All-Star Superman #12

It's that time again! It's time to join the Man of Steel in his final adventures! Last time, Lex Luthor managed to escape the electric chair thanks to a serum that gave him the powers of Superman. Superman also had to deal with Solaris seemingly getting himself vaporized taking down Solaris the Tyrant Sun. So, where do we go from here? Let's take a look at All-Star Superman #12!

The story begins with Kal-El, seemingly alive and in one piece.

Well, no. He's dead.

He's essentially in the Kryptonian version of the afterlife. And he's united with his biological father Jor-El. Jor-El explains that because Kryptonians' bodies absorb and store solar energies, it had an effect on how they die. You know the old adage "Matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed"? It's a similar principle here. They only change. And that is what is happening to Superman. His consciousness, his soul as it were, is ascending into a new form, building itself "thought-palaces" that can be either their heaven or Hell. And Superman has two options: Stay in this thought palace...or turn and face evil one final time. It's not hard to guess which option Superman chooses. After all, there's still a job for Superman...and it looks like there's a big one for him.

Page 276, Panel 1

The floating Luthor sneers at the Daily Planet staff. They were the ones who put him in the electric chair, so he figures they should decide which of them lives or dies next. Perry White points out that the truth put him in the chair, all the Daily Planet staff did was basically report it. Luthor mocks the concept of truth as it's something that can be seen or touched. Lois tries another tactic. She's had experience with being as powerful as the Man of Steel. She has a good idea of the rush he feels right now. Just think about it.

Luthor admits he could use a propaganda spokesperson. So, back to the thought-palace!

Jor-El tries to convince Kal-El that his time is over. After all, he's helped build a future for the Kandorians and Earth. He's given them something to aspire to, showing there is always hope, there is always a chance at a better future. Kal screams as what appears to be Krypton exploding.

Back at the Daily Planet, Steve Lombard tries to wake up Clark, apologizing for all the pranks he's pulled on Clark. Jimmy shows Luthor a photo from the Planet's Singapore newsdesk. The photo shows that the Sun has turned blue. Solaris poisoned the Sun, taking advantage of Luthor's vanity. Being the vain sort, Luthor doesn't like being told he's been made to look stupid. He blows Lois away with some super-breath. That's when Clark wakes up.

After tossing Jimmy Olsen aside, Luthor's all like "Alright, who else wants to take on the strongest man in the world?" Clark asks if Luthor is maybe a bit too...unstable for the kind of power he has. Luthor notices that Clark is grabbing something out of a drawer. 

Page 282, Panel 1

What? You don't have a Gravity Gun? I have a Gravity Guns are great. And this is the DCU. I can imagine in Texas, people stockpile Gravity Guns. Jimmy provides an extra Superman costume, thinking he was posing as Clark. He assures everyone Clark is fine, and he's got Luthor handled. The Man of Steel hits Luthor with a truck, hiding with his Gravity Gun. Luthor can find him, though. But that is not a problem. You see, Superman had planned for this.

(huh)

Yes, he had suspected Luthor was involved with this whole thing since Robot 7 malfunctioned when he was creating that Exo-Gene serum for Lois. Over the years, he's had to confiscate some very deadly weapons from all over the Milky Way, including the Gravity Gun. Thanks to being under the effects of it, Luthor has to work fifty times harder to stay in the air. But that's not why he chose the gun. An enraged Luthor then beats the tar out of Superman, screaming he will not die until Superman does first. The mad scientist manages to knock our hero from a bunch of loops. Nasthalthia proclaims that this is Science Year Zero, the new era. She notices Luthor is acting weird.

(what's wrong with you)

Thing is, Superman's powers are also having a little side effect, in a way. Lex is starting to see the world as Superman sees it. He sees the forces binding the universe together. He can see the machinery of the universe. He realizes that humanity is all it has. It's all we got. And it's why Superman is the force for good that he is.

Page 287, Panel 3

Superman reveals the real reason he used the Gravity Gun on Lex. Lex's powers have to compensate harder to withstand the gravity he is under. And it makes his powers burn out and wear off faster. Yup, Superman outsmarted one of the smartest men in the entire DC Universe.

(smart)

Superman gives Lex a Mighty Punch. Luthor has another vial of the serum...which is now in Superman's hands. The mad genius rants and raves that he could have saved the world if it weren't for the Man of Steel. Superman decks him with another Mighty Punch and cuts through all of Lex's self-aggrandizing whining and BS with one sentence.

You could have saved the world years ago if it mattered to you, Luthor. 

