Enter Bizarro - Dueling Pencils (and Plotlines)

Superboy #68 (October 1958)
"The Boy of Steel Versus the Thing of Steel"
Otto Binder-George Papp

The Man of Steel #5 (December 1986)

"The Mirror, Crack'd"

John Byrne-Byrne/Dick Giordano

Doug: Yup -- half a century old, am I. I know I'm joining a club populated by many of our Bronze Age Babies, and I trust you'll treat me kindly in this land of AARP. Now if I could only remember what issue I'm supposed to review today...

Funny that I'm joking about being forgetful; well, maybe it's not even forgetful. I think it was William many a'moon ago (when we solicited ideas for posts) who queried what we had collected on our shelves but had never read. I can attest to owning The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told, but have not read all of the tales contained therein -- and quite honestly have not cracked the book in perhaps 20 years. Figuring it had been awhile since I reviewed a Superman yarn (I've been really heavy on the Bat-side of DC lately, but that's the lion's share of what I have from those folks), I thought I'd check the table of contents of the "Greatest" trade. Now I've remarked several times that I've always been a Superboy guy, never Superman (well, not never). So when I saw Superboy #68 sitting there, and it was the 1st appearance of Bizarro to boot, I knew I was going to review it. But after I read it, I was like "Hey, wait a minute..." So I dug up our BAB review of Man of Steel #5, and darned if Anonymous (one of the most common baby names of the mid-60s) didn't comment:

Anonymous said...

Two things:
(1) at the time of the miniseries, Byrne stated that the purpose of the Bizarro story was to show Superman's first encounter with a super powered foe;
(2) the blindness thing is a call back to the first Bizarro story - where something similar happened. Bizarro died - and when he blew up, he cured a blind person (though I don't think it was Lucy Lane).

So there you have it -- cart planted squarely in front of horse. But you know that's not fair, so howzabout we take a look at these two stories, told almost 30 years apart, and see how similar they are? For those keeping score at home, I am going to blend in thoughts about Man of Steel #5 from mine and Karen's original review of that  publication.

The Creations: In Superboy #68, our young Kryptonian has visited a Professor Dalton, who is about to conduct a very important experiment. Dalton thinks he has invented a "Duplicator Ray" that will be able to exactly reproduce any material. His first attempt is on radium -- because after all, the 1950s was all about radioactivity. The radium that's created is a dud -- no radiation whatsoever. Dalton then turns his ray on a jewel, but it proceeds to melt like ice. Frustrated, he declares himself a failure. Ever empathetic, all Superboy can utter is, "Too bad, Professor! Well, I'll be on my way!" (at this point, please do yourself a favor and head on over to superdickery.com for more bad manners (and etc.) from Superboy, Superman, and a host of other comics bores). You know, it would serve Superboy right if that ray got turned on him and made an indestructible duplicate of him. Yeah -- that would fix smart-mouthed Superboy! And so it happened. But the duplicate, who we are repeatedly assured is some form of non-life (nevermind that it feels, thinks, has emotions, et al.), is soon out of the lab and on the loose and heading straight for mischief.

Skip ahead approximately 30 years and...

Lex enters a large laboratory where a Dr. Teng, dissident Chinese scientist, labors over a large sarcophagus. We learn that Luthor had his offices layered with cameras and untold diagnostic equipment that captured every iota of information about Superman while he was on the premises. The doctor then used that data to program his technology to create an exact duplicate of the Man of Steel. One problem, however: The equipment was infallible for any sort of terran lifeform. It's at this moment that Lex deduces that Superman could very likely be an alien. The professor unveils his creation, cautioning Luthor that it has been a failure. The sarcophagus is opened and out steps an entranced doppelganger of Superman... who then immediately collapses on the floor, and begins to crystallize. Luthor, enraged, grabs his hired hand and offers that he truly hopes he has not wasted his $100 million investment.  But just as quickly, he orders the creature removed -- Luthor is going home to Metropolis.

Close Encounters of the Bizarro Kind: Bizarro, being duplicated from Superboy, is somewhat aware of Superboy's life and surroundings. As such, he shows up at the Kents', the Kents' neighbors' home, and in various places around Smallville. Overall, he scares people. He is one goofy-looking dude. But there's a real innocence about him, child-like. He wants to fit in, and most of all to be loved. But everyone seems afraid of him and often runs the other way. As Bizarro sits alone on the curb crying, he's approached by a pretty teenaged girl who asks him what's wrong. She tells him that he seems kindly enough, a gentle soul. Bizarro is about to bust, and he flies away to tell a farm family who had humored him earlier. And then we learn that the girl is blind.

In the John Byrne version...

In Metropolis, we get to see Lois Lane's apartment and meet her sister Lucy. We learn immediately that some sort of tragic accident has recently befallen Lucy and her sight has been lost. Lois tries to encourage her, but Lucy is obviously depressed. Byrne depicts the sullen Lucy seated alone, head in hand. Cut away to the streets, where an ambulance careens out of control. A blown tire brings the vehicle to an abrupt stop, but since it is carrying a patient the situation is even more dire. Suddenly a familiar pair of red boots lands and hoists the vehicle.  It is very soon spirited to the closest hospital. As the crew emerges to thank Superman, a look of surprised horror crosses their faces. We see the Man of Steel's foggy reflection in the ambulance window, but cannot make out what must have spooked the EMTs.

