Superman: The Man of Steel #21 (March 1993)
Superman: The Man of Steel #21 (March 1993)
FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND, Part 7! Pa Kent falls… literally and figuratively. This issue opens with Lois Lane having a nightmare in which she's reporting on a giant whirlpool as Superman (who, I'll remind you, is dead and never coming back) drowns behind her. Normally, these types of dreams mean "you're wetting your bed," but in this case they symbolize 1) Lois' feeling of guilt for having to report on her own fiancee's death, and 2) the fact that there's a real whirlpool outside her building right now, after the subterranean explosion from last issue.
As the streets of Metropolis flood, Lois finds out that Project Cadmus caused the explosion through some hardcore reporting (someone shows her an explosive with a Cadmus logo on it). Oh, and also, Superman's corpse is missing from its tomb and Cadmus had something to do with it. With help from her pissed-off friends from the Underworld (more like "Underwaterworld" now), the Newsboy Legion, and a sexy scuba suit, Lois actually sneaks into Cadmus and finds Superman in a lab room… then immediately turns around and goes off to write an article about this, leaving the body there. To be fair, the dude is quite heavy.
Meanwhile, in Smallville, Pa Kent is slowly going insane with grief over Clark's death. He's started having vivid flashbacks of previous moments/issues when Clark was still alive.
(Bessie is not "nobody". Rude.)
When Pa reads Lois' detailed expose of Cadmus' activities on the newspaper, finding out that his son's body has been stolen makes him reach his tipping point – Pa collapses on the same spot where Clark's rocket landed decades ago, apparently dying of a heart attack. TO BE CONTINUED! I HOPE!
Plotline-Watch:
I have to point out that the Underworlders in Lois' Freak Gang are: TELETYPE (a hoodie-wearing seal with psychic powers), NEEP-NOSE (a midget with a funnel for a nose who can phase through walls), GRUB (a bald guy), CHARLIE (Lois' non-traitorous hobo friend), and BUBBLE-UP (a giant, half-transparent purple frog who carries everyone else in its mouth). I want an X-Men series about these guys.
There's a random but cool scene about Batman reflecting on the time Superman gave him a kryptonite ring in case he ever went mad and needed someone to kill him. Obviously, that's never gonna happen now, but Bats thinks it would be too sad to throw the thing in the garbage.
Speaking of flashbacks, one of Pa Kent's imaginary conversations with Clark is yet another remake of the scene in Man of Steel #1 (1986) when Clark was freaked out that everyone"wanted a piece of him" after he saved that weird plane, so Pa suggested wearing a funky costume and creating a heroic identity. Now he feels like it's his fault Clark died. Of course, that's not true: it's Ma's fault, she made the costume
I have a long-standing theory that Savior, a villain we'll see in a few years, was a member of the Superman-worshipping cult. In this issue, Lois riles up the cultists to distract the cops and sneak into Superman's empty tomb, and I spotted two tiny clues that I might be right:
More commentary (and pictures of Lois in her scuba suit) in the great Don Sparrow's great section, after the jump!
Art-Watch (by @donsparrow):
One of the most powerful issues of the era begins with a stunner of a cover, with Jonathan Kent lying face down in his field, as a heartbroken Martha runs to him. It’s such a unique,and quiet image, particularly since this is still a superhero comic. But the sad scene stands out all the more for its lack of action. The only quibble I have is that I find Martha’s exclamation not only unnecessary, but it undercuts the silent power the image would have had without the cover text. Don’t get me wrong, for the most part, I actually like (and these days, miss) cover speech. But this is one where it just wasn’t necessary.
Inside the issue, we have essentially two stories, one that care deeply about, and one that kind of just filled up space. More on that in a bit.
Lois’ eerie dream is so well done, particularly her totally statuesque staring straight ahead as Superman pleads for her help. And on page two, that first panel of her waking up is really well done–and a rather lovely, intimate image of Lois in her sleepwear. Moving right along…
While the flood story does lead somewhere important, once again, I strained to care much about the strange looking Underworlders, and really cared deeply about the alternate story of the Kents returning to the farm. [Max: I've always been fond of those ugly freaks… but yes, the "b-plot" in this issue is clearly the better one.] The panel on page 4, of the rural road to the Kent farm is just so accurate and well-observed–and reminds me so much of my own home of Saskatchewan in the wintertime.
