Review: Action Comics #18 Back Up

With the end of Grant Morrison's run on Action Comics, so ends Sholly Fisch's back-up features. As I have said before, Fisch's back-up features have been the perfect 'after dinner mints' to Morrison's entree. Seamlessly bolstering the main story, Fisch has a knack for choosing a moment in the story and showing how it has incredible impact on not only Superman's life but his supporting cast as well.

Action Comics #18 ended the Morrison arc and included Superman unifying the world to help him defeat Vyndktvx. Superman is a true hero, inspiring and pure.

So how could Fisch follow that up?

With a perfect look at how Superman can inspire!

As with prior stories, Chris Sprouse's art is perfect here.

In the 23rd century, at a Museum of our Terran Heritage, a young alien boy sees a fellow child being bullied. A group of bigger boys has pushed a smaller boy to the ground and is standing over him laughing.

Afraid to stand up to the bullies, the young alien runs into the Superman wing of the museum.

While walking through, he hears snippets about Superman and sees images of him helping people. Look in the background and you can see the poster of Donner's Superman movie.

 And some of the lines are classic. 'Try again doc' from Action Comics #1 when a physician is trying to give Clark a vaccine. 'You've got me, who's got you?', the famous Lois line from Superman the Movie. 'It tickles' said too many times as Superman shrugs off lightning, bullets, bombs.

And this young boy sees Superman stop the locomotive and re-acquire his cape, a scene from this title's Action Comics #0.

It is inspiring.

In fact all the kids in that wing are inspired.

They return and stand up ... en masse ... to the bully. Even when facing that fist, he doesn't stand down. He is fighting his own never-ending battle here.

And like most bullies, when confronted, they leave.

As if the Superman/Krypto page ending Morrison's story wasn't perfect enough, the last image of this run on Action is a Superman statue winking.

There is no dialogue in this story, only these blurbs on the museum tape. But none is needed. Fisch and Sprouse tell us everything we need to know with just the pictures on the page.

Again, this was the perfect after dinner liquer, a sweet treat while digesting the main story. Even in the future, the idea of Superman can inspire.

Heck, aren't we looking for a creative team for Action Comics to come in after the Diggle/Daniels 3 issues?

Why not Fisch and Sprouse??

Overall grade: A+

Adventures Of Superman Digital Comic

Most of the news that came out of the DC offices last week was unsettling. The list of canceled and changed titles gave the appearance of more instability than ever in a place that has never seemed to be on solid ground since the reboot.

But one bit of news brought a smile to my face. DC is creating an 'out of continuity' digital comic called Adventures of Superman. Here is the officical link from IGN:
http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/02/06/introducing-the-all-new-adventures-of-superman

And here is a blurb:

Debuting on April 29, the first digital chapter of Adventures of Superman will feature a story by  Orson Scott Card and Aaron Johnston with art by the wonderful Chris Sprouse and Karl Story on inks -- a team that will continue onto the second chapter a week later. The third chapter will be by Jeff Parker and Chris Samnee; this one tells the tale of Superman's first encounter with the menace of arch enemy Lex Luthor.

At first I thought I might need to break down and actually download this thing, but it turns out DC will put them in print form eventually, probably in the vein of Smallville. So, hurray for me and my old-fashioned floppy ways.

But the reason why this made me smile is that this is out of continuity (so no mandatory  New 52 nonsense). And there is an incredible list of tremendous creators linked to this. Above, see Chris Samnee's cover to the first print issue. I have loved Samnee's work on Daredevil and Rocketeer. And Chris Sprouse and Karl Story. And Bruce Timm. And Marcus To. And Michael Avon Oeming. And Jeff Lemire. And more! Unbelievable!

And look ... red tights!

Can't wait for this! 

Review: Action Comics #16 Back-Up Feature

Action Comics #16 came out last week, the penultimate issue of Grant Morrison's great run and consequently the penultimate issue of Sholly Fisch's great back-up features. This issue's back-up story continued the trend.

The Fisch stories (fish stories?) have really done a great job of filling in some gaps for some of the ancillary characters in the book and this month it focuses on the Legion of Super-Heroes. I suppose the Legion are a big part of the Superman mythos and deserve to have a part in this mega-arc.

As important, I suppose it shows just how far the tentacles of Vyndktvyx reach. Can his attack on Superman be so profound that it impacts the world of the 31st century?

This issue shows a very Silver Age looking Legion and Chris Sprouse does a great job here. His clean style (along with the blindingly bright coloring) really felt like an old Adventure Comics story.

There really is a nice suspenseful build-up to the story. We see a political hero and Earth president Takaneda landing in Brande Plaza to the hoots and hollers of his adoring audience. And at the same time we see captions that talk of how the future sounds bleaker and bleaker for Earth.

