From: albert@chain.ssctr.bcm.tmc.edu (Rick Jones)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc
Subject: Re: I'm not buying Superman #75!
Date: 19 Nov 1992 19:42:57 GMT
Organization: Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Tx
NNTP-Posting-Host: chain.ssctr.bcm.tmc.edu

In article <lgn91nINN4m1@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM> khale@camilla.Eng.Sun.COM (Abhijit Khale) writes:
>In article <1ef5cdINNnn3@gazette.bcm.tmc.edu> albert@chain.ssctr.bcm.tmc.edu (Rick Jones) writes:
>
>have beaten the Anti-Monitor. But the whole Doomsday plotline has been moving
>fast and there simply hasnt been enough time to summon other heroes. Also,
>DCs mystical heroes are generally hard to summon at the best of times (and
>Deadman and Spectre seem to be off on their own trip anyway). Lobo is light
>years away and is unlikely to want to help out anyway. Ditto for Lady
>Q, who's also hospitalized. Atom and Marvel are in limbo. Valor is probably
>in space. Ditto for most other GLs. I dont find it all surprising that given

	Well, based on my understanding of the sequence of events (I did
buy the issue of JLA that crossed over, which is why I'm convinced that 
all of the JLA are, in fact, pop people), D-Day breaks out of whatever, 
cuts a swath of destruction across the country side on his way to Metropolis.
The JLA is called in, get their butts kicked (deservedly), and finally Big
Blue shows up in time to have his big mega-slugfest.

	Scene that SHOULD have been there: (right after the JLA gets 
the snot beaten out of them)
	Ice is crying while dialing a payphone on the 
outskirts of the town D-day trashed.
	PHONE: JLE.  The World Famous Elongated Man speaking.
	
	ICE: Ralph, it's Tora.  <sob, pause to regain composure>
There's a monster and he's killing Superman.

	Ralph's jaw falls to the ground.  
	RALPH: WHAT?  Tora, what's happing?

	ICE: It's a monster.  Ted's in a coma, and Beatriz, and Booster 
Guy are all hurt _really_ badly.  We need help.  Maxima's gone after them, but-"
	
	RALPH: (all business) On it.  Where are you?

	Ralph stretchs over and presses a big red button.  

	Signaling devices all over the world go off.  The heroes have suprised
looks on their faces.  Panels are arranged in a circle with Ralph speaking
into a microphone.
	Coast City: Hal Jordan is doing paperwork for his new air company.
	Keystone: Wally is reading a swimwear magazine.
	Paris: Crimson Fox is talking with her sister.
	JLE HQ: Aquaman and Power Girl are going over JLE paperwork.
	Bailey, NH: Scott (Mr Miracle) and Barda Free are redecorating their 
house. [they are reservists]
	LA: Billy Batson is reading comic books. [so is Marvel]
	Batcave: Batman is working out.
	Boston (pending approval of WW writers): Diana is talking to a group
of children about the Wonder Woman Foundation.
	RALPH (in center of page):  "We have a code "Crisis" Emergency in
{whereever}.  Leaguers are down.  Get there ASAP."
	
	Meanwhile:
	LEX LUTHOR is talking to two shadowy figures.  
	LEX: Some creature is fighting Superman, and is on it's way to 
Metropolis.  Please render whatever assistance you can.
	VALOR AND SUPERGIRL:  Certainly.
	
	They fly off.

	LEX <thought balloon>:  No one may kill Superman but me...

	Later on....
	HAL JORDAN, SUPERGIRL, VALOR, FLASH, and CAPTAIN MARVEL come streaking 
over the horizon, to help the badly beaten SUPERMAN.

	POWER GIRL, MISTER MIRACLE, and BIG BARDA arrive later.
Eventually, after a big fight, D-Day is turned into a newt by 
Dr Fate.
	All of theses characters have a connection to the JLA of some kind
and would be expected to be ready to pitch in to help.  After all, they
are members (or reserve members) of the JLI, _and_ are fast enough to  
get there at a moment's notice.

>and seems to have very little mind to attack. Nor could a GLs power really 
>beat him, given how tough he seems to be. The only thing that could beat him
>is being teleported to say, the moon, something Gardner obviously didnt 
>think of.

	Guy/Hal/Maxima picks up D-Day by the scruff of his neck, and starts
flying for the moon.  If D-Day breaks free, grab again.  Don't waste power
trying to hold him, just be ready to catch the fool when he breaks free.


>I dont think the post-Crisis Supes has ever had the strength or the hand-eye
>co-ordination required to throw Doomsday into orbit. Also, I should point out
>that for much of this fight, Supes was still operating under his code which
>might forbid him from throwing or carrying Doomsday into  orbit. By the time
>he realized how desperate the situation was and how powerful Doomdsay was,
>it was probably too late, since he'd already taken a tremendous pounding.

	True, Doomsday may not be able to breathe in space, and Supes wouldn't
just kill him.  Substitute the Moon for a large unoccupied area on Earth.
(Some big desert, perhaps)

>This is not the pre-Crisis Superman. Ater the beating he's taken, I dont think
>he's capable of throwing Doomsday beyond a few blocks. Ditto for carrying
>Doomsday. He doesnt have the speed of the old Supes, who could have flown
>Doomsday into outer space in a blink. 

	Superman was able to lift an ocean liner and fly with it for a while.
If he can't throw D-Day more than a few blocks, than D-Day would sink into
the ground because he weighed so darn much.

>In particular statements like "hero X could have beaten
>Doomsday" are irrelevant, since hero X isnt there.  

	But there's little reason why the JLI's big hitters (even if you 
take away Marvel and Valor, you've still got an intelligent GL who is 
smart enough to know not to go hand to hand with D-Day like Guy did)
wouldn't be able to get there quickly.


	But on to something of a different note.  Suppose you were given
writer control of the Superman titles, and you got to kill Superman. 
How would YOU go about doing it?

	I haven't given it a lot of thought, but IMHO, only two characters
are 'worthy' of killing Superman: Lex Luthor and Darkseid.
-- 
Rick Jones				Systems Support Center
albert@bcm.tmc.edu			Baylor College of Medicine
Voice: 713-798-7352			standard disclaimers apply
Superman's not just dead, he's wrapped in plastic.-Houston Chronicle (11/19/92)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.misc