Written by Scott McCloud & Paul Dini
Art by Rick Burchett; Bret Blevins; Mike Manley; Terry Austin &
Marie Severin
Collection Cover Art by Bruce Timm
SUMMARY:
From 1996 to 2002, DC Comics’ Superman Adventures ran for sixty-six issues as a comic book companion to Superman: The Animated Series. Replicating the cartoon series’ tone and visual style, these original tales could be construed as occurring ‘off-screen’ between episodes. Released by DC Comics in 2015, this 240-page compilation consists of Superman Adventures # 1-10, which were first published in 1996-97. Paul Dini wrote the debut issue before passing the scripting chores to Scott McCloud.
Issue # 1: Men of Steel. A few days after his debut, Superman’s has just dispatched John Corben (the future Metallo) in command of a Lex-Skel 5000 armored robot. Sore loser Lex Luthor seeks payback by unleashing his own Superman robot/impostor to target the Man of Steel.
Issue # 2: Be Careful What You Wish For … Kelly, an ardent female fan of Superman, implies to a local Metropolis vendor, that she is secretly his girlfriend. With Lois & Clark closing in on his latest scheme, Metallo takes the Man of Steel’s favorite girl (so he believes) as a hostage. Parental Note: In one sequence, a furious Metallo is implied to have slapped Kelly in the face.
Issue # 3: Distant Thunder. A high-tech Kryptonian orb allows Superman to see wistfully view imagery of his lost home world. A reconstructed Brainiac forces a fateful rematch in front of The Daily Planet to gain the orb.
Issue # 4: Eye to Eye. Pursuing Luthor’s mercenary thieves, Superman is blasted by a stolen gravity-altering device that increases his mass to dangerous levels. The destructive chase continues through Metropolis, with Lois & Jimmy among the potential casualties.
Issue # 5: Balance of Power. After an incensed Livewire escapes custody, she declares an electronic war on male chauvinism. The Man of Steel reluctantly seeks an alliance with Luthor to thwart her rampage.
Issue # 6: Seonimod. To stop a catastrophic chain of events, Mxyzptlk leads Superman through a gauntlet of chaotic rescues.
Issues # 7 & 8: All Creatures Great and Small, Parts 1 & 2. Temporarily rendered to miniature size, Superman must contend with escaped Phantom Zone terrorists, Jax-Ur, and Mala, taking over Metropolis.
Issue # 9: Return of the Hero. A troubled teenage boy’s allegiance is split between Superman and Luthor, as a personal tragedy may impact his immediate future.
Issue # 10: Don’t Try This At Home! Toyman’s new Superman action figures create havoc in Metropolis.
Note: Since 1998, issues of Superman Adventures have sporadically been reprinted in trade paperback and digest form. As of this writing, the furthest DC Comics has gotten so far in reprinting the complete run is Issue # 39.
REVIEW:
From an adult’s perspective, it’s no shocker that these pedestrian stories are as consistently bland as the artwork. Even so, devotees of Superman: The Animated Series won’t likely find this first volume a disappointment. Led by Scott McCloud, the creative team makes a concerted effort at continuing the show’s kid-friendliness.
The emphasis is strictly on decent, no-strings-attached storytelling vs. any progress towards character depth. Hence, one of the book’s best scenes (from Issue # 2) where a snarky Lois hints at suspecting Clark’s secret after she catches him stuttering is left at that vs. actually exploring this intriguing notion further. Another fun bit (in Issue # 9) is a gag where Lois & Clark simultaneously express the exact same sentiment whether Luthor would ever possess a good-hearted ulterior motive.
The individual stories aren’t remarkable, but some of them have welcome moments. One of them is on the last page, as Clark makes an insightful compliment re: Lois. Let’s just say this final panel is well-played. As far as the best story among Issues # 1-10 goes, any of them might have made a decent TV episode. Still, despite its preachiness, the nod goes to Issue # 9 for a poignant message about choosing wisely one’s heroes, let alone learning from others’ mistakes. Part of this issue’s quality is revealing a different side of Luthor’s ethical code that, for a change, makes him less one-dimensional.
Like DC’s comic book counterparts for Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, and Batman: The Animated Series, Superman Adventures utilizes a loose TV series timeline instead of its own internal continuity. Case in point: John Corben’s cameo in Issue # 1 proves that he isn’t Metallo yet, but Issue # 2 indicates that he has been Metallo now for at least awhile.
Issues, like # 3 and # 5, further imply that these particular tales are sequels to previous TV episodes. Younger kids shouldn’t have trouble following along, as there aren’t ongoing sub-plots to keep track of. A rare carryover has Issue # 10 briefly mention the teenage boy, Francisco, in the previous issue. Otherwise, this collection can be read in practically any order a fan prefers.
Ultimately, considering its page count, Superman Adventures, Volume 1 gives parents their money’s worth with excellent production values. Children should be entertained reading it a few times before moving on to something else more challenging.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
The original covers are nicely reproduced in a full-page format preceding each issue. The cover artists, however, aren’t credited.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars
