Dead Girlfriends and Dead Girl Enemies.
This month we start with a flashback to Superman's "lost years", and end flashing back to Krypton before Kal El.
Superman has had 3 girlfriends with the initials "L.L." Lois Lane and Lana Lang are the most famous, the lesser known was Lori Lemaris (there was also Lyla Lerrol in pre-Crisis continuity). Like Mr. Mxyzptlk, Lori Lemaris was one of the sillier Superman supporting characters from the Silver Age. Where Lana Lang is Clark's childhood girlfriend from Smallville and Lois Lane is his adult girlfriend in Metropolis, Lori was Clark's college sweetheart. She also happens to be a telepathic mermaid from Atlantis. The pre-Crisis Lori Lemaris died in Crisis on Infinite Earths, when DC was trying to discard characters that would no longer be useful. After that, nobody really expected her to, uh, surface again post-Crisis continuity.
Lori is re-introduced for one issue, entirely in flashback. There's little attempt to update her story for the modern era, Clark still meets her in college hiding her mermaid tail under a blanket in a wheelchair. He saves her when her wheelchair rolls out of control down a hill, but like a gentlemen never uses his x-ray vision to see what she's hiding under her blanket. Clark and Lori's relationship doesn't work out, and in the present she's now presumed dead; I guess it's assumed her death in Crisis is still canon. It would be revealed in Superman #63 that she was really still alive, and Loris Lemaris would eventually return almost a decade from now in 1996.
On the last page, Ma and Pa Kent check in on Lana Lang and are shot by an unseen assailant.
After a detour to follow the saga of Jerry White, Adventures of Superman resumes the dangling plot of the Circle, the alien race that Superman first encountered when he invaded Qurac. Most of the issue takes place in a mindscape as the Circle attacks the Man of Steel with thought projections. There are some interesting cameos, like Krypto and Comet the super horse. Lois, Lana, and Cat all attack Superman in the form of Wonder Woman, and Jimmy Olsen briefly becomes the green, hulking D.N.Alien. Other than that, not much really happens to move the story along. Marv Wolfman's final issue as writer.
Superman meets a new post-Crisis villain, the Silver Banshee. Silver Banshee inexplicably visits used bookstores in Metropolis and kills people with her touch. The first half of the story is mostly her fighting Maggie Sawyer's Special Crimes Unit. Superman arrives late due to his encounter with the Circle, but unfortunately Silver Banshee touches him and kills him too.
Like a condensed version of the Death of Superman that would happen in a few years, the Justice League mourns his death, Lex Luthor rages at his missed opportunity to kill Superman himself, and a public funeral is held. Lois Lane makes excuses for why Clark can't be present. In the middle of the funeral, Superman's ghost rises from his glass coffin, and flies off to find Silver Banshee (at another used bookstore) and avenge his death. It turns out the "ghost" is really the Justice League's Martian Manhunter in disguise and the real Man of Steel never really died. The Silver Banshee is defeated, but we never get an origin for her and the fake death and ending don't really make much sense.
Meanwhile in Smallville, Lana Lang appears again in a secret lab conspiring with some unrevealed figures that leads in to DC's next big crossover, Millennium.
The World of Krypton was originally a back-up series in pre-Crisis Superman comics that eventually spun off into a 1979 mini-series, telling tales of Kal El's parents and ancestors. DC re-uses the name here in the first chapter of a year-long saga that would provide some much-needed world building for the post-Crisis universe. The World of Krypton would be followed by the World of Smallville and the World of Metropolis. Before Hellboy, legendary artist Mike Mignola designs the look of a darker Krypton that would be the style guide for most of the post-Crisis era. Although its look hasn't been relevant for nearly 20 years now, this issue was recently reprinted to promote the new Krypton TV series.
Whereas pre-Crisis Krypton was a bright utopia, post-Crisis Krypton is a dystopia that probably could have influenced the Matrix movies, especially the scenes of its robot-operated clone banks harvested for parts. These Kryptonians are loveless and asexual, rather than a planet of heroic, potential Supermen as previously conceived. The compassion and heroism of this Last Son of Krypton makes him an anomaly when his origins are considered.
Superman #12
Lori is re-introduced for one issue, entirely in flashback. There's little attempt to update her story for the modern era, Clark still meets her in college hiding her mermaid tail under a blanket in a wheelchair. He saves her when her wheelchair rolls out of control down a hill, but like a gentlemen never uses his x-ray vision to see what she's hiding under her blanket. Clark and Lori's relationship doesn't work out, and in the present she's now presumed dead; I guess it's assumed her death in Crisis is still canon. It would be revealed in Superman #63 that she was really still alive, and Loris Lemaris would eventually return almost a decade from now in 1996.
On the last page, Ma and Pa Kent check in on Lana Lang and are shot by an unseen assailant.
Adventures of Superman #435
Action Comics #595
Superman meets a new post-Crisis villain, the Silver Banshee. Silver Banshee inexplicably visits used bookstores in Metropolis and kills people with her touch. The first half of the story is mostly her fighting Maggie Sawyer's Special Crimes Unit. Superman arrives late due to his encounter with the Circle, but unfortunately Silver Banshee touches him and kills him too.Like a condensed version of the Death of Superman that would happen in a few years, the Justice League mourns his death, Lex Luthor rages at his missed opportunity to kill Superman himself, and a public funeral is held. Lois Lane makes excuses for why Clark can't be present. In the middle of the funeral, Superman's ghost rises from his glass coffin, and flies off to find Silver Banshee (at another used bookstore) and avenge his death. It turns out the "ghost" is really the Justice League's Martian Manhunter in disguise and the real Man of Steel never really died. The Silver Banshee is defeated, but we never get an origin for her and the fake death and ending don't really make much sense.
Meanwhile in Smallville, Lana Lang appears again in a secret lab conspiring with some unrevealed figures that leads in to DC's next big crossover, Millennium.
The World of Krypton #1
Whereas pre-Crisis Krypton was a bright utopia, post-Crisis Krypton is a dystopia that probably could have influenced the Matrix movies, especially the scenes of its robot-operated clone banks harvested for parts. These Kryptonians are loveless and asexual, rather than a planet of heroic, potential Supermen as previously conceived. The compassion and heroism of this Last Son of Krypton makes him an anomaly when his origins are considered.
Comments
Post a Comment