Back at Lois' highrise, Lucy has moved onto the balcony and is poised to leap. She asks to herself that Lois forgive her, and pushes away. She doesn't fall far before blue-clothed arms reach out and scoop her away from her desired death. Taken back to the balcony, she's gently set down. She asks if her benefactor is Superman, but he says nothing. She feels him fly away, and is puzzled as to why he wouldn't speak. Cut away then to the Daily Planet, where Lois has arrived to work. After some banter, Jimmy (still sportin' that bowtie) asks if anyone has heard about the break-in at a men's store next door. Seems the perp busted thousands of dollars of plate glass to swipe a $100 suit, and left alone a jewelry store right next door! Clark uses his telescopic vision to peer down into the lobby and notices an odd duck wearing a sport coat over what looks to be a red cape. In a really nifty panel, Byrne gives us the first Superman quick-change and the Man of Steel emerges in the lobby to question this weirdo. Trouble is, when the guy turns around, he's an ashen duplicate of -- Superman! 

Attempted Destruction: Wow - the 1950s must have been pretty reckless. Superboy tries to subdue Bizarro by flying into space in a leaden suit of armor to retrieve a Kryptonite asteroid which he uses in an attempt to murder Bizarro (unless you believe that the creature was inanimate, as is continually suggested). When that fails, actually afflicting Superboy due to a counter-attack by Bizarro, the Teen of Steel asks his army buddies to bring out the conventional weapons. Seriously -- tanks, mortar shells, flamethrowers, you name it. With no positive results, Superboy suggests he be allowed to drop an A-bomb on Bizarro. You read that right. Remember in Kingdom Come when Kansas was obliterated? Superboy drops an atomic bomb on his doppelganger, who catches it and hurls it to the moon.  I'm not making this up. With nowhere else to turn, Superboy engages Bizarro directly.

But in Metropolis...

(Continued from above) The new guy on the block doesn't talk much, but he does pack a wallop! Superman is sent reeling out of the building, landing in the middle of a city bus. He urges the passengers to stay put and heads back out to confront his assailant. We get a good look at the guy, who is fully garbed in a navy blue (not royal blue) Superman suit and what looks to be Clark Kent's wardrobe! Superman soon finds that this imposter possesses all of his powers, including his vast strength. When Lois comes on the scene, Superman decides it would be beneficial to rid his enemy of the civvies. As Superman takes a shot, Lois comes closer -- close enough that she draws the creature's attention. He grasps her wrist and flies her away.

Lois decides that she'll try to talk to the "guy". But when she does, he turns his full attention to her, and kisses her! In a nice piece of writing, Byrne has Lois think, "I don't believe it! Five years I've been dreaming of being kissed by Superman..." Anyway, the creature lands on the same balcony to which he'd deposited Lucy earlier in the story. She is still outside, and can see Lois and "Superman" approaching! Lucy approaches the doppelganger, but as she moves to touch his face, the real Superman arrives. He tries to move the ladies to safety, but is pummeled by his duplicate. They engage, and Superman is hurled straight down into the street. He notices that some sort of powder has rubbed off on his fist and sleeve. Looking at it with his telescopic vision, he notes that it is inorganic -- the creature isn't alive. "Our ugly friend is some kind of android -- an artificial being -- just one step ahead of a robot!"

 
Endgame: Spent for suggestions, Superboy heads back to Smallville to see if there isn't something he can think of that he can use to get rid of Bizarro. The creature follows him back to town, but as Bizarro arrives he falls from the sky -- as if under the influence of Kryptonite. But having exhausted that as an option, Superboy races to find the substance that has affected Bizarro. Flying by Professor Dalton's lab, he sees a custodian emptying the remnants of Dalton's Duplicator Ray machine and notices that the parts emit a glow... hazardous waste? Pfah! Grabbing a huge piece, Superboy threatens to end Bizarro's existence; although Bizarro retorts and uses the word "kill". Bizarro, in typical Bizarro fashion, flies directly at the Teen of Steel.

In the Post-Crisis Superman revamp...
 
Superman rockets upward as the creature turns toward him. Suddenly it launches downward and the two meteors strike head on. Superman emerges apparently no worse for the wear, but the creature is nowhere to be found.

Eyesight to the Blind: As Bizarro impacted Superboy's metal plate, he exploded into dust particles. A distance away, Melissa felt the impact and was awash in waves of the dust particles. Suddenly her eyesight returned!

 And finally, in 1986...

Bizarro exploded into a huge cloud of dust and crystal particles. And it's those particles that apparently cured Lucy's blindness. Superman is complimented for taking the action that cured Lucy; however, the Man of Steel muses that he really didn't know it would work out that way... but the creature must have.

