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!

Adventures of Superman #431 (August 1987)

Over his eighty-plus years of adventures, Superman has fought many a foe. Some of these villains have become iconic characters in their own right. Key parts of the mythos: Lex Luthor, General Zod, Brainiac, Metallo, etc. However, not every threat that Superman fights reaches that level of fame. Allow me to show you one such villain, as we take a look at Adventures of Superman #431!

The cover is a bit basic. Well-drawn, but basic. A Jerry Ordway piece, it depicts Superman angrily crushing a gun in his hand. Doesn't really hint anything about the story. That's a shame, really. Also, is it just me, or does his jaw seem a bit...off?

"They Call Him--Doctor Stratos!"
Writer: Marv Wolfman
Penciler: Erik Larsen
Inkers: John Beatty, Dick Giordano, Karl Kesel, Bob Lewis, Jerry Ordway, P. Craig Russell(Credited as India Inc. Get it?)
Colorist: Anthony Tollin
Letterer: Albert Deguzman
Editors: Andrew Helfer, Mike Carlin
Executive Editor: Dick Giordano

The story begins with a group of gunmen firing at the Man of Steel.

"Keep wasting these bullets, boys!"

It's a group of gunmen going up against Superman, so naturally he is able to easily deal with them. They had robbed a charity event that he was speaking at. Yeah, they're not very bright. But these men are not the real antagonist of this tale. We go to a palace that looked like it was designed by an Amazon architect. This is Castle Chaos, and it's the home of this man.

"Gentlemen! Behold! My glorious mullet!"

Meet Dr. Constantine Stratos. He's a bit touched in the head. Much like Maxie Zeus in Batman: The Animated Series, he fancies himself a god. And this self-proclaimed god is angry. You see, his aide Emil Markos has done a pretty lousy job. Markos has also stolen from him and tried to turn Stratos's staff against him. Markos pleads for mercy, but Stratos is not a merciful man. He then proceeds to kill Markos by presumably making him explode. I think. The comic is unclear.

It's here we learn a bit of Stratos's past. You see, the redheaded fury was found as a baby on the base of Mount Olympus. Yeah, it's a real mountain in Greece. Highest mountain in the country. This had convinced him that he was a scion of the Greek pantheon. After bedding one of his assistants, she tries to kill him. However, a strange icy wind kicks up, freezing her solid.

"I had a divine dream about freezing a woman, and...oh. Awesome."

We next head to the Daily Planet. Lois Lane and Cat Grant are discussing some family issues. Cat had heard that Lois's mother was unwell, and she thought she'd want to talk about it. Cat's been starting a custody battle herself with her son, but Lois is icy about it. Everyone's fine, and that's all Cat needs to know.

Clark Kent is outside the Daily Planet building buying a hot dog, when he sees Lois stomp by. He tries to ask how she's doing, but Lois is basically like "figure it out yourself, Smallville" as she walks away. Cat finds him and invites him to lunch, when a sudden hailstorm kicks up. This is unusual for Metropolis, as it's May.

In Washington D.C., the then-President of the United States, Ronald Reagan, sees the hail from the White House. He's not worried about it, until a giant hailstone smashes into the building.

Yeah, the taxpayers will be footing that bill, too. He gets a call from the Soviet Union's then-premier, Mikhail Gorbachev. Moscow is being hit by a heat wave. Doctor Stratos calls in and basically tells him "I can do worse, and I will speak my demands". Ronnie tells Gorby that the two have a mutual problem. Luckily, Ronnie knows a man who can handle this. No, not Batman!

In the Planet's microfilm library, Cat goes to find some evidence she can use against her ex-husband for her upcoming custody trial. The gopher who works there is drawn as a stereotypical skinny balding nerd with a major crush on her. She takes advantage of this to get him to help her find what she's looking for.

At Castle Chaos, Doctor Stratos only has one question: "How is the satellite"?

Doctor Stratos designed this on a mead binge.

Yeah, this is how Stratos has been pulling his weather tricks. He sees it as a substitute until his natural godlike powers emerge. Stratos's men detect Superman flying over London, and Stratos gives the kill order. The Man of Steel gets battered by powerful winds. Superman welcomes this as if whatever is behind this focuses on him, innocent lives will be less at risk. And I can also imagine that other superheroes will be able to focus more of things like helping with the cleanup and search and rescue.

