Superman: The Man of Steel #1 (July 1991)
Superman: The Man of Steel #1 (July 1991)
Thus begins my in-depth examination of every fu- wait, whoops, that was the other Man of Steel #1. Sorry. This is the first issue of a brand-new ongoing series which inaugurated the weekly era in the Superman books: as in, starting with this issue, there was a new Superman comic on the stands every single week (except in 5-week months, but screw those). And, appropriately, the issue begins with a rather overworked Superman feeling the stress of his job. No better way to show that than a Louise Simonson-written, Jon Bogdanove-drawn two-page spread:
Lately, Superman’s been dealing with a mysterious terrorist organization called Cerberus that has been making shit blow up all over Metropolis for no discernible reason. On top of that, Supes starts getting weird headaches and visions of his ancestral Krypton. Are you snorting moon crystals again, Superman? Lay off that crap already, dude.
Also, Ma and Pa Kent pick this week to visit Metropolis, which just adds to the stress – especially since both the flight where they arrived and the restaurant where Clark and Lois take them for their anniversary happen to be targeted by terrorist attacks (if I was Superman, I’d have to look into the possibility of Pa Kent being the leader of Cerberus).
Using the magic of computers and investigative journalism, Clark finds out that Cerberus has only been targeting LexCorp-owned companies, so he’s able to predict the next target. Superman catches a Cerberus operative red-handed, and just as he’s debating what to do with the guy, a being of pure energy shows up and fries him with a deathbolt. The strangely familiar-sounding being reshapes his body and reveals that’s he’s actually someone from Superman’s past…
…freaking Psi-Phon and Dreadnaught! Nah, the Eradicator. TO BE CONTINUED!
Character-Watch:
The Eradicator was an egg-shaped Kryptonian relic the last time we saw it, when Superman threw the piece of junk into the sun for brainwashing him into becoming Krypton Man and being a dick in general (Action #652). Having a body of its own is the next step in its ongoing evolution – or “his” ongoing evolution, I guess, since he’s calling himself Krypton Man now. This is what those sun flares at the end of Action #666 were about, by the way: it was the Eradicator pulling himself back together.
“…no longer constipated with all this fire-poop.”
Don Sparrow had some non-poop related thoughts about this guy: “I love the design of the Krypton Man. I feel like today artists would eschew giving him a mouth, but I think it only makes him more scary, coming out of that featureless face. He’s also a big league threat, something Superman’s rogues gallery of the time really didn’t have (he’s almost treated like Zod in this era, though I suppose Spider-man’s Venom is actually a closer comparison). Reading this as an 11 year old, I remember being really freaked out that the Eradicator, which had been so deadly just as a paperweight, was now sentient and corporeal.”
Plotline-Watch:
To celebrate the first issue of this new series, all the Superman titles this month were double-sized and were drawn by the entire stable of Super-artists – hence the different art styles above. I assume that at least one reader picked up this issue and thought “Wow, this Bogdanove guy is extremely flexible!” (He really is, though.)
This issue would like to make you think that Cerberus has been a problem for Superman for a while, but it’s actually their first appearance. Don says: “The introduction to Cerberus as a big bad seems a little abrupt. Plus, this was one area where the books seemed a little more provincial–I just can’t seem to remember Cerberus making much of a splash after this in any book but Man of Steel.” I’d say even the splash in Man of Steel is debatable, since as soon as the storyline was closed they were never mentioned again.
On the other hand, this issue introduced other characters that did go on to become an important part of the Superman books: Keith the orphan, Myra the no-nonsense orphanage lady, and Keith’s impertinent cat Tiger. It’s no coincidence that two of the three are black, since, to quote Don again, Man of Steel “features probably the most racially diverse Metropolis of all the Super-books” (and even more POC characters are coming).
Following the mini-storyline in which Jimmy Olsen’s romantic efforts with Lucy Lane were rooster-blocked by his mom, Jimmy finally announces that he’s moving into his own place and becoming financially independent. Hey, in this strong economy, why not?
Like Dr. Kelley warned us about a while ago, Lex Luthor’s death has royally screwed Metropolis’ economy, and the effects finally reach the Daily Planet (which is quite prescient, as Don mentions). New editor Sam Foswell is forced to fire one classic Superman mythos character: Peg! You know, Peg! That blonde intern who joined the Planet back inSuperman#38 and has occasionally appeared in crowd scenes since then! Oh, Jimmy gets fired too.
