What Was the Final Nail for Nicolas Cage and Tim Burton's Superman?

 

A masked Superman. A robot suit. Lex Luthor's patriotic thong. This isn't fan fiction, it was almost a $100 million blockbuster. I review Dan Gilroy's script this week at CBR.

The (Very) '90s Attempt to Kill Superman with Superman Reborn

 

Following Christopher Reeve's departure, Warners tried to adapt Death of Superman in the era of grunge, but the project fell apart. I examine the near-disaster of a screenplay this week at CBR. 

Superman Reborn: Christopher Reeve's Cancelled Return to Superman

 

Superman IV may have been a critical flop, but Christopher Reeve nearly made a big return as the Man of Steel on film. I examine the leaked script today at CBR.

When Doomsday Hit Justice League Unlimited

 

At CBR this week, I'm revisiting Doomsday's memorable role in the Justice League Unlimited "Cadmus" arc...and that time Mike Parobeck rendered him in an oft-overlooked DC publication.

JJ Abrams' FIRST Superman Attempt Was Absolutely Baffling

 

This week at CBR, I'm looking at J. J. Abrams' first attempt at writing a Superman film back in 2002. Are you ready for ninja Kryptonians? 

Did "Death of Superman" Survive Its Animated Adaptation?

This week at CBR, I look back on the 2007 attempt to adapt Death of Superman.  I get to gripe about a specific design choice that's bugged me for ten years now.  (And you can click the label below to relive my reviews of the original storyline, of course.)

WIZARD: SUPERMAN TRIBUTE EDITION - April 1993

1993 Wizard special, hyping the upcoming “Reign of the Supermen” storyline.  Notice how earnestly the creators sell the idea that these four characters are the new stars of their respective title.  Amazing to think these guys only received two issues in the spotlight before the “Return” storyline began. For more on the special, and lots of material on “Reign of the Supermen” merchandise, check out the excellent Fortress of Baileytude.

Kevin Smith Discusses the Aborted Film Adaptation of "Death of Superman"

I Still Remember That Kid with Glasses and a Baseball Hat

Another news report on Superman’s death.  This one is from Entertainment Tonight and E!, in its pre-Kardashian days, so the production values are actually decent for the era.  This is notable for an interview with a “serious collector” while the ET clip features actors Jack Larson and Noel Neill from the 1950s Adventures of Superman series.

Headline News Covers the Death of Superman

From (it would appear) September 5, 1992. "Superman has an image problem..."

Reactions to Superman's Death from 1992 Mid Ohio Con

Features comments from Roger Stern, Jim Shooter, John Byrne (who's predictably John Byrne), and Don Thompson.

Exclusive Interview with Superman's Fiance, Louis Lane

A 1992 Orange County news report on the Death of Superman storyline.  Local news is truly a gift to the internet.

SUPERMAN #75 - January 1993

Doomsday!

Credits:  Dan Jurgens (story and art), Brett Breeding (finishes), John Costanza (letterer), Glenn Whitmore (colorist)

Summary:  Superman continues his fight against Doomsday.  He’s finally able to injure the beast when he discovers that Doomsday’s bony protrusions are extensions of his skeleton.  However, the fight takes its toll on Superman.  Both Superman and Doomsday collapse after exchanging deadly blows.  As Doomsday lies still, Lois cradles Superman’s body.

Irrelevant Continuity:  This issue marks the deaths of Superman and Doomsday.

Gimmicks:  Two versions of the issue were released simultaneously.  The “special” edition was polybagged with a memorial armband.