Superman gets battered by tidal waves and lightning, but he's able to save London by creating a moat around Parliament. He then discovers Paris is under a thick pea-soup fog. Huh. Isn't that London's thing?

You see, Superman can't take care of Stratos simply because the man is using his satellite to imperil innocent people with extreme weather, and that's the priority. Stratos covers Egypt and North Africa in snow, but Supes is able to deal with it. Superman realizes that the only way the mad wannabe god can affect so many places at once is...from orbit. Superman discovers Stratos's satellite with his telescopic vision. He also is able to follow the transmissions to the satellite to Castle Chaos. Stratos tries to blast the Man of Tomorrow with a bolt of lightning. The Metropolis Marvel blocks the lightning, but Stratos is caught in the backlash.

"OH MY ME, I AM IN SO MUCH PAIN RIGHT NOW!"

The burning madman falls out of the castle, screaming that he can't die like this. Gods don't die like this! Superman couldn't save him due to his being exhausted by his cleaning up Stratos's weather disasters. Superman dives into the water, but can't find even so much as a body. Superman is left with a lot of questions.

Oh well, at least it's all over. All that's left to do is dismantle the equipment, and take a nice long vacation. God knows Superman deserves it after the day he's had. Several days later, the Aegean Sea starts to boil, like it's being heated in a giant kettle. A large hand emerges from the water, followed by an equally powerful body.

"I LIIIIIVE! ...where are my pants?"

Like any good horror movie villain, Stratos is alive. Now mutated into a more monsterous giant form, he rants that he's finally achieved the godhood he was destined to have...and that one day, Superman will die by his hand. That never happens. Stratos never appears again.

This story was an alright done-in-one. It was rather fun to see the Man of Steel be pushed to the limit, against a force of nature twisted to malevolent ends.

Doctor Stratos himself is a bit of a dopey villain. He has a criminal scheme that makes me think of the Silver Age with the ruthlessness of the post-Bronze Age. There's really not much to him, he' just a delusional man with a god complex. To be honest, I think he would be a good fit for Wonder Woman's rogues gallery. After all, this is the DC Universe. The Greco-Roman gods are real there. They could confirm whether Stratos was an actual demigod or just a crazy man. Would have loved to have seen the look on his face if Zeus told him "Nah, you ain't my kid. Also, I couldn't help but notice Stratos bears a striking resemblance to the younger red-haired body that Lex Luthor would use to house his brain later on in the comics.

Erik Larson's art is rather...interesting. The style of it does lead to some rather humorous-looking facial expressions. He does show some really good storytelling at parts, too.

This feels like a bit of a fill-in story, but it's not terrible. I personally would have liked to have seen Doctor Stratos return. Shame that DC reorganizing their universe has made that practically impossible. If you want to read this one for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2005 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 yourself and each other. Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, and wear a mask. See you next time, when we rejoin the Black Panther on another adventure...

Adventures of Superman #545 (April 1997)

The 1990s are often the butt of jokes from comic book fans. I understand why, personally. There was a lot of rough stuff in comics at time. *cough*Liefeld*cough* Not to mention the comic book industry nearly collapsed. But there were some hidden gems during that time. One of them was Superman's titles.

At the time, the Man of Steel had multiple books, and if you've read this blog, you may know I'm a bit of a fan of this era of his books. Every ten months, the creatives of these titles would hold a "Super-Summit" to discuss and plan out new adventures for the Metropolis Marvel.

Colorist Glenn Whitmore was a fan of Superman #162 (July 1963), which contained the classic Silver Age tale "The Amazing Story of Superman-Red and Superman-Blue!". In these Super-Summits, he would always pitch to the Superman team the idea of doing a modernized take on that tale. But it would always get laughed off. There was talk of giving Superman a new costume after The Death of Superman, but it ended up not amounting to much. Just the temporary black "recovery" costume Supeman wore during that storyline. It was felt that his classic suit should be kept to firmly establish he was back.

The idea to change up Superman's powers came from Karl Kesel. He felt that it would make some interesting new challenges and stories for the Man of Steel. Superman's powers have been raised and lowered over the years, but never outright changed. Giving him new powers would also have been a great excuse to give him a new outfit. All the Superman artists at the time took cracks at Supes' new look, but it was Ron Frenz's design that would win out, as it was felt his design best reflected Superman's new energy-based power set.

