Credits: Written by Jerry Ordway, pencilled by Tom Grummett, inked by Doug Hazlewood and edited by Mike Carlin
Cast: Lex Luthor II, Matrix/Supergirl, Jose (Gangbuster) Delgago, Inspector Henderson, Jonathan and Martha Kent, Lois Lane, Elroy the cat, Lori, Dan ‘Terrible’ Turpin, Bibbo, Clawster and several of the underworlders and Maggie Sawyer.
Plot: Woken from his bed while sleeping with Supergirl, Lex Luthor II (really Lex Luthor in a cloned body) learns that someone has broken in to Superman’s tomb and Supergirl forms her costume around herself, replacing the sleepwear and flies to Centennial Park and the tomb. This leaves Lex with the unpleasant idea that Superman is alive. Supergirl lands by the statue above the tomb and is noticed by an undercover cop staking the place out. Inside the tune, she finds a tunnel carved into the rock and after a bit of back and forth with Lex (who has a ladyfriend with him as soon as his girlfriend goes out, decides to investigate further.
Above the tomb, Jose Delgado is mourning, but is interrupted by Inspector Henderson who questions him about his previous experience as the vigilante Gangbuster. Elsewhere in Metropolis Jonathan Kent gets out of bed, needing a glass of water, he finds a despondent Lois Lane and both are worried about how the other is doing and how much help they are being, the Kents planning to head back home the next day.
Back at the statue, Dan Turpin has arrived and follows where the undercover guy told him Supergirl went, he asks for his superior officer Maggie Sawyer be summoned. Later that evening, Bibbo is heading home from a night at his bar when he interrupts a drug deal and finds himself outnumbered 4 to one. He’d be doomed, except the arrival of Gangbuster, who makes short work of the 4. Meanwhile Supergirl has arrived at the caverns under the streets of Metropolis and comes across the underworlders, including the huge Clawster. Turpin arrives shortly after and is also set upon by the creatures there. One of them, a large light blue creature tries to beat this heavy set older man up and finds that he’s called terrible for a good reason and receives a savage beating. Then he sets off some grenades that were meant for him by the creatures. Beaten and with torn clothes Turpin is flown out by Supergirl and returned to the growing police presence in the park. Turpin reports to Maggie Sawyer about what happened and thanks Supergirl for the rescue, as well as telling her that Lex owes him a suit and the police an explanation why there was a maintenance tunnel to the tomb in the first case.
Turpin works out that Lex doesn’t have Superman’s body, this means that the most likely culprit is Project Cadmus and we see that he’s quite right, the project has the body of Superman.
Notes: This issue carries on the plot of the theft of Superman’s body and how his absence is still being felt. We get more on the relationship between Lex and Supergirl which is only getting creepier as far as I can see. He seems to actually shame her for changing her outfit at one point and then as she’s doing a job he asked to be done, he’s with another woman. We also see the stepping up of Jose Delgado and Bibbo who are inspired by Superman’s example to do the right thing, no matter what. When Gangbuster was orginally created, he was an alternate personality of Superman as part of his PTSD over his execution of the Phantom Zone villains. After that he was an identity used by Jose Delgado, a regular guy who wanted to help. Bibbo was a former criminal whose life got turned around by meeting Superman and is one of the clearest example of why Superman is who he is. He is a guy who inspires you to be the better version of yourself. This is juxtaposed against Lois and Clark’s parents struggling to help one another, each feeling they are somehow failing in this. Much is made of the need to make Superman alone, that his alienation and othering are key parts of the character. I disagree. He will always be other, he has the knowledge of an alien world in him, he has powers that separate him from everyone else. But it’s also an immigrant story of a guy who finds himself a place in a world not his own. He’s an everyman, has parents, friendships, relationships, a job, a flat and a regular life. It just happens around all the Kal-El/Superman stuff. This is a feature of this era, not a bug and seeing the pain his loss causes, shows you how much a part of the world he was and so while he’s Superman to the world, he’s the world to his mum, dad and fiance adding an emotional depth to this story of men in tights flying around and punching stuff.
Verdict: Writing – 3 out of 5 – Another solid issue, that only suffers the fact that this chapter hasn’t much to it, its a slow chapter rather than a bad single issue. Ordway kills it in the small character moments as well as the plot points.
Art 4 out of 5 – Again, quality work from Grummet and Hazlewood who give character to the small moments and also add weight to the action in the midst of the issue. Grummet was one of the MVPs of this era and never fails to deliver an eye catching and eye pleasing issue and this is no different.
Overall: 7 out of 10 – It’s a quality issue of Adventures of Superman, which has no adventuring, or Superman, yet doesn’t disappoint. Once again, I’m investing in where this goes next.
Next Time:: Back into the fire with Backlash
My Marvel Life 