Today’s Comic> Superman 80-Page Giant 2011

Guess which characters don't appear in this special.

Superman 80-Page Giant 2011

DC Comics (April 2011)

Like the previous offering, the 2011 80-Page Giant (which I guess has replaced the “Annual” at DC) is a collection of short stories, but this time focused on Superman’s supporting cast. (Take that, JMS.) Superman does make an appearance in a couple stories but for the most part he’s absent from the comic.

Let’s take a look at each story individually.

Jor-El in “First Time For Everything”

Simple story, really. Jor-El breaks into an ore processing plat to confirm his theories about Krypton’s demise. The name “Non” is given to two different characters in Jor-El’s internal monologue, and there are one or two other things the editor should have caught. It’s OK but nothing spectacular.

Perry White in “Old Men Talking In Bars”

The other “old man” is Ted “Wildcat”Grant, as they discuss the troubles they’re having with their sons as well as an old charity fight between Grant and the Guardian. While highlighting the big problem I have with this comic as a whole (the lack of Superman or anyone else besides Supergirl doing the classic evil-fighting thing, except in this story when Intergang attack Grant and Guardian in the flashback), it’s a decent story and unlike the previous story adds something interesting to the characters. Perry look not really bad as odd, but that’s not a fault of the artist, it’s just his art style.

“Quarter-Life Crisis of Infinite Jimmy Olsens”

I’m wondering where Invincible Super Blogger Chris Sims got the money to get this story made, because I would think it’s right up his ally. Jimmy is cloned hundreds of times over and each of them lives like it’s their last day, because it is. I have to admit it’s one of my three favorite stories in the comic just because it’s a lot of fun, occasionally harking back to Silver Age adventures, as well as giving some strong insight into Jimmy Olsen as a person.

Bizzaro in “No Go Away Glad, Just Go Away”

Leave it to Bizzaro to parody the currently boring “Grounded” story arc in the main series. Bizzaro decides he wants to be left alone so naturally everybody in his life goes out of their way to hang around him. If you like Bizzaro tales, you’ll like the story but I’m not a fan of the art style.

Supergirl in “The Bloodsucker’s Moxie”

The second (not by rank) of my favorite stories sees Supergirl trying to find her date at an amusement park only to end up fighting a monster. I feel sorry for Linda at the end, but it’s a good story.

Lois Lane in “Credit Check”

The triumvirate of favorite stories ends with this one as Lois finds a lost credit card and attempting to find the owner leads to getting caught up with the mob. Oh, Lois. She gets some help from Lana. It’s also a fun story and showcases what makes Lois so good as a character as well as Clark Kent’s/Superman’s wife.

Superboy in “Bad Moon Rising”

After an argument with Martha, Conner goes off to blow some steam and ends up making friends with a werewolf after beating him up. This is what makes comics good. 🙂 It falls short from being a favorite story because…it’s short, actually. I would have liked to have seen Conner and Creighton hang out a bit more, maybe go for that cheeseburger.

Recommendation: While it falls mostly short in the superhero action I want to see in a Superman comic (and very little Superman), they’re good character building shorts and I can easily recommend it on those grounds.

Up Next: “Best Scene of the Week” in the Weekly Wrap-Up