CREDITS: Written by Mark Evanier; art by Neil Vokes and Terry Austin.
REVIEW: Behind a nonsensically sinister cover that's part of DC's stupid "Faces of DC" month, is yet another story that focuses in a supporting cast member, something I wish the TV series did more. In this case, it's about Angela Chen, not exactly a marquee character, and it's a little cliché. It's the old trope about the variety journalist not getting any respect until she gets a proper story. They did the same thing with Jimmy Olsen on the show this same year.
It does finally reveal why Angela has been seen at staff meetings. What was as yet unclear was that the Daily Planet also has a television division, and that Angela also reports to Perry White. Of course, he's an old newspaper man, and he resents the fact TV is supplanting his favorite medium, especially with the younger generation. (The story dates itself by also hinting at the Internet as the next big thing. I don't think they realized how right they were.) Do we buy this set-up? I guess we have to, but it doesn't really make sense. Perry ends up respecting Angela more at the end, which was predictable, but it doesn't really resolve his feelings about television.
The crime du jour has an Intergang assassin trying to kill a witness, which exists both to give Superman something to do, and to allow Angela's lack of finesse to put innocent people in danger and give her, if not a moral dilemma, then a reason to reflect on her actions afterwards. That's all fine without being remarkable.
Comments
Also, random tidbit--this headshot month was December 1997. The January 1998 issue of Deadpool has a cover mocking it.Funny enough back then, even moreso after the character started being used as a self-aware running commentary on the industry.
(not really a DP fan these days, but Joe Kelly and Ed McGuinness make for a pretty good creative team)