Fluit Notes

The Many Paths of George Perez, Part Two

Last week, I looked at the first half of George Perez’s career (so far), from the time that he broke in with Marvel Comics in 1974 to the end of his Wonder Woman work at DC.  Now, it’s time to pick up where we left off, with the second half of Perez’s career (so far) from 1991 to now.

VI. The Infinity/Imperfect Years (1991-1993)

The early ‘90s were a difficult time for George Perez.  He has mentioned that he was beginning to become bored, having accomplished pretty much everything he could have ever wanted in the field.  Plus, as comics embarked on the speculator boom, he felt that he started to make the wrong decisions for his career.  He was chasing projects based on the money that was being offered rather than on his own level of interest.  The lack of interest made it difficult for Perez to complete the projects he committed to, and he began to develop a reputation for lateness and not finishing his work.  That was quite a turn-around for a guy once nicknamed “Pacesetter.” 

This ennui had already started to affect his later work at DC.  He abandoned the Titans graphic novel “Games” that he had been working on with Marv Wolfman.  And he had difficulty getting “War of the Gods” in on time. (9)

Even so, George Perez kept on working.  He dedicated himself to shorter projects.  Fans may have complained about his inability to finish books on time (or at all) but they weren’t complaining about the quality of the books that did arrive. 

 Perez delivered two major projects for Marvel during this time.  The first was the Marvel crossover, The Infinity Gauntlet, beginning in July 1991.  It was supposed to be his triumphant return to Marvel after having been with DC for nearly a dozen years.  It was a modest success, but not nearly the blockbuster it was expected to be.  And Ron Lim was brought in to finish the series, after Perez ran out of steam half-way through issue 4.  The second was a prestige project with Peter David called The Incredible Hulk: Future Imperfect.  This time, Perez finished the project and it was published in two issues (December 1992 and January 1993).  (10)  The two series did have their side benefits as well.  Ron Lim would go to work on two Infinity Gauntlet sequels (War in ’92 and Crusade in ’93), while Perez would continue to partner with David.

 

VII. The Independent Years (1993-1996)

 

As the comic book industry continued to boom, George Perez started to work more and more for companies other than the big two of Marvel and DC.  A number of factors all came together to make this possible.  Altruistically, Perez knew that lending his name to a fledgling company could help it garner some attention and increase its chances of survival.  So he readily provided covers and centerfolds to companies like Boneyard, Chaos, Continuum and Crusade.  However, there was also an issue of interest.  The new companies were readily interested in having George Perez work for them.  The big two were not, having been burned recently by late and abandoned projects.

George Perez worked on too many projects for too many companies to mention them all here.  But there are five worth noting.  First, George Perez accepted a dream job of inking over Gil Kane’s pencils for the Topps adaptation of the Jurassic Park movie (4 issues, June to August 1993).  Second, Perez re-teamed with Peter David for a creator-owned project under Marvel’s Epic imprint.  They came up with the investigative team Sachs and Violens, who appeared in four issues between November 1993 and July 1994. 

 Next, George Perez signed a major deal with Malibu Comics to work on their Ultraverse superhero line.  He started with the two issue Break-Thru event (December 1993 and January 1994).  Then he moved on to their new premiere team, Ultraforce, for 12 issues (including 2 zero issues and a 2-part crossover with Avengers).  He also drew covers, illustrations and a complete issue of Prime (#15, Oct. 1994). 

Perez left Malibu at about the same time the company was bought out by Marvel.  He landed at Tekno*Comix, where he worked on an Isaac Asimov concept with writer Stephen Grant called I-Bots.  That lasted half a year (December 1995-April 1996).  Finally, he tried his hand at another creator-owned concept, Crimson Plague, through Event Comics.  The title was announced in 1996 with an ashcan and first published in June 1997.  (11)

Even though Perez jumped through a lot of different projects, he insists that he was actually doing some of his best work at this time.  He got to ink himself on Hulk: Future Imperfect, which was a major step for him.  He built a rapport with Al Vey, who was his inker on Ultraforce.  And Crimson Plague challenged him to draw real people and not just superhero archetypes.  Perez claims that this work is disregarded only because he was working on unknown characters, and not because it doesn’t measure up   (12) 

 

VIII. The Rebuilding Years (1996-1997)

And yet, Perez himself grew tired of drawing second-rate characters.  Why work on Prototype and Prime when you could be drawing Iron Man and Captain Marvel?  Plus, the comic book boom was coming to a crash.  His creator-owned project, Crimson Plague, could barely make a splash in the quickly diminishing market of 1997.  Perez needed a safe harbor.  In order to fulfill his renewed career goals, he also needed to rebuild his reputation. 

 First, George Perez got his foot back in the door at Marvel.  However, he did so as a writer and not as an artist.  Perez wrote a year’s worth of stories for a Silver Surfer series (#111-123, December 1995-December 1996 and a Silver Surfer/Superman crossover in January 1997).  He also wrote a couple of issues of Spider-Man Team-Up (#2 and 4, March and September 1996).  And, as he had done when he was first trying to break in back in 1974, Perez did odd art jobs like a couple of pages in Thunderbolts ’97.

