Story and Art – Dan Jurgens

Finished Art – Brett Breeding

On Saturday June 20^th, I went to the Customer Appreciation Sale at New Dimension Comics Waterfront. It was a perfect Summer day to get out of the house and meet up with a coworker who I haven’t seen in a while. It was also a prime opportunity to take a deep dive into the dollar bin since dollar comics were on sale for 33 cents apiece! 

I will still be attacking the stack and bringing you comic book reviews from the never-ending read pile I have at home. I will be sprinkling in some reviews of the books I rescued from the dollar bin as well.

First up – Superman # 74 “Countdown to Doomsday!”

The Justice League of America lies defeated at the hands of an alien creature wreaking havoc across the country. Blue Beetle is near death’s door and Ice pleads with Maxima to get him urgent medical care. Ice promises to keep taking the fight to Doomsday if Maxima obliges her request to get help for Ted. A hesitant Maxima does as she’s told but with serious misgivings. Ice turns her attention to Doomsday as he makes his way towards a housing development.

Young teenager Mitchell arrives home from school and gets into a fight with his mother because there is no soda in the fridge. Their fight is cut short when Ice smashes through a kitchen window. Mitchell and his mother walk outside the house and see Doomsday at their doorstep. Superman and Booster Gold fight the creature in tandem. Superman takes a punch from Doomsday and the Man of Steel is unfazed by the blow. However, a well-placed kick from the creature sends Superman reeling through the house. Booster Gold is grabbed and smashed through a tree. As the house beings to topples on Mitchell, his family, and Ice, the cavalry arrives on scene just in the nick of time (consisting of Guy Gardner, Fire, and Bloodwynd).

Can Superman and the Justice League put an end to Doomsday’s rampage before more destruction and devastation is caused and innocent bystanders are caught in the crossfire? Can Mitchell protect his family and rescue them from the rubble of their home?

I was only 10 years old when the Death of Superman event rocked the DC Universe. It was a major event in pop culture covered by mainstream media. People stood in long lines to pick up multiple copies of Superman #75 thinking they would be able to retire in a few years based on how much the comic would be worth in the future. My mom preordered me a copy and I ripped through that black polybagged issue to see how Superman died and to look at all the other goodies that were included (like the Superman armband).

This issue packs a lot of action, tension, and high drama. The first page has Ted Kord beaten to a bloody pulp, covered in bruises, near death’s door. He would survive his encounter with Doomsday, but others wouldn’t be so lucky. A lot of blood was spilled during this event, which I find weird, because as I type this review, I cannot remember any other superhero comics at the time featuring this amount of carnage or bloodshed (Comics approved by the Comics Code Authority usually kept these types of scenes in check). If you can think of any, please feel free to share them in the comment section.

This version of the Justice League doesn’t get a lot of love and recognition. This team didn’t have a lot of powerhouse members like Batman, Green Lantern, or Wonder Woman. What they lacked in sheer strength was made up by the amount of heart and soul each member brought to the fold. This League was made up of a group of friends that worked well together in the face of overwhelming odds. Even though this group was together for a short time, they should be held in the same esteem with the Satellite Era and Justice League Detroit.

This issue is fast paced and features a knockdown drag out fight for the ages. This was the fight we should have seen in Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice or Justice League. It’s sad to think that the closest we got to a faithful adaption of this storyline was in the DCAU Death of Superman movie.

This issue is definitely one to add to your collection if you find it for cheap. If you already own it, it’s worth your time to take it out of your collection and give it a reread.

My final rating – 3.5 flapping capes out of 5.

Next Issue – With the Justice League down for the count, does Superman, with only the help of the often-reckless Maxima, have a chance of stopping Doomsday?