I came to hate this character and all he represented for DC. He was the poster child of the darkening of the DCU.

But I trust Martin so I plunked down my money and read this book. It certainly has a deep bench of talent attached to it. Scott Snyder, Geoff Johns, Francis Manapul, Jerry Ordway, Paul Pelletier, and Ryan Benjamin. That's talent. 

So let's dive into this book, a delightful surprise.

Matrix Monday: Adventures Of Superman #444

Last week I began the idea of Matrix Mondays,  a spotlight on some of the pieces of the Matrix Supergirl's history which I haven't covered during the 10 plus years of this site.

First stop is The Supergirl Saga, the storyline which brought back a Supergirl to the DCU. Last week I covered chapter one in Superman #21. Today we'll dive right into the second chapter in Adventures of Superman #444, by writer John Byrne and art team of Jerry Ordway and Dennis Janke.

This was an interesting time in the DC Universe. The Crisis was only a couple of years in the past. The idea of something being pre-Crisis or post-Crisis was still fresh in readers' minds. And the long-reaching continuity ramifications were still being discovered. It also meant that if creators wanted to take one last look back, they could do so. Readers still remembered infinite Earths.

Ahhh ... but we should have been able to remember. There was only one universe throughout time after the Crisis. As a result, if you wanted to cobble together some sort of coherent patch in Legion continuity, you would come up with the concept of a 'pocket universe', a slice of time/space that wasn't a whole universe.

Please pass the ibuprofen.

Still, something had to be done to fix the Legion. So here we are.

This issue does what a middle chapter is supposed to do, filling in the details of a story while setting up a satisfactory ending. This issue is basically a flashback of the Pocket Universe Earth and what happened after the death of Superboy in the Baxter Legion book. It does give artist Jerry Ordway the opportunity to revisit Silver Age looking elements of the DCU. Nothing like old school Quex-Ul to make a long time Superman fan happy!

And we get just a smidge more of this Supergirl.

But this is an info dump in preparation of the finale's conflagration.

One last note. I love that the cover of this issue is basically the first panel of the story. Here is Superman kneeling at the graves of the Kents who on this world have passed.

On to the book.

Supergirl On The Big Screen?

Between work, conventions, and reviews, I am a bit behind on some Supergirl news. Better late than never I suppose.

About a week ago, news spread across the internet that a Supergirl big screen movie was being bandied about. This is about the most bare-boned of a rumor as you can get. No producer. No director. Someone tagged to be the screen writer. But maybe where there is smoke?

Here is a link to Deadline Hollywood's coverage:
https://deadline.com/2018/08/supergirl-movie-warner-bros-dc-comics-universe-oren-uziel-script-superman-1202440687/

And here is a blurb:
Warner Bros and DC are developing a feature film based around Supergirl, the heroine and cousin of Superman. Oren Uziel is working on the script, I’ve confirmed.

There is no producer on Supergirl at this point. According to DC mythology, the character was a teen when she escaped the doomed planet Krypton along with the infant who grew up as Clark Kent. Supergirl has been played by Melissa Benoist in the Greg Berlanti Warner Bros series creation that heads into Season Four on the CW.

Finding a different way back to the Superman universe through Supergirl reflects the differing mindset of DC priority titles to be a bit out of the box, and away from a slate which, with the notable exception of the Patty Jenkins-directed Wonder Woman, has resulted in too many films that have been leaden, dark, and not that fun. And expensive — Man of Steel, Batman Vs Superman and Justice League carried around $800 million in production budgets to gross a collective $2.1 billion, according to reported budget estimates.

My thoughts up next!

Happy Anniversary! Top Ten List of Top Supergirl Moments of the Last 10 Years

It is absolute insanity to realize that I have been blogging about Supergirl for ten years now. I hope I have maintained the passion for her and DC in the entries that made me think of starting a site to begin with.

One of my favorite posts to do each year is my 'Best Moments' of the year. I review all of the comics Supergirl appeared in, I make a file of all the biggest moments from those reviews. I then prune what is usually a big folder of 30-40 moments down to something like 12-15 of the best. And then from there, I pick honorable mentions and rank a top ten.

With my tenth year anniversary approaching, I realized I had done ten "end of the year" 'Best Moments' posts. And that means I had my ten #1 Supergirl moments for the past decade.

