Breaking Up is Hard To Do - Detective Comics 369

Detective Comics #369 (November 1967)
"Batgirl Breaks Up the Dynamic Duo!"
Gardner Fox-Carmine Infantino/Sidney Green

Doug: My Bronze Age connection to this Silver Age gem? I first came across this tale between the covers of Batman Family #2 (Nov./Dec. 1975), which I acquired in some unknown manner; I know I didn't buy it off the spinner racks. So despite the fact that I'll be scanning from Tales of the Batman: Carmine Infantino (2014), I've known of this story for many a'moon. I'm curious as to the intentions of Gardner Fox and Carmine Infantino (and editor Julius Schwartz) -- this was only the 4th appearance of Batgirl, having debuted in Detective Comics #359 (cover dated January 1967). We know of her tie-in with the William Dozier television program, but I almost have to wonder if there wasn't some intent to create more of a triangle relationship between the three caped crimefighters. And no, I'm not even going to entertain the posits that float around about Batman and Robin -- that never occurred to me as a kid, and I'd prefer to leave that in the realm of people just stirring up trouble. But certainly Dick Grayson as an adolescent male, suddenly confronted with a powerful (and powerfully beautiful) female every bit his equal... well, who wouldn't take a second look? But I'm curious about Dick's age in the comics at this point. Without digging too deep, I'll assume that he was still high school aged (15 or 16?) -- which seems younger than he was portrayed on TV where I felt he was 18 or maybe 19. Even if the older suggestion is true, that would still put him a good 3-4 years or so younger than Barbara Gordon. While one can complete a bachelor's degree in library science, it was my sense that Barbara was a little higher up at the Gotham City Public Library and so perhaps had her M.S. -- she'd then be 23 or 24. So anyway, the match-up wasn't quite making sense to me as a kid, and I still have reservations and curiosities about it on the reread. I'd sure like to see others' take on this.

Doug: I've said it before, I'll say it again -- I have an affinity for Batman comics with Batgirl and for Superman comics with Supergirl. I don't know why... I guess I really like the feminized derivative costumes. So let's jump into this with a 100-Word Review and see just what the Dominoed Daredoll (yes, Fox uses that painful, PAINFUL expression on the third page of the story -- meet me in the "Ugly" section below) was up to in trying to end the Dynamic Duo.

Batgirl’s installed a “multi-color light-tracer beam” on her Batcycle that allows her to lock in on the specific vibrations of a car’s motor. This allows her to beat the Dynamic Duo to crime scenes – better tech = better crimefighting! Batman chauvinistically tries to take over, but in doing so ends up in a quicksand swamp. Batgirl soon deduces that he’s contracted the “swamp fever” and tells Robin. Knowing Batman won’t get bedrest, the new Dynamite Duo plot to beat him to every crime so he won’t have to work hard. In the end, Bruce Wayne is cured in the hospital.

The Good: Carmine Infantino's art trumps Gardner Fox's sometimes dopey script and dialogue. The plot is pretty typical Silver Age fare, but then I reflected on it and thought to myself, no -- Batman probably wouldn't quit crimefighting to mend from his illness. We've agreed in the past that Infantino is one of the classic cover designers, on par with any of the other artists in the "best" conversation. He's also not too bad at laying out a story. His pacing is great, and while I'd argue that he's as guilty as the next guy of using "stock poses", it works for me. It's a Carmine Infantino book. That being said, I'll stand by my comments that I did not generally care for his Bronze Age work at Marvel. But here, ten years earlier and at DC his pencils feel comfortable.

I enjoyed the camaraderie between Robin and Batgirl. As I said above, I'm not certain if there weren't romantic motives on the part of the powers-that-be, but if we just look at it through the lens that the two of them were closer in age it still works. There's also that generational element, with the "old guy", Batman, squeezed out. "Never trust anyone over 30", indeed! The creators do a nice job of ramping up the tension in the "triangle" once Batman is afflicted with the swamp fever. It's priceless when Batgirl shows up with a sidecar on her bike and Robin's logo affixed to it. This follows one of those uncomfortable times we all faced as kids when a parent had to drive us somewhere. Yep -- Robin can't drive the Batmobile alone, so Batman has to take him to his rendezvous with Batgirl! Awesome... The new "Dynamite Duo" do their best to keep Gotham City under control while Batman further spirals down with his illness. The whole time I was reading this, I just wanted to scream, "Tell the poor guy!", but as I said before -- there was no quit in the Dark Knight. The Bat-team of Fox, Infantino, and Schwartz came up with a fun solution.

