Tag: Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman

A Look Back at The Man of Steel #2 (1986)

A Look Back at The Man of Steel #2 (1986)

carlocarrasco

Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from reading the comic book and doing personal research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.

Welcome back superhero enthusiasts, 1980s culture enthusiasts and comic book collectors! Today we go back to the late 1980s to explore a part of the DC Comics shared universe through a tale of the iconic Superman.

Previously, I reviewed the first issue of The Man of Steel mini-series written and drawn by John Byrne. Using a unique structure for storytelling, Byrne gradually told how the post-Crisis version of Superman came to be while also retaining specific classic elements that made DC’s icon inspirational. That very comic book had its influences on other portrayals of Superman beyond comic books such as he Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman TV series and even the very divisive Man of Steel movie.

With those details laid down, here is a look back at The Man of Steel , published in 1986 by DC Comics with a story written and illustrated by John Byrne.

The cover.

Early story

The story begins in the middle of Metropolis when the newly established hero Superman (now in full costume) flies just above the busy road which distracted Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White (who was having a coffee break with reported Lois Lane inside a coffee shop). Remembering how the space plane and its crew got saved by Superman (Clark Kent in civilian clothes) sometime prior, White tells Lane (who first encountered Superman immediately after the space plane was saved) to go after him to get the hot scoop.

While Lane crosses the road, a limousine’s opens with the driver telling her that Mister L (Lex Luthor the tycoon) wants to her. Lane declines and proceeds with her chase for Superman…

Quality

An act of help by Superman for someone who was in trouble.

This story is set during the early days of Superman as the new, randomly appearing hero of Metropolis whose impact on local society is just growing stronger. At the same time, this shows Clark Kent being a very new resident of the city still looking for a job. This is inspired work by Byrne on building up the Man of Steel for what was back then the modern age.

That being said, the most intriguing fact here is that this Superman story has Lois Lane as the actual protagonist. While Lane’s literary presence here is slightly stronger than DC’s icon, this tale is clearly all about her unrelenting approach with newspaper journalism, her use of the Daily Planet’s valuable connections and resources, and how much risk she would take to get the facts, the statements and other details all for the sake of getting the hot story. This is Byrne’s modernization of Lois Lane highlighting the concept that Clark Kent will have serious competition with her within the Daily Planet.  

That being said, there is no romance between Clark and Lois here. This is after all their 2nd encounter (the saving of the space plane in issue was shown in flashback with Lois Lane already present) and Byrne took a careful approach on establishing the first lengthy encounter and interactions between the two. Their encounter here is really engaging.

More on Superman himself, the writer kept the pace of developing him flow smoothly and steadily. You will see how Superman keeps himself in control whenever he talks with normal people or when he encounters criminals who cause danger on others. While he has a priority to help others in need using his powers, he does not neglect his actual identity (and personal life) as Clark Kent and this includes moderating or limiting the use of his special abilities as he levels himself with the rest of the civilian population.

Conclusion

Lois Lane portrayed as the unrelenting and very determined newspaper reporter. Even though Superman always flew away, she just won’t give up.

The Man of Steel (1986) is clearly a very solid follow-up to issue . The continued development of Superman remains solid and the dramatization of Lois Lane as the strongly determined newspaper journalist is compelling to see. With regards to the build-up of the post-Crisis DC Comics shared universe, this particular Superman tale is one of essential parts of it.

Overall, The Man of Steel (1986) is highly recommended!

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

A Look Back at The Man of Steel #1 (1986)

A Look Back at The Man of Steel #1 (1986)

carlocarrasco

Disclaimer: This is my original work with details sourced from reading the comic book and doing personal research. Anyone who wants to use this article, in part or in whole, needs to secure first my permission and agree to cite me as the source and author. Let it be known that any unauthorized use of this article will constrain the author to pursue the remedies under R.A. No. 8293, the Revised Penal Code, and/or all applicable legal actions under the laws of the Philippines.

Welcome back superhero enthusiasts, 1980s culture enthusiasts and comic book collectors! Today we go back to the late 1980s to explore a part of the DC Comics shared universe through a tale of the iconic Superman.

After DC Comics published the maxi-series Crisis on Infinite Earths, the publisher rebooted their entire comic book universe and that meant reintroducing their superheroes, villains and supporting characters with a touch of 1980s modernization. To reboot and modernize Superman, John Byrne was hired and he was granted a lot of creative freedom for production.

With those details laid down, here is a look back at The Man of Steel , published in 1986 by DC Comics with a story written and illustrated by John Byrne with ink work by Dick Giordano.

The cover.

Early story

The story begins sometime in the past in Krypton (Superman’s home world), a world about to meet its doom. Jor-El (Superman’s father) arrives home feeling deeply troubled and he wastes no time to execute an important plan he prepared. He examines his unborn Kal-El inside the birthing matrix which turned to have been removed by one of the servants from the gestation chambers of the planet. Lara confronts her husband over what was committed and asked him why he endangers the life of their unborn child.

Jor-El tells her that he plans for their son to be spared from the pending doom of Krypton (a chain reaction from the planet’s core caused vast pressures to build within the crust, fusing native elements into a new metal – Kryptonite) by sending him far away deep into space with planet Earth as the final destination. Jor-El has done extensive research of Earth and is convinced that their son will not only survive there but also become a supreme being among the inhabitants…

Quality

Clark’s earthly parents were indeed involved in his development becoming Superman.

There is no doubt that this John Byrne-led comic book remains great to read and highly significant with anything about Superman. Instead of telling one single extensive story, Byrne created a series of connected short tales that dramatized the icon’s post-Crisis origin and how the Krypton-born American Clark Kent became Superman for the first time ever.

While the prologue set in Krypton was quite heavy with expository dialogue, each subsequent short story was carefully structured and moved at a medium pace gradually emphasizing Clark Kent’s transformation into the Man of Steel. Along the way, there were lots of story details not only about the titular character but also about the Kent couple (Clark’s adoptive parents), what they went through, what secrets had to be kept and more. Very symbolically, this is a tale about an alien human being from space who grew up with traditional American culture and US heartland values while being raised by very loving American parents who previously could not produce children of their own. Through Clark, you will see that he is a blessing for Jonathan and Martha Kent and it is up to the couple to sow good values in him which are essential to his becoming not only a super being among mortals but also his emergence as a hero.

Conclusion

The origin of the post-Crisis Superman is great to read!

The Man of Steel (1986) is indeed a great, character-focused comic book that emphasized the origin and debut of the post-Crisis Superman. John Byrne modernized Superman while still maintaining the classic superhero elements from the icon’s past versions as well as the American identity and ways (none of those woke and internationalist nonsense). This is also the optimistic Superman that is very inspirational which the recent DC cinematic universe (referred to as “DCEU”) of Warner Bros. terribly lacked. This illustrated literature work is also a major cornerstone of the post-Crisis era of DC Comics and John Byrne’s take on Superman is very defining and iconic.

If you are the kind of reader who views Superman widely through pop culture, you will notice specific elements from this comic book that made it into other forms of entertainment media such as Man of Steel (2013), the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, the animated movies, the Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman TV series (starring Dean Cain as the Man of Steel) and more. Those multimedia productions showed how influential this comic book became as a major reference for other creators.

Overall, The Man of Steel (1986) is highly recommended!

+++++

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco