Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes, Vol. 3: Strange Visitor From Another Century

Customer Reviews:

Graphic SF Reader.......2007-09-03

After completely screwing up the Superman/Batman and Supergirl titles, and hence any possible use of Supergirl there, and again, with the Legion not setting the world on fire, they thought they wuld try something else.

Originally this spot was occupied by Superboy, but given that he is gone now, or dead, or a crazy monster, depending on which one you want to talk about, they thought throwing a miniskirt in there might be a good idea.

It is working so far. The problem the Legion have is that Supergirl thinks her existence in their time is just a dream. It is not so great having perhaps the most powerful person on the planet be extremely loopy, which causes more arguments and fights in the Legion.

supergirl & the legion of super heros.......2007-05-31

Excellent read, but I already owned the one you sent me, remember, there are many of these types of books but they have sub-names, like Adult education, etc...............

A bit of a lull . . . .......2007-01-03

After the events of the first year-plus of the rebooted Legion of Super Heroes I have to admit that this volume is a bit disappointing, but it is tough to top an intergalactic war.

The arrival of Supergirl detours the narrative from more Legionnaire-focused episodes to more Supergirl-centric ones while the series lays the ground work for a pair of story arcs involving the Dominators and the Legion of Super Villians.

The narrative lull was necessary after the war against Praetor Lemnos and Terror Firma but I came away feeling that Supergirl's inclusion was more gimmick than story-driven.

Those complaints aside, I enjoy the pencil-and-ink stylings and the look and feel of this vision of the Legion. This volume is worth getting if you are a Legion fan.

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Strange Visitors
surprise
Interesting Smallville Novelization
a decent start
Excellent conpanion to the series

Strange Visitors (Smallville, Book 1)
Roger Stern
Manufacturer: Aspect
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0446612138

Customer Reviews:

Strange Visitors.......2004-06-22

After enjoying the tv show I thought I would begin reading the series of books to tide me over until the next season began. Strange Visitors was a good book to start off the series of books and if you enjoy Smallville you will definitely enjoy the book.

Highs:
Lex Luthor- I thought the author did a fantastic job with his dialogue and character.

Stuck to the story and created another Smallville experience

Lows:
Clark Kent- He seems to be too innocent and childish. I wanted a hero.

Story- It covers a lot of territory and does not pick up until the very end.

Overall this was a good start to the series. If you are a fan of the show it should be entertaining, while if you want fast paced action I would jumpt to the next book "Dragon."

surprise.......2004-01-01

I picked this book up on a whim. I thought I love Smallville so much how can this novel compare ? WOW Must I say: It was awesome! And the ending left me thirsty for more.

Interesting Smallville Novelization.......2003-10-30

Clark, and his friends and family are upset when two spiritual guru con-men show up in the small town of Smallville, looking to use meteorites as their newest sales ploy. The two men soon set up a tent, and begin holding seminars, and robbing the people of Smallville blind. Then a cancer-ridden schoolmate of Clark's gets involved, when his father brings him to the seminar, and a mishap takes place. Now it's up to Clark and his friends to dig up the truth about this spiritual guru, Donald Jacobi, and drive them out of Smallville, before someone (namely Clark) is hurt by the meteorites, or his very undercover secret is revealed.

I found that this was an interesting beginning to the Smallville book series. Stern has created an intriguing plot, involving some of our favorite TV characters, and has not changed any of their own unique quirks. I look forward to reading the rest of the books in the Smallville series, and hope that they are as good, or better, than STRANGE VISITORS.

Erika Sorocco

a decent start.......2003-07-07

I found the supplemental books to the show somewhat less involved than I wanted it to be. The problem with the series in general is the constant need to explain Clark's origins unnecessarily. People who read the books probably watch the show...even if they don't watch regularly, the origin of Superman/Clark Kent is fairly common knowledge and doesn't need to be explained in great detail in every supplemental book.

There wasn't much substance, but I did enjoy the book. It's probably not so much for adults as it is for teens, and it's obvious from the writing.

Excellent conpanion to the series.......2003-04-24

The Smallville companion novels are quite good. They maintain the characters and there interrelationships faithfully. It was good fun to read. I highly recommend all the books in this series.

Superman Returns: Strange Visitor (Superman Returns)

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Ideal for the Fans
The Zeus of modern American mythology...
Not great but fun to read
Wonder and Excitement that will Appeal to All
The comic book that started it all with The Man Of Steel!