 Then, George Perez got his next big break at DC.  Though it’s hard to imagine a 20-year veteran needing a big break, DC’s editors were skeptical about giving Perez another job.  Dan Jurgens, who was working on a new Teen Titans revival, had to vouch for Perez.  The editors still doubted that Perez could handle a monthly workload as a penciler, but they were willing to let him work as Jurgens’ inker on the new Titans series.  That chance was all that Perez would need.  He worked on 15 issues from October 1996 to December 1997.  In doing so, he re-established himself as a reliable professional.  His renewed reputation and contacts were about to pay off.

 IX. The Avengers Years (1998-2000)

In 1998, Marvel re-launched many of their core titles like Captain America, Fantastic Four, Iron Man and The Avengers.  They wanted superstar creative teams for each of the titles.  Kurt Busiek, of Marvels and Astro City fame, was set to write the Avengers.  And George Perez was added as a penciler.  Some fans were still skeptical.  Would Perez manage to draw more than three issues in a row?  But Perez was committed to proving his critics wrong. 

Avengers #1 (February, 1998) debuted as the number one selling book of the month.  Marvel Comics, Kurt Busiek and George Perez had a smash hit on their hands.  The book stayed at number one for a couple more months, and remained in the top five for the rest of the year.  Perez drew all of the first 15 issues, including an over-sized issue 12.  After a scheduled break, he then drew 15 of 16 issues from #19 to 34 including the instant classic “Ultron Unlimited” in issues 19-22.  When Perez finally left the book after nearly 3 years, it was still one of the top ten selling titles in the industry. 

 George Perez was a superstar once again.  He won the Comics’ Buyer’s Guide and Wizard Fan Awards for Favorite Penciler several years running and the Eagle Award for Favorite Penciler in 1999. (13)

 X. The CrossGen/Crossover Years (2000-2004)

As always, George Perez’s attention started to wander.  With his reputation restored and the industry on slightly firmer footing, Perez set out for independent ventures again.  He joined several writers, such as Kurt Busiek and Mark Waid, in Gorilla Comics.  He gave Crimson Plague a second shot, printing an updated first issue and a second (June and August 2000).  And he provided a few extras for other members of the company.  Unfortunately, the industry wasn’t quite as stable as the group had thought.  Their funding fell through and George Perez was forced to leave several solicited projects unfinished (including Westwind with Kurt Busiek and several more issues of Crimson Plague).  (14)

Then, George Perez shocked the comic book industry by signing with upstart publisher CrossGen.  The new company was based in Tampa Bay, which was only a short drive from Perez’s home in Orlando.  Plus, Perez was starting to tire of superheroes.  That’s one reason why he had been participating in decidedly non-superhero work for Gorilla.  CrossGen would allow Perez to draw science-fiction and fantasy.  Plus, once again, he could lend his name to a company trying to get a good start in the industry.  Perez drew four issues of CrossGen Chronicles (#2-5, March to December 2001), which allowed him to dabble in pirate stories and magical fantasy. 

However, George Perez included a special clause in his contract with the company.  Years before, he had been forced to abandon a major crossover between the Justice League of America and the Avengers when editors of the two companies couldn’t agree on the story.  CrossGen agreed to give him a leave of absence for a new JLA/Avengers project.  The deal was already in the works before Perez signed (that’s why he included the clause in the first place), but the publicity around the deal helped push it forward.  Perez joyfully took a break from CrossGen to work on the project he described as his “valedictory address.” 

JLA/Avengers was huge.  It was the talk of the industry for nearly two years, as fan anticipation for the project grew (hence, the many career retrospectives of George Perez in 2001).  And JLA/Avengers delivered.  It debuted as the number one selling comic in the summer of 2003 and set new industry records.  For Perez, it was a suitable swan song as he planned to leave superheroes behind for good. 

 

Perez’s other project that year wasn’t nearly as successful.  Upon his return to CrossGen, Perez reportedly asked for a monthly title.  He was given his wish, and went to work with Barbara Kesel on Solus, a title that would focus on CrossGen’s inner continuity.  The debut issue (in April, 2003) was CrossGen’s highest-selling single issue in the company’s history.  But it’s sales paled compared to comics from the big two and comics news agencies falsely reported that it was the lowest-selling comic Perez had ever drawn (not true, considering some of the titles Perez worked on in the early ‘90s as well as his Chronicles issues only two years earlier).  Fans were also dismayed by the continuity-heavy title.  Though Perez drew 6 of the first 7 issues, sales dropped quickly and Perez was pulled from the title for a higher profile crossover between Lady Death and Sojourn.  That crossover would be added to the long list of Perez projects that never saw the light of day.

 XI. The DC Years (2005-present)

 For the second time in less than 5 years, George Perez was out a company.  First, Gorilla had folded.  Then, CrossGen declared bankruptcy.  To the delight of many fans, George Perez returned to superheroes.  This time, he signed a contract with DC.  He initially mentioned two projects he wanted to work on.  One, he hoped to finally finish the Titans: Games graphic novel.  Two, he wanted to work on the Legion of Super-Heroes, one of the few team books that he had never tackled.  The editors at DC weren’t as interested in past projects and the Titans story was shelved again. 

Instead, one of his first big assignments was to provide covers and occasional pencils for yet another major crossover: Infinite Crisis, which came out in 2005 and ‘06.  He went on from there to provide art for an issue of JSA (#82, April 2006) as well as several more covers.  DC teamed him with Mark Waid for a high-profile re-launch of Brave and the Bold.  Unfortunately, that series was received about as well as Solus.  Perez was supposed to finish the first year, but DC pulled him off the title after issue 10 (April 2008).  

