Superman & Batman in "Skeeter!"

In the post-Crisis continuity, Superman didn't meet Batman until Man of Steel #3 (1986) and they weren't exactly the best of friends. I feel they had some respect for each other but since their fighting styles were so different, neither quite trusted each other. That would later change as the stories continued.

I've always been a fan of comic book annuals and specials because they can tell a longer story and not really have to fit within the current continuity. Even if I'm not reading the regular monthly titles, I may pick up an annual or special here or there. You can read my old look at the Superman Special from 1992 here.

In 1986, John Byrne rebooted Superman. There were three annuals for that year, one for each of the ongoing Superman titles. Superman Annual #1 by John Byrne, Ron Frenz, and Brett Breeding featuring Titano; The Adventures of Superman Annual #1 by Jim Starlin, Dan Jurgens, and Steve Montano that introduced Hfuhruhurr; and Action Comics Annual #1 by John Byrne, Arthur Adams, and Dick Giordano which has Batman and Superman taking on a small town overrun with a vampire. I've always been interested in this story but had never read it. The idea of child vampires has always intrigued me even though most stories about vampires, to me, are all poorly written. Anyway, thanks to Superman: The Man of Steel Volume 6 which reprints the three 1987 annuals, I am finally able to read it. Skeeter is a young girl who is a vampire. She lives in a small town who are finally fed up with her family. Skeeter then decides to embrace her vampiric ways which bring Batman and Superman into it.

A young girl, Skeeter, is being chased through a swamp by a bunch of townspeople with torches and pitchforks. We don't know her deal yet, but it can't be good if torches and pitchforks are involved. I've never understood the oversexualized take on Skeeter when I see images from this issue, because she never uses it, but whatever. I've also never understood the Mr. Peanut shirt--and it's the only thing she wears!

Skeeter is able to ditch the townspeople and returns to her dilapidated home where she laments leaving for the big city. Apparently when she returned, her mother and father were dead and she blames the townsfolk for it.

Three days later, a stranger rides into town. Well, two strangers--a Ms. Carson and a man who gets a bite to eat and a hotel room. Turns out, it's Batman in disguise. What's he doing here?

He notices that the locals are walking in pairs or in groups and wonder what is going on when the quiet is broken by a woman's scream. Batman rushes to an alley and sees Ms. Carson lying in the trash with her throat ripped out and blood drained. Just like in Gotham. A bunch of townspeople surround him in the alley and Batman has to use a smoke grenade to escape. Batman flashes back to Gotham where Batman witnessed the same thing and taps into the town's phone line to get a message to Superman.

As Batman comes down from the telephone pole, Skeeter approaches him. Skeeter is glad to see him and even hugs him. Batman is, as he should be, very confused.

Superman arrives in town and discovers that people are still awake, walking the streets, even children, despite it being four in the morning. Superman decides to make his first stop at the sheriff's office. The sheriff is very happy to see Superman. Meanwhile, Skeeter is leading Batman through the swamp, back to her house. Skeeter introduces Batman to her dead parents and is glad he can help them. Batman exclaims "Good Lord!" and Skeeter becomes afraid of him and his exclamation of "Lord".

Elsewhere, the sheriff takes Superman to the hospital to show Superman what has been going on in their town. The sheriff leads Superman to a wing that is padlocked and boarded up with armed guards. He opens the door for Superman and he is stunned by what he see.

Back with Skeeter, since Batman isn't who she thought he was, she begins to do something to him. Fearing being around Skeeter much longer, Batman crashes through the window and sinks into the quicksand outside the house. Since no one is going to help her, Skeeter decides to help on her own.

Back at the hospital, a loud noise comes from the secure hospital wing and everyone has broken out. Superman rushes off to do what he can while the sheriff calls the National Guard. The escapees are causing general terror around town but not hurting anyone. Superman uses his super speed to try to capture the escapees and contain them. With the vampiric townspeople no longer a problem, Skeeter makes her presence known, ready for a battle with Superman.

Skeeter, real name Elly Mae Skaggs as we learn, attacks Superman and slashes his chest, because she's supernatural and Superman is vulnerable to supernatural things. Clearly Skeeter is trying to hypnotize Superman to join her. She is just about to sink her teeth into Superman's neck when a wooden stake comes piercing through her chest from behind. Batman is back, having survived the quicksand, and Skeeter shrivels into dust and dies. Superman thanks Batman and I guess all the townspeople return to normal?

Back in Gotham City, they are exhuming the people killed by Skeeter. Batman explains to Commissioner Gordon that Skeeter was born back in 1865 and that she and her parents became vampires over a hundred years ago. But it's not over yet, Batman still has to pound wooden stakes into the hearts of the deceased before night falls.