At the time, the storylines these "Super-Summits" would conceive would last about six to ten weeks. This new status quo would last quite a bit longer than that, as the creatives wanted to maximize the potential of Superman dealing with these brand-spanking new powers. Glenn Whitmore would get his wish the next year as Superman's transformation into an energy being would later cause him to split into a pair of Supermen, but that's another tale.

And with that out of the way, let's take a look at Adventures of Superman #545!

The cover is pretty neat. It's a Stuart Immonen piece. You got Superman having an electrical headache "THIS BIG", heh heh. It's not something you expect to see on a Superman cover. I also like the narration on the cover. It's like the narrator is thinking as they narrate: "...new powers?! Wait, what?!" It just amuses me.

"Power Crisis!"
Writer: Karl Kesel
Penciler: Scot Eaton
Inker: Jose Marzan, Jr.
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Letterer: Albert Deguzman
Editors: Joey Cavalieri, Mike McAvennie

The story begins with Superman making a call to his then-friend Emil Hamilton.

The Man of Steel's powers have been going a bit wonky lately, and he understandably wants to get checked out. He hopes his new wife Lois can hold the fort without him for a bit. She isn't worried, though. She's holding a dinner party, nothing she can't handle. She's invited Perry White and another man named Dirk Armstrong to attend. But before Supes goes, she wants some makeout action. It's stopped by some static electricity.

"I really oughta stop staring at the St. Elmo's Fire..."

Superman's powers are going wonky again... The Metropolis Marvel suddenly feels light-headed and falls...right through the wall of his and Lois's apartment. He tries to fly back, but he can't. His flight power's been shut off! He slams into the ground, crackling with electrical power.

"That didn't hurt!"

His body is crackling with electricity. Superman finds it's affecting his vision powers, causing him to see various wavelengths he couldn't before. A man named Dirk Armstrong emerges from a taxi and sees Superman in the state he's in. This guy was the last person Superman needed around right now. You see, Armstrong's been writing some anti-Superman columns recently, and the Man of Steel's power problems would make great fuel for them. Superman tries to get it under control, but ends up making a car explode. And then a bus come towards him.

"Oh Rao hates me..."

I bet this was what Superman was thinking right now.

Luckily for him (and the bus's passengers), Superman becomes immaterial and falls through the sidewalk. He somehow ends up wrecking an underground power line, causing a blackout. Lois Lane runs outside, and finds that Perry White has arrived. She's apologetic about this, but Perry's not bothered. He's not afraid of the dark. After all, he's busy dealing with cancer at the moment. Dirk Armstrong tells them that his contact at Metropolis's power company has lost a big chunk of the city.

Unfortunately, the blackout has also hit Stryker's Island...a metahuman prison. They had a back-up generator, but it's been down since the escape of a supervillain named Barrage. As a result, another supervillain is taking the opportunity to do a bit of breaking out.

"Heeeeeeeere's Skully!"

Say hello to Joseph Martin, the Atomic Skull. A bit delusional, he thinks he's the main superhero of an old serial and Superman is his serial arch-nemesis Dr. Electron. He sees the darkened city, and believes Superman is behind it. Meanwhile, in the sewers, Superman is trying to make himself solid. He recalls some mental training he got from some monks in a temple located in the fictional country of Bhutran. Using it, he's able to grab a ladder under a manhole. Elsewhere, a meeting is going down.

"Now, if ya wanna join the gang, you gotta wear 30s and 40s clothes, see..."

Boss Moxie, the Godfather of Metropolis, is looking to gather all the organized criminal gangs of the city under one organization. You see, a lot of those gangs' heads have caught a bad case of The Death recently, and Moxie figures that joining together can cure that issue. He's throwing his pitch to two of these leaders: Raoul and Polo. Raoul is rather intrigued. After all, Boss Maxie Mannheim is a legendary gangster. What criminal would not want to work for this guy? But Polo is unsure. You see, Polo thinks that Moxie himself is the reason why many of these gang leaders have been catching The Death. As such, he decides to give Moxie a case of it himself.

However, Moxie was vaccinated against The Death. This is why you vaccinate your kids, people. The Death is not good. It's revealed that he has extra bodies, and he's not alone. He brought a nice lady dressed in red 40s clothing with pyrokinetic powers named Torcher. Moxie tells them that under him, they would have been big-time gangsters, but chose otherwise.

