THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #504 - September 1993

Assault on Engine City

Credits:  Karl Kesel (writer), Tom Grummett (penciler), Doug Hazelwood (inker), Albert de Guzman (letterer), Glenn Whitmore (colorist)

Summary:  Superman, Superboy, and Steel invade the newly christened “Engine City.”  They defeat an army of Mongul’s alien henchmen, but are unable to stop the Engine Bomb from being launched towards Metropolis.  Superboy grabs on to the missile and attempts to use his powers to dismantle it.  The missile is still intact when it reaches Metropolis, but Superboy is able to pull it away from the city.  Tana Moon watches in horror as the missile detonates over the horizon with Superboy still onboard.

Irrelevant Continuity:  Superman suggests “Man of Steel” simplify his name and go by “Steel,” making this the first time the name is used in an actual story.

I Love the ‘90s:  Superboy wishes Superman were referring to Michelle Pheiffer when discussing a “full frontal assault.”

Total N00B:  Perry White exclaims “Great shades of Elvis!” as the Engine Bomb reaches Metropolis.  I assumed Perry’s Elvis fixation was an invention of the Lois & Clark TV series, but it seems this issue saw print a few months before its debut.  Was this line added as an early tie-in to the series (like Renee Montoya’s earliest appearances in the Batman titles), or was the Elvis gimmick already in place?

Review:  It’s the big action issue that has the real Superman teaming up with the two Supermen that are only a few months away from starring in their own spinoffs.  The only real significance of the issue, aside from the debut of Steel’s official superhero name, is the image of Superman picking up gigantic ‘90s guns and blasting away at the enemy.  (They’re not quite implausible enough to be Liefeld guns, but they’re close).  Superman only uses the guns to “hold them back,” meaning there are no images of anyone actually getting hit with the weapons, but the creators are clearly using this imagery to provoke some kind of a response out of the readers.  Superman’s probably the last hero who should be picking up gigantic guns, which I get is the entire reason for doing the scene, but within the context of this story it feels utterly gratuitous.  It doesn’t come across as parody, yet the story doesn’t take itself seriously enough to justify this as a grim turning point for Superman, either.  I realize there’s a larger point behind this event, showing how Superman can still be traditional Superman and compete against the ‘90s breed of hero, but a scene like this seems to undermine what DC has been trying to prove for the past year.  It feels like an image that’s thrown out there just because it’s “so wrong,” but aside from intentionally provoking a response from the more traditional readers, there’s no obvious point behind it.

THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #503 - August 1993

Line of Fire

Credits:  Karl Kesel (writer), Tom Grummett (penciler), Doug Hazelwood (inker), Albert de Guzman (letterer), Glenn Whitmore (colorist)

Summary:  Cyborg Superman contacts the White House and requests they send Superboy to help him locate Eradicator.  Shortly after Superboy arrives on the West Coast, he’s shocked when Cyborg Superman destroys the GBS news copter that’s following them.  Superboy tries to stop Cyborg Superman but is unable to control his powers.  Inside Mongul’s ship, Mongul’s thoughts reveal his own plans to rule the new metallic Warworld being constructed in Coast City.  In Antarctica, an armored suit begins a trek through the bottom of the ocean.

Irrelevant Continuity:  

• This issue establishes that the real-life city of Santa Barbara was also wiped out when Coast City was destroyed, and that earthquakes have begun along the West Coast, killing thousands in cities like Portland.  I don’t believe that the damage outside of the fictitious Coastal City ever remained in DC continuity.
• The first hints of Superboy’s unique power, tactile telekinesis, appear for the first time during his fight with Cyborg Superman.
• Superman faced Mongul for the first time in Superman #321, according to a footnote.

I Love the ‘90s:  Superboy has a Spin Doctors poster in his apartment.

