Credits: Story and pencils by Dan Jurgens, finishes by Brett Breeding and edited by Jennifer Frank.
Cast: Aquaman, Batman, Captain Marvel (not Shazam, this is my hill) Dr Light II, Ralph Dibney, the world famous Enlongated Man, Flash, Guy ‘Green Lantern’ Gardner, Hal ‘Green Lantern’ Jordan, Maxima, Nightwing, Power Girl, Robin, Wonder Woman, Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, Jonathan & Martha Kent, Bibbo, Lana Lang, Mitch, Mitch’s sister, mother & father and Director Westfield of Cadmus.
Plot: The funeral is over, now is the painful part, the next day. Lois meets with the Kents to grieve together, Lana Lang also shows up, the four of them realise that they’re the only people mourning the actual person and not the hero. They discuss whether to reveal his identity to the world. They decide against for the time being.
The main thrust of the story is the super hero community taking over one of Superman’s roles, once a year he answers post asking him for help. He reads them and where he can, he helps. Guy Gardner searches for the estranged son of a dying woman, Wonder Woman searches for Mitch’s dad who abandoned the family and learns that their house was destroyed. The rest of the group goes to Mitch’s home and rebuild.
Back at Metropolis, people gather round the memorial as most people mourn Superman while Lois, Lana and the Kents mourn Clark. Underneath the memorial, members of Cadmus digs through to the tomb and steals the corpse of Superman.
Notes: For such a vital and well remembered story, little happens. But there’s something to that. This is the aftermath of tragedy, stretched out to show how everyone’s reaction to it, not just the immediate supporting cast. This issue does one thing well, it highlights the nuances in the term superhero. From what I can see, they fall into two categories that overlap in many places. Batman, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Black Canary, Green Arrow and the Flash are crime fighters. Their primary function is to solve, prevent or avenge crimes, basically the battle against evil. They do other things, but honestly that is their primary thing, they are there to serve the common good by upholding justice. Superman isn’t that, he battles criminals, he battles evil (a never ending battle) and all that, but also, he’s there to help. The mailbag tradition is the clearest example of that. He helps, he gets cats out of tree, puts out fires, catches you when you fall.
It’s the most clear depiction of what Superman is, as an idea. He can do anything, rule the world, burn it down and live as a god, but he’s just a guy. He has a job, a flat, a dog and parents who he sees when he can. With all that power, all he wants is to help. He does the right thing, for no other reason than it’s the right thing and this issue just tells you that. The wish fulfilment of Superman is not a man who has power, it’ s a powerful man who wants to help. There’s no tragic backstory, no parents in the alley, no Uncle Ben, he is a hero, because what else would you do, if you could help? This issue shows the loss to the world, because all these other heroes have to take his place, not to battle a world ending threat, but put a family back together, because that’s what a hero does.
Verdict 8 out of 10: Not much happens, but what does happens is well written and well drawn and we keep ticking over before something happens and the ending makes me wants to skip the next post and go straight to Adventures of Superman,
But I won’t next time is Gen-13.
My Marvel Life 