  Finally, the editors at DC gave in to one of Perez’s expressed wishes.  Outside of a half a dozen covers, Perez had never drawn the Legion of Super-Heroes.  In 2008, he was paired with Geoff Johns on the mini-series Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds.  The story would feature the Legion from three different continuities and set them up for future adventures.  The first issue was cover dated October 2008 and the project is still ongoing.

 

(9): Sketch Magazine No. 10, November, 2001, George Perez: The Ultimate Team-Up, pp. 14-15. 

(10): The Perez Archives, by Andy Mangels, 2001, pp. 15-16. 

(11): The Perez Archives, by Andy Mangels, 2001, pp. 72-90. 

(12): Sketch Magazine No. 10, November, 2001, George Perez: The Ultimate Team-Up, p. 15. 

(13): Wikipedia: Wizard Fan Awards, Favorite Penciler, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizard_Fan_Awards#Favorite_Penciller)

The Eagle Awards web-site, Previous Winners: 1999, (http://www.eagleawards.co.uk/previousyears.aspx?YEAR=1999)

(14): The Perez Archives, by Andy Mangels, 2001, pp. 76-80, 109. 

 

The Many Paths of George Perez, Part One

I. The Early Years (1974-75)

 George Perez broke into the comic book industry in the summer of 1974 (which also happens to be the season and the year I was born) but his story begins a little bit before that.  Perez had graduated from high school and was working as a bank teller in 1972 and ’73 when a high school friend brought him to a comic book convention.  Perez describes himself as a self-taught artist, but he brought his portfolio along with him anyway.  He showed it to several editors and companies and received some fairly harsh criticism.  Marv Wolfman, then an editor a Marvel, said that he didn’t know anatomy or perspective.  Neal Adams, the head of Continuity Studios, told him to quit inking his own work because he obviously didn’t know how. ₍₁₎             

 Perez went home with the expressed purpose of proving his critics wrong.  He could draw anatomy.  He did know how to ink.  But by trying to prove them wrong, he ended up proving them right.  His anatomy, perspective, inking, everything improved as he worked harder on his craft. 

Meanwhile, at least one other person showed some faith in him.  Marvel artist Rich Buckler had also seen George Perez’s portfolio and remembered the young artist.  When he needed help on a project, he gave Perez a call.  George Perez completed two pages of a Deathlok story for Astonishing Tales #25, which was published with a cover date of August, 1974.  Buckler was happy with how that project turned out and continued to throw small jobs Perez’s way.  Perez even worked as an uncredited assistant for Buckler on Giant-Size Fantastic Four #3, which was published in November of that same year.  Perez describes that Fantastic Four story as his big break into the industry. ₍₂₎

Even though he didn’t receive a credit for the Fantastic Four story, Perez did garner the notice of the editors at Marvel Comics.  He was soon receiving work on his own merit.  Superheroes were in a bit of a slump at the time, and other genres like monster stories and kung fu were on the rise.  Perez got to do a bit of both.  He was assigned “The Sons of the Tiger” back-up feature in “Deadly Hands of Kung-Fu” beginning in issue 6 (November, 1974) and then the Man-Wolf series in “Creatures on the Loose” (starting with #33, January 1975).  Since one story was a back-up feature and the other title was bi-monthly, Perez was able to work on both series at the same time. 

 

II. The Marvel Years (1975-1980)

 After working as a professional artist for a year, George Perez received no less than three new assignments.  All of them happened to be team books, cementing Perez’s reputation.  His bi-monthly Inhumans series debuted in October 1975 and he took over both of Marvel’s preeminent team books, Avengers and Fantastic Four, in November (issues 141 and 164, respectively).  Perez also picked up a nickname, “Pacesetter,” due to his heavy workload.  The name appeared in Bullpen Bulletin pages, credit boxes and letter pages. 

 Despite his new nickname, Perez couldn’t keep up the pace.  He dropped Inhumans from his schedule after five issues (the first four and #8) and he needed fill-in artists on both Avengers and Fantastic Four by their fifth issues (March, 1976).  Marvel and Perez made the necessary adjustments.  Though he remained the regular artist on both of the big team books until the first half of 1978, he worked on a somewhat more relaxed schedule.  Perez would draw two or three issues in a row and then contribute covers for a couple of issues while other artists gave him a break. 

 George Perez became a comic book superstar.  In 1977, he and writer Jim Shooter presented classic Avengers stories in which the team fought Ultron and Count Nefaria.  Then, in 1978, they delivered one of the Avengers’ greatest epics, “The Korvac Saga.”

By the end of the decade, George Perez transitioned to more of a free agent than a team player.  Marvel temporarily pulled him off of his team books in order to draw Logan’s Run (January-May 1977), the comic version of the movie that they thought would be a big hit.  He finished up his earlier Man-Wolf story in Marvel Premiere #45-46 (December 1978 and February 1979).  He took a turn on Marvel Two-in-One, the team-up title featuring the Thing, for four issues in 1979 and two more in 1980 (56-60, 64-65).  He took a shot at Marvel’s newest and now greatest team with X-Men Annual 3 in 1979.  He even came back to the Fantastic Four for a pair of annuals (#14 and 15 in ’79 and ’80) and to the Avengers for a second run (issues 194-202 from April to December, 1980). ₍₃₎

George Perez was now Marvel’s go-to guy and jack of all trades.  Marvel’s editors and fans weren’t the only ones who had noticed.  In 1980, Marvel’s rival, DC Comics, came calling and Perez’s career took a new turn.

