Book Review: Adventures of Superman issue #8

Book: Adventures of Superman issue #8 by Marc Guggenheim with illustration by Joe Bennett, ink by Belardino Brabo, color by Jason Wright and letter by Wes Abbott

Cover by Joe Bennett with ink by Belardino Brabo and color by Jason Wright

Edition: Single Print Issue

Description:

Dr. Emil Hamilton seeks out Superman with some shocking news - not only has S.T.A.R. Labs discovered the location of Krypton, but as far as they can tell, the planet remains intact!

Book Review: Adventures of Superman issue #7

Book: Adventures of Superman issue #7

Cover Art by Chris Sprouse, Karl Story and Guy Major

Edition: Single Print Issue

Description:

Join comics’ finest talents as they celebrate The Man of Steel himself: Superman! First, in a story written and illustrated by Eisner Award-winner David Lapham, Superman discovers a mysterious new cult that worships him as a god! Then, the Last Son of Krypton squares off against Darkseid and visits a very special fan, brought to you by Tim Seeley and Mike Norton!

Book Review: Superman: Daily Planet

Book: Superman: Daily Planet by various writers and artists

Edition: Trade Paperback

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

There is a reason why the Daily Planet is one of the most respected newspapers in the world of DC Comics and that is due to the hard working staff of the Daily Planet. For these characters, journalism is a way of life, they are focused on finding the truth and chasing down stories. And in these 16 stories (which were published from 1952-1999) they range from fun and goofy to deep and concerning.

I really enjoyed reading Superman: Daily Planet there was a good balance of stories that focused on Lois Lane, Clark Kent, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White and the Daily Planet staff. I loved reading these stories, especially the older ones because they were fun and sometimes a little wacky for instance in one story Supergirl in her secret identity as Linda Danvers got a job at the Daily Planet to save Jimmy Olsen. From a glimpse into the future she thought she saw Jimmy's death and she was trying to keep that from happening.

In another story, Jimmy was the Editor-in-Chief for a day and had assigned Perry all types of strenuous stories. It seemed like Jimmy was on a power trip but his reason for being so tough on Perry was explained at the end. In another story, Lois was teaching a class on how to be a good reporter and unbeknownst to her two crooks had attended her class in order to kill her. But Lois is certainly not clueless and somehow figured out what those guys were up to.

In another story, Jimmy went undercover disguised as a young woman to find out where a jewel thief had hidden the stolen jewels. Jimmy made a very convincing lady that the thief had become very smitten with him. And then there was one where Clark using his x-ray vision found a file in the Daily Planet archive room that showed that he's Superman. He really wanted to find out who knew his secret identity.

I found in many of the older stories a humorous element that you just don't find in a lot of current stories. There were also several stories where the Daily Planet was either being closed down or taken over by new ownership and the last two stories in the book (which were published in 1998 and 1999) showed the cruelty of Lex Luthor after he bought the newspaper and immediately started firing the staff and implementing other changes.

Even though I wish there had been more than 16 stories in this book, I was surprised there were no stories from the 80s in this, I'm sure there were some that centered around the Daily Planet. Maybe whoever compiled this book didn't feel like looking for any. Anyway, this was still a good read, it had a great group of stories, some made me laugh, others were a bit dramatic while the ones near the end (the ones with Lex taking over the Daily Planet) made me mad.

If you feel like reading a few interesting stories about the staff of the Daily Planet you might want to consider giving this a read.

Currently Reading: Superman: Daily Planet

I know Superman stories feature tons of sci-fi adventures but what I enjoy the most is when Lois and Clark or any other member of the Daily Planet staff are hot on the trail of a hard hitting story.

I can't wait to get started reading this because to me Superman comics and journalism pretty much go hand in hand and this Superman: Daily Planet trade features 16 stories that center around the staff of the legendary newspaper. I'm interested to see which issues were included in this book.

