Two Hearts Beat as One Giant Undead Guy!
Credits: Dan Raspler (writer), Dev Madan (penciler), Keith Champagne (inker), Bill Oakley (letterer), Scott Baumann (colorist)
The Young Heroes keep Totenjaeger the Mummy’s sword as a trophy, but it disappears shortly after it’s hung on the wall. Reasoning that Totenjaeger has rematerialized, the team returns to the Army base he recently attacked. They’re shocked to discover Superman fighting the mummy. After Frostbite finishes Totenjaeger by trapping him in ice, Hard Drive offers Superman a place on the team. When Superman refuses, Hard Drive runs away crying. Seriously. In more important news…
Monstergirl sets up Hard Drive to be humiliated, knowing that Superman will refuse his offer. She makes sure he asks Superman in front of everyone, so it will be “really impressive.”
Bonfire is still involved with Thunderhead, but she’s excited over a secret heat-sensitive message left for her by Frostbite.
Frostbite spends much of the issue creating an elaborate ice sculpture, after nastily rebuffing Hard Drive’s attempts to become friends.
Following the establishment of the CCA, I wonder how often Superman appeared in non-Code approved comics. Dark Knight Returns is the most obvious example, so I guess DC wasn’t overly protective of their mom-friendly icon, but it is a little odd to see him guest starring in a comic that opens with three pages of penis jokes (Thunderhead and Frostbite are hanging up Totenjaeger’s sword, “the team’s first official phallic symbol”).
The previous issues made it clear that this would be a slightly racy, non-action oriented superhero book, but this issue plays up another angle of the series -- the heroes themselves are big superhero fans. Not only do they admire the likes of Superman and Green Lantern, but they also have strong opinions on their costumes and hairstyles. If you thought it was ridiculous that Superman grew a mullet, you now have Bonfire on your side. No one’s overly critical of his new electric-blue look, perhaps because DC wouldn’t appreciate spiteful comments about a current event, but the story does acknowledge the team’s bewilderment over the change. They’re not in the JLA/Titans loop, so while they’re left speculating about his new look and powers, that doesn’t lessen their enthusiasm when the icon shows up to fight a member of their nascent rogues gallery. In certain respects, this is a comic about comics, but it’s nice to see metacommentary that isn’t snarky and condescending. Emphasizing how much the Young Heroes admire the JLA humanizes the cast, and gives the book a unique place within the DC Universe.
Finally, I present to you the heroes OF the Young Heroes, a list that hasn’t aged at all…
The next caption simply reads “Superman” in case you were wondering.
1 comment:
Oh sweet, another book to add to my Electric Blue Superman collection! (Seriously)
Post a Comment