So I thought, as a celebration of my anniversary, I would look at the #1 Supergirl moments for the last ten years and then rank them, making a Top Ten of the Top Ten list. This would therefore create an ultimate #1 Supergirl moment for the last decade!

A couple of caveats. One, I limited this to the actual #1 moments I picked each year. With the passage of time, I don't know if I would rank them as a #1 now. But I have to keep them. Two, I not only ranked them based on overall importance to the character but also my personal reaction to the moment. If this floored me but now is forgotten, it still might rank high.

So settle in for the Top Ten Supergirl moments of the last decade, based on my #1 Supergirl moments for each of the last 10 years. And settle in ... because I discuss each moment!

Terrificon

We are rapidly approaching my convention season and while Boston Comic Con has always been my main show, this year the incredible guest list for the nearby Terrificon lured me across state borders.

I am very excited for this show and have really had a hard time preparing for it. There are some great creators going to this show. As I have said in prior convention posts, I try to limit the books I take to get signed by a creator to a maximum of 10. But some of my favorite creators, who I have followed for decades, are coming to this show. And so limiting my sig list to the aformentioned 10 books has become something of a conundrum!

And, as usual, there are some artists at the show that I am hoping to grab commissions from. As usual, it is all about the timing. I haven't been able to line anything up beforehand so far so I also think I will need a little luck.

So who am I going to see?

Back Issue Box: Adventures of Superman #499

In Superman Rebirth #1, the pre-Flashpoint Superman and Lana Lang head to the New 52 Superman's tomb to enter and move the body. Lana is there to move the body, to bury it on the Kent farm. The pre-Flashpoint Superman is there to take the body to the regeneration matrix to revive the body. After all, the pre-Flashpoint Superman had died and been restored in that way.

The whole scene reminded me of Funeral For A Friend, the arc that happened in the immediate aftermath of the Death of Superman. In that story, the world was reeling from the death of Superman, grieving. But there were other forces at work, many of them nefarious. People wanted the body for their own purposes. I am sure, Superman Rebirth #1intentionally was crafted to call back to this.

Wanting to look back at Funeral For A Friend, wanting to revisit a scene at the tomb, and wanting to showcase Supergirl (this is a Supergirl blog), I thought I would review Adventures of Superman #499.

Before we get to the story, a couple of comments. One, I really love Funeral For A Friend. Death of Superman had many wonky story beats (Doomsday heads to Metropolis because he overhears a wrestling commercial?). Reign of Superman (which I also love) has huge action sequences, the mysteries of the four replacements, and the return of Superman. Funeral takes a pause to let us see how the loss of Superman hits everyone. It really is a character driven arc, even if it has its own action sequences.

And I'll remind people that I think that Funeral For A Friend is the turning point for the Matrix Supergirl. The arc starts with her as the subservient lover and ends with her questioning Lex and moving towards being an independent hero. We see her take the next step in Reign of Supermen. But this chapter is when she is still naive to be listening to Lex completely.

Written by Jerry Ordway, with art by the stellar Tom Grummett and Doug Hazelwood, here is Adventures of Superman #499.

Review: Adventures Of Superman #17

Adventures of Superman #17 came out this week, the last issue of this title which has been a true joy for me. For the last year and a half I could count on this book for showcasing a classic take on Superman, an inspirational figure, a true hero. And this book always seemed to come out just when something particularly odious happened in the main books. Ranging from straightforward 'Supes fighting Brainiac' to more philosophical treatises on Superman as immortal hero, this book stretched my mind and made me glad to be a Superman fan again.

And so it was with a sad heart that I see this book come to an end.

But what a way to end. We have three very different stories, each of high quality, proving that in the right hands we can have a cosmic Superman, a Superman horror story, and a Superman romance story. The next time I hear someone tell me Superman is boring or that you can't tell a compelling Superman story, I'm going to hand them this issue.

Just fantastic stories and from great creators. Jerry Ordway and Steve Rude. Steve Niles and Matthew Dow Smith. Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine DeLandro. It is a perfect lineup for this title's swan song.

The first story is written by Jerry Ordway and drawn by Steve Rude, two creators I have complimented many many times on this site. There is something timeless about Superman and Rude's style has that timeless feel to it. I mean, just look at this panel as Superman streaks to stop a massive asteroid from crashing into Earth. Beautiful.

But knowing that OMAC was going to be in the story was bonus. Rude has always shined when doing Kirby.

Landing on the satellite, Superman is startled to see a robot assemble itself and start a fight.

