Action Comics #653 (May 1990)

Superheroes meeting each other is not exactly a new thing in comics. More often than not, when a group of heroes are established as being set in the same universe, it makes sense there would be events where these heroes would be required to join forces. But sometimes, what makes two heroes join up is not some massive event with the world's continued existence at stake. Sometimes, what makes two heroes join forces is something much more mundane. In this case, a murder mystery.

Before the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths, Superman and Batman were known to team up quite a bit. In fact, the two even shared a title together: World's Finest Comics, lasting 323 issues from 1941 to 1986. With the advent of Crisis, however, Superman's history was rebooted. His first meeting with Batman in the then-new post-Crisis timeline was in Man of Steel #3 (November 1986), which showed the two having a much icier relationship than they did pre-Crisis. However, that story did end with Batman having respect for Superman's good nature.

The cover is a Kerry Gammill and Brett Breeding piece. It depicts an unconscious Superman lying in a cemetery being poisoned by Luthor's kryptonite ring. It's a real attention-grabber, it shows that Superman is potentially in grave danger.

"Love and Death"
Writer: Roger Stern
Penciler: Bob McLeod
Inker: Brett Breeding
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Letterer: Bill Oakley
Editors: Mike Carlin, Jonathan Peterson
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins with a Mr. Clark Kent being a romantic.

Lois Lane is impressed with her main man's poetry skills. But he can't take the credit for this one. He was quoting a poem from English poet and politician Edmund Waller. The other staffers at the Planet have a little fun with that they witnessed. They get a brief visit from Cat Grant, alongside Jose Delgado, aka Gangbuster. He's been hired by Cat's ex-husband to help protect Cat as she's evidently a key witness in the ongoing trail of Morgan Edge.

Clark delivers an article he was working on to the feature editor and decides to take the rest of the day off. Day off, baby!

So, how does Clark plan to spend his day off? Hang out at the park? Hit the bar? Go work on a novel? Nah, he's gonna go be Superman. After all, it's a beautiful day. Why not spend some of it just flying around? He spots a little girl struggling with getting his kite out of the tree. Clark helps the girl get her kite down, then gives the kite a flying start. Because he's Superman.

Superman then hears the sounds of a robbery and takes care of that.

Superman takes the robber back to the store and makes him give the money back. The shop owners want to repay him, but Superman is perfectly happy to just do his job. He does accept some complimentary baklava. Hey, a Kryptonian's gotta eat.

As Superman flies away, he laments that the robber had a history of drug-related arrests. He likely held up that store to get money for a fix. Superman wishes he could do more. Maybe writing a column could inspire people to action. But those thoughts are tabled for a moment as the Man of Steel notices a tropical storm coming. 

He goes to check it out. A man on the dock watches Superman fly in and makes a call to a man named Gillespie. He reports Superman's activity to Gillespie. Gillespie thanks the dock man, Skag, for the report. He'll get a bonus for this.

Gillespie then reports this to his boss.

Meet Bruno "Ugly" Mannheim. I don't think anyone uses that nickname to his face. Mannheim is happy to hear this, as he can now call in a war council without Superman bothering him. The war council debates what to do about the Morgan Edge trial. You see, Edge was the head of Intergang before Mannheim got the job. Edge was also the head of Galaxy Communications. He used his legit job to launder Intergang money and get Intergang into legitimate businesses to further increase their profits. But since he got busted for racketeering, it could expose all of Intergang. 

Several ideas are brought up. Sending in a unit to bust up the trial is nixed, as it would get too much attention. Quietly eliminating Edge himself is also nixed, as Edge may still be useful...although if he does sell them out, they'll play that card. They then decide to go after the three reporters that exposed Edge: Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Cat Grant. Lane and Kent's testimony can be discredited, but it was Grant that got the goods. Mannheim wants her taken alive, unlike that one botched job that seemingly killed Kent, but was actually a private investigator that resembled him. 

It's here that the scene switches to a woman named Amanda McCoy. She was once a computer technician that worked for Lexcorp. Luthor himself noticed her work and back in Superman #2 (February 1987), the mogul put her on a project: Find out who Superman is. Using her computer skills, she discovered that Clark Kent was Superman. 