Review:  The casual treatment of not just one (fictional) city being destroyed, but also much of the West Coast is a clear sign we’re dealing with a storyline conceived years before 9-11.  I realize that movies and comics are now back to the routine destruction of major cities, but there does seem to be more of an effort to acknowledge the civilian toll in these situations.  This issue, people are freaked out over what’s happened, but no one’s especially sad.  Over seven million people are dead, but the cast acts as if they’re in just another superhero adventure.  Superboy never stops smiling and goofing off in the story, until he’s directly faced with a news copter that’s destroyed (that seems to happen around him quite a bit).  Now he’s upset, while the deaths of several million people couldn’t put a damper on his day, this is just too much.  It’s hard to accuse the issue of being insensitive since Americans had no real context for an event like this at the time, but looking at it today, it’s amazing to see how blasé the creators assumed the public would be regarding such a massive loss of life.  Even Tana Moon, presented as the moral center of this book, is more upset that she won’t get camera time when Superboy travels to Coast City than she is over the millions dead.

Regarding the Cyborg/Superboy fight, it’s enjoyable enough.  Tom Grummett handles the action well and Cyborg Superman isn’t bad as an over-the-top villain.  It’s the tone that’s all wrong, however, and it’s impossible to read this issue today and not notice just how badly the creators have misjudged the mood of the story.

X-MEN FOREVER 2 #6 - October 2010

Scream a Little Scream!

Credits:  Chris Claremont (writer), Tom Grummett (pencils), Cory Hamscher & Andrew Hennessy (inks), Wilfredo Quintana (colors), Dave Sharpe (letters)

Summary:  The Marauders invade the Summers’ home in Alaska.  Corsair narrowly evades Sabretooth, but his mother is seriously injured in the attack.  Havok and Polaris arrive and corner Sabretooth.  During the confusion, Robyn Hanover abducts Nate.  The Starjammers launch their skimmer for an aerial attack, but are shot down by the Marauders.  The two teams fight on the ground while Corsair makes his way to the Starjammer craft’s teleporter.  He materializes inside the X-Men’s mansion, where he immediately pulls a gun on the original Sabretooth.  Meanwhile in Genosha, Callisto takes Masque to meet the Ghost Panther.

Continuity Notes:  Sabretooth now has a cybernetic hand, designed by Shadowcat using the Starjammers’ technology.

Review:  One of the best issues of the series in quite a while, mainly because it feels like the legitimate fulfillment of the original premise of this book.  All of this Burnout, Consortium, and SHIELD stuff is a distraction from what the audience actually wanted, and that’s the original resolution to the myriad storylines Chris Claremont started in the ‘80s and was never able to finish.  Sinister launching another attempt to kidnap Nathan Summers, with the original Marauders no less, is exactly the kind of story we would’ve seen in 1991 had Jim Lee and/or Bob Harras not considered Nathan a nuisance and kept him in the books.  We’re also getting Claremont’s original interpretation of Sinister (which does pay off his rather odd exchange with Cyclops at the end of “Inferno” -- I hope Teebore doesn't mind me linking to one of his scans from X-Factor #39), and the return of Robyn Hanover from Cyclops' origin story in Classic X-Men.  Issues like this make me feel even more strongly that Forever needed reprint back-ups each issue, because not only is the original Robyn Hanover story in Classic X-Men relevant to this arc, but it actually is a classic and deserves to be seen again.  If you want an example of how just how meticulously Claremont actually did have many of these plots worked out in advance, go back and read these Classic X-Men stories.  Sinister’s intended origin is rather obvious in hindsight, and the tragic story of Robyn Hanover and young Cyclops is some of Claremont’s eeriest work.  So, yeah, if you’re the target audience for this book, there’s a decent amount of fanboy geeking out this issue.  It doesn’t hurt that Tom Grummett has also returned.  There’s a mood and atmosphere this issue that’s always missing when he’s gone, and thankfully, there aren’t any new redesigns this issue.  Aside from a few brief appearances, the cast looks they way they’re supposed to, making it easier to buy into the premise that this is more than just another incarnation of What If..?.

X-MEN FOREVER 2 #3 - September 2010

A Night on the Town!

