In a Smalllville flashback story in Adventures of Superman #573, one stormy night young Clark Kent almost kills himself when he tries to save a fellow farmer's feed-mill and grabs a lightning rod with bare hands. The moment the lightning strikes with enough volts to kill a person, it dawns on Clark:

"As far as I was concerned, this was the end. This was goodbye. This was where whatever cosmic mistake had brought me here was suddenly and violently rectified."

He gets hit by lightning and... he's fine.

"It was only then I realized how far I had to be from home."



( 'Coming to terms with the fact that I wasn't human was a difficult thing for a family to deal with... And for a while, we didn't even speak about it.' )

A lovely filler issue with an even lovelier flashback story about teenage Clark. The bit about Pa Kent disapproving of Clark using his powers reminded me of Superman: The Movie. In the comics he can be very strict about that and stubborn and difficult in general. It's nice to know he softens up a bit in later years.

Nice art by Epting and the dialogue by Mark Millar sparkles, especially his Luthor. On the very first page Luthor's got a meeting with the major of Metropolis and tells him: "There are more bricks in Metropolis bearing my name than you've got brain cells." He goes on how he put his heart and soul into development of the city and this is how people repay him? But when Superman's around, people "jostle to touch the hem of his cape".

Bitter, much? :)

This is part 2 of the The Adventures of Superman #613 issue where Superman and Lois go on a date. Continued from my previous post.

Lois and Superman are on the phone:

Superman: "Y'know... I've got a few hours to spare tonight. How 'bout we arrange a little date for ourselves?"
Lois: "Oh, honey, you don't know how thrilling it is for a wife to hear those words, "I've got a few hours to spare"… But keep going."
Superman: "Love your sarcasm, Lois. But let's just cut to the chase. Rent us a Penthouse suite at the Plaza. We'll meet there at ten for a little pre-Valentine's celebration."
Lois: "Charmer. You know what they say about keeping the spark alive in a marriage... You do whatever it takes..."
Superman: "All right then, it's settled. I'll have to drop by the apartment and grab a change of clothes..."
Lois: *bits her lip* "No... Wear the uniform... For old times' sake..."

And the date begins! Lois awaits him on the balcony and the two pretend like they've just met all those years ago. Cue Superman: The Movie similarities!



( 'Is it true that you've got X-ray vision... That you can see through anything?' 'Just about. For instance... I can see right into your heart, miss Lane.' )

This was definitely one of my fave filler issues! They're easy to understand because they stand on their own and you don't have to catch up with the past stories to get the gist of what's going on. Longtime readers aren't fond of them (unless they're truly special and unique) because they want the main story to move forward but to a new fan they mean a lot. Not all of them are useless... Indeed, you can find great gems at the most unexpected of places.

I liked the idea of people in Metropolis being huge fans of Superman just like we are in the real world and that they'd visit a Superman store in a second if there was one!

In The Adventures of Superman #613, a fun filler issue, a greedy businessman named Funky Flashman opens a Superman merchandise store in Metropolis without ever consulting Superman about it. The guy kept the construction of the store a secret so he could open with a big bang. It's selling Superman gear like t-shirts, hoodies and caps, toys like action figures and "The Fortress playset", posters, coffee mugs and much more. The grand opening is an instant success and Lois goes to investigate because Clark is very busy as Superman elsewhere.
After an interview with Flashman, Lois calls Superman: "Funky Flashman opened a store that sells nothing but cheap junk with your face on it. Need me to pick you up an "official" Superman coffee mug?"



Flashman in an interview: "Oh, it isn't just about money, miss Lane... Okay, it's mostly about money... But this is a place where dreams come true. The Man of Steel is bigger than Santa Claus, the Easter bunny and that cartoon mouse combined!" Flashman believes he can make money off the icon because Superman is in public domain.

Check out the scans under the cut to find out what happened to the store. I love issues where we learn more about the life in Metropolis.

( 'Superman is the people's hero, isn't he? How could he object to this kind of fan appreciation?' )

The Adventures of Superman run wasn't as popular as Action Comics or Superman and I think the art was also pretty much hit and miss (mostly miss to me) and the stories no where near as engaging as in Superman's "main" titles, but it did offer some nice moments here and there. Maybe for all the times it missed, it made up for it with Clark/Lois moments and filler issues that showed us the cool "Planet Krypton" restaurant and the "Superman Superstore" in Metropolis and then starting with issue #627 and onward the gorgeous art by Matthew Clark and Renato Guedes (Battery and That Healing Touch arcs but especially Battery) that, in my opinion at least, raised the bar for the run before it ended in 2006. I'll be posting scans from these runs soon. Yay, Guedes! ♥

This was also a VERY romantic Valentine's Day issue for Lois and Clark. Superman takes Lois on a date in the clouds and they kiss bathed in moonlight. :o) Check it out in part 2 in my next post (too many scans to put into one post, hehe)!

Note: If any of the images don't show up, just right-click on the red X's and select "Show Image" (or similar) in the window that appears. It'll reload that image without refreshing the entire page.

Adventures of Superman #599 is a story of Superman sharing memories of his happy childhood with a dying Russian sea captain. They find out they have things in common. Captain Gussev, also a farmer, tells Superman he is saddened he will not see the next harvest. Superman flies over several tractors and finishes the work on Captain Gussev's farm.

White-haired Gussev tells him having lost his boat and his connection with the sea, he has returned here to spend his last days. The rest of his family is dead. "This farm... This is my true self. I was a sailor for my country. But in my heart, I am a farmer. And now, I've spent my final days trying to reconcile the fact that I will be leaving this place forever. I will miss this feeling. The soil between my fingers. The quiet affirmation the harvest always brought me."

Young Clark:


Now on his deathbed, Gussev thanks Superman and Superman shares something with him that very few people get to hear from the caped superhero.

( 'I... want to share something with you... Something I don't often reveal to people. I was raised on a farm. In America. In Kansas...' SCANS BELOW! )

Love Aucoin's art here and as far as I can see he was just a guest artist for the run... Too bad! Love the slightly darker, muted colors, too. Nice palette. Very nice issue.

I wonder if Clark misses his carefree childhood days on the farm in Smallville? Does he miss the harvest, the smell of hey, the feel of the earth? Is he, like Gussev, ever a farmer at heart? Gussev was an orphan just like Clark and had the same views on "Earth without borders". How farmers "see the world differently".

The line "I've spent my final days trying to reconcile the fact that I will be leaving this place forever" made me think. Clark did the same thing when he left for Metropolis, leaving his childhood behind. "Forever". Coming back home will never be the same again. He will never be that innocent boy again.

If Superman ever dies... Will he return home to spend the last of his days there?

"It's the place where I've always found peace... It is where my family lives... That land is my heart, as well..."