DCU Holiday Bash #1

The Benefaction of Peace

Writer: Barry Jameson
Penciller: Graham Nolan
Inker: Josef Rubinstein
Colorist: Jason Wright
Letterer: Albert de Guzman
Editor: Darren J Vincenzo
Cover: Robert Campanella, Rodolfo Damaggio
Cover Date: January 1997

It's Christmas Eve, and a man named George is about to throw himself off the roof of the Daily Planet when he is approached by Lois. George's wife Jeannie has left him, and he is all alone and unable to cope at Christmas. As he and Lois talk, Lois tells him of a time early in Superman's career when he got lonely...


Superman saves a falling high rise worker on Christmas Day. As he patrols the city, he thinks of his lonely life having not made many friends since moving to Metropolis. As a result, he has decided to give Metropolis the gift of a Christmas without crime. He works his way around the city, focusing on larger and larger crimes, and unwittingly missing out on a series of minor incidents.


At a charity fundraiser, the proceeds are about to be handed over to a representative of a homeless shelter when a former business parter steps up with a gun, taking a hostage and attempting to steal the money. Superman arrives, and the gunman opens his jacket to reveal a dynamite waistcoat and a dead man's switch. As Superman listens to the gunman's demands, the representative steps forwards, grasping the switch, and allowing Superman to disarm the gunman. He offers to escort the representative back to his mission, and is taken up on that offer, only on the condition that he shares Christmas dinner with them. Superman agrees.


Back in the present, George decides that with a bit of hard work and luck, he can have a happy Christmas. He and Lois head off for a coffee.

I have often wondered exactly who these holiday themed issues are aimed at. As a pretty heavy comic collector, I have not only never been tempted to buy one off the rack, I've not even been tempted to visit Tor* and get one through less-than-legal means. My preconceptions of the issue are that I'm going to be fed a bunch of second-grade short stories, tenuously themed, with no real point or purpose other than the editors felt that it was appropriate to do so. And guess what? Based upon my reading of this Superman segment of the 1997 Holiday Bash, I appear to have been right.

This story can be boiled down to two elements: Superman's lonely at Christmas, so he works extra hard, and Lois saves a man from comitting suicide. The suicide-at-Christmas element could have led into a retelling of the second-most-popular Christmas story (after A Christmas Carol), It's A Wonderful Life, but it goes absolutely nowhere, instead being an opportunity for Lois to narrate the story of Superman's first Christmas in Metropolis. And let's face it, the dullness of the story would have had me jumping over the edge of the building.

There's a half-decent moment where the narration suggests that Superman's zealousness to stop all crime means that he misses out on the human moments of tragedy that he might normally have time for, which if followed up on within the story may have introduced an element of darkness into what is otherwise a very light and fluffy story. As a disclaimer, I neither own nor have read the other stories in this issue, so I am not aware if these moments play a larger role as the issue progresses... but I doubt it.

I'm gonna bring this to a close and move on. This isn't as painfully bad as some of the issues we've covered already (*cough*Action Comics #794*cough*), but it is tediously dull and adds nothing to the early years of Superman.

Next on World of Superman: We get back to the good stuff with Man of Steel #4!

*Tor is Mike and Jeffrey's friend, as mentioned on a couple of recent episodes of From Crisis to Crisis, who helps them out with certain back-issues.

The Kents #5

Brother vs Brother Part 1


Writer: John Ostrander
Penciller: Tim Truman
Inker: Michael Bair
Letters: Oakley/NJQ (Bill Oakley)
Colors: Carla Feeny
Color Separations: Digital Chameleon
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Cover Art: Timothy Truman
Cover Date: December 1997
Release Date: 08/10/1997

The issue opens with the shooting of Nate, as seen from Jeb's point of view. As he rides off, something makes him look back, and he sees Joshua Freeman break cover to tend to Nate. The look Josh gives Nate chills the younger brother.


Abraham Lincoln is elected President, and over the next few months the tensions escalate further. Quantrill is arrested near Lawrence in early 1961, but is taken to a more friendly town to await bail. Jeb arrives to post the bail, chased by a posse from Lawrence, but he and Quantrill escape.