Review:  This is the comic that did not, in fact, pay our college tuitions.  If you’d like to relive the utter insanity of this era, the animated Superman: Doomsday DVD has an extensive documentary dedicated to the behind-the-scenes development of this storyline and the public’s response.  Several minutes of news footage circa 1993 is also included, a testament to what we like to think of a simpler era, even though the mainstream media still seem to fall for every fake death pushed by Marvel and DC’s publicity departments.  The creators appear genuinely surprised that the public latched on to this story so intensely, and shocked that anyone would be angry at them for killing a fictional character.  DC’s treatment of this storyline has always seemed a bit schizophrenic to me.  On one hand, despite their later backpedaling, DC did put a real effort into selling this as a “real” death for Superman.  His final fight scene is dragged out over six issues.  His funeral is a seven-part storyline.  After his funeral, all Superman titles stop publication for months.  A memorial tribute is published.  Clearly, they want you to buy into this.  However, whenever Superman’s return is discussed, their attitude is simply, “Well, of course we didn’t actually kill him!”  How could they not realize that such an elaborate prank was, to put it politely, not playing fair with readers?  

Reading Superman #75 today, it’s remarkably uncomplicated.  Superman and Doomsday continue to pummel each other, Superman remembers he has heat vision and uses it (like Cyclops’ blasts, somehow), and then goes back to punching again.  Then he dies after a really big punch.  There’s no meta-commentary, no reflection on whether or not there’s a place for a Superman in these cynical ‘90s, no dissertation of the new breed of hero that’s emerged following the popularity of characters like Wolverine and Lobo, no Morrison-esque examination of the literary themes of life, death, and resurrection.  There’s barely even a few lines of purple prose from the traditional third-person narrator; just a few captions sparingly dropped into the final pages in order to sell the idea that he’s really dead, you guys.  The issue takes, charitably, eight minutes to read and is crammed full of the blindingly obvious dialogue you might remember from comics like Secret Wars.  (“They hit each other so hard the windows are shattering!” a character shouts...as windows shatter around him.)  I can’t say the issue is without any sentiment, those final few narrative captions do manage to bring some humanity into the story, but for most of the issue you’re getting standard comic book fight scene dialogue straight out of the early ‘80s.

Visually, the issue is a decent showcase of Dan Jurgens’ draftsmanship and Brett Breeding’s slick finishes.  Superman is the brawny, strong hero you want him to be, as Jurgens straddles the line between traditional Superman portrayals and the more exaggerated anatomy of ‘90s comics.  It’s easy to see why many fans consider Jurgens the iconic Superman artist of this era.  (And even if the dialogue is corny, I’ve always had a soft spot for that window shattering bit.  Apparently Bruce Timm likes it as well, since he used it in both of his animated adaptations of this fight.)  The decision to do the final chapter as an all-splash page issue, however, does it no favors.  I’m sure the idea sounded great on paper, but the execution leads to a very disappointing internal continuity.  It’s occasionally hard to keep track of where the characters are supposed to be, and the rule of “no panels, just splashes” means that some of the cutaway scenes are forced into becoming gigantic, space-grabbing images that didn’t need to be splashes.  The final pages expand past splashes into double-page spreads, eating up more of the book and making the issue an even faster read.  Yes, the final image of Lois holding Superman’s broken body is powerful, but the reader must endure a great deal of tediousness and gimmicky storytelling before getting there.

SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #19 - January 1993

Doomsday is Here!

Credits:  Louise Simonson (writer), Jon Bogdanove (penciler), Dennis Janke (inker), Bill Oakley (letterer), Glenn Whitmore (colorist)

Summary:  Superman follows Doomsday to Metropolis. His next attack is to fly Doomsday into the Earth’s atmosphere.  Doomsday kicks himself free, and their fight continues into the Underworld.  After Doomsday triggers an explosion that destroys much of the community, Professor Hamilton attempts to stop Doomsday with a gigantic laser cannon.  Doomsday recovers quickly.  After Supergirl and the Metropolis PD also fail to stop Doomsday, Superman continues his fight against the creature.

Mom, Apple Pie, etc…:  Superman uses his body as a shield to protect Keith and the other orphans after Doomsday destroys their orphanage (which just so happens to be in the path of destruction).