Book: Superman: Daily Planet by various writers and artists

Edition: Trade Paperback

Description:

The Daily Planet is Metropolis' leading newspaper, and home to two of the most famous reporters in the world: LOIS LANE and CLARK KENT. Along with Editor-in-Chief PERRY WHITE, photographer JIMMY OLSEN and the rest of the staff, the Daily Planet is legendary for breaking the most important news stories of the past century -- including the debut of SUPERMAN!

Now you can read the thrilling escapades of the Planet's staff as they do almost anything to achieve the next great scoop!

This collection of sixteen stories features the best-known Superman writers and artists creating headlines.

Book Review: Adventures of Superman issue #6

Book: Adventures of Superman issue #6 by J.T. Krul with illustration by Marcus To, color by Ian Herring and letters by Wes Abbott.

Cover by Mitch Breitweiser and Elizabeth Breitweiser

Edition: Single Print Issue

Description:

A young Superman faces a threat like he’s never seen before when a powerful alien warlord named Mongul shows up on Earth’s doorstep looking for trouble! Will Superman heed the counsel of his Kryptonian father? Or will the words of a certain silver-tongued Phantom Zone prisoner cloud his judgment?

Book Review: Superman Adventures vol #1

Book: Superman Adventures volume #1 (issues #1-10) by Paul Dini (issue #1) and Scott McCloud (issues #2-10)

Illustrations by Rick Burchett (issues #1-4, #6-8), Bret Blevins (issue #5) and Mike Manley (issues #9-10), ink by Terry Austin, color by Marie Severin and letters by Lois Buhalis

Edition: Trade Paperback

Description:

Based on the beloved animated series—Superman takes flight!

Superman: The Animated Series was an instant classic, developed by the same team behind the beloved Batman: The Animated Series and featuring some of the greatest Superman adventures ever committed to film. Dive back into the world of Superman: The Animated Series with this collection of comics, featuring the iconic cast and some legendary creators!



Rating: 5 stars

Review:

I have watched every episode of Superman: The Animated Series (it's still one of my favorite shows) and I can say that reading this first volume of Superman Adventures felt like I was watching the show.

I think what makes this such a great read was that the writers and artists were able to capture the tone and feel of the animated series while also providing a little more depth. In each of the nine stories (there's a two part story) featured you see Superman matching intellect and strength as he goes up against villains such as Lex Luthor, Metallo, Toyman and Livewire just to name a few. The focus isn't only on the Man of Steel because Lois Lane, Angela Chen, Jimmy Olsen, Ron Troupe and other characters familiar to the series were shown a bit more attention.

This contains a good group of stories that range from Superman fighting a robot that Luthor created to not only destroy the Man of Steel's reputation but the hero as well (issue #1). To the alien imp Mxyzptlk up to his usual magical tricks of annoying Superman but this time his interference has provided some unexpected help in preventing a catastrophe (issue #6). There was also this one story (issue #5) that surprised me, it centers around Livewire who after hearing a sexist radio host and his callers decides to exact a little revenge by making it impossible for the men in media to go on air to report or publish any news. This was her sort of twisted take on feminism but with equality left out of the picture.

As with both the cartoon and the comic, the writing although all ages, dealt with a lot of interesting and complex issues but also incorporates a good dose of humor. I'll be honest, I'm pretty sure some of the material may go over the heads of some young readers (i.e. children) but adult fans of the animated series will totally get what's going on in these stories. With series such as Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: TAS and Justice League/Justice League: Unlimited TAS, they had a relatively large adult fan base because of the mature or grown up writing that accompanied the action filled series.

And these stories are well-written and you get more character development than perhaps what was shown in the cartoon. I don't think one necessarily needs to have watched the animated series in order to read this with the way it's written. But it would make it a little easier to get familiar with the characters.

Book Review: Superman issue #10

Book: Superman issue #10 "The Super Menace of Metropolis!" (1987) written and illustrated by John Byrne with ink by Karl Kesel, colors by Tom Ziuko and lettering by John Costanza

Edition: Single Print Issue

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

Superman #10 was one of the comics I bought for 25 cent each at this year's Free Comic Book Day.

