InsaneJournal

Superman & the Creeper


Superman teams up with everyone's favorite Ditko loon, the Creeper, in this Crisis cross-over issue of DC Comics Presents (#88, Dec. 1985). Written by Steve Englehart and inked by Karl Kesel (cover inked by Giordano), this issue shows Giffen at his finest.



This art is weird, even for Giffen. Don't get me wrong... its weirdness is what I like about it. This is before the time when Giffen was accused of plagiarism by The Comics Journal. Although the Jose Munoz influence is easily evident in subsequent works such as Ambush Bug and Jonah Hex, this issue shows Giffen's perfect blend of grotesque characters, semi indecipherable backgrounds, and design conscious page compositions all in his own style... sorta. Oh, and it has the Creeper! Who doesn't like the Creeper?




Years later, Giffen would draw the Creeper's origin (Secret Origins #18, Sept. 1987), but this early version owes more to Ditko in theme than in actual rendering. In regards to Superman, love how abstract Superman is visualized when fighting the villain.






Did Giffen's silhouette of Superman come before Miller's (to be followed by Byrne, Mignola, and Art Adams)? A pedantic note, I know, but it's the sort of detail I love to geek out about. I also particularly enjoy how in the age before Batman and Supes weren't pals, there was a character that Superman openly didn't like (early Booster Gold and Ambush Bug also come to mind).

xoxoFiffe