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Brought to you on this site by the not so quiet people at www.westcoastcomics.com and www.kamandi.com. So live it up! And have some fun while you enjoy the show! (uh dude, this is the weekly column page! - ED.  ) Oh, right. Never mind then....

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OH YEAH!!

Superman

Superman is an American icon. In fact, there is probably no better-recognized fictional character in the world. So, considering the fact that Krypton's favourite son has had at least one monthly comic published on a regular basis for about the last sixty-three years, it might be called ludicrous to attempt to pinpoint the finest Superman work EVER.


Well, leave it to me, because I know what it is. D.C. Comics' The Man of Steel reprints the six-issue mini-series in which writer/artist John Byrne redefined the super-powered Kryptonian for a new generation of comic-book readers.


Byrne took the burned-out (at least on the readers), demi-god, and turned him into a less-powerful, but more three-dimensional character, with much more appealing and stimulating supporting characters and surroundings. Gone was the near-divine "I'll move this planet off it's axis myself" power, that made every threat or villain appear a mere momentary bother, if not a joke altogether. The new Superman, though stocked up in the brawn department, was much more of a thinking man's hero. He had to be, as it was not unusual for Supes to have his head handed to him by a villain on the same power-level. Byrne's art style was perhaps the most suitable ever for D.C.'s flagship character. He seemed to be able to capture the strength and confidence of the character, while adding a certain fun, playful factor that Superman had not had since his inception. The range of emotions/expressions of Byrne's characters also benefited the book, allowing quite a lot of different types of stories to be told.


Most appealing about The Man of Steel, however, was the sense of "newness" it seemed to have. Origin, powers, stories, cast, it all seemed very fresh. No small task, considering the character's afore-mentioned history. 

The Man of Steel is available wherever comics are sold. Easier to store, more pleasurable to read, and cheaper in trade-paperback form. For all ages. The Man of Steel, published by D.C. Comics, 152 pages, $7.50

Mark Allen


Shudder at Vance's Light's End horror short stories narrated by actor
William Windom at www.plan9.org.

This weeks Special brought to you by West Coast Comics

(Tom's open letter to the author of the above article)

Hello Michael, Mark and Steven,

Tom here from www.westcoastcomics.com & www.kamandi.com and I very much enjoyed your article on Superman and I agree with you on all but the last paragraph of your article. John Byrne just happens to be one of my all time favourites and his run on Superman and The Man of Steel limited series was exceptional! But, "Easier to store, more pleasurable to read, and cheaper in trade-paperback form. For all ages. The Man of Steel, published by D.C. Comics, 152 pages, $7.50"

Ok, perhaps it might be easier to store, but not by much. And I personally think it is much more pleasurable and fun to read in the original comic book format! And cheaper? I can offer the readers of suspended animation the full set of the original "The Man of Steel 6 x issue limited series" for $6.00 and I can post the whole set of 6 books to anywhere in the world for $ 8.95 Sea Mail or $9.95 Economy Air Mail. Plus just to do even better than that for the people who read this I will also throw in for FREE a copy of the Special Collectors Edition: The Man of Steel #1 that has the silver logo. This edition only went out to the comic shops of the day! So 7 x Comics in all for $6.00! As far as I am concerned especially in this case an investment in the original editions is always better than a reprint trade paperback.

P.S. I think it is about time to do a "Comic Legends" on Jack "The King" Kirby

If you are interested then contact me at webmaster@westcoastcomics.com or click on the PayPal buttons above to just buy 'em now!