In this action packed story, the moment Clark Kent arrived at The Daily Planet, he started experiencing problems with his powers. From his x-ray vision going into overdrive to his heat vision melting his glasses, Clark needed a fast escape. But even that came with problems, when his super strength caused him to accidentally rip the door off the hinges that lead to the roof. Thankfully, no one was around to witness it. Clark had a theory as to why his powers were so out of control. He thought maybe it had something to do with how he stopped the villain Rampage. Theory or not, he needed to get away.

As he was flying around Metropolis, his powers seemed to go back to normal. However that didn't last for long, his powers were soon out of control again. He was also being attacked by some sort of metallic being named Klaash. With Superman's powers at a dangerous level, Klaash was using Superman's abilities to cause tremendous damage to Metropolis. To make matters worst, the Metropolis police thought Superman was attacking the city due to the fact that no one other than Superman could see Klaash.

Taking off to outer space gave Superman a chance to figure out what was going on and how to deal with it. He even figured out who was the cause of all his problems but unfortunately the villain was able to weasel out of getting into trouble.

This story is very interesting and humorous because Superman who is so normally in control of his powers didn't really know what to do once they went haywire. Also he got a big shock at not only seeing the full on skeletons of Lois Lane, Perry White and Jimmy Olsen but seeing the rest of his co-workers naked.

Something I did like, was that the minute his powers started to cause serious problems, he knew it was time to get as far away as possible. Too bad someone else had plans for Superman's powers.

I love finding these old comics to read. I can't believe this comic is 29 years old and I found it in great condition.

Book Review: Adventures of Superman issue #5

Book: Adventures of Superman #5

Cover art by Yildiray Cinar with color by Matthew Wilson

Edition: Single Print Issue

Description:

When an alien baby crashes on Earth, Superman must protect the screaming infant from her pursuers both human and extraterrestrial! Plus: a Lex Luthor tale like you’ve never seen before, written by Kyle Killen, creator of Awake, and drawn by Y: THE LAST MAN’s Pia Guerra!


Rating: 5 stars

Review:

There were two very well-written stories in this issue.

Story #1: Infant in Arms by Nathan Emondson with illustrations by Yildiray Cinar and color by Matthew Wilson

In this first story, a space ship crashed to Earth and inside was a baby girl. Before the baby's protector died he asked Superman to protect the little baby, Princess Aria. He warned that someone was coming for her. It didn't take long before Superman was trying to evade the space ships that were firing on them but his main goal was for the safety of the baby.

I love this story, it was very much Superman trying his best to help. There are these scenes with Superman in the woods trying to calm the baby down that are so cute. He even sang to her a song his mother used to sing to him. The funny thing is, the lyrics to that song are a little disturbing when you actually think about it.

This was an action-packed, exciting and adorable little story. Another thing I loved about this story was the artwork, it was very quintessential Superman.


Story #2: The Way These Things Begin by Kyle Killen with illustration by Pia Guerra and color by Matthew Wilson

In this heartrending story, there were two plots that intertwined. The story opens up in Smallville with two friends sitting in a parked car on a train track. The driver Mike was such a big fan of Superman that he concocted a plan that would have them meeting the Man of Steel. However, his friend Henry was very worried about this plan.

Meanwhile in Metropolis, Lex Luthor set off another one of his schemes to destroy Superman but this time it was not in his usual direct style. While he was attempting to rob a bank, Superman immediately stopped him. However, this robbery was merely a distraction. Luthor had already set in motion a deadly explosion. Will Superman get there in time to save all the people? Unbeknownst to both Superman and Lex Luthor, Mike was still sitting on the train track hoping that Superman would "save" him and Henry from an approaching train.

Luthor's plan worked in a way because Superman can't be everywhere at once which means sometimes it's impossible to save everyone. In the end, a terrible plan resulted in Superman now becoming the most hated person in one person's eyes. 


