Commissioned by the Guardians of the Universe (the very same bosses of the Green Lantern Corps.), Superman is deep in space when he spots an alien spore colony heading in his direction. He knows that they will land on inhabited planets and devour everything in their path, so he takes measures to stop the colony. However, he is in a region with a red sun and nearly dies in his successful attempt to stop the spores. Brought back to Oa by the Green Lantern Katma Tui, the Big Blue Boyscout is revived by the Guardians, who plant a suggestion that his very presence holds back Earth’s progress. Superman returns to Earth, plagued by the troubling thought. He descends upon a Mexican farming community outside of the San Andreas Fault and defends one young man from his bullying boss. When this happens, the village’s people come to expect the Man of Tomorrow to solve their problems, forcing Superman to make a decision about his involvement in future human affairs…

Curt Swan, legendary Superman artist, draws thrilling action sequences and crafts a visual marvel worthy of being in Superman’s first title, Action Comics. They could even be the basis for animation or film storyboards. Superman’s planet-creating and earthquake-stopping endeavors give his subterranean activities in Superman: The Movie a run for their money. Among attempts to give Superman relevance, notably by Dennis O’Neil of Batman and Green Lantern/Green Arrow fame, Elliot S. Maggin crafts another story beyond the usual Superman stories of the time. It’s very easy to see how if such a man existed in our world and did what he does, we would come to depend on him for every little thing. Jor-El even mentions this in a scene from Superman: The Movie’s special edition. Realistically, when Superman visits the community, they beg him to solve all of their problems and even demand more help from him. This dynamic, though unfair to Superman, is understandable because these immigrants have no one to protect them, possibly under fear of the threat of deportation. They don’t have a voice and when Superman arrives, they hope to use him as their voice.

Superman himself has multiple obstacles, both physical and emotional. On the physical side, the Man of Steel has to struggle against one of his handful of weaknesses, red sunlight and he must rely on his wits to stop the spores. On the emotional side, Superman has to deal with the fact that he engages in what could be deemed fascism. Though he uses his might to save lives and fight villains, he is enforcing his own brand of order with might. If he doesn’t watch himself, he can very well become a dictator and bring humanity’s progress to a glacial pace, if not a grinding halt. However, the Guardians’ actions are questionable. They have their own Corps to enforce order throughout the universe and they tampered with Superman’s mind, causing him to question his very existence as a hero.

Superman # 247′s “Must There Be A Superman?” has earned its place among the greatest Superman stories ever told for its thought-provoking story and journey as well as its super artwork. Next up: Superman For All Seasons.

It doesn’t get much better than this. Hulk, Simonson, and Uru Metal.

I think I see a butterfly.  It’s a cloud… no, it’s a crazy man in a purple suit.

Bruce beats Clark?   Ouch.

Hulk Smash indeed.

Cap’s definitely good cop on this one.

You only force choke the ones you love?

Nobody puts Vader in the corner.

At last!  Fox has released the first full-length trailer for director James Mangold’s ”The Wolverine.”

At nearly two and a half minutes, we get to see characters like Viper, Silver Samurai, Jean Grey and more! Hugh Jackman never looked more Canadian!

“The Wolverine,” which opens July 26, also stars Will Yun Lee, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Hiroyuki Sanada, Hal Yamanouchi, Tao Okamoto, Rila Fukushima and Brian Tee.

Based on the celebrated comic book arc, this epic action-adventure takes Wolverine, the most iconic character of the X-Men universe, to modern day Japan. Out of his depth in an unknown world he faces his ultimate nemesis in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before.

Source: Comic Book Resources

Young Justice (which became Young Justice: Invasion) had its series finale this weekend.  Did you catch it?  Cartoon Network’s show had a dedicated following, but that was not enough to save the show.  CN isn’t really saying why they canceled the show, along with Green Lantern: The Animated Series.  Both shows will be replaced by Teen Titans Go! and Beware the Batman.

What do you think?  Let us know!