Tag: Superman

Just for shits and giggles… why not revisit Action Comics #666?

There’s no devil worshipping in this issue, but it does open with Superman going mad and on a killing spree… so I guess that’s the closest thing to demonic or devilish tales to be had here. Alas, the cover story kind of gives way that all is not what it seems, but how we get there is… well, it boils down to a cliche used to dismiss the sort of tales that would once be advertised as “imaginary stories.” This was the 90s. We don’t have room for imaginary stories unless they’re part of our great canon.

The core of the story boils down to exploring Superman’s fear of losing control and going crazy, which is something that writers like to explore every so often to varying degrees of success. Before this issue came along, there was an arc where Superman had exiled himself into space after killing some dudes (I think it was kryptonians from a parallel world; I don’t recall) and that probably did a better job of exploring that fear over the course of several issues than this one issue could.

For a quick standalone story, it’s a nice, easy read that falls back on some cliche concepts to bring everything back to status quo. The art in general ain’t too shabby, either. A bit messy in some places, but otherwise, pretty good.

Just as an aside, we’re not doing Detective Comics #666 for the simple reason being that it’s the penultimate chapter of the comic event “Knightfall”, the saga that saw Bane break the Bat and a new Batman come in to take the reign. Maybe someday we’ll give that saga a proper look… maybe.

I find it rather funny that several years ago, nothing particularly “evil” or “devil-themed” was conjured up for the 666th issues of Action Comics or Detective Comics, and yet here we are. Superman and Batman’s long running series had recently reached the number of the beast and both involve the devil in some form or another. But while Superman #666 is mostly about him being a dick, Batman #666 gives way to a future storyline in which Batman’s son, Damien, must take up the mantle of the Bat to face the Prince of Darkness… what?

So there’s a real twist here that has the son of Batman facing off against the Anti-Christ Batman or something. Apparently, a deal was made between Bats Jr. and the devil that would prevent the Apocalypse from happening. What kind of deal was it? Well, the obvious kind, of course. There’s the usual devil worshippings and satanic killings that are all the rage in this “devil-themed” stories. It’s seems done to death before, but it’s just a nice, slick story that it never gets boring or even remotely tedious. It’s a pretty fast paced book.

And it’s got nice art to compliment the book – not to say that it’s breathtaking or anything like that, but the thing with Adam Kubert’s stuff is that it’s consistently smooth regardless of the project being worked on. It successfuly interprets and recreates that dark, moody atmosphere which depicts a city on the verge of Armageddon. I don’t really have much to complain about here as far as the content goes, although I’m pretty sure some people will see this as a pointless cash in of an issue number similar to that of the Beast. But hey, I think it’s a decent cash-in nonetheless.

In a time and day when comic companies rely on tiresome story-arcs and gimmicky crossovers to tell their story or lack thereof, the 666th iteration of Batman is an enthralling read for a one-shot story. The dialogue is good, the art is great, and there is never a dull moment. Perhaps most importantly, it says all it needs to say within the 20+ pages of a single issue and also offers a tease as to what happens next, leaving readers wanting more of this stuff. Definitely worth a look if you’re a Batman fan or a fan of comics in general.

P.S. Waiting until All-Star Batman & Robin finishes up its eternally-long first story-arc before I give it a proper review. Honestly

So Superman’s long running series has reached the number of the beast, similar to how his other DC rival has reached the number. You could imagine the DC editorial meetings behind the production of this issue:

DC EDITOR #1: Lookie here, folks. Superman has hit six-hundred and sixty-six issues!

DC EDITOR #2: Wow, that’s incredible! How do we celebrate this momentous occasion?

DC WRITER: How about we show a what if tale about what happens when Superman is influenced by the devil from Krypton and decides to kill everybody?

DC EDITOR #1: Nah! That idea sucks! You’re fired!

DC JANITOR: Why don’t you guys just make him a dick for a whole issue?

DC EDITOR #2: Oh yeah! What a great idea! That’ll sell lots of issues!

