LEGENDS #3 & #4

“SEND FOR… THE SUICIDE SQUAD!” | “CRY HAVOC!”
Plotter: John Ostrander | Scripter: Len Wein
Penciler: John Byrne | Inker: Karl Kesel
Letterer: Steve Haynie | Colorist: Tom Ziuko | Editor: Mike Gold

The Plot: (Issue 3) On Earth, civilian aggression toward superheroes increases, while on Apokolips, Darkseid continues his conversation with the Phantom Stranger. The Flash and Changeling leave Titans’ Tower despite a presidential order for superhumans to sequester themselves. Meanwhile, Task Force X is assembled to attack Brimstone at Mount Rushmore.

While Jason Todd recuperates at Gotham Hospital, Billy Batson continues to mope over what he believes to be his role in the “death” of Macro Man. At Mount Rushmore, Brimstone kills Task Force X member Blockbuster, but his distraction allows the rest of the team to defeat the monster. On Apokolips, Darkseid prepares to release his War Hounds on Earth.

(Issue 4) In Star City, Black Canary tussles with Count Vertigo. In Gotham City, Batman ends a killing spree by the Joker. In Los Angeles, Guy Gardner stops Ms. Magnificent and her Pretty Boys from carrying out a jewelry heist. In Chicago, Blue Beetle thwarts a robbery by Chronos the Time Thief. In Salem, Massachusetts, Kent Nelson transforms into Doctor Fate and leaves his sanctum. In Washington, Rick Flag releases Deadshot and Captain Boomerang from Task Force X, and Boomerang promptly leaves. In Gotham, G. Gordon Godfrey incites a mob and requests volunteers to become Warhounds. In New York, the Flash and Changeling stop Captain Boomerang from carrying out a robbery.

And on Apokolips, Darkseid and the Phantom Strange continue to discuss the fall of the Earth’s Legends. When the subject of Superman comes up, Darkseid fires his Omega beams to Earth on a mission to transport the Man of Steel to Apokolips.

ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #424 – 425 & ACTION COMICS #585

“MAN O’ WAR!” | “GOING THE GAUNTLET”
Writer: Marv Wolfman | Artist: Jerry Ordway | Inker: Mike Machlan (#424)
Letterer: John Costanza | Colorist: Tom Ziuko | Editor: Andy Helfer

The Plot: (Issue 424) A terrorist group called the Freedom League attacks a building in Metropolis. At the Daily Planet, Clark Kent meets new hire Cat Grant, a gossip columnist. Cat tags along when Clark receives a call from someone looking for Superman. The reporters meet with Professor Emil Hamilton, who reveals a defense system he’s created, but Clark ducks out when City Hall comes under assault by the Freedom League, changes to Superman, and fights back.

(Issue 425) Professor Hamilton describes to an unseen party how Lex Luthor told him his device was LexCorp property since he partially developed it on company time with company computers. Luthor’s men stole the plans and Hamilton was unable to get the police to help. Soon after, he was approached by a company called Complicon, who financed further development of the device. Henderson perfected it, but unseen sabotage caused it to kill a man during his demonstration.

Hamilton then caught up with Superman during his fight with the Freedom League and used the device to shield Metropolis from harm, but no one noticed his contribution to the battle. Next, Hamilton called out Superman, threatening to murder a hooker unless the Man of Steel faced his “gauntlet” within the confines of his device’s force field. Superman beat the gauntlet, saved the girl, and Hamilton went to prison, where we learn he’s been telling his story to an inattentive guard.

ACTION COMICS #584 & SUPERMAN #2

“SQUATTER!”
Storyteller: John Byrne | Embellisher: Dick Giordano
Colorist: Tom Ziuko | Letterer: John Costanza | Editor: Andrew Helfer

The Plot: Superman goes on a rampage, drawing the attention of Cyborg from the Teen Titans. Superman defeats Cyborg easily, but Wonder Girl and Changeling soon arrive to back him up, followed shortly thereafter by Jericho. Jericho seizes control of Superman’s mind as a man with crutches arrives to reveal that he is the real Superman.

Superman explains that he was tricked by a man named David Gundersen, who switched their bodies with a machine he had built. The same machine swaps them back to normal, and Superman lectures Gundersen on his behavior.

Sub-Plots & Continuity Notes: The story takes place in a location referred to in dialogue as “…the largest city in the nation,” “renowned in song and fable,” etc., etc. The city is never referred to by name. Knowing the Titans reside in New York makes me assume this is it, though I’m unsure why Byrne is playing coy.

Cyborg notes that he’s met Superman a couple of times, supporting SUPERMAN #1’s idea that the Man of Steel has had run-ins with heroes other than Batman since his debut.

Wonder Girl somehow exists. (I’ll have more to say about this when we cover LEGENDS in a couple weeks.)

Lex Luthor wonders how Clark Kent seems to get all the exclusive Superman stories, and decides there must be a connection between the two.

SUPERMAN #1

“HEART OF STONE”
Story & Pencils: John Byrne | Guest Inker: Terry Austin
Letterer: John Costanza | Colorist: Tom Ziuko | Editor: Andrew Helfer

The Plot: Superman has tracked his missing rocket ship to an isolated lab occupied by only a corpse and a great deal of data on the Man of Steel. He removes the lab from Earth, storing it at the Lagrange Point in space for later study, then returns to Metropolis to change into Clark Kent for a jog with Lois Lane. But their run is interrupted by the villainous Metallo, robbing a bank to get Superman’s attention. Metallo introduces Superman to Kryptonite, but before he can finish off his enemy, he’s grabbed from above by a large black shape, leaving a confused Superman behind.

Sub-Plots & Continuity Notes: Superman notes that he’s been searching for the rocket since he discovered it missing three months earlier, meaning that much time has passed since THE MAN OF STEEL concluded.

Our hero also says that his search for the rocket has been interrupted by “various and sundry super-villains,” though none are named explicitly. While this doesn’t outright contradict anything in THE MAN OF STEEL, it does make the reader feel as if they missed something, since up to now the only super-powered creature we’ve seen our hero up against was Bizarro.

As he explores the lab, Superman also reflects on his alien heritage and notes that aliens are nothing new on Earth, citing Hawkman and Green Lantern’s power ring both as being of extraterrestrial origin. Again, while not going against THE MAN OF STEEL, this doesn’t fit the feel of that prior series’ narrative, which really seemed to imply that Batman was the only other hero Superman had met up to this point.

BATMAN BY MIKE W. BARR & ALAN DAVIS: DETECTIVE COMICS # 569, 570, 571

"CATCH AS CATSCAN" | "THE LAST LAUGH" | "FEAR FOR SALE"

Writer: Mike W. Barr | Penciler: Alan Davis | Inker: Paul Neary

Colorist: Adrienne Roy | Letterer: John Workman | Editor: Denny O'Neil

Mike W. Barr and Alan Davis have a slightly peculiar run on DETECTIVE COMICS. Their issues begin after CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, in the rebooted world of "Batman: Year One" and other such stories. They are telling tales featuring the Batman teamed with post-Crisis Jason Todd, the angry brat who would eventually perish by the Joker's hand.

And yet, no one seemed to tell them this. These stories might as well be set in the pre-Crisis universe. Indeed, they draw upon pre-Crisis continuity, such as the fact that Catwoman is reformed and aware of Batman's secret identity. Robin here has not become the unlikable character who would eventually be killed off -- he is very much like the classic Dick Grayson Robin, in fact.