Adventures of Superman #426

It's here! Golden Age Superman episode 19, featuring myself with the host Jon M Wilson covering Superman #3, Action Comics #20 and a whole bunch of newspaper strips, has gone live. I had a blast recording the show last week, and although I get a little quiet towards the end as my local time heads towards midnight, I think I made a good shot at talking about comics that I have very little experience with. Thanks to Jon for having me on!

It's been a busy week, what with a whole bunch of work for my job, and preparation for this weekend's MCM Expo. I'm really looking forward to the show - I'm off in a couple of hours to the preview day. I can't wait to re-meet some creators from last year, including Kieron Gillen, who had yet to have his first issue of Uncanny X-Men published, and Tony Lee, the writer of the fantastic IDW Doctor Who series. There are panels for both the Green Lantern and X-Men First Class movie, and most of the voice cast of Futurama are making an appearance, although sadly no Bender or Leela. But I'm really looking forward to meeting some great Superman-related guests. Occasional JLA: Classified writer Warren Ellis (I'll admit, that's a very tenuous connection) is a guest of honour for the weekend. Hitman artist John McCrea will be there, and in celebration of that I picked up a copy of the award-winning Hitman #34, featuring Superman, for him to sign.

The biggest Superman name for the convention, though, is All-Star Superman and JLA: Earth-2 artist Frank Quitely. I have these titles from the original release, and I also picked up the first trade of Batman and Robin yesterday to re-read and get signed, and I can't wait to meet this amazing artist.

As with last year I'll be posting a review and round-up after the event, but for 'live' coverage, be sure to follow me on Twitter as that's how I'll be keeping up with the world.

Legends Chapter 18: From The Dregs…

Writer: Marv Wolfman

Artist/Co-Plotter: Jerry Ordway

Co-Plotter: John Byrne

Letterer: Albert de Guzman

Colorist: Tom Ziuko

Editor: Andrew Helfer
Cover Art: Jerry Ordway

Cover Date: March 1987
Release Date: 18/12/1986

The fires of Apokolips burn. Beneath the surface of the planet, a scavenger collects waste and debris from the flame pits. He has a luck catch when he snags red material, and pulls the unconscious body of Superman from the flames. Realising that his catch has survived the fires, he wonders whether he should attempt to sell him to Darkseid, but decides against it, choosing instead to let the Hunger Dogs of Apokolips know of his find. Word spreads, and a crowd forms around Superman’s prone form. The scavenger attempts to show Superman’s invulnerability by scorching his hand with a fiery torch, but gets a surprise when Superman revives and grabs his hand. Superman is more surprised to discover that his hand has actually been burned. The Hunger Dogs react to the apparent deception by forming a mob, but the appearance of Amazing Grace, the woman from the previous issue, cows the threat. She declares Superman their saviour, one of the New Gods of New Genesis, and announces his arrival as the start of a revolution.

Watching Amazing Grace and the Hunger Dogs on a monitor screen, Darkseid is unconcerned, unleashing his parademons on the crowd. Although he is unable to remember much of who he is or how he came to Apokolips, Superman recognises innocents in danger, and leaps to their defence, fighting the parademons. After a short but furious battle, Superman is victorious, and the Hunger Dogs strip the defeated parademons of their amour. Superman notices that every time he begins to think clearly and remember details of his life, his mind starts to cloud over. Unable to resist, he accepts Amazing Grace’s proclamation of him as Apokolips’ saviour, and becomes a figurehead for the rebellion.

Elsewhere, Highfather of the New Gods feels a sense of dread and unease, and consults the Source. The Source shows him something that makes him fear for the safety of all the New Gods.

On Apokolips, Amazing Grace fires up the leadership of the rebellion, before tending to Superman, relaxing his aches away in a herbal bath. Grace replaces Superman’s costume with armour emblazoned with Superman’s symbol. As Superman leads the battles, his logo and costume become symbols of the rebellion. The battle approaches Darkseid’s citadel. Amazing Grace oversees the battle from a balcony. Declaring victory, Superman embraces her and gives her a passionate kiss. Superman addresses the crowd, telling them that their hope for freedom must now be ended. Parademons swoop down and massacre the Hunger Dogs. Superman and Amazing Grace then turn away from the slaughter and face their master, Darkseid.

