Mild Mannered Reviews - Regular Superman Comics

Adventures of Superman #572

Adventures of Superman #572

Scheduled to arrive in Stores: September 1, 1999

Cover Date: November 1999

1999 Triangle No. 41

Writer: Randall Frenz
Penciller: Ron Frenz
Inker: Sal Buscema

"Who is Strange Visitor?" Chapter Two - "When?"

Reviewed by: Nick Newman



Shocked to see Strange Visitor in Professor's Hamilton's Lab, Superman tells the girl how he has been searching for her. As Superman asks her who she is, Strange Visitor senses that someone is in need of help and departs. Hamilton informs Superman that Strange Visitor has the power to reach out with a "cosmic empathy" and find people in pain or panic.

Meanwhile, a black woman stands atop a roof, ready to end her own life. She thinks of how her ex-husband has taken her son, and how it will be impossible to get her child back. Just as she prepares to jump, Strange Visitor appears and convinces the woman that there is still hope.

Returning to Professor Hamilton's lab with the woman, Eve Hardisty, the young heroine listens to the woman's story as Hamilton explains to Superman how he found Strange Visitor. While trying to harness electromagnetic radiation, the Professor accidentally attracted a human lightning bolt. Clothing her in a prototype of Superman's containment suit, he began to study her.

Then Strange Visitor declares that she is going to help Eve get her son back.

In the SCU's (Special Crimes Unit) headquarters, Superman, Strange Visitor, and Eve inquire about the woman's ex-husband Wardell Washington. Learning of his whereabouts, the trio, along with the SCU head to his building. Six gang members open fire, but Superman quickly disarms them. Strange Visitor blasts open the door and the two heroes come face-to-face with Wardell.

War’ clenches his fists and sends Superman flying. As the SCU radio in for backup, War subdues Strange Visitor as well. Superman returns just in time to blast War with his heat vision, freeing Strange Visitor. War and Superman launch into fisticuffs as Visitor locates the child, Malik, and returns him to his mother. Just as Superman is realizing that War is getting too powerful for him to beat, Strange Visitor blasts him with energy. She tries to siphon off War's energy by touching him, but soon it becomes too much for her and huge lightning bolts pierce the building. Superman separates the two and leads Strange Visitor outside. As the SCU shackle War, Hamilton tells Visitor that as her powers continue to go out of control, she erodes her containment suit. If she continues using her powers, she will disperse.

Just then a man pulls up in a taxi and grabs Strange Visitor. Calling her Sharon, he kisses her and tells her that she is his fiancee.

3Story - 3: The Strange Visitor part was good, but War was just corny. A gang lord should not be able to stand up to Superman like that. A few plot holes disturbed me as well. If I recall, Hamilton used the entire sample polymer to makes Superman's original suit, and he didn’t have anytime to mess around with a prototype. Also, Superman had to stylize his suit with the "S" emblem and zigzags, why did SV's have them?

4Art - 4: The interior art was good. The "normal" people in the issue looked particularly good, even though Frenz's Superman leaves something to be desired. It probably would have earned a three, but having the same artist do the art for the whole storyline gives it a nice sense of fluidity.

2Cover - 2: I really did not like this cover, Superman looks too blocky and War just looks corny. The only person that did look good was Strange Visitor. This cover would definitely not make me want to buy this issue.


Mild Mannered Reviews

1999

Note: Month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic was on sale.

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