Review: Superman #40

Geoff Johns run on Superman is over. Gene Luen Yang's 'The Truth' starts after Free Comic Book Day and Convergence ends. That means there was room for one issue to be sandwiched between these writers.

Superman #40 is an attempt to bridge the gap between these two arcs. Written and penciled by John Romita Jr. with inks by Klaus Janson, 'Powerless' gives us a story where we see Superman try to embrace humanity in a new way, by losing his powers and enjoying every day life. He hangs out with his Justice League friends and seems to relax for a bit. It all sounds so good, a break from the weird distant Superman that has been seen in the New 52 universe.

And yet ...

It makes little sense to me.

See I am one of those old school readers who thinks that Superman thinks of himself as a 'normal guy' who just happens to have powers and is here to help. I think of him sitting at Ma's table and enjoying her apple pie, maybe kicking back and having a brew with his friends, and sitting around with friends when he can. I think of him loving Lana and hurting when the broke up. I think of him loving Lois and aching they aren't together.

So to hear Superman talk about these things as novel experiences, like he hasn't experienced this, makes me wonder if I will ever understand this particular Superman.

The issue starts with Superman again super-flaring, this time in a remote area of the world, and becoming depowered. Kal is experimenting, hoping to control this power, learn how to trigger it at will, and wondering if his powers are evolving. He loses his powers, and flight is slow to return. (Until then he jumps like the 1938 Superman as he rejuvenates.)

Batman arrives in the batplane to pick up Superman. It turns out that Batman has had to fetch him this way several times as Superman keeps experimenting this way. They head to the satellite where the Leaguers talk to Superman about this change.

This just smacks of old school JLA, the heroes hanging out and drinking coffee. Barry is playing video games (seems like a Wally thing to do). And they are just hashing out what this new power means. The concept of this scene ... of heroes being friends ... is wonderful.

But then Superman says 'I'm aware of human feeling but I'm not aware of feeling human.' And that sounds 100% wrong. I can't imagine the boy raised in Smallville by the Kents, who helped on the farm, who loved and lost and worried in his youth would ever say that. I just can't believe it.

Okay it has been a while since Superman has had the vulnerability of humans. But that isn't the same as feeling human.

It leads to the most classic of superhero tropes, the sparring session in a Danger Room style facility. To test if Superman's powers have come back after the last flare, the League 'attacks' him in the rec room.

And then they decide to check the power of the flare by having Superman unleash it on the Watchtower. It is massive, a huge energy burst and EMP combined.

Romita has a surprising grasp of the casual dialogue of these old chums. Flash deadpanning about the clean-up is great.

We again hear how Superman is intrigued by this flare power, what it means, and how he is changing.

It makes sense that Clark wants to understand this ability. He'd hate to inadvertently flare in the middle of Metropolis.

While I half-smiled at this moment with Aquaman trying to shield Diana's eyes from Superman showering, I wondered why they were all in the shower with him anyways. Couldn't they be just outside the stall talking? Or wait the five minutes? And aren't Diana and Kal dating. It's not like she hasn't seen this before. Why would Aquaman feel compelled to block her vision unless he is joking around.

Regardless, this is a League I would read, enjoying each others' company and having fun with their powers when they can. Not a drop of grim and gritty here.

But then back to some of the off-putting humanity stuff. Earlier Superman talks about enjoying food when he is depowered. So while depowered, he heads out for a bite with his pals.

I always assumed he ate, and enjoyed eating. No Ma's apple pie? No Bouef Bourguinon? No corn dogs? Ice cream sodas? Nope, instead he doesn't know what a cannoli is. It seems weird. By saying he doesn't eat, doesn't know what a cannoli is, DC is playing up the alien portion of the character a bit too much.

And then he decides the right thing to do is to get drunk (albeit on just half a beer).

Ah, but acting 'human' has its drawbacks. Like hangovers, dehydration, and headaches.

Just barely repowered, Clark hears about an incident downtown. Criminals armed with high tech weapons are shooting up the town. Superman has to pull himself together and jump across town.

Knowing he is depowered after the flare, would Superman risk something just like this? What if Darkseid invaded on this day? Or Luthor? Or Brainiac? Wouldn't Clark feel awful?

And really? He hasn't eaten French Fries before? Is the inference that his powers deny him taste?

