KC #39, June 1997, 6/8

[Jeffery D. Sykes]

THE KRYPTONIAN CYBERNET #39, June 1997 Section 6 of 8
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WHO IS SUPERMAN BLUE -- THE MAN BEYOND TOMORROW?
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By Steven Younis (you...@dot.net.au)

This column is my attempt at collecting everything we know about the New
Superman from the Superman comics. It is a reprint from my New Superman
section within the Superman Homepage at
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/7771/

As each new comic is released, and as more new powers and new information are
revealed, I will update and add to my New Superman web page. I welcome any and
all feedback about this column. Please e-mail me at you...@dot.net.au if you
see any errors, omissions or just want to make a comment.

I must put out a big public THANK YOU to Gareth Baker (ghlb...@aol.com) who
helped me put together this information.

The information here is current as of SUPERMAN ANNUAL #9 and ADVENTURES OF
SUPERMAN #548.

==

THE COSTUME

This has been dubbed, by the creators, as Superman Blue. Gone are the red
underpants and cape, the hallmarks of Superman. Now he wears a blue costume
with white lightning bolts down all four of his limbs. His chest carries a new
stylized 'S' in the same lightning bolt motif. His whole body is covered by
the costume, except for his hair and face, which have also taken on a blue
energy hue.

The new costume is in fact a containment suit. In the month leading up to the
landmark issue SUPERMAN #123, Superman slowly changed into a being made of
energy. The suit is made from a fabric which was designed and patented by
Lexcorp, and "kindly" donated by Contessa Erica Del Portenza, the new CEO of
the corporation. The 'look' of the costume was probably put together by
Professor Hamilton (an old friend of Superman's) and Lois, his wife.

THE POWERS

These are a little more complicated. The main thing is all his old powers are
gone. No more heat vision, X-Ray vision, Super-hearing, or invulnerability!

It all began in SUPERMAN #122 when he blew up a toaster, passed his hand
through a coffee pot, and most alarmingly, accidentally hurt an innocent
bystander when bullets passed right through him. Another side-effect is that
electrical goods go *K-Phut* when he's near them. These problems seem to have
been cleared up now thanks to the containment suit.

Things really heated up in ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #545, when everything went
wrong! His whole body started to pass through things, he lost his flight
power, and his vision powers completely changed. He began to pass through
things because he had been knocked out of phase with our reality. In SUPERMAN
ANNUAL #9, we are told that as Superman he is 100% energy, and is slightly out
of phase with the normal reality plane.

By concentrating hard, he can solidify himself back to a human state (and into
the normal reality plane), but then he has NO powers at all. At first when
changing back into Clark Kent he had no clothes on, but that isn't a problem
anymore. Although where his clothes are during his phase into Superman is
unknown.

Okay! So, what can he do?

Any names that DC have given these new powers have been used. Any that I have
made up are marked with an asterisk (*).

Zapping/Flight
At first, Superman lost his ability to fly. Instead he was able to 'Zap' from
place to place. The first time Superman did this was in ACTION COMICS #732,
when he traveled to a research station in Antarctica, and then back to
Metropolis again. This appears to be some kind of teleportation. However, he
needs to concentrate to be able to get the location for his landing right. In
ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #546, he used this power to travel down a telephone
line and into his and Lois' apartment.

It also appears that Superman creates a Sonic Boom when he zaps from one place
to another, and so far this seems to be outside of his control.

There seems to be some confusion between the writers at DC Comics as to
whether or not Superman can indeed fly!! In ACTION #733, when Superman meets
with The Ray, it is said that Superman initially could only Zap from one place
to another, but now he can either Zap or Fly because he is more experienced,
has more control over his new powers. Now he is able to fly "reeeeeally,
really fast," as The Ray said. The words 'faster than light' were used. BUT!!
In MOS #69, when Superman is taken over by Tolos (on page 21) he says, "Ah!
The Rocket Belt! Just what I need! This body can't fly now... it bolts from
place to place..." and then uses the Rocket Belt to fly away. I wish they'd
make up their minds!! Can he or can't he fly?!?!

Vision Powers
He has the ability to see radiation, wavelengths and spectra, all of which he
could not see before. In SUPERMAN ANNUAL #9 we read that Superman used his
vision powers to trace an infra-red trail left by a car. (Note: He no longer
has his X-Ray, Telescopic, or any of his other 'old' vision powers.)