Credits:  Chris Claremont (writer), Tom Grummett (pencils), Cory Hamscher (inks), Wilfredo Quintana (colors), Tom Orzechowski (letters)

Summary:  Spider-Man convinces Rogue that he’s on her side, and the duo soon begins an all-night crime fighting spree.  Meanwhile, Mystique searches the city for Rogue and Nightcrawler, while the X-Men adjust to life “out of phase” in the mansion.  Ziggy Trask announces that Sentinels will now patrol Manhattan, just as Jean Grey senses that Rogue is missing.  Shadowcat, Nightcrawler, and Jean eventually locate Spider-Man and Rogue.  With Mystique’s help, they defeat Trask’s Sentinels.  Mystique abruptly announces that she wants to join the X-Men.  Elsewhere, in Alaska, Robyn Hanover hires Corsair as a pilot.

Continuity Notes:  

• According to Cyclops, Shadowcat’s activation of the “tesseract field” looked like an explosion, but in fact placed the mansion “just a second out of phase with the reality of the rest of the world.”
• Nick Fury, along with Daisy Dugan and a few other SHIELD agents loyal to him now live in the mansion.  Their new uniforms look like leftover designs from the X-Men movies.
• Apparently even Chris Claremont ignores the “Mystique can only morph into humanoid forms” rule, as she turns into a monster in order to intimidate a barfly this issue.
• Shadowcat and Nightcrawler detect the “barest hint of Phoenix” when Jean uses her powers to crumple the Sentinels into a giant ball.
• Rogue thinks she can escape the mansion unnoticed because Roma’s spell makes her invisible to electronic devices.  Even Daisy Dugan says Rogue is invisible to “our hardware, the mansion systems, the Shi’ar tech, everything!”  However, Rogue (along with the other X-Men who underwent Roma’s spell) was visible to the Danger Room’s surveillance in X-Men #1, and back in X-Men Forever #8-9, Rogue wasn't invisible to the Sentinels’ scanners.

Review:  So, the new status quo for the X-Men is revealed this issue, and it turns out we’re getting an elaborate redo of the Outback years.  I’m still not sure how I feel about this setup, perhaps because it ultimately doesn’t play a major role in the stories X-Men Forever has left, so there isn’t a lot to base a judgment on.  I can understand why Claremont wants the world to think the X-Men dead, it’s a status quo he seems comfortable with, but the method he’s chosen this time pushes pseudo-science past the point where it has any real credibility.  Perhaps it’s inconsistent for me to accept Roma using magic to help make the X-Men “ghosts” but not technology, but within the parameters of the Marvel Universe, I can buy into magic as an explanation easier than whatever-it-is Claremont’s decided this time.  Looking back, I wonder now why Claremont didn’t just embrace the Australian Outback headquarters again.  He’s clearly going for the same status quo, so why not create some macguffin that teleports the team away from the mansion and back to their original “hidden” base?  The readers could also get Claremont’s resolution to the Gateway/Reavers dangling plotline out of the deal, since the appalling Uncanny X-Men #281 isn’t in-continuity in this reality.

Regarding the Spider-Man guest appearance, there’s no great need for him to be in the story, but my opinion hasn’t changed since the previous issue -- he’s entertaining enough and Tom Grummett draws a great Spider-Man.  Claremont seems to be teasing a possible Rogue/Spider-Man romance, although on closer reading it seems as if Rogue is simply too eager for a kiss, a joy her powers previously denied her.  Claremont’s comments online indicated that he still viewed Spider-Man as married in this continuity, and the “?!?” from Spider-Man would seem to signify that he doesn’t know what Rogue’s thinking.  This is the kind of scene that could easily be grating, but it isn't so bad given the overall context of the story.  Mystique’s sudden introduction into the story would seem to make sense if Claremont’s serious about playing up Rogue and Nightcrawler as “siblings,” although I don’t recall her joining the cast adding anything significant to the book.  This title is already packed with numerous plot threads, so it’s not as if it needs yet another new cast member.  Also, Mystique gets a misguided makeover after joining, just like everyone else in the book, and it’s pretty awful.