Raoul exclaims that he's all in with Moxie, but it's not up to the crime boss. He introduces Raoul to Dabney Donovan. Donovan was a mad scientist, specializing in cloning and genetics. He used to work for Uncle Sam before they discovered his tendency to...be creative. Donovan asks Raoul if he likes cats, as Raoul's name makes him think of a jungle cat's roar. Raoul tries to explain that he is allergic to cats, but ends up getting some blood drawn. Donovan has all he needs from the crime boss, so Moxie and Torcher can dispose of him now. Which is done.

"I'm giving you a hand! Get it?!"

Meet Mike "The Machine" Gunn. Like Moxie and Torcher, he's also a superpowered gangster. He can turn his hands into guns. Reminds me of this Marvel character called Bushwacker. He can turn his hands into guns, too. I wonder if Mr. Gunn needs to eat ammo to load his "handguns" like Mr. Carl Burbank does.

The dying Raoul is furious, as he thinks Moxie lied. Moxie's like, "Nah, I was telling the truth. You will work for me. Well, your clone at least." He leaves while Torcher and Machine Gunn have their fun. Heh, I'm a poet and I didn't know it. In case what you're wondering what this was all about, well...Moxie, Torcher, and Machine Gunn were gangsters from the 1940s who got cloned into younger superpowered bodies by Dabney Donovan. I love comics.

Back with Lois Lane! She's found by the Atomic Skull, who thinks she's his main squeeze Zelda Wentworth. Remember, the Atomic Skull thinks he's the hero of an old serial. Zelda Wentworth was a character in the serial, the fictional Skull's girlfriend. Dirk Armstrong tries to point out to the Skull that he's out of his mind, but Perry White tells him to shut up, or this could happen.

Yeah. Atomic Kablooie. Atomic Skull is confused by Lois Lane's wedding ring. Lois tries to spin a story that Dr. Electron tricked her. Superman emerges from the manhole, his body crackling with electrical power. Still trapped in his delusions, Atomic Skull prepares to vaporize Lois. Understandably, Superman is furious. Dirk is able to save Lois Lane. Something happens with Superman, and he's sent flying into a bridge. I'm not too sure.

Atomic Skull marches menacingly towards Dirk and Lois, but Perry White tires to distract him by playing into his delusions. White pretends to be a new villain, drawing upon his struggle with his cancer. Before he can he harmed, Superman returns, his body glowing blue with power, like the embodiment of a thunderbolt thrown by an enraged Zeus.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT JUST FLOATED PAST ME?!"

Atomic Skull engages the Man of Energy, their powers causing an explosion. Dirk, Lois, and Perry are okay. Perry was in an alley, and Lois and Dirk were behind a parked car. So much for it being a quiet dinner party, huh? The story ends with the Atomic Skull standing triumphantly, Superman seemingly vaporized.

I have said in the past that in my opinion, the late-80s and 90s were pretty good times for the Man of Steel comic-wise. And this was a good comic. I like the Atomic Skull. What I like about him is that he's mentally trapped in this idea that he's a superhero. There's a tragic element to it, as he's completely unaware that he's being the bad guy.

I also really liked seeing Superman deal with his powers changing. I know there are some that think that Superman is boring because he's very powerful. I disagree. Stuff like this shows that Superman can be interesting. This is a challenge for him. I can imagine he had grown comfortable with his powers at this point. But now, he's suddenly evolving into an energy being. He has to deal with his old powers fading and new ones coming in. He has to adapt. That's interesting stuff. Yeah, he eventually would get his old powers back, but the ride will be an enjoyable one.

I also liked the art. It's better to look at than many comics of the era, even though a bit of the battle against Superman and Atomic Skull was hard to follow.

If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2018 trade paperback Superman: Blue Vol. 1. It contains an afterword by Dan Jurgens that I used as a source for the introduction I used for this review. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, spread it around! See you next time, when we look at the first issue of a late 1980s series starring a certain Masked Marvel...

Adventures of Superman #466 (May 1990)

Back in the day, the Big Two of comic books (Marvel and DC) were known for homaging each other in various ways. The most notable of these homages was during Halloween, when both companies would do stories set in Rutland, Vermont. You see, every year, Rutland holds a special Halloween parade, in which people mostly dress up as superheroes. It was started by the late Tom Fagan, who was a local writer and comic book fan. It would be used as a setting for several Marvel and DC stories in the 1970s.