Total N00B:  Dubbilex appears as a psychic manifestation to Guardian, with no explanation of who or what he is.  The three characters manning the giant laser cannon are only identified as Mildred, Professor “Ham,” and Bibbo.  The Underworlders are apparently keeping some representatives from Warworld captive; the story does very little to explain anything about these concepts.  Finally, Supergirl’s face turns into a pile of mush after she’s punched by Doomsday.  Her body then collapses and morphs into a purple Play-Doh person.  I’m vaguely aware that the Supergirl of this era is supposed to be a shapeshifting blob of protoplasm (or something), but I can’t imagine how this scene read to the average person brought in by the intense media hype.

Review:  We’re down to only two panels per page, and while Jon Bogdanove does an admirable job of not making the layout scheme obvious, the storyline’s padding is becoming more noticeable by the issue.  Superman is still resorting to punch punch punching Doomsday repeatedly, and only given one tiny sliver of imagination during the story, as he tries to fly Doomsday into space.  Unfortunately, this happens as the issue opens, and he’s thwarted by the fourth page.  So, instead of trying to develop another creative way to stop Doomsday, Superman just goes back to futilely punching the monster again and again until the issue is over.  There is some effort to show Superman protecting the citizens from the destruction, and to give the supporting cast something to do, but none of the scenes are engaging enough to stand on their own.  And, as mentioned above, they’re virtually incomprehensible to someone not versed in the specific continuity of this era of Superman.  

It’s hard to understand why DC was so committed to making this crossover a relentless slugfest, to the point that every chapter essentially has the same plot.  Couldn’t one chapter at least be dedicated to some other character doing anything else?  A scientist working to find Doomsday’s weak spot, an average citizen discovering his own heroism while helping others survive the disaster, Superman's friends and family watching the TV footage and reflecting on what Superman means to them…wouldn’t any diversion be a welcome relief at this point?

ACTION COMICS #684 - December 1992

…Doomsday is Near!

Credits:  Roger Stern (writer), Jackson Guice (penciler), Denis Rodier (inker), Bill Oakley (letterer), Glenn Whitmore (colorist)

Summary:  While Guardian takes Maxima to the hospital, Superman pursues Doomsday.  Eventually, Doomsday terrorizes a Lex-Mart department store.  A television advertisement inspires him to head towards Metropolis.  Superman throws Doomsday into the air, inadvertently sending him to the Habitat, near the headquarters of Project Cadmus.  Guardian arrives to help, but is soon buried under the debris of Habitat, along with Superman.  Doomsday leaps closer to Metropolis.

Irrelevant Continuity:  

• Habitat is the wooden structure Jack Kirby introduced in his early Jimmy Olsen issues.  It’s been abandoned at this point, with a footnote pointing towards Superman’s last adventure there in Action Comics #655.
• Lex-Mart is a play on Walmart and K-Mart; Lex Luthor at this point in continuity is a businessman with varied interests.
• News reports place Doomsday’s casualties at over a hundred.

Approved By The Comics Code Authority:  Roger Stern has Superman throw “hell” and “damn” around pretty casually. 

Total N00B:  This issue makes clear that Guardian is an employee of Cadmus, which performs scientific research in the outskirts of Metropolis.  The redheaded Lex Luthor is also identified as the son of the original, although I believe it’s a lie he uses to cover that he’s Lex in a cloned body.

