Monday, February 27, 2017

Geez, Batman doesn't get all pissy when they light his signal...


Actually, that may not be 100% true. Check out the cover from 1999's Adventures of Superman #565, "The World is My Backyard" Plot by Karl Kesel, dialog by Jerry Ordway, pencils by Tom Grummett, finishes by Denis Rodier.

In totalitarian eastern nation Kota Zamfir, the democratic protesters have a new protector: Superman. Who tells the local despot, there will be free elections in a month, or else. The government, working with Lex Luthor, have noticed Superman appears to now be working 24/7, and Luthor ever-so-innocently asks what their plan will be if Superman starts taking action against the U.S. Of course, he's already planning ahead, having some goons steal a synthetic Kryptonite sample from Professor Hamilton.

While young newbie hero Outburst wonders what his hero Superman is up to, the Man of Steel helps the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit with Captains Cold and Boomerang, who mistakenly thought Supes would be too busy all over the world to watch his hometown. Outburst shows up to help, and Supes idly wonders if he couldn't use more like him before seeing a Superman-signal, lit over the old Daily Planet building. It's Batman and the Justice League, staging an intervention for Supes; although maybe Batman isn't the best choice to ask him when he slept last. Still, Superman isn't not sleeping because he's busy, but because he seems to be having prophesies of disasters. He mostly turns the intervention back on the JLA: maybe he could get some rest, if they stepped it up and helped him more? Martian Manhunter gives Supes a telepathic scan, and finds no outside influence; but the JLA declines to join him: as Wonder Woman puts it, they can't cross the line "from enforcing what is right and just...to deciding what is right and just!"

Although tempted, Batman feels like something is wrong, but also guesses that others will join Superman's crusade...namely Outburst, who had eavesdropped on their conversation. (A conversation that didn't mention any secret identities, but the names Lois and Barry Allen could've been overheard.) The Superman books at the time featured a triangle on the cover with the reading order; this was #9 for 1999, and this storyline would continue at least until #24, with aftereffects going well past that.

2 comments:

Mr. Morbid's House Of Fun said...

Sounds like they were sowing the seeds for Lex becoming president based off this.

SallyP said...

But... but why does Superman even need a Super Signal? Can't he just use his Super senses to know when he is needed?