The Braniac Trilogy part 3
The Braniac Trilogy wraps up this month, there's a major life change for Clark Kent, and we finally learn the secret of Daily Planet employee Alice.
A construction crane transforms into a robot and when Superman tries to stop it, he discovers it's being manipulated by the alien that switched places with Jimmy Olsen last month, who they originally met in a confusing story back in Adventures of Superman #443 (a flashback is provided for the readers' convenience). The alien does re-arrange the bricks at the construction site into a bust of Jimmy Olsen, so the strange image on the cover appears exactly on the inside. Superman really is starting to seem uninterested in helping Jimmy, and he strangely leaves the alien with Professor Hamilton while he goes to appear in a pre-trial procedure for Morgan Edge at the court house.
Meanwhile, Jimmy Olsen is running from Jack Kirby-designed monsters in another dimension when he bizarrely finds a mysterious man who resembles his missing father (who Jimmy's mother was last seen looking for in Superman #19, another plot from before the Supergirl Saga that's being picked up again now). Though the man denies being Jimmy's father, he claims to have most of his father's memories and tells him a story of why his father abandoned his family for a career in Cold War espionage that evidently led him to Cadmus. He warns Jimmy that his mother is in danger, but their time is cut short because Superman and Professor Hamilton succeed in pulling Jimmy back to their world, by re-creating the original machine and lightning strike that put him there in the first place. This story is just as confusing as the one it continues from.
The last page is a shock ending in which Clark Kent decides to take the job offer as managing editor at Newstime.
It's Christmas time at the Daily Planet and it's also Clark's last day at the office. His co-workers appear to be giving him the cold shoulder, but it turns out they were really planning a surprise goodbye party for him (which he conveniently didn't seem to notice with his powers). While reminiscing about all the times he's changed into Superman in the storeroom, he discovers Alice inside it crying on a sleeping bag. She reveals to the staff that she's been living at the Daily Planet since her mother died and she was evicted from her apartment, and still hasn't been able to get back on her feet after 3 years. Perry White is moved by her story, and writes a heartfelt Christmas editorial with suggestions for how to help the homeless. The column is clearly intended not for readers of the Daily Planet, but for readers of Superman comics. The story is perhaps one of Superman's best Christmas stories ever. Unlike some of the others, it doesn't come across as cheesy, but rather a sobering reminder that many people could be a paycheck or an emergency away from homelessness themselves. Finally, Perry puts his money where his mouth is and lobbies to get Alice a raise and invites her live with him and his wife so she can get back on her feet.
Meanwhile, Braniac really gets revenge on Luthor where it hurts him most--by using his control over Lexcorp to give all its employees a Christmas bonus!
Superman has lost track of both Lex Luthor and Braniac, so Clark Kent decides to get a head start on his new editing job at Newstime. Clark's new office is more state-of-the-art than the Daily Planet. His desk has a 21-inch flat screen and he uses his new computer to catch up on the news that he missed while Superman was in space (the visual of him searching on a modern-looking computer is eerily prophetic). Superman learns about Lex Luthor's attempted takeover of S.T.A.R. Labs and suspects that Luthor may have moved Braniac to the newly acquired research facility in the Rocky Mountains. He knows he was correct when Lexcorp security starts shooting at him as approaches. He arrives too late to stop Braniac, who has successfully created a new, greener host body at full power. However, Braniac still isn't strong enough to mentally overpower the Man of Steel, so he flees to his brand new skull spaceship and flies away into space, back to the planet Colu. Superman almost catches him, but Braniac reveals that he had Metallo plant bombs around Metropolis, forcing Superman to abandon pursuit to save his city. Braniac won't be seen again until Panic in the Sky.
Braniac's skull ship is a welcome re-introduction. In pre-Crisis continuity, Braniac started as an alien from Colu, who was later revealed to be a robot. Eventually, pre-Crisis Braniac would shed his human form for the horrifying, skull-like appearance. Unfortunately, this version of Braniac only made a handful of appearances before (and during) Crisis on Infinite Earths. Post-Crisis Superman would still be another decade away from abandoning Braniac's human form.
Superman #39
Meanwhile, Jimmy Olsen is running from Jack Kirby-designed monsters in another dimension when he bizarrely finds a mysterious man who resembles his missing father (who Jimmy's mother was last seen looking for in Superman #19, another plot from before the Supergirl Saga that's being picked up again now). Though the man denies being Jimmy's father, he claims to have most of his father's memories and tells him a story of why his father abandoned his family for a career in Cold War espionage that evidently led him to Cadmus. He warns Jimmy that his mother is in danger, but their time is cut short because Superman and Professor Hamilton succeed in pulling Jimmy back to their world, by re-creating the original machine and lightning strike that put him there in the first place. This story is just as confusing as the one it continues from.
The last page is a shock ending in which Clark Kent decides to take the job offer as managing editor at Newstime.
Adventures of Superman #462
Meanwhile, Braniac really gets revenge on Luthor where it hurts him most--by using his control over Lexcorp to give all its employees a Christmas bonus!
Action Comics #649
Braniac's skull ship is a welcome re-introduction. In pre-Crisis continuity, Braniac started as an alien from Colu, who was later revealed to be a robot. Eventually, pre-Crisis Braniac would shed his human form for the horrifying, skull-like appearance. Unfortunately, this version of Braniac only made a handful of appearances before (and during) Crisis on Infinite Earths. Post-Crisis Superman would still be another decade away from abandoning Braniac's human form.
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