Who turned Skeeter and her parents into vampires? Should we be concerned about him? How did Skeeter's parents die? It's alluded that the townspeople did something, but it's not clear. Expose them to sunlight?

Oddly, vampires would become kind of a regular villain for Superman during this period. Superman and Robin would team up in the summer of 1992 to battle vampires. Superman and Jimmy will also come into contact with vampires in early 1995. I guess because vampires are an actual threat to Superman.

C60kout

It's Superman Day! Superman represents the best of us. He is someone many of us need to imitate at this moment of time. He shows love and empathy for all the people of Earth. We should all do that.

"Not a single one of us is background noise. When one of us disappears someone should notice. Every person is a star. A life. A heart. And when a voice is silenced by darkness another must rise to see that justice is done."

-from Action Comics #792

May 18, 1966

This is how Angelo Grotti entered the insurance business.

This man has a five-fingered approach to selling: 🤜💥

Gladys looks unsure. Probably because even though Brutus is doing the cooking, she'll probably still be stuck with making a homemade potato salad or something. I guess she better grab her chef's hat and Brutus' cookout apron that reads "Hi, Hungry! I'm Dad!" on it with spatulas for exclamation points.

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.

Garbage Week

I have been going back and forth on how I want to continue handling this website. Readership is fine, but I feel it could be better. My posts of links are buried on Threads and I have very few followers on my other social media sites. While I still enjoy doing this, I'm not sure if it's something that I should keep doing. "If you like doing it, then you should keep going," I hear you say. But if I'm just commenting into the air, then what's the point?

I'll finish out the month and figure out what to do. Maybe I'll keep doing this. Maybe I'll just post on social media. Maybe I'll stop doing this altogether and just focus on my writing. Whatever. In the meantime, you can read about one of my favorite Superman storylines where Brainiac puts Superman's mind into the brain of a kid in a mental facility.

October 9, 1965

Another person stuck in the rain? And it's to talk to your dog? Who's there with your dog, holding the phone to its ear? Or is the dog in the phone booth with this guy? That just raises even more questions!

"Tomorrow is another day"? Is that some sort of perverse threat? I've complained on social media recently, but I am not handling 2024 very well. It's been a rough year for a number of reasons. Maybe I'll talk about it at some point. That picture of Wilberforce isn't helping...

Superman For the Animals

Superman for the Animals came out polybagged with a handful of comics with a November 2000 cover date. I must have gotten mine with Superman Adventures #41 as I didn't read any of the other comics that this book was sold with. Superman for the Animals was made by DC Comics for the Doris Day Animal Foundation and it's made to talk to kids about animal abuse. The story follows Tommy Delaney, who is new in town, and him getting in with the wrong crowd. This crowd doesn't do the normal things that punk kids do like spraypaint graffiti or sit around drinking alcohol and doing drugs. No, these punks abuse animals.

Superman for the Animals was written by Mark Millar, art by Tom Grummett and Dick Giordano, letters by John Costanza, colors by Glenn Whitmore and Digital Chameleon, edited by Paul Kupperberg. As always, Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. I do have to warn you, this comic gets rough with animal abuse on every page so if that's something that triggers you, you should bow out now.

The issue starts off with Superman reading some of the many letters that he receives from people all around the world. One of the letters Superman picks up begins "Dear Superman, my name is Tommy Delaney and I'm twelve years old." Tommy is new in town--Springdale. Not only is Tommy new, he had to move mid-semester so he's coming in the middle of everything. Tommy is seated next to Ballser, an angry looking young boy.

Turns out their science teacher has a squirrel in the classroom. Mr. Mulligan found it in a ditch, wounded, so he took it in and has been nursing it back to health over the last two months. "Bushy-tailed rat's probably given half the class rabies by now," Ballser says as he kicks some pigeons out of his way. Tommy has also made other friends and they all hang out with Ballser: Charlie, Donuts, and Eightball. Turns out Ballser has a very specific idea of fun and he quickly reveals it by seeing who can hold their breath the longest--him or Tommy's goldfish.

This would be my first sign that maybe I should stop hanging out with Ballser but Tommy doesn't. Tommy does admit in his letter to Superman that his friends could get a little wild and, yes, even played hooky. Ballser borrows his dad's rifle to get some revenge on a junkyard dog. Donut was bitten by the dog last year and Ballser feels its payback time. Up on a hill, the four boys take their post and Donut takes the shot. The bullet hits the dog in the leg and has to be taken to the vet. The man who owns the dog lives next door to Tommy so Tommy and his dad are outside when their neighbor returns with Major, who had to have his leg amputated. It's here that Tommy learns that there have been a rash of animal attacks lately--hung cats, a dog burned alive in his kennel. Tommy starts to feel really guilty.