The second chapter of this three-part Apokoliptian romp gives us a Superman who is barely the character we know and love, and whose passion and drive to fight against injustice is gruesomely subverted in the closing pages of the book.

I came out with a lot of love for Jerry Ordway when he made his artistic debut on the Superman books, and that love stands, but it’s unfortunate that in the midst of the entire Legends event and this crossover, all of which was pencilled by John Byrne, we didn’t get a guest spot from Byrne on Adventures of Superman. Ordway’s style, whilst strong and distinctive, feels out of place in the middle of such a Byrne-led story. There is some great artwork on display here. Ordway draws the heck out of the crowds of rebelling Hunger Dogs, and his parademons look and act as threatening as the characters treat them. In later years, parademons would come to be used cannon fodder for the fists of various heroes, but here a small force are as great a threat to the rebellion as Darkseid himself. Talking of Darkseid, he is well-presented by Ordway, but the hard, malicious tone that Byrne brings to the character is sadly missing. The final panel in particular should be far more ominous than it looks. Wolfman's scripting also feels out of place in the wider context of the crossover. His scripting is more verbose than both Byrne and Ostrander, resulting in pages that look more crowded than the other issues, and that take longer to read. It's a good read, but like the artwork, it sits awkwardly in the middle of the story.

The growth of the rebellion is interesting. As the crowds grow and they get closer to their goal, Amazing Grace becomes more… well… amazing! Her transformation from rag-clad fugitive to glorious princess overseeing the advance of her troops is a sure tip to the reader that not is all as it seems, although subtle enough to prevent the shock of the final twist from being lessened.

And what a final moment this is. Superman unleashes a horde of parademons onto the massed Hunger Dogs, wiping them out, before pledging allegiance to Darkseid himself. It’s heartbreaking to see Superman party to and instigator of these actions, even though it is clear, if unstated, that Amazing Grace is the one responsible. What perhaps robs this moment of its true power is the lack of reflection or penance on Superman’s part after he regains his memories. I believe that Superman’s conscience is strong enough that he would feel responsible, even though he was being manipulated by Darkseid and Grace, and indeed, we have seen plenty of occasions where Superman takes responsibility for events completely out of his control. In a couple of years we would see Superman react very strongly to three deaths that he took complete responsibility for, but I feel that it was a missed opportunity to deal with Superman’s guilt, regardless of whether he could be truly blamed or not.

The Geeky Bits: Several references are made throughout this series to the one-shot titled The Hunger Dogs, published in 1985 as DC Graphic Novel #4. This was Jack Kirby's final work for DC, and his intention was to bring the Fourth World saga to a close with the death of the New Gods. DC disagreed, demanding that the New Gods survive the series. When the story finally saw publication, it was not as Kirby had intended, with many page orders restructured and plot points revised. The plot featured a rebellion on Apokolips by the slave population, the titular Hunger Dogs, that saw Darkseid fleeing Apokolips. At some point between that story and this, Darkseid regained control of Apokolips, and the massacre of the Hunger Dogs in this issue would be the final rebellion on Apokolips.

This issue was covered on episode 5 of From Crisis To Crisis

Next on World of Superman: We'll be back after the weekend to cover a four-way smackdown featuring Orion, Lightray, Superman and Darkseid.

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.

Superman Annual #7

Year One: Strange Visitor


Writer: Roger Stern
Penciller: Chris Gossett
Inkers: James Dean Pascoe & Stan Woch
Colorist: Tom Ziuko
Letterer: Albert de Guzman
Assistant Editor: Chris Duffy
Editor Supreme: Mike Carlin
Cover: Walt Simonson
Cover Date: Annual 1995

As the planet Krypton enters its death throes, it is observed by a group called the The Seven. They see the birthing matrix escape, and deduce that it will reach Earth, although they are forced to stop monitoring when the matrix enters hyperspace and passes from their view.


Forty years later, and the sight of Superman in Metropolis is still an unexpected event. Superman apprehends several members of a drug ring, overheating their guns and causing a blowout with his heat vision. As he flies away, he is unaware of Doctor Occult attempting to get his attention. Superman returns to the Daily Planet and changes to Clark Kent. Inside the newsroom, Lois is still giving him the cold shoulder, having not forgiven him for his scooping her story, even though it was over four months ago. As Clark ponders their relationship, he hears an event in the distance, and races off. As he heads into the stairwell to change, he passes Doctor Occult, coming out of the elevator. Again, he is unaware of the man trying to track him down.

