Review: Action Comics #1086

Action Comics #1086 came out last week, the finale of the quick G.Willow Wilson/Gavin Guidry story and the end of the 'Superman Superstars' brief imprint on the title. 

Perhaps with the excitement around the Supergirl book, this issue was bound to sort of fall flat. But after reading it, I was struck with the fact that I had no idea what the point of the story was. Was this a 'climate change' story? A 'AI is scary' story? A 'look .. killer whales with frickin' lasers' silly story? A 'Superman is weary' story? All of it? Not enough of any?

Part of the problem is the villain of the piece and the conflict that comes from it. What is Kilg%re hoping to get out of this? Is he just a robot? Did he really think a big robot was the right way to fight Superman? Did his machine thinking really fail him as badly as it does? Without the understanding of the goals of the villain, I felt a bit lost.

And the ending, of a rather defeated and emotionally exhausted Superman, also felt tacked on and out of the blue.

Gavin Guidry brings his cleans style to the art and has some fun with the sillier parts of the story, like robot killer whales. 

But in the end, this 'Superman Superstars' mini-imprint ends with a whimper. Outside of the Waid Phantom Zone story, I think they all were a bit lackluster.

On to the details.

Review: Action Comics #1085

Action Comics #1085 came out last week, the first part of a brief story by G. Willow Wilson and Gavin Guidry. 

It's funny how a small little thing can upend my take on a story. I have viewed these 'Superman Superstars' stories as existing somewhere in continuity. Yes, the Mark Waid Phantom Zone story seemed to be solidly set in near-present time based on costumes alone. But the Ridley story? The Aaron story? Those could be set anywhere in Superman's timeline. 

And so we have this story which feels like it should be 'early' in Superman's history. Clark is considered a sort of novice reporter. Perry doesn't want Clark on a big story. And if it was set 'years ago', I would have been fine with it. 

The problem is there is an editor box that says this takes place before Absolute Power (explaining Lois' lack of powers, etc). Now 'years ago' is 'before Absolute Power' but that box makes this feel much more current. But the characterization doesn't feel that way. So the whole thing just felt awkward as I read it.

The plot is simple. A lab in the Arctic is hoping to curb global warming is being sabotaged. Clark is sent to investigate. A villain emerges.

I liked Gavin Guidry's art in Superman '78 and he continues to impress here. It is clean style with solid linework. I like his Superman a lot. And his Lois seems full of moxie. Hope to continue to see his art around.

On to the book.

Review: Superman #706

Superman #706 was released last week, the second 'interlude' in the Grounded storyline that seems to be floundering a bit. With JMS off the story and critical response a mixed bag as best, the title and the story seems on shaky ground. Does anyone really care about this story anymore? Is anyone floored by it?

Given that background, I didn't envy G. Willow Wilson's job of writing this issue. If I can't get excited for the main arc, why would I be excited about a Perry White interlude.

Wilson shows Perry dealing with the changing world of news media, dealing with the shrinking paper market and the growing internet presence in the news world. But it also takes a look at the dirty back room dealings that sometimes accompany breaking news stories as well as the unreliability of some internet sources. The blogosphere doesn't necessarily need two sources to corroborate a story. They run with it.

Perry really feels like a man caught between two worlds here. I was hoping that he would be a truly inspiring figure, something of the way he was presented in Superman:Secret Origin. Instead, he comes off a bit as a blowhard and a smidge too old school. I think this Perry would fit in very well on Mad Men.

This was an okay story I suppose. But it seemed more suited for a Superman 80pg Giant than as a pause in this hyped Grounded arc.

The issue starts with Perry reeling a bit from both big and small issues. His new photographer Sandeep can't quite get a good picture and Perry berates him, even manhandling him a bit. I don't know if that sort of bullishness is tolerated anymore in the workplace.

But the bigger issue is the shrinking market for the Daily Planet. Revenues are shrinking. Unfortunately, this very real problem is swept under the rug a bit by another small catastrophe.

But before the bad news continues, Perry gets a sliver of good news.

Lois, still on Superman's trail and currently in St.Louis, not only has a good Superman article but also a breaking story on an environmental issue in Kansas. Whether in Metropolis or out, Lois has a nose for news.

Lois is such a huge part of the Superman books and I think she has been somewhat ignored by Straczynski. So I was glad we got this scene.

But the bad news keeps coming. Ron Troupe tells Perry that Urbanitis, a very popular news blog, is about to do a huge expose on the Planet. It is going to make some serious accusations about the Planet's relationship with Superman. There is some hint that the Planet might be paying Superman for his stories.

There is also a story brewing that Lois has a more personal relationship with Superman explaining her uncanny knack for Superman exclusives.

What is a bit unsavory is how easily Troupe seems to buy into the notion. Some friend.

Perry decides that he needs to get more information. So he faux fires Sandeep and sends him to Urbanitis as a spy.

Amazingly, Sandeep is able to walk in a to the plush Urbanitis offices and get a job within seconds. No need to show a resume or a portfolio. He's a former Planet employee, the target of Urbanitis ... he's in.