Review:  We’re retreading material we’ve already seen before, right down to Lex Luthor (Jr.) and Supergirl having the same conversation they had in the previous chapter. To Stern’s credit, he’s better than some of his contemporaries at actually introducing the various cast members and giving new readers some information about them, but it’s hard not to notice how repetitive this story’s getting.  In terms of the action, the only variation from the issues-long slugfest comes when Superman finally decides to just pick Doomsday up and throw him away.  People have often cited this as a major failing of their extended fight scene, arguing that Superman should’ve just been able to throw Doomsday into orbit.  I’m not sure if post-Crisis Superman is that powerful at this point, however, and Stern does do a decent job of showing how problematic this approach can be.  (What exactly is he going to be throwing Doomsday into?)  Superman should, however, be able to use his heat vision and freeze vision in some creative ways in the fight.  I’m assuming he still had those powers post-Crisis, right?  Instead, it’s punch punch punch punch, toss you away, and punch punch punch punch you again.  The Justice League animated series had the best take on this fight when an alternate-reality Superman ends the conflict by giving Doomsday a lobotomy, courtesy of his heat vision.  I would love to see something that imaginative in this story, but instead it’s page after page of punches. 

Even though the fight is getting tired, this issue does have one of my favorite moments of the storyline.  Why does Doomsday choose Metropolis as his ultimate destination?  Because a wrestler he saw on television, directly speaking into the camera, boasts that he’s “takin’ on” everybody at the Metropolis Arena this weekend.  Doomsday grunts out “Mhh-trr-plss?” as his response and promptly begins bouncing his way to Metropolis.  Now, this is either a subtle hint that Doomsday is smart enough to read road signs or a flagrant disregard for common sense, but it’s actually funny and a welcome break from the monotony. 

THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #497 - December 1992

 

Under Fire

Credits:   Jerry Ordway (writer), Tom Grummett (penciler), Doug Hazelwood  (inker), Albert de Guzman (letterer), Glenn Whitmore (colorist)

Summary:   Superman plows Doomsday into the bottom of a lake, then returns and  rescues Mitch’s family, with the aid of Bloodwynd.  Doomsday leaps out  of the water and attacks a nearby helicopter.  Superman returns to fight  Doomsday and their battle takes them to rural Kirby County.  Maxima  arrives to help, but inadvertently causes an explosion when she pulls up  a light pole.  Superman regains consciousness as Guardian arrives on a  motorcycle.  Meanwhile, as Luthor and Supergirl watch the news coverage,  Jimmy Olsen is given orders to accompany Lois Lane on the Doomsday story.

Irrelevant Continuity:  Bloodwynd refuses to be treated by paramedics and instead teleports away, arousing Superman’s suspicions. 

Total N00B: 

• There’s no explanation of who Guardian is, although in fairness, he only appears on the final page.
• Jimmy Olsen is apparently working part-time as a kids’ TV character called Turtle Boy (an homage to an old Silver Age story).
• Lex  Luthor is…a redheaded Australian?  And he’s dating Supergirl?  Luthor  warns her not to get involved like she did in “that Satanus business” (a  footnote points to Action Comics #680) and to stay in Metropolis with him.

Review:   Superman cursing himself for continuing the fight against Doomsday  while a family is trapped in a burning building is the greatest moment  of angst the story has seen so far…and then the rest of the issue  reverts back to mindless violence.  Superman also gets off easy, as he’s  able to bury Doomsday in the lake’s silt just long enough to go back  into the town and effortlessly save the family.  Actually letting the  young single mother and her baby die would’ve surely been too dark, but I  think more time could’ve been spent dealing with the repercussions of  Superman’s decision.  Every second Superman spends rescuing people left  in Doomsday’s wake is a second that isn’t spent actually stopping the  monster from hurting anyone else.  It’s like the flight attendant’s  instruction to secure your own oxygen mask before helping someone else.   It might seem cruel, but it’s for the best.  Yet, how could Superman  live with himself if he knowingly let someone die, regardless of the  reason? 

Ordway  rushes past the dilemma and gets back to the action as soon as  possible.  So, Superman and warrior-woman Maxima fight and fight and fight while some subplot pages touch base with the rest of cast, doing  very little to explain whatever the current status quo of the Superman  titles is supposed to be.  The saving grace for much of this issue is  Tom Grummett’s art, which is very loyal to the look established during  the John Byrne years while also managing to work in a Russ Heath  influence.  Grummett’s great with fight scenes, and he’s so skilled with  panel layouts that it’s almost impossible to notice that every page  this issue has four panels.  This begins the countdown to the final  installment, as each chapter has one fewer panel each page, culminating  in the all-splash page Superman  #75.  A remit of four panels per page could’ve easily produced a staid,  repetitive pace throughout the issue, but Grummett’s pages are  genuinely exciting from beginning to end.