I feel the need to offer some additional thoughts on Superboy #68, as this comparative post will serve as the review of the story. It was certainly one of those Silver Age books that, with the right mindset, could be enjoyable. I'm sad to say, however, that my mind might not have been exactly positioned in that manner. The basics of the story were fine -- plot, art, etc. But oh the dialogue... I was reminded early and often why as a kid I loathed Superman comics. Generally speaking, Superboy comics tended to avoid the following, but all are in full use here: telescopic vision, super-strength, super-breath, heat vision, super-wits, super-hearing, super-force, super-ventriloquism, super-blows, super-judo... as well as super-vibration, super-impact, and super-inspiration. Whew! Otto Binder actually used every one of those terms in a 24-page story. And it wore me out.

I enjoyed the art, but again through the lens of the Silver Age. I don't know how much George Papp art I've ever seen, but this was pleasing to the eye and appropriate to the subject matter. Papp's art fit in with the "aw, shucks!" sense I get from stories of this vintage.

If you made the jump above to our Man of Steel review, you saw Karen and I comment on John Byrne's attitude toward Bizarro and how it seemed to preface what he'd do to the Vision a few years hence in the pages of West Coast Avengers. I felt in Byrne's treatment, and especially in Binder's script, that Bizarro was too easily discarded as some form of non-life. You ask me, the dude was alive. Also, and in closing because I've taken enough time out of your day, I'd add that Binder's scientific explanations throughout the Superboy tale are at once charming and "say what?!", but most of all pretty dumb.

But I'd read that story again -- it was addictive in a "why am I eating this" sort of way.

Who's the Best... Mini-Series You Ever Bought?

BAB Bulletins: Electro, Kong, and the Man of Steel

Karen: For your perusing pleasure today, just a collection of stuff....

Karen: First off - have you seen the pictures of Jamie Foxx as Electro in the next Spider-Man film? Electro? Oh heck no!! Seriously, this looks terrible. He looks like a fish to me. Or Mr. Freeze from Batman and Robin. But not Electro.

Karen: Last weekend I went to a convention in Burbank, CA called Monsterpalooza and had a great time. I mentioned earlier this week seeing the actors from 2001, but I also saw the writer and production designer from Jaws, cast and crew of The Monster Squad, and a zillion other things. The highlight for me though was being able to hold the only existing armature from the original King Kong. The legendary Mr. Bob Burns brought the armature to a panel on Kong and was kind enough to allow everyone there to photograph it and hold it. That huge grin on my face is me realizing I am holding the beast that slew T-Rexes and climbed the Empire State Building.

Karen: We haven't talked at all about the upcoming Superman film, Man of Steel.A new trailer just came out, and I think it's looking pretty sharp. Still not sold on the muted colors of the Superman suit, but the story looks like it might be solid. Any thoughts? Looking forward to this?

Building a Better Legacy: The Man of Steel #6

The Man of Steel #6 (December 1986)

"The Haunting"

John Byrne-Byrne/Dick Giordano

Karen: We're back with the final issue in this re-imagining of Superman. I'd invite everyone to comment on the series as a whole, as well as Byrne's run on Superman, and also how many of the ideas he came up with which were ignored or re-written by later writers.

Doug:  Ah yes -- the discussion of what was/is/and shall be canon.  Not much in any direction for modern comics, huh?

Karen: As with most of the previous issues, this one focuses on another Superman cast member, Lana Lang, but also on Superman's Kryptonian origins. The story begins with Superman returning home to Smallville for a visit with his parents.  Superman flies into the tiny town at super-speed, but it's Clark Kent who appears to emerge from the local bus station. He thinks about how Smallville hasn't changed, and how he doesn't want it to. Ma and Pa Kent are there to pick him up, and when he asks them what's new, Pa starts to say something, but Ma gives him a quick elbow to the ribs and he shuts up.

Doug:  Byrne's splash page is excellent -- that cannot be an easy perspective to draw.  The Kents are fun, aren't they?  For those of us with grandparents still around, they are sentimental characters and really serve to humanize Clark for us.  Byrne draws Clark as a giant, doesn't he?

Karen: He's huge! Makes it even harder to explain why no one realizes he and Clark are one and the same. You're right, that splash page is striking -in fact, Byrne does a great job with all of the flying sequences.  After dinner, Pa asks Clark about Lois. He says he hadn't realized his interest in her was so obvious, but with the way he scooped her on Superman, Lois hasn't exactly been fond of him. But Clark acknowledges that he would like her  -"or someone like Lois" -in his life. He tells his folks that when he returns to Metropolis, he's going to do something about this. But as he lies in bed that night he can't sleep. He wonders what it was that his parents aren't telling him. As he goes to raid the refrigerator,  he is surprised by a ghostly figure. It is Jor-El, his Kryptonian father, as we saw him in the first issue. However, Clark has no idea what's going on.

 Doug:  Byrne raises an issue we've discussed on the blog before, and that is -- who is the "real me": the man or the mask?  Clark emphatically states that he is the real, while Superman is the cover.  I found that interesting, as I really think that in the past it was "Clark Kent" that was the disguise while the Man of Steel was real.

Karen: I haven't read enough Superman comics to speak with any authority, but I always felt Clark was the 'real' person, whereas with Batman, his heroic identity seemed to be the true one.

