DC Comics Presents #80 (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

With over a hundred members to have been active with the Legion of Super-Heroes at one time or another, if you could select a team of 5, who would you select? Logic might dictate picking the original big 3- Cosmic Boy, Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad. You'd also want to add Superboy to the mix. However, for the sake of this time travel team-up involving Superman, let's omit both him and his cousin Supergirl. #4 needs to be have some brain power. Who better than Brainiac 5 to fill that slot. That still leaves a 5th Legionnaire to choose. Do you go with the rotund Bouncing Boy? The ravenous Matter Eater Lad? How about the heavenly Dawnstar or the master of Martial Arts, the Karate Kid?

If you're the creative team for DC Comics Presents #80, you go totally rogue and select members that only the staunchest of Legionnaire fans might know. Paul Kupperberg and Curt Swan join forces to pit Ultra Boy, Chameleon Boy, Shrinking Violent, Phantom Girl and Element Lad against a legion of Superman robots!

Returning from a mission, this handful of Legionnaires emerge from a stargate straight into the void of space! Thanks to some quick work by Element Lad, the heroes survive the lack of oxygen. The planet Earth of the year 3000 is gone. In it's place is a floating replica of Metropolis circa 1985. The Legionnaires arrive on the planetoid to find it filled with countless androids of steel intent on destroying the heroes! 

We soon learn that the Legionnaires are stuck in a pocket dimension of the newly upgraded Brainiac. Recent events have resulted in the robot villain needing to run computations before he goes back up against the Master Programmer and his angel of death (Superman). Brainiac has pulled the Legionnaires from the timeline into his simulation in order to perfect it when the time comes to confront Superman. However, the cries of these futuristic heroes actually cross dimensions, bringing the true Man of Steel to the rescue. Only, the Legionnaires think he's another Superman robot!

The oddball selection of heroes is a tale-tell sign that this is a Paul Kupperberg story. Over his long career, Kupperberg has had a devotion to the lesser tiered characters of the DC Universe. We're talking C-listers and lower and yet the fans love it. 

As for knowing this is a Curt Swan penciled work, there are ways you can tell. All of the male humanoid characters have that slightly puffy forehead indicating a receding hairline. Superman looks less muscular and more beefy, like that of actor George Reeves. Plus, when the Man of Tomorrow flies straight ahead, Swan typically poses Superman with his arms spread far apart and his legs separated in a V shape. Only Superman isn't keeping up appearances using a glider like he does on the cover of Superman #229.

An interesting read that requires reading of several issues of Action Comics, #544-546, in order to truly understand the background behind Brainiac's intentions. It's one of the more unlikely line-ups of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Yet, based on the situations Paul Kupperberg puts the heroes into, it actually works.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #48 (A Team-Up) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Super Powers Which Way Book #2: Supergirl, The Girl of Steel

Growing up, I loved those Choose Your Own Adventure books. Being given the chance to be your own director and guide was such a novel idea that I fell in love with. It's a genre of book, that if I find a comic or graphic novel that follows the Choose Your Own Adventure format, I will read it and review it.

I'm also a member of a Facebook group devoted to Kenner's Super Powers lineup. It's where I discovered the existence of this book. From 1984, this novel dropped during an important time for the Maid of Might. Supergirl was set to take the world by storm with a live action film starring Helen Slater. Unknown to fans, the existence of Supergirl in the DC Universe hindered on the success of the film. Unfortunately, it was a flop. Thus, the axe fell on Superman's cousin, resulting in her death in Crisis on Infinite Earths #7. Also on the chopping block was Kara Zor-El's inclusion in the Super Powers toy line.

This interactive novel debuted a year after book #1 starring the Man of Steel did. A Wonder Woman and a Darkseid heavy Justice League volume were both slated to join the lineup. Later in the year, fans got to control the JLA's fate against the New God despot. Batman was given the CYOA treatment in 1986. Ultimately, Wonder Woman's adventure never came about.

With this Supergirl time, there are essentially 4 main story lines that readers can explore:

Direction A: Resist or assist Mr. Mxyzptlk in a 5th dimension contest of strength.

Direction B: Research the days of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table for a school project by going back in time.

Direction C: Save Superman from the clutches of Brainiac.

Direction D: Escape From the Land of Oz after being transported into the pages of L. Frank Baum's masterpiece due to a mad scientist!

There's also a minor 5th plotline where Supergirl remains in her secret identity of Linda Danvers and helps a classmate struggling with math.