 Just love this panel, completely sums up Clark and Lois' relationship for the next few years!

Superman sees a penthouse on fire. He enters, to find a scantily clad lady needing rescue. As he gather her in his arms, he moves in for a kiss. Suddenly, Doctor Occult appears, commanding him to stop. Superman is confused, especially when the flames melt away to nothingness. Doctor Occult brandishes the Symbol of Seven, forcing the lady to revert to her true form as a tentacled demon. The demon attempts to devour Superman, constructing a barrier to prevent Doctor Occult from assisting. Despite getting a major beating from the demon's magical attacks, Superman is able to blast it with his heat vision, melting the demon. He collapses in Doctor Occult's arms.


Superman comes round in Doctor Occult's office, and the Doctor explains who he is, and that he is aware of Superman's identity. Doctor Occult is a long-lived magical defender. Back in WWII, his partner, Rose Psychic, was kidnapped by the Cult of Thahn. Using her powers, Rose directed Occult to her location, and the two attempted to disrupt the summoning of Thahn. Although the demon never fully materialised on Earth, it was able to fatally wound Rose. Despite assistance from The Seven, Occult knew that he would never hold his partner again. Doctor Occult needs Superman's help against Thahn; The Seven believe that Superman is the key to his defeat, and that his arrival on Earth has forced Thahn to speed up his plans.


Suddenly, Occult's office comes under attack from a rock demon, a pawn of Thahn. Occult telepathically directs Superman as to the demon's weakness, and Superman shatters it with one blow. With the office destroyed, Superman and Occult are cast adrift in a mystic dimension with no up or down. They come under attack from more demons, but Occult is able to create a doorway back to Metropolis, and Superman escapes through it.


In Metropolis, Superman is greeted by Rose Psychic, who leads him to the site of Thahn's last summonning. Again, they come under attack, but Superman quickly realises that these demons are actually corrupted humans, missing homeless people from the area. Superman is overpowered, and is taken to be the sacrifice that will summon Thahn. Rose is captured, but suddenly is replaced by Doctor Occult, confusing the demons. Occult dispatches the demons, and encourages Superman to fight against Thahn's magic. Superman is able to break free, and, by forcing Thahn's magic against the demon, is able to banish Thahn for good. The demons return to human form.

Superman doesn't break. Wow.

Superman demands answers to his questions, including what happened to Rose, and how Occult knew his name. Occult instead fades away, leaving Superman none the wiser. Superman instead helps the ex-demons until the paramedics arrive. Reporting to The Seven, Doctor Occult tells them that Superman is still young, but that he has learned a valubale lesson, that there are forces far beyond his control and comprehension in the world.

So, it's time to lay my cards on the table. I am not a fan of magic in the Superman comics. I understand its function as a force that Superman has no resistance to. I enjoy certain magic wielders, such as the Phantom Stranger, and especially Zatanna. But if you gave me a choice of villains, one magic-based and one non-magic based, then the magic gets shown the door every time.

A big part of it is that Superman's weakness to magic is so complete and total that he ceases to be anything special when confronted by magic. He is brought down to a very human level, and often has to rely on someone else's powers of expertise to save the day. The exception to this is when Mr Mxyptlk appears, as this normally leads to a story where Superman has outhink, outwit, or play by a different set of logic to win the day. Mxy might be one of the most prolific magic-spammers Superman has ever faced, but Mxy plays by his own set of rules, and it's up to Superman to defeat him within those rules.

So, we come to this annual. And unfortunately, this annual is the type of magic story that just doesn't do it for me in the DCU. It features a magic user who at best could be described as D-list, Doctor Occult. The magic user has a loosely defined set of powers, and not one, but two silly gimmicks - the Symbol of Seven, a 'magic multi-faceted disc' that looks like one of those hypno-discs you would see advertised in the 1960s, a circle of cardboard with swhirls all over it, and the weird body-swap thing with Rose Psychic. Having said that, it is appropriate that Superman's first encounter with magic should be in the company of Doctor Occult, who was created by Siegel and Shuster three years before they would create Superman. As Superman is the first DC super-hero, Occult is the first DC magic hero, and is also the oldest (in terms of character creation) character used by DC in their current continuity.

The 'offending' Symbol of Seven.