Doug:  I also thought it was interesting, and spoke to Clark's upbringing and moral fiber, that when he was fretting about the "secret" that his parents were keeping from him he intimated that he could use his powers to reveal whatever it was -- but chose not to.  We had questioned just what sort of kid he was back in our review of issue #1; this sort of answered that question that perhaps he was just a brash kid on the football field, immature and in love with his budding abilities.  And in regard to the refrigerator splash, that's just a heckuva waste of a rhubarb pie...


Karen: You know, I don't even now what rhubarb pie is. Never had any. Anyway -The phantom-like Jor-El smiles broadly at Clark and speaks to him, but Clark can't understand him. Jor-El places his hand on Clark's forehead and suddenly, Clark is no longer in his kitchen, but in a strange place, wearing his Superman outfit. He begins to speak the language Jor-El spoke to him, and asks where he is. He looks around and quickly realizes, based on the landscape, and the three moons, he is not on Earth! A woman approaches him -readers will recognize her as Lara from issue one. She looks at him and recognizes that he is her son. Her image dissolves into that of a red-haired woman -- Lana Lang. We pull back and see that Clark is crouched in the field outside his parents' home.

Doug:  This again was a scene borrowed from Superman: The Movie, where Clark is able to interact with his father, or at least a hologram of his father.  I guess we should assume that the image of Jor-El is recorded, but it is creepy to think that perhaps it truly is a two-sided exchange.  I recall waiting, at the time of the first read, for the Kryptonians to show up in insignia similar to the Superman "S" -- but I guess the similarities had to stop somewhere.  And what of the scene with Lara?  Why would something like that be pre-programmed?  

Karen: Apparently Clark was 'super-sleep-walking,' and Lana heard him and found him. Clark is surprised to see her back in Smallville. She tells him she had left for a long time, because of "what you did to me." We then flashback ten years, to the night that Clark decided to start using his powers to help people. Before he left Smallville, he visited Lana. They went out for a moonlit stroll, and he talked to her about the world and all its problems. Unfortunately, Lana was thinking, hoping, that Clark might be about to propose to her. Instead, he tells her he thinks one man might be able to help the world, and it might be him. She's taken aback; more so when he grabs her and flies into the sky with her!  Clark revealed his powers to Lana that night, and flew her around the world. She was absolutely thrilled -and then it ended. he dropped her off on her porch with a brotherly kiss on the forehead, and then vanished from her life. She wasn't stupid; once she saw Superman on the news she knew it was Clark (wouldn't everyone from Smallville??). She pined for him for some time, but eventually came to accept the situation and came back home.

Doug:  Some people might not consider this to be a very exciting or even necessary part of this mini-series; after all, the cover touts this ish as "the epic conclusion!"  Well...  But seriously, this issue is all about characterization -- we titled this post "Building a Better Legacy" for a reason.  Byrne, for my money, really shows his strength as a writer over these five pages.

Karen: Some things of note here. Byrne clearly draws Lana as attractive but not glamorous - she's a real counterpoint to Lois. Secondly, Lana's longing for Clark is well-done. Many of us have been on one side or the other of such a one-sided relationship. Clark seems a bit clueless but not a cad.

Doug:  This Lana Lang is a far cry from the Lana of Curt Swan's Adventure Comics, who was as pretty as any of the exotic Legionnaires.  But her depiction here really humanized Superman, and was necessary for it to come off.  While Lois is integral to the story as a whole, I would have a hard time imagining Superman/Clark having this sort of a conversation with her.  I don't see Lois as too deep emotionally, at least in the limited time we've seen her.  Lana's just more down home, honest, earthy (man, sounding like a hippie all of a sudden).

Karen: After his talk with Lana, we next see Clark as Superman. He's decided he has to face up to some things. He thinks about wanting Lois in his life, but then recalls Lana's words -that Superman belongs to the world, "not one woman." This segues into the Man of Steel wondering about his origins. He flies off to find the rocketship that brought him into the world. He heaves up a large wooden panel from a field -but shockingly, the ship is gone! Superman wonders if Pa might have moved it, but using his super-vision, he sees tracks from a piece of heavy equipment. Before he can pursue that line of inquiry further, Jor-El appears again in his wispy form. He calls Superman his son, and then blasts him with some sort of ray. Superman falls to the ground, clutching his head. The Kents come tearing up in their old pickup truck, and Pa tries to hit Jor-El with a shovel. There's a flash of light and the alien disappears -as does half of Pa's shovel! Superman realizes that it was a holographic projection. After making sure Pa is all right, he tells his parents he needs to go away somewhere to think.

Doug:  Say, I need to interject this -- did you see that it was mentioned at least twice that Clark is 28 years old?  Correct me if I'm wrong, but I sure thought it was said earlier that he went public when he was 25, and just last issue Lois said she'd been wanting a kiss from Superman for five years.  I wonder why they decided to cut two years away, somewhat arbitrarily?

Karen: Doesn't quite add up, does it? I do recall reading somewhere that, pre-Crisis, DC insisted that Superman was perpetually 29.