X-MEN FOREVER 2 #2 - August 2010

Six Weeks Later

Credits:  Chris Claremont (writer), Tom Grummett (pencils), Cory Hamscher (inks), Wilfredo Quintana (colors), Tom Orzechowski (letters)

Summary:  Peter Parker is sent to photograph the remains of the Xavier School, which is now occupied by SHIELD agents.  He discovers a Sentinel, created by SHIELD’s interim director Ziggy Trask, scanning the grounds.  He also suspects Nightcrawler’s nearby, but isn’t sure.  Later, in the city, Spider-Man comes across a mugging.  He’s shocked to discover another hero has stopped it -- Rogue, who now has Nightcrawler’s powers.  Meanwhile in Washington, someone impersonating Senator Holloway is briefed by a SHIELD agent on the Xavier case.  In Nebraska, Sinister tells Robyn Hanover he’s returning his focus to Nate Summers.

Continuity Notes:  

• Sinister, in the form of young orphan Nathan, refers to himself as a mutant.  This is Claremont’s original interpretation of Mr. Sinister, that he’s an adult mutant trapped in a child’s body.  According to his servant Robyn Hanover, Sinister is even older than Wolverine, but hasn’t been impacted by Burnout so far.
• Nick Fury and a few SHIELD agents are listed among the missing in the school’s explosion.
• Some more fan complaints are being addressed, although not to the extent most readers wanted.  A brief scene establishes that Archangel is overseeing the members of X-Force and X-Factor, who now live with him in Colorado.  Iceman is the only X-Man present, aside from Archangel.  Also, Robyn Hanover remarks that Nate Summers is older than she remembers, which is one reason Mr. Sinister is interested in him again.

“Huh?” Moment:  Someone has spray painted “X-Men Forever” on the gate outside of the mansion, even though the general public doesn’t know about the school’s connection to the X-Men.  Also, how could someone do this with SHIELD agents (and Sentinels) keeping watch?

Review:  A much denser read than the previous issue, we’re back to a few classic Claremontisms, such as the exposition-thick newscast and the quickie subplot scenes that hint at future stories to come.  I think hardcore fans would’ve been more pleased if Claremont laid off on the Spider-Man pages and spent more time establishing what’s going on with the X-characters we’ve barely seen so far, but Archangel’s brief one-page scene is at least some pacification for the audience.  Even though Archangel might initially seem like a strange choice to be leading a group of affiliated X-teams, Claremont’s already established that the character has moved on from his angsty/unstable X-Factor days by now, and given his resources, it makes sense that the teams would be relying on him.  (This does, however, raise questions regarding Cable’s role in this plan, and whether or not this reality’s X-Factor is government sponsored, all potential plot threads that are never addressed in the series.)  

The main story might be accused of being more filler, although I think there’s enough going on in the issue overall to forgive the leisurely pace of the Spider-Man scenes.  Claremont has a decent handle on the character, and Grummett’s rendition of Spider-Man is reminiscent of John Byrne’s best work with Spidey.  The guest appearances from the outside Marvel Universe in this title tend to be fun, when they’re not being strained beyond all credibility, i. e. Tony Stark.  The title is killing a bit of time before the new status quo is formally unveiled, but that doesn’t mean the interim stories can’t be entertaining in their own right.  Two issues with Spider-Man doesn’t seem like a terrible diversion.

X-MEN FOREVER 2 #1 - August 2010

A Cry of -- Vengeance!

Credits:  Chris Claremont (writer), Tom Grummett (pencils), Cory Hamscher (inks), Wilfredo Quintana (colors), Tom Orzechowski (letters)

Summary:  The Avengers arrive at the X-Men’s mansion and a fight soon begins.  During the battle, Jean Grey creates a telepathic illusion that ‘Ro has been injured by Thor.  While the Avengers react, the X-Men surreptitiously regroup inside the mansion.  Suddenly, the mansion explodes, leaving only a crater in the ground.  Elsewhere, a mystery female watches over one of the injured Trasks in a SHIELD infirmary, while inside a Nebraska orphanage, a boy named Nate opens a closet that’s apparently hiding Mr. Sinister.