There is something amusing about seeing Superman, under rubble, cape over his head, wondering why every robot he encounters starts a fight.

But this is more than just your standard robot. This thing can somehow has Kryptonite and actually gets the upper hand.

That is, until OMAC arrives. And it is the classic OMAC. Not evil robots. Not the finny New 52. Buddy Blank, sent by Brother Eye back in time to rescue Superman and stop robot G-7.

This just screams Kirby. The poses, the line work. Classic.

It turns out that G-7 was sent from the future to kill Superman. The hope being that without Superman as a symbol of hope and selflessness that Brother Eye and OMAC would not exist allowing the nefarious villains from the future to reign supreme.

Luckily, with OMAC's help Superman survives and the bomb is brought back to the future where OMAC uses it to blow up the headquarters of Dr. Skuba (the villain of the piece).

"The great heroes of the past have inspired us to pursue justice for the oppressed Brother Eye."

This is why I love this book.

But the last panel is great as well, showing the inspiration as it exists. After all a satellite saw the asteroid coming and a one-man-army-corps named Superman was sent to stop it.

Now I love Ordway and I really love Rude. But this was just the appetizer in this book.

"Ghosts of Krypton was the next story in the issue, written by horror specialist Steve Niles with moody art by Matthew Dow Smith.

In this story, Superman is the dedication of a moon base when a ghost from Krypton's past arrives. It turns out that this astronaut also left a dying Krypton and was rocketing to Earth. But he died during the trip, crashing on the moon.

With the usual powers of a poltergeist, this ghost begins to shake the foundations. And then he sets his eyes on Kal, wondering why he hasn't conquered Earth.

You know, call me old fashioned, but I still like to think of Krypton as a peaceful, advanced society and not a bunch of expansionists.

Superman finds the actual body of the ghost and then says ...

"I am of both worlds. Krypton is in my soul. But Earth has my heart."

That is why I love this book.

And rather than fight this specter, Superman decides to help it. He reunites the body and soul of this explorer and gives it a burial. Incredible.

It turns out Pa gave Clark some advice about ghosts, about how they only have the power you give them. And that helped in a pinch.

So science fiction Superman story? Check.
Horror Superman story? Check.

How about some romance to close the book?

"Mystery Box" is written by Kelly Sue DeConnick, one of my favorites. And there is wonderful understated art by Valentine DeLandro on the piece.

Now people have heard me lament the treatment of Lois Lane in the New 52 for the last 3 years. And, much like I look for a classic Superman in this book, I also get to see a more classic take on Lois as well. Thanks goodness Adventures and Smallville are around for Lois fans!

We start out almost with an Bond movie teaser, Lois in disguise, running from bad guys, jumping out of a moving car and into a propeller plane. It's almost a riff on Indiana Jones!

Just a perfect opening hook!

And then we find out it's Valentine's Day later in the week and Lois has given Superman a mystery box. It is small, leadlined, wrapped.

And so begins a mystery. What should she have given him?

And more importantly what should he give her?

It leads to an interesting travelogue through the DCU as Superman asks friends - Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman - what the box could be and what should he get her.

The answers are hysterical. And frankly, I'm not sharing. You need to buy this issue to see those scenes.

But the end scene is fantastic and deserves to be shared. Lois and Superman are at nice romantic picnic for Valentine's Day.

So Superman presents Lois with his gift to her, in a little velvet box.

The progression of the panels is great. First some incredulity by Lois - 'seriously'. Would Superman ever get on one knee and propose?

The that middle panel, wide smile, you know she thinks it is going to be an engagement ring.

Then the look of disappointment. But also a hint of annoying. He got her a watch? Not exactly romantic!

The art is sooo wonderful here. That expression in the third panel is perfect.

But there is more, Superman's watch is made from pieces of her most recent adventures. And it doesn't tell time because he will wait for Lois. Their love is timeless.

Again, great middle panel art here with Lois smiling wide.

She then gives Superman her gift again.

It turns out it is a box that can't be opened. Her gift was a mystery ... something rare for Supergirl.

But this is the best part ... at least for me.

Lois is giving this long prepared speech about how awesome her gift is when Superman starts laughing.

Initially Lois seems irked. Is he laughing at her? But then he brings back the romance as he says she is a constant mystery for him. He didn't need the box.

Wow.

A happy, loving Superman and Lois. Complete with a little adventure and romance. And the art captures it so effortlessly!