Doug:  So, the rocket's gone; do you recall also seeing a shadowy figure at the same site, back when Clark was a high school senior and Pa first showed it to him?  If I recall, some of this comes to light in the first issue of Superman.  It's interesting that the first time Clark encounters the Jor-El projection, it isn't until he's "touched" that his mind goes awry; here, apparently Jor-El is getting to him wirelessly.  But back to the movie -- this scene is similar to the rocket scene in the film, but when Kal-El was an infant.  He learned all of Kryptonian history and culture from the recordings his father had installed in the ship.

Karen: As Superman flies off, far above the Earth, he realizes who he really is. He knows now that he is not a mutant or a Soviet science experiment, but an alien.Not only that, he is the sole survivor of his species. He swoops down into a frozen, mountainous region (no, there's no giant golden key!).  He thinks about how all the knowledge of Krypton has flooded his head; he knows of his people's history, culture, religion. And he decides that all of it is meaningless, as Earth, and America, are the places that shaped him, and made him into who he is. And so, at the end of this mini, Superman learns his true origin as an alien being, but embraces his humanity as being more important to him.

Doug:  And I want to step back a week, to some of the comments that were made concerning the plot and placement of the Bizarro encounter.  I didn't say anything at the time, as I was awaiting this issue.  But I do not find issue #5 out of place at all, and instead feel that it's integral to the whole of this six-part story.  If you even take the second half of it, we see Luthor defined, which presents the major antagonist for Superman -- in that story, we see Superman's feelings for Lois, learn a little about Lois and how she operates, and see Superman's morality and heroism; then in issue #5 we get some straightforward superheroing but with a heaping helping of Superman's powers on full display.  So we then come to this issue, which is really an epilogue to the entire story, not a chapter in and of itself.  For me, this issue is almost an antithesis to issue #5; where it was about brains and brawn, this is about heart and soul.  That's my take, anyway. 

Karen: I was struck by how this version of Superman really doesn't feel all that different to me than the previous one. But then, I was not a big Superman reader. 

 Doug:  I felt at the time that the promise of a somewhat depowered Superman was all-too-quickly abandoned.  If he was no longer a god, then he sure was a strong candidate for demi-god!

Karen:  I did think it was interesting that the Kents were still alive. That was a new element to play with. But in general, this Superman was the same upstanding guy he'd been for most of his existence. And he focused on his human heritage. I'm really surprised to hear that the Superman of the New 52 is much more centered around his Kryptonian nature -and that DC has no plans for him to have a romance with Lois Lane! That is just insane. To me, that relationship is one of the keys to Superman. It defines the character. Without it, well, it's just not Superman.

Building a Better Bizarro: The Man of Steel #5

The Man of Steel #5 (December 1986)

"The Mirror, Crack'd"

John Byrne-Byrne/Dick Giordano

Doug:  I liked this issue.  At the conclusion of next week's post, Karen and I will give our overall evaluation of the mini-series that revamped the Superman mythos, but I can tell you right now that for me this has been more "hit" than "miss".  John Byrne's art has been near-perfect throughout the series, and he'd for the most part been able to update the Super-universe while still offering that occasional nod and wink to the past.  And that's certainly evident right on the splash page, as we are greeted with the Lex Luthor "Super Powers" battlesuit -- I recall letting out an audible "What the?!" when I opened this, as I felt it was a cop-out... new Superman/new Lex Luthor my foot!  Ah, but the wily Canadian scribe had a trick for us on the very next page.

Karen: For the most part, I would agree that the art has been a highlight, although for whatever reason, I feel like Byrne's stuff may not have aged as well as some of his contemporaries, like George Perez.

Doug:  I think this mini-series, along with the first 20 issues or so of his X-Men run, are among his best output.  The characters have some real mass to them, and the exaggerated elongation that in mind would plague him on the latter years of both X-Men and Fantastic Four is nowhere to be found. 

Doug:  It turns out that the super-suit was an invention of Lexcorps that had been created for NASA.  However, since there was a flaw in the construction that rendered any user mentally-impaired, it obviously wasn't mass-ordered.  Nonetheless, Superman was attacked by a "goon" (Supes' word, not mine.  Is that out-of-character?) and made short work of him.  He then flew to Hong Kong to confront Luthor about it.  Lex of course explains it all away, and we get the sense that not only is Lex incredibly rich and competitive, but he's the new DC Universe's Tony Stark.  Superman leaves dissatisfied, but with a continued warning to Luthor that sooner or later...  Lex then vacates his office, pressing a button on his desk to reveal a secret chamber.

Karen: Yeah, I got a laugh out of the whole powersuit thing. That was nicely handled, a real tip of the hat to the fans. 

