skjam: Man in blue suit and fedora, wearing an eyeless mask emblazoned with the scales of justice (Default)
skjam ([personal profile] skjam) wrote in [community profile] scans_daily2011-08-29 09:53 pm

Re-Week: Action Comics #687

It's time for another Re-Week post (looking forward to seeing everyone else's!)

This time we look at Re-ign of the Supermen and the re-turn of...well, you'll see.



7 & 1/3 pages of 22.



Okay, so back in 1993, DC Comics killed off Superman. Huge event, made all the papers. But of course everyone knew perfectly well that there was no way in the multiverse that Superman was going to *stay* dead. So the next big plotline in the Superman-related comics was dedicated to just how exactly Superman was going to come back. Or was he?

It's Tuesday, and some researchers in Antarctica as observing an unusually intense aurora australias and out of season lightning storm. This is the most interesting weather they've had in ten years. It might be the hole in the ozone layer, but the region it's centered in is known for unusual electromagnetic phenomena already.

In the Fortress of Solitude, the Kryptonese robots are using an energy globe to regather the essence of a fallen being. They've only gathered 98% of this essence, but it gives decent odds of recorporation.

In side the globe, a vaguely humanoid energy being snaps into self-awareness. Its memories are vague, but it recalls a battle and needs to get ourside.



The figure is immaterial, but can affect energy-run gadgets, like the monitor Professor Hamilton modified to record satellite transmissions. The playback gives a quick recap of the whole Doomsday event, and Superman's death. The figure is upset by this, then realizes the true power of Superman must still be in the body.

At Centennial Park, 4:27 AM, the crowds around the Superman Memorial have thinned down to a cop, a religious fellow, and a homeless woman. The cop is called away by crime, the religious fellow wraps up his prayer, and the homeless woman is so pleased to be borrowing one of the pretty flowers mourners left behind that she doesn't notice the glowing energy being.



The figure is now solid and has blue-black hair. It takes the cape, then discovers a secret passage outside the tomb. The passage is lit, and the figure is gravely concerned when that light hurts its eyes. After all, "I have stared into the sun!" It decides to head back to the Fortress to investigate.

Meanwhile, Bibbo is talking to Superman up in Heaven. He's still haunted by his failure to restart Superman's heart. As he opens a box of Superman merchandise, Bibbo recalls how his favorite superhero decided to give all the money from it to charity. Violent crime and clinical depression are rising in Metropolis, and no matter how hard Supergirl and Gangbuster try, it doesn't seem to be enough.



You go, Bibbo.

The mysterious figure praises Krypton and the House of El. Despite his newfound inability to absorb solar radiation, the Fortress' regeneration matrix keeps him powered up. He's found a visor to protect his no longer supernormal eyes, Instead of heat vision, he now has energy blasts, and can thankfully still fly. He needs to be a bit more careful exactly what he's blasting though; damaged the Fortress.

The news from Metropolis is grim. Violent crime, suicide, out of control fires, nutty cultists worshiping Superman's corpse... If only Superman would return!



Back in Metropolis, a ski-masked thug is assaulting a woman, and apparently about to rape her. Superman bursts in through the wall, and proves to be immune to bullets.



"I mean, it's not like there's going to be this huge event where anyone who's died in the DC Universe comes back as a superpowered zombie, right?"

A carjacker gets third-degree burns and several broken bones. A boat smuggling heroin is sunk with all hands. A cat burglar gets off lucky with just being tied to a seventh-story flagpole.

And Superman's body is missing! Could it be that the more violent and judgemental Superman we're seeing is the real resurrected deal? Lex Luthor, Jr. (secretly Lex Luthor Sr. in a cloned body) sure wants to know. Especially as his spy cameras have a twenty-four hour blank space where the robbing of Superman's tomb should be. Supergirl (Matrix) storms into the office despite the best efforts of Lexcorp guards.



A plane is about to crash, but Superman is able to bring it down gently. Less gentle is his assessment of the pilot--"He cannot be revived." People surround Superman looking for answers, but only Lois Lane gets flown away with.




In hindsight, of course, we know this is actually the Eradicator, a Kryptonian artificial intelligence who grows into something closer to a genuine hero.

And a special treat, the poster that came with the issue:





Your thoughts and comments?
dasnordlicht91: (Default)

For the record....

[personal profile] dasnordlicht91 2011-08-30 03:10 am (UTC)(link)
those shades make the Eradicator look positively 90s. But, then again, this is the story-arc that had Superboy wearing an equally 90s-tastic leather coat and sunglasses, so, erm, yeah.

(Oh, and hi.)
aaron_bourque: default (Default)

Re: For the record....

[personal profile] aaron_bourque 2011-08-30 04:13 am (UTC)(link)
Well, it was from the 90s.
fifthie: tastes the best (Default)

Re: For the record....

[personal profile] fifthie 2011-08-30 08:35 pm (UTC)(link)
I've always thought the four supermen were meant to be parodying the 90s, just like... in a really staid, Superman Comicsy kind of way where they then treated it all totally seriously, because going around PARODYING things is just NOT the way we DO THINGS, here at D. Detective C. Comics Comics-book Company, A Division of Time Warner Enterprises Entertainment Conglomerated, Inc.
naebler: (Default)

Re: For the record....

[personal profile] naebler 2011-08-30 04:54 am (UTC)(link)
Save the cape I actually liked this costume the black and blue.

As for 90s superboy... get rid of the fade and the belt the costume wouldn't be that bad.
fifthie: tastes the best (Default)

Re: For the record....

[personal profile] fifthie 2011-08-30 08:37 pm (UTC)(link)
Like basically if you take Superboy's first costume, and then, turn it into Superboy's second costume, you have pretty much the (almost) perfect Superboy costume. (the yellow bands and finger gloves were still kind of dopey)

Then they went all tshirtandjeans about it and ehhh
lieut_kettch: (casssexxy)

Re: For the record....

[personal profile] lieut_kettch 2011-08-30 10:31 am (UTC)(link)
Don't forget the buzzcut. On second thought forget the buzzcut. I know I've tried to.