All-Star Superman #9

It's that time again! It's time to look in on the Man of Steel in his supposed last adventures!

The story begins right after the events of the last issue, in which Superman managed to free himself from Bizarro World/Htrae with the help of Zibarro. He ends up landing near a circus tent. And naturally, being Superman, he's more worried about accidentally scaring people than any injuries on his part.

Page 201, Panel 4

He flies off, unaware that he's been...replaced.

(uh oh)

Superman flies back to Metropolis, and notices something...odd. The damage that Metropolis endured during the Bizarro rampage seems to not only have been repaired, but the city looks better than ever. Among its skyscrapers of concrete, steel and glass are crystal spires. Even the Daily Planet has got itself a makeover.

Page 203, Panel 1

Superman is...understandably confused.

(huh)

He could not have been gone that long. But time dilation can be a pain. He switches back to his Clark Kent clothes and is confronted by Perry White, who wonders where he's been in the last two months. 

(what)

Turns out in the hiatus, two new heroes have popped up in the City of Tomorrow. But they're not in the city at the moment. They're busy preventing a volcano from erupting and giving the nearby villages a lava bath. However, these two new heroes had another purpose behind it.

Page 205, Panel 5

Meet Bar-El and Lilo. Like Superman himself, they survived the destruction of Krypton. And much like Supes himself, the yellow sun has given them great power. Bar-El thinks this area would be a great spot for a capital city of a New Krypton. It's a nice spot. It's scenic, climate is nice, and there are some great views of the ocean. Lilo disagrees, thinking they could have just cleared the people out of Metropolis and started there. Less work. 

Superman spots them and asks if they need help. Showing their arrogance, they think it's the wind. Our man recognizes them. Bar-El and Lilo, Krypton's first astronauts. They were believed to be lost in space for decades. That's how they survived Krypton's destruction. The two are familiar with Superman, as his deeds have made him into a legend on Earth. They wonder why he never returned to Earth. That's because it's Superman's home. He was raised here. Clark mentions Jor-El, and they remark they have heard of him. A young dreamer, an ineffectual man. They're not surprised Kal-El takes after him. He could have made Earth into a new Krypton, instead of leaving it like this. Clark points out that he had no right to impose Kryptonian values on anyone. Also, he was a baby when he arrived on Earth. He had no values to force on anyone. As he was a baby.

(I'm just saying)

They head back to Superman's Fortress, where to his shock, they've taken over the place and redecorated it. As they show him around, Bar-El and Lilo remark that they have the right to conquer this world as on this planet, thanks to its yellow sun and weaker gravity, they may as well be gods to the Earthlings. They mock the Kandorians trapped in their Bottle City, even say that the criminals trapped in the Phantom Zone have more dignity than the Earthlings. Bar-El is disgusted with Clark, as he sees him as just as much of a softie as Jor-El. At least Jor-El never went native. Bar-El then starts laying Mighty Punches on the Man of Steel.

(fight fight fight)

They toss Superman into the Moon so hard it threatens to crack the Moon in half. Keep in mind, at this point, Superman is far more powerful than that. Scary, huh?

(scary)

Anyway, the two Kryptonian astronauts seal the moon by stealing some bridges and using them as essentially giant staples. The next day, Clark Kent arrives at the Daily Planet. Steve Lombard uses a lighter to literally light a fire under his butt, because he thinks it's funny.

(roll eyes)

But like in the Bronze Age comics, Clark gets a bit of payback by lighting Lombard's toupee on fire with his heat vision.

Page 215, Panel 2

Not that's comedy. Bar-El and Lilo find Superman there, and the arrogant astronauts are rather disgusted by his living among the humans as if he's one of them. Lombard, ever the brilliant intellect, thinks they're talking about him. But before they can expose Superman's secret identity to his Daily Planet coworkers, Lilo suddenly feels...weak. She starts to fall to the ground. Superman catches her. He examines her and notes that the minerals in her body are turning into Kryptonite.

(how)

You see, Kryptonite (at least the green variety) as we know it came about thanks to shards of the planet Krypton passing through a radioactive cloud in space. The radiation in the cloud altered the molecular structure of the shards, turning them into radioactive rocks of death. Bar-El and Lilo must have traveled through the cloud in their years in space. They're literally being poisoned to death by their own bodies. Superman asks them to let him help them. They may have been jerks, but they're still Kryptonians. They're still Clark's people. 