However, Luthor refused to believe it. After all, why would a being as powerful as Superman pretend to be a regular person? It's a bit of a nice subtle showing of Luthor's character, showing he sees everything through the lens of his own ego. He flaunts his power and influence, so it makes sense to him that Superman would do the same. Enraged by what he considered her failure, Luthor fired McCoy, and made sure she was blacklisted from the computer industry. 

Desperate to prove that her findings were accurate, she hired a PI named Matt Stockton to help her out. In Superman #28 (February 1989), he ended up getting killed by Intergang because of his resemblance to Clark Kent. Yeah, that was some egg on the gangsters' face.

McCoy has finally found a way to prove Clark Kent is Superman once and for all, and he's determined to make sure Stockton's death was not in vain. Meanwhile, said hero is helping a ship out of the storm.

After that is taken care of, our hero heads home and checks his messages on the answering machine. One of them is an anonymous call for help, asking Superman to meet them at the McAuley family plot in the North Bakerline Cemetery. The Man of Steel arrives as Clark Kent, where he meets up with Amanda McCoy. And she has something to show him.

McCoy tears open Clark's shirt, revealing his Superman costume underneath. She demands that the weakened Kryptonian admit that the reporter is the Man of Tomorrow. He does so, asking where Luthor is. Amanda angrily tells him that this isn't one of Luthor's schemes. In fact, she's doing this to stick it to him, to show she was right about Superman's secret identity. Clark begs her to let him help her, as she could put him behind bars. He falls unconscious from the ring's radiation.

McCoy is horrified, as she thinks she accidentally killed Superman. As such, she makes a break for it.

The Metropolis Marvel wakes up some time later, realizing that McCoy is still out there, and she knows his identity. As for McCoy herself, she's wandering around town, freaking out about what she had just done. After all, she never intended to harm Superman, just prove who he is. She is then accosted by a pair of men who have...bad intentions for her.

I liked this issue, but then again, as I've said in the past, I'm very fond of this era of Superman in the comic books. It has almost a bit of a soap opera feel to it. I admit, the first time I read this story, I didn't really feel lost. It told me everything I needed to know about what was going on at the time. There are quite a few intriguing plotlines going on. There's also some nice flashes of character. Cat Grant's being showy despite her situation, Superman helping a little girl with her kite. The creative team really get Superman, in my opinion. And they make his supporting cast fantastic to follow in their own right. 

A good story is even better when backed by great art. McLeod and Breeding do provide on that. Their work is expressive and very detailed. 

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2013 trade paperback Superman: Dark Knight of Metropolis. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time!

Action Comics #844 (December 2006)

One of the most iconic interpretations of Superman is the 1978 live action film, starring the late Christopher Reeve as the Metropolis Marvel. The film was written by Mario Puzo (same man who wrote the 1969 novel The Godfather, which would be adapted into a trilogy of films), and directed by the late Richard Donner. Using the motto "versimilitude", Donner helped craft a Superman that was not only beloved, but also plausible. The film would go on to be critically acclaimed and a box office smash. It would presage the massive popularity of superhero movies, including the MCU. 

In the 1990s, a young man named Geoff Johns was one of Donner's assistants. John would go on to be a powerhouse writer for DC Comics, writing characters like Flash and Green Lantern, as well as the Justice Society. Appropriately enough, Johns would also get to chronicle the adventures of Superman in 2006. In 2006, Johns would write a run of Action Comics alongside artist Adam Kubert...and co-writer Richard Donner. Yup, Donner and Johns collaborated on the comic that introduced the Man of Steel to the world. So, did their run start strong? Let's find out by looking at Action Comics #844!

The cover is an Adam Kubert piece and...I admit, I'm not exactly fond of it. It depicts a frowning Superman in a sepia wash, and it feels...rather flat to me. 

"Last Son, Part 1"
Writers: Geoff Johns, Richard Donner
Penciler: Adam Kubert
Inker: Adam Kubert
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Editors: Nachie Castro, Matt Idelson
Executive Editor: Dan DiDio

The story begins at Superman's Fortress of Solitude. The Man of Steel places a crystal into a console so he can talk to his father Jor-El...well, a simulation of the man.