Superman Returns: Strange Visitor (Superman Returns)
Louise Simonson
Manufacturer: Little, Brown Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0316177997

Book Description

These collections, showcasing stories from 1939 and into the early 1940s, feature some of the earliest adventures of the worlds greatest super-hero in hard-hitting stories by the Man of Steels creators.

Customer Reviews:

Ideal for the Fans.......2006-08-29

This is a great book to own if you are into The Man of Steel. There is an introduction to the book and a biography of the creators at the end. Even though comics 2-6 are absent from this volume, its a great thing for younger fans to read because it takes you into the world that Siegel and Schuster have originally created showing how the character has developed over the past 67 years.

The Zeus of modern American mythology..........2006-06-25

Superman has flown through American culture for nearly seventy years. He has appeared in almost every twentieth century entertainment medium: comics, television, and movies. With such ubiquity and staying power, it's probably fair to say that Superman stands as the Zeus of modern American mythology. Not only that, as Comic historian Mark Waid says in this book's introduction, Superman vicariously fulfills nearly every person's hidden dream of invincibility. Nothing can touch this guy. Not crooks with guns, not the law (who also have guns), not corrupt politicians (who might have guns), not even larger than life supervillans. In short, Superman embodies the American principle that "in America you can do what you want." If you're Superman, this is definitely true. How many people wouldn't want to shed their vulnerable human skins for that kind of power?

Superman has become an all-out good guy in his later years. Now he works with the law, and dishes out justice by the book. For those familair with only this late Superman, the stories in this volume will produce gaping, eye-widening shock. In these early stories Superman takes the law into his own hands and metes out justice on his own eye-for-an-eye terms. In the first story, Superman drags a corrupt Senator on a terrifying trip from building to building and live power line to live power line. "I wonder if we can jump all the way to that building?" he asks. "NO DON'T" his captive pleads. He jumps and says "Missed -- doggone it!" while the politician writhes in agony. Over a series of live wires Superman man says "Oops! Almost touched that pole!" The Senator gives out a "Ye-eow!" By the hands of Superman, criminals receive the same treatment they dish out to their victims. A man involved in rigging a circus gets tossed into the air until he confesses. A wisecracking office mate gets his clothes torn off as retribution. Many get hit hard, one gets dropped into tar, a governor gets abducted from his bed to hear the confession of a corrupt workhouse superintendent that Superman has locked in the "hot box". Superman faces a man sneaking out to gamble, crushes his watch and tells him, "See how easily I crush your watch in my palm? If you don't quit gambling I'll look you up and give your neck the same treatment." The early Superman was a bully for justice. He used brute force to clean up crime. Even against the police and the army (see issue 8). Nothing stops him.

The first half dozen stories feature Superman cleaning up human corruption. Evil businessmen and organized crime mafiosos get what's coming to them (usually in the form of Superman's fists). He helps out everything from a failing circus and a deceived oil company to a cab company victimized by protection money hoodlums. Most of the stories hail him as "friend of the helpless and oppressed." But he doesn't really receive any real challenges until the "Ultra-Humanite" (a proto Lex Luthor) appears. This arch-villain delivers some memorable but quaint lines such as "I am known as 'The Ultra-Humanite'. Why? Because a scientific experiment resulted in my possessing the most agile and learned brain on earth! Unfortunately for mankind, I prefer to use this great intellect for crime. My goal? Domination of the world!!" Superman's new enemy basks in his depravity. He knows he's evil and he loves it. From this point on most of the corrupt rackets broken up by Superman have the "Ultra-Humanite" behind them. And the not so subtle social commentary of the early issues morphs into a battle of good (Superman) over evil (Ultra). Ultra represents Superman's evil alter-ego. Every time Superman destroys him, he returns. He even gets his "mighty brain" transplanted into a female Hollywood celebrity's "young vital" body (a rather amusing scene). Superman changes forever in this volume. The last stories point to the future of the comic: larger than life villains who also have superpowers and flailing egos. Gone forever are the days when Superman merely "cleaned up" towns of human crime by taking the law into his own hands. A huge metamorphosis.

Not only that, Superman's powers would later increase. Here he doesn't fly, but only leaps. His x-ray vision hasn't yet evolved into laser penetrating retinas. At this time the Superman of today remains slightly unrecognizable. Lois Lane doesn't even appear all that often. And there's absolutely no mention of Krypton or Kryptonite (but the reworked first story in "Superman Archive Volume 1" does). Superman has not yet obtained his famous Achilles' heel.