These were two very good stories with good artwork, the first showed his diligence and compassion in trying to keep the baby safe. Although it was action-packed it had a light-hearted feel to it. While the second had a darker feel even more so by the end. It was also very thought provoking because should Superman take the blame for something that was preventable? Is it Superman's fault that someone did a crazy stunt in order to meet him and he was then unable to save the person in time?

I still can't understand why this series was cancelled, it had some of the best Superman stories.

Book Review for A-Z Title Challenge: Superman: Man of Steel issue #1

Book: Superman: The Man of Steel issue #1 by Louise Simonson with illustrations by various artists

Edition: digital issue

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

Superman is having a rough time with trying to help with every emergency he can but also trying to track down who is behind several bomb attacks in Metropolis. The city is also experiencing financial troubles which have left a huge impact including at The Daily Planet.

Clark is also plagued with headaches and weird visions of Krypton, he's not sure what they mean but they are making it hard to concentrate. Even with Lois helping Clark track down the lead, they're getting no where with the bombing story. With all of this going on, Clark's parents arrive for a visit just when there is a new Kryptonian threat approaching.

Can Superman handle all these emergencies? Will he be able to save the day?

This story might be a little old but it's still a good read. Despite all the pressure building up Clark never stops trying to help. This first issue is not only well written but it's filled with nonstop action, drama, suspense and humor.

Currently Reading for A-Z Title Challenge: Superman: The Man of Steel issue #1

I getting closer to the end of the A-Z Title Challenge and you can't have a challenge without Superman, right?

Book: Superman: The Man of Steel issue #1 by Louise Simonson with illustrations by various artists

Edition: digital issue

Description:

Over a year ago, Superman fought the urge to become the Krypton Man. Now the Krypton Man is born anew from the Earth’s fiery sun—the same place where the Man of Steel buried the mysterious Kryptonian Eradicator.

Book Review: Adventures of Superman #4

Book: Adventures of Superman #4 by various writers and artists 

Cover by Bruce Timm and Nick Filardi

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

Three very good stories in this issue:

1st story: A Day In The Life by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning with illustrations by Wes Craig and color by Lee Loughridge

In this story, the reader gets a look into the life of Lex Luthor and as expected his day is full of treachery. For someone as smart and good at business as Lex is, he uses all his abilities to do nothing but take advantage of others and then do everything he can to get rid of Superman. Also, throughout the story you see Superman trying to stop this huge robot.

What I love is the ending because although Clark couldn't prove Lex had anything to do with that robot he certainly let Lex know in a clever way that he knew.



2nd story: The Deniers! by Tom DeFalco with illustrations by Pete Woods

This story opens with Phil and Moze, two regulars at a local diner when they start discussing the news of the day, an impending meteor to strike the city. That's when Phil a total skeptic starts talking about how he doesn't believe that a meteor will strike the city nor does he believe in Superman.

While Phil is mapping out his whole conspiracy theory about Superman and superheroes in general, Superman is going around stopping a couple of emergencies. And while Phil is talking, Superman stops not only that meteor out in space but robbers in a high powered robot trying to steal from a bank.

Again, love the ending of this one as well, just as Phil and Moze were leaving the diner Clark, Lois and Jimmy enter. Turns out Phil is a friend of Clark's and although he doesn't believe in Superman, he knows that Clark is someone you can believe in. He's just that good of a person.



3rd story: Savior by Rob Williams with illustrations by Chris Weston

This story so made me want to rewatch the first Superman movie and the artwork was just amazing. The way Superman was drawn in this resembles George Reeves.

Anyway on to the story, in Savior, Martha Kent narrates this tale. She talks about how Clark barely manages to take time out to relax, he goes non-stop from one emergency to the next. She wishes he could stay for dinner just once before having to rush off.

Meanwhile back in Metropolis, Perry White wants Clark to start working on a new assignment to find out why a judge unexpectedly released a kidnapper. That's when Clark was starting to wonder where Lois Lane was. She was supposed to be finding information about the kidnapper but some how she got a little too close to the story and just might need a little bit of help.

