Superman #82 (October 1993)
Superman #82 (October 1993)
REIGN OF THE SUPERMEN! The climax of this 19-part storyline, the entire “Death and Return of Superman” saga, and seven years of long-ass plotlines. And it only took this blog a mere six years and six months to get here! PREVIOUSLY: After Superman's death, five different Supermen popped up to reclaim the mantle, some more convincingly than others. The front-runner, the Cyborg Superman, kinda ruled himself out of the competition when he nuked out a whole city and replaced it with a giant engine. Now the other would-be Supermen converge in that place…
The Last Son of Krypton/Eradicator finally arrives on Engine City, having set off from the Fortress of Solitude two weeks ago. We noted back then that he suddenly looked like an old man, but he’s back to Superman’s age now. If this storyline had gone on any longer, he would ended up Benjamin Buttoning himself into a grumpy, ultra-violent baby.
Superboy also flies in from Metropolis. It’s the fourth time he makes the Metropolis-Coast City trip in a few days (not counting the time he got a ride on a missile), so he’s gotta be pretty bored of it by now.
Steel, last seen getting crushed by some giant cogs, emerges from the bowels of Engine City with his armor in tatters but his body intact. Dude's a tough nut to crack.
Supergirl and the powerless Man in Black continue making their way through Engine City. Supergirl’s like “Wanna step out and let those of us with powers handle this one, chief?” but the Man in Black ain’t having it. Wow, that’s pretty heroic. Maybe… maybe he’s actually the real Superman?! Nah, that’s crazy.
And Green Lantern Hal Jordan is also there, because this whole issue takes place on top of the ashes of his old city and childhood memories and all. We see the end of his fight with Mongul from Green Lantern #46.
The Cyborg watches as the Super-People invade his fortress from his control room, but he’s a glass half full kind of guy, so he’s choosing to focus on the fact that he (apparently) gets to kill Superman again.
After the Eradicator joins the party and the Cyborg reveals his true identity, the Man in Black finds himself in the awkward position of having to team up with one of Superman's worst villains (the one who wanted to turn Earth into Krypton) to fight a good guy driven crazy by space travel (and who once looked like Johnny-5). It’s only after the Eradicator goes on a two-page exposition dump about how he brought Superman back to life that the Man in Black goes “alright, guess you’re cool”.
The Man in Black and the Eradicator follow the Cyborg to the center of Engine City, where a giant chunk of kryptonite powers the entire fortress. The combined powers of the Eradicator’s Eradicator-ness and the Man in Black’s punching (OK, mostly the first thing) seem to be winning – but then, in a desperate move, the Cyborg shoots a blast of concentrated kryptonite at the Man in Black. The Eradicator, however, heroically jumps in front of the blast…
…which has the unexpected side effect of restoring the Man in Black’s Superman powers, allowing him to dispatch the Cyborg with a swift “broosh”. What’s a “broosh”? You know, a “broosh”:
After Supergirl uses her convenient clothes-shifting powers on the Man in Black’s costume, it only takes one second of him in the classic red and blue tights to convince everyone that HOLY CRAP HE’S THE REAL SUPERMAN AND HE’S BACK FROM THE DEAD! (Side note: I like how Green Lantern goes “We’ll mop up here! Not like I have anything better to do, what with all my friends being dead and stuff. Haha. I-I'm okay, seriously.”)
It’s him! It really is him. I knew it all along. Never doubted it.
Character-Watch:
The Eradicator is this issue’s real MVP. His whole arc has been about slowly turning him from an emotionless robot into a sentient being through his interactions with people (Lois, Steel, even Loose Cannon and Guy Gardner), and it pays off when he jumps in front of that kryptonite blast yelling “I WON’T LET YOU DIE [AGAIN]!”.
Also, when he tells Superman “We have always been linked, you and I”, that’s true. While their psychic connection influenced Superman negatively for a while (the Day of the Krypton Man saga), it looks like it also worked in the other direction and some of Superman’s goodness rubbed off on him. By the way, it might be a stretch but the climactic shot of the kryptonite blast always reminded me of the Day of the Krypton Man’s climactic shot, with Superman finally overcoming the Eradicator's influence with Pa Kent’s help.
Anyway, sorry, Superboy and Steel. The Eradicator had the best sacrifice scene in this storyline, hands down. Of course, they eventually brought him back again and turned him into a lapdog for the Cyborg and then Zod, but let’s enjoy his dignified retirement while it lasts.
Plotline-Watch:
I’m not kidding when I say that this issue represents the convergence of seven freaking years of storylines. Let’s recap (strap on, this is gonna be long):
John Byrne’s Man of Steel #1 (1986) introduced Superman’s birth matrix, the flying artificial womb that took him from Krypton to Earth. When young Clark sees the matrix for the first time he feels weak, because there’s some kryptonite lodged into it. In Superman #1, a few months later, we find out that a crazy scientist stole the matrix and used it to build Metallo, so Superman decides to leave it suspended in orbit to prevent it from being used against him again. Three years later, the distraught mind of a disembodied astronaut called Hank Henshaw jumped into the matrix, and he made himself a tiny little spaceship from its technology, then sped off into deep space. Eventually, he went mad, hooked up with Mongul, and used the DNA information he got from the birth matrix to make himself a half-Kryptonian body. Hence: the Cyborg Superman. (As for that kryptonite rock, it ended up in Lex Luthor’s hands… soon to be “hand”.)