Another way they paid homage to each other was by creating pastiches. One of the most notable pastiches was Marvel's Squadron Supreme, who were essentially an homage to the Justice League. I looked at their 12-issue mini-series last year. DC also did homages to Marvel characters. One example is the one we'll look at here. So join me as we take a look at Superman battling a twisted take on the Fantastic Four in Adventures of Superman #466!

The cover is awesome. You got the Man of Steel battling two of the "Fantastic Four". What I love is the "Invisible Woman" of the bunch is all like, "Oh my God, watch it, you rockbrained idiot! You nearly trampled me!", while the "Mr. Fantastic" of the four is all like, "What is going on? Why are we fighting Superman?" It's a great cover, I love it.

"The Limits of Power"
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Artists: Dan Jurgens (Layouts), Dick Giordano (Finished Art, credited as "Sludd" Giordano)
Inker: Dick Giordano
Colorist: Glenn Whitmore
Editors: Jon Peterson, Mike Carlin

The story begins at a NASA control center in Houston, Texas. They're monitoring the space shuttle Excalibur as it attempts a problematic reentry.

On the reentry, the crew of four astronauts are exposed to bizarre radiation. Sound familiar? The shuttle explodes and crashes into a wooded area. Two of the astronauts, a man named Hank Henshaw and a woman named Terri, find each other. The dialogue suggests they are a husband and wife team. The two are alright, but Terry notices Hank's hair is now completely white. Hank asks about the other two astronauts, man named Jim Garrison and Steven...I'm giving him the surname "Tempest", because why not? If we're going to rip-off the FF, let's go all out. Steven calls out for help, as the radiation caused him to...get a new look.

Hank theorizes that the radiation mutated Steven Tempest, causing the destruction of his original body...and the creation of a new body composed of radiation. Steven freaks out, worried that he's going to die. Terri realizes Jim is missing. They quickly find him, and much like Steven Tempest, Jim Garrison is not a human being anymore.

Yeah, this...Thing, for lack of a better term, is no cantankerous idol of millions with a speech pattern like Jimmy Durante. Instead, much like Steven, his body was destroyed. Instead of forming a new one out of the radiation itself, his new body was formed from the ground and spaceship wreckage around him. And unlike Steven, he's in constant pain.

Hank reminds the crew they were experimenting with radiation out in space when they ran into trouble. Propriety demands they return to NASA, but they're too far away. Metropolis is closer, and since the experiments were also funded by Lexcorp, they should go there. How Hank knows where they are and that Metropolis is closer is beyond me. Steven discovers that he can use his new energy powers to create platforms, and he uses this ability to transport the others there. Terri wonders if this is the right thing. Hank assures them that it is. Jim needs help as he is clearly in agony, and unbeknownst to the others, Hank suffers from radiation sickness.

In the Big Apricot, Lois Lane is getting a visit from her sister Lucy. Lucy is teasing her older sister about making dinner for Clark. Clark Kent arrives, and Lucy takes that as her cue to leave. As she heads out, she thinks about looking up Jimmy Olsen again. The doorbell rings, and Lois goes to the door, thinking it must be Lucy. Lucy tends to be a bit forgetful with her keys. But it's not Lucy, it's Perry and Alice White. Perry has arrived to give some papers for Lois to study, presumably for a story she's working on.

Alice is rather icy towards Clark, as she felt Clark stabbed Perry in the back. You see, Clark had taken an editorial position for a while at Newstime, a competitor magazine. He then quit and returned to the Daily Planet, and Alice felt Clark's taking that job was a metaphorical finger to Perry as Perry White was the one who found Clark and made him into the reporter he is today. Geez, Alice! If Clark was being offered a better job, why not take it?!

Meanwhile, in a park, two men are meeting. These men? Morgan Edge, alleged criminal. Bruno "Ugly" Mannheim, head of Intergang. If you ever watched Superman: The Animated Series, you may be familiar with Mannheim (voiced by Bruce Weitz) and Intergang. They're basically an organized crime syndicate that uses technology from Apokolips. Mannheim assures that Edge's legal troubles at the time will handle themselves...provided he stay out of trouble. Edge says he needs no help, but Mannheim intimidates him and states that Edge had better stay away from Daily Planet reporter Cat Grant. If he does, he'll be alright.