Continuity Notes:  

• Shadowcat has yet another new costume this issue.  If you look at the cover, you can see that she’s also growing ridiculous “claw” fingernails, an idea that thankfully doesn’t make its way into the actual issue.
• Cyclops’ boyhood orphanage was the Home for Foundlings in Sage, Nebraska.  This issue shows Nate/Sinister, who secretly ran Cyclops’ orphanage, at the “State Orphanage” in Omaha, Nebraska instead.
• Nightcrawler mentions a deep friendship with Scarlet Witch, which would seem to be a reference to Exiles continuity, not the mainstream continuity this series is allegedly continuing.

Review:  Well, this is certainly an issue of the Avengers fighting the X-Men.  There’s nothing innovative about the fight, but the action moves along at a steady pace and Tom Grummett’s rendition of the Avengers is not surprisingly fantastic.  The rest of the issue consists of two brief subplot scenes, one to remind us that the Trasks are still out there, and another to hint at Sinister’s return.  I think the Trasks have already had their moment in this book, truthfully, but the notion of seeing Claremont’s original interpretation of Sinister is intriguing.  That’s not enough of a tease to distract from the issue’s thin plot, however.  Unless the ten-year-old inside of you is just desperate to see an Avengers/X-Men fight, the issue comes across as a needlessly padded fight scene.  A fight scene that could’ve ended after the first page given its conclusion anyway, since Jean could have cast that illusion at any time.  If you’re looking for a quick read, this is fine, but I think the audience tends to expect much more depth, or at least density of plot, from Claremont’s X-Men work.

THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #502 - August 1993

Boy Meets Girl

Credits:  Karl Kesel (writer), Tom Grummett (penciler), Doug Hazelwood (inker), Albert de Guzman (letterer), Glenn Whitmore (colorist)

Summary:  Lex Luthor sends Supergirl to invite Superboy to dinner.  During the meal, Superboy is persuaded to join Team Luthor and grant W-LEX exclusive rights to his image.  Within a few hours, however, he forgets the verbal agreement after GBS’s Vincent Edge buys him Clark Kent’s abandoned apartment.  Unbeknownst to Superboy, Vincent Edge and his new manager, Rex Leech, have arranged for the assassin Stinger to attack him in public the next day.  Tana Moon reluctantly covers the battle, which is soon joined by Supergirl.  Stinger escapes, but not before blowing up a nearby bridge.  Meanwhile, Bibbo’s dog is renamed Krypto after the engraver leaves a letter off the dog tag.

Irrelevant Continuity:  

• Superboy’s future love interest, Rex Leech’s daughter Roxy, debuts this issue.
• Lex Luthor’s right leg is in a cast and he’s using a cane.  Adventures seems to be the only title acknowledging Lex’s leg injury, since he last appeared in Man of Steel with no cast.

I Love the ‘90s:  Superboy thinks he can’t rescue a car full of teens from falling off a bridge…NOT!  Later, Roxy describes Superboy as “cuter than Bon Jovi, Luke Perry, and Robin put together!”

Review:  The misadventures of Don’t-Call-Me-Superboy continue, emphasizing that he’s motivated more by his hormones than any heroic ideals.  After a cute opening that has Superboy attempting to rescue a runaway car, only to be rescued himself by Supergirl, Lex uses Supergirl to sway Superboy to his side. Within a few pages, Vincent Edge has Tana Moon and Roxy convince him to stay with GBS.  (This version of Supergirl isn’t Superman’s cousin, by the way, so the story’s able to get away with her flirting with Superboy.)  Kesel isn’t writing Superboy as a total cynic, but he’s definitely not in the mold of the genuinely altruistic heroes like Superman.  Most likely, Kesel is leading the stories in the direction of Superboy eventually learning about true heroism, which has little to do with the amount of publicity he receives.  The idea of different media conglomerates competing for the attention of a superhero is a clever calculation of where society was heading in 1993, and the new Superboy suits these kinds of stories very well.  The villain of the month is the Stinger, a fairly generic assassin with a look that resembles Deadpool’s, which wasn’t the most original design the first place, of course.  Tom Grummett is great at drawing these vaguely Spider-Man figures, and while Stinger’s personality is nothing new, Kesel does a decent job giving him menacing and occasionally sadistic dialogue.  It’s an entertaining issue, although I feel obligated to point out that Superboy has already forgotten about the man he indirectly killed in this month’s Man of Steel.  I knew it was a bad idea that would be dismissed quickly, but not this quickly…

THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #501 - June 1993

…When He Was a Boy

Credits:  Karl Kesel (writer), Tom Grummett (penciler), Doug Hazelwood (inker), Albert de Guzman (letterer), Glenn Whitmore (colorist)

Summary:  Superboy, who appears to be a teenage clone of Superman, fights crime in Metropolis.  After accosting Lois Lane at the Daily Planet, he runs into aspiring reporter Tana Moon.  Tana books an interview with Superboy on local network GBS.  GBS, hoping to gain exclusive rights to Superboy, arranges for Superboy to apprehend crimelord Steel Hand in Suicide Slum.  Unbeknownst to Superboy, Guardian helps him defeat Steel Hand’s gauntlet.  Meanwhile, Bibbo rescues a drowning puppy and names him Krypton, and Lex Luthor interrogates Packard from Cadmus.  Packard reveals that Superboy isn’t technically a clone.

Irrelevant Continuity:  At this point, Superboy wants to be referred to as Superman and is adamant that no one call him “Superboy.”  Eventually, he’ll accept the moniker and star in his own spinoff.

I Love the ‘90s:  Superboy’s long on top, shaved at the bottom haircut was fairly popular in the early ‘90s.  As a few people have noticed, Rob Liefeld had it at this time.

Total N00B:  Lex Luthor has mysteriously broken his leg since he previously appeared in Man of Steel #22.  I don’t know which story the Return of Superman trade is missing.  And exactly how many versions of Krypto existed in the post-Crisis universe?

Review:  Karl Kesel makes his full debut as writer of Adventures, which will now focus on the ‘90s incarnation of Superboy.  I’m not certain how this happened, but the modern teenage version of Superboy has mutated over the years from a lighthearted, slightly bratty character into a po-faced, angst-ridden teen with issues.  I’m not even sure if they’re supposed to be the same character, and how exactly Lex Luthor got involved in his (their?) origin, but I suspect it’s information I’d rather not know.  I remember the new-new Superboy as the absolute worst aspect of the Young Justice cartoon, which summed up how far off the rails DC has gone over the years.  They couldn’t even use the extroverted, upbeat Superboy in a cartoon aimed at kids.  

As he exists in 1993, the premise behind the new Superboy is that he wasn’t raised by the old-fashioned Kents and has come of age, with no guidance, in modern times.  Even in the early ‘90s, that means he’s consumed with entertainment media and desperate to be famous.  DC’s reluctant to outright label him a clone, presumably because they feel fans will think of him as a literal copy of Superman, so some mystery is thrown in early on to hint that there’s more to his origin than we realize.  I personally feel “teenage clone of Superman” is a simple, easy to grasp concept, and think they probably should’ve stuck with it.  Maybe they were trying to avoid the trap that Marvel soon fell into with Spider-Man, though.

Superboy’s debut story establishes the kind of stories he’s going to star in for the next few years.  He’s cocky, in over his head, but also has some measure of heroism inside him.  I don’t think the Kesel/Grummett Superboy run ever quite reached the level of the Dixon/Grummett Robin era, but they’re all very entertaining teen superhero stories.  Superboy seems heavily inspired by the Wayne’s World phenomenon -- not to the extent that he’s stealing the catchphrases, but it isn’t hard to imagine Adventures, and later Superboy, as the exploits of Wayne Campbell with superpowers.  It’s the type of persona that could easily come across as a stereotype, or just outright annoying, but Kesel manages to make Superboy at the very least a readable protagonist.  These stories are much less serious than the other Superman titles of the time, and if there must be a new Superboy, this is a fairly creative way to go about it.  Teenage Superman with “attitude” just sounds awful on paper, but Kesel/Grummett are able to make it work.

THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #500 - June 1993

Life and Death

Credits:  Jerry Ordway (writer), Tom Grummett (penciler), Doug Hazelwood (inker), Albert de Guzman (letterer), Glenn Whitmore (colorist)

Summary:  Jonathan Kent has a near-death experience in the hospital.  He sees Superman walking towards the light and tries to talk him back.  Jonathan pursues Superman and in the process, relives traumatic events from his own life.  The entity Kismet sets Jonathan on the proper course, and he soon finds Superman in a Kryptonian funeral procession.  When Jonathan tries to awaken Superman, the Krypotonians are revealed as demons.  Jonathan and Superman escape into a tunnel.  When Jonathan wakes in the hospital, he’s convinced his son is alive.  On Lois’ plane ride home from Smallville, she sees a flying caped figure.  Various news reports later claim Superman has returned.  She visits Superman’s tomb with Henderson of the Metropolis police.  They discover his casket is empty.

Irrelevant Continuity:  Subplots this issue include Vincent Edge sexually harassing Cat Grant (who doesn't seem terribly offended since she later accepts his dinner invitation), Jimmy Olsen avoiding the filming of his “Turtle Boy” TV show, the Prankster annoying his cellmate, and the Metropolis police attempting to arrest Gangbuster after he blows an undercover sting operation.  A homeless man helps him get to safety.  Also, Gangbuster has a warrant for his arrest because a group of drug dealers he previously busted filed charges against him.  A footnote points to the Legacy of Superman one-shot.

I Love the ‘90s:  Cat Grant tells Vincent Edge that “this is the nineties” and she doesn’t have to accept his sexual harassment.  Even though she does.  Later, the Prankster’s cellmate tells him that “Turtle Boy” is so bad it’s good.  “It’s, y’know, very nineties.”

Production Notes:  This issue was published after a two month gap in which the Superman titles suspended publication.  The World without a Superman trade only reprints the main story in Adventures #500.  The next trade in the series, Return of Superman, reprints the final stories, which are all vignettes introducing the four new Supermen.

Gimmicks:  Three versions of this issue exist.  A standard newsstand edition, and two collector’s editions, one in a white polybag and one in a black polybag.  The collector’s editions have a holographic cover. According to comics.org, the newsstand version didn’t have eight story pages that were in the collector’s editions.  The Fortress of Baileytude blog has a collection of the "deleted scenes."

Review:  Adventures #500 was the first big issue following the death of Superman, although apparently the sales didn’t live up to the hype.  How do you follow up on the death of your most famous character?  DC was stuck in an impossible position; this stunt was only supposed to be a temporary replacement storyline to delay Superman’s wedding, but now a large portion of the general public actually believed Superman was dead.  DC rode the wave of controversy, embraced the publicity, and went out of its way to sell the death as being genuine, but how exactly could the creators get out of this hole?  Feeding the hype only made Superman’s inevitable return a larger problem for the creators to handle.  Adventures #500 is a logical choice to feature Superman’s return, since it is the next anniversary issue, but how exactly should Superman be revived?  Bringing Superman back to the living and just returning to normal so soon after his death would be perceived as a cheap move.  Maybe DC could’ve gotten away with that if only comics fans had been paying attention, but when you’ve made the New York Times and the CBS Evening News?  Can you backtrack so quickly with the world watching?  DC’s solution ultimately turns out to be this: hint that Superman’s alive, introduce a gimmicky storyline with four replacement Supermen, kill time, and finally, bring back Superman.

