Even more disappointing than Supreme Power was the Thor relaunch in 2007. It had a wonderful premise that followed on perfectly from the destruction of Asgard in the previous Thor series, with Thor seeking his fellow Asgardians who had been reincarnated in the forms of mortals and scattered across the world, and establishing a new Asgard in, of all places, Oklahoma. It was a great set up for a series, and the new Asgard’s small town Oklahoma neighbors provided some much needed comedy relief for the traditionally humorless series. But Straczynski seemed to get bored with the whole thing pretty quickly, and he rushed through the search for the Asgardians, then fell back on the same old tired “what’s devious old Loki up to now” plots that have plagued the book for years.

Don’t even get me started on The Twelve, a proposed 12 issue miniseries about Marvel’s forgotten 1950s characters, which never made it past issue 8.

So it was with great irritation that I read that Straczynski would be taking over writing on Superman, one of my favorite ongoing superhero books. I decided that I would have none of it, I wouldn’t set myself up for disappointment again. He was starting with issue 701, so I would end my collection with issue 700, a nice round number. Unfortunately for my plan, Straczynski’s story actually started at the end of issue 700, and in spite of myself I was intrigued enough to want to read on. I read issue 701 with every intention of hating it…

But I have to admit, it was one of the more enjoyable Superman comics I’ve read in quite some time.

The story starts with Superman deciding that he spends too much time up in the sky, that he’s lost touch with the regular people that he’s dedicated his life to protecting. For the most part I agree. The “New Krypton” storyline that has consumed the Superman books for the past two years has been epic and ambitious, but it’s also been a bit too much about fighting and conflict between various super beings, which is all too prevalent in most modern superhero comics. I like Superman best when the stories are about him helping people, whether it’s saving them from burning buildings or getting their cats out of trees, and that seems to be the thing Straczynski’s storyline is going to focus on, as Superman decides to forego flying and walk from one end of the country to the other.

The pacing is nice and leisurely, spending time on little incidents of Superman connecting with ordinary life and ordinary people. No other costumed characters appear in the story at all, and other than a very brief appearance by Lois Lane, none of Superman’s regular cast of supporting characters appear either. It’s just scene after scene of Superman using his powers to help people, and it’s very well written. The dialogue is some of the most natural I’ve seen in a Superman book in years, and this is where Straczynski’s vast experience as a film and television writer are on display. The writing is humorous without being resorting to comic relief, and emotional without being sentimental.

Superman says he’s going to walk the length of the country. Given Straczynski’s recent track record, I’m betting he’ll either give up by the time he gets to St. Louis or we’ll jump ahead to his arrival in Alaska. But if he doesn’t, if Straczynski takes his time to explore this idea before jumping to one of the many other great ideas I’m sure he already has for the character, it could be a journey worth sticking around for. I guess we’ll see.

– Jefferson Powers

When I first heard about it I was intrigued by the idea. Under the right writer Luthor is a fascinating character, and Paul Cornell, a veteran of British television (including the critically acclaimed Doctor Who episodes Human Nature and The Family of Blood) should bring a fresh perspective, and Cornell’s characterization of Luthor is definitely a highlight of the book. While he occasionally lapses into the tired ruthless corporate CEO cliché that has plagued the character since the 1980s, this Luthor has a cocky sparkle to him, and Cornell’s sharp writing makes me believe two important things: that Luthor is A: a genius and B: completely insane.

The story itself is serviceable, picking up where Luthor’s involvement in the Blackest Night storyline left off. His exposure to the orange power ring has left him even more greedy for power than he was before, and so he embarks on a quest to find a way to create his own power ring. He is assisted by the usual corporate toadies, but also with what may end up being one of the more interesting characters in the series: a robot duplicate of Lois Lane, programmed to challenge Luthor, to give him, in his own words, “a viewpoint that’s not entirely about need.”

Of course Luthor follows this explanation of the robot Lois’ purpose with the following statement, which really sums up the tone of the writing: “That will be especially useful when I’m becoming a god in space.” The plot really isn’t all that important, it’s just a vehicle for Luthor’s character.