The initial feeling is that perhaps the assassination of this great man who negotiated peace is what has the world spin into the fascist state we saw in the main story.

But the Legion stop the assassin from killing Takaneda. It is pretty sweet to see those old-school four-color uniforms on the Legion again. Violet in her green dress and Gim in his ranger uniform are just slick.

Even the blue background here has the 'dot' feel of the old four color process. This really screamed Silver Age to me ... in a good way.

The would-be killer hardly appears to be a hardened criminal. Instead he says that visions have shown him the dystopia to come and he knows he needs to stop Takaneda. Of course, the Legion can't believe him, labeling him an insane loner.

Since his gun didn't work, the killer detonates a suicide bomb ... something Brainy easily bottles up in a force field, protecting the crowd. Unfortunately it vaporizes the assassin before he can be questioned more.

But the opening feeling that Takaneda's death is the first domino to fascism suddenly reverses course with this rather ominous proclamation. Whatever he accomplishes, the Legion is responsible.

Suddenly, I think this is a bad guy. I love the Legion here. Bouncing Boy and Ultra Boy seem proud. Only Cham seems stiff and somewhat worried.

And the plot thickens. The assassin was from Naltor. Now his 'visions' of Takaneda seem much more concerning.

But Saturn Girl assures them that she scanned Takaneda and he was fine.

Ahhh ... but there is more to Takaneda than meets the eye. He is Universo. And he even hypnotized Imra into thinking she scanned him.

Suddenly that 'responsibility' panel has a lot more irony. Now we know that Takaneda does lead the world to ruin. No wonder the Legion wants to change things.

For some reason it is that responsibility panel that struck me. Sure, the Legion aren't really responsible for Universo's evil. But they did save him. Is there mission to the past going to be to change this encounter so the Naltorian will kill Takaneda? It brings up the old hypothetical about killing Hitler before he came to power. I would hope the Legion would change things to stopping the Naltorian and apprehending Universo. But we'll see.

This makes me wonder just what a Grant Morrison penned Legion title would be like.

So how does this future tie into the Little Man plot? I wonder if we will ever see a direct connection. Since this doesn't quite so snugly fit into the building of the Superman myth, this didn't floor me as much as other Fisch fare. But it is still a nice Legion story with smashing art.

Overall grade: B/B+

Review: Action Comics #15 Back-up Feature

I will be catching up on overdue reviews today and tomorrow. Sorry for delays!

One of the consequences of Grant Morrison leaving Action Comics is that the Sholly Fisch back-up features are going with them. No need to rehash my love for them. I will say it must feel daunting to be writing the back-up strip in a Morrison book. Fisch has risen to the task.

The stories usually have dealt with some personal moment in the life of Superman or his supporting cast, some piece that needed to be fleshed out and built upon. From the Kents' struggle with infertility to saying goodbye to Lana to creating his tee shirts, each story has been the mortar between the big stones of the title's story, supporting it and making it stronger.

That is what makes the feature in Action Comics #15 so interesting. Because here it focuses on Mr. Mxyzptlk. It doesn't necessarily strengthen Superman foundation. But it does add to the story of Vyndktvx and how we got to this point in time. What was Mr.. Mxyzptk's greatest trick?

While special, becoming the jester for the King of the land of Zrff was not his greatest trick.

Look at one of the things he pulled out of the king's ear. Is that a refrigerator running? We should catch it!

How about wooing Princess Gsptlnsz?

Good, but not his greatest trick!

 

And sparring with Superman all the time, battles we haven't even seen yet, is his favorite trick, but not his greatest.

I can't wait to see these future battles.

How about being wished into our three dimensional world. working as a magician, and being united with his Princess, now Ms. Nyxly? Close!

I would love for their to be more stories about this time in their lives. I imagine wacky crime-fighting stories where Mxy has some rudimentary magic and thinks our world is silly. I am getting a sort of Thin Man Nick and Nora feeling.

Nope, the greatest trick was having a son here. A fifth dimensional baby born into our world. Little Ferlin, the greatest trick of all.

Well as a dad, I can say I think my greatest gift has been my children, so I love that look of unconditional love on the faces of the parents here.

But I wonder if Ferlin somehow plays into the end, a sort of proxy Superman, a super-powered son on an adopted planet. He even has a personal stake against Vyndktvyx.

So a cute story filled with the whimsy of Mr. Mxyzptlk, one with a nice ending.

Chris Sprouse does the artwork here and does a good job of being just cartoony enough in the 5th dimension to be cartoony and just real enough in the 3D world to be realistic, but both close enough to eac other to be blurred. Great stuff by him here.