Whoever these crooks are, they are packing serious heat. Laser rifles hurt this Superman, bringing a building down on the Man of Steel before he can apprehend them.

But he is bloodied and battered. And the Metropolis public is there with their cell phones, capturing it all.

I actually like this panel by Romita. I think this sort of panel, an angry Superman, grimy and bruised, lifting the wreckage.

And with all those pictures of Superman over social media, Lois can't help but notice that Clark is sporting bandages in the same places.

You'd think this might be a lesson for Superman. That maybe the transient joy of alcohol isn't worth the downside. Maybe fries shouldn't interfere with the never ending battle?

Or maybe DC could write a Superman who doesn't need to lose his powers to savor a cannoli.

So there was plenty of upside in this issue. I loved the camaraderie of the League, sparring, joking, and having a bite out.

But that is built on the foundation that Superman has never felt like a human. And that just isn't how I imagine Superman. That's not what I want in my Superman. So I am even more worried about 'The Truth'.

Overall grade: C+

Review: Superman #38

Superman #38 came out this week, the last issue of the Ulysses storyline and the end of the first arc by Geoff Johns, John Romita Jr., and Klaus Janson.

This story has been a sort of slow burn with big art. The overarching theme of Ulysses being a sort of Superman origin analogue looked through a mirror darkly was an interesting one. But the individual issues sort of moved things forward little by little. And Romita filled each issue with large panels, splash pages, and double splash pages. This could have been a 3 issue story if it was thumbnailed in usual page layouts.

For me, the most interesting parts of this arc has been when Johns' has looked at Superman's supporting cast, bringing things away from Lobdell's world and back to a more classic feel. And, luckily, this issue has a healthy dose of that. I wouldn't mind a couple of issues just of the Daily Planet crew!

But the big part of this issue was the reveal of a new power and a new confidante. And I am going to give both of these some time before I render a final verdict.

I think I have stated my opinion on Romita's art enough. It just doesn't work for me. And working mostly in large panels I think weakens his art.

Last issue ended when Superman convinced Ulysses to not slaughter Earth people for fuel for The Great World. The result of that was the destruction of Ulysses' adopted planet.

Back on Earth and in the midst of a brawl with Ulysses, Superman takes time to speak to the masses who thought they would be living in paradise. These people are griping about heading back to a world where they are sick or penniless. It is something of a sad commentary on humanity.

But Superman says that people need to look at themselves and this imperfect world for help and hope. It's a decent speech to remind people that we all need to help each other. Some classic Superman sentiment there.

One of my consistent pet peeves about the New 52 has been the underutilization of Lois. I thought Johns was going to work Lois more into the mix. We have seen her in every issue. But she doesn't do too much in this issue other than stand there and smile. And that panel with the vacant stare ... weird.

Superman does brawl with Ulysses, initially in Metropolis and then away from innocents. And then, when Ulysses threatens to destroy the Earth, Superman unleashes *his* new power - a super flare. In fact, Romita uses 5 pages to show us it.

One thing I sort of like about this is the Dragon Ball Z feel to this. This isn't a surgical attack. This is huge and seems uncontrollable. I guess 'Final Flash' was taken as a power name?

But is it a new Kryptonian power?

Kara has been doing it for two plus years.

Just like that, Ulysses is defeated.

So there is nothing but the wrap up.

Superman wakes up in the Batcave. Batman retrieved Superman's unconscious body. This 'super flare' incinerated everything in a quarter mile but also expended all of Superman's energy. Until he recharges, he is human and vulnerable.

I think that I will need to see just how often this is used before I comment. Will this be a rare power event, only used as a last ditch attack? Will this be overused so writers can write a 'vulnerable' Superman? Will we see him use this against lightweights?

The vulnerability is an interesting wrinkle ...

Ulysses has been taken to Stryker's Island and placed in a cell built for the Parasite, slowly siphoning off his energy. Ulysses knows Superman's secret identity. But for some reason, he is staying tight lipped. If he was that angry at Superman ... why not ruin his life? Instead he tells Superman (who comes as Clark reporting) to leave him alone.

I did like that Clark does bring Neil's parents to the cell. Putting Clark in shadows is a nice touch. Clark still misses his parents ... both sets. He doesn't want anyone suffering as he does.

Then it is back to work.

Nice touch that Clark wants to talk about the tragedy of Ulysses while the paper labels him a menace.