Paul Cornell seems to have a firm handle on that character, and so far he has avoided the pitfalls that usually befall villain-led books, largely by avoiding having Superman or any other heroes appear in the story at all. This is Lex Luthor’s book, and the story is told squarely from his point of view. In his mind at least, he is the hero.

– Jefferson Powers

Friday              Just for Fun Friday

6:00pm       Hero at Large (1980)

8:00pm       Sky High (2005)

10:00pm     Comic Book the Movie (2004) starring Mark Hamill

Saturday        Superman Saturday

10:00am     Batman Beyond (1999) Animated Movie with George Takei

11:30am     Superboy (1961) and Superpup (1958)  Unaired TV Pilots

12:00pm     Smallville (2005) Run with The Flash

1:00pm       Director Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns Video Diaries

2:00pm       Justice League Unlimited (2004) For the Man Who Has Everything

2:30pm       Superman Animated (1996) Brave New Metropolis

3:00pm       Fan Films and Movie Trailers

4:00pm       Lois and Clark (1993) A Bolt From the Blue with Denise Crosby

5:00pm       Birds of Prey (2002) Prey For The Hunter with Joe Flanigan

6:00pm       It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman (1975) Broadway Musical

7:30pm       Superman: The Movie (1978)

10:00pm      Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975)

Sunday         Major Marvel Sunday

10:00am     Comic Book Superheroes Unmasked (2003) Documentary

11:30am     Fan Films and Movie Trailers

12:30pm     Avengers: United They Stand (1999) Avengers Assemble

1:00pm       Pryde of the X-Men (1989) Animated Pilot

1:30pm       Generation X (1996) TV Movie

3:00pm       Upcoming Superhero Movie and TV Projects Panel

4:00pm       Spiderman Animated (1994) Doctor Strange with George Takei

4:30pm       Fantastic Four (1994) Unreleased Feature

Presenting the best of Superhero Movies and TV shows, from the 1940s to the blockbusters of today. This weekend we’ll prepare for the blockbusters Batman Begins and Fantastic Four, both coming this summer, by looking at the earlier versions of these characters. We’ll also be showing a very rare Superman episode from the 50’s starring convention guest Noel Neill.

Friday              The New Breed

6:00pm       Blade II (2002)

8:00pm       The Incredibles (2004)

10:00pm     Hellboy (2004)

Saturday       Marvel Madness

8:00am       Captain America (1966) Animated

8:30am       Sub-Mariner (1966) Animated

9:00am       Incredible Hulk (1966) Animated

9:30am       Spider-Man (1967) Animated

10:00am     The Amazing Spider-Man (1978)

11:30am     Spider-Man Animated (2002) Flash Memory with Jeffrey Combs

12:00pm     The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989) with Daredevil

1:30pm       Incredible Hulk (1982) Animated Origin of the Hulk

2:00pm       X2: X-Men United (2003)

4:00pm       Fantastic Four (1994) Unreleased Feature

5:30pm       Fantastic Four (1978) Animated and Trailers for new FF movie

6:00pm       Captain America II: Death Too Soon (1979) TV Movie

7:30pm       X-Men Evolution (2004) Animated with Captain America

8:00pm       Dr. Strange (1978) TV Movie

9:30pm       Incredible Hulk (1996) Animated with Dr. Strange

10:00pm     Doctor Mordrid  (1992) “Dr. Strange” film starring Jeffrey Combs

Sunday         DC Dazzle

8:00am       Superman (1966) Animated

8:30am       Flash (1966) Animated

9:00am       Justice League (1966) Animated

9:30am       Justice League Unlimited (2004) Fearful Symmetry

with Jeffrey Combs

10:00am     Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)

11:30am     Batman Fan Films and Trailers for Batman Begins

12:00pm     The New Original Wonder Woman (1975)

1:30pm       Justice League Unlimited (2004) Hawk and Dove

2:00pm       Upcoming Superhero Projects Discussion

3:00pm       The Flash (1990) Captain Cold with Jeffrey Combs

4:00pm       Superman: The Movie (1978)