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Author Topic: Superman #654: A Review  (Read 9300 times)
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BMK!
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« on: July 13, 2006, 06:56:07 AM »

Superman #654: A Review

First off, let’s give credit where credit is due…

“On Our Special Day” by Kurt Busiek & Carlos Pacheco
Jesus Merino-inker
Dave Stewart-colors
Comicraft-letters
Nachie Castro-associate editor
Matt Idelson-editor
Superman created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster

The Skinny: Before Lois & Clark can celebrate a very special occasion…Clark Kent must trudge through collecting a day’s worth of stories from news assignments no other reporter wants to cover, in order to get back on Perry White’s good side and land two hot scoops waiting on the backburner...while as Superman, contend with the repositioning of Intergang as a major threat in Metropolis once more. And what about the whispered hushes of “Ugly” Manheim’s return?!? Plus….a mystery South of Ayaguz, Kazakhstan!!!

Kurt Busiek’s first issue sets the tone for what I hope to be a very long run. All of the best elements that comprise a great Superman yarn lie within. Battles with souped-up supper baddies, hi-tech crooks, killer robots, killer pranksters and even….well, you’ll just have to see it for yourself! Best of all, the Man of Steel that dispatches our enemies is a powerful hero who exudes confidence in the middle of a crisis, lacking any doubt as to whom will come out on top!

The most sorely-missed and refreshing aspect of the book is the revitalization of Superman’s supporting cast. Clark, Lois, Jimmy and Perry all “sound” right. I never realized just how much I missed seeing anyone squirm under a cigar-chompin’, drill sergeant like Perry until just recently. Jimmy Olsen, while a bit of a smart-aleck is likeable and not ashamed to be Superman’s Pal. Lois is played as sharp of mind, funny, and sexy all the while deftly playing role-reversal with the Man of Steel in this issue. And it looks like we’ll get to see some old and new faces down the pike.

Busiek’s strength lies in not only fleshing out the characters that inhabit his books, but the world around them, as if a living, breathing thing….and it works well. Mix that with the best aspects of Pre-Crisis, Post-Crisis, the Animated Series, and a pinch of the heart and emotion found in “Superman: Secret Identity” and you have the makings of a winner.

Let me also take the time to say how outstanding the art was by Pacheco & Merino! A beautiful-looking book on the stands…if I ever saw one. The cover (a look at what happened after Superman crashes the car on the cover of Action Comics #1) stood out over anything else on the shelves. Admittedly, I’m not one that gives much of a fig when it comes to coloring and lettering in comics (in most cases) and that is a shame for they are the unsung heroes in comic book production. But I was really impressed with Dave Stewart’s work in this issue and it’s the first time since Lynn Varley and Dark Knight Returns that I stood up and took notice. The same goes for Comicraft on lettering…conveying the differents moods and illustrating the different characters’ voices distinctly enough to earn this fan’s appreciation.

All-in-all, this was an A+ issue in my opinion and I hope that you will enjoy it as much as I have! Also, for the curious lurker that might be new to the board (after seeing Superman Returns) and the Man of Steel, give this issue a try if you’re curious to start reading about the adventures of the Last Son of Krypton.

Next Up:
Superman #655

A powerful threat from beyond the stars awakens, and some faces from the past come back to Superman’s life!
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Genis Vell
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« Reply #1 on: July 13, 2006, 08:23:21 AM »

About the cover: great idea. We have seen several times tributes to the AC #1 cover... Now, at last, we learn what happened to that car!

I haven't read this comic yet, but... Perry with his cigars? Didn't he stop 'cause a cancer? I suppose all this has been deleted from continuity.
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Uncle Mxy
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« Reply #2 on: July 13, 2006, 11:19:26 AM »

Pre-Crisis Lana would use the collective resources of the company she's running to find Superman's secret identity.  Smiley
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Kurt Busiek
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« Reply #3 on: July 13, 2006, 05:12:27 PM »

Quote from: "Uncle Mxy"
Pre-Crisis Lana would use the collective resources of the company she's running to find Superman's secret identity.  Smiley


Silver Age Lana would, at any rate.

Bronze Age Lana wouldn't.  She was more interested in Clark.  Or, later, Vartox.

kdb
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Super Monkey
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« Reply #4 on: July 13, 2006, 06:19:17 PM »

Quote from: "Kurt Busiek"
Quote from: "Uncle Mxy"
Pre-Crisis Lana would use the collective resources of the company she's running to find Superman's secret identity.  Smiley


Silver Age Lana would, at any rate.

Bronze Age Lana wouldn't.  She was more interested in Clark.  Or, later, Vartox.

kdb


What about now?  :wink:
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Kurt Busiek
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« Reply #5 on: July 13, 2006, 06:45:54 PM »

Quote from: "Super Monkey"
Quote from: "Kurt Busiek"
Quote from: "Uncle Mxy"
Pre-Crisis Lana would use the collective resources of the company she's running to find Superman's secret identity.  Smiley


Silver Age Lana would, at any rate.

Bronze Age Lana wouldn't.  She was more interested in Clark.  Or, later, Vartox.

kdb


What about now?  :wink:


Modern Lana knows Superman's secret identity.

kdb
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Uncle Mxy
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« Reply #6 on: July 15, 2006, 03:17:36 AM »

Heh...  I just wanted to note a neat part of #654 without outright spoiling it.
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Great Rao
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« Reply #7 on: July 21, 2006, 07:34:59 PM »

Quote from: "Kurt Busiek"
Quote from: "Super Monkey"
Quote from: "Kurt Busiek"
Quote from: "Uncle Mxy"
Pre-Crisis Lana would use the collective resources of the company she's running to find Superman's secret identity.  Smiley


Silver Age Lana would, at any rate.

Bronze Age Lana wouldn't.  She was more interested in Clark.  Or, later, Vartox.

kdb


What about now?  :wink:


Modern Lana knows Superman's secret identity.

kdb

Note that Lana knows Superman's secret identity.  But what about Superboy?

If Superman's new back-story is going to be told in bits and pieces; and if it's true that Superman was now once Superboy; then the new story of how Lana found out the secret could certainly be pretty interesting.

S!
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"The bottom line involves choices.  Neither gods nor humans have ever stood calmly in a minefield forever.  Good or evil, they are bound to choose.  And when they do, you will see the truth of all that motivates us.  As a thinking being, you have the obligation to choose.  If the fate of all mankind were in your hands, what would your decision be?  As a writer and an artist, I've drawn my answer."   - Jack Kirby
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