Action Comics #681 (September 1992)
Action Comics #681 (September 1992)
SUPERMAN AND RAMPAGE ARE GOING TO PUNCH YOU! Assuming your name is Hellgrammite, I mean. (I hope it isn't, that's a terrible name.) Hellgrammite, as faithful readers remember, is a mutant bug person/hitman who was hired to kill Lex Luthor II a while back, but totally botched the job and ended up being accidentally mutilated by Superman. Now he wants another shot at Lex, but first he's gonna need some “special materials and equipments" to get back to full power. Fortunately, S.T.A.R. Labs just opened a new facility in Metropolis (after the previous one blew up), so Grammie sneaks in and terrorizes the only scientist working there at night.
Unfortunately, the scientist happens to be Kitty Faulkner, the only S.T.A.R. employee who can turn into a large, superstrong bodybuilder called Rampage (that's the mohawked orange lady on the cover). Hellgrammite, who according to his secret origin is a genius scientist himself, is completely baffled when he chases Kitty into an office but Rampage comes out of there instead. He's like "Where did the lady go, other lady with the same face and voice?!"
Anyway, the ruckus those two are causing in the S.T.A.R. building (which I very much doubt is insured) attracts Superman's attention. Once he manages to catch the slippery bastard, Superman whips Hellgrammite around like in a cartoon and throws him at Rampage, who knocks him into the sky with a single punch. That happens here.
I love comics.
Character-Watch:
Kitty Faulkner first got her Rampage powers years ago in Superman #7, when Lois Lane was visiting yet another scientific facility and it of course blew up. We find out in this issue that she and Lois are still pals. Old friend or not, it doesn't seem very smart to surprise someone from behind when she can turn into an orange giantess and punch your head off, though.
I wonder if this issue was meant to test the waters for a Rampage series or miniseries, since it focuses a lot on her personal life. We find out that Kitty is pretty much in charge of the new S.T.A.R. facility and that she has a mutual crush on one of the contractors building the place – the perfect setting for a workplace sitcom. "Go suck eggs!" could be her catchphrase. We'll see her (both hers) again in an annual we'll cover soon…
Plotline-Watch:
The issue opens with everyone still blown away by the fact that two whole buildings (and the people in them) were transported to a hellish dimension and eventually returned to the city. By page 8 they're all like "eh, that's old news," though, and the Daily Planet's city editor even advocates not covering the full events because they already had a crazy supernatural story the other day. After all, the newspaper that devotes 90% of its headlines to Superman is known for its varied content.
Meanwhile: Dr. Happersen marvels at Lex Luthor II's amazing pick-up techniques.
As is usually the case when I say a character will never appear again, poor Sam Foswell does briefly return, but it's explained that his memory of the whole "he turned into a demon" thing was erased (by his boss, who is still secretly a demon).
The great Don Sparrow has more to say about this issue, so join him after the jump!
Art-Watch (by @donsparrow):
I’ll admit, I’m struggling a little evaluating these Action covers by Art Thibert. They’re just not in the style that the rest of the Superman books of this time period have, and as I’ve mentioned in other posts, not exactly to my tastes. But I distinctly remember there being Superman fans at the time who wanted the more traditionally-drawn Superman books to look like the "hot” Marvel style of that period, namely, Jim Lee’s X-Men, and all its clones. So in terms of 90s trends, again, this cover is a doozy. Superman’s geometric hand, the weird purple canvas texture flattening out the background from which the utterly masculine Rampage is charging. Grit teeth, furrowed brows, clouds of dust obscuring feet…
Inside the book, the art is a real treat, as usual, as even on the first page, such diverse subjects as a town car, a schlubby businessman and a caterpillar/scorpion monster are all drawn with the same sense of weight and realism. Pretty awesome.
Another great detail comes on page 3, where both Superman and Supergirl’s capes folds and billows seem light and well-observed. Jackson Guice and Denis Rodier also excel at the tenderness between Lois and Clark (and between this book and Man of Steel, the retro fedora is in full comeback mode).
Guice always draws a lovely Lois, and her curvy posture looks great at the bottom of page 8. More great fabric work on Supergirl’s takeoff at the bottom of page 6, as her skirt clings to her in the wind in, again, a very real-world way.
Once the issue goes into full-on Action mode (hyeh) it’s all pretty well choreographed. Hellgrammite chasing Kitty Faulkner around has a nice horror feel to it, and Kitty cutting loose makes for a pretty fun issue–that shot of her kicking open the reinforced door is particularly awesome on page 16.
Rampage’s return makes me wonder if this is a wink to ex-Superman contributor (and Rampage creator) John Byrne, who I think was toward the tail end of his run on the similarly powered Sensational She-Hulk. [Max: That makes sense! Another possibility is that Roger Stern just missed Kitty, since he got to write her a whole bunch in the Starman series.]
You almost have to feel sorry for Hellgrammite, as he gets double teamed by Kitty and Superman–the panel of Superman whipping him around has a real Looney Tunes feel to it. Lastly, any issue that features a winking Superman is an issue I can get behind.
STRAY OBSERVATIONS:
Is that a notepad, or a flask Dan Turpin is brandishing on page 3?
GODWATCH: Not much this week, though Lois’ line to Jimmy about having faith that Clark will return was a nice touch, given the previous storyline.
Babewatch: Lois calls Clark babe on page 5, affectionate nickname hating readers cringe.
Is Jimmy having sympathy pains for Clark, or trying to get attention for his injury, or actually hurt? Whatever the case, his concern for Clark in the early pages of this issue was nice to see.
I also appreciated seeing the editorial argument about whether to run such a supernatural story–I actually thought it would be a no-brainer to not publish it, since it’s so fantastical in nature.
I know Lois hasn’t seen Clark for a while, but her brush-off from Alice White (who just spoke to her dead son and was taunted by a straight-up demon because she had an affair with an evil guy, and then married “chubs”) was pretty abrupt.
Love, love, love that Clark Kent grew up watching the Lone Ranger. Another great counterpoint to the Batman mythology. Though he wore a mask, Lone Ranger is much closer in spirit to the virtuous Superman, just as the mysterious daredevil El Zorro is a natural hero for Bruce Wayne to have grown up watching. Clayton Moore’s uniform even looks like a cowboy version of Superman’s traditional red and blue!
Yes, this comic is from 1992 when Earth Day was such a big deal people wore t-shirts and everything.
Maggie Sawyer doesn’t think too much of Batman, huh? She might change her tune if she ever moved to Gotham. [Max: She might even become fond of Bat-people in general!]