Overall grade: B+

Review: Action Comics #14 Back-Up Feature

I have been a very big fan of Sholly Fisch's back-up features in Action Comics, feeling they have added nice personal character flourishes to the Superman story that Grant Morrison has been weaving. Whether it is the Kents and their struggles, or Lana's love, or Steel's resolve ... they have always been inspiring and remarkably powerful for their short page count.

Action Comics #14 had a well-publicized story in which 'real life' astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson points Superman in the direction of Krypton in deep space. The story crossed over into mainstream media as plenty of my 'non-comic book' friends flooded my email with links to places like MSNBC for their coverage of the discovery of Krypton.

What's interesting to me is that this story lacked the usual emotional punch I have come to expect from Fisch's work. It is a fine story with a couple of exceptional moments. But I didn't get that same 'wow' feeling I have from his other stories. That could be considered great praise ... that very good is not the norm.

Chris Sprouse provides the art for the story and turns his usual solid art.

The story opens with the Justice League repelling some invasion by lizard men. During the fight, Superman is reminded that he has another commitment, one he can't miss.

I like how simply friendly the Leaguers are to each other, telling Superman they can handle this crisis and he should go. In particular, the panel of Wonder Woman simply saying go worked for some reason. Maybe it is that their relationship is closer now, that she knows how important this is for Kal and wants him to be there.

This had a different feeling than the back-biting paranoid antics we have seen in the main JL comic.

It turns out that Superman has a standing yearly visit to an observatory.

Fisch does a good job in locking the continuity up quickly. This takes place just a few days after the earlier battle seen in the main story of the issue. So this is happening 'now'.

Of course this means Superman will survive whatever is going to happen on Mars to get to this point. But we all knew that anyways ... right?

The observatory is one of an array of long-reaching telescopes which on this day are able to peer into deep space to see the red sun of Krypton.

So this looking back at Krypton shows a longing of Superman. He wants a 'glimpse' of his home world.

And yet ...

I know that at some point he is going to be ON Krypton in a black suit. He'll be on Krypton on the day it blows up.

And even if he wasn't going to be on Krypton, he could always ... gasp ... talk to his cousin about it.

So this looking into space just didn't have the same 'oomph' it should knowing what is about to happen.

One thing I did like was this picture of Superman's super-brain figuring out the math and science he needs to take all of the data from the telescopes and putting it into an image. That stern look as numbers and images wash over his face ... it is a look of determination and concentration.

I like that this Superman seems to be more like the Silver Age one in terms of intelligence.

And so we see that the light from Krypton's destruction have finally made it to Earth. Approximately 27 years after its destruction (putting Superman in his late 20s), Superman has a vision of the destruction.

That should be a powerful moment, with a sort of grieving Superman viewing the death of his people and his planet. And yet, for some reason, it didn't move me the way it should. I wish I had a good explanation ... but I don't.

So this is a nice story, with some nice moments (particularly the JL opening), but I didn't have the usual reaction to a Fisch back-up. If anyone else had the same response, I would love to hear why you think it didn't floor you.

Still, I will miss Fisch on back-ups here. He has really told some wonderful tales here.

Overall grade: B/B+

DC December Solicits - Supergirl and "New Krypton"

DC has really been showcasing Supergirl recently, having her appear in a number of titles and putting her on a bunch of covers.

December is no different. The entire month's solicitations are now viewable on http://www.dccomics.com/dcu/comics/?dat=20081207 and it looks like it will be a month of happy holidays for Supergirl fans. She will be seen in 6 titles!

As it is a heavy month, I will showcase the super-titles on this post and the other titles tomorrow. Having seen how well Supergirl has been handled in the Superman titles, I am anxiously awaiting the "New Krypton" arc. Here are the issues, in chapter order for this super-title crossover event.

ACTION COMICS #872

Written by Geoff Johns

Art by Pete Woods

Cover by Gary Frank

Variant cover by Chris Sprouse

“New Krypton” part 7! As Superman attempts to free the other cities and abductees from Brainiac's ship – including the original monster military unit, the Creature Commandos – Lex Luthor experiments on Brainiac himself. Meanwhile, rebuilt and out for blood, Metallo and Reactron attack, and a major turning point for one of our characters sheds a dark shadow across all that is good.

So no official mention of Supergirl here, but as she is such a key player in "New Krypton", I am sure she'll be here.

I do like that Reactron is mentioned here. I truly think he is going to become the first official member of Supergirl's Rogues Gallery, a super-villain with a grudge specifically against her. And as mentioned before, it strikes a nice chord with us old-timers as Reactron was a Supergirl villain from way-back in the Daring New Adventures of Supergirl series.