He takes them to the Fortress of Solitude, where they can interact via a device called a "thoughtscreen" (the Kryptonite poisoning has made them blind). Bar-El is shocked by this, as after all he's done, Superman's been nothing but kind. Superman explains that's because of his Earth parents. He may have been a child of Krypton, but he's just as much a child of Earth. Kal-El is the best of both worlds. 

Bar-El finds himself feeling proud of Kal-El. His heart grows three sizes this day, telling Clark that Krypton's heart lives on in the Man of Tomorrow. Clark admits that Bar-El was right about one thing: he's the son of a scientist. It's his nature to observe and learn. Maybe he could be more active. But now is not the time to dwell on that. His kin are dying.

There is a way to keep them alive. Like Mon-El before them, putting them in the Phantom Zone can do this, but it has to be their decision. Bar-El just asks Clark to put his hand in Lilo's. They agree to go, seeing this as another adventure. And like all their adventures in the past, they'll undergo it together. As Superman activates the projector, he promises to find a way to save them. But until then, the Zone will have some law and order. The last panel is of the two astronauts arriving in the Zone, a smirking Bar-El cracking his knuckles. Welcome your new wardens, skels.

I enjoyed this little one-off story. If I have one real criticism of the writing, it's that Bar-El and Lilo's humbling came about a bit quickly. But this is a one-off tale, so it can be forgiven. As for the art, well, I've talked about Frank Quitely's art in the past, and I don't feel the need to repeat it. My views on it have not changed. Great storyteller, but his renditions of people are very uncanny valley to me, yada yada yada.

When I think about it, I think Bar-El and Lilo inspired the portrayal of Jor-El and Lara in James Gunn's Superman movie. I mean, it does make a bit of sense. Gunn has credited All-Star Superman as one of the inspirations behind his movie, so I can see the slight resemblance.  

  

21st of September

I hope you had a great 21st of September today! 🎶 Hit the music! 🎶 

Hope your day was a fun one!

Justice League of America #241 (August 1985)

The mid-1980s was seen as a tough time for the Justice League of America. Not only was there the threat of a multiversal Crisis the likes of which the DCU had never known, but the team itself seemed to be at a low point. 

Sales of the book were slumping by the early 80s. Len Wein, who had at the time been the editor of the book since 1979, had felt that perhaps the team needed a shakeup. He noted that Marvel's X-Men and DC's own New Teen Titans had become rather hot books sales-wise. The two titles had younger, hipper rosters, and were more character-driven in nature. The book's then-writer, Gerry Conway, agreed with this wholeheartedly. As such, in Justice League of America Annual #2 (October 1984), many of the "A-List" Justice League members (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Flash, etc) left the team. The team's headquarters also went from the Earth-orbiting satellite to a bunker in Detroit. That's why this era is called the "Detroit Era". 

There was also another reason for it: Many of these "A-List" heroes had their own books, and being a shared universe, it makes sense that Conway would have to keep up with what was going on in said solo books and keep those events in mind when writing Justice League of America. As such, removing those characters from the book allowed him more freedom to tell stories focused on the team itself. 

Desperately needing some new blood, the JLA brought in younger superheroes that also, much like the X-Men, were also more diverse: The Latino shockwave-shooting Vibe, the Romani illusionist Gypsy, the cyborg powerhouse Steel, and the model with the powers of the animal kingdom Vixen. Vixen was the only pre-established character of this quartet, having first appeared in Action Comics #521 (July 1981). She was co-created by Gerry Conway and Bob Oksner. Yeah, much like with Firestorm earlier, Conway brought her along to the Justice League.   

However, it didn't quite have the rejuvenating effect that was hoped. The book was seen by fans as a desperate attempt to capture the heat of the aforementioned X-Men and Teen Titans, and Conway's writing of Vibe and Gypsy was seen as stereotypical. It's something that Conway (as well as artist Chuck Patton) would go on to regret. 

My first exposure to an actual story of the Detroit-era team was not from the original comics (I was a baby when they were first published), but a story from the 2005-2008 series JLA Classified. In particular, issues #22-26 (July-September 2006): a four-part flashback story called "A Game of Chance" written by Steve Englehart and featuring art by Tom Derenick (pencils) and Mark Farmer (inks).

The story begins in a place you would not expect: the Canadian Yukon. In particular, a small town named St. Jude. About 200 or so people live here, one of them is this drunk right here.

Page 6, Panel 1

Meet "Slick" Jake MacGregor. He's a prospector with a bitter streak and a drinking problem. The drunk angry man stumbles away from town into the bitter cold. MacGregor is too wrapped up in his grudges, both real and imagined, to notice how cold it is out there and how dangerous it is for him to be in said cold. However, he runs into someone. A strange figure spells the end for "Slick" Jake MagGregor.