It is just fantastic. And it makes the perfect capstone for this book. Because who knows if we will ever see this Lois and Superman in a New 52 book.

So a trilogy of stories showing how great Superman could be in multiple genres. And just like that Adventures of Superman is over.

And it will be missed. Thanks to Alex Antone, the editor of this book, for crushing it for a year and a half.

Overall grade (issue): A+
Overall grade (series): A

Supergirl in The Death Of Superman

With Superman Doomed heating up, I thought I would review Supergirl's history back in the original Doomsday story Death of Superman, from way back in 1992. Now, I freely admit that this particular arc reads a bit clunky early on. Running through Superman, Action Comics, Adventures of Superman, Man of Steel, and even Justice League of America, this arc reads silly in some places.

It really is the following arcs - Funeral for a Friend and Reign of the Supermen - that really shine.

But this is the Doomsday arc. And as such, we see Doomsday plodding towards destiny and wiping out pretty much every superhero that runs into him. From Guy Gardner to Maxima to Bloodwind (!!) to even lightweights like Fire, Ice, and Booster Gold all get trashed. And Superman skirmishes with Doomsday throughout the arc, leading up to the fatal battle in the streets of Metropolis.

So where was Supergirl during all this?

Well, this was the end of a low time for Supergirl. This was the Matrix Supergirl, protoplasmic creation from a pocket universe. She had returned to Earth as a slave of Brainiac. After being freed from his control, she became to girlfriend of Lex Luthor II (actually a young clone of the original Lex). And she basically loved him to the point of being overly obedient and defensive of him.

She still had a good heart, wanting to good, but all too often deferred to his whims.

So here, with Doomsday just starting to tear up the countryside, she want to go out and lend a hand, helping the falling heroes. But Lex doesn't want her to go saying he needs her nearby and ready to defend Metropolis.

(I do love how Tom Grummett drew her.)

Later on, the fight becomes even grimmer. Superman isn't winning. And people are getting hurt.

Again, Supergirl feels like she needs to rush out to help.

But once again, Lex tells her that she shouldn't rush out. It is Metropolis that needs her, not the outskirts of the city.

(I also loved the way Jackson Guice drew her during this time. Really lovely.)

The fight ends up in Metropolis. And Superman is really getting pounded.

Finally ... FINALLY ... Supergirl decides that she can't let Superman fight Doomsday alone. She flies out to his defense ... with Lex's permission of course.

Get ready for some action ...

(Jon Bogdanove is on art here.)

Actually ... there isn't much action.

Supergirl flies out into battle and is dispatched with one left hook.

And that has to be one of the more jarring panels I have ever seen.

Remember she is a protoplasmic being. So this punch is so great, it disrupts her ability to hold her shape!

And Bogdanove really plays up that power, having Supergirl/Matrix's eyes literally pop out of her face.

This was the power of Doomsday.

This moment, and this time period, was indeed a low point. But it also was a turning point.

Throughout Funeral for a Friend and Reign of the Supermen, Supergirl really emerges stronger, more independent, and more heroic. She plays a key role in the siege on Engine City, and really shines throughout.

For a more recent and more Kryptonian Supergirl fighting a Doomsday, I'll refer you toJames Robinson's Superman/Batman Annual #5 from a couple of years ago.

Back Issue Review: Action Comics Annual #2

In Superman #32, Geoff Johns shows us a mysterious cloaked man observing Superman in battle, talking about teaching Clark. Johns then has his quasi-Superman Ulysses talk of Klerik, someone who spoke of Earth being destroyed. It seems to me that Johns is updating the character of Cleric, a key character in the Superman mythos during the Byrne reboot, a key part of the Eradicator's story.

Even though I might be wrong, I thought I would take a look back at the introduction of Cleric to the DCU in Action Comics Annual #2 from way back in 1989. This was an absolutely fascinating part of Superman's narrative at the time. He had exiled himself to space after executing the Phantom Zone villains from the pocket universe (a story that introduced the Matrix Supergirl to comics). He was trying to overcome his guilt from killing the villains and, in doing so, trying to resolidify his belief that Superman should not kill. Indeed, it is that Pocket Universe execution story that was used by defenders of Goyer and Snyder's Man of Steel as proof that Superman has killed.

Here in this Annual, a weakened Superman is found in deep space and brought to Warworld. Forced to fight in gladiator games for the world's leader Mongul, Superman continues to refuse to kill the opponents he defeats. While Superman fights, reaffirms his beliefs about killing, and discusses Kryptonian history, we are introduced to the Cleric and his part in Krypton's history.