Doug:  Lex enters a large laboratory where a Dr. Teng, dissident Chinese scientist, labors over a large sarcophagus.  We learn that Luthor had his offices layered with cameras and untold diagnostic equipment that captured every iota of information about Superman while he was on the premises.  The doctor then used that data to program his technology to create an exact duplicate of the Man of Steel.  One problem, however:  The equipment was infallible for any sort of terran lifeform.  It's at this moment that Lex deduces that Superman could very likely be an alien.  The professor unveils his creation, cautioning Luthor that it has been a failure.  The sarcophagus is opened and out steps an entranced doppelganger of Superman... who then immediately collapses on the floor, and begins to crystallize.  Luthor, enraged, grabs his hired hand and offers that he truly hopes he has not wasted his $100 million investment.  But just as quickly, he orders the creature removed -- Luthor is going home to Metropolis.

Karen: There's a lot of things going on here. Luthor learns of Superman's alien origin, and it's a sure bet he'll exploit it for all it's worth. It's also clear just how deep his obsession with the Man of Steel goes, to the point where he's creating his own version. He says he wants a Superman that works for him -is it all about control? Or would he have used this duplicate to frame the real Superman? There's plenty to work with here. I also wondered how technically savvy Luthor is in this new version. How much of the science does he get? Or is he merely the money man?

Doug:  Good questions; unfortunately we won't be finding out in this issue!  In Metropolis, we get to see Lois Lane's apartment and meet her sister Lucy.  We learn immediately that some sort of tragic accident has recently befallen Lucy and her sight has been lost.  Lois tries to encourage her, but Lucy is obviously depressed.  In another great all-white background panel, Byrne depicts the sullen Lucy, head in hand.  Cut away to the streets, where an ambulance careens out of control.  A blown tire brings the vehicle to an abrupt stop, but carrying a patient the situation is even more dire.  Suddenly a familiar pair of red boots lands and hoists the vehicle.  It is very soon spirited to the closest hospital.  As the crew emerges to thank Superman, a look of surprised horror crosses their faces.  We see the Man of Steel's foggy reflection in the ambulance window, but cannot make out what must have spooked the EMTs.

Karen: As someone who has read very few Superman comics, I wasn't sure of the significance of Lucy, or if she was also blind at some point in the old stories.Doug:  Back at Lois' highrise, Lucy has moved onto the balcony and is poised to leap.  She asks to herself that Lois forgive her, and pushes away.  She doesn't fall far before blue-clothed arms reach out and scoop her away from her desired death.  Taken back to the balcony, she's gently set down.  She asks if her benefactor is Superman, but he says nothing.  She feels him fly away, and is puzzled as to why he wouldn't speak.  Cut away then to the Daily Planet, where Lois has arrived to work.  After some banter, Jimmy (still sportin' that bowtie) asks if anyone has heard about the break-in at a men's store next door.  Seems the perp busted thousands of dollars of plate glass to swipe a $100 suit, and left alone a jewelry store right next door!  Clark uses his telescopic vision to peer down into the lobby and notices an odd duck wearing a sport coat over what looks to be a red cape.  In a really nifty panel, Byrne gives us the first Superman quick-change and the Man of Steel emerges in the lobby to question this weirdo.  Trouble is, when the guy turns around, he's an ashen duplicate of -- Superman!

Karen: I have to say I was shocked by Lucy jumping out of the window. This was another sign that this Superman universe (and by extension, the DC Universe as a whole) would be very different from what we were used to. The reveal of Bizarro was a bit disappointing to me. I would have preferred the 'facet-faced' Bizarro.

Doug:  All I can say is that I'm glad this version doesn't have his name and a number written on some around-the-neck Flava Flav bling!  The new guy on the block doesn't talk much, but he does pack a whallop!  Superman is sent reeling out of the building, landing in the middle of a city bus.  He urges the passengers to stay put and heads back out to confront his assailant.  We get a good look at the guy, who is fully garbed in a navy blue (not royal blue) Superman suit and what looks to be Clark Kent's wardrobe!  Superman soon finds that this imposter possesses all of his powers, including his vast strength.  When Lois comes on the scene, Superman decides it would be beneficial to rid his enemy of the civvies.  As Superman takes a shot, Lois comes closer -- close enough that she draws the creature's attention.  He grasps her wrist and flies her away.

Karen: The fight between the two is exciting and well done. It had a nice cinematic feel to it. I like how Superman seems more worried about Lois figuring out his secret identity than anything else. 

Doug:  Lois decides that she'll try to talk to the "guy".  But when she does, he turns his full attention to her, and kisses her!  In an nice piece of writing, Byrne has Lois think, "I don't believe it!  Five years I've been dreaming of being kissed by Superman..."  So by this time Superman's 30 years old, and he's been superheroing for half a decade -- I suppose this allows much of the DC revamp to fall into place.  And Byrne did it without any awkward current events "anchors" that would hopelessly date the story -- just a nice touch.  Anyway, the creature lands on the same balcony to which he'd deposited Lucy earlier in the story.  She is still outside, and can see Lois and "Superman" approaching!  Lucy approaches the doppelganger, but as she moves to touch his face, the real Superman arrives.  He tries to move the ladies to safety, but is pummeled by his  duplicate.  They engage, and Superman is hurled straight down into the street.  He notices that some sort of powder has rubbed off on his fist and sleeve.  Looking at it with his telescopic vision, he notes that it is inorganic -- the creature isn't alive.  And, in a quote that would foreshadow Byrne's move to the Avengers West Coast in 1989, Superman says, as he charges skyward, "Our ugly friend is some kind of android -- an artificial being -- just one step ahead of a robot!"  Harumph...

