Issue #233 began what is known by Superman fans all over as the Sandman Saga.
It's also known as THE game changer.
This issue starts with Superman helping some scientists out with some machine that uses Kryptonite. It doesn't work, and as usually happens in comics, it blows up. Superman, being Superman tries to contain the damage and ends up getting knocked out. One upside, this explosion caused some comic-related chemical reaction that pretty much made all Kryptonite inert.
So, there's the first big change for you... no more Kryptonite. No more Kryptonite to belittle the Man of Steel when a writer couldn't come up with an interesting idea. (And I would think, no more Metallo, since you know, his heart is made of newly inert Kryptonite.)
The next big change comes to Clark Kent and his co-workers.
We're introduced to Morgan Edge, whose first appearance was in Jimmy Olsen #133, by the King himself, Jack Kirby. Morgan Edge is the owner of WGBS, and new owner of the Daily Planet. So heads up Clark, you're now a television reporter.
Clark goes off to cover a breaking news story about a mailing rocket, and as usual finds saboteurs. When does Superman ever not find saboteurs when dealing with rockets, missiles, or any sort of experimental ship?
Superman jumps to the rescue, but whoops... his heat vision fails him. He's also a bit weaker since the Kryptonite explosion from the beginning of the issue. Oh well, he still saves the day and makes it back to the Planet/WGBS to file his report. Because he's SUPERMAN and that's how Superman rolls.
Then the epilogue kicks in:
Say hello to the Sandman Superman. Get comfortable with this fellow, since he'll be a thorn in Superman's life for the next year. That's right... the biggest change of them all, a year-long story arc. Gone are the days of "Done in One's"... where everything is reset before the next issue. Superman comics have finally grown up. Or at least they did for one year. But we'll get to that when we get to that.
This issue also features a back-up story featuring Jor-El and stuff he did on Krypton. To be honest, I usually just skip these stories. They bore me. But for this blog post I figure I could take one for the team... so here it goes:
Jor-El's Golden Folly:
Jor-El graduates Krypton's version of MIT and goes to work for that society's version of NASA. He builds antigravity drive to power a spaceship made of gold. But little does he know that astronaut, Lara Lor-Van has snuck onboard the ship and I guess her weight throws stuff off and the ship crashes on one of the moons. Jor-El sneaks onto another ship and rescues her a few days later.
Seriously, Superman's dad builds a motor for a gold ship. Then Superman's mom flies in it and crashes it. Then Superman's dad saves her.
Now you see why I usually skip these.
Let's go back to the Sandman Superman... isn't he creepy in that last page? Can't wait for the next issue!
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