The Bad: I don't really have anything of note here, other than perhaps the stock poses employed by Carmine Infantino. But since I feel like I need to raise at least one stink to show that this wasn't a perfect book, I'll settle on Catwoman's outfit. She appears in the last three panels of the story in her secret identity of Selina Kyle. Ahead of its time, Detective Comics #369 actually continued into the December issue of Batman (#197 - Holy crossover!) where a jealous Catwoman would seek out Batgirl to let the young interloper know that Batman was off-limits. The Infantino book reprints the cover (and there's that costume for which I don't care), but not the story. I'd have liked to read that!

The Ugly: Nicknames! Within these fourteen pages lurk the following: Boy Wonder, Caped Crusader, Teen Titan, Dynamic Duo (all of those are just on the splash page!), the aforementioned Dominoed Daredoll, Gotham Gangbusters, Masked Maiden, Bat-Beauty, Masked Manhunter, Chic Crimefighter... and several of those are repeated throughout the story! People complain about Bob Haney's forced language in the Teen Titans, but this style of Gardner Fox's is equally annoying. I know -- you can argue that it's part of the charm and I should view this as a "period piece". I get it. And I agree. But it was still a bit much in a 15-minute span.

Doug: Several of us have praised DC for getting all manner of Batman (mostly Bronze Age) material back in print through these hardcover series -- "Tales of the Batman" and "Legends of the Dark Knight". The books are certainly pricey if you're into paying the cover rate; me -- I usually pre-order my copies or get them from places like In-Stock Trades. I feel like if I can pay $30 for one of these rather than $50, then I've taken care of myself both economically and nostalgically. And, since I don't buy comics any more these books are a wonderful way to acquire a nice run at prices below what I'd pay for back issues. Win!

"I'm Just a Lucky Dude Who Got to Write..."

Doug: Two days ago, while perusing the BAB Twitter account's timeline (I have two accounts/timelines -- one for "me", and one for "us" that I share with my partner), I came across a series of tweets from Bronze Age scribe Gerry Conway. I'll admit to being tired of Conway often being referred to as "the guy who killed Gwen Stacy". While that may be a claim to fame of his (or infamy, depending on your perspective, I guess), it's certainly in no way indicative or summative of the body of his work in the industry. Conway was lamenting the fact that he's often referred to as a "comics legend", and took just a smidgeon of umbrage. He deflected the "legend" status to folks like Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko. So of course, I meditated on that for awhile and thought to myself, hey -- we need to discuss this on the blog!

Doug: Gerry Conway wrote a memorable run on Amazing Spider-Man, following an incredible run of 106 out of the first 110 issues written by Stan "the Man" Lee (with issue #s 101-104 penned by Roy Thomas). Conway stayed on the title for over three years; the deaths of Gwen Stacy and the Green Goblin came inside his first 12 issues. As Jim Shooter before him, Conway cut his professional teeth as a teenager.

He crafted that story -- perhaps the most pivotal 2-issue "arc" of the Bronze Age, and also co-created the Punisher as well as several Bronze Age villains that have become Spider-Man mainstays. He wrote the controversial clone saga (which looks like a literary classic in its own right as compared to the second clone saga) and brought a sort of second closure to the death of Gwen Stacy. Additionally at Marvel, he co-created Werewolf by Night and Man-Thing, and wrote the premier issue of Tomb of Dracula. Click here for a listing of Conway's creations/co-creations during his prolific career at Marvel and at DC.

Doug: So -- what exactly is a legend, then? If we look at the parameters of this blog, which most of us agree generally (but not always) focuses on the period from 1970-85, then I'm going to stand up and say that Gerry Conway is a Bronze Age legend. His Spidey run, coupled with his eight years as scribe of Justice League of America, is enough to get brought up in the conversation. My next question would be -- additionally, who else is a "legend"? I know that I often use the term "master" in describing the art of John Buscema, Neal Adams, Kirby, and sometimes even John Byrne. Are they legends (Kirby undeniably is, so no one needs to go there), too? Is Julius Schwartz, the shepherd of the Bronze Age as an editor, a legend? I'll be curious to see what our masses have to say about this oft-bandied term. And when today is all said and done, Gerry Conway may just have to wear that crown...