Steven Tempest unknowingly flies over this scene as he and the rest of the Excalibur crew fly into Metropolis. Terri notices that Hank doesn't look well. Hank admits this, and wonders if he'll create a new body, much like Steve and Jim. But now's not the time for thinking. The astronauts arrive at Lexcorp's front door, and the overeager guard basically tells them, "get out or I'll blast you." Hank pleads to let them use the lab. The guard is alerted that they are contaminated by radiation. The guard panics and calls for some heavier backup.

Perry White gets a tip about the astronauts arriving in Lexcorp, and asks Lois to check it out. Clark will stay behind and watch the dinner. Clark agrees. When the others leave, he decides to go investigate himself. After all, this sounds like a job for Superman. Superman arrives, and sees the astronauts brawl with some armored Lexcorp guards.

In typical Superman style, the Man of Steel tries to calm everyone down and figure out what is going on here, although he does think that if they are angry at Luthor, they may have a darn good reason. Steven thinks Superman is about to be blasted by one of the guards. He tries to fight back, but accidentally hits Superman. It's not helped by Jim hurling another guard at Superman. Steven loses it and starts blasting everyone. Superman uses one of the guards' battle suits to contain him. Garrison then smacks the Metropolis Marvel with a lamppost. However, Hank Henshaw is able to calm everyone down and explain himself.

Henshaw explains they were doing some experiments in space, but then they got hit with some unusually intense solar flares. Superman realizes that some days earlier, he destroyed a Kryptonian artifact called The Eradicator into the Sun [In Adventures of Superman #465 (April 1990)]. It leads him to wonder if maybe he's at fault for this. Was that the reason those solar flares hit? Either way, Superman pledges to help in any way he can.

Elsewhere in Metropolis, one Cat Grant (you may know her from the Supergirl live-action series) gets a visitor.

Meet Jose Delgado, the Gangbuster. He was on his way to tell Lois he was rooming at the local "Y" for a while, but he also has some news for Cat. You see, established earlier, Morgan Edge is on trial for his connections to Intergang. Cat was one of the people who exposed him, so her ex-husband fears that they will target her. As such, he hired Jose to be her bodyguard. Cat is not too happy about this, but Jose reminds her that Intergang are bad news. Both she and her son Adam are in danger, so he's sticking to her. Besides, he already spent the money Cat's ex paid him, so he might as well do the job.

Back at the Lexcorp labs, Henshaw is having some frustrations. He's running out of time. Terri's starting to fade into another dimension, Garrison is in agony, and he has no idea what to do to help them. Henshaw himself...doesn't look so good.

Hot dang, he looks bad. His skin is melting off, and he has no time to rest. He looks like the next hot new horror monster. You know, I think this is what happened to Jim and Steven, but Henshaw's just undergoing the process much more slowly. Superman suggests they ask STAR Labs for help. Luthor is not there to help, and the Man of Steel is no scientist. Man, he could use that Pre-Crisis super-intelligence right now. Henshaw angrily refuses, saying only he can find the answer.

Terri starts to fade away, and Steven breaks out of his improvised warsuit prison, more powerful than ever. He flies into the sky, ranting about how powerful he is and that he can do anything. Superman pursues him into space, but is having trouble keeping up. Yeah, at this time, there was an effort to instill limits to Superman's power. Steven flies towards the sun, ranting that he hears it calling to him, wanting to join with him. He ends up getting torn to shreds...somehow.

Superman realizes the other three astronauts still need help, so he flies back down to the Lexcorp lab, thinking maybe he can get the JLA or Titans to help...but he's too late. Henshaw is almost a skeleton. He's still holding on, though. But for not much longer. With his dying words, he pleads for Superman to save Terri, as it's too late for him or Jim. He tries to tell him how to save Terri, but dies before he can finish. Superman notices that he can barely see Terri. She's almost finished being transported to the other dimension.

Jim is able to point out a radiation chamber. Superman deduces that Hank must've been trying to use that equipment to save himself, Jim, and Terri. Yeah, because adding more radiation will help. Terri gets in the chamber by going through the door. Meanwhile, the pain-addled and teary-eyed Jim heads towards an MRI booth.

Henshaw's plan ends up working, and the radiation restores Terri to normal. With that problem solved, Superman and Terri race to find Jim and see if it's still possible to help him. Henshaw may have thought there was no way, but Superman is not the type to give up on helping someone. They do find Mr. Garrison...what's left of him.

