Today’s Comic> Superman 80 Page Giant

"Lois, what was this doing in the freezer?"

Superman 80 Page Giant #1

DC Comics (May 2010)

This is an anthology of seven short stories by different writers and artists, taking different angles of the Superman character. Even though I’ve declared the DC Universe dead to me, thanks to the current creative “talents” in charge, I flipped through this at the comic shop, liked what I saw, and added it to my pull list. Free from the various events, including the one in Superman’s own group of titles, the 80-Page Giants have a chance to be what I wish the main stories were.

I’m going to take a look at each of them in “speed run” mode.

The first one is “Cold” written by Mike Raicht and drawn by Charles Paul Wilson III. It’s a tale of young Clark Kent as he discovers his heat vision after bullies cause him and Pete trouble on the ice. The moment between Clark and adoptive father Johnathan is a very nice moment and gives you an idea about where Clark’s values come from. Brian Buccellato’s colors complement the work nicely. Combined with the rest of the art, it feels like a comic instead of something from an art book, but still retains that level of beauty.

Kathryn Immonen & Tonci Zonjić bring us a Lois/Clark story that’s better than most Lois & Clark stories. In “Patience-Centered Care”, Lois is sick and Clark has to play nursemaid. It’s a bit more cartoonish than the previous story, as is the art. That’s why it works. It’s one of those moments that shows a superhero marriage can have its fun moments as well. It’s something that’s missing with all the events, most notably the New Krypton stories currently going on, since Mr. & Mrs. Kent aren’t even on the same planet. (How are they explaining Clark’s absence?)

In “Got Bugs”, Ben Cool (writer), Matt Camp (artist), and Nei Fuffion (colorist) give us are Superman in action story. When space bugs infest the Daily Planet, Clark has to keep the exterminator out of danger while doing some exterminating of his own. It’s the story were get most see Superman himself in action, even if he’s in his reporter clothes the whole time. And it’s just a fun story.

“Why Metropolis” is one of the stories that looks at how Superman influences the citizens, or in this case the crooks. Why would you go to Metropolis, knowing it’s guarded by arguably the most powerful superhero on the planet? Writer Pat McCallum is joined by Mike Shoyket on pencils and Rich Perrotta on inks. The criminals are looking at the various cities in the DC Universe (before they got all blown up) and the heroes that guard it. Why face Superman instead of them? The answer is hilarious and definitely Superman.

More on the touching side is Jason Hall’s “Superman is my Co-Pilot”, penciled by Julian Lopez and inked and colored by “Bit”. It’s about a shut-in afraid of going outside until Superman stops a robot from trashing his place. With his roof gone, the man decided to check out this “outside world” thing, and learns about believing in himself. It’s a wonderful story and could easily be one of my favorite Superman stories.

We go back to more humor in “Five Minutes”, written by Rik Hoskin, penciled by RB Silva, and inked by Alexandre Palamaro with Javier Tartaglia on colors. Possibly the weakest art in the book, but hardly bad art. The story finds Clark waiting for Lois at the restaurant and biding his time with a few superheroic feats. This would be the most time we see Superman in costume, and while not good for a full-comic story, it’s perfect for a back-up story or a short story anthology like this.

The final story is my favorite in the whole book because of the presentation. “On Break” shows the aftermath of a battle between Superman and Bizarro. Sean Ryan writes some great transitions and artist Clayton Henry brings them to life, with colorist Brian Reber adding to the beauty. I love watching the different reactions and the way they transition from one scene to the next, although going to the final scene isn’t done with a hook, and thus stands out a bit. Otherwise, it’s a masterstroke. If DC animation does another Superman movie DVD, they really need to animate this as a “special feature” or anthology story.

Actually, the whole comic is. From writing to art to colors, I have no complaints about this book, and if you can find it, for pete’s sake buy it, take it home, and show it some love.

Up next: Best Scene of the Week in the Weekly Wrap-Up.