SUPERMAN #20 & ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #443

“DOOM IN THE HEARTLAND!”
Story & Pencils: John Byrne | Inks: Karl Kesel & Byrne
Lettering: John Costanza | Coloring: Petra Scotese
Assistant Editing: Renee Witterstaetter | Editing: Michael Carlin
Kibitzing: Paul Kupperberg

The Plot: Jonathan and Martha Kent arrive at Lana Lang’s home, where she reveals Supergirl to them in the back yard. Later, Superman arrives in Smallville and changes to Clark Kent for a picnic with Lana. But soon, he finds himself involved in a battle between the Doom Patrol and Metallo. Lana overhears a radio broadcast and decides Superman is in trouble. She reveals herself as Supergirl and takes of to go aid him.

But Superman defeats Doom Patroller Cliff “Robotman” Steele, who had been under Metallo’s thrall, and the rest of the Doom Patrol helps him to take out the villainous cyborg. Metallo explodes, and though the heroes find most of his parts, his head remains unaccounted for.

Sub-Plots & Continuity Notes: The fates of Jonathan, Martha, and Lana go unrevealed this issue; one moment they’re speaking with Supergirl, then the scene cuts away and “Lana” is actually Supergirl for the rest of the story.

In Metropolis, Maggie Sawyer meets with her medical examiner, who tells her a recently deceased man was “scared to death” while we readers are shown a voodoo doll in the foreground.

Cat Grant shows up at the Daily Planet in the morning, still dressed up from a night at a mayor’s ball, and apparently still drunk. She hits on Jimmy again, but he tries to brush her off, which sets her thinking about Clark instead.

We’re told (in a creative way) to read DOOM PATROL #10 to see the group’s fight with Metallo before Superman’s arrival. Though the issue is reprinted in the MAN OF STEEL trade paperbacks, I merely skimmed it and opted to skip covering it here. This story works well enough without it.

Milton Fine’s girlfriend, Janet, decides she’s done with him (for the third time or so at this point, I think), and storms out of the mental hospital, then promptly gets hit by a car.

Superman provides readers with a quick recap of Metallo’s history, including speculation (which is meant for us as confirmation) that it was Metallo who destroyed an Australian LexCorp lab in ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #441.

My Thoughts: The mystery of Supergirl deepens, as she does… something… with the Kents and Lana, then impersonates the latter so well that not even Superman can tell she isn’t the genuine article. Readers of the time were probably mystified as to how that was possible, but of course we’ll learn in short order that this “Supergirl” is actually a shapeshifter. More on that next time!

Otherwise, we have a few more sub-plots, including furtherance of the “What the heck’s going on with Cat?” storyline. She’s certainly let her hair down, so to speak, and is apparently reverting to the party girl persona that Marv Wolfman had previously suggested was in her rear-view mirror. She’s also been drinking a lot, which has me wondering if Byrne plans to reveal her as a recovering alcoholic who’s fallen off the wagon. But if so, why? Everything seemed to be going pretty well for her in recent issues. Hopefully we’ll find out before Byrne leaves the title in just two more issues!

Beyond the sub-plots, we’re left with a decent action story, as Superman has his rematch with the villain of issue 1, and while there’s no knock-down, drag-out directly between the two, and while Metallo has no Kryptonite to use against our hero, it’s still a fun sequence, if only for the way Superman beats Robotman — at Cliff’s suggestion, Superman simply rips his head off, since Metallo only has control over his metal body and not his human brain!

“PRISONER OF CONSCIENCE”
Written by: Jerry Ordway | Penciled by: John Statema | Inked by: Doug Hazelwood
Lettered by: Albert de Guzman | Colored by: Julianna Ferriter
Edited by: Michael Carlin | Assisted by: Renee Witterstaetter

The Plot: Clark and Jimmy travel to the Middle East in search of a journalist who was kidnapped by extremists a year before. Their adventure leads them into another universe, where Jimmy is nearly joined with an alien being before Superman saves him. Eventually, after learning the journalist they’re after is dead, the two return to our reality.

Sub-Plots & Continuity Notes: Jimmy notes that his mom doesn’t want him along on this story, but Perry insisted on sending him.

My Thoughts: For some reason, starting from the earliest post-CRISIS issues, someone decided that Superman should make regular visits to the Middle East in the pages of ADVENTURS OF SUPERMAN. This stopped when Marv Wolfman left the title and John Byrne took over writing, but this issue is guest-written by Jerry Ordway, who co-plotted all the early Qurac/Circle stuff with Wolfman. And like those earlier tales, this one is just as painfully boring. It feels like an inventory story (and maybe it was one) in the worst possible way.

On sale roughly around the same time as the above was SUPERMAN ANNUAL #2. The issue featured a lead story, "The Cadmus Project", by Roger Stern and Ron Frenz, which I've opted not to cover here (yes, I know I've covered non-Byrne material previously during this project, including an ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN ANNUAL from the prior year, but I'm opting to skip this one anyway. That said, the annual does include a backup tale by Byrne.

“PRIVATE LIVES: LOVE’S LABORS”
Written and Drawn by: John Byrne
Letterer: Bill Oakley | Colored by: Shelley Eiber
Assistant Editor: Renee Witterstaetter | Editor: Mike Carlin
“Terrible” Turpin Created by: Jack Kirby

The Plot: Dan Turpin is injured saving Maggie Sawyer’s life. She visits him regularly in the hospital, and eight weeks later he proposes to her. After learning she’s a lesbian, an embarrassed Turpin submits his resignation, but Maggie refuses it.

Sub-Plots & Continuity Notes: The story's opening scene is identified as taking place "four months ago", and thus it likely takes place prior to ACTION COMICS 600, in which Turpin was apparently aware of Maggie’s sexual orientation.

My Thoughts: Not much to say about this one, other than that it’s a cute little story about the “old-fashioned” Turpin learning Maggie’s “dark secret”. I like it.

Next Week: Princess Diana plays detective in WONDER WOMAN #20.