Also during Byrne’s run, Superman briefly visited a “pocket” universe inhabited by a Silver Age-type Superboy, who died by the end of that storyline. Months later, the pocket Earth had turned into a hellhole thanks to three Kryptonian criminals. They too died by the end of that storyline… by Superman’s hand. Feeling guilty over killing those killers, Superman exiled himself in space, was captured by Mongul’s Warworld, and found an ancient egg-shaped relic created by his ancestors: the Eradicator. Superman brought the Eradicator back to Earth and it built him a nice Fortress of Solitude, but it also took over his mind and turned him into the emotionless Krypton Man – who became an entity of its own after Superman overcame it. After Superman’s death, the Fortress’ robots rebooted the Eradicator so he could follow his"preserve Kryptonian life" directive and restore Superman back to life, but he got a little confused and thought HE was Superman. Hence: the Last Son of Krypton.
Another concept introduced by Byrne was the idea that Kryptonian DNA is too complex to be duplicated by Earth scientists, which led to the creation of Bizarro. Byrne’s World of Krypton miniseries also established that Kryptonians used clones as spare parts to extend their lifetimes, and the conflict over clone rights literally tore the planet apart. So when Superman learned of a cloning facility near Metropolis called Project Cadmus, he immediately felt uneasy about it. After his death, Cadmus got hold of his body so they could create a replacement, but, again, you can’t clone a Kryptonian… so they simply created an approximation of Superman’s powers and features using human DNA. Hence: Superboy.
As for Steel, he’s just Steel. Hence: Steel. Incidentally, if you're wondering why his armor has been reduced to just some metal shorts by the end of the issue, here's the answer. Pretty self-explanatory.
The only major plotline left dangling after this issue (aside from Dr. Stratos, of course) is Lex’s own death/return/cloning misadventure, but the Super-Squad will deal with that in a big way pretty soon. Oh, and then there’s the mess they left for Green Lantern, but that’s another creative team’s problem. (SHAMELESS PLUG: Follow my new Green Lantern ‘94 to '04 blog to see how that mess turned out.)
Believe it or not, there’s even MORE stuff to talk about in this issue, so don't miss the great Don Sparrow’s section after the jump:
Art-Watch (by @donsparrow):
In the first place I have to say that this issue is an all-time favourite of mine, probably in my top three of this era of comics we've been so dutifully covering. The excitement at my local comic shop for this issue was incredible, and already being the Superman fan that I was, I felt like I was on the ground floor. [Max: I also remember the excitement when I first saw this issue in my cousin's hands after he showed it to me the day he bought it… then didn't let me touch it, so I read it years later.]
We start with the cover, and I got the deluxe edition, with the chromium cover. Back when this issue came out, I had a love/hate relationship with Image comics. I wasn't interested in the dark & gritty characters like Spawn and the like, and generally thought the Image books favoured flash over substance and storytelling. BUT, man, did the colouring and paper they used at Image ever look cool! So I was a bit torn about DC using a "gimmicky" feature like this--it looked amazing, but I also felt it was leaning a little far in the direction of sizzle over steak. But I didn't mind that much, since this had been such a great story to this point. Aside from the metallic 3D look of the cover, the drawing is great, too. It was the first look at the returned Superman in the full suit, and also with the long hair present. DC must have thought that the long hair was a gamble on some level (even though we'd seen it for months in the actual issues) because they hid it from the covers for so long. [Max: This was also the cover they used in both the Spanish and Mexican editions I have, so that's what I went with for the top of this post. The "normal" cover looks like a historic oddity to me.]
Inside the issue, we jump in with another splash page--there are a lot of these, and it really calls back Superman #75, as most of the pages have one main image, with a few small panels laid overtop. This one features another interpretation of the Eradicator, with short, non-spiky hair--it's interesting to see these characters reinterpreted week to week. This opening page also commits the unpardonable sin of demanding that we stop reading the issue until AFTER we read Green Lantern #46. Being a naïve 13 year old when I read this issue, I of course complied with the demands of DC editorial, and read Green Lantern first, not realizing it has a near identical plot (albeit from a different point of view), right down to the "broosh" at the end, very much spoiling what is about to come in Superman #82. I remember being pretty steamed that my first glimpse of a returned Superman didn't come in a Superman book. While I appreciate the coordination, I do find the caption misleading.
Also similar to Superman #75--it's very hard for me not to talk about every panel or page, because this whole book is just gorgeous. The badassery from the last issue continues into this one, as Superman with his tough-guy attitude and giant gun is pretty cool. One quibble I have with this team is that when they bury Superman's eye's in shadow, it can have a sinister or tired look, which I don't think is the intention. Some panels it's more prominent than others, but in one panel on page 6 where it makes Superman look pretty rough, and a lot less handsome. We get more big gun Superman later when he starts taking it to Engine City in general, knowing it is connected to the Cyborg.