Well, the nods to Donner's Superman films are already there. The two discuss Superman living among humans briefly. We then shift scenes to the Daily Planet. Perry White is none too happy with Jimmy Olsen's photography work in covering a battle between the Man of Tomorrow and Gorilla Grodd, one of the Flash's regular villains. Clark Kent (he was in the issue standing up for Jimmy), picks up the sounds of someone reacting to something in the sky. Subtly using his telescopic vision, he sees what looks like a UFO coming down.

Superman flies out to investigate the UFO. The Metropolis Marvel is able to stop the UFO. And he finds something surprising in it...a young boy. Later on, we look in on a Metropolis headquarters of the Department of Metahuman Affairs. Superman discusses the boy with its head, Sarge Steel. They're unsure where the kid is from, until he shows some incredible strength.

Not just that, he's speaking Kryptonese. And he's hungry.

The boy and Superman talk over a sandwich, thanks to Superman knowing his mother tongue. The DMA assure the Man of Steel that he'll be safe overnight, and Superman promises the boy he'll be there in the morning when he wakes up.

That night, Clark pays a visit to his beloved wife Lois Lane, with a gift of Chinese food. She was working on an article about the crash. The two talk, Superman noting the parallels of his and the boy's arrival on Earth. It leads Clark himself to wonder...would that have been him? If he had landed in a major city instead of the Kent farm? Superman knows he's from Krypton. He demonstrated super strength. He spoke the language. And it's not implausible that he's from there. After all, Supergirl also is around. They discuss taking the boy in, but Lois shuts it down because of their jobs.

The next day, Superman goes over to visit the boy. He flies over to the lab where he is kept, only to find the place is completely empty. And that makes Superman...upset. Over in Washington, DC, Sarge Steel is presiding over a meeting at the DMA headquarters (implied to be at the Pentagon). They theorize that the ship appeared out of hyperspace, as its predicted flight trajectory would have caused to blast through the Moon. Sarge is told he has a visitor, and he insists on...talking to him.

The thing Superman easily bends the muzzles of the guards' assault rifles, making them useless. He then grabs Sarge Steel and smashes him against the wall. Not enough to hurt Sarge, of course. Much. Yeah, Superman is one of the nicest people in the entire DCU, but it's not wise to make him mad.

Superman demands to know where the boy is. Sarge explains their tests confirmed he was Kryptonian, so he was moved somewhere more secure...and Sarge thought Superman knew about it.

We get a brief segue to Lex Luthor in his lab, reading the article Lois Lane wrote about the boy landing. Luthor sees an opportunity here...

In an unknown location, a convoy is transporting the boy. A small metal ball rolls up to it, releasing smoke. One of the truck's doors is blown and kicked open, and the boy is taken. The next day at the Kent Farm, Jonathan and Martha Kent get a visitor.

Yup. It's our man Clark. He wants to know how the Kents got away with passing him off as their son...because he wants to do the same for the kid here.

I enjoyed this comic. I had to admit, back when I first had heard that Donner was going to be involved in writing Superman, I remember being curious. I also remember that there was quite a bit of hype for this. Sadly, I never got to read it in floppy form. But I found the trade in a Barnes and Noble, so I had to have it. I think Donner and Johns made a very strong start to the "Last Son" storyline. The future Chris Kent's arrival parallels Superman's, and it allowed the exploration of the idea of what happened if he landed in a city instead of the Kent farm. If it happened to Clark, he likely would have ended up a test subject as well. 

I also liked the scenes with Lois and Clark discussing the boy and the little aside with Luthor. You bet Lex would see the arrival of another Kryptonian as something not only to be concerned about, but as something he can use against Superman. Say what you will about Geoff Johns, but as this and his writing of Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes showed, he gets Superman in my opinion. 

Adam Kubert turns in some good artwork, but I admit, I was thrown off by the layouts. Some pages of this comic have panels arranged in a way that required one to read across two pages. It can mess with you a bit. His art is also a bit scratchy in some ways. Still, it does the job.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2013 trade paperback Superman: Last Son of Krypton. It's an underrated story. 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 vaccinated! See you next time!  

Action Comics #241 (June 1958)

We all have times in our lives when we just want to be alone for a little while. Where we can take a break from the insanity of the world around us. Well, for Superman, just chilling in his apartment isn't enough. When he needs to relax, he needs...a Fortress of Solitude.

