Superman: Secret Origin 5

There’s an aspect of the retelling of stories like the Origin of Superman that I’m not particularly into, that being the retconning of a character into having some history with the main character prior to meeting in their first superhero/supervillan battle. There are instances however where this can enrich a character, Lex Luthor was basically a run of the mill mad scientist before he was made the childhood friend/acquaintance of Clark Kent in the pages of Superboy. Then there are moments like last issue of Secret Origin where a character like the Parasite has given a background where he worked at the Daily Planet building for ………… no particular reason other than story convenience. He could have been a random guy off the street and one could have established pretty quickly that he was a shifty character, and it would’ve had the same results.  

     This issue makes this same style of retcon with another classic Superman villain, John Corben aka Metallo. I feel that rewriting this character the way they did was once again unnecessary. They could’ve used one page from last issue to show him in action and have him make some comments in the process establishing what a scumbag he really is. Instead they went with…….well, let’s launch into Superman: Secret Origin issue 5 and you’ll see.

Issue Five: Strange Visitor

   

     We open with a fire raging at one of the Daily Planet’s distribution centers; Superman arrives to save the people inside. The crowd outside watching the blaze is still questioning the Man of Steel’s motives thanks to a few words from Lex Luthor. Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen soon get to the scene to take pictures and it takes the trio a ut not all is wine and roses in Costa de Lex as the other media outlets have been gradually been jumping on the “Superman is Awesome” bandwagon, and predictably Lex has a hissy fit about someone taking the spotlight away from him. 

    However he’s still convinced the right person in the right places that Big Blue is a threat as we find that he’s been discussing all this with General Sam Lane, who’s more than willing to help Luthor ground Supes in exchange for some new weaponry. And in spite of the fact that the General admitted that he hasn’t been in his daughter’s life for a long time due to disinterest, he still gets a bit chaffed when Lexie insinuates that the relationship between Lois and Superman may be more than just a reporter and her story. He also uses the word “unnatural” to describe the relationship due to Supes’ alien origin.

   This discussion between Lex and General Lane is interesting to me because Superman has for a long time been looked upon as an immigrant’s story. A person coming from another land to the new world looking to prosper from their hard work and dreams and one of the biggest obstacles to prospering in the new world are the attitudes of those in a higher position who look down on those they see as “unworthy”.  Obviously the language used by that side to describe immigrants from anywhere was much stronger but I don’t feel like dignifying such ideas.

    I will say this: if this attitude was taken by those in “polite society” it wouldn’t be hard to imagine that the attitude General Lane takes to the possibility of a romance between Lois and Superman would be the same as anyone with those views would have if they were told their child was getting cozy with one of those they saw as inferior to them. 

Just think of the dumbest thing you could possibly say

   Taking a quick break from the xenophobia, we arrive at the Daily Planet where we find the paper is coming back from the stone age thanks to their coverage of Superman, apparently he’s getting popular enough to warrant a piece in the gossip columns as “Metropolis’ Most Eligible Bachelor.” Stop the presses. Enter Sgt. John Corben, who has come expecting to be greeted by Lois with open arms and finds the flowers he sent in the trash. Corben shows just what a peach he is by telling Lois that she can’t change the world as a reporter and should just become a housewife and start a family with him just like her father would want. Lois tries to brush off that winning proposal but Corben gets physical and demanding that she doesn’t ignore him.

    Clark comes in and interrupts things; Corben then tries the old “firm handshake” which anyone who was ever on the wrong end of it means squeezing the other guys hand in an attempt to show dominance. Clark doesn’t even notice this attempt at alpha male dumbassery and Corben walks away perplexed while Clark and Lois walk away to have lunch. Back at Lexcorp, Luthor and General Lane discuss using the Metallo suit as a deterrent against the Man of Steel, but using the extra ingredient of Kryptonite to not only power the suit but to hurt him as well.

Do you feel something?

     At lunch, Lois describes her childhood with the General and the reasons why he never received his father of the year mug. Clark actually has some soothing words for her, which sets of her “not what he seems” alarm. As Clark is quickly searches for a rebuttal he sees another fire burning and reverts to milquetoast mode and spills his lunch all over the place to get out, leaving Lois to pick up the check and the thought of “what was I thinking”. We find as Superman arrives that the fire was deliberately set by General Lane to attract him and bring him in for a “briefing” that makes it sound like Lane is treating him like an illegal alien.