Jack Hoffman, the man who runs Urbanitis, has an axe to grind. He wants to show that the 'new media' of the internet is being ignored by the 'old media'. So why not take down the giant of the old media?

He has financial reports suggestive of a slush fund to pay Superman off. And more, he has a picture of Lis and Superman in a compromising position.

When Sandeep tells Perry of the photo, Perry calls Lois and asks what he might see in that photo.

In some verbal legerdemain, Lois doesn't necessarily answer the question. It is sort of a dodge. But it is clear she is worried. In this world of telephoto lenses and cell phone cameras, anything is possible.

Perry has an understated response, deciding not to press the issue.

Perry then gets a surprise visit from Superman, breaking off his walk across America to talk to White about this Urbanitis crisis. When Superman starts obfuscating and dancing around the issue, Perry stops him in his tracks. Perry doesn't want to know. Then he won't have to deny.

Wow ... even Perry suddenly thinks it might be true that the world's greatest hero is having an affair with a married woman. Some friend!

Perry has had enough. Rather than cower, waiting for the storm to hit, he feels it is time to meet the enemy. He asks for a meeting with Hoffman.

First off, he quickly refutes the 'slush fund' theory. The missing money is from Perry's personal account and supports an internship program. But the bigger question is why Hoffman would think this was money ear-marked for Superman. The number was $20,000 every quarter. Would $80,000 be enough to buy off Superman, a guy who can wring diamonds from coal? Or rob any bank he wanted to?

And the damning photo of Superman and Lois? A photo-shopped concert poster. Wouldn't Hoffman have someone on his staff to check that out? Or is this just another way of indicting the 'too fast for it's own good' new media.

In a 'keep your enemies closer' move, Perry asks Hoffman if he wants to be the Planet's next intern, someone who could help the Planet with the newer forms of communication. Hoffman accepts!

I don't know. It seemed to quick. Urbanitis is a big enough operation to have it's own staff and office building. Hoffman just pages earlier railed against the paper media. Would an internship at the Planet woo him away from his own little successful kingdom?

Maybe that is the response to the dwindling subscriptions. Maybe this is supposed to show that White realizes he needs new revenue streams and Hoffman understands those.

But it all resolves so quickly. So neatly.

Still, the quickness with which the Planet staff buys into the rumors is what stuck with me the most.

Amilcar Pinna does an adequate job here, drawing mostly regular people having conversations.

Grounded keeps lumbering along.

Overall grade: C+

Superman #706 - Another 'Grounded' Interlude

This is really starting to border on the ridiculous. But according to the DC Source Blog, Superman #706 will be another 'Grounded' interlude issue by G. Willow Wilson. Here is the link and the post in it's entirety. I do recommend going to the site if just to read the comments:
http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/2010/11/19/g-willow-wilson-picks-up-superman-706/

Hey, Source readers — got some news to close the week with. Writer G. Willow Wilson will return to SUPERMAN with a new “Grounded” tale in issue #706, illustrated by artist Amilcar Pinna.
Superman’s walk across the country ends up having unexpected – and dangerous – repercussions for Perry White and the staff of The Daily Planet. Can Superman help The Planet overcome its latest hurdle?
SUPERMAN #706 hits stores in December. The previously-announced team will pick up again with #707 in January.

So most likely with the JMS leaving, there was something of an upheaval on the main story. An extra month probably will give Chris Roberson time to get up to speed. And Eddy Barrows has always had a hard time keeping a deadline.

Still, doesn't this further the feeling that 'Grounded' has been a disaster. Between poor characterization and delays, the story has not succeeded. Then JMS jumps ship. And now we get another 'interlude'.

It's like putting an intermission in the middle of a very long but bad movie. How many people would simply leave and wander into another theater? How many people will leave the book?

Wilson wrote the Lois issue which seemed like a misstep. Now we'll get a Perry White issue. Let me guess ...without Superman stories because of his 'walk', the Planet is losing readers and might shut down.

I don't know much about Amilcar Pinna but what I have seen on the web makes his stuff look very nice. The above is a very rough Supergirl sketch I found on his blog: http://amilcar-pinna.blogspot.com/

Still, I ache for the days when I'll read a true Superman book again ... either here or in Action. The last time we had that was back in the Brainiac arc in Action and the Atlas arc in Superman. Now that would be something to give thanks for.

Review: Superman #704

From the beginning, one of my problems with 'Grounded' has been the lack of Clark Kent and Lois Lane in the story. I mean the reasons why I think Superman is grounded is because he lives half his life as one of us, he loves one of us, and so he understands what it means to be us. In many ways, Superman is a just a guy trying to help people, albeit with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men.

Maybe this storyline isn't about his need to be grounded but about his need to atone for all the New Krypton mess, his disconnect from his adopted planet while he embraced his native one. But that walk seems to be at the expense of his loved ones who he has connected with.