The Cyborg taking different shapes is done pretty effectively here, particularly when he forms himself out of what must be a lead-like metal to accuse Superman of a bunch of nutty stuff. The reveal of the Kryptonite heart of engine city is very well done, in part because of Eradicator's bulging red eyes. It is a bit weird to imagine a lipless robot saying "mmm, hmm" though.
We get another great full-page splash as the Eradicator goes all-out in his effort to defeat the Cyborg. The captions here always confused me though, where it says "(The Eradicator) was built to kill… the other (the rocket that brought Superman to Earth, which the Cyborg used to create his new body) to bear new life. The victor would be obvious." But to me, it's not obvious. I would think that in a Superman comic, a vessel of LIFE would be the big winner over ancient weaponry, but I think the caption intends the inverse. I guess it's saying a gun would beat a baby crib? It's one of those passages that sounds cool, until you think about it. Or think about it excessively, as I clearly have. [Max: To be fair, a gun WOULD beat a baby crib. It would kick that baby crib's ass.]
Superman's haymaker knocking off the Cyborg's jaw is an incredible visual, and there's a subtle set-up for the great cape visual call-back that comes later.
The entire sequence of the Eradicator taking the blast of Kryptonite is well done, in particular the panel when we see Superman through the vanishing Eradicator. I'm a bit confused as to just how the Kryptonite suction thing works here--the Kryptonite meteor is shrinking and shrinking, but nothing is attached to it except for that one hose.
Jurgens and Breeding do a great job of showing the physical cost of Green Lantern going toe to toe with Mongul. It also sets up for my all-time favourite Superboy quote, one I think might be seen on this site from time to time in meme form, "Check it out! The Lantern looks so totaled it makes me want to hurl!". This entire saga has been worth it, to get to that line. Just magnificent. [Max: I think Hal went evil because of that one comment.]
The glimpse of the burnt-out husk of the Eradicator is also incredibly well drawn--and painful looking--but even by the end of this story he seems a lot more recovered.
The scene of the returned-to-full-power Superman decking the Cyborg is a stand-up-and-cheer moment, and I love the detail that Superman is holding the cape for this whole scene. It's interesting that as the Cyborg starts to get damaged in the fight, we see how little organic material there is. Metal seems to poke through the skin on his face, as if only a thin sheet were laid over the metal. and when Superman punches right through him, there's really no blood or anything, just a dry, cracked crater. I had thought, up until this issue that the cybernetic parts were beside real skin and bones (as if to replace the damaged parts of Superman's body from his fight with Doomsday), but this issue seems to posit that he's all robot, with only a veneer of Kryptonian flesh overtop.
The normally merciful Superman is pretty blood-thirsty here, vibrating his arm fully in the knowledge it might kill Henshaw (who helpfully reminds us, he's survived before). [Max: That moment kind of rubbed me the wrong way, and I think Jurgens himself felt uneasy with it too. One of the highlights of his recent "Rebirth" run was that Superman deliberately decides to jail Hank instead of killing him to at least give him a chance to be rehabilitated, which would be cool to see happen one day.] I love the little glimpse we get of the restored, and re-costumed Superman before the full reveal, and as a character moment, I love that he would think to show gratitude for the heroes who filled in when Superman was dead.
The next few pages are pure joy, as it's such a treat to see our Superman soaring around in the sunshine, even with the new Tarzan haircut. It's such a show of restraint that they didn't pack a reunion with Lois into this issue, instead allowing a different superteam to tell that story, which very much deserves its own issue. Overall, though, I just remember feeling such a sense of joy, and relief that Superman was back, and back to full power. [Max: SPOILERS: And then some…]
STRAY OBSERVATIONS:
I do love this era of comics before swearing (or even censored swearing) was a thing, because they have the weirdest phrases. John Byrne would always have characters saying "blast" instead of "damn" to an absolutely ridiculous degree. In this issue, I don't know for sure if "crud" is a stand-in for another word, but it does strike me as downright odd for Green Lantern to use it as a noun against Mongul. The concept of "a crud" just amuses me, though I suppose it could be meant in the same vein as "scum" or something.
Is it me, or does Jeb look like Ricardo Montalbon here? [Max: Oh crud, I forgot Jeb was in this issue! Jeb was in this issue, everyone.]
I love they don't even give the Cyborg a moment to be cool. Just as he's about to reveal his true identity in a villainous speech he gets clocked by Superboy, in one of my favourite moments with the character (but not myvery favourite, as we've seen.) I also like the low-level burn that Henshaw assumes that Superman must already know who he is, but Superman's like, nope.
I do like that this issue goes to great lengths to explain that Superman can't just keep returning from the dead, even going so far as to say it would never work again. My pet theory is that the Eradicator's Resurrection Matrix only worked because Pa Kent's spiritual journey in Adventures of Superman #500 really did happen. [Max: I might be misremembering, but I think the upcoming issue of Action pretty much confirms that.]
I'm glad to see him recovered, but I kinda think Eradicator spoiled the moment a little with his observation about Green Lantern.
[Max: Blast it, Sparrow! You've done it again!]