The original idea of a Fortress of Solitude actually came from the pulp stories of Doc Savage. The Man of Bronze had built a special complex in the Arctic as a place he could store items that were potentially very dangerous to humanity. In Superman #17 (1942), a precursor to the more famous version of the Fortress was introduced, described as a "mountain sanctuary" in a mountain range outside of Metropolis. The Golden Age-era Superman used this sanctuary just like Doc Savage did. This sanctuary would be first referred to as the Fortress of Solitude in Superman #58 (May-June 1949).

The comic we're looking at here is the first appearance of the Silver Age version of the Fortress. The Fortress would be a part of the Superman mythos for decades, even after Superman being constantly rebooted. The Fortress itself would undergo many changes over the years. The Silver Age version was in a mountain like in its Golden Age counterpart, for example. But over the years, it's been relocated to its traditional place in the Arctic (a nod to ol' Doc Savage), the Andes Mountains, Antarctica, and even the Amazon rainforest. 

The Fortress has appeared in other media outside of comics, like the Super Friends cartoon series, the various DC Animated Universe shows, the Legion of Super-Heroes animated series, Smallville, the Arrowverse, and even in video games like Lego Batman 3 and Mortal Kombat vs. the DC Universe. So with that, let's look at Action Comics #241!

The cover is a Curt Swan and Stan Kaye piece, and it's pretty awesome. It depicts Superman using the giant key to unlock the door to his Fortress of Solitude. He's thinking that someone has managed to use the key

"The Super-Key to Fort Superman!"
Writer: Jerry Coleman
Penciler: Wayne Boring
Inker: Stan Kaye
Editor: Mort Weisinger
Executive Editor: Whitney Ellsworth

The story begins with, in typical style of the era, Superman using his heat vision to write in a giant metal diary.

You know Supes, just buying a notebook full of blank pages at at Metropolis pharmacy or office supply store will be a lot easier. And it's not like anyone would find you buying notebooks strange, being a reporter in your civilian identity and all.

Not to mention, Doug Ramsey could figure out Kryptonian in no time. The story really beings with Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and Jimmy Olsen heading out for lunch together. Lois spies a nice necklace in the window of presumably a jewelry shop and laments that she can't afford to buy it. Jimmy feels the same way about a car he sees at a dealership. At the end of the day, Clark switches to his Superman togs and goes out flying. The Man of Steel finds some pearls for a necklace for Lois. It would be heartwarming if Lois and Clark were actually a couple at this point. 

Superman then heads out to a little iconic area he likes to go to when he wants to get away from the world, his Fortress of Solitude. But the Fortress is more than that. It's also a place where Superman can perform dangerous experiments with his superpowers away from people. It also has a little museum of sorts where he keeps memorabilia honoring both his civilian friends and crime-fighting allies like Batman.

He spends his time in the Fortress engaging in a bit of super-painting and working on ways to make himself immune to Kryptonite. 

The next day, Superman is summoned by a famous scientist. The science whiz has come up with a metal that he believes that is so strong, even Superman himself can't break it. He wants the Metropolis Marvel to test this claim, and Superman thinks his Fortress of Solitude is the perfect place to do so. Superman takes the metal there, only to find a surprise.

Someone left a little dare for the Man of Tomorrow.

Prepare for the greatest puzzle of your career, Superman! I can enter and leave at will! Who am I? How can I do it? I dare you to find out!

Superman looks around his Fortress, hoping to find some clues. The search is rather fruitless. Superman decides to turn his attention to trying to break the scientist's new super-metal. The Man of Steel is able to break the metal, which I'm sure will disappoint the creator. He writes a few entries in his metal super-diary, and then heads out for the day...after using his X-Ray vision to melt the door so no one else can enter his Fortress. I'm sure the writer meant to have Superman use his heat vision.

The next day, Superman puts out a fire in Metropolis. He then returns to his Fortress. So, how's he going to get in now that he melted the door? Easy. He's Superman. He can just bust his way in through the mountain like the Kool-Aid Man. HEY KOOL-AID!

He bursts in and notices that someone has completed that painting of the Martian landscape he was working on. He relaxes by playing chess with a giant robot. In another chamber, Superman experiments with special glasses that will hopefully allow him to see through lead. It's here that he finds another message, written in invisible ink activated by his X-Ray vision.