     When Big Blue decides he’s had enough he goes to leave as General Lane threatens that if he walks out the door that Superman will become an enemy of the United States. Supes replies that he’s no one’s enemy and makes his way out as he gets confronted by troops that the Man of Steel easily sends packing. Corben then makes his appearance in the Metallo suit which works for all of about three seconds.

     Things take a turn when Corben unleashes the Kryptonite and it has an immediate effect on Supes, making him vulnerable to the assault.  The troops then open fire and the bullet actually impact and wound the Man of Steel, but in what has to be at least in the top three of most contrived ways to save yourself a bullet ricochets off of Superman’s forehead and shatters the Kryptonite causing the Metallo suit to explode with Corben in it. Superman gets away and the military begins to hunt him down which includes an invasion of the Daily Planet by General Lane himself to take any information relevant to Superman while the Man of Steel is forced underground.

   Next time we will get to the final issue of Secret Origin, yes we are almost there…..and I will eventually get to the Transformers review that I promised so keep your eye out. Cheers to all.

Future Classic: I'm New Here

   In my previous post I said that I was going to review the Transformers movie, and I still plan to but something came up that I feel was more important to get out there as soon as possible. I’m calling this review a Future Classic? I plan on using this title to spotlight something that has just come out and in the future may become a classic work that will be added to the tapestry of pop culture. It also helps that the title is short and sweet; otherwise the title of this review would have to be” why I owe a debt of gratitude to Todd in the Shadows”.  

     For those who don’t know, Todd in the Shadows is an internet reviewer who specializes in reviewing pop music. A few months ago he put out a video for his  Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2012 , at number 1 he placed the song “Take Care” by Drake and Rihanna. Now, I really have nothing against Drake and I do like a few Rihanna songs but what caught my attention was a small lead up segment Todd made involving a sample that was placed into “Take Care”. The piece was from a song called “I’ll Take Care Of You”, a cover of an R&B song from the 1950s, the cover in this case recorded in 2010 by Gil Scott-Heron and remixed by Jamie XX of the XX. 

Top 10 Best Hit Songs of 2012

    The song grabbed my attention and I was compelled to seek it out, I found both the original recording done by Scott-Heron as well as the remix and I was hooked. I bought both versions on vinyl, the first being the album with the original song called “I’m New Here” which is the subject of this review. Gil Scott-Heron was a spoken word/jazz artist who had some good exposure in the late 60s and 70s with his spoken verse recording of “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”. He continued to record and tour until his death in 2011, and “I’m New Here” was released in 2010, one year before his death.

   The record only runs at about 22 minutes but it is a powerful record, the tracks are bookended by a spoken word recording called “On Coming from a Broken Home Parts 1 and 2” where Gil describes his upbringing being raised by his grandmother after the dissolution of his own family. Also on the album is a cover of a Robert Johnson song called “Me and the Devil” which is sung very powerfully almost as though he’s resigned himself to his fate after taking stock of the events of his life. Then of course is “I’ll Take Care of You”, a song sung with a longing to do whatever it takes to bring some happiness into the life of someone he cares about.

   There are other songs and spoken word prose on this album that’s just as good but I don’t want to go and spoil everything. I can tell you that once those 22 minutes are over I was left speechless, I can tell you that is the first time that has ever happened to me. I find it a fitting epitaph, the final work of a great artist along the same level as Johnny Cash’s American IV: When the Man Comes Around”. A bold statement I know, but not one I make lightly. My suggestion is, get this album, set aside a few minutes in the day to listen, turn every distraction off and just sit there and listen. It may blow you away like it did me, maybe it won’t. Either way I can guarantee that you won’t regret it.

Superman: Secret Origin 4

      In my opinion there are two categories of villain that when done right put all others to shame. Number one on my list is the villain that does what he does just because he can, he may have his reasons, he may have no reason, and he may just want to watch the world burn. Obviously by using that line from The Dark Knight you can probably guess that I place the Joker in this category as would many others. The other category is the villain who sees themselves as the victim of some imagined slight and based on that delusion sees himself not as an evil, egotistical, maniac but as a hero sticking up for the downtrodden of which he or she counts themselves not only as one of those oppressed but as the most victimized of that group.

     The main person who I believe fits the mold of this type of villain extremely well is Lex Luthor, and this issue of Superman: Secret Origin shines a light on that view because this one is very Lex-centric.