 

III. The Titans Years (1980-1985)

DC had big plans for George Perez.  The editors wanted him to work on two team titles for them, as he had earlier for Marvel.  One, they would assign.  The other, he would be allowed to choose for himself.  Unsurprisingly, they assigned him their flagship team, the Justice League of America.  Perez debuted as the regular penciler on that title with issue 184 in November of 1980 and would stay on, with built-in breaks, until issue 200 in March of 1982. 

However, George Perez surprised everyone with the team he chose for his second title.  Marv Wolfman had approached Perez with an idea.  The two were now friends from having worked together at Marvel on books like Fantastic Four Annual #14.  Wolfman was a fan of the Teen Titans and suggested that the two of them work on a revival.  Perez agreed and they approached the DC editors with their idea.  Their bosses were skeptical.  The title was considered a failure, as several earlier re-launches had already fizzled out.  But they had agreed to let Perez pick one of his own titles and reluctantly gave the go ahead.

 Wolfman and Perez’s “New Teen Titans” debuted with a cover date of November, 1980 (the same as Perez’s first issue of Justice League).  The new title was like lightning in a bottle.  By focusing on the character’s personal lives as well as their superhero adventures, the Titans became the new standard for story-telling.  It was compared favorably to the Uncanny X-Men, Marvel’s biggest title.  And it quickly grew into one of DC’s best-selling and most critically-acclaimed books.  DC dedicated their company calendar to the Titans in 1982.  Amazing Heroes named it one of the top ten books of that same year.  Britain’s Eagle Awards named it the best team book of 1984. ₍₄₎

 George Perez was on top of the world.  However, with the Titans’ incredible success assured, his attention started to wander.  While continuing to work on the Titans, he began to dabble in side projects.  He made a brief return to Marvel, drawing a Black Widow story for Marvel Fanfare #10-13 in 1983 and ’84.  He drew a couple of short stories for Pacific Comics’ Alien Worlds and Vanguard Illustrated.  And he contributed covers and half of the interior pencils to a revival of Wally Wood’s Thunder Agents in 1985.  It looked like he was on his way back to becoming a jack of all trades, as he was in his later days at Marvel.  But DC came up with a new project for Perez that would be one of the biggest challenges of his career.

 

IV. Crisis on Infinite Earths! (1985-1986)

DC had plans for a huge story that would cross over into every title and re-write their entire history.  There was only one artist for such a project, especially with Marv Wolfman also attached as the writer.  In 1985, George Perez began work on his magnum opus: Crisis on Infinite Earths.  He would draw all 12 covers as well as every single interior page.  He would even contribute extra illustrations for an inside cover and a letters page.

The story, co-plotted by Wolfman and Perez, has been accused of being shock and awe with little substance.  But the art was phenomenal, if not seminal.  Perez played with panel height and depth in a way that hadn’t been seen since Winsor McCay had been working on “Little Nemo in Slumberland.”  And he crammed more characters and more details into every panel than a fan could have imagined or hoped for.  Ron Goulart even held up Perez’s work on Crisis as the epitome of modern style in his book “The Great History of Comic Books,” also published in 1986. ₍₅₎ 

Perez finished up his work on Crisis with the two part “History of the DC Universe.”   He had already established himself as a star with his work on The Avengers and The New Teen Titans.  Now, he was the biggest artist in the industry.  The only question remained, “What next?”

 

V. The Wonder Woman Years (1987-1991)

 Whenever he was given the choice to decide the direction of his own career, George Perez always made surprising choices.  No one would have predicted The New Teen Titans to become a success, let alone DC’s biggest title.  In 1987, fresh off of Crisis on Infinite Earths, George Perez did it again.  Told that he could pick any title he wanted, George Perez asked for Wonder Woman.  It was a shocking request.  As comics had retreated to the predominantly male direct market, Wonder Woman’s sales had shriveled.  There were even rumors that the only reason DC was still publishing the title was to prevent the character rights from reverting to the William Moulton-Marston estate.  (That was only true of the Legend of Wonder Woman mini-series by Trina Robbins and Kurt Busiek that was published to fill in the gap while waiting for Perez’s Amazon revival.)  But Perez had a self-acknowledged feminist streak.  He wanted to prove that Wonder Woman could be a great title once again.  And, once again, his bosses at DC agreed to his wishes.  This time, however, Perez would be the writer as well as the artist.

 The new Wonder Woman debuted in February 1987.  The gamble paid off.   With Perez’s name attached, Wonder Woman became a big seller.  Its success was mentioned in house ads promoting other revivals, such as one for the Atom.  George Perez picked up an Eagle Award for his Wonder Woman cover art.  ₍₆₎  And Trina Robbins dedicated an entire section to the revival in her history book “The Great Women Superheroes.” ₍₇₎

 Yet George Perez couldn’t stand pat.  He was in too much demand.  And he was interested in too many other opportunities.  He continued as the writer and cover artist of Wonder Woman until January of 1992.  But he slowly stepped back from other parts of the book.  He initially drew complete pencils.  In 1988, he was often credited with contributing breakdowns that other artists finished.  By issue 25 (January 1989), he had fully passed off the penciling chores. 