One peeve I had with 'select your fate' books would be if you made a wrong turn and the story ends after literally only making 3 or 4 choices. This time around, I made sure that I would explore as many story lines as possible. The cover to this book informs you of the 4 main paths to take Supergirl. You'll have to dig to find that secret identity plot and there could be more. I dug deep. But maybe I didn't hit the absolute bottom line of material available.

I liked that Supergirl battles traditional villains such as Brainiac and Mxyzptlk. I'm torn over the inclusion of Superman. He's only in 1 plotline. Yes, I'm more than aware how much the Kryptonian cousins fared in each other's titles. But did Supergirl guest in Superman's book? Or did writer Andrew Helfer or this book's editor lose faith that the Girl of Steel could lead the book on her own?

I enjoyed the heck out of this book. Now I've got to figure out a way to display it in my office because this is going into my Supergirl collection!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Super Powers #5

The first Super Powers miniseries comes to a close with a double sized spectacular not just plotted by written and illustrated by the King, Jack Kirby!

First, the Justice League find themselves along with their biggest foes attached to a gigantic machine designed to sap their powers in order to fuel Darkseid's war machine. Then a forgotten New God frees both the heroes and villains, placing them in Brainiac's vessel in a final counterattack against Darkseid's forces. Add in a time warp or two. A look at the Metropolis of the year 10,000. Boom! You've got one heck of a great finale to a story that was really having a rough start.

My favorite part was having Lex Luthor, Brainiac, Joker and Penguin becoming good guys. I love how it's okay if they try to take over the world. But if someone else from another galaxy tries to do it then it's game on for becoming a hero. To see Batman and the Joker not just working together, but complementing each other- AS FRIENDS! It's just bizarre. Something that I've never seen before. 

I Love it!

Actually, I have kinda seen it before. In the final episode of Justice League Unlimited, the Justice League combines forces with the members of the Secret Society of Super-Villains to repel the onslaught of Darkseid and Apokolips. I thought that episode was great, especially with the ending where after defeating Darkseid, Batman rewards the baddies for their heroic efforts with a 5 minute head start before the Justice League apprehends them. That doesn't quite happen here. But thanks to Kirby's deft touch, the last couple of pages were things of beauty.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Super Powers #3

Brainiac finally arrives on Earth to enact his plan of global dominance thanks to those new powers he's been given by Darkseid's disciples. Wonder Woman has become leader of the Amazonian army, driven blood thirsty thanks to Brainiac's de-evolution ray and the women warriors have begun an invasion of Earth. The plan looks to be working. That is until the combined forces of the remaining active members of the Justice League arrive on the scene. 

But wasn't Batman, Robin, Hawkman and Superman imprisoned into an endless limbo conjured by the Joker? Well, yes- they were. However, the woman Superman thought to be Lois Lane was actually the Joker's new therapist in disguise. With seemingly endless time on her hands, the doctor has managed to do something nobody thought possible: she's cured the Clown Prince of Crime! Unable to deal with the prospect of being in his right mind, the Joker ends the torture and banishment of the heroes, thus granted them a chance to defeat Wonder Woman's forces. 

This was definitely a predicament I didn't see coming. It can only come from the mind of Jack Kirby who never was afraid to play around with conventional norms. I could just see someone like Julius Schwartz or Dick Giordano telling the King that he couldn't make the Joker sane and Kirby's response was 'Just you watch me!' I'm not sure where the next issue is going to wrap things up. I remember owning and trying to read them as a 7 year old kid, this Super Powers miniseries. Kirby's work has always been high school level work and I remember just not enjoying it as much as I thought I should. But now as a middle-aged adult who has come to appreciate Kirby's genius, I've been enjoying giving this book a second try. I don't remember a lot of what I've been reading and despite some uneven plotting, I've thought the art and most of the plot have been quite good. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Super Powers #1 (2024 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

While Jack Kirby created a sizable chunk of the mythos of the comic book industry, he was not very well compensated for it. Some of that was because of how poorly comic book creators were paid for their work. That was the result of being employed in a young industry that didn't have copyright protections yet built in for its workers. A bit was due to poor business arrangements made by Kirby himself, as he was constantly trying to provide for his wife and children. Getting fast bored on his projects didn't help matters for Kirby much either. Sadly, a large portion was because others publicly proclaimed themselves the sole creative genius behind the characters that were like childhood friends to comic book collectors such as myself. 

