TradeTales! - Superman: Up, Up, and Away

Well, I’ve finally gotten to the end of this themed month… at the beginning of October. That happens when one needs a root canal. This time, I think it’s time for a free-for-all. Instead of one villain taking Superman on, have an A-lister and bunches of B/C-listers take him on. There have been a few stories that have done that. Heck, they just did that recently in Action Comics. The one most think of is “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” Since I’ve already did that one, I found another that’ll do the trick. You might even recognize aspects of it from another Superman property: Superman Returns.

Superman: Up, Up, and Away was a crossover between Superman (#650-653) and Action Comics (#837-840). It was a part of One Year Later, an imitative that moved the DCU ahead a year. The missing year was covered in the maxi-series, 52. During that year, Clark was powerless ever since his fight with Superboy-Prime in Infinite Crisis.  The story was written by both Kurt Busiek and Geoff Johns. Pete Woods handles a majority of the art duties with Renato Guedes doing a couple of issues. So, if you want to see Superman Returns done better, keep reading.

Superman: Up, Up , and Away!

Writers: Kurt Busiek and Geoff Johns

Artists: Pete Woods and Renato Guedes

Colorists: Brad Anderson and Renato Guedes

Letters: Jare K. Fletcher, Nick J. Napolitano, and Rob Leigh

SYNOPSIS

Clark Kent has been powerless for a year. Even though he’s powerless, that hasn't stopped him from helping Metropolis at the Daily Planet. For the last year, he wrote articles on Intergang and Lex Luthor. Also, he’s had help from other heroes like Supergirl in keeping Metropolis safe. Life for Clark is good. As for Lex Luthor, he’s pretty much hit rock bottom. Because of his criminal actions (check out 52), his reputation is ruined. That doesn’t keep him down since he has major plans for Metropolis and not the good kind either.  He’s revealed to be in the possession a Sunstone crystal, Kryptonian technology.

Now you know Lex would be done if he ever did this to Lois.

Later, Clark is basically pulling a Lois Lane and sneaking into Metro Square. Apparently, Intergang has a hideout there. When he’s discovered, he’s almost caught until he gets some help from Green Lantern and Hawkgirl. Later, the three have a meeting and Hal gives Clark a Lantern ring to get him back into the superhero business. Clark later gives it back since he’s not sure if he wants to go back.  Meanwhile, Lex is putting his plan into motion. He starts to gather up all the known Kryptonite. He gets the aid of Metallo. He also has the Toyman (a weird version) get the Prankster to be a diversion while they break out the new Kryptonite Man from jail.

Later, Clark and Jimmy are once again on the trail of Intergang. They actually get some of them arrested. Unfortunately, Intergang places a bounty on Clark. Two villains (Neutron and Radion) try to kill him. Clark tries to get help but his electronic devices aren’t working for him. He races down a subway trail and ends up getting hit. The villains leave Clark for dead, but it’s revealed that he’s alive thanks to his returning powers. Meanwhile, we find out what Lex is doing. He’s using all this technology to summon an abandoned Kryptonian battleship buried deep in the Earth. He plans to use it on Metropolis and destroy the city.

This is what a Monday looks like.

At his apartment, Clark tells Lois that his powers have returned. Instead of freaking out, Lois grabs Clark’s costume and tells him to go for it. Clark changes into costume and gets back out there. Since Clark was revealed to be alive, other villains are out there looking for him. It takes some time, but Superman is able to beat them all. He heads to the Daily Planet but then leaves when his new, heighten senses get too much for him to bear. It’s here where he realizes that something’s coming. It’s revealed to be the Kryptonian battleship and Lex is in its control.

Lex uses the warship to destroy Metropolis. Superman does what he can but the ship’s too powerful even for him. Other heroes like the the JSA, Captain Marvel, and the Teen Titans try to help, but Lex erects a force field around his part of Metropolis. Superman figures out how the machine works and tries to disable it, but Lex uses the Kryptonite he’s stole against him. Luckily, he’s able to muster all the strength he has and forces Lex out of the ship. The two then end up getting into a fist fight since Clark’s depowered again. Luckily, Superman wins this bout.

Run! It's the C-List Gang!

In the aftermath, things go back to normal. Lex gets arrested but he escapes from prison. Clark now has to get used to the new sensory powers he has and get used to the double life again. He gets back to the usual grind. Later, Superman visits Jimmy and gives him the signal watch back. Jimmy then gives Superman a Sunstone crystal he found during the battle. Realizing what it can do, he takes the crystal to the Arctic to create a new Fortress of Solitude.

OPINION

I thought this was a pretty good story. You can tell this story was made to tie in with Superman Returns. The basic outline is almost the same. That’s not a bad thing since this trumps SR by miles. Both Busiek and Johns made the whole thing work and gel together. It takes the standard trope of Clark losing his powers and does something different with it. We really get into the head of Clark here. I’m guessing the inner monologue was Busiek’s doing since he’s known for it. We see that he’s actually pretty good without his powers and that was something I liked.  Of course, it was cool to see him get back into the suit and kick some butt.

You tell him, Supes!

Luthor was also well used here. He’s pretty much at the bottom of the barrel and he’s wants to make Metropolis suffer. His plan of using Kryptonian tech to destroy the city was pretty cool. Also, it was nice to see Superman and Lex actually get into a fist fight. I also liked seeing other villains come into the fray. Even though they’re just here to get beat, at least they  give Superman a good fight. I also liked Clark’s interactions with his supporting cast. I even liked seeing the other heroes that show up. If anything, it shows that these heroes will stick by one another when help is needed.

The artwork was good for the most part. Pete Woods’ stuff did the story justice. He’s not one of my favorites, but he does do good work. Renato Guedes also did good with the issues he filled in for. One thing I did like was how Clark’s costume didn’t fit him well at first. I guess those pretzels got him out of shape. The action was good as usual and the small character moments were sweet. Lois’s reaction to Clark’s power returning was one of my favorite moments art-wise.

One of the best moments for one awesome couple.

There aren’t too many things about the story I dislike. While I liked the inner monologues, it could get a little repetitive at times. I do wish there as an actual reason for Clark’s issues with his powers. The reason they gave didn’t make much sense. Also, who felt sorry for Jimmy because I didn’t. Get some friends away from work, man. Also, while I liked the art, there were some places where it didn’t look as good. Other than that, this was good.

In the end, this was much better than Superman Returns. At least the comic fans had something good that summer because SR wasn’t exactly that. This story was able to show the best of Superman in general. Superman, his supporting characters, and his villains were all well-done here. Well, it’s been a good month for the most part. I have one more post left and I’ll be finished. For now, Peace, God Bless, and let’s hope the elite doesn’t have access to alien technology. I might have to out myself as BrotherMan or something.

Well, now he can all the junk food he wants!