What Comic Books Have You Read Today?

[Wandering Sensei: Moderator Man]

Report what comic books you have read today--and tell us a little something about it while you're here!

[ClarkKent_DC]

And they justified Doomsday killing him by, first, depowering him -- this was the post-Crisis Superman. Second, against Doomsday, this Superman basically wore himself out in the slugfest.

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

That was me talking about Alan Brennart, Jeff -- since he'll be doing his first comic work in a while, on the new Marvels Snapshots book that Kurt Busiek is curating. I like pretty much all of Brennert's comic work -- a few of his Batman stories, in particular, are among my all-time favorites. But I also really like his historical novel, Moloka'i, about a leper colony in Hawaii at the turn of the century. He's written a sequel to it, Daughter of Moloka'i, that I really need to get to.

[Captain Comics]

CK, you have breathed life and fire into inchoate thoughts I've had on the Sand Superman since I first read those stories. 

And yes, I did read them on the stands. As I've said elsewhere, I was a Marvel reader from the outset, but I picked up one DC title after another in a grudging fashion. I didn't get to Superman until an issue or two before the Kryptonite no more storyline began. Possibly I saw a house ad that prompted me to do so; I don't really remember.

I loved the Swan/Klein art at the time, and when O'Neil came on board I congratulated myself for having jumped on the bandwagon at just the right time. But then, to my dismay, I started reading Superman just when he stopped being Superman and became just another strong guy. What th-? And just when mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent stopped being a newspaperman! What th-?

I consoled myself with the wonderful Swan art and generous helping of Neal Adams covers, but they couldn't get rid of the Sand Superman fast enough to suit the younger Captain. And when they did, if memory serves, he took some of Superman's power with him. (I think that might have been Mopeed, though.) That alarmed the young Captain, because he knew there were a lot of other Kryptonians out there who were not de-powered, and now Superman would be no match for them. Heck, Krypto would be stronger. This did not seem very well thought out to me.

At the time I wondered what the heck O'Neil was thinking. Of course, now I know. And I agree with you, CK, that if you think Superman is too powerful to write, that's a sad admission of your limitations. Step aside and let someone else write him.

[Philip Portelli]

To me, Superman got way better the following year, 1972, starting with #247. Writers like Elloit S! Maggin, Len Wein and Cary Bates gave us more social drama, a revitalized Luthor and the surprisingly effective initial appearances of Terra-Man. 

But Denny O'Neil returned in #253 with Billy Anders and his pet lynx (?) to whom Superman would transfer some of his powers to. Which other writers promptly ignored until someone realized they had to fix it!

Also the loss of some of Superman's strength somehow necessitated a similar loss to Supergirl in Mike Sekowsky's bizarre run in Adventure Comics with issue #402 where she's slipped a potion that causes her powers to come and go.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

“That was me talking about Alan Brennart, Jeff…”

Ah. He wrote some really good stories in that collection about Earth-2. A hidden gem for me was the post-Crisis story of the Golden Age Black Canary from Secret Origins #50. That character was featured in the JLA: Incarnations mini-series, but the Brennert story reveals her ultimate fate.

The Brennert TotB volume collects all of Brennert’s DC work, even one or two non-Batman stories. In his introduction, he laments them not being about to include his one Marvel (Daredevil) story.

I’ll be reading that “Snapshots” series, too.

“Against Doomsday, this Superman basically wore himself out in the slugfest.”

It’s worth mentioning that when the Superman of the pre-Flashpoint universe encountered the Doomsday of the post--Flashpoint universe, he beat him easily.

[Wandering Sensei: Moderator Man]

This is one of my absolute, all-time favorite comic book stories. I think it may be the story where I got the low-down on the JSA for the first time, and it has so much feeling in it. It was sad without being tragic, and we got a great look at the friendship between Dinah, Ollie, and Hal. And Joe Staton art. You can't go wrong there.

Jeff of Earth-J said:

Ah. He wrote some really good stories in that collection about Earth-2. A hidden gem for me was the post-Crisis story of the Golden Age Black Canary from Secret Origins #50.

[Philip Portelli]

I found my Superman Vs SHAZAM! trade that I've been looking for since the summer! It was in a box stacked with the comics instead of with my other tpbs. I thought that it included the Captain Thunder story but it didn't. It has the tabloid team-up plus four issues of DC Comics Presents. Entertaining stuff but one does feel that they don't treat Cap as Superman's equal. 

Black Adam appears in two tales here, twice his Golden Age output!

I also found my Agents of Atlas trade and this is like a deluxe DVD set! It includes the first five issue mini, the first appearances of all six main characters, What If #9 which introduced the "1950s Avengers" and several bonus pages! Wow! 

I also dug up four modules from the DC Heroes Roleplaying Game from 1985-87 featuring the Justice League, the Legion of Super-Heroes, Infinity Inc and, more importantly, the Watchmen. Actually this would be the Crimebusters, the 1966 attempt by Captain Metropolis to unify the heroes. It features original art throughout by Dave Gibbons!

[Jeff of Earth-J]

"I thought that it included the Captain Thunder story but it didn't."

The Captain Thunder can be found reprinted in the "Greatest Stories Ever Told" collection.

[Richard Willis]

Philip Portelli said:

.....and, more importantly, the Watchmen. Actually this would be the Crimebusters, the 1966 attempt by Captain Metropolis to unify the heroes.

Without diving into the original Watchmen GN, I'm pretty sure that "Watchmen" is never used to refer to the original group or the 1966 group. It's only the story title.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

The last story in that Alan Brennert volume, one illustrated by Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez in black & white, is from Gotham Knights #10. It is a post-Crisis story of the passing of the baton from Gotham's former protector (the Alan Scott Green Lantern) to its new one (Batman), and is perhaps my favorite story in the book.

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

I picked up the Marvel event book Siege, by Brian Bendis and Oliver Copiel, from a dollar bin at the last convention I was at, and am just getting around to reading it. Two issues in, and I like it so far... a big fight between Norman Osbourne's "Avengers" team and the real ones (along with some kids Nick Fury has been training). I don't recognize a lot of these characters, or at least not the situations they're in -- it took me two issues to realize the "Ms. Marvel" character on Osbourne's side was actually Moonstone from the Thunderbolts -- but it's exciting and fun. I'm definitely glad I'm reading the issues back to back, though, rather than waiting a month between issues. 

[Wandering Sensei: Moderator Man]

I really enjoyed Siege. It was like a huge wave of good vibes after a year or more of Dark Avengers.