I told you I couldn't be kept out! You like puzzles! Can you guess who I am? I know who you are...and I'll reveal my knowledge in 24 hours!

This really doesn't help Superman figure out who this mysterious intruder is, so he'll have to wait until tomorrow. That night, the sleeping Superman has a nightmare about this mystery. The next say, the Man of Steel rescues a boat. However, he unintentionally rocks the boat because of his being distracted by the intruder. He returns to his Fortress and finds another message, this one on a statue of Clark Kent.

Kent is Superman! I told you I knew! Now I have proved it! Tonight is your last chance to act!

Superman recombs the Fortress, and finds an odd clue.

A blob of blue and grey wax on the ground in front of a statue of Batman. How odd indeed.

Meanwhile, a figure waits for the opportune moment to reveal themselves. The figure's plan is interrupted by a sudden earthquake, and Superman ends up trapped under some rocks. He can't bust out because a piece of green Kryptonite is nearby. The figure then runs over to help.

Yup, it's Batman! He was the one responsible for the secret messages. He moves to remove the Kryptonite, but Superman tells him they are trapped in the room, and there's nowhere Bats can put the Kryptonite where it won't poison Superman. The only way out is through Superman's super strength...and that's not an option. 

Superman's basically "Well, we're both gonna die, so you can at least tell me what was with the messages?" Batman agrees. Bats was able to sneak in by hiding in the Fortress's giant key. He also hid in one of Superman's trophies, a giant hollow penny that bears the Joker's face. The penny is made of lead, so Superman can't see inside it with his X-Ray vision. He then melted the Batman statue...and replaced it without removing the wax. You'd think the Dark Knight had something better to do. Maybe his Rogues Gallery was on vacation that week. 

That was the clue Superman was looking for, and he bursts out laughing. You see, he realized the Bat was playing a joke, so the Man of Tomorrow decided to play a prank on him. Superman used his powers to create a small localized earthquake. A bit of fake Kryptonite, and some Christopher Reeve-level acting, and voila!

There's still one question left: Why did Batman do this? Well, it was the Caped Crusader's way of celebrating a special holiday: The anniversary of the arrival of Superman on Earth from Krypton. Batman struggled to figure out what to get him. You know, Bats, you could have just gotten him a gift card. Let him get himself something nice on your dime.

Anyway, the story ends with Batman inviting Superman to the Batcave for another present.

By "baking the cake myself", he likely meant "I had Alfred make it."

In the interest of full disclosure, I have to point out that Action Comics is an anthology title. One focused on Congo Bill, and the other on Tommy Tomorrow. As such, it had multiple stories. I would have looked at them as well for the sake of completeness, but I do not have those stories. They were not collected in the trade I got the scans from. Therefore, this review is only for the Superman story.

This story was...well, I have to admit, I was not too fond of it. I did think it was neat that we got to explore the Fortress of Solitude, though. I also admit, I got a chuckle out of Superman getting the Dark Knight with a prank. However, the story to me came off as rather...stupid. It didn't bother me that Batman knew when Superman's rocket crashed to Earth, as since this story established that since he and Superman knew each other's secret identities, it can easily be assumed that Superman told him about his coming to Earth in a rocket. 

It is also neat to see Superman and Batman talking to each other like they're actually friends. Modern depictions of the World's Finest and their relationship tend to be rather tense, emphasizing their differences in crime-fighting methods and the like. It's nice to see them actually portrayed as friends.

What bothers me about this story was that...well, the story seemed a slight bit mean-spirited to me. I mean, I do get that it was the Silver Age, and I very much doubt that was what the creators intended. I do get that they wanted to tell a silly little mystery story. That's fine. But it does come off as someone trying to blackmail Superman. Couldn't Batman have come up with less...creepy messages? 

Boring's depiction of Superman is a fascinating one when compared to modern depictions of the character. His take on the character is more barrel-chested and broad than modern portrayals of the Man of Steel tend to make him look. Modern depictions of Superman tend to give him the physique of a bodybuilder. Boring's Superman is not as muscular, but no less powerful-looking. You can believe that this man can lift an airliner with his pinky finger. The art does its job. Not much else to say about it, really.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend hunting down the 2012 trade paperback Superman: The Secrets of the Fortress of Solitude. 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, wear a mask, an get vaccinated! Join me next time when we return to the War of the Realms, and look in on another makeshift team of heroes...