In MOS #68, Superman shot beams of energy from his eyes at a villain
(Scareware), but Scareware appeared to teleport away from the scene before we
were able to see just what these beams of energy could do. Although in ACTION
COMICS #734, Superman shot "Vision Bolts" of energy from his eyes, melting his
opponents' guns.

Electron Manipulation
This first manifested itself in ACTION COMICS #732 when Superman tried to stop
a lorry. A beam of energy, which appeared to be magnetic in nature, shot from
his out stretched hand and 'grabbed' the vehicle. In MAN OF STEEL #67 when
Clark tries to shave, using his trusty heat vision, he sends himself bouncing
around his apartment, leaving all metal objects clinging to the walls. It
appears that Superman can manipulate his electrons to form any power he can
think of, just like a Green Lantern Power Ring. Also in MOS #67, Superman uses
his *Power Punch* for the first time. Using his experience from Action #732,
he manipulated the electrons around his fist to produce another 'fist' with
which he can use to 'project' a hit.

In ACTION #733, following advice from The Ray, Superman manipulated his
electrons further to create two new powers. The first of these was a Tractor
Beam, which he used to pull Metallo towards him. The second was a pulse that
increased Metallo's mass by affecting the gravitational field, so that the
villain's body would sink into the ground. Another similar power was used in
ACTION COMICS #734 when Superman created a "Repulsing Energy" field to act as
a battering ram.

He can also "Morph" or change his appearance by manipulating the electrons of
his containment suit and energy. As seen in ACTION COMICS #733, while Superman
was getting advice from The Ray, he appears to make his containment suit morph
into a blue and white version of The Ray's costume. Again in ACTION COMICS
#734, Superman changed his appearance to look like a Peacekeeper within
Kandor, this time also changing the color of his appearance to match the
soldier's uniform.

In MOS #68, Superman manipulated his solid-energy field to smother fires. With
the ability to expand his body size, Superman was able to encase a whole
burning building and together with his solid energy field managed to put out
the flames. Superman also used another variation of his Electron Manipulation
power, creating a solid energy wall to protect people from fire as they waited
on the roof of an apartment block. Then when the roof collapsed, Superman fell
with the people and appeared to move the shield under the people to catch
them.

In MOS #69, Superman used his new powers to weld shut a metal door. This may
be a similar power to that which he beams out of his eyes (as mentioned under
Vision Powers).

*Computer Symbiosis*
In ACTION #732, a frustrated Superman slammed his fist onto a police computer.
His hand passed into the monitor and he began to access the data on the disk
drive and network.

*Energy Absorption*
In ACTION #732, Superman draws radiation from some illegal nuclear waste
directly into his body, cleaning the waste of radiation. In MOS #67, Superman
accidentally draws energy off of the whole city of Metropolis, causing
everything to short out. In SUPERMAN #123, Superman draws power from a neon
sign and then uses it to attack Ceritak. By doing this, Superman was able to
travel faster than light (at least that's what it says).

In MOS #68, the ability to expand his body mass enabled Superman to absorb the
energy from a number of flying rockets (rendering them useless) and also the
massive amounts of radiation from within Metallo's Aircraft Carrier Nuclear
engine power supply. With the absorption of so much radiation, Superman was in
extreme pain. It is yet unknown just how much energy/radiation Superman can
absorb, although we know that he has his limits.

Superman also is able to absorb the momentum of any moving object that passes
through him, thereby slowing down the object/person (as seen in AOS #547).

*Conscious Multiplicity*
In MOS #67, Superman splits his energy up and 'zaps' around Metropolis in many
places at once, collecting information as to what is happening EVERYWHERE in
the city.

*Self Healing*
As seen in ACTION COMICS #733, when injured as Clark, Superman can change back
into his Superman Blue form and concentrate to "pull himself together". We saw
him actually heal a broken arm, cuts, and bruises this way. His first
impression was that "Energy doesn't bleed" but in his panic, his injuries just
converted themselves to his energy form by "spurting" out energy in the same
places as his injuries. It was Lois who convinced him he needed to calm down
and concentrate on re-forming himself. A similar result also is possible in
reverse. When Superman's energy form is disrupted too greatly to reform
himself, a change back into his Clark Kent form makes him whole again,
although he seems to need time to recuperate to reform as Superman.