Clark sees the best in people. He doesn't want to label anyone.

I do like Perry here. Johns has a nice voice for him. I thought for sure that Clark would confide in him!

And Jimmy, made a billionaire by Lobdell, is suddenly the young hungry broke photographer again. Jimmy was inspired by Superman's speech to help all the people shut out of the Great World. He emptied his parents' trust fund.

That is impressive ... even if a slightly unbelievable. It does show the power that Superman has as a role model. And it shows us just who Jimmy is.

I like a slightly younger, hungry, motivated Jimmy. Let's see Mr. Action.

It leads to this reveal. Here is Superman's new outfit, including gloves!

But more importantly, Clark reveals his identity to Jimmy!

I have to really mull this one over.

Jimmy is Clark's best friend. He trusts Jimmy. This is the ultimate signal-watch.

I would have preferred Perry White, an older confidante ... a father figure. Perry is a more mature person, someone maybe who can keep it in the vault a bit more.

I would have preferred that the person who he would reveal this to be Lois. But they aren't there yet in this universe. It wouldn't have felt right for a Lois and Clark moment. We just haven't seen them be close.

I will have to see how this plays out.

But remember, we had someone observing all of these ongoings, talking like a father, walking with a staff that feels like a shepherd's crook. Who is this guy? A Jonathan Kent clone? The Eradicator? A rogue Kryptonian?

I thought at first this person was an integral part of the Ulysses storyline. Now it looks like he was just observing.

I can't say that this has been a great storyline by Johns. But it is way better than the Lobdell stuff that preceded it. In fact so much of this feels like an effort to move away from all that ... back to the Daily Planet, new costume, new power, new secret partner. Superman fans who left because of Lobdell can know this is new.

But are these changes better?

I don't mind them right now ... but I have to see how all this is utilized before I grade them.

Overall grade: B

Review: Superman #37

Happy New Year!

With the wrap-up of Supergirl's 2014 behind us, it's back to business as usual. And that means finishing last week's reviews. In some ways, it is okay as only a handful of comics came out yesterday, and none on my list.

Superman #37 continued the Ulysses storyline from megastar team of Geoff Johns, John Romita, Jr, and Klais Janson. I have been waiting for this story to move forward and Johns does just that here. We finally learn something about Klerik, the Great World, and Ulysses. And what I found most interesting was the continued similar aspects of Ulysses origin to Superman's ... and more importantly this issue, the differences.

I don't know if the pacing completely works here. It feels like we took babysteps for several issues and then one giant leap this one. But at least there is movement.

As usual, Romita Jr's art is fine here. I don't pause to pore over the art like I do when it really crackles. And, as per the usual of this arc, there are too many splash pages.

Last issue ended with Ulysses defeating Superman. This one opens with Superman captured and on the main ship from the Great World.

Despite what seems to be a 'victory', Klerik lays out Ulysses.

We learn that Klerik is Ulysses' adoptive father in the Great World. And when Ulysses tells his father that Superman will be returned to Earth, Klerik is unhappy.

We have seen plenty of similarities between Superman and Ulysses origins. Here we see a different. Klerik isn't Pa Kent. He isn't supportive. He doesn't teach to help people. No wonder Ulysses is broken. He is in an abusive relationship.

The defeat of Klerik in the first part of this arc, the befriending of Superman ... all a ruse to get Superman to trust Ulysses and therefore to get the world to trust Ulysses.

It is clear these 6 million humans aren't going to the Great World for paradise. And Ulysses couldn't care less about their fate. He is disgusted about humanity. He is disgusted about his own humanity.

So again we see another difference between Ulysses and Superman. Superman isn't human but he does embrace Earth as his home; he sees the best in humanity. Ulysses is human and considers himself above us.

We learn that the 6 million humans will simple be broken down into bioenergy to power everything in the Great World for a decade - the tech, the citizens, everything.

Ulysses is basically a herald of Galactus. He goes to a planet, lures a section of the populace to the Great World, and then uses them as fuel. He is a mass murderer. And that is about as far away from Superman as you can get.

All that changes when Ulysses learns that his parents have sneaked on board as 2 of the 6 million.

Just like that a sort of smugness melts away. Now he'll do anything to save his folks.