As shown in the panel, Jim basically the MRI booth to commit suicide. He was so in pain that he must have felt that it was the only option he had left. Terri is heartbroken. Her husband and two comrades are dead. Where can she go from there? Personally, I can imagine that she is still employed by NASA or Lexcorp, so I can imagine that, after a mental break to deal with all of this, of course, they can still give her something to do. Superman vows to help all he can. He blames himself for this, as he thinks that his throwing the Eradicator into the sun caused the solar flare that helped make this whole mess.

Terri indicated that could not have been possible because...the solar flare that caused this mess occurred yesterday morning. Superman did toss the Kryptonian artifact into the sun the same day...but he did it during the afternoon, so he couldn't have caused it. Yeah, minor error there. According to Superman earlier in the book, he tossed the Eradicator several days earlier. It was just a tragic accident. Superman takes Terri to a hospital. After this, he heads home.

Back in his apartment, Superman is back in his guise as Clark Kent. He uses a bit of heat vision to finish the soufflé that Lois was making earlier to perfection. Lois arrives, and she wants to tell him about some happenings at Lexcorp. Lois, are you talking about that battle earlier? Because Clark was there. As Superman. I'm assuming that she stumbled on something else.

You see, earlier in the issue, Clark had wanted to talk to Lois about their relationship. Earlier in the story, Clark had wanted to say something to her, but Lois wasn't interested. She wasn't a fan of the word "relationship", and she just wanted to see where things went with them at this point. The whole experience with the astronauts reminded Clark that life can be shorter than one thinks. Lois may want to let their relationship proceed at its own pace, but sometimes you have to give things a push, to take a chance. If it fails, at least the attempt was made. Lois is confused by what Clark means, but he explains by kissing her. Lois returns the kiss.

The story ends with Jose Delgado witnessing this and walking away.

This was actually a pretty good issue. As a "done-in-one" issue, it was very enjoyable. The Superman creative team, paying homage to the Fantastic Four, with tragic results. Honestly, I would have loved seeing these four stick around for a while, perhaps even try to be heroes alongside Superman, but the radiation slowly driving them mad. But I get why it's a done-in-one, and it's a very enjoyable one.

Jurgens and Giordano make quite the good art team in this book. The characters are very expressive. Also, I love their designs for the transformations for Steve and Jim. They're very reminiscent of the Human Torch and the Thing, but also have something original about them. Like they were pastiches that had the potential to evolve into original characters in their own right.

This story would introduce Hank Henshaw, would become one of Superman's biggest headaches later on. But wait, didn't he die here? Well, not exactly. His body disintegrated, but his mind survived. He became a disembodied consciousness that had the ability to build new bodies out of mechanical parts. He used this power to possess the "birthing matrix" that rocketed the baby Kal-El to Earth. Configuring it into a rocketship, he would use it to explore the cosmos. He would learn of Superman's tossing the Eradicator into the sun. This, combined with the time in space, would cause Henshaw to develop a hatred of Superman, and a desire for revenge against the Man of Steel. After Superman died battling Doomsday, Henshaw saw an opportunity to make Superman pay for the loss of his crew. He would use his powers to become one of the four impersonators of Superman that showed up afterwards. It was here that Hank would be in his most recognizable form: The Cyborg Superman.

Hank Henshaw would also be associated with Green Lantern, particularly the Hal Jordan incarnation. As part of his scheme of revenge against Superman, Henshaw would destroy Hal's hometown of Coast City. This tragedy would eventually drive Hal to go insane and become Parallax, leading to the rise of Kyle Rayner as the (at the time) sole Green Lantern. Green Lantern: Rebirth retconned this by saying that Parallax was an entity of living fear that took advantage of Hal's grief to possess him.

Interestingly, Superman would team up with the actual Fantastic Four in a 1999 crossover. Appropriately enough, Hank Henshaw was one of the villains of that crossover. I have that one, and I just may take a look at it one day for this blog.

I love this era of Superman, and I don't think it's talked about very much. It's a real shame. In my opinion, late 80s-90s era Superman was a hidden Golden Age for the character. Fun stories and great art. If you can find some of it, get it. This issue has been collected in trade form, particularly in the 2013 trade Superman: Dark Knight Over Metropolis. It has a team-up story that would make a great story to look at on Halloween...

Next time, the Crisis on Infinite Earths rages on, and we see the fall of another major hero...