I (HEART) Kurt Busiek's Superman!

[JulianPerez]

PS. it was byrne who wrote Alpha flight not Claremont

It's a fun little game to catch all the endless errors in his posts, ironically Kurt Busiek was the best at it.

The story where Puck was revealed to be small because of possession by an Arabian demon was written by Bill Mantlo, not Johnny Redbeard (and not Claremont as I remembered, though the confusion is rather understandable).

Here's an explanation right from the horse's mouth about the Puck origin business:

Of course, he then went on to do the "origin" of Puck, with the whole "demon inside" thing being based, apparently, on the single reference Puck had made to being in constant pain, something which Bill failed to grasp was an effect of the condition -- achondroplasty, called by name in the same issue that referenced the pain -- which caused Puck's dwarfism. (This was a manifestation of something I used to call "Claremont-itis", before it came to infect almost everybody -- that manner of backstorying characters in such a way that absolutely no one, nowhere, is ever "normal".)

http://www.byrnerobotics.com/FAQ/listing.asp?ID=2&T1=Questions+about+Comic+Book+Projects

[MatterEaterLad]

Despite EVERYTHING I just said about being totally against the ALL-STAR line in theory...you know, as much as I absolutely want to hate it...I do like Morrison's ALL-STAR SUPERMAN. I love the Future Supermen, Atlas and Sampson in the time go-kart, Dino-Czar and the dinosaurs at the center of the earth, Lois getting temporary powers as a birthday present, Superman rescuing a ship from the sun...it's so wonderfully whimsical that it smiles at me and I can't help but smile back.

This was a year ago, though...

One day a few months ago, I found a very early post by Julian where he says nice things about Otto Binder...and then there's the poor Tawny love/hate affair...

[Super Monkey]

Despite EVERYTHING I just said about being totally against the ALL-STAR line in theory...you know, as much as I absolutely want to hate it...I do like Morrison's ALL-STAR SUPERMAN. I love the Future Supermen, Atlas and Sampson in the time go-kart, Dino-Czar and the dinosaurs at the center of the earth, Lois getting temporary powers as a birthday present, Superman rescuing a ship from the sun...it's so wonderfully whimsical that it smiles at me and I can't help but smile back.

This was a year ago, though...

One day a few months ago, I found a very early post by Julian where he says nice things about Otto Binder...and then there's the poor Tawny love/hate affair...

I am sure a love letter to Otto Binder is coming soon, then two weeks later a post about how much Otto Binder stinks and should be brought back to life to be killed again. Then that weekend, another post about how Otto Binder rules and Morrison is the greatest writer ever, then the very same day in the same thread one that talks about how much they should have all their books collected and burned.

[Uncle Mxy]

Superman is revealed to be able to communicate with his far-future descendants, and the only thing it's used for is a friggin' J-Lo joke?

J-Lo is actually the evil robotic nemesis counterpart of L-Ron.  This is really long-term planning for "Revenge of the Giffenverse", Giffen taking over ASS after Morrison departs...  there's bigger big-booty here to fry. 

[JulianPerez]

One day a few months ago, I found a very early post by Julian where he says nice things about Otto Binder...

I have some good things to say about Otto Binder.

He wrote one good story that I do like: the original Kryptonite Man story. It was not a perfect story by any means: there's this time-killing subplot about Clark Kent and a radioactive money that distracted from the action. Ugh. NO. ONE. CARES. Also, there is the usual problems with Plastino's art. Don't believe me? Look on page six. Man, I ain't exactly Mr. Universe, and I could pick up that Fortress Key.

Luthor can build a satellite that turns all lead worldwide into glass, but he can't notice a giant military helicopter RIGHT ABOVE HIM?

All those problems aside, by Binder standards "Kryptonite Man" was absolute genius. Unlike nearly all of Binder's output, it involves a fight with a real villain. (I know. What a concept, right?) It was unbelievably grandiose, with Superman as an underdog against an unbelievably powerful Luthor, playing Tom and Jerry with various schemes.