And Superman uses that to try to nudge Ulysses all the way. If the Great World is dying, why not save everyone ... EVERYONE ... by bringing them back to Earth. The human captives and the citizens of the Great World ... everyone can be saved even if the Great World dies.

It is sort of like Krypton. This is a chance to save everyone! To use transport ships, like Jor-El wanted to, to save a planet.

But it does show just how callous Ulysses is. The fate of 5,999,998 humans ... who cares? His parents? Time to turn his back on his adopted world.

Unfortunately, it all goes awry.

The human transports are successfully sent home. But the energy needed to do that makes the Great World's unstable core go critical. The Great World dies.

It is interesting that the denizens of the Great World were sort of like the Science Council on Krypton. Rather than figure out a peaceful way to save themselves, they ignore the problem. In fact, they are even worse, willing to kill others to maintain their world.

Man, does anything scream 'Krypton analogue' like this panel? Here Superman is rocketing Ulysses away from the exploding planet.

So should Superman feel somehow partly responsible for this world's death? I'm trying to wrap my brain around that.

Ulysses seems to think so. And this is the cliffhanger, heading into next month's finale.

At least I feel like we are at a point where things can come to a conclusion next issue. But that is because we sprinted here. After months of slowly peeling away Ulysses, we rush to the conclusions about the Great World. And we never really see enough of it to recognize it as paradise. Even the two-page splash by Romita showing it feels more like fancy apartment complexes.

I will admit that the contrast of Ulysses to Superman, with all the similarities and differences, is very interesting. Ulysses is the Superman story gone wrong. I think it is this comparison that is the backbone of the story. And that is saving this story.

I miss the Daily Planet crew. We don't see the 'father' watching Superman. And despite the plot progression, the whole issue reads very fast with the splash pages and huge panels. I wonder if this would read better in trade form?

Overall grade: B-/B

Review: Superman #35

Superman #35 came out this week, the next part in the Ulysses storyline, written by Geoff Johns with art by John Romita Jr, and Klaus Janson, This has been an interesting story as it has contrasted Ulysses as a boy 'rocketed from Earth to a strange planet where he gained powers' and Superman who was 'rocketed to Earth'. Last issue we saw Ulysses sport something of a temper and apparently kill The Machinist, only to have it turn out to be an innocent pawn. Now that is a contrast.

Johns has done a good job moving these stories along in the opening chapters. We certainly have seen plenty of Ulysses and his family (another contrast to Superman). But the Machinist and his motives remain a mystery. We also have been hearing from an onlooker, someone I have labeled the Cleric someone who appears to know a fair amount about Clark. Add to that the reconstruction of the Daily Planet and the supporting cast and I have been enjoying this story. I haven't been floored by it ... but it has held my attention.

I freely admit that I am not a John Romita Jr. fan but there were a couple of panels in this page that made me take notice. This was a well drafted story as well.

I thought the super-books suffered during the early years of the New 52 and part of that seemed to come from DC taking Superman away from what makes him great. And one of the things that Superman has had classically is one of the best supporting casts in comic. I am glad that Johns is Clark back to the planet and bringing back the old crew.

So it feels right to have Steve Lombard talking about Superman as a hero. And I even like Ron Troupe having the opposite view, wondering if people rely on Superman too much. That sort of distrust seems pervasive in the New 52 world, a place were people and the military are ready to attack. It will be interesting to see an actual character voice that, especially in the company of Clark and Lois.

I also like in this scene a sly smile we see Lois put on her face when she hears that Clark is coming back to the newsroom. I miss 'Clark and Lois' and Johns seems to be rectifying that.

And that smile ... so coy.

Ulysses does show some remorse, kneeling and almost mourning about possibly killing the Machinist-controlled man. I worry that Ulysses is a super-villain-in-waiting. So seeing him upset at this made me wonder if my initial response on Ulysses is wrong.

It turns out that the person Ulysses 'killed' was pretty much already dead, a techno mind-tick already burrowed into his brain. In theory, Ulysses isn't a killer. And Superman gives him a mulligan on vaporizing this guy.

I like how Superman seems to be in mentor mode here. Throughout this issue, we see Superman giving Ulysses advice on the right way to do things. There is always another way; you don't need to resort to lethal force.

A couple of meta-things about this though. 3 years in and we still haven't seen Kal be a mentor to Kara. And you would hope that Geoff Johns is sending these books to Zach Snyder.