I also am somewhat amused at all the old-time DC characters that Geoff Johns has been re-imagining or bringing back. In Brainiac's ship alone we have seen the bottle city of Kandor, Ultra the Multi-Alien, and this issue's guest stars The Creature Commandos. First seen in Weird War Tales #93, this combat unit consists of a human, a vampire, a werewolf, a Frankenstein monster, and a medusa. During their last WWII mission, the rocket they were riding to Berlin was knocked off course into deep space. It is certainly plausible that Brainiac would run across them and capture them. Who would think in this day and age that The Creature Commandos could somehow be a viable group of characters.

I am somewhat disappointed that Gary Frank is only doing the cover of this issue. But Pete Woods is a more than adequate pinch hitter. Woods' art might have been the only redeeming quality of the Amazons Attack mini-series. He was able to draw close-ups of characters as well as expansive battle scenes with equal excellent quality. And in that series he drew a stunning Supergirl. Again, he is one of those artists who's name alone will make me flip through the book if not out and out buy it.

SUPERGIRL #36
Written by Sterling Gates
Art by Jamal Igle & Keith Champagne
Cover by Joshua Middleton
Variant cover by Chris Sprouse

“New Krypton” part 8! In the aftermath of ACTION COMICS #872, the city of Kandor is rocked to its core and Supergirl angrily unleashes her full power! The Kryptonian population is pushed to its limits and the mystery of one of Kandor's vigilantes gets deeper and deeper! Meanwhile, just what is Cat Grant smiling about? And what's her latest article have to say about the Girl of Steel?

I have already gushed enough about Josh Middleton's cover art but man, this cover just rocks!

It will be interesting to see exactly who is on the receiving end of Kara's 'full power'. One of the threads I hope will be extensively explored in this arc is where Supergirl's loyalty lies. After all, Johns describes her as fighting for 'truth,justice, and the Kryptonian way' not the American way. She grew up on Krypton and hasn't exactly easily meshed with the culture here on Earth. My heart tells me that despite spending about 2 years here, she will jump at the chance to return 'home'.

I can only hope that this is done in a way that does not further isolate Kara from people and heroes here. I have had enough of the Kara who feels hopelessly alone, who prefers to sulk in her apartment, and is dripping with angst and anger. I want her to be a hero.

Hopefully, as this story unwinds, Supergirl will realize she belongs here rather than in Kandor.

SUPERMAN #683
Written by James Robinson & Geoff Johns
Art by Renato Guedes & Wilson Magalháes
Cover by Alex Ross
Variant cover by Chris Sprouse

“New Krypton” part 9! Violence breaks out on Earth as the Kryptonians, enraged by humanity's treatment of them and their newly passed anti-Kryptonian laws, strike back! Imagine 100,000 people, each with the powers of Superman but lacking his humanity – and they’re angry!

And so we start to approach the end of this arc. Of course humans will be fearful of a city full of Kryptonians on Earth. If Superman might be able to subjugate the population on his own, imagine what an army of Supermen could do. I like the hinted at 'anti-Kryptonian laws', something of a riff on both Kingdom Come and Civil War. My guess is the Kandorians won't be happy with being isolated in their city again and therefore will attempt to branch out and maybe take over. Given the abundance of Kryptonite on this issue's cover, I think I know how Superman will try to keep them in line.

As much as I am interested in Supergirl's take on the presence of Kandor, I am almost as intrigued with Superman's response. Let's face it, he is a midwestern farm boy before he is Kryptonian. He might not feel as attached to that culture as Kara. Will his curiousity about his origins overwhelm his morals? He and Supergirl are perfect foils for each other here.

I really hope that at some point there is a scene of the two of them simply talking about what their feelings are about Kandor being returned.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the variant covers on these issues. It looks as though DC is using the retail hook of variant covers as a way to attract new readers and sales to the books. Last month's chapters variant covers were done by Stephane Roux, a great cover artist. My guess is that the variants done by each artist will be able to be pieced together as a triptych style poster.

This month's variants are being done by another great artist, Chris Sprouse. Sprouse has been most recently lauded for his work with Alan Moore on Tom Strong, a book which never quite did it for me.

And while I got a handful of issues of Tom Strong as well as his recent Ex Machina Special mini-series, I am most familiar with his art from the Legionnaires series released way back in 1993.

While his art has improved over these 15 years, I loved his work on this title. He definitely was able to handle the large cast and wild action scenes that were called for in Legionnaires.

I am very interested in seeing his version of Supergirl. Here are a few panels of Andromeda, Laurel Gand, of the Legion. With both Supergirl and Mon-El written out of continuity at this point, the powers that be created Laurel as a stand-in for both in the rebooted Legion continuity.
I liked his Andromeda so I am sure I will be pleased with his Supergirl.

We are a short month away from the Superman:New Krypton Special. This should be good!