1984's Super Powers Collection was one of the few times in Jack Kirby's illustrative career that he received both royalties and long overdue credit for some of his DC Comics creations. While the original team of villains were Brainiac, Lex Luthor, The Penguin and The Joker, both DC and toy manufacturer Kenner sought to add some heft to the toy line. However, the majority of Generation X kids weren't very familiar with Darkseid and his Apokolips cronies. Aside from a 1982 story arc starring the Legion of Super-Heroes, Darkseid hadn't really made that many appearances in comics since Kirby left DC in 1975.

Needing to get kids introduced to the New Gods characters, DC Comics released the first of 3 mini series devoted to the Super Powers Collection toy line produced by Kenner. In the first issue, Darkseid oversees a battle royale of his best foot soldiers. The quartet that remains are dubbed on the cover of this issue as 'The Disciples of Doom.' These fighters are given portions of the leader of Apokolips' power and ordered to invade Earth. 

To claim Earth in the name of Darkseid will not be an easy task as a band of super heroes led by Superman and Batman protects the planet from threats both terrain and extraterrestrial. Each newly empowered warrior selects an arch enemy of the Justice League to carry out their invasion orders. Lex Luthor is given the power to manipulate time. The Penguin gets the ability to control birds and to control minds; whereas the Joker is allowed to alter reality in his own warped image. The fourth villain bestowed new abilities is Brainiac. He is tempted with the chance to devolve a population into their most bestial selves in hopes that they might conquer the world through brutal force. However, the android baddie is in another solar system and cannot enact his part of Darkseid's plan until he re-enters Earth's atmosphere.

The first wave of Super Powers had 12 action figures total. 11 of those characters have active parts in the first issue. Wonder Woman is shown as part of Brainiac's plan to conquer Earth, as the race selected for the robot's experiment are the Amazons of Paradise Island. Other than a single page of hypothetical, the Themysciran Princess is notably absent from this issue.

Jack Kirby penciled the cover and crafted the plot which Joey Cavalieri scripted. Adrian Gonzales' pencils were inked by Pablo Marcos. Ben Oda lettered. 

Essentially a 24-page promotional comic for the Kenner line, the inside cover features a full color ad of the original 12 figure line-up with an action shot of a Superman action figure punching the lights out of an illustrated Lex Luthor in his iconic green and purple armor. 

Completing this review completes Task #27 (Based on a Toy Line) of the 2024 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Super Powers Mini-Comic Collection, Volume 1 (Family Comic Friday)

I'm not one for buying bootleg material. If there's a legitimate version of something, I will buy that version and not the knock-off. If I have to wait to buy it used or at a steep discount to save money, I'll do it. But if the original owners go out of business or just never cash in on the copyright (I'm looking at you George Lucas with the Star Wars Holiday Special), then if something is fan made, then I have no ethical qualms buying it. That's the case with the book I am reviewing today... 

One of my most beloved memories of my mom is her taking me to K-Mart just to find the new Super Powers action figures. The store only had Robin and Aquaman. But oh what a start! To my absolute delight, both figures came with a 16-page mini comic! A toy AND something to read??? Yes on both!

Years have passed and the quest of finding the 12 minis that came with the original line and the 11 of Series II has been on my to-do list for decades. I've never come across any in person unless I plopped out $50 to $100 on one of the figures mint on card. While online shopping, I've seen the minis for sale just by themselves. But it's not worth a $20-35 dollar per mini comic price tag. Needless to say, DC has never stopped to take the time and collect these in some sort of collection.

About 2 months ago, while on Facebook, the metaverse itself made a suggestion of joining a group of like-minded Super Powers fans. A fan of the art of Jose Luis-Garcia Lopez and Dick Giordano, who did much of the packaging and figure design, I've enjoyed joining this digital time capsule of Kenner/DC. Recently, one intrepid member asked if the minis had ever been collected to which someone responded that they thought there was something 'fan made'. 

Well, the prospect of such a volume peaked my interest and I went to etsy and later eBay to which I found this book. Published by Trident Studios, this pocket-sized collection is a beaut! All of the books come from the publisher's personal collection of minis collected when they were a child. They did an amazing job keeping the books in great shape. Only 1 page looked smudgy. (Doing some quick math. 12 books times 16 pages... roughly 192 pages. I'll take it!)

