Action 524 – Superman vs Superman, and Air Wave and the Atom vs the Calculator

Marty Pasko, Curt Swan and Frank Chiaramonte tie up a loose end from Action 500 in issue 524 (Oct. 81).

Superman wakes up in his Fortress of Solitude, but discovers that he has no powers.  But then we cut to Metropolis, and see Clark there, as himself and Superman, and all is well.

The powerless Superman shows up, and we find out that he is the clone made by Lex Luthor in Action 500.  he lost his powers due to exposure to gold kryptonite during the fight.  Now he wants Superman’s powers, and his life.

Not going to happen, but you do feel a bit bad for the clone, who is simply trying to live the only life he knows.  Superman feels this way as well, and after defeating him, has him undergo plastic surgery and brianwashing, giving him a new, human identity to live out.

Rozakis, Savuik and Colletta bring Atom and Air Wave back together, as the Calculator goes on trial.

He escapes from the courtroom, using some space invaders imagery, which would have looked so much cooler at the time.

Atom calls on Air Wave to help him.  The Calculator has his immunity to the Atom’s attacks, and as this shows, Air Wave is the only other hero who can travel through phone lines with him.

So Air Wave takes down the Calculator, who does not get another appearance, other than occasional cameos, until the shortly after the millenium.

Action 523 – Steve Lombard – alien, and the Atom saves his parents

Conway, Swan and Chiaramonte weave a story that repelled me enough that I stopped buying this series after this issue.

It’s not really that bad a story, so I’m not sure why I hated it so much.  It opens with the Daily Planet staff playing baseball.  There are enjoyable bits for Lois and Lana, Perry and Jimmy.  Clark gets picked on by Steve Lombard, but he is also going crazy, playing with people who were not professional athletes.  Then a goofy looking alien shows up, claiming to be his brother.

We, and Steve, learn that he was adopted, and there is circumstantial evidence to back up the alien’s claim.  The alien is a shape-shifter, who can take Steve’s form.

But that all turns out to be a lie.  The alien is part of a race of really competitive athletes, who steal the forms and skills of people from a variety of planets.  He stole Steve’s form and skills, but the real prize is Superman.

But Superman was suspicious, and resisting their energy drain, and beats them.

Rozakis, Saviuk and Colletta continue the Atom’s battle with the Calculator, although most of the story is spent in the past Ray Palmer escaped to in the Time Pool.

He saves a young couple in a storm, who will one day become his parents.

Returning, he stays small and out of sight, but tells Professor Hyatt what to do in order to defeat the Calculator.

But as with many Calculator stories, it seems finished, but continues next issue.

Action 522 – Superman vs the Clockwork Man, and Atom vs the Calculator

Conway, Swan and Chiaramonte go retro with Action 522 (Aug. 81).

A scientist creates an old-fashioned Clockwork Man, inspired by the tales of Burroughs and Baum.

The mechanical man wants to help his chronically late creator, and so speeds everyone up.  It takes Clark a surprisingly long time to notice that everyone around him is moving at super-speed.

The Clockwork Man is simply too determined to “help,” and really capable of reason, so Superman has to trash it.

The Calculator returns to fight the Atom, the first foe he faced, in this story by Rozakis, Saviuk and Colletta.  It’s the first time the villain had appeared since his introductory arc in Detective Comics in 1978, and those stories are recapped at the start of this tale.

Calculator’s immunity to any hero who had previously beat him holds true in this story, and I was glad that the Atom did not try turning into Ray Palmer, which he had tried and failed in Detective.  This time around, he tries increasingly indirect attacks, but with no success.

But the Calculator attacked while he was at Professor Hyatt’s, and the Atom makes his escape by diving into the Time Pool.

The story continues next issue.