Part 4: Parasites

  We start the is with a crowd of people gathered at the gates of LexCorp, just as they gather there every day at the same time for the hope that Lex Luthor will choose one of them and change their lives forever. Whether that’s for good or for ill we’ll see later. After watching this gathering for a few moments Lex finally makes his grand appearance and gives a speech about having risen above his humble beginnings and is now looking for someone to take to those exact heights. He of course fails to mention that he was able to do so with the insurance money from his father’s fatal car accident which happened because Lex himself cut the break lines. 

    Lex chooses Rudy Jones, the janitor of the Daily Planet that Clark Kent had met last issue. When he’s chosen Rudy cries with joy like he’s been saved from a fate worse than death. He has no idea and I’d usually say “poor sap” but considering Rudy had conned Clark out of his lunch and $20 I have a hard time feeling sorry for the schmuck. As Lex smiles and waves to the crowd he instructs his underlings to retrieve Lois Lane and Clark Kent in hopes of drawing out Superman.

   We cut to the Daily Planet as we find Lois simultaneously writing up the story and fielding questions from the rest of her coworkers.  When she and Clark get escorted by Lex Corp Security to see Lex, their strong arm methods don’t go over very well but Lois is so gung ho at getting to finally talk to Lex that she goes willingly. We cut back to Lex giving a doughnut stuffing Rudy a tour of the facility where Lex’s crack staff is going to put Rudy through several exams to test his intellect and physical fitness to mold Rudy and change him for the better.

   It’s pretty apparent from this that the idea of what the citizens of Metropolis think is going to happen is very different from what Lex wants to do. The people at the gates believe that Lex is going to make their dreams come true by giving them what they want; last issue Clark had met a police officer that was doing crowd security who said that on his days off he would go over there hoping for the chance to open an Irish Pub. Lex however is not interested in giving people what they want but what he believes the people need, he’s so arrogant to believe that he knows people better than they know themselves. Sound familiar?

     Lois and Clark are brought to Lex’s office; Lois thinks she’s going to get a chance to confront Lex on all his shady dealings which include bribery, extortion, forced relocation, and even murder. But Lex hasn’t brought them here for anything of the sort, he’s brought them to him so he can pump them for information about Superman (I should mention he hasn’t been named yet) and charge him with trespassing. So….Superman saves dozens of people from a helicopter falling from his building and he wants to press charges? Lex obviously has some big brass ones, but I also have to wonder if they’re as shiny as his head.

   In another part of Lexcorp we see Rudy Jones still stuffing his face when one of his doughnuts falls on the floor and onto some purple ooze. Using the three second rule Rudy picks it right back up and eats it, not necessarily a man of discerning taste as it gives him a lot more than indigestion as the ooze starts to mutate Rudy and gives him an insatiable appetite that drives him to start attacking people around him. Clark can hear the screamrbance and they try to get Lex to safety leaving the reporters to fend for themselves.

Am I late for the calender shoot?

   It’s too late however as Rudy bursts on the scene completely mutated into a big, bloated purple leech with a mouth that would make a sarlaak jealous. He’s become The Parasite, a long time villain of Superman who has the ability the suck out the energy of anyone he gets his mouth on. Yick! But Clark was able to slip away and in comes Superman ready to save the day as he picks Rudy up and launches him into the street. After a short fight Superman uses his icy breath to freeze the Parasite in place, Lex comes out and sees the results with his own eyes and is in total disbelief but snaps out of it when he hears someone calling the scene a miracle.

    He then calls out Superman and asks him if Big Blue expects the people to worship him for what he’s done thus far. Oh the irony is thick on this one folks. Clark is so stunned by the question he can’t even respond and is further taken aback when Lex asks if he’s even human. Superman flies off listening to the voices of the people as they not only question his motives but most of them siding with Luthor as well. Ouch.

    Superman lands on the roof of the Daily Planet bemoaning his decision to come into the open, he sees someone else on the roof and finds that it’s Jimmy Olsen also bemoaning his lot in life and considering returning home feeling that he hasn’t accomplished much of anything except finding the quickest route to get coffee and donuts to the city room without spilling a drop. Superman sympathizes with Jimmy and the two bond over their insecurities about the paths they’ve chosen. Before Superman flies off Jimmy convinces him to pose for a picture.

   In Perry White’s office, Lois turns in her story on the flying man. Perry remarks about how the story doesn’t contain any of Lois’ patented cynicism and Lois replies that she’s never felt better and you can see on her face that for the first time in a long time she’s found something, someone she can believe in. Jimmy shows up and slaps the picture of Superman on Perry’s desk and announces with renewed confidence “The name’s Jimmy….Jimmy Olsen.” We close on Lex looking through the newspapers finding that they’re all swayed towards his opinion of the flying man. All except the Daily Planet, to which he says “This means war!”

   As this issue shows that for all his drive and intelligence, Luthor’s egotism can be deadly for anyone that gets involved with him. From Rudy Jones’ transformation into the Parasite to the victims of his rampage to even the people of Metropolis just walking on the streets, Lex’s blind narcissism can lead to him making mistakes on a cataclysmic scale that can negatively affect so many people. And is he repentant for any of this, Hell NO! In fact he doesn’t shoulder the blame; he blames everyone else for his mistakes and in this case placing the blame on Superman for his own mistakes. We’ll continue the story at a later time but next time I’ll be looking at Transformers: the Movie. Until then, Cheers!

    

  

     

Does the finger still have power?

Pop Culture is more than just books or movies or music, it’s also about events, language, and gestures. One gesture that was prevalent throughout the 20^th century and could have arguably dominated the late 20^th century was the middle finger. During the 60s and 70s it was a gesture used by both by anti-war protesters and politicians. Imagine being on those lines with both sides flipping the bird at each other. During the 80s and 90s it became synonymous with teenage rebellion, who in the hardcore scene didn’t see someone in Black Flag or Fear or Bad Brains throw those middle fingers in the air? Even in movies, who didn't chuckle a little during Judd Nelson’s scene in The Breakfast Club when he asked if they’d like it if he “turned it up?” Or those of us who watch WWF and followed Stone Cold Steve Austin, how many of us didn’t get a kick out of him throwing a double salute in the air?

    Even the in the early 2000s we were still getting into the act, Dane Cook during his three seconds of fame. But the crux of this article is not to really get into a history of the middle finger, for that we could take it all the way back to Ancient Greece and Rome where the meaning of the gesture was pretty much the same as we understand it now. No, the question I feel the need to ask is this: Does the middle finger still have the power it once had?

Gimme a Hell Yeah!

    I think it’s a fair question, I don’t hear it talked about as much as it used to but that could be that we’ve gotten used to it. There are some “experts” out there who would say that because of such acceptance that we’ve become a more vulgar society. Personally, I don’t feel that's true, often times things just run their course. A perfect example of this is the word humbug. Yes, I’m sure there were a few of you reading this that get a chuckle out of that word, but there was a time when that word was as bad as fuck or shit (is shit even that bad a word anymore?)

   But if you use something long enough sometimes the defination changes or just becomes irrelevant, if that’s the case then what can we use to replace a dying gesture? At first I thought maybe to use the reverse of the finger which when used means “May you die a virgin”. Personally, I can’t think of anything worse to say to a person, to wish for someone not to experience one of the most important moments of a human’s existence I think would be pretty cold blooded. But when I talked about this very subject with some friends and showed them the gesture all I got was “it looks like The Shocker”. I’m sure plenty of you know what that is so I don’t feel the need to explain and those of you who do need an explanation, I feel a little sorry for you.

   There is a gesture that could be a nice replacement, in the UK and Australia they have the “V” which is basically taking the peace sign and turning it around so it definitely has a kick to it. That could work but I think that would take some time to get used to especially after the impact that the finger has had. But this is all supposing that it’s necessary, as of this writing I have seen a number of videos where people have used the finger with as much venom for their targets as ever. So maybe it’s not fading out as much as it’s coming around for another swing. You know what, fuck it. So what do you folks think?

Superman:Secret Origins pt.3

Part 3-Mild Mannered Reporter

    We pick back up our look at Superman: Secret Origins with issue 3 and we open with Clark Kent on the streets of Metropolis and looking in awe at the city around him. He gets distracted when an elderly lady bumps into him, giving him an attitude like an Oprah audience member who just found out about the taxes they have to pay for their new car that they won just from his trying to help her pick up her cell phone.  This attitude is prevalent from nearly every one he comes across until he comes onto Luthor Avenue where he sees a new emotion coming from the Metropolitans, desperation.