Pa Kent’s emotional flashbacks are some of my favourite things I’ve ever read in a Superman comic, and the art really doesn’t let Louise Simonson’s emotionally moving scriptdown. The way the art team captures that unique light that comes from the slats in the barn walls (later made ubiquitous on virtually every episode of Smallville) is again, just so true to life, and filmic. And then to go from the warmth of words that every father would long to hear, and never forget, to the cold, still, silence of an empty barn was so completely striking, and sad.
The cutaway to the Batcave was an interesting diversion. Seems like they were setting up for something down the line with Bruce keeping that ring, but to my knowledge,it didn’t pay off anytime soon. [Max: I think they just wanted a scene of Batman doing some sad flashbacking somewhere in the storyline, and they probably picked this issue because Bog's Batman rules so much.]
Seeing the replay of Jonathan’s conversation with Clark from Man of Steel #1 is interesting especially seeing how Bogdanove interprets a scene made famous by a more traditional artist like John Byrne. The worry and sadness in Martha’s expression, along with the vacant look in Jonathan’s is really haunting.
I’ve long said that I don’t dig stories with the Underworlders, as I find the character designs a little too out-there to take seriously but this story is at least partially redeemed by how awesome Lois looks in her spy-like wetsuit.
Her scenes leading the charge of the Newsboys, and fight scene with, I dunno–scientist/security guards (?) are all great, and lead to another powerful image, that of her tearfully embracing the body of her deceased fiancé. Then, shortly thereafter, the stiffness of Lois’ resolve as she types up her exposé on Cadmus’ grave robbing is stirring–you can feel her purpose, as she pounds away on the keyboard, trying not to cry.
Finally, the scene from the cover, sorta. I’m not sure if it makes it sadder, or less sad that when Jon collapses, his wife is there (not just slumping alone in a field,like on the cover, in the first Superman film). Kudos to the colourist for how cold and pale he makes Jonathan look as he’s cradled in Martha’s arms.
It’s an interesting parallel, story-wise, that the people who loved Clark the most, Lois and his parents, who would have nothing to feel bad about blame themselves for his death. Lois is haunted that she didn’t do more, and Jonathan, perhaps most tragic of all, blames himself for the whole idea of Superman.
STRAY OBSERVATIONS:
GODWATCH! Another big week. First, in Lois’ nightmare on page 1, Superman please “Lois! For God’s sake, help me!”, followed almost immediately with Lois saying, in reaction to her dream, “Oh, Lord, it wasn’t real! Just a dream!” on page 2. Page 7 has Ma saying “Lord knows we could use some comfort now”, then, in the horror of seeing Superman’s grave empty, Lois says “Oh, Lord! It’s empty! Then again, seeing her fiancé’s corpse ona gurney in Cadmus, Lois cries, "OmiLord! You DO have him!”. Later still, as Lois types her expose, she thinks to herself “I couldn’t save his life, but by Heaven, I’m going to save his body from desecration."
Hey Martha, I thought comfort food was supposed to be something a little decadent or indulgent. Oatmeal? Why not really let loose with some rice cakes?
Things I’ll never do: travel by disgusting mutant frog. Can you imagine what it would smell like in there?
No kidding either of them don’t look good, Lois, they’re disgusting mutants.
Apparently I’m not the only one who likes how Lois looks in her wetsuit, am I, Big Words?
What’s up with the look of that aforementioned scientist/security guard? Is his hair supposed to be reminiscent of Mokkari? Or Balrog from Street Fighter? [Max: My suspicion is that the script called for Lois to fight non-descript scientists, but Bogdanove didn't want to draw her beating up some nerds, so he made them slightly more badass. That, or yes, that guy is Mokkari's original DNA donor. Never thought of that.]
With his silent thought/telepathy bubbles, does Teletype remind anyone else of (Max’s favourite possible serial killer) Whit? [Max: Maybe they've got a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde situation going on.]
As much as I remember the stolen body storyline dragging out a little long, I kind of dig that it wasn’t resolved in a single issue–it isn’t Lois who heroically retrieves Clark’s body–she has to scramble before being discovered, and blows the lid off the conspiracy.
Easy with the flippers, Teletype. [Max: "Ulp?!" indeed.]