Tommy doesn't know what to do. He knows Ballser is behind the attacks but he doesn't know who to go to. Meanwhile, Ballser and the others are out luring and capturing a cat. They go to a highway overpass and proceed to throw the cat over into traffic. Luckily, Superman happens by and rescues the cat. Ballser wants "his" cat back but Superman apparently just takes it as far away from those boys as possible.

Turns out Superman was in Springdale because of a fire at the chemical plant. The same chemical plant that Tommy's dad works at. Tommy stands in awe of Superman, not because of his superpowers but because of how Superman acted. Superman has all of this power but doesn't use it against people weaker than him. Superman just wants to help which inspires Tommy. At school, Tommy stumbles upon Ballser and the crew blocking a sink with paper towels and flooding Mr. Mulligan's classroom. They have also put the squirrel cage in the sink. Mr. Mulligan gets back and the boys flee out the window. He then notices the cage in the sink and...

Tommy has had enough. At Ballser's house, Tommy says that he is going to confess to Mulligan if Ballser doesn't. "Are you threatening me, Boy Scout?" Ballser sneers. Tommy answers with a fist to the jaw. The two scuffle for a bit with Ballser screaming "I'm gonna kill you for that, moron!" while shoving Tommy into a cabinet. The impact knocks a small case off and it breaks open. Inside are at least a hundred pet collars from what we can assume are Ballser's victims. We've got ourselves a future serial killer in our midst.

"How many animals have you killed, Ballser?" Tommy asks.

"C'mon, th-they're just dumb animals. It's not like I really did anything wrong or broke the law," Ballser tries to explain. "It's not like they feel pain...or have souls like us. Doing stuff to them...it isn't any worse than chopping down a tree or burning trash, right?" Ballser then starts swinging a bat. At humans. At his friends. Charlie takes the bat from him.

"What now, Ballser? People not have soul either, dude?"

Tommy and the others tell Mr. Mulligan about what they did to the squirrel. Ballser is sent to therapy and the other four do some volunteering at the local animal shelter where Tommy makes a new friend. Tommy wraps up this letter to Superman telling him that he deserves to hear some good news. Superman inspired Tommy to do the right thing. Being a hero isn't about throwing your weight around. It's about helping those who can't fight for themselves.

If you suspect or witness animal abuse, you can contact your local law enforcement or animal shelter to file a report. You can remain anonymous. You can learn more about animal abuse from the Humane Society of the United States.

If you would like to support my writing or research, you can buy me a cup of coffee over on Ko-fi.

Comic Comics #1: Superman: Identity Crisis

The covers to "Identity Crisis" by (clockwise from
top left) Alan Davis & Mark Farmer, Dave Johnson,
Kieron Dwyer, and Howard Chaykin.

One of my favorite Superman stories was a four-part story that appeared in each Superman title with a July 1996 cover date. What's interesting is that none of the issues were done by the regular creative team. It was special guest month and I'm fairly certain the regular team was unavailable because of the death of Superman co-creator Jerry Siegel in January.

In "Identity Crisis", Brainiac puts himself in Superman's body and proceeds to...learn everything he can about everything. This was the first story that made me write a letter to the editor. It actually saw print in Action Comics #727 and, well, let's just say I've grown as a writer since then.

"Identity Crisis" was written by Tom Peyer and Mark Waid; penciled by Chris Renaud, Curt Swan, Steven Butler, and Chris Marrinan; inked by Dick Giordano and Pam Eklund; lettered by Albert de Guzman; colored by Glenn Whitmore and separated by Digital Chameleon; and edited by Mike McAvennie and KC Carlson. As always, Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.



We open on Superman saving a girl from getting splatted on the highway while trying to vandalize a sign with her friends. We then cut to Brainiac, as Milton Fine, at a psychiatric hospital getting treatment when he escapes his bonds and goes looking for a fellow 15-year-old resident who thinks he's Superman--Chas Cassidy. Creating a distraction to lure Superman to the hospital, Superman does arrives and Brainiac creates a mindswap putting Superman's consciousness into Chas and Brainiac's consciousness into Superman's. Believing even more now that he is Superman, the doctor sends Chas to electroshock therapy.

Chas and his friend, Aminah.

Superman to the rescue!

Whoops! Spoke too soon.