  Meanwhile, he was lending his talents to DC’s other superstars.  He spent a short stint on a Superman title, drawing 9 of 10 issues of Action Comics from 643 to 652 (July 1989-April 1990).  He drew an arc of Batman, “A Lonely Place of Dying,” in issues 440-442 (July-September 1989).  And he made a triumphant return to the Titans, becoming the regular penciler for New Titans issues 50 through 61 (December 1988 to December 1989).  There was even a Secret Origins annual focusing on the Titans (#4, 1989) and the plans for a Titans Graphic Novel.  Finally, he was the driving creative force behind DC’s big crossover of 1991.  Spinning out of events from Wonder Woman’s own title, George Perez was the writer and artist of War of the Gods (Sept.-Dec. 1991).  ₍₈₎

 

George Perez was again manifesting the wanderlust that had marked the end of his Marvel years and his first Titans tenure.  This time, it would take him to entirely new places. 

(1): Sketch Magazine No. 10, November, 2001, George Perez: The Ultimate Team-Up, p. 4. 

(2): Comic Book Marketplace No. 86, October 2001, The Best of All Worlds, Part One: George Perez Interview, p. 20.

(3): The Perez Archives, by Andy Mangels, 2001, pp. 4-24. 

(4): The Eagle Awards web-site, Previous Winners: 1984, (http://www.eagleawards.co.uk/previousyears.aspx?YEAR=1984)

(5): Ron Goulart, The Great History of Comic Books: The Definitive Illustrated Edition from the 1890s to the 1980s, January 1986.

(6): The Eagle Awards web-site, Previous Winners: 1987, (http://www.eagleawards.co.uk/previousyears.aspx?YEAR=1987)

(7): Trina Robbins, The Great Women Superheroes, Kitchen Sink Press, April 1997.

(8): The Perez Archives, by Andy Mangels, 2001, pp. 30-68.

Images from Comicvine.com: http://www.comicvine.com/george-perez/26-2913/

Selected Superman Stories from the Past 5 Years

I had so much fun writing about Superman for last week’s article that I thought I’d come back for another round.  In the first article, I covered stories that fell between “Crisis on Infinite Earths” and “Countdown to Infinite Crisis.”  This time, I’m covering Superman comics from the past 5 years when I’ve been a much more regular reader.

 

Action Comics #827-835 (July ’05-May ’06): If you’re looking for a short, but excellent, run of Superman comics to collect, let me recommend this brief sojourn by Gail Simone and John Byrne.  The third issue is part of the larger Sacrifice story, crossing over with the other Superman titles as well as Wonder Woman, but the rest of the run is predominantly self-contained.  Even the tie-ins with Villains United and Day of Vengeance work well on their own.  Plus, it’s great to see Superman fight Black Adam or become befuddled by the Spectre.  The end of the run is even better than the beginning, when Simone brings two modern villains to the Superman titles: The Queen of Fables from Mark Waid’s JLA and Livewire from the Superman animated series. 

 

Superman #650-653, Action Comics #837-840 (May-August 2006): Kurt Busiek, Geoff Johns and Pete Woods bring us a simply stupendous Superman story.  Clark Kent slowly regains his powers.  Lex Luthor gets ahold of a Kryptonian crystal.  Toyman and Prankster cause trouble.  And Supergirl co-stars.  It’s just a great romp in which Superman starts out as the underdog before emerging as the world’s greatest hero once again by the end.   And it’s chock full of rogues from Superman’s gallery of villains, from Lex Luthor to Silver Banshee to Livewire. 

 

Action Comics #841-842 (Sept.-Nov. ’06): I like the many guest stars, from the Jason Rusch Firestorm to Busiek’s own Power Company creation Skyrocket, but this is otherwise a fairly standard kidnapped-by-an-alien superhero great escape story and the Auctioneer is basically an updated Collector.

 

Superman #654-658, 662-664, 667 and Annual 13 (September ‘06-January ’08): This is Kurt Busiek and Carlos Pacheco’s Superman magnum opus.  Though shipping delays led to fan dissatisfaction, the story stands out as one of the best I’ve ever read and re-read.  “Camelot Falls” asks questions about heroism by casting Arion, Lord of Atlantis, as a villain.  It raises issues of loyalty, as when Subjekt 17 challenges Superman’s fidelity to his adopted planet against aliens who have been mistreated.  It shows the price of failure, by spending time in a possible future where survivors fight on long after Superman has been defeated.  And it makes sure that victory won’t be easy, by setting Superman up against a magical foe he can’t defeat directly.  Plus, Busiek introduces a wealth of new characters like Subjekt 17, Sirocco and Squad K, while mixing in a few fun guest stars like the Young Gods from New Genesis.  And, of course, the Carlos Pacheco art is magnificently beautiful throughout.

 

Action Comics #844-846, 851 and Annual 11 (December ’06-June ’08): This is the other Superman magnum opus of 2006, I mean ’07, I mean ’08.  This time, former Superman director Richard Donner, Geoff Johns and Adam Kubert provide the incredible story, as well as the infuriating delays.  And, once again, taken on its own, the story stands as a classic.  General Zod leads a break-out from the Phantom Zone.  Superman must fight Zod, Urza, and Non as well as dozens more of Krypton’s most nefarious villains.  There is also a Bizarro appearance and the problem of what to do with a kid who seems to have all of Superman’s powers.  The child is the son of Urza and Zod, though Clark and Lois take him as a foster son, Christopher Kent.  Besides the wonderful characters both old and new, there are also some delightful twists and extras.  At one point, Superman is banished to the Phantom Zone himself, which Adam Kubert and DC render in 3-D giving it an otherworldly dimension with or without the special glasses. 