Karen: Five years of activity seems like an awfully long time -why would he need to make it that long? And in all that time, Supes and Lois haven't kissed? Hmmm. But don't get me started on the "artificial being" stuff. Apparently Superman thinks anything that isn't organic is fair game for destruction. Just like Byrne I guess.

Doug:  Superman rockets upward as the creature turns toward him.  Suddenly it launches downward and the two meteors strike head on.  Superman emerges apparently no worse for the wear, but the creature is nowhere to be found, having exploded into a huge cloud of dust and crystal particles.  And it's those particles that apparently cured Lucy's blindness.  Superman is complimented for taking the action that cured Lucy; however, the Man of Steel muses that he really didn't know it would work out that way... but the creature must have.

Karen:Well, I'm not really sure how exposure to little bits of Bizarro's body would cure Lucy, but I guess we just have to roll with it. It's really not clear to me how the artificial Superman, who seems pretty oblivious, would have figured that out. This story was OK, but I'm not really sure why one issue of a six issue mini-series was used on a character that wasn't (at least originally) going to reappear. It seems like there are a number of Superman foes that would have been more interesting to bring in.

Doug:  I liked this story, as I said at the top.  I thought it was somewhat interesting, however, that the name "Bizarro" was never used, and was apparently a one-and-done character.  But I loved the fact that none of the goofiness that was the Bizarro universe showed up.  The homage to Luthor's supersuit was great -- early for that sort of thing, agreed -- but I'm sure those who were longtime fans found it to be a bone-thrown.  And Byrne's art just continues to be stellar.   I'm really enjoying this re-read as much as I did the first time through, 26 years ago!

Building a Better Lex Luthor: The Man of Steel #4

 

The Man of Steel #4 (November 1986)

"Enemy Mine..."

John Byrne-Byrne/Dick Giordano

Karen: With this issue we enter the second half of the mini-series. John Byrne has established the new Superman, new Lois Lane -isn't it time we met Lex Luthor? Well, we'll get there, but first we get to see how the relationship between Clark Kent and Lois has evolved. It's been eighteen months since Clark showed up at the Planet and scooped Lois on the first Superman interview (very naughty of him). Lois is still ticked off! The two are going together to some big event and Lois has shown up at Clark's apartment to pick him up. She's early, and Clark still needs to shave. Being invulnerable, however, makes that personal hygiene task a bit difficult. Clark excuses himself and goes into his bathroom, where he turns on the electric razor that he apparently keeps for situations like this! Then he pulls out a piece of curved metal, from the rocketship he came to Earth on. Using his heat vision, he burns away his five o'clock shadow. Then he and Lois head out. He starts for the elevator, but she leads him to the roof. Their host has sent a helicopter for them! Clark frets that the roof is not designed to hold its weight, and Lois remarks that Luthor is pretty much above the law. Ah yes, they are going to a party held by Lex Luthor! 

Doug:  Byrne sure gives us a different Lois Lane from what we're used to, doesn't he?  I thought Clark's personal shrine to his own football career was... interesting.  He never comes across as conceited, so I'm not sure even if it was a ruse why he'd have such a thing.  Did you think the step-by-step explanation of the shaving was a bit long?  I did -- I mean, it's clear that some of Superman's powers have been revised but I just thought that played a panel or two longer than it needed to. 

Karen: The shaving sequence seemed very Silver Age -maybe it was a tribute.  As they fly off, Lois says that Luthor pretty much owns Metropolis, and this disturbs Clark. Lois states that Lex has an interest in just about every business in Metropolis, and  that he is the second or third richest man on Earth. Despite his power, he's never been caught doing anything illegal, although Lois has tried to dig up any dirt. They fly out of Metropolis and head out to sea, where Luthor's gigantic ship, the Sea Queen, awaits them. 

Doug:  Despite my misgivings above about the shaving explanation, the narrative of Lex Luthor's status in the new DCU was handled well.  It was necessary information, and provided in the context of the story; rather than just have Lois and Clark show up at Luthor's party, Byrne used two panels showing their flight path to provide this education. 

Karen: Once they've landed, Clark mentions that Lois and Luthor are a well-known 'hot item,' and this makes Lois bristle. She says Luthor wants her -he's a collector -but she has no interest in him romantically. But it's because she resists him that Luthor continues to pursue her. Lois and Clark are escorted into a plush apartment, and we get our first clear view of Luthor: a paunchy, balding, middle-aged man. Not quite what we're used to! As an aside: I've been watching the TV series Hell on Wheels and it struck me that Luthor here looks a lot like actor Colm Meaney from that show, right down to the red hair and cigar! 

Doug:  The panel right before we get our first look at Luthor is really well done, with just headshots of Clark and Lois -- minimalist, but really nice.  Too bad the muddy newsprint of 1986 doesn't make it pop.  This Luthor... I couldn't even picture this guy in the green/purple battlesuit! 

