The Revolution has been stunned at how poor of a read Superman has been. I say this because I am a huge Kurt Busiek fan. More often than not I really enjoy his work. So, that is why I’m so surprised that Superman has been just a dreadful read. This title got placed on The Revolution’s probation list as of last issue. That means it has three issues to gets in gear or it gets the dreaded axe. Can Superman #661 turn the corner and produce a quality read? Let’s hit this review and find out.
Creative Team
Writers: Kurt Busiek
Artist: Eduardo Barreto
Art Rating: 5 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 3 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 3.5 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: We begin with Lois and Clark at a charity function held by the Jadis Foundation. This charity helps battered women. Wonder Woman is at the function demonstrating her powers by ripping a Lincoln Town Car in half. Wonder Woman praises the Jadis Foundation’s work to help women and then asks for donations.
Lois comments how it is good for Wonder Woman to be back in the public eye doing positive things like this after all controversy surrounding her killing Maxwell Lord. Lois then makes a comment about Clark enjoying seeing Wonder Woman’s butt in her star-spangled trunks. Lois says that Wonder Woman’s outfit is pretty incredible and that too bad Lois doesn’t have the body to pull off wearing that outfit. Clark no comments both of Lois’s statements.
Lois and Clark then approach Wonder Woman. Lois tells Wonder Woman that she was spectacular. Lois asks for an interview. Lois says that Clark and she will catch Wonder Woman at tonight’s gala and they can talk then.
We cut to that night with Lois and Clark arriving at the charity gala event held by the Jadis Foundation at the Metropolis Museum of Art. Museums from across the world loaned various ancient Greek works of art for this gala in honor of Wonder Woman’s heritage.
Diana then walks over and greet Lois and Clark. Diana tells them that she is still not used to posing as a mere mortal. Diana comments that she doesn’t know how Clark has pulled off his secret identity for as long as he has.
Suddenly, we see a woman raving about how some museum had the nerve to “loan” her one of her own possessions. The woman breaks open a glass box and pulls out the bracelet that was inside of it. Clark grabs the woman’s arm and tells her to put it back. The woman suddenly sense the great power within Clark. The woman says that this power will be hers. She then blasts Clark with some strange energy that rips off his suit and reveals him in his Superman outfit.
Superman is weak as the woman drains him of his power. Diana grabs the woman to stop her, but the woman easily smacks Diana across the room. The woman then leaves with Superman.
Diana tells Lois that nobody noticed Clark before the woman blasted him. They were all staring at the woman due to her hysterics. So, Clark’s secret identity appears to be safe. Lois and Diana then decide to try and find Clark and they leave the museum.
Lois says that the woman that took Clark is the reclusive head of the Jadis Foundation, Hermia Jadis. Diana suddenly realizes why Hermia looked so familiar. That Hermia Jadis is really Kryrana the Accursed. That back in ancient Greece, Kryrana was a beautiful woman who was constantly approached by men. She always turned them down since she did not need a man “to warm her or rule her.”
One day, Zeus approached her and offered her the chance to be with a god. Kryrana spurned Zeus. Zeus was enraged and called Kryrana haughty and cursed her with the desire for the touch and affection of men for all eternity. This turned Kryrana into the ultimate slut and she was soon driven from her town after luring the men in and feasting on them.
Diana and Lois arrive at a cyber-café so that Lois can do some online research. Lois finds pictures of various women from the Jadis family, but they are all the same one. They are all Kryrana. We see her from the early 1940’s to the present with different rich and powerful men. All of these men disappeared without a trace.
Diana says that Kryrana drains men of their life energies. Lois comments about what Kryrana would be able to due with the life energies of Superman. Lois then finds out that Kryrana is booked at a nearby hotel by looking at some portable tracking device. (I have no idea how Lois was able to do that. Does she keep a transmitter on Clark at all times?) Diana transforms into Wonder Woman and tells Lois to get the police and meet her at the hotel. Wonder Woman then flies off.
We cut to Wonder Woman knocking down the door to Kryrana’s hotel room. Kryrana evidently has no idea who either Superman or Wonder Woman are. (Huh? I know she is a recluse, but does she not read a single newspaper or watch any TV?) Wonder Woman tells Kryrana that she can appeal her case to Athena and Aphrodite. That the Amazons can find a way to ease her pain and find a solution to her curse.
Kryrana says she doesn’t want to end her curse. (She likes being a super ‘ho!) Kryrana then punches Wonder Woman. Superman stands up in his weakened state and tells Kryrana to stop. Kryrana rants that in her long life she has seen women humiliated and hurt at the hands of men. Men like Superman. Kryrana punches Superman through a wall. In that hidden room are the heads of all the men that Kryrana has feasted on.
Wonder Woman grabs Kryrana. Kryrana then tells Wonder Woman that she can drain energy from women, too. Wonder Woman suddenly gets very weak. Superman pushes Kryrana off of Wonder Woman. Kryrana suddenly gets weak and dizzy since Superman’s alien life energies doesn’t mix well with Wonder Woman’s magical life energies. Wonder Woman and Superman then punch Kryrana at the same time and she is knocked out.
Lois then shows up with the Science Police. The SP take Kryrana away. Superman is still too weak to walk and leans on Lois for support. Wonder Woman is also weak.