After the therapy, Chas' friend Aminah takes Chas/Superman up to the roof for a few minutes of "freedom." He actually kinds of convinces her that something's wrong before the evil orderlies, who like to beat up on the younger patients, arrive. The next day, Chas is able to place a call to Lois Lane but when she arrives at the hospital, Chas/Superman is unable to figure how to convince her what has happened so he fakes a seizure and she leaves.

Brainiac, meanwhile, is trying to figure out how he can gain access to as many people as possible. Using Superman's senses, Brainiac decides to address the nation on television. Chas, not able to wait around anymore, decides to escape. Unfortunately, one of the mean orderlies finds him and Aminah and runs to catch them, slipping on the wet roof and falling to his death. A security guard sees this and let's the hospital know that Chas has escaped and that he killed an orderly.

Aminah shows Chas the world.

Looks like Chas/Superman has gotten himself into a sticky situation.

To her credit, Lois does feel that something isn't right with the call she got from the hospital or with Superman--as Superman would never address the nation on TV like he's a president or king. Lois goes to WGBS to talk with him. Instead, Brainiac goes on TV, reveals a giant dome has been placed over Metropolis and proceeds to hypnotize the citizens of Metropolis. This includes Lois and everyone else who could help Chas so he's on his own to defeat Brainiac who has secured himself inside LexCorp Tower.

Just like now, only without phones in our hands.

Brainiac's plan is very strange. His goal is to collect all known knowledge but Superman's brain, while not a terrible vessel, still has its limitations so Brainiac is using the people of Metropolis to store the excess information. It's an odd plan especially coming off his illusion that Superman is still dead just a year prior. Anyway, Chas makes it into LexCorp Tower but is immediately confronted by Brainiac. Now, instead of just killing Chas, Brainiac throws him out the window but then flies down and saves him. That act causes Chas to realize that Brainiac is not the only conscious in Superman's body. Brainiac needed Chas to make Superman seem more like Superman.

Brainiac takes a look inside Chas--at why he has seizures and sees his abusive and distant parents and Superman on the TV. Chas escaped into Superman. While Brainiac is lost in Chas' mind, Chas is able to switch everyone back to normal. Superman and Brainiac duke it out real quick before Chas figures out how to reverse Brainiac's plan and sends all the information into Brainiac rendering him the smartest being in the known universe and just as helpless.

In the epilogue, Superman deduces that since Chas wasn't having seizures when he was in Superman's body, then they must be due to a chemical imbalance. Chas is wheeled into surgery and everyone lives happily ever after.

This would be Brainiac's last appearance for nearly three years. He would return in Superman: The Doomsday Wars having gotten Doomsday's body from the end of time but he was defeated trapped in another body, Brainiac 2.5. This story also takes place when Clark and Lois have separated and are no longer engaged. We never see Chas again but all-in-all it's a decent story and if you are able to, worth a purchase if you find them in the back issue bin.



This story was originally published in The Adventures of Superman #536, Action Comics #723, Superman: The Man of Steel #58, and Superman #114. Published and copyright 1996 DC Comics.

Secret Identity

I know Gladys is using Clark Kent as an insult here but Clark Kent is pretty awesome. Even as a journalist, he stands up for truth and justice and works to find corruption in every aspect of government, business, and in every day life. He's also a nice person with a steady job, cares about this planet and its people, and has a really good build despite wearing glasses.

Not to mention Clark was/is able to get Lois Lane, Lana Lang, and Cat Grant so there's also that.

Rock of Love With Brutus Thornapple

I finally went by my local comic shop and picked up the new The Man of Steel miniseries. I've been caught up on everything Superman that's happened over the last couple of years. It's been really good and I'm glad that the Superman that dozens of people worked so hard on over the course of 20 years is back. I made the goal of starting back up reading Superman with Action Comics #1000. That led into Brian Michael Bendis' miniseries The Man of Steel.

Even casual readers of Superman may remember the title The Man of Steel as the name of the 1986 miniseries by John Byrne reinventing Superman for the modern age. While this The Man of Steel doesn't quite do that, it still sets up a lot of storylines that will continue in the regular series Action Comics and Superman. So what happens? Not a lot but yet, quite a bit. So let's go over it and see what happens. This review will have spoilers but I will try to be as vague as I can. Also, there are some things I have not gotten to in the collected editions so if I seem like I don't know what's happening, that's probably the reason.

We open on Rogol Zaar saying that Kryptonians need to be eradicated, that they are a virus. I'm not a huge fan of being retold Superman's origin and this doesn't necessarily go back over but adds the additional detail of Rogol Zaar being the reason Krypton exploded. I understand that you are writing Superman but it's getting a little tiring seeing these over-muscled creatures try their hand at defeating the Man of Steel. Since Lois and Jon aren't even around, it doesn't even create the drama of them being in Zaar's path. What happened to Lois and Jon? We'll get to that in minute.

