Superman in the post-Crisis era (reviews by shaxper)

[shaxper]

Superman #8

"Future Shock"
writer/pencils: John Byrne
inks: Karl Kesel
colors: Tom Ziuko
letters: John Costanza
editors: Michael Carlin & Andrew Helfer
dedicated to the memory of Edmund Hamilton

grade: B

A pretty fun issue in which Byrne seems intent on accomplishing three things:

1. Giving new readers an introduction to the classic Legion
2. Clearing up some mysteries about how the Crisis has impacted post-Crisis continuity
3. Establishing interest in Cosmic Boy and the Legion in the post-Crisis continuity

Most importantly, with so much information to cover in 21 pages, we get a nice break from D-list villains, Superman being an idiot, getting his butt kicked, and/or getting uncomfortably interested in other women, and just about everything else Byrne usually does wrong. Even without having read Cosmic Boy, the Legion story this continues from, nor really ANY Legion story after Jim Shooter's time, this was a fun story that was pretty easy to follow, and it left us with questions that truly make me want to read the next Superman installment.


Important Details:

- This story continues in this month's Action Comics, but skips over this month's Adventures of Superman issue. Wolfman and Byrne really are working totally independent of each other at this point, aren't they? Feels a bit like mom and dad sleeping in separate beds. Anyone know if there was a story behind this? I can infer from all that we've seen that Byrne had near total control of the franchise (including its handling of Luther and Lois, neither of which are ever featured in Wolfman's stories even though Wolfman was responsible for the post-Crisis Luther's characterization), and that there is tension or at least an "agree to disagree" energy between the two, causing them to work entirely independently whereas they initially seemed to be collaborating extensively.

- Superman doesn't get hungry.

- Superman's super hearing extends at least to the size of Smallville, as he's able to hear something (though we're not quite sure what he heard the Legion doing) all the way "on the other side of Smallville."

- Confirmed that the Superman of this universe is de-powered when compared to the Pre-Crisis Earth One version. Thus, Superboy is much stronger than him.

- Confirmed that Ma and Pa Kent were significantly older in Pre-Crisis Earth One.

- Confirmed that Superman recalls the Crisis, the red skies, and meeting Superboy Prime. Of course, this still poses the problem that he didn't appear to remember being friends with Wonder Woman in the numerous instances in which he thought about her in previous issues.


Minor Details:

- As if Byrne didn't have Clark chasing enough tail and being enough of an idiot, this issue opens with him positively teasing Lana Lang, doing gruntwork for her with his shirt off (actually clutching a giant tree trunk between his legs in that opening panel) when he should know how lovesick she is for him after Man of Steel #6. And let's be clear -- Clark has no reason to take his shirt off. Pulling a tree out of the ground shouldn't take much effort for him.

- Clark claims his glasses are a hand-me-down from Pa Kent, and implies he's been wearing the same pair all along, but we've seen him lose his glasses or get them destroyed at least twice already (most recently in Superman #5). And, if the glasses he's wearing are someone's prescription glasses, wouldn't he have to change the lenses, or is he just constantly using his X-Ray vision through the prescription lenses? Once again, Byrne tries to explain an aspect of Superman and just makes it more complicated.

- It's a little disturbing when Byrne has Superman refer to the Invisible Kid as "The black kid." Yikes.


Plot synopsis in one ridiculously long sentence:

Clark is in Smallvile, helping Lana fix up her house and picnicking with his parents when the Earth One Legion of Superheroes show up in Smallville, Superman loses control over his heat vision and accidentally fires on them, they fight back, they ultimately decide they are on the same side, the Legion explains who they are and that they are from a different reality with a different Superman/boy, we get a recap of how Superboy met the Legion, as well as a brief recap of what's been happening in the Cosmic Boy and Legion titles, both Superman and the Legion appear to recall elements of the Crisis, and Superboy shows up, explaining that he must reluctantly kill the Legion members.

[foxley]

I don't think that was a consistently applied concept, though. Certainly, in all the pining Byrne has Clark doing over Wonder Woman, he consistently treats her like an enigma he's only met once, not a stranger he once knew.

Wonder Woman was one the characters who had her history completely rewritten by the Crisis. Her new debut did not occur until Legends, so other heroes literally did not remember her having existed before that.

[foxley]

- Do the Metal Men usually combine into a giant robot, or is this just another example of how it feels like Byrne has been watching a lot of Voltron lately (see the previous issue of Action Comics for another example)?

Byrne gets a pass on this one. This is an old Metal Men trick they had been using since the 60s.

[Bill Angus]

I don't think that was a consistently applied concept, though. Certainly, in all the pining Byrne has Clark doing over Wonder Woman, he consistently treats her like an enigma he's only met once, not a stranger he once knew.

Post-Crisis they had no previous meetings. Diana only came to "Man's World" around the time of 'Legends', which is where/when Superman met her.

This is the continuity where she wasn't a founding member of the JLA - that was... Black Canary (I think) instead.

EDITED TO ADD: As foxley pointed out.

