I have been a fan of Simone for a while having been there for her Birds of Prey run (hard to believe that was 21 years ago) from the beginning. I liked her Wonder Woman run as well, especially the Ends of the Earth arc which brought in some of my favorite DC Sword and Sorcery characters. So i have been a bit interested to see what she'll do with Superman.
I also have been a fan of Barrows since his brief stint on Action Comics back in the New Krypton arc. My problem with Barrows has always been his inability to stay on a title long. So perhaps a brief story like this, written well in advance, might mean we'll see his art on the entire thing. His precise work is always wonderful to behold. And this issue, filled with moments big and small work, shines.
'Challenge from the Stars' includes the credit page which dedicates the story to Denny O'Neill and Neal Adams. And this opening chapter shows us why that dedication is present.
This fast-moving first issue is a definite riff on the classic Superman Vs Muhammad Ali treasury (one of the few treasuries I still own from my youth). In that story, an alien race challenges Earth's greatest warrior to a one-on-one fight for the planet.
And that's the plot of this story too as Superman, early in his career, must take up the mantle to protect another planet from destruction.
A lot happens in this issue. No complaints about deconstruction here as Simone whips through the events a record pace, with Barrows bringing it all together beautifully. Nice cliffhanger too! This was a solid opener.
We start innocently enough with Jimmy, Clark, and Lois heading into the inner city to meet Jefferson Pierce. Pierce, perhaps in his pre-Black Lightning years, is hoping to bring attention to an inner city youth center, scheduled for demolition in a gentrification scheme. Pierce is playing some basketball with the kids.
Barrows already is making me smile, giving Lois a Romita Gwen Stacy vibe that always resonates with me. I mean head band, mini-dress, and go-go boots? Gwen-derful!!
But just in case you didn't believe me, the opening scene of the treasury? The WGBS news team heading into an inner city to see Ali playing hoops with some kids.
Definite homage.
There is a story here though, more than the impending sale of the building.
Lois knows there is some dirty dealings here, the building landlord faking some problems to help spur the sale of place.
Remember, this is a story from Superman's past. Lois' style and Jimmy's 'Mr. Action' exuberance helps set that up without screaming it to us. Very nice.
That story is interrupted when gun-toting aliens show up, forcing Clark to disappear and Superman to show up, sporting a Fleischer-studio style S-shield. This is another nod to when this story takes place.
Perhaps another homage, although Superman hoisting up a bad guy isn't too unusual.
The gun-toting aliens are the Gorathians. The bug-eyed alien is a member of the S'tahl.
The peace-loving S'tahl allied themselves with the war-like Gorathians for protection. But the Gorathians want only to strip-mine and do it by ... you guessed it ... challenging worlds to a one-on-one battle for all the marbles.
The S'tahl ask Superman to represent them.
The Gorathians aren't happy with how the S'tahl are representing them and try to open fire. But Superman won't have it. He eats the gun.
I love Lois response of 'negotiating'. I suppose that is one way to show you are powerful and mean business.
Since this is dedicated to O'Neil, I wondered if this was a sort of homage to this famous scene from Superman #233.
So the fight is on. Superman will represent the S'tahl.
The Gorathians set up the battlefield by floating a nuclear powered aircraft carrier above Metropolis.
We meet their champion, a giant walking lamprey looking thing called Gallalox.
A couple of things about this scenario.
One, I really love that the Gorathians assume Lois and Jimmy will be Superman's seconds (when he was thinking Diana and Bruce). That's funny.
Second, the floating aircraft carrier feels just a little forced to add some threat to the thing. Why an Earth ship? Why floating? Why that type of ship?
I suppose I should roll with this if I can buy aliens fighting for planetary rights.
The prize for victory is that the Gorathians decide to drop the carrier onto Metropolis! Great cliffhanger.
Seriously, we get a lot of story and a lot of plot progression in this one issue. I love the historical homages. And the art sizzles.
But there is more.
Rainbow Rowell (who I only know from a decent She-Hulk run) and Cian Tormey (whose art style I love) give us a Lois and Clark back-up. It is a great story for a couple of reasons.
One, it shows us a sort of vulnerable Lois, unsure in her new role as Editor. She has big shoes to fill. She is new to it all. She wonders if she is respected. It humanizes the usually powerful Lois.
But more interesting is her answering a question I have had in the past. Is it fair that Clark reports about Superman?
I am interested to see where this goes.
So overall, a very solid issue opening up this new arc. I love the plot, the pace, the art, the subject of both stories.
Overall grade: A
"Amazingly because all this story happens in one issue! This is the perfect set-up for a trade. But Simone keeps the throttle down. "
ReplyDeleteI'd assume these are just a couple of fill-in issues before the "Absolute Power" event takes off.