I love this line. More on that later. Lois runs into the Man of Tomorrow's arms like the rescued princess into the knight that saved her. Superman still has to repair the sun. His body is transforming into energy...and information. He only has seconds to do this, his final labor. He kisses Lois and tells her he loves her. And he always will. Until the end of time. And he flies off, Lois proclaiming her love for her Metropolis Marvel. In his last moments as a mortal man (seemingly), Kal-El of Krypton flies into the sun, changing it back from blue to yellow. 

A year passes. Jimmy asks if Lois is sure she doesn't want to speak at Superman's memorial service. Makes sense she'd be asked. After all, like Jimmy, she was close to him. She is sure. After all, she believes Superman is not dead. He's repairing the sun. And when he does, he'll come back. He knows where to find her if he does. True to her belief, the Man of Tomorrow is there, doing exactly that. 

Over at the P.R.O.J.E.C.T, Leo Quintum talks to his assistant Agatha about the ceremony. He found it very moving. He also notes that Luthor seemed to find closure in it. After all, he seemingly got what he wanted: A world without Superman. Quintum finds it a unique challenge to human ingenuity. Agatha wonders what if Superman never does return. Quintum isn't worried. After all, there is a plan for that. The miniseries ends with him looking at a blue door with Superman's iconic shield insignia on it...only the "S" is replaced with a "2"...

I really enjoyed this comic, and the miniseries as a whole. 

Poinsettia Day

 Happy Poinsettia Day!

What is "Poinsettia Day", you may ask yourself. Well, a poinsettia is a species of flowering plant native to Mexico and Central America. In the wild, poinsettias have a range from Mexico to Guatemala, growing in tropical dry forests. Sadly, their homes have been threatened by unregulated deforestations. 

German scientist Johann Friedrich Klotzsch was the first European to describe the flower in 1834, when it was known as the "Mexican flame flower" or the "painted leaf". However, the poinsettia was actually first cultivated long beforehand by the Aztecs. The Aztecs would use the plant to make red dye for clothing as well as an antipyretic (fever-reducing) medicine. In fact, King Montezuma would adorn his palace with poinsettias, seeing them as a gift from the gods. 

So, where does the name "poinsettia" come from? Well, it came from Joel Roberts Poinsett, who was the United States' first ambassador to Mexico. A botanist, he introduced the flower to the United States in the 1820s. 

An urban legend regarding poinsettias is that they are very toxic flowers. Yes, exposure to the plant can cause some to develop skin rashes, and ingestion can cause diarrhea and nausea, but poinsettias are not remotely as dangerous as believed.  

Poinsettias are a flower associated with Christmas. When did this start? In 16th century Mexico. Legend goes there was this young girl named Pepita or Maria. She wanted to provide a gift to celebrate the birth of Jesus. However, she was very poor, and could not buy a gift. An angel inspired her to basically gather some flowers and put them on the church altar. Those weeds would sprout poinsettias. In the 17th century, Franciscan friars in the country would use poinsettias in their Christmas celebrations, the star-shaped flowers seen as a symbol of the Star of Bethlehem, and the red coloring symbolizing Jesus's crucifixion. 

In the United States, Paul Ecke Junior would be responsible for the association between poinsettias and Christmas. The grandson of a German immigrant named Albert Ecke, the Ecke family were in the business of selling poinsettias. Ecke Junior would send poinsettias to various TV stations across the country to display from Thanksgiving to Christmas as a way to promote his family's business. He himself would even appear on The Tonight Show. 

In 2002, Congress passed a resolution recognizing this day as National Poinsettia Day. This day also honors Joel Poinsett, who died on this day in 1851. 

So, yeah. This day actually has a very fascinating history. I hope you had some fun learning it. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time! 

World Pear Day

Happy World Pear Day, everyone!

Pears are a fruit native to coastal and mildly temperate regions of Europe, Asia, and North America. They are grown and consumed around the world. The pear is part of the genus Pyrus and the family Rosaceae. Pears are often harvested in the summer and autumn. 

Humans have consumed pears for centuries. China has cultivated pears since 2000 BC (in fact, it's believed that the genus Pyrus originated there), and there's evidence that people have eaten pears in prehistoric times. The Ancient Romans also consumed pears. They introduced the pear to Britain.

Pears can be consumed in a variety of ways. They can be made into jellies and jams, they can be canned, and pears can even be used to make cider like apples. I wonder what pear cider tastes like. I imagine it tastes like pears and regret.

 Pears are a very versatile little fruit, so enjoy one today! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time! 