As for Superman, he doesn't know what hell is going on, how to fight it, and has to have everything explained to him. Oh, and despite his well-known vulnerability to magic, he can somehow resist huge demonic mystical forces with only a little encouragement from a guy he doesn't really like to break free from Thahn.

Ok.

There are some nice Year One touches in here. As is commented on at the end, Superman is very young, only four months into his career, and certainly impetuous. There's a moment at the start of the issue where he chides himself for showing off and missing a bullet that could have killed a bystander. Superman's reaction to several occasions where Doctor Occult either tells him to do something or refuses to explain something is one of anger, fuelled by his lack of comprehension of events. You get the feeling that once he gets back to his apartment after ensuring the homeless people are OK, he is going to sit down with a large hot drink and think things over a lot.

There's nothing special about this annual. It looks good, reads well, but ultimately it doesn't provide very much insight into the early days of Superman. After the great interweaving of The Man of Steel #2 and more current Superman elements in the Adventures annual, this feels like a let-down.

Next of World of Superman: Superman in space for the very first time.

The Adventures of Superman Annual #7

Year One: Truth And Justice


Writer: Karl Kesel
Penciller: Ron Wagner
Inker: Josef Rubinstein
Colorist: Linda Medley
Letterer: Albert de Guzman
Assistant (Editor): Chris Duffy
Top Cop (Editor): Mike Carlin
Cover: Walt Simonson
Cover Date: Annual 1995
Release Date: 11/07/1995


New Gods and Kalibak created by Jack Kirby
Much owed to the work of John Byrne

Superman takes down the hostage takes from The Man of Steel #2. As he leaves the bank to tell the SWAT team that the danger is over, Captain Reagan, the SWAT commander, berates him for putting himself in a position where he could have been killed. Superman listens patiently, and tells Reagan that he wants to be an aid to the police. Reagan is about to give him another mouthful when Superman hears a gunfight across town and flies away. Lois Lane runs up, but is told by Reagan that she just missed Superman.


Lois continues to miss Superman, whose exploits provide headlines for all of Metropolis' papers. A few days later, Reagan and Dan Turpin argue about Superman. Their argument is interrupted by Star City Police Officer Maggie Sawyer, in town on a holiday, and eager to learn more about Superman. Reagan introduces himself as a friend of her husband, James Sawyer, but is given the cold shoulder. They discuss Superman, with Reagan taking a reactionary view, which is brushed off by Sawyer and Turpin.


Superman introduces himself to Inspector Henderson at a murder scene, where a mob informant and his police guard were gunned down. Superman uses his powers to provide an initial forensic examination of the crime scene. Seeing blood that doesn't match the victims, he tells Henderson that the shooter is wounded, then takes off, following a lead. The shooter has stolen a taxi, which is careering down the street. Superman appears in the back seat, but the shooter refuses to give up, dropping a primed grenade and bailing from the cab. Superman rises unharmed from the flaming wreckage, and intimidates the shooter into giving up. As the shooter is led away, Toby Raines, a reporter from the Daily Star, tries to corner him for an interview. Despite mistaking her for Lois, Superman refuses an interview. Henderson confides in Superman; with Superman eradicating standard crime, the police are concerned about what will come next.


Ugly Manheim, Boss Moxie's son, makes a power play for control of Intergang. To provide a show of force, he opens a boom tube, and Kalibak appears at the crime conference. The crime lords open fire, but Kalibak shrugs off the bullets and starts attacking, stopping only when Manheim reminds him of their deal. With Kalibak as a force to take on Superman, Manheim takes control of the syndicate.


The next day, Clark Kent books an appointment with Perry White for two days time. As he hangs up the phone, the lobby of his hotel is invaded by Intergang, who attempt to rob the entire hotel. Clark uses his heat vision to trigger the fire alarms, but in the chaos, Maggie Sawyer is taken hostage. The police gather outside, but Apokoliptian weaponry keeps them pinned down. Turpin and Reagan attempt a rooftop assault, but this falls apart when Kalibak ambushes them, knocking Reagan out. Thinking that the noise is Superman arriving causes Intergang to gloat, affording Clark an opportunity to slip away and get into costume. Superman goes for Manheim, but the alien weapons force him back. Intergang threatens the hostages, but Maggie manages to get hold of one of the weapons, and a standoff develops. Manheim attacks Superman with a weapon that bathes him in the fires of Apokolips. Superman is forced to fly for help, getting a fire truck to put him out, allowing Intergang the opportunity to escape.


On the roof, Kalibak knocks Regan out, and attacks Turpin. Turpin is able to get his hands on one of the alien weapons, and unloads it into Kalibak. Enraged by the attack, Kalibak lunges forward. Turpin pulls the pin from a grenade and shoves it down Kalibak's throat. The explosion causes Kalibak to fall from the roof. Down below, Superman has recovered and manages to round up Intergang, disarming them in seconds. Manheim lunges at the prone form of Kalibak, opening a Boom Tube. In the aftermath, Turpin is taken to hospital, and Toby Raines offers to interview Maggie Sawyer about the the events. Lois Lane arrives, having once again missed Superman.


Two days later, as Superman patrols the city, wondering if Intergang's defeat has sent a message to the underworld, he notices a car in the water. He rescues the car and its driver, Lois Lane, and agrees to an interview. When Lois goes to file her exclusive, she finds that she has been scooped by the Daily Planet's newest reporter, Clark Kent.


Reagan and Henderson visit the recuperating Turpin. As they discuss Kent's article, Superman arrives to settle things with the police. Henderson officially welcomes him to Metropolis. Reagan is not happy and leaves. Superman gives Turpin his best wishes and also leaves. Henderson asks Turpin to head up a newly formed Special Crimes Unit. Turpin declines, but nominates Maggie Swayer for the position.

The first of the 1995 Year One annuals that we have come to is also the strongest. Kesel writes with a respect and reverence for The Man of Steel #2, whilst working backwards to incorporate familiar elements of the then-current Metropolis into Byrne's story. There are times when reading this issue is like experiencing the Byrne plot from a different camera angle, and the subtle shifts in emphasis work well. The opening re-telling of the Superman/bank robber encounter works well here, with Superman's powers coming across more forcefully, here setting the machine guns on fire rather than just heating them up. The pages I've used to illustrate this post are another great example of how the annual builds on what came before, here adding headlines to heighten Lois' frustration at not getting the Superman scoop.

This is very much a 'how the gang got together' kind of tale, bringing together the elements of the Metropolis SCU that would function as part of  Superman's supporting cast until the early 2000, namely Dan 'Terrible' Turpin, Maggie Sawyer, and Inspector Henderson. All throughout the issue, the characters drift towards their modern status, with the formation of the SCU looming at the issue's end, and the first meeting for future lovers Maggie Sawyer and Toby Raines.

Wagner provides pencils that invoke the stronger side of Jon Bogdanovich (check out the opening page of the annual). He creates a look for the comic that remains respectful to the 1980s fashions, of which Lois was a follower/victim, depending on your preference, whilst feeling very much modern (well, at least for 1995).

Perhaps the only bit of the issue that feels wrong is the Intergang/Apokolips plotline. Although it's nicely handled (just love Superman's confusion at his first encounter with a boom tube), having Dan Turpin go up against the son of Darkseid and come out on top just stretches credulity a little too much. Admittedly there isn't a rogue's gallery for Superman at this point in his history, but going from goons with guns to the son of the most evil entity in the universe is a tremendous step, even for Superman. That said, it certainly does fit in with Henderson's fears of escalation, a neat moment that is echoed by Commissioner Gordon at the end of Batman Begins.

The Geeky Bits:

Estimated Diamond Pre-Orders: 74,470
Diamond Sales Chart Position: 32
Best-Selling Comic Of The Month: Spawn #34

Next of World of Superman: It's Superman vs big nasty magic things for the first time ever!

The World of Metropolis #4

Ok, so this is a slight cheat. This issue actually takes place between The Man of Steel #2 and The Man of Steel #3; the flashback scenes in the Daily Planet take place a year after Clark Kent scoops Lois at the end of MoS#2. However, a lot is going to happen in terms of this blog before we get a year after MoS#2, so for the sake of coherency and to put the World of Metropolis miniseries behind us, I'm bringing it forward. After all, it fits thematically, if not chonologically...

