A Comic A Day: Supreme #47

Published by Maximum Press
Written by Alan Moore
Art by J. Morrigan & Rick Veitch

Supreme was a Superman analogue created by Rob Liefeld for his indy studio Maximum Press in the 90's. Blander than an air sandwich on white bread, he wasn't much else. In his civilian guise as comic book artist Ethan Crane, he pencilied the monthly adventures of the fictional hero Omniman while patrolling the skies as Supreme.

Enter: Alan Moore. Considered by many to be one of the best comic book writers around, his series Watchmen deconstructed the superhero genre in ways that are still often imitated and misinterpreted to this day. Sour grapes with the editorials and higher-ups at DC and Marvel meant Moore would soon move into the independents in the late 80's. Alan Moore took the blank canvas that was Supreme and did something magical. One part love letter to the Superman mythos and one part middle finger to the stale DC landscape of the decade, his run on Supreme featured some of the best Superman stories ever told without actually using the titular character.

Supreme #47 is a little ways into Moore's run, but it stands out because it revisits a concept from the silver age that DC at that point was doing nothing with. World's Finest, a series that co-starred Superman and the dark knight detective Batman, had been out of print for over a decade when this issue first saw print. In the "Supreme-verse", Batman is represented by Professor Night. Like Supreme, he's a not-so-subtle copycat of the dark avenger stereotype, with just a hint of mysticism thrown in for good measure. Owl statues and other such motifs adorn his hideout, making Professor Night's private space a clever combination of the Batcave and Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum.

Supreme searches for the Professor, who has gone missing. The hunt for his old friend and colleague takes place in the present while flashbacks reveal a sampling of their past team-ups. The present day sequences are handily drawn by J. Morrigan and resemble a typical 90's superhero book. The flashbacks however, are the real treat, rendered by the brilliant Rick Veitch to resemble a World's Finest type team-up story from the silver age. Moore's run on Supreme is littered with these flashbacks relating to past episodes and "phases" in his career all brilliantly stylized to resemble the "age" in which they occur.

Nearly a decade before All-Star Superman (another one of my faves), Alan Moore's Supreme gave a glimpse into the possible. A potential for great Superman stories that is always dangling above DC's head, like a brass ring just out of reach. If you're a fan of the Man of Steel, I can't recommend this run enough. If it helps, just imagine a big red 'S' on Supreme's chest and you'll feel right at home.