ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #597
"Rubber Crutch"
Mildly Recommended (6/10)
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DC Comics
Writer: Joe Casey
Artist: Derec Aucoin
Colors: Wildstorm FX
Letters: Bill Oakley
Editor: Eddie Berganza
Price: $2.25 US/$3.75 CAN |
Casey delves into some important -- more important today than perhaps ever before -- issues regarding the Presidency of the United States and the power that the office affords a lone man. Unfortunately, the Last Laugh crossover concept intrudes and robs the story of much of its impact. Still, we do get some fantastic fill-in art from Derec Aucoin once again.
President Luthor and his two bodyguards/aides -- Hope and Mercy -- are Joker-ized, leading the Commander in Chief to launch an early, and rather odd, re-election campaign. The nation worries that the President has gone off the deep end, and Superman is sorry to discover it's true when the twisted Luthor produces the briefcase in which can be found the Button. Meanwhile, Vice-President Pete Ross assumes power, and he's faced with a tough decision regarding the Joker crisis.
Why Derec Aucoin doesn't have a permanent monthly pencilling gig is beyond me. Ever since his run on Marvel's Quicksilver, he's proven himself time and time again as a solid talent. It's nice to see him recognized as the go-to guy for fill-ins for Adventures of Superman, but I'd rather see his clean, detailed style on a more regular basis.
I'll be honest... I'm not wild about George W. Bush being in power in this time of crisis for the United States. Sure, I'm not an American, but decisions made in U.S. affect the entire world. Given those thoughts, I was quite interested in the questions Casey brings up in this story. This is about a President out of control, unfit to govern. The danger that poses and the protocols in place to deal with such contingencies should be of interest to everyone.
Unfortunately, Casey isn't really able to delve too deeply into those ideas here. The goofiness of the Joker-ized villains gimmick gets in the way of the more important questions of politics, and checks and balances. In fact, the outrageousness of the crossover concept takes away from those important issues, almost dismissively. Casey's not to blame though; he's just saddled down with a cumbersome sales stunt.
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