Well, I’m back in the mid 1990’s. I don’t have too many
books from the late 90’s, so I decided to look at this issue from 1994. At this
time, Superman had been back from the dead for a while and was dealing with a
crapload of stuff. Bizzaro came back, Lex Luthor went nutso, and Superman put
on some weight… that was weird. Anyway, the “Crisis” event, Zero Hour, happened
and while that was pretty convoluted, it was cool. I talked about it and the Superman tie-ins last year. Now, Superman’s done with
his space and time adventure.
After Zero Hour ended, DC released zero issues for their
titles. All four Superman books went through this as well and they all tied in
together pretty well. I might touch on the rest of those issues someday since
they actually introduced a new villain for Clark. Superman: The Man of Steel #0
was written by Louise Simonson. The pencils were done by John Bogdanove and the
inks were done by Dennis Janke. So, let’s see what happens when someone has
their sights out on Clark Kent!
Superman: The Man of Steel #0
Writer: Louise Simonson
Pencils: John Bogdanove
Inks: Dennis Janke
Colors: Glenn Whitmore
Letters: Ken Lopez
Associate Editor: Frank Pittarese
Editor: Mike Carlin
The issue actually starts out by retelling Superman’s
origin. We see him get launched from Krypton and picked up by the Kents. While
John and Martha are dealing with baby Kal-El, another couple (the Bravermans) is
having their first child in the car. They were going to the hospital when the
wife went into labor. The boy, Kenny, is born with no complications. We then
fast forward to the present day. Superman is getting back from his adventure in
time and space and sees a gun fight taking place. He swoops in and does his
thing.
Guys, get a room or something!
He then heads to the Daily Planet where Lois is waiting. The
two then have one of the biggest PDA’s I’ve ever seen done in the air. As he
gets back into his civilian clothes, he tells her about the event. Afterwards,
the two head downstairs to the newsroom. Clark looks through his mail and finds
a picture of him at his fifth birthday party. Someone had cut out his head from
the picture. Perplexed, Lois and Clark leave the DP when they are almost hit by
some debris from a building. Elsewhere, a man in black and gold armor gets
annoyed that Kent doesn’t get hit.
The two head to Clark’s apartment which he as recently
reacquired. He was “dead”, remember? He checks his mail and finds another
picture from his youth where his head is cut out. Suddenly, their elevator
malfunctions and starts to fall. Luckily, Clark is able to keep it from falling
too far. As the two wonder about the pictures, the armored man starts to plan
another “accident.” At night, an orphanage is set on fire by the armored man and
everyone comes out to see it. Superman is able to save the orphans from the
fire. The armored man gets peeved yet again when one explosion that was
supposed to kill Ron Troupe (the man confused him for Clark from a distance) is
interrupted by Superman.
Okay, I can see how Conduit wouldn't recognize Ron from that distance, but how doesn't he recognize Superman? Maybe it's the hair.
Lois and Clark wonder who is sending Clark these photos from
his past. They both have gained enemies because of their reporting, but they
don’t know who would go through this much trouble. He gets another photo that
shows him and other kids camping out. He remembers the moment because Kenny
Braverman was also there and he remembers Kenny getting into some trouble. The
issue ends as the armored man reveals his name: Conduit.
………………………………………………………………….
This was a pretty good issue. Not much happens but there is
enough to keep me satisfied and wanting to read the next issue. The story kept
my attention since all of this weird stuff was happening to Clark. I also liked
that we get to see a little more of Clark’s past. We don’t see much of Conduit,
but it’s enough to keep us wondering on who he is. I will say that his costume
is definitely part of this decade. The only thing that might knock this down
would be that some of the dialogue wasn’t great.
The artwork was also pretty good. While I’m not a big fan of
Bogdanove’s, his stuff was pretty decent. He’s got Clark looking like Duncan MacLeod
from Highlander and that’s funny to me. The action was pretty big and epic. The
quiet spots also had that feel of coolness. The inks and colors were also used
to good effect. While Conduit’s suit reeks of the 90’s, I kind of like it.
Maybe it’s the black and gold which always look good together.
Overall, it’s a nice issue. If you find it in a bin
somewhere, you’ll be satisfied. Well, I have two more stories to look at before
I draw this month to a close. Peace, God Bless, and be weary of idiots wearing
black and gold armor.
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