SUPERMAN #74 - December 1992

Countdown to Doomsday!

Credits:  Dan Jurgens (story and art), Brett Breeding (finishes), John Costanza (letterer), Glenn Whitmore (colorist)

Summary:   Ice convinces Maxima to take Blue Beetle to the hospital instead of  chasing after Doomsday.  Superman and Booster Gold confront Doomsday  shortly after he enters the home of a single mother and her two  children.  The rest of the Justice League arrives to fight, but eventually only Superman remains standing.  He flies after the fleeing  Doomsday, as the family’s home erupts in fire.  He hears the oldest child Mitch’s cry for help, but continues in his pursuit of Doomsday.

Irrelevant Continuity:   Superman quotes Booster Gold and refers to Doomsday by name for the  first time this issue.  This is also the first time the readers are  given a glimpse of Doomsday’s face, as his jumpsuit begins to tear away.  

I Love the ‘90s:   Mitch sarcastically tells his mother it’s “Axl and the band” when she  asks who’s at the door when he returns home from school.  Booster Gold  also comments that without his suit’s power-supply, “I’m about as  powerful as Pee Wee Herman!”

Total N00B:   Maxima, a femme warrior that seems exaggerated even by Chris Claremont standards, is apparently from the planet (or dimension?) Almerac.

Review:   The true star of this issue is Mitch, the longhaired teenage brat  who’s introduced to the reader through a series of thought balloons detailing how much he hates his mother, whose greatest sins appear to be  asking Mitch how his day was and not making it to the store because she  was taking care of his sickly infant sister.  Do not stand in the way of Mitch and his Crystal Pepsi.  Kid gets mad.  After making his timid mother cry, when he reminds her that the divorce was her fault, Mitch is off to Aaron’s house, where they’re probably going to get high and watch Aaron’s VHS copy of Terminator 2: Judgment Day.   Mitch’s great plans are interrupted when Doomsday crashes into his front yard, and even when Superman soon shows up to fight the horrid  beast, Mitch can’t muster up too much enthusiasm.  He remains a  sarcastic jerk throughout the issue, until the final few pages when he realizes that his mother and sister are trapped inside a house fire and he can’t do anything to help.  Oh, now Mitch has feelings. 

The  cliffhanger ending, which has Superman reluctantly chasing after Doomsday instead of saving an innocent family, is one of the moments of  this storyline that stuck with me as a kid.  The angst isn’t really  developed until the next chapter, but this remains a strong way to close out the issue and create some drama for the next installment.  The rest of the issue, aside from introducing us to the majesty of Mitch, is  more of the predictably one-sided JLA vs. Doomsday fight.  The great plot advancement this issue is that the JLA’s attack has only served to  free Doomsday’s right arm from its manacles.  Nice going, guys.  I  suppose the joke that Doomsday’s doing all of this “with one arm behind his back” has run its course by now, anyway.  I wouldn’t say the  excessive fight scenes have gotten tedious at this point, but the  pattern this storyline is going to follow is already pretty obvious.

JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA #69 - December 1992

Down for the Count!

Credits:  Dan Jurgens (story and art), Rick Burchett (finishes), Willie Schubert (letterer), Gene D’Angelo (colorist)

Summary:   The Justice League follows Doomsday’s trail to Ohio, where they soon  confront him at an oil refinery.  Meanwhile, Superman is interviewed by Cat Grant and her studio audience.  During the Justice League’s fight,  Blue Beetle is nearly killed.  When the news bulletin breaks inside the  television studio, Superman immediately flies to Ohio.  He arrives in  time to save Booster Gold, who’s been thrown into the sky by Doomsday.

