“I’m sorry, Hawkman can’t come to the phone right now, these Crisis-filled months really did a number on him.”
Okay, it’s been a little while since I’ve done one of these, so let’s catch up. I’ve been looking at Superman’s final pre-Byrne-reboot stories, but not the famous two-part story in which Alan Moore and Curt Swan that ended Superman and Action, putting a cap on the Silver Age version of the character. And not the last issue of DC Comics Presents, Steve Gerber and Rick Veitch’s sequel of sorts to Gerber’s Phantom Zone mini from a few years prior.
Instead, I’m looking at the last “regular DC universe” stories Superman appeared in, to see how that approached the coming end to this version of the character, if they addressed it at all.
Started off with Aciton #582, with a story that gives us our final “Last Son of Krypton” tale.
Here’s Superman #422, putting an end to Silver Age-era Supes with a terrifying Brian Bolland cover.
Here was the next-to-last issue of DC Comics Presents, #96, with Supes and Blue Devil.
And when we last met here for one of these, we had World’s Finest #323
For today, I’m taking a brief look at Justice League of America #250, cover date May 1986, by Gerry Conway, Luke McDonnell and Bill Wray. Bluesky pal Greg noted a certain panel below that ties into some of the stuff I’ve been talking about in this series of posts, while also reminding me that I think this is the final issue of the series to feature Superman as an acting member. Justice League continues on through issue #262, past the Byrne Superman reboot (starting cover date October 1986), but I don’t think Superman shows up in the series again, as least not to this extent.
By this point Crisis on Infinite Earths had been finished for a couple of months, so this is appearing in the gap between the end of that event and the Byrne reboot coming a few months later. Calling this version of Superman the “pre-Crisis” one is bit of a misnomer, since this lame-duck period did go on for a short while after Crisis ended. But I know that’s an uphill battle, given Crisis and the reboot occurred more or less at the same time.
All that nitpicking aside, what was up with Superman in this specific issue? The plot, in short, is that an alien entity has taken over the hold Justice League headquarters, incapacitating the current team headed by the Martian Manhunter (the one with Gypsy and Vibe and Elongated Man). An emergency signal goes out, calling back the “classic” members for help. Notably, characters like the Atom, Aquaman and Hawkman/Hawkwoman are specifically called out as not responding, due to changes in these “Crisis-filled months.”
Not mentioned is Wonder Woman, who straight up died (or was reverted to her original clay form) at the end of Crisis and had not yet been reintroduced in the cover-dated February 1987 Wonder Woman #1.
Anyway, all the heroes show up and (SPOILER) defeat the alien, but along the way we have bit of an uncomfortable meeting between Superman and Batman, who at this point are on the outs yet again, as per World’s Finest #323, cover date January 1986:
I mean, that’s not a happy look on Superman’s face there.
Later, during the course of the story, Superman has this telling thought balloon (the one Greg had noted):
…which…doesn’t feel right, y’know? Yes, that’s the coming status quo for the characters once John Byrne steps in and reworks everything, but at this point in the shared histories of the characters, it feels harsh. Especially since, as I’ve noted in that post, we’d been through the whole Bats/Supes break-up and resolution before.
At the end, as the new and old members of the team have a post-adventure mingle, the prospect is brought up of reforming the JLA:
…an explicit statement that this is a “new [post-Crisis] world,” which isn’t technically a statement on the finality of the pre-reboot Superman’s place in the team. However, given that this Justice League series is a remnant of what had come before, and that a new Justice League title more suited to the Modern DC wouldn’t be coming ’til cover date May 1987 in the wake of the Legends mini-series event, and Superman wouldn’t be on that team ’til years into its run…this functions as well as anything as a “goodbye” between Superman and the team book he’d been associated with for so long.
And by the way, cover date April 1986, the month after Justice League #250, we get this:
…so at the end of JLA #250, when Batman says this to taking over as leader of the Justice League:
…but then eventually agrees…was that a spoiler for events in next month’s Batman and the Outsiders? Or was there enough of an overlap between cover dates that this two comics were basically out simultaneously? Or, since I haven’t yet read this run of BATO, was the writing pretty clearly on the wall for something like this happen so it wasn’t that much of a shock?
And…as far as I know, that’s pretty much it for the pre-reboot Superman’s last major appearances in the various titles in which he’d been features, aside from those Moore/Gerber specials. If I missed a small cameo somewhere, let me know, and I can type overlong and confusingly about that one too!
I think the last issue of DC Challenge was cover dated October 1986, and Bronze Age pre-Byrne Superman is a part of that limited series–it could also be fun just to do an overview and exploration of that “exquisite corpse” concept series with its plethora of writers and artists, unless you have already blogged about it before.
I enjoyed the Outsiders run without Batman, mostly because of the great art by Alan Davis, and, occasionally, Trevor Von Eeden. But it always seemed a bummer that when Batman & The Outsiders firt debuted it marked the end of the Brave & the Bold, which had been a favorite of mine at the time.
All this “Batman is a loner” stuff seems to have gone by the wayside in the last few decades where there are now way too many Robins and Batman Family members in general…maybe it’s time for DC to thin the herd when it comes to Bat-heroes?
