The Adventures of Superman #430 (July 1987)

Superman is regarded as the character that launched the genre in American comics. And over his near century of existence, he has grown and evolved. One way he has evolved is in the feats he could pull off. He went from being able to leap an eighth of a mile to being able to fly through space at the speed of light. This evolution has led some to believe that Superman is not an "interesting" character. After all, beings as powerful as Superman supposedly never have to struggle, so why care?

It's a criticism that I think is rather unfair. Superman is a powerful hero, but there are some things in the DCU that he is just as powerless as anyone else is against. In this story, Superman has to deal with some villains, but he has another problem that his powers can't help him with. Let's look at Adventures of Superman #430! 

The cover is a Jerry Ordway piece. It's pretty neat, 

"Homeward Bound"
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Penciler: Jerry Ordway
Inker: Jerry Ordway
Colorist: Tom Ziuko
Letterer: Albert DeGuzman
Editors: Andrew Helfer, Mike Carlin
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano 

The story begins with the Man of Steel getting into a brouhaha with some people that are not part of his usual Rogues Gallery: The Fearsome Five. Guess they got bored with getting their butts kicked by the then-New Teen Titans and decided to try getting their butts kicked by another superhero. Keeps things fresh. They were robbing a diamond expo.

The Five's roster is slightly altered here. While the more famous duo of Mammoth and Gizmo are also joined by Mammoth's sister Shimmer, they're joined by two other members: two mysterious metahumans named Deuce and Charger. When Shimmer and Gizmo have Superman on the ropes, Charger picks up some power lines and absorbs the energy from them. He's able to blast that power right back at the Man of Steel.

Proof that electroshock therapy is...a bit extreme.

Superman is brought down by the blast. Deuce asks Charger if she can "play" with the Metropolis Marvel before they kill him. Charger agrees, and Deuce shows off her power: basically, a form of telepathy/illusion casting. 

"Which me is the real me?! Not even I know! Wait..."

Mammoth ambushes Superman and starts smashing his head into the pavement. Gizmo isn't happy about this, as he just wanted to get the diamonds and get out. Deuce and Charger say that Superman has to die. Mammoth ends the argument by saying that they're following Gizmo, and if Deuce and Charger have a problem with that, well...Mammoth will fix that issue.

The group flee, and Superman is left beaten. There's also another problem the Man of Steel is facing, one more related to his job. Thanks to this, he was unable to follow up on a story that Clark Kent was assigned to cover. And it was the fourth time in one week he's been unable to cover an assigned news story thanks to his adventuring as Superman.

When he returns to the Daily Planet, Clark gets an understandable tongue-lashing from Perry White. Can't keep screwing up like this, Clarkie. Will put you on the unemployment line. Cat Grant comes by to visit while Clark is on the phone. He's making arrangements for a surprise party. What's the occasion? Clark Kent's parents' 49th anniversary of their wedding. Whoo-hooo! Congratulations to Jonathan and Martha! We gotta celebrate! Throw a big ol' party and party hard!

She is amazed about what a good son he is and tells him she wants to go do lunch with him. I have heard that Metropolis has a very nice deli/bakery on shuster Street. It has some great donuts and sandwiches. Mmm...sandwiches...

We next go to the New Jersey Palisades, where the Fearsome Five have a headquarters. Deuce and Charger are infuriated about leaving Superman alive, and it ends with Charger blasting Mammoth out of the building. A week passes, and Superman is shown still having some troubles keeping up with his journalism assignments. At his home, Clark is calling about the surprise party for his parents, when he gets a hot tip: the Fearsome Five are on board the Augustus Mandrell. What is the Augustus Mandrell? It's a ship.

Shimmer also wanted everyone to get naked.

Yup. Built in 1974, the Augustus Mandrell is a luxury liner. On this night, the ship was holding a party for wealthy Good Samaritans to raise money to cure various diseases. However, there was an alternate charity the Fearsome Five felt deserved that money more: the Line the Fearsome Five's Pockets Foundation. Superman arrives, and a super-brawl breaks out. 