Torchlight III Launch Trailer, My Thoughts

 In October 2009, Perfect World released the Runic Games-developed action-RPG hack-and-slash called Torchlight. In the game, your mission is to help clear out the monsters from the dungeons surrounding the town the game is named after. The town is above a rich vein of a substance called Ember, a special ore that can imbue people and items with magical powers. However, there's a dark secret of the magical substance that the player has to deal with as they explore the game.

Torchlight would be greatly praised for its graphics, music, and combat style, but it would receive criticism for a shallow storyline and lack of multiplayer. The game would be ported to the Xbox 360 in 2011, OS X in 2010, and Linux in 2012. The game would also get a sequel in 2012, which would eventually get ported to other operating systems, as well as the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch.

And now a third game is here! Let's take a look at the launch trailer!

A gear gadget powered by a human heart. I'm sure that's not an indication of anything horrific at all. 

And it puts out sickly purple mists that form a skull. That means nothing! There's nothing horrific here! I'm sure this machinery is perfectly fine and safe to use.

So, the land needs our help, huh? Well, okay.

I'm impressed with that lady's skill. Being able to pick off jetpack-wearing monsters at that distance? She must have an eagle's eyes.

Hee hee, alpaca.

You know, I've played the first game on the X-Box 360. I remember getting bored with it due to the game's dungeons seemingly being endless.

That cannon robot is awesome. And it packs a UNIBEEEEEEEEEAM!

Oh great, we get a party this time! Awesome! 

Well, I have to say this. This does look fun. I do hope they've adjusted the dungeons to make them less of a chore, and I do like a good action RPG. I hope there's a demo out there so I can give this a try. 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, and wear a mask! See you next time!

Action Comics Annual #1 (1987)

It's October, which means it's the month of Halloween. The time when the demons, ghosts, ghouls and goblins come out to play. Where the barrier between the land of the living and the world of the undead is at its most permeable. The Man of Steel and the Dark Knight live in a world where monsters are real, and not just of the human variety. These monsters can have powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men, and they prey on humans simply because they can. In this little tale I'll talk about for Halloween, the two mighty heroes find themselves crossing paths with such a monster. How do they handle the situation? Let's find out in my review of Action Comics Annual #1!

The cover is a bit basic, but it is well-drawn. It's an Art Adams and Dick Giordano piece. There's not a lot to say about it, really. It's just Superman and Batman posing, with bats behind them. That's literally it. The only thing that hints about what's going on in the cover is the "Cry Vampire!" text. The bats could also be considered a hint (as bats are associated with vampires), but it could also just be Batman being a diva again.

"Skeeter!"
Writer: John Byrne
Penciler: Art Adams
Inker: Dick Giordano
Colorist: Petra Scotese
Letterer: Albert DeGuzman
Editor: Mike Carlin
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins with an angry mob, complete with torches (but strangely no pitchforks) chasing someone through a swamp in the dark of night. They're desperate to catch their quarry. But who are they chasing?

"Ah knew Ah shouldn't have put that whopper cushion on the Mayor's seat!"

I am amazed they got away with blatantly putting Mr. Peanut on her shirt. The young woman (whom the mob have dubbed Skeeter) unintentionally leads the mob towards her home, which scares her. She's already in danger from these men, she doesn't want them to get her family. Skeeter draws the mob away, and jumps in a lake to hide. The men give up the chase, as they'll never be able to get to her before sunrise. The mysterious blonde is able to make it to her home, lamenting that she feels so weak and tired.

Skeeter starts to cry, lamenting she should have never left home. But her parents wanted her to see the big city. Get an education, make something of herself. But she learned all she needed to here, especially thanks to what the mob did to her parents.

Yeah, you can bet something strange is going on here. I mean, Skeeter's parents are clearly Deadites! Three days later, a car pulls up to a diner in a town called Fayerville in South Carolina. The diner is open, so maybe the occupants can get some grub.

"This Bat-Stache not only makes a great disguise, it makes me look extra manly!"