The likes of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman take on the dastardly quartet of Lex Luthor, Brainiac, The Penguin and The Joker in a dozen stories. Just who were the authors and illustrators of these minis have become the subject of much debate as DC and Kenner didn't give any sort of credit to the art team behind these comics. The stories are a little clunky as it's hard to tell a full-fledged story on a sheet of paper roughly 2.8" x 4.25". But the art is of that unparalleled 80s era DC style! 

As I mentioned, the mini comics really were minis. However, these books are slightly larger (about 20%) than the original. Thus is due minimum requirements of the printing and binding. Whether this determination was made by Trident Studios or publishing contractor is unclear. I was afraid that the books were going to be massively large thus hurting the visual quality of the originals. But the slight increase does nothing to hurt the eye appeal!

It's always great when the older generation gets chance to share their toys with the next. It's even better when you get to share your books! Up till now it has been darn near impossible and totally expensive to share the Super Powers mini comics from the 80s with the children of the 2000s. But now grandparents, guardians and parents have a chance with this vibrant collection from Trident Studios!

A second volume featuring the Wave II collection of mini comics is also available. Check etsy and eBay for your copies!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Justice League: No Justice

In defeating Barbatos and his Dark Multiverse minions, The Justice League broke the Source Wall. Now whatever the wall was trying to keep out of our universe is invading. First through the wall are four Titans that feed on the energies of Mystery, Wisdom, Wonder and Entropy. The first target of these ancients menaces is Brainiac's home world of Colu. 

Seeking assistance to prevent his world's destruction, Brainiac forms four teams of heroes and villains. To ensure that all will work together, the Superman foe has planted beacons that will make their worlds the next target of the Titans of old. Should these teams fail and Colu is destroyed, Earth designated next on the menu.

When I first read the teaser for this miniseries in the pages of DC Nation #0, I was extremely confused. Why do aliens such as Sinestro, Lobo and Starro even care to save Colu or Earth. Why is Harley Quinn on Team Wisdom? How did the Source Wall get damaged? 

That last one was my fault as I hadn't read Dark Nights: Metal yet. But once I did, that aspect of my confusion was cleared. But I still did not understand why Superman would be on Team Mystery and not Batman. Heck, a lot of things that happened in DC Comics in the last half of 2018 didn't make any sense to me. 

Why is Wonder Woman teaming with Justice League Dark? Why is hypertime dying? And what's with this team of heroes such as Cyborg and Starfire teaming with Darkseid in space? All of these questions are answered thanks to the events of this limited series. There's actually quite a few more surprises, but to expound any further would ruin a bunch of spoilers for fans excited for DC 2019. All I will say is this possible hint: The clock is rushing to midnight.

For a lot of fans, the second act of Metal was the best storyline of 2018 for DC Comics. Yet to me, No Justice is the defining storyline of all 2018 comicdom! While I did feel that a couple of characters contributed absolutely nothing to the storyline, I was in awe of the ubiquitous nature of this book. Plus it was incredibly refreshing to have a CRISIS type story be played out in so few issues and with relatively so few players (for this type of DC tale.)

Featuring an all-star cast of writers and artists including Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Marcus To, and Francis Manapul. This collection of the Justice League: No Justice storyline was jammed packed to the gills with the very best the Distinguished Competitor has to offer!

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost #3

 Kid Flash has finally figured out that the reason Brainiac has conquered the year 3001 is that someone changed the timeline and de-powered his grandfather Barry Allen. In order to give the Flash a much needed boost of the Speed Force, Kid Flash races through time, robbing history's other speedsters of their abilities. 

   This is timeline changing stuff. The only chapter of Flashpoint is issue #5. But you must read this issue in order to know what's going on. Trust me on this- you won't regret it!

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Flashpoint: Kid Flash Lost #2

Kid Flash and Hot Pursuit enact a plan to free themselves from Brainiac's twisted version of the year 3001 and restore the timeline. But how can you beat a foe that operates faster than the speed of thought? The answer is easy… run faster!

   Quick paced adventure that doesn't let up.

   Worth Consuming

    Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Adventures of Supergirl #2

   In this issue, Kara Danvers' co-worker and BFF Winn is arrested at Catco for doxxing; the illicit release of personal data. Once arrested, more incriminating charges are leveled against Winn, including a terrorist bombing in Virginia. Smelling a rat, Supergirl takes matters into her own hands and springs her friend from police custody. 

   Now fugitives, Supergirl and Winn seek the help of a fellow hacker to find out who's framing Winn. Their search uncovers yet another rogue alien named Vril Dox, whose also a living computer. It's Dox's intent of bringing the earth to its knees by taking over the internet. It looks like and open-and-shut case with Supergirl pulling the plug on the alien once the Winn's hacker friend can trace the source of Dox's feed. But with Jimmy Olsen held cyber-hostage by Dox, Supergirl's mission has now become a matter of life and death!