Back in Smallville, Ma and Pa Kent's anniversary party is in full swing.

"But it's our 48th..."

Lana Lang worries that Clark won't make it thanks to his Superman work. And it's not unreasonable. Superman is having a tough time against the Fearsome Five. They're able to make their getaway thanks to Shimmer using her powers to turn the decks into ether, forcing Superman to worry about saving civilians. Deuce and Charger aren't too happy about that, as they wanted to kill Superman. The Metropolis Marvel is able to save the partiers, but he's lamenting that he had to practically mess up his personal life to do this. He fears he's leaving his humanity behind. 

By the time he makes his way to Smallville, as he feared, the party is over. However, Jonathan and Martha Kent, as well as Lana Lang, are naturally understanding. Clark laments how Superman has been wreaking havoc on his personal life. Jonathan takes Clark outside and the two have a talk. Jonathan reminds his son that for all his power, he's only one man, and even he can't be everywhere at once. Also, what Superman is isn't what he does. Clark, like everyone else, can only do the best they can. Sometimes, Superman wins out, sometimes Clark. But he should still try and do his best.

The next day, Superman busts into the Fearsome Five's HQ. Hey, Superman!

"OH YEAH!"

Jonathan's little pep talk seems to help clear the Metropolis Marvel's head, as he easily deals with Mammoth. Shimmer tries to trap him in quicksand, and Gizmo adds on to the attack by whipping out a gun that'll turn the air around Superman into carbon monoxide. After all, even the Man of Steel needs to breathe. But the Man of Tomorrow foils that with the help of an improvised slingshot. 

Charger draws on the electrical power of the base and uses it to try and fry Superman like an egg. He reveals that he and Deuce were the ones who called Superman in the last time they fought, hoping to get a chance to kill him. But Superman realized it was Charger that called him, and that allowed the Man of Tomorrow to prepare for him.

I'm assuming that means Superman somehow insulated himself as he never really explains how he prepared. He wants to know who Deuce and Charger really work for. If he won't get the answers now, then he'll get them from them in jail. Deuce then attacks, claiming she can warp reality. She seemingly transforms into a monstrous kaiju version of herself, telling a confused Superman that he committed grievous crimes against "her people".

"🎵Ohhh no! They say she's got to go! Go go Deucezilla!🎵"

Deuce tries to crush Superman in her giant hand, but Supes remembers that she said her power was based on the mind, and thus it's all an illusion.

Superman is able to fight her off with his own will, and with that, the Fearsome Five are beaten. Our man smiles as he notes that even though Superman won this day, Clark can have the glory in the form of an article about this. Jonathan Kent was right. Some days, Superman wins out. Some days, Clark wins out. But on this day, they both won. 

I enjoyed this story. One thing I love about this story is that we see Superman fight villains that are not part of his regular Rogues Gallery. I like seeing superheroes fight villains that they normally do not fight on occasion. The DCU is a shared universe, so it's perfectly plausible that the superheroes who protect it face bad guys that they normally tend to not cross paths with. It's a nice opportunity to keep things fresh and interesting. Using the Fearsome Five is also clever as they are a team. This is a team of villains that work together regularly, which forces the normally solo-operating Superman at a disadvantage. Their powers also are something Superman can't easily counter, even in the early days of the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths era, in which Superman's powers were deliberately toned-down from the planet-juggling pre-Crisis era.  

The main story is not Superman vs. the Fearsome Five, however. The main struggle Superman is dealing with is an internal one. He's struggling with finding a balance between his superhero work and his civilian life. It's something every superhero has dealt with at some point. That's something even a being as powerful as Superman can't easily combat. And ultimately, he realizes something that we all should: We just have to do our best. Stories like this are why I can't stand it when people grumble that Superman is "unrelatable" or "boring" or "too powerful to be interesting". 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2002 trade paperback Superman: The Man of Steel Vol. 4. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time!