Superman #100

From the random stack of comics, here's a milestone Superman book from 1995.

Title: Superman
Issue: 100
Date: May, 1995
Publisher: DC Comics
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Penciler: Dan Jurgens
Inker: Brett Breedng, Josef Rubinstein
Colorist: Glen Whitmore
Letterer: John Costanza
Editor: Chris Duffy, Mike Carlin
Cover: Dan Jurgens, Joe Rubinstein

I love "milestone" issues, especially involving historic characters like Superman. So this is the 100th issue of the Superman title that began following Crisis on Infinite Earths in the 1980s. It's got a holofoil cover (because it's 1995, after all; it also has a scene involving a brick-sized cell phone!), and the story is "The Death of Clark Kent".

While that would appear to be a play on the Death of Superman storyline, which also leaned heavily into gimmicky cover territory, this story plays out more like a much kinder, gentler version of Identity Crisis.

Villain Conduit, who just happens to be Clark Kent's old high school buddy Kenny Braverman, has figured out Superman's secret identity. And after a bit of teasing Clark Kent with the knowledge, Clark now knows that Kenny knows, and all of a sudden everyone in Clark Kent's life is in danger.

Or rather they would be, if it were not for the fact that Conduit seems to be utterly incompetent as a villain. The guy commands a private army equipped with military hardware, and his powers make him a match for Superman in a straight up fight, but yet he resorts to mailing people exploding champagne bottles, has his men surround Ma and Pa Kent's house and then wait to attack until Superman arrives, and can't even decide whether to spill the secret identity to a captive Jimmy Olsen.

Really, Conduit? Really?

In fact, the whole scene of Conduit blathering on and on to Olsen about "if you only knew what I knew about Clark Kent" and then not telling pretty much tells all the readers everything they need to know about this story. The status quo is in no danger here. And neither is Superman, or Clark Kent for that matter.

Just about the only redeeming bit in this issue is a reasonably well thought out scene between Superman and Lois Lane (in 1995 continuity, Clark and Lois are engaged and Lois knows Clark is Superman), in which Clark talks about the importance of his identity as Clark Kent and about the pride he takes in his news reporting and writing. More of that, please.

And less Conduit.

Rating: 3.5/10