Page 7, Panel 4

But this is a book about the Justice League, isn't it? Yes, it is. As such, we should look in on them. The first Leaguers we focus on are veteran Leaguer Aquaman and one of the newbie members of the group at the time: Mari Jiwe McCabe, aka Vixen. Mari advises Arthur to take some time off from the League to go look for his estranged wife Mera. Arthur refuses as she chose to leave him, and he wants to respect it. Vixen thinks that the real reason he's not doing it is because he is afraid to face her. 

The two were married for about seven years according to this comic, and they've been through a lot of triumph and tragedy, most notably the death of Arthur Jr, their baby boy at the hands of Black Manta in Adventure Comics #452 (August 1977). Vixen points out that they've clearly put a lot of work into their marriage. That's something that can't easily be discarded. Arthur just says "maybe" and walks off.

Vixen then smells something good. She follows the scent to the kitchen.

Page 11, Panel 3

Mmm...food...

(Homer drool)

Dale Gunn, the League's resident handyman is making some Texas-style chili, Cindy Reynolds and J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, helping out. Cindy slips and is about to cause the chili sauce to spill everywhere.

(Uh oh)

Thankfully, Ralph Dibny, the Elongated Man is able to save the bowl and prevent an awful mess. Sue Dibny drags Ralph out of the room. After all, he promised he'd go jogging with her, and they're going jogging. Cindy grunts that there is no way that Ralph and Sue's marriage can be that happy. It's like they jumped out of a sitcom. J'onn asks if she knows from experience, but Cindy stays quiet, saying that she'll one day tell him about it. Until then, it's her business. 

Over at his suite, Arthur ponders Vixen's words to him. He finds himself admitting that the model-turned-heroine may have had a point about that whole thing with Mera. Maybe that has affected his thinking. Maybe if he had confronted this sooner, he wouldn't have broken up the original Justice League. Maybe he wouldn't have been acting so crazy lately. But enough of this characterization stuff, we're here to see some action!

We head back to St. Jude. It's there we focus on the town's resident constable: Mal Parkins. Parkins may be a lawman, but he's not exactly a good guy. He loves the power that comes with his position, and he's never had any qualms using it for his own gain. He's even taken candy from babies, being all "I'm a cop, what're you gonna do?" He's never regretted his path, until today. A figure smashes his truck, with him in it.

Page 16, Panel 1

The figure rants and raves about "thieves", claiming to be Jake MacGregor. The snowy figure angrily turns his fury on St. Jude, destroying the town. Back to Detroit! Sue and Ralph jog through the city, discussing how things have changed for the League recently. It's broken up by a man telling them there's a brawl going down.

(fight fight fight)

Who is doing the fighting? Well, two of the younger League members: Hank Heywood III/aka the patriotic powerhouse cyborg known as Steel, and Paco Ramone, the breakdancing metahuman known as Vibe.

Page 19, Panel 1

Now, you may be thinking, especially if you know of Vibe from the Arrowverse Flash series, "Wait, Paco Ramone? Isn't his first name Francisco?" Well, yes.

(explanation, please)

Sure. You see, when the DCU hit their New 52 reboot in 2011, Vibe was resurrected as part of it. As part of his revamp (he was also given a new origin story), the character was renamed from Paco to Francisco. That is why when the character was adapted into the 2014 Flash show, he was named Francisco. 

(the more you know)

Anyway, what are Vibe and Steel brawling about? Well, Hank has taken a bit of a shine to Vibe's older sister Rosita. And being the protective younger brother, Vibe doesn't take too kindly to it. Sue and Ralph break up the fight. Rosita convinces Hank (the art messed up making it look like she's talking to Ralph) to ask Vibe permission. Hank does so, and suddenly, he's good with it.

Page 21, Panels 5-6

I admit, I laughed at this a bit. But it's time for the JLA to hop into action. Vibe is especially excited, as he gets to show off his new supersuit.

Page 23, Panel 2

"Yeah, this is certainly the 80s, Ramone." 

Cindy thinks he looks cute, which annoys Vibe, as he wanted to look tough and intimidating. But that will have to be tabled for now, as Aquaman's gone missing, and the League got word of the destruction of St. Jude. There was a survivor, and said survivor reported that the being that did this showed a bunch of familiar powers: Super-strength and heat vision, a sonic scream, super speed, etc. It's obvious who this figure was: Amazo. Thing was, Amazo was last seen being locked up in Superman's Fortress of Solitude in Superman Special #3. How did he get out?

