Adventures of Superman #487

Celebrate a Metropolis Christmas with many members of the Superman Family. 

This issue is written by Jerry Ordway (The Power of Shazam!), whom I consider the definitive Superman writer. He's a fantastic Superman artist too as you might be able to tell from this hilarious cover. Ordway peppers in a slew of characters as we witness Christmas from the eyes of Superman's #1 fan, Bibbo. 

For a non-religious issue, this story captures the meaning of Christmas very well: it's better to give than to receive. Bibbo and his Suicide Slum friends want to make it a merry Christmas for some orphans. Clark and Lois want to help a down on his luck Jimmy Olsen, who recently lost his job at the Daily Planet. And there's a lot of love to go around.

While there are a ton of characters in the book, this isn't a Who's Who of characters. Lex Luthor, Ma and Pa Kent, Perry White and any and all from the Justice League are absent from this story. I guess they all made travel plans to parts unknown. Still, this was a very heartwarming story.

Way to go Ordway!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

DC's Nuclear Winter Special #1

I've read my share of holiday specials. Okay, I've read a lot of people's share of holiday specials. I must say that 2018's DC's Nuclear Winter Special has got to be one of the most unusual ones that I have ever come across. 

10 stories of the holidays! Each set during times of future calamity by artists and writers such as Paul Dini, Jerry Ordway, Steve Orlando and many, many more. 

I'm not really sure why DC decided to go the dismal route. I've seen quite a few opinions from loyal DC Comics fans online. A majority felt that this was a sort of nose-thumbing to our current presidential administration. Every story does end with hope of a better tomorrow, so possibly DC is trying really hard to say that things might look bad now, but even in the face of a nuclear war or zombie apocalypse or Great Disaster, things can get better. Still, things just weren't quite right with this one-shot.

The 80-page giant begins with Rip Hunter in the future. With his time sphere out of juice, he must fend off a trio of angry techno-barbarians from making him their futuristic Christmas dinner. To buy himself some time, Rip tells the group a slew of stories about other superheroes as they bring a new meaning to 'surviving the holidays.'

My favorite stories include Supergirl, now a woman, trying to save the life of an orphaned girl. Aquaman is tasked by scientists to enter a dead spot in the ocean in hopes of finding a cure for the deadly radiation of a nuclear attack. Firestorm spends Christmas Eve with the Nuclear Family. Plus the Damian Wayne Batman faces ghosts of Christmas past when he is ultimately confronted by grandpa Ra's al Ghul.

Of course, you can't have an apocalyptic holiday special without the Jack Kirby character of Kamandi. His tale is set during Hanukkah and feels like a set-up to a new Last Boy on Earth series.

There's also some fairly decent stories involving Green Arrow and Black Canary as grandparents to a new generation of Justice Leaguers, The Flash stuck in the Speed Force, and others starring Catwoman and J'onn J'onzz.

There's not really a bad story in the bunch. It's just that this year's holiday special wasn't very cheery at all. I hope 2019's edition is much better at this. Nothing says you can't do a holiday special featuring the animated universe. I would pay $13 for a 100-pager featuring the Super Friends, the Max Fleischer Superman, Batman: TAS and The Brave and the Bold and the original Teen Titans Go!

Now let's talk about what was bad- the cover. No, I am not talking about the image of Wonder Woman carrying the corpse of a dead kangaroo. That part of the cover did annoy a lot of fans who claim that Diana was a) a vegetarian and b) an animal lover. I say if in a nuclear winter if food is scarce and you have hungry friends, you change your beliefs a little to save the day. 

No, my issue was with the fact that Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn are both on the cover but neither have stories inside the book. DC is big on the Old Lady Harley storyline that takes place in the dismal future. Having a Christmas yarn set during that era would have been an appropriate tie-in to that miniseries. Just as long as you did not make that story be one in which you had to buy the next issue of Old Lady Harley to get the conclusion to the holiday tale, I would be on board with it's inclusion here. The same goes for Wonder Woman. She could have had a place in the book other that being relegated to cover page eye candy.

A good read that promises treats but inside gives coal to fans of Harley and Diana Prince. Great artwork and very good stories. However, it's not as joyful as holiday specials past. DC's Nuclear Winter Special is the sort of thing that would bum out Whoville. Better luck next time, DC and please consider doing an animated series holiday special for 2019!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Superman: The Earth Stealers

Set right in the middle of John Bryne's amazing run on Superman, this one-shot has the Man of Steel fighting for Truth, Justice and the Earthling-Way! 

Someone has stolen the earth from it's orbit. This mysterious entity is towing the former third rock from the sun to a giant processing plant in the farthest reaches of the galaxy. There, the earth will be stripped down for it's raw materials and the people of earth will be used as fuel for the planet killer's refineries. 

In order to save the earth, Superman agrees to a test of strength. However, his foes are also massive cheats as they've weakened the Man of Tomorrow by using red-sun lights as well as Superman's friends as bargaining chips.

The John Byrne era of Superman is like a fine wine. It's gotten better with age. In fact, most modern Superman fans agree that this is one of the best, if not the best, Superman runs. Byrne was obliviously a fan of Superman and it shows in stories such as this one. 

I don't think the post-Crisis Superman had ever been through such a test as The Earth Stealers. This one-shot really seals the deal with this rebooted Superman being an untapped resource of raw-energy. I remember fans being upset that Bryne made Superman not as strong as he was before the events of Crisis. But stories such as this showed that Superman wasn't a wimp but hero maturing in his powers. As a kid, I hated seeing Superman struggle. As an adult, I love watching Kal-El grow from Clark Kent into the Last Man from Krypton. 