Professor Hamilton has been busy playing with Mr. Z’s soul-sucking gem (from Superman #51). I’ll let Don cover this one: “Professor Hamilton: Threat to Humanity also appears on page 19. Superman has barely gotten in the window before Hamilton is hurriedly putting a magical rock back together in the middle of the country’s most populated city. Superman should be very concerned that Hamilton wants to check out his fortress next. (Question for Max: isn’t Hamilton a greater danger than Jimmy ever was?)”
The difference, Don, is that Hamilton has a beard. He knows what he’s doing. Respect the beard.
Babe-Watch:
Don once again kicks off a new section by pointing out something I’d never noticed: “This is, as far as I know, the first time Lois calls Clark ‘babe’ (or vice versa) which became a staple of Simonson’s run. I actually don’t mind it (I like seeing their affection for each other in subtle ways that don’t derail the story, and they don’t say it enough to become obnoxious) but I do remember people complaining about this in the letter columns back in the day.”
For more Don, you know what to do:
Art-Watch (by Don Sparrow):
First off, the cover: I love painted covers in this era, as they were so rare, it really made whatever issue featuring them feel “special”–which a #1 issue should. I don’t actually think this is Bogdanove’s best work (that would be his stirring pin-up from Action Comics 600, which I had on my wall from the age of 8), despite how it became the corner cover logo for a period after this issue. At his best, Bogdanove is the purest spiritual successor to Joe Shuster with his squinty, smiley, brawny Superman, and a real favourite of mine. Sometimes though, his Superman’s features can be a little too large on his face, giving Superman a Lurch-like quality. This cover veers a little bit into that territory for me.
The interior art is an interesting mix, as it almost seems like tryouts for the different teams, with each team taking different storylines and sections. Given how varied the styles are, it’s amazing how cohesive this book feels as a story. Bogdanove’s pencils work well with Dennis Janke’s hatchy style, and it creates a very animated looking Superman overtop of a very gritty, realistic Metropolis. I’m not crazy about the top to bottom spreads (like the one on page 6, for example) but considering how unorthodox (or downright gimmicky) the panels of the competition of the time (like Image) were, stuff like this can be forgiven, especially since it’s only a page or two.
My favourite art team of the issue would probably go to the combination of Tom Grummett and Jerry Ordway, as the only thing I like better than an page pencilled by Ordway is a page inked by Ordway (but it’s close!). Personally, it’s a thrill since these two artists routinely pass each other for the title of my favourite all-time artist, so to have them both on the same pages is a real thrill (personal note: I asked Tom if he still has any of these pages for sale, and it’s a definite, and unsurprising no) His inks really give Grummett’s pencils a three-dimensionality and texture, and his faces look terrific with Jerry’s dynamic realism.
[Max: Also, it’s important to note that Grummett is the first artist since Byrne to remember that Jimmy’s hot mom is supposed to be hot.]
But picking the best art team on this book is a fun task, as they’re all fantastic. In particular, though, I love the way these two draw the weight of Superman’s cape, how it hangs over the front of Superman’s shoulders, or how we see some of the blue of his shirt at the neck from behind [Max: see the second row of panels in this post]. Just great details.
Jurgens continues to benefit from the great Brett Breeding, probably the best match for his pencils these pages would see. The thing I love best about Jurgens is how he would make each pose as exciting as possible. The storytelling doesn’t suffer any, but so many panels he draws could double as posters, in a way that isn’t as true for the other artists. It makes a lot of sense that they would give this team the “main” title of Superman.
Bob McLeod’s pages are also excellent, very moody, and do a great job of conveying the stormy weather–plus the man can really draw a flowing cape! Not only that, but body types like those of the Whites (on page 22) can be tricky for someone drawing the superhero physique, but McLeod makes them look every bit as real as he does Superman or Cerberus robot suit.
Other thoughts: they might call the little girl on page 25 Sharon, but I think we all know from her outfit that it’s little orphan Annie. [Max: I’m putting that entire sequence here because it’s actually kinda hilarious… other than the “a child almost got trampled by a human stampede” part, of course.]
Can’t wait for the next one (even if it brings us ever closer to the introduction of the hateful Jeb Friedman)! [Max: Oh crap, I’d blocked all memory of Jeb Friedman from my head. Damn you, Sparrow!]