(how)

They'll have to figure that out later. We know the rest of the story from here. MacGregor hated St. Jude, and considering his personality somehow got control of the android, it makes sense he'd use his new power to turn the place into a smoldering ruin. He was last spotted in a forest between Prince George and Dawson Creek, two cities in British Columbia.

When the League arrives, they spot three signs of activity in the area: Ralph spotting movement in the northwest, Steel detecting a warm body out to the west, and Vixen picks up a scent to the south. They can't all be Amazo, as he does not have the power to duplicate himself. As such, the team has to split up.

(let's split up)

Ralph and Cindy will check out the northwest movement he spotted. Steel and Zatanna will head to the west, and Vixen and Vibe will follow the southern scent. Martian Manhunter will stay behind to coordinate. If Amazo is spotted, call and do not engage. Dale Gunn points out that they're facing an unknown enemy. Splitting up the team may not be the best idea. To be fair Dale, Amazo is not unknown, problem is, he's new to this version of the League. J'onn wonders that himself. Sadly, he comes to regret that decision as, well, Amazo decided to show his android mug.

Page 27, Panel 3

"AMAZO WANTS HIS COOKIES BAAAAACK!" 

Using his super-breath, Amazo easily takes care of J'onn and Dale, then flies off. 

We next go to Florida. Aquaman sees a couple promising to love each other forever in the moonlight. The story ends with him diving into the waters, starting his search for Mera. After all, even after everything, a part of him still believes in eternal love.

I have heard it said that the "Detroit Era" was a low point for the Justice League. Honestly, based on this comic, I can't help but find that a bit of an exaggeration as this was a pretty decent solid little story.

Having been reading through some of the Detroit Era League's adventures, I think personally that there was a lot of missed potential. I think it would have been neat to see this "next generation". 

 

World Coconut Day

Happy World Coconut Day, everyone! 

When you think of the coconut, you likely think "Oh, those big brown fuzzy nuts", right? Well, coconuts are not nuts. They are actually fruits. Yeah, what we think of as coconuts are actually fruits. In particular, they are drupes. Coconuts originally, well, possibly originally came from the Central Indo-Pacific region, but they have made their way to various tropical regions throughout the world thanks to domestication. 

The origins of the coconut are actually somewhat unclear. While they could possibly have come from the aforementioned Central Indo-Pacific region, they may also have their origins in South America. Fossils of coconut tree-like plants have been found in various places in those areas, like Colombia and New Zealand.

What is known is that the coconut was first domesticated by the Austronesian peoples of Southeast Asia. It's believed they would bring coconuts with them on their voyages at sea to places as far as Madagascar and the Pacific Islands. Coconuts were very useful to them as they could not only be used as a source of food and water, but they can also be used to construct boats. The fruit would be spread further by sailors from other places. 

Coconuts are not just food, various peoples have used them for other things. They are used in Hindu rituals in Southeast Asia, the Hindu goddess Lakshmi (goddess of wealth and well-being) often being depicted holding a coconut. Various cultures in the Pacific and Southeast Asia have creation myths centered around the coconut. The flowers of coconut trees are used in Cambodian weddings. 

So yeah, the coconut is quite a fascinating little fruit. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! See you next time!

Labor Day

 This is a reprint of a blog entry from 2017. Apologies for this, as I lacked the time, and I was far too tired to make a new one. So, Happy Labor Day, everyone!

What is Labor Day, you ask? Well, the American Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday in September, which is when Canada also celebrates their own Labor Day. It marks the end of the summer, and it's a federal holiday here. It also means a three-day weekend.

What is Labor Day? Well, it's basically to honor and celebrate the working person, the people who work hard to build, to heal, to create, and to feed. A day to express gratitude to the worker and remember their contributions to the country.

So, how did Labor Day get started? Well, in the late 19th century, the growth of trade unions and labor movements led to a call to celebrate the working person. In 1887, Oregon became the first U.S. State to declare Labor Day a public holiday. 29 other states would do the same by the time 1894 rolled around, in which Labor Day became a federal holiday, signed into law by President Grover Cleveland. You can learn more about the history of Labor Day here.

The labor movement is the reason we have a minimum wage, Social Security, a 40-hour work week, Medicare, and even family leave. So when you celebrate this day, think about this...and thank a working person. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! Thanks for reading!