This had a very nice ending with Superman saving the day for Lois and the kidnapped victim to finally making time to have dinner with his mother. Joining them was the adorable Krypto the superdog.


I love this series, it's so much fun to read.

Book Review: Adventures of Superman #3

Book: Adventures of Superman #3 by Matt Kindt with illustrations by Stephen Segovia and color by Jay David Ramos

Edition: Print issue

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

There was only one story in this issue, "Faster Than A Bullet" which follows a simultaneous day in the life of Clark Kent and Lois Lane.

This was such a well-written action packed story but it also had an interesting layout. Nearly half of the page showed the fast-paced heroics of Superman while the last panel of nearly each page showed a more slower paced yet still dramatic and suspenseful day for Lois.

Clark's day starts early with many emergencies out in space, he first stops to help with a rampaging extremely enormous worm who was attacking the home world of a Green Lantern. Also getting an early start to the day was Lois who had a meeting with Lex Luthor.

While Superman was trying to figure out the best way to stop the worm, Lois was finding out the real reason why Lex wanted to meet with her and the reason was beyond brazen. With the worm situation handled, Superman was on to his next emergency, a planet at war.

Lois wasn't surprised in the least by what Lex had to say however it was the threat he attached to it that made her take a pause. Meanwhile back out in space, Superman found a solution that would help counteract the reason for the war.

However, just as Superman was leaving that world, he was caught in one of Darkseid's traps and found himself in prison on Apokolips. Lois was also in danger although she was unaware of it which Lex was counting on because with his threat issued one way or another Lex was hoping to benefit from the results.

Clark's predicament on Apokolips grew even more dire when he received a strange message regarding the fate of Earth from Infinity Man. Is it possible for Superman to escape and return to Earth in enough time to stop a catastrophic event?

I'm not sure how many times I can say how awesome the Adventures of Superman series is. This issue had one amazing story with Clark going from one battle after another to Lois battling intellectually with Luthor and not to mention it had great artwork. I love how both stories play off yet mirror each other. I thought Segovia's artwork is spectacular because for Superman's adventure the art is very dramatic with bold and rich colors and while for Lois the art work appeared light and airy almost as if it were a dream.

With the way Clark Kent and Lois Lane have been treated (i.e. poorly) in the New 52 it was nice to see them as well written characters again in this series. I just wish it had not been cancelled.

Book Review: Adventures of Superman #2

Book: Adventures of Superman #2 by various writers and artists

Edition: Print issue

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

This issue includes three very interesting stories:


1st story: The Bottle City of Metropolis by J.M. DeMatteis with illustrations by Giuseppe Camuncoli and Sal Buscema with color by Tony Avina

In this story, Superman keeps spotting a mysterious man wherever he goes. He has no idea who this man is and why he keeps showing up. But when he shows up at the Fortress of Solitude it only leads to more questions. He seems to know a lot about Superman but is he there to help or hinder the Man of Steel?

This story has an interesting "The Twilight Zone" like twist at the end. I like this story because in the beginning you get to see Superman enjoy being himself but not in an ego centric sort of way. He was appreciating all the things that he can do to help people.



2nd story: Slow News Day by Joshua Hale Fialkov with illustrations by Joelle Jones and color by Nick Filardi

What a fun story this was.

It looked like it was going to be a very slow news day for Lois and Clark that is until Perry White steps in and hands out an assignment. However it's for the Dog Show. To add a little excitement to their day, the duo makes a bet to see who can find the best story at the event.

But before Clark can even get there, Superman had to deal with one emergency after another all over the city. Will he ever get to the Dog Show? I love how competitive Lois and Clark are in this and the ending was fitting for this duo.



3rd story: Best Intent by Michael Avon Deming and Bryan J.L. Glass with illustrations by Michael Avon Deming and color by Nick Filardi

This last story deals with time travel of sorts, Kerry Quinn with the assistance of an alien, Babul have figured out a way to travel through time to capture a Kryptonian baby. Superman and a Guardian of Time were on their way to rescue the baby in hopes of repairing the time problem. After it's all said and done can Superman really let this child go back to Krypton and suffer the fate of his home world? If he keeps the baby is that going to cause more problems?