What the hell; my blog, my rules! :)

Friends In Need

Story: John Byrne
Pencils: Win Mortimer
Inks: Dick Giordiano & Sal Trapani
Letterer: Albert de Guzman
Colorist: Tom Ziuko
Assistant Editor: Renee Witterstaeter
Editor: Mike Carlin
Cover: John Byrne
Cover Date: November 1988
Release Date: 12/07/1988

Wearing a bad wig and shades, Jimmy Olsen is drowning,. He is manacled to the floor of a boiler room of a ship that is filling up with water. Jimmy wrestles with the chains, but they are firm and secure. As the water rises above his head, he plays his 'ace in the hole' and activates his signal-watch. Superman discovers the sinking ship and saves his pal. Superman asks Jimmy why he took so long to activate his watch. Jimmy replies that as the watch is only for emergencies he wanted to be sure that he had tried everything he could to get out by himself. He then explains how he got himself into the situation, having worked his way into a drug-running organization to get to the top man, Fat Eddie Cortes. However, his cover wasn't as good as it needed to have been, as he was rumbled after a few weeks and imprisoned on the ship. Superman drops Jimmy off at the shore. Jimmy gives thanks to the signal watch, and recollects how he came to create it...

A few years earlier, and Jimmy is late for his Saturday job at the Daily Planet. His mother disapproves of the unpaid position, and refuses to let him leave until his room is tidy. After a bit of sulking, Jimmy gets on with the task, but after a short while he sneaks out of the window, climbs down a tree, and heads into work. He almost makes it to the subway, but he is hailed by Chrissie, a friend who Jimmy didn't see at the movies the night before. Althought Chrissie doesn't want to burden Jimmy with her troubles, she explains that her mother's drinking has got worse since her father returned from the road, and she feels that their troubles is her fault, as they never wanted kids. Jimmy tells her not to talk like that, and the two part company.

At the Planet, Jimmy gets on with his work as a copy boy. He catches up with Clark Kent, congratulating him on working for the Planet for a year. Lois overhears, and teases Clark about him stealing the Superman scoop from her. Clark suggests that she gets over it, and Jimmy reminds her that since the big story, she has gained most of the other Superman scoops. Lois is still frustrated that there are many unknown details about Superman, such as why his face is blurry in every photograph taken of him. Lois then ribs Clark about his lack of detail on Superman's personal life, who he was before he became Superman, and fantasises about getting that scoop on Superman's background. Jimmy is taken to thinking about a way of contacting Superman whenever he was needed. Later on, Jimmy tags along for lunch with Lois, asking her if he has any chance of being a reporter. She tells him that he is eager and bright, and hungry enough for a story, but that becoming a reporter is a long time away.

That evening, Jimmy returns home, only to discover that he has been rumbled by his mother, who proceeds to have a long and angry phone call with Perry White. Whislt this is happening, Chrissy climbs in through the window. She is not well, and tells Jimmy that she has taken a whole bottle of her mother's pills, before collapsing on the bed. Jimmy runs and gets his mother, who discovers that Chrissi barely has a pulse and is probably dying. She runs to call the emergency services, who are too busy to take her call and put her on hold. Jimmy realises that Superman could save Chrissie, and he calls Lois, who can't help. Slamming the receiver down in frustration, Jimmy breaks the phone.

Racking his brain as to how to contact Superman, Jimmy tells his mother not to bust his eardrums. Suddenly, inspiration hits, and he rushes to the entertainment system. He is able to build a crude signal generator in a short space of time that emits a signal outside human hearing, but which Superman will hear. Sure enough, at his desk, Clark Kent is unable to work due to the noise. He rushes outside and changes to Superman, and races to the source of the signal.

Superman gets Chrissie to the hospital just in time. She tells Superman that with the problems with her parents, she felt so lonely, and couldn't go on for year after year being alone. Superman reminds her that Jimmy is a good friend to her, and that he will be as well.

Back in the present day, Jimmy remembers Superman's compliments on his ingenuity around building the hypersonic signal. He looks out to the sea and sees Superman raise the sunken ship he was previously trapped on. Later that day, Jimmy goes to Chrissie's new foster home, and the two of them go out for a burger.

This is an odd issue. There's a good story in here, the tale of Chrissie, but its simplicity means that the story only takes a few pages up. There's some good observations on the nature of reporting on Superman, flavoured with the Kent/Lane rivalry from the first couple of years of the post-Crisis era. There's a nice snapshot of Jimmy Olsen, trying to make an impression at the Daily Planet. There's also a fairly dull Jimmy-in-peril wraparound, livened only gently by Jimmy's noir-ish narration. And here's the problem - the individual elements of his book fail to connect as a cohesive whole. As good as some of these elements are, none of them are strong enough to carry the issue.