Even a blind monkey sometimes finds a banana.

I do, however, think that Binder was an immense loser that endured the humiliation of being utterly owned by a thirteen year old at his chosen profession.

If I could bring to film one "behind the scenes" comics story, it would be Otto Binder meets Jim Shooter. It would be the AMADEUS of comics. Ben Stiller would play Otto Binder as an especially dark version of the persecuted everyman he does in every movie, who's moved by envy to murder Jim Shooter (played by Hayley Joel Osmond).

WHICH OF THESE IS NOT LIKE THE OTHERS?

"The Sun Eater and the Death of Ferro Lad"
"The Adult Legion Story"
"Lana Lang is...the Six Legged Legionnaire!"

This was a year ago, though...

Yeah, but look at what I'm actually saying there:

"Whee! I'm distracted by shiny objects!'

OF COURSE  I'd wise up from that. I wised up a hell of a lot quicker on ASS than I did on something as goofy and style-over-substance like MacGregor's KILLRAVEN or the Conway ATARI FORCE (heh heh heh).

Also, we have to take into account writers that raise the bar. I liked Morrison's JLA at the time, but found myself immensely critical of Morrison's JLA when Geoff Johns showed how a DC team book should be done in JSA (and later, when Busiek and Meltzer did their bit with the book). Likewise, when Busiek and Johns started Superman, it became increasingly physically painful to read Morrison.

These things happen. After BATMAN BEGINS did so much right that other movie versions did wrong, many people, myself included, could not appreciate the nineties Tim Burton Batman movies.

J-Lo is actually the evil robotic nemesis counterpart of L-Ron.

Hehehe. Couldn't Giffen have named a robot after a, y'know, GOOD science fiction pulp writer? L-Brak, for instance?

(I assume he named the robot after L. Ron Hubbard because of his science fiction...because the alternative is too horrifying to dare contemplate.)

[davidelliott]

sigh... I'm waiting for the time when Julian can restrain himself from any reference to Marvel Comics...

[Superman Forever]

Julian would be really happy in a Marvel Thru the Ages Forum, right?

[JulianPerez]

You're whining about the Insect Queen = Claremont Woman thing now, right?

Whatever else I can say about Lana Lang as Insect Queen, at least she was portrayed as a resourceful, savvy heroine. Alas, the same cannot be said of Jimmy Olsen as Elastic Lad.

The most entertaining Jimmy Olsen, at least for me, is the "Mr. Action" strips in SUPERMAN FAMILY and elsewhere, where Jimmy Olsen was a scrappy, gutsy crimebuster that knew Judo and outfoxed diamond smugglers. That, and the Kirby take, where Jimmy was a rebel that took on bikers.

In fact, "Mr. Action" reminds me a little of Heinlein's less supermacho heroes. Jimmy embodied Heinlein's philosophy that "specialization is for insects." Mr Action could throw a punch, pick a lock, stunt drive, SCUBA dive, crack a code, create a disguise, solve a mystery, write an article, be sarcastic, be sincere, and cook (...okay, not the last one: it's been said on many occasions Jimmy could burn water. But that's alright, he's not Superman or anything.)

That's the fundamental reason Elastic Lad bugs me: if Pre-Crisis Jimmy Olsen ever did become a superhero, even temporarily, he would be effective and capable, maybe even Justice League material. He certainly wouldn't be a joke that solves crimes by accident, like in Pete Costanza's "Lone Wolf Legionnaire Reporter." Sure, Jimmy sometimes got way in over his head, but he's got the "right stuff," just like Barry Allen and Hal Jordan.

And though it's a minor thing, the outfit was terrible. I especially love the giant "ELASTIC LAD" stenciled on the chest, like he's at a cocktail party. It reminds me of Four-Legged Man from the Tick, who, in case you didn't get the point, had on his chest, in parenthesis no less, (FOUR LEGS)