It’s hard to imagine any scenario where Adventures #500 doesn’t disappoint some portion of the readership.  Anyone who actually thought Superman was dead wouldn’t want to see him revived so quickly, and the readers who wanted him to return probably didn’t appreciate being teased in such a fashion.  Luckily, hindsight makes it easier to simply judge the issue on its own merits.  And it’s actually a strong anniversary issue.  Jonathan Kent is the real star of the issue, with Ordway taking the reader on a tour of his life, reliving traumatic moments from his childhood on to his stint in Korea.  I’m not familiar enough with Superman continuity to have a feel for how Jonathan Kent was normally portrayed in this era, but Ordway does a great job of making Jonathan fit the mold of what you’d expect Superman’s dad to be while also giving him a bit of a specific personality.  He’s not just a generically nice old man, he’s a veteran who’s lived a hard life filled with loss.  When Jonathan is pitted against Superman’s birth father in this ethereal recreation of Krypton, you’re genuinely rooting for Jonathan to win.  There’s also a great idea about Superman accepting his “death” and entering the afterlife simply because he was taught by the Kents to believe in an afterlife.  As a yellow sun charged Kryptonian, who’s to say his mortality is analogous to a human’s?  Superman's been conditioned to believe he has to go into the white light, but how can be entirely certain that he's dead yet?

As always, Tom Grummett’s contributions can’t be overlooked.  Everyone’s on-model while being slightly stylized, the panel layouts are creative, and the action scenes look just as good as the conversation scenes.  Doug Hazelwood also does an incredible job on the added tones during the afterlife scenes.  I’m not sure if he’s using the same technique John Byrne used on Namor, but it’s a very similar look.  I love the unique texture zip-a-tone provides, and it’s a shame that look has died out over the years.  I have no idea if Photoshop can recreate it, but I wish someone would try.

First Sighting…

Credits:  Louise Simonson, Roger Stern, Karl Kesel, & Dan Jurgens (writers), Jon Bogdanove & Tom Grummett (pencilers), Jackson Guice & Dan Jurgens (breakdowns), Dennis Janke & Doug Hazelwood (inkers), Denis Rodier & Bret Breeding (finishers), Bill Oakley, Albert de Guzman, & John Costanza (letterers), Glenn Whitmore (colorist)

Summary:  Steel emerges from the debris of Metropolis during a gang fight between the Sharks and Dragons.  The Eradicator kills a carjacker.  Superboy escapes Project: Cadmus with the help of the Newsboy Legion.  Cyborg Superman flies into Metropolis and destroys a Superman memorial plaque in front of a family of tourists.

Irrelevant Continuity:  The back-ups in Adventures #500 introduce the four replacement Supermen.  Since DC was unwilling to admit in the beginning that none of these characters actually is Superman, it takes a while for some of them to develop code names.  For simplicity’s sake, I’ll be referring to them by the names they’re now associated with.

Review:  Overlooking the debate over whether or not transferring the titles to four fake Supermen was a good idea, I do think it was a pretty smart decision on DC’s part to give a teaser for each new character in Adventures #500.  It makes the anniversary issue feel like an even bigger event, and of course, serves as a commercial for any curious fan about what’s happening in the rest of the line.  In retrospect, it’s impressive that DC has continued the “event” sensation for so long after the start of the Doomsday storyline.  Obviously there’s no way this issue was going to sell the same numbers as Superman #75, but I remember that a lot of enthusiasm remained for the books at this point.  People who would never look at the Superman comics were openly debating over which Superman was the “real” one; a great hook for the next chapter of the story, even if the resolution is ultimately a copout.

There isn’t a lot of story in the backups, just enough to give readers a sense of what to expect in each character’s respective title.  Louise Simonson and Jon Bogdanove are going urban in Man of Steel, Roger Stern and Jackson Guice play off the ‘90s vigilante cliché in Action, Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett are exploring a lighter tone with Superman’s teenage clone in Adventures, and Dan Jurgens provides an ominous introduction for the Cyborg Superman that’s taking over Superman.  It seems rather obvious that two of these characters are explicitly not Superman, regardless of what the pre-release hype might’ve lead us to believe.  The two most likely candidates as the real Superman are given the most mysterious introductions, indicating that DC wants at least a few more months to string us along.  That’s not necessarily a bad thing, if you’re not turned off by excessive hype and just willing to accept the “Reign of the Supermen” era as simply the next chapter of the story.