Showcase Presents: DC Comics Presents: Superman Team-Ups, Vol. 2 by Marv Wolfman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book collects Issues 27-50 of DC Comics Presents and Annual #1 featuring Superman team-ups during the 198s0. It is a bit of a mixed bag.

The good:

-The stories with Mongul. This book has Mongul's first four appearances. In Issue 27 and 28, he appears and we see him as this menace and get introduced to Warworld. Supergirl is epic in Issue #28 in the battle against Warworld. A later issue has him teaming up with the Bronze Age Starman Prince Gavin who has ascended to the throne after his sister's death.

-The psychological stuff. While I do have issues with their characterization of Superman, they do have some good stuff that takes a look at the Man of Steel's psychology. Issue #28 has a confrontation with the Specter after an adventure where his cousin Kara has gone missing as the Specter tries to make him face some facts. Annual #2 features a team-up between Bronze-Age Superman and Golden Age Superman as they fight both of their Luthors. It’s not only fun story but also allows an older married Superman to give him some advice. Than Issue #50 features Clark and Superman getting split It’s a much better than happened in Superman IIh.
-The stories with the Marvel family are good as Issues 33 and 34 have them dealing with swapped powers and a team-up between Mister Mxyzptlk and Mister Mind. It’s a really fun classic adventure. Then in Issue #49, you have a story featuring Earth-1’s Billy Batson who dreams of being Captain Marvel (Shazam) but faces a real crisis with Black Adam comes to our world and Superman has to help out the powerless Billy.
-The team-up with Hawkgirl in Issue 37. I wasn’t expecting to like this one as much as I did but the Pre-Crisis Hawkgirl is really good in this as Superman deals with proof that one of his ancestor’s visited Earth. Superman and Hawkgirl have to find out what happened to Sup’s ancestor without getting killed.
-In Issue #41, Superman (as Clark Kent) is out in Hollywood with Perry White, who is then kidnapped by he Joker and the Prankster. When the Prankster tries to doublecross the Joker, the latter teams up with Superman to stop the Prankster and hopefully save Perry White. Well done, including the much expected “twist.”
-I’d say that Issues 32 (with Wonder Woman) and Issue #38 (with the Flash) are both fine stories. They’re not great, but they are pretty good stories involving Superman teaming with some of the best known Justice League colleagues.
-The art is pretty good throughout the series with several issues being drawn by Curtis Swann and some of the space stories being drawn by Jim Starlin

Beyond the issues mentioned, I think most of the stories in the book are merely okay with pretty routine match-ups between and under-powered heroes against somewhat weak villains. These stories aren’t bad, but they’re forgettable.

Overall, the book’s stronger points make it worth reading, even though there are a lot of very ordinary stories in there.




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