SUPREME: HOW AN AVERAGE TITLE BECAME AN EISNER AWARD NOMINEE

Just about two years ago, Rob Liefeld shook the comic world by hiring Alan Moore to write one of(then) Maximum Press' flagship titles, SUPREME. Previously, even back in its' Image days, the title had failed to figure out what direction it wanted to go in. beginning in impressive fashion with Stephen Platt, the current(at the time) artistic flavor of the month, handling duties.

As time went on, it moved through a number of creator hands including Todd Nauck, Cedric Nocon, Marat Mychaels, Joe Bennet, Gary Carlson, Eric Stephenson, Tom & Mary Bierbaum, and even Jim Valentino

The premise of the series was an interesting one: the great Supreme-super soldier from the past who was somehow lost in time and returned to earth in present day. Along with him, as was revealed over the course of the early issues, was a host of supporting characters like Kid Supreme, Lady Supreme, the god's Loki and Thor, Glory...even a doppleganger Supreme and a female version.

But, with cross-over storylines, extended storylines and the like, the series never really attained the status it desired.

That's when Alan Moore stepped in.

In a single leap, a storyline called 'The Supreme Story of the Year', Moore recreated the character in his own, Watchman-like image. Gone were the multiple Supremes, replaced by one hero who hangs out at his Citadel and often pays a visit to the League of Infinity. His sister is Suprema; his dog(yes, he has a super dog) is Radar: the hound Supreme. His alter ego, Ethan Crane, works in comics on a title called OMNIMAN. His citadel is run by LMD type robots called Superematons and also inhabited by Squeak the Super-Mouse. His origin dates back to 1925, when(as discovered in the classic SUPREME #52b) Supremium Man crashes into a farmer's yard, bathing a child(and his dog) in Supernium energy.

Get the picture yet?

This title is so full of the cliched superhero, specifically late 50's and early 60's Superman swipes, that it is a winner. For example: fake comics fill pin-up pages, featuring comics comics like SUPREME'S GIRLFRIEND JUDY JORDAN, ACTUAL COMICS(looking very much like ACTION COMICS), KID SUPREME(using the old 60's SUPERBOY logo and starring a young Darius Dax, looking a LOT like a YOUNG Lex Luthor), and ADVANTAGE COMICS(the old ADVENTURE COMICS letter type). There are character bios, referencing SUPREME #10 from 1940 or ACTUAL COMICS #242 from 1958. The whole Supreme being a man out of time leads to one of the most intricate and fascinating parts of the title.

The comic book flashback.

In a given issue, smack dab in the middle of the current story, you could be treated to an 8 page tale of SUPREMA: SISTER OF SUPREME. Or Supreme with Professor Night(whose logo looks remarkably like the old hooded Batman logo from the Sixties). Or even a one page NATIONAL FLASHLIGHT BATTERY INSPECTION DAY piece starring our white haired hero. Or even a reprinting of the 'classic syndicated' newspaper strip from the 1950's.

All is possible from the mind of Alan Moore.

The flashback sequences have been handled beautifully by Roarin' Rick Veitch, who has a flauir for this sort of thing. With an art style straight out of Win Mortimer or Curt Swan(with the exception of the Neal Adamsesque tale in issue #49), the pages drip with cheesy 1960's charm. And, by having the page color that funky, old time yellow in comparison with today's bright white, further adds to the unique charm.

This book is a treat! It is a must read and, with picking up just one issue, a reader can see how this title has garnered so many accolades from fans and critics alike. Month after month, this title is truly one of the MUST READS out there.

So, whatever your allowance allows, budget yourself $2.99(yeah...it's should be a $2.50 book, but it's still worth the extra .49 cents) and buy this title. If you're a fan of classic comics, this is for you.