 

Superman #660 and Action Comics #847 (March and April 2007): The incessant delays on “Camelot Falls” and the Phantom Zone story necessitated a large number of fill-in stories.  Most of them aren’t worth talking about, even when worked on by luminaries like Walt Simonson or Fabian Nicieza.  But two stand out in excellence and are worth discussing, even if they are very different from one another.  The first, in Superman 660, is fun story by Kurt Busiek and Mike Manley told from the Prankster’s point of view.  It’s a riot to see his self-justification and self-delusion, as well as the convoluted pranks he attempts to perform.  The other, in Action 847, is a real tear jerker.  Dwayne McDuffie and Renato Guedes bring us a story told by Jonathan Kent.  With the Phantom Zone criminals rampaging, Martha fears for the life of her son.  Jonathan calmly tells her the story of an inter-galactic fishing trip as a way of reminding her how super their son really is. 

 

Superman #674-675 (May-June 2008): After two lackluster and overly continuity-conscious trilogies (“The Third Kryptonian” and “The Insect Queen”), Busiek ended his Superman run on a high note.  He does a great job of weaving several different strands into a single beautiful tapestry.  He depicts Superman’s married bliss with Lois and foster son, Christopher- a relationship which was a strength throughout Busiek’s tenure.  He deals with Mon-El’s plight as a captive in the Phantom Zone.  He has Superman square off against pseudo-hero Paragon who claims that Superman is an impostor.  He even brings in a trio of Daxamites and a Galactic Golem.  Plus, the entire story is exquisitely drawn by Renato Guedes, who is just starting to establish himself as a Superman superstar.

 

Action Comics #865 (July 2008): Kurt Busiek told his villain story for the Prankster back in Superman 660 and now Geoff Johns takes his turn with a special Toyman tale.  It’s another great job updating an older villain so that he works for the present.  Plus, Jesus Merino’s picture of the wall of previous toymen was a delight to behold. 

 

Action Comics #858-863 (December ’07-May ’08) and Action Comics #866-870 (August-December ’08): The latter half of Geoff Johns’ tenure features two grand epics: “Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes” and “Brainiac.”  Brad Meltzer and Geoff Johns had already begun the re-integration of the classic Legion into current continuity with their JLA/JSA crossover “The Lightning Saga.”  In Action Comics, Johns continues the trend, this time with an actual story.  Superman is launched forward into time.  He meets the Legion, but he also discovers two unnerving dilemmas.  His body isn’t attuned to the sun of the future with the result that his powers are weakening.  Worse, Earth-Man is citing Superman’s legacy as the reason for xenophobic mandate that would banish all aliens- including the bulk of the Legion- from Earth.  We know that Superman is supposed to be the strongest, most powerful hero ever.  So it’s always fun to see what happens when he isn’t, and to give him a foe that he can’t beat with a punch.  In this case, bigotry.  Meanwhile, Johns and new artist Gary Frank do a great job of taking the classic Giffen/Levitz Legion and updating them for today’s fashion.  Then, after a brief interlude (see the above entry), Geoff and Gary give us a Brainiac epic.  The story is set in both the past- when Brainiac first abducts the Kryptonian city of Kandor- and the present- as Superman fights Brainiac in the sky over Earth.  Once again, Johns manages to tell a story that is both classic and modern.

 

Superman #677-680 (August-November ’08): James Robinson takes over for Kurt Busiek (who moved to Trinity).  Unfortunately, his initial story is sub-standard.  It’s great that a classic Bronze Age villain like Atlas is brought into the modern day and that Krypto finally re-joins the Superman family as well.  However, Robinson rotates through several point-of-view characters, none of whom are Superman.  The result is that Superman feels like a guest-star in his own book.  That kind of an approach can work (as with the aforementioned Prankster and Toyman stories, as well as the current “World Without a Superman” titles) but I wasn’t happy with it here.  On the positive side, Renato Guedes takes over as the regular Superman artist and his work is breath-taking.

 

There you go.  That’s my overview of the past 5 years of Superman comics, beginning with “Countdown to Infinite Crisis,” running past “One Year Later” and finishing up at the “New Krypton” crossover.  I may have more to say about the “World Without a Superman” stories later, but for now, it’s time to move on to something else.  Up, up and away!

Selected Superman Stories from the Past 22 Years

Superman is one of my favorite heroes.  Yet my Superman collection is somewhat sporadic.  There are so many issues from so many titles over so many years that it’s bewildering to know where to start reading.  Even so, there are covers, stories, creative teams and occasional re-launches that catch my attention and convince me to give ‘em a try.  Here is a sampling of some of the Superman stories I’ve bought over the years.

 

Action Comics #584 (January 1987): There are two excellent reasons to buy this issue.  One, it’s the first issue of Action Comics following John Byrne’s “Man of Steel” reboot.  Two, it guest stars the New Teen Titans, and I’m about as big a Titans fan as you’ll find.  The cover combination of Superman fighting the New Teen Titans and a “first all-new issue” banner made this an issue I couldn’t pass up.  Happily, the issue is as good as the cover.  Though it’s a fairly straightforward body-switching plot, there are a number of elements that raise the level of this story.  The John Byrne art is excellent, with Dick Giordano on inking duties.  Byrne wisely uses only half of the Titans, providing for a more focused story and fight.  The plot is treated as a mystery and only revealed well after the fight begins.  And Byrne smartly uses Jericho’s own body-switching powers as the key to solving the situation.