This volume reprints the original Action Comics, including Superman's very first appearance, but with a hitch: issues two through six appeared in the "Superman" comic that appeared in 1939. DC reprinted these in "Superman Archives Volume One" and only summarize the stories here. So a gap appears after the first issue. Regardless, this volume still remains a lot of fun to read. It shows how one of the most ubiquitous and recognizable figures in modern American culture got his start. And though Superman's creators, Jerry Siegel and Joel Shuster, both died in the 1990s their creation still lives inexorably on with no signs of stopping.

Not great but fun to read.......2006-06-21

It seems unthinkable that the police would ever look at Superman as a dangerous criminal but in this collection that is exactly what they do. But this is not the Superman we all know but a vigilante who does whatever he wants in the name of justice. If he wants to destroy property and ruin the lives of criminals that's just what he does. If he sees something he considers an injustice he acts on it. If that means he rips down slum dwellings to force better housing to be built then he does it. But then remember that this is Superman from the beginning of his legend in 1938 and he has yet to run up against the likes of Lex Luthor or Brainiac. But there are some recognizable elements of the Superman we all know so well here as we see him using his x-ray vision for the very first time.

It's funny to see Superman fighting against stock swindlers, protection rackets and reckless drivers but those are the kinds of threats he deals with in this collection. His vision of the world seems very black and white with little middle ground in between. You are either a good person or you aren't and he will deal with you accordingly. This Superman doesn't hesitate to intimidate criminals to get a confession whether they are gangsters or corrupt politicians. But even here in his early days Superman has to deal with elements of the fantastic, when he faces off against long time DC villain the Ultra Humanite. In the fine tradition of all mad scientists he wants to rule the world and seems to have the brains to make it happen. Comic writer Mark Waid gives some insight into the debut of Superman in the forward of this collection that is worth reading. You should also take a few moments to admire some of the dynamic cover art by Joe Shuster and Fred Guardineer. This collection contains Action Comics #1, and issues 7-20 and a summary of issues 2-6. The only reason I gave this 3 stars is that these are not the most exciting stories around but still for the sake of nostalgia worth reading at least once.

Wonder and Excitement that will Appeal to All.......2006-03-12

With "Superman: The Action Comics Archives", DC goes back to the first Superman stories. I imagine the reason DC archived Superman in multiple series has much to do with the initial popularity of the character with his multiple appearances, plus the fact that many of Superman's first stories in "Action Comics" were reprinted in his the first issues of his own solo title. Since I am largely up to date on the "Superman Archives" proper, which reprinted the solo series, going back and reading "The Action Comics Archives" is fun little treat, as one is reminded of how much the character changed in just his first decade.

While I knew that Superman was initially a social crusader, its amazing just how much of one he really was. In these pages, Superman puts and end to juvenile delinquency by leveling a slum, and allowing the government to rebuild it. He forces the city of Metropolis got clamp down on reckless driving. He investigates the abusive behavior of a prison camp. And he cleans up the gambling rackets in the city. Naturally, all of these actions bring Superman into conflict with city officials and police, and Superman seems more of a renegade than super-hero.

However, even early on, Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel realized that their larger-than-life hero needed some larger than life adversaries. Thus came Ultra-Humanite, Superman's opposite number, a crippled, aged scientific genius who engages in several brilliant schemes designed to terrorize the population and enrich himself. His greatest trick, however, is transferring his brain from body to body (something the character continued to do, even if DC's shifting continuity made Ultra a JSA villain, not a Superman one). The Ultra stories are the most fun, since they are pretty straightforward super-hero tales.

While the stories aren't deep character studies, Siegel had a strong sense of adventure and humor, as Superman uses his powers to right wrongs, frequently opting for humiliation and intimidation.. Shuster's art, while generally cartoony, is clear and communicates the awe and wonder the stories require. There are some moments of near-perfect detail. For example, as Superman confronts an actress who has inexplicably kidnapped several colleagues, Shuster presents one single panel of a head-shot of the woman, eyes blazing fiendishly. This moment tips Superman off that the girl is actually Ultra, but also communicates to the reader just how evil this person is, despite the otherwise simplistic quality of the art as a whole.

Despite the flaws endemic to golden age comic books, the early Superman stories nonetheless age quite well. They are filled with such wonder and excitement that even a veteran reader will find appealing. Enjoy.