The two heroes can track the Machinist. The villain is on a tanker truck with his cronies.

I include these panels just to showcase the second panel as an example of great art. It is so out of the ordinary. The Machinist's face is off panel; the cronies look like they are dancing. What the heck is going on?

The next panel shows Superman and Ulysses hoisting the tanker out of the water. This panel shows the crew losing their footing. Without a sound effect I didn't know that at first. Once I turned the page, I realized what it meant and turned back.

But it is the panel construction that adds to the mystery, to the unsettling feeling. Contrast it to the standard panel next to it. That last panel 'shouldn't' be a panel ... until you know what effect Johns and Romita were going for.

Ulysses holds the boat up while Superman brings the fight to the crew. The Machinist unleashes a murder of giant robot crows.

And what of that Cleric character who has been watching things from afar? He is still out there.

Who the heck is this guy?? We have been given almost no clues. I thought he might be working with the Machinist. But maybe not?

 The tanker gets driven ashore and finally the heroes get their mitts on the Machinist.

Johns gives us a very creepy wrinkle to the Machinist's origin. It isn't a 'him'. It is two brilliant minds sewn into one. Sewn ... brrrrr....

So will be know the 'two brilliant minds'? Is the Machinist an amalgam of two characters we know? One male and one female?

I initially thought that the Machinist was something of a Toyman rip-off. Maybe he is half-Toyman? And half-Dr.Psycho? Or Veronica Cale?

The Machinist is pretty tight-lipped about who he has sold weapons to so Ulysses tries to gather that information directly from his mind.

I thought this was another good panel by Romita. Ulysses is overwhelmed by just how many weapons are out there. It is an affront to his mind so I like how the weapons seem to be attacking him. And keeping Ulysses small in this big panel makes the weapons seem all the more enormous. Nice.

 And this effect seems to have addled Ulysses.

Now we get to see more differences between Superman and Ulysses again. Ulysses wonders why Superman has never just up and destroyed all the weapons in the world. When food and pollution and disease are huge problems, why do humans need weapons. Why fight each other?

Of course, Superman is all about leading by example. He tells Ulysses that you can't force people into doing what's right. You have to inspire. Now that's Superman.

But Ulysses doesn't want to hear it and takes off.

Could Ulysses be nearing a super-villain role? Could he try to be a fascist, wring control of this world?

One more wrinkle about The Machinist. We learn the name of his boss ... Mr. Oz.

Could it be that the Oracle is the 'man behind that curtain'? That he is pulling all the strings?

Does the reference to Oz mean that all this stuff is just a feint? Could Ulysses himself be a robot of some sort? His parents too? Could this all be a ruse?

We won't get any more information from the Machinist though. He detonates the whole ship and slips away in the blast.

I was thinking that Ulysses would end up circling the world trying to destroy all weapons. It would be a simple plot turn, one well traveled, with the 'hero' crossing the line to tyrant.

Instead, Johns throws a curve ball. We see Ulysses flying by a number of war memorials (WWII, Vietnam) and then makes a statement to the world. Earth is flawed. There is another world ... there is a better world ... there must be. And he can take 6 million people to his dimension, a paradise.

This is an interesting ending. Will Superman feel compelled to stop this? Who will judge the 6 million most worthy? Will people line up in droves? Will they attack each other to get on this bus?

I have been up and down about this story arc. I don't feel floored by it the way I was floored by the 'Legion'/'Brainiac' Johns run. But I am very interested. There is a lot of story and potential here. Ulysses is a great foil.

And, shockingly, I was impressed by Romita here. More on composition than anything else.

Overall grade: B+

Review: Superman #33

Superman #33, the second issue by megastar team of Geoff Johns and John Romita Jr, came out this week and continued to be a revamping and re-solidifying of the Superman mythos while exploring the new arc of Ulysses and Klerik.

I will admit that I am thrilled to see Johns bring back some classic consistency to Superman, something lacking since the New 52. So to see the Daily Planet staff -  Jimmy Olsen as a young photographer (not billionaire slacker), Lois as a dogged reporter (not missing or a Brainiac), and even Ron Troupe and Steve Lombard - was wonderful. It felt right. And that goes a long way.

And the Ulysses arc moves along nicely with a very interesting wrinkle at the end.