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0176689/

Creating a Crisis? The Flash 123

The Flash #123 (September 1961)

"Flash of Two Worlds!"

Gardner Fox-Carmine Infantino/Joe Giella

Doug:  One of the books I picked up at WizardWorld Chicago back in August was the DC Comics Library edition of The Flash of Two Worlds.  It contains the first six meetings of Barry Allen and Jay Garrick, from The Flash #s 123, 129, 137, 151, and 170.  Today we're obviously going to discuss that first landmark story, a tale that touched off DC's alleged continuity quandary that would result in the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" event and then ultimately the undoing of most of that.  Ugh...  But hey, this is a fun story, so let's wait to dwell on its future until the comments section.

Doug:  I have to say from the start that Carmine Infantino's art (of which, at least in the Bronze Age, I am not a fan) throughout this story is pretty darn good.  However, could the Barry Allen Flash look any more like Gazoo in that splash page?  What a huge melon!  But what an incredible cover -- truly, that image has to be one of the highlights of any age of comics.  And how exciting would that have been for a youngster picking this one off the spinner racks (hey, were spinner racks invented in 1961?)?  Help a brother out, here -- was DC reprinting their Golden Age material as the Silver Age was dawning?  I do not know the answer to that, so I'm wondering if a 10-year old in 1961 would have recognized the Jay Garrick Flash?  Surely his old man would...  Let's get on with the story, which at a whopping 25 pages felt like an Annual to me.

Doug:  Barry Allen is of course late to a commitment he'd made to Iris West.  Iris is chairing a fundraiser for a local orphanage, but is furious as Barry arrives.  He assumes it's because of him, but he really had a legitimate excuse this time.  But no, she's upset that her magician who was tabbed as the entertainment for the children hasn't shown up.  Barry says he can't stay (wait, weren't they supposed to be together at the fundraiser?), but wonders if Iris would like him to phone the Flash as a potential stand-in for the magician?  She's elated, so Barry slips away, pops his special ring, and emerges moments later as the Fastest Man Alive.  The Flash goes through a litany of skills and showmanship, but stuns the crowd when he climbs a rope that he's set to spinning beyond the human eye's capability to see and disappears.

Doug:  Flash is next shown on a country road, still holding the rope.  He wonders where he could possibly be, and then muses that he could have vibrated so fast that he broke through time and space.  Call-out to Flash fans -- had Barry ever done that before?  I would assume that this is the first time doing any sort of warping, but I don't know -- the fact that he thought he could vibrate the rope and make himself disappear and then reappear has me wondering.   Assuming he's outside Central City, the Flash sets his course back toward where he thinks the city is.  But as he enters the city limits, all is not what he'd thought it would be.  Many of the landmarks that he expected are not present.  He now wonders if he's gone through time and has emerged at a time in Central City's past.  Running to the spot where he thinks he'll find Iris's place of work, he's stunned to see that instead there is a building housing the Keystone City Herald.  Now thoroughly confused, the Flash runs to a newsstand and picks up a paper.  It's date?  June 14, 1961 -- "today", as far as the Flash is concerned.  He asks the vendor where Keystone City is located, and the guy looks at him like he has three heads.  Then the Flash begins to really wonder -- a guy he knew before used to live in Keystone City.  A guy named Jay Garrick, the original Flash!  But wait -- that was only in the comic books!  The Flash finds a telephone book and sure enough -- there's a Jay Garrick in it.  So, a quick run and a quicker change, and Barry Allen is about to announce himself to a childhood hero.