WEAKNESSES

So far it is unknown if Kryptonite or Magic (Superman's classic weaknesses)
still hold any power over him in his new form.

Since obtaining the Containment Suit, Superman has fallen prey to the
following:

Excess Radiation Intake - Superman (and his containment suit) has a limit to
how much radiation and energy he can absorb. Absorbing too much can cause him
pain and maybe even kill him (as seen in MOS #67).

Shock Pods acting like Tasers were seen to paralyze Superman in ACTION COMICS
#734, basically rendering him powerless.

An Energy Control being (an inhabitant of Kandor) was able to capture and
contain Superman in ACTION COMICS #734 by using its ability to control all
forms of energy it comes in contact with.

Disrupter Cannon or similar technology can cause Superman's energy form to
disperse, making it very hard for him to reform himself, and he therefore
needs to revert to being Clark Kent to carry on (as seen in SUPERMAN ANNUAL
#9).

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

At time of writing, it is yet unknown why Superman's powers have changed,
although many speculate that Tolos, The Bottled City of Kandor, and the
Contessa (Lex Luthor's wife) all may be involved somehow. Even the Eradicator
has been mentioned.

It is also unknown what happens to the containment suit when Superman Blue
reverts back to his "human" form of Clark Kent and in reverse, what happens to
Clark's clothes when becoming Superman.

The complications and confusion mentioned above about whether or not Superman
can actually fly and not just zap from place to place is still a mystery.

There also seems to be some confusion over whether or not Superman can
actually physically hold, grab or wear solid objects. Bullets and rockets have
been seen to pass through him, his hand has been seen to pass through objects
as he is supposed to be 100% energy. Yet we've also seen him wearing a
parachute, grabbing hold of Lex Luthor by the throat and other examples where
he appears to be solid. Puzzling!?!?

Joe Kaposta (ksc...@indyvax.iupui.edu) e-mailed me asking: Does Superman have
some kind of internal power storage that needs recharging, like a power ring
and its battery, or in his energy form is he connected to something like the
Flash's "speed force", so that he has a constant supply of energy available to
him?

It seems that Superman himself *is* the energy source, but I guess in time all
these questions will be answered.

==

I hope you've enjoyed this column and invite you all to drop by the Superman
Homepage at http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/7771 to keep up-to-date on
any new developments.

While there, you'll also find a wealth of Superman information, TV and Cartoon
Episode Guides, Comic Reviews, FAQs, Comic Book Index List, Who's Who, Icons,
and so much more!

I've also designed a puzzle called "Mr. Mxyzptlk's Mix-Up Puzzle" that's
updated weekly. You'll find it in the GAMES & PUZZLES section of my Web of
Wonders at http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/5071/

Later!

Steven Younis
you...@dot.net.au

The "WHO IS SUPERMAN BLUE - THE MAN BEYOND TOMORROW?" column is Copyright (C)
1997, Steven Younis. All rights reserved. Making copies in any format is
expressly forbidden without the written permission of the author.

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MANUSCRIPTS OF STEEL
------------------------------

Reviews of After-Byrne Superman Special Stories

by Denes House (dho...@itsmail1.hamilton.edu)

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SUPERMAN ANNUAL #2
The Cadmus Project

Written by Roger Stern
Art by Ron Frenz and Brett Breeding
Colored by Petra Scotese
Cover by Frenz and Breeding
1988
Standard Format, $1.50 US/$2.00 CAN

Rating
------
4.2/5.0 Shields

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"The Cadmus Project" is the story that brought a whole world of Jack Kirby's
creations to the post-Crisis DC Universe. The Project, the Newsboy Legion, the
Guardian, the Hairies, and the D.N.Aliens were the co-creations of Kirby and
Joe Simon, introduced, I believe, in the comic SUPERMAN'S PAL JIMMY OLSEN.
This Annual celebrates that legacy and brings these classic creations into the
modern comics age.

The story opens in Cadmus, identified only as "a top-secret government
installation." Inside, alarms go off, and a group of familiar-looking
scientists discuss the escape of the "alpha subjects." They are chastised by a
shadowy alien figure. To track down the alpha subjects, the scientists assign
Agent Harper to the task. He suits up in a blue and gold costume with a
badge-shaped shield, promising to get them back, "no matter what."