For my money, Bronze Age Pre-Crisis Batman was the best iteration of Batman, and Englehart, Rogers and Austin created the most enjoyable Bronze Age Batman stories. Frank Miller really ruined Batman in a lot of ways, unfortunately.
I wonder how Gerry Conway felt writing that Superman anti-Batman dialogue, probably under editorial edict, after having written so many much better Bronze Age JLA stories where Supes and Bats were peers ‘n’ pals? But then, JLA had already taken a hit when it became Justice League Detroit.
I agree with Elongated Man…they should have gotten the band back–with founder member Martin Man Hunter included–meanwhile Vibe, Gypsy, Steel, and Vixen could have become members of The Outsiders.
Sorry to veer off-topic so soon, but — R.I.P. Toronto artist Taral Wayne (1951-2024), who for 50 years illustrated for the fantasy, SF and furry fandoms. His art earned him *11* Hugo Award nominations, but never won. What his work and wit *did* win him was a great many fans, as well as my friendship.
With Steve Gallacci in the 90s, he created the comic ‘Beatrix Farmer’. This sharply-drawn, short-lived tale of a reluctantly superheroic rabbit girl would’ve fitted in perfectly (and run for longer) in the pages of ‘Critters’, if only it had still been published.
Another weird thing about this JLA: it sets up the short lived status quo of Batman in charge of the Detroit League, but the subplot was that Batman actually had a Secret Agenda for doing so… and that plotline was just completely dropped.
I’d have to go back and look, but my recollection was that Conway left the book, and J.M. DeMatteis came on board to do a multi-issue story focusing on Zatanna, during which Batman just quietly disappeared. Then came DeMatteis’ “Last Days of the JLA” story which led into the new book, and Batman was absent there too (though IIRC, I think there is at least some dialogue to the effect of “Geez, where’s Batman now that we need him?”)
But why did Batman take charge of the League at this time? Never explained…
That early(ish) Luke McDonnell art really takes me back. He got better and better once he hit his stride on Suicide Squad.
Alan Davis, of course, could do no wrong at the time. Just a total master. I should look up some of those old issues of Batman and the Outsiders. I remember being blown away by his first few issues — Halo’s (real) origin story.
By all accounts, there was much confusion behind the scenes at DC post-Crisis. That probably explains the weird friends/enemies thing with Superman and Batman, as well as Batman’s disappearance at the end of Justice League. Hard to know who’s available and who’s not when some characters have been rebooted and some are just…the same but busy doing flashbacks?
Hawkman is am interesting case here too: The Shadow War has flashback scenes early on featuring the pre-Crisis Superman but ends post-reboot, extremely early in the Byrne Superman’s career.
It is interesting looking at that JLA no. 250 panel from 1986 with Atom, the Hawks, and Aquaman and recalling how many changes were being foisted upon those characters by then in comparison to their Silver and early Bronze Ages heyday. Although I enjoyed The Sword of the Aton stories well enough at the time–mainly due to the great Gil Kane art–it was a bit goofy to turn Ray Palmer into a microverse-based cut-rate Conan character, Aquaman’s new outfit was fairly awful–although Craig Hamilton’s art on that Aquaman miniseries was top notch!–(and worse was yet to come with the hook-handed Neptune-looking shapes of Aquaman to come); and the poor Hawks would eventually have such a convoluted mash-up history of merging their Earth I, Earth II, Earth Whatever iterations into multiple reincarnations on multiple planets that none of it made much sense any more.
Also, Elongated Man was soon given a downgrade costume redesign with a big dumb looking “E” on it–perhaps it was DC’s way of cocking a snook at Joe Staton and Nick Cuti’s E-Man?
DC messed up a good thing when they disbanded the Satellite-era JLA. I still think a time travel or multiverse spanning story arc should happen involving Pre-Crisis JLA and JSA circa 1985 meeting the current day Rebirth (or whatever branding catchphrase DC is hyping now) Justice League and Justice Society iterations. The story could also involve Per Degaton, Psycho Pirate, Vandel Savage, etc.
I haven’t read the last forty years worth of excessive Crises, but has DC ever tried an approach where Psycho Pirate actually manages to go back to 1985 and undo the events of Crisis and ironically become a heroic figure by doing that?
I’m going to disagree and say that Aquaman needed a refresh of some sort at the time. While I loved the mini-series that introduced the dark costume, I don’t think it went far enough. And the new costume was cool, but it was almost impossible for other artists to replicate. You can see McDonnell (and/or the colorist) having difficulty with it above.
The grumpy, bearded, hook-handed redesign reinvigorated the character (in my opinion). He’s my favorite version of Aquaman, probably because Morrison used him to such good effect in JLA, where mythological allusions were an asset.
@ Thom H.
To each their own, but I appreciate and advocate for classic Aquaman in his classic costume, looking classically clean cut with both of his real hands from the Golden through Bronze Ages and feel that when he was drawn by Jim Aparo and Don Newton he was the coolest looking Aquaman of all.