The comic book that started it all with The Man Of Steel!.......2001-09-20

Superman made his debut in Action Comics #1 in June, 1938. He became an instant sensation with readers, and started the superhero trend.

Superman: The Action Comics Archives volume 1 reprints only the Superman stories from Action Comics #1, and #7-20 (issues 2 thru 6 were reprinted in early issues of Superman). These stories featured a Man of Steel who did anything to get justice done, including escaping from Police whenever they get on his trail! He didn't have all the superpowers that his modern version has today, or that modern version's sense of justice.

Superman fought normal criminals in his early years, before getting a regular rogues gallery like arch mastermind Lex Luthor, the alien Brainiac, Bizarro, The Prankster, etc. One villain who became Superman's first recurring foe in this book was the Ultra-Humanite. A sinister villain who was thwarted by the Man of Steel many times.

Read the classic stories from comics' Golden Age that started it all in Superman: The Action Comics Archives!

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Smallville (Strange Visitors)

Manufacturer: Warner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Smallville: Silence (Smallville)

Hauntings (Smallville, Book 3)

Smallville #7: Runaway (Smallville)

City (Smallville)

Whodunnit (Smallville, Book 4)

ASIN: 0739430726

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A Strange Visitor
Mary O'Toole
Manufacturer: Modern Curriculum Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0813636434

Product Description

This is a very old story from Scotland which is best told on a dark night. In the story an old lady who lived by herself wanted someone to come and visit her because she was lonely. Then one night someone did come to visit her -- but it was a STRANGE visitor.

Average customer rating:

An Invasion of the Body Snatchers type story.
They're Hear and They have Our Parents
Do you like anything at all.....?
The truth is out there!

Strange Invaders (Visitors, Bk 1)
Rodman Philbrick , and Lynn Harnett
Manufacturer: Scholastic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0590972138

Customer Reviews:

An Invasion of the Body Snatchers type story........2000-03-28

Nick, his sister Jessie, and their friend Frasier knew something strange was going on in their small town from the moment the strange storm hit. When their parents start acting zombie-like, they aren't just suspicious, they are frightened. And when they discover that all the adults in town are possessed by an alien menace that will stop at nothing, they must fight the battled for Earth on their own. This was an action-packed story from start to finish. I highly reccomend it to kids and teens looking for a quick read.

They're Hear and They have Our Parents.......1997-07-16

This is a ALL kid alert.Something has hit the Harley Hills and It has taken our parents and even the animals.It's us against the Brain Stealers so let's do it.Read the books.Fight the battles.Give it your best.It's up to YOU to fight back

Do you like anything at all.....?.......1997-06-24

Do You like sci-fi,do you like animorphs?Do you like anything at all?If you said yes to any of the above you should have this book on your night stand so go get it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Adults to.-Jesmine

The truth is out there!.......1997-06-23

This book is fabulous.It is alot like Animorphs,you know action,brain stealing aliens, kids fighting back.It was phat,can't wait for thing(#2) to come out.-J sweet

Strange Visitors (Stories for the Telling (Audio)) (Stories for the Telling)

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Strange Visitors (Stories for the Telling (Audio)) (Stories for the Telling)
Alma Flor Ada
Manufacturer: Santillana USA Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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ASIN: 1581053371

Una Extrana Visita/Strange Visitors (Ada, Alma Flor. Libros Para Contar.) (Ada, Alma Flor. Libros Para Contar.)

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Una Extrana Visita/Strange Visitors (Ada, Alma Flor. Libros Para Contar.) (Ada, Alma Flor. Libros Para Contar.)
Alma Flor Ada
Manufacturer: Santillana USA Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

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ASIN: 1581052596

Una Extrana Visita / Strange Visitors (Libros Para Contar (Little Books))

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Una Extrana Visita / Strange Visitors (Libros Para Contar (Little Books))
Alma Flor Ada
Manufacturer: Santillana USA Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1581051921

Andventure of Sumper Man [Strange Visitor Chapter 2] Vol 572

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Andventure of Sumper Man [Strange Visitor Chapter 2] Vol 572
rand & ron frenz
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000UZ5NXY

Book Description

When the pressure is on to root out an elusive software or hardware glitch, what's needed is a cool head courtesy of a set of rules guaranteed to work on any system, in any circumstance. Written in a frank but engaging style, Debugging provides simple, foolproof principles guaranteed to help find any bug quickly. This book makes those shelves of application-specific debugging books (on C++, Perl, Java, etc.) obsolete. It changes the way readers think about debugging, making those pesky problems suddenly much easier to find and fix.