[spoon_jenkins]

Superman #8

[snip]
- This story continues in this month's Action Comics, but skips over this month's Adventures of Superman issue. Wolfman and Byrne really are working totally independent of each other at this point, aren't they? Feels a bit like mom and dad sleeping in separate beds. Anyone know if there was a story behind this? I can infer from all that we've seen that Byrne had near total control of the franchise (including its handling of Luther and Lois, neither of which are ever featured in Wolfman's stories even though Wolfman was responsible for the post-Crisis Luther's characterization), and that there is tension or at least an "agree to disagree" energy between the two, causing them to work entirely independently whereas they initially seemed to be collaborating extensively.

When these issues were coming, I read a good deal of Superman, some of Action Comics, and barely any Adventures of Superman. I never got the impression that much was going on in Adventures that was important in order to follow the two Byrne books.

- It's a little disturbing when Byrne has Superman refer to the Invisible Kid as "The black kid." Yikes.

I think he was just having Superman think up a quick identifier for each of them. He calls Sun Boy "the red-head" and Blok "the big guy." I guess he could have referred to all of them by color since they were black, white, gray, and green.

By the way did you notice the particular quartet of Legionnaires who were featured. A super-genius (Braniac 5), super-strong stony guy (Blok), someone with fire powers (Sun Boy), and someone with invisibility (Invisible Kid). I've heard that was an intentional Fantastic Four reference by Byrne.

[shaxper]

Wonder Woman was one the characters who had her history completely rewritten by the Crisis. Her new debut did not occur until Legends, so other heroes literally did not remember her having existed before that.

Right, but the point being this debunks the idea that Superman has a consistent memory of everyone from the Crisis. He's not supposed to have any memory of Diana prior to Legends so long as he doesn't have a clear memory of the Crisis.

[shaxper]

By the way did you notice the particular quartet of Legionnaires who were featured. A super-genius (Braniac 5), super-strong stony guy (Blok), someone with fire powers (Sun Boy), and someone with invisibility (Invisible Kid). I've heard that was an intentional Fantastic Four reference by Byrne.

No, I didn't. Not much of an homage if that's the full extent of it. I definitely didn't notice any nods to the series in this issue beyond what you've pointed out.

[dupersuper]

Still, I've no intention of buying the Legion issues in order to follow this cross-over. I'll only be reviewing the chapters occurring in Superman #8 and Action #591 unless those stories clearly contain major gaps that would require me to obtain the other issues.

I'd advise including the Legion books.

Unfortunately, most subsequent writers have also missed that. All the modern attempts at a Metal Men revival I've seen have all sucked dead donkey dong, usually because exactly the wrong people were doing them.

Even the Giffen back up in Doom Patrol?

And let's be clear -- Clark has no reason to take his shirt off. Pulling a tree out of the ground shouldn't take much effort for him.

Well, he would probably have ruined his shirt..

[shaxper]

I'd advise including the Legion books.

Those particular issues, or are you endorsing the series as a whole? Superman #8 totally recapped what we missed in the first Legion installment, and the crossover with Hawkman a few issues back resolved Superman's involvement in the story even as it was still to be continued in their book, so I'm hoping Byrne will keep this trend of not requiring us to read the non-Superman portions of the crossover.

Well, he would probably have ruined his shirt..

touche

[SJNeal]

Well, he would probably have ruined his shirt..

Before or after Lana ruined her panties?

[Bad Wolf]

By the way did you notice the particular quartet of Legionnaires who were featured. A super-genius (Braniac 5), super-strong stony guy (Blok), someone with fire powers (Sun Boy), and someone with invisibility (Invisible Kid). I've heard that was an intentional Fantastic Four reference by Byrne.

Also, the cover itself is a reference to this one:

[Van Cleaf]

Ah, the "Pocket Universe". This has always annoyed me. Essentially, it IS a parallel universe. Earth-P(ocket). So much for the CRISIS.

[dupersuper]

Those particular issues, or are you endorsing the series as a whole? Superman #8 totally recapped what we missed in the first Legion installment, and the crossover with Hawkman a few issues back resolved Superman's involvement in the story even as it was still to be continued in their book, so I'm hoping Byrne will keep this trend of not requiring us to read the non-Superman portions of the crossover.

I was just referring to these issues (not that I'd discourage reading LoSH), but I may be biased: I was looking for those issues for years and finally got the Man of Steel trade with the story just for those 2. 1 of my little white whales of collecting at one time. Without the second Legion issue, though, it'll be months before we learn of Superboys fate in the Superman books.

Ah, the "Pocket Universe". This has always annoyed me. Essentially, it IS a parallel universe. Earth-P(ocket). So much for the CRISIS.

The Crisis was about the specific multiverse they had set up, I don't think it was ever meant to forbid all future alternate reality stories forever and ever.

[shaxper]

Without the second Legion issue, though, it'll be months before we learn of Superboys fate in the Superman books.

...or you could just tell me

In all seriousness, since the Earth P Superboy is not part of the Post-Crisis Superman's continuity (almost by definition), I don't feel any particular responsibility to document his fate in these reviews, so a summary of what I missed in that issue would probably suffice.

[shaxper]

Also, the cover itself is a reference to this one:

Interesting.

He does a similar homage to himself with Action #597 and FF#238


Action Comics #597
Fantastic Four #238