 

Action Comics #647-649 (Nov. 1989-Jan. 1990): Once again, there are two excellent reasons to buy this arc.  First, it’s drawn by George Perez.  That’s usually enough of a reason on its own.  Second, it features Brainiac as the super-villain.  But not just any Brainiac.  It has my favorite version of Brainiac: the robot version with a skeleton face and an opaque skull (you can blame the Kenner Super Powers toy line for my preference, if you like).  Even better, George Perez and Roger Stern throw multiple robot bodies and Brainiac’s skull ship at us, as well.  It’s a big story with a big bad guy and the biggest hero of them all.  And oh yeah, as I mentioned in passing, the story is Roger Stern.  I may not have known much about Stern when I first bought this story more than 15 years ago but since then, I’ve discovered that he’s a reliable, entertaining story-teller thanks to his work on Amazing Spider-Man, the Legion of Super-Heroes and yes, Superman.

 

The Death of Superman (Dec. 1992-Jan. 1993): The cover date is confusing due to comics’ custom of labeling later dates so as to stay on the news-stand longer, but the Death of Superman was the event of the summer.  I had just graduated from high school, I was getting ready for college and Superman’s death was a major topic of conversation.  I remember the excitement, the covers, the posters and the Crash Test Dummies song.  And, yes, I like the story, too.  I like the way in which various friends and allies take their turns helping Superman before being knocked out of the fight one at a time.  I like the way Doomsday’s costume slowly disintegrated before our eyes making him even scarier as the story went along.  I like the reaction shots from Superman’s friends, insuring that this story has a significant personal element to it.  I like that the final issue was all splash pages and the death itself a double-splash.  “The Death of Superman” was a story-telling tour de force.  And it was even more impressive if you were turning 18 at the time.

 

Superman: The Wedding Album (Dec.1996): I admit it.  As an occasional Superman reader, I show up for the big events.  You can go ahead and blame me now for everything that’s wrong with comics today.  In this case, I’m glad I bought the book.  This is one of my favorite wedding stories (as I mentioned a couple of years ago in my article “My Big Fat Geek Wedding”).  I like that the story simply focuses on the wedding.  It’s significant enough that you don’t need a super-villain.  I like the collection of artists past and present, from Gil Kane to Stuart Immonen, and the creator cameos in the wedding party.  Yet there is one scene that is better than the rest.  It’s actually one of my favorite scenes in any comic.  Superman is talking to Batman and mentions that he’s worried about Metropolis.  Batman tells Superman not to worry, he’s made arrangements.  Then, Batman points up.  Superman looks upward and sees a host of heroes streaking across the sky ready to protect Metropolis while Lois and Clark enjoy their honeymoon.  That shot brings a smile to my face every time.

 

Superman #147, The Adventures of Superman #570, Superman in Action Comics #757, Superman: The Man of Steel #92 (August-September 1999): It’s always a good sign when you can remember exactly where and when you bought a certain comic.  It was the summer of 1999.  Ana and I were celebrating our first anniversary and living in Hamilton, Ontario.  We had fun going out and exploring the different comic book stores in the area.  One had a basement game room for Pokemon players.  And, upstairs, I found this four-part arc on the wall of new comics.  The Walt Simonson covers and the high-concept pulled me in.  Superman was going from planet to planet and taking a turn as different heroes: Green Lantern, Adam Strange, Hawkman and Martian Manhunter.  It reminded me of the Silver Age stories that I read as a kid- when Superman would have to pretend to be a rich man, poor man, beggar and thief, or what Superman would have been like if he had been sent to a planet other than Earth.

 

Superman #151-157, Superman in Action Comics #760-767 (Dec. ’99-July 2000): This was the first time that I really gave the Superman line a chance.  The entire line was being revamped and I was intrigued by a couple of the creative teams: Jeph Loeb and Mike McKone on Superman (I liked Loeb at the time thanks to his work for the X-office), and Joe Kelly and German Garcia on Action (two more X-alumni).  The initial Phil Jimenez covers were also a plus.  Looking back, I enjoyed quite a few of the stories: Superman and Wonder Woman stranded on a war-torn planet for 2000 years, a Christmas classic with the Demon.  I think there was a great blend of interesting guest-stars and villains like Mongul, Imperiex, the Joker and Harley Quinn and Deathstroke.  Unfortunately, there were a couple of reasons why I dropped out after half a year.  I had tuned in for specific creative teams but they didn’t stay constant.  Ed McGuinness stepped in from Mike McKone (which was alright with me), but German Garcia was replaced by first Kano (not nearly as good) and then Duncan Rouleau (who I couldn’t stand at the time).  Even worse, the Superman office promised that each title would be predominantly self-contained and that simply wasn’t the case.  Cliffhangers from one title were resolved in the other.  And while I was willing to give two new titles a chance, I wasn’t ready to sign up for all four. 