Doug:  Barry rings the bell of Jay Garrick's apartment.  Garrick opens, and Barry says that he recognizes him.  Jay's of course a little weirded-out by this, but humors his guest.  We get a nice recap of the original Flash's origin told by Barry, which further confounds Jay and his wife Joan.  As they lament the "secret" no longer being so, Barry says to wait -- he has something to show.  He activates his ring, and out pops the Flash costume which he dons.  Now seated in full hero garb in the living room of the Garricks, Barry surmises that he must have somehow vibrated through a space warp and landed on an alternate Earth.  Barry further guesses that the two Earths vibrate at different frequencies, which keeps them apart.  On his Earth, Central City is very much like Garrick's Keystone City, with a few pronounced differences.  Barry then relates his own origin, and tells how he was inspired to become the Flash after having read the adventures of Jay Garrick.  Garrick is astounded -- how did Barry read of him??  Barry then does a bit of fourth wall-breaking by bringing writer Gardner Fox into the tale.  Barry says that Fox wrote of the Golden Age Flash, and alleged that the adventures came to him in dreams.  Barry wonders if somehow, while sleeping, Fox was "in tune" with Jay Garrick's world.  Barry says that Flash Comics ceased publication in 1949; Garrick is amazed, as that was the very year he retired as the Flash.  OK, kids -- there is the explanation for DC's multiple Earths.  What do you think?

Doug:  Garrick says that lately he's been thinking of coming out of retirement, and relates to Barry some crimes that have happened locally.  Of course, Barry says he's in if Jay will have his help.  Oh, how the seeds of a team-up for the ages are sown!

Doug:  In the second chapter we are (re-)introduced to three baddies from the Golden Age Flash's rogues gallery:  the Thinker, the Fiddler, and the Shade.  Of course, by modern standards these three dudes wouldn't cause most heroes to break a sweat, but as many of DC's villains go they each have a schtick.  The Thinker wears an army helmet with all sorts of wires on it -- he can cause anything he can think of to actually happen if within 50 yards of him.  The Fiddler can cause strange accidents to happen by playing his Stradivarius (and riding in his Fiddle Car, no less).  The Shade uses his cane to create absolute darkness.  The three do-badders plot to a) steal the Neptune Cup from millionaire Edward Jarvis (hmmm... you think that's Edwin's long-lost twin?), b) steal the "European crown jewels" (there's a European crown?), and c) steal a collection of historical curios.  Say, did you ever wonder who fences all of the loot that comic book bad guys steal?

Doug:  As the rogues get on with their crime spree, the Flashes decide to separate and attempt to cover the city faster.  The GA Flash comes across the Jarvis mansion, and is warned by two watchdogs that the Thinker is inside!  Odd, but when you're in the superhero biz I'd assume you reach a point where nothing surprises you.  Flash enters the mansion, but the Thinker uses his collander-doohickey to trick Flash into thinking he's caught his man.  Flash literally gets tired running around the Jarvis study chasing the Thinker, and finally slams headfirst into a door.  Barry Allen is tracking the Shade to a ship offshore of Keystone City.  The ship is engulfed in darkness, but once aboard the Flash whips the murky ether into a pillar.  The Shade sees this and uses it as his cue to depart.  Jumping into a motor boat the crook speeds away.  The Flash follows him, running on the water.  The Shade uses his cane to not only emit the dark stuff, but by mixing oil into it the Flash loses his concentration and begins to sink into the sea.  Super-baddies 2, fastest men alive 0.

Doug:  The chapter just past shows why books like All-Star Comics were fun, because the Justice Society would be broken into smaller teams to solve crimes and bad guys.  I suppose it was somewhat of a nod to that past here in breaking the Flashes apart.  But as we segue into chapter 3 we get what all youngsters wanted in the first place -- these two titans teamed as one!  We haven't seen our heroes deal with the Fiddler yet.  Rectified.  As the Beethoven lookalike rides through town on his Fiddle Car (seriously -- see for yourself), the Flashes race toward their encounter.  On the way, though, we get the scene that the cover was drawn from (or vice versa -- no idea which came first).  The Flashes divert their path to save a construction worker menaced by a falling steel girder.  It's a nifty bit of teamwork, and foreshadows (we hope) what they'll do to the soon-to-be-assembled rogues.  But in the meantime, they encounter the Fiddler.  Away from this area of town, the Thinker and the Shade get back together and relate their adventures.  In recounting the play-by-play, they determine that there must be two Flashes -- the Fiddler could be in trouble! They race off to help their partner, only to find him playing away as our heroes dance like puppets for him.  Not good.