We cut to Diana, Lois and Clark arriving at Lois and Clark’s penthouse. Diana likes what they have done with their place. Lois tells Diana and Clark to go sit down. That the two of them have been yawning the whole way home. Lois goes into the kitchen to make tea. When she comes back into the living room with the tea she sees Diana and Clark asleep next to each other on the sofa.
Lois breaks then breaks the fourth wall by looking at the reader and commenting that “It’s a good thing I’m a trusting woman…!” End of issue.
Comments
The Good: Superman #661 was another dull read. I am stunned at what is going on with this title. At any rate, I have to follow the Revolution’s Rule of Positivity and mention something that I enjoyed about this issue. And that isn’t going to be an easy task.
I do love that the name of the building that Lois and Clark live in is named “Sullivan Place.” That is a cool nod to Chloe Sullivan’s character over on Smallville. At least, I am guessing that is what Busiek is giving a nod to.
The Bad: We have gotten three truly lousy reads in a row. And that was after the Kyber/Arion story arc that I didn’t think was anything that impressive. Superman #661 was simply a poorly written comic book. This issue was the third one-shot issue in a row that we have gotten on this title. And Superman #661 was certainly the third issue in a row that was nothing more that pure filler. What is going on? Has Busiek been on vacation relaxing in Fiji? Is that why he has totally mailed it in on the past three issues?
I know that it is common practice that you are going to get a one-shot issue or two while a writer gets the next story arc cranked up. And I know that a filler issue here and there is to be expected between major story arcs. But, three pure filler one-shot issues in a row is just too much. It completely de-railed what little momentum Busiek had built up during the Kyber/Arion story arc. And the wild events over on Action Comics just make Superman seem even more boring of a read.
Superman #661 read like a bad Silver Age story. I know what Busiek and Howell were trying to do with this issue. It is the same thing that Busiek has been trying to do with the past two issues. To try and capture that Silver Age essence. Now, there is a good and a bad way to go about trying to do that. Morrison’s homage to the Silver Age over on All Star Superman is an example of the good way. Superman #661 and the past couple of issues is an example of the bad way.
Morrison successfully captures that bright positive view of the Silver Age with the campy heroes and silly situations that heroes found themselves stuck in. However, Morrison employs modern era dialogue that is more detailed and well written. Morrison also employs modern era character development. Morrison’s All Star Superman is a blend of the general essence and themes of the Silver Age with a modern era story.
Busiek instead does an exact reproduction of a Silver Age comic book complete with the stiff dialogue, thin and superficial story and no character development to speak of. While Morrison uses the parts of the Silver Age that readers enjoy, Busiek invokes the aspects of the Silver Age that readers would just as soon forget and no experience again.
Superman #661 has some seriously stiff and boring dialogue. Each character talks like a mechanical robot with absolutely no personality or unique external voice. And at certain points, the dialogue is so bad it actually made me groan. The dialogue during the fight scene with Kryrana was particularly bad. Especially, the ending of the fight where Superman asks Wonder Woman “Shall we?” To which Wonder Woman responds “Of course!” And they both punch Kryrana at the same time taking her out. Uggh. Just terrible.
The story is thinly developed as the characters make massive jumps without any supporting evidence to support how they made such huge leaps in judgment. For example, Lois manages to find the exact location of Kryrana in just one panel by looking at her convenient tracking device that lights up Kryrana’s location on its screen. What the hell is that device? Why does Lois have it? How does it work?
It just pops up out of nowhere out of pure convenience for one panel, does its job and leaves with no explanation. That is classic Silver Age storytelling. Characters make huge leaps of knowledge just to conveniently keep the story moving quickly.
The scene transitions were as clumsy, awkward and very abrupt like your typical Silver Age story. It makes the story disjointed and gives it no flow at all. There is no effort made to tie the scenes seamlessly into each other and to allow the story to unfold organically.
There is absolutely no attempt to pull off anything that would be confused with character development. All the characters are written flatly and have generic personalities. Clark is as dry, boring and white bread as humanly possible. The way that Busiek has been writing Clark the past couple of issues is exactly why I never liked Superman. While growing up, I always found Superman to be a cardboard cut out of a character. Boring and as interesting at a blank wall.
Now, Johns and Donner have done a great job actually trying to make Superman an interesting character with a well developed personality. Busiek has done the exact opposite by writing Superman just like the version I have always found completely dull.
Wonder Woman has zero personality. And Lois has no personality at all beyond being envious of Wonder Woman’s smoking hot Amazonian body. Lois continually references Wonder Woman’s body and costume through out the issue.
Lois is officially being written less like a sexy, confident, strong, metropolitan woman and more like a nervous, jealous, frumpy middle aged housewife. Sweet. And I notice that Lois is still rocking it like a middle-aged minivan driving soccer mom. I mean, seriously, Lois looks horrible. I guess marriage has made her complacent.
And since Lois broke the fourth wall to tell us she is a trusting woman, let me respond by telling her that she can’t be surprised when Clark ends up hooking up with Wonder Woman at some point in the future.
Barreto’s artwork was average. His style of art is very much what you would see in the late 1960’s and through out the 1970’s. Barreto’s artwork is decidedly old school. I’m not a fan of old school art, so Barreto’s art did little to increase my enjoyment of this issue.
Overall: Superman #661 was such a boring and dry read. The combination of poor writing and average art is not a winning formula. I definitely wouldn’t recommend Superman to anyone other than big-time Superman fans. Busiek has two more issues to save this title from getting the dreaded axe. At this rate, I don’t think he is going to be able to do it.