Yeah, it's Bruce Wayne, wearing a fake Magnum P.I. mustache. He remarks the town looks like it got stuck in the 1950s. The other occupant is a woman named Carson. She wants to find a mechanic, as her car broke down. A disguised Bruce was passing by, and was unable to fix her car there. As such, being a nice guy, he drove her to town. With her heading out, Bruce is going to find himself some information.

He heads into the diner, asking for a hotel. He notes that Fayerville is not the friendliest place in the world, almost as if the town is paranoid about something. This gets Wayne's instincts flaring. That night, he changes into his Batman togs and checks out the town. He notices that Fayerville is...sleepier than your average sleepy town. When people are out, they're never alone. Always in groups or pairs. Like they're watching each other's backs. Batman hears a scream from an alley. The Caped Crusader heads towards the noise, and finds Miss Carson dead.

"Aww man, Mr. Carson is going to kill me..."

Her throat's been torn open and she's been completely drained of blood. Batman has seen this before. Back in Gotham. He had been investigating a series of murders with this same exact modus operandi over there. A local mob spots Batman and thinks he's the killer. The Dark Knight isn't into fighting civilians, and he's in no shape to defend himself anyway. The Bat has been going for three days with practically no sleep. He tosses a smoke grenade. The Caped Crusader's got to swallow his pride and get some help for this one. He hacks into a telephone line and calls the Daily Planet.

Clark Kent is on the other end. Batman asks him to contact Superman (he was unaware of Supes's secret identity at this point). To prove he's genuine, he uses the codeword "Magpie". This is a reference to The Man of Steel #3 (November 1986), which depicted the first meeting between Superman and Batman in Post-Crisis on Infinite Earths canon. Magpie was the villain they fought together in that comic. Clark Kent sheds his suit and flies to Fayerville. Batman climbs down from the telephone pole and spots Skeeter coming towards him. She believes that he's here to save her. Her parents have told her he'd come. He wasn't able to save Skeeter's parents, but she'll be safe with him.

That panel is hilarious just because of Batman's face. He looks genuinely confused. Superman arrives in Fayerville. Using his X-ray vision, he notices that even at 4 A.M., people are wide awake...including the children. It's like they're on the lookout for something. The Man of Steel heads for the local sheriff...where he observes a sharpened stake under his desk.

"Oh Rao, I arrived at a Van Helsing family reunion..."

This gets the Man of Steel really confused. Supes asks if Batman's been in touch with the sheriff, but the sheriff isn't even aware the Bat is in town. The deputy is suspicious of Superman, but the sheriff is like, "Shut up, Barney Fife! He's Superman, not a vampire!" Yup, this town's got a vampire problem!

Meanwhile, Skeeter takes Batman to her home. He notices that the places looks like it has been abandoned for years. The blonde shows the Dark Knight her mummified parents. He yelps out "Good Lord!"...and it makes Skeeter freak out. The sheriff takes Superman to the local hospital. He shows Superman a padlocked pair of doors that are also protected by armed guards. It's because there's something he needs to see in that room.

There are bodies in that room. Lots of bodies. Skeeter realizes Batman is not who she thinks he is. The Caped Crusader notices his head is feeling fuzzy...and it's not from his lack of any real rest over the last three days. His body feels heavy. Skeeter is doing something to him. He's gotta get out. He smashes his way through the wall of the house and seemingly drowns in quicksand. Skeeter believes maybe no one is coming to help her. That she's going to have to go it alone.

Superman and the sheriff hear a noise. The Metropolis Marvel notices that the bars on the window are broken. Superman goes to contain the problem while the sheriff gets the National Guard. Skeeter is calling her children...and she wants them to wreck stuff.

Superman believes the people in the ward have not become vampires yet, so there's still a chance to save them. Their wrecking the town helps Superman with a way to stop them. Step One: He gathers all the sleepwalkers in one place, and uses his superspeed to set up a wall of hard air around them. Step Two: He gathers up the bricks from the buildings they damaged and constructs a physical wall around them. Step Three: Profit.

The Man of Tomorrow had noticed there was a bit of a chill in the air lately. And that chill has intensified.

"SSSSUPERMAAAAN...LET ME HUG YOUUUUU..."