Doug:  The Fiddler gloats to his buddies about how simple this was, and that he actually got the Flashes to steal the crown jewels.  He says as a final show of his power, he'll freeze the Flashes in place for 24 hours.  As the villains turn to leave, however, the Flashes suddenly run toward them and overpower their enemies with the element of surprise!  At the local precinct, the Fiddler wants to know how the Flashes were able to resist him.  Simple, Jay says -- the Fiddler neglected to order the Flashes not to try to escape.  Additionally, when the Fiddler ordered Jay and Barry to bring him the larger jewels, they took the smaller ones and inserted them in their ears, thus distorting the musical commands.  That, pals, is how they resisted!  Later, Jay and Barry congratulate each other on a job well done.  Jay pledges to go on being the Flash -- because you know, if he stayed retired we wouldn't get to do this again!  Barry spins his body, hoping to duplicate the vibrations that allowed him to breach the barrier between their Earths.  He re-materializes on the stage from which he'd left -- but in real time.  Everyone has gone home!  Racing to the newspaper, he finds Iris and tells her that he had to leave... on a most unusual mission.  She of course scoffs, and our hero thinks that the only person who would believe this is... Gardner Fox.  And he's going to look him up to tell him!

Doug:  That was a lot of fun!  I'd never read this story before writing today's review.  I know I have a reprint of it in my copy of The Greatest Team-Up Stories Ever Told, but I sure don't recall having read this before I bought the Flash hardcover that I've used as my resource today.  Anyway, enough about my memory.  I would think that as a kid my eyes would have been wide with the possibilities of a story like this.  Parallel Earths where heroes from the comic books lived.  Wow!  I for the most part am in the continuity camp, but I'm not so tied to it that I can't accept that what went on in Marvel Team-Up could conflict with the rest of the Marvel Universe and it would be OK.  So that DC felt that they were creating these convoluted stories that people couldn't understand seemed silly to me at the time, and it does now.  If nothing else, I think many of us would agree that what came after the "Crisis" had more warts than what had gone before.  That being said, I am glad that we got John Byrne on the Superman books, Mike Grell on Green Arrow, George Perez on Wonder Woman, etc.  That was, at least in my collecting life, a golden age all its own for DC.  But regardless of what this story wrought in its wake, it was a fun tale and ushered in many a fun tale subsequently.  Yearly meetings of the JLA and JSA?  Bring 'em on!

Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez's Man of Steel -- Superman 309

Superman #309 (March 1977)

"Blind Hero's Bluff!"

Gerry Conway-Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez/Frank Springer (cover by Garcia-Lopez)

Doug:  It was two months ago that we began this 3-part look at the Bronze Age Man of Steel under the influence of the pencil of Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, and I'll attest to it being a visual pleaser.  However, I've only been lukewarm to the story.  What will this conclusion bring us?  Why wait?

Doug:  When we left Superman, he was pondering his future after the revelation from Supergirl that they were not Kryptonians but mutants -- the outcome of their fathers' experiments with atomic energy.  Superman had just beaten two environmental terrorists named the Protector and Radion.  Now we see him doing what Batman usually does -- cleaning up the streets of Metropolis.  But this time it's finding and thrashing a mob operation in the suburbs, and Superman makes quick work of the crooks.  Of note in this section is the mention of Chicago, which always troubles me when reading in the DC Universe.  C'mon -- it's either our Earth or it isn't.  I can deal with Metropolis and Gotham City if that's all we ever get.  Whenever writers started to mix in real cities it becomes incredibly problematic.  The police chief gives Superman a backhanded compliment when he thanks him for corralling Samuel Simeon's gang, saying he's surprised Superman would assist the police in such a small-potatoes matter.  Superman says it's his planet, and he needs to deal with the details from now on.  It's an awkward exchange to say the least.

Doug:  We're treated to another terrific looking if highly implausible costume change as Superman descends like a missile into Metropolis Park, changing into a full football uniform (what, was it stuffed in the pocket of his cape??) and reporting for action in a scrimmage game between local media outlets.  Clark's distracted as the game begins, though, and takes a hand-off and abruptly heads toward his own goal!  His teammates don't tackle him in time, though and the GBS team ends up losing the game by one score! I'd think that hitting Clark Kent would be like tackling a tank.  We cut to Supergirl, who has arrived to an unknown location in answer to a distress call.  She's addressed as "cousin", called by her Kryptonian name, and it's obvious that those assembled know what's been going on with "Kal-el".  A space armada is encroaching on a planet, and our mystery men are quite concerned.  Supergirl says she'll alert Superman and they'll take care of it.  But one of the men casts a doubt on her plan -- whereas Superman once believed himself a "man of the universe", he perhaps no longer does.  Supergirl scoffs at that idea, and flies off to enlist Superman's assistance.