For me, I thought this was a perfect sort of second issue for a new creative team and a new arc. It was a bit exposition heavy but that is what second issues often are. Think about this new arc like you would a James Bond movie. The first issue was the opening action sequence, tied into the overall plot but more to grab the reader with a pulse-pounding sequence. After that opening salvo in Bond movies, we get exposition to help set up the plot. Again, the pace and sequence of the story felt right.

I have to be up front and say that I don't like Romita's art.  And this issue doesn't change that much. There are some nice panel set-ups that I liked. But some other places this seems rough.

The book opens with a classic scene, Perry White chewing out his staff for being scooped on the Ulysses story. While it doesn't move the plot forward, it feels like a role call by Johns. We basically go around the room and meet the characters who sometimes give a sort of one-sentence definition of who they are.

Lois Lane is the hard investigative reporter but she gets 'invited in' to get her stories. Steve Lombard is a laidback sort of oaf. Jimmy is the hard-working photographer who always seems to miss the big shot. Ron Troupe is a more of an activist. And this new reporter, whose name escapes me ... sorry, seems more like a hot-shot, attacking reporter, kicking doors down and pouncing. Heck, even Cat Grant seems ready to re-sign with the Planet.

Okay ... the supporting cast is set and defined. Check off that box.

I will say this was the one panel I very much liked. Perry has thrown the rival newspaper in the air. And those floating papers become sort of panel borders. And, as usual I may be over-reading things, I think the paper also helps define the character. Lois is truly surrounded by the paper. She is the most defined by it. The new reporter, looking at her phone, has less paper surrounding her. She isn't as invested in the 'paper', the phone a nice addition. And Ron ... he's in front of the paper. He isn't a news reporter, he's writes opinion pieces, being in front of the news.

Clark arrives at the paper and talks with Perry in private. Clark is working on something on his own and asks Perry about the Ulysses lab, the site of Ulysses birth and journey to Dimension 2.

Talk about exposition! You barely can see the characters as Johns gives us the backstory of Ulysses' parents. But we need this information to move forward. In fact, Perry was the reporter that covered the Ulysses' disaster 25 years earlier.

Perry really wants to bring Clark back into the fold and so cuts a deal. He'll help Clark as much as possible with this story if ... and only if ... Clark gives the story to the Planet. I like this wrinkle very much. It is clear Johns wants Clark back at the Planet. But how to get him there after the impassioned speech Lobdell had him give when he left the Planet? It needs to be done right.

Unfortunately, the middle part of the issue stumbles a bit when we see more of Ulysses.

He arrives at the Planet looking for Superman and finding Clark. Luckily Clark is able to smooth things over, saying that as Clark he is interviewing Ulysses ... finally named to the public. (I do hope that Perry is able to put 2 and 2 together - Clark asking about Ulysses labs, then introducing Ulysses.)

I do love seeing the curiosity raised in Lois when she sees Clark and Ulysses together. Suddenly it really does feel like home again - Land and Olsen are a team again!

Ulysses seems a bit befuddled by Earth and our culture. He asks about secret identities. Later, he is amazed by hot dogs and doesn't understand the concept of money, etc. I suppose it makes sense.

But it makes Clark's actions that much more perplexing. He left Ulysses alone in his apartment when he went to the Planet? He wants Ulysses to stay there when he goes to investigate the lab. He is told by Ulysses that Klerik (the alien the two pounded last issue) is in prison but probably healing.

Why would he leave this powerhouse, who he just met, who he knows nothing about, who doesn't understand our world, whose enemy is healing ... why would he leave him alone in his apartment?

Johns has set this Superman up to be more of a loner. But this seems silly.

The lab is a disaster. But something seems amiss to Clark to the point he calls Perry while there.

I put this in because I thought this sequence, mostly wordless, worked well for Romita including this panel. Amazingly, it mirrors the cover. The cover actually happened!

Meanwhile, Ulysses - calling himself by his birth name Neil - decides to walk the city in civilian clothes, blending in, the explanation Clark uses for needing a secret identity. It is here we see Ulysses acting out of place.

But during his stroll, giant robot army men storm the city. Ulysses springs to action to defend the 'other humans' and eventually Superman joins in. Superman says the soldiers are similar tech to the Titano robot.

Looks like the Toyman is coming back!