An almost forgotten Superman classic from the 80s. Features a fantastic story from John Byrne, amazing art from master Superman artists Curt Swan and Jerry Ordway. This can be a dollar bin gem. You just have to look for it!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

America's Best Comics Primer

I didn't need much of a reason to be convinced of the quality in Alan Moore's America's Best Comics imprint. But to find this collection of first issues for only $3 was a deal I could not pass up. 

I had read about half of the issues contained within at one point of another. But I didn't own them and they were so very good that I did not mind reading them at all. In fact, I am glad I did because I am now wanting to give Promethea another try. Plus, I have a near complete wish list in which I can look for the remainder of the other titles still in need of my consumption!

Alan Moore might be a rather odd fellow in person. But I am a big fan of a lot of his work. His Swamp Thing tenure was amazing. Top 10 is probably in my top ten indy titles of all-time. And Moore's Vigilante stories and the Superman epic 'For The Man Who Has Everything' are probably some of my favorite one-shot tales ever!

The ABC books are not that hard to find. But it's not the easiest of stuff to locate either. So when I can get my hands on something from that 1999-roughly 2008 line, I snatch it up without hesitation. I know that the stories from Moore are going to be excellent. Plus with a line-up of talented artists like Arthur Adams, Jerry Ordway, Yanick Paquette and Gene Ha, I know that I am in for a visual treat!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

(Note: This book is also listed as the America's Best Comics Sampler.)

Top 10: Beyond the Farthest Precinct

Neopolis- that super-city refuge for superheroes, villains and those with special powers and abilities. 

Precinct 10- home of the finest police force in all of Neopolis. 

Top 10 is back in this new series from Di Filippo and Jerry Ordway (Superman.) Taking the reigns from the legendary Alan Moore (Watchmen) and the superb Gene Ha (Batman: Fortunate Son) is no small feat. But this duo gets the job done in a mighty way. 

Neopolis is besieged with a terrifying vision of a grim reaper like entity. As the Top 10 investigate, the mystery deepens with a new drug for robots is hitting the streets and Precinct 10 undergoes a change in leadership. The team had better act fast to tie all the loose threads together as the mass hysteria behind these terrible visions is spreading fast!

This story may not have been 100% as good as the Alan Moore run. But it was quite entertaining and it was great catching back up with so many unforgettable characters. 

This is a book that you may want to re-read at least once. Almost every panel is filled with Easter Eggs, cameos, and inside jokes. Ordway crafted it so that you would find something new with every read. He is a master!

A really fun read with an intriguing array of plot twists and multiple story lines. This would make a great Netflix series! 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

The Power of Shazam

This beautiful 1994 graphic novel written and painted by Jerry Ordway helped usher the true Captain Marvel into the 1990s. 

When the parents of Bill Batson uncover a lost tomb in Egypt, they are betrayed by their expedition partner. Using a sacred scarab artifact, this man turns into Black Adam! But as the scarab is incomplete, Black Adam's power is only at 50 percent! 

Meanwhile back in the United States, Billy is forced to survive on the means streets of Fawcett City, living off what meager earnings he makes from selling newspapers. One night, a mysterious man takes Billy into the Fawcett City subways and introduces him to the wizard Shazam! Now blessed with a score of super powers, it is up to Billy's new alter-ego Captain Marvel to prevent Black Adam from finding the second piece of the scarab and bring his parent's killer to justice.

There was a couple of plot holes in this story. But overall it was a great adventure. Visually stunning, I haven't seen such masterful paintings in comics since Alex Ross' MARVELS. I loved how Ordway stylizes Black Adam to look like Universal Monsters icon Boris Karloff!

The funny thing about this book was I didn't know it even existed until one day I saw an ad for the book in the back of an old DC issue of something from the 1990s. Then a couple of days later I found this book at a thrift store for cheap and I knew that this was an omen of good tidings! I am glad I listen because I really enjoyed this book.

This graphic novel spun off a 47 issue series in which Ordway and later Dick Giordano continued the adventures of the Big Red Cheese! Having really hated that this book ended so quickly, I've now got The Power of Shazam on my wish list!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

(Note: The Power of Shazam had a 48th issue. However, it was a one issue continuation brought about a year after cancellation by the Blackest Night event in 2010. Ordway only did the cover, so I did not include it in my review as that issue should really have been a one shot special.)

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman

First of all, I love this book. The stories are great. The art is classic 80s/90s. I love the writing and there’s not a weak story in the bunch. I very much consider this book worth consuming, but there is a catch. This isn’t a collection of comics about the 90s TV show Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. It’s a collection of post-Crisis tales that inspired the show. Even though the back cover explains this, the front is devoid of this info, thus, I felt like it’s false advertising.

With Superman being added to the CW's Supergirl, I'm really digging the Man of Steel in a major way that's been missing with the Zack Synder movies. I didn't hate them, but having Superman be more of a god among men than a super-powered alien just isn't my style of Superman. Plus, having Dean Cain as Supergirl's adopted father, I've been nostalgic for Lois & Clark. Corny as it may have been, it was a cool show.

If I had all the stories contained in this volume, it would mean I spent money on books I already had. Adding to the problem is that the book doesn’t have an index to let you know what issues are collected within. So, if you have an extensive late 80s Superman collection, this may not be the collection for you if you are looking for never before collecting material. Buyer Beware- but keep in mind I am a big fan of John Byrne, Jerry Ordway, and Dan Jurgens and think the material within is top notch.

However, the cover sucks rocks. Kidding! I actually miss Teri's Lois Lane too!

Worth Consuming

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.