Superman is also dealing with a string of arsons that have been happening around Metropolis. It's dealing with one of these fires that Superman meets the new deputy fire chief, Melody Moore. It's one letter more than LL so I'm guessing Bendis is trying to make this new character more important in Superman's now family-less life. Melody, who I like as a character, is helped by Superman and Batman in figuring out who is starting the fires. It's revealed at the end of miniseries, at least through a witness, a young boy, that Superman has been setting the fires. This may seem a bit strange but we've seen before that Superman can't handle extreme stress as well as one would think. Shortly after Superman executed the Kryptonian criminals, he suffered a mental breakdown where he took the name Gangbuster and fought crime and after that exiled himself from Earth. After the battle with Rogol Zaar, the death of all the Kandorians, the destruction of his Fortress of Solitude, the possible shut-down of the Daily Planet, and the loss of Lois and Jon could be taking its toll on old Clarky making him act differently. Maybe Deputy Fire Chief Melody Moore can help comfort him.

Rogol Zaar wants to rid the universe of anything Kryptonian. As I mentioned, Zaar has destroyed the Fortress of Solitude and murdered everyone in the bottle city of Kandor. His next target is Superman, Supergirl, and the Earth itself. The Supers are able to distract Zaar just enough to send him into the Phantom Zone but we don't actually get any answers as to why Zaar hates the Kryptonians so much or how he is responsible for Krypton's destruction. Supergirl is going to find out but for now, we'll have to wait until the regular series. But what happened to Lois and Jon?

Lois and Clark got married way back in 1996 and, despite all odds, remained married that whole time. Sure, the New 52 Superman wasn't married or even dating Lois Lane, but somewhere out there they were still married. They even had a son together, Jonathan Samuel, after Clark and Lois' fathers, who is now exhibiting powers of his own and fighting crime as Superboy. Going through the past issues, I really love how Jon is written. Both Dan Jurgens and Peter Tomasi did an excellent job with this character and I do think that Bendis also did a good job, what little we see of him. Mr. Oz, Jor-El, Superman's father, has returned and wants to take Jon in order to educate him on the universe. While Lois and Clark, rightfully, say no, Jon speaks up and says that he needs to learn about the universe, himself, and his powers because of a future he saw where he killed millions of people. Lois and Clark acquiesce and Lois even goes with Jor-El and Jon. The three of them leave and Clark is left all alone. Normally, this wouldn't be a big deal but fans of the supermarriage are worried this is Bendis' way of getting rid of the marriage and Lois and Clark's child. Numerous writers are on the record saying that the marriage between Lois and Clark doesn't work. Maybe Bendis just doesn't want to deal with that aspect of Superman which is fine but surely Bendis understands that lots of people are invested in these three characters and want them back together. I'm sure it will pay off in the end and I'm excited to continue reading because The Man of Steel did leave me wanting more.

Brian Michael Bendis was originally a Marvel boy. He had runs on Daredevil and Alias (you may know it as Jessica Jones) and both of his runs on those series were amazing and both I consider my favorite runs on a series. I'm hoping that Action Comics and Superman continue the page-turning stories that I felt The Man of Steel did wonderfully and that we see Lois, Clark, and Jon reunited soon.

The six-part miniseries The Man of Steel, is by Brian Michael Bendis, Ivan Reis, Jay Fabok, Joe Prado, Doc Shaner, Steve Rude, Ryan Sook, Wade Von Grawbadger, Kevin Maguire, Adam Hughes, and Alex Sinclair and is on sale now. Superman #1, by Bendis, Reis, and Prado is on sale July 11th. Action Comics #1001, by Bendis and Patrick Gleason is on sale July 25th. Published by DC Comics. To locate a local comic book shop, call 1-888-COMIC-BOOK (1-888-266-4226).

I don't know what modern TVs are like. The TV I have I bought back in 2010 or 2011 and it still has buttons to manually change the channel. Is that something that TVs don't have anymore? If Brutus' TV has buttons then keep the remote and change it to something you want to watch because I get that Mother Gargle is a guest in your home but it is still your home.
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You may have noticed a bit more content this week. I was bringing attention to Ko-Fi and that there are no longer ads but also giving just a bit more than just the comics and stories. If you contributed to Ko-Fi then thank you very much. If you would like to contribute and support my writing and research then you can still and always buy me a cup of coffee on Ko-Fi. Feel free to Like the Facebook Page and follow me on Instagram and Twitter. I'm taking next week off to focus on some writing. So until next Sunday, I remain...
~Brian