In June 1961, John Glenowen leaves his daughter to look after Josh, and joins the Union forces. He has a chance meeting with Nate, who has been looking for his brother, and who has joined up along with Wild Bill Hickok. The Union forces engage the Confederates, with the Kent brothers on opposing sides. In the confusion of the conflict, Jeb shoots out Nate's horse and wounds John Glenowen, before recognising his brother. When Nate recognises Jeb, he fires wildly at him until John is able to calm him down. Nate takes John to get medical attention, vowing to kill his brother on their next meeting.

With this issue the Civil War finally erupts, after 4 and a bit issues of tensions rising and events escalating. The War in this story serves to highlight the differences between Jeb and Nate. In this issue, they only meet on the battlefield where their allegiances and beliefs push them into conflict with each other, an outcome that Jeb clearly doesn't want as evidenced by his actions in greeting his brother, who he last saw dying after he shot him.

This issue feels more focused than most of the first four. It centers on two scenes - the post-shooting of Nate, and the battle at the end. The transition from Bleeding Kansas to the Civil War is covered in one smooth passage, with a brief Jeb scene to prevent there from being 8 pages of pure exposition. The central scenes we do have show us that Jeb has remorse for his actions, even if he doesn't have a fully formed sense of self-preservation to stop him from breaking cover to greet the man he shot a year previously. Jeb is by no means redeemed  in this issue, but his character grows beyond the impulsive teenager rebelling against his family that had driven his actions in the last two issues. Conversely, Nate is shown to us as the revenge-driven hardened veteran, with no room in his heart for his brother, a less likeable character than the Nate we have seen previously. Starting this arc with the brother so opposed not only from each other but from their previous depictions sheds new light on where events have taken them, and shows us that Ostrander is looking for new ways to present Nate and Jeb.

The Geeky Bits:

Estimated Diamond Pre-Orders: 27,332 (-2383)
Diamond Sales Chart Position: 106 (-11)
Best-Selling Comic Of The Month: Uncanny X-Men #350

The Kents #4

Bleeding Kansas Part 4


Writer: John Ostrander
Penciller: Tim Truman
Inker: Michael Bair
Letters: Oakley/NJQ (Bill Oakley)
Colours: Carla Feeny
Colour Separations: Digital Chameleon
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Cover Art: Timothy Truman
Cover Date: November 1997
Release Date: 03/09/1997

Stung by the words of Jeb, Nate decides to reach out and get to know the people he is fighting for. He seeks out a family of freed slaves, the Freemans, who make their living as farmers. Despite some initial tensions on the part of Tobias and Sarah Freeman, they bond when Jeb asks for Tobias to teach him how to tend the land.


Later that year, elections are once again held. Although there is no direct conflict this time, ballot-stuffing is rife. Governor Walker disqualifies many candidates, including Sherriff, and is himself relieved of his position by President Buchanan.


Tensions are relieved somewhat in the spring of 1858, when gold is discovered at Pike's Peak, sparking the Colorado Gold Rush. Nate and Jeb's relationship continues to deteriorate. An argument over Mary Glenowen, who Wild Bill Hickok is starting to lose his affections for, leads to Nate hitting his brother, and Jeb pulling a gun, promising to lose it next time.


Nate continues to ride with Quantrill and his men, who now include Luther. The group have started killing Free State supporters in acts of guerilla warfare. but Jeb abstains from firing his gun. Wild Bill breaks up with Mary over issues of her half-Indian heritage, and rides off. As Nate comforts Mary, he confesses his love for her. She cannot reciprocate his feelings so soon, and the two part.


Over the next year, tensions start to rise again, spurred on by John Brown's actions, stealing slaves from Missourian farms and delivering them to freedom. He is eventually caught after a period of hiding, and hung.


The summer of 1860 sees a drought blight Kansas, causing further hardship. One day, while Nate is teaching the Freemans' son, Josh, to read, Quantrill and his gang, including Jeb, ride up to forcibly enslave the family. When Nate defends the Freemans, Jeb shoots him in the back. The Tobias and Sarah Freeman are dragged away. Josh saves Nate, bringing him to Mary Glenowen, who helps him recover. Part of the recovery process involves being covered with an Iroquois healing blanket, which bears a symbol of healing, a familiar 'S' shield.


At the end of 1960, having fully healed, Nate rides off to free Tobias and Sarah, and to have his revenge on Jeb.