Doug:  In Clark's apartment he's emerging from the shower, still smarting from his dumb Jim Marshall play.  He's shocked to see Supergirl waiting for him -- I had to laugh at the picture of Clark trying to cover his chest as he saw Supergirl; Namor wouldn't care.  Supergirl explains the danger to the planet Xonn and implores Clark to come with her.  When he balks, saying he has revised his priorities, Supergirl slaps him up against a wall and storms out on her own.  She tells him in no uncertain terms what she thinks of his priorities.

Doug:  Lois is over for dinner -- pretty nice how she comes to Clark's apartment to cook for him.  He's daydreaming out the window, thinking of what Kara had called him -- a coward.  His eyes wander to the place where Xonn is located and he zeroes in with his telescopic vision.  What does he see?  Supergirl and Krypto fight valiantly against the invasion force, but are soon knocked out of the fight.  Clark now knows what a mistake he's made.  He quickly (brusquely) hustles Lois out the door and speeds off to the sector where Xonn is.  His movements are monitored by our mysterious meddlers.

Doug:  Superman tears through the fleet with little difficulty and wonders to himself why Kara could not have.  He sees a large green humanoid emerge from a craft and head toward him.  Taking a defensive posture, the Man of Steel thinks he has it made when the being's attack misses to the right.  However, there's a boomerang effect to the asteroid that was struck, and it hurtles at Superman from behind and knocking him off balance.  And then he's washed over with horror -- his eyesight is gone!  It's not long until he's immobilized by his assailants.  Now inside a large vessel, he's reunited with Supergirl and Krypto.  Kara explains that under the influence of Xonn's sun, Kryptonians are blind and half of their superpowers have gone.  What's everyone's opinion of the multi-colored suns aspect of Superman lore?  Brilliant literary device, or seemingly built in deus ex machina?

Doug:  Our Kryptonians are approached by a crystalline character (Martinex's long-lost relative?) named Cyrotor, who explains what has befallen Xonn and why resistance is futile.  Xonn is being attacked by the J'ai, an alien race that has never known peace -- war is what they do.  Additionally, when one of the J'ai dies, he is replaced by eight new organisms -- multiple reproduction to an exponential level.  All warlike.  Cyrotor tells the Super-cousins that the J'ai cannot be defeated.  Supergirl gets suspicious of some of the word choices Superman is making in conversation with Cyrotor and begins to ask him... then he blows up in her face.  He says he knows she's duped him about Krypton and is furious.  Kara uses the word "us", which leads to the explanation of the masterminds of the plan -- the Kandorians!  All of them, and Kara, had become concerned that Superman had a fixation on the safety of the Earth, to the extent that he had begun to meddle in the affairs that Earthmen should be allowed to handle on their own.  Superman goes ballistic about the entire ruse, and blasts out of their globe-like prison.  He flies off to engage the J'ai alone.

Doug:  Superman is being weighed down by the sheer weight of the attacking J'ai, when he comes upon the solution to ending the attack.  The J'ai do not seem to communicate with each other -- they swarm like bees.  Somehow Superman comes to the conclusion that since the Xonn communicate through sonic waves, shattering their buildings will somehow negate the life engergies of the J'ai.  OK -- sure!  Why not?!  As the Man of Steel flies on a frantic mission of destruction, leveling building after building, Cyrotor and Supergirl watch from afar.  The J'ai collapse as a group, their threat ended.  Later, the three Kryptonians fly through space, heading back to Earth.  Once near our atmosphere, Supergirl asks her cousin if he can forgive her.  He nods affirmatively, and adds that the reason he became obsessed with saving Earth is due to its beauty and immense relevance in his life.  And she, as a fellow Earth adoptee, should feel the same way.  And with that, Superman takes his leave.

