Saturday, February 01, 2025

1986 A.D. to CCLIII A.D.

My first experience with Keith Giffen, who passed away in 2023 at age 70, was this issue, Action Comics #579 (May 1986).

Written by Jean-Marc and Randy Lofficier with art by Keith Giffen and Bob Oksner, this was also my first experience with the French-Belgian comic book series "Asterix", although all the names were changed to soundalikes so it's not quite "Asterix".

After stopping thieves from stealing a shield, although it does shatter, Superman and Jimmy Olsen are pulled back in time to 253 A.D. and a small village of indomitable Gauls. Jimmy ends up in the Gaul village while Superman ends up with the Romans, who give him a potion so he will fight with them. When Superman is finally snapped out of his spell, he brings peace to the Gauls and Romans by forcing the Roman warlock to admit that the Roman Empire fell a century so ago. The end.