    A nearby cop tells Clark that every day people line up at the gates of Lexcorp., (Luthor Avenue, Lexcorp., making sure nobody forgets who he is and how important he is) in the hopes that one person will be picked by Lex for their life to be changed for the better. Clark realizes the time and catches a cab the drops him off for his first day at the Daily Planet.  After a little slapstick to establish Clark’s bumbling persona he literally runs into the janitor Rudy Jones in the elevator. As they head up Rudy relates how the Planet has seen better days, it’s brought up later on in the story that the Daily Planet has been the only paper in town to call Lex Luthor out on his actions (such as a malfunctioning drone killing a bunch of innocent people in South America) and has paid the price for it by being blackballed. He also manages to guilt Clark into giving him his lunch so we see he’s much like the majority of folks in Metropolis that Clark has already run into.

     We get to the news room and we meet the cast of character such as the crusading Ron Troupe, the sports writer Steve Lombard who is defiantly well suited to his role as he pretty much acts like a jock, gossip columnist Cat Grant, and put upon cob photographer Jimmy Olsen, whom Clark instantly befriends. Its a loud shout from the editor’s office that we meet editor-in-chief Perry White and star reporter Lois Lane who’s currently in a shouting match with Perry over the Planet’s unwillingness to take on any controversial story. Remember at this point the Planet is pretty much in ruins after trying to take on political corruption and the actions of Lex Luthor and the Planet is on the brink of closing its doors because of it, Lois is still raging against the machine, but Perry who had for a long time been the loudest voice has resigned himself to the fact that they lost. He fires back at Lois that despite the fact Lois is a great writer she tends to be very cynical with her pieces, as opposed of how objective a reporter is supposed to be (which let’s be honest hasn’t been true in a long time.)

     Clark enters the scene and is introduced by Perry to Lois who immediately enlists Clark’s help on a story that involves breaking onto the ground of Lexcorp since The Planet was banned from their press events. We get a peek at Lois’ life from the complete disarray her desk is, Clark mentions how an orderly desk reflects an orderly mind and if that’s the case the Lois’ mind is all over the place and has no room for flowers as a bouquet that’s been delivered to her goes straight in the trash.

  With disguise in hand and Clark acting as a distraction Lois is able to crash the press event as Lex unveils a new and revolutionary metal called Metallo and the first thing he uses it for is to make a robotic exosuit that would make Ellen Ripley proud. Luthor flexes his new creation’s abilities by making it lift a helicopter and joking how he’s already patented his creation. Not a believer in Free Market Economics is he.

   Lois gets found out and rush the stage to get away from security but the commotion causes the exosuit to drop the helicopter which causes Lois to fall off the top of the Lexcorp building. Clark sees it and launches into action in costume and catches Lois who looks bewildered until she sees the helicopter falling towards them. Superman catches the helicopter and lands it on the ground. Superman is beset upon by people asking who he is and how he can help them. Some are all in fear of him as seen by a mother pulling her child away from the Man of Steel. The police enter the scene looking to detain Superman but we all know how well that’s going to work. Clark flies off hearing the people talking and questioning what just happened and realizes that he may have made a mistake.  

Mothership Connection

Dr. Funkenstein's wild ride

   A couple of weeks ago a friend and I went up to DC to see a band play that I had heard of but hadn’t until recently ever really explored. I came to know of George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic over the years from their appearance in the 90s college movie P.C.U., I knew of his connection to The Red Hot Chili Peppers when he produced their second album Freaky Styley. I knew much about them,except for the most important thing which was obviously their music.

  

  That all changed several months ago when I went into one of the local stores that were selling records. Ever since the mass market appeal of downloadable music, cds have been going the way of the 8-track and in a very ironic twist the very thing that cds themselves had replaced were making a comeback. If I hadn’t gone into that store looking to buy records, I probably never would have bought Parliament’s landmark album Mothership Connection. I think I would have really missed out if that were the case.

   

  Mothership Connection is the fourth album from Parliament and it continues the P-Funk mythology by taking it to space; a place where many never guessed it would go. From this album, intergalactic funk was born and it was oh so good. From the opening spoken word line of “P.Funk” to the thumping “Night of the Thumpasorus People” the whole album is a genuine sonic masterpiece that will make you groove even if you’re just lying in bed relaxing.

  

    I remember listening to my co-worker singing the line “if you hear any noise, it’s just me and the boys, hit me” and wonder where that came from. I found out that it comes from the title track of the album, also known as “Starchild” and it’s easily one of the best tracks on an already awesome piece of funk. 

     I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the most famous song on the album and arguably their most iconic song “Give up the funk (tear the roof off the sucker)”. This song has very simple lyrics and a groove that doesn’t stop until the song is over. I remember seeing everyone in the club just moving to this song, even some middle aged guy doing a very stiff booty shake. I can’t blame the guys if he wanted to get his funk on and just didn’t really know how to go about it without feeling self-conscious. I know I’ve had my moments like that.

