Action Comics #663 (March 1991)
Action Comics #663 (March 1991)
“Time and Time Again!” Phase Two – Superman quits superheroing and joins a circus in the 1940’s. Last time we saw him, Superman had fallen into a time vortex and ended up in the 30th century, where he helped the Legion of Super-Heroes prevent an accident. The Legion kids are awkwardly making excuses for not telling Superman his own future when there’s another accident – a flying truck explodes, and the residual chronal energies in Superman’s costume once again catapult him through the ages. This time, Superman lands in 1943, right in the middle of the USA’s involvement in World War II. So, naturally, the Man of Steel immediately volunteers to… join a circus.
To be fair, the time explosion has ruined Superman’s vision (ironic for a guy who faked having sight problems for years) so he wouldn’t be that much use in the front lines right now. He’d only do the work of 100 men, as opposed to the usual 1000. Also, Supes punched a hole through the circus manager’s office, so he kinda owes him.
After a few months of breaking chains and lifting elephants for the amusement of ‘40s people, Superman (or “The Amazing Samson”) finally gets cured of his sight problems. He quits the circus and goes to Metropolis, where a chance encounter with President Roosevelt (whom he saves from the Nazi killer who murdered him in our timeline, as you all know) gives Superman the idea to go ask other superheroes about how to get back to his own time. Superman travels to the headquarters of the Justice Society of America, but before he can talk to them, Superman’s old pal The Spectre says something mysterious about destiny and teleports him to the middle of Nazi-occupied Warsaw. That dick.
NEXT: Superman kicks Nazi butt.
Character-Watch:
When this issue came out, it was rare for DC comics to feature the JSA – or the ASS, since they renamed themselves the All-Star Squadron during WWII. You could say the ASS was being extremely neglected. At this time, the old timers had been banished to another dimension for all eternity, but they found a way around that at the end of 1992 and have continued showing up in the DC Universe since then, despite their advanced age. Besides The Spectre, the other JSAers/ASSers in this issue are Doctor Fate, Doctor Mid-Nite, the non-Neil Gaiman Sandman, the non-mullet having Starman, and Hawkman, who isn’t the alien Hawkman we saw around these parts a while ago, but looks exactly the same and later got merged with him. It’s complicated.
None of this is terribly relevant to Superman continuity, I just wanted to make some ASS jokes.
Plotline-Watch:
This, on the other hand, is EXTREMELY relevant: There’s a bathroom scene where Superman uses the same shaving method detailed by John Byrne in Man of Steel #4, which is shooting some eye lasers at a piece of metal to reflect it at his face. Problem is, Superman doesn’t have any kryptonian metal around now so his reflectors keep melting. Man, life was tough in the '40s.
I think it’s cool that Superman actually spends a few months living in 1943: it makes his time quest even more epic. He also considers staying there and waiting for the decades to pass to reunite with Lois in the present, since for all he knows, he’s immortal. Then he could warn himself to just let the Linear Man kills Booster Gold and he could avoid this whole mess.
Speaking of Lois: Two months may have passed for Superman, but back in the present it’s still the same night he fell into the time vortex, and Lois is starting to get worried about him. Booster Gold says he’s on the case, though, which is incredibly reassuring.
Also in the present, Jimmy Olsen has managed to put Lucy Lane in the horizontal position on his couch and she actually seems ready to go to second base, but then Jimmy’s mom walks in on them and asks why the lights are out. That’s a thing that happens in this comic.
The LexCorp board is having trouble finding the secret son of Lex Luthor who just inherited the whole company. They also can’t find the kid’s mother, Dr. Gretchen Kelley, who apparently took some vacation days without telling anyone. Dr. Happersen also isn’t around, but no one seems to notice/care.
And finally, an update on Bibbo’s butt-crack: still showing.
Not only that, but we also meet his two best buds: High Pockets and Lamarr! Yes, the High Pockets and Lamarr, who will become recurring characters on the Ace O'Clubs from now on. Exciting times!