Superman #704 was an interlude from the main 'Grounded' storyline and focused on Lois and how she is reacting to her husband's walk across America. Written by G. Willow Wilson and drawn by Leandro Oliveira, the book is basically Lois wondering what would have happened if she took a different path in life.

I have some problems with the issue mainly around the characterization of Lois who seems incredibly unsure of herself, a stark difference from the extremely confidant and happy Lois I have been reading since ... oh ... forever.

The issue starts with news that Superman's walk across the nation is taking him through Indiana and Lois' home town. Lois is on the scene to cover the 'action' and the tour through her old haunts seems to stir some nostalgia. She remembers her ambitions to leave those little town blues and see if she could make it in Metropolis.

At least here, in this early moment, she recognizes the immensity of her achievements. She has made her mark on the world. She has a proud half smile on her face and she should.

But things change a bit when she runs into her old beau Brian, complete with cute baby and successful career as well as some current members of her old sorority.

These interactions claw at what are apparently a couple of insecurities inside Lois. The first is whether or not she would be happier with a more traditional family, a home ... kids ... a loving husband who totes their cherubs around Main Street, Small Town USA.

The other is that despite all she does and reports, she is pigeon-holed as Superman's 'Girl Friday', a woman who is simply known as being an extension of a man.

I suppose we all have some questions inside of us ... the classic Talking Heads 'How did I get here?' question, wondering how life evolved to put us where we are. And of course, the follow-up thoughts of 'what if I had ...?'. It just seemed off coming from Lois.

Brian continues to be a charming and wonderful, inviting Lois to his home for dinner. There Lois meets what appears to be the absolute perfect family. Brian is the dashing, loving husband and father. His wife Huong is a successful architect, loving mother who can cook a mean lasagna and serve it up too.

They seem to have it all ... and are able to do it soooo effortlessly. It is enough to make Lois wonder how they ... and in particular Huong ... are able to swing it.

Of course, Brian can't help but ask if Lois is planning on a family. It is a cringe-worthy moment as Lois stammers about how she and Clark can't have children. Embarrassed, Brian drops the conversation.

I suppose the question caught Lois off guard but I don't recall her talking about this openly before.

And then, Lois continues to question everything about her life.

Maybe bringing news to the masses, winning Pulitzers, helping the world ... maybe that doesn't add up to much. Not when she sees this version of the 'idealized' American family. This just doesn't sound like Lois.

Worse, she buys into the 'Girl Friday' remark realizing she is 'standing behind a man' to achieve her goals. This is made worse when she realizes that people don't know her for anything other than her Superman stories, even if she has covered other important stories.

And yet she has shattered the glass ceiling, becoming a newspaper reporter who is known world-wide and easily recognized. Is this a fair self-assessment?

Left alone with her thoughts, Lois really bemoans her life. Her house is empty ... no kids ... husband off saving the world. Is she trapped in walls of her own making?

Umm ... isn't she living the life she dreamed of? Should these questions be bubbling under the surface?

It really seems to be a pity party.

Of course, the grass is always greener. In what seems as unlikely a turn of events as Lois' questioning her achievements, Brian and Huong have an argument while Lois is in the kitchen. I mean ... wouldn't they just wait until after cake, when Lois has left, to have this discussion.

It shows Lois that no life is perfect. This idyllic small town existence ... this 'perfect' marriage is a mirage. These people have questions and problems of their own.

Lois leaves the house and takes the patented and somewhat hackneyed dramatic long slow walk alone, looking out at still water, and contemplating her thoughts. Maybe she doesn't have the white picket fence and the 2.5 kids and the mini-van ... but she has love!

Even she realizes that is a pretty cheesy line.

And then, swooping in, is her loving husband. The two talk a bit about missing each other. Lois, maybe unsure of Clark's love, asks if he needs her.

Of course, he needs her. In fact, he tells her that she is what keeps him grounded! Okay ... then why walk? Anyways, with love reaffirmed, they fly off to enjoy an evening together. And just like that, Lois' worries disappear.

As a forty-year old man, I am probably the worst person to review this issue ... maybe the least well-equipped. I don't personally know the pressures that women feel as they try to juggle all the aspects of their lives. Maybe what Lois is feeling is natural.

But as a comic reader, who has read Lois stories for three decades, I can say these questions and concerns didn't sound right coming from her. Maybe it was a perfect storm to whip up these feelings ... the return to her home town, the perfect ex-boyfriend and his perfect wife with their perfect 2 kids, the perfect family house with the perfect lasagna ... maybe all together it would make Lois wonder 'what if ...?' And then those questions are all swept away by the warm confines of Superman's brawny arms and a quick 'I love you'. Even that resolution seemed wrong ... too easy and too sweet to simply sweep away her worries.

I hope I am not sounding like a boor. I hope I am not missing something elegant here. But this didn't seem like Lois. I am willing to say that she was having a bad day like we all do. But I hope this line of thinking in Lois doesn't continue.

Leandro Oliveira seems to be a product of the Ed Benes' school of art. The facial expressions in particular look like Benes' work.

Overall grade: C+