There's no avoiding it, so let's deal with the elephant in the room - the 'S' shield. Such an obvious link to Superman, far more blatant than Luther-as-bad-guy connection, stands out like a sore thumb.The design just doesn't work. The bright red, blue, and yellow, jump off the page at the reader, further sticking out as we have never seen these particular colours before. They seem to be from a completely different colour palette to those used so far in this series. About the only good thing to remark about the appearance of the logo is that it never really pops up again - thankfully, Jeb doesn't fashion it into a cloak and fight for freedom under it. Although the Superman logo is worked into the cover of each issue, it has always been in a more subdued manner, feeling as if it belongs to the image. Here, it's an unwelcome intrusion that brings the reader out of the story crafted by Ostrander.

This issue feels a bit rushed. The story needs to end with the Civil War about to erupt, and thus this issue covers over three years of plot. It's also the most focused of the issues - the detours into historical background are limited to two single pages, allowing the narrative more room to focus on the Kent brothers. Despite his inaction during the murder of the Free Men, Jeb finishes the issue firmly painted as a villain, shooting his brother in the back and throwing his lot in fully with Quantrill. Jeb will inhabit this role for most of the rest of the series, losing some of the layered detail of character that he was portrayed with during the first few issues.

Overall, this first arc in The Kents has been a success, despite having to work against a specific era of American history that is perhaps less well-known that the Civil War era that dominates the next arc.

The Geeky Bits:

Estimated Diamond Pre-Orders: 29,715 (-3,805)
Diamond Sales Chart Position: 91 (-6)
Best-Selling Comic Of The Month: Uncanny X-Men #349

The Kents #3

First of all, an apology for the delay in this review. I've been away training for my new job at a location that takes three times longer to get to than my home location, which has reduced my free time considerably. I've actually completed this review a couple of times over, but the blogsite has crashed and deleted all my writings, which has been frustrating. Normal service shall resume! And on with the show!

Bleeding Kansas, Part 3


Writer: John Ostrander
Penciller: Tim Truman
Inks: Michael Bair
Letters: Oakley/N.J.Q. (Bill Oakley)
Colors: Carla Feeny
Color Seperations: Digital Chameleon
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Cover Art: Timothy Truman
Cover Date: October 1997
Release Date: 06/08/1997

As Nate rides from Washington to Lawrence to help the town survive the siege, fallout from President Pierce's refusal to consider Kansas' statehood hits the Senate, with Senator Sumner brutally beaten for denouncing the 'crime against Kansas'. Meanwhile, Lawrence surrenders to the Missourians, believing that no help will be forthcoming from the Washington party. Despite the surrender, Sherriff Woods and Luther's men ransack the town, arresting key opponents and torching buildings. Deciding to deal with his issues over being left behind, Jeb, in disguise, incites a mob to attack and destroy the family printing press.


Two days after the surrender and sacking of Lawrence, Nate arrives home, and is distraught at the destruction of the family press. Jeb has fled town, and has taken up with Lily Beaumont, the daughter of a pro-slaver. That night, John Brown and his gang confront and kill Lily's father, with Lily and Jeb watching from cover. Jeb returns to Lawrence with news of the Pottawatomie Massacre comitted by Brown. During a confrontation with Nate, Jeb expresses solidarity with the Missourians, and the two part company again.


By late September 1856, things have got worse in Lawrence, with key community leaders arrested and the new pro-slavery Governor Woodson inviting the Missourians to 'restore order'. Lawrence has become better defended, and Nate renews his acquaintance with Bill Hickok, who has taken up with the half-Indian Mary Glenowen and her Welsh father, John. Nate visits the Glenowens and falls in love with Mary, but hides his feelings out of respect for Bill. In the meantime, Jeb has taken up with bad company, and helps lead some abolitionists into an ambush where they are killed by William Clarke Quantrill, who recruits Jeb to his posse.

If you boil this series down, stripping away the historical research and cameos from historical figures, what The Kents is about is the two different paths taken by the Kent brothers. As the American Civil War (Apologies to the American readers, but here in England we had our own Civil War 200 years earlier. Not only did we get to commit regicide, but the Civil War was so popular it came back a few years later for a sequel.) becomes the focus of the series, these paths and conflicts are made more explicit and sit at the front of the series, but what is impressive here is the way that Ostrander refuses to portray Jeb as the 'bad' brother.

