I forgot to mention Casey's artist for this run, Derec Aucoin. He does the art for ten of the issues (Charlie Adlard does the other two) and he nails it. He's got a good eye for detail and realism, but also knows when to just use simple lines. If Toby Cypress on Mr. Majestic was a darker, sketchier Eric Cante, then Aucoin is a darker version of Ed McGuinness. I'm horrible at describing art. Trust me, when the run by Casey and Aucoin ended, I was looking through every solicitation to see his name pop up. He should be a superstar.
Now, this issue is a fun one. It has another little bit about the superheroes being drained of all colour and life, but mostly it deals with Lois Lane handling Funky Flashman, the former manager of Mister Miracle. He just opened up a store selling Superman merchandise since in the DCU, Superman's image is public domain--or, he figures Superman won't do anything about it. This then expands to all of the superheroes, but then Lois hints at him to also include supervillain merchandise, which causes Captain Cold to pay Flashman a visit.
There's also a subplot about Lois and Clark, including them re-enacting the first Superman/Lois interview. The issue ends with them spending Valentine's Day together in bed sleeping, which is a rare treat.
A nice little story. It's interesting to see how even when other heroes' merchandise is sold that Superman outsells everything else. Superman is the hero, even to the general public. Flashman makes a strangely convincing argument that selling this stuff is a good thing because it helps people feel closer to Superman, a man they owe their lives to several times over. Of course, that's just a justification for his own greed, but it's a solid point nonetheless.
In 30 minutes . . . welcome to Heroville, population: you!
Phoenix #5 annotations
1 hour ago