Again this story has a interesting twist to it because the Guardian was trying to save more than just the current time problem but perhaps an entire future.


Adventures of Superman is a joy to read because you get a good variety of stories. Since this short lived series (there was only 17 print issues) wasn't tied to the New 52, the writers got a chance to create stories that didn't fit into the current norm. This is the Superman that may have been deemed "uncool" by DC executives but is still a favorite amongst fans.

Book Review: Adventures of Superman #1

Book: Adventures of Superman #1 by various authors and artists

Edition: print issue

Rating: 5 stars

Review:

There are three stories in this first issue and each author seems to understand and grasp what's so amazing about Superman. Anyone missing the pre-New 52 Superman, well the Adventures of Superman series (now canceled) is a great way to enjoy a fun group of stories that showcase the awesomeness that is the Man of Steel.


1st story: Violent Minds by Jeff Parker with illustrations by Chris Samnee and color by Matthew Wilson

In this story, Superman was trying to not only stop a guy who was terrorizing the city but also help him because he was unwittingly given a drug that gave him powers that he was unable to control. Although Superman was unaware of who was behind this incident, the reader found out who it was.



2nd story: Fortress written and illustrated by Jeff Lemire with color by Jose Villarrubia

This story focused on two boys where one was pretending to be Superman while the other was one of his numerous villains. This was a cute issue because although they were playing they still understood who Superman was.



3rd story: Bizzaro's Worst Day by Justin Jordan with illustrations by Riley Rossmo

Bizzaro was at his finest causing trouble while trying to help. Superman came up with an ingenious plan for Bizzaro to help but also keep him out of trouble. This was a short but funny story.


I thought this first issue was a fun read because you get to see Superman at his best helping others as well as seeing what makes him so special. I will be posting the rest of my reviews for this series soon.

New Book Purchase: 6 Comic Books (Star Wars, Wonder Woman and Superman)

It almost feels like Christmas day when you see a box you know is filled with books sitting by the mail box. The books that I ordered a couple of weeks ago finally came. I guess it took them a while to find all the books (they were all on sale).


- Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Slave of the Republic

- Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Crash Course

- Wonder Woman volume #4: Destiny Calling

- Superman volume #3: 'Til Death Do Us Part

- Superman: Daily Planet

- Showcase Presents: Superman volume #2


What new books have you purchased? I'd love to know.

Book Review: Trinity: Batman * Superman * Wonder Woman

Book: Trinity: Batman * Superman * Wonder Woman (issues #1-3) written and illustrated by Matt Wagner with color by Dave Stewart and letter by Sean Konot

Source: Library

Rating: 2 stars

Review:

This was torturous to read. The writing and the story were very boring and poorly executed with most of the dialogue being very stiff and robotic. I found the thought boxes to be confusing because sometimes I couldn't really tell whose thoughts they were. Perhaps they should have used a specific color or a symbol so readers could distinguish whose thoughts they were.

What stopped me from giving this a 1 star rating was that there were a few scenes that were actually good like the one with Aquaman or the one where Clark was at the Daily Planet and Lois walks in. I also thought the author did a great job with writing Clark, who was the only well written character in this book. Batman was written as if he's psychotic and Wonder Woman despite being strong was shown as being weak and a damsel in distress most of the time. Even the villains were poorly written.

It's hard to imagine the big three meeting in such an astonishingly boring way. The story follows Ra's al Ghul's insane plan to restore the balance of the world by nearly destroying it. Helping him is Bizarro and a teenage Amazon Artemis.

Batman and Superman meet up to figure out how to stop Ra's and are joined by the not so amazing Wonder Woman.

Something I don't understand, why was Wonder Woman having such a hard time fighting Ra's. This is Wonder Woman, she should not have any problems dealing with him. And in this book I think Batman should be sitting in Arkham Asylum because he's as crazy and unstable as the villains he normally goes up against.