Karen: Luthor tries to give Lois a kiss but she turns her head aside. He shakes hands with Clark and complements him on getting the Superman scoop. We learn that Luthor and Perry White are former friends now. When Lex expresses surprise that Perry isn't there, Lois says, "Oh, come on Lex, Perry doesn't much care for living in the same solar system with you, you know that. He'd never come to one of your parties." 

Doug:  Curious.  But I don't recall that there is any sort of reveal coming later.  Could just be my memory failing me again. 

Karen: Luthor asks Clark for a moment alone with Lois. He had sent her an expensive designer dress to wear -just a loan, the card said. But now he tells Lois it's a gift. She becomes livid. She never would have put it on if she'd known he was giving it to her. He tries to convince her to keep it. "You know how much I desire you," Luthor says. "Give me the chance, and I could make you the happiest woman in the world." But Lois is having none of it. She hollers for Clark, who enters the room looking confused. Lois asks to borrow his suit jacket. As he gives it to her, she tells him to turn around "and be as wide as you know how." Not hard, considering how massive Clark looks! Lois removes Luthor's gift and storms out of the room wearing Clark's enormous jacket! But just as she leaves, she insults Luthor by telling him he's starting to look like Fred Mertz! 

Doug:  Luthor is just sleazy, isn't he?  The scene with Lois dropping the gown, on the spot, was great -- sexy, angry, and funny all at the same time. 

Karen: The two reporters are heading for a way off the ship when a gun is thrust into Lois' face. A group of shabby-looking terrorists have taken over the ship. Clark places himself in front of Lois -who can't believe how fast he is - and when he tries to talk to the thugs, gets clocked in the head with a gun. The terrorists throw Clark overboard and Lois is stunned. She's herded to a room along with the other passengers, including the mayor. 

Doug:  If I had a dollar for every time I've read "I've never seen anyone move that fast!" in a comic book, I'd be retired by now. 

Karen: Well, of course Clark wasn't hurt at all. It was simply a convenient way for Clark to disappear and Superman to make his appearance. The Man of Steel lifts the entire ship out of the water, thinking to himself that it's odd that things seem lighter when he is flying, as our pal William said in the comments on issue 1. As everyone is startled by the ship rising, Lois uses this as an opportunity to wrest a gun from one of her captors and begins firing on the rest. What a gal! However, she misses one and Superman -having already set the ship down on dry land -swoops in front of her to deflect the terrorist's bullets. He makes quick work of the man, and the mayor comes forward to thank him. 

Doug:  Wrest a gun?  Wonder if ol' boy sustained any permanent damage to the nether regions?  So what's the story with things being lighter when aloft than when on the ground?  Is that part of the "force field" deal?  I loved the way Byrne depicted the crushing of the baddie's gun. 

Karen: As Superman shakes the mayor's hand, Luthor comes out and gives him a check for $25,000. Supes is puzzled, and Luthor tells him that he's putting him on retainer. When Superman tells Luthor he's not for hire, the plutocrat laughs and says that everyone in Metropolis works for him. He then says though that the Man of Steel was not really needed, as his security team could have handled the situation. He just wanted to see Superman in action. Lois and the Mayor are livid that Luthor endangered people just so he could check out Superman. Lois says that Luthor is an accessory to murder, thinking that Clark is dead. Superman then reassures her that Clark is alive, that he saved him -the first in probably many hundreds of times he'll have to do this, I suppose! Even so, the Mayor says that Luthor is guilty of reckless endangerment, and deputizes Superman on the spot to haul Luthor in. Luthor is incredulous - "You can't arrest me. I'm Lex Luthor. I'm the most powerful man in Metropolis!" "Not any more," the Mayor says. The expression on Luthor's face shows his shock and indignation. Things have changed in Metropolis, quite dramatically. Luthor is arrested and booked, and put in a cell. 

Doug:  Throughout this book, I think the zenith of Byrne's art was his depiction of various facial expressions, never more passionately evident than on the page you reference.  Byrne also shows a defeated Luthor very convincingly.  I really cannot say enough about the art in this fourth installment of the series. 

Karen: A few days later, we see Superman fly a woman in labor to a hospital just in time to deliver. he's feeling pretty good about it, even chuckling to himself that the woman gave her boy "Superman" as a middle name. Just as he leaves the hospital he has the feeling his photograph has been taken, but before he can ponder that, Luthor confronts him on the steps to the hospital. He tells Superman that he made a big mistake in arresting him. He says it is he, not Superman, who controls Metropolis. He tells Superman flat out that he's going to destroy him for this, and he'll make sure everyone knows it was he who did it, but he'll never be arrested for it! And so Superman's greatest enemy is reborn for the 80s. 

Doug:  So here we have the burning hatred that was so evident through the Silver and Bronze Ages.  This time it's not about hair falling out, but about a man spurned by a woman, and the fear that he may be spurned by a city.  This is a powerful scene; Byrne the writer has done a bang-up job, too! 

Karen: It was a novel enough idea to make Luthor a powerful businessman rather than a scientist. He had resources aplenty to make Superman's life miserable. But a part of me will always prefer that green and purple power suit!