 

Action Comics #806 (October 2003): Sometimes a good cover is all you need.  The cute picture of Girl 13, the promise of more than one Supergirl and the witty slogan (“Abrakadizzle… that’s street magic, yo.”) combined to convince me to buy this book.  I remember it being a lot of fun.  I thought Girl 13 was spunky (I have a soft spot for goth girls, shhh, don’t tell Ana).  And I liked Pascual Ferry’s art.  However, I also remember being disappointed at the time that the other Supergirl in the comic was actually Natasha Irons as Steel and not Linda Danvers from the Peter David title.  That doesn’t bother me as much as it once did which means I enjoy the actual comic more now than I did when I first purchased it.

 

Superman: Secret Identity #1-4 (2004): This out-of-continuity story is simply incredible.  It follows the life of a young boy named Clark Kent whose friends make fun of him for sharing Superman’s name.  However, to his surprise, he begins to develop powers of his own.  He becomes Superboy and then Superman.  He falls in love, gets married, becomes a father and grows old.  It may sound simple, but the story is told with amazing depth.  It’s written by Kurt Busiek, whose drawing on the same depth of inspiration that gave life to Astro City.  And it’s drawn by Stuart Immonen, bridging the disparate styles he brings to superhero comics and less-traditional fare.  And it’s highly recommended.

 

That takes us from Crisis on Infinite Earths to Countdown to Infinite Crisis.  Since then, I’ve been much more consistent in my Superman collecting.  So come on back soon for “Selected Superman Stories from the Past 5 Years.”

Real Quick Recent Reviews

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #42: Better than it’s been lately with an Easter Egg for fans of the video game (Malak invites Jarael to join him in the Mandalorian War) and the suggestion of a new direction (Zayne suggests to Jarael that they take down the Crucible slavers’ guild instead) but still not as good as it was when it was at its best.

Mighty Avengers #26: This is the book I’ve been waiting for ever since Kurt Busiek left the Avengers in 2002.

Invincible #63: My high school English teacher criticized one of my short stories by telling me there’s a difference between depicting something gory and reveling in it.  Kirkman is reveling in it. 

Dark Reign: Young Avengers #2: The original Young Avengers confront the new Young Avengers about stealing their name, though they’re conflicted because that’s what the

original Avengers said to them when they started out.  Annoying verbal tics and poorly defined powers abound. 

Captain Britain and MI:13 #14: We find out that Dracula’s victory last issue didn’t really happen but in a way in which we don’t feel cheated (at least, I didn’t).  A great issue from a great series (I’m going to miss it).

Angel #22: I like the new cast-mates (a were-jaguar and an actual angel) but that’s pretty much the only nice thing I can say about this unevenly plotted and poorly drawn arc.

Captain

America

#600: Wow.  Just wow.

Justice Society of

America

#28: I thought that the first half of this story in issue 27 wasn’t bad.  The conclusion in this issue, however, made me wish I skipped the whole thing altogether.  I could have done without the Spectre, the souls of

Hiroshima

and especially the almost-relationship between Atom Smasher and Stargirl.

Superman #689: Around the world in 80 hours with Mon-el, the Guardian frees Tellus and

General Lane

makes his move against John Henry Irons: the Superman-less Superman comic continues to be a great read with multiple stories on the go and beautiful Renato Guedes art.

Amazing Spider-Man #598: Makes the best of a bad situation. 

I’d be happy completely ignoring Dark Reign but at least Spidey makes with the jokes and the story focuses on Harry’s conflicted relationships with Lily, his dad and Spider-Man. 

Dynamo 5 #22: Still one of my favorite comics month after month.  And I love the introduction of a World War II sergeant actually made of rock.

Green Lantern #42: I’m enjoying Hal’s journey through the spectrum and I liked the twist on the formula by having him grab the power battery instead of putting on a ring. 

Farscape: D’Argo’s Lament #3: Not very funny.  Not very exciting.  Not very good. 

Star Wars: Legacy #37: Plots and intrigues abound as Legacy manages to keep the quality up even after the climactic battle against Darth Krayt.  Of course, the luscious Jan Duursema art helps.  

Uncanny X-Men #512: I’m not sure.  Inserts James Bradley as a major player in the history of mutant-kind despite the fact that I’d never heard of him before this arc.  Otherwise a fun little time travel romp with a sympathetic twist at the end

Wolverine: First Class #16: One of the better Peter David issues, though he’s set the bar pretty low on this title.  The Gurihiru art is fun, as is Kitty’s rivalry with Teresa. 

But the conclusion is really forced (and dumb).

X-Factor #45:Twists and turns galore make this one of the best X-books of the moment, with intersecting stories in two time periods, Ruby Summers, Dr. Doom, Shatterstar and an ending that makes Guido say, “Uh-kay. 

Didn’t see that coming.” 

Wolverine: Weapon X #3: A bloody romp in the jungle with Wolverine vs. a platoon of humans augmented with facsimiles of his powers from Jason Aaron, the writer of “Get Mystique” and “Manifest Destiny” and Ron Garney (who is always much better on solo titles than team books).  Thumbs up from me.

Astonishing X-Men #30: The promising beginning (mutants from another dimension with three strands of DNA) fizzles out at the end with a not-quite sane Forge, a really big laser from an outside source and no actual appearances by the other-dimensional beings.

Wildcats #12: All-out action where anything can happen in this after-the-end-of-the-world title.  Great stuff!

Wonder Woman #33: Prehistoric beasts, bravery and betrayal.  That’s how you build an exciting conclusion.

Action Comics Annual#12: The twin origins of Nightwing and Flamebird tie this book for the best of the bunch (with Captain

America

,of course).