    Issue #2 was just as good as the premier issue of this series and it's been a great filler for this Supergirl fan whose been in major withdrawal of the great freshman series. There're lots of really cool easter eggs dropped throughout this issue, such as Winn's internet call sign is 'Supergirl_in_Action252', a play on the first ever appearance of the Girl of Steel in Action Comics #252. But I've seen from social media that a few fans aren't so happy about the choice of the baddie in this issue.

   Vril Dox is also known as Brainiac. But depending on what reboot of the DC Universe, Vril has either been a hero or as more recently, a villain. Fans of the show were hoping Brainiac was going to appear next season on Supergirl. But with his appearance in this issue, they feel disappointed that it's not going to come to pass. Honestly, I thought the villains Lex Luthor and Brainiac were considered off-limits to the TV shows because of the upcoming Justice League films. So I haven't been expecting Brainy to show up ever on a future episode...

    Two issues and twice I've been very pleased. So much, that I am ready to include it to my wish list. Not only that, but I am also ready to commit to buying it NEW off the shelf monthly! That's saying something because I almost always never pay full price for anything!

   Worth Consuming with another great Cat Staggs cover!

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

Superman Family Adventures #10

   Superman Family Adventures by Art Baltazar and Franco is one of my favorite all-ages series. It's normally very well written, humorous, and extremely clever. I'm not sure what happened with this issue.

   Superman in an attempt to reunite his mother and father accidentally frees General Zod and family from the Phantom Zone. Zod's got revenge on his mind and he's decided to take it out on the Family of Steel by selling... hot dogs? When Zod uses a special salt to turn dogs 50 feet tall in an attempt to conqueror the earth, I literally slapped my head and tossed this book across the room. Meanwhile, a Brainiac drone visited Superman's space satellite and dressed up as a cowboy. What the---

    This issue was awful. It's the worst one of the entire series and I was so disappointed. I've read dozens of stories by Baltazar and Franco and I've never been disappointed. But sometimes even the Yankees lose a World Series or two...

    This issue does progress the story line of Superman's mother surviving the destruction of Krypton. And I thought having her and Zod's wife be like two doting housewives while the hubby's fight it out was very funny. But that was about the only thing about this issue that was any good.

   Not Worth Consuming

   Rating: 4 out of 10 stars.

Action Comics, Volume 1: Superman and the Men of Steel (New 52)

   So I finally broke down and decided to read some of the Superman New 52 books. It only took me 4 years to do it. But with the new reboot to the DC Universe called Convergence due out this month, I felt it was finally time to give this book a try.

   This is not your dad's Superman. This isn't even your Superman. However, writer Grant Morrison did a pretty good job crafting a new Superman that builds upon the nostalgic mythology of the Man of Steel that we all grew up with, while subtly modernizing him for the millennial crowd.

   Throughout the past year, I have been working for a comic book website as the new comics Admin for the DC books. So I've had a chance to be able to familiarize myself with some of the newer storylines of the New 52. For example, during the Forever Evil storyline we learn that Superman had just been shot in the head with a Kryptonite bullet. With that discovery, you would think it was something that was just thought up within the last year or so. However in an issue that was published four years ago, we see a time-traveling Legion of Superheroes, along with the Man of Tomorrow, attempting to save the Man of Steel from being shot with that 'silver bullet.' That means that Morrison and the DC editors had to have come up with this storyline almost 5 years ago or more. You don't see this of dedication to story craftsmanship anymore.

   The New 52 has its haters and I must admit I have been begrudgingly frozen to the idea. That doesn't mean that there haven't been any really good stories. The sweeping Batman 'City of Owls' storyline was really good and there have been some pretty decent stories such as the Black Canary/ Zatanna team-up by Paul Levita, and, of course, Forever Evil. I'm going to add Morrison's Action Comics to the list of really good New 52 books.

   I must say something about the art, however. There's just something a little off about artist Rags Morales and his rendering Superman particularly when in his secret identity of Clark Kent. Besides looking like a rejected Jack Davis sketch, the New 52 Clark looks like a 50 pound weakling with coke bottle glasses. Am I to assume that when Clark Kent dresses as Superman he somehow inflates himself with muscles? Plus the hair styles of Clark and Jimmy Olsen are ridiculous. I don't think anyone in the past 5 years with a shaggy Beatles rip-off in real life compared to those two characters.

