As I was reading Action Comics issue #2, I noticed a ton of continuity and DCU references interwoven into the narrative by Grant Morrison. I decided to jot them down and post them on the blog. I am by no means a Superman scholar, so I may have missed some important stuff. This is a page by page breakdown of the things I took note of in Action Comics #2.
Page 1: Superman, captured at the end of issue #1, is strapped to an electric chair. I am unaware if this is a specific reference to a Golden Age Superman story, but based on Morrison's tendency to mine the past and the electric chair's old looking design, I would not be surprised if it was.
Page 2-3: Lex's refusal to acknowledge Superman as anything other than "it" is a great character touch. Superman's abilities referred to so far: electricity resistance, x-ray opaque skin. The second surely is a reference to invulnerability.
Page 4: The Doctor Irons Luthor refers to is almost certainly John Henry Irons, formerly known as the replacement Superman--Steel. The Sergeant Corben is most likely John Corben one of the men who has been known as the villain Metallo. Irons seems to be a contractor working for the military, which fits with his regular DCU status and history. Corben, on the other hand, has obviously been re-imagined as a career military man instead of his original journalist alter-ego. Irons shows that he is a hero-in-waiting by being outraged at Luthor's treatment of Superman, while Corben seems nonplussed.
Update: Apparently Geoff Johns made Corben a military man in the recent Secret Origin miniseries.
Page 5: The sequence where the scientist tries to take a blood sample is surely an allusion to 1939's Superman #1 where a similar, much more consensual situation takes place.
Luthor mentions a "Steel Soldier program"--this could be an allusion to either Irons' or Corben's eventual alter-egos. The General Lane referred to is Lois Lane's father.
Page 6: The military is wasting money trying to destroy Superman's cape. An unnamed soldier mentions a rocket that was similarly indestructible. This ties into older continuity--where stuff from Krypton was just as tough as the Man of Steel. General Lane knows his daughter's nose for a story.
Page 7: Lois is wearing a Keystone City shirt. This is the home of the original Flash, Jay Garrick, and the third Flash, Wally West--hello, shared universe!
Page 8: Another reference to needles being unable to pierce Superman's skin. Powers update: Survived Sarin Gas for FIVE minutes! Also, x-ray vision. Luthor asks Superman about Krypton, this is the first mention of Superman's home world in the DCnU as far as I am aware. There is no indication that Superman knows anything about the planet. Or perhaps his answer of "noble gas...number...36..." could have been a new-playful-Superman answer. Luthor seems to be under the impression that Superman is a shape-shifting alien.
Page 9: I am embarrassed to say that I have no idea what that corpse is. As far as I know, there was never a Goaty the Super-goat. Regardless, Luthor thinks that Superman's regular form is four-legged. Lex Luthor does not like being laughed at. Superpower update: Microwave vision...perhaps a more scientifically up-to-date explanation for heat-vision?
Page 10: Lois and John Corben obviously had some sort of romantic relationship in the past. Continuity alert! John Corben once shaved off his mustache! You heard it here first! Another allusion to "steel soldier" which I have to believe is connected to either a new version of Metallo or Steel.
Page 11: Superpower update: The ability to absorb electricity? New Lex seems to be a bit of a wuss. I don't see him being the kind of guy that would be willing to dawn a purple and green powersuit and throw punches. Perhaps that will be part of his ongoing DCnU arc--Superman driving him to be more physical.
Page 12: Superman threatens to kill Lex. Who knows if he would actually go through with it, but that's something new. Actually it's something old, Superman was much more gruff and physical in his early days.
Page 13: Superman finds his cape? I am guessing that the importance ascribed to the cape is a return to a canonical significance. Perhaps it is the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby.
Page 14: First appearance of the Kryptonian baby-ship. It obviously reacts to Superman's presence and touch. First mentions of Superman's Kryptonian name, Kal-el, his Kryptonian parents,Jor-el, Lara-Lor-Van-Vax-El and one of Krypton's gods, Rao. I am assuming the Vax in Lara's name is some sort of Kryptonian marital hyphenation. (I could wrong, I have no idea.) Perhaps the ship has some sort of built in AI, because Superman promises it that he'll come back for it. Then again, he could just be talking to it for fun...I mean I talk to my Ms. Butterworth bottle, so who knows? Superpower update: Heat-vision.
Page 15-16: More of young Superman's Super-confidence.
Page 17: Lois must have used her reporters skills to steal John Corben's pass key. She sees Superman just in time for him to leap away.
Page 18: After the resignation of Doctor Irons, a Professor Vale has been put in charge of the "steel soldier" project. I am assuming this is Emmet Vale--the scientist that put post-Crisis version of John Corben's brain in Metallo. Corben's unrequited love for Lois seems to be driving him to try some sort of new and untested technology. I don't know, could it be leading to...him turning into Metallo? Probably.
Page 19: Luthor is on the phone with an unnamed person. Apparently, whoever is on the other end of the line was his source for knowing about the word Krypton. As he talkes, we are shown something floating in space, implying the involvement of a certain green skinned Superman villain.
If you notice any glaring things I missed, feel free to let me know!