As a huge fan of the big three, it's sad to say how awful this was. This was not a good read at all.

Currently Reading: American Vampire and Trinity

The library has been a great resource because I have been able to read so many comic books from my wishlist and also comics that are hard to find.

Book: American Vampire volume #1 (issues #1-5) by Scott Snyder and Stephen King with Illustration by Rafael Albuquerque with color by Dave McCaig

Source: Library

Description:

A New Vampire For A New Century.

Cunning, ruthless, and rattlesnake mean, Skinner Sweet has a reputation for cussedness as long as he is ornery. As the first vampire conceived on American soil,  however, he's not your usual creature of the night. Stronger, fiercer and powered by the sun, Sweet is the first of a new breed of bloodsucker: the American Vampire.

Forty-five years after rising from his grave, Sweet finds himself in 1920s Los Angeles, where the young and beautiful are drawn like moths to the burning lights of Hollywood. Something beyond simple human greed is at work here, however, as struggling young actress Pearl Jones is about to discover. When her movie-star dreams are transformed into a bloody nightmare, Sweet provides her only chance for survival as well as the power to take revenge.

Book: Trinity: Batman * Superman * Wonder Woman (issues #1-3) written and illustrated by Matt Wagner with color by Dave Stewart and letter by Sean Konot

Source: Library

Description:

For the first time ever, the tale of the Dark Knight and Man of Steel's first meeting with the Amazon Princess is told!

Billionaire eco-terrorist Ra's al Ghul is on a mad quest to remake the world in his own image. With the juggernaut clone of Superman known as Bizarro and a deadly rogue Amazon by his side, this troika of terror casts an ominous shadow over the very future of mankind!

Witness the birth of a legendary alliance, as Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman join forces to defend Earth against an apocalyptic fate!

TRINITY is an awe-inspiring glimpse into the formative years of three true legends.

Book Review: Superman: Dark Knight Over Metropolis

Book: Superman: Dark Knight Over Metropolis by various authors and artists

Source: Library

Description:

A MYSTERY IN GOTHAM LEADS BATMAN TO METROPOLIS...AND A TEAM-UP WITH SUPERMAN!

When a dead body in Gotham City turns up with a Kryptonite ring and a bus ticket from Metropolis, Batman has no choice but to follow the clues where they lead -- the home of the Man of Steel!

But Superman is busy with a case that may be more than he can handle. His friend Cat Grant is the material witness in a trial that could help to bring down the notorious Intergang. but that makes her and everyone she cares for a target -- including Clark Kent and Lois Lane!

To get to the bottom of the Kryptonite ring killings, the world's finest superheroes will have to team up to take on Intergang enforcers, supervillains and the notorious Lex Luthor, all while learning to trust each other.

Classic Superman creators Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway, John Byrne, Roger Stern, Art Adams, Bob McLeod and more present Superman: Dark Knight Over Metropolis, an action-packed Superman and Batman team-up! Collects Action Comics #653-654, Adventures of Superman #466-467, Superman #44 and Action Comics Annual #1


Rating: 5 stars

Review:

This was great group of old stories that are from the late 80s to the early 90s. Four stories were included in this book.

In the stories, you get to see Superman and Batman working together to try to solve a few mysteries as well as trying to stop Intergang from going after Cat Grant. Some of the stories also show Lois and Clark's relationship growing into something more.

The first story "Skeeter" (Action Comics Annual #1) followed Batman as he tried to figure out what was going on in a small town called Fayerville. His investigation is connected to several dead bodies which were found drained of blood in Gotham city. After running into a bit of trouble with the towns people Batman called in some reinforcement, the Man of Steel.

But once Clark got there he couldn't find Batman who had gone to help a young lady who said she needed help but what he found was more than he bargained for. As Superman searched the town he found a lot of strange occurrences especially after talking with the local law enforcement. The town was dealing with a Vampire problem.

This was an interesting story especially with the way the story opened.