DC EDITOR #1: YES! This will SO make up for our inconsistent progress of ongoing storylines spanning five hundred issues spread across the few thousand out there!!! You, sir, are a GENIUS! Here’s a promotion!!!

Ahem…

Let’s get this out of the way: the story behind this issue sucks ass. It’s rather pointless, it doesn’t make sense, it doesn’t play into the larger Superman mythos, and most of all, it’s one of the most cliched plotlines out there that was used simply because of the issue’s number. Anyone who is looking for great storytelling in comic books won’t find it in this issue because this issue doesn’t have it. Perhaps most of all, the plot is sort of misleading. This isn’t about Superman being controlled by the devil or being the Anti-Christ or anything like that; this is about Superman being a dick.

Yeah, that’s right. I said it and I’ll go ahead and say it again. Superman is a dick. If all those issues from the Silver Age don’t convince you of this fact, then this issue should be more than enough to kill any doubts you may have had about your favorite superhero.

THAT is what’s going to sell this issue. Superman is a dick all throughout this issue, as fourth-stringer heroine Zatanna will attempt to convince Superman to stop what he’s doing and Supes is like “Yeah, I know I’m doing bad things and I just don’t care” and will just blow her away or something. He does some nasty stuff to Jimmy (not THAT nasty, you pervert!) because the signalwatch buzzing annoys the hell out of Supes. This is superdickery at its absolute best and it is awesome. So yeah, the story sucks, because Superman being the dick he knows he could be just sells the book alone.

Forget the fact that a name writer and a name artist is behind the creation of this book: this isn’t about them. This is about Superman being a dick. Kurt Busiek does a good dick Superman and the art pretty much compliments the issue. It’s not the cleanest art and not my favorite, but it works.

Hats off to DC for allowing Superman to be his good old true dickery self for one whole issue and as a result, create a weird, screwed-up, fun story in a day and age when the most notable thing in comics are nonsensical crossovers and political overtones forced upon a story just because the writer gets a hard-on for them. While the issue does try to play upon some Christian values or something, it’s just fluff for the issue’s true motive. Anyone who longed for the days of Superman charging damsels-in-distress a rescue fee or stealing away Jimmy Olsen’s newly-earned cash will want to pick this up. But if you’re looking for something deep, you won’t find it here.

But come on. Superman’s a dick here. Just as everyone suspected…

P.S. – They didn’t do anything with Action Comics or Detective Comics when THOSE books hit 666. What the heck?

(2025 Update: The original version of this review erroneously stated this miniseries was published in 2004, when, in fact, it was Justice League: Another Nail – the sequel to this series from ’98 – that was published in 2004.)

Justice League: The Nail is an Elseworlds miniseries from 1998 that features an intriguing premise; the Kents runs over a nail that causes one of their tires to go flat, thus preventing them from discovering the Kryptonian rocket carrying its last son and negating Superman. The idea of a Justice League without a Superman of any kind is somewhat interesting and there’s a way to go about it that makes it compelling stuff.

And at first, it seems somewhat promising. A world where metahumans and vigilantism are viewed upon far less favorably than usual, the paths of various heroes, villains, and supporting players taking different turns ranging from drastic to not so far from the beaten path, and just an otherwise darker slant on the narrative of the DC Universe. I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a part of me that wanted to see this initial set-up go beyond the mere three-issue prestige miniseries format.

Unfortunately, by the time you get to the climatic finale in the last issue, the central premise of the book is basically undone and things somewhat take a turn towards the standard fare. I’m sorry if that comes off as a bit spoiler-y – not that it would matter since we already have a sequel mini whose covers spoiled the whole thing anyway – but sadly, once The Nail introduces another central character late in the game, it all becomes clear how this ends up going.

It’s a bit of a shame because The Nail is a really good story up to that point and Alan Davis’s art only compliments the narrative; a vibrant, colorful visual presentation with classical depictions of these heroes contrasting the less-than-cheery world they live in. If not for the final moments of the story, this could’ve been an interesting take on the lore.

As it is, it’s still a really good story and probably one of the better Elseworlds stories I’ve read, but it could’ve been so much more if it had stuck the course.