Superman: The Man of Steel, Vol. 2 by John ByrneMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Superman: The Man of Steel Volume 2 collects Action Comics #588-593, Adventures of Superman #429-435, Legion of Super-Heroes #37-38, and Superman #5-11.
My read of the John Byrne run of Superman in the mid 1980s continues. In this volume, Superman takes on the Fearsome Five, a space mummy, Chemo, Mr. Mxyzptlk, the TIme Trapper, Rampage, Sleez, and various other threats to humanity. As with the previous volume, Byrne had assistance by Marv Wolfman, Jerry Ordway, and Karl Kesel, among others.
A lot of ground was broken or hauled away in this. Byrne explained the Legion of Super Heroes' place in the post-Crisis universe, went further toward establishing what a jerk Lex Luthor is, and took part in the Invasion crossover. There was also the weird thing involving Big Barda and a porno that managed to take up two issues.
The Byrne run is in full swing and I feel like he's just scratched the surface of Superman lore to reintroduce. The relationship with Lois Lane hasn't begun yet, Braniac hasn't been reintroduced, and line wide crossovers have yet to derail what Byrne is doing.
The controlled Byrne of the Superman mythos continues. Not quite as smooth as volume 2 but still great 1980s comics. 4 out of 5 stars.
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Superman vs the Fantastic Four on the cover!
ReplyDeleteIt was years before I knew the Gladiator vs. Fantastic Four cover that this homages existed.
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