Although Jeb's actions are hardly noble, they are born from a desire to find his own place in the world, one that distinguishes him from his brother. His desire to be his own man is shown through his actions and inactions, although his choices of when to act and when not to send him down a different path. He chooses to be a part of the looting of Lawrence, destroying his father's press, and again chooses to be a part of Quantrill's murderous actions at the end of the issue. He is presented with the opportunity to take a stand when Beaumont Sr is killed, but chooses to an observer and not a participant.

As the brothers drift further apart, and as history takes its course, the impending Civil War propels this issue forward. The young Government of America descends into chaos, with attacks on senators who stand up for Kansas, and in Kansas itself the two opposing factions turn to guerilla-style tactics to further their cause. The two brothers are inextricably caught up in this, and their paths, while still fluid here, will be well and truly set by the end of the next issue.

The Geeky Bits:

Estimated Diamond Pre-Orders: 33,519 (-4,802)
Diamond Sales Chart Position: 85 (-16)
Best-Selling Comic Of The Month: Spawn #65

The Kents #2

Bleeding Kansas Part 2

Writer: John Ostrander
Penciller: Tim Truman
Inker: Michael Bair
Letters: Oakley/N.J.Q. (Bill Oakley)
Colors: Carla Feeny
Color Separations: Digital Chameleon
Editor: Peter Tomasi
Cover Art: Timothy Truman
Cover Date: September 1997
Release Date: 02/07/1997

Luther and Sheriff Jones arrest Jeb for threatening Luther's life. The posse is confronted by Nate at a ford, where Jeb is freed from custody. In December 1855, Jones returns with a larger group of men, who lay siege to Lawrence. The town is defended not only by its inhabitants, but John Brown and his men, and reinforcements from the nearby Indian tribes. A decision is taken to send three men, led by Nate, to break through the barricade and attempt to pleas with Governor Shannon for assistance. Although Jeb is told to stay behind, he gatecrashes the midnight expedition, racing off directly towards the enemy encampment on horseback. The noise rouses the attackers, who kill one of the men and give chase to the Kents. Although they are able to shake off the pursuit, Jeb can only see the glory of the ride, and is knocked out in anger by Nate, who drags his brother back to town. Word manages to get through to the Governor, who breaks up the siege.

In March 1856, Nate and Jeb's mother dies, and in accordance with her last wishes, Nate travels with her body from Boston to Lawrence. Along his journey, he teams up with Wild Bill Hickok to break through a pro-slavery protest led by Luther.

A month later and Nate prepares to leave for Washington to present a petition asking for Kansas to be granted Free Statehood. Angered at being left behind again, Jeb strikes out at Nate. In Washington, the delegation is snubbed by President Pearce, who turns down their petition. Later that evening, word arrives from Jeb - Jones and Luther have once again laid siege to the town, with far greater numbers than ever before. Fearing a massacre, Nate rides for home.

The second issue of this historical Western ups the ante for this series in three different ways. The political stakes are raised, with the refusal of Pearce to support the abolitionists. The physical stakes are raised, as Jones and Luther keep returning to Lawrence with more men and more advanced weaponry. And the emotional stakes are raised, as the first signs of dissent between the brothers Kent start to show.

The seeds of Jeb's character planted in the first issue start to show in the second. Devoid of parental influence, his strong-mindedness and inquisitiveness turns to brash, unthinking arrogance, shown in his mad ride through the siege camps and the tragic death of one of his comrades, unnoticed by the younger Kent. At this point, Jeb is humble and scared enough to call for his brother's support at the end of the issue, an action he wouldn't have taken if the siege had happened in later issues.

This issue also sees the introduction of the series most prominent historical supporting character, 'Wild Bill' Hickok. Hickok is certainly an interesting addition to the title. Well known in his lifetime, after his death tales of his exploits achieved near legendary status through fictionalisations of his life including many TV series and films, as well as through his own embellishments. Hickok was also a prominent feature of 'dime novels', early serialised adventure magazines, which some have described as proto-comic books. In contrast to my views expressed in the previous post, where I suggested that Hickok's inclusion was uncomfortable and unnecessary, having further researched his character I find him a wholly suitable character to be added to this book. Considering how many of his exploits have been fictionalised, it seems appropriate that he should appear in a fictional account of real world events.

Although it could appear that constant besieging of Lawrence shows a repetitive plot, the escalation of each encounter, both in terms of the numbers besieging and the desperation of the defenders, culminating in the final siege taking place whilst most key members of Lawrence's community are halfway across the country, means that this cycle will be broken soon, propelling the book into a new direction.

Truman's art continues to impress. His subtle aging and degradation of characters work well, with the rabble-rousing Luther, face covered in shadow, presented as an almost demonic force, despite the absence of any supernatural elements in the book. Special mention must got to letterer Bill Oakley, who skillfully provides numerous cursive fonts throughout the series, breaking up the different narrations clearly and visually.

As before, this book is strong enough to stand on its own feet without the 'S' shield on the cover, or the intrusive Clark and Lois interruptions to the plot.

The Geeky Bits:

Estimated Diamond Pre-orders: 38,321 (-8,149)
Diamond Sales Chart Position: 69
Best-Selling Comic Of The Month: Uncanny X-Men #347

The Kents #1

Bleeding Kansas Part 1

Writer: John Ostrander
Penciller: Timothy Truman

Inks: Michael Bair
Letters: Bill Oakley
Colors: Carla Feeny
Colour Separations: Digital Chameleon
Editor: Peter J. Tomasi
Cover Art: Timothy Truman
Cover Date: August 1997
Release Date: 04/06/1987

In present-day Smallville, Pa Kent uncovers a buried trunk containing letters and heirlooms from his ancestors. As he investigates the finds, he writes a series of letters to Clark informing him of the story of Kents as he uncovers it...

Silas Kent, patriarch of the Kent family in Boston, Massachusetts, is an abolitionist and active in the underground railroad, supported by his sons Nathanial and Jebediah. He relocates himself and his sons to Kansas, intending to send for the rest of his family once he and a group of like-minded people have founded a society there. He takes his printing press with him. Upon arrival, the group is confronted by Luther Reid and his band of pro-slavery Missourians. Although conflict is avoided on their first meeting, the threat of reprisals casts a shadow over their endeavours.

In August 1854, the town of Lawrence is founded, and the Kents make their home there. In November of that year, elections are rigged and disrupted by the Missourians in an attempt to deprive the abolitionists of representation, and tensions rise again when in the Spring of 1855, Luther and his enlarged posse attempt to disrupt elections with a cannon. Silas is instrumental in seeing Luther off, but this, along with the anti-slavery printing from his press, make him a target.

In reaction to the impending pro-slavery legislation, Silas republishes the US constitution on the front page of his local paper, stirring up anti-slavery protests. One night, he is shot in the back and killed. Nate and Jeb confront Luther, who denies having Silas killed. Luther then enlists the help of a Southern sheriff to help destroy the Kents and Lawrence.

John Ostrander's sprawling 12-issue epic The Kents is brave project. It's a Western comic, published in an age where true Westerns have fallen out of favour, despite, as pointed out by Ostrander in his editorial contained at the back of the issue, the themes of a Western being found throughout fiction. It is also a serious historical comic, rooted firmly (as suggested by the title) in the Bleeding Kansas era of American history.

The book is permeated by cameos of real historical figures. In the first issue alone, Harriet Tubman, Charles Robinson and John Brown appear. Unlike in later issues, where the plot turns Bill Hickok into a major supporting character, these cameos feel natural and unobtrusive, serving to ground the series further in the real life events that occurred.

If this first issue has a flaw, it is that the main characters of the series, brothers Nate and Jeb, receive little page time. There is a lovely scene set during the emigration, where Jeb's curiosity, intelligence, and desire to understand further the events that have uprooted his life come across as positive character traits, despite the journey that these traits would lead him down throughout the series. And although I like pitting a character named Luther against the Kents, the appearance by John Henry Lane (despite the wonderful naming coincidence) feels like over egging the naming pudding, inviting more comparisons with the traditional Superman status quo than are intended by the series.

The art is beautiful. Everyone in the series feels real, from the interpretations of the real-life figures down the more caricatured designs such as Luther. The threats of weapons, such as the numerous guns levelled at Luther throughout the issue, are powerfully conveyed without ever assigning a morality to them - the guns, no matter who wields them, are presented as deadly tools and nothing more.

Ignore the 'S' shield on the cover - other than the names, this is a gripping stand-alone historical Western saga.

The Geeky Bits:

Estimated Diamond Preorders:  46,470.
Diamond Sales Chart Position: 47
Best-selling Comic Of The Month: Uncanny X-Men #346