   Speaking of Clark Kent when he becomes Superman, when the first images of the new 52 Superman were released on social media,  fans the Man of Steel protested having him dressed in a t-shirt and jeans. But, Clark has no idea about his Kryptonian heritage until the unfolding events of this story. So I must give a pass to the questionable costuming. Besides, it's a trend that is temporary, as Superman discovers an adaptable costume (similar to the unstable molecule costume of the Fantastic Four) that clothes Superman in his traditional red and blue motif during his final confrontation with Brainiac.

   Brainiac actually brings everything full circle. In this volume the villain informs Superman that the earth is but one of a few hundred worlds slated for demolition by an unknown force and his plan to shrink cities is the only way to preserve these soon to be destroyed civilizations. I was very confused when DC decided to build the Convergence reboot around Brainiac because when DC does a retool,  the Flash is usually the character the story revolves around. (With the arrival of the Flash in the 1950s it signaled the beginning of the Silver Age and the foundation of the multiverse. Flash has also played a major role in the Crisis on Infinite Earths and Flashpoint; two stories that further rebooted the DCU.) Despite the fact that it does not look like the Flash has a very big role in Convergence at this time, I find it apropos for Brainiac to be the main villain since Morrison hinted at yet another reboot  as early as issue #4 of Action.

   The level of detail in the blueprints for the New 52 books and whatever the post-Convergence DC Universe will look like has inspired me to search out new 52 titles in order to better understand the sweeping changes planned for the latest reboot. One good thing is that this book is proof that though DC wants to keep modernizing heroes for the next generation, they in no way don't have respect for over 75 years of comics history. Now willing to read more non-Batman New 52, I'm sure there will be countless more Easter Eggs and nostalgia and homages to discover in those books and I look forward to unearthing them.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Superman Family Adventures #12

This is it- the final issue!
   Having tackled a plethora of super villains, Superman faces his biggest challenge yet- 'Lunchlady' Darkseid! With the weekend off, the chef at the Tiny Titans' school has decided it's time to conquer earth.
   A slew of guest stars appears in this issue. From the Justice League to parademons, the Super Pets, Steel, Alfred, Superboy, Supergirl, and the group that started it all- the Tiny Titans show up to save the earth from certain disaster. Also appearing beside Superman's birth parents is not only but Ma Kent but Pa Kent as well. I called it last issue, folks!
   I hate that this series ended. But, maybe it's going to return in miniseries form like Tiny Titans did recently with 'Return to the Treehouse.' I was a little less lost than I was with issue #11. But I still not 100% sure why Joe-El and wife have not only returned to earth but apparently survived the destruction of Krypton. (Don't worry- I'll find out soon when I get my hands on those missing issues!)
    With a great ending that's totally unexpected but heartwarming nonetheless, Superman Family Adventures ended with a bang and some great laughs.

Worth Consuming

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Superman Family Adventures #11

   Metropolis gets its share of visitors with the arrivals of Ma Kent, cousins Connor and Kara, and the menace known as Doomsday! Naturally, Superboy and Supergirl show up as well but where's the Man of Steel? And who's Super Mama?
   For Superman, he's up at the Fortress of Solitude battling the combined threats of Brainiac and General Zod. As mentioned earlier, Superman's Kryptonian mother is still around and ALIVE for some reason. But, now we've got another family member of the House of El popping up living and breathing as well. This is what happens when you miss issues!
   The story as a whole was funny. Ma Kent is a great character whose sorely underused. I'm assuming since only Ma appeared, that Mr. Kent has passed away. But for all I know, he'll pop up next issue.
   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Superman Family Adventures #9

   

   Since this series started, there's been a mysterious symbol popping up in weird places. It's 3 purple dots with connecting lines. Those of you familiar with Superman will automatically know whose symbol  this is. It's not really a spoiler, since you'll be able to solve it by looking at the cover of this book.

   Anyways, Brainiac arrives to team up with Superman's other arch-rival, Lex Luthor to take the Man of Tomorrow down once and for all. It's going to take all of the Superman family's brains and brawn to end this crisis.

    Issue #9 was a great chapter is this fantastic series by Baltazar and Franco. Lots of fun to read and to decipher what Robot Bug's been saying once again. Unfortunately, this issue ends with a cliffhanger and I don't have issue 10. YET!

Worth Consuming

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.