To my great dismay, even the basics of storytelling break down here. The moment where Jimmy builds the signalling device is horribly fudged. It isn't established what he makes the device out of; the art suggests that it's a hi-fi, but it could equally be the kind of computer bank that wouldn't look out of place in the batcave. Of course, there's then the wonderful leap in logic that sees Jimmy build a device that emits a signal strong enough to broadcast into the center of Metropolis at teh right frequency to get Superman's attention all within a matter of minutes... why exactly does Jimmy want to be a reporter and why doesn't STARLabs or LexCorp snap him up for their R&D divisions? Oh, and let's face it, the biggest problem with this issue is that nowhere is it mentioned how the crude signalling device is refined into the handy wristwactch that Jimmy wears.

There are bits that I do like. I like the callback to Superman vibrating gently to prevent his face from being seen clearly in photographs. I also like the reference to the speed of sound, and Jimmy's hope that Superman isn't too far away to respond to the signal watch in time. These 'realistic' elements were a big part of my respect for this era of Superman, and their inclusion here pleases me. I enjoyed the moment at the end of the lunch scene, where Jimmy's naievete punctures his ambitions, when he tells Lois that Lex Luthor is the greatest man in Metropolis. I also really like how Win Mortimer manages to draw Jimmy even younger than normal for the flashback scenes.

The World of Metropolis has been a mixed bag of a mini-series. For the architect of modern Superman, John Byrne has dropped the ball on a surprising number of occasions, such as the mis-characterisation of Lex Luthor in #1 and 2, and the poor writing in #4. The use of Win Mortimer as penciller also feels like a mistake. Mortimer is a classic Superman penciller, but his heyday on the character was several decades previously, and while the work is good, certain details, such as his depiction of Superman, feel too much like they come from the pre-Crisis era rather than helping to build the post-Crisis Superman and his world.

It appeas that The World of Metropolis has not been collected in trade paperback, certainly not anytime recently. If you want to know more, check out the From Crisis To Crisis episode here, as they spend the bset part of two hours discussing the series.

Next on World of Superman: Clark Kent goes on holiday and falls in love.

The World of Metropolis #3

Mr Kent Goes To Metropolis


Writer: John Byrne
Penciller: Win Mortimer
Inkers: Dick Giordano, Sal Trapani
Letterer: Albert de Guzman
Colorist: Tom Ziuko
Assistant Editor: Renee Witterstaetter
Editor: Mike Carlin
Cover: John Byrne
Cover Date: October 1988
Release Date: 14/06/1988

Deep beneath the Metropolis financial district, three crooks use a stolen LexCorp laser to tunnel through the rock to a bank vault. Suddenly, the laser stops boring through the rock. The crooks turn it off and see a familiar 'S' shield in the hole they have created. Superman has been tipped off and swiftly apprehends the crooks. As he flies away, he remembers his first time living in Metropolis...

Having just arrived in Metropolis, Clark checks into a cheap hotel then takes off to do some sightseeing. Making sure that he won't be noticed, he uses his flight powers to see the city from above, but quickly notices shots being fired at policemen from a building. The gunmen have stolen a LexCorp weapon shipment, and are setting up a heavy-duty assault cannon. With everyone distracted by the gunfire, Clark is able to fly in through a window without being noticed. Manipulating his flight carefully, Clark is able to fly inside for the first time, reducing his chances of detection. He is discovered by one of the gunmen, and is forced to knock him out. However, even one of his softest punches has enough power to break the gunman's jaw, and Clark resolves to get more practice to allow him to use his power without causing unnecessary injury.


Using his x-ray vision, Clark sees that the gunmen have finished assembling the assault cannon, and are ready to fire. Clark dives out of the window and is able to catch the missile as soon as it is fired. Both the police and gunmen are confused at this, as Clark was moving at super-speed and wasn't seen by them. The gunmen fire again, and again Clark catches the missile. The police start to move in on the building, and the gunmen respond with more machine-gun fire. From the roof, Clark uses his heat vision to melt the bullets, protecting the policemen. He then throws one of the missiles at the building to flush the crooks out. Heading inside, he helps an old staircase collapse, and the gunmen literally tumble out of the building into the arms of the police.