Doug:  Well, alrighty then.  I'm just not sure what to make of this.  As I said at the top, the art was nice to look at throughout the three issues.  I'd said earlier that Garcia-Lopez especially did a great job of depicting flight.  He also wowed with the super-changes; the taxi cab wardrobe switch last issue was my favorite.  Plot-wise, I'll stand by comments I've made around here since we opened shop here over four years ago:  this is a Bronze Age DC, and it reads like it was written with a 10-year old boy in mind.  It's not awful, and I suppose I can swallow what Gerry Conway and Julie Schwartz were selling.  But given my druthers, I'd make mine Marvel nine times out of ten.  However, and I said this at the conclusion of my review of Superman #307 -- I respect Gerry Conway's talent for being able to write under two very different "house styles", or at least house "expectations".  It's a well-written, if not so greatly plotted, story.  And for what I perceive it to be, I guess I don't have that much of a problem with it.

Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez's Man of Steel -- Superman 308

Superman #308 (February 1977)

"This Planet Is Mine!"

Gerry Conway-Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez/Frank Springer (cover by Neal Adams)

Doug:  That's a sweet cover, isn't it?  And that dude on the kickboard looks far more interesting than the chump from Superman IV.  But, does this issue's review come to you in a more glowing fashion than did our inaugural foray into the Superman of Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez?  Let's check it out.

Doug:  When we left Superman and Supergirl, Superman had just defeated the Protector in a battle that took place immediately after Supergirl had revealed that there never was a Krypton.  Superman was under quite a bit of mental duress in dealing with Kara's revelation, and was not at the top of his game as the pollution-loving Protector had come to call on the Man of Steel in the Fortress of Solitude.  We open today with Kara flying about the Fortress destroying all of Superman's mementos, shrines, and displays honoring his homeworld.  Superman begs her to stop -- well, warns her actually, and as the two cousins argue the Protector begins to emerge from the funk he was left in several minutes earlier.  Kara tells Superman that she has film of his birthday, and of their fathers working together on atomic experiments.  But as the soap opera runs on, the Protector fires up his molecular powers and blasts between the two Kryptonians -- and out the door!  Supergirl wants to take after him, but Superman stops her.  What's the point, he asks?  Maybe the guy is right in wanting to destroy Superman.  And with that, Superman flies off to be alone and to meditate on the bombshell his cousin has dropped.  As he flies away, Supergirl pulls out a small transmitter and tells someone that the plan seems to be working -- and that she hopes it's the right thing to do.

Doug:  Superman doesn't go back to the mountain on which he'd sat in the last issue.  This time he heads to Metropolis, where he does one of the coolest costume changes I've ever seen.  You just know that suit and shoes was all tucked into his cape!  Clark Kent emerges from the taxi cab and makes his way to his apartment.  Lois Lane waits inside, cooking the dinner she'd mentioned to Clark last issue, when he headed out with a much younger woman!  Clark's a little melancholy as the dinner begins, but soon warms to Lois's intentions.  After all, if he's not an alien or outside, then why should he hold back his feelings?

Doug:  We jump to a high-tech building in the Rocky Mountains -- not all that hidden, actually -- to see the Protector land and then get his brains blasted.  A new costumed criminal, Radion, greets last issue's baddie with a jolt nuclear energy.  Radion calls him a traitor, and I'm pretty sure he intends to kill the Protector.  Until the Protector asks him for help.  Radion does a 180 and says that the Protector should come on inside.  Weird...  As they walk, the Protector narrates the origin of Radion for us (it's your typical "you were in a nuclear disaster but somehow came out of it with these awesome powers, dude!" backstory) and how they first met.  It seems as though the Protector was always meant to be a pawn.  Radion is still ticked that the Protector's gone public, because that's gonna screw up the "master plan" -- because all of these super-dopes have a master plan.  But the Protector says that he is not the problem... Superman is the problem!  We then get a quick 2-panel vignette of a Professor Pepperwinkle (really?  I'd change my name) looking through his "hyper-spacial telescope" and giving us an exclamation.  And we have to wait to find out why.