She introduces herself as Elly Mae Skaggs, but folks around here call her "Skeeter". It's then when it all comes together. You see, "skeeter" is a colloquial term for the mosquito. And what do female mosquitoes feed on? Blood. Skeeter is a vampire. I've read this story before, but it was only recently that the "Skeeter" connection occurred to me. And since she's a supernatural being, she can harm the Metropolis Marvel, which she shows when she's able to slash his chest.

Her strength and speed is a match for the Man of Steel's. She also can mess with his head like she did with Batman's. She tries to go for his neck. She's close. Very close. But someone stakes her right in the heart from behind.

When Skeeter wanted steak, this was NOT what she had in mind...

A dying Skeeter is shocked. Didn't the Bat drown? Well, not exactly. Batman claims he survived because if you stay calm, you can swim in quicksand. I think that's sort of accurate. I looked it up, and here's what I got. Humans are less dense than quicksand, so it's impossible for a human to sink completely in if they stay calm. Thrashing will make a person sink further. The way to escape is to move the legs slowly, and get your body in the supine position (floating horizontally with the face and torso facing upwards). Also, you ever see quicksand suck people into it in movies? That doesn't happen in real life. Real life quicksand does not work that way. The more you know.

Superman thanks Batman for saving his life, and Batman's like "Yeah, a Kryptonian vampire's no good for anybody". Also, Supes should get those chest scratches cleaned. Preferably with holy water. That shouldn't be a problem. It's a South Carolina town. There's likely more churches there than people.

In Gotham City, we got a grave-digging party going on! Well, not exactly. They're digging up the previous victims of Skeeter. Commissioner Gordon is shocked that someone who looked as young as Skeeter could do this. Batman states that she was no young girl. Before he left Fayerville, he did some checking around, and he found the birth certificate for Elly Mae Skaggs.

Elly Mae Skaggs was born on April 16, 1865. Two days after Abraham Lincoln was shot. She and parents became vampires over a century ago. Gordon is grateful it's all over, but Batman still has one loose end to tie up, hence the graves of Skeeter's victims being dug up. They can become the undead as well. And well, Batman has had his fill of vampires.

"Next time I have to deal with this vampire garbage, I'm calling Blade."

The Bat has some nice stakes for them, and I'm not talking about the food.

This annual was awesome. It's a great story for Halloween. It's really cool seeing the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight joining forces to battle a monsterous vampire. It's a great challenge for Superman as he's just as vulnerable to supernatural forces as any human being is. It's also is a nice change-up for Batman. After all, Batman is mostly known to be fighting regular human criminals (or the occasional psycho supervillain/metacriminal).

Skeeter can be seen as a dark mirror to Superman in a way. Both of them are non-human beings who resemble humans. But whereas Superman dedicates himself to protecting humanity and genuinely cares for the people of Earth, Skeeter just sees humanity as literally food. She is a vampire, after all.

Skeeter is also an opposite of Batman in a way. With his garb and tendency to prowl around the shadows of the night, I can imagine some criminals believing he's a vampire. After all, Alexander Knox in the 1989 Batman movie once said that there were rumors that "he can't be killed. They say he drinks blood". I love that movie. Despite that, Batman...is a man. With human limitations. But also a great empathy for his fellow man...when written well at least. Skeeter at first glance is a cute little Southern girl who seeming wouldn't hurt a fly. But under her cute façade is a ruthless monster.

Art Adams brings some great art to the table for this. One detail I really loved as the way he drew Skeeter's face. At first, she looks very cute and disarming, you wonder why the people of Fayerville are chasing her. As her true nature becomes more apparent, she grows more and more monsterous in appearance. It's a little detail I really liked. Also, I can't believe they blatantly got away with having what clearly is Mr. Peanut on Skeeter's shirt. How did they avoid getting sued?

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend hunting down the 2013 trade paperback Superman: A Dark Knight Over Metropolis. It collects this story as well as a mystery tale featuring the two heroes. I highly recommend it. "Skeeter" is a great Halloween tale, and I highly recommend it if you want to get in the mood for the holiday.

Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! I hope you all have a happy, fun, and safe Halloween! Next time, I think we'll hang out with the Gotham Guardian a little longer, as he continues his psychological battle against the mad Hugo Strange...