Who’s the rootin’est, tootin’est cowboy in the Western Spiral Arm o’ the galaxy? He’s Terra-Man! But what’s his beef with the Man of Steel? Your Major Spoilers Retro Review of Superman #249 awaits!

SUPERMAN #249

Writer:  Cary Bates
Penciler: Curt Swan/Dick Dillin/Neal Adams
Inker: Murphy Anderson
Colorist: Uncredited
Letterer: John Costanza
Editor: E. Nelson Bridwell/Julius Schwartz
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: 25 Cents
Current Near-Mint Pricing: $100.00
Release Date: January 11, 1972

Previously in Superman: The Superman villains of the 1970s were an interesting lot, even compared to their Golden and Silver Age cohorts. The Atomic Skull had death-ray vision and was the point man for a science cult, not unlike Kobra. Morgan Edge was an evil executive who secretly worked for Intergang, while Darkseid himself debuted in the pages of Jimmy Olsen’s eponymous comic book. Blackrock, Neutron, The Quarmer, and even palindromic space ginger Karb-Brak gave Bronze Age Superman a hard time. Many people know Vartox, the villain who is clearly visually based on Sean Connery in Zardoz, but Terra-Man’s movie origins come from a decade earlier.

It all begins with a stagecoach.

Blocking up the traffic in central Metropolis, the archaic conveyance and its coachmen immediately get Superman’s attention. Forewarned that “The Man” is coming, Superman is astonished to see the coach and horses simply vanish into thin air. The strongbox turns out to be a trap, filled with explosives, and when they go off, they turn into fireworks that warn him again of the coming of The Man. The timing is extremely poor, as Superman is dealing with his Birth-Spell, a strange malady tying into his Kryptonian heritage. Long story short, like a Vulcan going through Pon Farr, every sixth birthday causes Superman great emotional and physical distress, even disrupting his super-powers, so that when The Man flies into town, his own x-ray vision is his worst enemy.

Much like the stagecoach, the six-shooter is clearly futuristic technology shaped by the American Old West, a dichotomy that he doesn’t have a lot of time to think about. As his powers run amuck, The Man-With-No-Name-Until-Page-Sixteen takes advantage, leaving Superman disoriented and floating upside-down. He asks the invader why an alien would model himself after a cowboy, only to get the response that his foe is no alien: He’s the Terra-Man, so named because he’s FROM Terra, albeit the previous century.

Oh, and he’s come to kill the Man of Tomorrow.

As a fan who loves Vartox, even I can admit that Terra-Man’s Clint Eastwood-inspired ensemble is much cooler looking, especially under the pen of the “Swanderson” art team. Superman succeeds, albeit by the skin of his indestructible teeth, in decking Terra-Man long enough for the authorities to take him into custody, but the tale ends with his Arguvian winged space Pegasus flying off to find something to drink. As much as I enjoy the art in this first chapter, it’s the second one that’s really impressive, as JLA stalwart Dick Dillin and cover superstar Neal Adams combine forces to explain how this particular desperado became a hi-tech space gunfighter. Young Tobias Manning and his Pa, Jess, were highwaymen in the late 19th century when they encountered an alien being called The Collector. (Not that The Collector.)

Accidentally killing Jess, the alien was able to read his thoughts and discover the man’s wish that Toby would grow up to be the world’s greatest outlaw. Feeling an obligation to fulfill his hopes, The Collector empowered Toby as the Terra-Man, helping him to learn the ways of the cowboy and providing his own alien technology, disguised as the lassos, guns, and Western gear Master Manning knew. Thanks to a paradox of FTL travel, Terra-Man experienced 20 years in space, while a century passed on his home planet. When his training was completed, Terra-Man successfully completed his first solo mission, returning back to his mentor… TO KILL HIM.

This story ends where the first feature begins, with Terra-Man returning home to stake his claim on the planet as the number one desperado, hence his targeting Superman, the ultimate lawman. The Dillin/Adams team delivers even cooler visuals here, with their Terra-Man oddly resembling Charles Bronson. Later stories would bring back the space cowboy (though some people call him Maurice), including a charmless revamp post-Crisis, but Superman #249 is among the best of his appearances, with two very talented art teams taking one of Cary Bates most outré ideas and giving it life, earning 3.5 out of 5 stars overall.

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SUPERMAN #249

73%

73%

It's Good, He's Bad, And It Gets Ugly

It's always great to see a silly premise get turned into something incredibly cool, and the half-page splash of Terra-Man flying into town alone makes this one worth a reader's time, with the origin story a cherry on top of a comic sundae.

• Writing

  7
• Art

  8
• Coloring

  7
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