Doug:  Back in the Kent apartment, Clark wakes for the day and mills around his digs.  He goes into his secret closet and checks out more Kryptonian relics.  He fires up the Phantom Zone Projector, but it just shines a light -- no criminals jump out.  Clark's almost disappointed.  But as he grumps, he hears the radio come on, with an alert about trouble at the nuclear power station.  Whoosh -- he gone!

Doug:  Superman flies over the grounds of the Hooley Nuclear Power Station, located near Niagara Falls, New York.  Radion had arrived earlier, and looks to being just a general pain in the butt.  But as the Man of Steel arrives, Radion goes into attack mode.  He first blasts Superman -- an energy burst that dumps Superman into the water at the bottom of the Falls and carbonizes the oxygen molecules around him (turning his Superman costume to a gray hue).  As Superman recovers, Radion peels up a huge chunk of earth, right in Superman's flight path.  Stunned, Superman is then trapped in a "proto-nuclear globe" and his atomic mass is increased.  Like all megalomaniacs, Radion must then reveal the "master plan".  He's come to Hooley to overload it, unleashing nuclear energy and radiation throughout the nation and the world.  People will succumb to the poisonous rays, but some will mutate.  Whatever form they take it won't matter -- Radion will control them all!  Superman of course thinks this cat is beyond loopy, so schemes to find a way to stop him.  Using his heat vision, Superman is able to locate the control rods in the main reactor, melt them, and drop them into the pile.  This ends the chain reaction that Radion had begun.  Then the Man of Tomorrow gives it his all and bursts from his globe-like prison.

Doug:  Superman is ready for battle, but Radion chooses not to fight.  After receiving cheers from the assembled security forces at Hooley, Superman makes his way back to the Fortress of Solitude.  He broods in a chair, still considering what Supergirl had told him.  He finally comes to the conclusion that he's going to pursue this new path... after he finishes up some unfinished business.

Doug:  Back at the Rocky Mountain way of Radion, he and the Protector argue.  This time it's the Protector who's angry, calling Radion a quitter.  As the two squabble and threaten, they are startled by the arrival of Superman.  Radion warns him that he should not have come to his home base.  Superman tries to take out the Protector first, but his heat vision is reflected due to a change in the Protector's molecular structure.  Radion tries to blast Superman, but the Man of Steel is now flying pellmell.  There's a method to the madness.  Radion keeps blasting until Superman flies directly in front of the Protector -- where Radion's blast strikes his ally full-on.  But remember, the Protector had changed his structure -- and reflects the powerful blast right back at his originator.  Kayo two super-baddies, without working up a sweat -- that's our Superman!

Doug:  We are shown a large control room, or the deck of a space ship.  Shrouded humaoids watch a vid-screen, as warships streak toward the planet Xonn.  These "men" lament that their plan to have Superman abandon his Kryptonian heritage may now backfire.  Where this was once a "job for Superman", it may now become the death of Xonn... and later, of the Earth!

Doug:  This issue was a little better than the last.  As I mentioned last month, I've read to the conclusion of this 3-parter.  The third issue certainly won't have the pay-off that you hope for -- at least in my opinion.  I thought Gerry Conway was OK in this ish, and I'll stand by my supposition that this yarn is more in Julie Schwartz's wheelhouse than in Conway's.  That is, until I asked the man himself.  Back on October 7th, the very first day I opened our BAB Twitter account, I also wrote the framework for today's post.  I tweeted about it when I was done, and included Conway in the tweet.  You can see below that he answered us -- just a couple of hours after he'd enjoyed a Dodgers victory against the Braves in the NLDS!  Garcia-Lopez's art was again very good.  I thought the single panel of Lois toasting with Clark was just beautifully rendered.  Images of Superman and Supergirl in flight also seem to be a specialty of Garcia-Lopez, as these scenes are ever-dynamic yet original each time.  He really is a very good penciler, and does seem to be made for these characters.  I've said before that when I think of the Man of Steel, it's generally an image from the great Curt Swan that shows up in my noggin.  But after seeing some of the Supes art from this era, I could become a convert!

Doug:  Check back in about 30 days for the conclusion of this story -- and judge its merits for yourself.

Doug:  And, a special note to those of you curious about these hardcovers that I've used for these Superman reviews, as well as various Batman reviews.  DC has announced a Tales of the Batman: Carmine Infantino volume that will ship at the beginning of June.  You know I'll be getting my hands on that one!