The scene changes to Superman, flying alongside fire engines roaring to
extinguish a fuel tanker fire. Heroically, Superman lifts the flaming tanker
high into the sky -- hoping to bring it outside the atmosphere. Unfortunately,
he does not succeed, but does get it high enough to contain any damage. In
questioning the driver of the truck, Superman discovers that he had swerved to
avoid someone coming out of a manhole. Investigating, Superman finds a scrap
of torn cloth, bearing a distinctive, twisted ladder-shaped insignia. He
tracks down the outfit it was attached to in a thrift store. Someone had
traded five jumpsuits, bearing those insignia, for old clothing. Agent Harper
observes it all.

The story unfolds -- Agent Harper turns out to be the Guardian, a WWII-era
hero who operated out of Suicide Slum. He was the protector of the Newsboy
Legion, a bunch of homeless kids who got into lots of scraps and sold
newspapers to get by. The Newsboys turn out to be the escaped "Alpha Subjects"
-- clones from the secret government installation -- The Cadmus Project. But
why have the directors of the Project, the grown-up Newsboys, created clones
of themselves? Why is the Guardian young? And who is the alien presence
controlling the Cadmus Project?

I'm not going to tell you. I will tell you that the story is a good one. Roger
Stern excels at portraying Superman as a thinker as well as a fighter. This
Superman walks his way through the first half of this story using his brains
to do a little good, old-fashioned deductive reasoning. There are plenty of
humorous moments (my favorite being a confrontation between the Newsboy Legion
and a gang of drug dealers) and Guardian is convincingly able to give Superman
a run for his money. Everyone is in character, and everyone is -- darn it all
-- intelligent. Even Scrapper, the think-with-your-fists Newsboy is
streetwise, and gets off a few good lines.

It's a rock-em-sock-em adventure, told in bravura style, with some solid
storytelling and intelligent writing.

Ron Frenz pencilled this book while he was the regular artist on Marvel's THE
MIGHTY THOR. Here, as there, he brings a very Kirby-esque feel to his pencils.
Using the same thick, dynamic anatomy as in his current work, nine years ago
his figures were blockier and less detailed. One can see how his character
work has grown, as has his storytelling and posing styles. I believe this is
the book that brought Brett Breeding to work on Superman, a distinction I am
not so pleased with. Breeding had been Frenz's inker on THOR, and here he
brings the same chunky, angular quality to his inks that he does to his
current regular penciller, Dan Jurgens. [It should be noted that while
Breeding inked Jurgens for quite a long time, his current Superman work is
sporadic at best, the inking of Paul Ryan's pencils on MAN OF TOMORROW being
his only regular Super-assignment. --Jeff] In both cases, I don't think the
fit works. Frenz starts out chunky and angular. He needs an inker that brings
out the grace in his work. Josef Rubinstein does that for him now. Breeding
makes Frenz's 1988 work feel claustrophobic in the extreme. Still, it is
powerful work, and evokes the spirit of the King admirably.

There is a backup story here as well, "Love's Labors..." by John Byrne. 1988's
Superman annuals had backup stories following the "private lives" of Superman
supporting cast members. This backup story follows Dan Turpin and Maggie
Sawyer, as Dan falls in love with Maggie and proposes, only to find out that
she is a lesbian. This was a landmark story in the Superman mythos, and it
does its job in only 8 pages. Great writing and art by John Byrne.

Capsule review:

Story: An interesting story, with smart characters who think their way through
problems, but aren't unable to slug it out when need be. 4.5 Shields out of 5.

Art: Frenz does Kirby doing Superman. Good, but blocky and claustrophobic. 3.8
Shields out of 5.

Backup Story: Byrne drops a bombshell. 4.2 Shields out of 5.

Overall: 4.2 Shields out of 5.

Next Up: Superman the Space Gladiator

Denes House

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End of Section 6
--
Jeffery D. Sykes | Kryptonian Cybernet: http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/kc/
sy...@ms.uky.edu | L&C Episode Guide: http://www.ms.uky.edu/~sykes/lc/
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There was a man who walked on water -- He came to set the people free
He was the ultimate example of what love can truly be
Cause His love was his life, and He gave it away

-- Michael W. Smith, "Give it away"