Irrelevant Continuity:

• Doomsday is indirectly named this issue, as Booster Gold tells Superman “it’s like doomsday in here!” on the final page. 
• The  JLA of this era consists of Maxima, Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Guy  Gardner, Fire, Ice, and Bloodwynd.  Superman is also listed as a member, and even the leader by Cat Grant (he rejects the title), which  surprised me since I’ve always believed that the post-Crisis Superman  didn’t join the JLA until the Grant Morrison relaunch. 
• Blue  Beetle feels he’s discovered Bloodwynd’s secret identity, but he’s beaten into unconsciousness as he’s about to blurt out the name.  The story hints that Bloodwynd is actually the Martian Manhunter, but looking online, the story appears to be more complicated than that.

Mom, Apple Pie, etc…:  Superman refuses to dignify a sexist remark about Fire’s looks made by a studio audience member.

Review:   I hope you enjoyed Doomsday killing wildlife and smashing up  semi-trucks in the last chapter, because that’s what you’re getting  here.  The art does a lot to save the thin plot (Jurgens/Burchett’s rendition of the cloaked Doomsday is reminiscent of something Mike Mignola would draw…those red goggles are creepy),  but it’s easy to imagine how much better this issue would’ve been if it featured a Justice League team not comprised of second-stringers.  It’s  amazing to me that DC ever thought there was a substantial audience for  a team like this, and that it took them so long to actually give  readers the Justice League they wanted to see.  Jurgens is able to introduce the team and their powers in such a concise manner it would make Jim Shooter proud, and his Bloodwynd/Martian Manhunter fake-out is a fun play on audience expectations, but the team has no visible chemistry and there’s no obvious reason to care about any of them. 

The fight scenes are interrupted with quick clips of Superman being interviewed by one of his supporting cast members, which if nothing  else, serve as a reminder of his personality before his inevitable death scene.  Superman doesn’t want to badmouth any of his teammates, even Guy Gardner, he agrees with a hippie audience member that violence  shouldn’t be the answer, and believes in treating ladies with respect, thank-you-very-much.  He also admits that he occasionally fears his own death, in a bit of not obvious at all foreshadowing.  The interview segments do a decent job of straddling the line between earnestness and corniness, and the bored reactions of some of the audience members highlight one of the points the event’s trying to make -- people are  taking Superman for granted.  Mike Carlin would later cite this point in interviews justifying the decision to kill Superman.  I actually think  it’s a legitimate avenue to explore, even though this is one of the few occasions the storyline even touches on the issue.

SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #18 - December 1992

 

Doomsday! Part One

Credits:  Louise Simonson (writer), Jon Bogdanove (penciler), Dennis Janke (inker), Bill Oakley (letterer), Glenn Whitmore (colorist)

Summary:  An orphan named Keith spies on the Underworlders that claim to have kidnapped his mother.  He soon discerns that they lied to him, so Keith attracts Superman’s attention with a giant “S” emblem spray-painted on a basketball court.  Superman listens to Keith and travels to Underworld, where Lois is already in danger, investigating the Underworlders’ plans to attack the surface.  Superman defeats the mutated Underworlders and discovers that Lois is safe, thanks to a homeless man named Charlie that knows Lois from the shelter where she volunteers.  Meanwhile, Doomsday escapes from a metal prison and begins to cause havoc.

Irrelevant Continuity: Doomsday doesn’t have a name yet, but I’m going to be calling him that for simplicity’s sake.  At this point, he’s still covered in a green jumpsuit, with one hand tied with cables behind his back.

Mom, Apple Pie, etc…:  Superman comforts the frantic Keith with a big hug.

I Love the ‘90s:  Lois leaves a typed note on Clark Kent’s computer before going out.  When Clark sees it, he remarks that it’s “very high tech of her.”