Silver Surfer Annual #2 (1989)

In the time of Ancient Greece, the philosopher Plato wrote the works Timaeus and Critias. In these dialogues, he mentioned a continent called Atlantis. A fictional island continent, it was meant to be an allegory regarding the hubris of nations. While Atlantis would be a minor bit of Plato's work, it would be a massive source of inspiration to writers for centuries. Just goes to show you never know what will catch on.

Naturally, comic books would also latch on to the idea of an advanced island civilization that ended up lost under the waves. Heck, both the Marvel and DC Universes have Atlantis as part of their worlds, and have major superheroes connected to them: Namor the Sub-Mariner, and Aquaman respectively. 

In the Marvel Universe, Atlantis and the surface world do have a bit of a... contentious relationship, kind of like Namor himself has with his fellow superheroes. In 1989, the surface world would find itself seemingly under siege from this ancient city. 

The story begins in California, in particular with the Dreaming Celestial, buried under a mountain. It's been lying here since the events of the 1985 Eternals maxiseries, doing its thing...dreaming. The Dreaming Celestial is having some sort of bad trip, not helped by the events of Fantastic Four #323. The Celestial turns and groans. This causes an earthquake that registers 3.9 on the Richter scale. But this is the Silver Surfer's annual. And he is busy doing what he does best: surf the space ways! Catching those Cosmic Waves, bro!

(whoa)

The Surfer's board suddenly goes a bit wild, which Norrin finds...weird. He and the board are supposed to be one. The board is supposed to obey his commands. It's like something is trying to pull the board towards a particular destination. Our man examines the board and notices that there's some bacteria-like life forms clinging to it, like barnacles on a ship's hull. 

Page 8, Panel 3

"Ugh, who put a loogie on my board?!"

Norrin finds it unlikely that these things are the cause of his board troubles, so he tries to burn them off with the Power Cosmic. These little critters are resilient, though. As such, it has no effect. Norrin realizes that the particles are trying to take him somewhere, so he figures he might as well let them take him and his board where they want to go. They take him to a strange cloud, nothing like the Surfer has ever seen before. There's something strange about this cloud. 

(Batman hmmmm)

Norrin uses the Power Cosmic on the cloud, transforming it.

Page 10, Panel 4

"I'm back and prettier than ever! OH YEAH!"

Yup, Ghaur is back! Remember him from my reviews of the 1980s Eternals maxiseries? Well, he was seemingly killed after the events of Eternals #12 (September 1986), but it turns out his consciousness did survive...in the form of the bacteria-ridden cloud the Surfer had encountered. He saw the Surfer passing by as his destiny, recapping how he ended up there. Ghaur and the Surfer duke it out.

(fight fight fight)

The mad Deviant is not at his full power, but he still is able to match the Surfer and his Power Cosmic well. However, Ghaur has a new plan, and he has no desire to waste his time battling Norrin. He traps the Surfer in a plasma field and flies off. I think he's just running away because he don't want to get Norrin's silver hands.

(run away)

The Surfer considers pursuing him (realizing Ghaur intends to return to Earth) but remembers that he has his own problems. Mainly that his own homeworld is being dragged into the Kree-Skrull War, as shown in his own book at the time. Not to mention Earth has its own fair share of superheroes. They've taken him down before, they can do it again. Still, it would be nice to at least warn them, ya jerk!

(Just saying)

Ghaur makes his way back to Earth, his destination is Lemuria. But not the Lemuria that was the home of the Deviants. This Lemuria is the home of Atlanteans that worshipped the seven-headed snake Elder God known as Set. 

(The more you know)

The Lemurians are not happy to see the former Priestlord, and blast at him. Ghaur goes through the Lemurian forces like a hot knife through butter. There is someone there he has to see: Llyra. 

Page 21, Panel 1

"This had better be good, as I'm wearing my power swimsuit." 

Ghaur takes Llyra with him. Since he freed her from imprisonment in Lemuria, she warns him that she has no intention of serving any man. However, Ghaur says that his plans have an accord with hers, mainly a desire for the Serpent Crown. Ghaur learned of the Crown thanks to his consciousness being expanded during his time as a space cloud. His mind came into contact with the mind of Set within said Crown. We get a brief recap of the Crown's history up to that point to its most recent appearance encountering the Thing, Dr. Strange, Scarlet Witch, and Spider-Man. But Ghaur has guaranteed Set's victory. 

In space, evidently the Surfer listened to me, because he transmits a warning to Doctor Strange and Elizabeth "Talisman" Twoyoungmen. And as this happens, the Dreaming Celestial turns, having nightmares about the decimation of humanity...'

I did enjoy this story, but it is mainly setup. We get to see the return of Ghaur and hint about his plans. I did enjoy seeing the recaps of the Serpent Crown's history up to that point.