  

  I could go on but there are few words in the English language beyond “awesome” that could describe this album, this is a must listen for anyone who likes tight and masterful instrumentation with raucous energy and powerful vocals that can make a party happen anywhere, anytime. 

If you're curious and want to hear some funky shit, click here!

 

Superman: Secret Origins Pt.2

  A question I’m sure that probably came up from the first part of my review is this: why so many retellings of the Superman origin?  As stated before The Man of Steel was an attempt to streamline the Superman story after Crisis on Infinite Earths which could be considered the official end of the Silver Age.  Superman: Birthright as stated before was created to bring the character into the 21^st century.

  It was the Infinite Crisis event that restored a lot of the Silver Age back story that had been eliminated, so it rendered the previous retelling defunct. Secret Origin  was necessary to fit all those pieces of the puzzle back together. On with the review then….

                                              

      Part 2-Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes: We open on a drunken Lionel Luthor driving on a hilly road (in Kansas?) and he notices a large amount of debris blocking his way. He tries to hit the brakes but they fail causing him to drive off a cliff only to be saved by….Superboy! At the police station, Lionel tells his story and gets thrown into the drunk tank for his trouble. At the stately shack of the Luthor family, Lex gets a call about his father’s near miss with the person at the other end remarking that it was a miracle he didn’t crash. We can see from a well-placed book on auto maintenance and a pair of pliers that Lex cut the breaks. He remarks “miracles don’t exist.”

   At home that night, Clark looks out into the night sky when he’s joined by Pa Kent and the two make observations about how big the universe is and if there is life on other planets. The next day at school Clark runs into Lex in the library who tells him about his dream to make it big in the greatest city in the world, Metropolis and how he wants to get away from the small minds of Smallville. Despite being treated like dirt by Lex for not knowing who invented paper  (he sites Ts’ai Lun , a 1st century Chinese eunuch, yes you read that right, who is credited with the formula for modern paper) he invites Lex to hang out who brushes him off asking “why would I do that?” Anybody getting the feeling that you may have more in common with Lex Luthor at this point with their opinion of Superman?

   Clark then confides in Lana Lang about how Pete won’t talk to him anymore, Lana tries to kiss Clark but turns away her advances (and yes I’ll say it with you, he’s an idiot). As Lana leaves in a huff Clark with his super-hearing can make out the comments being made about him by other students. Clark leaves and begins to hear voices in a language he doesn’t recognize which then becomes English. He is then addressed by his Kryptonian name of Kal-El by two young men and a young woman; they are Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad, and Saturn Girl respectively of the Legion of Super-Heroes. They explain that they come from the 30th century and have come to Clark to thank him for being an inspiration to them and tell him that he will one day be accepted for who he really is. Despite breaking the rules, the trio decided to bring him to the future and they end up in 30th century Smallville where they come across a group of human supremacists causing trouble.

   Superboy and the others intercept the group and end the disturbance, during the fracas Lightning Lad tries to act cool by coming up with a couple of really bad catchphrases. However it’s Superboy in answer to a supremacists’ cry of “death to the legion” answers with the phrase that will become synonymous with the group “Long live the Legion”. However, since the Legion is not sanctioned by any governing body, the police try to round them up with the supremacists. The Legionnaires make their escape only to run into three more members of the Legion in Phantom Girl and Triplicate Girl (who gush over Superboy) and Brainiac 5 who lectures the other members for bringing Clark to the future in the first place.

      The Legionnaires soon return Clark to his time and after a short debate between them invite him to join them in their adventures again soon.  As a sing of their good faith, they give Clark a Legion flight ring, making him an honorary member of the Legion. Back home, Clark tells his parents about the events and relates how he feels that he can be more like himself around them. A rumbling then shakes the Kent home as a small spaceship heads towards them. Clark intercepts the rocket and brings it down to the ground. The rocket opens and the first sound from whatever is inside is the sound of a dog’s bark.

   We end part two with the police at the door of the Luthor home, telling Lex that his father has just died. After they leave and Lex closes the door he exclaims that “Today is my last day in Smallville”!

   This closes out Clark’s childhood story and the nest issue will move him and Lex on to adulthood in Metropolis. For now however we’re going to take a break because I feel a need to get the funk out. What does that mean? You’ll see.