I think all the Superman Superstars stories are three-issues, so it’s not a fill-in. Looking at the Absolute Power checklist, Superman-wise there aren’t any in Action Comics, just Superman.
ReplyDeleteGreat review Anj, some excellent spots. So do you think Jeff Pierce will step up where Ali was? I admit I’ve never read that Limited Collectors Edition story, though I do have a reprint. I mean, it’s sports!
"I think all the Superman Superstars stories are three-issues, so it’s not a fill-in. Looking at the Absolute Power checklist, Superman-wise there aren’t any in Action Comics, just Superman."
ReplyDeleteI guess that makes sense then to have these set in the past while the other book does the present storyline. Though it seems a little odd for a supposedly big event to not be included in a flagship title.
Loved this story. A great tribute to the golden DC era of 1968-1975 when I first started reading comics. Mr Action, a spirited Lois, social consciousness and a noble Superman. Even a Black Lightning guest shot. Eddy Barrows' art looks so much like Neal Adams inked by Tom Palmer or Dick Giordano that it brought tears of joy to my eyes. Who could ask for more?
ReplyDeleteNice review. Reading this issue gives me mixed feelings. On one hand, I =the Superstars concept isn't working for me. The recent House of Brainiac story really made me appreciate how much I like seeing the furtherance of Action Comics' ongoing story. Being taken out of that story for a bottle story from the past that will likely have little if any lasting effect on Superman and his milieu feels like a letdown after the character developments and effects on the world from House of Brainiac.
ReplyDeleteThe loss of the Superfamily due to the past setting makes that lack of further exploration particularly strongly felt here. The family as a whole and each member individually have gone through some very interesting changes since the Warworld Saga ended, so it seems like a missed opportunity that we're missing out on the evolution of their characterization and the changes in their world. The one caveat I'll add is that I wouldn't have wanted to see the present day plot hijacked by an editorial mandate to tie into Absolute Power, which I don't take as a given since there are some titles that seem to be continuing their ongoing, present day narrative in the DCU without tying into AP. Ultimately, this just reenforced my belief that if DC wanted to do the Superstars concept, they should've created a new title that features short bottle stories from a rotating set of writers and artists while letting Action Comics continue with its current plot.
As for Simone’s story, so far it’s a bit too generic. This seems like a Superman story that's been written countless times and isn't really adding anything new to the characters or their world. Nothing about the execution is bad except a few panels where Lois looks very weird, but aside from the action and some interesting new alien designs there's little other than homage and nostalgia to engage with. Some people might say that in a title called Action Comics just having good action is enough, but my counter is that the title is always at its best when it combines action with deep character exploration and development as well as thought provoking world building. House of Brainiac mostly delivered on that, and the PKJ run was a master stroke of making those elements work together. Seeing action put so far forward while world building and character development lag here is thus a let down. Maybe successive issues will add something meaningful on those fronts, but for now this feels like a fairly vanilla Superman story.
On the positive side, the art is generally pretty solid, the fight is nicely handled, and there aren't any potential glaring issues cropping up the way there were in Jason Aaron's Bizzarro arc. In many ways what really worked was the Rowell story. That's partly because it fits into Action Comics' ongoing narrative, and also because it does an excellent job of developing Clark and Lois's characterization. Seeing Lois really come to terms with giving up being a reporter and taking on an editorial role is an excellent way of examining the way she conceptualizes journalism as well as what draws her to it. It's also a great idea that her relationship to Clark could be complicated by assuming a position of authority over him, particularly since her choice to put journalistic integrity over Clark's personal interests by taking off the Superman beat is a brilliant way of resolving the ethical dilemma that comes from Clark effectively reporting on himself. Above all, the artists managed to ingeniously take what could have been a visually flat story that's mostly about two people talking in an office and infuse it with vitality. This piece is a masterclass in how perspective, panel progression, body language, and color can make any scene visually interesting when deployed correctly.
Overall, then, this was a solid issue, but I hope the Simone story goes somewhere and DC moves Action Comics away from the Superstars bottle stories as soon as this and AP wrap up.
If its one person whos name along can get me out the door and off to my LCS, it's Gail Simone....and if it's Gail Simone and Superman I am doubly there. Hell I'd happily buy Gail's revival of "Fatman the Human Flying Saucer".
ReplyDeleteGranted this is a sturdy trope for an opening plotline but lets face it, there are only so many plotlines out there worthy of Kal El's mettle, I trust GS to put her own spin on it. I also loved the back up feature FINALLY someone delves into the rampant conflicts of interest at play day after day at the Daily Planet! NOW THAT is an original plotline...not much action but all things I wanna see played out all the same.
JF
This was certainly an enjoyable issue. Both stories were good both in terms of story and art. The main story is a tad generic in terms of premise, but I'm still interested.
ReplyDelete