In the second story "The Limits of Power" (The Adventures of Superman #466-467), Clark's dinner with Lois was interrupted by not only Perry White and his wife Alice showing up at Lois' apartment but also by a disturbance over at Lexcorp. Four astronauts who were suffering from the effects of radiation were trying to get to the Lexcorp research lab to see if they could stop the radiation from killing them.

While Lois, Perry and Alice ran off to investigate the situation, Clark did the same as Superman. In a small scene Cat Grant had found herself with Gangbuster (Jose Delgado) as her new bodyguard. He was hired by her ex-husband to keep her safe as the Morgan Edge get underway.

I like this issue because it had Clark telling Lois how he felt about their relationship and didn't want to waste time trying to figure out how they felt because life was too short. 


In the third story "Love & Death" (Action Comics #653-654), Lois and Clark's relationship may be the gossip of the day at the Daily Planet but Clark doesn't let it stop him from enjoying a great day. Now that he's a freelance writer he's not stuck with a schedule so he enjoys the day from helping a little girl with her kite to stopping a robber. He even helps a stalled ship that was caught in a storm.

But unfortunately while he was doing all of that Intergang had figured out their plan to keep Cat Grant from testifying against Morgan Edge and to get rid of reporters Lois Lane and Clark Kent. Also a former Lex Luthor employee has figured out that Clark Kent is Superman and has set a trap for him so she can prove it.

However, the tragic ending sets up the last story.


The fourth story "Dark Knight Over Metropolis" (Superman #44, The Adventures of Superman #467 and Action Comics #654) finds Intergang stepping up their plan to go after Cat Grant but thankfully she has her body guard a few others looking out for her.

This story also has Batman trying to figure out how the death of man in Gotham is connected to a woman's death in Metropolis. An also the importance of a ring with a glowing green gem.


I really miss these old stories because they were fun and exciting and the stories were great. I like that in these stories you could see that despite Batman and Superman being different as well as using different methods to fight crime they were starting to see each other as a potential ally and possible friend.

Book Review: Superman: Ending Battle

Book: Superman: Ending Battle by Joe Casey, Geoff Johns, Joe Kelly and Mark Schultz with illustrations by Derec Aucoin, Brandon Badeaux, Pascual Ferry and Duncan Rouleau

Edition: Trade

Rating: 4 stars

Review:

Someone knows Clark Kent is Superman and they are making it known by sending various villains  after his family, friends and associates. And something that might be equally worse is that Lex Luthor also knows the secret.
 
With so many to protect, Clark was able to get a little help from Steel (John Henry Irons) and the Metropolis Police but mostly he was on his own trying to stop the villains before he could get to the one behind all of this.

But each hard won victory was only taking time away from solving this mystery and that's exactly what the person behind all this wanted. They wanted to see if the great and powerful Man of Steel would crack.

With the last plan into effect, the mysterious secret keeper set about seeing what Superman was really made of, would he live up to being a hero or succumb to rage.

I really like this story and I really like how it ended. Especially the part with Lex at the end, that was great. This showed how much of a hero that Clark is and it had absolutely nothing to do with fighting (even though there was plenty of it in this story).

This was a very good story.

Currently Reading: Superman: Ending Battle

This is another book that's been sitting on my bookcase. Seriously I can't believe it's taken me this long to get around to reading this. It's no secret I'm a Superman fan and yet I let this sit on my bookshelf for two years.

I'm actually really excite to start reading this.

Book: Superman: Ending Battle by Joe Casey, Geoff Johns, Joe Kelly and Mark Schultz with illustrations by Derec Aucoin, Brandon Badeaux, Pascual Ferry and Duncan Rouleau

Edition: Trade

Description:

Superman's secret identity has only ever been known to a select few. That all changed the day Manchester Black, a gifted telekinetic, uncovered Clark Kent's alter-ego, setting in motion one of the hardest days in Superman's life.

Looking to avenge his prior defeat at the hands of Superman, Manchester Black amasses an army of super-villains. Over the course of 24 hours, Black's army of villains systematically attack all those close to Superman until they meet in an epic showdown.