We learn what shocked Clark in the labs. Despite the apparent disaster, it seems that Neil's parents (assumed dead in an explosion last issue) survived! And given their history, they assumed new identities. Superman reunites the family.

I have to say I wasn't expecting this. Part of the hook for me in this story is that Ulysses is sort of Superman in reverse, an Earth couple rocketing their son to a new place which will make him super-human. Now I suppose that Neil's birth parents being alive will be used as a foil or as a plot point in the arc. But I am surprised to have this revealed so soon.

This is one of those panels that doesn't seem to work for me. The POV is slightly looking down but it looks like there isn't enough room for Superman at this angle. His head seems small, or his neck small, or something. But he looks odd enough to pull me out of this moment.

But the evil mastermind behind it all, the person I think is the real Klerik, the New 52 Cleric from Superman lore, is watching it all. And he seems to have some stake in this difference. Remember, he said he 'taught' Clark last issue. Now he says he might not be 'alone' soon. Could this be like the old Cleric, using the Eradicator to show Clark his parents in memories?

Overall I thought this was a good issue, the Daily Planet scene being the high point, the action sequence with the army soldier robots also being very good.

I do have some slight worries about how Johns is characterizing Superman. Last issue he moped alone in his apartment. Here he leaves Ulysses behind while he investigates. We barely see Clark interact with any of his friends. I hope we see things turn around. Maybe this arc, looking at a reflection of himself in Ulysses, might move him.

Still ... this felt like a Superman comic, something I haven't always been able to say in the New 52.

Overall grade: B

Supergirl Sighting: DC Challenge #4

Ah, the joys of the dollar box.

Back in 1986, DC Comics released DC Challenge!, a 12 issue maxi-series in the beautiful Baxter format. And this is a truly nutty concept - a round robin book with a new creative team on each issue. And there was no set plot! Each writer would receive the script of the prior issue and was told to simply carry the story forward in any way possible.

I was interested in the concept back when it came out. But I wasn't swimming in cash way back then and so I had to be a bit more frugal in what to buy. So I didn't get it then. Since then I have read how insane it is and so I have been looking for the issues, albeit if cheap.

Well surprise - in the dollar box at my store, there it was - all of it except issue #5. And looking for some bizarreness, I bought issues #1-4 and #6-9. This comic is a trip.

As a result of the format and round robin story-telling device, I feel that each writer was simply trying to create an impossible or insane set-up for whoever was taking over. Dead actors on earth, aliens fighting magic, time traveling heroes, a side trip to Rann, bizarre cliff-hangers, characters from the corners of the DCU (B'Wana Beast, Congorilla, etc.), Albert Einstein as a god-like creature ... whew. I think you need to have ingested mind altering chemicals to follow this.

Anyways, as I was reading Challenge #4, I saw .... SUPERGIRL!

Now maybe you aren't surprised that a book that spanned the entire DCU would include Supergirl. But this issue was released ... when?

4 months after Crisis on Infinite Earths #7!

That's right! Despite being killed by off by Marv Wolfman and a month away from being forgotten by everyone in the DCU, somehow writer Paul Levitz and artists Gil Kane and Klaus Janson didn't get the memo.

It is a cameo. And it is an odd costume. But it is Kara! An extremely rare post-Crisis appearance for the original Supergirl.

Part of the storyline (and please don't ask me to expound, I won't be able to) is aliens coming to Earth to execute ... other aliens! And they have weapons and powers that can defeat even the mightiest of extra-terrestrials.

In this scene, alien super-heroes are tied to a post before an alien firing squad. Superman, J'Emm, J'Onn, and Starfire are all facing those guns.

And so is Supergirl!

But here she is wearing a short sleeve shirt! This certainly isn't the head band, red-shouldered costume she was wearing at this time.

In a faraway shot we see she is wearing the hot pants!

A hot pants, short sleeved Supergirl? I don't think that costume has appeared anywhere else. Was this Kane taking some artistic license?

Regardless, here was Kara once more, just a handful of months after her death, after we had been told she wasn't going to be a part of the DCU. Even if this book is out of continuity, I thought there was an edict to forget about her. (I will admit, Crisis wasn't over yet so the 'no one remembers Supergirl' wasn't in continuity yet.)

Unfortunately, I don't have Challenge! #5 so I don't know how Supergirl escapes this predicament.

But this was an unbelievable and unexpected find in the dollar box. Makes it worth it.