Illustrating the rules with real-life bug-detection war stories, the book shows readers how to:

* Understand the system: how perceiving the "roadmap" can hasten your journey * Quit thinking and look: when hands-on investigation can't be avoided * Isolate critical factors: why changing one element at a time can be an essential tool * Keep an audit trail: how keeping a record of the debugging process can win the day

Customer Reviews:

Excellent and practical book on debugging.......2007-08-09

This is an excellent book on debugging. Whether you're debugging mechanical systems, electrical circuits, or software, the methodology presented is extremely practical and systematic. The author presents nine debugging rules that can be applied to any problem. The text is well-written, engaging, and humorous. The author also included a wealth of war stories that are worth the price alone. Highly recommended.

Quite liked it. I now have a game plan for approaching bugs in a nonrandom manner (including intermittent bugs)........2007-07-20

Quite liked it. I now have a game plan for approaching bugs in a nonrandom manner (including intermittent bugs):

Understand the System
- Read all related documentation
- Draw a system diagram and understand how things are connected
- Know the capabilities of your debugging tools

Make It Fail
- Start from a clean initial state
- Consider automating lengthy steps
- Make it fail in situ; don't waste time simulating the environment
- For intermittent bugs: list possible factors and try varying them one at a time; output a logfile and look for patterns

Quit Thinking and Look
- Watch it fail
- Use Remote Desktop / VNC
- Add logging and monitors
- Don't start thinking until you've limited the number of possible causes

Divide and Conquer
- Binary search
- Use test data with an easily identifiable pattern
- Start at the failure point and work backwards
- If you discover other bugs that may be related, fix them before continuing your search

Change One Thing at a Time
- Don't panic
- Back out changes that have no effect
- Compare the logfile with that of a good system
- Check earlier versions

Keep an Audit Trail
- Keep a detailed written log

Check the Plug
- D'oh!
- Have the components been properly initialized?

Get a Fresh View
- Try explaining the problem to someone (or something)
- Ask an expert: co-workers, the vendor, documentation, bug database, the web
- Report symptoms (including possibly unrelated observations), but not your theories

If You Didn't Fix It, It Ain't Fixed
- Fix the root cause
- Make the problem happen again by undoing your fix

I've Seen These Rules in Action.......2007-02-16

I worked with Dave Agans for over 10 years and I can tell you first hand the man knows what he's talking about. From developing hand-held controllers in the late eighties to single-board OS/2-based videoconferencing products to software collaboration tools, we have debugged problems of every ilk. Whether the problem was an FPGA bug, a faulty component in a board, a race condition in a device driver or a dangling pointer in a DLL, Dave always approached the problem with his same set of debugging rules, and they never let him down. Read this book. It's engaging and fun to read. But more importantly it will make you a better debugger, whether you're debugging hardware, software or your lawnmower.

Critical work for anyone who works on any sort of system, machine, or software.......2007-02-14

This book is absolutely indispensable for anyone working in any job where things occasionally work in an unexpected manner. It's concise, funny, well-written, and full of immensely useful tips on how to go about debugging problems.

One of the great things about this book is that it's generalistic in nature, not specific. Agans's decades of troubleshooting experience has given him great insight on how to go about debugging in all sorts of environments, so he lays out nine rules for approaching any problem:

Understand the System
Make it Fail
Quit Thinking and Look
Divide and Conquer
Change One Thing at a Time
Keep an Audit Trail
Check the Plug
Get a Fresh View
If You Didn't Fix It, It Ain't Fixed

[...]

Debugging isn't an art performed only by folks with some odd genetic disposition, it's a critical craft which can and must be learned. I was fortunate to have some good troubleshooters as mentors during my days working radar inflight in the Air Force, but I've fallen out of many of the good practices those folks beat^H^H^H^Hinstilled in me. Agans's book is helping me pull out of the thrash and churn mode of debugging.

This book's only 175 or so pages long and is well-worth adding to your library. Actually, substitute "a critical addition" for "well worth adding". I'm also going to make sure this book gets added to the professional development reading list I'm working on creating.

For Those Who Need Debugging.......2007-01-10

This Book Demonstrates How you could debug SOMETHING systematically, from most important principle to least important principle.(All 9 As the Book name said.) The Examples covers software, hardware, electrical, mechanical debugging. It is just amusement to read the example. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

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