Superman's part of the annual is drawn by Jerry Ordway and Curt Swan. But the Cleric's story is drawn by Mike Mignola!  The book itself is group written by Ordway, Roger Stern, and George Perez!

After identifying Superman as a Kryptonian, a worker in Warworld's arenas flies out to one of the prison asteroids nearby ... The Pariah Penitentiary. There the worker approaches 'The Cleric', telling him of the wondrous sight ... a living Kryptonian.

Note the glowing light in the background, a key element and artifact in this story.

But the Cleric is perplexed and the agitated when he hears that there is a Kryptonian alive. It is clear that this is more than a history lesson for him. He is too emotional. To scream that they are all dead, to say it is a plot to drive him insane, things are personal here.

I love seeing Mignola's work. Even here, the slow opening of eyes, the brightening of art shows the awakening energy within the Cleric.

In a series of flashbacks, clearly exposition, the Cleric tells the prison worker his history on Krypton.

He was sent by his order to preach on Krypton, to proselytize the holy words of the 'divine deity', imbued with mystic powers by his Sacred Tribunal. And he came to Krypton when their civilization was on the brink. Krypton had always cloned themselves, using the clones for medical purposes. But a segment of the populace thought this was horrific and wanted the clones to have rights.

And so the Cleric preached of equality and love and communing with nature. And there were ears eager to hear these words.

He preached against cloning, against the love of science. He called it the 'foulest of all blasphemies' and an 'affront to all creation'.

And, as is often the way, those in charge felt that the Cleric was a threat to the established way of life and therefore wanted him eliminated.

But the Cleric's power and influence continued to grow. In fact, he began to threaten not only the science of cloning but the recognized religion of Rao on the planet. The Church of Rao united with the scientists to proclaim the Cleric a threat. The next step was going to be violence.

I love this panel by Mignola, the empty space of the walls utilized for the text, the Cleric, bathed in light at the center, his flock listening intently.

Despite his message of peace, the Cleric's followers were willing to lay down their lives for him.

This was no mere threat to the Cleric. A weapon had been built specifically to kill him. That weapon? The Eradicator! A weapon of unbelievable and indescribable power.

And so we are introduced to the Eradicator, a device that played a major part in the Superman stories for all of the 90s.

The whole thing is a powder keg. And it eventually explodes. The army arrives and blasts the Cleric with the Eradicator. A firefight erupts between the Cleric's acolytes and the pro-clone contingent. Hoping to end the conflict, the soldier wielding the Eradicator accidentally disrupts its matrix resulting in a massive explosion killing most in the vicinity. This incident was marked as The Day of Intolerance in Kryptonian history.

Somehow the Cleric survives the blast. While many of his followers have died, many have survived. It is time for the faithful to leave Krypton and join the throngs of the Divine Deity's followers.

And the Cleric will take the Eradicator with him as Krypton cannot be trusted with such a weapon.

Building a huge space ark, the Cleric gathers his flock and flies to join his holy commune. But once in space, his whole congregation dies. Kryptonians are tied to their planet. To leave the planet results in death. And so the Cleric is responsible for the death of all his Kryptonian followers.

The Cleric's light is the Eradicator, kept safe all these years.

As I said, throughout the book, Kal is telling Jor-El's story, centuries after the Cleric's time on the planet. The politically charged clone topic leads to acts of terrorism, the destruction of Kandor, and the poisoning of Krypton's core by Black Zero. It is this act which leads to Krypton's destruction.

It is interesting that Jor-El, knowing the link Kryptonians have to their planet, removes that 'weakness' from Kal while the baby is still 'in utero' in the matrix pod. This allows Kal to be rocketed away. It is also interesting to see the resemblance between Superman's rocket and the Eradicator design.

And so this Cleric was deeply involved in Krypton's history. Later in this arc, he merges minds with Superman. Both see their moments of biggest failure (the death of the acolytes, the execution of the Zone villains) and heal.

Johns' Klerik may be a warped version of this character, based in the 4th dimension and involved in Ulysses' history as opposed to Kal's. That said, he 'taught' Clark. So what does that mean?

Now, of course, I may be wrong and Klerik may have nothing to do with the Cleric. But it seems too convenient. I bet there are some similarities. I guess I'll have to wait and see.