Total N00B:  

• The story of Keith and the Underworlders is obviously continued from previous issues.  I have no idea who the Underworlders are, but I’m assuming they’re DC’s version of the Morlocks.  Apparently, there’s a faction of pro-war and anti-war Underworlders, with the normal humans seemingly in the anti-war camp.  
• After Superman leaves, Charlie wonders if they should’ve told him about “Bloodthirst.”  His friend replies “Bloodthirst is our problem!”  Well, that’s settled.
• Superman believes the “War World escapees” are behind the Underworlders’ advanced weaponry.  I only associate “War World” with the worst two episodes of the Justice League cartoon, although I’m assuming the comics’ version has a similar backstory.

Review:  Man of Steel #18 is the first full appearance of Doomsday, even though his debut has been teased with several pages of him punching through his prison door during the previous few weeks of Superman comics.  For anyone unaware, the Superman titles ran as a weekly comic during this period, with each creative team picking up where the other left off the previous week.  I can’t imagine this was a creatively satisfying environment, but it seems as if the writers and artists involved didn’t mind so much.  During annual retreats, the plan for the next year was plotted ahead, with everyone pitching in ideas.  I’m guessing the creators enjoyed the collaborative process, because virtually every Superman book during this era has a strong creative team.  It’s hard to imagine DC or Marvel pulling this off today without someone quitting after the first week and giving a blistering indictment of the company on Twitter, but the creators of this era seemed pretty content with the arrangement.  

As famously documented, the big story for 1992 was supposed to be the wedding of Clark Kent and Lois Lane.  The upcoming Lois and Clark TV show derailed those plans, so the creators were left with a year’s worth of stories to fill.  Jerry Ordway’s sarcastic suggestion to just kill Superman, a joke he apparently did every year, suddenly began to be taken seriously.  Dan Jurgens suggested a raging behemoth, a force of nature, be the villain responsible for Superman’s death, in contrast to Superman’s tradition of facing evil scientists and crooks in business suits.  Doomsday, as he appears in this issue, is cloaked in mystery; his goggles, random metallic cables, and green jumpsuit suggest a sci-fi origin, but none is given in the immediate future.  After weeks of teasing, punching at a metal wall (the sound effect “DOOM” surprisingly not used until he finally breaks free this issue), Doomsday escapes while Superman is having fun with the faux-Morlocks.  (Or did the Underworlders come first?)  His first act is to take a tiny bird in his hand, contemplate it, then crush it while laughing manically.  

I don’t think there’s any denying that Doomsday is a walking plot device, but his introduction this issue works fairly well.  I feel the early, cloaked design of Doomsday is a great visual; he’s some form of monster, but your mind is free to fill in the gaps.  As the story progresses, we eventually discover Doomsday is gray Hulk with odd bone growths, sporting green bicycle shorts for some unfathomable reason.  This design I’ve always considered kind of a joke, although the Justice League cartoon would later produce a Kirby-esque remake of this look that had a certain charm to it.  Since I like the original “bagged” Doomsday look the best, this might turn out to be my favorite chapter of the initial storyline.  I doubt today that Simonson would’ve been allowed to finish off a rather tame storyline while giving Doomsday his full debut in the same issue, but the discrepancy works to the story’s advantage.  I like the sense that something horrible is approaching, while Superman’s still going about a seemingly average adventure.  I don’t think it would’ve hurt DC to reprint the issue or two leading up to this story in the Death of Superman trade, however.  It’s not as if the extra material would’ve broken the bank, especially on a book guaranteed to sell out, and those additional pages would’ve helped the narrative flow of the Underworld story immensely.

The Next Casualty - Superman

 

Did you guys know DC published a story in 1993 that actually featured the death of Superman?  Sounds crazy, right?  I’ve miraculously been able to find a copy of this obscure relic, and have chosen to make it my next series of reviews.  I’d suggest everyone read along, but I realize finding copies of this artifact could be incredibly difficult.