With the situation resolved, Clark heads across town to meet with the Dean of Metropolis University, Dean Reynolds. Reynolds is happy to accept Clark into the university, until he discovers that Smallville High doesn't have the necessary accreditation. As Clark is a promising student, the Dean promises to see what he can do about the situation. Leaving the University, Clark ponders on a comment made about his accent by the Dean, and decides to see what he can do about losing it. As he wanders past a diner, he notices a 'Help Wanted' sign, and before long he has a job as a washing up boy.


After a week, Clark is promoted to short-order cook, and uses his heat vision to speed up his orders. A redheaded waitress named Ruby complements him on his speed. Ruby has a bit of a crush on Clark, and offers him a lift home. When she drops him off, she gives him a kiss on the lips, and promises more.


The next night, Clark is flying above the city when he notices a lady being chased by a car. He dives into the sewers, popping up underneath the car and disabling it by wrenching the back axle off. The car comes to a halt in a narrow alley and the crooks are unable to get out. The lady climbs over the car and gets away. As she does so, she taunts the crooks by telling them that she will be filing her story on their crime ring at the Daily Planet - the lady is Lois Lane. Clark overhears her taunt and is intrigued by the thought of working for the Daily Planet.


The incident has made Clark late for his appointment with Dean Reynolds. Despite being late, Reynolds allows him to take the tests that will allow him entrance to Met U, but his time to complete them has been shortened. By writing at super-speed, Clark is able to complete the exams in time, and is granted entrance as a student. Leaving the university, he is met by Ruby, who had followed him throughout the morning. Worried that his secret has been exposed, Clark is releaved to discover that she had lost him almost immediately, and was only at the university on a hunch that he would be there. They go for a burger, where Ruby expresses her concerns that Clark may overwork himself as a student and holding down a job. Clark reassures her that he will be fine. Over the next two years, Clark and Ruby grow close, but eventually Clark's time as a student and diner worker come to a close. He bids an emotional farewell to Ruby and the diner, and heads off into the world.


Back in the present day, Clark goes to visit Ruby and her family.

This is probably the most satisfying issue of World of Metropolis. The looser structure to the story, based around a series of events rather than one notable incident, allows the characters to come through more noticeably, and gives more of a sense of the earlier life of the spotlighted character than either of the previous issues have done. This issue is also stronger through the lack of Lex Luthor as a primary antagonist. Although his influence can be felt in the background of the issue and the city, it is more befitting that Clark Kent should not meet or even be aware of the malicious nature of Luthor at such an early stage in his career.

A lot of time is spent in this issue working with the fact that Clark is not used to using his powers in immediate or prolonged situations. He struggles to fly indoors, and breaks a mans jaw by punching him too hard. The whole sequence with the gunmen really feels like Clark is flying (no pun intended) by the seat of his pants, hurtling from one challenge to the next. He feels more comfortable with his powers in controlled situations, like super-cooking burgers or aceing college entrance exams. Although the gunmen fight sequence gives a good insight into his learning process, it would be great to revisit this era to see him become more comfortable with his powers and gradually becoming the Superman we know today.

The not-quite-an-encounter between Lois and Clark is also a nice touch, even if the inspiration for Clark wanting to work at the Daily Planet seems a little sudden and baseless. Again, this major decision in Clark's life feels like it needs more grounding, and that there is unexplored territory. One thing this scene does is confirm Lois as the binding thread between the issues of the miniseries. The one consistent character throughout all four issues is Lois, from her cameo in #1 to her full blown focus in #2, to another cameo in #3 and her supporting role in #4. This makes a lot of sense; outside of Superman she is the most important character in the Superman books. Whilst Clark has an established history in Smallville, Lois has never been given such an established younger life, and touching base with her at different points in the history of the characters spotlighted in this story grounds her nicely in the run-up to Man of Steel.

Although I'm not a fan in general of this World Of... miniseries, this issue is a great reminder of the potential of the miniseries, and of the general idea of a pre-Year One set of stories. Sadly, much like Clark's relationship with Ruby (surely doomed due to the lack of an 'LL' name), events within this issue have little to no resonance outside of its covers, a running theme for the early life of Clark Kent which, notable Superman-related moments aside, rarely get referenced beyond their original appearance. Sometimes that's a good thing, but when the story is as strong as this, it can sometimes be a shame.

Next on World of Superman: The Secret Origin of... The Signal Watch!!!